CH 37
Cameron and Delilah drove out to the hill where the coltan had been stored. Arriving, they found two black government cars there. Men were standing around, two were on either side of a Chinese man in handcuffs.
Colonel Watson walked up to the terminator pair as they got out of their car. He nodded back to the man in handcuffs. "Ling Wang there was caught with secret information on his computer. A virus planted in the data transmitted his location. He was here on a diplomatic visa and claims diplomatic immunity. He refuses to speak to us. I was hoping you two can get something out of him. We have to stay within the limits of the law, and can't do anything to him."
"What do you want to know?" Cameron asked.
"How he got the data. From who, his contacts. As much as you can get," Watson said and handed her a clip on mike. "Just get him to talk, we'll listen."
"Take his cuffs off and leave," Delilah said. "You're not going to want to see this."
"Right." Watson walked back over to the man. He pointed over to Cameron and Delilah and said, "Mr. Wang, you can speak to me now, or I'm going leave you here and those two will ask you questions. They won't be very nice, either."
"I want my lawyer and my Embassy informed!" the Chinese man stated.
"Your funeral," Watson said. "Uncuff him."
They took the cuffs off, got in their cars and left. The Chinese man watched them go, then met Cameron and Delilah who were walking towards him.
"I need a ride ..." he started, and was quieted by Cameron punching him in the mouth. He flew back and hit the ground.
He eyed her malevolently, wiped the blood from his lips and rose, taking a martial arts stance. "I do not like hurting women!"
"I don't mind one bit," Cameron replied. She walked close, he aimed a side kick for her head. She leaned her head into the kick.
TINK
His leg recoiled. Wailing out a scream, Ling fell to the ground, gripping his leg. Cameron picked him up one handed, gave him a rib shot hard enough just to crack a few ribs, then threw him a few yards to land the ground.
Ling gasped for breath as he eyed her from where he landed. "What are you!" he cried.
"My sister has questions. To not answer means pain," Cameron stated flatly.
"I want to contact my embassy!"
"No," Cameron said and kicked him in the thigh. He leg recoiled. He screamed again, rolling over in his agony. Cameron battered him towards a pile of rocks. Light kicks and a couple throws later, he was lying on the ground, holding a broken arm, blood dripped from his nose, and pain was written on his face.
Delilah walked up to him. Grabbing by his shirt, she pulled him upright. "Who is your Embassy?" she asked in a normal tone.
He eyed her and said, "Taiwan."
"And who do you spy for?" she asked.
"You can't do this!" he hissed.
Delilah slammed him into the rock behind him. Flashing her red eyes, she barked, "Tell me the country you spy for!"
Seeing her eyes glow red, he grew wide eyed at seeing something impossible, asked in a squeak, "What.."
"What ain't no country I ever heard of!" Delilah barked. "Do they speak English in 'What'"
"What.." he asked weakly.
"ENGLISH MOTHERFUKER! DO. YOU. SPEAK. IT!" Delilah roared, her eyes growing bright red.
"What..."
Delilah threw him up against a rock. He fell. He looked up in time to see her arm morph into a plasma canon and shoot the rock right above him. The top of the rock exploded. He cried out as bits of hot, exploded rock rained down on him.
Delilah pointed her canon at him. "Say 'What' again! Come on, say 'what' one more god damn time, I DARE ya! I DOUBLE DARE ya!" she roared.
Wide eyes and shaking, Ling worked his mouth a few time before he got out, "I ... forgot..." A dark stain appeared on his crotch.
"Do you like fucking our guys here?" Delilah demanded.
Ling almost said 'what' again in confusion, but whatever that was she was pointing at him kept him quiet. He didn't know what she was, except she was not human. She was some kind of monster more powerful than anything he'd seen, and very angry. He had no doubt she'd kill him if he uttered that word again.
"I don't understand!" he cried.
"You DO know what fucking is don't you?" she barked.
"Yes!"
"Then why are you trying to fuck our guys here?" Delilah asked in a hard tone.
"I … I'm not!" he cried.
"Yes you are Wang, Yes you are! They are responsible for keeping classified data secure, and you go and take it from them. That fucks them over, and REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Tell me who gave you the classified data, right fucking now!" Delilah growled.
"I got it on E-mail!"
Delilah stomped on his foot. A crackling crunch was heard. Ling wailed out in pain. "Who was it from?" she asked in a hard tone.
Ling only cried out in pain. She stomped on his other foot, breaking that one. "I can't hear you!" she yelled.
Ling tried to crawl away from this terrifying woman, but he had too many broken bones to move.
Cameron put a hand on Delilah's shoulder and calmly said, "Let me."
Going over to Ling, Cameron squatted down and pulled him up to sit against the remains of the now small rock. "She will kill you, you know that?" she asked calmly.
In a shuddering breath, he gasped "Yes," as he eyed Delilah fearfully.
Cameron cupped his cheek and made him look at her. "On the other hand, I won't kill you. I will only hurt you every time you do not answer me truthfully. I will hurt you for days on end, relentlessly, and revive you when you pass out. Even get you medical attention to keep you alive and keep on hurting you until you finally go mad. I won't even kill you if you ask me to unless you answer me truthfully."
Even though she spoke calmly, her words terrified him to the bone. He lost control of his bowels as he looked into her now red eyes.
"I can take you to hell, and I'll leave you there," Cameron stated calmly.
Ling burst out crying.
"There, there," Cameron said softly and petted his head, "We can avoid all that agony and having to find out what your balls taste like. All you have to do is tell me who gives you the information you get."
"His name is Swartwood," he said in a choking sob. "He sends me e-mails with the information he gets."
"And where does this Swartwood live?" Cameron asked sweetly.
"San Bernardino, I forgot his address, I have it in my desk at home. Please, don't hurt me any more," he begged.
"You are doing well in avoiding any more pain," she told him calmly. "Who do you give your information to?"
"The Chinese Embassy. They send a courier out with it. I don't know who or how. By air I think."
Cameron smiled at him and said, "Very good, I may not have to make you give your own severed cock a blow job. Where do you live?"
Bit by bit, Cameron extracted everything he knew. She asked questions different ways to ensure he was telling her the truth.
"You won't hurt me any more, will you?" he asked, begging.
"No. No more pain," Cameron assured him. She stood up and told Delilah, "He's all yours." Cameron walked away.
Ling cast a terrified gaze at Delilah and cried, "I told you everything!"
"You did." Delilah agreed and pointed her plasma canon at him. "And now, you get to be a good boy and feed the local wildlife."
"You said you wouldn't hurt me any more!" he cried at Cameron.
"I won't." she replied, stressing 'I'.
The plasma shot Delilah hit him with was enough to carbonized his body down to the bone. The corpse burned as they walked away towards the highway where Watson and his men were waiting.
.
Watson winced as Cameron and Delilah approached. "You got good info from him but that was brutal," he said.
"We are terminators, we complete missions," Cameron stated.
"Ahh, yeah," Watson said, feeling sorry for that guy. "We have a team checking out Lings' house. So far they found Swartwood's address and are setting up a sting. I appreciate the help."
"Cooperation is best," Delilah told him. "We watch out for your interests, you watch out for ours."
"Speaking of cooperation and interests, Captain Cutter and his Admiral had to be let in on our deal. We now have a destroyer to ferry you around if the need comes up," Watson told them.
.
The Governor was hosting a dinner for top athletes of the year at the Governor's Mansion. John, Cameron and Delilah were required to go, as was a few other top athletes from Canyon.
Of course this was going to be a formal event. John had his tux, Cameron wore a dark purple dress that bore a low back and medium neckline with a thigh high slit up the side. Delilah's dress was the same style, only black. With silver necklaces, crystal ear rings and bicep length gloves that matched their dresses and made up, John thought his wives were the prettiest things he'd ever seen.
Going to the college, there was a tour bus there to take them to Sacramento. Delilah hoped this trip to Sacramento was going to be better than the last one. Getting on the bus, others thought Cameron and Delilah looked great too. Everyone was dressed in at least suits and dresses, but John noted his wives seemed to shine a little more than most. It made him feel good.
Once everyone was on and all the names were checked off, Coach Benson got up and came back to where John and his wives were sitting. "Now that I have cornered you here," he announced, which caused a few chuckles. He took a rolled up paper out, unrolled it and announced, "Cameron Connor, you have been named Most Valuable Player as Quarterback in this year's football season. Congratulations and thank you for your outstanding efforts."
"Thank you, "Cameron said and accepted her award.
Coach Benson did the same with another paper then said, "Delilah Connor, you have been named Most Valuable player, linebacker and left safety in this year's football season. Congratulations and thank you for your outstanding efforts."
"Thank you," Delilah said and accepted her award.
"Thank you," he told them. "And in the future, if you're going away on vacation in Gibraltar, just say so!" Which caused a few more chuckles.
"Ahh, Coach?" Delilah said. Seeing she had his attention, she added, "I'm going to have a baby."
"Then you'll have to be benched. Congratulations. Boy or girl?" he asked.
"We don't know yet."
"Make sure you tell us when you do." He told her and found a seat.
The young woman with the afro sitting in front of them turned around to asked, "You're pregnant?"
"That is what 'going to have a baby' means," Delilah replied.
"A bun in the oven, knocked up, the rabbit died, the sausage planted a seed, Hubby struck a home run," Cameron offered.
"You're not going to get an abortion?" the girl asked, looking confused.
"No. If I didn't want a baby, I wouldn't be having one," Delilah told her.
"No other girl in college has a baby, you're only hurting yourself," the girl stated.
"Wrong, I have a child, and Delilah is not hurting herself by having a child." Cameron stated.
"Well excuse me!" the woman snapped. "SOME of us like to have a life!"
"We have a life," Delilah said.
"Yeah? We went to lake Tahoe for vacation, where'd you go?" the woman challenged.
"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Rock of Gibraltar. We saw the sights and gave a concert for the troops away from home," Delilah replied.
"With a baby?"
"Actually, I stayed home with Joan," John said. "This was something Delilah and Cameron wanted to do by themselves. But If I had wanted to, I could have gone and so could have Joan."
The woman glared at him. "OH, I suppose you're the loyal father," she said with a sneer. "So you haven't drifted off to go bang some other woman when she was gone?"
"Why would I?" John asked. "Cameron and Delilah are wonderful wives."
The woman's eyes went wide. "Wives? WIVES! You're one of these low-life, scum bag, polygamist ... Gak!"
During the woman's rant, Delilah stood up and grabbed her hard by the throat, pulling her half out of her seat. Casting a terminator stare at the woman who now had bug eyes and was grasping uselessly at Delilah's wrist, Delilah said flatly. "Unless you show a little respect for our husband, your next words may be your last." She let the woman go and sat back down.
Dropped back into her seat and holding her throat, the woman croaked, "You assaulted me! Everyone saw it!"
"Saw what?" one of the basketball players asked from across the isle.
The Baseball pitcher shrugged and said, "I heard loudmouth going off, insulting Delilah's husband. That's it."
"Hell if anything, I'm jealous of that guy," another ball player said. "Both his wives are H.O.T! If I can find one that looks even close to that friggin sexy as either one of them, I'll be one happy camper!"
Another guy laughed and said, "What a dumb bitch! Only an idiot pisses off The Bulldozer!"
"All right, let's all settle down!" The baseball coach called from the front.
From ahead of her, another guy looked back over his seat and said, "Tamara? That's Delilah Connor. Do yourself a favor and don't spout off to them. She will twist you in a knot and throw you out the window. If she doesn't, Cameron probably will. Don't fuck with those two!"
Tamara got up and moved to the front of the bus.
The guy they gave Delilah a thumbs up and said, "You guys look super hot in mermaid tails, pure grace and beauty. You swim awesome too!"
"Thank you," Cameron and Delilah chorused with a smile.
.
Thankfully, there were no other spats along the way. The ride was long. it was late afternoon when the bus pulled into the hotel they were staying at. The coaches got their rooms and passed out the keys. The baseball coach announced, "The dinner starts at six, security will be by at five thirty to brief us and make sure everyone is ready. Find your rooms and freshen up. We meet down in the lounge at quarter after five. Don't be late!"
It was quarter to five. John and his wives went up to their room. Other than checking their makeup and some hair brushing, there was no time for anything else. They went back down to find security was already arriving. Some men brought in a metal detector and set it up. The coaches were talking with one of the dark blue suited security men. Cameron went over to them.
"Coach Benson, are you aware Delilah and I have metal plates in our heads?" Cameron asked.
The security man smiled and said, "We can isolate those, Ma'am. It's not a worry."
"Will your machine pick up the supports we have in our arms and legs?" Cameron asked.
"Arms and legs too?" the man asked, frowning like he didn't quite believe her.
"I wasn't told about this," Coach Benson said, eyeing her.
"We never thought it was important," Cameron replied.
The Security man said, "I'll get a female officer down here. We'll wand you two separately."
Listening, John decided he better get on the phone to Watson and tell him what was up.
.
"Attention everyone!' the lead Security Officer said. "We are going to board the bus. Make a single line and one by one, come through the metal detector, then proceed directly to the bus. Cameron Connor, Delilah Connor, please follow this officer," he said, motioning to a female agent.
Cameron and Delilah walked out. following the other woman past the metal detector. She took them outside and into a van.
"Badge ID's please," the woman asked. Watson had told them to always carry them. They pulled their badges out of their hand purses and showed them.
The woman nodded and asked, "You are not carrying any weapons?"
"We have no firearms, no," Delilah stated.
"No knives either?"
"No knives," Cameron stated.
"Why would we need weapons? We're going to a dinner, aren't we?" Delilah asked.
The woman cracked a grin and said, "You are. This is just for the Governor's protection. I'll escort you to the bus."
Cameron and Delilah were some of the first ones back on the bus. They sat at the ends of one seat, saving a place for John.
A few seats up, Tamara glanced back at them. "Why didn't they have to go through the metal detector?" she asked the girl next to her.
The girl hissed at her, "They are government agents. You didn't know that?"
"What the hell are they doing in our college, spying on us?" Tamara cried.
"Going to school and playing football," Coach Benson said.
"I don't feel safe with them here!" Tamara announced.
Several voices called, "Tough shit lady!"
John had to laugh.
.
The Governor had everything planned perfectly. There was still some resistance to his gun confiscation bill. This dinner would cement his position and with enough outrage, he'd get it passed so only authorized police would be able to own any kind of weapon, and all gun stores would be forced to close.
The dinner was a great idea, nothing like screaming women to push a point. Looking at who was coming, he noted that the two female MVP football players were sexy looking things. He had them seated near the head of the table on his right. The female basketball player had a great shape too, she'd be on the other side of the table on his left, along with the acrobatic girl who was too slim for his tastes, but still pretty enough to be near him.
His loyal guard, Geraldo was in on the plan. He knew when to yell and shoot. In the chaos, and the gunman dying, no one would question what happened. He just had to be sure had his vest on. The call he got to inform him that two of his guests were bonafied alien visitors with 'Diplomatic Immunity' status, helped also. He could persuade them to rally to his cause. He would love hearing them scream for the 'poor' Governor.
.
The Governor's mansion was impressive. Getting off the bus, a woman collected the players and coaches and led them like a tour guide around the grounds and in the mansion.
"Very pretty," Cameron said as they walked along the wide hallway with the tall ceilings.
"It seems strange," Delilah noted. "All this wealth shown here, but there's tons of people living in the streets."
"That's government for you," John replied.
"Don't make it right," Tamara grumbled.
"Few things are," John agreed.
In the front, their tour guide said, "We're coming to the dinning room. Please note your seats, everyone's name is at your place mat. Everyone stands in a line. When the Governor comes in, he will greet everyone, then everyone takes their seats together. Any questions? … good, lets go in."
The dinning room was just as grand, with a large California bear over the Governor's seat. John and his wives found their seats. Cameron was right at the end, near the Governor, then Delilah, then John. Delilah switch his and her place mats around.
"You stay between us, John," she told him.
John grinned. "I know my place," he told her.
Growing a smirk, Cameron whispered, "Yes, the meat in our terminator sandwich."
John laughed and said, "What a happy piece of meat I am."
People got their places noted, then they formed the 'receiving line' for the Governor. He came in all smiles and shook each person's hand, 'very glad to see them'. Cameron noted, as Delilah did, his pulse rate and body temperature was off. The man was nervous about something. They looked at each other, but didn't say anything. John note the Governor had locked onto the chest of almost every woman he met.
They all went over to the table and sat down. A Cameraman was past the end, catching the 'event'.
John seated Cameron, then Delilah before taking his own seat. Seeing this the Governor smiled and said, "It is good to see there are proper gentlemen."
"Thank you sir," John replied, casting him a quick smile.
To the table in general, the Governor announced, "I wanted to show my appreciation for all your hard work. You are all athletes of distinction, the cream of the crop of our state! You are the examples of what our youth today should be. I am proud of each and every one of you …"
Cameron sat only half listening as he said the same thing four different ways. Her hearing was tuned up. By his body motions and the readings she was getting, he was excited or worried about something. She hadn't decided which, but thought it prudent to pay close attention to her surroundings.
After the Governor's too long of a speech, servers came in from the door in front of her. She heard someone behind her, one of the security men. He had shuffled in place a few times now. She keyed for sounds behind her. She looked at Delilah. Delilah met her gaze and flicked her eyes behind them. Cameron nodded. Something was going to happen from behind.
Coaches took their turns to thank the Governor for his support, and point out their 'star' athletes. The Governor spoke to each one, being cordial. Cameron caught him flicking his eyes behind her.
"Cam, what's up?" John asked quietly.
"I don't know. Something. Be ready to duck, fast," she told him.
Tamara was talking to the Governor when Cameron heard the distinctive click of a gun coming off safety. Delilah barked, "Gun!"
Things happened fast.
John ducked down. Cameron, knowing the Governor was the most likely target, shot up and covered him. She felt two shots smack into her back, then a third. The Governor cried out like he had been shot.
Delilah, hearing the gun and seeing a man approach with a gun underneath a polished box he was carrying, stood up and flung her plate of food at him. He got two shots off before the plate exploded against the side of his head, knocking him out and down. He fell to the side. The guard behind him shot, but missed him and shot Cameron in the back. Her meal spread out to spatter on both men and wall. Cameron had pushed the Governor to the floor and turned to see the gunman dressed as a waiter was down, and the security man staring at her.
Delilah snapped her had back and forth and assessed what happened. She pointed to the guard and yelled, "Drop it NOW!"
Then the screaming and general diving under the table began. Other guards had gotten their guns out, but no one else shot.
The security man stood still, staring at Cameron. Delilah grabbed a clean napkin off the table and used it to take his gun away from him. "On the floor, hands behind your head!" she barked.
The man dropped to his knees, still staring at Cameron. Delilah planted him face down on the floor. "Stay there, do. Not. Move!" Delilah ordered.
Cameron, showing three red bullet holes trickling blood on the bare portion of her back looked around and yelled, "Clear!" Seeing the cameraman, she pointed to him and yelled, "That camera, keep it rolling!"
More security flooded the room, guns out and searching for trouble. The Governor was quickly taken off to the kitchens. Cameron went over to the KO'd gunman and kicked his gun away. "Delilah, you got the other one?"
"He's safe, that guy alive?"
"He is. You knocked him unconscious."
"I'm security Chief, what happened?" a man barked.
Delilah pointed as she said, "That man tried to shoot the Governor, Cameron covered the Governor with her body, so he shot her instead. I hit him with a plate and knocked him out, then that guard shot Cameron in the back. I put him on the floor and took his gun," she explained, and showed him the gun.
"Who are you?"
"Delilah Connor, Special Agent, Homeland Security. That's Cameron Connor, Special Agent, Homeland security. Our badges are over there, in our purses on the table. I need someone to call The regional Office, ASAP."
"She's shot?" he asked. Cameron turned around so he could see the bullet holes trickling blood.
The man gaped at her. "We need an ambulance!" he called behind him.
"No ambulance!" Cameron stated, "Call the Regional Homeland Security Office."
"HOW in the hell are you even standing up?" he cried.
"I'm calling," John said as he got up and on his phone.
Seeing the cameraman was still filming, Cameron announced, "The first two slugs that hit me from the first gun were low powered, they barely went through my flesh. The third was an anti-personnel round that shattered when it hit my skeleton, there's pieces of it spread out in a six inch circle. If I was human, my insides would be jelly."
John told her, "Watson's on his way with a team. He said no one leaves this room!"
"Who is Watson?" the leader asked.
"Colonel Watson, of Homeland Security," John told him. "Since Cameron has been shot, this had become a National Security matter. Agent Delilah is in charge at the scene until he gets here." he grabbed some napkins and went over to Cameron.
"Wait, John, don't take them out until Watson gets here," Cameron told him.
"OH MY GOD!" Tamara cried, seeing the bullet holes in Cameron. And not only was she alive, but standing up and acting like they were nothing.
"Security, shut the doors, seal this room," Delilah commanded. She went over to the table and got her badge and showed it to the lead security man.
Begrudgingly, he did as she asked.
.
Sitting in his 'safe' room' the Governor was happy with the results until one of his men informed him of what was gong on.
"Sir, The shooter put two into Cameron Connor's back when she covered you. The guard who was suppose to kill him, hit her with one also."
"She'd dead?" he asked.
"No sir, she's helping to calm the others at the moment." the man said with a wince. "The shooter was knocked out by a flying plate. Your man missed and hit Cameron Connor. He's on the floor, Delilah Connor put him there, he's going to be under arrest. The shooter has come around, he wasn't killed. Homeland Security is on their way."
"WHAT?"
"Yes, sir, It's not looking good. Cameron won't let anyone take the bullets out until her superior gets here. Delilah Connor has both guns. The room is locked down, and there's a camera in there getting all the footage of what's going on. California PD is also sending a detective and forensics. Homeland Security will be investigating."
Looking lost, the Governor said, "We have to salvage this somehow."
.
Delilah kept the 'gunman', isolated by himself. The guard who shot Cameron, not far away. John stayed by Cameron, helping to keep the two men isolated. The happy diners were all gathered on the other end of the room, not looking very happy. The unfinished dinner was on and by the table on the floor from people diving for cover from the gunshots.
Coach Benson called over. "Cameron you really need medical attention! PLEASE let someone tend to you!"
"I'm fine coach, Colonel Watson will be here soon. I heard his helicopter land," Cameron told him.
"How can you hear that from in here?"
The doors opened up, solders wearing Homeland Security chest and back labels came in, followed by Watson and Police detectives. "Connor, what's the status?" he called.
Delilah told him what happened and gave him the video camera. "It's all here, sir."
"Cameron, I want those bullets," he ordered.
"John?" Cameron asked then grabbed a chair to sit and bend forward.
The first two slugs were easy to get out, all but at skin level. The last was deep and spread out. The whole room watched John pulled the bullets out under the scrutiny of the CA Detectives and Watson.
It didn't take long for them to come to the conclusion that the 'gunman's bullets weren't going to kill anyone. They were hard rubber, meant for crowd control. The Gunman himself came around and said he was set up. He was paid to 'shoot' the Governor, then he was suppose to escape out the way he came in. The guard who'd been against the wall cracked under pressure and admitted he knew a gunman was coming, and was to shoot to kill. The rest of the bullets in his gun were found to be more anti-personnel rounds that split apart on impact to do maximum damage, not standard pistol rounds. His gun was the only one of the guards' guns loaded like that.
Since Cameron had caught all the bullets, Watson had both men arrested on federal charges for the attempted murder of a foreign diplomat and took the video camera as evidence. By their statements, as well as the evidence that was found, he had the Governor arrested for staging a crime against a foreign diplomat. He informed everyone that this was a national Security matter, and a criminal investigation. They could speak to no one about it until they were summoned to court.
They all cried for lawyers, especially the Governor, but under Homeland Security laws, no lawyer had to be appointed, nor had to be present during the initial interrogation stage. Only after they were formally charged did they get lawyers.
And Watson would decide when they were formally charged.
.
On the way back to the hotel, everyone on the bus was silent. Cameron's voice seemed loud as she twitched and said, "John, I think you missed a piece. It still itches."
"I'll get it out when we get to our room. Sorry I missed it," he replied.
"It's fine, John. There were a lot of pieces," she assured him.
"Cameron, how are you still alive after that?" Tamara asked weakly.
"Classified," Cameron said flatly. "Didn't you hear Colonel Watson? We can't talk about it. All I can say is we aren't human."
"Good thing too, or you'd be dead," a guy added.
"No shit. No one takes three rounds in the middle of their back and keeps going," another guy said.
"Hey, she IS the Iron Maiden," a girl added.
No one disagreed with that.
.
The next morning, the news beat them home. By the time the bus pulled into the parking lot at Canyon, the 'sketchy' details of an assassination attempt on the Governor only said two men had been arrested and one woman who had been at the dinner had been shot. No further details, but plenty of speculation was being offered.
Needles to say, every girl that went got calls from parents and relatives to find out if they were all right. Through this, word was leaked out that Cameron had been shot protecting the Governor. Many told of Cameron taking three bullets at close range into her bare mid back. From the initial unofficial word, word did spread through the grapevine.
By the time the bus pulled into the parking lot, the story that was around grew was that Cameron died a hero protecting the Governor, desperately clinging to him as a mad gunman emptied his semi auto pistol into her. A huge crowd, including a couple reporters, were there to give their condolences to Cameron's family and her fellow team mates. All through the crowd were tears and sad faces.
.
On the bus, Cameron saw this and heard a couple of the more wild rumors, like Cameron went down going for the gunman and was so shot up when she finally fell, she splattered blood in a eight foot diameter.
She didn't even have that much blood in her body.
"Driver, Coaches, please let me get off first," Cameron asked. "I want to talk to everyone. There is some wild rumors going around."
"Go ahead," Coach Benson said. As she walked by, he noted she had Band-Aids covering two of the hole and a real 4 inch square pad bandage on the third. She stepped off the bus. The crowd quieted down briefly, then cheering arose.
The two reporters came close, and people packed in. Cameron held her hands up and yelled, "Please listen!"
"Tell us, what happened" a reporter cried.
Speaking loudly, Cameron said, "I can only tell you what I know for certain. Delilah saw the gun and yelled. I was close enough to cover the Governor, Delilah flung a plate at the gunman to stop him. He did shoot twice rapidly before the plate hit him and knocked him out. The guard behind him shot, meaning to hit him, but missed and hit me. The first two bullets were weak, almost like they were from a BB gun. They barely put holes in my skin. Those wouldn't have killed anyone. The last one was a real shot, an anti-personnel round. That one really hurt. Due to that round being split into sections, when it hit my skeleton, it shattered into small pieces, spreading to the sides. Yes, it really hurt but did minimal damage. That is all I can say, so if you would please, I would like to go home and rest now."
"How are you even standing up?" one reporter cried.
"It's not easy. Remember, I'm not human. I still hurt and need to go rest," Cameron replied.
John came off next and yelled, "People! Cameron has been shot, giver her a break, huh?"
That quieted the questions.
He got off and put an arm around Cameron. Cameron put an arm around his shoulders, feigning using him for support. Delilah got off and got on Cameron's other side. The reporters and crowd made room for them to walk away. Some even did what they could to help clear the way. The cameras videoed Cameron walking away with her mates.
The rest of the people getting off the bus weren't so luck.
.
That night, Cameron relaxed with the entire family. Claire insisted on seeing Cameron was fine and hauled her family up to the mansion. Hearing Cameron had been hurt, both Joan and Allison hugged her, sniffling until they fell asleep in her arms. The plan was to watch TV and relax, but every station had the 'Breaking news', which included Cameron's talk when she got off the bus. Of course the reporters pestered everyone they could find. The Governor's mansion was giving 'no comment' until the matter was fully investigated, neither were the police, so Cameron's report of the event was played again and again, with commentators trying to puzzle out why a gunman bent on killing the Governor would bring such a weak weapon, and why a security guard would have such lethal 'murder' rounds in his gun.
Since it was late, Claire and Daniel stayed the night, which made Allison and Joan happy. Allison got to sleep in Joan's room with her. Which meant they stayed up and played most of the night. It also gave Daniel and Claire some good 'alone time' in their guest house.
.
Max Weinstein, the Governor's lawyer, was shocked when he found out the Governor was handcuffed and taken away to an unknown location. He contacted Homeland Security in Washington, listing all the legal reasons why the Governor could not be arrested, and demanded his immediate release. He was told the charges were treason based and being investigated. Under the treason act, until the charges were formally filed, legal representation was not required. He couldn't even get the specifics of the charges.
Talking to the Lt. Governor, they decided to put media pressure on the department and the President, as well as go ahead with the plan to push for the gun bill. They contacted a news station sympathetic to them to do an interview. In their discussion, they agreed that to have the most impact, they should have the woman who was shot there to verify this had been an attempt to kill the Governor to prove his innocence.
The clips of Cameron talking about what happened to her went away. State Police confiscated every one. Stations were warned now to talk about details of the incident. They also did a search to find out where Cameron Connor lived. They needed to get her on their side.
.
John Henry had control of three nodes routing Internet traffic, two were in California. Duplicating himself into these nodes, he listened to everything that went over the internet. When requests came through for Cameron's address, he sent back the location of an abandoned house in Pasadena. It had been foreclosed and no one officially lived there. He informed Mrs. Weaver of this and Colonel Watson.
While The Lt. Governor was working the media, Colonel Watson had a meeting with the President and got authorization to make the Connor house an official embassy for off-world entities. He also got Diplomatic plates for their vehicles.
.
John thought it was too much to put 'Off World Entity Embassy' plates on each side of the entrance gates, as well as the plates on their cars. In his mind, it made them stand out. He didn't like standing out, and he knew it was making his mother very nervous.
There was one good thing about it, even if anyone wanted to arrest Sarah, they could not get into the mansion to do so.
John and Derek put the Embassy plates on the outside of the gates. Going back in, they close the gates to find a police car approaching, with another car behind it. The cars stopped at the gate.
"What are they doing here?" John asked
Three uniformed officers and a man in plain clothes came up to the gate. The man in plain clothes held up a paper and said, "I have a warrant here to search this premises and one to arrest Cameron Connor on charges of suspected attempted assassination of the Governor. Open the gates."
Derek eyed them and said, "Unless we've been lied to, they only way you can get in is to be invited in. This is an Embassy."
"Open the gates, or we will get them open." The man stated.
"John, go get your wives, tell them we got a problem here," Derek said.
John left at a jog.
One of the cops looked to the side. "Detective, you need to see this," he said and pointed to the plaque on the wall.
The detective studied it and said, "That's fake." To Derek, he said, "Open these gates or you will be arrested for obstructing justice."
"No, I won't," Derek stated.
"Officers, pry that gate open," The detective said.
Derek drew his pistol. "I would highly advise against that," he said firmly.
"You have a permit for that?" the detective asked.
"Don't need one. I'm on Embassy grounds. This is not part of the state of California."
"We don't want a confrontation if this IS an embassy," one Officer told the Detective.
"Sir, we need to leave and get confirmation," the other Officer said.
"If it was, you're right," the detective agreed. "I have no information that it is. It wasn't even suppose to be occupied. Open the gates."
"Sir, we need to back off," the Officer stated.
Casting Derek a stern look, the detective said, "If I leave and come back, it will be with a SWAT team, and we WILL be getting in. Open the gates and save yourself a world of trouble."
The creaking of tracks sounded out. Derek glanced behind him to see the bulldozer tank coming down the drive. The EV 2 was parked out in the center of the drive circle, the minigun was pointed this way. Delilah was standing on the roof of the front entryway. Derek turned back and cracked a grin. "If you want a war, bring whoever you want. You won't be getting in."
"Oh shit," One officer said weakly.
The bulldozer tank creaked to a stop thirty feet from the gate. Cameron popped her head out the top hatch and said, "Derek, take cover!"
Derek holstered his pistol and said, "It will soon really suck to be you." He walked back behind the tank and headed for the house.
"We'll block the road farther down," the detective stated. The police got back In their cars and left.
At the same time, John Henry blocked the 'statement' from Sacramento by the Lt. Governor stating threat they had found it was a conspiracy to kill the Governor and Cameron had been leading it, and she was currently being arrested. All these communications were dumped as viruses except for in the areas he knew Supported Cameron.
Young people who knew the truth quickly rose up in protest at this news.
.
It was very unusual for any law enforcement to come into the House of Representatives. The room was packed, Senate members were also present. Every committee member was down in front. This day, Colonel Watson came to address congress in a closed session. A large monitor was set up behind the podium.
Colonel Watson came up to the podium and said, "Greetings, honorable representatives and Senators. There has been much talk, and argument about the alleged assassination attempt at the Governor's mansion in Sacramento, California, and the arrest of the Governor. Congress had demanded answers. I have been directed by the President to show what happened that night and explain the details. I have video footage of the event, as well as sworn statements that are evidence in the coming trial. This is a classified briefing, not to be discussed outside this room. I am sure you all understand what that means. If you do not, then I will remind you that sharing sensitive classified information is grounds for impeachment., and I will pursue charges if I deem it necessary."
He turned the monitor on. A still of the dinning table came up, with the Governor at the head. "This is just prior to the incident. Note that the Governor is at the head of the table, Cameron Connor is sitting at the end on the left next to him, next is John Connor, then Delilah Connor. Servers are coming and going from the door on the right, on the extreme left is a guard."
He played the video until a waiter stepped in through a door on the left, and stopped it. "Here, this waiter comes in carrying a box. His back is to the guard on the left. Watch him closely."
He played the video until a gun was seen under the box, and stopped it.
"Now, you can see his gun. You can also see Delilah Connor has turned her head to see him. I will single frame so you can clearly see what happens next."
The waiter aimed his gun under the box, Delilah grabs her plate and Cameron jumped up in front of the Governor.
"At this point, Delilah Connor yelled gun. Cameron Connor is up and John Connor in the middle is ducking. The Governor hasn't moved, you can see others at the table, and another guard looking at Delilah, reacting to Delilah's yell. The Governor did not. Over here on the left, the guard is reaching for his gun."
He single framed as Delilah's plate and food went flying. Cameron was covering the Governor.
"First shot from the waiter. Cameron is hit," he explained pointing out the details.
He single framed to just before the plate his the waiter's head.
"Second shot. Cameron is hit again. The guard on the left has drawn, over here, on the right, you can see the other guards are now also drawing and heading for the Governor. Cameron has her hands on the Governor, pushing him out of his chair. Keep in mind, the guard on the left has no line of sight on the gun. He can't know the waiter has the gun, yet he drew first before anyone else. Due to being in a sitting position, and looking that way, Delilah Connor is THE only one who could possibly have seen it. The other guards realize where the threat is, due to Delilah flinging her plate at the gunman in a desperate attempt to stop him."
He single framed to where the plate exploded against the waiter's head. "Here, Delilah's aim is true, her plate hit, knocking the waiter unconscious. You can see his knees are already buckling."
He single framed to the guard's gun going off.
"Here, the guard shoots. As you can see, the waiter is all but on the floor. Yet, he shoots anyway, and hits Cameron Connor a third time. Delilah is headed for the waiter, the Governor is on the floor from Cameron Connor's push to get him out of the line of fire."
Addressing the assembly, Watson stated. "There was no reason for the guard on the left to shoot. The perp was going down. He shot anyway. What he shot was not a standard round. Standard rounds are solid, meant to hit and disable. A good shot will kill, yes, but as long as it hits, it will disable the perp. What he shot and hit Cameron Connor with, was an anti-personnel round. He was the only guard in the room to have his gun loaded with them. These rounds are illegal. There was no reason for him to have them in his gun unless he wanted to ensure he killed whoever he hit. Luckily for Mrs. Connor, she'd not human. When the round hit her skeletal structure, it splattered to the sides, instead of penetrating deep to slice into just about every organ she has. If she was human, her guts would be all over the floor and on the Governor. She was hit, yes, but her tougher skeleton saved her from dying. The bullets from the waiter barely pierced her flesh. These were hard rubber bullets meant for crowd control. Even at very close range, they cannot kill. They do not have the speed or the weight to do anything but inflict minor injuries."
He turned the video off and said, "Statement from the Waiter. 'I was paid to shoot at the governor the escape back the way I came. The one who paid me was one of the guards who would be standing behind me to make sure I got away." We verified this was the case, and the guard had given the man the loaded gun to use."
"This is the statement from the guard, after some interrogation. 'Yes, all right, the Governor said we had to do this, and the gun I was given to give Jake would not hurt the Governor. It was my job to make sure I killed him so he couldn't talk, only that dammed woman hit him with a plate and I missed. I did not mean to shoot a woman in the back.' He did apologize many times for shooting Cameron Connor."
Looking up at the assembly, Watson stated, "This was a criminal conspiracy for murder, and not the Governor. The Governor did arrange this incident for his own political purposes. As for the charges. The victim of the shooting, Cameron Connor, has been identified as a alien dignitary and has been granted Diplomatic Immunity to assist her and Delilah Connor into conforming with the way we live here on Earth and in the United States. Under federal law, shooting her is the same as shooting any other diplomat from a foreign country. Seeing how such things can start wars, it is a serious act of Treason. The shooters who shot her, and the one responsible for the incident, The Governor of California, therefore are charged with treason and will be held without the possibility of bail until their trail date. We have all the video, physical evidence, forensic evidence and statements to prove our case and proceed with the trial. They will be formally indicted next Wednesday."
Watson then collected up his things and walked out as murmurs ran through the assembly.
.
John had relieved Derek from duty in the turret of the bulldozer tank pointed at the front gate. The last time Cameron had slipped out for recon, police were blocking the driveway, with SWAT trucks there, as well as a throng of protesters all around them, shouting out the injustice that they were harassing 'their aliens'. The Connors wisely stayed inside the mansion.
An official black car pulled up to the gates. He poked his head out the top hatch when a man got out of the car. "What do you want?" John called.
"I would like to speak with a Diplomat, please."
Please? These people had not been using that word lately.
"John don't expose yourself," Delilah said as she walked by. She went up to the gate. "Yes?" she asked in a hard tone.
The man offered her a weak smile and said, "I am Doug Henderson from the Attorney General's office in Sacramento. I wish to apologize for the misunderstanding that was caused by certain entities in our government. Your Embassy has been acknowledged, and those who attempted to force their way in have been disciplined. All roadblocks have been cleared away. You are free to come and go. It will not happen again."
"Thank you for the information," Delilah stated and walked away.
"Ma'am!" Henderson called, "May we send a representative?"
Delilah turned and cast him a terminator stare. "Cameron saves your Governor from harm and you send someone to arrest her for attempting to assassinate him? We don't trust you enough to let any of your people near us."
"Please, Mr. Connor, we have protests and riots due to this incident. We would like confirmation that this had ended peacefully!' Henderson begged.
"We'll think about it," she replied. As she came up to John, she climbed up into the driver's hatch. "We can service this one now, the gate is still covered."
Henderson watched Delilah get in. The tank started up and drove back up the driveway. He was glad that a fight hadn't erupted here. No one told him they had tanks.
.
"God Damned aliens," California's Governor grumbled as he watched the news of another riot where cars were being overturned and set on fire. Unlike normal protests and riots where only stores and personal property were destroyed, people were flocking to Sacramento to smash windows in government buildings and holding up signs for his impeachment. Word had leaked out about the 'assassination attempt and the police trying to arrest Cameron Connor. Every UFO nut from across the country was descending on his capital. Of course the Anarchists loved this violence and joined them, as were many college students. Reporters talked to several students who knew Cameron and knew she had been shot trying to save his life.
Many of his cronies turned on him, and laid it on thick about how 'despicable' he was. Somehow, a pirate video came out showing the whole incident. That with the attempted arrest of Connor was what sparked the massive protests.
His political career was over. His life was over. He was going to be dragged through the mud and everything he'd done was going to come under intense scrutiny.
He got up and looked around. He returned to his cell and looked around. Nothing sharp and nothing breakable. There wasn't even someplace high enough to jump from. He settled on walking back out of his cell and lowering his head. He ran as fast as he could go to ram his head against the far wall. Thankfully, he had enough strength to get his large body moving at a decent speed. Bowed over head first, his mass was sufficient to break his neck upon impact and prevent having to live through such humiliation.