Chapter 699

Molten Metal

The alert went out through the Resistance base. They were low on Terminators but not on Resistance fighters. Everyone knew they needed to play their part. They'd drilled for events like this.

Vanna, Jesse and Riley all arrived at the Command Center with vests and weapons.

"Jesse will look after Riley and I'll look after John and John Henry." Vanna said.

John and John Henry looked at each other. They knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

John Henry wasn't so sure they were in danger. He quickly checked with CamNet. He looked at the three girls and then focused his attention on John.

"I have news you're going to like even less than Derek and Kyle being out in the field." John Henry said.

John was afraid John Henry was going to tell him it was Young Allison. He figured he better hear it anyway. He used a figure of speech to show his disapproval for whatever he was going to hear.

"Don't tell me." John said.

John Henry remained silent.

It was clear John Henry wasn't going to say anything.

The three girls looked at each other and giggled.

John looked over at them and frowned. He turned his attention back to John Henry.

"Tell me." John said. "It's just an expression."

John Henry kept a straight face. He figured he'd better with the news he was about to tell John.

"Sarah is with a team of Terminators that went to reinforce Cameron." John Henry said.

At first John thought he was joking. His mother went to Palmdale earlier with his sister Jan to see Claire and Summer.

"You're right, it's even worse and I like it even less." John said. "Who has Jan?"

John Henry was already assured that Jan was in good hands.

"Allison does, both of them." John Henry said. "Young Allison sent all the Metal girls to help Cameron and Savannah."

John felt that was the same type of action that Cameron would've taken. It was clear that Young Allison followed her training. She was willing to take the risk, like Cameron. She was willing to push it to achieve victory. She'd also sent away all of their personal protection. The only positive thing he saw about it was the fact that both Allison and Young Allison along with Claire we're still at the Young residence. It could have been worse, they all could have gone.

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

John Henry wanted to reassure John that the girls weren't totally vulnerable.

"They have the Terminators in the Detail house to watch over them." John Henry said. "They've retreated into the bunker and closed the blast door."

John was concerned about his sister's protection.

"Do they have enough small vests?" John asked.

John Henry was already notified as to what Young Allison did by CamNet.

"No." John Henry said. "Young Allison has given hers to Jan."

Riley wondered about all of the details as to what exactly was going on in Palmdale.

"Who's in charge there?" Riley asked.

John Henry didn't want to get too specific. He gave her the safer answer.

"CamNet is with both Allisons." John Henry said.

John knew Young Allison would call the shots. He also knew CamNet would back her play. He also figured it was a safe bet that Young Allison would act on her own with CamNet if she thought the situation warranted it. He hoped they would go through John Henry and him first. He was pretty sure that if he became too involved with what was going on at the Young residence that he would get the same treatment that he'd received from Cameron earlier. He needed to remember Cameron did the 'Neural Interface' with Future Allison before Skynet sent her out to infiltrate the Resistance. He was sure a lot of that same personality would be evident in Young Allison. In other words that's where Cameron got her 'mean streak'. He didn't want to butt heads with Young Allison and CamNet.

The Metal girls arrived at the local airport and the UH-1 was rented and ready. Cammy used the paperwork Cam used. Since they looked identical, no one at the airport would know the difference. Hanna was already in the system. At least CamNet put her back in for now. She knew the files would appear when necessary and disappear the rest of the time.

Two of Cameron's Terminators arrived right before they departed. Sarah, Holly and Anna all strapped in for the ride.

Hanna looked over the two Terminators. She'd seen them at the temporary desert base in the desert on the last operation and when they'd retrieved the three drones from the old packing house.

"It's 'Pete and RePete'." Hanna said.

'Pete and RePete' looked at each other.

Cammy and Hanna went over the helicopter with a quick inspection. They fired the turbine and took off.

"This thing is loud." Sarah said through her headset.

Anna normally didn't go out on any missions. She's been out a few times with Cameron specifically when she'd done some of her 'off the books' activities.

"I have a feeling it is going to be louder before we're done." Anna said.

Sarah remembered that Anna's base program was 'Cameron' with the 'Neural Interface' with 'Savannah'.

"I just want to make sure. You're 'Cameron' right?" Sarah asked.

Anna wasn't sure why she asked that. She thought that Sarah already knew. She wondered if something else was going to be tied into that or not.

"I'm 'a Cameron'. I share her program along with the 'Neural Interface' from Savannah." Anna said.

Sarah smiled and nodded.

"That sounds like a 'double bill'. That's good enough for me." Sarah said. "I'll follow 'Cameron' into battle anytime."

Sarah knew the 'Savannah' in Anna would always use good judgment and watch out for everyone and herself. She decided not to mention that.

Anna was very pleased to go into battle with Sarah.

"Then I'll lead you and watch over you." Anna said.

Sarah hoped that she wasn't too rusty. Cameron and John pretty much kept her out of any combat. They tried real hard to keep Derek and Kyle out of it too but they managed to snag Jim and go out anyway.

"I can hardly wait." Sarah said. "I haven't needed to get my hands dirty in awhile."

Anna was surprised when Sarah said that she was going to go with them. She was going to protest but Sarah gave her a stern look and said that she was going and that was final.

"Why did you insist on coming?" Anna asked.

Sarah felt that she didn't do enough. She didn't like it because Savannah was always out there and risking her life. She thought that burden should be shared.

"I did it for John." Sarah said. "Cameron and Savannah are out there."

Anna wanted to point out the inevitable. She decided to leave Young Allison's name out of it this time.

"It's the 'Natural Order'." Anna said.

Sarah never liked to hear that. She'd also noticed that Anna didn't mention Young Allison.

"I'm starting to believe that more and more." Sarah said. "I understand now. They all need to be together, the four of them."

Sarah really did believe it. She saw enough to know they all needed each other to function to their fullest, without anyone getting terminated.

Holly could attest to having viewed it firsthand in Cameron's future.

"It is the 'Natural Order'." Holly said. "I've lived it as well."

During the flight Holly and Cammy told stories of what they witnessed in Cameron's future. They both told the same story with added details that each of them possessed. By the time they were done, there was no doubt whatsoever that the 'Natural Order' was a necessary reality. It was fact beyond doubt.

Sarah wondered if John was going to be a lucky man or get nagged to death by three strong minded and strong willed females. She figured it would be a wild ride whatever it was.

Cam advised Al and Steve to hold at the north end of the old newspaper plant on the east side for now. If they moved up, they risked being detected. She wasn't in danger now as long as she stayed put.

She peeked out from time to time to see if anything changed, it hadn't. She wanted to see what they loaded into the boxcars as they'd done with the other two that recently departed.

Where her crate was situated, she was unable to view the loading process. She could hear clanking every now and then. She figured that it must be an HK Track on the move.

She assumed they would load the crates of toys back into the boxcar when they were finished loading the 'real goods' in it. They would be the first thing anyone would see when they opened the boxcar and any of the crates they could get to.

She knew she needed to get ready for action. There was bound to be an alert soon from one of the other locations. If they realized the communications were jammed, that would cause some type of alert as well.

Cam knew everything was on a timer that they didn't know when it would go off. The best case scenario would be when the box truck full of Resistance Terminators was backed up to the dock. She sent all the information that she could gather to the Command Center. The one thing that she did know for sure was that she needed to be out of that crate before it was loaded back into a boxcar.

Cameron and Savannah returned to the SUV. They looked around, Gail wasn't there. They both felt some worry.

"I'm over here." Gail said as she emerged from behind some rocks.

Savannah glanced over and realized that Gail took up a firing position to cover the SUV in case anybody came to investigate it. She would've been able to ambush them.

"That was a good firing position." Savannah said.

Gail wanted to be able to assist Cameron and Savannah and not be a 'sitting duck' in the SUV.

"It seemed like I was less of a target if I was away from the SUV." Gail said. "I figured if an HK drone showed up, the SUV would draw its attention first."

Gail watched Savannah toss her undergarments in the back.

Savannah knew that there were two stories behind her underwear now. One was at the pier and one at the outpost they'd just left.

"Don't even ask." Savannah said. "They're dirty now."

Cameron motioned for all three of them to get into the SUV.

"We need to find another way in." Cameron said as she took the wheel of the SUV.

Gail got in the back and Savannah sat next to Cameron.

Savannah still wanted to offer a safer option to Cameron.

"We can wait for dark and call in a drone strike." Savannah said.

Cameron knew that they could destroy everything. It would most likely involve a bigger and more elaborate clean up if they did that. She wanted to know what they possessed.

"I want to see what they have." Cameron said. "I want to see what we can take."

Savannah wanted to remind Cameron they were a little short handed for a big operation.

"We need more people for anything other than a recon." Savannah said.

CamNet contacted Cameron directly and updated her with the latest developments. She also informed her with the action that Young Allison took to get them additional help. She couldn't say that she was pleased about what Young Allison had done on several levels but she did understand why Young Allison did it.

"There are four other operations happening now." Cameron said. "Cammy, Holly, Hanna and Anna are on their way here now with Sarah."

Savannah immediately looked over at Cameron when she mentioned Sarah's name. That was a surprise to her.

"Sarah?" Savannah asked. "Who is watching the girls?"

Cameron didn't see it as a problem currently. She trusted Young Allison's judgment and response. She'd taught her to think and act boldly and do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done.

"Nobody…." Cameron said. "CamNet has control. Allison and Young Allison are in charge. The Detail house is on alert. The girls have moved into the bunker and closed the blast door."

Savannah knew that was a major precaution. She wondered how Claire and Allison were going to like taking 'orders' from Young Allison. It was clear who would be the one in charge there.

She knew Sarah being with them was going to cause a problem with John and Cameron. She doubted either of them would challenge her on it directly.

"What's their ETA?" Savannah asked.

Cameron knew they needed additional vehicles.

"Fifty minutes from now." Cameron said. "We need to procure more ground transportation. Two of my Terminators are with them as well."

Gail quickly calculated the size of the group.

"Two more vehicles should do it." Gail said. "Savannah and I can each commandeer one."

Cameron drove back out along the utility line access road. She reentered the street in a cloud of dust.

Savannah was worried about the outpost up on the hill.

"We may be spotted when we approach later on." Savannah said.

Cameron already considered that and asked CamNet to come up with a better solution.

"We need a better way in." Cameron said. "I have CamNet on it."

Savannah knew that CamNet could exert extreme pressure and influence to make things happen. There are also unlimited funds available for her to influence anyone with vast amounts of money. Millions of dollars were just a number to CamNet.

"I'm sure it will be something creative." Savannah said.

Cameron was updated as Savannah spoke. She was surprised at the solution.

"Because of county budget cutbacks, it will be." Cameron said. "CamNet just gave me a lead. We can even land the helicopter near there."

Savannah hoped that CamNet would be able to buy them some time with the hillside outpost.

"I can hardly wait." Savannah said. "Will CamNet monitor the radio frequency the guards were using?"

Cameron already informed CamNet what she wanted.

"Yes." Cameron said. "CamNet can even give another message like the last one. That should buy us more time."

Savannah would prefer if the girls didn't run into a welcoming committee.

"Cool." Savannah said.

Cameron looked over at Savannah and flashed her sly smile.

"Let's get some wheels." Cameron said. "Do you like red?"

Savannah thought that depended upon what it was.

"As long as it's not blood I'm good with it." Savannah said.

Cameron's face returned to a sterner expression.

"If it is, it won't be ours." Cameron said.

Savannah hoped not. They were about to face the unknown.

Sheila and Ally went in the front door. The other two teams of Terminators went in the two rear entrances.

There was a man standing in the front area. He wondered what they were doing there. Sheila drove the butt of her M4 against his head with a loud crack. He went down unmoving. Ally opened the door to the back with a splintering of wood as the locked door gave way.

There was some muffled shooting from somewhere they couldn't see. They knew it was one of their team. It was followed by more suppressed gunfire. They moved deeper into the interior.

There was a vat of molten metal. It was located further in as they moved along. Ally and Sheila each shot one man apiece. There were some screams and some more suppressed gunfire from in the back.

"Watch out above you." Ally said as she fired a suppressed burst from her M4.

Sheila dodged back as a man fell into the vat of molten metal. This produced a reaction to the molten mass and molten metal shot out of the container in all directions. His screams died as quickly as he did.

Sheila looked at a splash of molten metal that landed on the floor in front of her after the man's screaming high dive. She looked at a small splash piece.

"It's not Coltan." Sheila said.

Ally was glad to hear that. Since John wanted all the Coltan she wondered what they were going to do with a giant molten vat of it if it was.

They met up with the other team members and decided to toss the bodies into the molten metal. Each one produced a hiss as it entered the molten steel. More molten metal splashed out as the liquid in the bodies was released.

Two of the team already started to load the box truck with pallets of Coltan.

They heard another truck approach in the rear. Ally and Sheila headed in that direction.

"We have visitors." Ally said as she saw who was in the truck. "It's another box truck. It's some of Cameron's Terminators."

Sheila looked over what else they would need to take that was Coltan related.

"We need to get these castings and forgings loaded." Sheila said.

The first box truck left with a heavy load, the second one already backed up.

Ally wanted to check the security in the front.

"I'll watch the front for now." Ally said.

Sheila wanted one final look around. She wasn't sure that they'd killed everybody.

"I'll make a final sweep as the boys finish loading the goods." Sheila said. "I want to make sure we don't miss anything or anyone."

Ally watched Sheila walk away. It seemed she was focused on something.

About forty seconds later, there was a loud scream.

Ally rushed back with her M4 up as she searched for a target. She was a little surprised at what she saw.

Sheila stood on the back of a woman. She'd bent both of the woman's arms in back of her.

As Ally watched, both of the woman's arms were broken.

The woman screamed as she thrashed about.

Sheila noticed that Ally was there now.

"That Bitch cut me." Sheila said.

Ally saw a cut along Sheila's cheek. It was a big one.

The woman's thrashing body still admitted a gurgling muffled scream.

Sheila's eyes glowed bright red now.

"I want to get her into the molten metal while she's still alive." Sheila said.

Sheila picked up the withering woman and tossed her in the molten metal. She was still alive. The muffled gurgling screams grew in intensity for a few seconds as the women's flesh burnt away.

"She's lucky I don't have more time." Sheila said. "I would've carved her up good."

Ally was a little shocked at the brutality that Sheila just displayed but impressed with the speed and efficiency that she done it with. It was all actually quite creative. Everything she'd witnessed happened in about fifteen seconds. Ally wondered if Sheila did this same thing before. If she did, it may have been in the past. She checked around them to make sure it was clear and then reached up to touch Sheila's cheek.

"Let me see your face." Ally said.

Sheila touched her cheek and looked at Ally.

"That Bitch got me good." Sheila said.

Ally could see it was a deep cut.

"I'll need to put a few sutures in that for you." Ally said. "It should heal in a day. It's a clean cut."

It appeared things were wrapped up.

"We're finished here." One of Cameron's Terminator said.

Sheila and Ally placed Thermite grenades on the large machinery and pulled the pins.

In a few minutes the fire spread around the area.

Ally wanted to make sure that the fire got a good hold on the building.

"John Henry, have you suppressed all 911 calls?" Ally asked.

"Yes." John Henry said.

Sheila looked back at the burning building with contempt.

"Good, this place will burn to the ground then." Sheila said.

John was able to determine that Sheila was injured somehow during the operation from the com traffic.

"Sheila, how badly are you damaged?" John asked.

Sheila already regained her composure. She wanted to mess with John.

"I'll be fine tomorrow." Sheila said. "Ally will stitch me up. Everything else is in top shape, in case you want to give it a whirl."

Ally tried not to laugh. Sheila was always the kidder, even after some damage and a display of savage brutality.

Ally was aware the improved 'Neural Interface' that Cameron perfected, gave them almost human characteristics, especially when it came to brutality. Humans were the most brutal and cruel creatures on earth. They were also the most loving and caring too. It all depended on the person. She took one look back and determined it was time to go to the old newspaper plant. There was still one big building to take down.

"We'll move with the rest of the team to Cam's location." Ally said.

Sheila looked back and spoke softly to Ally.

"I want some payback." Sheila said.

Ally knew that if any Grays were captured alive at the next location that they were going to have a really bad day if Sheila got a hold of them.

"I'm sure you will get it." Ally said.

Raging Fire

Thoughts running through the streams of a mind
Thoughts running through the streams of time

Emotions and feeling together cascading
From our very selves we try evading

What is love, where's it at, does it even exist
Our very selves dissolve in life's fuzzy blinding mist

We are who we are but who are we
We see what we see but what do we see

We want to live and we want to feel
We want to give and we what's real

What's happening around us happens to us
It's influencing us what it will do to us

Untamed libido grows building higher and higher
Like a burning lit fuse it snowballs into a raging fire

We let the lips touch the hands will grope
When the secret spot is shared we fulfill our hope

The bridge has been burnt there's no turning back
Was this the main course or just another snack

Now it's really the mind from which the heart felt
How do we play the cards that to ourselves we've dealt

Nobody