Chapter 1293
Refocus
John Henry needed to refocus. He was extremely distracted currently. He'd started concentrating on the security cameras in the lab. Cam worked naked alongside of Vanna. He'd become fixated on her. He seemed to have more and more trouble controlling himself. He better understood some of Cameron's compulsions. There seemed to be things which very hard to control at times.
He was more and more aware of his sexuality. He thought Cameron was responsible for most of it. Sheila played a big part as well. Cameron's part was indirect. Sheila's part was much more direct. He'd noticed the way Claire looked at him sometimes. She also looked at Bob and Jim the same way. He could tell she wanted a little more. She wanted to experiment with a male Terminator.
He wanted to try intercourse at least one time himself to see what it was actually like to be with a female. He couldn't help but glance down at his right hand for a moment. He quickly returned his eyes to the monitor.
He switched his gaze from Cam to Vanna in the lab. He wondered what Vanna would like to do sometimes. He always thought she wanted to try a little bit more but was hesitant to pursue it. Maybe if he actually had the opportunity to be with Claire, Vanna might want to try it herself. Maybe it was all just his imagination and wishful thinking. He really needed to refocus.
There were two separate pursuits in play now. One was a suspected Gray and the other was most likely from the anti-Metal faction. Somehow they were tied into a group of Fanatics at some point. Either man they were after could be a 'double agent' or a 'plant' within one of the other groups. It seemed to be a common occurrence. There was always someone looking for a little more.
Both of the men the Resistance teams were after were headed somewhere. They intended to find out. There was a Resistance team along with a team from CamNet on each man. It wasn't a typical operation. CamNet's Terminators seldom intermixed with Resistance Terminators. They ran two separate operations, both were after the same goal. CamNet and John Henry's server communicated frequently to avoid mix ups or friendly fire.
John Henry was currently unaware CamNet continued to run an operation on her own simultaneously. What the Resistance currently faced now was an indirect result of some spillover from her operation conducted during the night. It was one of the reasons why several of her Terminators were available to assist the Resistance. CamNet felt responsible, but didn't want to own up to her earlier actions. She quietly continued to escalate them.
Young Allison was more directly involved than usual in John's absence. She possessed the ability to control CamNet and all the action CamNet could unleash. Anna assisted her as a moderating factor.
With her 'Terminator upbringing', Young Allison was trained to be the human version of Cameron. She acted accordingly in that regard. She was already responsible for thousands of deaths to the forces which opposed the Resistance. Most of those stemmed from a run in with the Syndicate.
She'd put the Syndicate and the Cartels into a war with each other. It wasn't so much about putting their soldiers to death at each other's hands, it was about what both the Syndicate and the Cartel valued more than anything. It was money. CamNet drained every penny away from them possible. It was Young Allison's personal vendetta of retribution for the Syndicate threatening some of the Metal girls in Las Vegas.
John Henry's mind began to drift again. He needed to keep control. He constantly reviewed the lessons he was taught by Mr. Ellison. He'd become very sexually aware the last few years. It seemed especially more so the last few months. There was always something which seemed to push to the forefront of his mind. As he reviewed the footage of Cam and Vanna in the lab, it was a continuous reminder. He wanted to experience relations with a female, both human and Terminator. At this point he was willing to try either one. He thought both would be better.
He needed to clear his mind. He needed to refocus. It was time he got back to work and did his job. He just needed to watch Cam work naked next to Vanna a little longer. He really thought she was perfect….
The man Al and Ed were after took evasive action as he drove. It only started recently. There was a drone over the man and one over Al and Ed. It also did recon around them as well as Richard and Michael. Richard and Michael were two of Cameron's Terminators sent by CamNet.
"I have a drone on him. He's not going anywhere." John Henry said. "Don't let him make you if he checks to see who else speeds up. All communications are blocked."
Al decided his team was going to fall back some. The drone was over the man. They didn't want to get made. They didn't think they had been. There was no need to take a chance. The more reckless the man became, the more likely he was to be involved in a traffic accident. Such an event would only make him more desperate. They knew he was armed. They didn't need another incident on the street.
"We've fallen back since he started evasive maneuvering." Al said. "We're attempting to stay on parallel streets."
Cameron's Terminators decided to do the same thing. They'd started out the 'pursuit' in front of him. They'd needed to turn off of the street he was on before he actually passed them. They didn't want him to get a look at them as they passed. With the drone overhead, it gave them some flexibility to the pursuit.
"We have as well." Richard said. "His current behavior seems very erratic."
John Henry was aware when a perp started to make repeated passes in the same area, they were about to make a break for it on foot. They usually had a prearranged destination in mind and knew the area very well.
There were 'police chases' nearly everyday where they went through the same behavior on local TV. Once the local news media foolishly showed some of the perpetrators were able to get away, the number of police chases increased. It became another media created and driven event at that point. The media didn't care how many innocent citizens were endangered or hurt as long as they could create a story to cover.
"His actions are starting to repeat themselves." John Henry said. "I've received information from CamNet that he's most likely about to exit the vehicle. I want both teams to close in."
Al didn't think the perp knew they were following him.
"He doesn't know he's being pursued." Al said. "We've been careful."
John Henry didn't want the man to get any outside help.
"It must be because his communications are cut off." John Henry said. "I don't want him to alert anyone else we're on to him."
If they'd worked with CamNet only, as they normally did, Richard knew the chase would already be over.
"We're ready to end the chase." Richard said. "It would be standard procedure for us through CamNet."
John Henry wondered if they received different orders.
"What does CamNet tell you now?" John Henry asked.
Richard wasn't thrilled but followed his orders.
"We're to work with you and follow Resistance protocol." Richard said. "It's still my suggestion we end this."
Cameron's Terminators didn't wait to see where anyone went. They took them into custody and beat the answers out of them, Terminator style. It was a very efficient method. It played to a Terminator's strong points.
It was another reason why Cameron's operation was separate from the Resistance operation. It gave her more leeway to do things as she saw fit. She didn't want to taint the Resistance. She always used the excuse she wanted an operation separate from the one Mrs. Weaver set up. She always personally felt it was tainted. There was no evidence or indication it actually was. It was just her feeling. Maybe it was just something she told herself to justify her own actions.
Young Allison and Anna followed both operations.
Young Allison determined the change in the man's driving habits indicated something was about to happen. She felt he was close to his destination. She didn't know for sure, it was just a feeling.
"We don't know what group this is or what contingency plans they have." Young Allison said. "He may try to see who is following him by some prearranged method."
Anna could see the threat in it.
"Do you mean they'll set up an ambush for our teams?" Anna asked.
Young Allison believed it could be that among other things. Maybe they were trying to identify a tail so they could get a team of their own on it.
"It's a possibility." Young Allison said.
Anna agreed things were coming to a head. She relayed Young Allison's concerns to both John Henry and CamNet. The response was almost immediate from one of them.
"CamNet has sent out a warning." Anna said. "She agrees it seems to be a repeated procedure with a purpose."
Young Allison knew they always ran their returning teams through an ambush location to check for a tail. What they currently observed may be the same thing. The fact the perpetrator's communications were blocked, may have prevented him from triggering it properly. She wanted to make the point clear.
"We always run our teams through an ambush site after an operation to see if anyone follows our teams." Young Allison said. "I believe this is a similar procedure."
Anna felt Young Allison wanted to act.
"Do you want them to take him down?" Anna asked.
Young Allison was ready to act. Maybe it was past the window.
"I think we've waited too long." Young Allison said. "Is the airspace clear?"
Anna ran the check.
"CamNet has cleared it." Anna said.
Young Allison made her decision.
"Lock him up with both drones." Young Allison said. "Have one drop to thirty thousand feet."
Anna questioned what was about to happen. It was her job to hold Young Allison in check.
"Are you going to do a drone strike in the city during daylight?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted their teams protected.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "It's only if I have to do so to protect our teams."
John Henry called Anna to confirm if Young Allison was ready with a drone strike during daylight in the city.
"John Henry is concerned." Anna said.
Young Allison put their teams first. Cameron taught her to protect their troops first. Without their troops, there was nothing to stop Skynet. She'd been taught by Cameron about some of Future John's shortcomings. One of the accusations was Future John seemed to get a lot of good people killed when it may have been possible to avoid it. She wasn't going to make the same mistake.
"Remind him our teams come first when I'm involved." Young Allison said. "I'm involved in both of the operations."
Young Allison would only reconsider her position if she were contacted directly by Savannah. They would discuss the issue and decide what the best course of action was together.
Anna sent the message and updated on Savannah's operation.
"It doesn't appear the pursuit Cammy and Savannah are on is doing any better." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted CamNet to back her up. She made her position clear. It didn't need to be an 'order'.
"I'm on it." Young Allison said. "I want CamNet to act instantly if it becomes necessary to protect our troops."
Anna felt John Henry and her were both being preempted.
"Are you going to bypass both John Henry and me?" Anna asked.
Young Allison believed Savannah needed the most protection.
"CamNet knows what I want when Savannah is in the field." Young Allison said. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect her. CamNet will use the maximum amount of appropriate force to do it."
Anna saw the humans were being protected.
"What about the Terminators?" Anna asked.
Young Allison felt they were all covered.
"We have copies of their programs." Young Allison said. "Cameron has spare chassis and DNA samples. We can always visit the future Mrs. Weaver is in if we need to obtain more. I'll go myself if I have to. Any damage Terminators will all be repaired or rebodied if necessary."
It was something humans couldn't do. They couldn't be rebodied. There was no backup program. There was only death. Then there was nothingness.
Cammy and Savannah, along with two teams of Terminators, followed the elusive 'sixth man' from the building they'd taken down when they rescued the nurse.
CamNet fed the conversation between Young Allison and Anna to Savannah.
Savannah believed it was done specifically by CamNet to give herself cover for Young Allison's actions. If she was aware of them, and didn't intervene when necessary, it wouldn't be solely CamNet's fault for whatever happened.
"Young Allison is quite ambitious." Savannah said.
Cammy didn't appear to hear her.
Savannah reached over and touched Cammy's leg.
Cammy looked at her and smiled.
"CamNet asked me to turn my hearing off." Cammy said. "What was it?"
Savannah wondered what it was all about now. Did CamNet want her to do something or just to know how far Young Allison would go for her? She needed to stop by and see CamNet too. She needed to deliver the same pink undergarments to her like she wore the last time they were together. She hated to ask Cammy to take her there. She didn't want to think about all of the things she needed to do. She needed to have personal interaction with both Young Allison and CamNet. She believed it would keep both of them grounded and in focus. Maybe right now she was the one who needed to refocus.
"It was nothing." Savannah said.
Savannah looked at the drone image overlay.
Cammy looked at her. It seemed she wanted a further explanation. There was none.
"Oh." Cammy said.
Savannah watched the 'sixth man' speed along in the SUV. She really didn't see why he needed to travel so quickly.
"This dude seems to be in a hurry." Savannah said.
Cammy noted his driving behavior changed as time passed by. It actually appeared to be a little less extreme currently.
"He was evasive at first. He seems to be satisfied he doesn't have a tail." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't care for the direction he was going. There were actually a multitude of options available for him to use. The one which popped to the front of her mind each time she thought about it, wasn't what she wanted to think about.
"He looks like he is headed for the old newspaper plant." Savannah said. "Maybe he is headed for the foothills instead."
Cammy checked for any updates from the old newspaper plant. They'd increased the number of surveillance devices in and around the location since their previous visit yesterday.
"The old newspaper plant has been under constant surveillance since we left." Cammy said. "There've been no changes there. I believe his destination is elsewhere."
Savannah wondered about an ambush of some type being set up for them. There was more than one way an ambush could be pulled off when it came to forces from the future.
"Make sure there are no HK drones waiting for us in some canyon somewhere." Savannah said.
"CamNet has just informed me more drones have been dispatched." Cammy said.
Savannah smiled to herself. It was most likely Young Allison acting off her warning to Cammy about the possibility of HK drones waiting for them. Once she thought about the old newspaper plant, she thought about what arrived and left from the location by rail.
"What about the boxcars we tracked?" Savannah asked.
Cammy checked for any update on the railroad angle.
"There've been no positive hits." Cammy said.
Savannah wondered about the wording. She knew how the game was played.
"Were there any false hits?" Savannah asked.
Cammy frowned slightly before she answered.
"Yes." Cammy said. "The boxcars were empty when we located two more sets."
Savannah wondered why she wasn't informed.
"It means there's more HK equipment out there somewhere." Savannah said.
Cammy felt it was more than just one thing.
"There's always more of everything out there." Cammy said.
Cammy was aware it was all a matter of finding it, before any of it found them.
Savannah was aware of the truth to Cammy's statement. No matter what they knocked down from Skynet or any of its offshoots. Something else always popped back up.
"That's our job." Savannah said.
There were other things Cammy would rather pursue.
"It would be nice to be unemployed then." Cammy said.
Savannah tried to keep track of the other operation too.
"It sounds to me the two teams need to act soon." Savannah said. "I don't like how they're getting caught up in the same area."
Young Allison looked at all the information available to her. The car that looked like it was spinning a web was a problem. If it would be night, she would have the drone fire a missile and take the car out, especially if they were in a more rural area. She would even have a drone drop down and use the gun if the situation warranted it.
"I want to un-spin the web." Young Allison said.
Anna tilted her head slightly.
"How will we do that?" Anna asked.
Young Allison liked to push things. It was what Cameron taught her. She looked at the satellite images of the area the vehicle continued to traverse. She checked the drone images for a current update to see if anything was different or what else was actually in the vicinity. She wanted to act.
"I want to try something which might be risky." Young Allison said.
Anna wondered how risky. Some of their troops could be in danger.
"Do you wish to assign the task or ask for volunteers?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted CamNet to make the decision.
"I'll ask CamNet to select the best qualified team." Young Allison said.
Anna was a little concerned because Young Allison didn't want to make the choice. It could be because she planned something rather extreme.
"John Henry and CamNet are both ready for the plan." Anna said.
Young Allison already went over the plan several times in her mind. It always played out the same way. She was ready to see it enacted.
"This is what I want to try…." Young Allison said.
The man who was driving the stolen car from the 'park and ride', suspected he was being tailed. He was unable to communicate with the rest of his group. His plan was to try and identify the tail when they neared the location of his base of operations. They had some surveillance set up. If the others in his group were paying attention, they should spot him as he tried to signal them without stopping. The only weapon he carried was a pistol.
He went by the location again and honked his horn. It was the fourth time he'd done it. He looked in his mirror and spotted the same SUV for the third time. It was closer to him this time. It looked like they'd made him. He'd also made them. He thought it was a little careless on their part.
He made one more pass by his location. If no one from his crew was alerted, he was going to make a run for it. He spotted the rest of his crew in two cars the fifth time he went by. It was a good thing. The vehicle which tailed him was much closer. It looked like they were about to make a move.
When they passed the location, the other two cars pulled out behind the SUV that tailed the lead car. There were now four vehicles in the column.
The SUV that tailed him turned off and the two cars behind it followed him. The driver of the stolen car turned around and joined the pursuit. It was still apparent none of them could communicate by phone for some reason.
Now it was time to see how the cat liked getting chased by the mice. The man and his crew believed they now held the 'upper hand'.
Richard looked at the three cars tailing them. Michael was concealed between the front and back seat with an M249. It appeared there was only one person in their SUV.
"They took the bait and we have a location where they came from." Richard said.
John Henry tracked everything with drone support.
"There's a drone on it." John Henry said. "The two new vehicles behind your SUV are locked up with missiles since they're unknowns."
Richard thought they would have acted by now. Maybe they wanted to see where he would go.
"They haven't taken an aggressive stance yet." Richard said. "I think it will change soon."
Young Allison selected a 'kill zone' Richard's team was supposed to lead the three vehicles into. They'd basically set up a sucker play. The group who tailed Richard's team took the bait, 'hook, line and sinker'.
"Lead them to the target area." John Henry said. "They'll be engaged there. Everything is ready and waiting."
Richard thought the plan was a little more involved than what they normally dealt with. Then again, they didn't often engage enemy targets during the daytime if it could be avoided. Right now it was daytime and the plan selected seemed to be the best course of action on multiple levels. He thought it was extremely good planning.
"Affirmative…." Richard said. "We'll be there shortly."
Michael was ready to act when they arrived.
Cammy and the two teams of Terminators followed the SUV driven by the Gray. The drone conducted the surveillance on him. They followed on parallel routes. CamNet controlled everyone's movements through traffic management. She was very pleased at what they may have uncovered. She knew it would be a big relief for Cameron.
"It sounds like they have a location on the anti-Metal base of operations." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't think they'd established a positive ID on any of the groups they currently dealt with.
"We still don't know who any of these two groups actually are." Savannah said. "We thought the group who took the nurse might be the Fanatics. It didn't appear to be the case. We still need to do more extensive research. Right now everything is speculation"
Cammy was updated by CamNet.
"Maybe it currently is. I think we'll soon know." Cammy said. "Check your feed."
Savannah checked the drone feed on her phone. It was of the man they currently tracked.
"The Gray circled the block once and pulled in behind another building." Savannah said. "Someone opened a large door and he drove inside."
Cammy believed there was more involved in whatever they'd just uncovered.
"CamNet reports there's a lot of power being used at the location." Cammy said.
Savannah looked at the drone image of the structure. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, other than a similarity of its construction.
"This building looks a lot like the other building." Savannah said.
Cammy was sure it was why both buildings were selected.
"I think they were going to expand their operation into it." Cammy said. "The Grays do try to diversify their operations."
Cammy was ready to act since they'd now come up with a 'hard target'. She was still upset the 'sixth man' had eluded her earlier in the building. She wanted some personal payback.
"I'll lead the strike." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to know more before they did anything. With all the energy usage, she didn't want to get ahead of themselves. Her biggest concern was there might be some type of large power cell.
"Cammy, we're going to sit tight for now." Savannah said. "They're doing something at this location with all the power usage. I'd like to find out more about why first. We've seen first hand how some of these things can be quite destructive when they're destroyed."
Cammy parked two blocks away from the building. Steve and Tom did as well on the other side. Hank and Larry parked one block behind the building.
Savannah reached over and took Cammy's hand. She could see she still wanted to act. It just wasn't the right time yet.
"Now it's 'hurry up and wait'." Savannah said.
Cammy looked at Savannah and nodded slightly.
John Henry watched both operations. He needed to refocus his attention several times.
Richard and Michael led the three vehicles following them into an area they'd preselected. There should be a surprise soon for the three vehicles following them.
Cammy's operation turned up another location. It used a lot of power. John Henry shorted out the man's phone as he pulled into the building. He didn't jam the communications where he'd ended up at. He wanted to see who they contacted and where they were. They were suspected Grays. He hoped his actions should produce some results.
They were currently at the San Diego Air And Space Museum. John suggested to Cameron the girls might want a bite to eat. Cameron thought it was a good idea.
Summer and Jan shared a quick bite to eat with Derek, Kyle and John. Bob and Holly busied themselves in the gift shop where they were able to keep a good view on the people eating. Dan and Frank were on a roving patrol around the area.
Cameron sat with the girls as the three men sat together.
Jan liked the food.
"Can we get more?" Jan asked.
Cameron decided to throw out a carrot. She was aware of Jan's repeated desire. Holly mentioned it to her again soon after they'd arrived.
"It will be time for dinner soon." Cameron said. "Holly wants to take you swimming as soon as you get back."
It was all Jan needed to hear. She really wanted to go in the pool on the ship.
"I can hardly wait." Jan said.
Cameron wanted to offer Jan more incentives.
"Holly and Bob can always take you back sooner." Cameron said.
Jan looked at Summer. She needed to do what Summer wanted to do as well.
"Summer wants to look around here first." Jan said.
Summer would be good with a quick visual look around the museum.
"It won't take long." Summer said. "I already know about every aircraft."
Jan was amazed at Summer's ability.
"How do you remember so much?" Jan asked. "I already forgot half the animals we saw in the zoo. I don't remember anything about what I've seen so far here."
Summer and Cameron looked at each other for a long moment. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"I remember all of them and everything about them." Summer said. "I remember everything."
Cameron didn't want the conversation to focus on Summer. She especially didn't want any finger pointing at her or speculation. It always made her very uncomfortable. She motioned for Bob and Holly to come over.
"Let me speak with your father." Cameron said.
Cameron spoke with Kyle and said the girls wanted to go swimming before dinner so they would take an abbreviated tour with Bob and Holly and go back before they all did. Kyle said it was fine.
Bob and Holly started the tour with Jan and Summer. They could hear Summer explain all the specifics on the first exhibit.
Cameron watched Summer. She made an excellent back up for Young Allison. With her 'natural abilities', it required less 'hands on' training for her and less of a problem with Claire. Young Allison did all of the 'dirty work' and the Metal girls reinforced it at night.
She took in Summer's beauty. She couldn't help but think about the way Metal Summer looked as a teenager. Summer was almost there herself.
She was worried about the direction Savannah and Young Allison might take once they became fully active. She knew they would do their 'duty' and be with John when they needed to be. She didn't know if it was the true calling for either of the girls. Maybe she needed to settle for what was available currently. Currently it was the girls from the future and Claire. Realistically she shouldn't push Vanna or Allison either.
She thought it would all depend upon if John could get Claire to 'make it'. If he could, Claire would be the 'stand in' until one of her daughters was ready. She glanced over at Summer again along with Jan. She blinked her eyes several times. She needed to refocus.
She turned her attention back to the men. She would make sure they arrived back at the ship at the same time as the females left the spa. There would be sufficient time for all the couples to 'get together' before dinner and the musical show that would follow later on.
Cameron watched Holly with the girls. Holly looked back at her. They held each other's gaze for a long moment. Holly smiled and nodded once. It looked like it was still on for after the show. She looked forward to tonight very much. She was positive Holly's chassis was untouched by a male since she was created in the alternate future by Mrs. Weaver. She was a Restorator by creation and never a product of Skynet. She never could have been a Metal Whore like she figured she'd been at some point. Maybe it happened to her when she was captured. There was no proof of it. It was often what happened to captured female Terminators.
Some were provided to the Grays by Skynet for the same purpose. Cammy and Savannah confirmed what Skynet did with female Terminators for the pleasure of the Grays in her future. It wasn't a comforting thought. She was a little surprised as the thoughts vanished from her mind. She looked up again and saw Summer across the room. Summer looked at her and smiled. It occurred to her again who the real 'Chosen One' may actually be.
Hanna led the group of girls into the spa.
Everything was there ready for them as VIPs.
The human females all tried some of the food waiting for them first. They all thought it was a nice selection.
It made Jesse and Riley feel a little upset about all the food they didn't eat. They knew it would all be thrown away. There were times when both of them needed to trade their body for food to survive. They both looked at each other knowingly. This wasn't the future.
The girls all stripped down in the locker room area. It was exclusive to them. They all checked each other out clandestinely. Sarah drew the most looks followed by Riley. They were seldom seen unclothed. They both concentrated on Claire, Claire reciprocated.
Sheila looked at the rings in her hand. She wanted the girls to see her the way she thought she was the most attractive.
"I'm going to put my rings on." Sheila said.
She drew all the attention now.
Sarah didn't see any piercing implements.
"Don't you need some type of tool?" Sarah asked.
Sheila was going to try a technique she'd used multiple times. She would remove her rings from time to time. The piercing would heal closed. She would then reinstall them as she was about to do now. She found it very exhilarating. She knew she was alive when she did it.
"I'm going to do it manually." Sheila said. "I won't turn off my pain receptors either."
The human females cringed a little as Sheila put the first nipple ring on herself. They saw her wince a little as she forced the ring through her sheath material.
"You can feel it." Sarah said. "I can see it on your face."
Sheila was highly excited now. She smiled at Sarah.
"It's beautiful." Sheila said. "I feel so alive."
Sheila asked if Sarah, Claire, Jesse or Riley wanted to put the other one on for her.
Sarah would have liked to. She didn't think she'd be able to force the ring through the sheath material. She was sure it would take her too long and cause Sheila additional pain. It was an intriguing thought. Maybe if Sheila had one of the piercing implements she would have used it.
Jesse wanted to move things along. She nodded at Gail.
Gail put the other nipple ring on for Sheila. She did it the same way as Sheila had done.
Riley wondered how much something like that would hurt. She didn't want to find out.
Sheila centered her rings.
"I'm dressed." Sheila said.
Sarah was stimulated as she watched what was done by Sheila. It surprised her.
"I'm not sure if that was the hottest thing I've ever watched or the most perverted." Sarah said. "Somehow it was both."
It was time to enjoy the spa.
They could all pick whatever procedures they wanted done.
All of the girls opted to start out with a massage.
Jim watched everything on the security cameras.
So did John Henry and CamNet.
There were two operations unfolding at the same time.
It appeared things were far from over.
John Henry and CamNet needed to refocus. There were others depending upon both of them
The Gray hurried along the side the building. He looked towards the next property. He would pass through it and get back out on the street. He would get another set of wheels as quickly as he could and leave the area.
He carried the short length of rusted pipe in his right hand. He currently held it so it was up right against his forearm. It wouldn't be easily spotted. He could let it slide down into his hand in a second. He could use it to jab someone or use it like a 'night stick' and hit them with it. He figured his best use of it would be to hit someone when they weren't looking. He could catch them at the base of the skull and probably knock them out. If he hit them in the side of the head or face, he was sure it would split the skin open. He would do what he needed to do to keep his freedom. He was almost to the back of the building when someone came around the corner.
"Hey." The man said. "What are you doing back here?"
The Gray had a series of techniques workout for dealing with strangers. It was simply a matter of changing the variables to fit the situation.
"I'm glad I found you." The Gray said. "I'm an OSHA inspector. I just found some leaking pipes. It looks very serious. If you hurry, I think we can stop it."
The man looked a little confused.
"What kind of pipes?" The man asked.
The Gray led the man back a few steps around the corner. He wanted him away from the back of the building.
"They're right here. You can see it just started." The Gray said.
The Gray pointed at a recess in the building.
The man bent down to look.
The Gray hit him at the base of the skull with the rusted pipe. He'd held it up right against his forearm as he walked earlier. The man never saw it coming.
The man went down silently.
The Gray hurried back along the side of the building and looked into the rear area. He didn't see anyone. He looked back once at the man on the ground and took off at a run. He reached the back wall and went over it. He thought about taking the man's wallet and car keys. He knew if he did it, would definitely generate a police response. He didn't take anything. If the man seemed to recover OK, there would probably be no further action taken. Since nothing was stolen what would anyone do?
He was over the fence in a flash. He sure hoped he didn't encounter anyone else or a guard dog. Normally they were locked up during the daytime. It all depended upon the owner. Even if the dog was generally passive, once someone entered its territory, it usually became aggressive and defensive.
He landed on some type of pile of junk. It gave way underneath his weight and he ended up sprawled on the ground. He lost the pipe he held in his hand.
The female Fanatic came around from the side of the shed and followed the two men. One of them briefly spoke with the other and went off to the other side. She was a little surprised to hear him call the dog's name.
She was pretty sure both of them bought her story. She'd done a lot of infiltration for her SkyMaster group. Because she was a female, most of the people didn't take her for any type of threat. With her less than medium build, she didn't seem to be much of a sex object to anyone either. She thought it was a good thing. She knew in the future, anyone caught on in the Wastelands was fair game. It didn't matter what they looked like or how young or old they were. If they were a female they were going to be abused. It was just that simple.
She quickly pushed the thought from her mind and she followed the man. She decided she should call the dog's name a couple of times herself since the man who went towards the other side continued to do so.
The man she followed reached the edge of the building. The front of the property was the only thing left. There was nothing there but parking spaces and then the street.
"I'm sorry, lady." The man said. "I don't think your dog came back here."
They were in the front now. They could see the man who went along the other side of the building. He held his hands up to his shoulders and shook his head from side to side.
"Jose didn't find anything either." The man said.
The female Fanatic smiled at the man.
"Thank you for helping me search for her." The female Fanatic said. "I really appreciate it."
She didn't see any sign of the police anywhere. She decided it was time to move on as quickly as possible.
"I'll look a little further down the street." The female Fanatic said. "Sasha can be a real rascal sometimes."
Jose came over and joined them. She thanked both of them one more time and left. She didn't want to look back over her shoulder to see if they watched her. She waited until she was at the next property and turned back. Both of the men were gone. She was glad she hadn't needed to kill them. She would have if she needed to. She took a moment to rearrange her knife and pistol in the dry cleaning bag she held. She could get to either one of them much easier now. They both remained concealed in the mass of plastic.
She needed a set of wheels. She needed them fast. She was pretty sure she lost the Gray at this point. She still had several locations to check out. She went down a few more buildings. She looked around her as she moved. She saw the driver's side window was part way down in one of the parked cars. She determined it would be her new vehicle.
The female Fanatic moved up to the parked car and reached inside. She was able to open the door. She climbed inside of it and went to start it. Her head was down below the level of the dashboard as she went to start it. It proved a little more difficult than she'd anticipated. She heard some voices nearby. She stayed down low where she was. She didn't chance looking up and being spotted. She was a little surprised when she lifted her head.
CamNet directed her newly activated Terminators where to go. They were brought up to speed on the operation. They currently only were equipped with standard Terminator programming. They knew who all of the Resistance personnel, both the humans and the Terminators, were. They also knew who all of Cameron's Terminators, at least the active ones. There'd been no 'Neural Interface' with any of the humans. Right now both of them were 'her Terminators'.
CamNet's Terminators sat side by side in an SUV as they headed for the location where the Gray and the female Fanatic were currently at.
Both of them were expressionless and looked rather stone faced. They glanced at each other as they drove.
"I know you." The first Terminator said.
"And I know you." The second Terminator said.
They both turned their attention back to the road. They carried a full complement of weapons in the SUV. Currently each of them was armed with a silenced M9 and Taser.
Seconds ago:
The Gray cursed to himself as he scrambled back up to his feet. He was afraid he'd made more noise than he'd anticipated. He glanced around him and didn't spot anyone. He looked back at the direction he'd come from. He didn't hear any type of challenge or calls for help.
He quickly passed along the side of the building. There was a high pitch whine which emanated from somewhere inside. He wasn't sure what type of activity they did in there. He was sure it was some type of machine shop.
The Gray reached the front of the building. He looked down the street. He didn't see any sign of the police anywhere. He saw two people walking away from him as they talked. He waited for a moment and moved down to the street. He saw one vehicle with the driver's window halfway down. He moved towards the vehicle. It was the one he decided to take. He looked from side to side as he crossed the street.
The female Fanatic was about to start the car when she heard some voices. She hunkered down so she wouldn't be spotted. She didn't know how close they were. She didn't want to look and be spotted. She glanced up over the dashboard once the voices grew quiet. She was a little surprised when she lifted her head. She quickly scrambled to pull her pistol out of the plastic bag. The Gray was headed directly towards her.
Refocus
There can be many small things
That can upset and aggravate
One must hold steady and firm
They must learn to concentrate
When things get hard or go bad
It's easier to crawl into a shell
The mind gets overwhelmed and stuck
As one tends to relive and dwell
It's easy to get sidetracked
When things occur and happen
That's the time to stand firm
To let the mind sharpen
When things don't work out
They can cause one to agonize
Often to make a point
Some things one must emphasize
One must be honest and true
Things fall apart with hocus-pocus
They must get their act together
When it's time to refocus
Nobody