Chapter 1012
Anybody Except Her
Once the B-25 was shut down and inspected. The small fuel tanker moved up next to the plane. They topped off the fuel tanks on the Mitchell. Savannah learned how to fuel it. Cameron gave her a few tips as well.
Savannah and Young Allison went over the entire aircraft.
Young Allison spent some time looking at the various weapons the plane was outfitted with. There was a single M2 mounted in the nose. There were two in the top turret. There was one for each side of the waist guns. There were two in the tail. The ones which caught her attention were the four mounted on the outside of the fuselage below the cockpit area. There were two on each side.
"Are any of these guns functional?" Young Allison asked. "I think four of them are. I see there are eleven total."
Cameron was a little surprised Young Allison was able to make a determination.
"The two in the 'cheek' gun packs on each side are fully operational. It was a good spot on your part." Cameron said. "I have an eight gun nose under construction. It will give the aircraft the ability to have twelve forward firing .50 caliber machine guns. The top turret could be used as well to bring the total up to fourteen. The rest of the 'replica' guns in the top turret, nose, tail and waist positions can be switched out in a very short time. They are a carryover from the display condition I purchased the aircraft in. Let's take a look inside."
Savannah knew from studying the manuals there were two normal entry points into the fuselage. The first one was located below the cockpit area. The second one was in the aft fuselage behind the waist guns. She was aware on some of the larger bombers, access could be gained through the open bomb bay doors as well. It wasn't the case on the Mitchell.
She moved up to the front hatch and reached for the door.
"The hatch should drop down when I open it." Savannah said. "There's an inner cover above it which will fold off to the port side."
Young Allison watched as Savannah did. There was a ladder type step which slid out of the hatch to make access easier to get into the aircraft. She noticed the hatch swung down towards the front of the aircraft. The wind traveling around the fuselage would push the hatch closed if it came open during flight. It would also make it harder for someone to bail out of the aircraft.
"I know there's an emergency release inside to jettison the hatch under emergency conditions so it's completely out of the way." Young Allison said. "I don't believe it's a feature we would ever need to use."
Savannah and Young Allison climbed inside the aircraft. Cameron followed them up.
The cockpit was in front of them. The top turret was right above them. There wasn't very much room where they currently were. The aircraft was designed to carry bombs, not passengers.
Savannah saw it wasn't easy to get from the front to the rear fuselage unless one actually crawled over the bomb bay. She understood better now why the area was called a 'crawl way'. She was aware on a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator, one actually passed through the fuselage on a 'cat walk' through the middle of the bomb bay. When the bomb bays were loaded with bombs, one passed between the bombs to go from the front to the rear, or the rear to the front. She looked at the bomb bay itself. It was enclosed, but there were access ports on it.
"What's inside the bomb bay?" Savannah asked. "Is it functional? Will I find a full bomb load inside of it?"
Cameron made sure everything was fully functional and operational on the B-25.
"It is operational. There are no bombs currently." Cameron said. "Our flight suits and gear are stowed inside, for now. Allison's might be a little loose on her. It shouldn't be a problem."
Savannah and Cameron looked at each other with her statement. Savannah wanted to say Young Allison not being full size wasn't a 'problem'. It was natural.
Young Allison was a little offended. She didn't see anything as a 'problem'. She wasn't much different from Allison or Cameron at this point. She wanted to catch up. She wanted to be 'older' so she could move her life forward and obtain the things Cameron promised her. She was ready for them now. None of them seemed to be a big deal to her. She was ready, even if everyone else wasn't. The age issue was their hang up. It wasn't hers.
"There's a way to fix the 'problem'. Let's just do it already." Young Allison said. "It's what I want. Life doesn't move ahead by dwelling in the past."
Savannah looked at Young Allison. They both knew everything it meant.
Cameron felt next time she should use a better choice of words to describe anything like it if it involved Young Allison. She didn't intend anything bad by her statement. She remembered when there were others who purposely said things about her and to her which were unnecessary and hurtful. She didn't want anyone to feel like she was made to feel.
"It was just an expression." Cameron said. "I know you're fine just the way you are."
Young Allison felt a little less miffed.
"It's not a problem." Young Allison said.
Anna tried to observe everything without getting involved.
"Allison is fine the way she is." Anna said. "Don't worry about it."
Savannah moved up into the nose. There was a crawl way or tunnel along the left side of the fuselage. It went under the pilot's compartment. It skirted the nose wheel landing gear. As soon as one entered the navigator's compartment, it was like they were in a glass house.
"This is the best view from here." Savannah said. "I can see in every direction, except to the rear."
Young Allison moved up with her. She saw right away there was only one seat.
"I can see this wasn't meant for two people." Young Allison said. "We can fit, but two men would be more than a little crowded."
Savannah didn't think the nose section was too much narrower than the rest of the fuselage. The pilots sat side by side right in back and above where they were at right now.
They moved out of the nose through the crawl way and back up behind the cockpit. They moved past the top turret and went over the crawl way into the rear fuselage.
"This is where the top turret was located on the earlier models." Cameron said. "There were no waist guns or a tail gun position. Those oversights were soon rectified."
Young Allison did her homework.
"There was also a remote-controlled turret on the bottom of the fuselage on a few of the early models." Young Allison said.
Cameron was aware of the feature.
"It was remotely operated through a periscope type system." Cameron said. "It was difficult to use and eliminated on the most produced models."
The girls looked at the waist guns and the rear fuselage hatch.
Savannah opened it from the inside and then closed it.
Young Allison did the same thing.
They both saw where the controls were to jettison the hatch in the advent of an emergency. They made their way to the tail gun position, one at a time. It was very crowded, even for them.
Savannah watched Young Allison move with ease anywhere on the plane.
"You seem to get around just fine." Savannah said.
Young Allison didn't think it was a big deal. She was only a little slimmer than she would be. She might even end up taller than Allison. Savannah told her she was about an inch taller than Future Savannah. It may have been a result of her diet growing up and lack of proper nutrition. Vanna was about the same height and dimensions as Savannah was.
"OK, so maybe being a little smaller does have a few advantages." Young Allison said. "I didn't have any trouble in the tail gun position either."
Savannah felt confined in the tail gun position.
"There's barely enough room for me back there." Savannah said. "I think most of the crewmen were probably of a slight build. Maybe they wouldn't have done as well as infantrymen, but as air crewmen, they'd fit in perfectly."
Young Allison smiled. She wanted to throw something out there for Savannah to think about for when she returned from the past. John would like it too.
"I'm very flexible." Young Allison said.
Savannah looked at Young Allison for a few seconds. She was aware Allison was almost able to bend far enough forward to 'service' herself. Future Allison was even more flexible and she could 'service' herself. She was pretty sure Young Allison could do the same thing. She saw other females on the internet who were actually able to do it too. She tried several times but couldn't get anywhere close. It was quite disappointing. She was sure it was something many females attempted. She decided to change the subject.
"Are Steve and Tom going to fly?" Savannah asked.
Cameron smiled at Savannah. She would give her what she wanted.
"No. You are." Cameron said. "Put on your gear and we will run through everything twice."
Savannah was thrilled. She hoped Cameron would allow her to fly. It appeared to be the case. She also wanted to make sure she didn't make any errors. She wanted to double check everything at least twice before she did it.
"It's what I want." Savannah said. "I want to make sure there are no mistakes."
Young Allison felt confident enough that she would only need to run through things one time before she was ready to go.
"I only need to do it once." Young Allison said.
Savannah was aware Young Allison was more intelligent than she was. She was also able to do multiple things at the same time and keep everything straight. It seemed to be something she could do since she was a girl. Allison didn't have the same ability. She knew Young Allison wasn't the only one. Summer could do even more. She was also more intelligent than anyone else she knew other than a Terminator.
"Smarty-pants…." Savannah said. "I like to double check everything when I have the time. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Cameron wanted today to be for Savannah. She wanted Savannah focused on flying the aircraft. The more she was focused on it, the less she would think about her parents and a journey into the past to be with them.
"It will just be Savannah today." Cameron said.
Young Allison wasn't a 'quitter'. She would try again.
"Can I at least get a few minutes in when we're airborne?" Young Allison asked. "I don't want to be - JAFO."
Savannah wanted Young Allison to be a little more selective with her language. She knew what JAFO meant.
"Watch it." Savannah said. "I want you to remain proper and cordial."
Young Allison shrugged her shoulders. She figured it was best just to drop it. She already thought of several other words she could use to fill in the 'F' in 'JAFO'.
"Yes." Cameron said. "I want Savannah to train first. She has much more twin engine experience. Be patient and we'll see what we can work in."
Savannah went out and checked over the entire aircraft again. Cameron handed her a second checklist.
"We'll go over all the instruments and gauges first." Cameron said.
Savannah was familiar with the gauges and what each one represented. Everything was exactly as she learned in the manuals and training videos.
"Let's do it." Savannah said. "If I make a mistake on anything, I want to know."
Young Allison wanted to add in her two cents worth. She believed she could spot an error instantly.
"I'll tell you." Young Allison said.
Savannah gave Young Allison a stern look. She rolled her eyes.
"Anybody except her can tell me." Savannah said.
They laughed and then went to work.
Young Allison didn't think it was really a laughing matter. She was serious in her ability. She didn't want to step on anyone's toes either. It wasn't her intention to disrespect Savannah in any way by her statement. It was simply a statement of fact. It was the same type of negative feedback she didn't want to receive from the Command Center with her input and action taken through CamNet.
She believed her actions spoke for themselves when it came to the Resistance.
Derek watched his rear view mirror as he drove. He noticed one of the chase vehicles started to drop back.
"One of the sedans might be about to break off." Derek said.
Al spotted someone get out of the second vehicle. The second vehicle continued on behind the first. They were still behind them.
"They let someone off to try to use a landline, or take a phone from someone else, since all of their phones aren't working." Al said.
Derek wanted to know if there were any other changes. He was worried there could be reinforcements on the way. The Syndicate thugs could be getting ready to make their move.
John watched the drone footage.
"They're hanging back for now, Derek." John said. "They're still there but they're not closing."
Derek was worried about what they'd spotted earlier. He was sure the description of his truck was broadcast to the Syndicate.
"They are trying to call in reinforcements." Derek said. "I don't know what to expect next."
John Henry received an update from the team which trailed the two Syndicate vehicles.
"They let off one man. He was just intercepted and terminated." John Henry said. "He was unable to make contact with anyone."
Derek was relieved to hear it. They only knew the Syndicate thugs sent out a runner. They figured it would be bad news. It turned out it was, for the runner.
"We saw it." Derek said. "I mean letting one man out. Not the termination part."
John Henry would have liked for things to happen a little sooner than they did, but the runner tried to be evasive once he was away from the vehicle.
"It happens." John Henry said. "Even if one car breaks off from the other, we have enough personnel in place to handle it. I think we can almost guarantee none of the Syndicate personnel are going to survive the encounter with whatever team it is. They're living on borrowed time."
John didn't want Derek to worry about it. He was willing to take drastic action to prevent any type of unnecessary confrontation. They could permanently eliminate the threat in a rather spectacular and terminal fashion at any point.
"We still have both vehicles locked up." John said. "There can be a missile down on both cars in a few seconds."
Derek glanced at the two Terminators with him. One carried an M4 with an M203 mounted below the barrel, the other one held an M79. Both of them were primed and ready to go with an HE round.
"Al and Mel are ready for them as well." Derek said. "They can put an HE round through the front window of both vehicles at any time."
Derek already discussed with Al and Mel what he would do if they chose to use the grenade launcher option. He would move sharply to either the left or the right side, so they would be able to target the front of each vehicle since they were currently in trail. It would give them a clean shot at each vehicle before the Syndicate thugs could properly respond and take any evasive action.
John quickly checked with John Henry about the proposed plan. Everything was put into place to ensure it would work.
"Lead them onto the canyon road." John said. "We'll take them out there in the same spot as was done last night. Everything went smoothly with the method used previously."
Derek followed the operation. He thought the way it was done worked a little better in the darkness than it would in the daytime. He knew there would be some touchy issues involved with the use of the drones. Darkness afforded them more options than the daylight did.
"I don't think you want to use a drone like before do you?" Derek asked. "Or use the Blackhawk to haul away the cars in the daylight?"
John was a little apprehensive to bring the drones down into gun range in the canyon. It still seemed like a better option than using a missile strike for both vehicles.
"We're working on a few angles." John said. "We still have multiple options open to us, including any action from your vehicle if it becomes necessary."
John didn't want to use the drones down low in the daylight if possible. He needed to rethink some of what CamNet did. He was prepared to do whatever was necessary to make sure the Syndicate thugs didn't make a move on Derek's team. Once the thugs entered the canyon, their fate was sealed one way or another.
Riley softly knocked and entered the nursery.
Vanna looked up at Riley and smiled. She wanted to give her a progress report.
"I need to change her and I think she's about ready for a nap." Vanna said.
Riley didn't want Vanna to have to do the 'dirty work' since she was helping her out.
"I'll do it." Riley said. "Thanks, Vanna. You and Jesse are really helping me out. I couldn't do this naturally without your assistance."
Vanna appreciated the opportunity to tend to Precious. It left her with a feeling deep within herself she never felt before. It was similar to the feeling of her deep love for Allison but it was different. It was a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Maybe it was a feeling of being whole. She knew her body was incapable of some things. The ones it was capable of meant everything to her.
"I'm honored to assist you." Vanna said.
Vanna handed Precious to Riley.
Riley saw Vanna's open top and her bulging breasts.
"Wow! You're even bigger now than before." Riley said. "You just finished up too."
Vanna reached down and opened her top up. She exposed her nursing breasts. She was very pleased at how large they became. She never dreamed her breasts could be as large as they were currently. When she saw Savannah back from the future with nursing breast before, she realized just how big she could get. She didn't know if she would be able to be the same size as Savannah based upon whatever damage the future did to her. Looking at her current size, it didn't seem like it did much to hamper her.
"Maybe I'll get as big as Savannah did." Vanna said. "I'm getting a lot of 'help'."
Vanna quickly glanced back at Cam.
Cam smiled and shrugged her shoulders slightly.
Vanna was aware Savannah nursed both of the infants in Cameron's future. It was often at the same time too. She didn't have a problem and never ran out. Both Future Allison and Future Savannah could barely make enough. Two teenagers were put through hormone treatments and manual stimulation to assist before Savannah left.
Riley was tempted to reach out and touch Vanna. It was quite some time since she was able to share with a female. She so wanted to share the experience again. She couldn't believe how the pigmentation on Vanna was so incredibly distinct. She didn't think she was going to be able to contain herself as long as Vanna's top was open. If Vanna didn't stop her, she was pretty sure she could take things a little further. She glanced over towards the door and collected herself.
Samantha stood in the doorway and watched.
Vanna looked over towards the doorway as well. She slowly closed her top as Riley watched. For a moment, she thought Riley was going to take a little more. She wanted her to. She wanted to be with Riley from the first time she saw her. The only reason she kept her distance was because she didn't want to offend Cameron. They all knew Riley wasn't Future Riley. Future Riley's transgressions weren't Riley's transgressions, even if it seemed she needed to 'own' them. It was something which she believed passed years ago.
"Call me again when you need me." Vanna said as Riley and Precious departed.
Cam and Vanna went back to their room.
The girls quickly stripped and headed for the bed.
Cam watched the interaction at the end between Vanna and Riley. She could see Riley was completely infatuated with Vanna and wanted more. She knew Vanna wanted more as well. If Samantha hadn't showed up, more may have happened. She would have taken Precious and left Riley and Vanna alone. It wasn't what she wanted to happen, but she knew it was what Vanna wanted to happen. The true test of love was sacrifice.
Vanna was extremely stimulated from her interaction with Riley.
"Do you want to finish me off?" Vanna asked.
Cam moved closer to Vanna. She moved her head towards Vanna.
Vanna wanted it, but it wasn't what she wanted first.
"We can get to those later." Vanna said. "It will only be part of it…."
Cam smiled. She understood Vanna wanted her to go for the 'gold'. She moved down a little further. Like all of the Metal girls did for their human lover, she worked real hard on Vanna. They wanted to make every sexual encounter finish with a happy ending. Multiple finishes were usually the case. A happy customer was a repeat customer.
She was pretty sure she was 'Riley' in Vanna's mind for at least part of the procedure, if not all of it. She didn't have a problem with it. It was still her with Vanna, and no one else.
Savannah finished the checklist for real this time.
Everyone was in the plane and wore headsets.
Steve and Tom were out by each of the engines with a fire extinguisher. They would get in the back once the engines were running. It was an unnecessary precaution. Savannah insisted since they could do it, they should do it. She wanted to make sure Young Allison was as safe as possible. She also understood the value of the Warbird. An engine fire wouldn't pose much of a threat to the crew. The main threat would be the damage it would do to the aircraft. It was often standard procedure to have a fire extinguisher handy when a Warbird was started up. She wasn't aware any needed to be used in modern times.
When a big radial engine sat for any period of time, it was possible for oil to seep into lower cylinders. There was a standard procedure to make sure it wasn't a problem before the engine was started.
"I'm going to clear the cylinders now." Savannah said.
She looked around to make sure it was clear. Steve and Tom both gave her a 'thumbs up'.
"Clear." Savannah said loudly.
Savannah ran the first engine through several complete rotations to clear the cylinders. This part of the procedure was done without any spark to keep the engine from starting. Once the cylinders were clear, she gave it the juice and started it.
The first engine started with a thunderous roar and thick cloud of gray smoke billowed from the exhaust ports. It was always how an R2600 started. The gray smoke was gone almost instantly as the prop wash carried it away and dispersed it. What remained was the thunderous roar, and the 'muscle car' sound from the short stack exhaust system.
Cameron checked everything as Savannah did it, she watched the gauges. The engine ran for a few minutes. Cameron gave Savannah the all clear to start the second engine. Savannah followed the same procedure. The engines didn't need long to warm up.
"We're ready to taxi." Cameron said.
Savannah felt confident in her actions and flying ability. She didn't want to take any chances on her first take off.
She was aware the Doolittle Raiders trained to take off within three hundred feet. It's about the length of five houses. It wasn't very far for a medium size aircraft to go before becoming airborne. They didn't have to climb. They just needed to lift off of the runway. When they trained, they weren't sure why they needed to learn to fly in such an unusual manner. It didn't make sense to any of them. They speculated on a number of different reasons. They didn't realize they would take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. It's why they didn't need to climb once they cleared the deck, they would be well up into the air. They could continue to let their air speed build before they climbed.
Savannah didn't want to take any chances, especially with Young Allison on board. She looked over at Cameron.
"I want your hands and feet on the controls." Savannah said.
Cameron saw everything was good. She wanted to reassure Savannah.
"You're doing fine." Cameron said.
Savannah taxied and lined up with the runway. She was still a little apprehensive.
"Do you want to take off?" Savannah asked as she looked at Cameron.
Cameron felt Savannah was ready.
"You can do it." Cameron said. "It's just like any other aircraft you're used to, but you have a lot more power. There's no bomb load, so you don't have the weight the plane was designed to take off with. It will be very responsive to the controls, even with a full fuel load."
Savannah felt a lot of responsibility. She was as concerned as she was exhilarated.
"I don't want to wreck anything." Savannah said.
Young Allison was right behind them on a small jump seat. She would move into the nose after take off. Anna was next to her. Steve and Tom were in the rear fuselage of the plane.
"You won't." Cameron said. "Everything is perfect. Follow the tips I gave you and it will be a smooth take off."
Young Allison wanted to tell Savannah to follow her instincts and training. She was about to say something when Anna gave her a slight nudge with her elbow. She quickly looked at Anna. She realized Anna didn't want her to say anything. She thought it might be a good idea not to distract Savannah, even with encouraging words. She nodded slightly at Anna.
Savannah glanced around her to make sure everything was clear. She took a deep breath and let it out.
"It's time to hold the breaks and run the engines up." Savannah said.
Cameron wanted to remind Savannah the throttles would be very responsive on a Warbird. The engines were designed and constructed to put out power. It was exactly what they did. The designers pushed piston engine aircraft technology to the limits. The only way to improve it further was to switch to jet engines, which is what they did.
"Don't bring up the RPM too fast." Cameron said. "You're doing perfect."
Savannah brought the engines up to speed. She immediately felt the surge of power as the plane sat there. The reverberating drone from the two great piston engines set teeth on edge. The plane shook as it sat there. She could just feel it wanted to go.
"Release the brakes." Cameron said.
Savannah did.
The B-25 shot forward.
Adrenalin surged through Savannah and Young Allison.
Derek kept a watch on the two sedans in the mirror. He saw something which looked like trouble. There was only one sedan now.
"One vehicle has broken off." Derek said.
John saw it from the drone footage. He checked and the vehicle was still locked up with a missile. The other team was in place to move in at any point.
"We are watching it." John said. "It's covered in more ways than one."
Derek wanted to make sure he wasn't boxed in.
"Is he going to try and get in front of me?" Derek asked.
John Henry ascertained what the vehicle was up to.
"No." John Henry said. "They are leaving. It's the car which let the man off to find a phone."
John was more than a little concerned himself currently.
"Why would they break off?" John asked.
John Henry checked the area around all of the vehicles.
"I don't know." John Henry said. "Maybe they made the tail."
Derek watched the remaining sedan in his side view mirror as well as his rear view mirror. He didn't like what he noticed.
"The other car is closing." Derek said.
John wasn't sure what the other vehicle was up to. It moved up quickly but not too close.
"There's still some traffic around you." John said. "I don't think it's a hit yet."
Derek wondered what their end game was.
"I think he wanted to see if I would run." Derek said.
John Henry saw it a little differently. He looked at the situation a little deeper.
"They may be checking to see if you have reinforcements." John Henry said. "If you don't run, it means you do."
Derek was a little uncertain what action he should take at this point.
"Maybe I should have done something to make sure that both vehicles stayed with me." Derek said.
John wanted to reassure him everything was under control.
"We still have one drone on each car." John said. "We can hit them anytime."
Derek didn't know for sure who the individuals were who tailed him. They were under the assumption they were Syndicate thugs. They could be Grays as well. There was more than one group of them they needed to deal with. If they were Grays, they could bring their own trouble with them in the way of an HK drone.
"Is there anything in the air around us?" Derek asked.
John Henry carefully monitored all air traffic. He tried to make sure the air space above them and their projected track would remain clear of any aircraft.
"There's nothing there which shouldn't be. I've been tracking all the air traffic." John Henry said. "Everything is good. We own the sky."
Derek thought about their initial encounter with the two sedans. He realized their actions may have seemed a bit fishy to the Syndicate thugs, or whoever they were. They didn't know who they actually were either.
"Maybe they don't think they have a target." Derek said.
John thought about what Derek indicated.
"They picked you up near the location. It doesn't really mean anything." John said. "You could be one of the many people who drive around and collect scrap metal. Maybe they think it was a false alarm."
John Henry figured if they broke off, they would find out soon enough.
"When they find the people they left behind are gone, they're going to know." John Henry said.
Derek didn't want to lose them. He wanted to be the bait to lure them to their doom. He would do something to get their attention.
"If they break off we're going to follow them." Derek said.
Derek figured if the mouse turned into the cat, the previous cat would need to turn into the dog at that point and go back after him.
"They're slowing." John Henry said.
John was a little dismayed to see them break off.
"You have a target." John said. "They just turned around."
John Henry kept track of both of the sedans. He looked for any additional ones in the area. When the second vehicle broke off, he wasn't sure what they were up to. He could only think of one thing.
"Maybe they will try and lead Derek into an ambush." John Henry said.
John realized it was a distinct possibility. The second vehicle broke off a few minutes ago.
"We need to rethink this." John said.
Claire and Sarah followed behind Jan and Summer. They were on their way to the park.
"I'm really glad you came along." Claire said as she glanced at Sarah.
Sarah liked to get out of the bunker when she could. It wasn't often done in this manner.
"I like for Jan to get out. She and Summer get along great." Sarah said. "I worry about her safety."
Claire felt secure because there was a Terminator with them.
"Hanna is with us." Claire said.
Sarah was pretty sure Hanna wasn't the only one.
"So are Jim and Bob." Sarah said.
Claire looked around them in all directions.
"I didn't see them." Claire said.
Sarah thought it was the whole point. If they didn't see them, neither would anyone stalking them.
"They're always out when I am. Jim is anyway." Sarah said.
Claire wanted to ask for Sarah's honest advice.
"Do you think it is a good idea for me to move to the base?" Claire asked.
It didn't take much thought for Sarah. She already made the choice for Jan. It actually became a point of contention between Kyle and her on multiple occasions. She pushed those thoughts from her mind right now.
"For the protection of the girls and you, yes." Sarah said. "For your girl's social development, I don't know. Life is very restrictive and confined at the base. They won't live the same lives as other girls their age. I don't think they do anyway."
From what Sarah saw and read about modern news, she wasn't so sure it was a bad thing not to be associated with others who did questionable things on multiple levels. She knew the things she did when she was the same age were definitely questionable. She could only imagine things were worse now.
Claire was a little dismayed to hear it. Savannah told her much of the same thing.
"Savannah told me her life was very restricted." Claire said. "She likes Allison - my Allison, and Summer to have more of a real life."
Sarah felt more than a little guilty about it. She believed it was another one of her shortcomings.
"Savannah lost everything, Claire, everything." Sarah said. "I tried to help. We all tried to give her what we could and keep her safe. She was targeted by Skynet. We tried to make it look like Mrs. Weaver and Savannah died in the HK drone attack on Mrs. Weaver's building. She was just a girl. I tried. I'm not a very good mother, ask John."
Claire believed the results spoke for themselves.
"You did what you could." Claire said. "You kept John alive and Savannah alive. It wasn't something easy to do with Terminators out to kill them."
Sarah knew it to be true. She also knew they both missed out on a lot, especially Savannah. She tried to make John's life as normal as possible. Something always got in the way. It was always something Skynet related. Mainly it was a Terminator.
"I know it hurt both of them." Sarah said.
Sarah waited until Hanna moved ahead with Jan and Summer.
There was a question Sarah needed to ask Claire. It was a very personal one.
"Are you going to 'be' with John?" Sarah asked.
Claire felt her contribution to the Resistance at this point was minimal. There were still other ways she could 'serve', even if it wasn't in combat.
"I don't know." Claire said. "I'll if it's necessary to protect him from assassination, I promised Cameron I would. I'll do it and whatever else needs to be done."
Sarah knew Cameron liked to cover all of the bases.
"I think she's made everyone promise to do it." Sarah said.
Claire could tell her answer didn't satisfy Sarah. She thought she wanted to know a little more. She didn't have any secrets she was aware of.
"What are you really asking me?" Claire asked.
Sarah thought the best thing was just to ask it.
"Will you have a child with him?" Sarah asked.
Claire sucked in her breath slightly. She felt goose bumps form on her arms.
"I NEED to protect my daughter." Claire said. "I'll do anything I have to do to protect Summer."
Sarah saw it was a 'deal with the devil' to protect Summer from what she could. She thought back on some of her adventures in the jungle and other places which weren't on anyone's map.
"I know it's different, but I needed to do things like it to protect John." Sarah said. "I did plenty…."
Sarah 'paid' for her training with her only asset. She paid with her body. She couldn't help but look Claire over with 'hungry eyes' at times. It was quite some time since she was with a female. She always knew the option was available with the girls from the future. She actually almost cashed in on it on several occasions. The more she interacted with Claire, the more she felt the same desire again.
The feelings seemed to compound on themselves. She really wanted to 'get to know' her better. Maybe it was just her wishful imagination, but she was sure Claire seemed to express a similar interest in her.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Anybody Except Her
There are those
Who make feelings stir
What happens from there
Are things one can infer
When things are good
Each of them will both purr
Things always arise
That will sting like a spur
Not everyone is willing
To be passive and demure
I think it's something
On which everyone will concur
In the quest for fur
The lines began to blur
It's often to another
One may soon defer
Who once was the most
Is now but a burr
The words become harsh
It is easy to make a slur
There are many out there
Who don't believe it will occur
It will sooner or later
Of that one can be sure
As the ship sinks
They still praise and assure
Without any guidance
It's easy to take a detour
When one finally realizes
To whom the feelings will transfer
They panic in fear and say
Anybody except her
Nobody