Chapter 1382
The Warriors
Bob and Jim seemed a little on the defensive. It was the earlier remarks about their journey being referred to as some danger filled trek by a group called 'The Warriors'.
After Hanna explained what the movie 'The Warriors' was about, she hoped it would make Bob and Jim a little less edgy. Instead it seemed to make Bob and Jim a little nervous. They checked their weapons frequently.
They would always touch their weapons as they passed some of the homeless on the street. Other times it was a group of people who approached near them. Maybe they were excessively loud and a little too physical with each other. Some were intoxicated, others were on drugs.
Bob wasn't about to take any chances. He wished he would have taken some more firepower from the helicopter when they got off earlier.
"We don't have many weapons with us." Bob said. "We will need to be conservative with our ammunition."
Jim nodded.
"We should be able to acquire other weapons along the way." Jim said. "I'm already scanning those we pass."
Ally and Hanna looked at each other and laughed. They could see Bob and Jim viewed their situation as that of 'The Warriors' and they would face similar circumstances. They wondered how many people Bob and Jim thought they were going to need to kill tonight. They would try to make sure they didn't kill anyone.
"You two need to relax." Ally said. "It was just a movie."
Bob looked around as they walked. He indicated all the 'different' people around them. He didn't like the strange neighborhoods they passed through. Everything was different from his normal environment.
"Was it?" Bob asked. "Look around here. What looks normal here?"
Ally and Hanna did look around. There were a lot of 'different' people. The neighborhood they were in was seedy and everyone's behavior was sketchy.
They both checked their weapons now too. Nothing looked normal once they started to 'look'. It seemed everyone looked at them specifically.
One thing was for certain, none of the females looked anywhere near as good as Ally and Hanna did. Few of the males looked as big and rough as Bob and Jim did. The four of them would look out of place in any neighborhood. It would be less so in the area of the Resistance base because it was a more 'normal' area. Where they were now, nothing looked normal. They stood out even more so.
Jim was still concerned about the earlier events in Golden Gate Park.
"Look what we left behind." Jim said. "There was already one gang and the horny homeless. Those people all meant to harm others and abuse them. There's nothing normal about it in the present. It was almost like Scavengers in the future."
A group of men approached. They all seemed strangely dressed. They moved close to Bob and Jim. They were ready to draw their weapons.
"What is this place?" Bob asked Ally.
One of the men twirled around him and curtsied.
"It's earth, welcome." The man said and all but floated away.
Jim wanted a vehicle. He'd feel a little safer with a ton and a half of steel around him.
"We need to acquire some transportation." Jim said. "I want to get back to the ship."
Ally looked around. She was aware of what a heavy percent of the population consisted of in the community they currently passed through.
"This is the Castro district we're in." Ally said. "The people here are 'normal' for this area."
Bob was uncomfortable with the surroundings. It was different from when Cameron and Savannah went out to try and help some of the homeless people in their area. This place was a 'social zoo'.
"Is it normal for all of the homeless people we keep passing too?" Bob asked.
Hanna was aware of the homeless problem in San Francisco.
"Actually it is. It's encouraged here." Hanna said. "No one is following us are they?"
Ally looked around some more. It was clear they were the ones who were 'different' now.
"It looks like everyone is." Ally said. "At least with their eyes they are."
They were the intruders into the different lifestyles and social behavior. It appeared 'normal' was heavily frowned upon and discouraged in the San Francisco area. None of them could ever be 'normal' anywhere. They weren't humans. They were machines. They were Terminators. Right now they were 'The Warriors'.
Ally and Hanna were worried now. Maybe some of the homeless people or the gang followed them. Maybe they were like the 'The Warriors' trying to get back to their turf, the ship.
Hanna was relieved when they spotted one of the main thoroughfares. It would make their journey much simpler now.
"There's Market Street." Hanna said. "The cable car should be just up the street."
Jim referenced the map of the city in his files.
"It's still over a mile and a half." Jim said.
Bob thought it was farther than a mile and a half.
"I think it's closer to two miles." Bob said. "We should have taken a direct route."
Bob began to view everything around him as the Wastelands of the future. The only difference was, everything wasn't destroyed. It was all still standing. It was the occupants he began to think who were the same.
They watched a heritage streetcar go by headed back the way they'd just come.
Ally could see a place of refuge. They would be more sheltered if they were on a regular transportation vehicle.
"We can take a streetcar." Ally said.
Jim watched it pass by. It was going the wrong direction. He didn't want to go further into 'enemy' territory.
"I don't want to go back the way we came." Jim said. "I want to go back to the ship."
Ally rolled her eyes. She knew the streetcars ran in both directions.
"I meant we can take a streetcar the way we want to go in the other direction." Ally said.
Jim wondered why she didn't say so then. He turned around and watched the streetcar go down the street. He didn't spot one coming from the other direction.
They passed by an alley. They spotted some movement there. It looked like there was a group of people 'tagging' the back of a building.
"Vandals!" Hanna said.
Bob moved into the alley and pulled his M9 on the group.
Hanna thought he was about to gun them down.
"What are you doing?" Hanna asked.
Bob was ready to bring them all down before they could be attacked.
"I think 'The Vandals' sounds like the name of one of the gangs who were after 'The Warriors'." Bob said. "I'm not taking any chances."
They were young teenagers. They saw the group of Terminators stop and look at them. They ran off. They didn't see Bob held a pistol. They probably would've run faster if they would have.
Jim wanted to take preemptive action.
"They must be going to get reinforcements." Jim said. "We should chase them down and terminate them."
Jim pulled his M9 out now as well.
Ally could see the male Terminators were serious. She knew they weren't out on Cameron's 'off the books' operations anywhere near as much as she was. What they'd witnessed so far were all minor offenses.
"Oh, brother." Ally said. "They are just street punks. Let them go. We've already been involved in enough drama tonight."
Bob felt they should do more anyway.
Jim didn't like them.
"'The Street Punks' sounds like another gang who'd be out to harm 'The Warriors'." Jim said.
Jim and Bob felt otherwise about crime.
"Lawlessness which goes unpunished leads to greater crimes in the future." Bob said. "It's our civic duty to prevent graffiti."
Hanna made sure Bob and Jim stowed their weapons.
"You're going to get us arrested." Hanna said. "They don't like guns in this city."
Bob felt the police should arrest the criminals. He checked some past gun related issues with San Francisco.
He discovered one mayor banned firearms in the city while they held two concealed carry permits for themself. The mayor felt they should be armed, but the citizens disarmed. He knew politicians were mostly hypocrites and sellouts. It was why many of them became Grays in the future. They started out with the belief they could work with Skynet. Events soon proved otherwise. In a short time, they worked for Skynet.
They were aware of some movement in the next alley they passed.
They observed a male pull his pants down and kneel down as he went out of sight.
"There is abuse taking place." Bob said.
He reached for his M9. He wanted to bring the perpetrator down.
Ally stopped him. She knew what was actually about to occur.
"Listen." Ally said.
The Terminators approached slowly.
"I expect to see a few pimps around here someplace." Hanna said.
Bob and Jim thought 'The Pimps' sounded like another gang who would hunt 'The Warriors'.
They listened to the conversation.
"I want the five bucks first." The female said.
The male stood back up. They watched him check three of his pockets.
"Here." The male said. "I got four ones and four quarters."
They saw the money change hands.
"You got five minutes." The female said. "Or it's five more bucks."
Ally and Hanna knew it was a homeless female who needed money for food or drugs. It was probably for both. They knew if she had a choice between the two, she would choose the drugs. They all did.
Jim was appalled at what he witnessed.
"This city is lawless and wallows in squalor." Jim said.
Hanna went with Cameron, Ally and Sheila numerous times before on her side missions. It was standard for everyplace.
Hanna decided to spell it out for them.
"Every inner city is like this." Hanna said. "They are all sewers of iniquity."
Bob could see why Skynet targeted all of the major inner cities. It didn't want the same 'problem' in its future. Chemical and biological warfare attacks by Skynet actually benefited the survivors of Judgment Day. They were able to eliminate the most diseased portions of society. Anyone with a pre-existing medical condition died.
They moved on. When they looked back, they saw the male finished in about two minutes. He pulled his pants up and left. Much to their surprise, another male approached the unseen female behind the dumpster. They heard the female speak again.
"I want the five bucks first." The female said. "It's two bucks if you just want to look at it."
They moved across the street to catch the streetcar.
There was a group of three men off to the side. One of them approached them.
Ally identified them as drug dealers.
"Dealers." Ally said.
Bob and Jim thought 'The Dealers' sounded like another gang who would be after 'The Warriors' to Bob and Jim.
The drug dealer approached them.
"What do you need, bro?" The drug dealer asked.
Hanna and Ally held Bob and Jim's arms to keep them from drawing weapons. They clearly wanted to engage the targets. They would have terminated them.
Ally hoped to keep the situation from escalating. She tried not to be too rude.
"Nothing, we're just passing by." Ally said.
The drug dealer followed them. He could see they were a little bit higher class than most of the clientele around there. He knew they would have money on them. Dealing drugs is how he earned his livelihood. He wondered why some people didn't understand a job was a job.
"I got everything, man." The man said. "Tell me your poison. I can get it."
Bob watched a list of 'appropriate responses' pop up in his HUD. He selected one and smiled.
"Fu…." Bob started.
Hanna cut him off. She had the same response pop up and didn't want more trouble. She looked at the drug dealer as she held Bob's hand on his M9 to prevent him from drawing it.
"Please, we're not interested." Hanna said. "We're just passing by."
The drug dealer dropped back. He didn't like the way the two big men looked at him.
They made it to the streetcar stop.
"How soon is it until the next streetcar arrives?" Jim asked.
Ally was about to contact Cam-Gail and find out. Hanna and her moved off to the side some.
A car with two men pulled up next to Ally and Hanna. They recognized them as males attempting to pick up on females. They may offer incentives of different types. It could be anything from money, alcohol or drugs.
"Carousers." Hanna said.
Bob and Jim felt 'The Carousers' sounded like another gang who would be after 'The Warriors'.
A man leaned out of the car window.
"Hey, baby, are you looking for a good time?" The man asked.
Ally and Hanna ignored him.
The man seemed angry they weren't interested. He was upset because they hadn't responded to him either.
"I'm talking to you, slut." The man said.
The driver threw his cigarette butt over the roof of the vehicle towards them.
"You don't know what you're missing, Bitch." The driver said.
Ally looked over at them.
"From here, it looks like a nightmare." Ally said. "We'd appreciate it if you just leave us alone"
It seemed to upset the men even more.
"You're nothing but a whore." The man said.
Ally was about to respond when the car suddenly flipped over onto its side.
She looked back and Bob and Jim were standing there. They'd just flipped it over.
Bob hadn't liked the way the men acted towards the Metal girls. The Metal girls insisted he not shoot anyone. He held his hand slightly out to his side.
"No weapons." Bob said.
Hanna looked around. She knew a car on its side was going to draw a crowd.
"Let's get out of here." Hanna said.
The four of them took off.
Someone ran past them to check on the car.
"What happened?" The 'Good Samaritan' asked.
Jim simply told it like it was.
"It was a combination of bad brakes and wet pavement." Jim said. "There were some bad manners and vulgarity too."
The 'Good Samaritan' was slightly confused.
"What?" The 'Good Samaritan' asked.
Ally wanted to give a more plausible explanation. She referenced the vehicle Sheila drove wildly through the city earlier. It made the 'Bullitt' chase look like a Sunday drive.
"It was a hit and run." Ally said. "It was a dark convertible."
Hanna grabbed an arm of both Bob and Jim. She wanted to get them out of the area. She didn't know if anyone actually witnessed what happened or not.
"Keep moving." Hanna said.
They moved back across the street to get away from the immediate area. Ally looked back and saw the two men were out of the car. They didn't seem injured. They appeared to be looking for them.
Hanna knew Bob and Jim didn't get out much like this on their own. They certainly hadn't worked in taking down the drug and sex trade like they often did with Sheila and Cameron.
Bob could tell Ally and Hanna seemed a little upset at Jim and him.
"We're more about action than infiltration." Bob said.
Ally glanced back when she heard some loud music. It emanated from a lowered Impala.
"Lowriders." Ally said.
'The Lowriders' sounded like another group who would be after 'The Warriors' to Bob and Jim.
Jim looked back. He wanted to assess the new threat level. He saw something else instead.
"Here comes the streetcar." Jim said.
Bob wanted to get moving. They needed to make it to the next stop.
"Get to the chopper." Bob said.
Ally and Hanna looked at each other. They looked up to see if the Blackhawk was around. They didn't hear it.
"What?" Ally asked.
Bob tried to be funny.
"I saw it in a movie once." Bob said. "I mean, get to the streetcar."
Bob and Jim started across the street. They didn't bother to look at the approaching traffic.
There was the screech of brakes and the sound of crunching metal.
Ally and Hanna looked over. Bob and Jim stood in the street. A vintage VW Bug appeared to have slammed into both of them when they'd stepped out into the street. The front end of the car was completely caved in. The VW was obviously totaled.
Hanna collected Bob and Jim and moved them along.
A woman in a headband with a peace sign on it sat behind the wheel of the VW Bug. She looked petrified.
"We've had an accident." The woman said.
Ally saw Hanna already moved Bob and Jim away. She turned her attention back to the female.
"We won't report it this time, but don't let it happen again." Ally said.
She hurried across the street right as the streetcar pulled up.
The four of them got on.
The streetcar took off.
They moved along the aisle and took seats.
The streetcar operator waited for them to pay. He thought they would come up and put the money in. After a few more stops he said something.
"It's twelve dollars." The streetcar operator said.
Ally realized he was talking to them.
"Do you mean for each of us?" Ally asked.
The streetcar operator looked irritated.
"No, for all of you." The streetcar operator said.
Bob stood up and moved forward.
"I thought it was free." Bob said.
The streetcar operator shook his head in disgust.
"It's not." The streetcar operator said.
Bob took out a hundred dollar bill.
"Do you have change?" Bob asked.
The streetcar operator pointed at a sign. It said the operator didn't carry any change.
"No." The streetcar operator said.
Bob looked at him for a moment.
"That's too bad." Bob said and sat back down.
The streetcar operator just shook his head and muttered something about 'foreigners'.
There was a map on the inside of the street car.
"Our stop is the next one." Hanna said.
They exited out the front of the streetcar, even though a sign said to use the rear exit.
Ally was the last one off. She thought of the earlier incident with Bob and Jim. She looked at the streetcar operator.
"Can I give you a tip?" Ally asked.
The streetcar operator thought it was strange because they didn't even pay.
"Sure." The streetcar operator said.
Ally smiled at him.
"Always look both ways before you cross the street." Ally said.
Ally blew him a kiss and ran to catch up to the others.
Bob looked down at his legs.
"You gave him a good tip. I should have used it." Bob said. "I think I have a bruise."
It was clear to all of them the Volkswagen came out the loser in the earlier confrontation.
They crossed the street and moved towards the cable car.
Hanna didn't want a repeat of the earlier incident on the streetcar.
"I think we better buy tickets first before we get on." Hanna said.
There was a ticket machine. When they approached it, four tickets came out.
"It looks like Cam-Gail or CamNet is looking out for us." Ally said.
The tickets were 'day passes'.
Bob looked at the ticket. He saw it was for all types of Municipal transportation in San Francisco. He looked in the direction the streetcar went.
"Good." Bob said. "It covers our fare for the streetcar now."
Jim was ready to get back on the ship.
"Let's get on the cable car and go." Jim said.
There was a line.
The cable car left without them.
A few minutes later another one came down the other side. There was a little turntable it rolled onto. The grip operator got out to turn the cable car around.
Bob saw the grip operator struggle to rotate it. He went over and pushed on the side of it next to the grip operator. The cable car spun around in a complete circle.
"I'm sorry." Bob said. "It was easier than it looked."
The group boarded the cable car and started out. The gong bell clanged often.
Jim thought of some earlier research he did about transportation in the Los Angeles area.
"There were cable cars in LA at one time." Jim said.
Ally and Hanna looked at each other. They wondered if Jim confused the different types of transportation vehicles. They were similar.
"Do you mean streetcars?" Ally asked.
Jim knew what the actual history was.
"No." Jim said. "The streetcars came later. The cable cars predated them. The cable cars could be powered from steam plants. The streetcar came after electricity was harnessed and generated."
The previous information wasn't in Hanna's database.
"I guess you really do learn something new everyday." Hanna said.
Bob looked at his legs again.
"Like looking both ways before you cross the street." Bob said.
Jim wanted to justify their actions.
"We needed to catch the streetcar." Jim said. "The crosswalk was too far. Jaywalking seems to be the norm around here."
Ally shook her head. It was clear the male Terminators needed to get out more.
The ride uphill was irritating. The steep hills caused them to slide back on the sideways facing seat. They were soon at the top.
They could look forward now down the other side of the hill. They had a good view of everything. They could see the city, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz with its lighthouse in the middle of the bay.
They were let off a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf.
They heard some talking off to the side. It sounded as if the individuals conversed in both Spanish and broken English.
"Homeboys." Ally said.
'The Homeboys' sounded like another gang who would be after 'The Warriors' to Bob and Jim.
Hanna could see Bob and Jim reach for their weapons again.
"Just keep moving and don't look at them." Hanna said. "They won't be a problem if you do."
Bob and Jim both looked at them anyway. They'd already calculated firing angles and trajectories.
"You start from the right side. I'll start from the left side." Bob said.
Ally took one look behind them and ushered Bob and Jim along. She was just glad no one along their trek ever tried to be funny and said, 'Warriors! Come out and play-yay!'
Bob and Jim were satisfied they'd been able to elude the gangs after 'The Warriors'. They were in a much more 'normal' looking area at this point.
They would still be on the lookout until they reached home turf. They weren't there yet.
The Blackhawk passed over the east side of the Bay Bridge at Oakland and turned back towards San Francisco at Berkley. They paralleled the Bay Bridge back as they overflew Treasure Island. They could see the city lit up beautifully as they approached it.
John tried to remember what everything was. He saw one thing he was familiar with.
"I see the ship." John said. "It looks impressive at night, as does everything else."
John spotted a tower lit up with changing colors.
Cameron noticed what he looked at.
"That's Coit Tower. It's almost directly in front of the ship." Cameron said.
Holly looked at the three girls. She was a little jealous of them because Allison was with two of them earlier along with Vanna. She could tell Allison wanted to be with the third girl too. She glanced over at Vanna and Gail-Cam. She could see Vanna wanted to be with her as well. Her gaze fixed on Gail-Cam for a few seconds. They both shrugged their shoulders at each other.
Allison noticed Holly looked a little upset. She reached over and gently squeezed her leg. She wanted to reassure Holly it was just a passing fling.
Vanna looked at Holly and could see she was uneasy. The revelation made her look at Gail-Cam. She looked uneasy too. She did the same thing Allison did to Holly and gave her leg a gentle squeeze.
Gail-Cam received a lot of attention. Cam's chip was currently in Gail's chassis. She noticed every so often one of the three females would look at her. She knew they were all infatuated with Holly's and her breasts. They'd given their coats to Mary and Laura earlier. They wanted the three girls to see they would never 'measure' up to them.
Cameron was going to give her coat to Leticia. John took his off and gave it to her to wear. She saw how Leticia smiled at John when he did. She was pleased John looked at her before he gave his coat to Leticia. She nodded and gave her approval. She liked the way Sheila constantly touched the three girls. She was able to complete multiple scans of them.
Ken made the announcement they were going to land and everyone was going to get off. Cameron assigned Sheila to assist Mary. She was going to assist Laura. She assigned John to Leticia. She explained they were going to get in a van. It would arrive soon to pick them up.
The Blackhawk circled in and made its landing. They all got out of the helicopter very quickly. John helped lift Leticia down. Cameron and Sheila assisted with Laura and Mary. The helicopter was back in the air and gone in less than a minute. Dan and Frank pulled up in the van and they all got inside. Holly and Gail-Cam sat in the last row of seats because the weapons were in the back behind them. John was going to sit next to Leticia. Allison and Vanna were a little quicker, they sat on each side of her. Sheila sat in-between Mary and Laura on the next row. Cameron smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She sat next to John.
The traffic was much less at this time of the night. The roads weren't very crowded.
Cameron looked at the three girls. She wanted to give them a choice. It would indicate to her how much she would be able to manipulate them further.
"Do you want to go back to the ship or on a driving tour of the city?" Cameron asked. "We'll drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge to Yerba Buena Island."
Mary looked at Laura. They were very surprised at the hospitality and the generosity.
"We don't want to impose." Mary said. "You've done a lot for us already."
Cameron wanted them to stay. She decided to give them an indication of what she wanted.
"It's not a problem." Cameron said. "Everything is paid for and we have the room. I think we can all share a little. We all like to share."
Leticia looked at Vanna and Allison on either side of her. She wanted to stay right where she was at.
"I'd like to go." Leticia said.
Sheila squeezed a knee on Mary and Laura. She indicated she wanted them to stay as well.
Mary glanced over at Laura and nodded.
"We'll go." Laura said.
Cameron wanted to nip some things in the bud. She wanted to make it clear there wouldn't be any more information.
"We don't want a lot of questions." Cameron said. "We're where we are and everyone is fine. Let's leave it at that. There's plenty to see and things are a little safer here. We're having a good time. Let's keep it that way. The past is behind us."
John looked at the three girls. He wanted to make sure none of them felt pressured. He felt Cameron put a lot of pressure on them with her statement and implications.
"I want to make sure everyone is good with everything." John said. "I want everyone to have a good time. Life moves forward, not backwards."
Mary, Laura and Leticia all agreed. They all wondered about him. It was clear he was in charge. They could tell 'Barbara', who was really Cameron, was the one who ran everything. They'd been told his name was 'Tony'. They all thought he looked like a young Tony Stark anyway. It was the goatee which made them all think it.
Dan started the tour.
Cameron wanted to make sure they knew there were a lot of options available to them.
"We can stop at any point." Cameron said. "We can get out and look around. We're on a custom tour."
There were some things the girls wanted to do.
"I'd like to go over the Golden Gate Bridge." Laura said.
Cameron already mentioned they would. She reaffirmed it.
"We will." Cameron said.
Leticia wanted to do something she'd always seen in movies and on TV.
"Can we ride on a cable car too?" Leticia asked. "I've always wanted to ride on one."
Mary and Laura indicated they wanted to do it as well.
Cameron wanted the girls to know every option was available.
"We can do whatever you want." Cameron said. "One hand washes the other."
Mary and Laura quickly glanced at each other. They began to wonder what the 'toll' was actually going to be for everything. They all looked at 'Tony' and figured they knew. Neither of them had a problem with it.
Cameron was sure Leticia was the one she wanted Sheila to bring to John's suite. She reminded her of Isabel. She was a little shapelier version of Isabel.
Leticia listened to what Cameron indicated. She looked at Cameron and then at John. She knew there was no free ride in life. She was willing to spend a little time in any of their beds if it was necessary. The group was a class act. She'd be more than happy to start with either or both of the girls who sat on each side of her.
She'd think about 'Tony' for dessert. Dessert was usually short and sweet. She knew men didn't last long when they were with her. She pegged him at five minutes tops. She figured she would only get him to last that long if she'd 'started him up' first, and took it all the way. It was a fifty-fifty chance if he would get her off. Most men didn't. It would depend on the foreplay. She hadn't been with a man for over a year. A little fun on the ship wouldn't hurt. She could feel her body start to respond to her thoughts. She was ready for 'Tony'.
Allison and Vanna could feel the sexual tension radiate off of Leticia as they sat on each side of her. They wanted a crack at her first. They were sure Cameron was going to put her in John's bed. They'd like to have a crack at him first as well. They doubted they would be able to satisfy him like Leticia could. They didn't want to come up as second best if they went after Leticia did. They were pretty sure they would come up as second best with Mary and Laura as well. They didn't have any shared experience with a male.
Cammy wanted to bring Savannah back to the Resistance base. The three bombs and the dead man they'd encountered earlier all seemed like a bad omen to her.
"I think everything is wrapped up for the night." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't want to go back.
"We're not done for the evening yet." Savannah said.
Cammy was a little frustrated. It wasn't what she wanted, but she decided to sweeten the deal.
"We don't have a solid lead on anything." Cammy said. "I can take you to Cameron's base or to Palmdale if you want to go."
Savannah knew Cammy always feared impending action when she would offer to put her in the arms of CamNet or to see Young Allison. She wanted to lay it out straight for Cammy.
"I think something will turn up." Savannah said. "So do you."
Cammy couldn't deny it. She did believe more action was on the way. There was really no way to know.
"I don't know what will happen." Cammy said.
Savannah thought she had a good idea. She'd come up with her own theory. She believed Cammy came to the same conclusion.
"You think the man in the shed was from the anti-Metal faction." Savannah said.
Cammy didn't want to rock the boat. They didn't have any hard facts yet. Everything was speculation.
"Even if I do, it gets us no closer to any of them." Cammy said. "We still have zero to go on."
Savannah knew if they went back to the Resistance base, Derek and Kyle would want to come along. She felt bad enough they almost got 'jammed up' last night when they came to look for her. She hoped some of the other teams made more progress than they'd been able to do.
"What's the status of Steve and Tom?" Savannah asked. "It goes for Al and Ed as well."
Cammy checked with John Henry.
"They're doing surveillance right now at the target location." Cammy said. "They don't have a positive hit yet."
Savannah thought about joining them tonight if they turned something up. It was a long drive to where they were at.
"I want to know what they find, when they find it." Savannah said. "I want everything reported too."
She really wanted to get some of the operation wrapped up. It would be nice to have some concrete answers for a change. It seemed doubtful it was going to happen.
Young Allison and Anna waited for something to break loose too.
"We're in the 'hurry up and wait' phase." Young Allison said.
Anna tilted her head slightly.
"Yes." Anna said. "I'll go fix you some dinner."
Young Allison didn't want anyone to need to wait on her.
"I can fix my own." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted to remind Young Allison of something Cameron previously told John in a similar situation.
"Sometimes it's nice to have help." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't want to make a big deal about it.
"I can just grab a snack for now." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted Young Allison to eat properly.
"You need to have a balanced meal." Anna said.
Young Allison tried to eat healthy when she could.
"I usually do." Young Allison said.
Anna was worried because she knew Cameron stressed it for the girls in the present. She was very aware of what the future did to the bodies of the girls from the future.
"I'm just going to remind you. You know what Cameron worries about and why." Anna said. "It's a valid consideration."
Young Allison knew what Cameron wanted from her. She'd made the promises to Cameron for as long as she could remember. She really didn't know what all was involved in the process when she was very young. It didn't change her mind later on when she knew what would need to be done. A promise was a promise. They always spoke in seclusion. Cameron told her it was 'their secret'. She was ready to conduct her temporal mission and fulfill her 'obligations'.
"I'm ready to go into the past at any time." Young Allison said. "My body is ready now for what Cameron wants, even if I'm a little young for it is some people's eyes. It happens all the time in the inner city and third world. A lot of those females are grandmothers at twenty five years old."
Anna frowned. She didn't like when Young Allison mentioned it. It was true. A couple of hundred years ago, Young Allison would be of marrying age already. She was actually already passed it. There was a fine line between the past and the future. A Skynet future would ruin most of the female's bodies in some way. She also didn't want Young Allison to rush things. She wanted her to have a little bit of a life before she needed to be a mother. Then again, it was Young Allison's child Cameron wanted as her own. She really hoped Claire would step up and carry Young Allison's baby for Cameron. Claire still needed to wait for the baby she carried for Allison to be born.
Anna blinked.
Young Allison was next to her and held her hand.
"Are you back?" Young Allison asked. "It looked like I lost you for a while."
Anna looked around and checked her time.
"I was worried about your health." Anna said.
Young Allison touched her cheek. She figured they both needed a change of scenery for a short time. They could always return in a moment's notice.
"We can go make something together." Young Allison said. "Just wear your com. If anything happens, we can come back down."
Anna smiled.
"OK." Anna said. "I'd like that."
Young Allison looked at the security camera. She wanted to send a message directly to CamNet. She knew it would do little good to contact Savannah herself. She figured it would actually upset Savannah if she did. Nobody liked to be mothered.
"I want Savannah to have a balanced meal too." Young Allison said.
Young Allison took Anna's hand and led her up the stairs. She was pretty sure Anna was worried about more than her nutritional needs.
Cammy started the SUV.
Savannah's head snapped up. She must have dozed off.
"Did we get a hit on a target?" Savannah asked.
Cammy looked over at her.
"We have a priority mission." Cammy said.
Savannah started to check her gear. She hoped it was the 'hit' she'd been waiting for.
"It must be the anti-Metal faction." Savannah said.
Cammy didn't want to get Savannah all wound up. She figured she might as well just come out and say what they were going to do. Maybe she should have done it in the first place.
"I want to get you some dinner during the lull." Cammy said.
Savannah stopped checking her gear. She was going to protest but she didn't think Cammy was the one behind the request. It was probably Young Allison. She knew they all worried about her. She worried about them as well.
"Sure, I can get some." Savannah said.
Savannah smiled at Cammy and gently touched her cheek.
Sometimes it was nice to have help.
CamNet's Terminators thought it was time to conduct a 'private interview' with some of the Grays. The homeless men had moved on. The female Fanatic currently dealt with her own predicament.
Tina and Lena went on the prowl. The first and second Gray resumed their search for the crate. The Grays were each in a different aisle. They selected their targets and made their move.
The two Grays spoke with each other from different aisles as they looked for the crate.
"I think the new guys should have to do this too." The first man said.
"I bet they weren't trapped for an entire day." The second man said. "They don't look any worse for the wear."
"They were probably out getting a little extra 'trim'." The first man said. "It would be nice if they brought someone back in their trunk. If they did, I hope they're still alive this time."
"We don't know what they did." The second man said.
The first man remembered the second man's sexual preference.
"If they did, you can always flip them over." The first man said. "I think the 'rear view' is pretty much the same on everyone."
"It's more than just that." The second man said. "Don't knock it until you try it."
"I don't think it's going to be anytime soon." The first man said.
"It's your hang up, not mine." The second man said.
Lena and Tina position themselves in the next aisle the men would go down. They were back to back between two containers. They hoped to be able to strike simultaneously.
The men switched to their new aisles. They were almost to them.
The two men were each lost in their own sexual fantasy. They were quite different from each other. It was time to act.
They each moved in and snapped their necks. They moved the bodies between the two containers where they'd been waiting.
Each man carried a paper with a number on it. They both looked at the number.
"I know where it's at." Lena said. "I saw it earlier."
Tina wanted to finish up with the other men first since they knew what they currently looked for.
They moved to within one row of the office area.
They knew what both of the men they'd terminated sounded like.
Lena set things in motion.
"Hey, boss, you better come and take a look at this." Lena said in the first man's voice.
Tina played her role as well.
"You're not going to believe what it is." Tina said in the second man's voice.
They could hear the door to the office area open.
"Why don't you slackers just bring it here?" The third man asked.
The Metal girls were ready with a number of contingencies.
"I don't think we're going to be able to move it easily." Lena said in the first man's voice.
They could hear someone else come out of the office area.
"What is it?" The fifth man asked.
The third man already started on his way.
"I don't know, but it better be good." The third man said.
The fifth man wanted to see. He hurried to catch up. He thought he could take a shortcut. He actually got ahead of the third man when he was between two crates. He didn't see him pass by.
Lena and Tina wanted to question the third man and the fourth man. The fifth man would be terminated when the opportunity arose. They could hear the two men move through some of the crates. They were ready for them.
The fifth man passed through first. Tina was ready for him. She grabbed him and snapped his neck.
"Where are you losers at?" The third man asked.
Lena grabbed the third man as he passed between two crates. There was a look of fear in his eyes when he realized he'd just been apprehended by a Terminator. It obviously wasn't a Skynet Terminator.
"You were told you weren't going to believe it." Lena said in the first man's voice.
Lena choked him out. They bound and gagged him.
"Let's go see what the fourth man is doing." Lena said.
They moved up to the office area.
Tina carried the unconscious third man.
Lena checked the office door before she opened it.
"What was it?" The fourth man asked.
Lena was able to determine his location.
"It was something from the future." Lena said in the fifth man's voice.
Lena looked into the room where he was at. He sat at one of the computer terminals. She hoped he would be in some type of communication or checking data on some Skynet facility. He wasn't. He was on a pornography website.
"Everything we deal with is from the future." The fourth man said.
She walked right up behind him and grabbed him by the neck. She lifted him in the air. She relieved him of his firearm.
"Some of it is more dangerous than others." Lena said in the fifth man's voice. "Let's have a little chat."
Tina carried the third man into the room with the comfort bunk. She thought about securing him to it. She didn't think it was going to matter. He would be terminated shortly anyway. He started to come around. She removed the gag from his mouth.
"Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Tina asked.
The third man issued a string of profanities and threats.
"I won't help you." The third man said.
They could hear a cry of pain in the distance. It was the fourth man.
"It appears he chose the hard way." Tina said.
The third man looked very angry.
"You're going to kill me anyway, so just do it." The third man said.
Tina walked over to him and picked him up with one hand. She lifted him in the air and slammed him against the wall. The drywall cracked and broke behind him. The man let out a grunt of pain.
"You can still take the easy way." Tina said.
CamNet's Terminators questioned the two men separately from each other. They kept track of where the homeless men were at as well as the stoners at the end of the cul-de-sac. They also checked on the female Fanatic. It appeared she'd been lucky once again.
The two homeless men approached the end of the cul-de-sac. They moved along the railroad spur as they neared the burnt out building. They wanted to know what was actually going on inside.
They couldn't hear anything when they were right outside of the building.
"Why is it so quiet?" The first homeless man asked.
The second homeless man thought they might get lucky.
"Maybe they all overdosed." The second homeless man said.
The implication was, they'd be able to relieve them of any cash they carried. They wouldn't take any credit cards or the vehicle. They weren't thieves. They were just down on their luck.
They entered the burnout building. They've been in it before several times. They'd been in it before it burnt down. It was cold one night when they were there. They decided to spend the night. There were some storage shelves in the back. They were constructed of steel. They had wooden slats on top of some of them. They removed the wood and started a fire. It got pretty smoky inside of the building pretty quick. They expected the fire sprinklers to go off. They didn't.
They hadn't paid attention to a drainage trough which ran across the floor. There were metal grates over it. There was a loud 'whoosh' noise and the entire trench turned into a massive fire in a matter of seconds. There must have been some type of chemical residue inside of it. The entire building caught on fire in a matter of minutes. They hurried away from the location as fast as they could. They even took the shortcut between the narrow gap on the railroad siding between the buildings. The building burnt furiously and the roof collapsed on it. It took the fire department most of the night to extinguish the flames.
They were near the spot where the fire started. They looked at the trench with the metal grates on it. The metal grates were gone. They looked inside of the trench and the metal grates were melted. It must have been a hot fire. They were glad they didn't stick around. They hoped the owner had insurance. They really didn't know. They just wanted to keep warm. Sometimes it was hard to do for those who were down on their luck.
The two homeless men finally heard some noise. They decided to investigate.
The female Fanatic was in pursuit of the big rig. After a few minutes, she spotted the tail lights of the truck again. She checked behind her. Currently there were no headlights behind her. She wasn't sure how long it was going to last.
It wasn't too long. She could see a set of headlights behind her now. They hadn't closed up too close. She'd been driving without her headlights on. She didn't want to spook the truck driver. She knew she was at a disadvantage. At some point, the vehicle behind her was going to light up her reflectors. Her car was going to become obvious when they did. They would notice she'd been driving without her lights on. It was probably going to set off a few more red flags.
She glanced over at the two rifles in front in the passenger seat. She tried to look at the phones for any information as she drove. She'd already removed the cash from the wallets and tossed them out the passenger side window earlier.
The brake lights on the big rig ahead of her lit up. The truck made a right hand turn.
The female Fanatic wondered if they were near the destination. They were in a remote location now. The other set of headlights was still behind her. She eased up on the accelerator and let the vehicle slow. She was going to have to make the turn without using her brakes.
The Warriors
To keep things in harmony
One needs to traverse narrow corridors
They must remember
There are many competitors
One should think twice
Before breaking mirrors
It's merely a reflection
Of their own errors
They need to think about
Who are the impostors
They are always more
Than conspirators and predators
When things aren't always good
One will shows their true colors
They will burn all the bridges
They will close many doors
Maybe it all comes down to
Who ends up as the survivors
Look around and wake up
We're surrounded by the warriors
Nobody