Chapter 1141

VIP Boarding

John knew they were coming up on LAX. He remembered the planes usually came in low over the freeway. It wasn't as low as they would be if they were on Sepulveda Boulevard. It was a little further to the west of the 405 Freeway. The two runways on the north side started just past the west side of Sepulveda Boulevard. The two runways on the south side were lengthened at some point, he didn't know when, and Sepulveda Boulevard actually passed underneath them through a man-made tunnel. It made him think about where the two long runways started on the east side. He believed it was Aviation Boulevard.

"Is the cool restaurant with the World War Two aircraft still there?" John asked. "I always wanted to go there again. I liked the orange first supersonic aircraft there. I saw it in the movie about all of the individuals who had the Right Stuff to fly them."

He looked over to the left side and saw a jet was coming in. He figured it was for the north runway.

Cameron knew the restaurant John referred to. She saw the jet on approach to LAX would pass very near the restaurant John mentioned.

"It's still there." Cameron said. "The majority of the Warbirds left there are actually fiberglass replicas. They look just like the real aircraft until you knock on the wing and hear how hollow it sounds."

Cameron knew the parent company went through some difficulties. There was talk for a while of the place shutting down. There was some trouble with the city as well which owned the land it was on. There were a few military jets there now which were real and a few other aircraft. She thought the replica of the Bell X-1 added a nice touch with its bright orange paint job. She figured the original X-1 was probably painted in such a way so if it went down somewhere in the Mojave Desert during testing, it would be easier to find the wreckage, and perhaps the remains of the pilot.

Cammy thought about taking a detour and driving by it. If John would have said something earlier she would have gotten off at Century Boulevard. They were already past it now. She would need to get off at the next street and backtrack if she did. She decided to keep going unless someone made a specific request. She didn't know if she should correct John or not about the misinformation about the 'first supersonic aircraft'.

The North American XP-86, later redesignated as the F-86 Sabre, was reported to have broken the speed of sound twice before the X-1 did it. What needed to be stated is the X-1 was the first aircraft to break the speed of sound, the sound barrier, in level flight. The XP-86 did it in a dive.

Savannah read some stories about those exploits and the test pilot behind the controls of the XP-86 at the time. He was later killed testing the F-100 Super Sabre. During an attack on Hawaii, he was the pilot of one of the two P-40 aircraft which were able to take off and combat the aggressors. The two P-40 aircraft were parked at the outline field during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the surrounding military installations. She thought it took a certain amount of courage for the two pilots to take off with dozens of enemy aircraft in the air. Those were certainly long odds, but they did their job. She decided not to mention it. If Derek would have been along with them she would have.

John thought the view was still pretty mundane as they traveled on the 405 freeway. He could see some of the petroleum refineries coming up as the 405 curved to the east. He remembered passing by the location, or a similar location, at night when there was fire coming from one of the large smoke stacks. Some type of excess gas was being burnt off. It looked a little alarming at first but it was a normal procedure for the refinery. He remembered one of the blimps was kept around the area. He saw it before. He remembered one of them was kept on the north side of the freeway at one point. He recalled it belonged to one of the tire manufacturers.

"Will we see the blimp on this route?" John asked. "I think one is parked around here."

Cammy was aware of the location John referred to. She was headed to the Cruise Terminal in San Pedro, not Long Beach. They were approximately a mile apart from each other. Each required a different freeway to access it.

"No, we won't see the blimp on the ground. We'll turn off onto the 110 freeway, the Harbor Freeway, before we get to it. If we were going to depart from Long Beach, we would pass by it and take the 710 freeway south." Cammy said. "It won't happen on this trip."

Cammy didn't think they would miss much by not viewing the blimp parked on the ground. It seemed like an archaic and extremely inefficient mode of transportation. She knew it was mainly used as an advertising tool.

Cameron knew they could remain on the 405 and skip the 110. They would pass by the blimp in a few minutes if they did. They could still take the 710 and then cut across on the Seaside Freeway and go over the big green suspension bridge. They would come into the port where the cruise ship was at from the opposite way. It would only cost them probably an extra ten minutes of travel time.

"I think it's better if we stick to our original destination and not make any detours." Cameron said.

John looked a little disappointed.

"Bummer…." John said. "It's cool. I do want to get on our ship."

Cameron looked further into getting a ride for Savannah on a blimp. It was something they discussed previously. She knew more of the details now. It was mainly an advertising gimmick. She didn't want to get into it right now with John there with them.

"We'll most likely see it fly over before we depart." Cameron said. "It's for advertising so it should make an appearance."

The blimp was fairly large. It usually attracted everyone's attention when they saw it flying low in the sky. It was impossible to miss. It was able to change the message on the side of it so it could advertise for just about anything.

Cammy turned off the 405 Freeway and south onto the 110 Freeway. She glanced back over her shoulder at John.

"This is the Harbor Freeway." Cammy said. "We'll be at the port in a very short time. We would have seen the blimp if we went a little further east on the 405."

After a few minutes John spotted a landmark he saw before. There was no doubt where they were near right now. He felt a surge of adrenaline.

"I can see the big green suspension bridge up ahead on our left." John said. "I know we're getting close."

Cammy thought back to the action a short time ago near it. It was only last week.

"It's the Vincent Thomas Bridge." Cammy said. "We drove over it a week ago. Well, some of the team did."

John knew she referred to the team members who were in the battle. It didn't include him. He seemed to remember he read something about a toll one way across the bridge before. He always thought it was a little odd. He was used to 'freeways'. They were called 'free ways' because there was no toll to use them. He remembered some of the other bridges around the Bay Area where it was like it as well. He figured if you needed to cross over it one way, you also needed to cross over it the other way.

"Is it still a toll bridge?" John asked.

Cameron was aware the toll ended a few years back.

"It was, but not anymore." Cameron said.

John wanted an overview of the port area if they could spare the time.

"Do we have time to drive over the big bridge?" John asked. "I'd like to look around the area. My involvement around there hasn't always been positive."

Cameron was aware of the earlier involvement. John took a big risk one time to go with a load of Coltan. It led to an entire episode and a run in with another Terminator. Everything concluded successfully. It seemed like it was touch and go more than a few times.

Cammy turned and looked at Cameron.

Cameron didn't want to do it, but she could tell John did. She felt bad they already denied his desire to see the blimp. She also denied his earlier request to go by the port facility they took down last week. What he asked for now seemed to be the easiest and least time consuming of any of them. She quickly checked around them and nodded at Cammy.

"We have time." Cameron said. "It won't take too long to drive over the bridge and back."

John spotted all the container traffic. There were a lot of trucks on the freeway as well. He could see there were ships on both sides of the bridge and further off in the distance.

"I see the big loading cranes for the containers. It looks like they're usually in groups of four, sometimes five." John said.

Cameron could see there were a lot of locations for loading and unloading the ships.

"They're the same way in many places." Cameron said. "It speeds up the turnaround time a ship is in port for loading and unloading. They can actually do it very quickly. There is even talk of automating the procedure for an even faster turnaround."

Savannah thought it sounded like something else Skynet could disrupt or take over easier. She decided not to mention it. She also realized that CamNet would be able to do the same thing if necessary. There may be a time when the port was backed up. They might need some cargo offloaded from a ship. They would know exactly where it was at. It would be waiting for them when they needed it.

John rolled down his window. He was rewarded with a sensation he hadn't smelled for a long time. It wasn't always a good reminder. There were good memories to go along with the bad memories. He needed to remember life moved forwards, not backwards.

"I can smell the fresh salt air." John said.

Cameron planned to give John a lot of fresh ocean air.

"You'll get plenty of it." Cameron said. "We can leave the sliding balcony door open all of the day and all of the night. There are actually in our suite."

John wondered how it would affect the circulation of the air in the room. From what he understood, there were multiple rooms associated with the suite.

"Will it mess up the air conditioning?" John asked.

Cameron didn't see it as a problem. She believed the equipment in the room would be sufficient to handle everything. They could always have engineering rework anything they needed.

"CamNet is paying the bill." Cameron said. "I think she can afford it."

Cammy knew they were about to exit the freeway shortly, if she continued directly to the Cruise Terminal. It wasn't the case. John wanted to go over the big green suspension bridge and get an overview of the port area first. They were good on time so it wasn't a problem. She went through a series of lane transitions in rapid succession.

"This is where we would normally turn off to go to the Cruise Terminal." Cammy said. "I'm continuing straight. We'll go over the bridge now instead."

They started up the semi steep incline. The grade increased as they went up the bridge. Soon they neared the top. It didn't take very long.

John was impressed with the view of the harbor area from the bridge. He spotted the cruise ship almost right below them. It was backed into a special section which looked like it was man made off of the main channel of the harbor entrance. The size of the cruise ship was quite evident from the elevated view.

"I see our ship." John said. "Look at the size of it. It's right there next to the bridge. It's really big."

There were two container ships loading and unloading along the east side of the main channel. They were just south of the bridge. Directly across from one of the container ships was the USS Iowa. It was located on the west side of the channel, just south of the Cruise Terminal. It looked to him as if their ship would pass by it on the way to the breakwater and then the ocean.

"I see the battleship." John said. "It doesn't look as big as you would think. The container ships and cruise ship are both much bigger."

Cammy knew it was a machine like her, but different. There is a reason why it appeared 'smaller'.

"It was big for the time period it was built." Cammy said. "It was constructed to have a lower profile to make it a smaller target for an enemy ship."

They were soon at the top of the bridge just past its center.

Savannah took in the view the same way John did. She thought it was a very pleasant view. She spotted something off in the near distance it was slightly to the right as they passed the apex of the bridge. She spotted another large ship. She knew right away what it was.

"John, look over to the southeast. You can see the Queen Mary." Savannah said. "It has a black hull and white superstructure, with three red stacks."

John spotted it and a larger ship behind it. It appeared to be docked at a slight angle.

"I see it. I almost missed it at first." John said. "It looks like there's another cruise ship docked sideways next to it. It totally dwarfs it."

Cameron suppressed a glitch impulse as she reviewed one of the files from Duplicate Cameron. 'In some future', the Queen Mary was a burned out hulk which leaned over at a forty five degree angle from its permanent berth. She didn't want to think about any of it right now. She believed John needed to keep everything in perspective.

"The Queen Mary was among the biggest transatlantic ships when it was built." Cameron said. "Time and technology pass things by."

It made Cameron wonder if it would happen to her. Maybe it was the role of Liquid Metal Terminators. It wasn't a pleasant thought to think about. She knew technology always continued to advance as time went by. She believed in her situation it was more advantageous to her to have an organic sheath where she could actually feel and experience things more like a human could. She didn't believe she would have the same experience if she were constructed of Liquid Metal.

It really made her wonder exactly what Mrs. Weaver experienced when she was with anyone in a sexual manner. It angered her slightly to know Mrs. Weaver attempted to hit on John in the alternate future he inadvertently created. She thought about where they were at on the Vincent Thomas Bridge and decided not to worry about it. In both cases, it was simply water under the bridge at this point in time. Life moved forwards not backwards.

John read a magazine article one time about an incident the Queen Mary experienced during wartime.

"I remember reading the Queen Mary accidentally rammed another ship in the fog while doing evasive maneuvers during World War Two." John said. "It did something like it anyway. I think it was a Destroyer it impacted with."

Cameron quickly referenced the data. She was a little surprised at exactly what happened. It seems more than a minor incident based upon what actually occurred.

"It was a Light Cruiser which was struck." Cameron said. "The Queen Mary sank the HMS Curacoa. It was cut completely in half and sank. There were a lot of lives lost."

John thought it was tragic. He wondered if there would have been any way to avoid the collision. Since it happened in inclement weather, and the communications at the time were very limited, it didn't seem so. Maybe it was just an accident. Sometimes things happen.

"It sounds messed up." John said. "It's a wonder the Queen Mary didn't sink as well."

Savannah looked up the incident on her phone. There was an illustration which showed the bow of the Queen Mary breaking the Light Cruiser into two halves. She figured it was the size and the bulk of the Queen Mary which allowed it to do it. The report indicated there was damage to the front of the ship and it needed to return to port for repairs. It was an image which showed what appeared to be very slight damage to the bow of the big passenger ship. It clearly was the victor. Evidently size does matter. She was sure it applied to more than one thing as well. The Light Cruiser made it to Davy Jones Locker. It was a one way trip.

"Three hundred and thirty-seven men died as a result of the collision." Savannah said. "Only the lower bow section of the Queen Mary was damaged. It was quickly repaired. The story behind the incident wasn't released until after the war to the general public."

John figured there were a lot of incidents which occurred during wartime those in charge 'covered up'. The only thing they were actually protecting was themselves from their own failures, or the failures of those below them. He really didn't think much changed even in peacetime. There were still a lot of 'lies of omission' going on.

They came down the east side of the bridge. Cammy took a turnoff and then came back to the other side. She was about to return to where their original turnoff was at.

John was able to see more of the action around the port. He could see there were other things other than the berths for unloading ships.

"There are several container ship docking areas. There are a few large tanker ships and a lot of petroleum refineries around here too." John said. "I see a lot of rail traffic as well."

Cameron took another look around. She could also see there was a lot of truck traffic as the containers were moved away from the port. Other ones were being loaded on rail cars for transportation to other parts of the country. She was aware until the Panama Canal was given a second entrance and exit for the large cargo ships, some of the shipping companies would offload the entire complement of a container ship onto rail cars and ship them across the country. It saved a lot of time by not having to go around South America. They would then be reloaded on another ship and continue on their journey to Europe or sometimes even Africa, usually in the Mediterranean.

The other choice open to the large Asian shipping companies was to go to the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea and then across the Atlantic Ocean to do the same thing. The situation in Southwest Asia was always an iffy subject. There were a multitude of different pirates as well as some groups intent on attacking shipping in general over religious or political differences.

"There's a lot happening at the port." Cameron said. "There's a lot of commerce involved in the international trade of goods."

They crossed back over the bridge and turned off for the cruise terminal. The signage for the exit going westbound was much less confusing than it was on the eastbound side.

John was really excited to be able to see all the action around the port. He didn't get out much, and seldom for leisure. The last time he was in the area, they intercepted a shipment of Coltan. He disregarded the advice of both Cameron and his mother not to engage the new target they uncovered. There were a few close ones on the adventure. He really thought he was in over his head more than a couple times. Being trapped inside of the bunker with a Terminator wasn't a pleasant experience. It was a jam he got himself into. He needed to remember it was Cameron and his mother were both there in the end to assist him.

Allison returned back to the Command Center. She was very curious as to how the team was doing.

"Where are they now?" Allison asked.

John Henry tracked their progress. He was a little surprised they took a side trip and went over the Vincent Thomas Bridge when it was unnecessary to do so. He thought it was a needless endangerment to both John and Savannah.

"They're almost at the port." John Henry said. "They'll be at the Cruise Terminal in just minutes."

Allison thought it would be fun to go on the cruise. It really seemed like a chance to get away from it all to her. It was a feeling she often felt about her life. She was sure it was something every version of her experienced. She knew it was one of the things Cameron always wanted to do as well. Her excitement level continued to grow. John Henry provided her with what views he could.

"I see them on the traffic cameras." Allison said. "I feel excited for them."

Previously John Henry watched John check out numerous videos on YouTube of other people's adventures on the same ship and even different ships. He believed both John and Cameron experienced a lot of anticipation on their time away from the Resistance operations.

"John really looked forward to the cruise." John Henry said. "Cameron did as well."

Allison knew it was a big switch from fighting Skynet.

"It's a major change of pace for both of them." Allison said.

Ally had been relatively quiet so far. She could think of a few ideas or options available to them.

"We can go next time." Ally said.

Allison looked at Ally. The idea intrigued her. She figured they would look like twins.

"Do you mean just the two of us?" Allison asked.

Ally smiled. She didn't want to deprive Allison of her beloved. Besides, it would present her with additional opportunities to share with others.

"I think we could bring Vanna too." Ally said.

Allison worried about their Metal girlfriends. She didn't want them to feel like they were left behind. She didn't want to create extra anxiety for them.

"What about Cam and Holly?" Allison asked.

There was one possible complication John Henry heard Cameron talk about. Even though the ship was quite large and the passenger complement was around three thousand five hundred, there would still be a lot of interaction with other passengers as well as the crew which was about another fifteen hundred individuals.

"Cameron didn't want more than two of any human or cyborg combination at the same time." John Henry said. "There would need to be a lot of juggling of individuals to prevent any situations from developing, or questions being asked."

Allison felt there were others more deserving than her for a vacation. The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt about it. She shouldn't think about her personal comfort and taking a vacation, when there were others who were in the fight a lot longer than she was currently. Her fighting days were over for now.

"Savannah and Cammy should go." Allison said. "Savannah has seen a lot of hard fighting. She needs a break."

Allison thought about some of the videos she recently viewed which involved Savannah as well as Cameron and Cammy. They were very unsettling to watch. She understood the dangers involved. Everything was a danger in the future. There appeared to be just as much danger in the present, even if it was of a different nature. The enemy was still the same. Skynet was the enemy. She was very aware of how close to being killed Savannah was on multiple occasions.

They all knew Savannah would let everyone else go first. It was just the way she was. It wasn't fair to Savannah but she would sacrifice for everyone else. The fact wasn't lost on anyone.

John Henry and Ally agreed with Allison's assessment. They also didn't believe Savannah would go on any type of vacation until everyone else went first. It was something which didn't even need to be voiced. They all knew how it was. Savannah was hardcore.

Cammy drove the SUV across the bridge and down the other side. She turned off the bridge to go to the Cruise Terminal. As she exited, they came around a sharp turn and the cruise ship was in its berth directly in front of them.

John knew the ship was big, but seeing it up close drove home the size of it. He thought the ship looked enormous.

"Wow! That thing is big." John said. "I could see how it could damage a smaller ship with a direct frontal impact on it."

Cameron knew compared to some of the six thousand passenger complement cruise ships, the ship they were about to embark on was only considered to be medium size anymore. It was once one of the largest cruise ships when it was constructed. Their ship only held about three thousand five hundred passengers. She thought it was a good comfortable size for a seven day cruise.

It made her think about a TV show she watched on the oldies channel when everyone was asleep at the first house. It was about a 'three hour cruise' which basically turned into the passengers and crew being shipwrecked on an island. The TV show ran for several seasons. She thought about the two lead female actresses. One was a 'movie star' and the other one was a girl off of a farm from the Midwest. She often wondered who would like either one of those two females the best.

She thought she could be equated to the movie star and Savannah could be compared to the farm girl as a quick comparison. Her research indicated the girl from the farm was more desirable than the movie star to most of the audience. She actually preferred the girl from the farm as well. She understood simple natural beauty was always better than fabricated beauty. She also needed to remember beauty was transitory. Beauty was also in the eye of the beholder. She blinked her eyes twice and needed to refocus. They were discussing the size of ships.

"There are even bigger cruise ships now." Cameron said.

Savannah looked at all the activity which occurred around the Cruise Terminal area.

"There are a lot of people moving around the parking lot." Savannah said.

Cammy looked for where she needed to go next.

"There are a lot of buses parked on the side." Cammy said.

Cameron knew cruises drew people from far and wide.

"There are a lot of people here from all over the country and world who go on cruises." Cameron said. "Some of those buses brought people from the airport and they will take others getting off the ship back to the airport."

John looked at the immense parking lot. There were an awful lot of cars parked there.

"It looks like several thousand cars are in the parking lot." John said. "They can't all be for this one ship."

Cameron was aware the Cruise Terminal used to have more traffic before the battleship tied up a berth. Her research of the location showed there were three ships tied up at the Cruise Terminal. Two of them would be on the main channel and one would be in the berth where their ship was currently parked.

"There are several cruises and cruise lines which use the Cruise Terminal. There are several other cruises out as well." Cameron said. "Before the battleship was docked at the location, there were sometimes three cruise ships docked at the same time. Now only two ships can be berthed there on different sides of the cruise terminal. They needed to stagger the days for departures and arrivals to make everything work smoothly now. Long Beach, which is only about a mile away, can take an additional cruise ship as well."

CamNet went over several boarding options with Cameron. She passed them along to John. She was unsure which option would be best suited for them. She would let John think about them and see what he decided. She tended to favor one over the others at this point as she looked at the multitude of passengers arriving.

"We can use a VIP entrance to get on the ship." Cameron said. "We can go through the normal boarding process too. We would have priority boarding if we did. Which do you prefer?"

It sounded like a 'loaded question' to John. He looked at all of the passengers arriving. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to mingle with so many individuals. They would be exposed to more passengers initially, but they would simply be one of thousands which were about to get on the ship. He figured people were more concerned with their carry on luggage and what group would board the ship first and in what order later on. There was only one thing which worried him about the VIP boarding. He didn't know if there would be any Paparazzi involved or not. They prepared some simple countermeasures no matter what the boarding would be.

"Which one will draw less attention to us?" John asked. "We both have our subtle disguises."

There were pros and cons to each boarding option.

"We might be set up as 'marks' if we use the VIP entrance. We will also be on the ship sooner." Cameron said. "We can still have priority boarding with a few other guests as frequent travelers if we use the general boarding. We would still be observed by hundreds of other passengers."

John was worried about people with cameras. He knew everyone was a 'photographer', as well as photo journalist nowadays with the high quality cameras built into phones. People could shoot images or videos. Some of the programs allowed them to edit things as they went along. They could quickly add or remove items from the photo.

"I'm not sure which one is better." John said. "Do Paparazzi look for VIPs? I know it's often the case at the airport. LAX is notorious for celebrities getting clocked and filmed. I know there have been some clandestine relationships exposed with some of the individuals who got jumped by the Paparazzi."

Cameron would have some of their Terminators look for anyone taking too many pictures. If someone seemed too interested in them, or any in their group, they would have an unfortunate 'accident'. They dealt with the phones of people who seemed overly interested in them previously. John Henry or CamNet was able to overload the phone and cause it to be destroyed. As to what was already there, there was no way to come up with an accurate answer.

"It's possible." Cameron said. "I really don't know."

John didn't want to stand out. He was still unsure what the best option for them was.

"I think we'll draw less attention if we go through the normal process." John said. "I can see other people starting to arrive."

Cammy thought the VIP boarding option was the answer. She figured the less people they needed to deal with, the simpler everything would be. Who would want to deal with the crowd?

"Maybe it's better to just get on the ship." Cammy said. "I don't think unnecessary exposure to a bunch of strangers helps anything."

John put on a cap with a wide and long bill and a pair of mirror sunglasses.

"How do I look?" John asked.

Savannah thought it masked him well. His normal identity was well obscured.

"I wouldn't know it's John, if I didn't already know it was John." Savannah said. "It's a good disguise. The goatee really throws off the normal look."

Savannah wasn't really sure she liked the facial hair. She actually preferred the clean look over the scruffy look. Then again, it did seem to work fairly well for Derek.

Cameron wanted to get the show on the road.

"They won't start letting the passengers on the ship for an hour yet." Cameron said. "Even with priority boarding, they'll still need to wait a bit."

The more John looked at the ship, the sooner he wanted to get on. He was really excited now. He didn't see any obvious Paparazzi or anyone else paying attention to the VIP entrance.

"I think I want to get on. Can we use the VIP entrance now?" John asked.

Cameron received a message Bob was in place from CamNet. The message indicated they were good to go. They would be able to board without any incident and not need to worry about the metal detectors either.

"Yes." Cameron said. "We're good to go right now. Everything is cleared."

Cameron reached in her 'carry on' bag and pulled out a scarf. She put it on with a pair of mirror sunglasses and unfolded a wide brim sun hat.

Savannah thought the disguises were simple, but top notch. She could feel the excitement build the longer they looked at the ship.

"I couldn't recognize either of you." Savannah said. "I think you're good for the VIP boarding. It's where I would want to get on. It would make me feel special to be treated like a VIP."

Cameron quickly looked at Savannah when she made the statement. She thought for a second she might be able to get her to go. She decided not to push it yet. She told Cammy where to go.

"Over there by the crew boarding area, I see it." Cammy said. "It's the VIP entrance. There's no one around, hardly."

Cameron spotted Bob. Everything was exactly as CamNet indicated it would be.

"Even better, Bob is there." Cameron said. "The crew replacements have all boarded."

Cammy drove around and parked at the far end of the loading and unloading area for passengers. They all exited the SUV.

Cameron opened the back of the SUV and reached for the suitcase.

John saw what was about to happen. He didn't want a repeat of the incident which happened at the electronics store. He really didn't want to think about the events which followed the episode. They were all based on his ill fated attempt to hook up with Future Riley. Well, it wasn't just to hook up with her. He hoped to do a little more once they did hook up. He quickly reached for the small suitcase.

"Let me get it." John said.

Cameron hesitated. She remembered the incident which occurred at the electronics store as well. She thought it was best not to comment on it. She looked at John and flashed her beautiful smile.

"What a gentleman." Cameron said.

John lifted the suitcase. It was much heavier than he thought it was going to be.

"This thing is heavy." John said. "I hope it's not loaded with weapons."

John made a joke but Cameron's answer was serious.

"They should already be on board." Cameron said.

John looked at her face again. She hoped she was going to say 'I fooled you again' but she didn't.

"Really?" John asked.

Savannah wanted John to know everything was under control.

"You shouldn't need any." Savannah said. "What I'm carrying now is what we normally carry when we're out."

Cameron didn't want John to worry.

"Relax, John." Cameron said. "I have everything covered."

Savannah gave John a hug and then gave Cameron a hug.

Cameron tried one last time to snag Savannah. She really wanted John to have a virgin on his Honeymoon. What could be more special than that? Maybe it's what she held the Honeymoon Suite in reserve for. She wanted it to have true significance for what would occur.

She played it all one more time. She offered Savannah what she wanted most. It was herself.

"Come with us." Cameron whispered. "You can be with both of us. You can be with me first."

John was a little surprised at what Cameron just said. He tried to act like he hadn't heard anything, but it was clear he did.

Savannah eyes lit up the offer. It wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right place. She didn't respond to the enticing offer. She wanted to be with Cameron more than anything. It was time for some sacrifice. She knew it was the true test of love. She wanted Cameron and John to reaffirm their relationship with each other. She wished them well instead on their Honeymoon Cruise.

John and Cameron headed for the special entryway.

Bob waited there in his white uniform.

"I've been waiting for you." Bob said quietly.

He cleared their passage through security. They walked across a short ramp into the side of the ship.

John and Cameron turned back and waved at them as they entered the side of the giant ship.

A single tear ran down Savannah's cheek.

Cammy gave Savannah a hug. She heard what Cameron told Savannah. She was very pleased Savannah didn't take her up on the offer. She wanted to keep her answer simple.

"It's OK." Cammy said. "They're in good hands. Now's not the time to worry about the rest."

Savannah knew she was about to give up something she wanted so very much. She wanted to be with Cameron. This needed to be about John and Cameron, not her. She was painfully reminded everyone sacrifices for John Connor.

"I know." Savannah said. "Let's go."

Cammy knew what Savannah wanted. They sometimes talked about it. She would make a suggestion to show Savannah she was alright with the choice if Savannah wanted to make it.

"You don't want to stay longer?" Cammy asked. "It's still not too late to go with them. CamNet can make everything happen."

Savannah looked at Cammy and smiled. She understood her offer. She also needed to think of her true priorities.

"Thanks, Cammy. I want Cameron and John to have a good time with each other." Savannah said. "I promised to spend time with Young Allison. Both of us made it clear to everyone we wouldn't be going on the voyage with them."

Cammy nodded. Savannah was a trooper.

"She's your true mate." Cammy said. "She loves you dearly."

Savannah wondered if it was where she should focus her attention and love.

"Yes, she's my mate and I love her dearly too." Savannah said. "Maybe she will be my only mate."

Cammy wasn't sure what the statement meant. She didn't want to ask. She thought she was at this point. She decided to change the subject. She didn't need a painful reminder she wasn't part of the 'Natural Order'.

"Gail and Holly are already here." Cammy said. "They'll do the priority boarding with the other passengers. I didn't see them."

Savannah wanted to verify how they arrived at the port.

"Did Steve and Tom bring them?" Savannah asked.

Cammy tilted her head slightly.

"I think so. How did you know?" Cammy asked.

Savannah looked for more of their team members.

"I spotted them working as 'Longshoremen' alongside the ship." Savannah said. "I bet there are a few others here."

Cammy was aware Cameron would have Terminators in every port.

"You know Cameron is going to cover all the bases." Cammy said.

Savannah wondered if it was a necessary precaution.

"Will every port be like this?" Savannah asked.

Cammy thought it was a vital function to have the ship covered every moment it was in port. The Terminators on the dock could monitor everything which went on.

"Of course it will." Cammy said. "Everything going on and off the ship will be checked."

Savannah still wanted to take Cameron up on her offer. She thought maybe things could be done slightly differently. It appeared they wouldn't be.

"I thought maybe I needed to be at all of them with you and a team." Savannah said.

Cammy didn't see a problem with it. If they weren't involved in any operations, there was no reason they couldn't go to all the different ports.

"You still can be." Cammy said. "We can drive to San Diego and fly to Catalina and San Francisco."

Savannah wondered if they would use the Mitchell or the company jet. Time would tell. There was one other worry.

"What about Ensenada?" Savannah asked.

Cammy would prefer not to go there. She believed with all the drug and sex trafficking which went on south of the border, it was all little more than a glorified third world countries. Criminals controlled what happened in all of the cities. The politicians were little more than puppets and powerless figureheads. The various Cartels actually controlled and ran the country.

"We can drive there too if you want." Cammy said. "Mexico isn't a safe place for tourists, especially unaccompanied young beautiful female tourists. Females with blonde hair, and red hair, especially stand out south of the border. They could end up as targets for drug lords."

Cammy felt with their good looks and Savannah's red hair some drug kingpin may try and put the grab on them. She didn't want to go there overland by driving, even if it was really a short drive. The drive from San Diego to Ensenada would only take a few hours. It was a few hours exposed to an environment Savannah didn't need to be subjected to.

Savannah didn't want to seem overbearing. She wasn't sure how Cameron would interpret everything.

"I don't know, Cammy." Savannah said. "I don't want Cameron to think I don't trust her and CamNet's ability to protect them."

Cammy didn't think it would be a problem.

"They don't leave until 5:00 PM." Cammy said. "They're probably having a good time already."

Savannah wondered how. They just went on the ship two minutes ago. She wanted to take her mind off of what Cameron offered her before she changed her mind and went with them. She knew after she was with Cameron, she would be expected to be with John. She was ready for the adventure too. She was close several times before. She wasn't sure of where the journey would lead, but she wanted to try it at least one time.

She needed to refocus. They all needed to do their jobs. She wanted to do some follow-up on the previous location they visited in the vicinity. They were right there so it wouldn't hurt to take a look. She hoped to be able to do it as casually as possible. She didn't want to get on anyone's radar. She knew both John Henry and CamNet watched the facility. They knew there were at least two other groups involved as well. They didn't know what their situation was.

"Let's do a 'drive by' next to the port facility we took down and see what it looks like as 'passers by'." Savannah said.

They got back in the SUV and drove off.

Savannah looked back at the ship once.

Cammy noticed but didn't say anything. It was clear Savannah really wanted to go. She would have preferred to go with Savannah herself. They didn't need anyone else to go with them. It could be just the two of them. Maybe they could do it next week. Somehow it didn't seem like it was going to happen.

She was sure when Savannah did go, she wouldn't be her primary roommate. She didn't know if it would be Cameron, or Young Allison. She knew she might be there, but she would probably need to remain in the background. It was okay if it was the way it played out. Savannah deserved to have a good time and whatever it was she truly wanted.

Minutes ago:

They watched the surveillance cameras on the dock and ship from the Young bunker.

"They've just arrived at the port." Anna said.

Young Allison spotted Bob a few minutes later. She noted his spiffy attire.

"I see Bob is waiting for them at the special gate." Young Allison said. "It's a fancy uniform he has on. He looks very distinguished and official."

Anna wanted to reassure Young Allison there were others as well.

"Steve and Tom are there too. They're working as 'Longshoremen'." Anna said.

Young Allison watched the ship dock and tie up when it arrived in the morning. She noted the giant ropes which were used to tie the ship up.

"We watched the docking process earlier. Those ropes look really heavy." Young Allison said.

Anna thought they were heavy for a human and usually anywhere from two to four men handled each one. A Terminator wouldn't have any trouble handling one of those ropes by themselves. They needed to make it look good and blend in.

"They are heavy." Anna said.

Young Allison missed some of the activity on the dock as things were unloaded and loaded.

"Have they checked through all the pallets on the dock yet?" Young Allison asked. "I lost track."

Anna didn't think it was an issue.

"The idea was just because Savannah asked about it before." Anna said. "If they take on any provisions in Ensenada, those are the ones which will really need to be checked."

Young Allison noted the last minute interaction between Cameron and Savannah right before John and her boarded. She wondered if Savannah would change her mind and go with them. She knew what would happen if Savannah got on the ship. She knew she would be with Cameron and with John. It didn't appear to be the case. The ship didn't leave for hours yet. The situation could always change. She decided not to comment on it. She didn't want to give anybody any ideas.

"Savannah and Cammy are leaving now." Anna said.

Anna was aware of the offer Cameron made to Savannah before they parted. She didn't pass the revelation on to Young Allison. She was pretty sure Young Allison knew the drill. She did pass on where they were headed next.

The news didn't sit well with Young Allison. She was aware there were at least two other groups involved as well with the location. There was speculation there could even be a third group. She would like for them to have better back up or additional coverage going in.

"I don't like them going by the port compound they took down." Young Allison said.

Anna hadn't seen anything happen there since the clean up team left. There'd been zero indication of any activity.

"Nothing has happened there since the surveillance was installed." Anna said.

Young Allison wasn't prepared for them to go there.

"I just don't like it." Young Allison said. "They should have more Terminators with them."

Anna didn't think they should pull anyone away from the port or ship at this time.

"They don't." Anna said. "Everyone is scheduled to watch over this ship and boarding procedure."

Young Allison still felt uncomfortable about the situation. She was worried about Cammy and Savannah.

"Warn them to be careful." Young Allison said.

CamNet picked up on Young Allison's concerns.

"It's being done." Anna said. "CamNet is doing it."

Young Allison contacted CamNet herself. It was time to cover all the bases. She developed a very uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

The situation was monitored in the Command Center.

Allison watched everything unfold. She didn't like the destination Savannah wished to visit next. Based on everything which occurred, she felt the port combat site was questionable.

"I don't think it is a good idea to go there without more back up." Allison said. "Someone could be waiting. They might be looking for us to return. We're probably not the only ones watching the location."

John Henry didn't see why it should be a problem.

"It was mostly dark when they were there." John Henry said. "We have surveillance in place and haven't received any hits on anything."

Ally went over the circumstances and events which went on there.

"Savannah stayed outside." Ally said. "Maybe it would have made her easier to identify."

It was information Allison didn't need to be reminded of.

"Warn them to be careful." Allison said.

John Henry was aware of Young Allison's concerns and he was contacted directly by CamNet.

"It's being done." John Henry said. "CamNet is doing it."

Allison wondered if she should contact Young Allison and make sure Cammy and Savannah were provided with more assistance. She was sure Young Allison could make it happen.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

VIP Boarding

Maybe it's about character
There are those who take
There are those who ask
Who is true and who is fake

The way things start out
May not be as they seem
It doesn't take very long
To make one cry or scream

Not everyone is the same
Even if it's what some want
Stick around and wait
There's sure to be a stunt

For the one who is honest
For the one that is true
Here is everything now
It's all just for you

Everything is here to share
There's no need for hoarding
When we're alone together
You can have VIP boarding

Nobody