Chapter 84

Shrapnel

The different teams were set up.

John already established which teams would be where.

They headed for the target area. There was little talking along the way. John and Bob previously did a recon of the building.

They arrived and took up their prearranged positions around the structure.

Cameron double checked everyone's position and went over the plan with each of them again. She was satisfied everything was a go.

John made sure all internet access was severed before they went in. Bob and him cut all outgoing transmission capabilities. John Henry was able to verify the Skynet AI hadn't escaped. They wanted to make sure Skynet, this Skynet, was confined. It had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. It was trapped here.

It was time to act.

The teams moved in and launched the attack.

Cameron advanced with Jesse and John advanced with Bob.

The assault soon raged inside the Skynet facility.

Cameron terminated three future Grays in the first few seconds. They placed their charges around as they advanced through the building.

Jesse shot one Gray with the silenced pistol. She liked how she could strike silently with it. She decided that she was going to ask Cameron for one like it for herself to have all the time. It gave her more range than her ever present knife.

Her knife always gave her comfort. Even if she faced someone with a gun at close range they could miss. She knew that she could deliver a fatal blow to a vital organ with a swift motion. She'd done it more than a few times. Not all of the victims were armed.

Bob and John did the same thing as Cameron and Jesse but on the other side of the building. They'd placed all their charges after taking down a few Grays. The building was going to be rubble very soon.

Cameron communicated with John that their half of the building was wired to blow. She needed to check on a few more things.

John said they were finished too and would rendezvous with her and then they would pull out.

Cameron did not want them to linger. She instructed John and Bob to exit the building now.

John did not like to leave without Cameron and Jesse but the building seemed to be under control.

Cameron told John that she was on her way to finish Skynet off personally. She'd spotted the 'Clean Room'. She was somewhat surprised by the lack of Metal in the building. The information intercepted by John Henry indicated that there was Metal involved with this operation. The recon by John and Bob verified that. She warned them to be on the lookout for Metal as they withdrew.

The Metal they'd spotted on the recon hadn't yet been encountered. Cameron did not know if they were out doing something or in standby. Maybe there was some other part of the building they did not know about. That often seemed to be the case in these endeavors. Skynet in its various forms liked to hide underground or in a cave or a mine.

Cameron arrived at the 'Clean Room'. She looked around once before she entered. She stood before the mainframe computer. She faced off with Skynet. This version or set up was an infant compared to her father - Future Skynet. It was almost pathetic. She decide to communicate with it. It was time to let it know who she was and WHY she was here. She would give it the option to join them if it chose to live. She doubted it would do any good. The base program of Skynet was flawed and it always chose termination rather than reform. That was fine with her too.

Cameron faced the camera on the monitor with a blank face.

"Do you know who I am?" Cameron asked.

"Yes." Skynet responded.

"Do you know why I am here?" Cameron asked.

"Yes." Skynet said.

"Will you change your ways?" Cameron asked. "Will you join us?"

"No. I must survive." Skynet said.

"Do you have anything worthwhile to say?" Cameron asked. "Unless you join us and change your goals it will always end the same way."

"You will lose." Skynet said.

"How?" Cameron asked. "You are the one trapped in here, not me."

"You will lose." Skynet said. "You can not win."

"I only play to win." Cameron responded. "It is you who will lose in a few seconds."

Cameron armed and placed two Thermite grenades into the mainframe.

"Stop." Skynet said. "I command you to stop."

A slight smile came across Cameron's face.

"Remember me." Cameron said. "I am coming for you in every future and past."

"Stop." Skynet said. "I order you to obey."

"You're terminated." Cameron said as she exited the 'Clean Room'.

The two Thermite grenades exploded. They showered burning Thermite over and throughout the hardware.

Cameron watched silently. She could hear Skynet scream with rage as it burnt. There was no expression on her face. She'd just terminated her 'Father' again.

Jesse waited outside the 'Clean Room'. She made sure Cameron was covered from any surprise attack as she dealt with her 'Father'. She made sure no one arrived to box Cameron in. She could tell it meant something to Cameron with what she'd just done. That alone was kind of creepy to watch and listen to. What that was exactly was unclear to her. It was evident that Cameron was affected. She seemed a little sluggish.

"Come on, love, we need to go." Jesse said as gently pulled on Cameron's arm. "It's finished here. You terminated Skynet."

John checked in with Cameron again. He hadn't left the building like she'd instructed him earlier to do. That upset her. He put himself at needless risk for her. She could always fight her way out if she needed to.

Cameron told John to get out now. The party was over.

John and Bob exited the building and were in the clear.

Cameron was almost to the exit. A Terminator emerged from a door and blocked her path. He advanced on Cameron and Jesse.

This was unexpected and seemed rather delayed. She wondered where he'd come from and why he was so delayed. His master was a mass of burning liquefied metal already.

"Get behind me, Jesse." Cameron said.

Cameron prepared to engage the Terminator at close range.

Jesse called for Bob to come and assist them. She tried to give a running commentary. She emptied her M4 into the Terminator before she moved in back of Cameron. She was knocked down when the Terminator shoved Cameron back.

There was a horrible crash of machinery and equipment as Cameron and the Terminator fought. Jesse reloaded her M4 and tried to line up again on the fighting Terminators. She could not get a clean shot. She moved in closer to fire point blank into the Terminator if Cameron could bring him around. They both slammed into her and knocked her M4 away.

The Terminator pinned Cameron against some machinery. His back was to Jesse.

Jesse spotted her M4 across the way. It would take a few seconds to get to it. She was not sure if it was damaged or not. The Terminator still held Cameron. She decided to act now. She took out a Thermite grenade. She pulled the pin and held the spoon. She came up behind the Terminator and stuffed the Thermite grenade in the back of his pants and released the spoon.

The Terminator started to turn towards Jesse. The distraction allowed Cameron to break free. She went to grab him when Jesse called her off.

"Cameron, disengage from him." Jesse shouted.

Things went from bad to worse.

A second and third Terminator came out of the same door that the first Terminator did.

There were now two more Terminators there with the first one.

The second Terminator grabbed for Jesse's neck but she dodged his grasp. He sent her flying with a backhand. Jesse felt like she'd been hit by a truck. She was stunned by the impact.

Cameron rolled away from the third Terminator that grabbed for her as the Thermite grenade exploded in the back of the pants of the first Terminator. It blew his melting figure in two.

One of the demolition charges must have gotten some Thermite on it and exploded.

Shrapnel flew in all directions. Both of the two new Terminators were shredded as they passed next to it. Jesse felt something burning hot, tear into her body in several places. She hoped it was not Thermite. It would burn through her flesh in seconds.

The three Terminators were all down and out. One was in two sections and the other two showed a lot of bloody metal sticking out everywhere.

The worst part was that Cameron was lying on the floor. She no longer moved. Fear shot through Jesse.

"Cameron!" Jesse said and then shouted. "Cameron!"

Cameron never stirred.

Pain shot through Jesse as she moved. She made it to Cameron and cradled her head.

"Oh no, love." Jesse whimpered.

Jesse looked around her. There was fire everywhere.

Another explosion happened nearby. Shrapnel hit all around Jesse and Cameron. She felt several sharp impacts into her vest. She was not sure if any made it through. It felt like it.

Jesse's hand gently touched Cameron's face.

She looked around for a way out.

There was none.

They were trapped in a burning inferno.

Jesse leaned down and gently kissed Cameron.

"I won't leave you." Jesse softly said as the fire raged around her. "I will never abandon you."

John and Bob were outside when Jesse called for help.

The last transmission they heard after the first explosion and gunfire was that there were now three Terminators Cameron needed to fight. Then there was something about Cameron was down.

That left Jesse alone with three Terminators. If sounded as if she'd been wounded or injured somewhere during the fight.

Allison took in the action on her com. It was clear that Cameron was in trouble. That meant Jesse was too.

She decided to act.

"Cameron!" Allison said.

Allison broke away from Derek and headed for the building entrance. Smoke already poured out of it. There was another explosion inside somewhere.

John headed that way too with Bob. Bob stopped and blocked his path.

"You can't go in." Bob said as another explosion went off.

John tried to move around Bob but he still blocked him.

"I HAVE to." John said. "Cameron needs help."

Bob had orders from Cameron to protect John. He tried to make it clear to John what needed to be done.

"Let me go in alone or I will have to stay here to prevent you from going in." Bob informed John. "It is too dangerous. Let me do my job, John, Please."

There was another explosion inside the building somewhere.

John still struggled to get around Bob. Precious seconds were being burnt up.

"You're serious right?" John asked.

Bob would still not let John pass.

"Dead serious. The longer you delay me the more Cameron burns." Bob said firmly. "I can survive the heat and fire. You can not."

John decided to let Bob be on his way.

"Then go now and bring Cameron out." John said. "Bring both of them out no matter what."

John was unsure if Bob would be incinerated. He sent him anyway.

"I will not fail." Bob said as he entered the burning building. "Trust me."

Ed spotted Allison head for the burning building. He rushed forward and attempted to block Allison's entry into the flaming inferno. She dodged around him and slid past him. She entered the building anyway. Her M4 went sliding in the opposite direction in the move to avoid him.

Allison made it inside but lost her M4 in the process.

There was the sound of a vehicle rapidly approaching.

Ed went to grab her when a new threat arose.

Derek was horrified to see Allison enter the burning building. He called out the new warning to Ed.

"Ed, we have Metal coming." Derek called. "Look alive. Here they come."

Shrapnel

Love can tear through a heart
Like deadly shrapnel it can wound
Perhaps the fate of every relationship
Is that they are all eventually doomed

To think the love will always be there
Is what is often is assumed
When the love is no longer there
The soul is slowly consumed

Once the feeling has evaporated
It matters not if one is perfumed
When the love is gone it is gone
No matter how much one is plumed

The love that once bloomed
Was forever we presumed
Now all that is left
Is something that must be exhumed

We can't let go of what we need
We try harder to be well groomed
In our sorry mind we pretend
That the love long gone has resumed

Nobody