Chapter 1147

Did You Decide

Cameron ended her conversation with Young Allison. She wasn't really sure how things would play out. Young Allison seemed a little skeptical of the idea at first, until she pointed out it was John's idea and desire. She thought it would be better for Young Allison to present the idea to Savannah. Savannah was dead set against anyone else going along. It was mainly due to her trying to 'match make' other females with John. She agreed not to do it on this voyage.

She still wanted it to happen but she wasn't going to push it with anyone. If something happened on its own, so be it. It would be better for everyone involved anyway. If others wanted more on their own, she certainly wasn't going to stop it. Somehow it would be better with John involved, even if indirectly right now. There would always be finger pointing of some type, it just wouldn't be directed at her right now.

Cameron watched John dish up his food from the buffet as she spoke with Young Allison. She hoped to have the call concluded before he arrived at the table. If she would have run into a stone wall with Young Allison, she would have let John speak directly with her. She didn't know how things were going to play out, but she was fairly certain Savannah wouldn't take the news as positively as Young Allison did. She would need to see how things played out as the clock began to run down.

She did understand the intent of both Savannah and Young Allison for John and her to spend some quality alone time together. She didn't think it was an issue on the ship they were on. She was sure her plans to use one or more of the Metal girls' chassis, in the way she planned, would probably turn out to be a bigger issue in the long run.

She wondered if the protection detail on board the ship was a necessity. She looked around and spotted Gail at the far end of the buffet eating area. Holly was just outside the buffet entrance. She thought both of them looked very serious. She was a little concerned she may have oversold the protection aspect of it to them. The threat level to John while he was on the ship would be next to none, especially if she was with him.

John was thrilled by the vast selection of items available to him at the buffet. He glanced over towards Cameron several times. He could see she was on the telephone with someone. He wasn't sure if it was Savannah or Young Allison. He felt a little guilty because he hadn't made the call himself. Then again, Cameron didn't eat so it seemed to be more productive use of her time rather than watching him dish up his food. He felt what he wanted for the others was important. Maybe he should follow up on it anyway himself.

He looked back over the vast array of food again. There was one thing which caused him a little uncertainty and apprehension about all of the various choices. He wasn't exactly sure what many of them actually were based upon the name on the tag over the selection. Some of them included a brief description, most of them didn't. He simply went by the fact if it looked good or interesting, he wanted to give it a try. Just the smell alone of the various food items was very tantalizing to him. Even though each dish was actually a mass produced item, it was clearly still all done with loving care and the highest quality. Everything he looked at was far beyond his ability.

John watched Cameron put her phone away. He decided to head back to the table for now. He could always make a second or third trip if necessary. He needed to remember Cameron said they would be going to the main dining room within the next half hour. He looked back at the mass of food at the buffet and shook his head. It didn't seem like a good idea to overdo it right now.

Cameron looked around at her surroundings. She wasn't sure such close protection was needed on the ship. The environment seemed very controlled and contained on the ship itself. She was sure if there were any problems, they would only happen when they were to get off at a port. Maybe she would tell John about them being there and see what he wanted. She felt being on the ship was low risk and she was being overly cautious. Having them onboard gave her the option to use their chassis later on. Holly and Gail were created as Restorators and were never under the control of Skynet. Neither one of them could have ever been a 'Metal whore'. They should both have a virgin chassis. She was on Holly's chip for fifteen months. Well, Duplicate Cameron actually was. She possessed all of those files. She knew for a fact Holly was never with a male.

Duplicate Cameron was offered the use of Holly's chassis multiple times during the fifteen months her program was on Holly's chip. Duplicate Cameron wanted to remain in the background. She told Holly she would never strip her of chastity. It appeared Duplicate Cameron seemed to have a little more moral compass than she did. She planned to put the grab on any of the Metal girls' chassis she could get away with, or just get her hands on.

She knew Holly felt obligated at the time to be with John to provide him with comfort. She always made herself available to him, even if it was in a subtle way. John never once laid a hand on her, or touched her in an inappropriate way. He may have looked, but he didn't touch. She didn't know John believed if he touched anyone else, he would never see her again. There was always a voice which reminded him, 'Cameron is invincible, and Cameron is eternal'. The voice belonged to Savannah. Savannah believed in her. She made John believe as well, even if it was hard for him to do so.

John was headed her way now with a plate of food. She noticed him look around as he approached. He sat down at the table. She could tell he was very excited and animated about his most recent experience.

"There's a lot of good looking food over there." John said. "I like the variety. I could fill another plate like this. Everything would be different too. There's a whole selection of fruits and an entire row of desserts along the back side. I skipped all of those for now."

John wasn't used to any fancy food at the Resistance base. Things were pretty simple and everyone pretty much took care of themselves. When Claire was around, things were different.

The thing with the food on the ship was the vast selection and variety. There were a lot of dessert items too. It reminded him a lot of the things Cameron said she wanted for him. There was no buffet or smorgasbord he ever visited with quite the selection especially arranged as aesthetically. Sure he went to the fancy restaurants up on the hill overlooking the Van Norman Reservoir and Valley, as well as the one in Burbank, which wasn't quite as fancy to his liking. The World War I themed restaurant located on the east side of Van Nuys Airport didn't have quite the same selection, and certainly wasn't quite as fancy. The view of the aircraft taking off and landing was the main draw.

Cameron could see the more John was offered, the more he was willing to take. She hoped it would translate over to being with the girls as well. Maybe it was something she needed to do. She needed to flood him with an endless variety which was simply at his fingertips for the choosing. What would a little 'taste' hurt every now and then? He would have the ability to go from one to another and back again at his choosing. She knew everyone would bring something a little different to the table, even if everything offered was the same.

"I'm glad you like it." Cameron said.

Cameron looked at the items on his plate. She wanted to see in what order he consumed the various food items. She didn't know what anything was specifically but she did recognize the various types of food. John still went for the 'meat and potatoes' first.

John wasn't sure what he wanted to start on. He wanted to try a little bit of everything, just to see what it tasted like. One of the last items he chose was a slice of beef prime rib. It was from a carving station at the end of the line of food items. There was a turkey and a ham there as well. Each waited to have a fresh succulent slice carved off of it.

He cut a bite of rare prime rib off the slab he received. He held it up with his fork and took a moment to look at it. He turned it back and forth a little bit to get a good view of it before he put it in his mouth. He wanted to savor everything it represented.

"What I see here is a piece of beauty." John said. "I know what it once started out as, but it's not how I ever see any of the things I consume."

Cameron saw what looked like blood come out of it when he cut into it earlier. John offered her a piece. She declined. She liked to see the food cooked a little more. It reminded her of seeing a wild animal eat another animal it caught. She watched a feral cat catch a mouse once when she was on patrol at the first house. It was a quick and violent take down. She also watched another cat catch a mouse before and not kill it right away. She noted there was a collar around the cat's neck. It seemed to play with it for a while. It would even let it go and then catch it again a second later. She figured it was probably the difference between someone's pet, and a cat which lived in the wild and needed to survive. Maybe it was just the nature of the individual animal. She was aware some humans and machines liked to toy with some of their victims as well. She knew she was drifting. She needed to refocus, and not on what John was eating.

She just didn't like the way the bloody meat looked. She made up an excuse instead.

"I need to watch my schoolgirl figure." Cameron said.

John liked to watch her schoolgirl figure too.

He knew she couldn't get fat. On his way over to the table he took a quick look around the area before he sat down. He wasn't the only one who liked to look at Cameron's figure either.

"I see some of the other passengers like to watch it too." John said. "As much as I don't like it, I can't really blame them for doing it. It would be impossible not to."

John noticed everyone looked at Cameron as she passed. It was actually pretty much standard wherever she went. She was able to turn the heads of males and females. It was never just once either.

Cameron wasn't really sure if John's statement was more than it sounded, or an accusation. She really couldn't help the way she looked. It was simply how she was constructed. She didn't have any choice or say in her construction or the DNA she was assigned. She didn't think anything was different from the moment she was first activated.

"It happens everywhere." Cameron said. "I'm used to it."

It bothered John. He was never used to it. Maybe it was because she looked Tight most of the time. It was a look other females would need to spend hours to perfect. Cameron could do it in a few minutes. Beauty seemed to radiate off of her. Even if she stood dripping wet out of the shower, she was still beautiful.

"I know it happens everywhere and I'm still not used to it." John said. "You're too beautiful."

Cameron appreciated the complement. Her DNA wasn't her own. She also pointed out the obvious.

"Thanks, I think." Cameron said. "Remember my beauty belongs to Allison Young."

John felt anyone could see Cameron was much prettier than Allison. He saw Allison fixed up more than a few times when she went out with Cameron and the girls for a 'fun night'. Allison's normal appearance was usually rather plain, even if it was still very attractive and desirable.

"You're more beautiful than Allison." John said.

Cameron knew there was more than one Allison. There were other contenders as well. She actually created one of them to prove her point.

"I won't be more beautiful than Young Allison. Summer will be more beautiful than both of us." Cameron said. "We both saw it with our own eyes."

To hear the reminder made John think about teenage Metal Summer. She was a total knockout. Metal Summer looked like Cameron, but somehow an even more gorgeous version of her. He really regretted not taking advantage of Cameron's offer to make love to Metal Summer's chassis with her chip in the chassis. He didn't intend to make the same mistake again if something similar was offered.

John didn't want to make Cameron 'push' anyone to speed things up. He knew she was going to do it with Young Allison. Young Allison said it was what she wanted too. It was better not to think about any of it. He wanted to give Cameron a subtle reminder nothing needed to be pushed or accelerated. Everything would happen, when it was supposed to happen, if it was supposed to happen. He really didn't believe anything was written in stone, even if Cameron did.

"They both have some more time to go yet." John said.

Cameron was going to say 'not really', but she agreed not to push her agenda for a week. It was actually John's - Future John's agenda. She only carried out her mission. What she did for him is what he wanted for himself. She wasn't part of the equation in what he programmed into her. The fact wasn't lost on her. John's earlier 'involvement' with Riley was proof of it in both timelines. In both cases, John and Future John didn't know what they threw away until she was gone. It gave her some satisfaction to know they both wanted her back.

Perhaps it was a thought she best not think about. It always brought up a sore spot and caused quite a bit of contention. She suppressed a glitch impulse as she thought about it. Why would both of them reject her? Why would both of them throw her away?

John could see Cameron looked very upset at this point. He decided to change the subject. He noticed Gail and Holly earlier. He didn't say anything when he first spotted them. It was clear at this point what they were up to. They were there to protect him. He wanted to try a less direct approach with Cameron about their duties aboard the ship

"Will Holly or Gail ever actually join us?" John asked. "I spotted both of them when we were by the pool. I know it's their job to take a step back. I don't want to create a problem for them, or for you, as to the nature of whatever their duties actually are."

Cameron was aware there was only so much room on the ship for anyone to hide in plain sight. She wanted John protected. Both Holly and Gail could be to John's side within seconds if a situation developed.

"They may or may not." Cameron said. "I want you protected. They are there to assist if they are ever needed."

John felt bad about forcing them to be on the ship and away from their duties and their loved ones. The ship seemed very low risk to him. He wasn't sure if there could actually be a lower risk environment he could go to. Anyone who boarded the ship went through a screening process previously to step on the ship itself. He was pretty sure both John Henry and CamNet further screened everyone who set foot on the ship. It included both passengers and the crew. He really didn't think if there was going to be a problem with the cruise where the problem would be on the ship.

"I understand it." John said. "I appreciate it. I don't like the fact I've taken them away from their girlfriends for a week. There's not very much for them to do. The ship doesn't look like a threat."

Cameron knew nothing looked like a threat until it was a threat.

The ship was a very controlled environment. With CamNet involved it was even more controlled. She just didn't want to take any chances with anything. It was in her nature to prepare for the worst and seldom to expect the best.

"I can see it." Cameron said. "Once the ship is at sea, I don't think it will be necessary unless we get off at a port."

John looked at the itinerary before they left. He wasn't sure if Cameron altered anything about it yet. He wouldn't put it past her. He decided to check.

"What's our next port?" John asked.

Cameron wasn't sure why John wanted to know what the next port was since they hadn't even left the first port yet.

She didn't like the ship having to go to Mexico as part of the voyage. She still remembered the trouble from the last time John was there. She remembered who he was there with and where they stayed. It was the Honeymoon Suite. Maybe it's why CamNet put them in the Owner's Suite instead. It was also larger in size. He wondered how much influence Savannah our Young Allison put into it as well.

"It's Ensenada." Cameron said. "We're only there for a few hours. I don't think we should get off the ship. It's not one of the better ports on our journey. We will be in San Diego the day after it. We'll have more time there."

John wouldn't mind another small look around Mexico. He hadn't been there for a long time now. It made him think about his adventure with Future Riley. He specifically booked the Honeymoon Suite in the village they visited for a specific purpose. He planned to 'plow' Future Riley multiple times during their stay. The location they visited wasn't for a day visit. He planned to stretch it out for as long as possible. It was the whole purpose to book the Honeymoon Suite. He never even considered birth control or what could happen.

He didn't even want to think about the mess which followed and the fact he ended up being arrested and blowing their cover. He especially didn't want to think about the seven policemen who were killed by Cromartie. He wasn't the one who killed them, but they all died because of him and the Terminator sent after him. He did feel more responsible for their deaths than he did the twenty FBI agents on the HRT who Cromartie took out when he was confronted. Indirectly he was still responsible for their deaths.

Cameron and him exchanged a long glance but neither one of them commented further on the subject. It was clear they both thought about the same thing.

John checked into the options for San Diego. There were a lot of things to do there. If they were able to bring some more of the group along, there were plenty of different things for each group or couple to do. They wouldn't all need to do the same thing.

"I'd like to see some places there." John said. "I know Derek would too."

Cameron could think of one she flew over recently with Derek and Kyle on the plane.

"Do you mean like the USS Midway?" Cameron asked.

John nodded his head. It was something he looked into online. It was a former aircraft carrier which was now a tourist destination. There were a multitude of aircraft on it as well as numerous displays.

"Yes." John said. "It's one of them. There are a lot of other cool things."

Cameron wasn't sure she wanted to go back onto an aircraft carrier. Bad things happened there for her before and for Future Allison. It really wasn't a subject she wanted to discuss with John right now. She still needed to work everything out with everyone involved.

"We'll see." Cameron said. "Young Allison is OK with the plan for the others to come on board for a day or two. I still need to get Savannah's approval."

John was a little surprised to hear it. He would have thought Cameron would have called Savannah first. It made him wonder why.

"You didn't call Savannah?" John asked.

CamNet informed Cameron that Savannah was unavailable currently. It forced her to go through Young Allison. Young Allison would be more open and compliant with her wishes. It was actually better to try it this way. Savannah wouldn't argue with Young Allison when they had the discussion. She was afraid Savannah might be upset with her about what she wanted the trip to be about.

"No." Cameron said. "I'll need Young Allison's assistance for it."

John wondered what it meant. It seemed kind of cryptic to him. He was aware a lot more things happened which seemed to involve Young Allison. They seemed to happen a lot faster than he expected. He wondered if maybe Cameron didn't take Young Allison for three or four months at a time into the past and return her to the present so no one would notice. He knew it could all happen in the span of a few minutes with the TDE at Cameron base. He really didn't think Young Allison looked too much different from Allison, or Cameron. Even if she didn't take her, he wouldn't put it past her. He was sure she at least thought about it.

He really didn't think Savannah or Young Allison would be a problem. He thought if they were going to do something, they needed to alert the others who would come along. He didn't want to run anyone out of time.

"Have you called and run this by anyone at the base?" John asked.

Cameron didn't want to give anyone false hope if Savannah nixed the idea. She thought it would be a real emotional letdown for them. All of a sudden they would think they were ready to go on an adventure, and then be told it wasn't going to happen, at least not happen right now.

"No." Cameron said. "I don't want to get their hopes up if it doesn't happen. They would feel very let down and dejected. I don't want to make anyone think they were rejected, or left behind. They might think for some reason they're 'not good enough'. It's not a very nice feeling."

John was fairly certain her comment was directed at him, and probably him again as Future John. It was all water under the bridge right now. He thought maybe she should see how some of the others might feel about it. He really didn't think it would hurt to give them a heads up.

"You should test the waters some to see." John said. "We sail in a few hours. It might take them a little longer to get ready than it did us."

Cameron was aware the ship's departure time wasn't a problem.

"I can have CamNet hold the ship as long as we need." Cameron said. "Ensenada isn't very far away."

John finished his plate of food. He thought about going through the line again and loading up another plate full of some of the things he hadn't already tried. They were actually a few of the things he tried he would like to get more of. He also needed to keep in mind they still needed to go to the main dining room.

"I'm done." John said. "I don't want to overdo it since there's more to come."

Cameron checked the time. The real lunch was about to be served. They should be able to get there with time to spare.

"The main dining room opens for lunch in seven minutes." Cameron said.

Under normal circumstances, the burger and pizza would have been lunch for John. He just finished the equivalent of two more lunches with his stint to the buffet. He was aware dinner time wasn't too far away either.

"I'm starting to get full." John said. "I'm willing to try a few more things, but I don't think I'll be able to eat a whole lot."

Cameron wanted to introduce him to the splendor of the main dining room.

"We can check it out anyway." Cameron said. "You'll see fine dining there. It won't be quite as fancy for lunch as it is for dinner."

John never was able to take Cameron out to a fine restaurant for a romantic dinner. It wasn't in the nature of their relationship. It was still a nice idea. They recently went to a few fancy eating establishments along the coast. Other than a selection of seafood, he thought their location was the main draw since they were right on the beach. He wouldn't really consider them fine dining, but they were certainly a step above a fast food joint or a local diner. Maybe it would be good to see what it was all about.

"I'm game." John said. "May I escort you there?"

John held out his arm for Cameron.

Cameron smiled at John. She was very pleased by his gentlemanly conduct.

"Of course you can. It's at the back of the ship. It's on the fifth and sixth floors." Cameron said. "It's a two level dining room with a large open center section."

It sounded fancy to John. He remembered everyone who reviewed the main dining room was impressed with its two level atmosphere. It was very uncommon for a cruise ship.

"Is it where we'll eat dinner every night?" John asked.

Cameron knew there were several options. She thought it would depend upon who all joined them on the trip and what they specifically wanted in the variety of food.

"It can be, or there or other specialty restaurants." Cameron said. "We have the option for room service as well. It's available twenty four hours a day."

John figured they had seven days to try everything.

"Maybe we can try them all." John said. "If they're all here, I can't see any reason not to."

The thought made Cameron think about having more Metal girls on board. He could try them all - as her. She didn't want to get ahead of herself. Right now there were three of them on board. She hoped to get a few more. She wanted to present John with a virgin chassis every night. She was sure the Metal girls would understand. Wait, it wasn't just the Metal girls who were on board. Jim and Bob were there as well. She smiled to herself at the thought. She would really like to give John some of what he gave to her. She wondered how he would like it. Wait. Maybe he would. She needed to clear her head.

"It's the idea." Cameron said. "We'll hit the buffet too after we watch the performance in the main theater."

John was always up for a midnight snack. It sounded good to him. He really wasn't too much into live entertainment. He remembered when he was on the pier at Santa Monica there was some type of performance by an individual painted up to look like a robot.

In most of the eating venues he visited there hadn't been any live music. He remembered all the rave reviews he saw by others about the live music and the performances on the ship. It wasn't Broadway, but it was a dedicated group of individuals who performed on a relatively small stage on a ship which was moving at sea. He wasn't really sure how the Broadway performers would do under those circumstances. It wasn't like a movie where someone could yell cut and they could redo a scene. When it was the live performance, everybody needed to know what they were supposed to do, and when they were supposed to do it. There was the elegance of the ship, the fine dining, and the ability to watch live performances of multiple types which would be available to him over the next seven days.

"Wow!" John said. "I'm really starting to get excited about everything."

It pleased Cameron to see John was genuinely happy. She didn't think she saw him look this happy in a long time. She also wanted to remind him what ship offered was only part of the package. It was what she offered, and planned to offer him, which would be the real prize.

"I want you to be excited about - this." Cameron said as she indicated herself.

John took in Cameron's figure. He was ready to knock another one off right now. He thought maybe the extra time spent in the main dining room would allow him to deliver a better performance to her a little later on.

"I'm excited about you too, Cameron." John said.

Cameron was ready to reward John with some 'dessert'.

"After lunch in the main dining room, it's back to bed." Cameron said.

John hoped to be able to check out some more of the ship before they headed back to the suite. Either way, it was an offer too good to turn down.

"I'm in." John said.

Cameron smiled at John and winked.

"It's the idea." Cameron said.

Cameron and John headed for the main dining room. It was almost lunch time. Well, the third lunch of the day anyway. She knew everyday could be the same way, especially for them since they were the top suite passengers. There was always a fancy lunch menu open to them, even when the main dining room would be closed.

John already looked forward to the 'dessert' afterwards. He would be able to burn a few more calories, even if Cameron did most of the 'work'.

It seemed John and Cameron were both on the same page for once.

Cameron didn't know exactly what would happen after lunch in the main dining room. She knew John wanted to look around the ship before it departed. She also needed to worry about who else would be able to arrive before the ship left. She still planned to be with John multiple times before the day was done.

She didn't think it would be a problem to squeeze a quickie in every now and then. It always pleased her whenever she could make John 'finish'. She was sure she would drive plenty of finishes in her borrowed chassis. Just the thought of it excited her immensely.

Holly listened to John and Cameron. She was already headed for the main dining room. She passed by them but didn't look. They didn't look at her either. She listened to much of their conversation. She tried to tune out the personal information but some of it still slipped through anyway.

She couldn't help but think about the fifteen long months when Duplicate Cameron was on her chip and she became John's protector and 'bodyguard'. She made herself 'available' to him multiple times but he never took advantage of her. It was even more surprising to her Duplicate Cameron didn't try to take over her chassis and strip her of her virginity with John. She didn't really know if it was a fair assessment or not since she offered to allow Duplicate Cameron to do the very thing and be with John as his wife through her chassis.

Gail watched them move out. She would follow them this time and make sure they reached their destination safely.

Holly waited by the rear stairway until she saw John and Cameron coming and then she started down.

Gail watched Holly, John, and Cameron pass. They passed by her but didn't look. She didn't look at them either. She waited a little bit before she followed them. She wanted to make sure they weren't being followed.

She took her assignment very seriously. She didn't feel they were being overly cautious or overly protective. It was her function to make sure the General and Cameron were able to share a good time and remain as safe as possible.

Gail observed John and Cameron reach the stairs and start down. She slowed some to see if anyone else followed. They didn't. She noticed most of the people used the elevator, even to go only one floor up or down.

It made Gail wonder what the people would do in a Skynet future where there were no working elevators any more. She thought about it some more and realized it didn't matter. Most of them would be dead.

Cammy and Savannah were at the port facility. They were after what looked to be a homeless man inside the compound. He was there somehow without explanation. The person was able to avoid the security set up to look for intruders. They wanted to know how he was able to do it. If the homeless man could do it, so could someone from Skynet, SkyMaster, the Syndicate, or the anti-Metal faction. They also wanted to know why he was there and what exactly he was doing.

More than likely, as soon as he was apprehended, Cammy would need to conduct an interrogation on him to find the answer to those questions. She didn't have a lot of time to fool around so more than likely a Terminator interrogation would be conducted. The normal result would be the man would be beaten to death. He would be busted up until he divulged all the information requested of him before his termination.

"I'm ready to go into the electrical room." Cammy said.

Savannah wanted to make sure nothing happened behind them once they crossed over the opening. She wasn't really sure what else they might encounter since the individual they were after already avoided all of their security measures.

"Should we peek inside the building first?" Savannah asked. "Maybe the surveillance equipment has been tampered with."

Cammy wondered if the feeds were looped somehow and there was further activity incurring inside of the structure. She wanted to check herself for the very reason. It worried her a little because she wanted Savannah to go in there alone earlier. She knew she was too caught up with the individual she wanted to question. She wanted to give Savannah a clue as to what they would encounter as they first appeared into the interior of the building.

"We could take a quick peek." Cammy said. "All the wrecked cars are there where the boxcars would normally be spotted. Everything is tagged as property of the movie studios as 'props'."

Savannah noted the man never seemed to look in the direction of the actual opening into the building as he went about his personal business and returned into the electrical room.

"We saw our suspect didn't even look towards there." Savannah said.

Cammy figured there was a good reason for it. It was bad for them.

"It's because he already knows what's there." Cammy said.

Savannah could only operate on speculation, as could the rest of the team.

"I have to agree with it." Savannah said. "I think this guy has been here for a while."

Savannah's phone buzzed. She ignored it.

Cammy was a little surprised Savannah didn't take the call. She was aware by the ring tone the call was from Young Allison.

"Aren't you going to see who is calling?" Cammy asked.

Savannah didn't want to disrupt their operation. She believed the call was probably of a personal nature. She didn't have time to take any personal calls currently. They might be in a gun battle shortly.

"We're about to start an operation." Savannah said. "If it was important, they would have used the com."

Savannah's com buzzed to life as soon as she made her statement.

"It is important." A voice said in her ear. "It also is of a personal nature."

The com transmission was a surprise to Savannah. There were only a few individuals who would be able to do what just occurred.

It sounded like Cameron. No. She thought it was CamNet. There was only one person other than herself who CamNet would respond to the same way. It was Young Allison.

She glanced over at Cammy. It appeared Cammy waited for her to acknowledge her previous statement. Cammy didn't appear to have received the same com transmission she did. It only seemed to further the mystery. There was no doubt in her mind Young Allison knew exactly where she was at currently, and what was about to happen. To be contacted at this juncture seemed to be something which was more than important.

Now Savannah was worried. She wondered if it was something to do with Cameron and John. No doubt she was contacted when she was so she could take a few moments before the operation actually started to speak with Young Allison.

"Maybe I better take it." Savannah said.

Cammy didn't see it as a problem. The building or the individual inside weren't going to go anywhere.

"I think it's a good idea, we haven't gotten started yet." Cammy said.

Savannah still felt bad about the interruption. She figured it must have been something which just occurred or she would have been contacted earlier. There seemed to be a certain urgency about whatever needed to be discussed. She still felt more than a little guilty about the interruption at such a critical juncture.

"I'm sorry about this, Cammy." Savannah said. "We need to make sure everything's covered for a few moments."

Savannah looked at her phone and confirmed it was Young Allison. Now she wished she answered it earlier. It was a 'big deal' now and it shouldn't be.

Cammy thought Savannah might need some privacy. She didn't see any reason why she couldn't make productive use of her time while Savannah conversed with Young Allison.

"You keep an eye on the electrical room." Cammy said. "I'll look inside the building."

Savannah was afraid Cammy would go 'Cameron' inside the building. She didn't want Cammy to go off on her own other than just to look.

"Just look, don't go inside until I'm with you." Savannah said.

Now Savannah was irritated. She didn't want to take it out on Young Allison. She went over everything she knew so far. It wasn't much. She knew Young Allison was watching her right now from a drone feed. It must be something off the books and important for Young Allison to call at this time with an operation about to start.

"Hello, Allison." Savannah said.

Young Allison was a little self conscious about needing to call at this particular time. Cameron made it clear timing was important going forward.

"Hi, I'm sorry to call at this time but I wanted to catch you real quick before you were involved too much." Young Allison said. "This is sort of a time sensitive matter."

Savannah wondered if something went wrong somewhere else.

"Is it something which needs immediate attention?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison wasn't sure how to best say it.

"It's a personal request from John." Young Allison said. "It was directed to me because of the operation about to start with Cammy and you. I believe we need to act on it soon one way or the other. I wanted to run things by you first rather than make a decision on my own in this regard. I felt it was important enough to catch you before the operation actually started."

Savannah realized a request from John was extremely unusual in itself. She wanted to make sure she understood the nature of the call.

"It's a personal request from John?" Savannah asked. "I just saw him a few hours ago."

It was clear to Young Allison there were a multitude of developments since the time Savannah was at the ship.

"He asked Cameron to call us." Young Allison said. "He was going to do it himself but Cameron wanted him to go through the buffet line on the ship since she doesn't eat. I don't think she wanted to put him on the spot to deal with me about the issue."

Savannah wondered why Cameron didn't call her. She thought she knew what it was going to be about. She didn't know CamNet indicated to Cameron she was unavailable.

"Cameron didn't call me." Savannah said.

Young Allison was a little worried Savannah might feel bypassed or replaced. It wasn't how events played out.

"I think she was afraid you would argue with her or be upset at her." Young Allison said. "Remember, it's a request from John, not Cameron, even though she made the call. She wanted to save some time."

Savannah was even more upset now. She never 'fought' with Cameron. Why would Cameron even think it? Wait. Maybe it was Young Allison's interpretation of events which made her say it.

"I never do those things to Cameron." Savannah said.

Young Allison thought things were different because John was directly involved, even if it was done indirectly.

"This is different." Young Allison said. "I already gave her my blessing but I said it was up to you. You have the final say. You'll be the decider."

Savannah was very worried now.

She checked around her for any threats.

Young Allison could see Savannah's concern for what may occur around her. It was something she personally watched herself as well.

"Nothing is different around you." Young Allison said. "I'm checking, so are CamNet and John Henry. We have you covered. I'll bring a drone into gun range if I have to. I'll give you direct fire support if it becomes necessary."

Savannah knew whatever she was about to hear was important to John, Cameron, and Young Allison. She checked to see how Cammy was doing.

Cammy looked around the containers and then she looked inside of the building.

She wanted to make sure Cammy didn't enter on her own. So far Cammy stuck to the plan.

Savannah didn't want to say it but somehow it seemed like the 'Natural Order' was calling. It seemed to be a decision which needed the four of them.

"Go ahead." Savannah said.

Young Allison was aware of Savannah's previous position on the matter. She wanted Savannah to think about it and not answer rashly. She wanted her to think about the importance to John of what he asked for.

"I don't want you to answer right away until you think about it first. I want you to consider how it could affect the others in the Resistance in a positive way." Young Allison said. "Just listen to everything first and think about it before you make a decision."

Savannah didn't think she liked the sound of things so far.

"It sounds serious." Savannah said.

Savannah checked on the electrical room and Cammy again.

Young Allison didn't want to delay Savannah any longer than necessary.

"It's a good idea, that's all." Young Allison said. "Here's what John asked for…."

Young Allison laid out what John wanted and what Cameron told her.

Savannah frowned immediately as Young Allison started to speak. It wasn't what she wanted to happen.

"I don't know." Savannah said. "I wanted the trip to be about John and Cameron."

Young Allison understood Savannah's concerns.

"I know what you're really worried about." Young Allison said. "I covered it. I asked Cameron to keep it simple and not push anyone."

Savannah didn't want Cameron 'match making'.

"So Cameron agreed not to push any other things in any way?" Savannah asked.

Young Alison felt she was specific about the issues.

"It's what she said." Young Allison said. "I reaffirmed to her I wouldn't be going on the ship, at least not on this voyage."

Savannah fully understood the implication of Young Allison's last statement. It made her smile to herself. She also needed to think about the others in the Resistance. She thought it would be nice for them to get away from it all for a while.

"I really don't know." Savannah said. "It would be a nice break for everyone."

Young Allison's words echoed Savannah's thoughts.

"It would be good for everyone to get away from it all for a day or two." Young Allison said. "Cameron indicated John asked her multiple times for it to happen."

Savannah hoped Young Allison would go. She didn't want her tied to her bunker for an entire week.

"I don't think it would hurt anything if you went with your mom and Summer." Savannah said.

Young Allison thought she made her position clear.

"I don't know." Young Allison said. "You can go."

Savannah knew Young Allison wanted to go with her.

"I may be tied up with operations." Savannah said.

There was a long silence.

"What should I tell Cameron?" Young Allison asked. "The ship has a departure time. The others don't know anything about it yet. A group of them would need to get ready and depart for the port."

Savannah didn't want events to get away from them. There needed to be some kind of control. There at least needed to be some type of free will.

"I don't know." Savannah said.

Savannah wasn't sure what to do. She was assured Cameron and John would both have plenty of privacy.

"I think I'll call Cameron myself." Savannah said.

Young Allison believed Savannah's response was going to be negative.

"What did you decide?" Young Allison asked.

Savannah was still at a loss as to what needed to be done as opposed to what should be done.

"I want to speak with Cameron about it first." Savannah said.

Young Allison didn't think it was her place to influence Savannah's decision or not. She did believe there was still one important thing to consider.

"I don't want to tie you up any longer then." Young Allison said. "Remember, this is a time sensitive issue. I also want you to remember the request was made by John several times before Cameron acted and called me."

The phone beeped several times.

"Excuse me." CamNet said. "When Cameron attempted to contact Savannah earlier, I indicated she was unavailable. I didn't indicate why she was unavailable. I didn't want Cameron to get off the ship and go to where Savannah and Cammy are at. I'm sorry for the interruption."

Savannah and Young Allison looked at their phones for a moment after the message from CamNet.

They said their byes and disconnected.

Savannah looked over again at where Cammy was at. She wasn't there.

Savannah quickly looked around and checked everything again.

"Cammy!" Savannah said.

Now Savannah was even more worried and upset.

Cammy was gone.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Did You Decide

Are there any rules
With which everyone will abide
Perhaps that's where
Reality and fantasy collide

Some will seek out
Another as their guide
They seem to have given up
Before they've even tried

Some are limited from advancement
By misguided false pride
It becomes nothing more
Than another way to hide

It seems more than likely
That the one in which they confide
Was the wrong choice and will be
The one to push them aside

There's no free ride
No matter what was implied
Who will be the best to provide
Did you decide

Nobody