Chapter 1360
Morning Madness
Cameron lay in bed next to John. They were both naked. It gave her time to replay her files of her encounters with John in each of the different Metal girl's chassis. She was able to provide John with six virgin chassis with her program in control of each of them. She couldn't decide which one she liked the best. She thought they were all better than her chassis, even if Ally and Cam were identical to her. She liked Hanna's hair, Sheila's face, Holly's breasts, Gail's secret spot and Cam's figure. She contemplated combining all those features on one of her spare female chassis she possessed at her base.
The easiest and fastest way would be to remove those features from the Metal girls now and use her chassis. She was sure they would understand. She would replace the sections removed with the ones from her chassis. It would create the 'perfect woman' for John. Those were the features he liked. She could tell as she scanned him while he made love to her in each of the different chassis. She paid attention to what he seemed to like about each one.
She pictured Sheila with her face, Hanna with her hair, Holly with her breasts, and Gail with her secret spot. They could all Resequence over time to how they were before. She would need to disable the process on her chassis to keep the new features. Maybe she should experiment on Ally first to see how it all came together. She could claim Ally's chassis at any point. If it didn't work out, Ally would need to wait for everything to Resequence back to Allison's DNA.
She was sure they would all want to cooperate. Everyone sacrificed for John Connor. They could all sacrifice for her too. It was all for John.
Cameron heard the door to her suite open. She was up in an instant. She realized she let her guard down while trying to create the 'perfect woman' for John in her mind. It was a 'daydream', even if it was still night, she didn't sleep. Her mind tended to wander from time to time. It was actually quite disturbing when it did. She didn't really seem to have much control over it.
Sheila pushed in the cart with the drinks on it. Ally was behind her with a selection of food items on a second cart. It was thirty minutes until sunrise. They pushed them to the balcony door of the main part of the suite. Cameron went to talk with them. Sheila poured a cup of hot cocoa for John.
Cameron thanked them.
Sheila didn't think it would hurt to try for a little more.
"I can pour some espresso for John…." Sheila said.
Sheila gave Cameron a wink with her statement. She was the one who provided the 'Captain's medicine' for John. The espresso would camouflage the taste of the crushed tablet.
Cameron wondered why they were early with the two carts. It made her wonder if there was something going on somewhere else.
"This is a little bit earlier than expected." Cameron said.
Sheila flashed a tether cable.
"There is enough time to knock off a quickie with either, or both, of our chassis." Sheila said.
Ally and Sheila both giggled.
Cameron thought it was a little forward of both of them.
Ally smiled at her. She thought a little play with the words would get the 'point' across.
"The early bird gets the 'worm'." Ally said.
Sheila and Ally went to high five each other.
Cameron stopped them. She glanced back where John was sleeping. She didn't want the loud noise to wake him early. She knew she pushed him pretty hard. It wasn't just last night either. It was since the start of the cruise. Well, it actually all started more than a week before the cruise occurred. She wanted to get him in shape.
She wanted to verify what John liked the best on Gail's chassis.
"You can send Gail-Cam in." Cameron said. "It's if she wants to come."
Sheila and Ally both giggled with Cameron's choice of words. They didn't think it was intentional.
Ally thought it would take Gail-Cam away from Vanna. It didn't seem like anyone was going to run it by her first. There were some things Vanna may not want to happen with Cam's temporary chassis. She wasn't sure if it would cause a problem or not, but she wanted to address the issue.
"What about Vanna?" Ally asked.
Cameron smiled. It seemed to her there were a number of proxies available.
"Holly will be busy. There are four of you in need of a human friend." Cameron said. "I think you can work something out, or just let them be. I think the girls will want to spend some time together for special moments. It is a special time for them."
Cameron wanted Allison and Vanna to spend more time together. It always bothered her to think about the fracture she put into their relationship before.
Neither Sheila nor Ally looked very happy when they left.
Sheila handed Cameron the tether as she went out the door.
Cameron took the hot cocoa to where John was. He was still asleep.
She heard someone enter. It was Gail-Cam. She wore a modified maid's outfit. It was the super short one. She knew Gail needed to modify a top to fit her voluptuous breasts into. It appeared Cam would be able to benefit from it since her chip was currently in Gail's chassis.
Cameron eyeballed her. Everything was clearly on display. It was exactly what she wanted to see. She knew it would be what John wanted to see as well. She knew he liked to look at the same area a lot on her sheath. Every time she checked, everything was still the same. It appeared Gail-Cam already had something else in mind. She didn't want to cause a problem for someone else. Well, not too big of one anyway.
"Did I interrupt something?" Cameron asked.
Gail-Cam looked back once.
"I was going to serve Vanna a sunrise treat." Gail-Cam said.
Cameron watched as Gail-Cam stripped. She wanted to remind her she still had a choice.
"You can go elsewhere." Cameron said. "Your participation here is strictly voluntary. If you want to be with Vanna in your borrowed chassis, it's not a problem."
Gail-Cam stood naked before her. She really wanted to try out Gail's chassis and see how it compared to her own. She figured she could always borrow Gill's chassis once they got back to the base. She wasn't so sure Cameron would be so generous with John's time even if she was the one in control of their chassis. She knew Cameron would need to honor her pledge to allow each of them to have their one time with John. She was pretty sure the brakes would be put on everything when the cruise was over to prevent them from collecting. She was there to collect now. Well, allow Cameron to be in control of her current chassis. She wanted to see how it compared with the same thing she did earlier. It would be a new experience for her, even if it wasn't for Cameron.
"I want you to make love to John while I'm in this chassis like you did with my chassis." Gail-Cam said. "It was beautiful. I want to compare your feedback through this chassis when you send me the file. I believe this sheath and chassis has a superior neural network."
Cameron was pleased to hear it. She wanted to see the feedback herself with Cam's chip in Gail's chassis.
Cameron plugged the tether into both of their neck ports and they headed for the bed.
John was sound asleep. Something bumped him.
He opened his eyes. It was dark. He wondered when sunrise would be. He moved and felt Cameron next to him. He reached over to touch her. His hand found something much bigger than what Cameron possessed. He moved his second hand over. It still wasn't enough. He was pretty sure of the chassis next to him. It could actually be one of two. There was definitely a sure way to check through other means. One hand slipped a little lower for confirmation. It was what he expected to find.
"Gail?" John asked.
There was a slight giggle.
"No, John, it's me, Cameron." Gail-Cam-Cameron said. "Do you want to knock off a quickie before sunrise?"
It sounded good to John.
John looked over and saw the covered form of Cameron's chassis on his other side. He knew it wouldn't be a human female Cameron slipped it in on him. It could be Gail trying for her one time with him. After his earlier dream, he figured he better check to make sure what was what in the most clandestine way possible. He knew if he got caught 'checking' it would cause some kind of a problem.
He knew Cameron didn't like problems. He didn't either.
Gail-Cam-Cameron kissed him. He kissed her back and verified the tether was plugged into her neck as he did. He knew everything was real but he wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream. He also wanted to make sure no one pulled a 'fast one'.
His earlier dream about Allison still seemed very real to him. It wasn't real. It was a dream. He really thought it happened. Maybe it was because he wanted it to happen. He didn't know Allison experienced a similar dream on her own.
John really liked three things on Gail's chassis. Two of them were gigantic. One of them was very compact and petite.
Gail-Cam-Cameron wanted to see where John went first. It was as she suspected. She knew it was as big of a draw for all of the others. It seemed as if Gail's chassis contained the best of both worlds.
"Let me get you warmed up." John said as he looked at Gail-Cam-Cameron's sheath.
Gail-Cam-Cameron flipped the light on so John could get a good look. She wanted to make it sound like it was for her benefit.
"I like to see you." Cameron said.
John increased his efforts even more.
It gave her something to think about. Apparently size did matter. It seemed in 'one department', there was an opposite in size appeal for males and females.
Sheila and Ally were disappointed. They needed to leave the Owner's Suite empty handed. They found Gail-Cam in the private area with one of the food carts for the Master Suite. They saw how she was dressed. They figured it was to please Vanna. They told her, her presence was desired in the Owner's Suite if she chose to go.
"Cam gets the benefit now, instead of one of us." Ally said. "It's just because her chip is in Gail's chassis."
Sheila didn't mention it to Ally, but Cameron would have picked her over Ally. She knew by being the first one for Cameron to 'use', it would give her a better chance if Cameron ever thought about borrowing a chassis again. She would want to go with what she first got to be someone different in. There was no need to upset Ally and tell her the truth.
"We win some and we lose some." Sheila said. "At least we tried. I'm sure we'll have more chances going forward."
Ally figured they could share with each other. She figured Sheila would want to be with Gail-Cam when Cameron was 'done' with her chassis. Maybe she would ask to share with her.
She knew Sheila wasn't wrong about what she indicated it would be like to have Cameron take control of her chassis. Maybe there was something to some of the other things she did. Maybe they were just from the 'Neural Interface' with Jesse.
Ally looked around the private area. There were two food carts in front of the Master Suite. Holly was gone. She was there earlier. Hanna and Cam-Gail were over there by them.
"It looks like Holly already made her move." Ally said. "Allison is lucky."
Hanna and Cam Gail heard them talking.
"Holly went to check on Vanna since Gail-Cam is busy." Hanna said. "Allison is up for grabs."
Ally and Sheila looked at each other.
They both hurried over to join them when they took the drink and food carts in.
Hanna looked at the three of them.
"Good luck." Hanna said.
They all knew why she said it. Hanna looked like Allison's human lover.
Sheila didn't plan to be outdone by anyone.
"I make my own luck." Sheila said.
Sheila quickly removed her maid's outfit and was naked. She made a point to adjust her rings in front of the other Metal girls.
None of them were sure 'luck' was the right term. There seemed to be a number of things which could be factored in.
Vanna awoke as someone touched her.
There was a light on in the main part of the suite. She could see it was Holly.
"Hi, Vanna." Holly whispered. "I just wanted to check how you were doing. I wanted to make sure there was no pressure build up. I thought I should ask you before I touched you."
Vanna glanced over at Allison who was still asleep.
"Allison took care of it earlier." Vanna said.
Holly smiled at her and got up to leave.
"Wait." Vanna said. "Allison wanted to see the sunrise with me. How much time do we have?"
Holly was clearly in no hurry to leave.
"We have some time to kill." Holly said. "I can 'get you there' a couple of times before then, my treat. All you need to do is just lay back and enjoy it. It will almost be like a fantastic dream, but it's for real."
Vanna looked over at Allison again. She looked at Holly and pushed the covers down to reveal her naked figure. It was too good of an offer not to take advantage of. It sounded like a good way to get the day started. She would certainly be more aware when the sunrise actually occurred. She didn't want to wake Allison.
"I'll need to be quiet when you do." Vanna said.
Holly smiled and moved down so she could get started.
Vanna was never one to turn down a 'free ride'.
"There's one ticket to Paradise 'coming up'." Holly said.
Vanna sucked in her breath a little as Holly started. She knew she was going to 'make it' in no time.
Life was good in Paradise.
Allison was sound asleep.
A voice called to her ever so softly.
Her eyes slowly opened. It was dark in the room.
"Good morning." Holly whispered. "I just came in to check to see if you wanted to see the sunrise or not. It's in twelve minutes. I wanted to give you a few moments to take care of any personal business you needed to attend to. I didn't want you to be in a hurry or uncomfortable."
Allison was tired. She went to bed late. Vanna arrived even later.
"I don't know." Allison said. "Is Vanna awake?"
Holly looked over in the darkness. She could see Vanna was in REM sleep. She wondered what Vanna was dreaming about. She wondered what it was like to dream.
"No." Holly said. "She's asleep."
Allison wondered if she was dreaming about her.
"I don't know." Allison said.
Holly thought she should point out the obvious.
"It's up to you." Holly said. "This opportunity doesn't come often. How many times will you be on a ship in the middle of the ocean at sunrise?"
Allison figured she was awake now so maybe she should just get up. She could always go back to bed later.
"OK." Allison said. "I need to use the restroom anyway. Thank you for giving me the extra time. You know I don't do well when I get into a rush."
Allison went to get up and bumped into Vanna.
Vanna opened her eyes.
It was dark.
What happened?
She was almost 'there'.
"I'm sorry." Allison said.
Vanna reached down to touch herself. She was still covered.
'Was it a dream?' Vanna wondered.
"It will be sunrise in ten minutes." Holly said.
Holly was there! She wasn't where she thought she was though. It didn't appear as if she was either anytime recently.
"Holly?" Vanna asked.
Allison got up and headed for the bathroom.
"There's juice, coffee, and hot cocoa." Holly said. "They're bringing it in now. There are some breakfast snacks too."
Allison turned on the light in the main part of the suite.
Vanna heard the door open. She saw Hanna and Cam-Gail push one cart in. It was followed by Ally and Sheila with a second cart.
Vanna was sure she was still dreaming. Sheila was naked.
She looked again and they were gone.
She rolled over on her side.
"Did you want to get up?" Holly asked.
Vanna sat upright in bed.
"You're real." Vanna said.
Holly wasn't sure of the proper response.
"I'm a cyborg. It's sort of real." Holly said.
Vanna was awake now.
"How much time do I have?"
They could hear the toilet flush in the bathroom and then the water run in the sink.
"Nine minutes." Holly said.
Vanna got up. She wanted to get all of her personal business out of the way.
"I'll make a quick pit stop and meet you on the balcony." Vanna said.
Vanna headed for the bathroom. She looked back once at Holly. Holly winked at her right before she went around the corner. Now Vanna wondered what really happened.
John started in on Gail-Cam-Cameron. It really excited him when she turned the light on. He could tell he made good progress. He knew he was on a timetable. He wanted to get a little benefit too. He moved up quickly into her arms. He was on a mission against time now. He started right in.
"Don't stop." Gail-Cam-Cameron whispered.
John almost felt her giant breasts were a distraction at this point. He would pick a different position next time or let her ride it out. It would be good too.
He could feel her getting close. It brought him closer.
They were able to finish together.
John tried to roll off but she still held him with her arms. He was worried about the time.
"How long is it until sunrise?" John whispered.
She immediately released him.
"Two minutes." Gail-Cam-Cameron said.
John wasn't sure what else he might have time for.
"It was great." John said as he gave her a kiss. "I hate to eat and run."
He knew it was 'Cameron' but she still looked like 'Gail' since she was in her chassis. He knew Cam's chip was currently in Gail's chassis too. This whole thing was a mind trip.
John got up and headed for the balcony.
Cameron joined him a few seconds later.
She carried a robe for each of them.
He saw Gail-Cam in the background. He looked over at Cameron.
"She can join us if you want." John said.
Cameron looked over at her.
Gail-Cam didn't want to wear out her welcome. She was very pleased with events.
"Thank you." Gail-Cam called out as she left.
Cameron didn't want John to get sidetracked.
"I think she wants to share the sunrise with Vanna." Cameron said. "Remember, it's really Cam."
John remembered.
Cameron knew her experience was more vivid with Gail's chip in her own chassis or in Cam's chassis. Her experience with Cam's chip in either chassis wasn't as good. It was still fantastic. The feedback with Gail's chip in both chassis was better somehow. Maybe it was because Holly and Gail were created as Restorators as opposed to Terminators. They were both from a different future. It really made her wonder if Mrs. Weaver did something to make them superior.
She poured John another hot cocoa since the other one was sitting by the bed. It was probably cold by now. She tried a sip to make sure the temperature was right and gave it to John.
"Thanks." John said as he took a sip.
He looked out at the horizon and could see the sun was just about to make its appearance.
He gave Cameron a quick kiss.
"This is the best trip ever, Cameron." John said.
Cameron was pleased to hear it. It was for her too. She wanted to make it a little more specific.
"It is the best Honeymoon ever." Cameron said.
She took his hand as they stood at the railing.
The sun sent its first rays out as it began to rise.
The sun's rays lit their faces as their love for each other lit their hearts.
A short time ago:
Allison passed Vanna as she exited the bathroom.
"Where are my clothes?" Allison asked.
Holly handed her a robe.
"This will work for now." Holly said. "It's easy to put on and even easier to take off."
Allison slipped it on. She looked down at her current attire.
"I feel like a suburban housewife on TV." Allison said. "Now I wonder what they have on underneath. If I ever see one, I'm going to ask. Maybe I should just look instead. It'll probably give them a thrill. I know it will give me one."
Holly was a little surprised by Allison's statement. She knew what she made reference to as far as a suburban housewife. There were actually a number of TV shows throughout the years. Many of them did involve a bathrobe. It seemed more prevalent on some shows than others. Her purpose was to give Allison some cover, not look like a mythical television character.
"It will keep you a little warmer." Holly said
Allison moved out into the main part of the suite. She spotted the Metal Girls getting everything ready on the drink and food carts. She wondered why Sheila was naked but didn't ask. She was known for wild behavior. Asking might only make her show off more.
"Thanks, Holly." Allison said. "The gang's all here."
Hanna went over what the options were for food and beverages.
Allison took a hot cocoa.
She saw Holly and Vanna headed her way. Vanna was tying her robe as she walked and Holly carried an extra one. She handed it to Sheila.
Sheila looked at Allison and Vanna with the robe in her hand.
"When you're ready for dessert, you know where to 'come'." Sheila said.
Vanna smiled.
"We always do." Vanna said.
Allison giggled slightly.
Vanna looked at Allison's cup. She looked a little concerned.
"That's not coffee is it?" Vanna asked.
Allison made an over exaggerated frown.
"Great, my other mother is here." Allison said.
Allison smiled at Vanna and offered her a sip.
Vanna tried it. She wasn't sure what was better, the smell or the taste. She decided it was the taste since she could actually consume it.
"I'll have one of those." Vanna said. "It's good."
Holly opened the balcony door. There was a blast of cold fresh salt air. She thought the girls might want to go out.
Allison thought the temperature would be a little warmer.
"It's cool out." Allison said.
Vanna could feel her warm body react to the cool air.
"I think Holly just ordered us a set of hard nipples." Vanna said.
They heard some noise in back of them.
Gail-Cam entered the room. She carried her clothes.
She hurried to be with Vanna.
"You need this more than I do, love." Sheila said.
She slipped the robe off and handed it to her.
"Thanks." Gail-Cam said.
Sheila was aware where Gail-Cam just came from. She wanted to give her a reminder. It was about more things than one.
"I'll see you when you're done here." Sheila said. "It's not Vanna's cup of tea."
Gail-Cam nodded. She knew some of the things Vanna was forced to do before.
"I understand, point taken." Gail-Cam said.
Allison set down her cup and took Vanna's hand on one side and Holly's hand on the other. Vanna set down her cup and took Gail-Cam's hand.
It was how they stood and watched the sunrise.
The other Metal girls left through the spare bedroom and entered the Control Center.
Jim was pleased to see them. He was especially pleased to see Sheila was naked.
They decided to watch the sunrise from there to give the other couples some private time. They exited onto the balcony. Sheila was still naked. She hoped to give someone a thrill if they were up early and out on their balcony.
John watched the sun rise and noticed the other two groups out on the balcony.
Cameron looked over at them. She looked at what John looked at. It was Sheila standing there naked. She really liked Sheila's sheath. She would do a chip swap with her at some point for a few days. She wanted to make sure John would be ready for anything or anyone.
She went back to the drink cart and got an espresso for John. She added some 'help' to it. She knew he was going to need it. It was a day at sea. She decided she was going to make the rounds with ALL of the Metal girl's chassis. She wondered if John would be up to it so he could cycle through all of them. With her chassis it would be seven of them. She'd really like Vanna and Allison to give it a crack too.
"It was cool out there." John said. "I'm a little chilled."
Cameron knew a way to warm him up fast.
"We can use the Jacuzzi tub and warm up." Cameron said.
She quickly calculated the motion of the ship and determined it was still very mild. She didn't want any waves of water to come out of the whirlpool tub and flood the bathroom.
John looked at Cameron. He wanted to make something clear from the start of the day. He hoped to have a little bit of control. He believed it was something important for both Cameron and him. He wanted Cameron to understand there was nothing wrong with her appearance in any way.
"I want to be with you today." John said.
Cameron smiled. She already knew who John looked at earlier. She would give him what he wanted. It was what they both wanted.
"I'll go get Sheila." Cameron said. "We can get started as soon as you want."
Cameron turned to go.
John reached out and touched her arm. He stopped Cameron. He looked at Cameron with real seriousness.
"I want to be with you as you, Cameron." John said. "Just the way you are now."
Cameron was a little surprised. Based on John's responses as she used each of the other Metal girl's chassis, she thought all the other Metal girls were much prettier. She believed it was the reason why his response was so elevated compared to what it normally was.
"You do?" Cameron asked.
John gave Cameron a kiss.
"You're my favorite." John said. "I can honestly say it now. You are the one I'm married to, not one of them. It isn't anyone else. It's you, Cameron."
Cameron felt elated to hear it. John could have his choice, and he chose her. She handed him the espresso. He was really going to need it now. She planned to work him hard. Well, at least keep him that way. She hoped so anyway.
"Drink this." Cameron said. "It will get you ready and keep you going. It will definitely wake everything up."
John took a sip. His face scrunched up in disapproval.
"This stuff still tastes like battery acid." John said.
Cameron hoped he hadn't actually tried any battery acid, it could be fatal. She wasn't sure why he would equate it to such a substance. She would need to find a lead cell battery and take some acid out of it and do a chemical analysis of it. She would need to be careful so it didn't damage her sheath.
John drank the espresso and Cameron handed him a fresh cup of hot cocoa. He preferred the taste much better. There was now a look of approval along with a giant smile on his face.
"This is more like it." John said. "This stuff tastes good."
Cameron was sure it was more for the high sugar content than it was for the actual flavor of the cocoa. She was sure it was actually the smell of the cocoa which was appealing as much as the taste.
She led John to their Jacuzzi tub since the medicine needed some time to work. There was no need to push things before they would be ready.
"The warm water will help with blood flow." Cameron said. "You should be like the 'man of steel' in no time. You're my Superman."
John tried to remember the intro from the old TV series.
"That's me." John said. "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
Cameron thought it all sounded dangerous. She thought it would be better if a Terminator were to take over those functions.
She noticed John didn't comment on: 'Truth, justice, and the American way.'
After the sunrise and refreshments, Allison and Vanna decided to go back to bed. They were both tired.
"I need my beauty sleep." Allison said.
She hoped no one would comment she would need a lot of rest then.
Vanna touched Allison's cheek and brushed some of her hair away from her face.
"You're always beautiful." Vanna said.
Allison knew Vanna always told her she was. It never mattered how dirty or grimy she was, or how much sleep she missed in the future. Vanna always told her she was beautiful. She knew love 'blinded' Vanna to her true condition at those times. Then again, she always felt the same way about Vanna. Their beauty to each other was more than skin deep. It was what really drove the relationship. It was the connection the girls shared with each other. It was something so many others seemed to lack.
"Just give us an hour or two more of sleep." Allison said. "All we're going to do is sleep."
Holly and Gail-Cam wanted to give the girls some room as well as some peace. There would always be time for a piece later on. They left. They went to the Control Center.
Vanna and Allison gave each other a 'cocoa kiss' and went back to sleep. They both planned to dream of the other's beauty.
Sheila spotted Gail-Cam.
"I've been waiting for you." Sheila said.
She took Gail-Cam by the arm and led her away.
"We'll be in the Honeymoon suite if anyone needs us." Sheila said. "There are plenty of beds in there too. There's plenty of room in whatever bed I'm in for any or all of you."
Jim looked at Holly, Hanna, Ally, and Cam-Gail.
"It's too early to service the rooms." Jim said. "You may as well take it easy for a few hours."
Ally took Hanna's arm and left.
Holly looked at Cam-Gail.
"It works for me." Holly said as she took Cam-Gail's arm.
They left too.
Jim hoped Cameron stayed busy with John and the Metal girls. He didn't want Cameron to have too much free time and come looking for him. He knew Bob was lying low too. He hoped Bob could use him for some special assignment somewhere in the lower decks. With a day at sea, it seemed like a good idea to be as far away from the Owner's Suite as possible.
Young Allison opened her eyes. It was very dark. There was only some faint light coming from the bathroom.
Savannah was asleep next to her.
She looked to see if Cammy or Anna might be there. She didn't spot them.
Normally she would be up at this time of the day. They went to bed really late.
She took a moment to reflect on what happened yesterday. She wondered if it would 'hit' her today. It didn't. She didn't feel any different than before. She killed the enemy before, just never face to face. It was no different for her. Cameron trained her and conditioned her to be able to fight and kill when necessary. It did worry her some to need to face real bullets, but she met the challenge. No one really shot at her specifically so it was a plus. The big guy who tried to grab her caused her some concern. If she would have been able to breathe, she thought she could have handled him better and sooner. She took him down anyway. He lost and she won. What else mattered?
The one thing which bothered her was the female prisoner. She did nothing to help her. She knew what happened to Vanna and Jesse in the future. They were treated much the same way at times. What happened to her as 'Allison' was bad enough. Allison never had it as bad as they did.
She believed it would have bothered her if she would have been the one who needed to kill her if Savannah hadn't done it. She was sure Savannah did kill her, even if she said the prisoner died on her own. She didn't think it was something Savannah would normally do on her own. She was sure Savannah did it so she wouldn't have to.
She decided to get up. She carefully moved around Savannah and pulled the covers up on her.
She saw her Model 66 and six fresh cartridges sitting on the dresser along with her clothes. They were washed and neatly folded. She thought Cammy or Anna did it, it was nice of them.
Young Allison loaded the six cartridges into her Model 66 and set it back under her clothes for now. She was pretty sure it saved her life.
She went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. She replayed all the events which occurred to see what she could have done better or differently. It usually played back as she should have acted sooner.
Savannah was awake when Young Allison awoke. She wanted to see how Young Allison acted or reacted to anything this morning. She expected her to have some more reaction to what she was involved with and did last night. The thing which seemed to worry Young Allison the most, would be if her mother found out what she did. It was almost funny. If so many people hadn't died, it would be funny.
She could picture the conversation now.
'It's late, where have you been at, Missy?' Claire asked.
'I was out. I killed about twenty people.' Young Allison said. 'I fought hand in hand with a big brute of a man and killed him point blank. What's for dinner?'
Savannah tried to refocus. It almost seemed too real right now.
She watched Young Allison check her clothes and load her Model 66. She concealed it under her clothes after she did. She watched her use it on the operation. It was an additional weapon she carried. It made a difference based on how she needed to act yesterday, especially under the constraints of not being able to breathe. That alone was incredible. She couldn't have done all of those things herself. She didn't think there were too many humans who could have.
She also knew it was because of the time she saved the small child from drowning in the ocean. It was when Young Allison began to work on her water skills. It looked like they paid off in a different way. The bottom line was, they still paid off.
Once Young Allison went in the bathroom she got up and made the bed. She looked at the clothes Cammy brought in an hour ago. She was awake for it. She was very attuned to what happened in her room.
She laid out her clothes for the day. She thought about taking another shower but she just took one a few hours ago. She was a little tired and a little sore. Maybe it was from all the things she did yesterday.
She knew she would need to check in with John Henry and see what follow up action would be needed. They should have been able to go through the hard drives Steve and Tom picked up from the other building by now.
One thing for sure was, Young Allison wasn't going with her.
Maybe Young Allison was beyond any control at this point.
Maybe they all were.
The female Fanatic tried to push herself deeper into the terrain as the HK drone approached. If she was going to reach Ascension, she would just as soon get it over with now. She still had her pistol. She could rise up and go out fighting. It was the most honorable way to reach Ascension. To die cowering was a terrible way to die. She just didn't think she was detected yet, otherwise she would already be dead.
She could see the eastern sky was lit up. She wondered if she would see the new dawn. As long as she didn't move, she didn't think she would be spotted. She could feel her eyelids get heavy as she waited without moving.
She looked at her computer monitor. It was a little boring. It was certainly less tense than being out in the field. Things were pretty dicey the last time she was there. Where she was now was considerably more sedate.
"Get back to work." The voice said.
She glanced in back of her. It was the Terminator supervisor. She didn't care for him very much. He was always very curt and rude.
"I am working." She said.
The Terminator gave her a dirty look and moved on.
She glanced over at the workstation next to her. It was her friend.
"Do you want to hang out later on?" She asked.
Her friend looked around covertly to see where the Terminator was at. She didn't want him to come over and criticize her again. It seemed to be something he liked to do.
"I think it can be arranged." Her friend said. "We need to keep working right now. I don't want any trouble."
The female Fanatic frowned slightly.
She glanced over to her other side. It was one of the technicians.
He saw her look in his direction. She didn't like the smile on his face when he noticed her.
He was rather abrupt and direct to the point.
"Do you want to knock one off later on?" The technician asked.
She didn't really care for what most males had to offer. It wasn't much and it didn't last for very long. She did have a few boyfriends since she started working for SkyMaster.
"What does two minutes do for me?" She asked.
The technician looked a little upset.
"I'm good for more than two minutes." The technician said. "Let's try it and see what happens. We can give it a go during lunch."
The female Fanatic already knew what would happen.
"I think I'll stick with tacos." She said. "Hot dogs leave a little to be desired. I really don't care for the condiment which comes with it. Your best bet is probably to stick with self serve."
The technician gave her a dirty look and left.
Her friend looked over at her.
"That guy's a real piece of artwork." Her friend said. "He tries to hit on all the females. He'll probably start to hit on the males next if he strikes out with all of us."
The female Fanatic thought it was good he would at least ask. Her first few experiences before she joined up with SkyMaster were all done against her will. She knew it was how it was for all of the females. It always hurt like Hell. She really didn't see why any female would want to do it in the first place.
She could feel her workstation vibrate slightly. She quickly looked over at her friend.
"There was an explosion." She said.
She could see her friend felt it as well.
"I thought it was a tremor." Her friend said. "How do you know?"
The female Fanatic obtained plenty of experience out in the field.
"I just know it was an explosion somewhere." She said.
If she was out on the battlefield, she would be able to determine what type of explosion it was based upon where it impacted and what she felt.
She saw the Terminator leave the room. She figured he went to check it out.
There was another vibration. This one was much larger. It was followed by several more in random order.
"We're under attack." She said.
Her friend looked a little confused. She didn't have much field experience.
"What are we supposed to do?" Her friend asked.
The female Fanatic knew they should arm themselves. They might need to repel invaders.
The other people in the room all looked a little nervous. They thought they should wait for the Terminator to return and instruct them on what to do.
She wasn't going to wait around for death to come to her.
"I'm going to the arms locker." She said.
She stood up and looked at the other workers.
"I think we're under attack." She said. "You should either arm yourselves, or go to the shelter."
Everyone else looked a little hesitant to do anything.
There were more vibrations which rocked the area. They were all much stronger.
She looked back at her friend and the other workers. She went out into the hall. She could see members of the security detail moving around with weapons.
She went to the arms locker. It opened when she touched it. She took out a combat vest. She took out a plasma rifle along with an extra charge. There weren't any grenades. There were no side arms either. So far none of the other workers in her section came out. She wondered what was wrong with them.
There was a very large explosion. It knocked her to the ground. The lights flickered and went off. The dull emergency lighting came on. It was just enough to see to move around in.
She went back to check on her friend and her fellow workers. She opened the door to the room. It was dark so she took a step into it. As soon as she did, she was on the battlefield. She turned around to go back through the door. There was no door. There was only more of the battlefield. It was all around her.
What the Hell?
Somehow she was on the battlefield now. Everything seemed to be out of place. Nothing felt right. None of it made any sense. There was an HK drone flying around. She couldn't see it, but she could hear it. It made several passes. She was unsure what side it actually belonged to.
There were multiple flashes in the sky and on the ground around her. Everything shook. It seemed like it should have been noisier than it was. She wasn't sure if her hearing was damaged from all of her battlefield exposure. She remembered she was in multiple battles over the last few days. She wasn't sure how it was possible since she started working at the facility. Now she couldn't remember how long she was there.
She looked down at her body. She could see she wore a combat vest. It was camouflaged. She was sure the one she took earlier was black. She looked at her weapon. It was a battered M4 carbine. There weren't any in the arms locker. There were only plasma rifles. She checked the rest of her gear. There were some night vision goggles and several grenades. One of them was a fragmentation grenade, the other one was a plasma grenade.
She checked to see if she carried any provisions. She was hungry and she was thirsty. She checked her canteen. It was empty. Her mouth felt very parched right now. She didn't think it was because she was on the battlefield either.
There were troops near her. They were firing into the distance in front of them. There were several more explosions around her. She decided she should join the fight. She could help repel the enemy.
She moved up to the line and joined them.
"Where did you come from?" The first man asked.
She really didn't have an answer.
"They set me up from the rear." She said.
There was another man on the other side.
"Were you in the aid station?" The second man asked her.
There were a series of flashes overhead. Both of the men hunkered down.
She dropped to the ground as well. Her combat instincts kicked in.
"What are we facing?" She asked. "How many of them are there?"
The first man glanced over at her.
"I think it's a squad of 'bucket heads'." The first man said. "They might have an Ogre with them. We think it's behind the hill."
The second man glanced over in her direction.
"We were able to get back a 'Monkey Wagon' from the 'tin cans' earlier." The second man said. "We got lucky."
The first man pointed his rifle in the direction they were shooting.
"I'm not sure the word 'lucky' is the correct word for our current situation." The first man said.
She knew something was terribly wrong. It sounded like they were talking about the SkyMaster forces being the enemy. They sounded like they were part of the Resistance.
"Where are the freed prisoners now?" She asked. "I think I was supposed to help them."
The two men looked at each other and back at her.
"Are you injured?" The first man asked. "Were you close to an explosion earlier?"
She tried to think.
"I was in a room. I stepped out for a minute. There was a big explosion." She said. "When I went back into the room, it was gone."
The first man fired off a few more rounds.
"I think you have a concussion." The first man said. "You need to get to the aid station."
The second man fired off a full magazine towards the front.
"Are you bleeding anywhere?" The second man asked.
She quickly touched herself. She could feel she was covered with dirt. There seemed to be a lot of it. It wasn't there a while ago.
"I don't think so." She said. "I don't feel any pain. I don't feel any blood."
Somehow she was behind enemy lines. Everyone believed she was fighting with them. How could she have gotten behind enemy lines? Was she on an infiltration mission? She didn't know. Normally they sent Terminators on infiltration missions. They usually didn't end well.
She tried to weigh her options now. She could shoot both of these men in the back and try to make a run for it. There was nothing to identify her as part of the SkyMaster forces. If she ran towards 'friendly lines', they would assume she was the enemy. She wasn't the enemy.
Wait.
She heard about a new 'Neural Interface' procedure. What if they used it on her? Maybe she was actually part of the Resistance and she was supposed to infiltrate the SkyMaster lines.
Everything was very confusing right now. What if she didn't know what side she was really on?
There was an HK drone close by.
The female Fanatic eyes shot open. She struggled briefly for a moment until she remembered where she was. She was still between the rocks. She could hear an HK drone depart the area.
She was a little surprised to see the sun come up over the hill in the distance. She wondered earlier if she would ever see another sunrise. She just did. The cycle of time went on regardless of what the creatures on Earth did or thought about. Time was constant. Time kept on ticking.
The female Fanatic listened for any HK drones. It was quiet. It was time to get moving. If she was taken down, she was taken down. She was tired of dreaming. She was tired of hiding. She was also very thirsty.
Earlier:
CamNet's Terminators were at their new location. The eastern sky was lit. Sunrise wasn't far off. They looked over their avenues of approach. They weren't going to go in as customers. They were going to go in as Terminators.
The sun came up behind them as they made their approach. Neither of them turned to look at it. They both preferred to operate in the darkness. By the nature of their construction, they possessed multiple advantages in the darkness.
They didn't understand what the urgency of the operation was. Right now they could only go by what they were told by CamNet.
There was a lookout on the street corner where they were headed. They were currently in an alley.
They could hear a female scream. They both looked at each other and continued their advance.
Lena approached the lookout. His head bobbed several times and dropped down. It was clear he was trying to stay awake and failing. She would be able to assist him with his eternal slumber.
She moved up behind him and grabbed him by the back of the neck. She flicked her wrist and snapped it. She pulled him around the corner into the alley.
Tina didn't think humans put up much of a resistance. They seem to be very fragile creatures. It didn't take much to damage or terminate one of them. She believed animals were much tougher. They seemed to be able to withstand a lot more punishment and keep fighting. Well, as long as they weren't a sissified pet.
"You almost make it look too easy." Tina said.
Lena didn't think looks had anything to do with it.
"It is easy." Lena said. "Our only concern will be the weapons they have. They may be able to damage our sheaths. They won't be able to stop us."
They could hear the scream of a female again.
"It sounds like someone needs our help." Tina said. "I believe they're inside the building where we're headed."
Lena knew there were several things to consider.
"We don't know if she's a detainee or an 'employee' who was caught trying to cheat." Lena said. "In these types of operations, anything is possible."
They actually never conducted any of the operations themselves. They possessed all the files relevant to them. They only lacked the experience. It was programmed into them as well.
"We still need to use caution." Tina said. "We don't want to tip our hand too soon. We're uninvited guests after all."
Lena wasn't so sure 'guests' was the right word. She looked around the corner of the alley and the street.
"I can see our target location." Lena said.
Tina looked at her phone. She could see it as well.
"The drone needed to retreat to a higher altitude." Tina said.
Lena knew they would still have missile support.
"If we need a heavy punch, we know where it will be." Lena said.
Tina looked at the drone image. She could see they were about to have a visitor in the alley.
"It looks like the vehicle we were informed about won't be coming on the main street after all." Tina said. "It's about to turn into the rear alley which we came through earlier. It's about two minutes out."
If they would have known the suspect vehicle was going to use the alley, they would have remained at the other end of it. Right now they were close to the main building. The main building was their target. They would either need to wait for the vehicle to arrive at its destination or attempt to take it before it reached the main street.
The two Terminators quickly devised a plan. It seemed rather bold to them. The success of it would depend upon what the men in the delivery vehicle did. Lena would need to move back down the alley.
Tina handed Lena something to take with her.
Lena took one more look around. She picked up the terminated watchman's body. She tossed it in the nearest dumpster in the alley as she moved one quarter of the way back down.
She took up a place of concealment where two buildings joined together. She slid a dumpster over closer to her to help conceal her position. She could see the delivery vehicle turn into the alley. It was a van.
Tina waited in the small alcove where the lookout previously stood. She wasn't self conscious about her current appearance. There was no one out or around where they were at. The sun only came up a short time ago. Her data indicated most humans were late risers. Unless they needed to accomplish a specific goal, or go to work, most of them never saw the sunrise on a regular basis.
CamNet's Terminators waited to put their plan in motion. The delivery vehicle continued down the alley towards their location.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Morning Madness
When one becomes anxious
They're filled with tension and stress
If not kept in check
It can lead to distress
They often will seek more
They can take things to excess
It's hard to understand
How more actually means less
They need to concentrate
So they aren't so reckless
They can't let their emotions
Turn into a sickness
It's hard to stand up
It's easier to slip and regress
It is actually only themselves
The put under duress
The path to progress and success
Is the ability to learn to express
There's no need to guess
Everyday begins as a morning of madness
Nobody