Chapter 36
The second concert went well with vigorous applause and the snapping of hundreds of cameras.
Beside the news of the concerts, news of the mystery weapon was also abuzz. Captain Cutter was to bring his ship back 'with haste' to find out what his ship had been shooting. British and French ships and a cruise ship had all witnessed the 'bolts of pale blue fire' spitting out with deadly accuracy. Rumors of an unknown American energy weapon actively deployed on surface ships quickly became wide spread.
Colonel Watson had to do his magic to put pressure on squashing this information at least in the US, then he had to go explain to the White House what had happened.
As Cutter suspected, upon leaving port he got buzzed by aircraft of different countries. A Russian sub poked it's mast up only a few hundred yards away - most likely snapping all the pictures it could take, and he saw more than his fair share of fishing trawlers before he hit open ocean. Intelligence agencies around the world had marked his ship as having a secret weapon, and everyone was tying to get a look at it. It was so bad Cutter had his CIC people helping to perform incoming and outgoing air traffic control for safety reasons.
Due to the visual scrutiny, Cameron Delilah and Catherine Weaver had to stay below so they weren't spotted.
To keep busy, Cameron spend time in the laundry helping out, which pleased Nancy Brown to no end. Delilah spend time down in the engine rooms, doing small jobs for guys that were lusting over her.
By the time they were nearing King's Bay Georgia, Cameron and Delilah were all but considered part of the crew. Before entering port, there was one last helicopter operation. Ten miles out to sea, Catherine, Cameron and Delilah said their goodbyes and got their last pictures with the crew, then boarded the helicopter and flew ahead to the airport so they would not be seen getting off the ship in port.
The helicopter shuttled to an airport, then they boarded Mrs. Weaver's jet and flew home.
.
Claire was shocked and somewhat upset that Cameron didn't even say she was leaving. Even then, Sarah and John had insisted Cameron was only going to be gone 'a couple days'. It was nearly two weeks later that she caught word of their concert for the troops. Going on Youtube she found it. Claire knew her geography, and Gibraltar had a distinct shape in the background. The tribute to Cameron that Delilah did was very heartwarming, but damn it, why didn't anyone tell her Cameron was going to the Mediterranean?
Searching for other news, one station reported on a drone attack on ships in the harbor, but by the report there had been no significant damage. It was right about the time of the concert, so Cameron had been there. Claire decided on Sunday, she was going to get some answers!
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John, Sarah and Joan met Cameron and Delilah when they arrived. Joan ran to her mothers and got hugs, end even allowed Daddy to hug her mothers, although Daddy took long hugs and smooches.
"We miss anything?" Cameron asked.
"Well, let's see," John said as he got between them and an arm around each of them. . "Claire isn't happy you two took off without telling her. Coach Benson is furious because they held an MVP ceremony and neither of you showed up. I manage to convince him Delilah was sick and you had to stay with her. He wasn't happy, but accepted it. That was until a few days ago when he saw the concert you two gave in Gibraltar. Colonel Watson also isn't happy and wants us to stay 'low key' for a while after that drone attack. Joan had learned some new words and is doing well on her numbers and letters. That's about it."
"Good for you sweetie!" Cameron beamed at Joan.
"Can I show you all my new words?" Joan asked happily.
"You sure can." Cameron assured her. "Have you been behaving for Daddy and Gramma Sarah?"
"I am! Daddy and Uncle Mark chase me around now and it's fun!" Joan said, beaming a smile.
Sarah didn't say anything. She was glad John and Mark had the energy to keep up with that hyper child.
.
One thing that had gotten Delilah hyped up was singing for crowd. She really like that. Once they got home, Joan was eager to spend time with them. Joan also wanted to see them swim again, so Delilah ordered new mermaid tails. The company knew what they ordered before, so the expedited two more tails to them with flesh colored webbed gloves. In their afternoon relaxing by the pool she began thinking about an original song they could do. She also ordered a guitar for the song she had in mind.
While they were having their reunion day, Another group was planning their weekend meeting. The Friends Of Alien Dignitaries (FOAD) thought they had finally found a picture of the craft Cameron and Delilah had come to Earth on. They took four years to meticulously put this craft together and get it as accurate as possible. It was a futuristic looking thing someone had scrounged a picture of. It looked sleek with rotating jet engines on the sides and one in the back. Due to a bit of blur, they could not quit tell what the pod was on the underside. Maybe a radar and antenna? On their twelve foot long model they were building, they decided a spot light and a thick aluminum tape wrapped paper tube could be a realistic radar looking protrusion on a small domed turret. The drone had a 'V' style tail, and the men engineering it even put retractable landing gear on it. The color was dark gray, like the photo, and instead of real jets, they used a 50 HP light airplane engine to power the three fans, which had of somewhat of a whine.
The remote control beast was hard to fly. Only one guy had the 'knack' to keep the thing level and make it do side to side maneuvers as well as fly ahead and back. Only brave enough to flight test it low and over a pond (it floated), Tod the pilot practiced constantly, so they would be ready for the weekend meeting at Canyon Falls Park. People were going to get to see it fly over the falls, the drift down into the 'landing zone' and see a model of the Connor's ship up close. This was going to be an exciting meet!
Although Cameron and Delilah had not come to Earth on any craft, they would recognize this craft immediately as a small MK 1 hunter/killer.
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Knowing Joan liked to see mermaids, Cameron searched for a group who swam, and found a local group that got together at the Canton Falls Park swimming area, and were having a swim this next weekend. Cameron registered herself and Delilah in the 'mermaid review' line that judged mermaids on style, beauty, originality and popularity.
It sounded like fun.
Saturday, Delilah wanted her chance to get pregnant, so Cameron took Joan to see Allison. Claire was fine with them coming, and wanted to talk to her anyway.
Upon arriving, Allison squeaked happily as Joan did. They ran together hard enough to bounce off each other, then got up giggling and ran off together.
"They have endless energy," Claire said with a sigh.
"They are fun to watch," Cameron agreed. She shared a hug with Claire. Claire led her over to the couch to sit.
"So miss world traveler, what have you been up to?" Claire asked with a raised eyebrow.
Cameron pulled out a packet of pictures. "We had to go do a job, but after that, we met the ship that brought us back at Gibraltar."
"This was one of those trips you can't say where you went." Claire said, understanding.
"Yes. We did get pictures of the Rock, and the crew of the ship that brought us back. They were really great." Cameron said. "Did you see the concert?"
"I did. I have to say, you two were very good! I also thought Delilah's tribute to you was sweet. Cameron, you do know you deserve praise for the things you do," Denise told her.
Cameron offered her a smile that faded. "There are still things I want to change if I get the chance," she said. In the future she was from, Allison was still dead.
"You want things to be perfect?" Claire asked.
"Yes."
In a serious tone, Claire said, "Hon, look at everything you've done. Would perfect be nice? Sure it would. The mere fact you did your best to save the world, and continue to do so is … monumental. Look at it this way. You have a good man now and your own child. Was that even possible after you were changed?"
"no." Cameron admitted meekly. She was just an infiltrator.
"Original Allison, who was born in the original time, was she able to do the things you've done?" Claire prodded.
"No. But because of me, she no longer exists," Cameron stated.
"She does," Claire countered. "She's in there right now, playing with Joan. You, who had to endure what I'm sure is some pretty terrifying things, including basically destroying yourself, has managed to not only do what you needed to do, but now you are regaining your humanity. You have a child! By doing what you did, you saved original Allison, right in there, from having to go through a future where she will be forced to be stripped of her humanity! Hon, you came back and saved yourself as well as millions of others."
Claire clasped Cameron's hands and said, "You ARE the hero. You fought your battles and you won. Accept it and live your life. Enjoy your victory, you child, your life. Do not dwell on the things you can't do anything about. You may have not done it perfectly, but no one is perfect. Do not feel guilty about anything. You hear me?"
Cameron looked at Claire. In a way, she was right. "John is the reason I was able to succeed," Cameron stated.
"Then he's your hero."
"He is."
"That's fine," Claire assured her. "Everyone need someone to count on. I am very happy you have him."
On an impulse Cameron hugged Claire and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome dear."
Allison came running back in with Joan. "Mommy! Can we go see the fishy women too?"
"Fishy women?" Claire asked.
Cameron explained about the mermaid tails and Joan wanting to see them swim. They then all sat down on Mom's knees and Cameron showed them pictures of the ship she and Delilah were on and Gibraltar.
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The mermaid Swim club consisted of several 16-21 aged girls, friends and family members. Few of them had even heard of Cameron or Delilah Connor. A boy in his first year of college had Cameron in his class and knew she played football and something about her being an MVP.
The area at Canyon Falls Park where they met was the oval shaped pond just beyond the pool below the waterfall. The water flowed over the falls into the pool at the base of the falls, then though a ten foot wide channel of rocks to collect into a long pond fifty yards long before running over more smaller rocks to continue on in a stream. The water was usually clear down to the eight to nine foot bottom in the deepest places.
A walkway ran along the pond and falls pool with a 'beach' for swimming at the far end of the pool. The mermaid club used rocks sticking up along the sides of the pond for photo ops. The clarity of the water and nearby walkway was also good for getting good shots of swimming mermaids. About halfway down the pond, the walkway hung out over the water, which made it a perfect 'roll off' point for getting in and out. The 'fish heads' were all gathered by the shorelines.
While John, Daniel and Claire took Joan and Allison to the beach area so the girls could use their float toys, Cameron and Delilah took their tails down the walkway to the 'roll off' point where a gaggle of girls had collected. Bags, clothes and makeup kits were scattered on the ground and on rocks as mermaids got ready to go swimming. Guys with cameras and video cameras set up. One guy in a rubber boat had his camera for underwater shots.
Cameron saw a woman with a clipboard writing down names. Fully dressed, she obviously wasn't here to swim. That had to be the coordinator, Laurie. Seeing Cameron, Laurie waved her and Delilah over.
"Names?" Laurie asked.
"Cameron Connor. This I my sister, Delilah Connor."
"Thank you," Laurie said and wrote their names down. She pointed with her pencil to the walkway where girls were changing and getting into the water. "Get dressed and get wet. Gary in the boat over there is getting underwater shots of every girl. You'll have to dive under in front of the boat, go under it if you can. After that, see over there on the shore, we're going to get a group picture of everyone in their tails. After that Cindy will be giving pointers on how to best use your tails. Gary will be taking underwater shots for the club. Ron, over there on that rock will be taking the above water shots. Do you have goggles?"
"We're fine," Cameron said.
"Goggles will keep your eyes from becoming irritated, you really should get some," Laurie insisted. "Have fun."
"Thank you," Cameron and Delilah chorused, then went over up put their tails on.
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In the park other people were setting up displays at the pavilion. The grill and picnic area was being shared by both groups. On the land area of the park, the UFO groupies were gathering. Besides their 'landing area' they makred out with ribbon and flags, there were poster sized pictures of Cameron and Delilah singing and on the football field. They were the Alien Dignitaries, and someone had made nicely bound book with pictures that detailed the political roles they fulfilled. The group, FOAD, had a poster stating their purpose of recognizing and welcoming their galactic visitors.
Mark and Sarah were wandering around, arms around each other. Sarah noticed that the volleyball/horseshoe area was being marked off. "What are they doing there?" Mark wondered aloud.
"Some flying saucer display," Sarah said as she pointed to the display sign that was telling about the 'Connor's spacecraft.'
Mark chuckled and said, "That will be interesting to see," With a grin, he quietly asked, "Do these people have a clue Cam and Delilah are right over there by the pond, right now?"
Sarah let out a snort and said, "I doubt it."
With a big grin, Mark asked, "Should we tell them?"
A dark haired woman in a dress with a FOAD button came over to them, casting them a bright smile. "Hello, Have you come to learn about our galactic visitors?"
"We just came to see what was here," Sarah said pleasantly.
Looking at Sarah intently, she happily said, "They are here, in fact they go to College right down the road. They even have a family. One day you may even see them."
"Or have to chase Cameron's child around the house?" Mark asked with a smirk. Sarah elbowed him.
The woman firmly told Mark, "There has not been no solid evidence that Cameron Connor had a child. There have been rumors but no proof."
Mark laughed at her. He asked Sarah, "Who's kid is it that wears you out then?"
"Mark, stop," She grumbled.
"Gamma!" Joan and Allison ran over in front of Sarah. Pointing, Joan cried, "Mommies One and Two are putting fish suits on! Come see!"
"Yeah Aunties, come see!" Allison cried. The children grabbed Sarah's hands and towed her over towards Claire.
"Sir," the woman told Mark firmly. "Sightings of our alien visitors are not common. No one had gotten positive proof of Cameron and Delilah's family. We only know what they tell us."
"You never met them, have you? Mark asked.
"Access to our alien visitors is restricted by the government. Everyone knows that!" the woman stated firmly.
Mark shrugged and said, "Well, I figured you guys, if anyone, would want to come see them swim. That's where we're going."
.
Cameron rolled in and swam underwater to the rubber boat. Rolling over on her back, she
Waved at the camera, and passed underneath. Then circled around the boat near the bottom as Delilah came by. Delilah did the same. Seeing another girl, a thin blond, pumping hard to try and get to the boat, they circled around her, then clasped her hands and swam her under the boat then guided her to the surface. The girl had a pretty blue tail with scales and a big fancy fin, but she could hardly move by herself.
Breaking the surface the girl sucked in a lung full of air.
"How do you do that? You were under for a long time!" the girl gasped.
"Practice," Delilah told her.
"Use smooth, undulating motions," Cameron advised. "That will work better then kicking."
"Yes, use your whole body to move, like a snake."
"Thanks!" the girl beamed.
They swam to the shore the hand walked up onto the beach to sit side by side.
"My name's Katy," the blond offered. "I take it you've been doing this a long time?"
"Longer than some," Cameron said non-commitally.
"We've had practice," Delilah added.
"Daddy got me this tail. I think it's prettier than the one Marsha has. That's her, the carrot top," she said, pointed to another younger girl climbing up onto the shore. You guys are joining our club?"
"We might be," Cameron told her. "My daughter wanted to see us swim so we brought her today."
"You have a kid? Wow, you don't look old enough. Were you like pregnant at twelve or something? I'm surprised your parents let you keep it!" Katy gushed.
"Joan is my child, no one is going to take her away from me," Cameron stated.
"You got guts! A girl I knew who was in high school, Gina, her parents made her have an abortion. Where to you go to school?"
"Canyon College. We're freshmen."
"You're in college, really?" Katy gushed.
"Yes we play football," Delilah told her.
Katy looked at Cameron closely, then Delilah. "Wait!" She pointed at Cameron and said, "You're the Iron Maiden" Pointing to Delilah she added, "And you're the Bulldozer right?"
"We are."
"This is cool! And you beat up boys!"
Cameron laughed and said, "Not unless we have to."
"Ladies, face forward please. Big smiles and wave!"
They smile and waved as Gary was slowly panning the camera over them. He got shots of them all and said, "OK, thanks, I'm done."
"OK girls, free swim time!" Laurie called.
Cameron and Delilah swam up the pond to where John and Claire had Joan and Allison sitting on rocks, watching for them.
.
"Here comes someone," Claire said, pointing at a ripple in the water.
Delilah's head appeared. Her tail splashed as she hand walked close in shallow water. Cameron's head popped up and came in to shore.
Cameramen were taking plenty of pictures. They got shots of the mermaids in the shallows with their family around them. Joan wanted to take a swim with Mommy. Allison wanted to go to. After Delilah OK'd it with Claire, she and Cameron put the small girls lying on their chests, and kicked off swimming on their backs like otters. After a loop in the pool, they went down the pond swimming along at a decent speed. People on the shore and the other mermaids were watching them, fascinated by how fast they were going, each making wakes. Joan and Allison were happily waving to people they passed. Reaching the end of the pond, they swam back to the other end where John and the family were waiting.
John was loving this. Although he knew he had the two hottest mermaids here, there were others that had great costumes. One 'golden' girl had done her blond hair in glitter, to match the gold and glittered tail she had. Another girl that swam by chose a gray and dark tiger striped tail that went perfect with her long, dark hair. A couple girls had 'goldfish' tails that were wide and bore side trailers off the fins. Every tail was different, and they all looked great. Some were also still learning how to use their tails.
John also noticed that none of the other mermaids could 'motor' along on their backs like Cameron and Delilah were doing. A couple of the girls could barely swim on the surface. After Cameron and Delilah left the children back on the shore, they were flying along under water. Multiple cameras were tracking them.
Swimming to one end of the pond like a pair of torpedoes, Cameron and Delilah went deep and jumped, porposing out of the water to clear a good three feet of air with each jump, which got cheers from the shore. They made jump after jump all the way up the pond and into the pool by the waterfall. People clapped and cheered when they jumped straight out of the water in the center of the pool to do complete backflips before splashing back down head first.
Even the UFO people were leaving their meeting area to line the shore to watch the athletic display. At a section of railing where the walkway came close to the water, Cameron erupted out to jump up and did a handstand on the railing, then crunched up on herself and threw herself back in, managing to twist around and dive in head first.
Her stunt was met with cheering and hearty applause.
Right after that, Delilah shot up high out of the water, She grabbed the railing with too much momentum. her body was flung hard around the rail. Delilah landed on her back with a hard SLAP that shook the ground. Cameron appeared to jump up atop the rail as people gaped.
"Hey, You all right?" Cameron asked.
Delilah was laughing. "Opps!" she cried.
"On My GOD! It's THEM!" a man cried.
Some of the FOAD people suddenly realized who they were looking at. Delilah crawled up on the rail, Cameron helped her higher so she could pull herself up to sit. Cameras were snapping pictures like crazy. They also got pictures of the crack that was now in the sidewalk.
The woman who Sarah and Mark had seen, came closer, staring wide eyed at Cameron and Delilah. "You... You are Cameron and Delilah Connor!"
"We are," Cameron agreed.
Ten UFO'ers dropped to their knees, three bowed and yelled, "We're not worthy!"
Cameron laughed at their reaction and slipped backwards off the rail. Delilah tried to save her and was pulled down on top of her. They giggled their way untangled to sit on the edge of the shore.
"Don't make so much of us, we're just like anyone else," Cameron told them.
One girl in the water who had an very pretty and complex mermaid tail asked, "How can you say that after how you just swam? You two swim like fish!"
"You're the fastest swimmers I ever saw," a man with a video camera said.
"We happen to be talented," Delilah explained.
"Yes, we are good at adapting," Cameron told them.
"What's that?" someone asked as the looked at the top of the falls.
Cameron and Delilah heard the engine. Delilah looked to see a hunter/killer rise above the top of the falls. Immediately, she fell into terminator mode ; destroy the threat. She had a firing solution as she pulled herself up on her knees with her right arm, her left arm came up, morphing into a canon.
"Metal!" John screamed. No more had he got the word out of his mouth and Delilah's left arm/canon glowed bright and fired the highest energy charge she could. The large plasma bolt blasted through the air and obliterating the flying craft, not even slowing down as it disintegrated the craft except for the two side engines and pieces of the tail that fell away.
Time seemed to stop. Everyone froze in place as the fan shrouds tumbled and the fuel that had been on the craft blossomed out into a fireball. Tod, who was flying the craft with the remote, felt his heart seize. His baby had just blown up! All his hard work was just obliterated! He stared in disbelief at the fan housings and burning bits that tumbled into the pool below. He jaw was open in disbelief and his breath failed him.
The air was dead quiet. not a sound was made except for the bits of craft that splashed down into the pool. After several long heartbeats, someone asked, "What was that?"
Opps. That wasn't a real hunter/killer. Delilah has seen the familiar drone of Skynet, and automatic reaction took over. She'd destroyed it to protect her family. Only it wasn't real. Too late, she'd analyzed the image to discover it wasn't large enough and the tone wasn't right, as well as the body structure or the fake canon. With Cameron, John and Joan all right here, and with her very own fetus beginning to grow, she had taken the threat out before she analyzed it.
"Was that a lightning bolt?" someone asked.
"No, it was straight," someone else said.
Delilah rolled into the water and pulled herself towards the bottom to leave as quietly as possible. Once under, she swam s fast as possible back to the roll-of area and jumped up and on. Cameron followed suit. They both knew they didn't want to stay and answer any questions. They had to leave, quickly. Everyone was still staring at where the craft had been. By the time anyone looked down to ask if they knew what happened, they were getting out of their tails and scooping their things up to make themselves scarce.
Tod dropped to his knees, staring at the bits floating on the water.
Mark knew exactly what had hit that craft. He grabbed Sarah and headed for the car, They wanted a quick get away. John gathered Joan, Allison and the Youngs, and guided then to the car. It was time for them to go.
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Greg had come to watch the mermaids. Seeing Cameron and Delilah here, and in mermaid costumes was awesome. He didn't bring a camera, but he was enjoying all the girl flesh showing. Between some of the outfits that included more body paint than clothing, and Cameron and Delilah's expert swimming show, he was having a great time.
He'd seen Delilah quickly get up on her knees by grabbing the rail and thrust her strange looking arm at the flying craft. He'd seen the bright flash start at her arm and shoot out to wipe the craft out of the sky. Delilah had drawn and shot with the speed of a wild west Gunslinger. He stood, jaw agape as Delilah and Cameron slipped quietly back into the water to swim away. He'd see it, by he didn't know what she had drawn to shoot with. When they passed by underneath, he still didn't notice and type of weapon on her smooth, sexy body.
They passed by him under water, swimming like fish possessed. He tracked them as they jumped out where there was no railing on the walkway. They got out of their tails to show max amounts of smooth leg, scooped up their things and ran for the parking lot. Neither one of them had any kind of weapon. And why had Delilah shot?
What the hell was that about?
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Dana, the head of FOAD, like everyone who'd witnessed the 'Connor' craft get blown up, was in a state of confusion. The craft was gone, and so were Cameron and Delilah. They were here one minute, doing stunts and laughing, then the craft showed up, blew up, and they were gone. She ran over to look in the water. Several mermaids were treading water, talking about the explosion, but Cameron and Delilah had disappeared.
"That was a weapon," her co-member Randy, announced. "It came from right there, where THEY were."
"Why would they blow up a tribute to their own ship?" Dana asked.
Randy thought for a moment, then took on a serious look. "Dana, what if the picture we got wasn't their craft, but an enemy that was looking for them?" he asked. "What if what we saw had come here to try to kill them?"
Dana's jaw dropped at the implication. "That thing might still be after them!" she said weakly.
"Yeah. They saw it, they destroyed it and ran. WE scared them away."
Dana felt sick. How could they ever make this up to their Alien Dignitaries?
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"So much for staying low keyed. At least it happened fast," Mark said, trying to console Delilah as they headed home. "You were low to the ground, so chances are, with the confusion, no one noticed where that shot came from. Everyone was looking up at the explosion and you got out of there fast. Even witnesses who saw it won't be able to agree on the point of origin."
"Delilah, don't feel bad. We all thought it was a hunter killer," Sarah told her. "You did what you thought was right. You did the safe thing, you destroyed it."
"What idiots would make something like that?" John asked.
"UFO nuts," Mark said. "Those people will do all kinds of weird shit. It was just a coincidence. I doubt they meant to copy a machine designed to kill." He then asked in a light tone, "Hey! How about we stop for ice cream, will that make it all better?"
His words were so ridiculous, John started laughing. Seeing her father laugh, Joan laughed too. Cameron snickered, then Sarah started chuckling at the stupidity.
They stopped for ice cream.
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Back at the park, the mermaids helped collect the debris floating in the water. Tod finally got his senses back enough to cry over 4 years of hard work suddenly being vaporized.
Dana and Randy went into investigative mode. A couple members were videoing Cameron and Delilah. Watching one video from a member right by the rail, he caught them falling off the rail, laughing. Upon someone calling "What's that?" Everyone looked up, including Cameron and Delilah. Delilah's left arm was a blur of motion as she knelt. The picture whited out briefly, then she and Cameron fled into the water. The big orange fireball from the explosion hadn't died out yet, and they had slipped under water and were gone. Everyone had been watching the fireball.
"Back it up, frame by frame," Dana coaxed. They watched the Aliens back out of the water and just before Delilah was back on her knees, Dana said "Stop! Look at her arm."
When Delilah had lowered her arm, there was no hand on the end. He whole arm was cylindrical, like a gun barrel. Frame by frame, they watched the end of her arm slowly reform back into a hand and wrist just before she hit the water.
"My God, her arm is a weapon!" Randy said.
"Yes, some kind of energy weapon." Dana agreed. "No hesitation, she saw it, shot, then they fled."
"That's totally amazing!" Randy cried.
Dana pursed her lips and said, "If the government finds out about this, they will take her to area 51 and experiment on her."
"We can't tell anyone about this," Randy said. "We tell everyone there was a flaw with the model, that's why it blew up."
"Yes, we must," Dana agreed.
.
Since Allison had ridden with the Connors, Daniel and Claire also came up to the house. It wasn't Sunday, but they decided to have a BBQ anyway. Cameron and Delilah got their tails back on for the girls. Mark and Derek took on the grilling duties. John and Sarah kept an eye on the news and latest videos that were put up on the net to see how much they had to worry about.
Entertaining their family, Cameron and Delilah found out they could do 'tail stands', which was a hit, and jump out of the water to land flat on the patio, which caused a few winces from the SLAP they made when they landed.. That was a fast way of getting out of the pool.
The only news, on the local evening news was word of the model space ship the FOAD people had made, blew up due to a design flaw, and no one was injured. That and a couple clips of mermaids swimming with their club was all that was said. There was a clip of Cameron and Delilah jumping clear of the water. They didn't see anything to worry about.
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Another charity event was going to be held before school started again. This one was going to be a festival type event, with carnival games and a couple shows. Delilah wanted to try out her original song. Talking with Cameron and Claire, Claire thought a song by Delilah and Cameron dancing would be something people would want to see.
John helped Delilah with the lyrics. He thought it was risky, but then again, if she did it right, it could be a hit. It also could be a disaster if anyone thought it was real. It was a bold plan, and both Cameron and Delilah wanted to do it, so he decided to keep the details from Sarah and hope for the best. They did have makeup and props to make.
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Greg walked though the park. Around him, people were gathering in clumps talking about that weird explosion. It wasn't the explosion he was thinking about.
Delilah had been sitting on the piece of shore between the walkway railing and the water. Her and Cameron in their mermaid tails. They had been doing silly stunts and having fun. They suddenly, like a wild west gunslinger, in one motion Delilah pulled herself to her knees and pointed her left arm at something flying above the falls. The shot, he guessed it was, came a blink after she aimed. Just like Clint Eastwood, but much deadlier.
Delilah didn't have a gun. Greg knew she didn't. He'd been watching her smooth form race through the water and do amazing jumps. Yet she'd pointed her arm and shot some kind of blindingly bright object. She didn't throw it, there was no throwing motion. She shot it, and it streaked out to obliterate whatever was flying. That bright ball was shot right from her arm. It flew like a bullet and totally destroyed that craft.
Right after she shot, he thought her arm looked funny, but before he got a good look, she'd rolled over and slipped under water. Cameron followed right behind, then like a pair of torpedoes they had shot past him near the bottom.
Greg kept replaying the scene in his head as he slowly walked through the park. It was something like he'd expect to see on TV or in a movie. Only this wasn't special affects. It was real, he knew who it was who did it.
He heard some people talking about frightening Cameron and Delilah away. Pausing he looked over at the group. Frighten them away? That broad was kidding, right? They were talking about the Iron Maiden and the Bulldozer. Two of the toughest people he'd ever seen.
Delilah could draw and shoot like the friggin Sundance Kid. But shoot what? She had no weapon, at least that he saw. Before or after the shot, there wasn't any object visible in her hand or on her person. He would have, and did notice every bulge on her. Delilah had some nice bulges and curves.
In his wandering, he heard a Park Ranger call as he was heading this way. Greg stopped.
"Excuse me, did you see what happened here?" the Ranger asked.
Greg pointed to the top of the falls and said, "Something blew up, up there. I have no idea what."
"That's it, you didn't see anything else?"
"Not really sir. That was strange enough."
"OK, thanks," the Ranger said and went on to other to keep asking questions.
Greg decided he was done here for the day. For some reason, he kept seeing an image of Delilah on a wild west street, wearing a wide brim hat, brown duster, a US Marshall badge, and wearing dual six-guns on her hips. OK, that was a hot, bad-ass image.
.
The coming festival was going to be an all day event. Again, all proceeds were going to charity, and all workers were volunteers. Well, Daniel was volunteering but Cameron was still paying him a full day's wage. Talking to a couple buddies, Daniel scared up a whack-a-mole machine, a couple pin ball machines and a bowling machine. Someone else brought some video game machines, including an original Donkey-Kong. There was a dunking game in which the high school Principal and a couple teachers volunteered to sit on the seat above the pool. A couple guys were bringing BB guns for some shooting skills games. Unlike the normal carnival guns, people would actually have a chance to hit something and win some prizes. A couple environmental groups and had information booths and there were the required fried dough and hot dog stands.
Since they had to bring everything, Daniel got to work with John and Derek building the stage unit Delilah and Cameron were going to use. They started with a trailer frame so the whole thing could be towed. That, and a lot of lumber. With the drawings and dimensions Cameron gave them, they build a half round performance stage with a shadowed area in the back. The stage was on the back of the trailer, the shadowed area was towards the front with a rear exit door and a closet to hold their props. Over the front of the stage a curtain rod was put up to close the stage off with a simple white curtain.
While the boys began the structure of the stage and Delilah and Cameron practiced and got their routine down. Although John and everyone was eager to see what they were gong to do, Cameron and Delilah kept it a secret.
Claire got them registered and put on the list of attractions. She wanted to see what Cameron and Delilah were going to do also, and she too like everyone else, was told it was a secret.
.
The day of the festival, John drove the Jeep down to the grounds towing the trailer. Their spot was marked out, a coordinator showed him the place they were to set up. He got the trailer in place and blocked up, parked the jeep and went up to the shut trailer door.
"Can I see yet?" John asked as he knocked.
The door opened part way. Cameron stuck her head out. "Come in, but don't tell."
John went in. By the light from the open roof hatch, he noted Cameron was in a form fitting dull black suit. Hanging on a peg was the full coverage head cover. Delilah had changed into ... rags. The one arm of her long sleeve shirt had a big tear in it. Silver showed through the rip. Her hair was ruffed up and another silver line ran from her forehead, down her temple. Her fingers were mostly bare metal and she just put on the most worn out jeans with splits and frays, silver showing in one rip.
"What did you do to yourself?" John cried at her.
Delilah cast John a smile and said, "I uglied up." Holding up a hand, she wiggled her bare fingers and said, "Other places I used pieces of aluminum to simulate metal showing. I morphed my fingers to look like bare endoskeleton."
"Why?" John cried. "You can let people see you like this!"
"It's part of the act, John," Cameron explained.
Cameron took a crumbly stone out of the closet and said, "She's going to sing to a gravestone. I'll be behind her dancing. You'll see when we start. Could you open and shut the curtain for us?"
John eyed them. "OK, but, I don't think Delilah should be showing metal in public. We try to avoid that," he told them.
"It will be fine John," Delilah assured him. "It will all make sense, I promise."
John let out a sigh and said, "I hope you know what you're doing."
"We have shows at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM," Cameron told him. "We will look normal between shows." She then kissed him and said, "It will be fine, John."
Delilah kissed him and said, "Trust us."
John winced and said, "I do, but my stomach doesn't."
9 am came early to John. A crowd was gathering outside the stage. From inside, Cameron called out, "This is called the thousand year Lullaby!"
Stilted guitar music started. John gulped and opened the curtain. Delilah was sitting on a rock, looking at a broken headstone in front of her, and she was a mess. Her bare metal fingers were strumming a guitar that had broken strings hanging from it. Her motions were not smooth, but jerky, like she was being as machine like as possible. The roof hatch was shut. Behind her, Cameron was dancing ballet moves in her dull black suit, her head cover making her completely black.
Although the music was stilted, the tone was good and somewhat somber. Delilah then began singing loud, but in a crackly voice
Alone on a gray hill I tread on the dry and withered grass
Going around in my thoughts is your far away place in the sky
.
The petals swaying in the wind are your tender smile
The wind it caresses me like your gentle touch
My words flow on to you on the other side
.
I'll play a song that no one knows
And keep up this broken tone
Even though this body may rust and stop
I'll keep singing to your collapsed stone
.
Although this body of mine is artificial
this heart is dedicated to your song
with my thousand year lullaby
.
Facing the setting sun a faded guitar in my hands
strings hang loose and swaying
a shadowed figure dances to my tune
.
I will always sing this song for you
my worn out fingers duly reflect the light
The melody I hum rides the wind to the other side
.
As long as I can move, I'll keep on singing
my thousand year lullaby
.
Faint cracks of my silver gears
resound the dark gray beat
the reflection on my glass eyes
how fake they must be
.
John noted that as Delilah sang, her voice was slowly becoming weaker and her head movements were jerkier. Her eyes just stared straight, not tracking anything.
Although we can no longer meet under this sky
I'll continue to sing to you on the other side
I will never give up my sung words to you
in my thousand year lullaby
.
When voice fails and my fingers refuse to move
I want again to be with you on the other side
does one like me crossover
after my thousand year lullaby?
.
Delilah's last words were choppy. At the end her head bounced down and stayed. Her hands stopped moving. Cameron ended her dance by hugging Delilah from behind. John closed the curtain
Applause and whistles rose. One man looked at John and asked, "Was that a moving mannequin, or someone in costume?"
"Yeah, it kinda looked like … both," the woman beside him said.
"I think that's the saddest song I've ever heard," another woman said in a sniffle as she clapped.
John got it. Delilah was trying to get them to think about intelligent machines. Machines that were capable of feelings. He smiled at the man and said, "I think you're suppose to decide which it was."
"Well, it certainly wasn't a real robot!" the man stated.
John shrugged and said, "That's up to you."
"The next show's at eleven right? I'll come back and figure it out then!" he stated.
"Can we talk to the performers?" the woman asked.
"I'll see," John told her.
.
It took Cameron a half hour to come out in a normal shirt and shorts. Delilah emerged with a long sleeve shirt and pants, her hair brushed and ponytailed. The woman who wanted to see them was right there. Her gaze went straight to Delilah's fingers.
"How did you do that? The skinny metal fingers, I mean?" the woman asked.
Delilah smiled and said, "Optical trickery."
"That was the best special effects I ever saw. I thought those were your real fingers!"
Delilah raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. "They are."
The woman laughed. "No the other ones, and you played that guitar with them. That's amazing."
"I practiced," Delilah said with a smirk. "Did you enjoy it?"
"I certainly did! That was very original and well done. So, that was you singing? That most have been hard," the woman gushed.
"It was a challenge. We're glad you liked it."
"I'm going to go tell my friends, that HAVE to see that!" the woman said and hurried off.
"You've got a winner," John told his wives.
At ten thirty when Cameron and Delilah went back in the trailer to get ready, people were already starting to gather.
.
The 11 AM show had a big crowd. Delilah and Cameron performed flawlessly. John closed the curtain to a loud round of applause and cheers. The 3 PM show crowd came with cameras, one being from the local news station. After the show, a reporter hung around the trailer with the cameraman and a few curious others.
John knocked on the trailer door. "Girls? A reporter is here and wants to talk to you."
"Give us seven minutes," Cameron called back.
"Seven minutes," he told the dark haired woman.
Delilah and Cameron came out, looking normal except Delilah still had a piece of aluminum tape on her forehead that ran to her temple.
The women turned to the Cameron and said, "This Is Maria Gonzales with Cameron and Delilah Connor. Most people know these two as football stars, but today, they gave that original and heartfelt performance!" Turning back to them, she said, "Delilah, What's that on your forehead?"
Delilah touched it and said, "Aluminum tape to help make me look like a broken down robot. It doesn't come off easy, so I'm going to wait until I get home to get it off. I've got it all over me."
"You did that very well! We know you as playing football, but with this performance and the one you and Cameron did in Gibraltar for the troops, you are both talented singers too! Do you plan to many more performances?"
"The one in Gibraltar, like you said, was for the troops away from home. This was for charity. We don't do it to make money, or plan to go professional."
"Will you be returning to the gridiron this fall?" Maria asked.
Delilah blushed and said, "I won't., I'm going to have a baby so I can't, but Cameron and John will."
"Congratulations! Do you have possible names yet?"
"Not yet. We are discussing the baby's name. We have several possibilities," Delilah told her.
"I wish you the best with you new child. Cameron, that dancing you did, it almost looked like ballet," Maria said and pointed the microphone at Cameron.
"Yes, it was. I have danced Ballet. I find it enjoyable," Cameron replied.
"Wow, Both of you are certainly multi-talented! I am sure you will both do well at whatever you do." Turning back to the camera, Maria said, "This has been Maria Gonzales with the milti-talented Cameron and Delilah Connor. Back to you, Peter!"
With the camera off, Maria asked Delilah, "I have to know, how did you make your fingers so thin? That really looked like you had a metal skeleton on your finger."
"Optical trickery," Delilah said.
Maria grew a grin, "In other words, trade secret?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Thank you for the interview I really appreciate it." Maria said. They all shook hands and Maria left with her Cameraman..
"That went well," John said, happy there were no problems.
His phone rang. He answered it, "John Connor."
"Watson here. We got a problem we would like your help with. There's a man we have that we need answers to vital questions from. Our allowed questioning methods aren't working. Can you give us a hand?"
"When and where?" John asked.
"Give us the place, we'll bring him."
John thought for a moment then said, "That destroyed hill north of the depot. Remember it?"
"I do, when?"
"Tomorrow noon."
"We'll be there." *click*
John folded up his phone. "Girls, we have a job making someone talk."