Chapter 548

It Is Doubtful

Cameron moved around to the side of the building. She was away from the view of Bob and Savannah. There was no external dock for trucks. There were only the doors for loading directly into the side of the building. There was a big rig backed into a loading bay. There were eight loading bays in two groups of four. There was a bobtail truck at a loading bay in the second group. There was no one visible. There was no sign of a patrol. She didn't see any outside activity other than the guard at the gate and the unknown female that left.

She heard a forklift moving around inside and the trailer shook a little. It appeared they were loading something into it or unloading it. She decided to head for the big rig. It offered the best protection to get in close to the building. She moved towards the trailer without incident.

Cameron was about to go under the trailer and try to look up into the building. The whine of an HK drone was suddenly heard. She looked around. She wondered how one could sneak up on her like that. Wait. The noise came from inside the building. They were testing an HK drone power plant. She now knew they were at the right place. This new development may change the whole nature of the recon.

The trailer above Cameron shook even more as the forklift entered it. Cameron heard talking and looked around. There were two men that came down a ramp off to her left side. She hid between the rear wheels. They didn't appear to be looking for her yet. The whine of the HK drone power plant reached its maximum after some fluctuation and then spooled down.

Savannah heard the whine of an HK drone. She looked for cover. There wasn't any.

Bob was alarmed too at first. He was able to quickly place the direction and location of the HK drone power plant. It came from the direction that Cameron went. He wanted to put Savannah at ease.

"Relax. It is coming from inside the building." Bob said. "It fooled me at first too. It is probably a test."

Savannah felt a wave of relief and then fear. The recon was no longer a recon. They'd found a target. It was a hard target too.

"Now I'm really worried about Cameron." Savannah said. "She won't let this go with this new development."

Bob arrived at the same conclusion that Savannah did.

"It is doubtful." Bob said. "Cameron doesn't like loose ends."

Savannah was still worried. There could be further action.

"Even if they're just testing the power plant, they might have completed HK drones in there as well." Savannah said. "They could send one out after us or Cameron if things pick up or go hot."

Bob looked at the building.

"I don't see anything on the roof that opens." Bob said. "There is nothing on the two sides of the building that we can see that could open large enough to let one out."

Savannah was still worried.

"The side Cameron is on must have the loading dock or loading bays." Savannah said. "Those are big enough."

Bob hoped to hear from Cameron soon. She'd been very quiet recently.

Savannah scanned the surrounding area. She watched in the distance as a big rig made a wide turn and started back in their direction.

"The big rig that passed by earlier is coming back." Savannah said. "It must have missed its turnoff."

The HK drone engine noise fluctuated and then dropped off to nothing.

The big rig stopped at the gate and checked in. It then proceeded to the side of the building away from them, the side Cameron was on.

Bob wondered where Cameron was at.

"This is getting better by the minute." Bob said.

Savannah knew that things seldom played out in their favor. The rule seemed to be that if something could go wrong that it would.

"Doesn't it always?" Savannah asked.

Savannah wanted to change their position to see if they could spot Cameron. There was no way they could easily do that. The area on the other side of the structure was flat and open. They would need to pass by the entrance to the compound. If they stopped to look or turned around and came back it might trigger an alarm or a response of some type. The other option was to follow Cameron. They would need to go in the same way she went in.

Bob watched Savannah. He could tell she was worried about Cameron. He knew she wanted to go down and assist Cameron.

"We need to give it some time." Bob said as he tried to reassure her.

He was worried himself.

"This isn't going to end well." Savannah said.

Bob knew it wouldn't end well for the Skynet forces.

Savannah didn't like their options. There weren't many. The location was now a target. Cameron liked targets. There could be HK drones inside that could be launched to combat any outside activity. It was clear they needed a lot more resources and additional personnel.

John Henry was sure the HK drone sound they heard was a test. The power output fluctuated up and down some. It wasn't a normal operational parameter. He was able to ease John's fears some as well as his own.

John and John Henry processed the information as it came in. The sound of the drone stopped. They'd lost contact with Cameron. That must mean that someone was near.

John Henry was sure that the 'someone' might be a Terminator and Cameron didn't even want to risk a low decibel transmission. He didn't want to alarm John further on speculation.

John was aware how Cameron operated. When she found a target, she took it down. The building they were at could be the assembly line or the storage facility. It didn't seem like the place to store anything. It was remote so that determination still needed to be made. Either way the trucks that Cameron reported came from somewhere or went to somewhere. They needed to find where that 'somewhere' was at.

"Maybe if they are transporting the finished products in those trucks we can follow them and see where they go." John said. "That means we can't show our hand yet."

That was John Henry's conclusion as well. They still needed to deal with Cameron. She was the one on the ground and they would need to back her play. It was all tactical now.

"I've put a hold on the backup force and I'm holding our drones." John Henry said. "Cameron shouldn't go 'hot'."

John looked at John Henry. They both knew it probably would. Cameron wanted to terminate the enemy when she found them.

Cam returned to the Command Center. She received all the information through her com. She thought like they did about the trucks and their destinations.

"I heard everything." Cam said. "We need to be ready to strike at the location the truck ends up at."

John was worried that they would get ahead of themselves. They still didn't know anything yet. They needed Cameron's report.

"We still don't know if that's what they're doing or if they're unloading components only." John said. "Until we hear from Cameron, it's all speculation."

Savannah and Bob listen to the discussion in the Command Center. They all waited to hear from Cameron. That was the key. They were concealed as best as they could be. An HK drone would still find their SUV and them soon afterwards if one was sent out to search. Right now they needed to hear from Cameron.

"John, if we don't hear from Cameron soon. I'm going down to investigate." Savannah said over her com. "She's going to need help."

John wanted to know more about Cameron first. If she was captured, Savannah most likely would be too.

"No. It's too risky." John said. "We need something concrete first."

Bob didn't want Savannah to go either. He could fight his way into the building if it came down to that.

"I'll go." Bob said. "It will take a lot to stop me."

John knew that Savannah would be at risk then.

"That leaves Savannah alone." John said.

Savannah thought she'd proved that she could take care of herself.

"I'm a big girl now." Savannah said.

Savannah didn't think now was a good time to point out to John that he'd already seen that with his own eyes…. They'd been one second away from making love. She could still almost feel 'Little Willie' bouncing around on the outside. She really wanted it to happen.

John Henry thought they should stick to the original plan for now. It was what they'd all agreed on previously.

"Let's give it some time." John Henry said. "Cameron has only been down there for twenty minutes. You gave her an hour."

Bob thought it was best to agree with the Command Center. What they actually did might be another story.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "We will wait and place some more surveillance equipment."

Savannah looked at Bob and nodded. They were on the same 'frequency' when it came to Cameron. If they needed to act, they would. They would go down together to get Cameron out.

Cammy was at the other location. She was about to look inside the building when she thought she spotted a trap. There was also a tracked vehicle moving somewhere inside the building. It may come outside to look for her if she'd been detected.

She quickly moved away from the drain pipe she was about to climb up on. It looked like a trap to her. The drain pipe appeared to be hooked to some electrical wires at the top. It was tempting bait. She'd almost taken it. If it released a timed shock it could kill a human and it would incapacitate her. It wasn't worth the risk.

Cammy moved behind several piles of junk. It briefly crossed her mind that was how they'd referred to Cameron, to HER before, as a 'pile of junk', 'scrap metal'. The sight of the twisted metal disgusted her. How could anyone love that?

Those were things people Cameron worked with said to her. They weren't the enemy. They were her allies. With 'friends' like that, who needed enemies?

Cammy could hear the tracked vehicle moving around inside still. It sounded much closer now. She now wondered if it would come outside and stalk her. Maybe they'd seen her breach the wall….

She didn't want to face off with an HK Track and especially not against an HK Tread. There would most likely be more than one.

Cammy searched the sides of the building again and the area of the wall. She still hadn't located any surveillance cameras. The location was remote. There was a fence around the compound. There were probably Terminators inside. There were HK Tracks too. It sounded like one was about to exit the building.

She sent her report to the Command Center as well as Gail and Jesse. She wanted them to know what happened to her. If she faced HK Tracks and Terminators there would be no need to look for her. She would be terminated.

Jesse didn't like the message from Cammy. She made sure their coms were off.

"We go in after her if it hits the fan." Jesse said.

That sounded like a bad idea to Gail.

"We will be terminated as well." Gail said.

Jesse checked her weapons.

"How long do you want to live anyway?" Jesse asked.

Gail tilted her head slightly. Without Jesse she didn't want to live at all. That was her desire when Duplicate Jesse was terminated. At least she thought she was terminated.

"This will be a more honorable termination than chip extraction and deactivation." Gail said.

Jesse heard the story of Gail before and everything involved with that episode.

"Love, I plan to do the terminating with you against the enemy." Jesse said.

Gail looked at the building. There were probably a lot of Grays or collaborators in there along with some Terminators.

"Sure, Jesse, we'll kill all of them." Gail said.

They were both ready to move out. Should they go now? Wait for the hour to expire or move out when the shooting started?

Cameron shut her com off for now. It appeared one of the two 'men' she currently observed was actually a Terminator. She didn't want to chance him hear her or anything from her com.

She stayed behind the rear wheels and waited. She could hear another truck approaching. There were three more empty bays at this dock and three more down further that were open in the second section. A smaller bobtail truck was backed into a fourth bay in that area.

The rig Cameron was under was in an end bay. The man and the Terminator moved next to her as the other rig backed into the slot one over from her.

The trailer above her shook as the forklift rumbled inside of it again. The man and the Terminator turned to look as the noise increased. She watched as the man went forward and climbed up into the tractor of the big rig she was under. The Terminator moved towards the rear of the truck where she was at and waited. He was four feet away from her.

She didn't think he was on to her. He might be. He might wait for her to make the first move or come out from between the rear wheels.

The truck shook more. The forklift seemed to be directly over her. The forklift exited the truck. She could hear chains being used to secure the load. The tractor of the big rig fired up. The Terminator slapped the side of the trailer two times. Cameron heard the air hiss as the brakes were released. She knew the big rig was about to move.

She could see the Terminators feet. They were just on the other side of the outer tire on the set of duel real wheels. There was nowhere for her to go if the truck started to drive away. She was sure to be spotted. There was only one place to go.

Cameron quickly climbed up onto the area above the rear axles and waited. The rig pulled forward ten feet. The Terminator closed one rear door and then the other. He then move off to the side and slapped the side of the trailer twice again. There was a small jolt and a couple of bounces and the big rig started to move. If the Terminator watched the truck depart, she knew he would see her….

There was no place for her to go.

She would be physically away from him but he was probably armed. She could engage him in a gun battle. The outcome of that would be a draw. Her best bet would be to evade him and run. That wasn't in her nature. He would pursue her. There would be some type of alarm raised. If there were any functional HK drones inside they would be launched. They would track her down in no time. She thought about Savannah and Bob. She decided she would head out into the open area and not go back to where they were at. If the Terminator and HK drones tracked her. Bob and Savannah would have time to get away.

Cam double checked everything again and then slipped out of the Command Center..

She wanted to take the manned drone up.

Cam didn't like how events developed.

She decided to act on her own and go assist Cameron and Cammy. That is what they would do for her.

She hoped that CamNet would see her play and 'cover' for her.

Savannah waited to hear anything from Cameron. All they could hear was the sound of a truck. They couldn't see anything from their position. Much to their surprise they did see a truck head out.

"There's a truck coming around the side of the building." Savannah reported. "It's a different one from the one that just arrived."

Bob saw that right away too. He also noted how it rode on its suspension.

"It is loaded." Bob said. "It's riding low."

Cameron felt she was away from the Terminator. He didn't spot her. She turned her com back on. There was nowhere for her to get off as the truck moved along. Either the guard or the Terminator was bound to spot her.

"I'm on a truck leaving the facility." Cameron came over the com.

Savannah didn't see her on top of it.

"Are you inside of it?" Savannah asked.

Cameron figured her location would cause a problem for the others. It was what it was.

"No. I'm underneath it." Cameron said.

Bob zoomed his vision in.

"Where?" Bob asked as he looked at it.

Cameron could only see below her and immediately in back of the truck.

"I'm over the rear axles on the trailer." Cameron said.

Savannah took Bob's arm. They needed to get back to their SUV.

"We'll begin pursuit of the big rig and pick you up if you can drop off at a stop." Savannah said. "I don't want you busted up if you drop off at speed."

Cameron wanted to know what was inside the truck. She was sure it was important.

"Negative on the pursuit." Cameron said. "I want to see where this thing goes. I don't know what is inside but I think it is what we want."

John Henry was just as worried as John was as he looked at him. Maybe there was some better intel.

"Did you get a look inside the building?" John Henry asked.

Cameron didn't have a clue what was inside the building. She did know the building wasn't going anywhere. The truck was.

"No. There was at least one Terminator and some kind of testing going on." Cameron said. "It may have been an accidental start of an HK drone engine too or a test of one. It didn't sound quite right to me."

John wasn't going to take any chances. Cameron might fall off or be knocked off over rough road or if any obstacles or debris were kicked up from the rear wheels.

"Cameron, I want Savannah and Bob to follow you." John said.

Cameron already contemplated several scenarios that could play out. None of them were good for a chase vehicle.

"No, they may 'make' them." Cameron said. "The Terminator may follow us or they may have a checkpoint or ambush along the way."

Bob thought back to a time when Al and him needed to follow John and Cameron and they'd encountered a Terminator. One vehicle stayed in front of him.

"Jesse and Gail can 'follow' them from in front of them. The truck is headed that way." Bob said. "The way Cameron and John did on the coast route one time."

Bob was there for that episode. It ended up as a close one for John. He didn't want to bring that up.

Cameron could see there was a flaw to the plan.

"What about Cammy?" Cameron asked.

Savannah figured that Bob and her could take over for Jesse and Gail. Cammy would only be on her own for a short time. She didn't plan to leave anyone behind.

"We can pick her up and follow later on." Savannah said. "I won't leave her."

Cam headed for the 'hanger' area.

"Where are you going?" Vanna asked.

Cam surprised Vanna was there. She shouldn't have been. Vanna knew how she operated. She wanted to keep it simple.

"Out." Cam said.

Vanna knew this was a 'Cameron type stunt'. It was unsafe and unauthorized.

"You're going outside of the mission parameters." Vanna said. "You may compromise the mission."

Cam decided to tell it like it was and play it straight with Vanna.

"I think Cammy and Cameron may both need help." Cam said.

Vanna followed the operation too.

"There was a Terminator reported at one location." Vanna said. "They may hear you."

Cam knew that would limit her effectiveness unless she was about to carry out an attack. That possibility still seemed up in the air for now.

"OK, Vanna." Cam said. "I'll wait a little longer and then I'm going up. Remember, Savannah is out there as well…."

Cam didn't like waiting anymore than Cameron did.

It Is Doubtful

The grass is always greener
On the other side of the hill
When one finally gets there
Do they really get their fill

Nothing is ever
What it may seem
More likely than not
It will make one scream

When things start to slip
They try to hold on
The sad truth is
They can't hold what's gone

Look in the mirror
That's where the problem lies
The mirror has no sound
It can't echo one's cries

What was once beautiful
Started out wonderful
Will it remain fruitful
It is doubtful

Nobody