Chapter 989

Go On - Say It

The operation was now headed to the port. A location was identified. It was much as they'd suspected. It was a warehouse with rail access and there were containers stored there. It was a medium sized compound.

John was worried about the girl too and asked John Henry to stay on top of it. He was aware that much of what happened was going to be centered around the girl if she was spotted. Based upon the evidence at the old supermarket it was doubtful she would be spotted. She'd been tied to a bed at the previous location. That more than likely would be the case here.

John Henry tried to collect what data he could. It was very limited at the current stage. They didn't know what the Skynet forces possessed inside of the building. Their drones currently operated at a higher altitude than they normally would at night. There was a good chance that there was at least another Terminator at the port location since they'd come across one at the old supermarket. As to the actual nature of that Terminator, they didn't know yet if it was a standard endoskeleton model or a Liquid Metal Terminator.

"The team of Terminators that followed the truck hasn't spotted anything related to the girl or her father." John Henry said. "The drone images offer us nothing further."

The brown sedan followed the truck all the way to the port. As to who they were specifically, that still needed to be determined. It was thought they were from the Syndicate. It was hoped they weren't the Fanatics or the anti-Metal group.

John understood the threat the brown sedan represented. It was a third group involved with their operation. There were more than likely others that they could communicate with or that were already nearby that could assist the two men in the brown sedan.

"I want to know what the duo in the brown sedan does." John said. "They're the wild card. Try to see if they communicate with anyone. If they do, I want to know the location of whoever they call."

John Henry thought about the events that played out so far. Based upon what their Terminators did, it helped to narrow down who they most likely were.

"I don't think they're from the future." John Henry said. "Cammy purposely showed her Terminator speed to see if they recognized her for what she was. They didn't. They just thought that she was a fast runner because she didn't want to get assaulted."

John understood that was a good indicator but it wasn't necessarily true.

"They didn't take the bait anyway." John said. "So we're back to the Syndicate again."

John Henry would have liked to have had some better answers. He didn't have them.

"Apparently…." John Henry said.

John felt the Syndicate was a thorn in their side. They were a group that didn't need to be there. It was only because they'd found out that the Skynet forces had infiltrated a Syndicate casino in Las Vegas that they were even involved in the first place. Cameron and a team of Metal girls robbed the Syndicate casino and cleaned out their vault. The Syndicate called in all of their outline 'businesses' to consolidate their remaining funds. It was at that point that the Skynet forces led by a Terminator known as 'The Enforcer' cleaned out the Syndicate casino again. The Syndicate knew who cleaned it out the second time. They made the assumption that they'd done it the first time as well. That gave the Syndicate a clear target. That target apparently led them to where they currently were now at the port facility.

The Syndicate also knew the location of the old supermarket and the cryogenics lab. It was because of that fact that Savannah didn't want either one of those two locations burnt to the ground. They placed surveillance equipment at both of them instead. Savannah was convinced that there would be additional operatives involved with either Skynet or the Syndicate that would revisit both of those locations. That would give them a lead on their whereabouts and hopefully lead them back to their den. That would culminate with a Resistance strike against that location as well.

John wanted a quick fix to get the Syndicate off of their backs and from sniffing around the Skynet locations.

"I wonder what we could do to get the Syndicate out of the picture." John said.

John Henry was aware that they tried to turn some of the Families against each other because of what happened at the Las Vegas Syndicate casino. That had been a relatively minor affair that concluded rather quickly when the Syndicate bosses in New York told them to settle down or they would all be replaced. Fighting didn't do the bottom line any good in the pocket books of the Syndicate overlords.

"I'm not sure." John Henry said. "They lost millions. They want it back or payback in its place. The confrontation with the Grays left them minus millions and a handful of dead 'soldiers'."

It was unspoken that Cameron and The Metal girls were responsible for a portion of that turmoil. That all started when the Metal girls won big at a casino and the Syndicate didn't like it. The Metal girls used their Terminator abilities to beat the corrupt gambling system at the casino. That didn't sit well with the Syndicate casino bosses.

"We'll think of something." John Henry said.

They didn't know of Young Allison's plan to turn the Cartels against the Syndicate after cleaning both of them out. It would effectively take them out of the picture as they each battled to keep a collapsing empire. The goal was for each of the two entities to try to take as much from the other as they could. That endeavor would chew up resources and personnel. Both of them would be weaker no matter how it played out.

It was a bold and ruthless plan that would cost the lives of hundreds if not thousand worldwide once the fighting for survival spread everywhere.

The appropriated billions would serve the Resistance well, even if Cameron and CamNet were the ones in control of the funds. It was what Cameron already did with local drug dealers and gangs. Young Allison's plan was on a much larger scale.

The Syndicate made the mistake of catching Young Allison's attention when they went after the three Metal girls because they won big in the Syndicate casino. She didn't like anyone to target their team and she wasn't about to let anyone put the Metal girls in a corner. She wanted to take on the Syndicate and make it feel some pain. CamNet would back her play and could do a lot of damage worldwide. The Cartels were pulled into it as well because they ran both drugs and girls as part of their operations. She didn't feel that either group was exempt from justice. She was pretty sure that neither group wanted to face her version of justice.

Anna and Young Allison monitored the conversation between John and John Henry on how to deal with the Syndicate if they were still a player. That was an added headache they didn't need, even if the Syndicate was going after Grays. It would only be a matter of time until the Syndicate bumped heads with the Resistance on an operation against the Skynet forces.

Anna was somewhat surprised at what John wanted done with the Syndicate.

"John and John Henry are looking for a solution to the Syndicate problem." Anna said. "You already have one."

Young Allison wanted Savannah and Cameron to review her plan. CamNet was already at work behind the scenes to get everything ready to implement it. The more time CamNet was allowed to get ready, the more thorough the destruction would be. It would turn each of the criminal organizations against each other. There would be as much internal strife created within each of the organizations as possible to further decimate the upper ranks as well.

"I'll do as you've suggested. I want to run it by Cameron and Savannah first since it could have global ramifications." Young Allison said. "I'm going to deal with the shipping company as well after we determine how deep they're involved."

Anna looked at Young Allison.

Anna knew what Young Allison really meant. It was clear that she was going to hit and hit hard.

"Will you destroy them?" Anna asked.

Young Allison already formulated a plan and began to track the various ships the shipping company controlled.

"I'll crush their business and sink their ships. CamNet will assist me." Young Allison said. "They will cease to exist."

Anna saw that it would be a very hard hit. She wanted Young Allison to think about the ramifications of her actions.

"That may be excessive for a bad business decision." Anna said.

Young Allison felt if they would cross the line now, they wouldn't hesitate to throw their lot in with Skynet when it scored its initial victories. There was no reason not to draw first blood when they knew who the enemy was.

"Look, we're fighting a war." Young Allison said. "WE are going to fight to win. Complacency is collaboration. "Collaboration is no different than treason. The traditional punishment for treason is death. It's just that simple."

Anna wondered if Cameron ever became Skynet if she would get inspiration from Allison – Young Allison. Maybe Young Allison learned this from her instruction with Cameron. Maybe they both created each other. It was clear both of them would play hard ball to win.

"Maybe we should give some of these things a little time to see how they play out first before we act." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to have everything ready to go in a moment's notice when she decided to act.

"I want to know if the Syndicate thugs in the sedan communicate with anyone." Young Allison said. "It could still be another group."

Anna was sure at this point that the brown sedan represented the Syndicate.

"You heard John Henry's deduction. He came to the same conclusion that you figured out long ago." Anna said.

Anna thought Young Allison was still one step ahead of John and John Henry. Her interaction covertly with CamNet was five steps ahead of John and John Henry.

Young Allison understood the brown sedan for what it represented. It conducted both recon and surveillance for the group they represented. That group would have more forces it would need to commit to launch some type of action. That was something they needed to be ready for. They didn't want to face an enemy in front of them as well as in back of them at the same time.

"IF it's the Syndicate, they will send more 'soldiers'." Young Allison said. "We need to be on the lookout for that. In fact, whatever group it is will send more troops at some point."

Anna felt she should issue a precautionary warning to the Command Center.

"I'll ask John Henry to expand his search parameters." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted CamNet to do the notification.

"CamNet can inform him." Young Allison said. "She's already checking."

Young Allison sent out her requests before the first two operations were actually initiated to act. She even calculated possible responses from the Grays or the Syndicate forces if reinforcements were sent. That seemed like a given to her at this point.

She was aware that no one liked to lose. It all became a matter of pride as well as survival for each group as it was attacked or it attacked another group. Each group wanted to be the one to rule and be in charge. Even the different versions of Skynet would fight each other to hold that title.

Now that Cameron was provided with a 'hard target' she wanted to take some action.

"We have a location." Cameron said. "I'm going to go in there and take a look around."

Savannah instantly disliked that idea. She didn't want Cameron to get ahead of herself.

"That's a little risky at this point." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted the girl. It was worth the risk. She needed some intel and there was only one way to get it.

"I want to get the girl." Cameron said.

Based on what was uncovered at the old steel mill and the myriad of containers located there, all the containers there needed to be looked into. It was possible if they didn't hold HK equipment, they could hold Coltan that was brought in from an undisclosed source that was actually located in the future and secretly mined in the present.

"We need to find out what's going on there too." Savannah said. "We need to know what's in those containers stacked around the building. There may be HK Tracks or HK drones there. We know about the railroad siding they have. It looks like it extends inside the structure. We know how that can play out."

Cameron viewed those issues as secondary at this point. She would check on what else was at the location once she was inside of it. Right now she wanted to get the girl out of there.

"I can check on those things when I get the girl." Cameron said.

Savannah was worried about the third player on the field.

"What about the brown sedan?" Savannah asked.

Cameron felt she had that under control.

"I have a team of Terminators on it." Cameron said.

Savannah was worried more about who the unknown individuals in the brown sedan could contact and ask for help.

"They need to be dealt with before they communicate with anyone." Savannah said. "We don't need them bringing reinforcements here. They could spot our movements around the area or as the building is infiltrated. We don't want them to know about us at all."

Gail listened to everything that Savannah said and suggested. She could see that Savannah was correct on all counts. She didn't want Cameron to endanger the mission needlessly.

"Savannah is right." Gail said. "We need to take them down before WE go in."

Cameron frowned slightly.

"I was going to go in alone." Cameron said.

Savannah wasn't having any of that. She laid it out clearly for Cameron.

"Your team is going with you." Savannah said. "We're staying together."

Cameron would need to rethink her plans some. She didn't want to endanger Savannah. She did want to see if she could find the girl though. That was something that was personal to her at this point. She wanted some type of resolution before the main attack against the port compound started.

Sheila was very excited as she spoke with Ally. She told Ally about what happened in the freezer.

Cam wanted them to remain focused.

"Save it for when you're alone." Cam said. "I want us to concentrate on the current operation."

That was fine with Sheila. She wanted to get a hold of some more liquid nitrogen and some Grays. She knew where she could get her hands on some right now.

"I'm ready to go in." Sheila said. "We know they have more liquid nitrogen inside the truck…."

Ally wanted to watch Sheila use it as she described.

"I want to see it this time." Ally said. "I want to watch you do it."

Cam felt the current situation was about to play out. Cameron wanted to get inside of the building. She originally wanted to go alone. Savannah and Gail would now go with her. She wanted her team ready as well.

"There's nothing to see." Cam said. "Check your gear, we're going in with Cameron."

Ally didn't see what the rush was.

"I never heard Cameron say she was going in." Ally said.

Cam didn't need to hear any plans from Cameron. She ran Cameron's program.

"I know what she's thinking." Cam said. "I know how she thinks and why."

Ally looked over at Cam and was reminded how much better Cam looked than she did and why.

"I guess you do." Ally said.

Sheila noted Ally's discomfort.

"It's proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Sheila said.

Cam didn't really care for that statement. Sometimes she wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she was very much like Cameron. She was glad she wasn't a Bitch like Cameron and Cammy were.

Cammy checked her gear for the seventh time. She wanted to be ready when Savannah followed Cameron into the building.

Hanna noticed Cammy's repetitive action.

"Take it easy, Cammy." Hanna said. "Nothing's happened yet."

Cammy continued to check her gear.

"I want to be ready to move." Cammy said.

Holly and Hanna hadn't heard any orders to do anything yet.

"What's the plan?" Holly asked.

Cammy knew what the plan was even if it hadn't been spoken by anyone.

"Cameron's going in after the girl." Cammy said. "Check your gear."

Hanna and Holly looked at each other. It seemed like a bad idea.

"So we just barge in there?" Hanna asked.

Cammy tilted her head slightly. She wondered why Hanna seemed uninformed.

"Yes." Cammy said. "That's how Cameron operates."

Hanna still believed that there should be better planning.

"Who would know better than you?" Hanna asked.

Cammy briefly smiled at Hanna.

"Nobody…." Cammy said.

Holly thought they should have some better intel before they entered or attacked the structure.

"I think we need a little recon first." Holly said.

Young Allison listened to the conversations and watched the body cam footage. She could see things were about to happen. She wanted more options for the Metal girls before they acted.

"I want Cameron and Savannah to have the building plans before they go in." Young Allison said. "They should all have them. That includes anyone else that arrives later on."

Anna remembered that Young Allison used that same technique at the warehouse in the desert. That was the building that she sent four drones into to attack any targets. That building was tall enough to allow the drones to operate inside of it.

"That's a good suggestion." Anna said. "It worked well at the warehouse in the Nevada desert."

Young Allison wanted the technique adopted for all future operations when it was possible and practical. There was no reason the teams shouldn't have as much information ahead of time about what they would encounter inside of the building or any structure that they entered.

"That should be standard procedure." Young Allison said. "The Terminators only need to see the plans once to know the layout then."

Anna felt that would be good in most cases but not necessarily all of them.

"Layouts can change over the years." Anna said.

That was true. Young Allison wanted them to have a model to work from. She was aware there could be changes to the interior design of buildings over the years, especially in older buildings. The basic layout would still remain the same there regardless of the changes to the interior in a few locations.

"They'll have a starting point." Young Allison said. "Going in blind they have nothing. I know access to these records may not always be available, especially in the future."

Anna would make sure John Henry and CamNet both received the directive from Young Allison.

"I'll pass this along." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to make sure it happened right now.

"Make sure Cameron has them before she goes in. There will be no deviation on this." Young Allison said. "Savannah is going to be with her."

Vanna and Allison wanted to relieve Derek when Jim and Bob arrived back at the base.

There was no increased activity around their area. The two drones scouted for any changes. None were detected. The alert was only a precautionary move. Nothing was anticipated to happen at their location anyway.

They checked on Summer. Sarah worked with Jan and Summer after Claire left.

Allison felt a little frustrated.

"It doesn't look like we're needed anywhere." Allison said.

Vanna wanted to offer her a choice. She figured if nothing else it would lighten the mood some and cheer Allison up.

"I can think of a few places." Vanna said.

Allison quickly looked over at Vanna. She understood what she meant. She didn't feel it was the right set of circumstances currently.

"I'm worried about the Metal girls and Savannah." Allison said.

Vanna felt a little guilty about her previous statement. They might need to deal with damaged Terminators before the night was through.

"I am too." Vanna said. "Maybe I should go and get things in the lab ready."

Allison was aware of what already happened.

"They've been lucky so far today." Allison said.

Vanna looked at Allison.

"Luck only goes so far." Vanna said.

Allison felt a little 'sick feeling' deep inside of her.

"You're right, let's go get things ready." Allison said. "I haven't done this in a while."

Vanna headed towards the lab.

"I have." Vanna said. "It never gets any easier."

Allison didn't think much would change either. She did learn one thing about dealing with damaged Terminators as opposed to dealing with the wounded in the future. She didn't have to listen to the screams and cries of the injured as they were being treated. Medical supplies were usually in short supply along with any forms of anesthesia. At least the Terminators could turn off their pain receptors. She still thought it was odd that someone usually needed to tell them to do that. She believed there were other ways for them to tell that they were 'alive'.

Derek returned to his room.

Jesse came out to greet him.

"Precious is asleep and so is Riley." Jesse said.

Derek couldn't help but run his eyes over Jesse's slim and shapely figure. It really wasn't that long ago when he used to hold her in his arms. It made him wonder if he should have concentrated on her needs and desires a little more rather than just taking his pleasure from her body. In their future he never could have imagined Jesse doing what she was doing now to help them. He needed to refocus. Jesse was there to help Precious, Riley and him.

"Thanks." Derek said. "I really appreciate this, Jesse."

Jesse led Derek to the 'nursery' so they could talk without disturbing Riley or Precious.

Jesse felt there was something on Derek's mind. She noticed the way he looked her over a few seconds ago.

"Go on - say it." Jesse said.

Derek swallowed hard. He felt a little defensive.

"What?" Derek asked.

She was sure Derek wanted to say something to her.

"I can see it on your face." Jesse said.

Derek felt a little embarrassed. It only went to show no matter how well he knew a person, there was always more to learn.

"OK, you got me." Derek said. "You always knew what I was thinking."

Jesse wanted to hear what was on his mind.

"Say it." Jesse said.

Derek decided to choose his words carefully. He thought maybe he should leave out the sexual connotations that he'd conjured up earlier and stick with the issue as to why Jesse was there.

"I never pictured you doing 'this'." Derek said. "I never saw the 'motherly' instinct in you."

Jesse thought he was going to say something different but she did understand what he referred to anyway. It was actually a surprise to her, until she started to do it.

"I never did either until Cameron created this opportunity for me and Vanna too." Jesse said. "Vanna is a real natural. She makes it look easy when it's not."

Derek was a little worried Allison might be a little like Riley when it came to motherhood.

"Allison's going to need her help." Derek said. "Vanna has always watched over her."

Jesse thought back on the direction of her life and where it was stuck at when she was sent to the past. She didn't change much from who she was in the future. How could she? She was who she was and she knew what the world did to people. She was provided with new opportunities and people. There were new doors in life presented to her. All she needed to do was open them and walk through them. She was a little hesitant at first but she was very glad she'd done it.

"They were meant for each other." Jesse said. "I'm thankful they allowed me into their lives. It helped 'change' me. Cameron did too."

Derek looked at Jesse for a long moment. He knew that he looked at a different person than he knew in the future, even if it was the same person.

"You're not my Jesse." Derek said. "Somehow that's a good thing."

Jesse looked toward the door. There was concern on her face.

Derek felt the atmosphere in the room change.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

Jesse looked back at Derek. She didn't want to alarm him.

"Precious is waking up." Jesse said.

Derek continued to look towards the open door.

"I didn't hear anything." Derek said.

"You will." Jesse said.

Derek started to go to Precious.

Jesse stopped him.

"Samantha wants to have Riley respond first. If she doesn't, we can go." Jesse said. "Give her a little time."

Jesse closed the door all but a crack.

Precious could clearly be heard crying.

Riley came out of her room and headed for Precious.

Derek and Jesse were both a little relieved to see that.

"Go to her." Jesse said. "Support her. I'm right here for the rest of the night if you need me. Claire will be here too soon. I want YOU to come get us if there's any difficulty. Samantha will be back too."

Derek reached for the door to open it. He looked back at Jesse with total sincerity on his face.

"Thanks." Derek said. "This all really means a lot to me."

Derek headed off to follow Riley. He was still amazed at Jesse's transformation.

Jesse watched through the crack in the door to see if there was any problem. There wasn't.

There was a soft knock on the door to the hall and Samantha and Claire entered.

Jesse went over everything that happened.

Samantha knocked on the connecting door and went in to check on Precious, Derek and Riley.

Derek came out to greet Samantha.

Samantha looked in and saw that Riley seemed to have everything under control.

Riley looked at them and smiled.

It meant a lot to Derek to see Riley with Precious and have her smile for a change. That was a good thing too.

He believed the transformation in all of the girls from the future was amazing. In the past - the future, they were all different people. They were all better people now. He wondered if maybe someday there would be hope for him. He wanted to be a better person too.

Go On - Say It

One needs to think
Before they speak
If they don't do that
The future can be bleak

Sticks and stones
Can break my bones
But words will never hurt me
Are for one that atones

Words do matter
They can cut like a blade
It happens in the mind
It's easy to abrade

When does one speak up
Do they need to shout
Maybe one needs to think
What it's all about

There always comes a time
For a relationship to split
Everyone can feel the tension
Get it over with, go on – say it

Nobody