Chapter 1525
Serious Operation
Cam took stock what chemicals were in the barrels. Some of them contained acid. She soon found out many of the barrels were empty. She really wondered how long they'd been working down there. It looked like a few years based on the amount of excavation.
She took her body cam off and carefully lifted it slightly above the level of the barrels with her hand. She filmed everything that was around her in a three hundred and sixty degree circle. That was for John Henry and CamNet to disseminate. She looked at the images on her phone as she did that.
Over by where the tram stopped she spotted several figures working. One of them operated a small front end loader. It seemed to be electric powered as were the tractors for the tram cars.
There was a loud metal 'clang' noise as some of the rocks were loaded into the first tram car. That process was repeated over and over. It would mask her movements for sound.
There was one area that was under construction on the other side of the sloped shaft. It looked like it would be a clean room. This is where the real Skynet computer would be housed when this place was finished. That would never happen. They were there to prevent that.
Cam heard some movement near her. She got down low again. She watched a man covered from head to toe in dust approach where she was at. The dust that covered him was the same color as the rock. She was covered the same way. He placed a spout into the top of a barrel. He picked up the fully loaded barrel and placed it sideways on a rack so it could be gravity drained. She knew that liquid weighed about eight pounds a gallon and that was a fifty five gallon barrel. That was about four hundred and fifty pounds with the weight of the barrel and liquid. That man was not a man. He was a Terminator.
She watched him draw off different chemicals from several barrels. These were the chemicals he would mix to create the nitro. He left with the unmixed liquids and went back to where the tram was being loaded.
Cam heard some noise from the sloped shaft. Another tram was headed down. The tram that was being loaded pulled away from the loading area and paused at the foot of the sloped shaft. It waited for the downhill tram to arrive.
She peeked over the top of the barrels and watched the Terminator mix the chemicals. She studied the proportions he used. They weren't equal. Everyone around him was silent and didn't move. They were all behind heavy objects for cover. The empty tram arrived, pulled up and stopped.
The Terminator moved away from the blast area. Ten seconds later there was a loud explosion and the ground shook. There was a heavy dust cloud seconds later. Everyone went back to work as the dust settled. The two trams passed each other. The empty one went over to be loaded. The loaded one whined its way up the sloped shaft.
As the rocks 'clanged' into the cars, she moved several full barrels of chemicals over to the edge of the depression in the rock. It would act as a giant mixing bowl for the chemicals if she decided to release them. She would need to be careful around the acid. It could damage her sheath. She would use her knife to puncture each barrel at the appropriate height to release the desired amount of chemicals into the depression. The size she made the holes would determine now fast the chemicals would flow. She could make the fluids flow rapidly or take hours to drain. The longer the drainage took the greater the chances of discovery were.
Cam would need to coordinate with the team up top and still be able to get away from where she was at. She wanted a better look around before she did anything.
Anna and Young Allison watched the video feed from Cam.
"That's a serious operation." Young Allison said.
Anna could see it must have been ongoing for years.
"Someone's planned this for a long time." Anna said.
Young Allison knew Cam wanted to find the large power cell or cells that they suspected were there.
"I think the giant power cell is to be built where Cam is now along with a bunker buster proof clean room." Young Allison said. "There's room on the other side."
Anna thought there were a few smaller power cells there already.
"They need to check out Level Four all the way to the main shaft." Anna said.
Neither one of them discussed the fate of the girl.
Moments ago:
Gail rejoined Bob and Jim. They decided to hold where they were for now. They didn't want to get too far away from Cam. Gail set her body cam on top of one of the crates so they could watch the two clean rooms and the top of the sloped shaft. They didn't need to expose themselves that way if they used the cam.
Another empty tram arrived and started down the sloped shaft. They observed the footage that Cam transmitted back up to the top. They saw everything that she did.
They watched the man lift the barrel. They all looked at each other.
"Metal." Bob said.
They could hear Toto moving around over by the finished clean room. They weren't sure if it was going to enter or not. The door into it was closed. Toto needed to get inside to complete its high speed link with the mainframe to infect it with Summer's program and virus.
They watched as the female Terminator exited the unfinished clean room. Toto hurried away from the finished clean room before she could spot it. John Henry didn't want the added electrical equipment they'd installed on Toto to be noticed.
Toto headed further into Level Four. It was given a new mission.
Another blast rocked the area.
"That wasn't as large as the one a few explosions ago." Jim said.
Gail was sure they'd bring the entire mine down if they did too many giant explosions.
"This mine is weaker than they know." Gail said. "The first two levels are in very bad condition. They could start a chain reaction collapse."
Bob agreed with that assessment.
"Affirmative." Bob said.
The team held for now. Gail watched Cam's body cam footage. Jim watched the footage of the area in front of them. Bob watched the feed from Toto.
John Henry and Summer watched the feed between the two clean rooms.
"You need to get Toto away from there." Summer said.
John Henry could see that Toto couldn't get inside the clean room. The female Terminator might notice the modifications that the team made to Toto if she got a good look at it.
"I'll move Toto away for now." John Henry said.
Summer looked at the footage from Cam's circular sweep of her body cam.
"There's nothing of value on Level Five." Summer said. "Since there is only solid rock above it, it would withstand the collapse of the mine itself. I believe that is another safeguard they've built into its construction."
John Henry thought about that. As long as Skynet itself could get a signal out, it would be untouchable. The giant power cell once it was constructed would last for a century or more if it was built the same way as the one Cameron destroyed in her future.
"This is very much like what Savannah and Cameron encountered." John Henry said. "It's just not ready yet."
Summer wanted to find whatever power cells there were already there.
"Toto needs to find where any medium or large power cells are at." Summer said. "That's not indicated in the files of its travels."
John Henry wondered about that too. There must be another cavern on Level Four where that would be. Maybe it was concealed.
Cammy was pleased to hear that Camille separated John from the girls. She knew what the plan was.
"Ally, you need to ride with Hanna." Cammy said. "She has Mary and Laura with her."
Ally didn't have a problem with that.
"Let me out at the corner and I'll wait for them." Ally said. "Leticia can wait with me."
Leticia wanted a piece of the action.
"I want to be with Sheila when she takes down the gang." Leticia said.
Cammy thought it would be safer for Leticia to be with Ally, Hanna and the girls.
"You will be safer with the others." Cammy said.
Leticia wanted to stay with Sheila.
"No." Leticia said. "I'm with Sheila. There's a vest here for me to wear."
Sheila wanted to see what Leticia would decide on her own.
"You can stay with me, love, but you need to know there's always the chance you could be hurt." Sheila said. "I appreciate you speaking up as well. That's what I want out of you."
Leticia was used to taking directions and following commands. She was also aware of how they were given. She looked at Sheila.
"I want to learn more about what you do and how you do it." Leticia said.
Cammy stopped at the corner and Ally got out.
"The other SUV should be by in a few minutes." Cammy said. "I told Hanna where to go."
Ally nodded.
"I'll probably be 'hit on' before they arrive." Ally said and closed the door.
Cammy smiled and drove away.
Leticia really wondered what she was about to get herself into.
"Can you tell me who you really are?" Leticia asked.
Cammy looked back and smiled.
"We're the good guys." Cammy said.
Sheila knew some of her actions were a little questionable.
'Most of the time.' Sheila thought.
Dan and Frank were given target acquisition information by CamNet. They tracked the first target.
Frank drove the SUV and Dan was on foot behind the perp. They anticipated he was on the way to the park.
Dan watched as the punk stopped by some homeless tents. He roughed up a skinny homeless man and took something from him. There was an even skinnier female that said something to him. The punk tried to hit her but she moved too fast.
"Bitch." The punk said.
"Go to Hell." The skinny female said.
"You be in your tent when I get back." The punk said.
"Are you going to pay me this time?" The skinny female asked.
"I never pay for it." The punk said.
"I have AIDS." The skinny female said.
"Sure you do." The punk said. "They all say that."
The punk moved on.
Dan touched his silenced M9. He thought about terminating the homeless people in the tents. That wasn't his mission right now. Maybe he would do that later on. They were parasites to the future. He passed the tents and stayed behind the punk.
Hanna was told where to pick Ally up at. She should be there in a few minutes.
"What all is Sheila really going to do?" Mary asked.
Hanna wanted them to know now that John was away.
"She's going to kill them." Hanna said. "They returned to the park yesterday. They were warned not to return. They robbed half a dozen tourists and the gang assaulted two foreign female tourists. They're both in the hospital now. The female gang member lured the two females into the trap."
Laura wondered about that.
"Nobody takes threats seriously." Laura said.
Hanna wanted the girls to understand how they worked.
"They weren't threats." Hanna said. "We're very mission focused. If we say something will happen, it will happen."
Mary saw how Sheila butchered the two females and killed the other men earlier.
"Does any of this bother you?" Mary asked.
Hanna tilted her head slightly.
"No." Hanna said. "Why would it?"
Laura thought it was obvious.
"I'd have to say because your group kills people." Laura said. "Sheila kills them very violently. It's clear she enjoys doing it as well."
Hanna tilted her head slightly the other way. She saw things differently.
"It's their own actions that have determine their fate." Hanna said. "We merely carry out the sentence that they've given themselves."
Laura could see the logic in that reasoning, even if it was a little convoluted.
Mary wanted to ask about the 'robot thing' but it just seemed absurd. She'd been with all of the 'special girls' and their bodies were just like any other female. They responded in the same way too. The 'special girls' didn't eat or drink much and they never needed to use the restroom. What was that other term Laura said? It was android or cyborg or something like that. She took out her phone and typed in 'cyborg'. A 'frowning face' instantly appeared on her screen.
Laura watched what Mary did and saw what happened. They quickly looked at each other.
Hanna was alerted by CamNet as to the search Mary just did. She didn't turn around to look at Mary and Laura and she didn't touch anything but the steering wheel.
"Is that something you really want to know?" Hanna asked.
Mary felt guilty but she did want to know more.
"Yes." Mary said.
The 'frowning face' on her phone disappeared and the search resumed on her phone.
Mary and Laura looked at each other again. They knew that was the work of a 'super computer'. They both hoped it was the 'good' one.
Mary tried to remember the name of the super computer that controlled everything and blew up the world in the article. It was Sky-something. Were the 'special girls' really the good guys?
They were good in bed and that was all that mattered for now.
Steve and Tom drove Camille and John towards San Francisco.
Camille offered John the option to have her revert her program back to that of 'Cameron's program' on the day of her creation.
John thought about that. It would be exciting but he wanted Camille to be herself. He thought she would be more fun that way and hopefully less worried about him.
"I just want you to be 'Camille'." John said. "Be who you are. I want the real you."
Camille smiled. She wanted that too.
"Thank you." Camille said.
Steve didn't want them to get 'carried away' on his watch. Now that they were alone or soon would be, things could happen.
"Do you want to ride the historic trolleys first or head straight for the cable cars?" Steve asked.
John wanted to be a gentleman. He hadn't been around Camille that much. He did 'break in' her chassis with Cameron in control of it. He was still pleased about that. He'd like to 'break in' her chassis as well with her program in control of it. That would be another first.
"I'll let Camille pick what we do." John said. "I'm game for anything she decides."
Camille lightly moistened her lips. She could think of a few things. She was anxious to get 'busted' herself as herself. She wanted to know what Young Jesse experienced. She wanted that same experience too. She tried not to think about how Cameron 'stole' her virginity. Maybe it was time to pay her back.
Ally watched Cammy drive away with Sheila and Leticia. She looked at her phone to see how far away Hanna was. It was still a few minutes.
A car almost immediately pulled up to the curb.
"Hey, sweet cakes, do you need a lift?" A man asked.
A series of 'appropriate responses' popped up on her HUD. She was about to use the most common one. It was very profane. She decided to be nice instead.
"No thanks." Ally said. "My ride will be here in a few minutes."
The car still sat there.
"I can make it worth your time." The man said.
The man flashed a 'C note'.
'Not this again.' Ally thought.
"I need to see someone in the hospital." Ally said.
The man flashed two 'C notes'.
"Who?" The man asked.
Ally didn't want this trouble now. They were going to have plenty soon enough.
"It will be you if you don't drive away now." Ally said.
Her right hand was on the pole for the bus stop sign. She looked around. No one else was close. She bent the metal pole to a ninety degree angle.
The man eyes widened.
"NOW." Ally said.
The man hit the gas and drove away. She bent the sign pole straight again. It was left with a little kink in the metal.
A few minutes later Hanna pulled up.
"Did you have any trouble?" Hanna asked.
Ally smiled and got into the front seat. She greeted the girls in the back seat.
"Nope." Ally said.
Hanna drove off.
Dan followed the punk. He watched him slash the tires on a high end sports car. The air still hissed out of the tires as he passed it.
There were a few 'deposits' from the homeless people on the sidewalk. That was a problem in San Francisco. He wondered when someone else would do something about it.
The punk took out a spray can and made some markings on the side of a cargo van that was parked. It took up the entire side of the van.
Dan was fed up with what he'd witnessed so far. It was time this madness ended. He contacted Sheila. He gave her a brief rundown on what activities occurred so far.
"Do you want me to immobilize the gang member that I'm following now or you want to wait for him to join up with the rest of the gang?" Dan asked.
Sheila could tell Dan wanted to terminate him.
"Is there any place off to the side where you can hold him?" Sheila asked.
Frank scouted around and ahead of Dan in their SUV.
"Yes." Frank said.
Frank informed them that he'd spotted an empty house up ahead.
"Do it." Sheila said. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
Dan was more than ready.
He moved into the street so the parked cars would mask his approach. He closed up on the punk.
The punk stopped to spray paint something on a gate. Dan moved directly in back of him as he put the spray can away.
The punk spun around with a knife in his hand.
"Give me your phone and wallet." The punk said.
Dan continued to close on the punk.
The punk took in his size and saw he was about to have a problem. When the big man's eyes glowed red, he knew he was really going to have a problem.
He made a stab motion at Dan.
Dan sidestepped and gave the punk a shove. He hit the sidewalk hard. The knife clattered away. The punk tried to get up but collapsed to the ground. He put his foot on the punk's back and pushed down. He didn't use too much force. He just wanted the punk to pass out. A couple of broken ribs wouldn't matter. He could hear and feel several of them snap as he increased the pressure of his foot.
"I can't breathe." The punk gasped.
Dan wasn't fazed.
"I've heard that before." Dan said. "Deal with it."
Dan increased the pressure. He did hear some other bone break as the punk struggled. The punk stopped moving. He held his foot on his back a little longer.
He looked around and picked up the knife the punk dropped. He figured Sheila would want to use his own knife on him. It seemed fitting anyway.
Frank was there now with him. He'd parked the SUV.
"The house is clear." Frank said.
Dan picked up the punk's ankle and drug him up to the house. The punk's head impacted and bounced off of every obstacle in the way and off each of the steps. He was still face down.
Frank quickly searched the punk and found a second knife, the spray can and a baggie with some narcotics in it. There were two credit cards in a female's name and a woman's ring in another pocket.
It was what he found in the last pocket that made Dan and Frank look at each other. It was a pair of women's underwear. They were a fancy high end foreign brand. They most likely belonged to one of the two foreign tourists that the gang assaulted yesterday.
"Sheila will use the knife on him for sure." Frank said.
Dan nodded.
"Let's get him ready." Dan said.
There was the sound of cloth ripping as the punk was prepared for 'justice'. There would be one less Scavenger for the future in a few minutes. They gagged him with his own underwear. They made sure the 'skid mark' was deep in his mouth.