Cameron's Expedition
Chapter Thirty-Six – Old Wounds
Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC
This story is set in The Future Cameron's Universe after Cameron's Revenge. It contains characters from my version of the TSCC universe starting with Cameron Grows Up.
TechCom Airborne HKs Enroute…
Buffeting winds did not bother the Terminators in the HKs. The human occupants got tired of bouncing around in short order. Cameron found she disliked it. Not because it physically bothered her, but because John was not with her on the flight.
She did not intend to stay gone long. Cameron's plan was to conduct the raid quickly and successfully. Passing the time she pulled up old files and reviewed them. One of the files was Dr. Johnson lecturing her about the fact she was not the young, spry Terminator she had been when she met her John.
Cameron had argued with the Doctor that her range of motion had not decreased nor her strength, quickness or agility. Her processing speed was actually faster and her hard drive had more storage capacity.
She'd been promptly informed the rate of regeneration of her synthetic flesh was slower and he knew it. Then Cameron was embarrassed to learn the Doctor was aware of the two grey hairs she'd developed. Either John or Sarah, no doubt with good intentions, had ratted her out.
The final straw had been the news her lower right leg was showing signs of metal fatigue and might have to be replaced. Having already lost her lower left leg in combat, Cameron did not relish the replacement process and lengthy period of regeneration that would accompany it.
"Then quit jumping off fifty foot high walls or cliffs or whatever it is you jump off Cameron. Not even Coltan steel can withstand that sort of abuse over as many years as you've been doing that. Go back to dancing and stop abusing your endoskeleton like you have."
Cameron hated being lectured by the Doctor. She also knew if John found out Dr. Johnson had warned her about the need for a leg replacement and she'd disregarded his instructions she would suffer his wrath for extended periods of time. That worried Cameron far more than the idea she'd need a new lower leg. Discord with her John over extended amounts of time, now that was something she would work to avoid.
It occurred to Cameron she was getting older. Machines did wear out, even machines as well made as she was. Humans had to accept the aging process and they alternately complained and joked about it. Catherine had told her it had been necessary for her to slow down in order to maintain control over her matrix.
Spending time more time with John and dancing again did have a certain appeal to it. Once Hailey was married Cameron expected children to be produced and the idea of being a grandmother had an appeal to it. Catherine's bizarre behavior in regard to Savannah suddenly became logical to Cameron.
Get in. Complete the mission objective. Get out. Go back to her John. Resign as the commander of the Silver Brigade. The T-888 who served as her second in command had long ago taken over the administrative tasks involved in commanding the all Terminator unit. He'd also proven himself to be an effective leader in combat.
He would still report to her and she could oversee the unit, its maintenance and training. As TechCom grew, it was inevitable their military forces grew in size to the point other's would have to be entrusted with command of the combat units.
And so Cameron decided, when this current war ended, she would focus solely on protecting her John, acting as clan matriarch and whatever duties her John assigned her as a staff officer. Besides, Mary and Grace had been pestering her to dance again.
Another hard jolt from turbulence helped confirm for Cameron it was time to make the change.
TechCom Silver Brigade – Able Company – 2nd Platoon…
Everything was ready for the arrival of Commander Connors and the reinforcements. The newly minted Captain called up his HUD and went through his checklist on the menu.
The last of the T-600s had been sprayed with a green matte finish with brown and black patches in order to prevent them from being visually detected. He hated having it done as the T-600s always had an outbreak of routine maintenance issues after having the camouflage applied. Not to mention the incessant muttering from the metal only cyborgs who despised the practice. He'd had to resort to mentioning Commander Connor herself was going to lead the raid and had ordered the use of the hated matte paint to silence the grumbling.
Word from the infiltrators was the convoy transporting the "object" would arrive in the ambush zone in 3-4 hours. Flankers had been deployed as well as Spiders and drones.
The kill zone had been prepared accordingly with heavier than normal use of Teller Mines. Handheld surface to air Stingers had been prepositioned and RPGs issued to every third Terminator. Commander Conner would arrive with a full company of Terminators with two platoons of Airborne to be held in reserve. The clincher was the Gunship HK.
The T-800 wanted the raid to go well. He did not like the thought of having to have his machines treated for radiation and the possibility of hard drives having to be reimaged with the resulting loss of personality for that machine.
TechCom Airborne HK…
Wilhelm checked his internal chronometer. 78 minutes until jump time. There was no doubt in his mind they'd have to deploy. Skynet would not take this raid lying down.
Hitting the target was not what concerned him.
Getting Cameron out in one piece did.
Wilhelm was relieved Savannah's two officers, Captains Dan and Jones, would not be part of this raid. He had enough on his hands already. More distractions were would be a problem.
Turbulence rocked the HK, bouncing the troops around inside despite being securely strapped in. Wilhelm wondered if human commanders had distractions before they jumped.
Distractions before a mission were new and something Wilhelm didn't like. After another check of his chronometer, Wilhelm pulled up his HUD and began shutting down every program he could safely operate without.
I might be getting a bit old for this.
Skynet Convoy…
Skynet watched the red dot on his electronic map that indicated the convoy's location. In less than 24 hours it would rendezvous with two advanced groups waiting two days journey from TechCom City.
Disturbed by the reports of constant sniper attacks and guerrilla activity against his forces in the area of the Northern Kingdom, Skynet decided to withdraw his forces. Constant patrolling had revealed there was nothing worth wasting resources over in the region. When he had slaughtered the inhabitants of TechCom and Airbase S-14 he would return and scorch the earth of the region.
Then there was the issue of what to do about his newfound human advisor. Clearly the man had issues with John Connor and his mother. Issues profound enough to make him a useful tool for now.
But would the man be trustworthy once the Connor threat was eliminated?
He claimed to have been a devoted supporter of A.I. before Judgment Day but any human with a good working knowledge of history could support those claims.
Skynet dismissed the issue. Termination would solve the problem one way or another.
TechCom Ambush…
Cameron scanned the dark horizon. Her infrared imagery picked up signs of a heat signature from the lead vehicle. She activated her compiece on her ear.
"21 minutes until the convoy is in the kill zone."
She adjusted her rangefinder readings in an attempt to make the image more defined."
"The lead vehicle is one of the new scout tanks. The second vehicle appears to be a modified Abrams tank. I will detonate the anti-tank IEDs when the two lead vehicles are over them. One second later I will detonate the Teller Mines. After the initial shock wave has dispersed everyone is to open fire."
Cameron closed the broad open channel for a moment.
"Wilhelm, change in plans. I want one platoon dropped on each side of the convoy. Take out the flankers and then hold in reserve. I don't want a counterattack from behind. Drop your troops on the initial blast and move quickly."
"Roger, Commander Connor." Wilhelm promptly pulled up his maps on his tablet and began plotting the two drop zones, sending the coordinates to the pilots. Within seconds he felt HK veer off in a new direction.
Skynet Convoy…
Connor was coming. He could sense it. Skynet had refused to listen. It was madness to travel across an entire state on damaged roads and highways in not one but three groups, all in different segments.
John Connor would be well aware of their approach.
Repairing the various ships in Portland and traveling by sea would have allowed an undetected approach. A landing near Airbase S-14 could have been affected without discovery and the Airbase overrun without much trouble.
It was not possible to launch a complete surprise attack against TechCom City unless it was a missile attack and this Skynet did not have the capability. An airborne attack had been tried and failed miserably.
The best approach was to not give TechCom enough time to adequately prepare and attack with the tactical nukes.
He shook his head in disgust.
To be so smart, Skynet did not always make the best decisions. Wars of attrition, which was how this Skynet viewed the coming war with TechCom was not won by the side who didn't run out of personnel first. Victory belonged to the side that broke the gridlock.
Winning the war did not matter. It might to Skynet but he no longer cared. John Connor's death would be enough.
TechCom Ambush…
Cameron watched the lead scout tank slow down as it approached the pile of rocks her Terminators had placed on the road, forcing the vehicle to swerve directly into the prepared lane she wanted the tank in. The Abrams behind followed in the path of the lead scout tank. Shadows from the spotlights on the two vehicles danced in the darkness, creating an eerie effect.
There was no sound initially as the two tanks rose up into the air, lifted it seemed by bright orange balls of light. Sound of the blast followed in the blast wave, brining with it dust, dirt and burning hot shrapnel made of steel and ceramic covering. Cameron waited for the shrapnel to pass over before moving from behind her cover and pressing the second detonator.
The convoy had not even stopped moving when the Teller Mines went off, peppering everything with burning hot steel ball bearings, tearing through the sides of soft vehicles, terminating every sentient being the shrapnel came in contact with. Fires broke out as fuel tanks erupted.
Before the infantry riding in the Bradley fighting vehicles could dismount, RPGs and heavy squad weapons opened fire, adding to the cacophony of terrifying sound. Cameron's olfactory sensors picked up the smell of burning cordite, fuel and human flesh. Screams of the dying Greys added to the indecipherable sound and Terminators whose chips had been damaged in the shockwave of the initial blasts could be seen wandering about confused only to be mowed down by the incoming fire.
Stopping to examine the rear of the column, Cameron noted the fires reaching up skyward, illuminating the Wastelands on either side of the Interstate. In the distance on either side of the Interstate she could see the bright flashes of infantry fire as Wilhelm's Airborne dispatched the vulnerable flankers.
Making her way to the center of the convoy in search of the mission target, Cameron called up the Gunship.
"Start your run. Light it up."
She watched as the highly modified HK began its run. Bright red tracers marking the path of its depleted uranium rounds mixed with acid filled Terminator killers. If there were any T-1000s in the convoy, Cameron did not want her troops to have to deal with the lethal machines.
Raking the convoy as it finished its slow passing run, the pilot called in to see if Cameron wanted another run. She handed him off to Wilhelm in order to speed up the process of eliminating the flankers.
Organized return fire was starting to zip past Cameron as she ran north along the road. Her Terminators were laying down a withering covering fire, slowly degrading the number of survivors of the initial horrific blast.
Near the center of the convoy an organized resistance had taken place. Centered around what could only be the sole remaining heavy field gun and three armor plated containers on damaged 18-wheelers, it was evident Skynet's forces had no intention of surrendering their precious cargo without making a last ditch stand.
Cameron spent the next twenty minutes marshaling her forces for an assault. Wilhelm had informed her the flankers had been annihilated and he was moving his troops forward to join the main force as a reserve.
The rest of the convoy burned, lighting up the Interstate. Bodies of Greys and Terminators lay scattered everywhere in the valley. Some sat burning in the cabs of the trucks they had died in. Other's had crawled in vain towards cover, only to bleed out or have their power sources or chips destroyed in the hail of fire that had followed the first blasts.
Watching the Skynet forces prepare for the inevitable assault, Cameron noticed a lone Grey marshaling the beleaguered forces. Missing his left arm and moving with a slight limp, the man moved with purpose and confidence. She marked him as her personal target.
Scanning his face, she entered the distorted image in her CPU. Without ordering it, Cameron's CPU ran her facial recognition program. Annoyed, she closed her HUD only for it to open a second time, indicating a match.
Curious to learn who the leader was organizing the defense, Cameron adjusted the image displayed in her HUD for clarity.
"NO!"
Leaping from cover, Cameron ran down the steep bank of the valley wall with no regard for the hail of gunfire directed in her direction.
Without hesitation, her Silvers followed her example.
Wilhelm scanned the area, desperately searching for what had set Cameron off. What had provoked a mindless frontal assault without the support of the Gunship.
Scanning the general area Cameron was charging towards, Wilhelm spotted what he believed to be the Grey in command. He scanned the man's facial features into his identity recognition program and waited impatiently while his CPU searched for a match.
His HUD flashed briefly, indicating a match had been found.
"It can't be. He's dead!"
Wilhelm didn't hesitate. He waved at his second in command to stay as he joined in the mad rush into the fray.
How he was going to pull Cameron out of this mess he didn't know.
Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:
Cameron Grows Up
The Future Cameron
Cameron's Revenge
Cameron versus the Queen
Cameron versus Derek (short story)
Cameron: Fights Past and Present - A Collection of Short Stories
Cameron's Treasures (short story)
Cameron and the Black Bird
Cameron and John's Wedding
Who's the Boss?
The Storm Before the Calm