Chapter 1527
Better This Way
Cam was between the last two cars on the empty tram. She was going to make her way back up to Level Four by hitching a ride on the loaded tram once it started uphill. It hadn't pulled up yet.
She peeked over the top of the metal rim of the second to the last car as she waited. One of the workers was over by where she'd hidden earlier near the barrels. He looked at the ground. The dust was thick where she'd been. Maybe her foot prints stood out as being smaller. Maybe he was after something else.
The Terminator signaled he was about to initiate another blast. Everyone sought some cover.
She'd listened to Gail give her report, and Bob's report where Jim and him were at. She thought maybe they could take some of the Grays down now.
There were four Grays with their backs to her now crouched down behind equipment. The worker near the barrels worried her the most. There would be an alarm raised if he found her sabotage. It would endanger the entire team.
She drew her silenced M9.
"I'm going to thin the herd." Cam said.
She gave a brief description of what she was about to do.
Gail watched the Metal Bitch go into a room with a loud electrical hum and close the door.
She'd moved to the completed clean room and opened the door so Toto could go inside. There was an interface port where it could dock for the transfer of all of its data. There would be a little 'extra' data with the next transfer. It would be the virus Summer created.
Gail heard two Grays somewhere. It was the same two voices she'd heard earlier. She still didn't know where they were at or where they'd been. They sounded like they were over by where Bob and Jim left their long guns. It wasn't a good turn of events if it was the case. The clock was running and the team was spread out on three different levels of the mine now.
She held her silenced M9 in one hand and her Taser in the other.
"I'm going to thin the herd." Cam said.
Cam gave a brief description of what she was about to do.
"I think I'm going to need to do so as well." Gail said.
Gail gave a brief description of what she was about to do.
Bob and Jim watched Toto run off. They knew where it was headed. There were three Grays in the main passageway of Level Three. It seemed to be the living quarters and the supply area.
Cam gave a brief description of what she was about to do.
Gail gave a brief description of what she was about to do.
They all discussed there was a possibility once Toto started its download into the Skynet mainframe, an alarm would be raised.
Jim and Bob thought if it was the case. They could 'clean house' on Level Three down to Level Four. They would thin the herd as well.
"I think we will disable the Main Shaft elevator entry onto Level Three and terminate all opposition." Bob said.
The team could unite and work its way back through Level Four to the Main Shaft and the vertical conveyor belt for the rock and earth.
The four Terminators agreed to act. They were on a timetable.
CamNet noted the change in plans to go from a recon to an attack. She was able to have several satellites overfly the mine. There were three of them now and two more on the way. It took time to change the orbits and cover her tracks when the satellites were moved. She'd needed to loop the data they sent to simulate their scheduled course. They would have coverage every eighteen minutes, give or take a few minutes. There were two drones on standby which would move into position once enemy opposition was noted on the ground. It was doubtful Skynet would be able to respond to their drones at that point. It meant the team would be hard at 'work' inside the mine.
John Henry listened to the Terminators decide to act. They planned to take down the mine complex from the inside and terminate as many of the personnel before they made their way out.
"Things might become a little tricky." John Henry said.
Summer could see everything just took a serious note. Toto should deliver her 'message' to Skynet very soon. She was ready to take on the mainframe. She believed she could defeat it herself.
"The clock is definitely running now." Summer said.
John Henry was aware of the explosives with timers which were already placed. Their detonation could be sped up, or stopped, by a command which would override the timer.
"Bob and Jim have placed enough repeaters so the team will be able to communicate with each other, even if they lose surface contact." John Henry said.
Summer was worried about Toto as well.
"Gail opened the door to the clean room. Toto should be able to start the transfer of the encryption as soon as it docks." Summer said. "If Toto can't dock, it can still send the signal at a slower rate with its video files."
John Henry was worried about it.
"The slower speed might allow Skynet to try to contain it, if it's detected." John Henry said. "The alarm could be raised as well once it figured out Toto had been infected."
They would need to wait and see how things played out inside the mine.
John Henry and Summer waited for the shooting to start.
Young Allison and Anna listened as the mission changed.
"This is a new step." Anna said.
Young Allison knew the danger level increased. She believed the overall threat level would be reduced once the terminations started.
"It may be better this way." Young Allison said. "If Skynet raises the alarm when Toto makes its move, there should be less people to respond."
Anna still didn't like the fact there wasn't an exit strategy for the team.
"They need to get out in just over an hour and a half." Anna said.
It was a worry of Young Allison as well. She wanted to be ready to act immediately.
"I want CamNet to have her TDE up and running as we near the last fifteen minutes." Young Allison said. "With the latest information from Bob and Jim, based on the Main Shaft's location, we have a good representation of the actual layout of Level Three and Level Four. I'm only worried about the actual depth calculations."
Anna knew it was covered as well now.
"Jim placed a repeater on the top of the elevator." Anna said. "We know the height of the elevator itself and it can be tracked to the surface for an accurate depth of both Level Three and Level Four."
There was still one major worry for Young Allison.
"The chances of losing communications are less now with the repeater on the elevator itself." Young Allison said. "There's a repeater in the Main Shaft at Level Four. There is nothing other than the elevator to get the signal to the surface. CamNet needs to have control of the elevator itself."
Anna worried about triggering an alarm.
"CamNet has stayed away from all of the electrical systems and the electrical power itself into the mine from the surface to avoid detection." Anna said. "She's ready to attack all of those functions separately or all at once."
Young Allison wanted some safeguards for the team.
"If we see what looks like more troops on the surface headed down, she needs to disable the elevator." Young Allison said.
Anna was notified by John Henry there was a contingency plan for it.
"Summer has suggested if any troops mass and enter the elevator, the elevator should stop at Level Two." Anna said. "The troops will have no choice but to remove the blockage and enter Level Two. It is doubtful they will all have night vision equipment. Level two will turn into a death trap for them. Depending on how fast they act. Most, if not all of the Grays, will still be trapped on Level Two when the mine begins to explode and collapse."
Young Allison liked the plan. She wanted to make a slight modification.
"Have the elevator stop right below Level Two when it happens." Young Allison said. "They can get out of the top of the elevator, but not out of the bottom. There will be solid rock on all sides of them. They can try to climb up the cables which should be covered with grease, or make their way on their own into Level Two. It will seem like their choice. It should make them less cautious if it's not a forced choice. Make sure all radio and cell traffic is blocked as well so no one knows what's really happening."
Anna and Young Allison waited for the shooting to start.
Sheila was in the process of beating the punk to death. She'd already broken a dozen bones.
Leticia watched as Sheila brutalized the gang member. She wore a pair of night vision goggles.
Cammy stood watch but was ready to assist Sheila if necessary.
Leticia took a step back to where Cammy was at.
"Will she use the knife?" Leticia whispered.
Cammy didn't want Leticia to forget what the gang did to the two foreign tourists yesterday, or what the gang would have done to them if the Metal girls hadn't intervened a few days ago.
"They don't care who they hurt." Cammy said. "Justice will be served tonight. It could have been your underwear in his pocket a few days ago…."
Leticia knew it was close to happening. She wanted to know why Cammy and Sheila's eyes glowed red earlier.
"Can you tell me about your eyes?" Leticia asked.
Cammy didn't like where things were headed.
"They're brown." Cammy said.
Leticia didn't want to force the issue with Cammy. She would ask Sheila later.
"They're beautiful." Leticia said.
Sheila listened to the conversation as she broke another bone on the punk. She was aware Leticia was the only one who couldn't see what happened in the dark. There was one other person who needed to see what happened so there was no confusion.
"It's Showtime, love." Sheila said. "Cammy's going to remove your goggles for you and she is going to light the area with her phone. I want this tough gang member to see what happens next."
The room went dark for Leticia as Cammy removed her night vision goggles.
"Look away until you see the light and slowly turn back so your eyes adjust." Cammy said.
Leticia could see the smile on Sheila's face. She seemed to be very proud of what she'd done so far.
Sheila could see she needed to act fast. The punk was fading out. She reached down and grasped him.
"The girls you've abused send their regards." Sheila said.
Leticia's eyes widened as Sheila went to work. It was clear 'Justice' had been served.
"Are you going to leave him like that?" Leticia asked.
Sheila didn't want to leave too many loose ends behind.
"Not this time." Sheila said. "We have other more important issues to deal with."
Sheila snapped the punk's neck.
"We're done here." Sheila said. "There will be more of the same."
Sheila left everything but the female's underwear there.
Cammy briefly looked over the area. They were done for now.
"Let's go." Cammy said.
Cammy turned off her light and took Leticia's arm to guide her out. As soon as they were outside, the full moon would provide Leticia with enough light to see.
Leticia looked back once. All she saw in the darkness were two red eyes. She knew it was Sheila. She wondered what the 'special girls' really were. She doubted they were 'robots'. They said they weren't aliens. What were they?
Sheila noticed Leticia look back at her. She wanted to see how far she was willing to go.
"Is it the lifestyle you want?" Sheila asked.
Leticia was surprised Sheila was next to her already. She'd needed to watch her step. She wanted a better idea of what the 'special girls' actually did, and who they dealt with on a regular basis.
"Are the people you 'punish' all guilty of sex crimes?" Leticia asked. "Or are they responsible for other brutal crimes against humanity?"
Sheila liked the question. She wanted punishment directed where it was due.
"Yes. They all are. They 're all guilty of crimes against humanity." Sheila said. "Are you in?"
Leticia wanted to know more. She hoped to see what else happened tonight. She felt she had a personal score to settle with a lot of people for things done to her over the years.
Mary told her about the people and the machines from the future. She wanted to know more about it too. She was sure it was a way bigger operation than what could be seen right now. She wanted to see how much Sheila would actually tell her. She knew a few things, but it could be viewed as speculation. She wanted some real answers.
"I'll think about it." Leticia said. "I want to know more about the future too. I know it's a factor."
Cammy and Sheila looked at each other. They headed back out to the SUV.
Dan and Frank were given more information from CamNet. There were four of the gang members in the park. One of them was the female.
There was one other male gang member on the way to the park now. He'd just robbed a liquor store three minutes ago. He cleaned out the cash register and took two bottles of hard liquor.
They moved to intercept him. They knew where he was headed. He was spotted a short time later.
"I have a visual." Frank said.
Frank pulled over and let Dan out. They knew the destination of the punk. Frank passed by him and stopped a block in front of him. There was a strip mall on the corner. They would take him in the alley of that location.
CamNet notified Sheila and Cammy. She also notified Ally and Hanna.
The girls were on the prowl.
Earlier:
Ally received the footage from Cammy's phone. She did more than light the area. She sent a live feed of the finale.
"Do you girls want to see justice?" Ally asked.
Mary and Laura looked at each other.
"I'll watch." Mary said.
Mary watched what Sheila did earlier, or at least some of it, at the florist shop where they'd been captured.
Laura wasn't so sure.
"I might look away." Laura said.
Ally held her phone so everyone could see. They watched Sheila finish things up. It was clear she'd made a statement.
"It was fast." Mary said.
Laura wanted to make sure of what she saw.
"She didn't seem bothered at all." Laura said.
Ally wanted to remind the girls of the danger they'd been in.
"Just remember, it might have been your underwear he kept as a trophy." Ally said.
Hanna wanted to make things clear. She wanted to remind them how brutal the gang members were. Their latest two victims were still in the hospital.
"He would have done bad things to you." Hanna said.
They watched the images of the punk.
"That's it?" Mary asked.
Ally didn't think there was a whole lot left to do.
"That's it." Ally said.
Hanna pointed out there were other ways for the gang members to kill, even if it wasn't directly. The diseases they left behind were just as deadly as a knife or a bullet, but a lot slower and more painful.
"He'll never attack another female, or male, and he won't give anyone else HIV." Hanna said.
Mary and Ally looked at each other.
"Do you mean if we would have survived the attack, we could have ended up with AIDS?" Laura asked.
Ally wasn't sure of the status of all of the gang members.
"It was a possibility." Ally said.
Hanna and Ally received an update. Dan and Frank acquired the next punk.
"They've located the next target." Hanna said. "Would you girls like to participate, or at least watch?"
Laura wanted to see first hand, but from a distance.
"Can we watch from the SUV?" Laura asked.
Ally received updated information.
"They have him cornered in an alley." Ally said.
Mary wanted some further retribution with the new information they'd learned. She was even more upset at the gang members now with the possibility she could have been given a deadly disease, after being brutally abused.
"Let's go." Mary said. "Those bastards could have killed us in more ways than one."
Mary was aware she'd backed down before when she had the opportunity to carve up the female enabler who'd threatened her with a knife. She understood the 'special girls' better now. They enacted 'Justice' when the system failed. Criminals didn't have rights. They forfeited them when they chose to commit a crime. The victims had rights.
John was on top of Camille. They gently hugged and kissed as they shared the feeling of love. They weren't having sex at this point. They shared each other's presence. It wasn't all about sex. It was about sharing.
John felt he'd always failed Cameron as a True Companion. It seemed like it was all about sex to him. He was aware Savannah was able to show Cameron true love. No matter how much he tried, he always fell short. It was something Savannah showed Cameron from a very early age. It didn't need to be sexual to be love and sharing. It was two people in the company of each other who enjoyed doing the same things, and seeing the other one happy because they did. It was about two people who supported each other no matter what the conditions or circumstances were. They were there for each other, even if it meant death.
He didn't want to make the same mistake with any of the other girls. The recent interactions all revolved around sex. Before the current events, it was about them sharing and interacting with each other in various non sexual ways. He wanted to make sure both types of interaction were present going forward.
Earlier:
Camille liked how John started out. She knew the girls could all do it a little better. She thought he did a good job though. He stayed with it until she made it. She was really ready for the next part.
She was filled with anticipation as John moved over the top of her. She felt some tension as he made his move.
"Go slow." Camille whispered. "I've never done this before."
It always excited John to hear anyone say it. He felt this was even more exciting with Camille in her own chassis, than it was with Cameron in control of it on the ship.
It drove him to a higher level to feel Camille arch her back and twist her head to the side as they began to share.
She turned her head back and looked at him with wide eyes as he started in.
This was the part where the human females would gasp for breath, but the Metal girls didn't need to breathe. They took it all in and wanted more. They all wanted more after a short time once things started.
They were very content in each other's arms.
John stayed with it until she finished. He almost did too, but held back.
Camille was very pleased with her first experience.
"It was beautiful, John." Camille said. "I want you to finish with me."
John kissed her. He wasn't done yet.
"I will." John said.
Camille thought about it. She rolled John over on to his back and was on top of him now.
It was what John wanted. The Metal girls could operate on top and not get tired or need to stop. They could continue at the same pace indefinitely. They could speed up or go slower.
Camille wanted everything. She didn't want John to overexert himself. She decided to take charge.
"My turn…." Camille whispered. "Let me have it."
John shared a long kiss with her as she started to move. He didn't like variations in speed, it always disrupted his concentration.
"Just keep the pace steady and I will." John whispered.
Camille started out slow and picked up the tempo. She also was able to gauge the distance for maximum pleasure. It actually increased the pleasure for both of them.
It was John's turn to squirm a little bit and gasp for breath as Camille continued to pick up speed.
He watched her face and could see she was about to make it again. He did too.
Camille finished at the same time John did, but she continued at the same speed and made it again. John squirmed wildly beneath her as she did. She could tell she drove him over the top and kept him there. She slowed and stopped.
John got his breath back.
They shared a long soft deep loving kiss.
Camille thought about everything which just occurred in the back of the SUV. There was one thing she knew for sure. This was just the start. She understood why Cameron tried to hog John all for herself. It didn't matter if they were 'married' or not. The girls in the Resistance all shared.
"I want more of this." Camille whispered. "The end result is the same as the other ways, but the journey is different. I liked it a lot."
John didn't think Cameron would allow the Metal girls more than the 'one time' she'd promised them for stripping each of their virginity away as she took over control of their chassis before. He wanted to point out what may or may not happen going forward. He really didn't think it was their decision.
"Cameron may not allow you more than what she'd promised." John said. "I'm actually surprised she allowed us to have this beautiful experience."
Camille didn't ask anyone. She'd acted on her own. It was a spur of the moment thing. It was driven by the setting. She thought John should know the truth.
"She doesn't know." Camille said. "I didn't ask."
John sat up a little bit. It sounded like trouble. Cameron seemed to know everything.
Camille could sense John's trepidation. She figured she'd better throw all the facts out there.
"Relax." Camille said. "She doesn't know about Mary and Laura either."
John swallowed hard. He was sure more than a few boundaries had been crossed. He was the one who'd crossed them. It didn't matter what the circumstances or conditions were. He was a little worried. He may have stepped out of the limits of what Cameron would allow for the 'conclusion' of their honeymoon.
"Is it going to cause a problem?" John asked.
Camille gently stroked his chest and smiled. She gave him another loving kiss. Right now John was hers. She may have been cloned from Cameron, but she was her own Terminator.
"It'll be our secret." Camille said. "Nobody will know."
John was pretty sure Nobody would know.
CamNet's Terminator went up on the dock and approached the small door. It was the closest one to where one of the detainees was taken. It was constructed out of metal. He didn't kick it open. He pushed on it instead. Nothing happened at first. He increased the amount of force used and the door 'popped' open.
He expected to hear an alarm. There wasn't one. He didn't know if it was because it wasn't wired, or if it was because CamNet had control of their system. It didn't really matter, he was in.
The Terminator headed straight for the room where the detainee was taken. It was where CamNet directed him to go first. There was a drone at low altitude over the building. It gave him a constant update of the heat signatures inside.
CamNet alerted him of a new event. The man in the security room got up. He'd tried to sound an alarm but she'd prevented it from happening. There must have been some internal security which she couldn't access.
The Terminator changed his direction and headed for the security room. Just as the door to it opened, he arrived.
The man who opened the door looked more than a little surprised to see him standing there with a silenced pistol in his hand. He tried to bring up the revolver he held, but it never made it past his waist. A silenced 9MM round impacted into his face. He fell into a heap inside the door.
The Terminator checked both ways. He reached forward and closed the door. He continued on his way to the room where the man had taken the detainee. He could hear struggling as he approached the room. The drone image indicated the two figures were together.
He made sure the other two figures were still in the front. They didn't appear to have been notified of his entry.
"We're going to have a real good time." The man said. "You're my favorite. I want everything good, or I'm going to use the knife. You know I will, you've seen it."
The Terminator didn't pause as he reached the door. It wasn't locked. He opened it and stepped into the room.
"I'm going to start with an ear and work my way down." The man said. "You won't be worth two dollars on the street."
He could see there was a female on the floor. The man was bent down over her. He held her by the throat with his left hand and brandished a knife with his right hand.
The man with the knife looked a little irritated because someone entered the room. He didn't turn around to look.
"You can have your turn when I'm done." The first man said. "Take off for now."
The Terminator reached down and grabbed the man by his neck.
"Wrong…." The Terminator said.
He lifted the man and slammed him up against the wall. The knife clattered to the ground. The man's feet were a foot off of the floor.
The female looked extremely surprised to see what just happened. She quickly closed her top back up.
The Terminator snapped the man's neck and dropped his body to the ground. He turned his attention to the female.
"I'm here to help." The Terminator said. "How many of you are there?"
The female appeared to be scared. She didn't know who the stranger was. She looked at the man who'd tried to abuse her on the ground. It was clear by the angle of his neck he would never abuse anyone else again.
"There are five of us." The female said. "There were more, but some other females were taken away several days ago. One of the men said they'd been put to work in their 'new jobs'. He said it would happen to me too. It was a different man than this one."
The Terminator didn't want to bring her with him right now. He didn't want to send her back to the other room either. He needed to deal with the two men up in the front. He'd been able to stop the abuse there, before it could start or be taken further.
"I need you to wait here for now." The Terminator said. "I'll be back."
He exited the room. He closed the door. He saw the door could be locked from the outside. He could tell by the interior of the room it was a holding cell used for 'personal interrogations' and 'personal interviews'. He'd spotted various types of photographic equipment and devices to capture videos. He was sure some of the females, and maybe even some of the males, were photographed and put up for auction to various bidders. He would need to retrieve the hard drives and forward them to CamNet. They might be able to track down some of the individuals sold, and who purchased them. It should also give them a list of the other bidders.
The Terminator left the female behind in the locked room and headed towards the front. There were two more thugs to deal with there.
The first man didn't think the conversation would go anywhere. He bid the 'big man' farewell and left. There were a few other sections of the building he wanted to check out. He saw the flash of light and heard the loud electrical noise. He really thought the technicians were playing with fire. He would check up on them soon enough before he went back out.
He headed for one of the internal storage locations. It was on the main work room floor. There were more crates stacked up on top of each other. There was also a lot of raw material waiting to be shipped out and machined. The original plan was for them to set up a foundry in the old cement plant and create subassemblies there. Those plans had been altered several months ago when some of the other satellite facilities were taken down. Their location had become a storage location.
He made his way to the sleeping quarters. He opened the door without knocking. There were a couple of men in there.
"Don't you two have a duty assignment?" The first man asked.
The two men looked at each other.
"We have the graveyard shift." One man said. "We'll be out on patrol while all of you are asleep."
The other man looked a little indignant.
"We always do our duty." The other man said. "There's never been a breach on our watch."
The first man knew people couldn't be expected to be on duty twenty four hours a day. The only ones who could do it were Terminators.
"I know how it works." The first man said. "Where are the others?"
The two men looked at each other.
"They were supposed to go out earlier and put the grab on some fresh meat." One man said.
The other man looked a little upset.
"'Bolt Brain' wouldn't let them go out." The other man said. "I was really looking forward to a new skank."
The first man didn't want the team to get distracted. He understood why the Terminator didn't want anyone away from the location with all the recent trouble. He didn't either.
"It's best to keep your pants on for now." The first man said. "There's a lot of stuff going down and we don't know exactly what it is."
One man reached over and touched his rifle.
"As long as I have 'Charlene', I'm ready for anything." One man said.
The other man looked quickly over at him. He thought he was 'Charlene'.
"I'm ready to." The other man said.
The first man gave both of them a sideways look and left. He wanted to check on the motor pool next
The female Fanatic knew there was a new level of danger to what they were doing. It was bad enough with a group of Grays. Now there was a Terminator there for sure. It made her wonder what else was at the location.
She was glad to see him veer off and go up to where the electronic disturbance was by the door where they came in at. She thought if they were lucky, he would get 'zapped' and knocked out of commission.
"We need to see what else is in here." The female Fanatic said. "The HK Track should become active in a short while. It will help thin the herd. I'll try to make sure the two truck drivers are dead. I know it's important to you. We have to see what else we're up against before things get started. Remember this may not end well for either of us.
Jill had been warned multiple times about how it was probably going to end. She knew the truck drivers would be killed one way or the other. It was good enough for her. They deserve to die. The other men deserve to die as well. None of them deserved to live.
"I'm with you." Jill said. "We should see if we can thin the herd some ourselves. We don't want the enemy on both sides of us if we can help it."
The female Fanatic knew there were at least eight men outside. They would be between them and their route of escape no matter which direction they went. It was just something they would need to deal with. She knew if they could get any of the men alone, and get the jump on them, they should kill them with their knives. She didn't want any of them to mount a counterattack against the HK Track. Maybe with the recent distraction, it was time to add another ally. She already started on the other HK Track. It could do a lot of damage in a short time. It was time to finish it.
"I want to try to get the other HK Track reprogrammed. It can help us out if I do." The female Fanatic said. "It should be able to defeat the Terminator.
The two technicians were a little startled when they gave the emitters the same amount of 'juice' as they had a while ago. They'd move the emitters closer together as the first man suggested. There'd been a big flash of electricity when they tried it again. Something happened.
"Did you see that?" The first technician asked.
The second technician looked a little irritated.
"Stop asking me the same thing. I'm standing right next to you." The second technician said. "Everything you see, I see."
"I clearly saw the opening this time." The first technician said. "It was approximately two feet wide and about six feet tall."
"It was definitely big enough for someone to walk into." The second technician said.
"Let's try it again." The first technician said. "It sure was loud."
"Evidently we're not the only ones who heard it." The second technician said.
The two technicians could see the Big Man was on his way over. There most likely would be a few words exchanged.
Lena and Tina were instructed to see what they could find out about the unknown device and how it was controlled. They started to move into a position to better take it under observation. They observed the bright flash of light along with the loud noise. They saw a dark rectangle open. It was only there for a second.
"How are they controlling it?" Lena asked.
Tina didn't think they were.
"They seem to be more reacting to it when they supply it with electricity." Tina said.
Lena thought they could come up with a more efficient power source.
"What we need is a power cell." Lena said. " We know how to control the output of the power on those."
Tina motioned for Lena to stay down.
"We might get a chance to try one." Tina said.
Lena and Tina watched a Terminator approach the two technicians. He looked very displeased.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Young Allison and Cameron would be finished soon with the firearms. They still needed to deal with a couple more revolvers, including the Colt Single Action Army.
'Peggy Sue', by 'Buddy Holly', was the next record.
"I like this song." Young Allison said. "It was about a real person too."
Cameron knew it was actually about two individuals. The song was originally entitled 'Cindy Lou'. It was about Buddy Holly's niece. She wasn't exactly sure why a song like it would be written about one of his relatives. It made her think of another rising star from the same time. There was a lot of controversy involved with his choice of a wife. She didn't see what the big deal was. It was his second cousin. Second cousins were known as 'kissing cousins'. It wasn't like King Tut where his father and mother were brother and sister. The DNA testing they did on his mummified corpse confirmed what everyone believed over the millennia.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with the age of the second cousin either. A couple of hundred years ago, it was standard marrying age. A couple of year's later back then, she would have been considered an 'old maid'. It was the same dilemma she'd run into when she'd arrived from the future. She already knew what would happen in the future. She didn't understand what the purpose of waiting for anything was. It was all going to happen anyway. It was the original reason for Young Allison's temporal mission. It was to put a few more years on her to make it more acceptable to some of the others about what was inevitable.
She listened to the music. She was aware the title reflected the name of The Crickets drummer's future wife. She smiled when she thought about how Ally and Sheila used the names when they were on the ship. Ally was Peggy. Sheila was Sue.
She was aware a sequel of 'Peggy Sue' was recorded by Buddy Holly in his apartment titled, 'Peggy Sue Got Married'. It wasn't discovered until after his termination. It was released in several different versions and formats over the years. She didn't want to think about his termination. She focused her attention on the task at hand.
Cameron looked at the Single Action Army as Young Allison unloaded and cleaned it. She really thought the design was backwards. It appeared it was designed for a left handed person. It wasn't logical for it to be loaded and unloaded by a right handed person with the position the loading gate was in. The firearm persisted for quite a few years after more modern designs were available. It was also chambered in a number of different calibers. Some of them were the same calibers the 1873 Winchester were chambered in. It did make ammunition supply much simpler if only one type of round was necessary for both a pistol and a rifle.
It appeared it was more than just Winchester not wanting to chamber their rifle in the same caliber as a Colt pistol. It was about the design of the cartridge itself. The .45 Colt cartridge was of a straight wall design. Most of the cartridges used in the Winchesters had a slight taper to the cartridge to make it feed and eject better. She didn't think it really mattered in the end. A well delivered shot didn't matter which caliber it was if it hit a vital organ on a human or an animal. A human was just another animal. They were supposed to be more intelligent than other animals. With some of the behavior she'd witnessed, she really wondered at times.
Young Allison could see Cameron drift a little as the song played. She believed her name could be more easily adapted to the song than Cameron's could. Her name had three syllables. Cameron's name only had two.
She didn't really care for the 1873 Colt. The trigger pull was certainly light enough on it, but it was true of most guns fired through single action. The Single Action Army didn't have a choice. It only fired through single action. She'd watched Cameron operate it swiftly when they were on the train. She was pretty sure it would tear her hand up if she did the same type of 'fanning' action with the hammer.
"Are you going to purchase more ammunition for this firearm?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron looked at Young Allison and blinked her eyes several times. She'd been drifting.
"I hadn't planned to." Cameron said. "I only acquired it because it was available. I kept it because I figured it would be more reliable than the 1911 or the P-08. It seemed to be in better mechanical order."
Young Allison figured it was because of the condition most of the firearms were in. Their Hi-Powers were both new guns. The Metal girls worked on them and polished all the surfaces with contact. She was actually very pleased with her performance when she'd fired her P-35 at the Sports Club.
"Maybe you can give it to the worker at the shooting area." Young Allison said. "The two firearms he described he had are very anemic as far as it goes for a pistol or a shotgun."
Cameron thought shot placement was more important than the caliber of the weapon.
"If I would have had it with me, I would have." Cameron said. "He seemed very satisfied with the monetary tip he received."
She'd always learned money had a way to 'talk' to humans. There were thousands of dollars in the safe at each of the safe houses. There were hundreds of thousands of dollars available in bank accounts for them to use. Money wouldn't be a problem. She was pretty sure the only problem would be if someone didn't want to accept it. She would terminate whoever she needed to terminate to make sure their stay went smoothly. She really hoped none of the neighbors would become a problem.
'Sheila', by 'Tommy Roe', was the next song.
"I bet Sheila picked this one herself." Young Allison said. "I like it a lot."
Cameron immediately recognized the song. It was the second recorded version of the song. She also recognized the style it was done in. It definitely carried over the 'Lubbock Sound'. It was clearly influenced by the music of Buddy Holly and The Crickets. She thought it was a little strange the song was named after his Aunt. She wondered what the story was behind the musicians, and their close family members. She'd found out later it was because the way it was originally written, it was titled 'Frita'. It was a girls name from his high school. She'd witnessed plenty of high school romances in the two high schools she'd attended, even if both of them were for a brief amount of time.
She experienced a slight glitch impulse. It made her think about her 'new friend' from the bathroom at Cahuenga High School. It was clear she'd been involved in some type of romance which no one would have approved of. The girl determined it was better to self terminate than have her parents berate her about it. She didn't think any form of copulation was worth terminating over.
The girls were done with the firearms. Cameron personally inspected all of the rounds as they were loaded. It was time to put the cleaning supplies away. She was glad they hadn't dumped the bottle of cleaning solution over during the process.
'Jailhouse Rock', by 'Elvis', was the next song.
"I like the song, but I didn't care much for the movie." Young Allison said.
Cameron wondered why the warden would throw a party in a jail. When some of the prisoners had a chance to escape, they wanted to stay so they could attend it. It was very illogical.
She tilted her head slightly when they mentioned one of the inmates played the slide trombone. She was aware of what went on between the inmates behind bars. It also made her understand the interaction of inmates Number 47 and Number 3, especially the 'cutest jailbird' reference. She was pretty sure the slide trombone wasn't the only thing 'Little Joey' was blowing on.
Cameron and Young Allison were soon ready to head out.
Better This Way
It doesn't take very long
For everything to end up in disarray
It can all start out
With what some people say
It's only the ones who are closest
Who are the ones that can betray
It's not about power and domination
Or how to make another obey
Everyone wants to avoid the inevitable
They may even try for a replay
It doesn't really matter
For the end they only delay
Some things are easier than others
To another to try to convey
What is the real picture
Behind what they actually portray
Nothing changes the ending
Even if they use an age old cliché
They always smile and say
It's better this way
Nobody