Chapter 317
Noticed
The three Terminators were still in the hall outside of Vanna's room. They all heard everything that was discussed and knew what was happening.
Cam and Holly looked at each other, aware of what was occurring in the room. The long term love of Vanna and Allison was still strong. They needed each other. They would always need each other. They belonged to each other. It was the 'Natural Order'.
Sheila saw the looks of concern on their faces.
"You need to do something or you will lose them." Sheila said.
Cam didn't think that was their place.
"They're not ours to lose." Cam said. "It is the 'Natural Order' for them."
Sheila didn't like the stress that Cam and especially Holly exhibited.
"I will remain here. You two need go elsewhere and not listen to what happens." Sheila said. "I'll call you if you are needed."
Holly was hesitant to leave Allison.
"Come with me." Cam said to Holly as she physically led her away.
Holly followed her. The tears flowed down her face. It was the 'Natural Order'.
Cam noticed and tried to soothe Holly. It was time to play the trump card. She held up a chip. It was Cameron's spare chip. It was 'Cameron' for all practical purposes.
"I have what you really want." Cam said. "It was updated a few hours ago. This is - Cameron."
Holly stared at it and then at Cam. Holly knew what it was and meant.
"Is that for Vanna or Allison?" Holly asked.
Cam wanted Holly to understand it was for her.
"Cameron said this was for you more than Vanna if it's needed." Cam said. "Is it needed?"
Holly looked back at the room with Vanna and Allison. She paused and listened. She wanted to be with Cameron.
"Yes. It's what I really want…." Holly said. "It is what I've always wanted…."
Cam held 'Cameron', a 'Cameron', in her hand. Cameron knew what would happen and wanted to make Holly know she cared about HER as well. Cameron always tried to help everyone else the best or only ways she could. As Allison served as Cameron's surrogate for Holly before, Cam would be now as well….
Cameron wanted to check the lower level of the building. The ground floor that they'd just left didn't seem to offer much. What they were looking for, besides the female Terminator, could be downstairs. They still thought this location was connected to the HK drone.
Cameron moved down the stairs. There was also an elevator. So far it hadn't moved.
Cameron entered through a door into the lower level, Gail and Bob were behind her.
Bob moved to Cameron's right and Gail to her left, everyone scanned for targets as they waited….
They heard more gunfire upstairs and then silence.
There was machinery all around them and what looked like an assembly line being set up. There was also a half built HK drone near one corner. There were a number of parts scattered around it.
Cameron heard some noise, they all did.
"Get ready." Cameron said. "Here they come…."
Savannah asked John to help her with some of her studies. She also brought him to where she wanted him. Now was the time to test her training that Cameron taught her…. Cameron encouraged her to try it out, so she could learn and improve.
Savannah excused herself for a few minutes, she soon returned.
John looked up, Savannah looked stunning.
"Did you change?" John asked.
Savannah noted John swallowed hard.
She knew she scored a hit.
"It's hot out." Savannah said.
Savannah made sure John got a good look at her. The outfit revealed a lot. She made sure he saw it all too.
John was taken a little aback with Savannah's outfit.
"Did Cameron pick those out clothes for you?" John asked.
John looked around. He felt a little uncomfortable.
'Actually she picked them for you.' Savannah thought.
Savannah looked at John and frowned slightly.
"I can change back." Savannah said.
She started to unbutton her top. One breast almost popped completely out. It wasn't an accident. She actually tried to make it pop out. She would need to practice that maneuver more. Jesse seemed to have that technique down quite well.
John wanted to leave things like they were before it got 'worse'. He tried to ignore her new outfit. It was impossible. He KNEW Cameron was behind this. Savannah was ravishing.
"NO! Let's concentrate on the school work." John said.
Savannah looked at John. She was pleased at his uneasiness.
"What else would we be doing?" Savannah asked.
John looked even more uneasy now.
Savannah couldn't wait to tell Cameron. Cameron was right. John did 'notice' her. Cameron gave her 'infiltration' training also as part of her 'instruction'. Cameron instructed her on many things, some of them were eye opening for her. Some of them she wanted to actually try.
She could see John turned 'red' as he tried NOT to look. He needed to adjust his pants, without appearing to do so.
Savannah knew she scored another hit.
Now Savannah really wanted to try out some more things.
Savannah knew she was Hot and READY.
Cameron picked out a target and fired. She heard the Pig open up and the Thumper cap off a round off. She actually saw the HE round impact a Terminator and blow him in two when it exploded as it embedded in his abdomen.
She was aware all of them took a few hits but they were all still in the game as they returned fire.
Gail spotted the female Terminator.
"There she is." Gail said.
Cameron drew her custom fabricated Taser.
"Cover me and try not to damage her too much." Cameron said as she moved forward.
A Gray approached Cameron on her left side. She saw the Pig shred his torso. Bob took him down.
A Terminator was on her right. The Coltan rounds from the Pig hit him and spun him around where he advanced from.
The damaged Terminator stumbled into Cameron and knocked her off balance.
Cameron was grabbed by a female Terminator from the other side when she was off balance and flung across the aisle.
Cameron rolled and came up as she fired her Taser.
"Bitch Whore!" Cameron said as the female Metal went down and offline.
Cameron resisted the urge to kick her in the face.
She was aware that the firing increased around her. She needed to use her M4. She fired and reloaded. She noticed the 'Bitch Whore' start to reboot. She fired and hit her again with her Taser.
The firing stopped. Silence filled the room. It was deafening.
Cameron quickly removed the chip from the female Terminator.
Jim and both of her Terminators were there as well now. There was one more round of sporadic firing. The Thumper ended the threat. The Resistance team came out on top.
Cameron took in the scene. All the Terminators on her team were damaged. She knew how angry John was going to be about all of this.
"Make sure all the Terminators are deactivated. Let's collect the Metal and get out of here." Cameron said. "I want both drones to hit this place hard as soon as we're out."
Gail came and picked up the female Terminator. She was aware that she was holding 'herself' or what soon would be her clone anyway. It would be Cameron and her together.
"Cameron." Bob said. "Over here."
Cameron went and looked. In the group Bob dropped, there was another female Terminator. She was pleased to see that. The second female Terminator would need heavy repairs. That wasn't a problem. She knew where to find all the parts in her stockpile. This was turning out to be a good raid after all.
The damage to Cameron mattered a little less now. Her plans were more important. Things were turning out much better than she'd anticipated.
Holly was just 'given' the chance to be with Cameron, a 'Cameron'. It was her dream and greatest desire.
Holly stopped. She looked at Cam.
"I can't." Holly said. "I love Allison."
Cam smiled.
"Cameron said that's what you would do." Cam said. "She said your love for Allison was greater than your own desires."
Holly wanted to go back to where Allison was at.
"Let's go back and wait. I knew what I was getting into by choice." Holly said. "Cameron never had a choice."
"It's our part in the Resistance." Cam said. "We will both be stronger by accepting the 'Natural Order'."
Holly sacrificed her personal desires in her love for Allison.
"Allison's happiness is what is most important to me. Her long time lover needs her." Holly said. "Allison comes before me. I love her."
Cam liked Holly's decision.
"That's true love." Cam said. "Sacrifice is the true test of love."
Holly understood things even better now.
"I will protect the 'Natural Order' for the future and for Cameron." Holly said. "She is correct. She's always correct. I'm sorry I ever doubted her."
Cam smiled to herself.
Al and Ed went over the side fence to the next building. John Henry made them aware of Cameron's operation. They were ready to leave and go assist her and the rest of the troops. It looked like that operation concluded almost as soon as it started.
"John wanted that operation set up as surveillance." Al said.
Ed figured that Cameron was after another goal. It was doubtful that John would know what it was specifically.
"It appears that Cameron wanted a little more." Ed said.
It seemed Cameron always wanted a little more.
"Will Bob and Jim take back over this operation?" Al asked.
The reports indicated some Terminators were damaged.
"We will stick with it until we are relieved." Ed said.
They moved up to the side of the building and listened. It was quiet inside but there was light on somewhere inside. They checked both sides and the back. Everything was secure.
They checked the satellite image.
"This building has four skylights." Al said.
They moved around to the back and the rear loading dock area.
They were about to go up the roof access ladder. They could hear a vehicle in the alley. They paused and waited on the side of the building as it passed.
It was an old pickup truck with scrap metal in the back.
"It looks like junk collector." Ed said.
Al looked at a more positive interpretation.
"They could be looked at as someone who recycles." Al said.
Ed looked at the sinister side of it.
"It could also be a good way to scout around and remain undetected." Ed said.
Al nodded.
"It's an effective strategy." Al said.
They contacted John Henry for any updates around them or the old pickup truck. Nothing new was noted other than the truck.
They made their way up onto the roof. They did the same procedure where they each looked in the side of the same skylight to see what was under each other from across the roof.
The building contained some various machinery. The only light on was from an open restroom door. There was no one or any movement inside.
They made their way back to the ladder in the rear.
"Let's take a good look from up here at where we've been and where we are going." Al said.
The two Terminators scanned everything around them from the top of the building. They both used various vision spectrums.
"Look over at the second building where we are headed." Ed said.
Al looked over and spotted a faint red arc come up and glow brighter for a few seconds and then arc back down again. It was repeated twice more.
"Someone is smoking." Al said.
There was a possibility there were more of them.
"Let's watch for a minute." Ed said.
After five minutes it appeared to be only one individual.
They were about to start down the latter when there were some angry feline sounds from the property they'd just come from. There were two cats facing off with each other.
"It is probably an altercation over food." Al said.
"It could be an issue over a female too." Ed said.
"It could be two female cats as well." Al said.
The altercation grew quite loud. They looked over to where they wanted to go and the person with the cigarette. They were no longer visible.
They decided it was too risky to come down the rear ladder at this point. They moved to the side closer to the cats and dropped down over the side and landed on the pavement with two dull thud sounds.
They moved out to the front to go to the next property. They'd tried to bypass the fronts of the buildings to avoid detection from across the street.
They quickly moved to the next building and went along the side.
It was dark and lifeless. They still wanted a look inside. The building next to them was the one with the man who'd been smoking.
They moved over to a restroom window and forced it open. They entered through that.
This building was vacant. It contained heavy dust build up like the earlier building. They bent the window frame back into shape and secured the window. They exited through a side door.
They went to move over to the fence with the man who'd been smoking. Much to their surprise the scrap metal collector in the old pickup truck was back. They were in back of the building that they were alongside of now.
They could hear talking next to them.
"Who are they?" The first man asked.
"I don't know." The second man said. "They drove by earlier. It's just some junk collectors."
"I don't want this operation blown." The first man said. "Take care of it."
"How do I do that?" The second man asked. "Do you want me to kill them?"
"No, stupid." The first man said. "I don't want any gunfire."
"They will probably leave in a few minutes." The second man said.
"If they end up in back our place, run them off." The first man said.
Al and Ed took the opportunity of the two men conversing and watching the junk collectors to enter their side of the property. There was something going on here that someone thought they might need to kill over.
They watched the first man go inside the building and the second man move down to the alley.
They moved up and tried the door. It wasn't locked. Al watched the man at the alley and Ed opened the door soundlessly a crack.
Ed could hear several men talking inside. It sounded like they were packing something up. Maybe they were unpacking it too.
The old truck moved up in back of the building where they were at.
"This is private property." The man said.
The truck drove off.
Ed saw it was clear and went inside. Al followed him in.
They moved around the interior walls and stayed away from the center of the building. That was where the activity was occurring.
There were large machines. Two of them were CNC mills. They were very expensive machines. There was an assortment of lathes and drill presses that were older machines.
"Someone is about to set up an full on machine shop in here." Al said.
"The next question is what for?" Ed asked. "Why do they need a guard and are willing to kill?"
The door they entered from opened and the man that was outside entered. He tossed his cigarette back outside before the door closed. They could clearly see the barcode on his left arm.
"These are Grays." Al said.
If they found any Coltan they decided to take the operation down right now.
The first man came over to the second man who'd just entered.
"Get back outside and stay at your post." The first man said.
"I needed to use the can." The second man said.
"Tie it in a knot." The first man said.
"There is nothing to tie." The second man said. "I need to take a dump."
"TMI, dude." The first man said. "Rathbone, get outside and keep a watch."
"Sure thing." Rathbone said.
He headed outside. He carried a Beretta 92 of some variant.
Al and Ed looked around where they could. There was no Coltan or other metal present yet.
There was a location missing between the mine and what was about to happen here.
"We need to find where the truck stops at between here and the mine." Ed said.
"We may need additional assistance to catch all of this group." Al said.
They placed two surveillance cameras and quietly pulled out. They went out the front door. They made sure the door wasn't wired before they opened it.
They were surprised to see the junk collector moving in their direction on the main street. It looked like something was off. They moved rapidly to the next property and took cover.
The old pickup passed slowly down the street.
"This looks like trouble." Ed said.
Noticed
Is it better to stand out
Or to be part of the crowd
Maybe that all depends
On how well one is endowed
Beauty is transitory
It can come and go
On some it disappears quick
On others it fades rather slow
Is beauty really only skin deep
It seems that it is to many a person
They are blinded to what's truly within
That always seems to make things worsen
Time seems to erode beauty
It is usually a negative effect
To those who truly love
It does not really affect
It makes a big difference
If one fails to be noticed
By the one that they desire
They might as well be the remotest
Nobody