Chapter 366

Trouble Listening

Ally and Sheila cut a path of destruction through the city. They would stop at nothing to locate Cameron. They'd already been through seven sex trafficking operations. They'd killed over forty people. So far they hadn't fired a shot. Several hundred girls were turned loose and were free on the streets. They would normally clean these operations out one or two at a time and make sure the girls were all given safe haven if they wanted it. There was no time for that today. The best they could do was to give the girls the money they found at each location. It was most likely that a third of the girls would be rounded up off the streets and placed back in some sex trade operation again. There was one more sex trade location to hit and then it was on to the drug dealers. They would most likely become more involved.

Word must have spread about the take-downs. The last operation was fortified already. There were men with guns visible there already. There were a couple of sedans with 'soldiers' in them as well.

"Either this place has what we want or they were notified as to what has already gone down." Ally said.

Sheila and Ally were both aware they might get shot up some. That was a gamble they were willing to take.

"We go in anyway." Sheila said.

Ally nodded.

"Damn straight." Ally said.

There was a more direct approach they could use. Ally was pleased to find this SUV carried an M32. Sheila loaded it with two HE rounds and four buckshot rounds. They parked their SUV a few blocks away and appropriated a flatbed with stake sides. It was parked on a side street near a diner. It was loaded with pallets of bricks. There should be enough mass to tear the front off the building. They needed to worry about the girls inside.

Ally came down the street at speed in the flatbed. She wedged the accelerator down and opened the driver's side door. She jumped on the roof of a car as she passed it. She drove her fist through the roof for a hand hold on one side and broke the passenger's side window for the other handhold as she grabbed the roof with her right hand. The car hit its brakes as the truck sped along. She jumped off the car as it slowed and ran after the speeding truck.

Sheila was in the back. She aimed the first HE round at a black sedan that was parked there with three men in it. There was a second sedan parked on the side. They were waiting for them to arrive. She heard the truck approaching. She fired the first HE round the then the second HE round before the first one even hit. She ran toward the rear door as both sedans exploded.

The truck was angled to hit the front of the building and destroy it. There were several armed guards with weapons at the ready waiting there. By the time they realized the truck was headed for them it was too late to move. There was what sounded like one long explosion from the back at the same time as the truck tore the front of the building off and killed six armed men.

Ally arrived right as the roof collapsed down over the front and broke off. She now carried a M9 in her hand. She was able to move into the hall directly and began to clear the rooms. Any non female was shot.

She was surprised to see a much older female 'work on' one of the girls that was on a bed.

Sheila crashed through the back door and used a buckshot round on each of the first four males she spotted. She could hear Ally cleaning house coming from the front.

They met up.

"I don't see her." Ally said.

Sheila hadn't either.

"She's not here." Sheila said.

They quickly left out the back and hurried to their SUV. The building started to burn.

Ally was worried about the girl that was tied down. Sheila drove past the burning building. Ally spotted the older woman with the girl that had been tied down. The girl helped the older woman out and ran off naked in the other direction. She held some clothes in her hands. The older female was still naked. She didn't think she would have shown that compassion for another in that situation. Then again, maybe the old lady delivered….

They both received the 'drop call' notification from Cameron. It looked like they were just given a new job.

They looked at each other and smiled. They headed for the Resistance base. They weren't bothered by all the people they'd killed. Dead future Scavengers meant nothing to them.

Earlier:

Police reports were located in New Mexico.

It seemed Cameron was a very long way from home.

The information came back to John Henry as he searched all the police reports. The car Cameron was last been seen driving was found wrecked and off the road. It appeared to have been involved in some 'road rage' type incident. There'd been a second vehicle involved. It was still at the incident site as well. There were reports of a box truck also at the scene.

The occupants of the other vehicle were violently killed. It was possible there may have been a wild animal involved of some type. It was thought something big and powerful like a bear or a gorilla that was being transported in the box truck may have escaped.

John Henry deduced from the reports that it appeared to be the 'work' of a Terminator by the damage done to the bodies found at the scene. He was able to trace the other vehicle back to one of the companies that they were in the process of eliminating. That company was involved with the HK Tracks. The dead on the scene were Grays. Cameron must have tracked them down or identified them somehow. What was she doing in New Mexico? They were near the Texas border. A used Taser was found at the scene.

The implications of a Taser being involved was lost on no one.

"If there was a Taser used, it may be worse than we think." John Henry said. "It looks like Cameron may have been captured."

John started to view every possibility. None of them were good. The final thought was the worst. He needed to point it out.

"It may be more sinister than being captured. She may have been terminated." John said. "We need to get there ASAP."

John Henry already put things into motion.

"I've called up the jet." John Henry said. "It will be ready to fly within the hour."

Everyone volunteered to go. They didn't know what they would find but they still wanted to help.

John immediately thought of the 'Day Of Loss'. He said THAT event wasn't going to happen again.

John decided to go alone with Bob.

Ally and Sheila showed up as soon as they were notified by John Henry. They'd been out running down leads in the underworld.

John was unaware as to level of destruction they'd inflicted.

"I want to go alone with Bob." John said.

Sheila and Ally wouldn't be denied.

"We're going anyway, love." Sheila said.

Ally wanted to stress the point.

"We have a jet on call too." Ally said. "We can fly in formation or race there."

John could see they wouldn't back down.

"OK." John said. "You still need to follow my rules."

Ally didn't want to start an argument. They didn't actually have a jet on standby.

"Whatever." Ally said.

Sheila planned to get to the location and work everything Terminator style. Bob could watch John while Ally and her 'cleaned house'. She planned to make the blood bath earlier in the day look like a Sunday School party.

Savannah followed the events as well. They now were given a starting point.

"We need to go." Savannah said. "Cameron needs us."

Cammy could see Savannah was serious. She understood her perspective. It was her job to guide Savannah as well and prepare her for the future.

"No. The team will check it out. We need to be on alert in case Cameron has been compromised." Cammy said. "All of our Terminators are on alert."

Savannah was torn up.

"I still feel I need to do more." Savannah said.

Cammy knew her next statement would not make her feel any better. She was also sincere.

"You have Cameron's spare chip location…." Cammy said. "You know what to do if it is necessary. I volunteer."

Savannah knew that that meant. Cameron would be destroyed. She would never allow that.

"I do - I will." Savannah burst out crying. "Cameron is invincible. Cameron is eternal…. I swear it."

A break in the events came across to John Henry.

For once it was good news. Well, at least it wasn't terrible news.

John Henry received the message from the 'drop line'. He'd received word from Cameron that she was in Texas. She left the message as to where and what she wanted.

Ally and Sheila received the same message. They were informed they would be doing an infiltration mission with Cameron. They seemed to have a pretty good idea what that would involve. They'd just done a few of them.

John was given the information by John Henry. He better understood why it was a good thing that Sheila and Ally were going.

John Henry stood everyone down at the base and with the Details. Cameron hadn't been compromised.

Cameron was now on the hunt. She only wanted Sheila and Ally to come. She didn't want to involve the Resistance in a - personal matter.

She didn't want John to compromise his safety over a non Resistance issue. She'd made her case clear to John Henry. She hoped John would listen. It seemed he experienced a lot of trouble listening. It was quite irritating at times.

Holly and Hanna both received the message with some additional details. Cameron followed a couple of Grays she'd identified and was involved in some type of 'accident' but she was OK. She needed some help in running down a few more leads.

Claire cried about the initial report regarding Cameron. It broke her heart to fear the worst. Allison and Hanna both attempted to calm her down. Holly took the girls to another room to play with them. She didn't want them to see their mother so devastated.

Allison experienced a lot of death and destruction growing up. None of it ever got better or easier.

"Mom, we all love her." Allison said. "Every one of us does. We all feel the same way."

Claire was not acclimated to violence. It was difficult to fathom it all, even if she watched it unfold.

"It's so hard to deal with." Claire said. "I remember the time Cameron drove that truck and she hit the other car head on to stop it. She risked herself to stop those 'machines'. I remember seeing the metal in her face when her skin was torn open. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would still refuse to believe it."

Allison saw and experienced plenty that was hard to believe.

"The future is very shocking at times." Allison said.

That was when Cameron and Isabel told Claire the truth about 'everything'. It was a Future Shock to her. She was already in love with Cameron by then. Somehow, it seemed finding out the truth only made her love Cameron even more.

"I want to move to the base, the girls and I." Claire said. "I want everyone better protected."

Allison didn't like that her father was not in the equation.

"What about Dad?" Allison asked.

Claire wanted to believe everything could be OK.

"I don't know. I don't care." Claire said. "I'm going to have your baby and then I'm going to have a baby - MY baby. I'm going to give it to Cameron as her own as John's baby."

Allison didn't need to think about that scenario for more than half a second. That was about the last thing she wanted.

"Mom, that child will be my brother or sister…." Allison said.

Claire could give up a new baby but not her existing children. It was worth the sacrifice for how it could help Cameron.

"No, it will be Cameron's child." Claire said. "I need to do that for her. It will help keep her safe to take care of it as her own. She won't be so reckless if she has a child of her own. I have to do this for her, Allison. I HAVE to. I can help protect her."

Allison hoped that was true. She really hoped that being responsible for a child would help 'tame' Cameron. She didn't know how much or for how long.

She didn't want her sibling 'given away'. Now it was her turn to sacrifice. Maybe this was Cameron's plan all along. It was her plan now.

"Mom, calm down." Allison said very worried. "If I'm able to bring my pregnancy to term, we can give her my baby that you're carrying now for me instead."

Claire stopped her sniffling and touched her cheek.

"That's your baby, Allison." Claire said. "That's your child."

Allison loved Cameron. She would do anything for her.

"Mom, do you think there's anything I wouldn't do for Cameron?" Allison asked. "Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

Allison figured now was not a good time to point out she'd already 'died' once trying to help Cameron or there was another one of 'her' stuck 'in some future' or dead. She realized how much her mother really loved Cameron. She also knew her mother was going to 'do' what they were all reluctant to 'do'…. She knew Cameron would facilitate it. Her mother was headed for John's bed….

The closest address Cameron identified was some 'flea bag' motel off of the main highway. She parked the truck a mile away and walked in. It was a seedy part of town. It was the kind of place you knew you needed a gun to be safe or a Terminator.

It was almost dark now so that would give her some cover.

As she walked, she saw some figures moving. They moved to intercept her. She'd needed to deal with situations like this many times.

"Nice night for a walk." Someone said behind her.

She'd passed a group of men drinking in an alley a block ago. She figured it would come to a head soon enough. It did.

Cameron turned around and sent two men flying. The other two stopped and started to back up. She grabbed them as well and slammed them together. They were all down and incapacitated. She turned and kept walking as if nothing happened. The entire confrontation only lasted about six seconds.

She reached the address and went to the room. She listened outside for a few minutes. She thought she knew what she would face. She headed straight for the front door. It was time for Cameron to be what she was – a Terminator.

Cameron came through the front door. She grabbed the first man and broke his spine with a single blow to his back. Two other men reached for guns. She drove her fist through one man's chest, while she grabbed and lifted the other man by his neck as she crushed it. He dropped to the floor like a rag doll when she released him.

There was one more man Cameron heard before she'd entered. He was in the restroom. She slammed through the bathroom door. His pants were only half way on. She reached over and rapidly twisted his head and snapped his neck.

Cameron looked around the room for additional intel. She collected a large sum of cash and any other information the men might have on them. Most of them carried a phone.

She left the location two minutes after first scanning it. She passed the men she'd encountered earlier. They were just starting to stir. She thought about terminating them but moved on. They weren't part of the mission. They should have learned a lesson.

She walked back to the truck without further incident and drove off. She needed to meet her people at the local airport. That would be the case as soon as she acquired some new wheels.

Cameron was at the small airport. She heard the jet approach from several miles out.

The jet landed. She waited for them. She'd 'borrowed' two vehicles and they were ready for the arriving crew. She wanted to give them several options.

Cameron was not pleased to see John get off of the jet. Bob was with him and she would make sure he stayed at John's side.

John's greeting was less than she would have hoped for.

"Do we even want to know where these SUVs came from?" John asked as he gave Cameron a hug and a kiss.

She was pleased he at lest gave her a hug and kiss.

"I doubt it and hello to you too." Cameron said with a smile. "I needed them. I take what I need."

Cameron was even more pleased to see Ally and Sheila. They would assist her with the heavy lifting of the mission.

Ally and Sheila gave Cameron a hug as well. They were very relieved and pleased to see her undamaged. They'd feared the worst and left a trail of destruction behind them in their search for her.

Cameron looked back at John. Now that the fun and games were over, she needed to show John her displeasure with his presence.

"I asked you not to come." Cameron said.

John was ready for the rebuke. It was a weak argument on his part.

"I guess we all have trouble listening." John said. "I asked you not to work alone."

Cameron really didn't want to fight right now.

"It happens." Cameron said.

She was glad she hadn't been assaulted when she was incapacitated. She didn't like her earlier disorientation and being chained down and about to be sold. It was nice to have help sometimes. She was actually glad to see John. She still thought he was very handsome.

'Sharp Dressed Man' by 'ZZ Top', came to Cameron's mind as she looked at John….

Trouble Listening

People can converse and talk
Are spoken words just noise
Maybe they are the precursor
To someone's games and ploys

It is the ones that are held dear
Who the words we want them to hear
Maybe they can touch and endear
To let them know we're sincere

What do words really say
What do they really mean
Can they reach the one we want
So that we will be seen

Like sand in the wind
Things will come and go
Sometimes they can happen fast
Most of the time they are slow

The message we wanted to convey
Should be bright and glistening
It never is that way for long
When one has trouble listening

Nobody