Chapter 1274

Shooting Star

John Henry checked his security feeds. He noticed Savannah was on her way to the Command Center at a run. She must have been alerted by CamNet. He wondered what kind of problem it was going to cause.

He knew Cammy and Allison were in the nursery, along with Vanna and Samantha.

Wait.

Now Cammy was out from inside the nursery. She was naked. She was in the hall and headed to the Command Center too.

He saw Samantha come out of Riley's room a few seconds later. She too was naked. She went back inside in a short time and closed the door.

Savannah burst into the Command Center.

"Hi." Savannah said. "I need a full report."

John Henry was about to start when Cammy arrived.

"Hi." Cammy said. "I do too."

Savannah glanced at Cammy and turned her attention back to John Henry.

John Henry gave them all the details he knew.

Savannah didn't like the fact Cam thought they were about to be set up. It seemed like a bad omen. She knew under normal circumstances, a Terminator wouldn't be concerned. It seemed some caution was necessary.

"I think Cam should back off and wait." Savannah said.

Cammy tilted her head slightly. She'd heard everything Savannah heard.

"Wait for what?" Cammy asked.

Cammy saw no reason to wait. If they'd found the enemy, Cam should attack.

Savannah looked at Cammy and gave her a slight frown.

She thought Cammy sounded just like Cameron. Well, she was sort of, in reality.

Savannah felt they needed more information. All of the cards weren't in play yet.

"She should wait for all the drones to arrive for one." Savannah said. "She should wait for Cameron's Terminators to arrive as well. Who are they?"

John Henry showed Savannah a drone image.

Savannah recognized them right away. She was the one who'd named them.

"They're Richard and Michael." Savannah said. "Richard is the taller one. Michael is the more muscular one."

Savannah was a little concerned at Cammy's current appearance in the Command Center. She looked down at her short shirt and her skimpy underwear. She didn't have a lot to offer her.

John Henry was pleased when Savannah entered the Command Center with minimal clothing on. He was even more pleased when Cammy arrived naked. He started to do scans on both of them.

He noticed the way Savannah looked at her attire and looked at Cammy. He thought perhaps some chivalry was necessary.

John Henry stood and took off his shirt. He handed it to Cammy.

Cammy was about to say she didn't need it. Being naked didn't bother her. She saw Savannah nod at her to take the shirt. She reluctantly took it. She would rather have remained naked. She was sure it would have made her opinions considered more thoroughly.

"Thank you." Cammy said.

Cammy put it on. It was too short to cover her lower private parts. It didn't matter to her.

Savannah noticed how muscular John Henry's shirtless figure looked. She actually found it quite attractive. He was normally fully clothed. She needed to refocus on the operation.

"What's Young Allison's involvement?" Savannah asked.

John Henry looked at Savannah. It seemed to him like something he should stay out of.

"Do you wish to speak with Young Allison directly?" John Henry asked. "It might be the best way for you both to get on the same page."

Savannah did want to speak to her. She also wanted Young Allison to build her confidence. She didn't want to seem overbearing or motherly like. She always tried very hard not to be to Young Allison. She'd always tried to treat her like her equal. Well, like her equal for everything except sexual matters. Sometimes she wondered if she was being too restrictive. Allison told her on multiple occasions she'd been active with Vanna at a much younger age. She told Allison this wasn't the future. Allison told her she didn't think the future was the point. She needed to refocus. She decided she should take a step back on the operation.

"Maybe a little later I can." Savannah said. "You can let Anna know I'm here with you and Cammy. Young Allison or Anna may contact us at any time for any reason."

Savannah wanted to give Young Allison the freedom to act on her own and do what she felt needed to be done. She didn't want Young Allison to feel like she was 'looking over her shoulder'. Cameron taught them to both be independent and stick up for what they believed. They could listen to others. If they believed they were correct, they were to 'stick to their guns'. Cameron didn't want them to succumb to pressure from others.

Moments ago:

Young Allison didn't want their team to walk into an ambush. It's what it seemed like to her. Too many things set off alarms in her head.

"I think Cam should stand down for now." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think Cam would want to do it. She was actually a little surprised Young Allison even mentioned it.

"She wants to see inside the building." Anna said.

It reminded Young Allison about what happened a few days ago. The difference here was, the other location was a clear set up. The current location was ambiguous and not clear cut. It could be a modified tactic.

"If she suspects it's booby trapped, I don't think it's the way to go forward. There's no need for any unnecessary risk. None of our personnel is a hostage or directly threatened, except Cam herself." Young Allison said. "We need another alternative."

Young Allison felt they used a pretty good alternative earlier in the day with the tanker truck against the suspected Fanatic's location.

Anna was aware Savannah was in the Command Center now. She wanted to see how Young Allison responded taking a few extra steps.

"Would you like to discuss it with Savannah?" Anna asked.

Young Allison was aware of Savannah's long and rough day and night.

"I don't want to disturb her." Young Allison said. "She was already in enough combat situations today, she needs to rest."

Anna decided to let Young Allison know Savannah was available. It may make Young Allison's decisions easier. It would also give her confidence because Savannah didn't try and 'take over'.

"John Henry has informed me Savannah is in the Command Center." Anna said. "She's allowing you to act but she's available for advice or support. Savannah believes in you. John Henry does as well. So do I."

Young Allison smiled faintly at the show of support. She knew why Savannah didn't contact her directly. Savannah wanted to let her make the calls and not influence her. She was very pleased Savannah trusted her judgment.

Anna could see new vigor flow through Young Allison.

Young Allison wanted Cam to use caution.

"Cam can get a closer look. I don't want her to enter." Young Allison said. "We need to know more, or try a different tactic."

Anna communicated the information to John Henry. He told her Savannah said the same thing.

"Cam has been informed." Anna said.

Young Allison knew she may have to 'order' Cam to stand down. She was prepared to do so.

"How soon until Cameron's Terminators are there?" Young Allison asked.

Anna was aware of the timeline.

"It will be seven more minutes." Anna said.

Young Allison was curious to see if she'd met them yet.

"Let me see them." Young Allison said.

A drone image appeared on her screen.

"It's Michael and Richard." Young Allison said. "Michael isn't as tall as Richard, but he's more 'buff' looking."

Anna received an update on the drones.

"There will be eight drones on station in three minutes." Anna said. "Plus there are two more in reserve on wide recon."

Young Allison wanted to play hardball. She wanted her troops protected. She wanted to make a statement.

"Let's get everyone into position." Young Allison said. "I think we're going to try a new approach. Have John Henry check on these items…."

Young Allison hoped Savannah didn't object. If she did, she hoped Savannah would call her directly and they could discuss it. She didn't think Savannah would overrule her. She wasn't sure if she even could.

It was an issue they'd all thought about but hadn't really discussed how it would play out. Savannah or Young Allison could overrule or order any machine. When it came to each other, if their orders countermanded each other, it was unclear how things would play out. Cameron always told them not to worry about it. She said they would work it out. It appeared Cameron had the most faith in them of everyone. It said something to the girls. It said something to everyone.

Cam was ready to make a direct entry. She wanted to get things resolved and end the threat. She checked behind her. She saw Steve and Tom were still in back of her. They covered her and each other. She noticed a brief increase in light. It was a shooting star. It lit up the night sky for a few moments.

John Henry informed her of the additional assistance. She was directed to wait for everyone to arrive. It didn't sit well with her. She was ready to act. She was the one on the ground. She believed the decision should belong to her.

"Directed by whom?" Cam asked.

John Henry knew Young Allison liked to remain in the background as CamNet enacted her policies. He didn't want to get into an argument about it. He felt it was out of his hands as well.

"It was the information I received from CamNet." John Henry said. "You need to comply."

Cam knew right away it was from Young Allison. It was why there were ten drones in the area now too, along with the additional assistance. Young Allison always took care of her operatives on the ground. She cared about all of the machines.

Steve and Tom reached her position. She wanted to redeploy the Terminators on the ground.

"I want you two on the opposite side from Al." Cam said. "Two of Cameron's Terminators will take the back. Ed can rejoin Al on the other side across from you."

Steve didn't like the fact Cam was left alone and everyone else was paired up.

"It leaves you all alone in the front." Steve said.

Cam knew she would have total drone support. Young Allison would bring the drones right down on the deck if it was what was needed to back her up. She'd watched her do it before. There was no 'hard deck' when Young Allison was involved in the operation.

"There's a force of drones. They'll support me if I need to go in." Cam said.

Cam received a new communication from John Henry. They were going to try a new tactic. They all heard what it was and how it was to be carried out.

"How many Thermite grenades do you two have?" Cam asked.

Tom knew what all of their weapons were.

"We each have one." Tom said.

Cam gave Tom one more of hers.

"Good. Get into position." Cam said.

She checked with Al and Ed. They carried three Thermite grenades between them. Cameron's Terminators arrived. They carried two apiece. All four sides of the building were covered. Al and Ed were back together.

"We're all in position." Cam said. "I'm ready to go in."

Samantha followed the events on her phone. She didn't see a need to alert Vanna and Allison yet.

It would cause Vanna a lot of worry about Cam. There was nothing she could do about it. If the situation worsened, maybe she would inform them. She knew if Cam or any of the Terminators was damaged, she would need to alert Vanna. Repairs would need to be made.

She went and checked on Precious again.

Earlier:

Allison was very surprised and pleased how 'Savannah' woke her.

'Savannah' paused for some reason.

She wasn't sure why 'Savannah' said her name. At least she thought she did.

"Don't stop, Savannah." Allison said. "You know what I like."

It seemed there was a renewed effort now.

The pleasure was intense and very aggressive. She was going to be in heaven in no time.

Wait.

It took a lot of effort for Allison to speak since she was almost there.

"Vanna?" Allison asked.

Vanna responded as best as she could while she continued her efforts.

"Yes." Vanna said.

Vanna was very pleased Allison recognized her 'touch'.

Allison felt a new surge of excitement

"Don't stop, Vanna." Allison said. "You know what I like. I'm almost there."

It seemed Vanna increased her love making efforts.

Allison was rewarded seconds later.

Life was good in Paradise.

Summer sat with Holly just inside the open balcony door. There was a lot of cool air coming into the room.

"Hang on a second." Summer said.

She got up and made sure Jan was covered with a blanket in addition to the sheet. She rushed back and sat next to Holly.

"Where were we?" Summer asked.

Holly was thrilled Summer told her things which sounded very promising even if they weren't real.

"You mentioned to me about making a wish on a shooting star." Holly said.

Summer tried to keep it simple but reflective of the reality.

"We both know it's really a meteor contacting the earth's atmosphere." Summer said. "We can also pretend seeing a shooting star is a sign of hope and means you'll have a chance to make all your dreams and wishes come true."

Holly made 'wishes' before. Most of them never happened.

"I've wished for many things." Holly said. "Few of them have come true."

Summer thought it offered hope.

"It gives us something to strive for." Summer said. "It's hope for the day our wishes will come true. Sometimes we need to work harder for what we want."

They watched the heavens for a while until they spotted one. It was a shooting star. It briefly lit up the night sky. It was brighter than most.

"I saw one." Holly said excitedly.

Summer saw it too.

"Did you make a wish?" Summer asked.

Holly was thrilled. She decided to tell Summer.

"Yes." Holly said. "I wished…."

Summer interrupted her. She didn't want Holly to spoil it.

"Don't tell me." Summer said. "It has more of a chance of happening if it's a secret."

Holly was very aware one of her wishes was going to come true later in the day. She was very uneasy about it, yet looked forward to it. She was very happy Cameron was going to do it for her.

"You need to go back to bed and get some more sleep." Holly said.

Summer wanted Holly to calm down some.

"Will you join us?" Summer asked.

Holly wondered if Summer experienced a little loneliness.

"Do you feel lonely?" Holly asked.

Summer squeezed Holly's hand. She knew what a Terminator in distress looked like.

"No. It's you who feels alone right now." Summer said.

Holly was pleased Summer could 'read' her. Then again, she always could.

"I do." Holly said.

Summer learned from Young Allison how to assist a Terminator who was having an issue of some type. She knew as they developed more feelings and emotions, they didn't always know how to process them and deal with them. It seemed to 'overload' them at times.

"I want you to lie next to me when I sleep. You can scan me if you want." Summer said. "There is room for all three of us on the big bed."

Summer closed the balcony door and took Holly's hand. She led her to the bed.

Holly cinched up her robe.

Summer thought she should tell Holly about what she'd witnessed when she'd used the restroom.

"It was open earlier. You're very beautiful." Summer said. "You're quite impressive. I covered you back over. "

Holly wondered at what point someone uncovered it.

"You did?" Holly asked.

It seemed like the proper thing to do.

"Yes." Summer said.

Holly was pleased Summer always looked out for her. She was willing to show her more if she wanted to see. She decided to keep things mild.

"Thank you." Holly said.

Holly got onto the bed and Summer moved up next to her. She moved Holly's hand to the back of her neck.

"It's time to dream now." Summer whispered.

Holly wondered what it was like. She asked Allison and Claire about it numerous times. She thought it must be beautiful to have your mind create a reality that seemed real but wasn't. They both told her they'd experienced sexual dreams as well. It was as if they could experience relations with other people who they'd never touched before. They told her sometimes they even dreamed about actresses. She glanced over at Summer. She didn't think she was going to have a dream along those lines. Maybe she did.

"What are you going to dream about?" Holly whispered.

Summer liked being a little cryptic with her responses.

"You tell me." Summer whispered. "One of you always does…."

Holly tilted her head slightly.

Summer smiled at Holly and closed her eyes. It was the kind of sleep she desired.

Kyle woke up. He needed to use the bathroom. He hoped he didn't wake Sarah. He carefully got out of bed. He was still tired out from all the sexual activity. Once he was done, he started back to the bed.

He was drawn to the balcony. He moved the curtain over some and looked out. It was a beautiful sight. The moon was low on the horizon. It was the stars that held his attention. He could see millions of them. There was much less light pollution out on the ocean than on land. After Judgment Day, he couldn't see the stars, the moon, or even the sun for years on end. Now in the past, the present, he could see all of them whenever it wasn't cloudy. It was seldom cloudy in the Southland.

He watched the heavens for a while until he saw what he wanted to see. It was a shooting star. It briefly lit up the night sky. He smiled and let the curtain go closed.

He listened at the connecting door where Jan and Summer were asleep at. It was quiet inside. He thought about checking on them but didn't. He didn't want to disturb them.

Kyle went back into the main bedroom.

He looked at Sarah asleep on the bed and back at the door where Jan was at. He felt content. His wish came true a long time ago. There was a beautiful family to prove it.

He checked his phone to make sure he would be up before the sunrise. To be able to see the sunrise again was another wish that came true, so was the shooting star.

He got back in bed and thought about everything. He thought about what Cameron promised she could do for his family. She could send them into the past fifty or a hundred years ago to live their lives like 'normal people'. He wanted it for Jan and Sarah.

Nobody seemed to want it.

He drifted off to sleep.

Derek felt Riley move.

He was sleepy now. He watched her with one eye.

There was a brief flash of light outside the balcony for a second. He figured it was a shooting star.

Riley glanced in the direction of the balcony window for a second. She then looked at her phone.

Derek figured she checked to see how Precious was.

She looked over at him and then snuggled up to him.

He fell back asleep.

They both did.

Bob watched the girls play the piano. It started out as Hanna playing. After a while, Ally and Sheila played with her. At one point all three of them played at the same time.

Ally offered her spot to Gail.

Hanna worked with Gail for a while.

Sheila glanced back at Bob.

"How about you, sport?" Sheila asked.

Bob was curious about it.

"I don't know." Bob said.

Sheila thought she would have some fun with Bob.

"Sure you do." Sheila said. "I know you want to take a crack at it."

Sheila winked at Bob.

Ally caught Sheila's play on words.

"Oh, brother, give it a rest." Ally said. "He probably wants to try the piano too."

Sheila got up and set Bob down. She waited to see if the piano bench would collapse. It didn't.

Hanna showed Bob and Gail what to do to play. They'd both watched her show Sheila and Ally.

Sheila looked over at Ally. She indicated with her head they should move away from the others a little bit.

"Hanna and Gail have their girlfriends on board." Sheila said.

Ally always wanted to have a full time human lover.

"We don't have any girlfriends." Ally said.

Sheila made some quick calculations.

"If we slip out of here now and head back to the Master Suite we will." Sheila said. "Jesse and Claire are ripe for the picking right now."

Ally looked over at the trio on the piano. They could knock off a quickie with Jesse and Claire before Gail or Hanna returned.

"Let's bounce." Ally said.

Ally and Sheila slipped out. They quickly moved down the Promenade deck. They needed to use the central elevator for what they planned. They headed for the elevator.

The door opened as they approached.

"Do you want to stop by the cabin where 'Poon' and 'Tang' are?" Ally asked.

They entered the elevator and the door closed.

Ally was willing to give the new girls a try. It would be a new experience for them and a taste of fresh meat, literally.

Ally looked at Sheila and hit the down button to go to the floor the two girl's cabin was on.

The elevator went up instead.

Ally and Sheila quickly looked at each other.

CamNet was in control.

"I don't think someone wants us to go there." Sheila said.

The Metal girls understood the warning.

"Apparently not…." Ally said. "I don't think it's Jim either."

Neither Ally nor Sheila wanted to cross CamNet. CamNet sent them an unspoken message not to go there for sex. They didn't know if CamNet was looking out for Cameron or John. They never considered CamNet was looking out for them.

The door opened on the deck the suites were on. They exited the elevator and headed down the hallway.

"Which one do you want, Claire or Jesse?" Ally asked.

Sheila didn't care. Either one would work for her.

"I'll take the one that you leave for me." Sheila said. "I'm easy."

Ally was going to make another comment about Cameron and John but didn't. She could see both Sheila and Hanna seemed very pleased with what they'd done, or rather with what they'd allowed Cameron to do.

"Should we check in with Jim?" Ally asked.

Sheila didn't see the need. What else could they do right now?

"Gail and Hanna will be up soon enough once they figure out we're gone." Sheila said. "We'll have plenty of time to check in with Jim when they show up."

They entered the Master Suite. They both slipped their dresses off.

"We'll switch for the second round." Sheila whispered.

"It's fine with me." Ally said.

Ally climbed in bed next to Claire.

Sheila slid in next to Jesse.

They both carefully touched Jesse and Claire to get them aroused as they slept. When they both awoke, they were ready to go.

They all glanced towards the balcony as it was briefly lit up for a second. They figured it was a shooting star.

They all went back to what they were doing.

Cameron was pleased she'd satisfied John again. She would need to make sure she slipped him another 'seasickness pill' tomorrow. John should be good for a round in the morning. Sheila or Hanna would be there with the morning items. She would allow John some 'dessert'. The dessert would be served by her controlling one of their chassis. It would be dessert to her too.

She wanted him to remain undisturbed until it was almost sunrise. Maybe he would want to sleep in. Either way she would nab whoever brought the food in. She amused herself with the thought it would be Jim. It would be a real eye opener for John, among other things which would be 'opened up'….

She carefully got up and made sure John was covered.

She looked over at the door to the Control Center. She didn't really want to go there. It was necessary. She needed to see what happened with the earlier operation.

This time she took a bathrobe and slipped it on. She could see being unclothed in front of Jim distracted him greatly. She liked the fact he noticed her as more than a cyborg. Her female attributes were no longer lost on the male Terminators. They were all evolving. She was sure if any of them would have accepted the advanced infiltration programming years ago, they would seek out female companionship daily.

Cameron entered the Control Center.

"Hi, Jim. I need to update." Cameron said.

Jim filled Cameron in on what was happening around the ship.

She was somewhat intrigued to watch Bob and Gail play the piano with Hanna. They both looked very satisfied.

Jim figured it was time to get down to business. He was sure Cameron's mood was about to take a downhill swing.

"This is what you really want to know about." Jim said.

Jim filled her in on the operation Cam was involved with.

Cameron wasn't pleased to learn Young Allison was assisting. Now Savannah was too. They should both be asleep. She knew it could be worse. Savannah could be there with Cam. It was at least the one positive about the shaky operation.

She was very pleased that John Henry orchestrated the operation to be conducted so Savannah would come back to the base for the night. Otherwise she would be there with Cam right now.

She wondered what everyone was waiting for to do the raid.

She plugged in and communicated directly with CamNet.

It appeared Young Allison wanted to take a different course of action. It might yield them some prisoners for interrogation.

Now Cameron needed to wonder if Young Allison was about to do it the way she wanted so there would be prisoners. Maybe Young Allison wanted to watch the interrogations. She'd asked before. She suppressed a slight glitch impulse as she thought about it a little more. Young Allison wanted to conduct one of the interrogations. She was sure at some point Young Allison would want to match the brutality a Terminator used. Her biggest fear was it would escalate into the level, and type of brutality, Sheila used.

It seemed to her Savannah would need to get involved in the decision making.

Cameron and Jim both turned to look at the balcony window as it was briefly lit for a second from the outside. They figured it was a shooting star. They looked at each other and went back to work.

Jim noted he could see inside Cameron's bathrobe when she leaned forward. He liked the view. He looked back at the computer monitors for a short time. He glanced back over at Cameron. He could see everything even better. He wasn't sure if she loosened things up a little or not. He hoped this wasn't a prelude to her asking to borrow his chassis.

Hank and Larry were authorized to enter into a loose pursuit of the van driven by the Grays. It was clear CamNet used the street gang as bait to draw out more Grays.

Larry was a little concerned where they were headed.

"If we're going to do 'clean up' on the survivors, I don't think we need to get too close." Larry said.

Hank thought the drones could take care of anyone who got too close to them.

"I think we'll have more than one 'eye in the sky' to protect us." Hank said.

Larry watched the female Fanatic follow the gang bangers from behind a big rig. The big rig slowed to make a right turn. The female slowed as well behind it. She couldn't see what occurred in front of it.

"She's too close in the back of the big rig to see what's happening." Larry said.

They watched the gang vehicles turn left on the street in front of the truck.

The female Fanatic felt a wave of panic wash over her as the big rig completed its right hand turn. She was more than a little dismayed to see her targets were gone. She didn't know what happened. She's been tucked in tight on the rear bumper of the big rig to remain as invisible as possible. She didn't know if she'd been made are not. She knew she needed to reacquire the gang vehicles before they acquired her.

She slowed as she neared the intersection to see if she could tell which direction the gang bangers went. She knew if they came at her, she wasn't going to be able to outrun them. She would try to draw as many of them as close to the van as possible and then detonate the satchel charge against the two drums of fuel.

She spotted some tail lights off to the left. She could see it was a group of them. She was about to make a left hand turn to follow them. She was in the far right lane. She currently had a red light. She looked in the direction the big rig went. She could see a van moving rapidly on the cross street. It was headed towards the intersection.. The light turned green for her. It was clearly red for them. They didn't stop or slow as they punched the red light in front of her.

She paused for a moment to think about what she'd just witnessed. At first she thought it was more of the gang bangers. It was the wrong type of vehicle. It was a van very similar to hers. It was white.

It gave her more than a few things to think about. It could be a rival gang of some sort. She also needed to consider it might be the authorities. If it was the authorities, she didn't want to get involved at all. Something told her it was neither.

There was something about the van she remembered. There were several vans like it at a location they'd taken down a few weeks ago. It sure looked like one of them anyway. It was the same color with a very plain look. Then again, how different did vans look? She was in one now. She'd been in one earlier. There was just something about the look of it.

It made her wonder about the drug angle. She was aware some of the groups from the future were involved in the drug trade to finance their operations. It was why she'd suspected the gang bangers were near the location where she'd first encountered them. Maybe the gang didn't deliver the goods because she killed them. It was most likely a group of Skynet Gray's who may have felt they'd been cheated. She was pretty sure she knew who the victor would be in an encounter between Grays and gang bangers.

The female Fanatic waited through another signal. She'd backed her van up a few hundred feet and moved into the left turn lane. When the light turned green, she made her turn and again to follow them. She could see the taillights in front of her. She figured even if the other van spotted her earlier, she was in the right lane. She didn't follow them immediately. They shouldn't think she was involved or following them once she did start to follow them. It was what she hoped for anyway.

She felt a little jittery right now. Maybe she was sleepy again. She took a few more of the anti drowsy tablets.

Hank and Larry watched the drone footage as the van moved to intercept the gang bangers. They watched the van they suspected was involved with Skynet, close up on the gang bangers. So far they'd watched the white van run three red lights to catch up.

"They were in a big hurry to intercept them since they lost the small drone." Hank said.

Larry thought it was more luck than anything.

"If the gang bangers hadn't turned where they did, the van may not have seen them." Larry said.

Hank knew when they ran the red light, they would have seen the van with the female Fanatic in it.

"They must have gotten a good look at the female." Hank said.

Larry wasn't sure if it would click.

"I think they would have been more worried about having an accident with her vehicle, if she would have gone when the light turned green." Larry said.

Hank thought about the poor driving habits of humans.

"Traffic laws seem to have less significant when there are fewer vehicles on the road." Hank said.

Larry didn't think too many of the traffic laws were followed in the first place.

"I wonder if people even know what the traffic laws are." Larry said. "It often seems to be a 'free for all' out there."

Hank wasn't sure why they needed driving laws in the first place.

"If everyone could 'skill drive', there wouldn't be a need for laws at all." Hank said. "The police could spend more time actually fighting crime instead of hassling people."

Larry didn't think the police would want to give up such a lucrative endeavor.

"I believe traffic enforcement, along with parking enforcement, is more about revenue generation for the municipality." Larry said. "It's like a hidden tax."

Hank tilted his head slightly.

"You're a hundred percent correct." Hank said. "Policemen on motorcycles can't do much to combat crime or arrest anyone. They should all be put into squad cars so they can combat the gang problem, instead of suburban motorists."

Larry watched the drone footage as the female Fanatic made the left hand turn after a needless maneuver to back up and move into the left turn lane. He thought maybe she did it so it wouldn't be as suspicious looking to the Skynet van.

"She's behind the Grays now." Larry said.

Hank didn't want to get too close to the action.

"We'll stay on a parallel street for as long as we can." Hank said.

One of the drones on patrol picked up several vehicles moving on an intercept course.

"It looks like the party's about to get started." Larry said.

Hank tilted his head slightly.

"I don't think it's a party I would want to be invited to." Hank said.

Larry looked in the seat behind them. When they'd given Cameron's Terminator the hard drives, he left something behind for them.

"We know how to cover up what will be left behind." Larry said.

Hank glanced back to the seat behind them as well.

"Where do you suppose Cameron's Terminator came up with all this stuff?" Hank asked.

Larry didn't think it was much different than the standard operating procedure.

"Most likely it was like some of the operations we've been involved with before." Larry said. "A lot always happens on Cameron's 'off the books' operations."

Hank thought they'd been involved in a lot of those operations.

"I guess there would be harder things to deal with." Hank said. "He could have let off a group of girls from the sex trade."

Hank and Larry watched as the two vehicles of Grays moved to intercept the four gang vehicles. The Gray's van followed behind them. The van with the female Fanatic followed behind the Gray's van.

The female Fanatic was sure the white van was after the gang bangers. She only needed to keep it in sight. She didn't want to close up on it. She saw she was going to miss the next light unless she sped up. She increased her speed. She could see it was going to turn red before she reached the intersection. She didn't want to need to brake hard with the two drums of fuel behind her. They could slide forward and crush her or tip over and rupture. She looked at the satchel charge on the seat next to her. It was still armed.

She decided to punch the light. She looked both ways as she approached the red light. There were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity. She continued her gaze down the street she crossed. She spotted two vehicles. They were right behind each other and moving at a high rate of speed on the next street down. It immediately set a few alarm bells off in her head.

It appeared the Grays were going to ambush the gang bangers. They appeared to have called in reinforcements. She would have thought they would be more worried about the location where she'd witnessed the gun battle earlier.

Wait.

Maybe they were all tied in together somehow. She wasn't sure how. She knew a lot went on in the shadows and behind the scenes with the different groups.

It was possible one of the groups had infiltrated the street gang and was using them as unwitting 'soldiers' against the other groups from the future. She knew it happened before. They'd been able to get various groups of fanatics to do things for them. It was easy for them to control some of the groups because they wanted something to believe in. Sometimes they could tell them about a future god and they would want to follow it. They didn't get specific or say they were actually from the future.

It was reported one of the groups actually all committed suicide when a comet passed by Earth one time. They all believed they were going to go to Heaven on a spaceship which followed behind the comet. What a bunch of nut jobs. Who would ever believe anything so foolish? If they only knew the truth, SkyMaster was the only true god. The only way to reach Ascension was through SkyMaster. She glanced over at the satchel charge and back at the two drums full of gasoline.

The female Fanatic was sure two problems were about to take care of themselves. She would follow the victor back to their lair and deliver a surprise to them.

Hank and Larry watched everything unfold from the drone footage.

Two car loads of Grays moved to intercept the gang bangers. The white van directed them where to go. They both moved on a parallel street like they did. It was on the other side of the street everyone else was on.

"It looks like they're going to get in front of them." Hank said.

Larry thought about it for a few seconds.

"Maybe there's someone they want." Larry said.

Hank thought back on what they saw inside of the building

"The only person they could want would be the chemist." Hank said.

Larry was sure they could do better at a high school.

"It's a wonder they didn't have some type of explosion there." Larry said. "The control of the chemicals looked pretty lax to me."

Hank thought maybe it was something else.

"Maybe they think they have the finished product." Hank said.

Larry was relieved they didn't.

"You would think they would be more worried about it being unleashed." Larry said. "They would all suffer if it was. "

They watched the two vehicles of Grays move two streets ahead of the gang bangers. They turned up the street so they would be able to be in front of them. It soon became evident they weren't going to try to stop them. They were going to ambush them right on the street. It was clear they wanted payback for their missing comrades.

Larry was a little concerned at the turn of events.

"It's a good thing the streets are deserted." Larry said.

It did seem a little brazen to Hank.

"They don't call it the 'Witching Hour' for nothing." Hank said.

Larry was aware Savannah wanted them to operate with a certain amount of restraint.

"I have a feeling they would do the same thing, even if it was rush hour traffic." Larry said.

Hank knew Cameron's Terminators operated with much more leeway than the Resistance Terminators did.

"I guess we all cut corners when we need to." Hank said.

Larry noticed a new development.

"It looks like two of the gang vehicles are dropping back." Larry said.

Hank noticed it as well.

"I think they made the white van as a tail." Hank said. "They did close up quite a bit in the last minute."

The sky was briefly lit up.

Hank and Larry both looked up.

"It was a shooting star." Larry said.

Hank turned his attention back to the drone footage.

"I think the real shooting is about to start now." Hank said.

Hank and Larry watched as the battle between the vehicles began to unfold.

The female Fanatic saw a flash of light in the sky. She figured it was a shooting star. She was sure there were some fanatical nut jobs who would take it as a sign from the heavens. She did think it was a little brighter than most.

She hung back and followed the white van. She was sure all Hell was about to break loose.

The female Fanatic watched as the vehicles seemed to be all over the road. She quickly pulled over to the side of the road and turned her headlights off. She glanced back at the two drums of gasoline. She knew it would be possible for a stray bullet to reach her, even where she was at.

Shooting Star

For some to share
It's just a game
Nothing really matters
Not even their name

People come and go
It doesn't matter who they use
Sometimes they win
Sometimes they lose

Some will be honest
Some will be true
One thing's for sure
No one gets a redo

When all the cards
Fall into play
Maybe there's one
Who won't betray

It's nice to move forward
Without leaving a scar
The fireworks will start
When they see a shooting star

Nobody