Chapter 930

Comes Great Responsibility

John Henry heard the phone call between John and Savannah. It was about what he expected, even if it was delivered a little bit differently than he thought it would be. He watched as John stared at his phone after Savannah hung up. He knew he was lost deep in thought. He didn't actually know what John was thinking about. It could be about a certain termination the mission would have entailed for Savannah, or it could be about something sexual. It was probably a combination of both.

"The phone call went well." John Henry said.

John didn't think so. It seemed a lot was left unfinished. There were still a lot of things which could happen. The issue wasn't resolved. It was only the planning they were going to rethink. It would probably end up much the same thing again very quickly.

"Hardly…." John said. "I'm still trying to figure out what happened."

It seemed quite clear to John Henry. He wanted to refresh John's memory.

"You agreed to ask Savannah out on a 'date'." John Henry said.

John was still a little unsure what occurred. He knew it knocked him off track when she said it. It did help defuse the situation however. He didn't lead the charge.

"I think it was her idea." John said.

John Henry wasn't so sure about it. It was clear what John wanted when he was around Savannah. He could tell visually from the responses of John's body what was desired.

"Was it?" John Henry asked. "I think it's what everyone wants to happen. She did indicate the fourth date would be 'special', if I understood her correctly."

John took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was a lot for him to think about. He really wanted what the 'fourth date' would offer. He was pretty sure it would happen on the first one. He knew she wanted to try it at least one time. As long as she tried it once, it's all he really wanted. He wanted to be her 'first'. What else was there to know?

He quickly pushed the thoughts of happier times from his mind. They were a long way away from those right now. There was too much uncertainty about everything.

"I can see how any actions taken by Cameron, Savannah, Young Allison, or myself can have massive repercussions." John said. "It seems to affect everything, usually in a negative way."

John Henry wanted John to remember things weren't just about him. It was about all four of them. It was actually something all of them needed to remember. With what just occurred in the desert, it should be a reminder to all of them. All four of them were affected.

"You four will all bear a burden. You must always remember, with great power, comes great responsibility." John Henry said. "It will be the same way for each of you in the future."

John could do without the reminder right now. There were enough problems to deal with. He didn't need another one.

"I know." John said. "I know."

John Henry could see John was still very worried. He wondered which one of the three girls he worried about more. Was it Savannah? Was it Cameron? Was it Young Allison? Based on John's reaction to the two phone calls, he believed it was actually Young Allison. He could understand why. She hadn't gone on any missions yet. If things would have continued to play out the way they were, they would have been light on Terminators when she arrived. He knew she 'instructed' Anna and her Detail they were to carry out their long standing 'directives' in regards to her safety, regardless of any new 'circumstances'. He knew it was an 'end run' around Savannah's proclamation. He also knew it was an effective strategy.

"Young Allison is to return home." John Henry said.

John thought maybe it was the best news of the entire conversation. The underlying implications still bothered him greatly.

"It's bad enough to have Cameron and Savannah out there risking their lives." John said. "Now we have a young teenager willing to do the same thing. I know she would do exactly what she said she was going to do."

There was little doubt in John's mind Young Allison would do it too. He really would like her back safe in her bunker in Palmdale. Who is he kidding? He wanted her at the base with her mother, sister, and older self. He was pretty sure Allison would take Young Allison's place if it looked like anything was going to happen, unless her mother beat her to it. He quickly adjusted his pants when John Henry wasn't looking.

John Henry noticed what John did but pretended like he didn't. He wanted to give John a little reminder about what was in store for him.

"They know their future, John." John Henry said. "They know who they'll need to become. It's what you - Future John wanted for them and for yourself."

John didn't want to go there again. It was times like these when he hated Future John. It also made him question his place in life. It made him question his place in the future. It made him question everything. He told his mother before they made the first temporal jump to 2007 he wasn't a great leader and doubted he ever would be. He told her she would need to take care of it like she always did. She agreed to do so. Now Cameron was the one who carried the torch.

"I think they've all passed me for being great leaders." John said. "I know Cameron and Savannah have. It's obvious Young Allison will as well."

John Henry didn't want John to forget his place going forward.

"You will lead the Resistance." John Henry said. "People will follow you. Everyone will sacrifice for you."

John was disturbed to remember what future Derek told him. People did more than sacrifice, they died. Future Derek told him, 'everyone dies for John Connor'. He scoffed at himself. He figured at best he was just a cog in the wheel. Who did he inspire around the Resistance base? The people with charisma and charm were Cameron and Savannah. It was rather evident Young Allison would be as well.

"There isn't anyone who wouldn't follow Cameron or Savannah." John said. "Both people and machines will follow them. I would follow them."

John Henry felt Cameron, through all of her actions, proved what a true leader was. There were many obstacles put in her path. She prevailed over all of them. Savannah always stepped up in battle, and never shied away from combat. Her devotion to Cameron was evident to all. Every Terminator behaved slightly differently in her presence. It seemed the humans did as well. He was sure it would be the same way with the Young Allison also. She made a lot of good decisions on her own which benefited the Resistance troops immensely.

"Cameron has proven herself many times over." John Henry said. "They've both proven themselves in battle. They both captivate everyone with their presence when they're around them."

John believed it too. He felt he fell short of the mark. He thought back on his life going forward. It seemed very lackluster and lacked substance. The part which troubled him the most was all of his negative interaction with Cameron. It seemed most of her problems radiated from him, or from his actions. Maybe some of them were even from his inactions.

"It seems like all I have ever proven is to be a problem." John said.

John Henry knew there was some truth to it, but there was also a lot of evidence to the contrary. He was there in the alternate future and he saw John in action. He watched as the troops rallied around and followed John. It was before Cameron's arrival. He thought it was important to remind John of his stature.

"You proved yourself in the 'alternate future'." John Henry said. "You did it in combat and as a leader. Your efforts should never be discounted in any way."

John wasn't sure it was a true comparison. Maybe he only reached the status by default.

"I believe it's because Cameron wasn't there yet. Savannah wasn't there at all." John said. "Now I have plenty of assistance, with more on the way."

John Henry wanted to remind John of the obvious.

"Sometimes it's nice to have help." John Henry said.

John remembered when he heard those same words before. Not only did he hear them, he also said them. They were in the presence of Cameron and he felt he greatly disrespected her on one occasion when it was about making a sandwich. He should have allowed her to make it instead of being smug about it. He was blinded by Future Riley charms at the time. She provided him with what he wanted. It was easy to get sidetracked and feel like he didn't need anyone else. What a mistake on all counts.

Cameron was very worried about what Savannah was willing to do. She knew it was her fault. It was what she did and Savannah emulated her. Savannah was willing to sacrifice herself to protect her and all of them. She wanted Savannah to be a strong leader. She didn't want Savannah to become a sacrificial leader. She wasn't sure there was any way to correct the problem she created. Young Allison was willing to do the same thing. Maybe her training was a little too intense. She understood her influence was strong. Maybe it needed to be used more carefully. With great power, came great responsibility.

There were times when she took extreme action and acted on her own. She did it to protect the others in the group. She didn't want anyone else to be damaged or injured when she could take the brunt of the punishment herself. There was a difference between Savannah and her. Savannah was real. She was a real human female. On the other hand, she knew what she really was. She was a very scary robot from the future who masqueraded as a human female. She wasn't real.

If she were terminated, she could be replaced. There were clones of her. They were identical to her in every way. The only difference was in their programming. She took out the most hurtful parts of her programming from their programs when she created them. She didn't want them to suffer the same way she did. Her spare chip, or a copy of her program, could be put into any of their chassis. In the blink of an eye, it was 'her' again.

Cameron called Cammy, Sheila, and Savannah over. They went over everything they knew or thought they knew about the location. It seemed for every answer they came up with, there were more questions. There didn't seem to be any absolutes regarding the operation. How could they know so much, but yet know so little?

She needed to make sure of some facts before they made their next move. The biggest question was about the H-bomb. Was it really there already? She looked at Cammy and Sheila.

"Are you two both sure there's an H-bomb in the bottom of the mine?" Cameron asked.

Cammy didn't have any absolute proof of it. It was more of a feeling than a fact.

"Our files are blocked but it's what we both believe." Cammy said. "We believe we acquired it in the past and placed it deep within the mine."

Sheila would have liked to have added something concrete to it but she couldn't.

"It's my limited recollection as well." Sheila said.

Cammy and Sheila both suspected they originally acquired it to detonate in the center of Las Vegas. It was to obliterate it from the map because of their run in with the Syndicate. It was a high megaton yield H-bomb. Even with a ground detonation, it would have obliterated the city and sent radiation in all directions. It didn't seem like a good time to bring it up.

Cameron needed to verify the time period and where the instructions came from to obtain and place the nuclear weapon.

"Were you told to place it there by Savannah?" Cameron asked. "Did this all happen in the past?"

Cammy reviewed the limited information she could access. It wasn't much. What little tidbits she was able to find only recently appeared once they arrived at the location.

"It's what my files indicate. They indicate the 'Chosen One' is responsible." Cammy said. "All of our interaction in the past has been blocked. We're dealing with fragments."

Savannah looked over at the mountain where the mine was located. If she was responsible for anything in the mine, it only made her want to deal with it herself now even more. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't have used it back during the time period if it's when they placed it. Why would they wait?

"Do you know when this happened?" Savannah asked. "Or why it was necessary?"

Sheila glanced over at the mountain where the mine was. She hoped some more files would unlock. It currently didn't seem to be the case.

"I don't." Sheila said. "Only being here and seeing this landscape from where we are now has triggered these 'memories'. There's obviously much more, but we don't have access to it. There must be a reason."

Savannah wasn't sure she was responsible for the theft of an H-bomb. She only wanted to be in the past to accelerate her pregnancy for the faster delivery of Vanna's baby. Now she wondered what would happen if she didn't go. She wondered if this was all part of some alternate reality or alternate future now. Was what they were in now an alternate future? Would the alternate future occur if she didn't go into the past as she planned to?

"I don't plan to be in the past more than necessary." Savannah said. "I want Young Allison to be closer to my age. I don't want to be older than her."

Cammy didn't think it was a big deal. It wasn't a problem for Vanna and Allison. She thought of some of the things she observed, especially with Sarah and Kyle, as well as Derek and Riley. They were both separated by a number of years.

"You're only a few years older now." Cammy said. "Love doesn't know age."

Savannah could have done without the last statement. It seemed to fit right in with Cameron's agenda to have John and Young Allison hook up at her current age. There was another factor which bothered her as well. She was older than she was before she delivered her first child. Extra time got tacked on to her age. It might be the same numerically in the present, but it wasn't in reality.

"Plus there is almost another two years from the futures I visited." Savannah said. "Those adventures made me even older compared to Young Allison than I was. Time spent in the past needs to be added on to the current timeline as well."

Savannah was a little concerned with the changes the two pregnancies did to her body. She didn't think it was a good time to point it out. She was sure some things were different than they were before, and never would be the same again.

They all knew those visits were very painful to Savannah. She needed to leave her two children with her two future selves. They were the future versions of herself who were rendered sterile by Skynet. One was Duplicate Vanna, the other was Future Savannah.

Cameron needed to suppress a glitch impulse when she was reminded of Savannah's sacrifice. She didn't want to dwell on it herself, she certainly didn't want Savannah to dwell on it.

"I understand…." Cameron said as she gave Savannah a hug. "I'm very sorry about all of it."

Savannah didn't want to dwell on her past. Tomorrow was ahead of her, not behind her. She didn't feel anything involved with her two pregnancies was Cameron's fault. She acted on her own with Young Jesse both times. She knew everyone felt Cameron was behind it, but it wasn't the case at all. She wanted to move on to a different subject.

"We need to keep moving forward." Savannah said. "We need to concentrate on why we're here now and what we're going to do about it. Everything happening now is happening for a reason. None of this is random chance. Since whatever changed in the past, happened further in our future, it was related to the mine for some reason in the present."

Cameron believed it all revolved around the construction of a Cobalt bomb. More than likely it was several of them. What she didn't understand was the time lag from when it happened in the past, to where they were at currently. Why was there such a delay in time? It was more than half of a century. She needed answers, not speculation.

"What we need to know is if Skynet is inside the mine, and if they are trying to build a C-bomb." Cameron said. "I did some review on the Cobalt bomb. It looks as if they would have been very destructive to all organic life forms. It would be best if we could find out if any were actually constructed, and where they were sent to if they were."

Savannah felt a lot of frustration about her actions she hadn't even taken yet, but needed to face the consequences of now.

"So why would I want an H-bomb in the bottom of the mine?" Savannah asked. "What if it's what they're building the C-bomb around? What if there are more smaller ones from other missing nuclear weapons?"

Cameron needed to find out more about it as well. The Cobalt bomb would be useless detonated deep under the ground. To inflict the maximum Cobalt radiation damage, the large C-bomb would need to be detonated in the atmosphere.

"We don't know what they're doing." Cameron said. "All we know is there's been vehicle traffic around the mine. There is an armored car inside full of cash, one Terminator, and a few Grays. Everything else is speculation and not a fact yet. We have very little to work on. We don't even know if the Cobalt is still there, or if it was ever there."

Savannah thought there were a few other things they did know as well along with one big 'maybe'. She felt there was still a big missing piece.

"Maybe there is a version of Skynet, an H-bomb, and Cobalt." Savannah said. "Cammy, did you set up a triggering mechanism for the H-bomb? If you put it there, what was supposed to happen with it and when?"

Cammy tilted her head slightly. There were no files she could access which indicated anything.

"I don't know." Cammy said. "Do you think the bomb was set up on a timer?"

Sheila felt they were way ahead of themselves with what they knew.

"Maybe it's not even there still." Sheila said. "It was all more than a half century ago."

Savannah looked over at the mountains. None of it made any sense to her.

"How did the Grays or Skynet find out about this place?" Savannah asked.

Cameron wondered if the mine was actually her tomb. Maybe she went there to attack Skynet and destroy it and was terminated. She didn't doubt Savannah would use some form of 'temporal management' to correct such an atrocity. As to why it would be done in this manner was still very confusing. There must be more pieces of the puzzle missing. She quickly came up with a dozen scenarios. There was one which seemed it would be most likely.

"I think they were here first and it's why you asked for the H-bomb to be placed inside, in the past." Cameron said. "I was probably terminated and you did this so I wouldn't be. My termination more than likely happened right before you went back on your temporal mission into the past. You probably saw an opportunity how to retroactively 'fix it' to prevent me from being terminated in the mine."

To Savannah it seemed like something she would do. She wouldn't allow Cameron to be terminated if she could 'fix it'. She wondered if she was already in the past when Cameron was terminated. Cameron could have returned to the present with Claire to deliver Allison's baby. She may have come across the mine site at the time and acted on it while she was in the present still. She may have been terminated at the time. Someone returned from the present to the past and told her of the event. It must be why she took the corrective action to destroy the mine through 'temporal management'. If it were the case, why didn't she destroy the mine in the past? The only thing she could think of was she wanted Skynet to be inside there first so she could terminate it as well, and do it all before Cameron went to investigate it. She shook her head to clear it. It was all speculation. They needed to work on facts.

"We've come up with a few theories. None of this has happened yet." Savannah said. "We don't really know anything."

Cameron knew there was a lot of trouble when time travel is involved.

"It's like the paradox of Future John being fathered by Future Kyle. Future John was the one to send Future Kyle back to do it in the first place." Cameron said. "Future John already existed before he was conceived in the past."

Savannah couldn't help but think of an 'age old' saying.

"The chicken or the egg…." Savannah said. "Which came first?"

Cammy said, 'The chicken', at the same time Cameron said, 'The egg'.

Savannah couldn't help but see the irony in both of their responses.

"See what I mean." Savannah said. "There were two different solutions from the same program."

Cammy frowned slightly when she was reminded she shared Cameron's program. She was very pleased she wasn't defective like Cameron was. She was even more pleased she wasn't a Bitch like Cameron was.

It was clear to Cameron there was no way around it. She needed to know what they faced. It could only be done from inside the mine.

"The bottom line is, I need to get inside the mine and see what's really in there." Cameron said. "We need to know what exactly the threat we're dealing with is. We need to find out what they've already done, if anything."

Savannah disagreed. She was sure if this was arranged in the past, which she hadn't visited yet, this was all done to keep everyone out of the mine.

"I think it's a mistake." Savannah said. "I think it's why we're where we are now. I believe it's to prevent the very thing from happening. I don't want it to be a prophecy and cause you to enter the mine, and be destroyed anyway. It shouldn't happen if corrective action was already taken to prevent it from happening."

Cameron tried to make sense of it all. There were still too many pieces of the puzzle missing. If there was already an H-bomb inside the mine to destroy it, there must be a way to detonate it. The bomb wouldn't just be sitting there waiting to go off on its own. There needed to be some type of control mechanism.

"OK, how do we detonate the H-bomb?" Cameron asked. "There must be a way to do it from the outside. Someone needed to figure something out at the time."

Sheila thought there could be a mechanical timer, but it would need to be very complex to operate for such a length of time. She decided not to mention it. It was nothing but speculation anyway. There was already too much of it out there related to the H-bomb, or even worse, a C-bomb.

The choices for setting the H-bomb off seemed to be very few.

"I think it would need to be 'command detonated' from some type of wiring system connected to it." Cammy said. "I don't think it could be radio detonated, especially buried in solid rock."

Cameron thought of another choice she would personally use. She remembered the way she was able to rescue Duplicate Cameron.

"Maybe we use the TDE to get in, set a timer, and get out." Cameron said. "Do you have the depth coordinates?"

Cammy and Sheila looked at each other and shrugged. It didn't seem to be information they possessed. It did seem like something they would have been able to do at the time they placed the H-bomb.

Savannah thought about if she was doing this herself now, what method she would use to make the H-bomb explode when she wanted it to explode. She would use a timer.

"What if the timer is already set?" Savannah asked. "If I was doing this now, right now, I would have it set on a time delay to explode on its own. I would want it to explode at a specific time."

Cameron contemplated the choices available if it wasn't command detonated. Unless the timer was connected to a power source of some type, there were no batteries from the past which could last decades and still work as intended. The only other choice would be some type of mechanical timer like a sophisticated clock mechanism. She quickly made some plans for one in her mind. It was something a Terminator could do with access to a machine shop. It wouldn't take long. It's still left a lot to go wrong. She still questioned the viability of an electric timer.

"There are no batteries which would last for so long." Cameron said.

Savannah would have used something better than a battery from the past. She would have used a power source from the future. An idea popped into her head.

"No - no batteries would last that long." Savannah said. "A power cell would."

Sheila thought it was a plausible idea, but there was only one problem, she still had her power cell.

"Where would we get one back then?" Sheila asked. "We didn't use ours."

Savannah wasn't so sure about it. Cammy's chassis was specially modified for two chip ports and two power cells.

"Really?" Savannah asked. "Cammy you have two chip ports and two power cells."

Cammy tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Yes." Cammy said. "It's how my chassis was modified before my activation."

Savannah decided to ask the 'million dollar question'.

"Do you still have both of your power cells?" Savannah asked.

Cammy tilted her head slightly in the other direction.

"Yes. I show I do." Cammy said. "But the power output is only the amount of one power cell. I was unaware of this until you asked me. It triggered a response inside of me. The true nature of my output was blocked from me until you asked the question."

Savannah thought the answer was self-evident.

"Is one of your power cells gone?" Savannah asked. "Are you missing a power cell?"

Cammy looked a little worried as she began to run self diagnostics. Something was wrong with her system and it worried her. Why didn't she know until right now there was some type of a problem?

"It must be." Cammy said. "I'm only operating with the output of one power cell, but my systems still show I have two. One must have failed or not actually be there."

Sheila pulled out her knife.

"There's only one way to be sure." Sheila said.

It's not what Savannah wanted to see. She didn't want Cammy to be damaged, especially for nothing.

"Is it necessary?" Savannah asked. "I don't want Cammy cut up."

Cameron wanted some facts. The fact Cammy's belief was both of her power cells were still there. The power output was only the equivalent of a single power cell. It indicated they needed to know for sure.

"I think it is." Cameron said. "Maybe it's the key to whatever is happening right now."

Savannah looked at Cammy, Cameron, and Sheila. Maybe it was necessary. It was the only way they could be sure.

Savannah didn't want it done out in the open.

"Let's do this in the restroom or in one of the vehicles." Savannah said. "If someone passes by and sees what we're doing, they're going to flip out."

There wasn't much traffic, but all it took was one nosy person. They could try to contact the authorities, or attempt to intervene. It would most likely result in their termination.

The other Metal girls watched from the distance. They watched Sheila pull her knife out and look at Cammy. Cammy was about to remove her top.

"What are they doing to Cammy?" Ally asked.

Cam looked at the group with a little apprehension. She wondered if Ally and her would be next.

"It looks like they are about to cut Cammy open." Cam said.

Gail was worried Cammy might have malfunctioned. She was very upset earlier on. Maybe her emotional response triggered a physical reaction.

"Maybe there's a problem." Gail said. "Savannah should be removed from the area for her safety."

Gail decided she was going to do it.

Holly and Hanna both reached out to stop Gail from going over to where Savannah was at.

"They know what they're doing." Hanna said. "I don't think they would be standing around casually if they thought there was going to be an incident."

Holly took Gail off to the side. She wanted to ease her mind.

"I know you care about her, we all do." Holly said. "We all love Savannah and Cameron."

Gail was still worried as she looked over to where Savannah was at.

"Savannah is so special." Gail said.

Holly wanted Gail to know they all were infatuated with Savannah. They all needed to concentrate on their human lovers so they didn't become obsessed with it.

"We've all been where you're at." Holly said. "You need to concentrate on Jesse. I experienced a very hard time with it too. I needed to focus on Allison."

Hanna came over.

"The girls all need each other." Hanna said. "We're lucky to be included in their lives and share their love. They all have multiple partners, as do we."

Cam joined the discussion.

"Only Cameron and Anna haven't shared as we all have." Cam said. "They don't know the true beauty of a female lover."

Ally felt Cameron had a runner-up experience, even if it was a distant runner-up experience.

"At least Cameron has John." Ally said. "He would be able to provide her some pleasure, even if it was for a limited duration."

Gail still felt it left Anna high and dry.

"What about Anna?" Gail asked. "She must be 'lonely'. She matters too."

Holly felt it may be true now but it wouldn't always be.

"Anna has the biggest prize of them all waiting for her one day." Holly said.

The Metal girls all looked at each other with a knowing look.

"Young Allison…." All the Metal girls said at the same time.

They were all a little jealous, even if they knew they couldn't be.

Cam looked off to the side.

"Here comes trouble." Cam said.

They saw Cameron was headed to their location. She seemed in a hurry. She must have heard what they were talking about, or been told by CamNet.

"Stop this." Cameron said. "Savannah and Young Allison belong together. It's what will happen one day. I don't know when. I will deactivate anyone who interferes with it - ANYONE. Anna is Young Allison's protector. She knows her place and her duty."

Ally could see Cameron was on the edge.

"Chill out before you blow a fuse." Ally said.

Cameron spun around and faced Ally.

"This is 'chilled out'." Cameron said. "You won't like me when I'm angry."

Holly didn't want things to get out of control.

"Cameron, you need to take it easy." Holly said. "None of us are here to cause trouble. We don't have a clue what's going on. It bothers all of us not to know what's happened, or going to happen."

Ally still thought it was a major overreaction by Cameron.

"We're just trying to make conversation." Ally said. "We're all worried about what might still happen."

Cameron's eyes glowed bright red. It was clear she was very upset. She wanted to make her point about what she said earlier.

"I'll never tell any of you this again." Cameron said. "You have all been warned of the consequences of your actions."

Cameron looked each of the Metal girls in the face, one at a time.

It was clear Cameron was highly agitated and even more unstable than normal.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

To Get Away From It All

Life can load up
With many a pitfall
With traumatic events
We would rather not recall

For what is necessary
We can hold our heads tall
We will assist each other
So none need stumble or fall

Events sometimes warrant
We deviate from protocol
Our myriad of deeds and actions
Remain good and beneficial overall

Sometimes it would be nice
With nothing to mull
Feeling what it's like
To get away from it all

Nobody