Chapter 79

Flying Tiger

Cameron was pleased with the 'New Jesse'. It was her goal to reform Jesse and make her a better person. She thought she'd done that. Jesse was actually quite pleasant to be around and she could be playful at times. Those were some of the qualities that she lacked before. The underlying anger and bitterness was gone. She wanted to build some self worth and self respect in Jesse. These were qualities she felt she lacked in herself at times. Maybe that was why it was important to her that she helped Jesse find these things in herself.

She watched Vanna and Allison interact with Jesse. The girls got along much better and the sexual tension was not there any longer. If the girls ever did get together it looked like it would be a rewarding experience for all of them. They understood each other better than any others could understand them. There were still a few barriers to break down. She intended to do that and maybe prompt things along in the process. She would need to think of the best way to do that and then have the girls take it from there if they wanted to.

She also noted the way John looked at Jesse. He stole a quick glance at her whenever he could. There was beauty that radiated off of her as well as a sexual allure. Even she felt it.

That led to another issue. Cameron wanted to turn Jesse at least into 'Metal Neutral' from a 'Metal Hater'. There seemed to be an unintended consequence that evolved out of that process. Jesse became a 'Metal Lover' quite literately.

It was very evident that Jesse was in love with Cameron. It happened very quickly. It was based on more than her appearance since Allison possessed the same appearance, even if it was somewhat unrefined.

Cameron asked Jesse not to 'say' it but Jesse did anyway. It seemed that Jesse loved her even more than Allison and Vanna did. She did not intend to 'act' on that love but it always raised an interesting possibility. It was something she was willing to experience a few times just to see what it was like to be with a female. It seemed to work quite well for Vanna and Allison. She might one day elect to be with each of the females. She would like to try them in order. She wanted to be with Allison first, then Vanna followed by Jesse last. She thought the encounters would be best in that order. She did not think one time with each of them would hurt anything. She did not think John would mind. They were all 'females' after all.

She spent some 'alone time' with Jesse on missions. Some of them were things she would have conducted on her own. To bring Jesse along would impede her actions somewhat. That also encouraged her to work a little harder and a little safer. It was better for both of them this way.

Once when they passed through the bad part of town in one of the outlying areas on the 'east side', Jesse asked her to stop the SUV.

"What's up?" Cameron asked as she looked around.

Jesse looked back to where they'd just passed by.

"I need to take care of something real fast." Jesse said.

Cameron became concerned.

"Is there a threat?" Cameron asked.

Jesse was not sure how to term it.

"Yes." Jesse said. "It is a threat for the future. I need to do this on my own."

Jesse slipped out of the SUV and walked back the direction they'd come from.

Cameron exited the SUV and followed behind her by a little bit. She watched Jesse approach a man standing on a corner. There was a car parked next to him. Without a word spoken Jesse shot the man that was standing and then fired twice into the car. She approached the car and opened the rear door. A young teenage female got out. Jesse reached in the front seat and produced a bag. She reached inside and handed the girl something and she ran off.

Jesse looked around and returned to the vehicle.

Cameron entered the SUV and drove away.

Jesse handed her a bag full of cash and another one full of drugs.

"There are two less Scavengers for the future." Jesse said. "This money can go to procuring weapons for the future."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She liked what she'd witnessed. Scavengers were a problem in the future.

"What about the girl?" Cameron asked.

Jesse looked at Cameron for a second.

"I freed her from the sex trade." Jesse said. "What she does now with her life is up to her. I want this to stay between us."

Cameron smiled at Jesse and gave her knee a gently squeeze as she drove away.

"It will be our secret." Cameron said.

Payback was a Bitch.

Kyle and Sarah went out with Jesse and Derek. Kyle wanted to bring them all closer together. They went out for lunch and a drive. Bob and Jim tagged along behind them in an SUV. They said they would stay out of the way and that John asked them to watch over them. The four of them understood that everyone always watched over each other. They all protected each other. They all knew if there was any incident the Terminators would be there for them. They would come for them, help them and save them. The Terminators would hold their position while they could withdraw if things heated up.

Derek developed an interest in Warbirds. The most common flying Warbirds were World War Two aircraft. There was an air museum that Derek spotted on the map. He asked if they could stop by there for a little bit. He'd seen some videos on YouTube about it. There was one plane in the air museum's collection that drew his interest. Derek looked at all the still photos online at the museum's web site. He was sure it was an 'old friend'.

Derek watched videos on YouTube about Warbirds in his free time, usually when he would have a meal. Warbirds fascinated him because of a couple of earlier experiences in his life….

One was as a witness; the other time was when his patrol was saved. The memories seemed like only yesterday to him as he reflected on them. It was very strange to think it was all still in the future, a future anyway.

Derek remembered back to when he was a teenager:

It was a few years since they'd seen any trace of the Air Force. The only thing flying was Metal. Skynet controlled the air. They mostly spotted HK drones on patrol or an occasional Skynet transport. That was usually for prisoners.

Kyle, Allison and Derek temporarily moved east of the city to avoid the increased Skynet activity. Now that Allison was with them he wanted to keep her away from 'trouble'. She was beyond pretty and seemed to get prettier everyday. It was all her own good looks; there wasn't any makeup or fancy clothes for her to wear. Allison possessed true natural beauty. Derek and Kyle swore to protect her form anyone who tried to lay a hand on her again.

They were in a more undeveloped area as they moved east.

There was a half destroyed outbuilding; at least it looked that way.

As Kyle, Allison and Derek watched from a nearby hill, a plane was pushed from the outbuilding. There was a small group of men that appeared. Derek heard of this before. Now he was about to witness it. As Skynet systematically eradicated the world's air power they forgot one thing, vintage Warbird aircraft that were scattered about the nation in museums and at small airfields.

While considered 'obsolete' they were still formidable and deadly. Stores of aviation fuel were moved out in the fuel trucks that served small airfields and small regional airports. Spare parts were a problem but there were enough vintage planes to cannibalize to keep some flying. A handful fought on. They lacked the original self sealing fuel tanks and armor but they were able to re-arm them with their original firepower. That alone made them deadly. No Metal was a match for the firepower from the guns of a Warbird.

Derek looked at the plane. Its camouflaged paint scheme was faded and worn. The symbol now on the wings was the emblem of the Resistance. There was a large faded number on the side of the fuselage. There was a small tiger with little wings painted next to the faded number. The large intake under the prop was painted with a shark's mouth. It appeared to be the only part freshly painted. It was an act of defiance if nothing else. It was meant to send a message.

There was an engine starting noise and the prop began spin. Blue gray exhaust pumped out on each side of the nose. In seconds there was a smooth even roar. The plane started to taxi. The group of men disappeared as fast as they'd appeared. Derek looked around, there was nothing but grass fields around the plane. There was no runway. To his amazement the plane took off from the grass field. It lifted off much quicker than he thought possible. The landing gear rotated and retracted at slightly different rates.

The plane thundered over them. Some brave pilot was on a mission to do what he could with what was available. Derek never forgot that sound or plane. They never saw it again. There was most likely a group of Resistance fighters in a jam and the plane was sent to help them get out of that jam. They moved further east and south by the end of the day.

Derek only ever saw one other Warbird again. He was told it was a B-25 Mitchell. It carried eight guns in the nose. There were two guns on each side of the fuselage as well. That gave the Mitchell twelve forward firing fifty caliber machine guns. That kind of firepower could destroy anything that Skynet possessed in seconds.

Their unit was pinned down and they called for help. Metal advanced on them through a narrow canyon. The assault on them was led by and HK Track. There was a large squad of Metal behind it. It was what brought up the rear that worried them the most. It was a large dreaded HK Tread. The saying in the Resistance was to 'Dread the Tread'. They were able to give directions as to where they were. They were informed, much to their surprise, that they would have air support. They thought it would be a military helicopter.

They could hear a thunderous roar and a twin-engined, twin tailed aircraft screamed towards them. It seemed to come from nowhere. The B-25 made a strafing run. The twelve fifties opened up with a tongue of flame like an angry dragon. There was nothing like the sound of a big Warbird. It ripped the Metal to pieces. It chopped up the Terminators and cut the HK Track in two. The HK Tread was left a smoldering and shredded mess. The Skynet forces barely had any time to react. Only a few shots were returned. The B-25 was hit in one engine. White smoke poured out of it. Even though the plane was damaged the pilot pressed the attack to help them. A few mangled Terminators tried to regroup. The plane made a second pass. The prop no longer turned on the port engine and black smoke now trailed from it. It limped away. The one remaining engine made a sound completely different than the one the fighter made. It was a throaty deep sound. The remaining engine thundered and that sound was incredible. The dragon roared in its victory.

Derek's patrol moved down into the canyon and finished off the Metal that still moved, there wasn't much left to finish. The devastation was incredible.

At the air museum, Derek walked up to a plane. It looked magnificent to him. The sign said it was a Curtiss P-40. Another sign said 'do not touch' but Derek needed to touch it. He saw the large number painted on the side. There was the tiger with little wings. It was the same number on the plane he saw as a teenager. Derek lovingly touched the wing tip. Its camouflage paint was in perfect condition, the painted shark's mouth defiantly grinned to the world.

It was pure beauty to Derek.

"I wish Allison was here with us." Kyle said.

Derek nodded.

"I do too." Derek said.

He would make a point of going there again with Allison and Vanna at a later date along with Kyle.

This was a special moment for the brothers.

"Maybe she would not be as excited to know that she was named after an - engine." Derek said as he read the information placard.

The placard said the power plant was an Allison V-1710.

Sarah said the plane was pretty cool looking because it was painted like that.

One of the workers came over to them. Derek thought he might be in trouble for touching the wing tip.

"She is a real beauty, isn't she?" The worker said. "We spent a lot of time getting her back in this shape."

"She is a real beauty." Derek agreed.

He was glad he wasn't in trouble.

"It will be taking off later today." The museum worker told him.

Derek looked at the plane and smiled.

"I have seen it fly before." Derek replied. "It was beautiful."

The worker wondered how? The plane was only recently restored to flying condition after being in non flying status for decades. It was going to go on its first test flight today….

'Snoopy vs. The Red Baron' by 'The Royal Guardsmen', played in the background.

Obsolete

As time passes by
Things are viewed as obsolete
Does it really mean
That they can no longer compete

If something is older
Is it really any less complete
To think age alone is a factor
Shows a lot of foolish conceit

What is old was once new
Perceived age alone can lead to deceit
Don't be so shocked
When you're delivered a defeat

Things written in stone
Will crumble like cracked concrete
Everything can change in a second
As quickly as a single heartbeat

Next time you feel the heat
Things might not end so sweet
They won't need to cheat to beat
Is anything really ever obsolete

Nobody