Chapter 1333

I've Been Around

Tom closed up on the spot where they saw the four people enter a building with what appeared to be a deactivated Terminator that they carried. That Terminator came from somewhere.

Steve was behind him and covered their six as they moved forward.

They were at the back of a building where they could see the door of what looked like a warehouse. It was where they'd carried the Terminator into.

There hadn't been any vehicle traffic for awhile and none of it went into either building they'd taken under observation.

"Where did they carry the Terminator from?" Steve asked.

There was a van nearby but not from the direction the people came from.

"Maybe it was that van over there." Tom said.

Steve wondered if they'd walked into the middle of something again.

"What if they just captured him?" Steve asked. "Maybe this is an operation by another group."

If the people with the Terminator were the anti-Metal faction, were they dealing with Grays or Fanatics too?

"Maybe we need to rethink this." Tom said.

John Henry provided them with welcome news.

"You now have drone support." John Henry said.

That was probably thanks to Young Allison. Maybe it would give them a clue.

"Do you have footage of where they brought the Terminator from?" Tom asked.

Based on the current drone footage all John Henry could do was make an assumption.

"No." John Henry said. "They must have carried him from another building or a vehicle parked inside of another building."

Steve and Tom were worried about the scope of this operation and who all the players were.

"Maybe this operation is a little bigger than we first thought." Steve said. "We are dealing with more than one building now if that is the case."

It seemed caution was in order with this new development to John Henry.

"I think you need to fallback for now." John Henry said. "This was to be a recon. It is a solid hit. We need to find out more."

It was the fact they carried a Terminator from somewhere that bothered Tom.

"I want to know where they got the Terminator." Tom said.

John Henry did not want them to go 'Cameron' on him.

"You'd better use caution or they are going to have two more." John Henry said.

"Affirmative." Steve said

Steve and Tom left some surveillance equipment and pulled back.

Al and Ed did the same.

Holly led the group back inside the interior of the ship.

Allison liked it better inside without the brisk wind.

"This is much better in here." Allison said.

Vanna kind of liked the fresh air.

"It wasn't that bad." Vanna said. "It was a little cool, that's all."

Holly headed towards the elevators.

Allison liked how they opened on their own for them.

"Do we get to ride in the 'magic elevator' again?" Allison asked.

As they neared the elevator, the door opened.

"I guess that answers that one." Vanna said.

They entered the elevator and it went down two floors.

The group exited into the foyer of the main dining room.

Vanna and Allison looked around.

"Is this where we will eat at?" Allison asked.

Holly looked at the lounge area where she waited with Gail before.

"No." Holly said. "You will eat inside the dining room."

Allison and Vanna looked at each other. They knew that.

Gail-Cam spotted the menu on the wall.

"Here is what they will serve tonight." Gail-Cam said.

The girls moved over to check out the menu.

"I don't even know what a lot of those names are but at least they have a description, sort of." Allison said.

Holly laid out a food plan for them

"You may each chose two entrées." Holly said. "Cam and I will get one for each of you and you can all share and try four different things. It also conceals the fact we are not eating. It was easier when Derek and Kyle were here. They ate a lot. Remember on the ship if you do not like something you leave it and find something you do like. You need to forget about the hard times of the past - your future and enjoy your vacation. Cameron wants you to try new things."

Gail-Cam understood that too.

"This is about having a good time and doing things you don't normally do." Gail-Cam said. "The Metal girls all told me of the 'fun' things they have been able to experience. We like to do different things too even if we can do the same thing for years at a time. A little variety is nice for everyone."

Allison looked at the closed doors to the main dining room.

"How do we get in?" Allison asked.

Holly received a message on her com.

"It will be with a little help from our friends." Holly said.

The doors to the dining room opened. Bob was there.

"I've been waiting for you." Bob said.

No one else was around.

"Hi, Bob." Allison and Vanna both said.

They both gave him a hug.

Bob looked at Holly and handed her some small containers.

"This is some medicine if the girls or John needs it tonight or tomorrow." Bob said. "The ship has to make good time against the current. It may be rougher than it has been."

Holly took the medicine from Bob. She gave one packet to Gail-Cam for Vanna. She had one for Cameron to give to John as well.

"Thank you, Bob." Allison said.

Bob smiled.

"Holly can show you around the dining room." Bob said. "I need to return to make sure the ship is ready to leave."

Bob took off.

Holly led the group inside and showed them their table. Holly noted there were still extra place settings available to them. She was sure Cameron planned to bring more people aboard. It would not be until San Francisco at this point.

Vanna and Allison took in the beauty and grandeur of the two level dining room.

"This place is magnificent." Vanna said.

Allison hadn't even been to a fancy restaurant like this on land, the fact that it was on a ship made it even more amazing.

"It is beautiful." Allison said.

Holly wanted them to know there were a few options open to them.

"You can eat breakfast in here or in the buffet or have room service." Holly said. "The same applies for lunch tomorrow."

Vanna liked the menu at the Italian place too.

"Can we eat at Tony's one time?" Vanna asked. "I saw some things I liked."

Holly did not see a problem with that as long as it was not tonight.

"I think it can be arranged." Holly said. "Tonight we will eat here."

Vanna was worried about the rest of the team.

"What about the other Metal girls?" Vanna asked. "Will they join us at all?"

Gail-Cam did not think so.

"It will be best if they remain in the Control Center or share with each other." Gail-Cam said.

Vanna and Allison did not like that idea. They wanted them to be able to go out and do things. They would mention it to Cameron or John. They did not know Summer felt even stronger than they did about it. Summer made it clear to everyone that the Terminators were to be treated the same as the humans. It didn't matter if they 'ate' of not. It was the fellowship and sharing that mattered. It was the sense of inclusion and that everyone was equal.

Holly concluded the tour of the main dining room. She led them back into the foyer and the elevator bank.

"It's time for the 'magic elevator' again." Allison said.

The elevator door opened as they approached.

"There it is." Vanna said.

The group entered.

"Where do we go now?" Allison asked.

Holly wanted them to see the view from the sky lounge in the daytime.

"We will go up to the sky lounge." Holly said.

Allison liked that name. It was descriptive.

"What's up there besides the sky?" Allison asked jokingly.

Vanna joked back.

"A lounge." Vanna said.

Holly wanted them to know it was a place for them to check out later on.

"It has a nice view in the daytime and a swinger's party at night." Holly said.

That sounded intriguing to Allison.

"What are we waiting for?" Allison asked.

"Nothing." Holly said.

The door closed and the elevator went up to the sky lounge.

Cameron explained to Cam-Gail what she wanted to do with Cam's chassis and herself with John. It would be much like what was done with Hanna before. This would involve actual testing. She figured that Gail would be more likely to do the testing than Cam would have been.

Cam-Gail was willing to do that but she wanted to do it 'normal' one time first. She too wanted to see how Cam's chassis compared to her chassis with Cameron in control of both of them.

John was up for the challenge. There was still over an hour left from the benefit of the medicine that he did not know he was given by Cameron.

"I just want to make sure about all this." John said. "This is what everyone wants and Cam is good with Gail and you using her chassis like this."

Since Cameron already gave the virginity of Cam's chassis to John, she did not see it as a problem.

"It is." Cameron said.

John looked at Cam-Gail. He hoped for a better answer.

"I spoke with Cam and we agreed we could use each other's chassis the way we would use our own and stay within our group for partners." Cam-Gail said. "There is to be no interaction with males except the General."

John was not sure if she was serious or not with that last statement. Since Cameron did not comment on it, he let it slide.

Cameron handed John the tether.

"We are ready if you are." Cameron said.

John plugged in the tether into Cam-Gail and then into Cameron.

Cameron smiled at him and moved over to her normal spot and covered herself over.

Cam-Gail stood by the bed and watched her. She was very happy to look like Cameron.

John saw Cam-Gail eyes close and open.

Cam-Gail was now controlled by Cameron, she looked at John.

"Well?" Cam-Gail-Cameron asked.

John moved next to her and prepared to pick her up.

"Our wedding night again?" John asked.

"That's the way I like it." Cam-Gail-Cameron said.

Cameron reset her files so this would be her 'first experience' – again.

Savannah went over and supervised Young Allison, Cammy and Anna as they looked at and held many of the animals. She really did not want any of them to get carried away.

She talked to the manager before she joined them. She slipped her a hundred dollar bill as a tip and asked that she accommodate them.

The manager was a little irritated before but now gladly showed them any animal they wanted to see.

It did not take them long to go through all the animals. Savannah told Young Allison that she needed to wash her hands good after touching so many animals.

Cammy and Anna were the only ones to touch the reptiles or amphibians. Young Allison and Savannah stuck with the furry ones.

Young Allison noticed two teenage looking girls outside the window watch them look at the animals. They now watched Cammy.

Cammy took out a wad of cash and gave the manager a few thousand dollars. She put the wad of cash back in her pocket. She told the manager that the money was to pay for as many of the animals as possible that would be sold for the rest of the day. She gave her a phone number and said her 'manager' would cover the rest of the cost over that amount if it was needed. It was a 'drop number' to CamNet.

Young Allison was very pleased with that decision.

Savannah stressed that Young Allison wash her hands. Cammy and Anna wanted to as well.

They left the pet store and the four of them entered the restroom by the food court. It was just down the hall.

The two teenage girls followed them in there when they entered. They were somewhere between Savannah's age and Anna's current age appearance.

Cammy and Anna looked at the two girls with the stern look of a Terminator. They did not like them.

Cammy scanned the two girls visually through several vision spectrums. She saw they both carried knives and what appeared to be drug paraphernalia. They were obviously future Scavenger types. They appeared to be a little more than petty crooks. It was possible they were part of a local gang. This did not appear to be their first time to 'case' someone.

The two groups looked at each other but did not communicate.

Savannah expected there to be some type of altercation but it did not happen. Their group washed their hands and left.

Cammy stopped once they exited.

"I need to dry my hands better. You three go on." Cammy said. "I'll be back."

Cammy turned to reenter the bathroom.

Savannah grabbed her arm. She knew Cammy well enough to know what was coming next.

"There will be no terminations in the bathroom." Savannah said.

Cammy looked a little anxious.

"I did not like the way they looked at you." Cammy said. "They are future Scavengers. They were armed with weapons."

Young Allison stood next to Savannah.

"I can take care of them." Young Allison said. "They only carried knives."

Anna scanned them too and knew that. Young Allison did not have that ability.

"How do you know they were armed?" Anna asked.

Young Allison looked at Savannah.

"I saw them touch where the knives were." Young Allison said. "They thought about robbing us."

Cammy wondered how she made that determination.

"How do you know that?" Cammy asked. "I just didn't like the way they looked at Savannah."

Now Cammy really wanted to Terminate them.

Young Allison had them pegged when they saw the cash Cammy carried.

"I could just tell." Young Allison said. "It was only because there were four of us that they did not jump us. The 'stone faced' Terminator looks helped dissuade them."

Cammy and Anna did not know they looked like 'stone faced' Terminators when they detected the threat. It was their natural appearance.

Savannah hadn't caught everything Young Allison seemed to have picked up. She felt bad about that but apparently Cammy and Anna did not catch it all either.

Savannah stopped at the food court. She asked for some change for a dollar bill.

Anna wondered why Savannah needed coins.

"What's that for?" Anna asked. "You didn't purchase anything."

Savannah smiled.

"I'll show you when we pass by." Savannah said.

Anna tilted her head slightly. She did not know what Savannah meant.

Savannah laid the change out on the side of the fountain when they reached it.

"Maybe someone will make a wish." Savannah said.

Cammy remembered her time at the wishing well. Her wishes were answered.

"I made some and they came true." Cammy said.

Cammy touched the location of her heart without thinking about it.

They passed the pet store again.

They saw a small boy with the Husky. He was now the owner.

"I liked that one puppy." Anna said. "It liked me too."

Young Allison did not want Anna to worry about it.

"Now it will have a good home." Young Allison said.

The boy and his father thanked the manager for the 'free' puppy.

The four of them were about to exit the mall.

Young Allison checked their six.

"We've been targeted." Young Allison said.

The girls instantly became alert.

Savannah did not want to turn around and tip their hand.

"What is it?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison knew the girls stocking them called for reinforcements.

"It's those girls from the restroom." Young Allison said. "They are following us and talking on their phones."

That seemed like normal behavior to Savannah. Maybe they should find out for sure if they could.

"Can you hear them, Cammy?" Savannah asked.

"No." Cammy said.

Anna looked at her phone.

"CamNet is monitoring their phones." Anna said. "There is a crew in a van that is going to try and rob us. They saw the money that was paid out at the pet store."

Cammy did not want the 'Chosen Ones' in danger.

"I knew I should have terminated them." Cammy said. "I'm going to do it now anyway."

Cammy stopped.

Savannah held her arm. She did not want an incident in the middle of the mall. She pictured Cammy walking up to both of them and lifting them by their necks off of the floor before slamming them down to the ground.

"Keep walking." Savannah said.

Brian was behind the girls now and Randy came down from the second floor and was in front of them. Mel was outside in an SUV ready to respond. He was armed with an M4 with an M203.

"I see the van." Mel said.

Young Allison wanted to act.

"Let me take them." Young Allison said.

Savannah looked at Young Allison. She seemed very 'cold blooded' right now.

"Are you going to kill them in the mall parking lot?" Savannah asked. "I don't want an incident."

Savannah could see Cammy, Anna and Young Allison were all ready to fight and kill. Young Allison responded the same way Cammy and Anna did. It was like three Metal girls instead of two.

"Send one of the Detail to intercept and disable the van." Young Allison said.

"What about the girls?" Cammy asked. "They are street trash. I'm going to terminate them. I don't like how they looked at Savannah."

Savannah could see Cammy was still fixated on her initial point.

Mel received instructions from CamNet. He put the silencer on his M9 and took aim at the van. He shot out both front tires with two silenced rounds. The 'getaway' vehicle was now disabled.

Mel was told to lay low and keep his weapons concealed for now by CamNet. She was in the process of working on a plan that Savannah seemed to want in this instance.

Anna led the girls into an elevator that was right by the entrance.

"There is more metal here inside the elevator to protect you." Anna said.

The elevator door opened and Anna all but pushed them inside. Cammy remained outside and Anna remained with Savannah and Young Allison. The elevator door closed.

Young Allison did not like being sidelined.

"So we are the ones in 'prison' now." Young Allison said.

Anna saw it a little differently.

"You are better protected here for now." Anna said.

Savannah did not like Cammy going off on her own. It reminded her too much of Cameron. She looked at Anna and gave an 'order' without making it an 'order'.

"I want you and Allison to remain in here." Savannah said. "I'm going out to be with Cammy and this door will not open again until I came back. You two will remain inside here."

The door opened enough for Savannah to exit. Young Allison went to follow her but Anna stopped her.

"No." Anna said. "You heard her."

Young Allison did not like the rebuke.

"It wasn't an order." Young Allison said. "I can order the door opened."

Anna saw this was also a test for Young Allison.

"Is that what Savannah wants right now?" Anna asked. "Do you want to endanger her? She will come back to protect you."

Anna stood directly in front of her with her back to the elevator doors. It was clear she was shielding her with her chassis. She was also not going to move.

This was all very irritating to Young Allison. She realized Anna was right. She did not want to endanger Savannah.

"It will be dinnertime soon." Kyle said.

Sarah looked at Kyle.

"What are you going to make me?" Sarah asked.

Kyle hoped Sarah would make something

"Do we have any TV dinners?" Kyle asked.

It was obvious that both of them missed being on the ship.

"I don't know." Sarah said. "I am going to miss my multi-course meal."

"I'm going to miss the view and the fresh ocean air." Kyle said.

Sarah normally made something for her family.

"Maybe I will go and see about fixing something." Sarah said. "Check on Derek and Riley."

Sarah did not look forward to it. She really enjoyed her time on the ship even if she did sort or overdo it with the lovemaking.

Sarah left for the commissary.

Jesse went and visited Claire earlier. She came back to the nursery when Samantha called her. She nursed Precious now.

Samantha stood nearby and watched her.

Jesse offered up her other breast.

"I have two of these you know." Jesse said. "I have one for each or you."

Samantha looked around.

"I know." Samantha said. "You know I can't."

Jesse shrugged her shoulders.

"It never hurts to try." Jesse said.

Jesse continued to nurse Precious.

"I'm hungry." Derek said.

Riley looked around.

"Let me call 'room service'." Riley said. "Or would you rather go to the buffet?"

Derek figured it would be a team effort.

"When Jesse is done we can take Precious for a stroll around the base and see what we can come up with at the commissary." Derek said.

That sounded like a lot of work to Riley.

"Maybe we can take it easy." Riley said. "I need to lose some weight."

"You're fine." Derek said.

Riley frowned.

"You already told me 'the more cushion, the more pushin'." Riley said.

Derek laughed.

"So I did." Derek said. "I was just trying to be funny."

Riley thought she needed a break from all the pushin'. She was still sore. She was sure some of the other soreness was from some of those different positions and her 'doing the work' a lot more than she'd done in a long time. She just couldn't help herself. It was like she could not get enough.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Derek said.

It was Kyle.

"Is anyone getting hungry?" Kyle asked.

"I am." Derek said. "I'm having 'food withdrawals'."

"Sarah was going to see what she could come up with." Kyle said.

Riley felt guilty now.

"Maybe I should go to help her." Riley said.

As Sarah neared the commissary she smelled food cooking. It smelled good too.

She came around the corner and Claire was working there and making things.

"Hi, Claire." Sarah said.

Claire looked over and smiled.

"Hello, Sarah." Claire said.

Sarah looked around to see if anyone else was around. She did not spot anyone.

She wanted to say something about what happened on the ship. It seemed awkward to bring it up.

"Would you like some help?" Sarah asked. "I'm not very fancy. I would burn water if it was possible. It just evaporates and the pan burns instead."

Claire glanced over.

"We can work together." Claire said. "I can teach you…."

Sarah was not sure where this was going.

"I know a little." Sarah said. "I've been around. It's been a long time."

Claire and Sarah held each others gaze.

"I think we can work something out." Claire said. "Everything comes right back with a little refresher course."

Sarah smiled.

"That's what I hoped for." Sarah said.

Summer worked with Jan on her study material and she worked with her on the keyboard.

Jan was easily frustrated but Summer was not. She worked with Jan until she understood something or until she could do it on the keyboard herself. She managed to study her material at the same time she worked with Jan.

The more Jan learned about Summer, the more she understood how advanced she was. She did things the way Savannah did. None of the girls or guys from the future were educated like this. These were things her mother did not know.

She knew the role of her brother in the Resistance and what his future was. When she looked at Summer she saw her as a leader someday. Her mother told her she would need to do that but Summer would be the one to do that.

"I need to learn more." Jan said. "I need to work harder."

Summer smiled.

"We will work smarter instead of harder." Summer said.

Summer saw a lot of uncultivated potential in Jan. That was probably her parents 'fault' for not wanting her to have more 'Metal exposure'. She'd worked around that 'problem'. That was mostly Young Allison's doing.