Chapter 1526
Taunts And Laughter
Summer suggested Toto seek out the power source Skynet currently used. It was there somewhere. There were some electrical lines which ran along the top of the passageway. They came from wherever the power source was located.
John Henry would have Toto check every cavern and branch passageway there was. Every locked door would be noted. They might need to send the team to check on those. More than likely, terminations may need to start as they moved around the inhabited area.
Cam received word as to what was planned. She determined Level Five contained nothing of value to the team. Until construction was completed, it was simply an empty cavern.
There was another tram being loaded. There was a lot of noise.
There were several wooden pallets by where she was at. There was also a dust covered tarp.
She used her body cam to look around and search the area one more time while she stayed hidden. It was clear around her.
Cam moved two pallets into the depression. She carefully moved the dust covered tarp over the top of them. The depression was covered. Unless someone stepped on the dust covered tarp, it was now concealed. The covered depression looked like the area around it. She'd left some space by where the barrels were arranged. She moved two inches on each of the bottom of the barrels over the lip of the depression and pulled the tarp up against them. It was where she would drain the liquid out from so no one would see it.
She took a quick look around again. The Terminator looked like he was headed in her direction. She drew her Taser and moved around the side of a barrel. Based on the amount of chemicals he'd used earlier. He shouldn't need to replenish them for a few more blasts. She would need to wait until he refilled the chemicals again before she punctured the drums. They would have one hour to clear the mine once she started the flow of chemicals. When the final chemical was mixed into the pool, there would be close to a hundred gallons of nitro. It should be enough to collapse Level Five. The question remained as to what else it would do to the rest of the mine. There was a better than even chance it would collapse. Based on the instability of the upper levels, if one of them where to give way, it would start a chain reaction. The levels would collapse one at a time in rapid succession.
Cam would have the last chemical, which required the least amount needed, with the slowest flow. The nitro wouldn't be volatile in its most explosive form until the final chemical was added in the right proportion. There was a better than even chance one of the explosions would set the nitro mix off early.
She told the team of her plan. They would have less than two hours from now to find what else they needed to find and get out. Everyone started an internal clock. They were now all on a 'hard' time table.
Cam waited in concealment to enact her plan.
Young Allison and Anna listened to the plan.
"It sounds very risky to me." Young Allison said. "They don't have an exit strategy."
Anna thought it sounded dangerous. She knew there were other options open to them. The temporal option was always there. It could be used at any time. Time was irrelevant to it. The option was time.
"We can always use the method which was used at the anti-Metal bunker complex." Anna said.
Young Allison knew there was a risk with the method too. The 'close one' Savannah and her experienced wasn't something she wanted repeated for anyone else. She figured Summer probably had several contingencies in the works.
"We will if everything else fails." Young Allison said. "I'm sure Summer has it covered. I would prefer we don't need to do it there."
Young Allison trusted anything Summer would set up or do. It was something else which troubled her. She was afraid Summer would be directly involved this time.
Anna knew CamNet would pick up Young Allison's trepidation. What would be done with it was another matter.
"Let's see what happens." Anna said. "We can always prevent Cam from starting the nitro mix."
Young Allison wondered for how long. They could lose communications again before then.
"I want John Henry and CamNet to be sure of everyone's position so we know exactly where they're at inside the mine." Young Allison said. "If we do lose communications, I want energy bubbles sent for extraction three minutes before the scheduled explosion."
Anna knew they would need to send them to places where the team might not be if they did lose communication. They could bring back something else.
Gail, Bob and Jim discussed what needed to be done.
"I'm going to stay here for Cam." Gail said. "I'll deal with the Metal Bitch as well. I want to get Toto into the clean room and plugged in."
Bob and Jim knew they needed to find the power cells and get them rigged to blow up in less than two hours. The clock was running.
There were few workers in the section where they were at. Level Four contained the most caverns and many of them were connected from the backside to each other. Not all of them were connected though.
Bob and Jim set off through the back way. They monitored Toto's feed, Gail's feed and Cam's feed.
Gail wanted Cam to come back up to Level Four. Cam said she wasn't ready yet to do so.
The Metal Bitch was by the finished clean room when Gail looked around the crate. She'd missed what she'd just done.
Toto stopped at several caverns which contained doors. There was a lot of dust on them. With the amount of dust which drifted around after a blast. It didn't mean much. They could have been opened yesterday, or a month ago.
Summer spotted a group of cables when Toto passed by and then went back and looked in a narrow passageway.
John Henry directed Toto to follow those. There were more cables which branched off along the way. It looked like Toto was headed away from the power source.
"I think the power cells are closer to the clean rooms." Summer said.
John Henry made the same determination as well.
Toto continued along and stopped at another door. More cables came out of the top above the door.
Summer hoped Toto would be able to open it.
"Have Toto push on the door." Summer said.
John Henry directed Toto to do it. The door opened.
It was an electrical room. It was all modern equipment.
One large cable joined the others Toto followed earlier.
"It's the electrical feed for the power cells." John Henry said. "It's what charged them, or is charging them."
It gave them a better idea of what else to look for. The only question was, where.
Bob and Jim moved along the back passageways. Several times they needed to wait for Grays to pass when they needed to enter the main passageway. They were covered with dust, just like everything else was. It helped mask their appearance. They needed to leave the long guns with Gail to better blend in.
They found some explosives stored in wooden crates behind one of the locked doors. They thought it was unusual. They looked them over and determined they were old explosives.
"These look unstable." Jim said.
Bob found a box of carefully packed blasting caps.
"Affirmative…." Bob said. "Let's rig all this stuff to explode."
Bob communicated with Cam and they established a detonation time for the time period she'd stipulated earlier. He placed a small plastic explosive charge and set the timer. It would go off in one hour and forty three minutes. They could also command detonate it earlier, or cancel the detonation. It was as long as their com system stayed linked together. They'd placed two repeaters along the back passageways as they'd moved along.
They'd watched a loaded tram pass through the main passageway and an empty one return back the other way. They seemed to be spaced at twenty minute intervals.
They were close enough to hear where the tram cars were being unloaded. The rock which had been blasted away, was being moved somewhere.
"It's our way out." Jim said.
Bob wasn't so sure.
"It may be one way out." Bob said.
It was part of the main shaft system. There was a hoist elevator which connected all the levels to the surface near the rock and dirt vertical conveyor belt.
The main shaft elevator arrived and the door was opened. A man in overalls got out and went to the conveyor belt. He watched the loading process for a few minutes.
Bob and Jim slipped into the elevator. Toto suddenly appeared and followed them in. They closed the door. They went up one level to Level Three. The elevator stopped. They looked out through the wire mesh. There was no one outside where they were at. They opened the door and went out into Level Three.
Toto went off ahead of them. They were by the living quarters now for some of the Grays.
They didn't know Summer directed Toto to find the girl the Grays spoke of earlier.
Cam waited for two more blasts. The Terminator hadn't come back over to the chemical storage area. He'd checked on front end loader which loaded the rock into the tram cars. There would be a loaded tram ready to go up in ten minutes. She punctured the bottoms of the various drums with the proper size hole to start the flow of the chemicals. She made the smallest hole in the barrel of acid. The other chemicals would be ready for the acid to make the lethal combination. It would be at its maximum strength in just over an hour. She placed a small plastic explosive charge under the tarp. It was set to go off at the same time as the one Bob and Jim planted. It could be command detonated, or the timer could be stopped. The nitro would still be explosive on its own.
Cam went to leave. She moved over to where the tram would pass by. There was another empty tram on its way down. It pulled up and stopped. She moved along the side of the last two cars and waited at the rear end.
Gail watched the Metal Bitch stop and look around. She went back to the unfinished clean room and lifted a panel on the ground. She pulled up some wires and looked at them. She put the panel back and moved to the far wall of the cavern. She lifted another panel on the ground and checked the wires inside of it.
The Metal Bitch moved out of Gail's view behind the finished clean room.
Gail looked around and decided to move closer. She carried her Taser in one hand and her silenced M9 in the other hand. She went around the backside of the unfinished clean room and peeked around the corner. She spotted the Metal Bitch punch some numbers into a keypad and enter through a metal door. It was a door they couldn't see before from where they'd been concealed. There was a distinct electric hum when the door was opened.
"I think I found one of the big power cells." Gail said.
She quickly moved up to the finished clean room and opened the door so it wasn't closed tight.
"Send Toto back at once." Gail said. "I've opened the door for it."
Summer looked at John Henry when Gail asked to have Toto return.
She wondered if the girl they spoke of was her….
The mission came first.
She redirected Toto to run back down the sloped shaft and down to Level Four. It wouldn't take long.
Bob and Jim watched Toto run off at a very fast speed toward the sloped shaft at the far end of the passageway.
They'd heard Gail's request and understood where Toto went. They watched the images it transmitted along the way. There were three Grays in the passageway. One of them threw something at Toto. It dodged it and kept going.
The elevator behind them moved up towards the surface. They wouldn't be going back down in it for a while. They decided to move through Level Three and follow Toto.
Cammy, Sheila and Leticia arrived at the location Dan and Frank held the first gang punk they'd captured.
Leticia thought it was a little spooky entering the dark house. Sheila was right in front of her.
"He carried two knives and these items." Dan said.
Leticia turned to look who spoke. It was near total darkness.
"Who is it?" Leticia asked. "Can you see?"
Sheila wanted to keep things simple.
"I see everything." Sheila said. "They're our associates."
Dan handed the items to Cammy.
Cammy looked at the two knives, spray can, credit cards, ring and the female's underwear.
Sheila didn't want Leticia to trip.
"There are two steps." Sheila said.
Leticia could barely make them out.
"It's really dark for me." Leticia said. "I can't see much of anything."
Sheila knew there was a solution close at hand.
"Put these on." Sheila said.
Sheila removed some gear from the vest Leticia wore. She placed a pair of night vision goggles on her.
Leticia saw the night light up. She was very surprised at how well she could see everything.
"Wow!" Leticia said. "I can see much better, but I'm a little disoriented."
She felt a little dizzy for a few seconds.
Sheila knew it was something most humans experienced when they wore night vision equipment. It took them a little time to get acclimated.
"Your perspective will be a little off." Sheila said.
Cammy handed the items to Sheila.
She thanked Dan and Frank and told them to acquire the next target. They left.
Leticia didn't get a good look at them. She could tell they were rather large. She noticed she was the only one with the goggles on. It made her wonder why.
"Those guys were sure big." Leticia said. "How can any of you see?"
Cammy didn't think it was the right time to get into a detailed explanation.
"We work at night a lot." Cammy said.
Leticia spotted the male on the ground. His pants were off. He appeared to be completely incapacitated. He was tied and gagged with something.
"Is he the bad guy?" Leticia asked.
Sheila wasn't sure if the term 'bad guy' was enough to describe some of the actions he was responsible for.
"Yes." Sheila said.
Cammy told her of the items which were found on him and explained the significance of the women's underwear. They were a 'trophy' of the abuse on the two foreign female tourists yesterday.
Leticia looked down and saw Sheila bent over next to the man on the ground.
Sheila slapped his face a few times and his eyes opened. She wanted the punk awake for his 'punishment'.
Cammy handed Sheila one of the punk's knives.
"What's she going to do?" Leticia asked.
Cammy knew Sheila possessed extensive experience for 'punishment' of those involved in the sex trade. Sexual abuse wasn't far behind those individuals for their crimes.
"She's going to do what she does best." Cammy said.
Leticia watched as Sheila started to taunt the punk and hit him. She made sure he saw she held his knife. She could hear what sounded like bones break whenever Sheila hit him. He tried to scream but was gagged tight. She soon realized Sheila was beating the punk to death. It was gruesome to watch. What unnerved her was the way Sheila would laugh and taunt him whenever she broke something. It looked like it was going to take a while. She remembered how quickly she'd seen Sheila kill before with the other men. This was different. This was personal.
She understood when Sheila threatened the gang in the park before, it wasn't just an empty threat. It was real. What was happening now was part of it. It was clear if someone challenged one of the 'special girls', there was a price to pay.
Leticia took a step back when she saw both Cammy's eyes and Sheila's eyes now glowed red in the darkness. She was strangely turned on by everything she'd witnessed. She wasn't sure if it was the level of violence or the fact the perpetrator was actually punished for what he'd done. The red eyes on the 'special girls' only added to it.
Hanna and Ally knew what was happening inside the house.
"Sheila and Cammy have one of the punks." Hanna said.
Mary and Laura looked at each other. They knew how it was going to end for the gang member. They weren't sure exactly how it would occur.
"Did they kill him yet?" Mary asked.
Ally listened to Sheila's com.
"They're doing it now." Ally said. "Leticia is with them."
Hanna filled them in on the details and what happened to the foreign female tourists and what they'd found.
"They would have done it to us." Mary said. "I'm so glad I was with Tony to be with a male again. I very glad I wasn't taken by force by the gang."
Laura wondered how far they would go. She'd watched Sheila before. She knew how violent and extreme she could be. She could do a lot of damage in seconds.
"What will they do with him?" Laura asked.
Ally thought it was best to tell it like it was. She was curious to see how far they were willing to go.
"They will kill him." Ally said. "Do you want to watch?"
Mary and Laura looked at each other. Based upon what happened to the foreign tourists yesterday, and what they'd faced before the 'special girls' arrived, they both wanted a little more closure to the entire incident.
"Maybe when they have the leader and his slut we will." Mary said. "I still don't like the way she looked at me. I know she would have done something to hurt me once things got started."
Laura wanted some payback for what almost happened. It would have happened if the 'special girls' hadn't arrived when they did.
"I didn't like the gang Bitch either." Laura said.
Ally watched Sheila deal with female enablers involved in the sex trade. They were usually punished very brutally before they were terminated. It was to let them think about what all of their victims went through because of them. Sheila always reminded them as she 'worked' on them.
"Don't worry." Ally said. "Sheila has something really special planned for her."
Mary thought back on the condition she'd viewed the others at the florist shop were left in before the explosion and fire. It was actually quite shocking.
"Will it be like those other two females?" Mary asked.
Ally thought everyone at the florist shop got off rather easily. It was only because they were pressed for time.
"It will be worse for her." Ally said.
Mary watched what Sheila did to the others.
"How can it be worse than what I saw already?" Mary asked.
Ally looked back at them.
"Sheila plans to leave her alive after she's done with her." Ally said.
Laura could picture it. It would be worse than death to have all of those things done and live.
"It's sad." Laura said.
Ally wanted to make light of the violence.
"Don't worry." Ally said. "She'll have a nice smile to cheer herself up with whenever she looks in the mirror."
Mary knew what kind of a smile it was.
"I'd close my eyes." Mary said.
Ally explained the female gang member wouldn't be able to do so.
Mary could imagine how horrific it would be.
"Have you seen Sheila do it before?" Mary asked.
Hanna was a little uneasy at the way things were done. A simple termination would be more efficient. It was clear it was something Sheila enjoyed doing. She knew it was because of the 'neural interface' with Jesse. Jesse warned them before the procedure was done there was a lot of 'darkness' inside of her. Sheila 'inherited' it all and thrived on it.
"We all have." Hanna said. "You get acclimated to the violence and brutality, but not the taunts and laughter."
Mary and Laura both swallowed hard.
They both wondered if a 'robot' could be sadistic and enjoy violence.
Steve and Tom drove through San Francisco to give Camille a city tour. They hit all the high points on the tourist guide. John told Camille the things he remembered. Steve or Tom mentioned other points of interest. They actually drove past where Sheila's team was at and through Golden Gate Park. CamNet advised them to get that part of the city taken care of now. It was sure to be a killing zone later on. There was no way to know how extensive things may become depending upon how much of the city they wanted to clean up.
They drove through the Presidio. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed in front of them. It was dimly lit up.
"Did you want to go over the Golden Gate Bridge?" John asked.
Camille overflew it in the jet with Young Jesse on their way in from Australia. She could get a close up view of it now.
"We can do it." Camille said.
Steve took the turnoff. They crossed the bridge. Even in the darkness, the size of the bridge was quite impressive. There was no fog when they crossed it. They could see some just out on the Pacific side of it. They stopped at the 'lookout' across from the city on the other side and took in the view. John and Camille got out. John wanted to take in the night air and ocean scents.
Camille could see several things dominated the landscape. There was one sign in particular which stood out very clearly.
"There's a really big sign." Camille said as they looked across the bay.
John always liked to see the big sign. It was something he'd viewed from the ship and on the helicopter tour they'd done when they were on the cruise.
"It's the Ghirardelli building." John said. "They made chocolate there originally."
The patch of fog they'd spotted earlier, drifted in under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Camille looked just like Cameron to John. The mood was very romantic.
John reached down and took Camille's hand.
Camille took his in return. She looked at him and smiled.
Their heads moved closer and their faces grew nearer. Their lips touched. They shared a slow soft kiss. They were both drawn to each other by the setting. They were both a little hesitant.
They took a step back and looked at each other.
It reminded John of when he'd first kissed Cameron. It was very much the same. Then again, Camille was 'Cameron' on their first kiss.
Camille looked very shy right now.
"I've never done that before." Camille said. "I mean with a male."
John felt really guilty now for stripping away her virginity with Cameron in control of Camille's chassis.
Camille still held John's hand. She deduced what he'd just thought by his physical response. She moved her mouth close to his ear. She wanted him to know what she wanted.
"It will still be my 'first time'…." Camille whispered. "I want it too. I want it to be you."
John swallowed hard. It wasn't the only thing hard right now either.
Camille kissed him again. It was a slow deep loving kiss. It was very much like Jesse's and Young Jesse's kiss of love.
He was at maximum blood engorgement right now.
John felt Camille touch him.
"Oh my, that's a big one. I can feel you want me." Camille whispered. "I want you too."
John looked around and saw the SUV was now backed into a spot. The rear faced the city across the bay. It presented a scenic and beautiful backdrop.
Camille led him back to the SUV. Steve and Tom were gone. The rear seats were folded down. There was a clean blanket laid down over the flat surface. John understood now what Tom picked up from a drug store chain when he ran in and back out in a two minute time span. The back of the SUV was a 'bed' for all practical purposes.
John scoped Camille up in his arms.
"I'm heavier than I look." Camille whispered.
He was only three steps away from the SUV.
"I don't have far to go." John said.
John set her down and they entered the back of the SUV. Camille looked around once and closed the door.
They were side by side in a prone position and faced each other.
"All my programming is off, John." Camille said. "This is just you and me now."
John couldn't believe it. It was the same thing Cameron said.
"Cam - ille, I have waited so long for this moment." John said.
The look of love flooded Camille's eyes.
"As have I, John." Camille said. "I love you, John, and you love me."
John couldn't help himself. He was lost in the moment.
"I love you, Cam - ille, and you love me." John said.
They kissed. It was very soft, slow and deep. It was a beautiful kiss.
Camille removed his shirt and pants.
John slipped Camille out of her shirt and pants.
Each removed the other's underwear.
They both looked intently into each other's eyes.
"I'm ready, John, make me a woman." Camille whispered.
John realized he was as excited as he was the first time he was with Cameron. It was the same thing all over again!
They embraced and touched each other.
Camille moved her lips to John's ear as he was about to make his move.
"Go slow." Camille whispered. "I've never done this before."
The same statement always excited John greatly.
Camille squirmed a little as he made contact. He started out slow. Things smoothed out in the first few seconds.
They gently made love to each other.
All of the fog cleared behind them. They were both able to take in the view of the city across the bay as they changed positions several times.
A shooting star streaked across the night sky as they both finished at the same time.
The Terminator was directed to follow the fleeing vehicle. He would allow the drone to track it and remain of sight.
CamNet indicated to him she believed the car belonged to a rival group. It meant there would be additional targets. The goal was to have the different groups fight each other. It was one way to thin the herd in a self perpetuating cycle.
The vehicle drove several miles away and pulled into an industrial tract. It usually indicated drug activity. There could be females involved as well in the sex trade. The drone made a low scan of the building. It indicated there were a number of individuals inside. A group of them were clustered in one area. Most likely they were detainees of some sort. They could be females or some other type of prisoners.
Some of the groups smuggled individuals across the open border rather easily. Instead of releasing the individuals who were brought over into the 'Land Of Gold', they were held captive. Ransom was demanded from their loved ones. If no funds were received, the body of the individual was usually found in an alley, or dry riverbed, a short time later. The individuals could be killed in a number of different ways. Some of them showed signs of torture. Other ones suffered bullet wounds. It seemed .38 Super was the caliber of choice by the Cartel. If any of them were females, they were sold into the sex trade.
The nature of the operation was currently unknown.
When the vehicle returned, there seemed to be a lot of movement inside of the building when the driver and passenger entered. All of their communications were cut. It appeared they were getting ready to move out. The question remained as to whether they were going to launch some type of attack against the other group, or if they were going to pull out.
If they were going to pull out, they may terminate the individuals in the 'holding area'. The criminals learned it was better not to leave any witnesses behind who could testify against them later on. They could always easily obtain more ransom victims. Thousands crossed the border unimpeded everyday.
The Terminator was ready to move into the building before whatever was going to happen, happened. He would probably sustain some type of sheath damage.
The drone over the location spotted several individuals head out of the building carrying long guns. It didn't look like they were pulling out. It looked like they were going on a hit.
There were a total of eight individuals who'd left the location in two separate vehicles. The complement of individuals inside was reduced significantly. Other than the group held together, there were only four individuals who remained.
The Terminator parked two blocks away and moved in on foot. He took three Thermite grenades with him. The complement of them was severely reduced. He'd been busy. CamNet assured him he would be restocked. She hoped to return Lena and Tina back to the area to assist him. She didn't know how much longer they would be tied up where they were. There'd been some new developments.
He approached the location on foot from the rear. The drone was able to detect several surveillance cameras. They protected the front and the rear. There didn't appear to be any on either side.
It was possible there was some other type of deterrent there. There could be some type of booby trap set up as well. With obvious surveillance in the front and in the rear, with none on the sides, it invited anyone who looked over the location to try to make entry from the side.
He went through a property on the street in back of the target location. It was over two buildings before the target building. He went over the rear fence and through the property. He passed through the side of it and into the property next to the target location.
CamNet advised him she was now in control of the security system at the location. The feed in both the front and the rear was looped. There were two hidden cameras on each side of the building. If he'd gone over the side, he would have been detected. Those cameras were now looped as well. There were two individuals in the front. There was another individual sitting in a room. It was most likely the person who monitored the security feeds. The fourth individual roamed the building.
It appeared the rear of the location didn't have any type of direct observation. The individual on roving patrol simply passed through the area once and was headed back towards the front. He passed by the security room and the two individuals in the front. He was currently headed for the room where the group of people was clustered.
The Terminator went over the fence from the property next door and approached the rear of the building. There were two roll up doors. One of them was located on the dock. The other one was located at ground level. There were two entry doors as well. One was on the dock next to the roll up door. The other one was at the far corner near the other roll up door.
All of the doors were secure. The drone did another low scan. The individual who'd approached the room with the group appeared to remove someone from out of the room. They were currently ushered along to another room down the hall from the rest of the people. Most likely some form of abuse was about to occur. There was nothing which could be done immediately about it. It would need to wait.
The Terminator didn't think it would be a problem if he triggered an alarm. There were only four individuals remaining. It would take them some time to respond to the rear of the structure. Most likely two of them at the most wood respond. One individual would probably remain in the front, and the other individual would remain at the security station. The individual, who'd taken someone from the group of people, would need to respond too. If they didn't, it would make entry even easier.
CamNet's Terminator forced the rear door open on the dock. It was the closest one to where one of the detainees was taken.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cameron retrieved the revolvers as the music played. Young Allison could work on those next. They would go for a drive later on.
Young Allison started on the Model 19. She emptied the cylinder and began to clean it.
'Real Wild Child', by 'Ivan', began to play.
"I like this song." Young Allison said. "I actually like the version from 'Pretty Woman' the best. It won't be out for almost three decades."
Cameron recognized the song and who the lead singer was. She also recognized the guitar player. The singer was Jerry Allison. He was the drummer from The Crickets. The guitar player was Buddy Holly. The song was a cover of 'Wild One', by 'Johnny O'Keefe and The Dee Jays'. Some credit the song as being one of Australia's first rock and roll tunes. The Crickets were on tour in Australia in 1958 when they'd first heard it. Later versions of the O'Keefe version were marketed under the title of 'Real Wild Child' as well 'Wild One'.
She wasn't sure why it wasn't released as a song by Buddy Holly or The Crickets, even if it was a cover. She figured it probably would have done better on the charts if it had been. She wondered if maybe Buddy Holly wanted to keep his name associated with his own works. The Crickets did cover a few songs from other writers. Maybe he was just a nice guy and wanted to give one of his fellow band members a chance to see how he would do on his own. He didn't have a clue that within a year his band member would be on his own, and take over the name of the group after his termination.
There were numerous groups which covered the song with each of the different titles and a few with both titles on the same song name. The song appeared in several motion pictures as well.
Young Allison glanced over at Cameron as she began to clean the revolvers. She wondered what Cameron thought about as the music played. She figured she probably knew all the details about every song in the stack. It actually made her wonder who selected the songs to be at the safe house waiting for her. If it was Cammy, it would be the same choices Cameron would make. She wondered what Sheila's input was. She didn't really want to listen to 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport'. She did think it would be funny. If it was there, she hadn't seen it.
She finished up with the Model 19 and started on the next one.
'Hello Mary Lou Goodbye Heart', by 'Ricky Nelson', began to play.
Cameron was aware the song was usually referred to as 'Hello Mary Lou'. The artist recorded a number of songs as well as appeared on TV shows and in movies. She felt a slight glitch impulse in her left hand. It almost caused her to dump the bottle of cleaning solution over. It was something she'd watched humans do from time to time. She realized the artist died in a plane crash as well. There was some controversy over what actually caused the plane to crash.
It made her wonder about the lives of people in the limelight. Some of the original rock and roll performers lived well into their eighties and a few into their nineties. Other ones died at an early age. The most senseless ones of all, were the ones who died from a drug overdose, or some other form of substance abuse. She understood the lifestyle was hard to go from performance to performance. Usually the performers would take depressants to sleep and amphetamines to stay awake. It became a vicious cycle. Maybe some people just didn't know how to handle fame. Then again, maybe they just didn't know how to handle life.
It seemed to her most artists, or groups, who created and performed their own music, were able to make hits for a few years, one after another. They slowly began to drift away until there was nothing. It made her wonder if the artists and performers understood people wanted to hear the songs which made them famous. Perhaps they thought they'd grown beyond their first line of success. She could understand the desire of the artists to expand, but seldom did they seem to expand in a good direction.
Cameron was sure substance abuse of various types probably played a big factor as well. She wasn't sure how many of them actually experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, but she was aware some of them did. One individual ingested so much LSD, they actually lost the color vision of their eyesight for a time.
She was very aware the drug problem would continue to pick up from where it was at in 1963. She would make sure Young Allison wasn't exposed to any of it. If she found anyone dealing drugs in the area, she would pay them a special visit and bust them up. If they continued the practice after they were busted up, she would take it to the next level. Sometimes they didn't like the way she did things. She did what she thought was right under the circumstances.
Cameron thought about her experience and time of activation, her life. Was she like some of the music groups which had a few hits and then faded? Was she a better individual now than she started out as? She believed so. She looked at Young Allison for a moment as she cleaned the small revolver. Was she more like Young Allison now than she was Future Allison? Maybe she was more like Savannah.
Savannah always knew what was best for her. She'd prevented her from making more than a few poor choices over the years. Savannah even stayed behind to terminate with her when she was stuck in a terminal situation. Savannah always told her she would never abandon her or throw her away. She saw Savannah was good to her word. It troubled her greatly to think about it. She didn't want to put Young Allison into a similar circumstance.
Young Allison could see Cameron was troubled. She wasn't exactly sure what it was about. She wondered if it had anything to do with the songs. She didn't think it should. Wait, some of the artists died before their time. It made her wonder if there was a 'time' on a life. Anyone could get hit by a car crossing the street. Someone could get struck by lightning. Someone could be killed in a random act of violence. There was no guarantee on how long anyone would live. Some people died at birth. Some actually died before birth.
Allison often asked, 'How long do you want to live anyway?' It was usually said in a joking manner, but she knew it wasn't. The girls from the future were aware there weren't many older individuals in the future. Was it better for someone to die in their prime? Was it better to die old and decrepit? Was it better to never have existed at all? She knew it was a concept Cameron often thought about. It was the subject of her first poem, Outsider.
'La Bamba', by 'Ritchie Valens', began to play.
"I like this song." Young Allison said. "I like how it starts out. I actually listened to the different takes of the song being recorded on YouTube. The opening was added in a little bit at a time."
It also made her think about how young he was when he died. He was only seventeen. Maybe it was best to go out in someone's prime. Maybe it wasn't. There were still a lot more things she wanted to do and try. She hoped to stick around a little longer. Seventeen years wasn't long enough.
Cameron experienced another glitch impulse. Ritchie Valens died in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. She really hoped 'Chantilly Lace' wasn't the next song. It would start to give her a complex if it was. Maybe she already had a complex.
She knew 'La Bamba' was a traditional song from south of the border. It was the style in which it was played which made it a hit for a non Spanish speaking audience. She liked the song on the other side of the record as well. She figured Young Allison would play it next time.
She really didn't think some of the artists understood what people actually wanted to hear. It made her think about a group from across the pond. They'd released an album which consisted mostly of songs few people wanted to listen to. There were a few good hits on the double album though. Maybe the artists thought they were expanding and improving. She didn't believe it was either. It made her think of substance abuse again. The double album never would have been released, or probably even recorded, by any other group. It was because of their name and their past efforts.
She sure did like some of their love songs. It was like they hit the nail on the head. She was pretty sure the songs from some of the quartet were based upon themselves. It was really a shame when they 'lost their edge'.
Young Allison and Cameron would be finished soon. They still needed to deal with a couple more revolvers including the Colt Single Action Army.
Taunts And Laughter
Everything in life seems to revolve
Around some type of trade or barter
To not have anything to offer
Is a real no starter
Is there any real difference
Between a master and a monster
They often become one in the same
It all falls back to their character
Most of the things in life
Can't be viewed through a filter
There are too many variables
To be controlled by a computer
Most people try to knock
Before they attempt to enter
If the cards all play out
There can be a new chapter
When one can feel everything is better
It can make their heart flutter
The high point can soon crater
Where there are taunts and laughter
Nobody