Chapter 1261
That Smarts
Cammy's team was in the alcove of a hidden chamber at the old newspaper plant. They'd found a hidden door to the interior of the building as well as another hidden door. It appeared to lead to a lower level. They'd been unaware of the hidden part of the building previously.
The girls started down the stairway.
Cammy led the trio.
Cam followed her.
Savannah brought up the rear. She started to have second thoughts about going down the stairway into the unknown. She needed to focus. The times she'd been trapped in dark confined spaces like this still haunted her. Several times she thought she would die where she was. She held firm and did her job. She never buckled or retreated. She always did her duty and anything else necessary to insure the mission's success. She was aware she'd risked everything more than once. So be it.
She bumped into Cam. She'd lost focus for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry." Savannah whispered.
Savannah wasn't sure why they'd stopped. They were still in the stairwell.
"There's another door." Cam whispered.
Savannah hoped it wasn't booby trapped.
"Open it with caution." Savannah whispered. "Check to make sure it's not wired."
There was some delay as Cammy tried to open the door.
"I can't open it." Cammy whispered.
There were several choices available to them. Cam and Cammy could break it down or they could blow it open with explosives.
Savannah offered another option.
"I have Thermite grenades." Savannah whispered. "We can burn our way through."
Savannah knew the same tactic was employed several times before.
Cammy hoped for a more clandestine approach. She'd rather not be met with gunfire since Savannah was with them.
"If we use any of those options, anyone who's inside will know we're coming." Cammy whispered. "I'd like to arrive unannounced."
Cam reminded them they could be facing the Fanatics. It was their suspicion they were the group who was there.
"If they're the Fanatics, they'll blow the place up." Cam whispered.
Savannah felt if they forced the door open, it would produce the least amount of noise. There would still be some as the metal bent before it gave way.
"Try the door again." Savannah whispered. "Both of you this time, maybe you can force it open."
Cammy noted the door contained an 'entry system'.
"There's a keypad on this one." Cammy whispered.
Savannah wondered if any of Cammy's vision spectrums could tell which numbers were the ones most often pushed. She knew sometimes they could tell which numbers weren't used at all. It would eliminate some of the combination possibilities.
"Can you tell which buttons have been pushed the most?" Savannah whispered. "You have several vision choices."
Cammy checked through two different vision spectrums.
"There are four of them." Cammy whispered.
Savannah wanted Cammy to get started while she made a report back to the base. She was aware they'd lost communications when they started down the stairwell.
"Try every combination with those four numbers." Savannah whispered. "Let me go back up and tell everyone what's happening and what we've found so far. I don't want more Terminators coming down here, at least not yet anyway."
Savannah went back up the stairway. Before she reached the top she picked up communications again. It may be because she'd purposely left the door at the top open. She wanted to make sure the way out was ready and available if they needed a hasty retreat.
When she came back up, there were only two puppies where the dog was earlier. She heard the panel start to move. She backed into the stairwell and drew her Taser.
The dog reappeared and looked around. It went and picked up another puppy and went back outside with it.
Savannah started to give her report to John Henry. She figured the dog didn't like all the company. She wondered where it was taking the puppies this time. She took out an energy bar that was in her vest. She opened it and laid it next to the puppy. She almost took a bite out of it because she hadn't eaten anything since in the morning. She didn't. She thought the mother dog could use all the calories for her three puppies. It was likely the mother dog would eat it before it took the last puppy away. She wondered where they would end up at. Food for the mother dog seemed scarce around where they were.
When she was done with her report, she checked in with each of the four Terminators outside. Steve reported seeing the dog take its offspring around the corner and place it in back of the dumpsters. It was on its second trip now.
Savannah reached down and picked up the last puppy and the energy bar. She stuck her hand out through the loosened panel and set it on the ground outside along with the energy bar. The thought of taking a bite out of it was still in her mind, the dog needed it more than she did. She could make a little sacrifice to help a few animals. She wanted to let everyone know what she was doing.
"Steve, I made it easier for the dog to get the last puppy." Savannah said.
Steve had been a little surprised when she'd made the move.
"I saw your hand and the small animal. There was something else too." Steve said.
Savannah didn't think it was a big deal.
"I left an energy bar for the mother." Savannah said. "I don't know where she finds food at around here. I'm going back down."
Savannah hoped the dogs were far enough away from where they were if the basement of the building blew up. The innocent didn't need to perish with the rest of them.
A short time ago:
Young Allison noticed some movement where the panel was at on the side of the building.
"Something's happening." Young Allison said.
They were a little surprised to see the dog emerge with one of the puppies in its mouth.
"They must have done something to the animals." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't think so.
"The female dog feels her territory has been invaded." Young Allison said. "She probably has an alternate location where she will take all of the puppies."
They watched the dog return to retrieve another puppy.
They waited for communications to be re-established with Cammy's team.
Young Allison and Anna heard Savannah start transmitting again.
"It's a good sign she's OK." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't think it was very long.
"She'd only been out of contact for a few minutes." Young Allison said.
Based upon the potential enemy they faced, Anna thought they were a critical few seconds.
"I know." Anna said.
One of the drone feeds zoomed in.
"What's that?" Young Allison asked.
Anna could see the dog on the move.
"It looks like the mother dog is on her way back for a third trip." Anna said.
Young Allison spotted something else.
"I see her." Young Allison said. "I meant by the building."
Anna looked at the zoomed in image.
"It's one of the puppies." Anna said. "I may have seen what looked like Savannah's hand set it down."
They heard Savannah's last transmission before she went dark again.
"I left an energy bar for the mother." Savannah said. "I don't know where she finds food at around here. I'm going back down."
Young Allison figured the energy bar was supposed to be a 'meal' for Savannah. Now it was gone. Savannah would go hungry, again.
"Great." Young Allison said. "I bet it was her only food."
Anna could see the act showed compassion on Savannah's part.
"Savannah is very caring." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't like to see Savannah miss meals or even be without water at times.
"She needs to think of herself too." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted Young Allison to think about one thing. She wanted her to put everything in perspective.
"What would you have done?" Anna asked.
Young Allison thought about it for a second.
"The same thing Savannah just did." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted Young Allison to see the shadow she grew up in was more than a shadow.
"You both are very much alike." Anna said.
Young Allison felt Anna had some pretty good ground to stand on to make her statement.
"Who would know better than you?" Young Allison asked.
"Nobody…." Anna said.
Samantha arrived with Precious in the baby carriage at the Command Center a short time later.
Vanna and Allison were pleased to see Precious arrive.
John Henry got up to look at Precious.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Vanna asked.
It made him think back to when Jan was of a similar size.
"Very." John Henry said.
Samantha asked Allison and Vanna what they wanted for dinner.
Vanna and Allison looked at each other. They didn't want to be a problem.
"You don't need to do anything for us." Allison said.
Samantha didn't see it as a problem.
"It will give me something to do while I take care of Precious." Samantha said.
Vanna felt bad about it also.
"You really don't need to make anything for us." Vanna said.
Allison glanced over at Vanna.
"I know where I can get a snack if I need one." Allison said. "It would be very nutritional as well."
Vanna glanced down at her breasts.
"Precious comes first." Vanna said.
Samantha wanted to make herself useful.
"I'd really like to get some practice at making something." Samantha said.
Allison didn't want it to get complicated.
"You can't surprise us with something." Allison said.
Vanna agreed. She thought it would be a little more exciting.
"It will be your choice for us." Vanna said
She left Precious with Vanna and went to the commissary.
John Henry soon received a transmission from Savannah.
"I have Savannah again." John Henry said.
They listened to her report.
They watched the mother dog depart with a puppy. She repeated the process. A short time later Savannah set the last puppy on the ground.
"I left an energy bar for the mother." Savannah said. "I don't know where she finds food at around here. I'm going back down."
Allison was a little upset by Savannah's actions. She was sure Savannah made a sacrifice she didn't really need to. At least she could find garbage to eat in the future. Now Savannah probably didn't have anything for herself.
"I bet it was her only food too." Allison said.
Vanna knew it would be a sucker's bet.
"I believe it's more than likely." Vanna said.
It made Allison feel bad about them getting ready to eat. It made her feel guilty. It actually made her feel guilty about a couple of things.
"Here we are about to eat a meal. Poor Savannah is out there fighting for her life with nothing to eat." Allison said.
Allison wanted to get back out in the field. There was no need for Savannah to carry the burden alone. There was another good reason why she thought she should get back out in the field. She was aware Young Allison wanted to step up and go herself. She didn't think she'd be able to prevent it. She would like to delay it as long as possible. She would rather take the risk herself.
Precious started to get fussy.
"I think she's hungry." Vanna said.
Vanna opened her top and picked Precious up.
John Henry watched intently without looking directly at Vanna. He liked being close to the girls when they were 'exposed'. He found it fascinating as well as stimulating to observe. He was also glad he was sitting down so Allison or Vanna couldn't get a good look at his 'condition'. It seemed to get 'worse' the more he was exposed to sexual images and situations. It wasn't all unpleasant to him. He believed the only unpleasantness would be getting 'caught'. He really couldn't help it anymore. It just seemed to 'happen' in these situations.
Sheila was ready to do the first piercing. She was highly stimulated as she prepared to do it. So was the girl.
"Are you ready, love?" Sheila asked.
The first girl looked into Sheila's eyes.
"I think so." The first girl said.
Sheila wanted to do it in the least traumatic way possible.
"Do you want it to be a surprise, or would you like a countdown?" Sheila asked.
The first girl took a deep breath. She was ready.
"Make it a surprise." The first girl said.
Almost before she'd finished her sentence, Sheila started the procedure immediately.
The girl let out a little yelp as her tender flesh was pierced in a fraction of a second. The sharp pain was over very quickly.
"That smarts." The first girl said. "Is that it?"
Sheila quickly put the ring in.
"For the first one it is." Sheila said. "It wasn't bad was it?"
The first girl actually thought it would hurt much more than it did.
"Not really." The first girl said. "It was really quick."
The second girl wanted a better description. She was very stimulated by watching everything. She was worried about the pain if she tried it.
"How bad did it hurt?" The second girl asked. "I want you to be honest with me."
The first girl told it like it was.
"It hurt really bad. It was just for a second or so." The first girl said. "It was less painful than what I'd expected. It all happened so quickly. I feel fine now."
The first girl looked down to see how it looked.
Sheila turned her towards the mirror. The girl's face lit up with a giant smile.
"It looks so HOT." The first girl said. "LOOK at me!"
They all looked at her. How couldn't they? The atmosphere was highly sexually charged.
Ally wanted to make sure the girls didn't suffer pain needlessly. She didn't need any problems associated with it.
"Do you want the pain numbing medication for the second one?" Ally asked.
The girl thought about it for a few seconds. The pain passed quickly.
"No. It's part of the experience." The first girl said. "I now understand what you meant earlier. I feel so alive."
The second girl looked at the newly installed ring in detail.
"It does look HOT." The second girl said.
Sheila wanted to move things along.
"Are you ready?" Sheila asked.
The first girl looked down at herself and her new piece of jewelry.
"I sure am." The first girl said.
Sheila repeated the procedure again with the same results. The girl was thoroughly pleased and very excited. She couldn't get over how Hot she looked.
The more her friend looked at them and played with the rings, the more she wanted it done too. She wanted to look like her friend.
"Now I'm thinking about it too." The second girl said. "Do you have a second set?"
Sheila almost said 'no'. She didn't have a spare set with her. She only had her own set of rings left. She had more back at the base in various types of metal and sizes. She could part with her current set. They were identical to the set she'd just installed. John got to see her with them already. It was all that mattered.
"I do." Sheila said. "I do have a second set."
The other girl was worried about the pain. She felt she was sort of a lightweight when it came to pain.
"I'm not sure about the pain." The second girl said.
The first girl assured her it wasn't too bad and it went away quickly.
Ally didn't want one of the girls to flip out from any needless pain.
"We have the pain numbing medication if you want it." Ally said. "It will make it easier on you."
The second girl looked at her friend one more time. It was too Hot to pass up. It was time to stop thinking about it and do it.
"I'm going to do it." The second girl said. "Can you put some of the pain medicine on?"
She proceeded to strip her top off.
Ally was impressed with what she saw. It reminded her of Ginger, in both size and pigmentation.
"Wow!" Ally said. "You're super pink. I wish I looked the same way."
The first girl looked at her friend.
"She's like that 'everywhere'." The first girl said. "I'm so jealous."
Ally and Sheila looked at each other. It was something they wanted to investigate further.
Sheila needed to get her rings off unobserved. She came up with a plausible explanation.
"Take one last look." Sheila said. "I'm going to put my dress back on. It takes a little bit of time for the pain medicine to work."
The first girl stood next to Sheila.
The second girl's decision was reaffirmed as she looked at Sheila and her friend side by side.
"It's so HOT." The second girl said. "I can hardly wait."
Ally applied the numbing cream for the second girl, while the first girl awed over herself in the mirror.
Sheila slipped her dress on and secretly removed her own rings as she did.
She turned around and smoothed her dress.
The second girl touched herself.
"How long does it take for this stuff to work?" The second girl asked.
Ally wanted her to relax.
"It will take a little time." Ally said. "Just take it easy for a few minutes."
Sheila decided she liked the look of the second girl the best. She was fascinated by the super pinkness.
After some time passed, Sheila repeated the procedure for the second girl. She only sucked in her breath with each piercing. The pain was more imaginary than real.
Sheila gave them some care instructions.
Ally didn't want things to get out of hand. She could tell Sheila was ready for more.
"We should go." Ally said.
The two girls thanked them and reminded them they knew where their cabin was.
Ally pulled Sheila from the cabin. They left the two girls looking at each other and the mirror.
Sheila made her mind up. She wanted Ally to know what was going to happen.
"I'm going back there before this cruise is over." Sheila said. "I'm going to be with both of them."
Ally reconsidered her earlier position. After what she'd just witnessed, it seemed to be a very enticing prospect.
"I might change my mind and go too. I really liked the second girl's look." Ally said. "We don't even know what their names are."
Sheila was ready for some fresh meat. She was able to obtain a sample of the blood of each girl. The procedure had been mostly bloodless. Neither girl lost more than a drop. No diseases were detected. It was a good sign. As far as what the names of the girls were, she really didn't think it mattered.
"Who cares?" Sheila asked. "We know the names of the 'parts' we like. It's all that matters."
Ally couldn't disagree with her.
"I guess it is." Ally said. "Let's go back to your room."
Sheila hoped to allow Cameron the use of her chassis soon. She knew there could be some competition.
"Cameron might need my chassis again." Sheila said. "I really hope so."
Ally wondered how they would all feel about it. Sheila would be 'different' now.
"She's going to be surprised to see your rings are gone." Ally said. "I'm sure John will be too."
Sheila thought it would make the transition from her chassis to Jesse much easier for John. He would have the benefit of a breast size upgrade with Jesse.
"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Sheila said.
Ally knew it applied to several levels at this point.
John and Cameron were alone with each other. They were away from the others in the group.
There was a lot of anticipation in the air.
Cameron wanted John to make a choice.
"Who do you choose?" Cameron asked.
John really didn't care which one it would be first. He knew it would be both of them. He also knew it might cause a problem if he chose one over the other first.
"Since it's going to actually be you I'm with, I'll let you surprise me." John said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
She was sure John would have chosen Holly.
Cameron decided Hanna would be the one for later tonight and Holly tomorrow. She informed John what the order would be.
"I'll use Hanna's chassis first." Cameron said.
John was thrilled. It was really going to happen. He would really be able to see what Savannah and Vanna were like, everywhere. He secretly hoped to be with each of the Metal girls as themselves first. He didn't think it was going to happen. He wanted to seem like he was on board with everything as long as Cameron used some restraint.
"I just want to make sure it's going to be you and only you." John said.
Cameron didn't feel guilty about what she was doing.
"I'll be the only one in control. It will be my program." Cameron said. "I'm my program."
John was really excited about it. He thought back to the times he was one second away from making love to Savannah. Tonight he was going to find out what it was really like. Well, at least what her body was like. He knew the response would be different with Vanna and Savannah. It would certainly be different with Cameron in control.
Cameron could tell John already anticipated what was going to happen and what it would be like. His thoughts produced a physical manifestation.
"I can see you're already 'ready'." Cameron said.
John quickly glanced down at himself. He found himself 'ready' much easier now.
"I can't help it." John said.
Cameron suppressed a smile. She knew the real reason.
"It's understandable." Cameron said.
Cameron looked around and saw Holly and Hanna were with Jan and Summer across the room.
Cameron figured John would pretend she was Vanna or most likely Savannah at some point during their coupling. She wanted to increase John's pleasure and make his experience more memorable.
"I can pretend I'm her if you want." Cameron whispered.
She didn't specify who exactly. She wanted to see which one John wanted the most.
John liked the idea. He would like her to be Savannah first, then Vanna, and then Anna. He didn't think it would go over well with Cameron in the long run. He didn't want to be too disrespectful to Cameron. He could do it all in his head anyway. He seemed to do enough of it as it was.
"I can't ask you to do it." John said. "I want you to be who you are. I want you to be 'Cameron'."
Cameron looked down at John's pants. She wanted to try to control events. She didn't want things to happen too quickly when it was her 'first time' after she reset herself in Hanna's chassis.
"I don't want you to waste it. Do you want to knock one off now in my chassis before the 'upgrade' later on?" Cameron asked.
John really wanted to knock one off. He didn't care whose chassis it was.
"Yes." John said.
John liked the idea for a specific reason. He wanted to make sure he was able to deliver a good 'first experience' to Cameron in Hanna's chassis.
Cameron looked over at Hanna.
They nodded at each other.
Cameron led John away.
Summer and Jan watched John and Cameron depart. They looked at each other and giggled.
Holly didn't want the girls to stare. She wanted their attention right now.
"Where would you like to go next?" Holly asked.
Summer previously told Jan she knew all the card games.
"Summer wants to go to the casino." Jan said.
Holly tilted her head slightly. There was an age restriction involved.
"You know she can't go there." Holly said.
Jan giggled again.
"I know." Jan said.
Summer didn't think Jan needed to say anything. She offered up some other choices.
"There are card games in the library and other games too." Summer said.
Holly wanted to entertain them with something.
"Would you like to go there and play some games?" Holly asked.
Jan wondered about all the 'secret talk'.
"Is Hanna going to come with us?" Jan asked.
Hanna hadn't said a word after Cameron nodded at her earlier. She knew what was going to happen. She knew she was going to be 'different'. She wanted the experience.
"I need to do something else." Hanna said.
Summer knew exactly what was going to happen.
"Hanna has other 'games' to play." Summer said.
Hanna and Holly quickly looked at each other.
"What are the rules?" Jan asked. "Can we play too?"
Summer didn't want to get into the specifics. She was sure of what the future held.
"Not tonight but one day we will." Summer said.
Holly and Hanna quickly looked at each other again. It was something they'd all speculated about, several times.
Hanna gave everyone a hug. She hugged Summer last.
"I know what's going on." Summer whispered.
Hanna was a little apprehensive.
"I wish I did." Hanna whispered back.
Summer wanted to remind her there were always options.
"We can always change the rules." Summer whispered.
Hanna looked in the direction John and Cameron left in earlier.
"I think Cameron already did." Hanna whispered.
Hanna left. She looked back once at Summer.
Summer looked at her until she went out the doorway.
Holly took the girls to the library. There was no one in it.
There seldom was anymore on a cruise ship. People were tied up with other things.
Summer took out two decks of cards.
"What are we going to play?" Jan asked.
Summer wanted to test her ability.
"We're going to try Blackjack." Summer said. "Holly's the dealer."
Summer went over the rules with Jan.
Holly started to deal.
Summer won every hand and Jan lost almost every hand.
Jan was very discouraged. She liked to play games where she could actually win.
"I don't think I like this game." Jan said. "I'm going to look at some of the books."
Summer gave Holly the second deck.
Holly wanted to make it a little tougher for Summer. She knew Summer always liked a good challenge.
"Do you want to try two decks with two hands each?" Holly asked.
Summer was ready for a couple of challenges.
"I'm ready." Summer said. "We can play poker later on."
Holly wondered if she'd observed any of the Metal girls play before.
"Have you watched Sheila play?" Holly asked.
Summer smiled.
"I've played with her before." Summer said. "I let her win sometimes."
Holly tilted her head slightly.
"Let's go." Summer said. "Deal…."
Kyle finished up. He'd held back until he delivered for Sarah. He was a little tired.
"Let's rest a little bit." Kyle said.
Sarah looked down at his waist. He was still good to go. She was highly stimulated and wanted a little more.
"You relax. I have this one." Sarah said.
Kyle hadn't seen Sarah so dominant before.
"This is the most you have ever been on top." Kyle said.
Sarah felt she could hardly control herself.
"I feel like a wild woman." Sarah said.
Kyle thought he understood part of the reason.
"It's because you're in 'heat'." Kyle said.
Sarah nodded. It was true. She was aware of a few girls in school who'd only ever done it one time and ended up pregnant. It was much for the same reason, nature called to them and they responded. Things happened as nature intended, even if the girls didn't want it to. Some of them actually decided to keep the baby. Most of them didn't.
"Hormones play a role." Sarah said.
Sarah moved over Kyle.
"I don't think you are going to get anything out of me on this round." Kyle said.
Sarah looked down at him. She planned to take her satisfaction as much as she could.
"I'm going to get a finish. It's a start." Sarah said. "Keep it up, 'Superman'."
Kyle was more than surprised he was able to please Sarah so intently. He didn't mind going along for the ride. The view was sure nice.
Derek was glad when Riley fell asleep. He quietly got up and used the restroom.
When he returned, he glanced over at Riley. Her eyes were closed. He decided now was a good time to finish up what he'd wanted to do earlier. He went over and retrieved the little blue pill.
"I got you this time." Derek muttered to himself.
There was a rustling noise behind him.
"What are you doing?" Riley asked.
Derek quickly jammed the pill in his mouth before he stood up and faced her.
"Nothing…." Derek said.
Riley hadn't noticed what actually happened. She wanted some more action.
"In that case, get over here and love me some more." Riley said.
Derek swallowed the pill. He hoped it didn't get stuck. It didn't
"Your wish is my command." Derek said.
Riley didn't seem like she could get her fill.
"I can't believe I didn't do this for four or five months." Riley said. "I'm really sorry about it."
Derek was a little beat. He wasn't going to complain.
"I think you're making up for lost time." Derek said.
Riley thought about how many times she'd shared with Derek.
"I bet I'm going to end up pregnant again." Riley said.
Derek was about to start.
"Is it a bad thing?" Derek asked.
To have another child didn't bother Riley. It was something else which troubled her.
"No, not as far as a baby is concerned it isn't." Riley said. "I'm worried I won't feel like doing it again for four or five months."
Derek didn't think it was a problem. It wouldn't be anything new.
"We managed." Derek said. "We can do it again."
Riley still felt guilty about it. She offered Derek a sincere solution. She was well acquainted with the ways of the future.
"If I ever do it to you again, you're free to 'get some' wherever you can." Riley said. "It was unfair on my part. As long as you keep it as just sex, I'll allow it. I think we're a strong enough couple for some experimentation."
Derek considered it before. He was also worried it may turn into more than sex. Depending upon who the person was, and how they responded and interacted with him, might change things.
"What if I can't stop?" Derek asked.
Riley thought once she started again, it would be like now. Derek could have plenty of whatever he wanted.
"I think I can win you back." Riley said. "I'll show you."
Derek didn't think there was very much left to show.
"I think you already have many times." Derek said.
Riley pulled Derek down next to her and she moved over to be on top of him.
"I'll give you another sample." Riley said.
"You're the boss." Derek said.
Riley smiled and started in.
"Right now I am." Riley said.
Riley wanted more.
Jesse looked down at Gail and Claire.
"I want you two to work really hard." Jesse said.
Claire lifted her head slightly.
"We are." Claire said.
Jesse was pleased at what they were both doing right now for her.
"I want to see if you can make me look a little smaller." Jesse said.
Gail doubted it would be the end result, even if it was a temporary one.
"I think all it will do is make you bigger." Gail said.
Jesse actually liked the idea as well.
"I just want to try." Jesse said.
Claire knew Jesse wanted to 'trade' with Cameron when she was in Sheila's chassis. She wanted a crack at John too. She'd give John a crack at a crack. What could it hurt? It was just sex.
She tried to tell herself it was just sex. She knew it would actually be more. She wondered how much of her feelings would be returned in kind. She figured it would be most of them.
The female Fanatic stepped up on top of the single can and then carefully stepped on top of the stacked cans. She felt them wobble slightly. She paused and kept her balance. She carefully looked over the top of the wall.
She couldn't see any more than she could from the rear. She carefully got down off the top of the cans. She moved them down to the side a little more. She wanted to get a more angled look into the open roll up door. She could see there was machinery inside but little else was visible. She couldn't hear any machinery working or any other sounds. She wasn't really sure why the doors were open.
There weren't any dogs present. With the gate on the driveway wide open it wouldn't make much sense to have one out. It might run off. She took out her knife and tapped it lightly on top of the block wall several times. It would be enough for a dog to hear and come to investigate. No dog appeared.
She carefully moved the cans in the other direction along the wall. They would be on the blind side of the building. She stood on the first can and then carefully stood on the two stacked cans. It always bothered her how they wobbled as she got on top of them. She wanted to put one on the other side of the fence to help her get back over to this side if she needed a quick getaway. She would need to leave it behind if she did.
She figured she could always go out the side gate. If nothing else, she could chance it and go out the driveway gate. In order to reach the driveway side, she would need to pass in back of both open doors. She would deal with the issue when she came to it.
The female Fanatic grasped the top of the block wall and pulled herself up. She felt the cans wobble wildly underneath her feet as she did so. If the top one crashed to the ground, it was going to make a lot of noise. She paused for a second halfway up the block wall. The cans stayed in place. She continued up to the top of the wall and carefully dropped down to the other side.
Her pistol was in her right hand. The knife was in her left hand. She wasn't going to take any chances. Just being where she was, was a big enough chance. She carefully moved up to the corner and looked around the side. There was still no activity whatsoever.
It was time to take a chance. She moved up to the dumpster. She glanced at both doorways when she reached it. There was still no sign of anyone. She looked in the dumpster. It was nearly empty. She moved around the dumpster and approached the roll up door. If she wanted to use the regular door, she would need to pass in front of the roll up door. She put her knife and pistol out of sight. They were where she could grab them easily. If she encountered anyone, she expected there to be a moment of hesitation. If she held her knife or pistol, she might be shot by someone she didn't see.
She peered around the corner of the roll up door and looked into the building. She didn't see anyone. There was a group of machinery and several vehicles parked inside of the building. She moved her head in a little further and looked around the wall where she was at. She didn't spot anyone. She listened intently for the sound of a vehicle approaching. She expected one to show up at any moment since the driveway gate was open along with the roll up door. There was room for one vehicle right in the front.
It was quiet. She made her move. She slipped inside of the roll up door and moved in a crouch along the rear wall. She would try to stay close to the wall as she made her initial inspection.
A short time ago:
Hank and Larry moved up to the rear fence behind the target building. They wanted to see what the female Fanatic would do. They were able to view her from the drone images. They watched her change her position several times.
"She's going to go over the wall." Hank said.
Larry questioned her objective.
"She is very brave or very careless". Larry said.
Hank didn't think it mattered what she was.
"All we need to remember is she's the enemy." Hank said.
Hank dropped down from the wall when she went over. He didn't want her to chance spotting them.
They followed her actions through the drone footage. They weren't too surprised when they saw her go inside.
"We can always go over and take a closer look." Larry said.
Hank didn't want to rush things.
"If she survives, she may be able to set some type of bomb." Hank said.
It was something for both of them to think about.
The female Fanatic was inside the building. She stayed close to the wall as she made her initial inspection. She continuously looked around her. She watched the path in front of her as well. The open door could have been a sucker play. She didn't want to encounter a tripwire or a booby trap. She wouldn't mind setting one if she found the materials.
She moved around to a workbench and paused. She was crouched down. She could see what looked like a shoe on the other side. The shoe wasn't lying flat on its sole. It was resting on the heel and pointed upwards. She moved her head a little further around the workbench. There was another shoe and a pair of legs to go along with it. She moved her head further. There was a man lying on the floor. It didn't look like he was sleeping. She pulled out her pistol. She moved towards the man in a crouch. She noticed there was blood on his chest. She was sure he'd been shot. She reached her hand forward and touched his ankle above his shoe. There was no pulse. The man was dead.
Her sense of danger went up immensely. From her new position she spotted another body. It didn't move either. She quickly moved over to it and checked it. The person was dead as well. She continued to look around the work area. There were two more bodies. She'd found four so far. Only two of them had weapons out with empty shell casings around them. It made her think they were caught by surprise. It appeared the first two men didn't have time to respond. The response of the other two men didn't seem to have worked out very well for them.
There was a possibility someone was still there who laid in wait for the missing vehicle to return. There was also a good chance they were gone. They may have taken the missing vehicle. It would make sense. They would have driven out of the building and out of the driveway. They wouldn't have stopped to close anything behind them. It made her wonder if it was one group which infiltrated another group. It happened from time to time.
She decided to check the front area. The door was held open by a little triangular rubber stop. She passed by a bathroom. The next door was some type of eating area. There was a refrigerator and a microwave visible. She didn't see anyone else in the room.
The next room was evidently the sleeping area. She could see two men lying on the floor. There was blood around both of them. She moved up to check them. They hadn't been shot. They'd been killed with a knife. It made her think they were the first two who were killed. She didn't see a 'comfort bunk' in the room. It didn't mean there wasn't one somewhere. She wasn't even sure which group was in the building. She looked in one of the dead man's mouth. She didn't see a poison tooth. She checked the other one. There wasn't one. It was clear to her they weren't followers of SkyMaster.
She made her way to the front area. She expected to find more dead. She did. There was one man laying on the ground between two desks. There was a pistol on the ground next to him. She picked it up and looked at it. It didn't appear to have been fired. There are no empty shell casings on the ground. She checked the magazine, it was fully loaded. She did see several computers. She wasn't surprised to see the hard drives were gone from them. She figured it was the first thing the person took. They might have been discovered and needed to kill the person who found them. Once they'd killed one of them, they probably needed to kill all of them to get out.
The female Fanatic checked each man over as she made her way back towards the rear. None of them had a phone on them. She figured those were taken as well. She attempted to determine what group was actually in the building.
Hank and Larry decided they were going to take a look inside of the building once the female Fanatic left. There hadn't been any gunfire since she went in. She'd been in there for almost fifteen minutes now.
"I wonder if she's still alive?" Larry asked.
Hank didn't think it really mattered.
"She may be for now." Hank said. "She won't be for long."
That Smarts
Love can hurt
Love can sting
Love can make one happy
Love can make one sing
It takes teamwork
There's a lot of give and take
The ones who's love survives
Are the ones who aren't fake
There are rough spots
Everyone must endure
Stick to what's real
So both can be sure
Don't walk away a loser
Don't be fool or a jerk
Stick with each other
Two can make it work
The sound is much louder
When it's two hearts
It stings with only one
Everyone knows that smarts
Nobody