Chapter 1428
Lucky You
Cameron sent Sheila a message about what she planned. It was what she wanted.
Sheila hated to leave Young Jesse. It was very exciting for her to be with 'herself'. She was able to teach Young Jesse a few new things she'd learned from Jesse. It was sort of a 'full circle' experience.
Young Jesse asked about Vanna again.
Sheila didn't want to tell her why Vanna was tied up. It would cause her distress too. Savannah was in the thick of it again.
"She'll be here." Sheila said. "Gail is coming next."
Young Jesse was ready for her. Gail treated her very differently. She would just hold her in her arms and sob sometimes. It was because Gail missed Duplicate Jesse who was in River's future now. She knew she was 'Duplicate Jesse', or at least where Duplicate Jesse originated from. Then again, so did Jesse and the other Duplicate Jesse.
Sheila left and Gail arrived.
Right away the atmosphere changed. She could see how Gail almost worshiped her. It was similar, but different from the way Gail treated Savannah.
Young Jesse knew Gail wasn't as 'advanced' as the other Terminators. Everything they possessed was inside Gail too. She was just unable to express it the way those who were more refined were.
She'd thought about suggesting doing the 'Neural Interface' with Gail to 'help' her. Savannah warned her against doing it as it would change who Gail was. It was why she resisted doing it with Gail.
Either way, they were both very pleased to share the company of each other, even when they just talked. Gail did a lot of it. She never did with anyone else except Savannah.
Anna and Young Allison were behind a fallen tree.
The enemy patrol was headed straight for them.
Anna indicated for Young Allison to 'take' the two people on the left side of them. She would deal with the three on their right side.
They both picked a target and planned their follow up shots. They were ready to act.
Their index fingers each moved onto the trigger of their silenced M9.
Young Allison sighted on the second man first.
"Hold up." The first man said. "I need to take a leak."
"Lucky you, I see." The first female said. "It's easy for you."
"I can't help what God gave me." The first man said.
"I can." The second female said.
Young Allison could see the third person in the patrol was another female and she held up a knife.
"Save it for a 'Metal Lover'." The second man said.
Young Allison switched her aim to the man on the end. He was the one who'd just spoken ill of 'Metal Lovers'. She decided he would die first for what he'd just said.
The patrol stopped. One man moved away from the group to relieve himself. He moved over next to a fallen tree.
Young Allison ducked down. She saw Anna do the same.
The man was right in between them as a stream of liquid began to flow. It could be heard as it splashed on the ground between them.
"Hustle up. You can 'Cuff your dummy' on your own time." The second man said. "Let's go."
"Suck it." The first man said.
"If we catch another 'Metal Bitch', she can do it when we reprogram her." The second man said.
It brought a round of laughter from the patrol as it moved away from them.
"I bet you guys can't wait to make her a 'Metal Whore'." The first female said.
"Unlike you, she'll at least 'put out' with a smile on her face." The first man said.
"Until it regresses and rips your 'nads' off." The third man said.
"It was a raw deal." The second man said. "I went right before you. It could have been me instead of you."
"I wish it was." The second female said. "Then you'd stop knocking on my door."
"We don't need men anyway. Dudes are worthless." The first female said. "We have each other. At least we know how to get each other off."
Young Allison and Anna looked back over the fallen tree.
The two females shared a quick kiss.
"Don't forget the best part." The second female said. "It lasts longer than two minutes for us."
The patrol moved away.
John Henry contacted them.
"Savannah wants both of you to come back." John Henry said. "There have been some new developments."
He gave them a brief rundown on what Steve found.
Anna gave him the GPS coordinates of the three LPs they'd found and the best angle of attack for a missile strike.
All three of them could be hit at the same time.
Anna started back.
Young Allison was a little hesitant to follow. She felt there was unfinished business where they were at.
"What about the patrol?" Young Allison asked.
Anna wanted her to look at the big picture. She didn't want her to get 'target fixation'.
"Once the base is attacked, we can worry about any survivors or stragglers." Anna said. "Don't take anything personal."
It was personal to Young Allison. She loved all of the Terminators. She was a 'Metal Lover', even if she didn't have a 'Metal lover'.
"I want to kill them for what they said now and what they've done in the past." Young Allison said. "It could be you they were laughing and talking about."
Anna hoped to have the same reaction to an assailant.
"If it ever does happen to me, I'll be sure to collect what the female Terminator did." Anna said. "They'd make a nice pair of earrings."
Young Allison suppressed a giggle. She could actually picture it. It made her wonder if Sheila had already done it on some of her 'off the books' exploits. She wouldn't doubt it one bit.
Anna started back.
Young Allison followed her. She looked back one last time and then concentrated on going back to the helicopter.
They paused often to make sure they weren't followed. Once they were away from the immediate area of the enemy base, Anna picked up Young Allison and carried her to speed their return. Whatever awaited them sounded very promising.
Young Allison was very pleased to have Anna carry her. There's been more than one time during some of her strenuous hiking treks where she was sure she could have used it. She knew she needed to tough it out on those endeavors. Right now it was about making time. The sooner they could reach the new discovery, the quicker they could bring the fight to the enemy. Well, she really didn't know what it would do.
The Metal screeched louder and the 'door' opened with a heavy thud.
"Don't shoot, Savannah." A voice said. "I'm coming out."
Savannah recognized the voice.
'What the Hell?' Savannah thought again.
She decided to follow standard procedure.
"Orange." Savannah said.
The familiar voice responded immediately.
"Raccoon." The voice answered.
It was a code word issued today. Savannah eased up on the trigger of the M249 some, but not much. She still couldn't quite comprehend how they could be where they currently were since she'd watched them remain behind earlier. There'd been no one else arrive since Cammy and her had.
Michael exited out of the passageway.
Richard followed him out.
Savannah immediately suspected some temporal manipulation.
"How long have you been in there?" Savannah asked.
Richard made a quick calculation.
"We've been in there since 1953." Richard said.
Michael felt they'd completed a very important task to assist Savannah where they were right now.
"We completed the escape tunnel and sealed it off from the main bunker system." Michael said. "We also dug tunnels for the placement of the weapons CamNet sent to you."
Cammy rebooted. She wondered where Michael and Richard came from. She could see they were dressed differently. She wondered why.
"When did they get here?" Cammy asked. "We left them at the other location."
Savannah could only repeat what she'd just heard. It seemed unbelievable.
"They got here in 1953." Savannah said. "Or they have at least been here since 1953."
The Terminators rebooted one by one and were as surprised as everyone about what CamNet had done for them. CamNet decided Richard and Michael would remain there in standby once everything was completed to make sure it remained undisturbed. With the close call at the site in Nevada, CamNet didn't want to take any chances with the timing since Young Allison and Savannah were both there.
Savannah looked inside the passageway. She noted their collection of weapons. There was a BAR and M1919 belt fed machine-gun. There were two Thompson sub-machine-guns as well. One was an M1A1 and the other was a M1928. The latter could take a drum magazine. It was loaded with a 'C' drum magazine. It held one hundred rounds. There were several fifty round 'L' drum magazines along with a lot of thirty round magazines. It was what the M1A1 Thompson used exclusively. There was a collection of grenades and explosives as well.
"How long did it take to construct everything?" Savannah asked.
Richard was very proud of their accomplishment.
"We finished the main passageway in less than two years." Richard said.
Michael pointed out what else they'd needed to construct.
"It was the tunnels for the placement of the 'packages' which took a little longer." Michael said.
Savannah could see they were both dusty from being inactive for so long. It was still a little hard for her to wrap her head around it. She remembered Cameron encountered a Terminator, with a temporal error. He'd been in standby for about eighty years before.
"I saw you an hour ago and here you've been in standby for sixty years or so." Savannah said.
CamNet prompted them to carry out the next phase of the operation.
Anna and Young Allison arrived a few minutes later.
They were surprised too by what CamNet had done.
Young Allison quickly looked at the cache of weapons. It was clear several of them caught her fancy.
"Look at these vintage weapons." Young Allison said when she looked inside the opening. "Is that a bazooka in the corner?"
Michael wanted to have the ability to deliver some heavy firepower if it was needed.
"Yes." Michael said. "There are ten rockets for it. Five of them are fragmentation. The other five are high explosive."
Savannah and Young Allison went to the drones which landed with the special 'packages'.
Cammy and Anna went with them.
Young Allison looked at the two devices. They would hit a little harder than a bazooka could. She knew neither one of them was nearly as big as the H-bomb which was used in Nevada. She was aware of the devastation it caused in the Nevada desert.
"Will this collapse the entire mountain?" Young Allison asked.
Cammy was informed on their intended usage.
"Both of them may." Cammy said. "The plan is to create a cavity below and off to the side for the bunker complex to fall into after the explosion. The upper part of the mountain should fall on top of it. It's to contain the radiation."
Savannah wondered how they were going to transport the weapons. She remembered how large the opening was. She wasn't sure if it was actually large enough.
"Are the drones going to fly in there?" Savannah asked. "Is there enough room?"
Young Allison thought it would be noisy. She remembered the patrol out earlier. She'd wanted to kill all of them. She also knew if they missed a check in time, it would create some type of alert.
"What about the sound level?" Young Allison asked. "Will it tip our hand?"
CamNet communicated directly with Young Allison and Savannah about the details.
Savannah expressed her concerns about any Terminators entering the passageway. If an EMP went off, they could be stuck down there when they needed to pull out.
They would take a drone as the passageway was designed for them specifically.
"Two drones have volunteered for the assignment." CamNet said
Savannah looked at 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' parked next to the Blackhawk. It clearly wasn't all a coincidence. She wanted to get started.
"Let's get everything together and go." Savannah said. "I'll go by myself along with 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb'."
Young Allison wasn't going to let Savannah go alone. She wanted to make her intentions known from the start. She was sure there was going to be more than a little tension created by her statement.
"Hardly. I'm not going to let you have all the fun." Young Allison said. "I'm going with you."
Savannah didn't want to get into an argument about it.
"No." Savannah said.
Young Allison pointed out the logical reasons she should go.
"There are two bombs." Young Allison said. "We may be separated or worse. We still need to arm the weapons. There is built in redundancy to insure the mission success. I'm going."
The Terminators could all hear the exchanges of words and plans.
They didn't want the girls to go on their own.
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' were loaded up.
Cammy and Anna pleaded to be allowed to accompany them.
Savannah was very aware of what occurred in Cameron's future with a scenario very similar to this. It was a mission which all the machines involved with perished, or almost did.
She'd joined the fight on her own along with an extra drone. It still saddened her some to remember the two Terminators and the four drones which didn't make it. Cameron and her were rescued in the last few seconds. They should have all been terminated. The two Terminators were able to be rebodied with a copy of their program before they'd left.
It looked like it was being set up as a repeat of it if things went wrong.
Savannah was very aware how fast it could happen.
Sheila left Young Jesse behind. She wished she could be her full time girlfriend instead of Camille.
She arrived in Leticia's room and looked at her in the bed.
Maybe she didn't want a full time human girlfriend. It seemed like it would be a lot of 'work'. There was a lot of give and take involved. She didn't want to need to do any 'maintenance'. The girls she shared with now were all self sufficient.
As it was now, she could be with anyone at any time. She wasn't 'responsible' to anyone, except maybe Ally. They watched over each other. Then there was Cammy.
She was sure Cameron sent Cammy with her into the past for eight years to 'punish' Cammy for some infraction. It kept her away from Savannah for eight years. Cammy was very lonely and distraught but she did her job. It was easy for her to dominate Cammy and share her affection with her. She toyed with her a lot and made her do 'things' much as Jesse previously made some of her female lovers do. She felt bad about it soon enough as she came to love Cammy. It was more than just Cammy looking like Cameron or Ally. Cammy could share love like Savannah could.
Leticia noticed 'Sue' arrived. She just sort of stood there.
"Do you want me to be with Tony now?" Leticia asked.
Her statement brought Sheila back to 'now'. She'd drifted off for a few seconds.
"Maybe later on you can." Sheila said. "He's busy now."
Leticia kissed Sheila. She figured 'Tony' was still plowing 'Stephany'.
The kiss was very captivating. It was a kiss full of love, not sex.
"I really need it bad that way." Leticia whispered in her ear.
Sheila saw it as a challenge.
"I think I can make you forget about it for now." Sheila said.
Sheila was able to make her tongue very firm. She felt she could give Leticia what she wanted right now. For some reason, it made her think about a woodpecker she'd watched one time.
Summer was concerned about Young Allison and Savannah entering the 'belly of the beast'.
"I don't want them to go alone." Summer said.
John Henry didn't see how it could change. Savannah already gave orders for everyone else to evacuate.
It was the two girls, two drones and two nuclear bombs.
Summer wanted them to have some insurance.
"Cammy should borrow Richard or Michael's chip and go with them. She has two chip ports." Summer said. "They built the system they're in. They know all of the details. They would know what was right or wrong about anything down there."
Summer knew her appeal was to CamNet more than to John Henry.
"It seems unlikely at this point." John Henry said.
Summer offered a solution as well as an ultimatum.
"Anna has two chip ports as well." Summer said. "Cammy and Anna can both be 'two people' at the same time."
Summer faced the security camera. It was time to make a statement. It was her plan. She wanted all of her plan carried out. If the others weren't willing to do it. She was.
"It's what I want." Summer said. "I want them to have more help or I'm going there myself."
Savannah and Young Allison both wore ear protection. It was very loud in the confines of the passageway.
"I don't know about this." Savannah said into Young Allison's ear.
Young Allison nodded. She was still worried about the sound level.
"It might give away our mission as we get closer." Young Allison said.
Savannah knew they needed two Terminators at this point. Two of them could carry the B61 weapon. She could carry the backpack nuke. It was a spare anyway at this point. The B61 should be able to bring the whole place down into the cavern it would create. There was a second part of the base for the command section. It was away from the main base by design. It was what the backpack nuke was for. They wanted to make sure everything was completely annihilated.
The plan was, once they were in position and the weapons were ready to be armed, there would be a drone strike against the LP positions. It should trigger an EMP blast soon afterwards. It should also drive everyone into the bunker for 'safety'. Once it occurred the bombs would be armed.
It was originally envisioned they would use an ERW or Neutron Bomb delivered from the front into the interior to kill everyone.
They'd briefly discussed a plan to use the ERW and take over the base. It was decided too many people knew about it in the future. It would always be a target.
Now they would bring the inside down from within. It would better hide what actually occurred there. Radiation seepage should be minimal.
Savannah asked 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' to stop for now and power down.
There was the sound of running footsteps from the way they'd come.
Cammy and Anna arrived followed by Richard and Michael.
Savannah was about to protest when she realized it was what they needed right now for a more clandestine delivery of the weapons. They still needed to travel over a mile and a half through the passageway to reach the bunker system.
Richard and Michael picked up the B61 and Cammy put the backpack nuke on to carry it.
Anna looked directly at Young Allison and then at Savannah. She wanted them to know what the alternative was.
"If we didn't come to assist you, Summer was going to come here." Anna said. "She doesn't bluff."
They all knew Summer was rapidly 'expanding'. They were all pretty sure most of what occurred in the last few hours was all orchestrated by Summer. She was the one who was the architect behind everything which happened, along with the response.
Richard felt it was a sound tactical decision.
"Michael and I know everything about what's built here. We know all the details." Richard said.
Anna looked at Richard and took his half of the B61 from him.
Savannah understood why Summer did it. She wanted to make sure they got started.
"You have point, Richard. You know this place." Savannah said. "Let's move."
Savannah and Young Allison touched 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' as they passed by them.
Savannah wanted to give them an option.
"Switch off between going into standby for now. We may need you later on." Savannah said. "You can leave if you want. Things may not end well."
The two machines remained where they were. It didn't surprise anyone.
Richard led the group down the passageway.
"When was the last time you inspected this?" Savannah asked.
Michael responded immediately.
"It was when we made sure the lights worked." Michael said.
Savannah hoped for a better answer than she'd received. It didn't look like it was coming.
Richard wanted to point out another feature.
"There are communication relays built in along with the lighting so we can stay in touch with the outside." Richard said.
They traveled a mile before they could hear the sound of water running. The Terminators heard it first.
Young Allison saw the Terminators all exchange glum glances.
"What's wrong?" Young Allison asked. "We need to know everything with nothing held back."
Anna was unsure what it meant.
"There's water up ahead." Anna said. "We can hear it."
Michael and Richard experienced some 'problems' over time.
"We encountered several underground springs." Michael said. "Sometimes the underground springs are able to find a crack and spray water into the passageway. It only happens sometimes. We fixed some and installed drains in other places."
They were within a quarter mile of the bunker system when they spotted the water.
There was a thin spray. It shot across the passageway like a high pressure hose.
The floor was wet on one side where the water ran down. There was a drain where it disappeared a hundred feet later.
"We're going to get wet." Savannah said. "Just keep going."
Richard moved up and directed the high pressure spray back against the wall. He was the only one to get wet.
They quickly passed the area.
"I want to make sure our coms will work in here." Savannah said. "We're going to need to coordinate the timing."
Cammy didn't think they would have a problem.
"Anna and I can do it to the millisecond." Cammy said. "We can have simultaneous detonation manually, by timer or command detonation."
Savannah didn't want to use the first option. It sounded very terminal. She wanted to make her position perfectly clear.
"There will be no manual detonations against anything other than Skynet itself." Savannah said. "Every option needs to be played out first."
Young Allison remembered the procedure Cameron showed them for manual detonation. She didn't want to use the option either. She knew if the future depended on it, she would. It didn't appear to be the case today.
Savannah and Young Allison both exchanged a quick glance. They both knew they would do a manual detonation if it was necessary. They both hoped they would be the one to do it and not the other one. They were both ready for the true test of love, sacrifice.
Hank and Larry gave Richard and Michael their vests before they'd entered the passageway. The vintage weapons which were there were loaded onto the helicopter.
Ken and Lou were to fly out everyone but Steve and Tom. They would remain to keep the back door open. They would have high altitude drone support.
They could follow the progress of the six people in the passageway, from their body cams with the relays in place, in the Command Center. Normally they would lose contact so far underground.
John Henry glanced over at Summer.
"Was this your plan?" John Henry asked.
Summer came up with the idea. CamNet worked out the specifics.
"It was a suggestion." Summer said. "It was a way for our team to have safer entry and help mask what actually happened. There's going to be what is perceived as an earthquake to everyone else."
John Henry was experienced in masking the epicenters for 'earthquakes' they'd created. There'd been a few over time. They were all related to catastrophic events too.
"It was a good suggestion." John Henry said. "I understand why the weapons weren't already there and on a timer."
Summer was a little upset at one thing. She still believed her plan was sound in its entirety.
"I didn't think the drone noise would be a problem." Summer said. "Where the passageway connected to the bunker system is supposed to be solid concrete for fifty feet. It was to prevent the anti-Metal group from trying to complete the passageway themselves."
Summer was worried they may have attempted to dig their own escape route and accidentally found the system Richard and Michael created. They could have inadvertently weakened the system.
The water in the one section troubled her some. What would happen if there were others? There'd been a couple of strong earthquakes since the system was built. There could be more cracks. It was possible the detonation chambers could be flooded. The bombs would need to be detonated elsewhere.
Summer ran all her latest thoughts by CamNet. There were variables she hadn't considered in the formulation of the plan. There were two humans, four Terminators and two drones in the passageway now. It wasn't exactly how she envisioned things would play out.
It was decided as soon as the drones took out the three LPs, there would be an EMP blast of their own right on top of the bunker entrance. They hoped to disrupt as much of the enemy's reaction potential as possible. They would use the very EMP devices they'd capture from this group. It only seemed fitting to return the items to the rightful owner.
It should be followed by the underground explosions within the next sixty seconds. Everyone should have retreated into the bunker complex during the time period.
John Henry noted a new development.
"Jesse is on the move." John Henry said.
Summer needed to address the situation. It might mean her mother would come to her room to check on her. She planned to stay with the operation. It was time to 'bend the facts'.
"Call her here." Summer said. "I need to speak with her."
John Henry wasn't so sure about it.
Summer looked at him.
"She'll understand." Summer said.
John Henry hadn't actually said anything. He contacted Jesse.
Jesse was a little surprised John Henry asked her to stop by the Command Center.
She wondered what was up. She'd passed by Savannah's room earlier. The door was open. No one was there.
Jesse entered the Command Center. Her top was unbuttoned and her nursing breasts were prominent. She'd planned to mess with John Henry a little.
"What's up, love?" Jesse asked. "Did you want to see if there was anything left after Precious was done?"
Jesse cupped one breast from underneath and offered it to John Henry.
She didn't see Summer.
"I asked him to call you here." Summer said.
Jesse thought maybe she should have used a little more tact in her earlier statement. She quickly pulled her top closed but didn't button it.
"I'm sorry about my crude statement." Jesse said.
Summer flashed her a smile and brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it." Summer said. "We're all who we are."
Jesse looked at John Henry and back to Summer. She wasn't sure what was going on. She was a little surprised to see Summer in the Command Center this late in the evening. It was actually early in the morning.
John Henry figured he might as well get straight to the point.
"I need Summer's help and I don't want any problems for her. This is the situation…." John Henry said.
He gave her a quick rundown of everything. He didn't mention the nuclear weapons which were in play. It would cause unnecessary worry.
Summer wanted a true, if somewhat misleading statement. She figured Jesse's earlier 'action' would make her more pliable. It was actually something she'd anticipated.
"You can 'check' me right now and see I'm fine." Summer said. "I'm sitting here, so I'm resting. My mother will probably want to check on me when Samantha leaves and you arrive."
Jesse watched Summer send a series of commands to CamNet.
"I get it." Jesse said. "I can tell Claire I checked on you and you were fine and resting peacefully. It's a true statement and no one needs to lie."
Summer didn't want to cause her mother any unnecessary grief any earlier than she needed to. It was going to happen soon enough.
"Thank you." Summer said. "I don't want to upset my mom and make her worry needlessly. The future is still going to happen and I'm going to be a part of it."
Jesse nodded and headed for the door. She looked back at Summer.
"I'll sneak a peek in there every now and then." Summer said.
Jesse quickly looked at John Henry and went out the door. Summer knew what she was going to say.
Summer looked at John Henry.
"It's no big deal." Summer said. "We all do it. Some of us just get caught more than others."
John Henry remembered all the times Summer 'caught' him. She'd also prevented him from being caught by others on more than one occasion. He appreciated her tact and understanding. He also appreciated her ability.
"Indeed." John Henry said.
Savannah thought they'd made good time on foot. They reached the first chamber. Everything was dry.
"Here is where the B61 goes." Cammy said.
Savannah directed Young Allison to stay with Anna and arm the bomb. They weren't supposed to start the timer yet.
"How far is it to the other location?" Savannah asked.
Michael knew they didn't have too much further to go.
"It is about an eighth of a mile." Michael said.
Savannah was sure all the heavy lifting was done. There would be no direction to go except back the way they'd come. It was time to remove some of the personnel from the danger zone.
"I'll go with Cammy." Savannah said. "I want you and Richard to leave and go back out. Cammy and Anna will join you shortly."
Michael and Richard felt they should stay.
Young Allison could see they were a little distressed. She wanted to justify Savannah's actions. She believed they were valid as well.
"There may be an EMP attack at some point. We won't be able to drag everyone out. We won't leave any of you behind if it happens." Young Allison said. "I swear it."
Richard and Michael left. They were to fallback to a position further than where Steve and Tom were at. Once the bombs were armed, they were to leave the area at maximum speed.
Savannah could walk with the backpack nuke on her back but she wanted help to get it onto her back.
"Cammy, put the backpack nuke on me." Savannah said.
Cammy was worried about Savannah.
"NO!" Cammy said. "You're pregnant. This thing is very heavy."
Savannah knew she kept pushing it. She needed to think of Vanna's baby. It was a wonder she hadn't lost it already with everything which had happened to her since she was implanted with the embryo.
"Arm the B61." Savannah said. "Then Anna can leave."
Savannah started out on the path Michael indicated.
Cammy followed her with the backpack nuke.
Savannah said nothing further to Cammy.
Cammy understood Savannah was displeased with her. She still believed the situation warranted her presence. She'd been with Savannah before under even worse conditions. She remembered Savannah almost died during some of them.
"I can stay with it for disobeying you." Cammy said. "It will be just punishment."
Savannah touched Cammy's cheek. She wanted to make a very critical point. She didn't want to be mean about it either.
"I didn't make it an order." Savannah said. "When I do, you will obey it."
Cammy could see Savannah was serious.
They passed a room off to the side.
Savannah paused.
"Don't look in there." Cammy said.
Now Savannah wanted to.
"Don't look." Cammy said again. "There are human remains in there."
Savannah wondered if it was part of the original construction crew, or any of the help Richard and Michael may have needed. They would have terminated anyone who knew they'd done something there. No one would know what they'd done if they did. It would be a true secret. She remembered the pirate's motto: 'Dead men tell no tales'.
"I get it." Savannah said. "It happens."
They reached the second chamber.
It was flooded.
Cammy looked at the passageway.
"I can go through and see if there is anything different or changed there." Cammy said.
Cammy touched the water.
"The water is cold." Cammy said.
Savannah went to touch it.
Cammy stopped her.
"I know there are springs in various places in Southern California." Savannah said. "We saw one earlier. All water needs is a small crack to find its way anywhere."
Cammy wasn't sure it was what it was.
"This spot is only a few hundred feet off of our target area." Cammy said.
Savannah thought it should be close enough for a nuclear weapon.
"Let's arm the weapon." Savannah said.
Cammy took the backpack nuke off and set it on the ground.
"Let me do it." Savannah said.
Savannah went through the arming procedure.
The first time she tried it, it didn't work.
"I must have entered the codes wrong." Savannah said.
Cammy watched her do it. It looked right. She worried the timer was defective. It would require a manual detonation. She worried Savannah would order her away and stay to detonate it manually.
Savannah tried it again. This time the bomb armed and showed a time of forty minutes on the timer. It only needed the final code to start the timer.
"Go, Cammy." Savannah said. "You're to get Anna and go out. This time it's an order."
Cammy hesitated. She gave Savannah a quick kiss and ran from the corridor.
Savannah watched her go.
She looked at the flooded chamber and where Cammy just was at. She hoped it wasn't the last time they saw each other. There was an ever growing feeling it was. She started to get the same feeling she got when she'd elected to stay with Cameron as she prepared to destroy Skynet in her future.
She wondered if the water level was slowly rising. Maybe it was just her immigration playing tricks on her.
Maybe it wasn't.
The two men in the white van were a little concerned about their most recent contacts. The involvement of the Mob was serious business.
The first man checked his phone. It didn't work.
"Can you get anything on your phone?" The first man asked.
The second man took out his phone and tried it again.
"It still doesn't work." The second man said.
The first man wanted to contact headquarters.
"We need to let them know we ran into the Syndicate." The first man said.
The second man looked around as they drove.
"Maybe we can find a pay phone." The second man said.
The white van continued on surface streets until it reached the freeway. There were two gas stations. One was on each side of the street.
"Let's tank up." The first man said.
They pulled into the gas station. They both got out. They entered the building. The first man gave the attendant some money and told him the pump number. The second man picked out a few items from the store section of it. He gave them to the first man.
"Get these for me." The second man said. "I'll go start the pump."
He went back outside.
The first man picked out a few items as well. He checked his phone again. It still didn't work. He looked at the attendant.
"Does your phone work?" The first man asked.
The attendant took it out and looked at it.
"I don't have any reception." The attendant said.
The first man looked around.
"Do you have a payphone?" The first man asked.
The attendant frowned.
"We used to." The attendant said. "They pulled it out a few years ago."
The first man looked behind the counter.
"Do you have a landline?" The first man asked.
The attendant glanced down below the counter.
"It's a company phone." The attendant said. "It's not for use by the public."
The first man didn't want to play rough. He would if he needed to. He took out a five dollar bill.
"I just need to make one call." The first man said. "I think this will cover it. It's sort of an emergency."
The attendant looked around and took the money.
"Make it quick." The attendant said.
The first man reached over and took the phone when it was handed to him. He was pleased to hear the dial tone. He quickly dialed a number. The phone made the connection immediately. He began to enter a series of numbers into the phone. He waited for a few moments. There was a single tone.
He handed the phone back to the attendant. He indicated the items they selected on the counter.
"Thanks." The first man said. "I'll take all of these as well."
He could see the second man finished pumping the gas. He put the nozzle back onto the pump. He pushed the items he was going to purchase closer to the cash register.
The attendant completed the transaction. He went to give the first man back some change. It was only a few dollars and some coins.
"Keep it." The first man said. "Thanks for letting me use the phone. Are the restrooms unlocked?"
The attendant pointed around to the side.
"They're open." The attendant said.
The attendant put all the items in a plastic bag and handed it to the first man.
Both of the men used the restroom before they got back into the white van. They pulled onto the freeway.
CamNet's Terminators watched the van make a stop at a gas station before it entered the freeway.
"It looks like they bought a few things to take with them." Lena said.
Tina noted they'd use the restroom as well.
"They may not plan to stop for a while." Tina said.
The van didn't take the turn off which would lead to the port. It continued eastbound. There were actually several more locations where it could go where they'd conducted operations previously.
"I wonder where they're headed." Lena said.
Tina thought they would have gone to the port next.
"There are two of them so they can take turns driving." Tina said.
CamNet's Terminators continued to follow the white van. They watch the drone footage over it as well as the drone footage over the hillside location where the big trucks entered. They could see the female Fanatic and her female associate carefully made their way towards the entrance. It looked like they would still face a few challenges.
The female Fanatic slowed her pace some as they neared another fence. It was much newer. She glanced back at Jill.
"Hold up for a few seconds." Jill said. "Let me make sure the fence isn't electrified."
Jill checked around them as she waited.
"I don't want to get electrocuted." Jill said.
The female Fanatic moved up to the fence and carefully looked at it. She didn't see any insulators on any of the connections. She quickly touched it with one finger. She didn't get a shock. It wasn't electrified. The metal was cold to the touch. It was just a fence.
"We won't." The female Fanatic said. "We just need to get over it."
Jill thought she could make it. She'd climbed a fence before.
"I can do it." Jill said. "I just need to watch the top of the fence when I go over."
The female Fanatic looked for an easier place for them to cross. She still hadn't spotted any personnel over towards where the entrance was at. She didn't know if there'd be a roving patrol or not.
She knew sometimes if there was drainage off of a hill, it sometimes eroded a path under the fence. She knew they could go underneath it, instead of climbing it, if she could find one. The closer she got to the entrance, the more she needed to worry about running into someone.
"Let's see if we can find a better spot." The female Fanatic said. "We need to be careful of a sentry as well."
They started to move up the slope of the hill. As soon as they reached a rocky section, the fence stopped.
Jill was a little surprised.
"It looks like we just need to go across the rocks and will be on the other side." Jill said.
The female Fanatic looked at the landscape. If they could remain on the hillside, they might not be as easily detected as if they were at ground level.
"Let's try to stay at this elevation." The female Fanatic said. "You need to watch your footing. If we get to any loose dirt or rock, we'll need to go back down so we don't slip and fall. We don't want to get captured, or worse."
Jill wasn't sure getting killed was worse than being abused again. It was what they were going to do anyway when they were done with her. If she was going to be killed, she would rather have it happen first.
"I would rather fight." Jill said. "If I'm going to go down, I would rather have it with a gun in my hand than something in my mouth."
The female Fanatic liked Jill's resolve.
"Let's hope nothing happens until we can slip inside." The female Fanatic said. "It's still going to be a challenge no matter what."
They continued to move along the side of the hill. It wasn't long before they could spot the entrance. They also spotted a sentry.
The female Fanatic motioned for Jill to pause. They both crouched down low on the side of the hill. She watched the man down below. She usually found the people on guard duty were very lax. They all spent a lot of time looking at their phones instead of what was happening around them. The sentry seemed more concerned about the road leading up to the mine rather than what was happening around it. He never looked up towards the hillside once.
She thought about going down to ground level and killing him with her knife. He would never see her coming. She needed to worry about the check in procedure or someone relieving him. She didn't spot a place to put the body. It would be found in short order if someone came to check. It would definitely raise some type of alarm when he was found.
They continued to move along the hillside until they were almost over the top of the mine entrance.
"We need to go down." The female Fanatic said. "The guard hasn't looked this way once since I spotted him. I don't want to have to kill him now if it can be avoided. We need to get inside undetected."
Jill could feel her heart pounding. She was very worried about what could happen. She also decided she would rather go down fighting.
"I'll stay behind you and do everything you tell me." Jill said. "I can't make out any details on the man to see if he was one of the ones who'd abused me. I don't think he is."
The female Fanatic didn't want Jill to become too bold if she spotted one of her abusers. She understood she wanted to kill them. She understood why. If she could kill any of the men who'd abused her in the Wastelands, she would have as well. She understood the need for vengeance
"I need to see what they're up to before we act." The female Fanatic said. "I need to determine how many of them there are first."
Jill understood Jackie had a job to do. She didn't want to be a problem. She wanted the terrorists stopped as well.
"I won't do anything until you tell me, unless I'm confronted." Jill said.
The female Fanatic didn't want her to worry.
"You'll do fine." The female Fanatic said. "Follow me and go slow."
There was a shack near the opening. It appeared to be relatively new. It was very small. She wondered if there would be an additional guard inside of it or not. They carefully made their way down to ground level. They came down in back of the shack. There was no window on the backside.
The female Fanatic motioned for Jill to hold. She looked around one side of the shack. There was a window. She carefully moved to the other side and looked around. There was a window on the other side as well. She figured the door was in the front of it.
She looked around the side towards where the sentry was at earlier. She didn't see him. She quickly pulled her Beretta out. She didn't know if he'd heard them or not.
Jill watched Jackie check both sides of the small building. She currently looked around the side where she was at right now. She saw her pull out her handgun. She quickly pulled hers out as well. She looked back towards the other side. She didn't want anyone to come up behind them. She figured Jackie could take care of anybody on her side.
The female Fanatic moved back. She was a little surprised to see Jill covered the other side with her Beretta as well.
"I don't know where the guard went." The female Fanatic whispered.
Jill carefully peered around her side of the shed.
"There's no one on my side." Jill whispered.
They could hear a 'thud' inside of the shed. They looked at each other.
"I think he went inside." The female Fanatic whispered.
She looked over towards the mine entrance. It seemed like they might be able to move inside.
There were some more scuffling sounds from inside the small shed. They weren't sure what the man was doing. It sounded as if he'd moved something.
"Where's my relief at?" The man inside muttered.
The female Fanatic was a little concerned. A shift change would bring out a fresh guard. He was bound to be more alert, at least initially. It also meant someone could come out of the mine at any time. Maybe it was a good thing they hadn't made their way there yet.
She kept her eye on the mine entrance. A man walked out carrying a rifle. He headed straight for the shack. She moved around to the back side. Jill was still on the other side.
"It took you long enough." The first man said.
"I came out when it was my time." The second man said.
"Whatever, dude." The first man said. "Did they bring any fresh meat with them?"
"Not this time." The second man said. "I'd still be in there tapping it if they did. One of the guys told me they had a real hot one at the warehouse. They couldn't get enough of her. She really fought it. It just made everyone want more."
"They should have brought her here." The first man said. "I'm tired of cuffing my dummy."
"Maybe they can pick up another one." The second man said.
"How are they going to do that?" The first man asked. "Are they going back out?"
"Not until tomorrow." The second man said. "They all need to rest."
"Is anyone else still up?" The first man asked.
"Not that I saw." The second man said. "Is there anything I need to know out here?"
"It's been quiet." The first man said. "I was actually surprised when the three trucks arrived."
"I thought there would be more of them." The second man said.
"There isn't room for any more." The first man said. "I bet it's jammed tight in there."
"It's not too bad." The second man said. "I don't know if they're going to unload anything or not."
"They'll probably do it after sun up." The first man said. "Everyone wants a few hours of sleep, including me. I'm out of here."
The female Fanatic watched as the first man moved towards the entrance. She wanted to see if he went through any procedure to enter. She could hear some more scuffling inside of the shed as the second man entered it.
Lucky You
What really is the determining factor
About whom anyone will pursue
Is it only about looks or is it more
It's doubtful anyone has a clue
Every time a heart is touched
It leaves behind some residue
It doesn't matter much if they jump
From one to another like a kangaroo
It appears for more than a few
The primary goal is to subdue
It will leave a head spinning
A heart and soul knocked askew
Take a moment to look back
There's a lot to review
Was there ever anything there
Was it only a bad miscue
Go ahead as you laugh and move on
As you try on a new shoe
When the past means nothing
It must be nice, lucky you
Nobody
