Chapter 340

Go Time

The Resistance team was at the recon location. It looked like they were about to witness a second group attack the building. There was a possibility it was actually three groups that were involved. They waited and watched the events unfold.

John wanted to strike the target with their drones right away. Cameron advised him against it. She wanted the herd to 'thin' itself first before they acted.

Savannah was supposed to be on a training mission. This was much more than that now. Cameron wanted John and her out of the area. Savannah refused to go. She said she needed to 'get her hands dirty' and now was as good a time as any.

Fighting broke out in the target area.

The group that just arrived attacked the building that they'd been surveilling. They came from three different directions. They needed to check behind them often as they were in the fourth direction. That just seemed to be luck. Then again, they'd come in from over a small hill. They took the more difficulty route there. They also figured that it would be guarded the least too if there were sentries. The other three sides could be accessed easily.

The two vans discharged a group of men. They were most likely Future Grays. The two SUVs contained one Gray and one Terminator each. The two Terminators went straight in the front. They led the assault. The Grays followed them in. No one stayed to watch the vehicles. It didn't look like they planned on leaving anytime soon. They obviously expected to be the victors.

Cameron watched them attack. She was aware that is how she used to launch an assault. After repeated and extensive damage, she now she used more caution. She instructed her Terminators to use caution and prudence as well to minimize damage. She now tried to protect her 'friends' both Metal and human. All of them wore body armor as well in a planned assault or a recon like tonight was supposed to be. She didn't like to take unnecessary chances when she didn't have to. She would really like for John and Savannah to withdraw. It was clear to her that Savannah wanted to stay the course. Savannah looked very determined and was combat ready.

The flashes of light from the fight reached Savannah's eyes before the sounds of the gunfire did. There was a very slight delay. It wasn't like what she saw in the movies. There, it was always depicted with the explosion and the sound occurring at the same time in the distance. She knew the closer to the fight they got the less the time lag would be. She also knew you never heard the bullet that 'got' you. That was because in almost every case the bullet traveled faster than the speed of sound. If you took one in the head, it was over before you heard it. It happened fast, lights on, lights off.

Savannah knew there were people dying inside the building as the gunfire raged on. One group was going to kill the other and their team was going to kill whoever was left. She wasn't sure what her part would be but she was ready to do what was necessary, when it was necessary.

Camille and Cammy were in position behind the first and second SUV. The two male 'Cameron clones' were behind the two vans. No one who arrived in them would leave in those vehicles. If they weren't damaged, Cameron would add them to her 'collection' of 'drop vehicles'. They would be used once or twice and then left on the east side of town with the keys in it. A gang member would steal it soon enough. If the vehicle was identified at one of the crime scenes, the gang and gang member would get the blame. No one ever believed them that the vehicle was just sitting there with the keys in it in that neighborhood.

The fight moved inside the structure. The sounds of the battle drifted out. There were occasional flashes coming from within. Screams punctuated the gunfire.

Savannah knew that could be screams from them if they came under heavy attack. She was determined to hold her ground.

John moved his team closer. Cameron was at Savannah's side, John Henry was behind her. Bob covered John. The five of them advanced in a loose group.

Cam monitored their progress from the drone footage and body cams. She gave them an update.

"You have all four drones on station." Cam reported.

John wanted to strike while the two enemies fought each other.

"I think we should hit them now." John said.

Cameron was more experienced in this regard. She'd done this many times with others besides just Skynet related activity. There was a set pattern to follow.

"Not yet." Cameron said. "We need to wait until the firing stops, at that point one group should have 'won'. There will be fewer targets for us to engage. Let's let them kill each other off first."

Sheila was in the Command Center with Cam. There were additional resources available to them.

"I'm ready to send the Blackhawk." Sheila said.

Cameron didn't want to commit more of their group unless it was necessary.

"Don't send it yet." Cameron said. "If we need to fight, you may need to send them at that time."

Vanna and Ally arrived at the Command Center. Vanna wanted to know the status of the troops. She was worried about all of them, especially Savannah. She needed to focus on her job. If she worried too much it would affect her performance.

"We'll get the lab ready in case we have any Terminators down." Vanna said.

No one wanted to mention what it would be like if John or Savannah were injured. The infirmary was next to the lab and any Terminator could 'plug in' to the medical database to do surgery or render medical aid like a professional.

Ally and Vanna left to go to the lab.

As soon as they reached the lab, Riley and Sarah arrived soon afterword. Jan was asleep in Sarah's quarters. Everyone wanted to help if it was needed. They all hoped it wouldn't be needed.

Sarah could see that Vanna looked very upset. She knew why. It was because Savannah was out. The target zone was hot with bullets and explosions as two other groups fought it out. She felt the need to address the situation.

"I don't like it either, Vanna." Sarah said. "We all know she needs the experience."

Vanna did know Savannah needed to get her 'hands dirty' sooner or later. No one expected for them to be in the middle of a fight between two groups of the enemy right now.

"I know." Vanna said. "I just don't like it. They hadn't planned on this level of violence."

Vanna KNEW there were a lot of things Savannah was going to HAVE to do.

Sarah knew the battlefield was fluid.

"Anything can happen at anytime and anyplace." Sarah said. "Cameron will guide her."

The four females silently got everything ready.

They all knew how these things went.

The gunfire inside the building seemed to subside. There was only an occasional burst every now and then. One side must be the victor already. That was relatively fast.

Cameron was ready for the next phase. She made sure all of their troops were ready. It was time to up the ante.

"Send in two drones for a strike. Use all the ordnance." Cameron said.

Cam already arranged for the two new drones that just arrived to strike. They'd been fitted exclusively for a ground strike before they left. Normally they would carry two small air to air missiles.

"The missiles are on the way." Cam reported.

Cameron noticed that Savannah still wore her night vision equipment. She didn't want her to lose her actual night vision in the brightness of the explosions. It would take her some time to get that back.

"Take off you night vision for now." Cameron said to Savannah. "Cover your eyes."

One drone fired. The second one did as well several seconds later. The building erupted into a fireball. Those two drones gained altitude and took over surveillance.

The other two drones moved in ready to strike.

There was plenty of light to see by now in the target area from the burning building.

Two men staggered out. Cameron's Terminators dropped them where the stood. The gunfire was much louder and closer now.

Cameron didn't want any of them to escape.

"We need to cover the back." Cameron said. "My Metal has the front covered."

Cameron spoke to her male Terminators. She instructed them to enter the structure and look for intel or survivors. Camille and Cammy were to keep their retreat exit secure.

John and Bob moved the team closer. They went to the side of the building. They went around the side of the building towards the rear. Cameron observed everyone and the overall situation.

Savannah felt her heartbeat pick up again as they moved closer.

No sooner than John's team reached the back than someone made it outside. They were on fire. It was a Terminator.

Cameron moved in front of Savannah.

"Stay behind me, Savannah." Cameron told her. "Watch her back, John Henry."

Bob opened up with the Coltan loaded M60. The flaming wreck of Metal fell.

Savannah thought the sustained gunfire was loud even with ear protection. She followed behind Cameron. She stayed close but not too close. She didn't want to be bunched up. Her M4 was ready to rock. All she needed was a target.

Cameron looked back at Savannah a few times. She saw that she was alert and ready for anything.

Savannah glanced to her side. There was a small shed there. As she looked at it, the door started to open. She saw a rifle barrel begin to poke out. Someone was about to flank them and open up on their group from cover. She dropped to one knee and fired half her magazine into the opening in two bursts. The first burst was at chest height the second burst was at ground level. It was the only way to be sure the target was down. That all happened in less than three seconds.

John Henry immediately moved in front of her. Savannah changed her half full magazine for a full one.

Cameron moved back to assess the situation. She didn't like the fact that both John Henry and her missed the threat. Savannah was on the ball and took the threat down.

Savannah told Cameron what she saw and fired at. There was no return fire so she must have scored and ended the threat.

"Stay here and stay low." Cameron instructed her.

Savannah watched Cameron advance towards the new threat. She was sure she'd scored hits on the target. She acted to protect their team. She'd reacted like she was trained to. She was hyper alert now. All of her senses seemed refined and tuned.

Cameron moved toward the shed. She shoved the door open. There was a man with an assault rifle laying there, he was dead. She quickly looked him over. She looked further and there was an opening in the floor. This must have been an escape route from the main structure.

"I have an underground opening." Cameron said. "Bob, hold up and cover John and Savannah there. Watch our exit, John Henry. I'm probably going to lose communications when I check out the tunnel."

Cameron wanted to check the tunnel. She also didn't want the potential for there to be any of the enemy in front of them and in back of them. She didn't know what she would find. Maybe she could get a prisoner. There was some damaged Metal to collect now as well. The helicopter would be useful now.

"Send the Blackhawk." Cameron said. "We may need it."

Cam may have jumped the gun a little. She'd taken some preemptive action on her own.

"It was wheels up as soon as Bob opened fire." Cam reported back.

Minutes ago:

Derek and Kyle were in the Blackhawk. They were geared up and all set to go. Steve and Tom sat across from them. Al and Ed each sat next to a door. They were ready to close them as soon as it was 'go time'.

The helicopter was already warmed up and ready to go.

"This is the part I hate." Derek said.

Kyle knew what he meant. He hated it too.

"The hurry up and wait phase." Kyle said.

Derek looked over the Metal troopers.

"That's the one." Derek said. "I'm worried about Savannah too."

They both knew Savannah was out on her first real mission.

"She'll do fine." Kyle said. "Cameron and John Henry are with her."

They were aware that John Henry was seldom out in the field. That said something in itself. Everyone would use extra caution.

"Its still her first time." Derek said.

Kyle knew what could happen to females if they were captured. Actual it wasn't 'could' it was really 'would'.

"I don't want it to be her first time for anything else." Kyle said. "We know how the Grays treat females when they are captured or injured."

Derek didn't think there was too much of a difference between Scavengers and Grays in that regard. They both abused every female they could lay their hands on. The Grays needed to keep them alive for work camp duty. The Scavengers didn't. They slowly butchered the females alive as they abused them over time. Few females ever came out of a Scavenger camp without a physical injury of some type or a few body parts missing. The mental injuries of the abuse and what the females witnessed were as everlasting as the physical injuries were.

They monitored the com traffic. They heard the 'Pig' open up.

"That's our call." Derek said.

A second later the Command Center scrambled them.

The turbine fired and the rotor began to turn.

"It's 'go time'." Kyle said.

Al and Ed closed the doors on the Blackhawk as it lifted off.

The Reese brothers were ready for combat. They would soon be back in the element that they wanted to be in to protect their families and loved ones.

Cameron was aware of more firing inside the building as she dropped inside the shaft from the shed. She hoped that was her Terminators mopping up. She lost communications as soon as the shaft reached a tunnel below it and she'd entered it.

She moved silently through the tunnel towards the building. There was a lot smoke in the tunnel. It was probably from when the man tried to make a break for it. She used all of her Terminator senses as the smoke thickened.

Cameron heard coughing in front of her. She stopped and waited. There were more people in the tunnel. They came towards her. A man and a woman appeared from haze of the dense smoke. They both were surprised to see her. She drove her fist into the man's chest. She collapsed both his lungs and crushed his heart. He fell silently. He was dead. She grabbed the woman's neck and choked her out before she could scream or issue a warning.

She tore the shirt off the dead man. She tightly gagged and hog tied the female. She planned to interrogate her, herself. She left her there for now and continued forward. There was a possibility the smoke would thicken more and kill the female before she returned. She knew John's team would keep the shed covered if anyone got past her.

Cameron could hear gunfire in front of her. It came from above her. She calculated that she was now under the building. She started up a narrow shaft on metal rungs. As she reached a hatch that covered the shaft above her, it opened. In one swift motion her Glock was in her hand. She fired point blank into the face of a man. He disappeared from view. Cameron flung the hatch all the way back. More thick smoke poured into the shaft opening. She all but jumped out of the out of the shaft ready for more action.

There was some more firing off to her left side. The building was a raging inferno inside. The visibility was almost zero for any humans. She was able to communicate again as soon as she was out of the tunnel. All her Terminators were accounted for with minimal damage. They'd collected two deactivated and damaged Terminators. They were ready to take the captured Metal with them. All of the human targets were neutralized.

Cameron told Camille and Cammy to take the two SUVs and drive around to the back.

Everyone exited the burning building and Cameron dropped down the shaft back into the tunnel. She collected the still unconscious woman and exited into the shed.

Cameron looked over the dead man in detail. She dropped him down the shaft and ripped the handle off the hatch after she closed it. She then shoved a large crate on top of it.

Cameron was unsure what to tell Savannah. She didn't see that there was anything else here to take and no one was damaged other than her two Terminators. They were both one hundred percent functional.

"Cancel the copter." Cameron said. "We're done here. Everything is under control."

Cameron wanted to exit the area and get John and Savannah back to a safer location. That seemed to be any other place than where they were right now.

Go Time

Does 'go time' mean
Things are about to start
Or does 'go time' mean
It all just fell apart

That's the very question
That few are to be able to answer
They can't seem recognize
When it turned into a cancer

Maybe that's just it
People are victims of hope
The longer it drags out
The more they feel like a dope

Why is it that so few people
Are able to quickly move on
And let one go when its over
Its always darkest before the dawn

Everyone is a slow learner until
Their self worth is filled with slime
They realized they wasted their prime
When they failed to accept it was 'go time'

Nobody