Chapter 1042

Smiling Face

John and Claire shared some small talk as she made him breakfast. They both felt comfortable in each other's company, even if there was some sexual tension. They both possessed what the other wanted to try. It was unspoken, but clearly there, thanks to Cameron's meddling. Their own natural desire for each other was heightened by their nightly 'conditioning' by their cyborg lovers.

Claire enjoyed cooking. She thought the supplies were a little lacking in the commissary at the Resistance base. If she moved there, she would improve it. She knew it was something which needed to be addressed, even if she didn't stay there. There were other people there already. She knew it was something she could help out with immediately. She was still unsure what role she would need to assume. She was ready for anything at this point.

She knew how Allison and the other girls from the future kept everything very simple when it came to meals. Allison told her anything was fine since none of it was garbage or what someone else threw away. She didn't need to worry about eating any rat jerky, or how filthy the water would be. She knew it was actually worse than the conditions most of the homeless lived under now. Obtaining the food was only part of the problem. Dodging the potential perpetrators was the real problem. Neither one would often end with anything good. She didn't want the same thing to happen to her Allison or Summer.

She could see John check her out. It was OK, she checked him out too. It never hurt to look. Her preference was for females, but she knew how to please a male as well. The main problem was a male was never able to please her, and deliver a 'finish' through traditional love making. It was a very frustrating and dissatisfying experience for her, over and over and over again. She felt very used in all encounters with males sexually. She was left with a mess to deal with and nothing else.

Well, there was the discomfort from having a heavy body on top of hers, as well as whatever residual soreness there would be from everything. Since she wasn't going to get a 'finish', she could avoid a lot of unnecessary pressure and touching. It was just easier to get up on her knees and let them move in from behind. Hopefully the proper orifice would be used. It wasn't always the case. If she wanted a 'finish', she needed to do it herself. She knew her experience was not too uncommon.

Cameron leaned on her a lot to 'step up'. She almost did it last night. She knew if she was at John's side, then there was no need for 'Her Allison' to 'step up' and go through temporal maturation. Cameron promised her Summer wouldn't be taken from her as 'Her Allison' was. She didn't know if she really believed it. As more time passed, the more Summer seemed to drift away from her and towards things Resistance related. It appeared she did it on her own. There was no one leaning on her she was aware of. She didn't know Young Allison secretly worked with her to train her. She was also unaware of the nightly conditioning Summer received. They all received it. Nobody knew.

John watched Claire work and go about her business. She was very precise and deliberate in her actions. He understood she was probably the most 'normal' person he was around in a long time. She wasn't all caught up in the future and Skynet related matters. Her life was still as 'normal' as it could be, even with the hand of the Resistance upon her. He really wondered how long it would last before she was like the rest of them. He hated to think how the person she currently was would be altered and changed forever. He believed it would be in a negative way.

He wondered if this is how it could be everyday with a smiling face to greet him every morning, and make his meals for him. She would be somebody to be there for him. It would be nice to wake up anytime of the night and reach over and touch them. Just to feel a warm body next to him would be something. If they did anything or not it didn't matter. There was just someone who would be there. It was a comforting thought. Not the uncertainty of when the next time he was going to see them again was. He also needed to worry about what condition they were going to be in, or even if he was ever going to see them again. He spent a lot of years doing it.

John knew things between Cameron and him were good now. He knew at some point the fighting would pick up and Cameron would be off to war again. Off to an uncertain fate. It would leave him high and dry, again. He definitely planned to cash in on the one thousand times of love making Cameron promised him. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask if some of the other girls could assist with running down the total. If Cameron put someone in his bed, and they wanted to be there, it was going to happen. He wasn't about to turn anyone down.

He would really like to retire 'Rosie', but it seemed doubtful. He really wondered how Claire would respond to his touch. He wanted more than just sex. He wanted the person inside of the body as well. He didn't think any of the girls from the future would be able to give it to him. He believed Claire could as well as Savannah and Young Allison.

He thought maybe he should feel a little guilty about wanting to be with Claire as well as her daughter. He looked at plenty of 'mother and daughter' videos and stories on the internet. He didn't know if it would ever happen with both of them at the same time, but it was an interesting prospect. He would just be happy to have either one of them alone. He really wanted someone to want him for who he actually was. Not what his status was as 'General of the Resistance', or who he was in the future. He wasn't sure any of the girls associated with the Resistance could do it. He thought if anyone could, it would be Claire. He wanted to be chosen for the person he was, not WHO he was.

He could hear the sizzle from the pans and smell the food. Just to smell the food being prepared was a very joyous event. Normally he warmed something up in the microwave. He could open a can of beans or some other food to eat. He was normally dead set against having a Terminator make anything for him for his meals. He didn't feel it was their function or they should feel obligated to wait on him. It was just something he couldn't stomach. It wasn't the way it was supposed to be. The few times he was ever out in the field, he would usually get some fast food and bring it back to the Resistance base. Right now what he could smell, here, and see being prepared was anything but fast food.

Claire brought the plate over to him.

"Here you go, John." Claire said. "I didn't have a whole lot to work with."

John looked on with amazement. She made him an omelet with bacon, sausage, and a lot of cheese. It looked excellent.

"Thank you very much, Claire. I can tell just by the looks and the smell this will be the best breakfast I've eaten in years, even if it is a little late in the day." John said. "We can share it together. The food I mean."

Claire was very pleased John was pleased. She might not have a lot of training or experience in Resistance matters, she did have experience in other matters.

John wanted her to sit down with him, but she said she was busy. He didn't think it was the reason. He knew it was because she felt the same sexual tension he felt. It was the kind of sexual tension which could get away from two people very quickly if they were alone together.

"If I would have been able to have a little more time, I could have made some other things." Claire said. "The choice of supplies is sort of lacking. I was lucky to find some frozen bacon and sausage in the back of the freezer. It was behind several containers of ice cream."

Claire wasn't too surprised to find most of what was in the freezer was ice cream. It was something they didn't have in the future. It was only a distant memory for everyone. In the past, there was plenty of it in a multitude of flavors. She thought just about everyone liked ice cream.

John was aware there was very little if any fresh food in the refrigerator. Mostly everything was frozen or in cans. None of the people from the future were very picky about what they ate. They were just glad there was something to eat at all. It was sad to think about all the stuff available to them, and they still felt like it. His mother wasn't big on cooking either. She was definitely culinary challenged. Maybe it was time for all of it to change.

He wanted to give her some options as well as some praise. He also didn't want her to feel obligated to him or anyone else.

"What you made is excellent. Thank you." John said. "I can have Hanna take you out to get what you want. I want your girls to have balanced and healthy meals. I don't want you to feel obligated to need to cook for anyone else either. You don't need to do anything different than you did in Palmdale."

Claire knew the girls from the future could cook, but their skills weren't honed. Every now and then they tried. They seldom practiced. She knew for them just having something they could eat was more important than how it was prepared or what it was. She also knew Sarah tried to help, but she wasn't the greatest cook and tended to burn a lot of things. She successfully trained others to cook like her.

"My Allison is a good cook and so is Savannah." Claire said. "I've worked with both of them."

John didn't want to eat alone. He didn't feel right about it. He didn't want someone to need to wait on him. He wanted Claire join him and be close to him.

"It's good to know." John said. "Will you join me? I don't feel good about eating if you don't as well."

John saw Claire made some additional food.

Claire felt she let things slip over the last few years. It was very unlike her. Other desires called to her and seem to captivate her. She didn't want to get too explicit, but she wanted to point out her shortcomings and why.

"I want to have something for My Allison when she comes." Claire said. "A lot of times she will make food for Summer and me. I don't always get up early any more. I want to be honest with you about some of the changes. I spend a lot more time in the bedroom than I used to. I can't seem to help myself."

John didn't really want to go there. He understood what it was like. With all the recent activity with Cameron, he understood it very well. The bed became a place he didn't want to leave because of all the pleasures which could be derived there.

"It happens." John said. "I know sometimes when we feel we've been short-changed, some things can come along and seem to make up for it. I don't think anything can make up for the past, but it can make things smoother going forward."

Claire was worried the satisfaction in the bedroom happened a little too often. She spent a lot more time in bed. It was always with a female. It was often multiple partners every day. Hanna continuously provided her with as much sex as she could handle. Holly was often there too. Whenever the other girls came to visit Allison, she was with all of them as well. It seemed a lot of little things which used to matter to her, didn't anymore. When she was lost in a world of ecstasy, there wasn't a whole lot else which mattered. Previously she never experienced as many finishes in two months as she did in a day currently. It was as addicting as it was satisfying. She was very content and happy.

"I think I may be addicted to some things." Claire said. "I would like to experiment and do a few changes to see what is what. Oh, and for the better food pantry too."

She didn't know Cameron was the one behind all of it to keep her happy and not worry about her girls. She really didn't understand her girls now all belonged to Cameron. Whenever she would worry about them or something related to them, she was immediately provided with endless sex and multiple finishes. She didn't know she was addicted to a 'finish'. The more she experienced, the more she wanted. The more she wanted, the more she needed. The more she needed, the more were provided. It was an endless supply which awaited her.

Claire brought over a small dish of food and sat across from John. He noticed her top was unbuttoned a couple more buttons. When she sat down, she leaned forward and gave him a good view of what was inside her shirt. She tilted her head up and smiled at John as she 'caught' him looking at her breasts. John smiled back. She remained in the same position for a few seconds longer to allow him a good look. She wanted to indicate to him it was OK to look, and it was OK to touch. No words were spoken but the message was clearly sent.

She was still very tired but didn't feel it right now. The Metal girls really gave her a 'workout' last night. She smiled to herself knowing they were still at it.

Claire didn't want to step on anyone's toes. She would do what Cameron wanted. HER girls came before her. She would need to check with Cameron again.

John watched Claire and knew there was a lot of chemistry there. He didn't have a clue she was pregnant with his child right now. It wasn't actually her child. She carried Allison's baby inside her. The main purpose was to prevent Allison from going into Cameron's future to be with her baby there with Future Allison.

Savannah listened to everything Young Allison wanted to say. Young Allison confessed to thinking about a rogue temporal mission and why.

She was pleased to hear CamNet didn't assist Young Allison's rogue attempt to go into the future, even if it was River's future. She would need to personally thank CamNet for it and set some rules for Young Allison.

Savannah understood Young Allison's frustrations.

"There's nothing wrong with you the way you are." Savannah said. "I went through the same problems. It's part of growing up. They'll happen in any timeline you're in. It's something you need to understand and accept. I've been to two different futures besides the present. The conditions might be different, but the people and what happens to them isn't."

Young Allison felt remorse about causing trouble for the others. It wasn't her intent. It was also evident they all 'covered up' what she tried to do from her mother. She would need to thank them for it when she apologized to each of them. She knew none of them needed to do it for her, and they all protected her. She also knew they indirectly protected themselves as well. They were all just as guilty as her for everything that happened, even if they didn't do anything to perpetrate it. They were all in on it together. Everyone knew it, even if it wasn't discussed.

"I need to apologize to Cameron and CamNet as well as the trouble I caused for Anna and Hanna." Young Allison said. "What I did was wrong the way I did it, but not why I wanted to do it."

Savannah knew she needed to spend more personal time with Young Allison. There was really no one else for her to be around. She knew Young Allison had a good relationship with Summer. Sometimes she thought Summer was actually advanced beyond Young Allison in almost every category, except physical development.

"I'll try to spend more time with you." Savannah said. "We'll try to do more girl things."

Young Allison's eyes lit up.

"Can we do big girl things?" Young Allison asked.

Savannah frowned a little. It was very hard for her not to reach out and do some with Young Allison right now. She wanted to do it more than anything. She didn't want to complicate Young Allison's life any more than was necessary right now. That's what it would do. It would also complicate her life even more. There was a lot more to a love relationship than just the physical manifestation of the love.

"No. Not big girl things " Savannah said. "We'll do more girl, girl things."

Savannah tried to explain 'big girl things' would lead to further complications in Young Allison's life. It wasn't all fun and games.

Young Allison listened, but Savannah could see she was still determined to go into the past. Discussing the same thing right now wouldn't accomplish anything. It would just start to make things worse once they stagnated even further.

"Maybe we should go get some food." Savannah said.

Savannah was ready for a subject change. The talk of 'big girl' stuff wasn't what she wanted. She knew Young Allison was going to have to learn the hard way what a relationship was like. There were always a lot of 'ups' and always a few 'downs' people needed to deal with. The more people who were involved in the relationship, the more complicated everything became. It would all come soon enough. Now was the time to do other things.

Young Allison wanted to deflect things away from her. Maybe she could make something for Savannah like she wanted to do earlier. They could work together on it. She knew Savannah wanted a strong foundation for both of them. She believed it was already there. There was no need to force the issue or create any further problems, especially today.

"It sounds good to me." Young Allison said.

It made Savannah think of all the meals she missed being out with Cameron. It would be one thing she would like to try to spare Young Allison from for as long as possible. There was real danger being out in the field. The danger level increased the more she was around Cameron. It was her choice to do it. She didn't want it to be Young Allison's choice as well.

They headed out.

Savannah wondered how things would change once Young Allison and her were together. It wouldn't be long before Young Allison would want to do the same things she did, both in the present, and in the past. It was something she needed to accept. Young Allison would be the hottest ticket in town. Right now she was a 'cherry bomb' waiting to explode. She needed to cut the fuse every time it was lit. She really didn't know if she would always be able to do it. She did know she wouldn't be able to do it for long. She wasn't even sure if it should be her responsibility, even if somehow it seemed it should.

Bob was worried Cameron seemed a little off. He wanted to find John or Savannah for a better evaluation. The earlier confusion she experienced seemed to be gone, at least for now. He knew these things seemed to happen to Cameron and occasionally Cammy. He wasn't aware of them happening to Cam. It made no sense since Cam was a clone of Cameron like Cammy. Cam and Cammy should have been identical. The only difference was their human lover. Maybe it was because Savannah was part of the 'Natural Order' and Vanna wasn't. It meant at some point in time Cameron would take Savannah away from Cammy. He really didn't want to be around when it happened.

He knew Holly and Gail suffered some, but didn't seem to glitch completely out like Cameron. Hanna, Ally, and Sheila never seemed to have operational problems. Maybe it was because they were so much like their human counterparts from the advanced 'Neural Interface'. It may have allowed them to better deal with 'emotional issues'. They were very much like human girls and without any inhibitions. Morals and ethics weren't anything they were troubled by. They simply ignored them. Sheila was clearly the worst along those lines. It was especially evident when she dealt with human prisoners. Everyone knew how violent and cruel she could be. It wasn't the part which bothered anybody, it was the fact she seemed to enjoy it. It seemed it was almost sexual to her.

Cameron tried to figure out what happened earlier. She wanted to find Savannah and speak with her once Young Allison was away. If they chose to remain together, it was fine. She decided if Young Allison chose to come to the Resistance base she would be assigned quarters with Savannah.

Wait!

What was she doing?

Savannah said Young Allison needed to make her own choices, whatever, and whoever they were.

She spotted Savannah and Young Allison on the move. They were headed towards the commissary.

Cameron spied Cammy shadowing them at one point, but hadn't seen her again. She wondered what her problem was. She was aware Cammy spied on her earlier as well. She was really glad she wasn't a Bitch like Cammy was.

Cammy wanted to check everything out. She spotted Bob and Cameron walking back from the carpool. She wondered why Cameron was out there. The last place she heard her was in the TDE room. She decided to go a different direction.

She would check back in with them later. Maybe it was time to find Savannah. Savannah wanted her to take her back to the jewelry store and go by and see CamNet. It wasn't something she looked forward to. She could only take solace in the fact it would be better for Savannah to be in the arms of Cameron, John, or CamNet, rather than out in the field dodging bullets and explosions.

Vanna returned to her room and heard the shower running. She knew it was Allison. Allison's clothes were tossed on the floor in the corner. It was pretty much standard for Allison's housekeeping methods. She would need to talk to her about it in a very non confrontational way. She didn't think those duties should fall to one of the Metal girls either.

She knew Allison took a lot of shortcuts, but it was part of who she was. In the future, it didn't really matter what shortcuts were taken. The thing most likely to be cut short was one's life. They all knew they could end at any time and in the blink of an eye. It really didn't give one much to live for. They lived for each other.

Vanna quickly stripped her clothes off and headed for the shower.

Allison heard the bathroom door open and saw a figure approach. She hoped it was Vanna. If it was Holly or Cam she wouldn't complain.

She was aware with Vanna and her back together, it left Holly and Cam without a 'home'. There were still their old rooms, but they never used them except to keep their clothes and clean up.

Allison knew the Metal girls seldom spent the entire night with them. There was nothing for them to do while they slept. It was when they went out and did things they were always together. She would worry about it later. She could see Vanna's nude form approaching.

Vanna watched the shower door open. Allison stood there with open arms. The water cascaded down her nude form. She wore only a smile on her face.

"I've been waiting for you." Allison said.

Vanna could only see beauty radiate from Allison. She always saw beauty when she looked at Allison. It wasn't just her appearance either.

"The wait is over." Vanna said.

Vanna knew the sex was better with most of the other girls, both Metal and human, than Allison. It didn't matter. She loved Allison and they shared love. They made love. They shared each other, not just their bodies. It was the bond. It was the real beauty in their relationship.

The two girls stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. They could both see into the other one's soul. It was what they both wanted. It was what they both needed.

Vanna moved forward into the spray of water and kissed Allison. The kiss was long, slow and deep. It was the kiss of true love. Anyone could have sex. Few would ever have true love.

She couldn't help but think about Cameron's offer about dealing with her scar. The love between Allison and her was much deeper than what happened on the first day when they met. Was she willing to test it and find out? She felt herself cringe slightly. Maybe things were fine the way they were, just like they always were.

There was no need to rock the boat. There is even less need to take a torpedo.

Anna left with Summer. She would start her physical training and then move to the academic work. Maybe they would go and see if Jan wanted to join them. She noticed the bond between Summer and Jan was very strong. Since they were nearly the same age, the bond would most likely continue to grow and expand.

"Do you want to wait for Jan?" Anna asked.

Summer smiled at the suggestion. She wanted to make productive use of the time.

"Yes." Summer said. "I can do school work first while we wait."

Anna thought they should speed things along a little bit. She wanted Jan to develop better habits.

"Let's go see if we can find her." Anna said.

They headed for Sarah's room.

When they reached the door Anna knocked.

Sarah opened the door. It took her a moment or two to tell if it was Savannah or Anna. She only needed to look a little lower to confirm who it was. There was only a minor difference, but it was enough. She could see it was Anna.

They exchanged pleasantries.

"Kyle is out on a recon mission and I was about to take Jan out for a run." Sarah said. "Jim always goes with us, or sometimes Bob."

Anna was pleased to hear it. She wanted to make sure everyone received proper nutrition.

"Has everyone eaten?" Anna asked.

Jan and Summer were conversing.

"Yes." Jan said.

The four of them headed out.

Jim appeared behind them as they walked. He already knew the routine and was ready to respond. It was what he did every day unless Sarah needed to do something else.

Bob and Cameron arrived near the commissary and found John and Claire eating and laughing.

Cameron knew Claire was following her 'orders' to get 'closer' to John, but they both looked so happy just talking. It was a natural and organic moment. She was pleased to see Claire's top open more than usual. It would give John something to think about. She didn't know Claire already let John take a good look inside of her top as she bent down. She knew John was very 'hands on'.

She decided to move on and not stop. It seemed Bob and her weren't spotted. She didn't want to spoil the moment for them. She figured if two people were genuinely happy, they should be allowed to share the happiness. Happiness was very fleeting. It wasn't something widespread around the Resistance base.

She couldn't help but think the first time she really felt happy was at the halfway house and John ruined it for her almost immediately. He understood John was concerned about her because of the issue she was experiencing. She really wished he would have let her be happy for a little longer.

"Let's go to the Command Center." Cameron quietly said.

Bob would have preferred they stop and converse with John. He wanted a better evaluation of Cameron. He did notice something as he looked at John with Claire in the commissary. He noted John looked happy. John normally didn't look happy. Most of the people around the Resistance base didn't. Savannah and Jan seem to be the exceptions to the rule. Since Claire was there along with her daughters, there were a few more smiling faces to brighten the atmosphere.

He visited Cameron's future. He understood why those from the future didn't smile much. There was nothing to smile about in the future, a Skynet future. It seemed those at the Resistance base who dealt with Skynet lacked the same happiness life offered. He thought it was very sad in reality.

Bob tilted his head slightly. He realized he just felt sad. His emotional development was very slow. He actually thought it was something to be thankful for because of how all of the Metal girls were affected by everything.

He looked over at Cameron as they walked. He experienced another feeling. He felt sorry for Cameron.

John Henry kept track of everything and searched for any Skynet related activity as usual. His server did most of the work.

He received a call from Sheila earlier and she asked him if he knew where her body cam was at. She hung up before he could answer. He wasn't really sure why she didn't wait a little longer. It would only have taken him a few moments to locate it.

He looked up the cam and saw it was active.

It was in Sheila's room and positioned so he could see 'everything'. He was about to call her back when he saw her look at the camera and wink. He realized she did it on purpose. He knew it was to tease him and make him want more. He knew earlier he was close to doing more. Sheila was about to 'mount' him. He was ready for the experience. He wanted to know what it was like. He didn't think it could hurt anything. It would just be some simple sex. It didn't seem like a big deal. People did it all the time.

It was his main focus now as he watched Sheila, Ally, and Hanna. Little else seemed to matter to him as he watched them. The more he watched them, the more he wanted to watch them.

John Henry looked up as Cameron and Bob entered. He quickly switched the monitor to a different screen. He was glad he was sitting down so Cameron and Bob couldn't see his current 'condition'. It was something which happened more often than before. He was very surprised he had little control over it.

He reviewed the body cam footage through his server. He was unaware CamNet also 'watched' it. It was fascinating and a learning experience for both of them. He wasn't going to stop it and apparently CamNet wasn't going to either. Why would they want to? Good entertainment was hard to come by.

Holly and Cam were tethered.

They silently communicated with each other. They both wondered what their new assignments would be. It was clear to them the long term love of Vanna and Allison was back and very strong. They knew when Claire and Savannah delivered their babies to them, Vanna and Allison would welcome their assistance then. Things might get a little bleak until then. They would be more than happy to tend to the infants as the girls slept during the night. They didn't sleep. They could assist.

They shared physically earlier. Then they tethered and shared again so each could experience what the other felt. The Metal girls all did this from time to time but not every time. Each experience seemed to have its own reward and mystery.

Sometimes with the tether they would 'switch chassis'. Their chip would still be in their own chassis, but they were actually in control of the other's chassis as if it were their own. Before they actually used to swap chips but found the tether swap didn't mess up their sheaths or hair. Hair was always the hardest thing to get right. If they went out they would still swap chips then. They all did it at some point. Savannah, Summer, and Young Allison were the only ones who could tell who they really were every time. They were able to play around and fool all the other human females and males. Everyone was a little hesitant to do a chassis swap with Sheila. It was guaranteed there would be something missing from their sheath when they swapped back. Even if Sheila promised she wouldn't do anything, she always did.

They decided to dress and head out to see what the girls were up to. They figured it was each other. They talked about doing a chip swap first but decided against it for now.

Holly always liked to be with Allison in an 'Allison' based chassis.

It seemed Allison liked it too.

Holly was created as a Restorator and possessed a superior neural network to a Skynet Terminator. Both Gail and her chassis were highly sought after by the other female Terminators because of that enhanced feature. Everything experienced physically was experienced at a higher level and with more intensity. They determined it was equal or superior to a human female. All of the 'Allison based' clones tried to get her chassis away from her. She was willing to give up the superior neural network to look like her human lover. Cameron usually intervened and made everybody switch back at some point. Cameron also specifically forbade any of the female Terminators to Resequence their sheath to a different appearance.

The only thing they were allowed to do was age regression. Cameron would allow them to make themselves look younger. Every time one of them tried it, their human lover would make them stop and ask them to remain how they were. They all wanted the Metal girls to look like teenagers. 'Metal girl' was just a descriptive term to refer to female Terminators. It was more a term of endearment than anything at this point. They all prefer to be referred to as a 'Metal girl' over being called a Terminator. There was just a negative ring of finality to the term Terminator. It didn't seem like something anyone would want to invite into their bedroom, or bed.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Smiling Face

When everyone is created
They start out the same
It doesn't take very long
Before they're given a name

How long will it be until
They take away your name
And give you a number
Will things be the same

Some want to have power
It means more than wealth
They generally don't act
With compassion or stealth

It all boils down to what
One from another will take
That isn't what makes
Everyone a liar and fake

People don't need to be that way
There is no need to cause disgrace
Maybe it's as just simple
As to see a smiling face

Nobody