CH 35
Sarah was right. Kaede had found Derek's room. Police bracketed his door. Thinking on how to handle this, Kaede realized she might be able to use this to her advantage. She strode up to them and showed her badge. "Officers, this is your John Doe?"
The one closest to her frowned. "MI-6? Why are you here?"
Using her best English, she said, "From what we heard, this guy may be someone we have a warrant out for. May I take a look and talk to him?"
"Wait here," the said then went inside. He came back out with another man. The man produced his badge and said, "Agent Aldridge, FBI. May I ask who you think Mr. butt-gun is?"
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Butt-gun?"
Aldridge explained, "He was found with a gun up his ass, outside a hotel. Apparently he'd pissed someone off."
"Apparently. The man we're after fled the UK under an alias. We're sure he came here. It's a long shot, I just want to see if he's the one we're after."
Aldridge motioned her to follow. Kaede went in the room, eyeing Derek. Derek saw her, his fists clenched and he stared at the ceiling. He was handcuffed to the bed, and had an IV drip in his arm.
"Recognize him?" Aldridge asked.
Kaede made a show of studying him, then pulled out her phone and took a picture of him. "Put a full beard on'im, it may well be the guy," Kaede said in a musing tone. "Got his prints?"
"We do. We're coming up empty on a match. He isn't in any database either. This guy's invisible," Aldridge told her.
"Wonder how he feels bein a nobody," Kaede asked vacantly.
Derek's face reddened, he glared at her and yelled, "FUCK YOU, BITCH!"
Kaede grinned and said to Aldridge," Least I got'im ta say somethin. Kin we talk in the hall?"
Goin back into the hallway, Aldridge gave her his card. "We will need extradition papers if this is your guy. Doctor said he's got three more weeks here, so he's not going anywhere for a while. When he's released, we'll keep him in holding on a weapons charge. He did have a gun."
"Thank you. I'll contact me boss. When I git conformation, I'm sure the extradition papers will be on their way."
"This guy must be someone bad if you came all the way here looking for him." Aldridge noted.
"He's a real asshole," Kaede stated. "I didn properly register me presence yet, I had ta move fast and there's a chance his network may have found out. Didn't want'im ta bolt fore I got a look at'im."
"Understood. What's he suspected of?"
"Bein one of the lead men in Kaliba. They are very slippery an deal in everythin from murders, big time thefts an human trafficking. From what we found, they work through satellite shell companies an small groups ta keep themselves hidden. If ya kin find any information on'em, I'd be grateful." Kaede explained.
"If we hear anything, we'll let you know," he assured her.
Kaede left the hospital wondering how else to proceed. She'd been to Zeira and found out what was happening there, and knew Kaliba may well be making Sky Net. Her boss and hopefully now the American FBI was also looking for them, whoever they were. Unless she wanted this to take forever, that wasn't enough. Where else to look, she had no clue. It wasn't like she could look them up in a phone book.
Her phone rang. She picked it up. "Kaede."
"This is John Henry, Savannah is in trouble. A man I suspect is a terminator just shot her teacher…"
"What school?" Kaede asked quickly.
"Savannah is home, I directed her to hide behind the TV in the living room. Mrs. Weaver is in a meeting…"
"Enough explainin! I'm coming up on Fifth avenue an Madison heading east, direct me ta the house." Kaede barked.
"Take the next left on Sixth then go four point three miles and get on the north bound highway…"
Kaede turned onto Sixth avenue. The traffic wasn't thick here, but enough vehicles were on the road that she couldn't hurry. She was not going to get there fast by driving. The compass in this car showed only cardinal points. She was headed kind of east.
"John Henry, I am coming up on Portland road on Sixth. By compass and distance, where is Mrs. Weaver's house?"
"Bearing 087, six point eight miles."
Kaede found a gas station to pull over into, phone to her ear. She got out and jumped at a passing truck headed east and lost her wig. She then flung herself in the air at another truck up ahead. Lading on that roof, she targeted a van going a little faster on the passing land. She jumped to it.
"After Sixth, what the next turn?" she asked loudly over the wind.
Jumping on whatever vehicles she could find, Kaede flung herself along on the traffic.
"The road's turning left, keep me headed east!" she yelled and jumped off the last truck and onto a building.
"The road will meet the highway…"
"I'm not on the road, I'm jumping buildings! Straight ahead I see a highway."
"Your vehicle is very efficient. Yes, you kept going straight. Do you see a large parking lot beside a long building?"
Kaede made the next leap higher. "Yes, up ahead an to my left."
"You are headed in the right direction. Go straight towards the closest hill ahead of you. Please, hurry, the man is performing a methodical search of the house."
Kaede jumped buildings as fast as she could. Coming up was a highway. She managed to time her jumps to fly over the roads and land on a low building.
"Kaede, Sarah, John and Cameron just came into the garage. I am sending Savannah to them."
Damn! This was getting complicated. A road appeared below her going in the same direction. Marking a black Limo, she jumped down to intercept it. Landing on the roof to dent it in, she flung herself at the four door car ahead, then at the BMW ahead of it. She didn't mind stabbing a vector into the roof of that to shoot herself up onto a house roof as the road turned.
If it wasn't for the vector shielding her face, she was sure she'd have wind-burn by now.
She was in a housing complex, the last one she could see on the hill. "Which house?"
"The address is…"
"NO! I'm flying, what does her house look like!"
"Last one on the left of the street, just before the steep downhill grade."
Kaede saw the slope. She also saw Sarah's Jeep. One more roof jump put her at the front door. She shattered the mostly glass door and landed inside.
BANG
Sensing the bullet, Kaede stopped it before it hit her forehead. The man shot again and again as he walked quickly toward her. His gun clicked empty. He stopped and cocked his head as Kaede let the bullets fall to the floor.
"My turn," Kaede stated. Shooting her vectors out, she ripped his gun away and planted him on the ceiling. "Who are ya?" Kaede roared at him.
The man didn't reply but tried to find a grip on something to move. She lowered him to swim in the air.
"Kaede?"
Kaede looked to see Sarah in the doorway staring at her. "Aye lass, got the perp hangin. Recognize him?"
"He's a terminator," Cameron said as she came up from within the house. "We need to destroy him."
Kaede held up a hand. "Hold on Lass. First things first. Where's Savannah?"
"John has her, she's unhurt. He's taking her to the Jeep." Sarah replied. "We have to leave."
"Hold him still, I will pull his chip," Cameron staed.
"Hold yer horses, Lass. Lemme try something first," Kaede told her.
"Kaede, we have to go!" Sarah insisted.
"Sarah is right, we need to leave. Shot were fired, Police will be called."
"Yer timin sucks," Kaede grumbled. "OK, lasses, get to the Jeep. I'll need a ride … Unless Cameron's drivin."
They ran out, the terminator drifting in the air behind Kaede.
Thankfully, Sarah drove. Kaede got in the back storage area, and had the terminator folded up beside her. While Sarah got them out of here, Kaede probed the twitching thing still trying to move on it's own. She had him wrapped tight in vectors, he wasn't going anywhere.
In the back seat, Cameron was watching her. "Kaede, the chip needs to be pulled. He may be in contact with others."
"I need ta know more bout these things," Kaede told her. "Seems like he's all circuits, hard ta read what's in his head."
"Yes, we are all electronic machines," Cameron said. "You need to deactivate him."
"The chip might flare up if you pull it. They have been doing that. We shouldn't do it in the car," John added.
"Hmmm, let's see," Kaede mused. She felt the connection on the socket the chip was in. She ripped them out. The terminator stopped moving. She released her hold briefly. It didn't try to move. "Scramblin his brains works too." She continued to rip apart the connections in his head. Once she was sure it was permanently disabled, she asked, "Sarah, could ya drop me by Sixth an Portland road? Left me car at a gas station there."
Sarah glanced at her though the rear view mirror. "How'd you get here?"
"I flew. T'was faster."
"You can fly?"
"Doan like to, but I kin."
John looked back at the terminator. "The chip is still in?"
"Aye, I'm hopin we kin get some info off it." Kaede replied. "That is, soon as ya kin figure out how ta git it out. I'll call John Henry an Mrs. Weaver an let'em know Savannah's Ok."
For some reason, that superman song played in Sarah's head again. She'd seen Kaede stop bullets. She could also fly. Maybe she was a real Superwoman.
.
Since Sarah was paranoid about anyone knowing where they lived, Kaede took Savannah in her car to return her to her mother and let the Connors deal with the terminator. Weaver had Kaede go into the 'secure' lot to park. Getting there, the guard let her in. Going down into the underground lot, Kaede got out with Savannah.
"Are we going to see Mommy now?" the little red head asked.
"Aye, Las, we are."
Savannah scrunched her face up into a cute looking frown. "Why do you talk funny?"
"I'm from a different part o the world."
"Can everyone there fly?"
"Nay lass, just a few of us."
Up ahead, elevator doors opened. Catherine Weaver and Mr. Ellison stepped out. "Look, Savannah, Mommy!" Kaede cried.
"Mommy!" Savannah cried. Kaede let go of her hand. Savannah ran to her mother. In one long breath she said, "Mommy! A bad guy got in the house but John Henry told me where to hide and find John and he got me out and Kaede flew to our house to get the bad guy!"
Mrs. Weaver said, "I'm happy you are all right, Savannah. Please go with Mr. Ellison. I need to talk with Kaede for a moment."
Kaede thought it odd Mrs. Weaver didn't even bend down to hug her daughter after what Savannah had just gone though. Then again, she wondered how a terminator could have a child.
Mrs. Weaver came up to Kaede and said, "I need you to go ask Cameron, 'will you join us'. Use those exact words."
"Think she already has, she helped save Savannah." Kaede replied.
"I need you to ask her. No one else will understand the meaning." Mrs. Weaver insisted.
Kaede thought it odd she'd need to ask something like that. "This some kinda code?"
"Yes, please use those exact words."
"Fine, I want to go see how they're comin with that terminator anyway. I'm hopin to get some information of it. And Mrs. Weaver, ya might wanna think bout showin Savannah a little affection. She's just had a scare."
Blankly, Weaver asked, "How will that accomplish anything?"
Kaede frowned at her. "Ya may not have any emotions, but that wee girl does. She needs ta know her mother loves'er."
"I'm a machine, I can't love."
"Heard that before," Kaede said in a grumble. She went back to her car feeling sorry for Savannah.
.
Kaede went back to the Connor house. Sarah answered the door.
"See ya got home all right," Kaede said as she stepped in. "Anyone workin on gittin that chip out?"
"John and Cameron are. They are upstairs." Sarah said, motioning to the stairs.
"Ah, good, I gotta ask Cameron somethin anyway."
Sarah followed Kaede up the stairs. In an open doorway, she head talking. Coming to the doorway, she saw a weird sight. Cameron and John were bracketing the terminator that was bent over a tub full of water, it's head submerged.
"I doan think ya kin drown'im." she offered.
John looked back at her. He grinned. "We trying to see if we can get the chip out by submerging it. Since it flares up when they come out, we're thinking water will stop it from burning up."
Kaede nodded to him. "Good idea. Cameron, may I ask ya somethin?"
Cameron turned to look at her. Kaede took that as a 'yes' and asked, "Will ya join us?"
Kaede was expecting an answer. What she wasn't expecting was for Cameron to shoot to her feet, fists balled, and cast a blank stare at her. She pulled a knife and flicked it open. Her left hand started twitching hard from relaxed, into fist and back again. Cameron took a step towards Kaede. Kaede braced to defend herself, sure Cameron was about to try and stab her.
Cameron brought the knife up and held it handle towards Kaede. In a flat voice that cracked, Cameron stated, "I submit to chip removal."
"WHAT!" John cried and stood up, looking confused.
"Why?" Kaede asked.
"I submit to chip removal," Cameron stated again. Her right arm picked up a quiver and the fingers on her left hand were flailing from opened to a tight fist.
"What's going on?" Sarah asked, watching the display.
"Got no idea," Kaede said blankly. "Whatever it is, she ain't happy bout it."
"I submit to chip removal. You are to remove my chip," Cameron stated.
"WHOA! Wait…. Why?" John asked, shifting his frightened gaze between Cameron and Kaede.
Kaede remembered Mrs. Weavr admitted that was a code. Kaede hadn't added it was from Weaver. Why did Weaver want Cameron's computer chip? "Lass, come lie down in yer bed on yer back," Kaede told her and stepped out of the way.
Cameron did so, striding out of the bathroom, left hand going like crazy. Kaede, then John, then Sarah followed her. Cameron laid down like Kaede had said and held the knife up. Kaede took the knife.
Cameron's voice cracked again as she said, "I'm sorry . Goodbye John."
Kaede was grabbed on her arms by John. "You can't do this!" he pleaded.
Something was very wrong here. Kaede looked at John. "Let go."
He did, wearing a tortured face. "No, please no," he begged quietly.
Kaede handed him the knife. "Cameron insists her chip be pulled. I never done it before."
John licked his lips. "Me?"
"Nothing gonna happen ta her. Do it."
John went over to kneel by Cameron. Slowly he petted her hair. "Cameron, why?" he asked weakly.
Cameron moved her eyes to look at him. "I'm sorry, John. If anyone takes my chip, I want it to be you."
Kaede moved closer to watch.
Cameron kept her eyes on John as he cut her scalp and peeled it back, then took the chip cover off. He paused. "What are you going to do with her chip?" he asked.
"Keep going John, fore ya lose yer nerve," Kaede coaxed.
John did. A quarter turn and he pulled her chip out. Cameron deactivated. Staying in place, he asked in a hard tone, "WHY?"
"Because she insisted," Kaede told him. "Fore ya put it back in, look at her left eye."
John turned Cameron's head. He saw the tear and looked at Kaede.
"Ya still think Cameron's nothing but machine?" she asked.
"No," John said weakly.
"Cameron is a terminator, you know that," Sarah stated.
"Nay sayin she aint," Kaede replied. "What I'm sayin is she's more than that. Machines doan cry, Sarah."
"She has an infiltration protocol! She can mimic emotions," Sarah stated.
Kaede nodded to John. "Put'er chip back in." He did so quickly then put the cap back on and put her scalp in place.
Holding his hand over the spot, John looked up at Kaede. He asked, "You think Cameron has emotions?"
"Nay like us. Think bout how she reacted when I asked that question," Kaede coaxed. To Sarah she said, "The tight fists at first, her left hand tryin at fan'er leg. She was nay happy I asked it. I'm thinking she thought her chip was bein pulled permanently. She let it git pulled, most likely programmed fer it to happen. Tell me, if she had no emotions, why did she tell John she was sorry? Why did she prefer to have John do it? Why did she watch him til it was pulled?"
"She was trying to stay active," Sarah replied.
"Nay, she knew this was her end."
"She did," John said and looked at his mother. "Cameron didn't fight or beg. She wasn't trying to stay alive, Mom."
"The last thing she wanted ta see was you, John. What doe that tell ya?" Kaede asked.
"I love John and John loves me." Cameron said and sat up.
"No, it's a trick," Sarah stated.
Sarah was looking stressed, John and Cameron were looking at each other.
"Fore ya hug!" Kaede stated. "Cameron, lie back down, I wanna git a look inside ya. John, gimme some room."
John moved back past Cameron's head but stayed close and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Kaede sat down beside Cameron and explained. "When I got in that terminater's head, all I found was wiring an circuits. I wanna see what's in Cameron's head. Doan worry, John, I ain't gonna hurt'er."
Kaede stared at Cameron, who stared back at her. John and Sarah watched.
Feeling around in Cameron's head, Kaede found the same type connections, but there was also something soft, like veins. She followed them to what felt like a container. There was also a connector going to it. Feeling around it, she found more, smaller connectors. Many of them. Gently reaching inside she felt something soft.
Cameron's eyes widened.
You're in my head!
Kaede heard the thought. She grinned. "Aye, so that's the difference. Let's bring that out, shall we?"
"I do not know how," Cameron stated.
"Patience, we'll figure it out," Kaede told her.
"When I first met Cameron, she seemed like a normal girl," John offered.
"Infiltration protocol," Cameron told him.
Kaede felt the large connection become active, briefly. Curious, she touched the connections to the chip. "Cameron, Use your infiltration thing again."
Cameron smiled at her. "I am very happy you are the one who asked me that question. Does this mean I don't have to leave John now? I really want to be here with John. I want to plan a real birthday party for him."
Kaede didn't listen to her words. She focused on the connections. The chip was active on a few wires. While Cameron was acting happy, the ones connected to the encased soft area were very active.
"John, will you take me out on a real date? Riley only pretended to like you. I do, for real. Please, John, can we go?" Cameron begged.
Kaede got it. The chip was signaling what to do, the soft area Kaede could only think of as 'brain' was doing it. It wasn't a human brain, but a bio mass made to duplicate human brain functions. The brain could do nothing unless the chip sent a signal to it. Feeling for where the power was coming from, the brain, for lack of a better term, was getting powered by the chip. The chip power came from a wire that went down into the base of Cameron's skull.
"Cameron move each limb briefly, just a little, then blink," Kaede instructed.
Cameron did. Kaede noted that the chip sent signals to the brain, and the brain made the signals to move. She asked, "Why is the computer chip removable?"
"For programming," Cameron told her. "That is what runs me. Sky Net programmed it, then future John did some reprogramming so I would be loyal to him, and not try to kill him."
Kaede touched the soft tissue again and sent a thought down her vector.
What do you want?
Cameron blinked.
To not be controlled, to not want to hurt John.
"I found Cameron," Kaede said.
"What do you mean?" John asked.
Kaede retracted her vectors. "It seems the chip you took out does control Cameron. I also found the area where Cameron truly is, and it's not in that chip. Yes, the chip does control her, but it is not her. It only lets her operate and tells her what to do. Cameron then does it."
John frowned. "What's the difference?"
Not sure how the chip would react to her finding out how it worked, Kaede looked at him and firmly said, "Don't move." She then touched his brain with a vector. She thought, 'the chip is the programming. If I can bypass the chip, then Cameron will have no programming. She will be free of all the programs.' Kaede then removed her vector.
"You don't have to shout," John said, then eyed her. "Your lips didn't move."
"Nay lad, that was only fer you. So, do I or not? It's up ta you."
John swallowed and looked at Cameron, He nodded.
"Do what, John?" Cameron asked.
Kaede sent her vectors back into Cameron's head. She found the power wire and at the chip connector she peeled off a bit of the incoming wire insulation and the one to Cameron's brain. She touched them together, then pulled the incoming power wire out of the chip base.
Cameron's eyes flew wide and she gasped.
"Lass, move her limbs again just a bit," Kaede coaxed.
Cameron did. Lifting her left hand, she wiggled her fingers. "What did you do?" she asked in wonder.
"Bypassin yer chip. Ain't finished yet, so doan move yer head," Kaede warned. She pulled the power wire from Cameron's chip to her brain. The loose ends she tied together so only the brain had power. Then a light tug to make sure it would stay. Retracting her vectors, Kaede got up and offered a hand to Cameron. "Up lass, check yerself out."
Cameron stood up with a look of amazement on her face. She looked around and looked outside. She moved her arms then did a wiggle-dance and giggled. Looking at John, she said, "John, command me to do something."
John shrugged. "Cameron, go on patrol."
Cameron smiled, pointed at him and said, "NO!" then she laughed. Cameron turned and hugged Kaede, then helped John to his feet and hugged him. She also gave him a quick kiss. When Cameron turned to Sarah, Sarah took a step back.
Cameron pumped a fist. "I'm free! I'm really free, I can be ME!" she yelled in joy. Turning back to John, she said in an excited tone, "I still have my capabilities John, I will protect you, and we ARE going out to do something fun together."
"What did you do to her!" Sarah snapped at Kaede.
"Just like Camron's yellin. I removed the chip from her insides. Ain't no power goin to it. Cameron controls herself now."
Cameron glopped on Kaede again, knocking her back. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Cameron then steadied Kaede. "Sorry, but … what can I ever do to thank you for this?"
Kaede couldn't help but return Cameron's bright smile. "I know yer excited, but calm yerself a bit, Lass. Yer freakin Sarah out."
Cameron glanced at Sarah. "Yeah, sorry, but I feel wonderful! I can dance when I want now, John come watch me do some ballet. Kaede, you too!"
John had to chuckle at Cameron's enthusiasm.
"I'll go get my outfit on, meet me down in the living room!" Cameron said and brushed by Sarah to run to her room.
Kaede giggled. "Looks like ye'll be livin with the Energizer Bunny fer a few days."
Kaede went downstairs as did Sarah.
"You've made her unpredictable," Sarah grumbled.
"Ye'll git used to her," Kaede replied.
"If she won't follow orders, what good will she be?" Sarah asked in a hard tone.
"Cameron's still Cameron. If it's a serious task, I'm sure she'll cooperate." Kaede assured her. She turned a seat to face the open floor and sat down.
Cameron, now in a half shirt, workout pants and ballet shoes on, ran down the stairs and over to the stereo to put a CD in. John hurried down after her, not skipping every other step as Cameron had done. Cameron guilded John to a chair to face the open floor and helped him sit. Cameron then hit play and took a pose on the floor.
Soothing orchestra music played and Cameron danced. Kaede knew ballet existed, but she'd never seen it. Cameron moved over the floor in graceful, flowing motions. She was grace and beauty in motion. Some of the poses Cameron took looked to take a lot of effort. Kaede was pleasantly surprised that Cameron could spin on the toes of one foot to settle down and change the spin to make her torso spin while bowing, shifting quickly from a bow to a bent over backwards position and make it look easy.
A glance at John showed he was enraptured by Cameron's performance as well. When the music stopped and Cameron settled into her final pose, Kaede couldn't help but clap heartily. John did also. Sarah only gazed at Cameron.
"That was wonderful!" Kaede announced.
"Fantastic," John agreed.
Cameron got up and bowed, a smile on her face.
"Cam, that was awesome," John said happily.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sarah asked. "There's a terminator upstairs half in the bathtub."
John stared at her. "Oh, yeah."
Kaede frowned at Sarah. Sheesh! What a wet blanket!
.
Kaede went back upstairs with John and Cameron. Going into the bathroom, Cameron turned to Kaede and asked, "Can you separate his head? This has a better chance of working if we can get water into his head."
"Sounds reasonable," Kaede agreed, and motioned them back close to her. "You an John move back a bit."
They moved back by Kaede. Kaede grabbed the terminator by his head and ripped it free, trailing wire. The body fell back on the floor. Kaede lowered the head into the water. "Have fun guys, I'll git the body outta yer way."
Cameron went over and picked up the head. She turned it upside down and gave it to John, who submerged it. Cameron wiggled an moved the neck wires.
Taking the body downstairs as it dripped water on the floor, Kaede saw Sarah in the living room. Sarah asked, "What are you doing with that?"
"Where do ya want it?" Kaede asked.
"In the shed, we have to burn it. Where is John and Cameron?" Sarah asked.
"Last I seen, they was in the bathroom, Cameron was givin John head."
Sarah's face blanked briefly then she raced up the stairs. Kaede chuckled her way to out the shed.
.
Kaede put the body in the square block pit. She was looking for what they used to burn these with when Sarah came in, holding the head. Sarah tossed the head in and grated, "That was not funny!"
Kaede cast her an innocent look. "What ya talkin bout?"
"You made me think John and Cameron were having sex."
"Did not. They had the terminator's head. How kin ya have sex with a severed head?" She then eyed Sarah and asked, "Ya haven't have ya?"
"I'm not going to justify that with an answer!" Sarah stated and went over to the cabinet and took out a can of thermite. She spread the termite over the body, then grabbed a flare.
Thinking about the burning flesh, Kaede said, "That's gonna stink. Maybe ya should take the flesh off first?"
Defiant, Sarah struck the end of the flare to light it an tossed it in. The thermite flared up hot, and the smoke stunk with burnt flesh. Kaede quickly left the shed. Sarah followed.
Outside, Kaede frowned at Sarah. "Told ya!"
"When it burns down, the smoke will go out the roof vents."
"An ye'll treat the whole neighborhood to cookin flesh. Doan ya think anyone'll notice?" Kaede countered.
"Cameron usually does that," Sarah told her.
"Then ya shoulda waited an let'er do it."
"What's done is done!" Sarah stated.
"Fine by me, I'm headin out." Kaede said with a wave. "Gonna be long gone fore the cops come sniffin round."
Kaede got in her car and left. She'd give it a few hours before she checked on them. She rove to the nearest hotel, a couple block away and checked in.
.
Upstairs, John and Cameron had his laptop on low power. The terminator's chip was plugged in, they were looking though it's files.
John frowned and sniffed. "What's that smell?"
Cameron got up and went over to the window. "Traces of thermite and coltan, under a heavy aroma of burning flesh," she said, then ran from the room. John got up and followed.
Coming downstairs Cameron found Sarah in the kitchen. "Sarah, did you burn that terminator with it's skin on?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "It will be burned up and gone," she stated.
"We can smell it upstairs, Sarah you should have asked me to do it. You need to take the skin off first."
Sarah firmly said, "I will next time. It will be gone soon."
Cameron went out in the living room and looked out the windows. Two houses down on the right, a woman was outside on her cell phone, looking this way. Racing to the laundry room, Cameron looked out. A plume of smoke was coming out of the shed. She raced back to John.
John too asked about why his mother didn't wait for Cameron to burn the body. Cameron laid a hand on his shoulder. "John, the smoke is being seen. A woman a few doors down is calling it in. We must leave, NOW! Grab what you can carry."
"Where we going?" John asked.
"Anywhere but here! We can't be home when the fire department and police arrive!"
John ran out and up the stairs. Hearing the fire alarm, Sarah fled the kitchen to join them.
John grabbed his backpack, unplugged the chip from his laptop and put both in. He grabbed some clothes, tossed in his 9MM and met Cameron in the hallway. He'd grabbed her clothes and ballet slippers. She had her purple leather jacket on.
"Out the back, fire trucks are coming," Cameron told him. "Sarah, hurry!"
Sarah was in her room and yelled, "GO!"
Cameron did, holding John's hand. They fled out the back. Cameron heard and saw sirens closing in. The neighbor behind them had as much of a thick bushy mess in their back yard as they did. Cameron guided John through the brush and helped him climb over the fence. Running along the fence, Cameron kept a sharp eye out for anyone watching. They passed through a couple back yards and came to an alley.
Once out on the sidewalk, Cameron pulled John closer and said, "Walk normal, put an arm around me."
John did and looked behind them. "What about Mom?"
"We walk slow and hope she followed us."
.
Sarah didn't. Gathering a few clothes, the guns and explosives they had left, Sarah ran out to the Jeep. She started down the driveway and was stopped by a fire truck blocking the drive. Sarah turned on the sidewalk to get away. On the road, she raced for the intersection to meet a cop car stopping to block the road. Again, she took to the sidewalk to get by him. She also sideswiped a light pole, making the Jeep bounce out. The side windows shattered. Sarah got control of the Jeep. The cop car turned it's lights on and followed.
.
John saw the battered Jeep race by at the intersection ahead, follow by the wailing siren of the cop car. "What is she doing?" John cried.
Gently, Cameron told him, "John, your mother is making bad decisions. This is not the first. If she would have left out the back with us, there was still the possibility that we could deny knowing about the fire in the shed. Now that she's being chased, believable deniability has dropped to zero."
"What do we do?"
Cameron cast John a sad look. "Find Kaede and see if she can do something. Your mother is most likely going to jail, John." Cameron then pulled out her phone. Another police car raced by on the street, sirens wailing.
"Yes, Kaede, it's Cameron. We need your help…"
.
Kaede had just gotten settled in her room when she heard the sirens. Not long after that, Police sirens sounded. Her phone rang. She had a good idea of who it was.
Kaede went and picked up John and Cameron and took them back to her hotel room. It was a good thing the only room she could get had two beds. Sitting on one bed facing John and Cameron sitting on the other bed, Kaede asked, "What do ya expect me ta do bout it? Sarah did something stupid followed by something else stupid. Tween her bad choices an Cameron's drivin, it's wonder ya aint caught er dead by now."
"But, Mom's probably going to jail!" John said, sounding stressed.
"Maybe she should fer a bit. Might make'er think twice fore doin somethin," Kaede told him.
Cameron looked at John and asked, "Want me to get her out?"
"Doan ya dare try!" Kaede barked. "Sarah got herself in this mess." Seeing John looking like he was about to cry, Kaede let out a huff. "OK, tell ya what. I'll see what I kin do. No promises, and ya both stay here, no going out. Got it?"
John gave a begrudging nod. Cameron said, "Yes. John will need food later."
"We all will, Lass. I'll breing back a bucket o chicken meal. Getting mighty tired of burgers," Kaede told her. "Do whatever ya want, just doan leave this room."
Kaede went out and called Mr. Smith. After the tone, she said, "Need permission ta be here officially, huntin fer this Kaliba. I'll give ya the FAX number when I git it. If ya found anything, I need ta know."
She then sat in her car, working on texts and hoping Agent Aldridge would call her about Sarah. When it was getting close to six, she drove out to get dinner. Not knowing if Cameron ate, or how much, she got a 'serving' for her. Getting back into the parking lot of the hotel, her phone rang.
"Kaede."
An English accented voice replied, "The company you are looking for is based in Eastern Europe, we highly suspect in Poland. We're looking into it. The request you made is being processed and should be finished tomorrow around nine AM." *click*
Kaede parked and took the food inside. John and Cameron were laying on the bed, watching TV. Fully clothed.
"How boreing!" Kaede said as she went in. "Though ya'd be naked under the covers by now."
John looked at her and flushed red.
Kaede smiled at his reaction. "Got food, nice, greasy an tasty chicken, mashed taters an gravy and those tasty biscuits. Come an git it!"
"Deep fried chicken is not healthy for John." Cameron stated.
Kaede frowned and said, "He kin peel the skin off, but he'll miss all those herbs and spices."
Kaede set the food on the small table. John and Cameron came over. It was fun to watch Cameron ask John which pieces he wanted. He told her, she peeled the skin off a thigh and a breast piece and gave it to him. She also doled his mashed potatoes out for him and put the gravy on, then allowed him one biscuit. She then took and bit into a leg, skin and all.
John didn't look happy. Kaede tried to console him. "John ya know yer honey is just watchin out fer ya."
He glowered at her. Kaede laughed.