Chapter 609
No Trespassing
Young Allison cared about Savannah, Anna and Hanna. She didn't see her existence as being more valuable than anyone elses. That was something she learned from watching Savannah. Savannah always put others before herself. She would do the same. No one should give up their protective gear for her.
"Anna needs protection too." Young Allison said. "So do you, Savannah. I won't take a second vest from anyone. I refuse to do it. I'll take mine off first before I take anyone elses."
It was clear Young Allison meant what she said.
Savannah knew they needed to get Young Allison out of the danger zone. There was too much that could go wrong and it could all happen fast. She'd been involved in enough operations to know how things all could change in a second. This current situation didn't appear to be any different.
"I want Allison away from here." Savannah said. "This is going from bad to worse with every second."
Anna was a little surprise at what CamNet provided her with.
"CamNet's reported receiving fragments of a transmission from Cammy." Anna said.
Savannah needed to know more about the source before she got her hopes up.
"What's the timeline on that signal?" Savannah asked. "Is it from now or from before?"
Anna was assured it was current. That was a positive sign. It showed Cammy was still active. They didn't know her condition or location.
"It's from right now." Anna said. "It came from the side we drove in on. It's faded in and out several times."
They weren't sure why it would do that and not be a constant.
Hanna immediately turned around and headed back in the direction they'd come from.
Savannah hadn't expected that maneuver. She wanted to get Young Allison away from the danger.
"What are you doing?" Savannah asked. "We still have Allison with us."
Savannah didn't want Young Allison in harms way or worse, in combat.
Young Allison knew it was time to speak up. Cameron and Savannah both taught her to have a voice and use it when it was necessary. It was necessary now. One of the team was in a jam and they were close enough to assist them.
"I'm sorry, Savannah. I'm part of this too. Cammy needs help." Young Allison said. "This SUV is armored. I have my vest, we all do. We have two Terminators and a skilled Resistance fighter. Cameron is on the way. I'm trained as well, even if I'm inexperienced. Cameron's trained me my whole life. I can do this. WE all can do this. It's the right thing to do."
Savannah could see and understand the reasoning behind all that. There was one big problem. They didn't know what was actually happening.
"We've no idea what we're facing or what went wrong." Savannah said. "We don't even know what to look for."
Young Allison saw it as self evident. The answer was right in front of them.
"It's Cammy." Young Allison said. "That's what we're looking for."
Young Allison liked the genuine concern Savannah expressed for her but one of their team was in trouble. That was top priority to her. Nobody gets left behind. She was amped up and ready for more.
Hanna and Anna quickly updated John Henry and CamNet as to what was happening and that they would lose communications again in seconds. They wanted known what they were about to do.
Cameron was fed the conversation from the SUV with Savannah and Young Allison. She was fearful for Young Allison at first but not so much after listening to her explain herself. She worried about both of her girls but they were all trained. She was also able to call on additional resources. She wanted to contain the target area.
"I'm coming there fast." Cameron said. "I have additional help on the way. They'll be arriving from both ends of that canyon. I'll have them block the roads. Savannah, make sure Allison…."
The transmission was lost.
Savannah was deeply worried and conflicted.
Young Allison took Savannah's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm ready." Young Allison said.
Young Allison was worried but not really afraid. She called up on everything Cameron, Savannah and the Metal girls taught her. She needed to pop her 'combat cherry' at some point. She was actually less worried about that than her actual one and being with John. It was firmly in her mind that both were her 'duty'.
Cameron sped towards where she'd sent Cammy. It originally was only to be a simple recon of a possible location that needed to be followed up on. The satellite photos showed it as deserted but there were fresh tire tracks noted. That could be anything from bikers to drug users. It was on the way, with a slight detour, for Cammy to meet up with Savannah and Young Allison.
It was in a canyon off one of the old roads on the way to Palmdale. There'd been mining there long ago. The mine entrances were finally blown closed and sealed years ago. The tunnels and shafts inside most likely still remained. They knew that Skynet liked to hide in those. It could be similar to a location where Duplicate Cameron expected to be terminated on that fateful day.
She'd captured a version of Skynet with a powerful mainframe that was headed for some place. That place could be that old mining area. That's what she wanted Cammy to check out. It was a long shot but some of the intel gathered from the captured phones indicated hits around that area.
Even if there was nothing there, the Skynet mainframe was headed for somewhere. She wanted that location and where it came from.
Sheila and Ally ran down all the leads for CamNet that they'd come across so far. Those all turned up empty. No Grays or Terminators were found at any of the locations. Skynet may have written the city operation off and pulled back to a remote and isolated location. That was what she wanted to find out. She was also angered at the reports of the bunks with ropes at both ends that were found in all the locations.
Now it looked like Cammy hit pay dirt on something. The jamming field seemed to confirm that. Cammy was in a bind and Savannah's team was the closest.
Cameron called for all Terminators within thirty miles to stop whatever they were doing and come to Cammy's aid. She didn't want to use a drone during the daylight over a populated area. They'd done so in the past and been able to pass it off as military testing from Edwards around the dry lake bed. Some reports came in as UFO sightings. There was some chatter about Area 51 as well. It all helped muddy the water and made people seem like 'nut jobs'. CamNet and John Henry suppressed all of them they could.
She called for the Blackhawk to make a pass over the area. It was now manned with an all Terminator crew. The previous crew was handsomely rewarded for their service to 'The Government' and for their silence. All were given a multi million dollar severance pay package with a confidentiality agreement. They'd been relocated to different parts of the country.
The Blackhawk was now marked as a 'contract' fire fighting helicopter. It raised less suspicion as it moved around the remote areas identified as such. Wild fires were common in California. There were private companies that offered their services under contract to assist the governmental agencies for water and retardant drops on wildfires.
They wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. They didn't want the helicopter to become a target. As it was, it was repainted every few months with a different paint scheme. Sometimes it bore a different paint scheme on each side. They didn't want any one group to 'notice' the same helicopter in the same areas.
CamNet contacted John Henry with the troubling news. She didn't have any specific details on everything that was in progress right now.
"John, CamNet has contacted me about a potential problem." John Henry said.
John frowned. He'd spent a lonely night locked in his room. He'd been afraid one of the Metal girls or Cameron herself would try to put Young Allison in his bed. This latest occurrence sounded like standard fare for Cameron. She often found trouble without too much effort.
"What's Cameron gotten herself into now?" John asked.
John Henry was told it was Cammy, not Cameron, that was the one in the hot seat.
"It's Cammy this time." John Henry said.
John wasn't too concerned. It seemed to be pretty much more of the same behavior. Cammy was a clone of Cameron after all. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.
"It's the same thing." John said. "Either way, Cameron was behind it."
John Henry filled John in. It was a little more involved than he'd first thought. He connected John with Cameron. He'd figured she should take the heat from John instead of him.
"Cameron, what's the latest?" John asked.
Cameron was worried about Cammy and the first team that responded. It was Savannah, Young Allison, Hanna and Anna. She didn't release that information yet.
"CamNet's filled you in." Cameron said. "I've scrambled the Blackhawk. This was a simple recon, John. Cammy went into a 'dark zone'. We know that it's Skynet related. There appears to be a Skynet jamming field there. That spells big trouble."
John sat up in his chair. This did sound a little more involved than he'd first thought. It looked like some of the intel that Cameron gathered paid off.
"OK, relax." John said. "I'm worried about her too. What do you have?"
John Henry didn't have much from Cammy herself.
"We've picked up some fragmented transmissions from Cammy." John Henry said.
John cut his com. There was a 'sick' feeling that flooded him.
"Where's Savannah at?" John asked. "She should be with Cammy."
John Henry was aware of the team that was in the target area.
"Savannah is with Hanna, Anna and ….." John Henry said before he paused.
John thought about the normal operations. Not all of what he'd seen in the early hours of the morning clicked yet.
"And who?" John asked. "It can't be any worse."
"Young Allison is with them." John Henry said.
John stood and began to look at everything they had so far. It wasn't much. That name was about the last name he wanted to hear.
"It just got worse." John said. "I can't believe Savannah would endanger her."
John Henry knew it wasn't like that. They went to see why Cammy didn't meet up with them as planned. Things took an ominous turn from there.
"Cammy was to meet up with them and they were all going to Palmdale." John Henry said. "Savannah wanted Young Allison away from there."
That sounded like the smart move and the right move to John. What could have gone wrong?
"Why are they still there then?" John asked.
CamNet embellished the report to John Henry somewhat.
"Young Allison demanded they go after Cammy." John Henry said. "She said they weren't going to abandon Cammy because of her. She threatened to look for Cammy on her own."
John could see he'd have no more control over Young Allison than he would over Savannah or Cameron.
"This is getting better by the minute." John said.
John knew now where some of the problems he experienced with Cameron came from. Young Allison was a very headstrong and determined individual.
Savannah wanted to help Cammy. Young Allison wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. They didn't have much information or a plan. They'd very little of anything to work with. They'd driven through the target area once already and hadn't spotted anything.
"Drive through to the other side." Savannah said. "Cameron told us the target location was on the south side of the road. We have a better area to focus on."
Young Allison wanted to keep all the options open. They didn't have a definite timeline or actual location. Things could change fast.
"What happens if Cammy is on the north side" Young Allison asked. "She may have seen something or been chased. She could be damaged or disabled by now. We don't know if she's on foot or still in her SUV. She only indicated she was being pursued from the fragmented and incomplete transmission."
Hanna knew that was a real possibility. They would split the area to be checked.
"I'll check on the north side." Hanna said. "You three check on the south side."
Anna looked into the distance. There was some assistance on the way.
"I see the Blackhawk." Anna said. "It's seven miles out."
Hanna knew the speed of the Blackhawk, their speed and the general area of the jamming field.
"We'll still be in the 'dead zone' as it makes its pass." Hanna said. "We won't be able to hear what they've seen unless we are out of the jamming zone."
Young Allison reached in her backpack and brought out a Taser.
Savannah wondered what else Young Allison brought with her. She looked at the Taser and expected to see Young Allison's Model 66 come out next.
Young Allison noticed Savannah watch her between scouting the landscape. She felt her actions were justified.
"This will work against both Metal and humans." Young Allison said.
Savannah knew that was true. The main drawback was that Young Allison would need to be in close to make a hit.
"It may come to that before we're finished." Savannah said.
Young Allison looked at Hanna and Anna. They might have some useful information already.
"Do you have satellite maps of this area in your files?" Young Allison asked.
They both began to access the images. They weren't updated.
"Yes." Anna and Hanna both replied.
Anna checked the timestamp.
"They're more historical than current." Anna said.
Savannah spotted a couple of faint topographical features.
"I saw a trail and a dirt road." Savannah said. "Where do those go?"
Young Allison made a quick deduction.
"The dirt road is most likely where Cammy went." Young Allison said. "We haven't seen her SUV along the road so she probably drove in."
All the pieces seemed to fit now.
"We also saw the 'No Trespassing' signs." Anna said. "I think that is our target route."
Savannah knew that was all correct. There was one big problem.
"Not with Allison in the vehicle." Savannah said. "We're not taking her into combat. That's final. I don't like to give orders, don't make me start."
Young Allison knew she could give 'orders' too. She'd never done so. Whose orders would the Metal girls follow? She was sure Anna would follow her orders. She didn't plan to leave without Cammy.
"Cammy is your protector." Young Allison said. "And more…."
Savannah looked quickly at Young Allison and looked away again and back at the terrain. Cammy needed their help. Young Allison wasn't going to let it go. She hoped they didn't start issuing countermanding orders. They were right in the target area now. Cammy must be near them somewhere.
"Where does that dirt road end up?" Savannah asked. "Does it come out somewhere close around here or is it a 'Dead End'?"
Savannah immediately regretted saying 'Dead End'.
"It stops at some old collapsed structures and continues as a trail and rejoins the old road." Anna said.
Hanna looked at their position.
"We'll be out of the jamming field soon." Hanna said.
Anna hoped for some better intel.
"I saw nothing to the south except the Blackhawk fly by." Anna said. "I hope they spotted something."
Hanna's report wasn't any better.
"I spotted nothing to the north side either." Hanna said. "Only the Blackhawk coming back, it's headed the same way we're going now."
Anna looked at the road. It indicated trouble.
"Look." Anna said.
Hanna saw them too. It was bad news.
"There are shell casings on the road now." Hanna said.
Savannah hoped they'd found Cammy or at least her trail.
"Is Cammy in front of us?" Savannah asked.
All they knew was that there was shooting where there hadn't been before.
"Someone is. The shell casings weren't there earlier." Hanna said. "Everyone hang on."
Hanna increased her speed even more.
Savannah could feel Hanna push the SUV on the curvy road.
"Remember, Allison is here with us." Savannah said.
Savannah reached in the back and pulled out an M79 and a bandoleer of rounds.
Anna saw it and reached for it.
Savannah knew Anna would be a better shot than her and be able to calculate range better, especially on moving targets from a moving vehicle.
Anna cracked it open and inserted an HE round.
They cleared the jamming field.
". . . behind me. I'm being pursued by three vehicles." Cammy said.
A wave of relief flooded over everyone.
The report from the Blackhawk was in.
They'd flown around the backside of the hill and let off four Terminators. They were in front of Cammy now to set up an ambush. Cammy would lead the three vehicles pursuing her into it.
Cameron reported she was about to enter the jamming field. That meant she was only a few minutes behind them.
"Cammy, how soon until you reach the ambush site, how far past the jamming field at are you?" Anna asked. "I hear gunfire ahead."
Cammy was pleased that there was help in front of her and in back of her. It was touch and go earlier.
"I'm almost there." Cammy said. "I'm about four miles out of the jamming zone. They chased me in and out of it a few times in the hills along some trails before I was able t get back to the dirt road and then the paved road."
In seconds they could all hear gunfire and several explosions.
Hanna looked in her rear view mirror.
"We have a vehicle behind us closing fast." Hanna said.
Savannah heard Cameron say she was just about to enter the jamming field. That was several miles behind them.
"It can't be Cameron already." Savannah said.
Hanna looked closer.
"It's not Cameron." Hanna said.
Cammy led the other vehicles into the ambush and they were dealt with. It was only the first two. The last vehicle decided to run.
She made a power turn and headed back past the two shot up vehicles that'd pursed her. The four Resistance Terminators were checking them for any survivors. It was doubtful there were any.
"The third vehicle has turned around and run back the direction it came from." Cammy said. "I've turned around to pursue it."
Savannah saw that for the threat it was to them.
"That means we are about to be sandwiched between two hostile vehicles with an unknown number of assailants." Savannah said.
Young Allison still held her Taser. She reached back in her backpack.
"It's time to fight…." Young Allison said.
No Trespassing
What does one have
What do they own
What do they borrow
What do they loan
Is what's there
Really what's there
Do they take the dare
Do they really even care
It seems almost everyone
Is only something to use
When that becomes evident
It does more than just bruise
It seems most unlikely
That things were meant to last
They are haunted by the past
Over tomorrow a shadow they cast
Just when one finds
The one that's surpassing
Up goes an emotional roadblock
That says no trespassing
Nobody