Chapter 983

Fried Chicken

Cammy decided it was time to shake something loose. She didn't have a set plan but would see what happened on the fly. The main thing was to try and get the two men to follow her on foot and leave their car unattended for just a few seconds. Ally would then try to slip a tracker on it.

She looked at the drone images of the buildings that surrounded the cryogenics lab. She saw that there were two alleys that ran in opposite directions off the street that led into the cryogenics lab proper. She looked at which buildings had fences across the back and which ones didn't. She thought that she came up with a good route to take once she led the men on a wild goose chase.

Cammy was pretty sure that she could get at least one of them to follow her. She was aware that neither one of them would be able to catch her on foot because she could run faster than both of them. She would need to keep her speed down a little bit so that the men thought they could overtake her. She knew that she needed to stay out of Taser range in case any of the men were from the future. They may not recognize her as a Terminator but a Taser could bring down a human just as easily as it brought down a Terminator.

She contained the files from Cameron where she'd witnessed one used on Future Derek before. Cameron went out of her way to rescue him at where she believed that he'd been taken. She was ambushed and almost deactivated herself. The Skynet operative who attempted to bring her down didn't know what he was doing and was very unsure how to proceed properly. He'd waited too long and she rebooted.

Cammy knew that Cameron always felt that Future Derek was a little indignant and unappreciative of her efforts to free him. She at least expected him to thank her but he didn't. It was her belief that Derek from the alternate future was a little more tolerant and appreciative of the Resistance Terminators. Maybe the difference there was that Derek fought alongside of Resistance Terminators in the alternate future. Future Derek despised Resistance Terminators in Cameron's future. He brought that same belief with him to the past.

She exited the SUV. It was parked around the block from where the brown sedan waited. She would pass by the brown sedan and head towards where the truck was parked at the cryogenics lab. She wanted to make sure the occupants saw her pass by their car but not get a good look at her specifically. She wanted to be noticed but not identifiable.

Ally would work her way around the far side of the brown sedan and be ready to place a tracker. The goal was to have Cammy draw both of the occupants off while Ally tagged the vehicle. The trick would be to have both of them get away clean and undamaged.

Cammy was away from the SUV. She approached the corner she would need to turn. The brown sedan was just around the corner. She looked back once at the SUV and checked the surrounding area. Everything looked clear. There was nothing out of place or that caught her eye. She turned the corner and prepared to pass the brown sedan.

She tried to keep her face so it looked straight ahead or turned slightly off to the side. She didn't want them to get a good look at her. She wondered if the car doors would open and one or both men would step out and block her path. She didn't know if they would try to put the grab on her or let her pass since they didn't know who she was. She needed to be aware that they could use a Taser on her as well. They might even shoot at her.

Cammy walked by the brown sedan without looking at the two occupants. She headed toward the cryogenics lab in plain view of them. She was satisfied that no one opened the car doors as she passed. When she got close to the cryogenics lab she started to look for 'cover' as she moved forward. The men in the brown sedan could see her. She wanted to draw their attention. She wanted it to appear that she was trying to sneak up on the lab. She wanted to look suspicious to them. She hoped that would be the 'catch' that would get them to leave the vehicle and follow her.

She looked back and forth and disappeared inside the walled compound of the cryogenics lab on the far side. The gate was open. Once she was inside she spied a fried chicken container that looked like a small bucket in the trash can. It was white with red stripes on it and there was a picture of an old man with a goatee on it. She looked in the bucket and saw it was nothing but bones with some meat and a little crust on them. She looked back to make sure that the two men in the sedan couldn't see her. She couldn't see them and she hadn't heard the car door open yet. She hoped that meant they were both still sitting in it. She decided what she was going to do. She picked up the bucket of chicken bones and ran out of the facility compound. She kept her speed slow and headed back the way she'd come. She wanted to make it look like she'd taken or stolen something from the lab. She kept what she held covered by her arms. She didn't want the two men in the brown sedan to know exactly what she held. Not yet anyway.

The men in the sedan saw her 'sneak' in and exit a few minutes later. They could see that she held something but they couldn't tell what it was. It was medium size and she blocked the view of most of it with her body.

She'd definitely gotten their attention.

The two men looked at each other and touched their weapons.

Seconds ago:

There were two men in the brown sedan. We were parked near the cryogenic facility. That was the direction that their attention was focused. Someone passed by their car on the sidewalk. The two men looked over as the figure passed by.

"Was that a chick?" One man asked.

"Look at the figure, 'Dufus'." The other man said.

"Where's she going?" One man asked.

"I don't know. She looks kind of fishy." The other man said.

"Hey, she's going to pull something." One man said.

"She's looking around." The other man said.

The female that just passed by them appeared to sneak into the cryogenic labs compound.

"Did you see that, man?" One man asked.

"I told you she was fishy." The other man said. "I'm not talking about her 'snatch' either."

The mention of the female's private parts caught one man's attention. It made him think about some of the possibilities if they were to capture her for further interrogation.

"Maybe I should go take a look." One man said.

The other man looked over at him when he said that. He was sure what his associate had plans for the female if she were captured. He wasn't sure that was such a good idea on their current mission. They were to tail the truck and document the stops it made along the way. So far the truck made all of its previous scheduled stops.

"We don't want to get spotted." The other man said.

The men debated what action to take.

The female reemerged a short time later.

"She's coming back out." One man said.

It appeared she was trying to hide something.

"She stole something." The other man said. "I'm going after her. You stay here."

"Don't shoot her unless she tries to fight you." One man said. "I want to capture her and interrogate her."

"She's a chick, man. Give me a break." The other man said. "I can run her down. We'll see what happens after that."

One of the men from the brown sedan exited to intercept her.

Cammy wanted to get the men's attention. It appeared she'd done so. She saw him and ran back the opposite way she was headed and cut across the street. The man started to run now. Cammy poured on the speed as she entered an alley and was out of his line of sight. She came out on the other side of the building she'd passed as she went through the alley.

The man who followed Cammy lost sight of her. He entered the alley and she was nowhere to be seen. He didn't understand where she could have gone. He was right behind her. There weren't many places she could have gone or hidden.

Cammy came around the building and headed towards the brown sedan. The other man stepped out of it to grab her. She dodged him and headed back toward where the first man was at. He'd just emerged from where She came out on the far side of the building. She headed back down the alley with both men now behind her. She only stayed far enough ahead of them to make sure they both followed her. She allowed them to close up on her so they would continue to chase her. She was out of Taser range so she didn't feel too threatened. They could still shoot at her but that wouldn't do much other than damage her sheath. She didn't know how much attention they wanted to attract. If there was gunfire, there was bound to be someone to pay attention.

Ally watched the little charade go down. She was able to slip out of her place of concealment and put a tracker on the sedan. She quickly disappeared unseen. She headed back to the SUV and started it up. She would meet Cammy at a prearranged point.

Cammy received the 'all clear' signal from Ally. It was time to end the game. She glanced back over her shoulder. She dropped the bucket of half eaten chicken bones on the ground as the men closed on her. One stopped to look at what she dropped. The other man was still after her.

"What the Hell?" One man asked.

The other man looked back over his shoulder.

"I almost have her." The other man said.

"Solly!" One man called out. "Forget it. Let her go."

Solly watched the female continue down the alley. He was sure he would have been able to catch her just a few more steps. That wasn't to be the case. He'd been recalled. He returned to see what the female dropped.

"What did she steal?" Solly asked.

The one man held out the bucket of bones.

"It's just some half eaten food, chicken bones really." One man said. "I think this was her dinner."

Solly looked. He was a little more than surprised.

"Do you mean that was some homeless person?" Solly asked.

"I guess so." The first man said. "Who else would take something like this to eat?"

"That was a pretty ragged shirt she was wearing." Solly said. "I never got a good look at her. All I saw was her slim shapely figure. She was a fast runner."

"The homeless females need to be or they get assaulted." One man said. "It happens all the time to them. It's part of the lifestyle."

"She probably thought that's what we were going to do." Solly said. "She won't call the cops will she?"

"Naw, they never report what happens to them. They're usually all wanted for something, a petty crime or solicitation." One man said. "Let's go back to the car."

Solly kicked the bucket that was lying on the ground with his foot. That needless act sent the contents flying in all directions as the bucket rolled off to the side of the alley. There was some scurrying noise from the darkness. Several rats appeared and began to look at the scattered bones. Two of them fought over one of the bones. They eventually all took one and ran off. Seconds after they scurried away a cat arrived. It looked around for the rats. It took a chicken bone instead and left with that. It would wait nearby for the rats to reappear.

The two men went back to the sedan.

"If we see her again, I want to 'jump' her." Solly said.

"If we can catch her…." One man said. "She was fast."

Solly thought that he might come back later and look for her anyway. He figured she must be relatively young be able to run like that. That probably meant she hadn't been on the street for too long. She probably wasn't 'used up' yet like most of the other homeless females were.

Maybe he wouldn't have to jump her. He didn't know if she would 'smoke' or not. He might be able to offer her a hamburger or something for a little 'one on one' time. She might even be pliable for a little more if he slipped her a ten or even a twenty. If she was good, he might even let her live after he was done.

Ally picked Cammy up three streets over. She looked at the ragged shirt Cammy wore.

Cammy slipped the shirt off right before she got into the SUV. She tossed it into the backseat.

"It's a good thing that the homeless guy left one of his shirts." Cammy said.

Ally was touched by what the homeless man did for Cammy. She thought it was a very selfless act.

"You were only wearing your bra." Ally said. "I think he was trying to help you. It was an act of decency from someone who didn't have very much to give."

Cammy did appreciate the gesture. She realized that the man literally gave her the shirt off of his back. He wore several so he wasn't compromised himself. Savannah taught her sometimes it was the little things that people did that could say or mean the most. She wanted to return the favor. Sometimes it's nice to have help.

"When Cameron takes care of Susan, I'll make sure they are all taken care of too." Cammy said. "We will try to jump start their lives, the rest will be up to them."

Cammy hoped they could help at least one of them to find themselves and maybe get some of their life back and off the street. She knew it was very hard to help most of the homeless people because many of them suffered from mental illness or were addicted to drugs. She really hoped they could help at least one of the four escape from the lifestyle to nowhere.

John and John Henry viewed the incident with Cammy from the drone footage. John thought it was almost funny to watch. He needed to remind himself it wouldn't have been humorous if the men would have shot at her. They still didn't know who the two men were or which group they represented. Based on the type of their vehicle, they suspected they were associated with the Syndicate.

"That was quite a stunt show." John said. "I think it was a little over dramatic."

John Henry thought it was pulled off quite nicely. He knew that Cammy or Ally could have just as easily terminated both men while they sat in their vehicle. They could have done it in the alley as well.

"They placed the tracker on the sedan." John Henry said. "That was the objective. It worked perfectly and it doesn't appear the men suspect a thing."

They watched the various feeds from all the drones.

John noticed there was some activity around the truck that was parked at the cryogenic facility.

"It looks like the truck is about to leave." John said.

John Henry could see they weren't the only ones who were ready to move on.

"The men are back in the sedan." John Henry said.

They watched as the truck pulled out. A minute later the brown sedan began to follow it from quite a distance back. They weren't in a direct line of sight with the truck. It furthered their suspicions that the occupants of the brown sedan had some type of tracker on the truck.

John Henry was able to locate the frequency that the men in the brown sedan used to track the truck. He was also able to pick up the signal from the device that Ally placed on the brown sedan.

"I have the frequency from the truck and the sedan. We're tracking both of them." John Henry said.

There was a drone that followed each of them from altitude. CamNet placed a team of Metal on the truck and one on the sedan. They would follow at a discrete distance so they weren't spotted.

John watched where they were headed on the satellite map. It was in the direction of the location that they'd suspected.

"It looks like they're going to the port." John said.

John Henry was sure of that the moment the truck entered the freeway.

"I think so." John Henry said. "Cameron has her report."

Cameron reported her team was ready to strike. She left out some of the details as to exactly what they planned to do. She doubted they would approve of her method in the Command Center. It was one of the reasons why she liked to operate off of the grid a lot of the time anyway.

Hanna and Holly said they were ready for their assault on the cryogenics lab. Cammy and Ally were there to back them up. They'd returned to the area as soon as the brown sedan drove away after the truck.

"As soon as Cameron's team enters the building, I want the communications cut to those two areas." John said. "Hanna and Cammy's teams can move into the cryogenics lab at the same time. All the teams are ready."

The truck was now on the freeway. The brown sedan followed it. There was no doubt they were headed towards the port.

John Henry checked the drone footage of the Metal girls.

"Everyone's in position." John Henry said.

John was satisfied everyone was as ready as they were going to be. He wanted their troops to be the ones that dictated what happened and when

"It's a go." John said. "Cameron, start the show."

Cameron looked over at Sheila and nodded. They moved out of their place of concealment and headed for the large dumpster behind the old supermarket.

"We are on our way." Cameron said.

Savannah heard the order to send Cameron's team in.

It was dark now. There were no street lights where they were parked. Savannah put her night vision on.

Savannah exited the SUV with her gear and M4. She headed toward the front of the old supermarket. She planned to make her entry in the same spot that Gail had used previously. She moved along the store fronts of the closed strip mall. Most were run down with broken windows and knocked down doors.

She was almost to where she wanted to enter the supermarket when she caught some movement off to her side. She went inside the broken door of the closed shop she was about to pass. There was a hole in the wall that went into the vacant shop next to it. That was the shop she'd just passed. She quickly went into that shop. She saw some movement pass by the broken window of the shop she was now in.

Savannah quickly moved up to the front and looked out as the two figures entered the first shop she'd gone into. She came out to follow them. She looked in both directions and across the empty parking lot. She wanted to make sure there were no additional surprises waiting. She was satisfied there wasn't. She held her Taser below the front hand guard of her suppressed M4. She soundless entered the first shop again. She was ready for action. Their backs were to her as her finger closed on the trigger. It was clear the two figures were stalking her. She was the one who now stalked them.

Cameron and Sheila moved to the dumpster in back of the old supermarket. Cameron hopped inside and started digging through the trash. She began to dump stuff out onto the ground.

Sheila went through it as it landed on the ground. She separated the trash to create a pile of flammable materials. They tried to make a lot of noise.

Cameron looked for any female clothes in the trash as well but found none or any body parts or bodies. There were glass beer bottles in the dumpster. She considered tossing those out onto the asphalt in the alley to shatter them. She thought it would make quite a mess with broken glass everywhere. She decided to use another tactic. She started to stomp on them to break them. There was a lot of noise at this point. That's what they tried to accomplish.

Sheila gathered the pile of flammable rubbish and started a small fire near the side of the dumpster not too far from the building. That seemed to be what set the next chain of events into motion. Their other activity hadn't so far. It was the fire that did it.

They could hear the bolts being thrown on the metal door. Someone was about to open it up. There was going to be a challenge or confrontation of some kind.

Cam and Gail readied their Tasers and rifles.

Cameron and Sheila readied their Tasers and pistols.

The metal door was flung open. Someone could be heard to exit the building.

A very angry looking man exited out the back of the old supermarket.

"That's IT." Someone yelled at them. "Put that fire out. You freaks clean up this mess now and get out of here. How many times do we have to tell you losers?"

Sheila pushed the pile of rubbish she'd started to burn towards some real flammable material. The fire spread to three times its original size in an instant. It was what they'd planned on. She scurried away from the fire to the back side of the dumpster as Cameron climbed out of it and joined her behind it. They wanted to have a little cover in case they were shot at. They also wanted to have a killing zone that was more secluded than if they were in the middle of the alley. It depended how close the man would be to them.

"FIRE." The belligerent man yelled. "Help."

Two more men came out of the back of the building. One stopped and reached back inside to grab a fire extinguisher.

The two new men tried to put out the fire as the first man went after Sheila and Cameron behind the dumpster.

"You freaks are going to pay for this." The belligerent man yelled.

A fourth figure appeared in the doorway and looked around. He scanned the area for threats.

He then headed toward the fire that was spreading. The fire lapped against the side of the building now.

It was 'The Enforcer' or his twin anyway.

Cam and Gail watched and waited from their places of concealment. They both spotted the fourth figure for what he was. It was a Terminator. so far everything played out pretty much as they'd planned that it would.

John Henry cut the communications at both locations.

Because there were now four clear targets out of the building, the Metal girls would move to engage them to end the altercation as quickly as possible.

The four Metal girls all made their move simultaneously.

Sheila and Cameron came out from each side of the dumpster as Cam and Gail sprang into action from their place of concealment.

It was Showtime.

Foresee

A time will come
When you put another before me
I believe it will not go well
This I can foresee

Only when I'm damaged
Will you truly know
That all along from the first day
You have loved me so

I'm so very afraid
That it's love's price
To finally share our love
I must make this sacrifice

Then to yourself
You will know I didn't lie
I love you and you love me
As I must surely die

I will say I'm sorry
With my last breath
Know that I'll love you
Even in death

Nobody