Chapter 1140
I Will Adapt
Cammy drove the SUV with John and Cameron towards the port and the Cruise Terminal. Savannah was in the front seat next to her. They all shared some small talk along the way.
John was anxious to get onto the ship. He really wanted to get away from it all. The thought of being alone with Cameron for a week appealed to him greatly. He wouldn't need to worry where she was or if she was shot up again. Without those dreadful thoughts alone, it was a mental vacation.
Based upon his earlier conversation with Savannah before he left, he was a little worried about how Cameron would interact with some of the passengers. He knew she wouldn't be shot up on the ship, but she could still get into an altercation. There was always the chance someone may spend too much time looking at him and Cameron might perceive it as a threat. There could be individuals who took pictures as well. They may not be specifically of him, but taken in his direction. It might produce a negative result as well. There could also be individuals who might verbally, or even visually, accost Cameron. It may or may not occur before an individual was inebriated. Depending upon how she was dressed, someone may attempt to touch her. He knew it was going to produce a very negative result.
He really didn't know how things were going to go down. Based upon the unknown, some additional assistance, even if a personal nature, would have been welcomed. He wanted Savannah to go with them to be a moderating influence on Cameron. It didn't look like it was going to happen.
John was aware there were a lot of factors involved in Savannah's decision. Maybe it was because some of their interactions included a few of 'close encounters'. He really didn't know how anyone could have a much closer encounter than the ones he experience with Savannah. He literally was one second away from being with her on all of those occasions. It was usually Skynet who was responsible for preventing their union.
He was in the back seat with Cameron. He looked around at their surroundings. They passed through industrial and business areas. There weren't too many residential areas around the 405. There were a few though. It really didn't look like any kind of place he would want to live. He wasn't sure it was better at the Resistance base, but it definitely was a lot quieter. He looked at both sides of the freeway.
"There isn't much traffic." John said. "It's always a good thing."
Cammy liked the lack of traffic. It was almost impossible to use 'traffic management' through CamNet on the freeway. It worked relatively well on the surface streets where there were signals CamNet could control. CamNet used what 'traffic management' she could to make sure they experienced a clean run to the port. As far as the freeway went, only the traffic lights which allow cars onto the freeway could be controlled. Even if the lights stayed red, people usually ran them anyway. Currently, the freeway flowed very evenly.
Cameron was aware of the current traffic conditions as well. It seemed normal for the time of the day. She knew all it took was someone changing the tire on the side of the road to bring traffic to all but a complete standstill as the lookiloos all slowed down to take a gander. It seemed they should appreciate and enjoy the non bumper to bumper ride.
"It's smooth sailing." Cameron said. "You'll have to pardon the pun."
Savannah and John glanced at each other with Cameron's statement. It appeared she made a joke. It wasn't something she often did. It was actually pleasant to hear her do it.
John felt secure with Cameron, even if they seemed a little under gunned for the trip. The risk factor should be light. He hoped to visit some of the ports when they stopped. He wasn't sure how it was going to play out. He sure hoped they didn't end up in any situations where they needed to have 'heat'. He thought it was important to ask. He was sure there would be some type of contingency put into place.
"It doesn't seem we have much in the way of weaponry." John said. "Things seem like they should be pretty controlled and sedate on the ship."
Cameron quickly looked around them. She reassessed the threat level. She didn't detect a change in anything. She didn't think they were in any danger.
"We'll have what we need." Cameron said. "I don't think it will be a problem."
Savannah pointed out the obvious. She didn't necessarily think it was a good thing to remind any of the Metal girls what they actually were, especially Cameron. It was still an undeniable fact.
"John, Cameron is a weapon." Savannah said.
John looked at Cameron and smiled. He knew it was the original intent of Skynet when it created Terminators. He felt time changed the dynamic considerably based upon a Terminator's programming to adapt and improvise to whatever current situation a Terminator was exposed to, especially long term. He reached over and gently touched her cheek.
"She's a lot more than a weapon." John said.
John's statement made Cameron feel good about herself. She could tell John meant it in the sweetest way. He hadn't always made nice comments about her. She didn't want to think about those right now. She wanted to think about the next week. She wanted to think about her week alone with John. She wanted to reaffirm her desire to share with John on their Honeymoon Cruise.
She liked the way he touched her. She remembered when 'Vick' touched Barbara Chamberlain on the cheek the same way. It seemed to please her immensely. She believed it did the same thing for her. She thought the program she created was actually a good program, even if Skynet intended to misuse it. CamNet made frequent use of it.
"I see someone is trying to make some points." Cameron said. "I hope to make a special time even more extra special now."
Cameron smiled at John.
John reached over and took Cameron's hand. He gave it a loving squeeze. He leaned towards her and she leaned towards him as they kissed. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment as the journey continued.
As they neared the port, even more of an idea formed in John's mind. There was something he wanted to check out first hand. It would give him a better sense of what happened in the area just recently.
"Do we have time to drive by the port facility you took down a few days ago?" John asked. "I'd like to see it first hand."
The area was still a trouble zone as far as Cameron was concerned. She didn't feel they ever found out what was really happening there, and what the extent of the planned attack actually was. She only knew they walked into the middle of two or more groups fighting. Their group was very fortunate more damage wasn't done to it. The factor which helped them the most were the extra drones Young Alison asked CamNet to send.
"NO!" Cameron and Savannah both said at the same time.
Savannah thought it was a bad idea too.
Neither one wanted to risk it by going back there. They always thought something more was supposed to occur. They felt their presence there disrupted whatever was supposed to happen there.
Cameron wasn't about to risk walking back in the middle of something. Since there was more than one group involved, it was possible someone still had eyes on the location. There was no way she was taking John anywhere near there. Right now she just wanted to get on the ship.
Cammy didn't want to endanger Savannah. She didn't want John or Cameron endangered either. She sure didn't want Cameron to damage her sheath if something were to occur there right before she got on the ship. Cameron would get on the ship in her chassis. She didn't want it to happen. She didn't want Cameron to strip her chassis of its virginity for her own selfish personal shortcomings. What an absolute and total Bitch. It wasn't going to happen if she could prevent it. John's request was too risky for everyone. It put all of them in some type of danger.
"It's unnecessary at this time." Cammy said. "Cameron and you are on vacation, John. There's nothing for you to worry about other than what you're going to have for lunch, and in which venue you'll have it in."
Cammy thought about adding he should think about how soon he would be able to get Cameron's pants off once they were in their suite. She was sure Cameron would actually beat him to it. She knew if Cameron could get a hold of her chassis, it would happen a lot sooner.
The thought made Cameron think of the past. There were two things she always wanted. One was to be someone different. The other was to 'escape'.
"I want to get away from it all." Cameron said. "I've wanted to do it for a long time."
John remembered when Cameron first said it. It was when he first heard it anyway. They were on their way to Mr. Ellison's house. He didn't take her seriously then about a lot of things. It was his mistake. He felt he made a lot of mistakes. It seemed Cameron was always the one who ended up paying the price. If he would have let Cameron question Mr. Ellison a little further and a little more forcefully, they would have found out he did have Cromartie's chassis as they suspected. He didn't want to do it then. Everything changed in his life going forward, and Cameron's life as well because he didn't allow her to do her job. It would have prevented John Henry from becoming a reality in Mrs. Weaver's basement. She never would have given her chip to John Henry because he would have been a program in a metal box.
Wait.
He still would have lost Cameron anyway. John Henry would have been able to download his program from his server onto Cameron's chip. Her chassis would have been the one which went into the future instead of John Henry's. He definitely would have followed Cameron's chassis into the future as much as he did her chip. He did think her chassis would go with them and they would be able to repair it in the future. His mother might have destroyed the computer equipment which remained in Mrs. Weaver's lower level. She might even have killed Mr. Ellison, Mr. Murch and those associated with the program. The bottom line was things could have played out completely differently on several levels. The Resistance might actually be in a much worse condition if things didn't play out the way they did.
He glanced at Savannah in the front seat. He was fairly certain his mother would have put the grab on Savannah and run with her. He doubted she would leave her there, especially after she found out what Savannah's 'mother' was. If she would have been raised as his 'sister', everything now would be very different.
Savannah wanted to resolve the situation. She would like to give the area another look later on. It definitely wasn't going to be with John and Cameron in the vehicle. It wasn't going to be before John and Cameron were on the ship. She didn't want them to worry about it.
"Cammy and I can check it out on the way back." Savannah said. "We're going to the port now. You two have a ship to catch."
John and Cameron both noted Savannah emphasized the word two. They knew it was for her to further indicate she wasn't getting on board the ship with them.
Cameron updated with CamNet before she left. Things seemed unchanged at the port location. She expected someone to return. They didn't know who. They didn't know why. They didn't know when.
"The surveillance we set up shows it's clean. There's no indication anyone has visited there." Cameron said. "The location has been monitored continuously."
John also checked before they left. It was where he got the idea to visit the location. He didn't often get to view a battle scene. Cameron was adamant he stay away from them. She told him they didn't know when they took down any location if they got all the Grays or Terminators who were involved in it. He understood there was no way to know it. When he checked earlier, John Henry gave him a similar assessment.
"It's what John Henry told me too." John said. "It's just like everything. There's always a threat even if we can't actually see it."
Cammy wanted them to focus on the upcoming trip.
"We will be at the port soon enough." Cammy said. "It will be so you can board the cruise ship for your Honeymoon Cruise, just the two of you. Sit back and enjoy the ride."
Cammy and Savannah looked at each other and smiled. It was definitely what both of them wanted, even if the reasons were different. The goal was the same.
John looked to both sides of the SUV as they drove. The view was pretty mundane.
"What's there to enjoy on the 405?" John asked.
Cameron could think of a few things. They were things she hoped to avoid for the next week.
"You can enjoy the fact there's no one shooting at you, for one." Cameron said.
John was aware Cameron often faced the threat more so than anyone else.
"I guess you have a point there." John said.
Cameron wanted to keep it the same way. It was one reason why they weren't going by the port facility before they got onto the ship.
She smiled at John and gave him another quick kiss.
Allison was in the Command Center. She watched the monitors and John Henry. She wanted to help out. There was one area which seemed to have a lot of surveillance.
"I see you're monitoring the port area heavily." Allison said.
Cameron told John Henry to keep a close eye on it. She felt there was unfinished business there. He wasn't about to drop the ball. He would watch everything very thoroughly until the ship pulled away from the dock. It would take the ship approximately twenty-five minutes to go through the channel, and then pass through the breakwater before it reached the open ocean. Often there would be a Harbor Patrol boat to accompany the ship until it cleared the breakwater.
"Since the recent activity there, I've given it a lot of attention." John Henry said. "I don't want any problems with John and Cameron down there right now."
Allison didn't hear of any other activity at the target location since the team left there.
"Did anyone follow up there besides us?" Allison asked. "I mean any of the groups we fought, or who fought each other."
It was a mild surprise to John Henry. It seemed Skynet always cut its losses and tried again elsewhere.
"No. We've never encountered anyone else who followed up at any of the locations we took down other than the Syndicate." John Henry said. "The Syndicate was a problem we didn't need. They don't seem to let things go."
Allison followed some of the activities which occurred in the Young bunker with Young Allison and Anna. She was sure they were mixed up in it.
"Wasn't the Syndicate involved in this one?" Allison asked.
John Henry smiled to himself. It was a rather complicated encounter.
"They were." John Henry said. "The Syndicate has been taken out of the picture. They should no longer be involved in the fringes of our work."
John Henry went on to describe what happened and the actions Young Allison took to end the threat. Even if it didn't end it, it certainly put it on the back burner.
Allison could clearly see Young Allison's handiwork. She knew those actions were very extreme and far reaching. They were actually ruthless. Thousands of people would die because of those actions. Since most of them would end up as Grays or Scavengers after J-Day, it didn't bother Allison either.
"What about some of the other areas?" Allison asked.
John Henry's server never stopped searching, and neither did CamNet. Every location they encountered Skynet, or one of its offshoots, was continuously surveilled. They would tap into various satellites for images several times a day. If anything was in question, they would send a drone at night to do a low level scan. The use of a drone was normally unnecessary.
"CamNet and I check everything all the time. Very little gets by both of us." John Henry said.
His statement made Allison think about CamNet and her encounter with Vanna there.
"I saw CamNet before." Allison said.
John Henry knew it was a rare privilege.
"I was aware of it." John Henry said. "It's an honor."
Allison and Vanna always wondered why. They thought they figured out the real reason.
"She wanted to see Vanna and me." Allison said. "I think she wanted to see how Young Allison and Savannah 'turned out'. I hope she realizes Savannah and Young Allison are going to be much better individuals than Vanna and I are. They will also be much more beautiful than we are. They are both more intelligent and won't carry any baggage of the future with them like we do."
John Henry tilted his head slightly. Perhaps it was to see what a different upbringing would do to the same individuals.
"Maybe it was the case." John Henry said.
Allison wondered if John Henry knew more than he let on.
"Do you think it was for some other reason?" Allison asked.
John Henry knew they were the same people.
"Vanna and you are them." John Henry said. "You are 'Savannah and Young Allison', the 'Chosen Ones'. You're the same people, even if 'different'."
Allison and Vanna both felt CamNet wanted 'more'.
They were both willing to give it if she took the first step. They were both more than willing to go back and share with CamNet. She was a version of Cameron after all. Who wouldn't want to share with her?
Allison felt a slight tinge of guilt when she thought her last thought. She remembered the bizarre interaction with the Young Allison and CamNet. She actually hoped Young Allison wouldn't be invited to see CamNet anytime soon.
Earlier In The Day:
Bob arrived at the port before the sun came up. He was there when the cruise ship came onto port and docked. He saw it come up the main channel and then maneuver into the berth next to the cruise terminal.
He knew everything about the ship from stem to stern. He was there as head of security for the cruise line. Only the captain would have any authority over him on the ship, 'officially' anyway. He would do whatever was necessary to make sure John was protected. The captain would be bypassed as necessary.
Jim and Sheila were with him.
Sheila looked over Bob's attire.
"How come we don't have fancy uniforms like you do?" Sheila asked.
Bob looked down at his spotless white uniform.
"Cameron said you and Jim will get yours on board." Bob said.
Jim and Sheila were in the dark as to what they would do.
"We don't know what our rank or positions are." Jim said.
Bob didn't know either.
"Cameron hasn't informed me yet." Bob said.
Sheila hadn't done many things to please Cameron lately. It seemed Cameron needed to call her out a number of times for various infractions. She figured she was in for a rough go.
"I bet she's going to make me a dishwasher." Sheila said.
Bob wondered what the latest infraction Sheila must have committed was. She seemed to have a never ending list of them. It seemed most of them occurred when she was with Ally.
Jim was just as dissatisfied as Sheila was.
"I don't think we're all in the security field." Jim said.
Sheila hoped Bob could give them a clue. He should possess at least some rudimentary information.
"Who else will be on board?" Sheila asked. "You're the head of security. You must know the entire manifest."
Bob did know two more of the team would also be on the ship.
"Gail and Holly will be onboard too." Bob said.
Jim and Sheila looked around.
"Why aren't they here with the rest of the crew waiting to board?" Jim asked.
Bob did know the answer to it.
"They'll be posing as passengers." Bob said. "It will limit their access to certain parts of the ship, but open it to others."
Jim saw it was an effective strategy to be part of the crew. Having some of the team pose as passengers also could have some benefits. It allowed the Resistance access to all parts of the ship without raising anyone's suspicion.
"It will also allow them to be where members of the crew are not allowed to go and 'hang out'." Jim said. "They can be in a dining area or on the pool deck and not look suspicious like they're not doing anything. If we're wearing uniforms and not assigned to a specific task, someone is going to question what we're doing, or what we're not doing."
Bob already arrived at the same assessment. There were certain areas of the ship where a crew member would be out of place.
"Affirmative…." Bob said. "Cameron always plans ahead if she can."
Sheila wondered about Cameron's stone faced Terminators.
"Will there be any of Cameron's Terminators here?" Sheila asked.
Bob thought it was a valid question. He didn't have a firm answer on it.
"There are none I'm aware of." Bob said. "CamNet may also send some on her own. There may be some we don't know about yet."
It sounded like aggressive action on CamNet's part.
"Do you mean CamNet would send them without telling Cameron?" Jim asked.
Bob was aware Young Allison sometimes took action on her own. More than likely, if there were any of Cameron's Terminators there, it would be because Young Allison asked CamNet to send them. It seems like something they should stay away from and not appear to question it. It only cause some type of problem at some point, for them.
"I don't know." Bob said. "It's a hunch. Don't forget, CamNet is the one who owns the Cruise Line. I'm sure there are a lot of things which can happen, and probably will, especially in the background. It's just something to think about."
In the distance they could hear the sound of trucks approaching.
"Here come some of the trucks with food and produce." Jim said.
They watched the trucks pull up and park. The drivers did the same thing several times a week so they all knew what to do. There were other cruise ships which used the cruise terminal too. Soon pallets of food were being unloaded from the trucks.
Sheila noted the massive amount of potatoes. It only served to raise some of her fears.
"There are a lot of potatoes." Sheila said. "I'm probably going to be a potato peeler and a dishwasher."
Bob doubted it. He wanted them to remain alert.
"We're to clandestinely look over everything which goes on board, and check things after we depart." Bob said.
Jim thought it would be better suited to Bob's position.
"The main part of the job will be yours." Jim said. "You should know who all the crew members are."
Bob was aware there were changes made with some of the crew when the ship was at its Home Port. The majority of crew members were from various nations around the world. They normally signed up for a specific number of months to work on the ship when their service time was up. They would usually catch the next flight home once they were off the ship.
"There will be other members of the crew arriving as replacements soon. They're always rotating them around." Bob said. "It's the role both of you will be filling as well. I shouldn't be seen associating with you once we move onto the dock."
Something Jesse once said popped into Sheila's head.
"I get it." Sheila said. "The brass doesn't associate with the swabbies."
Sheila was concerned she might end up as a 'swabby', quite literally.
Bob didn't like the dig. He was sure if Sheila tried to make a big deal about something, she would end up cleaning the bilge or sewage tanks.
"I don't make the rules or the assignments." Bob said. "You can take it up with Cameron when you see her."
Sheila wondered if Cameron would come down to the galley. She was sure she would be washing dishes or peeling potatoes. She looked over at the pallets of potatoes again. There sure were a lot of them. She thought about using the forklift and dumping some of them into the harbor.
She thought it probably wouldn't go over very well with the longshoreman and the other workers who milled about the area. There was still the possibility she might be assigned to clean the bilge. There literally wasn't a job which would be lower on the ship. It would also be the most filthy and dirty job possible.
Wait.
Maybe cleaning the inside of sewage tanks might actually be worse. The residue from humans seemed much worse than the residue from the ship.
She really needed to learn to keep her mouth closed and cut back on her aggressive actions. With all of the possible negative choices, maybe being a swabby on the upper decks wouldn't be so bad after all.
Jesse took Cam and Hanna to her room. She was going to be alone for a short time.
"Gail is away for a few days." Jesse said.
Cam felt it was an important assignment.
"Gail, Holly, and Sheila are away on protection duty for John. Bob and Jim are there also." Cam said. "They should all feel honored at the positions they are assigned to as they protect John."
Jesse could see it opened up some other opportunities. She also noted Cam left out someone very important.
"Don't forget about Cameron." Jesse said. "It is nice to know Allison will be freed up then."
Hanna was willing to venture elsewhere.
"I can visit her if you want to stay with Claire for a few nights." Hanna said. "I usually switch with Holly two nights a week anyway."
Jesse wanted to get things started.
"Thanks. We can worry about it later." Jesse said. "Right now I have about an hour long window until I need to go to nurse Precious. Samantha will call me. It's possible it could be earlier. I hate to eat and run, so I wanted both of you to know ahead of time."
Cam and Hanna knew not to overdo it on Jesse in several areas.
"We will make sure to leave Precious plenty." Cam said.
Jesse wondered if she would actually end up with a real set of knockers. She didn't know how big she could actually get. She thought Vanna was pretty much at the limit, so she might be as well since they started the hormone treatments at around the same time. She was a long way from the norks she grew up with. They seemed to be fine for anyone who ever touched her, whether she wanted them too or not.
"There is enough for everyone with a little moderation." Jesse said. "With all the side 'activity', Vanna and I are both really producing."
The girls stripped each other. Everyone liked what they saw. They always did.
Life was good in Paradise.
Anna watched Young Allison work. She was very fixated on the port area. She was sure it was because John mentioned it. She thought it would be a bad idea for them to go there before they got on the ship.
"You seem to be checking things around the port area in great detail." Anna said.
Young Allison felt she was lax by being away from the bunker.
"I want to make sure everything is clear." Young Allison said. "I haven't been watching as closely as I should have the last few days."
Anna knew Young Allison worried about the female who was held as a captive. She felt it was an understandable and a compassionate concern.
"You're worried about the compound where we freed the female from." Anna said.
Young Allison was aware of what almost happened to the female. Ironically enough, a Terminator saved her from being abused. It was only to assure mission success and the forced cooperation of her father. Either way, it worked out as the best scenario possible under the conditions.
"I'm worried about her." Young Allison said. "I followed up on them to make sure they were relocated safely. I know what could have happened to her. I know what almost happened to her. Her father was in grave danger as well. The Metal girls saved both of them."
CamNet informed Anna she would make sure the female and her father were taken care of. She was aware of Young Allison's concern and acted appropriately.
"CamNet took care of everything." Anna said. "She knew you were concerned about the female."
Young Allison shuddered at the thought of being tied to a bed and violated. It would be a terrible first experience which would scar one for life. It made her think of Vanna and Jesse. She knew what happened to Allison too. Allison was her.
"It could have been me." Young Allison said.
Anna didn't want Young Allison to go down a dark path. It was the job of the Metal girls to make sure nothing like it ever happened to Young Allison.
"It wasn't you." Anna said. "It's highly doubtful and ever will be. You will be protected as much as possible."
Young Allison thought about the one time she 'ran away'. It was only for a few hours. It wasn't too long ago. She still felt some shame over it and what led up to it with her 'involvement' with CamNet. None of this was about her. She needed to make sure the Resistance and the future were protected. She needed to refocus.
"I want to make sure the Syndicate is never a problem for us again." Young Allison said.
Anna thought Young Allison already did it. What was supposed to be a limited start didn't remain limited for long. It spread worldwide rather quickly. She knew it was done at Young Allison's desire to 'punish' the Syndicate.
"You have delivered them a crushing blow." Anna said.
There were other places Young Allison could have CamNet act. She was aware the Syndicate and the Cartel sunk their hooks into a lot of different things. Some of them were legitimate and used as fronts for laundering money.
"I may not be done with them yet." Young Allison said.
Anna looked over at Young Allison and could see she was serious.
"You're very ruthless." Anna said. "There's no way for them to know they're being 'punished' or I'm sure it would be a lot worse for them as they counted their losses.
It was about being the victor in a contest to Young Allison. They were the rules Cameron taught her. They were the rules about survival. They were the rules about coming out on top in the end. If you didn't win, you lost. The stakes could be lives.
"It's all about winning." Young Allison said. "We need to always win when we deal with 'trouble'. Future Scavengers and future Grays are fair game."
Anna checked for any drone footage. She hoped to get a better perspective of the group headed for the port.
"I'm surprised we are not seeing any drone footage right now." Anna said.
Young Allison glanced over at Anna and then back to her monitors. She did plan ahead for the cruise.
"I have it covered." Young Allison said. "There are drones in box trucks which will be near every port. They will be in coastal canyons ready to be immediately scrambled. If we detect any Skynet activity, I will act appropriately. CamNet will act for me. We should be able to deliver a severe initial blow, as more resources are channeled to the area."
New information appeared on Anna's screens after Young Allison made her proclamation. It actually didn't surprise her in the slightest. Everything would be covered. The fact they needed to go to a foreign port, which was Ensenada, was the only thing not adequately covered by the drones. It wouldn't take them long to get there if they were needed.
"You are very thorough." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to smile at Anna but she didn't feel like it right now. She felt a little depressed and a little nervous about everything. John's request to visit the port facility they took down bothered her immensely. She was aware CamNet provided her with footage from the Resistance base and all the operations the Resistance team went on. She felt she was going to encounter a big blind spot on the ship. She wanted to do something about it.
"I know the ship is loaded with security cameras. I want to have access to all the feeds." Young Allison said.
Anna watched as dozens of images began to pop up in little squares on each screen.
"CamNet is showing them to you now. There are quite a few." Anna said.
Young Allison began to look over the images herself. She could see keeping track of everything was going to be a problem. It would need to be done by John Henry or CamNet. She would rather have CamNet take care of it. It appeared to her with so many cameras, if someone wanted to loop feed, it would be very hard to detect.
"I want CamNet to watch for any looped feeds anywhere on the ship at any time." Young Allison said. "If anything inappropriate is spotted, the security crew on the ship is to be notified immediately. I don't want to wait for an incident to develop into something which might be a problem."
Anna looked concerned now. She wasn't sure what Young Allison was getting at. It seemed she was worried about something.
"Is there anything I should watch for specifically with you?" Anna asked.
Young Allison liked to cover all the bases. She didn't know of any threat yet. The team wasn't even on board yet. She didn't want any surprises.
"I just want to play it safe." Young Allison said. "If we can prevent anything of a negative nature from occurring, I would prefer we deal with it as quickly as possible."
Anna was aware Young Allison liked to 'check out' Allison and even her mother at times. She would also 'watch' Hanna and Holly together. She really couldn't point the finger at Young Allison since she did exactly the same thing with all of those individuals as well. Young Allison and her weren't the only ones either. Sometimes Summer checked things out as well. She was actually very hard to detect. She wanted to remind Young Allison about personal privacy.
"Are you sure you're not 'spying'?" Anna asked. "Every girl needs a few secrets. You may want a few for yourself one day. It's something to think about."
Young Allison felt no guilt about it. She learned a lot of things. The main thing she learned was what really happened between individuals was nothing like what she witnessed on any videos from the internet. It was all very different in reality. Was it spying? She knew the answer to her own question. It was.
"I already do enough of it." Young Allison said. "I like to know what's happening."
Anna knew Young Allison spied on more than what happened in the Young residence.
"I know you've been monitoring the feeds from the Resistance base." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't see a problem with it. There were no cameras in anyone's room.
"I have and I am." Young Allison said.
Anna knew why Young Allison checked on everyone. She noticed an increase in Young Allison's monitoring of the Resistance base. It was because her mother, Summer, Allison, Holly, and Hanna were gone. They were gone from the Young residence anyway.
"You miss them." Anna said. "You miss your family."
Young Alison didn't want to make a big deal about it. She didn't think she did anything wrong. She cared about her loved ones. She knew life moved forwards not backwards.
"I do miss them." Young Allison said. "It's only been a few days. I will adapt."
Anna wanted Young Allison to know her future was going to be altered once she returned from the past.
"Everything is going to change when you come back from your temporal mission." Anna said.
Young Allison thought most of it would be better.
"I'm aware of it." Young Allison said. "I look forward to some of it."
Anna knew what Young Allison was worried about.
"But not to everything?" Anna asked.
Young Allison thought about John.
"No." Young Allison said. "I will do my duty. I have promises to fulfill. I'll make sure the future is protected."
Anna knew Young Allison would do her part to protect John.
"You will adapt." Anna said.
Young Allison thought of some of the video's she watched on the internet. It often seemed the female was being 'attacked'. Were some of those things necessary?
She swallowed hard.
"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Young Allison said.
Ally entered the Command Center.
John Henry thought how identical Ally looked to Allison. He needed to remember it was the whole point. Ally needed to be able to step in to replace Allison at any point in time. He didn't often see them together any more. They were both very beautiful but neither of them ever really looked Tight like Cameron, Cammy, or Cam. It was never a priority for them. It actually seemed to be something they avoided.
They all greeted each other. John Henry could see Allison and Ally check each other out.
"Are you both thinking how much alike you look to each other?" John Henry asked.
Ally was still checking Allison out. She thought of a little more than looks.
"I was." Ally said. "Allison is smoking Hot."
John Henry tilted his head slightly.
"It means you are too since you two look identical." John Henry said.
Ally smiled at John Henry.
"You said it, not me." Ally said.
Allison thought Ally looked better than her.
"Ally is beautiful." Allison said. "She looks better than me."
Allison was aware Ally had a big advantage over her. She would never have to grow old if she didn't want to. She could always advance or retard her age through her processor.
Ally moved a little closer to Allison.
"I'm here to relieve you if you want to stretch your legs." Ally said.
Allison knew Ally was there to scan her.
"Is it right after you scan me?" Allison asked.
Ally wanted to make sure Allison was fine. She didn't want to make a big deal about it.
"Holly, Cameron, and Savannah all asked me to look out for you." Ally said. "They all care about you. I do too."
Allison frowned and lifted Ally's hand to her neck.
Ally sat down next to Allison after she scanned her.
Allison wanted to set up some action for later on.
"Are you going to stop by my room tonight since Holly's gone?" Allison asked.
Ally smiled.
"I am now." Ally said. "I thought you and Jesse might be with each other."
It didn't seem like a problem to Allison.
"There is always room for one more if she is." Allison said.
John Henry watched and listened to the conversation of the two 'look alike' females. If he didn't know one was a Terminator, he would think they were twins. He wasn't sure of how much of what they said was real or joking. Some of it was pretty 'wild'.
He did notice it seemed to 'pick up' Allison quite a bit. It was a good thing. Holly was going to be on the cruise and everyone was going to look after Allison while Holly was away. They all knew she was more emotional than Jesse. Jesse would seek what she wanted, but Allison would be more reserved. He knew Vanna would watch over her and her mother would too. She was in good hands.
Allison excused herself to use the restroom.
John Henry checked the security monitor to make sure Allison wasn't right outside the door to the Command Center. He was very concerned about her because of all of her past failures.
"How's she doing?" John Henry asked.
Ally didn't think it was good.
"The same as she's been the last month." Ally said.
John Henry was afraid it meant bad news.
"It's not a good sign." John Henry said.
Ally blew him off. She didn't want to talk about it. It was a very touchy subject for Allison. It was a touchy subject for all of the girls.
"Don't worry about it." Ally said.
It did bother John Henry.
"I do worry about it." John Henry said. "I care about her and everyone as well."
Ally knew Claire carried Allison's baby.
"Cameron will make sure everyone has what they want." Ally said.
John Henry knew there was a lot of truth to her statement.
"What do you want?" John Henry asked.
Ally looked at the door to the Command Center Allison just walked through to leave.
"I want to be Allison." Ally said. "She's so beautiful."
John Henry tilted his head slightly. The statement didn't make any sense to him.
"But you are her." John Henry said. "You're identical."
Ally looked at him with a sad smile. She might be covered with living tissue, but technically she still wasn't alive. She was far from it. Her smile grew a little sadder.
"I'm a scary robot from the future." Ally said. "I can't ever be anything more than it no matter how hard I wish. It does no good to click my heels together three times and wish real hard. Nothing ever happens. I'm still the same."
John Henry knew Ally wanted the same things Cameron did. They both wanted to be human versions of 'their' Allison.
He didn't even contemplate CamNet may want to be the version of her Allison - Young Allison.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
I Will Adapt
Few things stay the same
Everything is subject to change
Usually none of them are for the better
What is one willing to exchange
One often will trade
Freedom for security
Is that level of safety
Really a path to obscurity
In the scheme of life
Does much matter much
Are love and friendship
More than a crutch
Through the daily motions
One will bumble and stagger
Maybe all that awaits
Is the pain of a dagger
To avoid the feeling
Of always being trapped
Always remember one thing
I will adapt
Nobody