Chapter 1282

Alpha And Beta

Previously:

The earlier gun battle that took place down the street between the two vehicles wasn't a surprise to her. It was the same two vehicles she'd previously seen when she was on the backside of the property. One was parked in front of the building, the other one drove by. It appeared everyone was stalking everyone else.

She was surprised to see the Gray's vehicle back out on the street. It was the one she'd followed back to the current location. She wasn't sure what the outcome of the gun battle was. It appeared to her the one vehicle was going to drive away, and the other two would follow it. It was the last she saw them before she started along the driveway to the back.

She'd been able to drive right alongside of the building to reach the back. She was pleased to see the rear roll up door was still open. She spun the van around, started the timer on the satchel charge. She wedged the gas pedal down and bailed out of the van.

The driverless van accelerated towards the open doorway. She could see several individuals inside. They'd been clustered around a group of monitors as the van made its approach. She figured they'd probably tried to see what all the shooting was about down the street.

She could see at least three of them inside. Two of them made a desperate scramble off to the sides to get out of the way of the speeding van. The third one was a little slower. She actually saw the van hit him as it disappeared deep inside the building. She could hear crashing and thudding as the van made its way deep into the interior.

Her body rolled to a stop about sixty feet away from the rear door. The female Fanatic was lying on the ground. She'd ended up a little closer than she'd anticipated. It was probably because the van was already accelerating before she was able to bail out of it.

Her first impulse was to stand and run to try to get away from the rear location. She'd lost track of the time. She knew it was only seconds until the satchel charge would explode. She was confident it would detonate the two drums of fuel in the back of the van.

She rolled off to the side as much as she could before the explosion. She covered her ears and head. She kept the front side of her body pressed to the pavement in a fetal position. The roar of the explosion was intense. She didn't look up at the explosion as it went off. She knew there would be a massive fireball. The building in front of her was a flaming mass. She could feel the heat. It was intense. She knew she needed to get back further from where she was at. She was pretty sure she felt the effects of it on her body and it was why the heat was so intense.

Debris began to rain down around her. She could hear dull thuds of what she figured were sections of the roof landing around her. There was the sound of metal hitting the pavement and bouncing as well. She felt a few impacts on her back side including her legs. She remained where she was. She'd tried to assume a fetal position as best as she could and keep her front side away from the blast and shrapnel.

Once the initial roar subsided and there was less impact sounds around her, she chanced a look towards the rear of the building. Flame shot out of the open doorway as well as the roof. Thick black smoke began to drift upward. Secondary explosions begin to go off inside of the building. Something flew out of the opening and hit the ground next to her. It appeared to be part of a vehicle.

She looked for her best avenue of escape as she rolled off to the side. She decided to go over the side wall as quickly as possible, as more explosions went off inside of the building. She wanted to put some type of barrier between her and the continuing shrapnel along with the debris which was ejected from the building. Not only did the flames come out the back door, they also came out of the shattered roof.

It felt like she'd taken a few heavy hits from the debris as she ran. She jumped for the wall and caught the top of it. She was pumped full of adrenaline. She was able to get over it without too much difficulty. She landed hard on the other side.

Much to her surprise, there was a dog approaching her. It growled and snarled at her as it ran. She reached for her silenced pistol. It was gone. She reached for her pistol. It was gone. The dog was almost to her. Its fangs were bared. It was about to attack. She reached for her knife. She was relieved to find out she still had it. She pulled it out and prepared to fight the watchdog.

There was another large explosion from the burning structure next door she'd just left. Several sections of the block wall were knocked down towards her. She rolled away just as the dog attacked. A section of the wall hit the dog. There was a loud yelp. The dog was down. She could still see its hind quarters moving as it tried to free itself. She got up and ran towards the rear of the property.

She was almost to the rear fence when she heard the dog coming. She could see it wasn't making very good time. It was only running on three legs with a very bad limp. Its right front paw never touched the ground. She figured it was injured. It was OK with her. It couldn't catch her. She made it to the wall and was over it in a flash.

There was another explosion as she paused at the base of the rear wall to catch her breath. She waited about 10 seconds and then looked back over towards the building she'd used the bomb against. About half of the back wall was missing and about a third of the roof going back towards the front was gone. She figured they must have had additional explosives inside of the building. The amount of destruction she'd witnessed wasn't from two drums of fuel.

She hadn't had time to line up transportation earlier. She'd thrown some of the weapons in the back of the van into the bushes before she drove it away. She would need to go there and collect them now.

The female Fanatic headed for the fence along the side of the property to the building in back of the target building. There was a box truck backed up to the dock. She would take it for now just to get away from the area. She reached the fence and looked over.

The Gray was in his car. It was on its side. Debris slammed into the underside of it. He could smell gasoline almost instantly. He was pretty sure the fuel tank had been breached. He needed to get out of the vehicle as quickly as possible before it caught on fire.

Even in his damaged vehicle, he could feel the intense heat which emanated from the burning building. He didn't think his fellow Grays made it. There were a few more explosions and additional impacts on his vehicle. There was also a 'whoosh' noise as the leaking fuel caught fire. He was able to climb out the driver's side window and make a run for it. He was about thirty feet away from the vehicle when the fuel tank exploded.

The explosion sent the Gray sprawling across the debris strewn pavement. There was another explosion inside of the building. More debris began to land around him. Some of it was burning. He could feel a few impacts as he staggered into a run. He knew he needed to be any other place than where he currently was. Well, except maybe back in the future.

He tried to put it all together in his head as he ran from the location. He hoped neither one of the two vehicles which had been shooting at each other would return. Right now he was a sitting duck, even if he was running.

He reached the building across the street. He took one look back at his building. It was completely engulfed in flames with thick black smoke pouring out of it. It was even coming out of the front door at this point.

The Gray knew it was hopeless for those inside. He needed some transportation to get away from the area. He would head for an alternate location known as Tango. There were a few delivery vehicles parked in the rear of some of the buildings. He would need to take one of those for now to get away from the area.

Hank and Larry were a little mystified as to what exactly just happened. They'd watched a gun battle break out between two vehicles which patrolled the area. They watched the female Fanatic make a suicide run on the building and bring it down.

They were a little surprised to see the female Fanatic bailed out of the van before she'd sent her van bomb on its way. Somehow she'd been able to survive again. She made it over to the wall to the adjacent property and encountered a canine. Another explosion saved her from the angry dog.

Hank thought about everything which recently transpired.

"I don't believe CamNet is going to be able to cover all of this up." Hank said.

Larry needed to agree at this point. There'd been a trail of fires, explosions, wrecked vehicles and dead bodies. There was a lot of destruction. It looked like they were battling three groups as well. There was also the street gang involved in several of the encounters. CamNet would attempt to point the finger at them as much as possible. Drugs and cash had been planted on them at several of the locations.

"I think her goal was to keep Savannah out of the fight." Larry said. "So far she's been able to do so."

Hank knew it was more than just Savannah that was CamNet's concern.

"She's trying to keep Cameron in the dark as well as John Henry. He needs to know about some of these events." Hank said. "There's going to be a lot of spillover."

Hank and Larry could see the Gray survived. The other two vehicles which had been shooting at each other were gone. They were directed to stay with the female Fanatic and the Gray now.

The police activity bothered Savannah. She'd communicated directly with CamNet. It appeared there was a lot going on. It was more extensive than they knew and a serious threat.

'Send the information to all our personnel.' Savannah typed.

'It's done.' CamNet typed.

'Thank you.' Savannah typed.

Savannah looked at the four Terminators.

"Did everyone get the update?" Savannah asked.

They all indicated they did.

Vanna wondered what it was.

"Get what update?" Vanna asked.

It appeared the local robbery was only part of what was going on. It wasn't the real issue at all. It was part of the cover story.

Savannah didn't want to get into all the details with Allison and Vanna.

"Our breakfast may run into a slight delay." Savannah said. "There's a lot of police activity. It appears the robbery was a local punk. There was a lot of gang activity during the night. The police are now after what they think is a 'terror cell'."

Allison saw those events happen on and off in the news. It didn't seem like anything new to her.

"Why does it concern us?" Allison asked. "Gangs are little more than present day Scavengers. Terrorists are insane. They're fanatics."

Savannah fed them some more details. She was aware Allison hit the 'nail on the head', without even trying.

"They found a vehicle packed full of explosives and a few weapons." Savannah said.

Vanna saw things like it on the news too. It occurred here and around the world. It seemed fairly common now.

"Those things happen from time to time." Vanna said. "My latest gripe is the way some of the news is reported. In order to deflect attention away from the real issue, they now classify gang warfare as 'mass shootings'. I think the most irritating one was when they reported a terrorist attack as 'workplace violence'. Do politicians really wonder why people despise them?"

Savannah tried to indicate the severity of it.

"The ATF has been called in on it." Savannah said. "They've brought in several other agencies. There have been several unexplained explosions during the last day. There are some quantities of drugs involved as well."

Allison thought terrorists suffered from mental illness.

"I still don't get it." Allison said. "Terrorists are all insane. They blow themselves up for their god or whatever. It's something only a crazy person would do. Everything they actually believe all happens within their own head. There's no fact or reality they can actually attach it to."

Allison's words sparked a connection in Vanna. She stiffened a little. They dealt with a group just like terrorists. They actually had a 'real god' to believe in.

"Wait." Vanna said. "Did the police find a Fanatic?"

Savannah confirmed it.

"SkyMaster is their god and they're just as crazy as terrorists." Savannah said. "They're more than willing to die for their cause so they can reach Ascension."

Vanna saw it as the road to nowhere in reality.

"Terrorists and Fanatics should just kill themselves and get it over with." Vanna said. "If they want to reach some form of Nirvana, let them do it on their own."

Cam understood the danger to the girls. She wanted them away from the vicinity.

"We need to withdraw from this area." Cam said. "Vanna, Allison and Savannah should be removed from the danger zone."

Allison was itching to see some action. She felt she'd been out of the fight for too long.

"We need to stay and see where things goes." Allison said.

Vanna thought some excitement might be good for a change. She also saw a real danger to the police. There was the chance they could run into a Terminator depending upon where their investigation led. The last time they'd tangled with a Terminator. There were twenty dead FBI agents. It was when Cromartie's chip controlled John Henry's chassis.

"The authorities don't know what they're dealing with." Vanna said. "We may need to assist them. If someone has a Terminator, it could turn into a bloodbath for the authorities. We don't need a repeat performance of anything related to the future."

Savannah wanted Allison and Vanna out of the area. She wanted to make sure they were given plenty of protection. She didn't think it would go over very well. She was going to set some new rules.

"I want Cam to take Vanna and Allison away." Savannah said. "Steve and Tom can go with them."

Allison was concerned for Savannah. Savannah and Cammy weren't part of the equation. It spelled danger to them for her.

"What about Cammy and you?" Allison asked.

Savannah knew Cammy and her weren't going anywhere. If there was a Fanatic loose, they needed to deal with them. She was sure it was one of the reasons why CamNet revealed as much information as she did to her.

"We need to stay around the area." Savannah said. "We need to see what develops."

Vanna wondered how much of the information leaked out. It seemed to her there was more going on than they were aware of.

"Do they have a Gray or a Fanatic in custody?" Vanna asked. "How do we know what we know?"

Savannah went over everything she'd found out from CamNet. There was a car to car shooting which was reported as 'road rage'. It wasn't long after the latest building explosion. A witness saw two men in a car pull up to the other vehicle when it stopped. The driver of the other vehicle was slumped over the wheel. One of the two men in the other car got out and pulled the driver out onto the ground. He then tried to drive away in the car. It wouldn't start.

The man who was lying on the ground produced a gun and shot at the man who'd tried to steal his car. It looked like he was shot. There were a few more shots exchanged and the car the two men tried to steal ended up with a flat. The man who tried to steal the car got back in the other car and it drove away.

Allison listened to the story. It sounded more like gang activity to her as opposed to terrorism or a Fanatic.

"What happened to the driver of the first car?" Allison asked. "I mean the car with the flat tire."

Savannah found out it was the bad news.

"He staggered away and disappeared into the neighborhood." Savannah said. "It was thought to be two street gangs until they found the explosives."

Allison wondered why the information was just coming out now.

"Why wasn't this reported earlier?" Allison asked.

Savannah found it dealt with some of the homeless. They weren't big fans of the police.

"It was witnessed by a homeless man." Savannah said. "He didn't want to deal with the authorities."

It seemed to Allison he did anyway. There shouldn't have been a delay.

"It sounds like he did." Allison said. "How does any of this tie into Skynet or SkyMaster?"

The new information was the troubling part of the story.

"The police only found him a short time ago." Savannah said. "He reported the man who tried to steal the car looked like there was a tattoo on his arm."

It all came together for Allison. She knew what it was going to be.

"Don't tell me." Allison said. "It looked like a barcode."

Even though the event was earlier, some of the facts were only now coming out.

"Bingo." Savannah said. "The information only became available a short time ago. It was when CamNet picked it up as something other than what happens all the time."

They didn't know CamNet had been redirecting the events of the night to be blamed on other groups and organizations. It was done in an attempt to keep Savannah out of further involvement with the Fanatics, Grays and the anti-Metal faction. It all seemed to come out anyway. The real details were lost to the authorities.

Vanna believed it appeared two groups from the future had some kind of a fight. It appeared to be the two groups which caused Cameron the most amount of personal grief.

"It sounds like it was the anti-Metal group going after a Fanatic." Vanna said. "We know some Grays have the barcode too."

Vanna and Allison despised those Grays as turncoats to the Resistance.

Allison would like to personally kill them herself.

"Those were the sellouts who joined Skynet and became Grays for an easier life." Allison said. "They were almost as bad as Scavengers."

Vanna was well aware some of the Grays did act like Scavengers when they got a hold of a female captive. She'd heard stories from people who'd escaped before. It was something she'd witnessed more than once.

"There were good people who died when someone who'd been captured gave Skynet the information on how to find and attack other groups of the Resistance." Vanna said. "They didn't care who suffered because of their actions. They usually ended up becoming the most brutal and abusive Grays."

Cammy received an alert.

"John Henry has new information." Cammy said.

John Henry quickly got his act together. He'd been distracted watching Young Allison and Anna in the pool.

The information from the homeless man came in only a few minutes ago. It became apparent it wasn't just a law enforcement matter.

John Henry went through the traffic cam footage and was able to place the vehicle that was captured by the police as having been near the location of the building that they'd taken down with the gasoline tanker. It was also observed near several other buildings where there'd been unexplained fires or explosions during the night as well. It indicated the driver was associated with the Fanatics, if not stalking them. It could be two ends of the pendulum. The pendulum always swung back to the middle once it lost its momentum. The middle is where it would stop. It seemed to be where the clashes took place.

Samantha plugged in. Precious rested at her side in the baby carriage. She became concerned for the girls.

She assisted John Henry in processing the data. They needed to track the threat and eliminate it.

They didn't know it was something which escalated and escaped from CamNet's control and activities. There were more factors in play besides the ones CamNet attempted to remain in control of. Threats often couldn't be identified, until they reared their ugly head.

Savannah was adamant about Vanna and Allison being out of the danger zone. It needed to be resolved now. She didn't want anything to happen to them. She understood their need to want to do more. She needed to try to appeal to them on a personal level.

"I need you two to go back." Savannah said. "You need to think about Precious and Allison's baby."

Allison and Vanna understood Savannah's concern. They had concerns of their own.

Vanna wanted Savannah to have better backup if she stayed in the combat zone.

"We'll go back with Cam only." Vanna said. "Steve and Tom should remain with Cammy and you."

Savannah only reluctantly agreed when Allison and Vanna assured her they would return back to the base with Cam. If they stopped anywhere, it would just be for some fast food to take back with them.

Cammy wanted things to get started.

"We need to acquire another vehicle." Cammy said.

Allison pulled into a store parking lot.

Cam selected a vehicle.

Savannah asked Cammy to transfer over all the extra weapons and vests to the new vehicle. John Henry would make sure the vehicle was never reported as stolen.

Cam started the vehicle and left with Vanna and Allison once it was loaded. Allison wanted to drive but Vanna wouldn't let her. Cam would drive in case they needed evasive or aggressive driving. Vanna didn't think reckless driving would help them any in a tight situation.

Cammy took over the wheel of the SUV. Savannah moved up to the front to join her. Steve and Tom stayed in the middle seat. Cammy previously checked the weapons in the back when she was in the third row seat with Cam.

Savannah wasn't sure if the events were related to what happened at the old newspaper plant or not. It seemed to be the catalyst for several events. What currently happened, appeared to be more of the same.

Cammy received some additional good news.

"We have drone support." Cammy said. "It's at high altitude."

Savannah smiled. She figured Young Allison was in on it now too. She was a little surprised at how quickly they'd been given drone support. She was sure there was more going on behind the scenes. There was more than one loose end as well. There were at least two of them.

"We need to find the car the anti-Metal duo was in." Savannah said. "We need to find the injured Fanatic as well."

Cammy was updated.

"John Henry and CamNet are on it." Cammy said.

Savannah worried about the deeper implications of everything. If it was the anti-Metal group for sure, it was going to cause trouble for Cameron. It could be a group of Grays fighting the Fanatics too. Either way, the Fanatics or the anti-Metal group were going to cause a problem for Cameron.

Earlier:

Young Allison swam the length of the pool several times. She practiced holding her breath and swimming longer than she should have. She wanted to tax herself some. She wanted to make sure she could physically exert herself and hold her breath for as long as possible.

Each time she used a different stroke. She passed by Anna in the shallow end. Twice she went underwater as she passed next to Anna. She got a good close up view of everything. Anna figured out what she was up to but remained where she was. There wasn't much to see if she was standing.

She was at the far end of the pool when she saw Anna get out. Right away she knew something must have happened. She kicked off hard against the end of the pool wall and swam at full speed to the side of the pool where Anna stood naked as she looked at her phone.

Young Allison could see the troubled look on Anna's face.

"What happened?" Young Allison asked. "What is it?"

Anna didn't like the threat.

"CamNet reports a possible Fanatic and anti-Metal contact." Anna said.

It sounded like bad news. It was usually one or the other.

"Do you mean it's both of them?" Young Allison asked.

Anna laid out what she knew. Everything was still unclear.

"Yes." Anna said. "There was a gun battle on the street. Explosives were found and one of the assailants was reported to have a barcode tattoo. Savannah and Cammy are near there."

Young Allison was out of the pool in an instant.

Anna and Young Allison looked at each other for a few seconds as then quickly started to dress.

"How close are any the Detail with a vehicle?" Young Allison asked.

Anna received an update.

"There will be one outside the pool by the time we exit." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to be able to hit hard.

"Have CamNet send drone support to Savannah." Young Allison said.

Young Allison put her pants and a shirt on and headed outside. She held her shoes and socks in her hand. She checked her phone as she went.

Anna was topless and wore only her pants and carried the rest of her clothes as she worked her phone.

A SUV screeched to a halt in front of them as they exited. They hopped in the back. One of the Detail appeared from behind them and sat in the front seat.

Young Allison wondered where he'd been. She knew there were always several around her, even if she never spotted them. She usually did.

The SUV was already on the move before the passenger's front door closed.

Young Allison was worried for Savannah.

"How is Savannah in the middle of this?" Young Allison asked.

It seemed like a coincidence to Anna. It wasn't Young Allison's fault.

"They were on their way to breakfast." Anna said.

Young Allison felt it was her fault for her earlier actions. She'd wanted to surprise Savannah. It appeared the current events were a surprise to everyone.

"What about Allison and Vanna?" Young Allison asked.

She was worried for them. They weren't in combat much anymore.

"Cam is in the process of returning them back to the base." Anna said.

Anna was still topless. She let Young Allison take a long look at her. The girls finished dressing in the SUV on the way back to the Young bunker.

They each wondered if there was anything more beautiful than each other.

The four male Terminators left Ensenada last night and were now in San Diego. They awaited the arrival of the ship. They received an update and a new mission from CamNet.

Dan and Frank left Lou and Ken with the van. They were on a mission to obtain something. It was highly unusual. It was quite unlike any other mission.

"This seems like an odd assignment." Dan said.

Frank didn't question it based on the origination of the mission.

"It's straight from CamNet." Frank said.

A direct request like this was unusual, even for CamNet. There were things she wanted done often which were of a questionable nature. The current assignment seemed to be one of those. Even the nature of how the transaction was to be conducted, seemed to be highly questionable.

They walked around the corner and were met by a very sleepy looking man in front of a jewelry store. They saw two body guards with him waiting near a high end sedan. They could tell it was armored.

The skinny man eyed them. They fit the description he was given. They looked like they would make excellent body guards. For the cash involved, they must represent someone of stature. What they wanted was very unusual. How it was being done was even stranger.

"Are you Alpha and Beta?" The skinny man asked.

They seemed even more intimidating up close.

"Affirmative…." Dan and Frank both said at the same time.

The response caused the skinny man to jump a little.

Dan carried a small paper sack.

"Here." Dan said and handed it to the man.

The man looked inside and saw it was loaded with cash. It worried him a little based upon his previous agreement. He wondered if he needed to do something else.

"I've already been paid." The man said. "It was four times my normal price. That's why I'm here."

Dan thought the man got off lucky. CamNet could have sent them in to obtain whatever it was she wanted procured. They would have just taken it.

"It's your tip so you forget any of this ever happened." Dan said. "It applies to your two associates as well."

The man handed Dan a box.

"Everything is in there." The skinny man said. "There are several sets in gold, titanium, platinum and surgical stainless steel. There are different sizes and gauges. It's my entire stock."

Dan didn't open the box. If there was a problem later on, they would pay the man and his associates another visit. It wouldn't be as pleasant.

"Thank you for your assistance." Dan said.

Dan and Frank walked away.

Once they were around the corner, Frank turned to Dan.

"Did CamNet say what was in the box?" Frank asked.

Dan knew it was a 'special delivery' for one of the Metal girls.

"Negative." Dan said. "We're to give it to one of the Metal girls once we make contact. Sheila or Cameron are the ones preferred in that order."

Frank checked his phone.

"The ship has entered the harbor." Frank said.

Dan figured things would start to happen.

"They will be docked soon. They will start disembarkation as soon as Customs clears the ship." Dan said.

Frank nodded.

"Something tells me it will happen in record time." Frank said.

The ship's arrival would set other events into motion.

"We need to acquire another vehicle to have at our disposal." Dan said.

There was a long term parking lot near the airport. The airport was near the harbor.

"I don't think it will be a problem." Frank said.

Dan and Frank would be on the lookout for trouble this time. If they were with John and Cameron, they wouldn't let them out of their sight. They could be assigned elsewhere too.

They'd discussed what happened earlier in Ensenada. They didn't feel it was their fault because John sent them ahead. It was only when Cameron reaffirmed John's decision they moved away from them. They weren't sure what was going to happen. They figured they were going to share some type of personal time. Events seem to get out of hand on their own. They were the ones who'd actually neutralized the threat before John and Cameron became involved.

Once they were alerted to the danger, they'd immediately responded. They didn't think John and Cameron had been in much peril. It was more a psychological threat rather than a physical one. Still, things could have gone wrong. The assailants could have carried firearms instead of knives. There is always the chance there could have been a stray bullet. They would be more vigilant in the future.

John and Cameron playfully dressed each other. They knew they were on a timetable.

"We'll be docked soon." Cameron said. "The ship I mean. I think 'Little Willie' has already docked enough this morning."

John looked down and laughed. He wasn't really sure he liked the nickname. Maybe it was better than some of the other terminology which could have been used.

He knew he was expended for a few hours at this point. He was going to need to recharge some. He wondered how the disembarkation would be handled. He wondered if it would be more elaborate than the boarding procedure. Bob took care of everything for them when they'd boarded through the VIP entrance.

"What about Customs?" John asked. "I hope we don't need to be scrutinized by any government officials."

CamNet previously informed Cameron what would happen. It would be a very streamlined procedure.

"Only those with foreign passports need to report. Anyone with a US passport only needs to fill out the declaration form." Cameron said.

It didn't sound normal to John.

"Is it standard procedure?" John asked.

Cameron knew it was tried before.

"It used to be." Cameron said. "They are trying it again with our ship."

John figured CamNet was involved.

"Gee, I wondered where the directive came from." John said.

Cameron smiled.

"It came from the head of the agency of course." Cameron said.

Cameron was about to put her bra on.

John touched her arm and turned her towards him. He felt he needed to address some of the things which occurred. For anyone else, it was something beyond imagination. Even for him, it wasn't something he'd ever imagined would happen.

He always knew he could ask any of the Metal girls to be with him and they would comply. It wasn't the way he wanted to be with them. Now with what Cameron had initiated, it was clear they all did want to be with him on their own. It was a personal relief for him to know it. He didn't want anyone to ever do anything they didn't want to do on their own. He'd heard stories from the girls from the future and never wanted it to happen to anyone else.

He didn't always like the way Cameron did things. He'd questioned her 'off the books' operations more than a few times. He understood what she was trying to do for the future as she conducted them. He knew it was about what happened to the girls from the future. He understood every less future Scavenger there was, the safer the future would be.

John really wanted to express his gratitude and the depth of love Cameron showed him for what she'd allowed.

"I just want to say I really appreciate what you've done with 'everything', Cameron." John said. "It's more than I ever imagined. It's been more special than I thought possible."

Cameron was pleased and proud of what she'd accomplished. She was able to fulfill some of her personal desires as well. Not only was she able to be someone different, she was able to give John something special when she was.

"I wanted you to have the best." Cameron said. "I also wanted it for myself. I feel really special with what I was able to share with you."

John still found it hard to understand why the Metal girls allowed Cameron to claim their virginity.

"It was really something I never imagined." John said. "I truly appreciate what the girls 'gave up'."

Cameron smiled at John.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Cameron said.

John could have done without the reminder. He really didn't think anyone should have to sacrifice anything for him. He was just a person like everyone else.

They continued dressing.

Cameron smiled to herself. She wasn't done yet. She was going to make sure John could try everything possible before the cruise was over. She hoped Claire and Jesse would be accommodating. John deserved the best. The threat of the anti-Metal faction was out there. She wanted John protected from assassination. No sacrifice was too great to protect him.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Cameron said again.

John looked over at her as she dressed. He wasn't sure why she said it again. He took a moment to look at her.

'She is really beautiful.' John thought.

John really hoped some of Cameron's emotional and psychological troubles from the past were behind them. He knew some things were done and there was no changing them. They were in the past. Life moved forwards, not backwards.

The group sat at two tables side by side in the buffet.

"It looks like everyone is here but John and Cameron." Kyle said.

Jan mentioned there were a few others too.

"Sheila, Ally and Jim are still in the rooms." Jan said.

Holly pointed out it was their assignment.

"It's their function or job to straighten the suites up." Holly said. "We don't want any of the ship's normal crew to be in our rooms or around our equipment."

Derek didn't like others needing to clean up after him. He would have been happy just to pull the sheets and covers up and be done with it. They could reuse the same towels and washcloths with no problem. He thought they'd dry pretty fast.

"We don't need anything fancy." Derek said.

Claire wanted to help earlier. Hanna led her away. It wasn't in her nature to leave things for others to do.

"I feel like I should help them." Claire said.

Hanna wanted Claire to take it easy for once. She didn't need to wait on anyone there. She wondered how long it would be before Cameron tried to make a move on Claire. She would offer to go in her place. She understood how it would slow the 'Natural Order' from occurring if Claire was with John on a regular basis. She didn't want Claire to worry about Jim, Ally and Sheila.

"They'll finish very quickly." Hanna said. "There's nothing to worry about."

Derek spotted an aircraft carrier. It was across from where the USS Midway was docked.

"Look, there's an aircraft carrier." Derek said.

Riley wondered how they would get there. She remembered Derek told her they could walk to the USS Midway. It looked far away from where they were.

"Is it the one we're going to go on?" Riley asked.

Gail thought she should clarify what was what.

"It's a different one." Gail said. "That's an active Navy aircraft carrier."

Sarah thought it was very large.

"It sure looks big." Sarah said.

Derek looked and nodded. He was aware aircraft carriers generally grew in size with each new class.

"It's bigger than the one we'll go on later." Derek said.

Summer wanted to let Jesse know the good news.

"Jesse, there are two submarines at the Maritime Museum." Summer said. "I read it in the brochure."

Claire reached over and squeezed Jesse's wrist gently. She wanted her to know she would support her with whatever she wanted to do.

"We can go there if you want." Claire said.

Jesse thought it would be a nice refresher. It was in a controlled environment and both subs were docked. There were plenty of open hatches.

"I think I'd like it." Jesse said.

They continued to talk and eat

When they were almost done, John and Cameron arrived.

John went with Cameron to the buffet and she picked out a few things to try a small taste of. They sat at the table with Jan and Summer. Cameron greeted both of the girls. It was much to their delight. The effect Cameron's presence appeared to have on the girls was noticed by everyone. It was clear they both worshiped her. It seemed to be something all of them did.

The group went over what was available and where they were going to go.

Cameron told Sarah and Kyle that Sheila would accompany them. Derek and Riley would have Ally with them. They were told Dan and Frank would be with them also. Everyone was informed Ken and Lou were in the area. The van now contained more weapons of all types if any were needed.

It was a sobering thought, as well as a reminder of the life they led.

It made Claire wonder if the girls would have enough protection.

"Hanna can go with Holly and the girls." Claire said.

CamNet planned ahead for the girls.

"It won't be necessary." Cameron said. "Bob will have some time off today. He will assist as well."

Summer's face lit up.

"Oh, boy." Summer said. "It sounds like fun."

Jan whispered in Summer's ear.

"What about Jim?" Summer asked.

Cameron already tried several times to offer Jim some free time. He wanted to remain at his post. She didn't want it to cause a problem for any of the girls.

"He'll be able to switch out with someone later or have time off at the next port." Cameron said.

They all watched as the ship slowly passed its berth and they were even with the USS Midway when they stopped. They were perpendicular to it. The ship backed into its berth.

Kyle could look down on the aircraft carrier from the buffet area. They towered over the flight deck. He was impressed with the number of exhibits.

"There are a lot of aircraft on the deck." Kyle said.

Derek knew there were more underneath the top deck. Most of those were World War Two aircraft. He looked forward to seeing those. There were also multiple cockpit mock-ups used for training.

"There are more on the hanger deck below too." Derek said. "There's other cool stuff as well. There's even a small theater where we can watch a movie about the Battle of Midway."

John gave the team a final word of advice. He didn't want any of them to get clocked or overly noticed by anyone.

"Everyone needs to remember your hats and sunglasses." John said. "Let's finish up here and get ready to get off."

Jesse smiled at the terminology. She was always ready to 'get off'.

Cameron added her reminder. The incident which occurred in Ensenada yesterday was still fresh in her mind. It would always be fresh in her mind when she thought of it.

"There must be a Terminator near each of you at all times. I want visual contact if possible." Cameron said. "There are no exceptions to the rule."

She made sure each of them acknowledged her. After what almost happened in Ensenada, she wasn't taking any chances. The episode was more irritating than harmful. She was content with the fact it happened to John and her, instead of any of the other couples.

Earlier:

Sheila and Ally were able to finish all the rooms before John and Cameron left. They went into the Control Center and checked on where everyone was at and what the developing situation was with Cammy and Savannah.

"I don't think Cameron needs to see the new report." Ally said.

Jim knew why she hadn't.

"She hasn't checked anything in awhile." Jim said. "She was 'busy'."

Sheila felt short changed. She'd wanted her chassis used again.

"It should have been one of us in there 'as her'." Sheila said. "I wanted John and her to be 'busy' with my chassis."

Ally heard about what happened when Jim, Hanna and Sheila had taken the breakfast cart into the room. The three of them fully expected at least one of them to be 'chosen'. Events played out a little differently. There was some off ship intervention.

"You still don't know why CamNet told you to stand down, do you?" Ally asked.

Jim was just glad she did. It wasn't an experience he'd looked forward to.

"I don't." Jim said. "It sounds like they're leaving. I'll take care of the room."

Jim just wanted to change the subject.

Ally and Sheila looked at each other.

"We've got it, love." Sheila said.

Sheila opened the door and Ally pushed the service cart into the room.

Ally looked at the bed in the Owner's Suite.

Sheila came up alongside of her. She still felt a sense of adulation. She really wanted Ally to feel and experience what she'd done.

"That's where it's going to happen." Sheila said. "That's where you're going to lose your virginity."

Ally wasn't so sure. Maybe she would and maybe she wouldn't. She wanted to hear from Holly and Gail first. Either way, it would actually be Cameron who would 'lose it' for her. Maybe it was for the best. At least she would know what it was like before it really was her 'first time' with John later on.

Alpha And Beta

One doesn't need to search
For what's already there
They need to open their eyes
There's one already to care

Get past the shortcomings
Appreciate who they are
Everything ever wanted is near
There is no need to look far

Some think the beginning is Alpha
It depends on the perspective
To search for the answer
Doesn't take a detective

Maybe the ending is Omega
Everything is neatly closed
Maybe it's just the opposite
Everything is really opposed

One doesn't need to over think it
They don't need a lot of data
The answer was there all along
It is a simple as Alpha and Beta

Nobody