Chapter 1276

More Than Luck

The biggest worry Young Allison now faced were the HK drones. The HK drones could bring the fight to their team. They would put Cam and her Terminators in grave danger. She needed to know more about them. She would like to know where they came from.

"What about those HK drones?" Young Allison asked. "How did they just show up?"

Anna was more than a little surprised about what she found out. In this particular case, it proved to be good news.

"CamNet has indicated they're our drones." Anna said. "They're reinforcements. Their approach was kept clandestine."

Young Allison asked CamNet to send more drones earlier. She was dissuaded at the time.

"Are they some of the ones I asked for before?" Young Allison asked. "Are they the ones no one thought we needed?"

Anna knew Young Allison called for everything available earlier. She'd tried to tone down the response. She believed it was excessive at the time. CamNet still sent more drones anyway since Young Allison asked for them herself to begin with.

"They were scrambled from your earlier request. CamNet didn't return them to their bases." Anna said. "She decided to mask their deployment and transit because of the earlier stand down statement you were pressured to give. She didn't want to cause a problem for you. CamNet acted on what she believed you actually wanted."

Young Allison was pleased to hear the news. She looked at the security camera and smiled.

"I'm glad someone listens to me." Young Allison said.

Anna wasn't so sure it was a good idea for CamNet to act in such a manner. It could lead to an over reaction on CamNet's part at some point.

"There needs to be moderation on some things." Anna said.

Young Allison didn't want to argue about it. She was glad CamNet followed through.

"How many are there?" Young Allison asked.

Anna could see it was a substantial number. She was even more pleased to see it wasn't all of their drones. When Young Allison called for a 'Maximum Effort', it could have resulted in every drone available to CamNet being deployed. It was good to know CamNet used some moderation.

"There are two squadrons of six." Anna said.

Anna was unsure if there were additional ones as well. It could be possible CamNet did deploy more anyway. She could mask their approach and presence as she'd done the other ones.

Young Allison knew it would help their cause greatly. Her main concern was to protect the troops on the ground from additional assault.

"Have the closest squadron reinforce the troops on the ground as close as they can without being affected by the Skynet jamming field." Young Allison said. "Have the other squadron start a wider recon. I don't want to face Skynet HK drones over the target area."

Anna was about to take action. She could see CamNet already responded to Young Allison's request, even if they weren't an 'order'.

"CamNet has complied." Anna said. "All areas have been reinforced."

Young Allison wanted to bring down the jamming field.

"What's the status on the blackout?" Young Allison asked.

Anna knew the power was out to a lot of people. The only good thing was most of them were asleep at this early hour in the morning.

"CamNet has blacked out the western half of the Valley." Anna said. "There's no effect on the Skynet jamming field."

Young Allison saw no need to continue the blackout. The jamming field apparently was running off its own power source. It might prove to be another problem in itself. It depended on what the power source was.

"Can any of the drones outside the field come up with a source?" Young Allison asked. "CamNet can restore power to the West Valley at this time."

Anna confirmed the grid was going back online a section at a time to prevent a power surge.

"The power is coming back on in stages." Anna said. "The target location will be last."

The answer seemed obvious at this point to Young Allison.

"One of those buildings around there has a power source in it." Young Allison said.

Anna pointed out a potential problem.

"What if it's a giant power cell?" Anna asked. "It will cause major damage for a lot of blocks around the area if we destroy it."

Young Allison felt it was a local power source based on past evidence of the giant power cells.

"I don't think it is." Young Allison said. "It's not a typical location Skynet would choose. I don't see any high tension power transmission lines anywhere near there. Look for a generator. I want an immediate missile strike on any running generator located near there."

Young Allison wanted her troops to be able to communicate. They needed to know what was happening on the ground.

She needed to know what the status of the troops was. She was worried more could have been damaged.

Anna didn't think Young Allison should blame herself for anything happening on the ground. Everything was set in motion while she was asleep. It was done on purpose to allow her to rest. The same thing applied to Savannah for the same reason.

Seconds ago:

Savannah was worried about the approaching HK drones.

"I need to know more about the approaching drones." Savannah said. "It's a potential game changer against us."

Cammy received good news.

"The drones are ours." Cammy said. "There are twelve of them. CamNet owns the sky."

Savannah knew Young Allison called for all available drones earlier.

"It's a heavy punch." Savannah said. "There's already a group of them there. What's the status of everything else?"

John Henry reported CamNet's earlier actions.

"CamNet blacked out the western end of the Valley." John Henry said. "The Skynet jamming field still remains in place."

Savannah knew the power outage would affect a lot of people. It was a good thing they were past the 'Witching Hour'. Most people would never know the power was off.

"It was another heavy punch." Savannah said. "I know it was Young Allison."

John Henry knew it was almost all Young Allison with CamNet backing her play.

"Most of what you see now is." John Henry said. "She's taken a very aggressive posture. She's upset she wasn't notified about the operation earlier. She feels she could have made a bigger difference with earlier involvement."

Savannah understood Young Allison's actions. They'd paid off and most likely saved the teams on the ground from severe damage if not termination. She would have liked an earlier 'heads up' notice herself.

"Cam and her teams are down there." Savannah said. "She wants to protect them."

John Henry thought it was exactly what she was doing. Her last order to the drones should help their team out.

"The drones inside the jamming field will operate autonomously." John Henry said. "Their last order was to attack anything that wasn't any of our teams."

Savannah thought such a broad proclamation could bring its own source of trouble. She worried about more drastic measures. There was still one big worry.

"Let's hope there is no EMP set off." Savannah said.

Now Savannah really wished she was there. She would be able to function after an EMP was detonated and protect the Terminators there until they rebooted. She'd done it before. She briefly reflected she'd killed a lot of people on one operation. They were the enemy. They chose to serve Skynet. She chose to stop them.

From the drones outside the jamming field, they received long range views.

"I see some people on the move." Cammy said. "It's Cam leading Steve and Tom."

John Henry could see there were drones operating right above the deck. It was something John would never do.

"There are two drones right in back of them and slightly above them." John Henry said. "They have close fire support."

Savannah figured it was the two drones they'd repaired before.

"I bet it's 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast'." Savannah said. "They're very protective of our troops."

John Henry noted they were both more aggressive than the other drones too. CamNet notified him the power was being turned back on for the West Valley.

"The power grid is back online." John Henry said. "It will go on in segments. The last segment will be where the team is currently operating."

Savannah was relieved to hear it.

Earlier:

Cam moved away from the building behind her. A drone moved down even lower and fired another blast of minigun fire into the structure.

She noticed the power around the area was now off. The jamming field was still in effect. There must be a generator or some other power source. She hoped it wasn't a giant power cell. It would cause a lot of damage when they destroyed it.

Cam spotted movement coming towards her from two directions. She quickly identified who they were.

It was Al and Ed on one side and Steve and Tom on the other side.

Steve reached her first.

"How badly are you damaged?" Steve asked.

Cam touched the spot where she'd taken the bullet.

"I'm fine." Cam said. "My vest stopped the round."

Al and Ed arrived next.

Cam faced them.

"Have any of you been damaged?" Cam asked.

They all replied they hadn't been.

Cam wanted to move things along. She looked at Al and Ed.

"You two, check inside this building and see what the drones shot at. Be alert for Skynet Terminators." Cam said. "Watch out for additional booby traps as well."

"Affirmative…." Al and Ed said and left.

Cam faced Steve and Tom.

"There's a power source around here. We need to find it." Cam said. "Where are Cameron's Terminators?"

Steve communicated with them before Tom and him left to join Cam.

"They've moved into the second structure the drones attacked." Steve said. "They're cleaning out any remaining opposition now."

There was a drone still hovering over both locations they'd needed to shoot into before. Two more drones dropped down above and in back of them. She was able to see the markings on the sides of them.

"It looks like each team has close drone support." Cam said. "I see ours are 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast'."

Tom thought they were there to protect Cam specifically.

"I'm sure Young Allison requested they both look after you." Tom said.

Cam didn't think so in this case.

"Young Allison would only do it for Savannah or Cameron." Cam said. "They're here to watch over all of us. We're all on the same team. They're both very diligent and aggressive. They understand what Young Allison wants in every regard. They will fight until they're terminated if they need to. They won't back down."

Tom thought back to a little earlier when they were at the old newspaper plant. One of them was willing to attack a Liquid Metal Terminator and overload its power cell if necessary to stop it. Luckily it wasn't necessary.

Steve thought of their trek in from when they arrived to where they were now.

"I think we need to go back the way we came to get to this location." Steve said. "I think there's one more target location between us and where we started."

It was Cam's belief too.

"I felt that way all along." Cam said. "I felt I was being watched."

Tom knew it meant more targets.

"It means we still have more hostiles to find." Tom said.

Cam put the team on the move.

"Apparently…." Cam said. "Spread out. The drones will cover us. Keep your eye open for hostile Terminators. It's my feeling there is at least one around here. Let's go."

New data flowed into the Young bunker as well as the Command Center.

The long range drone footage gave them a better idea of what was occurring on the ground.

"Cam and her team are on the move." Anna said. "They have close drone support."

Young Allison thought she knew who the two drones were.

"I bet it's 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Pink Butterfly'." Young Allison said.

Anna looked quickly at Young Allison. She thought the issue over the name of the one drone had been dealt with previously, evidently not.

"You know Savannah changed the name to 'Coltan Overcast'." Anna said. "You've spied on Savannah, Vanna and Hanna too much."

Young Allison tried to lighten the mood some.

"Maybe it was you I spied on." Young Allison said. "You're the same."

Anna looked down for a second. She knew it to be true. She was identical to Savannah except for her age appearance. She wondered if Young Allison ever spied on her and saw her pleasure herself. She didn't want to get into the subject or discuss it.

"I won't respond or comment on your statement." Anna said. "You need to respect everyone's privacy better. Focus on the operation."

They could see the other two teams of Terminators enter buildings the drones attacked.

Young Allison was focused on a number of different things. It was what she'd trained to do. It wasn't a problem for her. Maybe she should have shown a little more tact.

"I am." Young Allison said. "I am worried about what Al's team or Richard's team will find."

Anna could tell what Young Allison wanted.

"You want them to find a 'live one'." Anna said.

Young Allison was still angry at the near successful ambush directed against them. She wanted some personal retribution.

"After what they tried to pull on us, you betcha I do." Young Allison said. "I'm going to do the interrogation myself too."

It sounded like a bad idea to Anna.

"That's not permissible." Anna said.

Young Allison thought otherwise.

"We'll see." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted Young Allison to show some control.

"It's a bad idea." Anna said.

Young Allison believed some type of retribution was necessary.

"You know I'm still going to do it anyway." Young Allison said.

Anna could think of a few worse ideas right now. She knew there was one person who could control Young Allison, just with her presence.

"I request Savannah accompany you." Anna said. "She's been to them before. She can help guide you."

Young Allison knew it would put a damper on her getting carried away.

"I'll think about it." Young Allison said.

Young Allison didn't want to look 'bad' in Savannah's eyes. She understood the subtle warning. She wouldn't do anything inappropriate or get carried away in front of Savannah. If it was Cameron, it might be a different story.

Samantha kept track of the operation from her phone.

She kept an eye on Precious, Vanna and Allison. There was no immediate threat but she was still very worried.

John Henry received a surprise.

"I'm getting new drone footage." John Henry said.

Cammy was plugged in, she saw it as well.

"It's of our base." Cammy said.

Savannah realized they were being backed up at the base in case there was an additional factor involved.

"CamNet has sent drones to patrol our sector." Savannah said.

Cammy saw it as the green light to join the fight.

"It can free Samantha and me up then." Cammy said. "Let me go get her."

John Henry was updated again.

"There are more Terminators on the way there already." John Henry said.

It was personal to Cammy.

"Cam is my sister." Cammy said. "We're twins."

Savannah wondered about the 'twins' part since they were created at different times. She did however understand Cammy's desire to get into the fight.

"We'll remain at the base for now." Savannah said. "We don't know where else this will lead. We need to protect Allison, Vanna and most of all, Precious."

Savannah knew they would all fight to the end to protect Precious.

Vanna and Allison were both asleep.

They were very comfortable sleeping next to each other.

Vanna began to toss and turn.

Allison woke up and saw Vanna turn several times. It was very unusual.

"Vanna, what's wrong?" Allison asked.

Vanna sat up.

"I'm worried about Cam." Vanna said.

Allison knew it wasn't like Vanna to have an impulse of that nature. She saw it as a bad omen.

"Do you mean all of a sudden?" Allison asked.

Vanna felt that way. It was a nagging feeling something was wrong.

"Yes. I need to find out how Cam is." Vanna said.

Vanna got out of bed.

"Let me go with you." Allison said.

Vanna started to get dressed.

Allison looked around. She didn't see her clothes. She realized they were in Savannah's room.

"My clothes aren't here." Allison said. "I'll just go naked. It's no big deal. It's not like it's anything everyone hasn't already seen."

Vanna thought Allison referred to Cameron being naked or partially clothed on multiple occasions. She pulled her pants off and tossed them to Allison.

"I'll just wear my underwear and a top." Vanna said.

Allison would actually feel more comfortable just being topless.

"Thanks." Allison said.

There was a knock at the door.

Samantha entered the room. She was still naked.

"I heard you both talking." Samantha said.

Allison hoped they didn't disturb anyone for nothing.

"Did we disturb you and I think Cammy?" Allison asked.

"No." Samantha said. "Cammy isn't here."

Vanna was even more worried now.

"Where is Cammy?" Vanna asked.

Samantha wanted to keep them from getting too worked up or worried.

"Cammy and Savannah are with John Henry." Samantha said. "I have all the information you want right now. I'm following the operation."

Allison sat topless on the bed next to Vanna with only Vanna's pants on. Vanna wore only her underwear and a top, it was still unbuttoned. They listened as Samantha updated them.

In the Young bunker they followed the operation. From the drone footage they could see Cam lead her team towards an objective.

Anna thought they'd found something specific.

"It appears Cam is on to something." Anna said.

Young Allison figured a generator needed to make some kind of noise and have an exhaust of some type, no matter how it was concealed. There needed to be some type of mechanical noises involved somewhere.

"I hope so." Young Allison said.

Anna was still disturbed by Young Allison's earlier request. She didn't want her to conduct a rogue interrogation on her own.

"You still need to ask Savannah first if they catch a live one." Anna said.

As they watched the trio advance with the two drones, they spotted 'Cherry Bomb' open fire. It was followed a fraction of a second later by 'Coltan Overcast'.

Cam, Steve and Tom still advanced.

Anna was unable to tell what they'd fired at.

"I sure hope there are no transients around there." Anna said.

Young Allison knew what Anna referred to. It was her order to engage any target that wasn't their team. It meant anything not squawking their transponder code was fair game.

"You're worried about my order." Young Allison said.

Anna saw deeper repercussions in the future.

"You don't want to make or repeat the same mistakes Future John made." Anna said.

Young Allison didn't like the statement and tried to brush it off.

"Don't worry." Young Allison said. "I'll never send Cameron away."

Anna felt she'd made her point.

"You know what I mean." Anna said.

Young Allison thought she was protecting their team.

"You don't want me to waste human lives needlessly." Young Allison said. "So far I haven't."

Anna didn't know how to explain all of Young Allison's calls. They'd all be good ones which prevent damage or termination to their troops.

"You need to rely on more than luck." Anna said.

Young Allison saw it as duty, not as luck. She believed she'd acted on the best information possible to her in every instance.

"OUR troops come first." Young Allison said. "So do all of our machines."

They watched a small battle. There was an explosion and communications were restored.

"Get everyone's report and tell me anything I need to know." Young Allison said. "Include if I've killed anyone other than our enemies. I need to know it too."

Young Allison hoped she hadn't. Based on what happened or almost happened. She would issue the same order again without change. Now it was time to find out what she'd actually done. Everything has a 'price' of some type.

It was about protecting the future to her. Her troops were what protected the future. In order for them to protect the future, they needed to be protected as well. There was bound to be collateral damage and times. It was part of warfare. There was a difference between targeting innocent civilians and innocent civilians being indirectly affected by their actions.

Jim and Cameron watched the battle from the Control Center on the ship.

Cameron felt very powerless to only watch and not participate.

"I see Young Allison's handiwork all over this operation." Cameron said. "Look at the close in drone support. It made the difference."

Jim tried to track the drones.

"There are twenty drones all over the sky around the area." Jim said.

Cameron was very pleased they were there in force and of their aggressiveness. It was more than their standard programming.

"They seemed to have saved Cam from any real damage." Cameron said. "It was a sound tactic."

Cameron believed both Savannah and Young Allison far exceeded their training.

They watched as Cam's team moved forward and engaged more targets with the drones. It appeared to be 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast'. Cameron liked the special bond Young Allison and Savannah established with them. It seemed to advance their programming. It was good because the drones all communicated with each other.

After being in Hanna's chassis, Cameron also fully understood why Young Allison originally named 'Coltan Overcast' as 'Pink Butterfly' to 'honor' Savannah. She could tell John liked to look at some things as much as she did on Hanna's sheath. It was beautiful. She needed to refocus.

"They've knocked out the jamming device." Jim said.

Cameron wanted answers.

"I hope they are able to capture a prisoner." Cameron said.

Jim wondered why.

"Sheila is on the ship." Jim said.

Cameron saw something else emerging.

"Young Allison isn't." Cameron said.

Jim quickly looked at Cameron but didn't comment. He knew a bad idea when he heard one.

Gail and Jesse waited a few more minutes before they entered the Master Suite.

They'd wanted everyone to finish up first.

Gail asked Claire if they could share. Claire looked at Hanna who nodded. They headed into the smaller bedroom.

Jesse looked at Ally, Hanna and Sheila.

"There are only three of you?" Jesse asked. "Bring it on."

Jesse was ready to face three Terminators in bed.

"Jim left word two of us need to get the sunrise food ready to serve." Ally said. "It's not long from now."

Hanna was sure there was a little more to it than the food service.

"I think he wants Sheila and me to do it." Hanna said.

Jesse looked at Hanna. She moistened her lips slightly.

"Have you been with anyone yet since you finished with John?" Jesse asked.

Hanna felt a little self conscious. Things were a little different now.

"No." Hanna said.

Jesse looked at Sheila and Ally.

"Let me be with her for a while alone." Jesse said.

Ally was going to protest but Sheila stopped her.

"It's a good idea." Sheila said. "Jesse shared with me afterwards too. It was very comforting."

Sheila felt Jesse put her at ease by sharing with her after John finished. Among other things, it showed her nothing was different. She was still the same.

Ally didn't want to think about what went on in the Owner's Suite.

"Whatever…." Ally said.

Sheila was always ready to go. Right now she thought they should brush up on the latest news.

"Let's go check on what's happening and then we can hit my room." Sheila said.

Earlier:

Cam led her team forward.

'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast' were with them for close in fire support. They both acted as they neared one building with a very muffled generator running.

'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast' both opened up on targets the team hadn't spotted yet. They may have been too well camouflaged. They also may not have appeared until the drones spotted them take up battle stations. It seemed to be the case at the other building. The drones operated from a slight elevation advantage and much more powerful scanning equipment.

There was no hostile fire directed at Cam, Steve or Tom.

They rushed forward and entered the building.

They didn't use the front door. Based on the explosion at the other building, they decided to enter through the windows the drones blasted apart.

Cam directed Steve and Tom to the other side and she jumped up and through a shattered window.

There was a dead man holding a battered AK47. Cam slammed her foot down on his neck as she passed. She felt, and heard, his neck snap. She wanted to make sure he was dead. She figured maybe getting shot in the back earlier might have influenced her decision. She thought it was also sound practice to make sure there were none of the enemy behind her.

Cam glanced over where Steve and Tom entered. There was no opposition.

"Search this place." Cam said. "I think there are more. Watch out for a Terminator and booby traps."

Steve took out his Taser.

Cam headed for the muffled generator. She approached a room in the back. It was isolated from the building.

She carefully opened the door. There was a figure destroying hard drives. Because of the generator, they didn't hear her enter. She looked at the generator and noticed the exhaust went through some kind of 'water trap' before it exited out of the wall. She also noted it was powered by gasoline. It wasn't unusual around where they operated.

Cam turned back to the figure who worked to destroy the computers and they were gone. She moved to shut off the generator when a string of bullets impacted next to her and several ricocheted into her. She felt a hit on her leg and several on her vest. She quickly moved away from the spot. She armed her last Thermite grenade and tossed it on top of the generator.

The Thermite grenade exploded. The generator made two loud 'clang' noises and stopped.

Cam tried to reacquire the person who'd shot at her. She heard a Taser fire and a body fell to the floor. She saw it was a female. Blond hair spilled out of her cap when she impacted the floor.

Cam could see she was pretty.

One second later the fuel tank exploded from the burning Thermite and showered the female with burning gasoline. Her clothing instantly caught fire and her hair began to singe away.

Cam thought it was a waste. The thought lasted about a millisecond. She saw the metal under the burning synthetic sheath.

"It's a Terminator." Cam shouted.

Steve moved forward and pulled the Terminator out of the burning liquid by her foot. He knew they needed to deactivate her.

Tom appeared with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames on the Terminator.

Cam moved forward with her knife and removed the chip before she rebooted. It self destructed in her hand. She let it fall to the floor.

"The jamming field is off." Steve said.

Cam looked at the fallen Terminator. The right side of her face was burnt, along with her torso.

"When she cools down some, bring her." Cam said.

Tom wanted to make sure they were able to retrieve everything.

"I'll collect the hard drives and her chip." Tom said. "I'll find the jamming device as well."

Cam headed outside. She spoke with Al and Richard. All the threats were neutralized.

The deceased Grays were tossed into the raging inferno.

Cam decided to torch the other building they'd attacked to destroy the evidence as to what happened there. There would be no emergency response. None of the enemy would be able to return there either.

Steve carried out the deactivated Terminator.

Cameron's Terminators collected the deactivated Terminator and the hard drives from them.

Cam decided it was time to head back to the base. The operation was over and it appeared to be Grays and a Skynet Terminator. She thought about torching the old newspaper plant as well. She figured by burning the buildings where they were at now, it would prevent them from needing to return to the location later on. She reached back and touched the spot where she'd taken the round earlier.

"Let's go." Cam said.

Cameron waited until Cam was on her way back to the base before she left to check on John.

He was fast asleep.

She thought she could 'start him up'. She actually took several steps forward and then restrained herself. She didn't want to 'waste' another time with John and her chassis. She wanted to use Sheila's chassis or Hanna's chassis again in a short time. The thought of being someone different excited her greatly. She liked how John was very 'hands on' when she was in a different chassis.

Cameron wondered if John saw her as either the actual owner of the chassis or as the DNA donor of the sheath. She didn't really care. She liked all the attention. She liked how excited he was. It pleased her greatly to please him. It made her feel good enough. It was a rare feeling for her to feel.

There was a much more relaxed atmosphere in the Young bunker.

It looked like things were about to wrap up.

"The operation is over." Anna said. "You need to go back to bed."

Young Allison felt anything but sleepy right now.

"I will." Young Allison said.

Young Allison checked over everything one more time and made sure the drones were headed back to their bases.

Anna could see Young Allison was stalling. She knew why. She didn't mention anything.

Once Cam reached the Resistance base, Young Allison headed for her room. She wanted to make sure everyone made it back. She wanted to make sure there was no additional follow up either.

The operations were concluded.

Vanna waited for Cam to return. Cammy, Savannah and Allison were with her.

She ran to Cam and gave her a giant hug and a kiss. She then looked at Cam's back and leg. There was no damage other than a small bruise.

Vanna checked with Samantha. She wasn't needed for Precious.

Cam and Vanna shared a long glance with each other.

Vanna wanted to be alone with Cam.

Allison and Savannah both wanted to sleep.

Cammy said it was OK if they slept together. She waited until they were both asleep and left. It was what she usually did after Savannah fell asleep anyway.

It would be sunrise soon.

A new day was almost upon them.

The female Fanatic watched the Gray turn right and go in the opposite direction she'd originally spotted the two vehicles headed. He was most likely about to return to where he'd left from. She realized he could also pay a visit to the target location she'd been at earlier.

She'd watched him check on several of his fallen associates earlier. She had a feeling he would try to check on the men she'd seen killed at the last building she'd been to. She would know in two more turns. She stayed back as far as possible. She drove without her lights on most of the time. She needed to run a couple more red lights along the way to keep him in sight. She looked carefully at each intersection she ran through without her headlights on.

The vehicle in front of her made another right turn. He was headed to the target location. She quickly looked at her phone for an alternate route there. She was afraid at some point when the man turned. He would back into a driveway and see if anyone followed him. She tried to remain out of sight as much as possible.

She hoped to find out what happened at the target location as well. She still suspected there was a Terminator there. She didn't know there wasn't and everyone inside was already dead.

She glanced back at the two fifty five gallon drums of fuel. The armed satchel charge still sat on the seat next to her. She was ready to bring the building down and hopefully everyone inside of it. It was a reminder Ascension was never far away.

Hank and Larry continued to watch the drone footage of the female Fanatic and the Gray as they departed the area. They were quite a few streets away from them by the time they'd finished their job.

It didn't take long for them to figure out where they were both headed.

"They're going back to the building". Hank said.

Larry didn't know what good it would do.

"He should already know the vehicles from their group weren't spotted." Larry said.

Hank thought about the way he'd checked on the fallen bodies at the last incident scene.

"I think he may be an individual of higher rank." Hank said.

Larry thought it was commendable he'd checked on his dead troops.

"His efforts are noble, even if misguided." Larry said.

The drone footage indicated the female Fanatic figured out where the Gray was headed. She was headed there as well by a different route.

"It appears they have the same destination." Hank said.

Larry thought it was all wasted effort.

"Neither one of them knows everyone at the location is terminated." Larry said.

They watched the Gray drive by the location without slowing. He turned at the first street and went around the block. He slowed slightly as he drove in front of the building in back of the target location. He probably knew it was where his troops were supposed to go in at. He continued down the block and circled around the surrounding blocks several times. It was clear he was looking for their vehicles.

The female Fanatic arrived near the target building. She was five blocks away from the location. She watched the Gray circle the area several times. She could see the two vehicles were gone. She didn't know where they were at. She figured the Terminator moved them inside after he'd killed everyone.

She was currently located on a side street where she should be able to spot the Gray when he left the area. It could either be in front of her or in back of her. She didn't think it would be on the street where she waited.

She kept her eyes open for any other vehicles which may arrive in the area. She knew it would be sunrise in a short time. There was already a glow to the eastern sky. Her biggest concern was the Terminator she suspected at the target location. Her next biggest concern wasn't the Gray. It was more of the street gang arriving to search for their fellow gang bangers.

She was sure the Terminator would be on the lookout for anyone else approaching their location since the failed attack earlier. She was sure it would be the Terminator who took out the Gray if he ventured onto their property.

The female Fanatic thought her best course of action was to wait where she was at. She felt the fringes of sleep creep up on her again. She decided to take a few more of the anti-drowsy tablets.

She rolled down the windows slightly to increase her hearing ability in case there was gunfire in the distance. She expected there to be some very soon. When she heard it, she would use her gasoline bomb against the target building.

Hank and Larry were a little surprised at how persistent the Gray was. He thoroughly checked the surrounding area for any signs of the vehicles the other Grays arrived in earlier.

"Do you think he'll drive away or go in for a closer look?" Hank asked.

Larry thought the Gray's actions might be determined by what the small drone observed earlier.

"I think it depends if the small drone was able to observe the blood on the ground at the rear of the building." Larry said. "It most likely would have appeared as a dark stain on the concrete."

Hank was sure the Gray would go in for a closer look.

"He is most likely under the impression the gang vehicles they took down were the occupants of the target building fleeing." Hank said. "He's going to believe the building is unoccupied."

Larry knew it was true, even if not quite accurate.

"It's currently occupied by the dead." Larry said.

Hank and Larry watched the Gray make his next move.

The Gray circled the block in an ever increasing circle. There was no sign of the other vehicles his team used. His last report from them was they were at the rear of the property and advancing forward.

He needed to know more.

He parked his vehicle in back of the property behind the target location. He got out and looked around. He immediately headed for the gate and climbed over. He currently wore a pair of night vision goggles. He spotted something lying on the ground in front of him. He pulled his silenced pistol and moved forward. He knelt down and touched the object. It was a dog. It was cold to the touch. It had been killed a while ago.

He moved to the rear of the property and looked over the fence. He didn't spot anything. He took out a small flashlight and shined it on the ground. He looked for anything that might be a clue as to what happened to his team. There was nothing. He decided to see if he could find out more. He didn't think the building was currently occupied.

The Gray decided to advance on the structure.

Hank and Larry watched Gray's actions.

"He's going to use the same route the female Fanatic took." Hank said.

Larry thought it was a wiser choice of entry anyway.

"It's more clandestine than a direct approach." Larry said. "It was an error on the part of the original team. They didn't take it into consideration when they'd made their advance earlier."

They watch the Gray go over the fence and into the adjoining property.

Hank checked the drone footage of where the female Fanatic was at.

"I think the female Fanatic is waiting for the shooting to start." Hank said.

Larry thought she was going to have a long wait.

"She doesn't know everyone inside is dead." Larry said. "She wants to use her bomb."

Hank wondered how long she would wait.

"She may get antsy and think the Gray left." Hank said. "She may go looking for his vehicle."

Hank and Larry watched as the Gray reached the location where the female Fanatic killed the wounded Gray earlier. He looked at the three stacked cans and then took out a flashlight and shined it on the dark spot on the pavement. They saw him shine the light on the two stacked cans and the single can next to it.

"I think he knows two things." Larry said. "He knows someone died where he's standing. He also knows someone shorter than his men may have gone over the wall."

Hank thought Larry returned the cans back to the dock area.

"I thought you put everything back." Hank said.

Larry did and then changed his mind.

"I did at first." Larry said. "I wanted to leave a little bit of a mystery for anyone else who showed up."

Hank and Larry watched Gray go over the wall.

The female Fanatic felt increasingly jittery. She didn't take into account it was from the high dose of caffeine she'd consumed by taking multiple anti-drowsy tablets. She'd expected to hear shooting by now. It had been quiet. She began to wonder if the Gray left the area. If he did, she'd lost him.

More Than Luck

People think they can plan
Where they'll find romance
The sad truth and reality is
It's usually just random chance

They try to tell themselves
It's all about the chemistry
Some think it is owed them
Like some type of destiny

There are many paths to follow
Often themselves they try to inflate
Does any of it really matter
How much of it is fate

Is it only about the goal
Or diligence and persistence
Does anything really matter
Maybe it's all coincidence

One needs to think
Before they run amok
It's about who they really are
More than luck

Nobody