Chapter 1309
Something To Behold
Jan and Summer were about to take a warm bubble bath in the whirlpool tub. The water was almost ready to get in.
Jan decided she didn't want to take a bath with swimwear on.
"I'm not going to wear my bathing suit this time." Jan said.
Gail didn't know if it was proper. The girls were just taking a bubble bath. She didn't think it would be a problem. She knew there was still plenty to see. She didn't think things would get out of hand.
She waited for some input from Summer.
Gail's phone rang.
"Hello." Gail said.
Pause.
Summer looked at Gail as soon as the call started. She put her dress back on. She understood what was necessary.
"Do you mean right now?" Gail asked.
Pause
"Is she OK?" Gail asked.
Pause.
"Do you need me?" Gail asked. "Will she need to be restrained?"
Pause.
"We're on our way." Gail said.
Gail looked at Jan.
"Go ahead and take your bath." Gail said. "Summer needs to do something first."
Jan wondered what was going on. She didn't think it had anything to do with what she said about not wanting to wear her bathing suit when she took the bubble bath. She really didn't think it was a big deal.
Summer understood the nature of the call. She was ready to leave.
"Let's go." Summer said.
Summer headed towards the door.
Gail was right behind her.
Jan knew something was up, but not what.
"Where's everyone going?" Jan asked. "What's happening?"
Summer looked back towards Jan.
"I'll be back." Summer said
Jan was left alone as the bubble bath filled.
It didn't look like it would be a problem to take a 'bath' now.
Jan figured it didn't matter if she was naked now. She stripped and got in the bubble bath. It was very warm and soothing. It made her realize how cold she'd been. Playing miniature golf was fun, but she should have stayed warmer. She knew she should have said something but she didn't. She wanted to have fun. It reminded her everything came with a price.
She looked back at the doorway to the big bathroom.
"Well, it's just like at home." Jan said. "I'm all alone again."
Hanna was almost to the cabin where Sheila and Ally were. She figured there would be a female for each of them now and they could switch off. The three females were above average but none of them was a knockout in her book. She actually liked the look of the 'new girl', maybe she was a knockout. She sure looked Hot anyway.
She received a call from Jim to return to the Control Center as soon as possible.
Hanna immediately hiked her dress up and slipped off her high heels and ran to the nearest stairwell. She took the steps three at a time.
She exited on the suite deck and ran at full speed down the hall. She opened the door to the private area and entered the Control Center a few seconds later. Gail and Summer were already inside with Jim and Cameron.
Sheila wanted to get things started. She wanted all the girls to get involved with the procedure. The more involved they were physically, the more likely they were to participate for themselves.
Laura elected to assist Sheila. Leticia also volunteered to help.
Mary selected the rings she wanted. They matched her other set.
Sheila carefully cleaned and disinfected the areas to be pierced.
Mary looked a little nervous as she watched Sheila prepare the area.
"Are you ready?" Sheila asked.
Mary balled her fists.
"Yes." Mary said.
Sheila instantly made the piercing.
Mary was caught by surprise. She let out a little yelp.
"Are you OK?" Sheila asked.
Mary didn't answer at first. She really felt 'alive' right now.
"I'm good." Mary said. "It stung a little more than I anticipated. I'm fine. Do the other side."
Sheila quickly put the first ring in.
"One side is all done." Sheila said.
Mary watched as Sheila pulled up on the ring and what it was attached to. She couldn't believe she'd actually done it. She didn't want to go halfway.
"Can Laura make the other piercing for me?" Mary asked.
Sheila hoped it would help entice her to want to do it as well.
"Yes." Sheila said.
Sheila quickly prepared the other side. She showed Laura where to make the piercing.
"It's a lot tougher than it looks." Sheila said.
She could see Laura swallow hard. She turned her attention back to Mary.
"Are you ready?" Sheila asked.
Mary wanted to get it over with. She looked at Leticia and then at Laura.
"Yes." Mary said.
Sheila nodded at Laura
"Remember, it's way tougher than it looks." Sheila said. "Do it hard and fast."
Laura made the piercing. It was a little tougher than she thought it would be, even after the warning. She'd followed the instructions and everything went as planned.
Sheila was sure the additional three sets of rings she laid out were going to be used. She really looked forward to it.
Ally had moved up closer to get a good look as Sheila did the first ring. It was way hotter than she'd imagined. Maybe she should reconsider the refereeing part. The atmosphere was incredibly sexual at the moment.
Cammy and Cam were behind the SUV.
Cam had just fired her M9 three times at the wall where the hologram was just a short time ago.
Savannah moved inside the building with Steve and Tom. She came up behind Cammy. The room was completely dark. She wore her night vision goggles. She could make everything out. The details were a little on the vague side.
"What is it?" Savannah asked.
Cammy wasn't sure what to make of it. The wall looked the same as it did before the power was cut, except for one thing. Well, three things actually.
"There are three bullet holes visible in the wall." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't think Cammy missed where the holographic wall was at. She looked and could see what it was. It didn't make any sense. She'd watched a massive amount of ordnance pass through the exact same spot in the last few minutes. The wall never changed. Now there was a difference.
"The power is off and there should be an opening there." Savannah said. "I see the wall's still there with three holes."
Cammy wanted to check it out in more detail.
"I need to investigate this further." Cammy said.
Savannah looked at Cammy. She was worried there may be some type of opening there after all. She wasn't going to allow Cammy to go into whatever it was or wherever it went.
"I'll go with you." Savannah said.
Cammy didn't know what they faced. She was still worried there were going to be some repercussions from all the ordinance they'd unleashed into the portal.
"No." Cammy said.
Savannah wasn't about to let Cammy go alone. She didn't want her 'going inside' whatever was there. Right now it didn't look like anything was there except a wall with three bullet holes in it. She held firm with her decision.
"It's the only way." Savannah said.
At this point, Cammy was sure they were dealing with Skynet technology from a further future than the SkyMaster of the Fanatics. Based on what she'd witnessed, they might be dealing with a temporal portal of some type. She didn't think it led to 'a future' but an alternate location. Maybe it did lead to an alternate timeline. If it did lead to 'a future', she was now afraid Savannah and her would be 'sucked in' somehow. It might be where the 'Good Skynet', 'The Evil One' and 'The Redheaded Witch' identities came from. She couldn't say it out loud.
Savannah decided to move up for a closer look.
"Everyone else will remain here except Cammy." Savannah said as she started over to look.
It caught Cammy off guard since she'd been lost in thought on what might happen.
They could hear two drones approaching very low.
Savannah figured Young Allison sent 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast' to back her up as per the original plan. They needed to try and bolt away at the first sign of a problem and let the drones' blast away.
Cammy hurried after Savannah
"Savannah, wait." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to get things resolved. For all practical appearances there was nothing there but the wall. A wall that now had three bullet holes in it. A wall that looked like it was the original wall in the building. Where was the opening? Where did all the ordnance go? It didn't make any sense.
Savannah paused.
Cammy wanted to tell her what she thought.
"Maybe we should have John Henry turn the power back on first and see what happens." Savannah said.
Cammy physically stopped Savannah at the workbench.
"Wait." Cammy said.
Cammy picked up some more items from the workbench and tossed them against where they thought the opening was at previously. They all appeared to hit the wall and fall to the ground.
"It seems to be the original wall." Savannah said.
Cammy felt a little better about it now, even if it didn't make sense. She was glad she didn't mention what she'd feared earlier. She moved up to the dead man and tried to push his leg back inside the wall. It hit the wall and deflected off to the side.
Savannah watched as Cammy carefully touched the wall.
"It's a solid wall." Cammy said. "It is the original wall. It apparently was always here."
Savannah wondered how anything could be there after the amount of ordinance that was put through the holographic wall. There was a lot of firepower put into that spot. Where did all the ordnance go? The entire front half of the building should be blown off at this point.
Cammy noticed something she hadn't seen before. There was a small electrical box on each side of where they thought the holographic covered opening was. They were covered by the holographic image previously.
"This must be where all the energy was going." Cammy said.
Savannah couldn't make out the details very well with her night vision.
"What kind of connectors are those?" Savannah asked.
Cammy studied them. It was unlike anything she'd ever encountered. There was nothing in her database in regards to them.
"They appear to be some kind of power amplifier." Cammy said. "I really don't know."
Savannah wanted to try and have one taken back for analyses. The technology could be used as a weapon against them. She wondered how it was controlled or where the controls were at. If this opening was only a power amplifier, where was the original power source at? Where did all the ordnance go? What did it do? Something must have happened somewhere.
"I think we need to take one to a secure location for evaluation." Savannah said. "I don't want anyone to get 'zapped' either."
At this point, Cammy wanted to turn the power back on first.
"I think we can try the power for a short time to see what happens." Cammy said. "I want to see if we have some control over what happens. Right now it appears we do."
Savannah wanted Cammy to move off to the side first. She wanted some type of cover between them and where the holographic image should reappear. She spotted a big piece of machinery. It appeared it could stop bullets.
"I want it ready to be shut off again in an instant." Savannah said. "Let's move in back of the lathe first."
Cammy checked the lathe. It was solid. It would stop any bullets. She contacted John Henry.
"Re-energize the block." Cammy said. "Be ready to cut the juice."
Savannah wasn't so sure it was a good idea. Everything they'd done was going to make someone on the other end very angry. It would be especially so if they'd killed anyone or any thing.
She knew there was always a risk when dealing with unknown technology. They didn't know what it was capable of. What worried her the most was they didn't have any way to control anything. The only thing they could control was the electricity on their side. If what Cammy thought was true. The electrical conductors only amplified the power source from the 'other side'. The question still remained, where was the 'other side'?
John Henry worked with CamNet to try and determine if it was possible for there to be a temporal portal. They reached the consensus it may be possible in the future. Currently it was impossible as they knew things to be in this time period and in Cameron's future timeline.
John Henry wasn't so sure about turning the power back on.
He thought the unknown electrical components should be removed or disabled first.
John Henry brought the grid back online.
"The power will be back on in seven seconds." John Henry said. "There may be a slight power surge."
Maybe it was the power surge which worried him the most. It could be the unknown electrical components were set to operate within very specific parameters. He really thought they should attempt to remove one and disable it. They might be able to install some type of 'on and off' switch. He was ready to shut down the grid instantly. He really wasn't sure what was going to happen.
Young Allison thought they should disable at least one of the unknown electrical devices before the grid came back online. She didn't like the fact Savannah and Cammy were still in the building. She wanted to back their play.
"Have the two drones ready to engage any hostile targets." Young Allison said.
Young Allison looked over at Anna who currently checked everything over. She sent a message to CamNet for 'eyes only'.
CamNet asked for 'confirmation' based on the extreme nature of the request. It was suggested she contact Savannah first.
Young Allison didn't want to bother Savannah during the critical time. At least it's what she told herself. She'd already made up her mind. She looked at Anna and then gave confirmation to CamNet. The time for 'games' was over. She wanted to be able to hit and hit hard. She knew a 'sucker punch' was always a good move against an unsuspecting opponent. She wanted to take it a step further. She planned to have a 'Sunday punch' ready. It was time to make a statement. She also wanted to cover all of the bases.
"Have the drones in the parking lot standby for immediate evacuation." Young Allison said.
Cameron experienced a hard time trying to process her feelings. They were very overwhelming at this point. She stood behind Jim. She was still naked.
Jim seemed to be speaking to her but she couldn't understand him. Everything was very confusing. There was a sense of guilt and remorse. It was overpowering her right now. There were things she'd done that wronged others. There were things she'd done and knew they were wrong when she did them. She still did them anyway. It bothered her.
Something brushed past her.
She felt a hand take hers. The glitch stopped immediately. She looked over and saw a smiling face. It was such a beautiful face. There was almost what felt like an electrical message being sent to her. It seemed to be able to reach her mind somehow. The smile on the face grew larger. She'd felt this type of 'contact' before. She couldn't place it now.
The hand led Cameron to the bed and she sat down. Something was draped around her. It was soft and white. Gail was there too now. She stood behind the smiling face with a look of great concern on her face. It was clear she was there to protect the smiling face. Hanna was there too. She must have brought the soft material that covered her now. She noted Hanna wasn't smiling either. She was also there to protect the smiling face. She wondered what they needed to protect the smiling face from. The smiling face was beautiful.
She just needed to rest for a few minutes. It's what she needed. She was tired. The confusion was less intense since the smiling face reached out to her. Still her eyelids were very heavy. They went closed. Blackness overtook her.
"We're losing her." Hanna said.
Gail and Jim were right there.
"What can we do?" Gail asked.
Summer still held Cameron's hand.
"I have her." Summer said.
No one was sure what her statement actually meant. They could see Summer held Cameron's hand.
Summer moved close to Cameron as she slowly lay back on the bed. Her feet were still over the side of the bed.
"We're losing her." Hanna said again.
Gail thought she knew what was occurring.
"She's going into 'Sleeping Beauty' mode." Gail said.
Summer read every report that was filed by the Resistance. She knew all the details. She knew what to do and she knew it was going to work. She leaned over Cameron and gave her a soft kiss.
Jim saw what was about to happen and thought it needed to be one of the 'Chosen Ones' to bring Cameron out of 'Sleeping Beauty' mode.
"Is it going to work?" Jim asked.
Almost instantly Cameron opened her eyes. She looked directly into Summer's eyes. Summer moved back and Cameron sat up.
Cameron looked around and wondered what happened. She saw she now wore a robe. It was open in the front. She pulled the two halves together because Summer was there. She didn't want to be improper in front of her. She saw Summer didn't look at her nakedness but kept her eyes on her own eyes. She could feel it was more than respect.
"How do you feel?" Summer asked.
Cameron felt fine. She just couldn't remember what happened. The last thing she remembered clearly was John making love to her in Holly's chassis. She quickly opened the robe and looked down. She was relieved to see it was still her chassis.
"I'm still me." Cameron said.
For some reason she thought she may be in Holly's chassis. She wondered where the thought came from.
The three Terminators looked at each other with extreme concern.
"I'm fine." Cameron said.
She saw the three Terminators all look at each other again when she said it. She knew why.
Summer felt she could control the situation.
"Hi, Cameron, you're fine." Summer said. "You needed to work out a few issues. You're better now."
Cameron looked at Jim, Hanna and Gail. The concerned look on their faces bothered her.
Summer wanted to put them at ease. There was no threat to her or anyone.
"She's fine." Summer said. "You just need to believe me."
Cameron tried to remember why she'd left John. Her hearing was turned down too. She turned it up.
Cameron stood. She could hear John in their suite with Holly.
Summer immediately got up when Cameron did.
Cameron went to move to go back to her suite.
Summer stood in her way.
"You made a promise." Summer said.
Cameron looked at Summer for a few seconds. She could tell Summer knew everything. She understood Summer knew everything. She was sure Summer knew everything she'd thought earlier as well. She only wished she could remember what it was. The promise she made was previous to anything that happened in the bedroom, specifically the bed.
"I did." Cameron said.
Summer smiled at Cameron. She wanted Cameron to believe.
"Trust in your love." Summer said.
Cameron wanted to do so.
"I'm trying to." Cameron said.
Cameron looked like she wanted to go around Summer.
Summer still blocked her path.
"Believe." Summer said.
Reality gripped Cameron.
Cameron opened her eyes and sat up. She checked her time. Only a few seconds had elapsed.
Summer knew exactly what happened. She'd been in control. She'd been able to reach Cameron. She'd been able to communicate with her.
"Hi, Cameron." Summer said. "She's OK now."
Cameron tried to remember how many times she'd awoken. It was only one, the one right now. It was very odd. It was like she experienced two awakenings. Did she have a dream? Could she dream now? Did Summer reach out and touch her with her mind? Was Summer really River? Wait, River could read her but she couldn't directly communicate with her. She was sure it was what Summer had just done.
She didn't think it was a dream at all right now. She believed it was direct contact. She was sure it happened. She was slipping away and Summer grabbed onto her mind and held her as she brought her back. It briefly crossed her mind who the true 'Chosen One' was.
She couldn't help but think about 'The Good Skynet' and 'The Redheaded Witch'. It clearly seemed to be a reference to a further future with SkyMaster. What other technology was available in SkyMaster's time period? Was Summer really a product of a further future? Was it a further time period? They knew River's future was five hundred years in the future. They didn't know what time period SkyMaster came from. They only knew it was the future, a future.
Cameron felt a slight 'nudge' within her. She blinked her eyes and looked at the other Terminators.
Gail, Hanna and Jim all spoke with Cameron. She was fine.
Summer touched Cameron's cheek.
"I'm going to take my bath now." Summer said. "I'm only a room away. I'll come if you need me."
Gail and Summer left.
Cameron remembered everything now. It was all clear in her mind. It was like everything was unwoven. It was all neatly laid out. She didn't really like what she found.
She looked towards the door Summer left through. She knew she needed to use restraint and moderation. She knew what a promise meant. A person was only as good as their promise. If they said something, and didn't follow through on it, it made them a liar. It was another way to steal the truth if a promise wasn't kept. It reeked of deceit and dishonesty.
"I think I need to go back." Cameron said.
She was unsure what she was going to find. She was sure John would be making love to Holly. She knew it would be more than sex for the two of them. It was her fault too.
Hanna still hoped Cameron would need her. She hoped to refocus Cameron thoughts right now. Summer was no longer there and she didn't want Cameron to relapse. She wanted to give her something else to think about. It was what she wanted anyway.
"I'm available if you need me." Hanna said. "It will be the same way and there are no regrets."
Cameron looked at Hanna. She wanted to use her chassis again. She liked how everything on it was so different from her. How could everything be so pink? It was absolutely beautiful. She wanted John to touch her and look at her again in Hanna's chassis. She wanted him to do it in all of their chassis again. She needed to remember restraint and moderation going forward. It seemed like something she'd discussed earlier.
"I'll let you know." Cameron said.
She took off the robe and handed it back to Hanna.
"Thanks." Cameron said. "Excuse me."
Cameron quietly opened the door to her suite and went inside. The door closed behind her.
Jim and Hanna looked at each other. They both witnessed the same things.
"What just happened here?" Hanna asked.
Jim hoped one of the cameras picked it up.
"I'm not really sure." Jim said. "It all seemed to happen so fast."
Hanna was unsure what to do now. She looked towards the door of the Owner's Suite. She looked towards the door of the spare room of the Master Suite which went into the private area. Did she want some 'fresh meat'? Would she rather have Cameron use her chassis again?
Claire and Jesse were right through the door into the spare bedroom of the Master Suite. There was more than one choice available. One was a gamble. Another was a sure thing.
Jan heard some noise. She hoped it was Gail and Summer coming back. They hadn't been gone too long but it was long enough. It briefly crossed her mind it might be her mother coming to check on her. She looked down at herself quickly. She really hoped it wasn't. She scooped as many bubbles as possible up against her. Only her head was above the bubbles.
Summer came into the bathroom.
"I'm sorry. I needed to see Cameron for a few minutes." Summer said.
Jan was almost ready to get out of the bubble bath. It wasn't as much fun to be in the tub alone.
"You can still get in. I made lots of bubbles." Jan said.
Summer needed to hang up her dress.
"I'll be back in a minute." Summer said.
She appeared about thirty seconds later. She now wore her swimsuit.
Jan noticed but didn't say anything.
Gail straightened things up and collected the clothes Jan left on the floor. She looked over at the tub when she saw it was all of Jan's clothes.
She could see how playful the girls looked with each other now in the bubble bath.
She seemed to have a compulsion to join them. She knew there wasn't enough room for the three of them in the tub. Sure they would all fit, but there would be a lot of contact. It wasn't what she thought about right now. She sought something else. It looked like 'fun'.
"Save the water when you're through." Gail said. "I might take a bubble bath too."
Jan wanted to see Gail in the shower like she did Holly.
"You can always take a shower if you don't want to wait." Jan said. "It's what Holly did."
Gail didn't want to make the girls feel rushed. She wanted to let them continue to have fun. Everyone looked very happy when they had fun.
"Maybe I'll do that." Gail said. "I'll be back."
Gail left the main part of the bathroom.
Summer and Jan played around some and turned on the whirlpool jets again.
Gail returned a few minutes later wearing a bathrobe. She'd grabbed it at the last second since Summer put her swimsuit on. She'd almost walked in the bathroom naked. It was what she was used to doing at the base. She really didn't think it was a big deal. Nakedness was natural for humans and machines. They were born or constructed without clothes. None of the other animals on the planet wore clothing.
She went to the large shower and turned the water on. She took off the robe and entered.
The girls looked without looking. The build on Gail was something to behold. They looked at each other but didn't say anything.
It really made Jan wonder what she was going to look like when she was older. She didn't have far to go until she looked like her mother. She had a long way to go to look like Holly and Gail. She didn't think she would look like Gail. Both Holly and Gail were impressive, with or without clothes. It was very much more so in the buff.
Young Allison disagreed with turning the power back on, especially before disabling one of the unknown power connectors or amplifiers. They actually didn't even know what they really were anyway. It was speculation on Cammy's part. Savannah and Cammy were on the ground so she needed to go with their tactical call. If they wanted to study it again first, maybe it was the only way. They didn't know how it worked or even where or when the portal went to.
There was just something that rolled around in the back of her mind. Maybe it was what John Henry said about the power surge. They didn't know how any of the equipment worked. It was possible it was damaged when they shut the power off. It was possible wherever all the ordinance went; it did something on the other end as well.
She decided she was going to deal with the unknown threat in a drastic manner. She'd already started things into motion. CamNet even asked for confirmation as to the nature of her request. She also disregarded CamNet's advice to consult Savannah first. It was all hindsight right now. She needed to think about what would happen going forward. She thought she would need the SUV that was there to do it. There were other ways too.
Anna wondered about the other teams who backed Cammy's team up. She felt they needed to be ready for any contingency.
"What do you want to do with the other teams?" Anna asked. "It doesn't look like there will be any counterattack or break out from the location."
Young Allison still didn't know if they would be needed or not. There were too many variables in play. She didn't want to send away any of Savannah's help. It was help for the entire team inside the building.
"I don't know yet." Young Allison said. "We need to see what happens when the power goes back on."
Anna knew all the teams were ready to respond. The five drones in the parking lot were ready to evacuate the teams in the building in a moment's notice. 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Coltan Overcast' were both in position to back up Cammy's team with direct fire support. They were both ready to fly into the opening and do what they were constructed to do. Drones dealt out death.
Cammy moved Savannah behind the lathe. It was big enough to stop any bullets fired at them.
Savannah removed her night vision in anticipation of the lights coming back on when the power was restored.
"The power will be back on in seven seconds." John Henry said. "There may be a slight power surge."
The lights in the building flashed once and came back on.
Cammy and Savannah watched the spot with the three bullet holes.
There was a small bright flash in the center of where Cammy fired the triangle of shots.
There was a small black square that grew into a large black square in the wall and it disappeared as did the three bullet holes. The wall looked like it did previously. There was no damage to it. They knew the bullet holes were there. The hologram was back over the black portal.
"The portal has reopened." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't like it. She was sure it was a danger to them.
"We need to shut it down." Savannah said.
There was a flicker of the hologram covering the opening. There was a sudden change.
Savannah and Cam felt a 'pull' on them.
Cammy quickly looked at Savannah.
"We need to leave immediately." Cammy said
Savannah grabbed the lathe.
"I'm not sure I can." Savannah said.
The dead Gray was sucked into the wall and disappeared. The drill press toppled over and was pulled into the wall. The bench dumped over and followed it. They both disappeared. They were all gone and the wall looked same. The 'pull' continued to increase.
Cammy and Savannah looked at each other.
The lathe began to slide towards the opening and the unknown.
"Cut the power." Cammy shouted.
Savannah wanted to save the other Terminators. Cammy and her were 'stuck'.
"I 'order' everyone out NOW, evacuate." Savannah shouted.
Everything that happened, all happened in the last two seconds since the lights came on.
The lathe began to slide along the floor towards the unseen opening. Cammy grabbed onto Savannah.
They were being sucked into the unknown
It's what Cammy feared could happen.
Cammy and Savannah both wondered why the power wasn't being shut off.
Savannah glanced over and saw the SUV was sliding along the floor in back of them.
Cammy and Savannah couldn't move away from the lathe or the 'pull' of the void. The SUV was moving rapidly now. It looked like it would hit them before they were sucked in.
Savannah saw Steve and Tom make it out of the building through the roll up door. Cam was right behind them. Her forward momentum suddenly stopped and she toppled over backwards just as she cleared the rear door. Cam began to slide backwards along the floor after the SUV. It looked like she was a 'goner'.
It didn't look good for any of them still in the building.
The female Fanatic made it to the back fence. She paused for a moment to see if she heard a dog on the other side. She didn't. It didn't mean there wasn't one there. She went over the wall and through the property out to the next street. The fire from the building lit the night sky around her. She didn't need to rely just on the moonlight.
She looked up and down the street. She hoped to see something parked along the curb. There wasn't. She hoped there would be a vehicle parked in front of one of the buildings. There wasn't. There were no vehicles present.
She thought about returning to the supermarket. She knew there was a vehicle waiting for her there. She was going to need to return to it at some point to retrieve the box with the items she'd taken from the three dead men. There were additional weapons there as well. There were two more streets which ran perpendicular to the one she was on. There were three more streets which ran in the same direction as the one she was on. She was bound to come across another vehicle first.
She hoped when she obtained another vehicle, she could do some reconnaissance of the supermarket parking lot before she actually needed to enter it and retrieve her items. She didn't know at what point the authorities would be notified about the three dead men. She still hoped it looked like they'd all killed each other.
A sinking thought crossed her mind. She quickly touched herself. She didn't have her pistol anymore. She only had one of the spare magazines for it. She still did have the knife. She wasn't completely defenseless. There were more weapons in the box in the trunk of the car.
She was almost to the corner of the next street which ran perpendicular. She would approach with caution. She didn't know what the explosion and fire would draw. There was bound to be some type of emergency response. She didn't want to be out in the open when they appeared. She moved up along the side of the building as she came up to the intersection. She peeked her head around the corner. She instantly pulled it back. She saw someone was coming.
The Gray needed to put some distance between where he was at currently, to any other place he could go to as quickly as possible. He moved up along the buildings as he approached the corner. He didn't want to interact with the other individual he'd been involved in the traffic accident with. They seemed rather dazed and confused as they wandered around their vehicle. It rested on its side. The building behind him burned furiously. He quickly moved around the corner. He looked back to make sure he wasn't followed. He moved along the street. He needed to get another vehicle.
He was sure he'd passed a few vehicles along the way to get there. He'd been in such a rush to follow the van, he wasn't sure. It appeared to him there were two suicide bombers involved in the attack on both of the buildings he'd recently been too. It was only those nut jobs who worship SkyMaster who were willing to kill themselves to achieve their goal. He really wondered why they believed Skynet was a god. Well, it was SkyMaster to them. What a bunch of imbeciles.
He'd signed on with Skynet because he believed it was the winning team. He was aware of the perks as well. They were the females rounded up during the raids. He smiled at the thought of being with them before they were put into the work camps. He was aware they were abused just as much in the work camps as they were by his fellow Grays before they got there. It didn't really matter in the end. It was a one way ticket for all of them. When they could no longer perform the tasks they were assigned to, a Terminator would snap their neck and throw them into the burn pile.
One thing which didn't surprise him too much was the Scavengers they'd rounded up. They volunteered to deal with the deceased headed for the burn pile. The Terminators seemed to look the other way with whatever the Scavengers did to the decedents before they were burnt. It was usually plenty.
There was some yelling behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the other individual attempting to push their car back onto its wheels. He knew unless they were a Terminator, it wasn't going to happen.
He was almost to the first cross street. He looked in both directions as he approached it. He wanted to find a vehicle. Something made him touch himself. It wasn't to check for injuries, he'd already done that. It was to check his weapons. He found he didn't have any again. He didn't have anything now. Even his phone was gone. He looked back in the direction he'd come from. He wasn't about to go back towards the inferno and his upside down car. The enraged individual with the other car was someone else he wanted to avoid without any weapons. He decided to turn at the first street he came to and head towards the supermarket. He was sure he'd be able to score a vehicle before then.
Something made him look in back of himself once he started on the cross street. He didn't see anyone behind him, even though he was left with the feeling there was.
CamNet instructed both of the Terminators to remain where they were. They were to monitor the progress of both of the individuals.
They could see both of the individuals were on a collision course. They wondered which one would see the other one first. It appeared the female Fanatic's luck held.
"She spotted someone coming." The first Terminator said.
The second one watched the drone image.
"I think she was able to identify him as the Gray." The second Terminator said. "The area is actually very brightly lit from the burning building."
The first Terminator agreed.
"She was able to get a good look at him when he was at the homeless camp." The first Terminator said.
They watched the actions of the Gray and the female Fanatic. They wondered what weapons each of them still possessed.
Currently they were between both of the individuals and the supermarket. Depending upon which route each of the individuals was going to take, they may have to move their position so they weren't spotted.
They wanted to remain where they were at . They hoped one of them did approach them. It would make their termination much simpler.
CamNet gave them instructions to be ready to move instead.
They began to wonder if CamNet was playing a game with the two enemies. It seemed like it was to them. It wasn't something they were going to point out or question. They did know by allowing one of them to attack the other, it kept them one step out of danger. The targets they would need to deal with were being taken care of for them. It was a little sloppier than they would do things. The less they entered the danger zone, the less damage they would receive.
The female Fanatic thought about what she'd just witnessed. She was sure it was the Gray. She wasn't really sure how he made it out of the building alive. She didn't know he wasn't in the building at the time the explosion occurred.
She cursed herself for only still having her knife. If she had her pistol, she would shoot him. She needed to assume he was armed. She knew when someone brought a knife to a gunfight; it didn't always end well for the person with the knife. It all depended upon the amount of surprise they could get. The inattentiveness of the other individual was always a factor as well.
She'd seen him turn back to look in the direction he'd come from when she first saw his face. It was clearly lit by the burning building off to the side. She didn't think she was spotted. He was checking to see if he had a tail.
The best course of action for her was to move back one building and hide in an alcove or the bushes. If he'd spotted her, and came looking for her, he was going to find her. Hopefully he'd be looking in the other direction when he did.
She was down in the bushes against the side of the building when he reached the intersection. She saw him look in both directions. She figured he wanted the same thing she did. He wanted a vehicle. He started down the street she was on towards the supermarket. It was the direction away from her.
She went in pursuit of the Gray. She stayed up alongside the buildings to prevent herself from being silhouetted. She let him move three buildings down the street before she crossed the street he'd come off of. She was a little surprised to see a car on its side in the intersection of the next street.
Now it made her wonder if he was even in the building. She heard something that sounded like two 'claps' from his direction. She quickly realized he was checking his hearing.
The female Fanatic moved out of the line of sight of the street she was on when she crossed at the intersection. She didn't want to be spotted. She came up along the side of the building on the other side of the street and carefully looked around the corner. She was a little worried at what she didn't see.
The Gray started down the side street. He looked behind him several times to make sure he wasn't being followed. He had the distinct feeling someone was there. He didn't know who they could be or what they were doing. No one took a shot at him, so he took it as a good sign. He really needed to get a weapon.
His main concern was it could be more of the enemy. They may have had an observer at a different location. They could have even guided the suicide bomber as to the exact time to attack.
The more he thought about being tailed. The more worried he became. His ears started to ring now. He took it as a good sign. He clapped his hands twice in front of him. He could barely hear the sound. It pleased him he could hear something at all. He looked behind him again as he moved down the street.
The Gray moved up against the side of one of the buildings and waited for a moment to see if anyone appeared behind him. He really wished he still had a weapon.
CamNet's Terminators were both a little irritated they couldn't move in and terminate the two individuals. They were both the enemy. There was no need to continue to let them live. They should be dealt with and terminated as soon as possible. Their instructions were otherwise.
Something To Behold
When one looks to another
It's not to be controlled
They may take extreme steps
To even get a foothold
As to what's happened before
They may put on a blindfold
For the actions of the past
They will often be paroled
Into what is desired
They may try to mold
No one wants to get played
Or feel like they've been rolled
Everyone wants warmth
They want to get out of the cold
Some of their actions
May seem provocative and bold
To find one's inner beauty
Is more valuable than gold
It is joy and goodness
It's something to behold
Nobody