Chapter 1351
Red Bull
Savannah moved towards the location where she was sure Young Allison scurried to. She watched the opening with the spiral staircase and watched the front and side as she moved in a low crouch. She thought she was getting close to where Young Allison was. She couldn't see her. She wondered if she could sneak up on Young Allison this time.
"Red." Young Allison said.
Savannah jumped a little. She hadn't seen anyone yet. She was taken by surprise.
"Bull." Savannah answered.
It was the second time in a combat situation where Young Allison was able to get behind her when she was watching for threats. She was right by her again too. She was able to move silently and quickly. Young Allison was next to her in a second. She knew Young Allison was 'good'. She didn't know how 'good' until the last few minutes. Not only was she good, she was 'hard' too.
Young Allison wanted to fill Savannah in. She got right to the point.
"Someone is coming up the stairs." Young Allison said. "I believe it's a Gray. I heard them mutter and cuss. I want to take them with my silenced M9. I want to wait until they move away from the opening in case there's anyone else behind them. I want them to come out too. I don't want them to retreat back down the stairway or raise an alarm. The room with the energy bubble is rigged with a trip wire and a Thermite grenade just inside the door."
Savannah didn't even have time to tell Young Allison she'd startled her. She'd gone right into the situation and what was necessary.
"OK." Savannah said. "If they make it towards the room with the energy field we need to move out the front as fast as we can. It may bring down the whole building."
Savannah was aware it could bring down the whole block.
Young Allison went to move away but paused.
"What about the prisoner?" Young Allison asked.
Savannah didn't want to be associated with her termination or at least the way she terminated.
"She didn't make it." Savannah said. "She was dead."
Young Allison wondered if Savannah killed her. It didn't matter. The prisoner was most likely the enemy. Either way she was dead. There wasn't much else they could do.
She was glad she didn't need to kill her. It would have been a test for her to shoot her in the face as she was tied there helpless. She'd trained for similar situations too. Maybe she should have done it, just to do it, and moved on. She needed to refocus.
"Back me up with your M4 in case there's a group that emerges." Young Allison said.
Young Allison was gone again as quickly and silently as she'd appeared.
Savannah remained where she was so she could provide flanking firepower if it was needed.
Young Allison moved back to her previous position just as the man walked out.
He held a glow stick in his hand but realized the room was lit.
He looked at the room with the glow. He seemed somewhat alarmed.
"Oh, crap." He said.
Young Allison fired one shot at his head and three more into his upper torso. He was killed instantly. He landed in a heap outside the room with the energy ball.
Savannah watched Young Allison kill again. She was sure she would have killed the female too if she'd gone back instead of her. She was just glad Young Allison didn't need to see how badly she'd been savaged. Wait, Young Allison did see her earlier. She needed to concentrate.
Young Allison was on the move.
Savannah held her M4 ready if more targets came out of the door with the stairway.
Young Allison moved closer to the door with the stairway to listen better. It was silent. She motioned for Savannah to move up to her position.
Savannah checked the front and the far side for any movement. There was none. She moved up to where Young Allison was.
"I'm going down the stairs to take a look at what's down there and where it goes." Young Allison said.
Savannah wondered if maybe they should withdraw at this point. They could flatten the place with a drone strike.
"I think we should withdraw." Savannah said.
The group they currently dealt with appeared to be from a further future. Young Allison wanted to see if they could glean any future technology or at least see what they were up to. After the 'portal thing', it seemed anything was possible.
"Not yet." Young Allison said. "I want to know what was happening here and why. These people are a threat to any future. We need to know how to fight them."
Young Allison motioned for Savannah to cover her while she looked for any intel on the man she'd just killed. She didn't find anything useful. She went over and removed the booby trap from the electrical room. The energy ball was still the same size but even brighter. The hum was low and deep sounding.
She rejoined Savannah.
"Why did you remove the booby trap?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison felt there may be others from the Resistance arriving soon. She didn't want them to trip it. She was sure their current situation was going to put everyone into action. It would start with those who would be able to actually enter the facility. It would mean more humans.
"I have a feeling Derek and Kyle are on their way here." Young Allison said. "The Terminators are probably on their way back with them. They're all going to be itching to come back here."
Savannah figured Cammy was for sure. She thought she would come too. She knew John Henry and CamNet would do everything they could to help. It was clear it was what Young Allison already did. She still wondered how it was going to go over. Once they found out Young Allison was there. They were all going to come.
"It may be true." Savannah said. "I hope not, but it's what they would all do. Jesse and Sarah may be with them as well."
Young Allison thought about it for a second. She figured Riley would turn Precious over to Jesse and come herself at some point. Jesse could take care of Precious and was a skilled fighter. It was the best option for Precious.
"Jesse will stay with Precious." Young Allison said. "She knows her function and responsibility."
Her statement made Savannah think about something. It was a 'function' Cameron provided Jesse and Vanna with. She also wanted to get them ready for what Claire and her carried inside them.
Young Allison moved the dead man's arm, which had been pointed at the room with the energy ball, to now point at the door with the stairway.
"Let's go." Young Allison said.
Young Allison carefully entered the door with the spiral stairway.
Savannah didn't want to get ahead of themselves.
"Wait." Savannah said.
Anna searched for a target with the M82A1 in the back of the SUV.
She spotted something move.
"I have a movement." Anna said.
Mel was ready too.
"What is it?" Mel asked.
Anna zoomed in with her vision.
She relaxed her finger on the trigger.
She wondered if it was a 'bad omen'. There was a black cat. It slowed and stopped as it neared the area between the two buildings. It suddenly turned around and ran off.
"It was a feline. It detected the energy field." Anna said. "It retreated."
Anna realized she was a little sluggish again.
"I think the energy field is intensifying." Anna said. "I feel some drag."
Mel checked himself.
"I do too." Mel said. "It's very slight. I didn't realize it until you said something."
Anna knew they would need to pull back soon. There was no telling how big it would get.
"I don't think it's anywhere near its full power yet." Anna said.
Anna kept her eyesight on the space between the buildings during the entire conversation.
She received an update from CamNet. She was informed the others were on their way from both the Resistance base and Cameron's base. Mel received the transmission as well.
"Everyone is coming." Mel said.
Anna didn't think it was a good thing.
"Let's hope this is over before they get here." Anna said.
Anna didn't believe sending more people into the unknown target area, basically blind, was a good idea. None of them would know what was happening. None of them would know what to expect.
After the second song finished, Allison and Vanna switched places.
Allison held John's hand until she was far enough away where they slipped apart.
Vanna watched and waited for them to stop looking at each other.
"My turn…." Vanna said.
John smiled at Vanna and she smiled back.
Vanna felt a rush inside her. She wanted this. She could feel her body respond to her desire.
John wanted to make Vanna feel at ease. He didn't want to put unnecessary pressure on her or make her feel obligated to do anything. He was aware of some of the incidents in her past. He knew there was a possibility she might get cold feet. He didn't think there was anything wrong with it on her part. Everybody needed to feel comfortable with what they did. He certainly wasn't going to push anyone. He wasn't going to allow them to be pushed by anyone else either.
"I'll stop anytime you want." John whispered. "You're the decider."
Vanna appreciated hearing John's considerate words. She wasn't sure if it was in reference to the dancing or a possible sexual encounter. Either way, she appreciated his level of concern and understanding. It showed John cared about her and would look out for her and respect her. His thoughtfulness only made her want him more. The only thing a male ever thought about her, was which part of her body to abuse next. The thought of now and what was to come buried the bad memories for a while. Thoughts of sharing with John were much more pleasant to think about.
It was clear her body now responded in a different way than it did when she was with the girls. She knew what her body was telling her. It was the first time she'd felt it respond like this since back when Cameron used to put her in John's bed naked before. This time it was what she wanted. Her body was ready to receive John.
Allison moved away from John and only gave Vanna a quick glance. She received the same in return. She moved over and faced Cameron. The two of them together drew some looks. It was quickly viewed as two twin sisters having a good time and enjoying the music and dancing.
Cameron noticed. She saw the females looked more than the males did. They knew there was beauty there they couldn't match. She smiled.
Allison watched Cameron smile. She noticed the other females check them out.
"I know why you're smiling." Allison said.
Cameron looked into Allison's eyes. She told her what she believed.
"Your beauty is next to none." Cameron said.
Allison liked to hear it. She didn't think it applied to her most of the time. She did want to make an observation which seemed to enter her mind from time to time. She was aware of what others looked at in a female. It wasn't usually their intelligence either. She wanted to compliment Cameron's beauty. She knew it was greater than hers.
"I guess we don't need to have breasts the size of basketballs and blue eyes for our beauty to be noticed." Allison said. "I used to think those were the things everyone wanted."
Cameron looked serious for a moment. She wanted Allison to recognize the truth. They were the same.
"My beauty is your beauty, Allison." Cameron said. "I owe it all to you."
Allison felt differently about it. Cameron was always beautiful. Even when she was damaged, she was still beautiful.
"Tonight my beauty really is your beauty, Cameron." Allison said. "I never look this good on my own."
The next song started and Allison and Cameron danced together.
Allison decided she wasn't going to say anything about her desire to be with John. She wanted the decision to come from Cameron and John. She wondered when Cameron was going to push a little harder on her. It didn't take long.
Cameron moved them away from John and Vanna as they danced.
They were off to the side and away from Holly and Gail-Cam.
Cameron moved Allison off the dance floor. She'd scanned her as they danced and detected she was in a high state of arousal. Vanna had been the same way.
There was a serious look on her face.
"Would you like to be with John tonight?" Cameron asked.
Allison swallowed hard.
Cameron noticed. Maybe she was too direct. She wanted to make sure there were numerous options available to Allison.
"It can be just for a short time too." Cameron quickly said. "You can leave at any time. You can say 'stop' and John will. You know he will. If you don't want him to do something, he won't. You know he'll respect your wishes. If you want him to do something specific, he will."
Allison wanted to share for such a long time. She would stay at least until John finished inside of her one time. She wanted it because she already carried his child. It would make it all the more real this time for her. She wasn't so sure Cameron wouldn't fold. She wanted to make sure. She wanted to observe Cameron when she asked her.
"I don't know." Allison said. "Is it what you really want?"
Cameron wanted John protected. She really didn't think it would be too big of a deal anymore. She'd been with John in a chassis which looked like all of the other girls already. Well, except for Samantha. She would look like Claire when they got back.
"It's what's necessary for his protection." Cameron said. "I think we're all at the point where we can share with each other. It's really no different than what you and the girls do. It really isn't a big deal. We all know who we 'belong to'. We should be able to share freely."
At this point in time, it wasn't a big deal for Cameron anymore. They were well past the 'seven year itch' anyway. It was part of the purpose to borrow the chassis of the other Metal girls. She also wanted to deliver their virginity to John herself. It was five down and one to go. There was still Bob and Jim too. Maybe Allison and Vanna would take their places. Maybe they wouldn't. She wasn't sure if she should mention it or not. She didn't want to make anyone feel obligated.
Allison really wanted it to happen. She didn't want to make a long term commitment before she tried it. She wasn't sure she would like it. She was even less sure Vanna would. She wanted Cameron to know there was a qualifier.
"Can I try it one time first?" Allison said. "I don't know about later on."
Cameron smiled.
"Vanna said the same thing." Cameron said. "I understand why."
Allison really thought Cameron should ask Savannah to do it first. She felt obligated to say something.
"What about Savannah?" Allison asked. "It's her place."
Cameron frowned. She believed Savannah was hesitant for personal reasons. She didn't understand Savannah was hesitant because she didn't want to hurt her.
"She's been reluctant to help me in this matter." Cameron said. "I understand and accept the true nature of every 'Savannah Weaver'. Her desires are different."
Allison knew Savannah was close several times to being with John. They'd talked about it several times when they made love. Savannah said she wanted to try it at least one time anyway.
"She's willing to try it at least once." Allison said. "If John is threatened specifically, she'll be by his side and in his bed every night."
There was a faint smile on Cameron's face. She didn't want it to be that way if it could be avoided. She wanted it to be spontaneous and something mutual.
"She knows her duty." Cameron said. "I want it to be more than 'duty' for her. I want her to be happy."
Allison was very aware Savannah would be happy to be with Cameron.
She could see Young Allison was chomping at the bit for more from Savannah or John. She decided not to bring it up. She'd even discussed it with her mother. Claire told her she would rather see Young Allison pregnant and taking care of babies, than fighting for her life like Savannah was forced to do. As her parent and legal guardian, she would sign any legal paperwork in that regard, if they wanted to get married for real.
They'd even searched at a library one time for the states where it would be legal. Utah and New Hampshire both had the lowest age. She decided not to bring it up either. They'd gone to the library so they wouldn't alert anyone what they were really doing. They'd only looked at paper documents or books so they couldn't be tracked as to what their inquiries were. If they'd looked online Cameron would have found out and Young Allison and John would be on the next plane to Utah or New Hampshire. She really didn't want Young Allison forced into a lifestyle of such a nature at this time.
"Let's see what happens." Allison said. "I don't want John pressured about it either. None of us want it to seem like it's a 'job' or a 'function'. We all have feelings too. You can't forget it, Cameron. We all matter too."
Cameron was a little taken aback by Allison's statement. She knew what her feelings and emotions did to her for both good and bad. The human girls all possessed superior and stronger feelings and emotions. She was very aware people self terminated over emotional matters and love.
"I'll think about it." Cameron said.
Allison was aware the ramifications were more than long lasting. They were permanent.
"You think about it really good and all its implications." Allison said. "You think about yourself too. You need to remember once it happens, it's happened forever. There's no going back. Even if you go back with some temporal hocus pocus, the event is still going to have occurred in one reality."
Allison glanced over at John and Vanna dancing. Vanna looked totally in love right now. She really wanted Cameron to look at everything with open eyes. It was more than just about open legs. Everything was going to be open, including each person's heart, mind and soul.
"Just keep in mind you might damage some relationships in the process of all of this including your own." Allison said. "We all matter too. We all have feelings. Things happen and people change. Be warned."
Cameron wondered if maybe she was thinking properly. Allison was sending her all kinds of warnings. Why wasn't she thinking about this herself? Right now it didn't seem to matter to her. Protecting John was what mattered. It was her mission. She was sent back through time to help guide and train John. She was sent back as his protector. It wasn't about her. It was all about John.
Holly and Gail-Cam listened from the back of the room as they danced with each other.
"Cameron needs to listen to Allison." Holly said.
Gail-Cam thought Cameron was too selfish.
"Cameron needs to understand how people feel, not just how machines feel." Gail-Cam said. "She also needs to understand how John will feel."
Holly didn't think it was all fun and games. She was aware once someone attained something, it wasn't always easy to hold on to.
"Cameron will need to use herself as bait to get any of the girls to stay with John all the time." Holly said. "She seems reluctant to do so."
Gail-Cam moved up and touched Holly's hand.
"It's because she doesn't know what she's missing." Gail-Cam said.
Holly looked at Gail-Cam with anticipation.
"We know." Holly said.
Ally and Sheila joined the ongoing party in the sky lounge. It never seemed to end. There was a lot of dancing and drinking going on. It seemed as if some of the passengers consumed hundreds of dollars of alcohol a day. There was always a large group of passengers whose bar tab exceeded the cruise fare by two or three times the dollar amount.
Sheila always tried to liven things up and tease both men and women.
Ally was a little more reserved, especially tonight. She was looking forward to Cameron using her chassis later on with John.
Sheila would just as soon have gone back to one of the rooms and picked up wherever she left off last time with whatever girls she'd been with. When she did, she could create one continuous file with the specific female.
She could see Ally wasn't quite herself. The incident with Mary and Laura didn't help any. She decided to play it cool tonight for Ally's sake. She was apprehensive enough.
They just blended in and went with the flow.
Cam-Gail and Hanna were both content to play the roles of the human females, or any other Metal girls, they 'looked like' in the Honeymoon Suite. They'd just about run through all the combinations.
"What's next?" Hanna asked.
Cam-Gail could only think of one thing. It seemed like a good idea too.
"I guess we could start over again." Cam-Gail said.
Hanna looked around and smiled.
"We haven't done the bunker yet." Hanna said.
Gail-Cam and Hanna looked at each other's sheath.
"It's close enough." Cam-Gail said. "Just don't touch as much. We can make the simulation."
They 'attacked' each other with a new sexual ferocity.
Jim kept a watchful eye on Sheila and Ally. He didn't want them in any trouble. Maybe it should be, any more trouble.
Hanna and Cam-Gail stayed out of the way. It would be easier for him if Ally did too. Sheila might go on some wild spree throughout the ship. He didn't want Sheila to provoke any incidents. He knew she always tried to resolve them with violence. Ally usually kept her in check.
He tried to update with John Henry and CamNet again. He received nothing in response other than, 'all is as it was'. He strongly doubted it. The less they told him, the more he figured was happening. It probably wasn't in a positive way either.
John Henry thought more about what Summer said about turning the power back on. He was aware the girl's night vision equipment wouldn't function in the conditions the girls faced currently. Neither would flashlights of any kind. He wondered how they were able to see even.
He sent the warning out to the teams approaching about the same thing. It was doubtful their electronic devices would work. They would literally be in the dark without a clue where anything was.
He was going to advise them not to enter until something could be worked out.
Steve and Tom reported what may have been a fire. It never seemed to manifest itself. There was no smoke or anything openly burning. Maybe it was out.
The troops that approached the location needed to put the brakes on things. If it was a world of darkness, there was no way for them to function. Everything would be a target and a threat, even each other.
He was aware divers under the water sometimes used magnesium flares to light the area. There were road flares in all of the vehicles. They would definitely light the area. They would also make whoever was holding one a target. Once they were lit, it would be very hard to conceal if it became necessary.
Summer spent all her time keeping Jan occupied so she didn't worry as much about her parents being out. It was very seldom when both of her parents were out on some type of an operation at the same time. She was worried about Savannah too. None of the others knew Young Allison was there with her.
She was sure her mother was going to flip when she found out. It seemed it was only a matter of time.
Jesse and Claire kept Riley calm as well.
Samantha went to the infirmary and made sure everything was in order and all the supplies were there. Everything was ready to go.
She plugged into the server there and checked the medical database. There was information on every type of surgery. She preselected a number of procedures and watched actual operations take place. She was amazed at how much punishment the human body could take and recover from. She continued to watch more and more procedures. She felt confident she could do any of them, especially with John Henry's help.
She understood watching it, and doing it, were two different things. It was still a good starting point.
Jesse suggested Samantha slip out and not tell anyone where she was going before she left. She was sure if the other saw her go, they would want to know where she was at. She didn't think telling them, preparing the infirmary for surgery, was going to do anyone any good. It was only going to raise the anxiety level.
Riley finally noticed Samantha was gone at one point. She became concerned. She cared deeply about Samantha.
"Where did Samantha go?" Riley asked.
Jesse didn't want Riley to know the exact location. It would only cause her more grief and worry.
"She went on an inspection of the base." Jesse said. "It's no big deal. It's just a precaution. She'll be back."
Riley was afraid she went to join the potential combat which might erupt. She didn't think Jesse told her the truth.
"Be honest with me, please. Did she go with the others?" Riley asked.
Jesse didn't want Riley to get wound up again.
"No." Jesse said. "She'll be back soon. She's inspecting the base."
Riley didn't look convinced. Maybe Jesse didn't know for sure. Samantha may not have told Jesse where she was really going.
Cammy thought about telling Sarah she was aware Young Allison was with Savannah. She decided against it when John Henry sent the reminder that none of humans were going to be able to see in the darkness of the buildings.
Sarah heard the news and was upset.
"I could always carry a torch like they did in Medieval times." Sarah said.
Cammy wasn't so sure about something which didn't have a lot of control over it.
"It could also make you a target." Cammy said.
Sarah wondered about the conditions Savannah faced. She had to be at a major disadvantage. None of the options which popped into her head seemed very pleasant. None of them would be for Savannah.
"What about Savannah?" Sarah asked. "How is she getting around, or is she tied to a desk right now, or dead?"
Cammy felt her hand glitch.
If it happened, she was going to personally run a time mission to prevent Savannah from entering the building in the first place.
Derek's team and Kyle's team didn't take the news any better than Sarah and Cammy did. Their options were limited.
It appeared they would need to go in without Terminator support when they arrived. It was what they figured going in.
They knew Savannah was in one of the buildings. They didn't know Young Allison was there yet. CamNet wanted to keep a lid on it as long as possible.
One of their team was in a jam in a hostile environment. They wanted to make sure she got out.
Young Allison wanted to advance the operation. She wanted to get started.
"Let's go." Young Allison said.
She carefully entered the door with the spiral stairway.
Savannah was still hesitant.
"Wait." Savannah said. "What about the energy ball?"
Young Allison was ready to go down the spiral stairs. The energy ball was an unresolved issue.
"We can try to shut the power source to the energy ball off in the next room." Young Allison said. "Maybe we can find a breaker or something to throw and shut it down. As far as we know, it makes its own energy. I can still put the Thermite grenade back in there and pull the pin."
Savannah was sure it was a bad idea based on all her other encounters with future energy sources. Maybe finding the power source for it specifically was a better idea. It was probably the power cell from the captured Terminator.
"Maybe we can take a quick look down there." Savannah said. "It will be dark at some point and we will need to use the glow sticks. You know what it will mean."
Young Allison did know what it meant. It meant they would be a target. The glow sticks would light them up as well as light the way. If anyone was waiting for them, they would be ambushed. There was a way to avoid both of them being attacked simultaneously.
"I'll use the glow stick. You can follow behind me." Young Allison said. "I'm a slightly smaller target."
Savannah couldn't allow Young Allison to risk herself in such a way. She felt experience would be more of a factor than training for such an endeavor. She also wanted to make the ground rules going forward clear.
"I'll lead and you'll follow. That's final." Savannah said. "We'll take one quick look around. If we don't see what we're looking for, we'll pull out and call in the drone strike. We don't want the others coming in here after us."
Young Allison yielded the lead to Savannah. She wanted to use the utmost caution.
"Don't use your glow stick until you need it to continue." Young Allison said.
Savannah took one last look around the area.
"Follow me and keep some distance." Savannah said. "It may be tight quarters below."
Savannah slung her M4 on her back and drew her silenced M9. It would be better if she could soundlessly eliminate any threat or target without giving away their position.
Young Allison held her M4 for now. She would trade it for the M9 if the space was tight. She would have the additional firepower if they needed it for now.
Both girls were filled with apprehension and indecision. They still needed to get the job done and learn what they were up against.
Into the unknown they descended.
The white van with the two men in it left the scene of the burnt out truck. It proceeded towards the location where the building was destroyed.
"I think we need to play this cool." The first man said.
The second man looked around.
"I don't see or hear any emergency response." The second man said.
The first man knew what he'd observed.
"All I can tell you is what I saw." The first man said. "The building was completely destroyed."
The second man was still a little skeptical.
"We'll see." The second man said.
They decided to take a look at the property from the building behind it. They turned onto the street where the building behind it was located.
"It's the third building." The first man said.
The second man looked a little irritated.
"I can count." The second man said.
As soon as they turned onto the street, they could see pieces of debris scattered about the area.
"I think these are all parts of our building." The first man said.
The second man was surprised to see so much debris. He didn't want to damage the tires on the van.
"I think we should stop here and walk in." The second man said.
The two men exited the van and approached the building behind their property. The closer they got to the building the more debris there was. They turned into the driveway on the building in back of where the building was located.
"I didn't know there was this much debris everywhere." The first man said. "All I can tell you is it was a Hell of an explosion. It was actually two explosions. There was one and then a second later was when the gigantic one occurred. It's the one that turned the building into a crater."
They were about to pass by a door on the side of the building. The second man reached over and turned the handle. The door was open.
"I want to check this out when we leave." The second man said.
They approached the rear of the property. They went to the gap in the fence where they could walk through.
The first man felt vindicated by his description of what happened.
"See, it's just like I told you." The first man said. "The building is gone."
The second man took a moment to look before he passed through the fence. He was amazed at the destruction of the building. The majority of the building was down. There were only a few fragments of some of the walls left standing. Everything else was gone. He wasn't sure if it was blown away or burned up in the fire.
What struck his attention the most though was the fact there weren't any emergency vehicles there. There were no fire trucks he could see from where they were right now. He could see all the way through to the street on the other side of the building.
"Wow." The second man said. "I'm sure it was the power cell in the Terminator which exploded to create this level of destruction."
The first man didn't think there was anything else to see. He thought they should go back. No. He actually thought they should go to the building he'd left from. He wasn't sure it didn't look too much different from the one they currently looked at.
"We've seen all there is to see here." The first man said. "We can go check out my building now. I'm sure it looks the same."
The second man wanted to see a little more before they left. The burnt out car on its side was in front of them.
"Let's see if anything they were working on here survived." The second man said. "Is that the car the Terminator arrived in?"
The first man remembered where it was parked.
"Yes it is. It was parked by the building. I thought it was going to hit the truck I was in." The first man said. "The Terminator told me to move the truck to the back of the property. I was parked right next to where we're standing when the explosion occurred. The truck was heavily damaged from the flying debris. I drove it as far as I could before it quit on me."
The second man could see the first man hadn't exaggerated too much. Everything was pretty much as he'd described it. He didn't believe it was going to be. What he witnessed now what's proof it was.
"Let's just take a quick look and see what we can find." The second man said.
The first man thought it was a bad idea. He followed the second man towards the remains of the building. He wasn't sure if they'd find the bodies of his two compatriots or not.
The female Fanatic moved to the trunk of the car. She took one more look around her to make sure it was clear. She lifted the lid. She took a step back. It wasn't what she'd expected to find in the trunk. Then again, the men acted like Scavengers.
The trunk was filled with junk. It was what was on top of all of the trash which caught her attention. There was part of an arm. It was most of the left hand and half of the forearm. She noted there was a wristwatch on it. It was an expensive one. It was a Rolex. She touched the skin on part of it. It wasn't cold. It quickly donned on her exactly what it was. This was part of someone's arm from the building she'd blown up. The man must have seen it lying in the street and quickly grabbed it. Why he didn't take the watch off the wrist was a mystery to her.
She picked up a couple of old food wrappers. She held the forearm and turned it over. She went to take the watch off herself. The hasp at the back of it was damaged from some type of shrapnel. It was going to take some work to get the watch off of the wrist. She understood now why it was there.
She checked through the rest of the junk in the trunk. There was nothing of value or significance. She tossed The forearm back in the trunk and closed the lid.
There wasn't a whole lot to do right now but wait. She was sure one of the two white vans would show up soon. She really expected there to be some type of emergency response. So far she hadn't heard a thing. She checked her hearing as best as she could. She knew it wasn't her hearing.
She thought about sitting back inside the car. She was pretty sure she would fall asleep if she did. She was really tired right now. She just needed a couple hours of sleep and she'd be good. She had a small collection of phones with her. She thought she should spend the time going through them. Hopefully it would keep her from nodding off.
She took one more look in the direction of where the building she attacked was at. There was still smoke billowing up. There was no longer a glow visible from where she was at. There hadn't been any smaller explosions since she'd taken the car.
There was the sound of a vehicle approaching. She quickly looked in the direction of the noise. She was sitting on the hood of the car with her back against the windshield. It allowed her to see over the top of the hedge. If she sat inside of the car, she wouldn't be able to see as much. She more than likely would fall asleep too.
She didn't know if it was going to be an emergency vehicle or not. There was no siren. She hoped it was one of the two white vans. She soon got to look at the vehicle. It was just a car. She kept her head down as it passed. It never slowed at all as it went by where she was at and the street it could turn on to go to the destroyed building. Soon only the tail lights were what she could see.
The female Fanatic was very tired. She decided to set an alarm on one of the phones to go off every five minutes. She didn't want to accidentally doze off. She wanted to wait for one of the two white vans to return. She was sure they would lead her to another location.
CamNet's Terminators advanced into the interior of the mine. They looked for any trip wires or sensors. They didn't spot anything or any surveillance devices of any type.
"It doesn't look like much of anything has happened here in about fifty years." Lena said.
Tina felt much the same way. They knew there were Grays there. They needed to be there for a reason. There may only be a handful of them, but they were still there.
"They're up to something." Tina said. "Maybe they want the outer part of the mine to look like it's abandoned."
Lena thought about the possibilities.
"They may have only arrived at this location a short time ago." Lena said. "If they're going to establish some type of location for Skynet, they need to start someplace."
Tina wasn't sure where 'someplace' actually was.
"I hope it's not a trap to draw us in and terminate us here." Tina said.
Lena paused and touched the rock wall. She wanted to see if she could feel any type of vibrations or impact tremors. She detected neither.
"I can't hear or feel anything." Lena said.
Tina didn't think there was much else they could do other than continue.
"Let's see where this leads us." Tina said.
There was a crackle on the communications device.
Lena looked at Tina.
"Get ready." Lena said.
Tina held the communication device in her hand.
"Alpha, what's your status?" The man asked.
"Nothing has changed out here, Omega." Tina said in the dead sentry's voice. "There's nothing moving around our location at all. If I spot anything, I'll call you."
"Rodger, Alpha." The man said.
The communication ended.
Lena was a little concerned.
"It seemed to be a rather abrupt conversation." Lena said.
Tina wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Without any activity, there wasn't a whole lot to report." Tina said.
The two Terminators continued along in the darkness. They could make out the shape of something ahead of them. They slowed their approach. They didn't detect any movement or heat signatures around it. They continued to get closer to it.
"I believe it's old machinery." Lena said.
They approached it. It was old and rusted machinery. It was out of place. There was no reason for it to be where it was at. There were no shafts going either up or down. There were no passageways off to either side.
"I believe this was moved from another location." Tina said. "It looks like someone attempted to steal it. This is all the further they'd been able to take it before they gave up. There've been a number of parts taken off of it."
The fact the dismantled machinery was where it was at, was concerning to Lena.
"I believe this indicates nothing big has been taken through here anytime recently." Lena said.
Tina understood her meaning.
"It only further adds to the mystery of what exactly is going on in this location." Tina said.
Lena took out her phone and studied the satellite map she'd viewed earlier.
"There's usually more than one entrance to one of these locations." Lena said. "There will also be air shafts and other things associated with it. Sometimes there needs to be an exit for water as well."
Tina took out her phone.
"Let's see if we missed anything." Tina said.
The two Terminators checked over the satellite images taken during the daylight. They looked for signs of any other activity within a half mile of where they currently were located. Nothing showed up. There didn't appear to be any piles of dirt or rock. There were no trucks or construction equipment spotted at any of the surrounding areas.
There was one thing both of them did notice as they looked at some of the historic satellite images. There were never any vehicles parked around the stamp mill during daylight. If all anyone did was look at satellite images, they wouldn't spot the vehicles currently parked there. It was one way to stay off of the radar.
There was a junction up ahead. The passageway they were on split into two.
CamNet's Terminators were faced with a choice. Did they split up and each one of them take a branch, or remain together.
Into The Unknown
Few actually believe
They will sit on a throne
Most try to figure out
Where they've been thrown
Those who reach out
With love to loan
Often are the first
To end up alone
It does little good
To groan and moan
Things can happen quicker
When they are prone
The actions by some
Aren't easy to condone
It is each person
Who must atone
It does little good
The inevitable to postpone
Each person picks
Who they will own or disown
One can only delay so long
Their own tombstone
It happens very fast
When they journey into the unknown
Nobody