Chapter 1430
She's Dead
Savannah and Young Allison neared the exit of the passageway. They needed to get out before the nuclear bombs exploded. They needed to clear the area completely. They needed to make sure all the Terminators and drones were away too.
"We've got twenty three minuets before the bombs go off." Savannah said.
Young Allison wanted 'Cherry Bomb' to join them.
'Coltan Overcast' was right up in front of them.
Savannah wanted to wait first to make sure it was clear to go out.
John Henry reported back it was clear outside and all the Terminators were away.
"It looks like the coast is clear." Savannah said.
Savannah exited outside. Young Allison followed her. Both girls wore their night vision.
"Did the patrol you spotted have night vision equipment?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison noticed the patrol she'd encountered wore them. The way they spoke about Resistance Terminators still upset her. No, they angered her. She needed to focus.
"Yes." Young Allison said.
Savannah called for 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' to exit the passageway.
Right away they could hear 'Coltan Overcast' start up. It flew out of the passageway. It disappeared a few seconds later into the darkness of the night sky.
There was only silence after 'Coltan Overcast' departed. They waited a few minutes.
"Where's 'Cherry Bomb' at?" Young Allison asked. "We need to get moving."
Savannah became a little worried. Maybe something was wrong.
"I don't know." Savannah said.
Young Allison began to wonder now why 'Cherry Bomb' waited where it was at and didn't move up with 'Coltan Overcast' earlier. Maybe there was something they'd missed.
"I'm going back to check." Young Allison said. "I'm not going to leave 'Cherry Bomb' behind. Maybe there's a problem."
Savannah figured if there was a problem, it was a big one, especially at this point.
John Henry checked all the drone footage around the anti-Metal base. Everything looked the same as it was.
Every drone was at least five miles away or higher in the sky over the base or off to the sides.
He was relieved to see Savannah and Young Allison exit. A short while later 'Coltan Overcast' exited the passageway.
"Where's the other drone?" Summer asked.
John Henry tried to communicate with it. There was no response.
"I don't know." John Henry said. "It hasn't responded."
They heard the conversation between Savannah and Young Allison. They didn't like the culmination.
"I'm going back to check." Young Allison said. "I'm not going to leave 'Cherry Bomb' behind. Maybe there's a problem."
Summer was alarmed.
"She can't go back in there." Summer said. "They need to get away from there."
John Henry checked to see why the drone hadn't responded. There was no indication as to the problem. There was no indication of anything. The repeater system might be down. There were no transmissions.
"I've lost all contact." John Henry said.
Summer thought there was something else in play there. She communicated to CamNet to get 'Cherry Bomb' out of the passageway if possible before Young Allison and Savannah went back for it.
Young Allison was worried because 'Cherry Bomb' hadn't come out of the passageway.
"I'm going back to check." Young Allison said. "I'm not going to leave 'Cherry Bomb' behind. Maybe there's a problem."
Savannah didn't want Young Allison to go back in the passageway.
"No." Savannah said. "We don't have time."
It was clear to both girls there really was a problem of some kind.
Savannah communicated with John Henry for some better information. There wasn't any.
"You need to leave the area." John Henry said.
Young Allison didn't want to leave anyone behind.
"I'm going back to check." Young Allison said.
Savannah could see it was important to Young Allison. It was important to her too.
John Henry didn't want them to delay any longer.
"You need to leave the area now." John Henry said.
Savannah looked at Young Allison.
"I'll go back." Savannah said. "You need to wait out here or go on. We're on a timetable."
Young Allison didn't want to be separated from Savannah.
"I'm going with you." Young Allison said.
She wanted to make sure Savannah didn't have a 'problem' either.
Cammy and Anna were several miles from the target area. They heard the exchange with Savannah and Young Allison.
Cammy and Anna stopped.
"NO!" Cammy said. "We need to go back."
Steve and Tom stopped too.
Richard and Michael looked at each other.
"We have orders to keep moving." Richard said.
Cammy was going to play with the words.
"Were they specific orders?" Cammy asked.
Anna moved up next to Cammy.
"You four go on." Anna said. "There must be a problem."
Michael knew there was a problem. It was growing closer every second.
"The problem is, there are going to be two nuclear explosions and who knows how many EMPs detonated in less than twenty minutes." Michael said. "If any of us are too close, we're probably never going to leave here."
John Henry listened to the conversation between the Terminators. He could see there was going to be an additional problem. He quickly contacted the group of Terminators.
"You know the rules." John Henry said. "Savannah and Young Allison want all of you away from there."
They all knew what Savannah and Young Allison wanted.
Sheila looked Leticia over.
"She's dead." Sheila said.
Cameron just watched her die. Sheila was responsible.
"You terminated her." Cameron said.
It was clear to Cameron and Sheila that Leticia was dead. She'd stopped breathing and there was no longer a heartbeat.
Sheila had been down the same path with Jesse a few times. She'd always been able to bring her back. Sometimes Jesse told her to wait if she 'went out'. Jesse wanted to see what was on the other side. It was always the same thing. It was always nothing.
"I know CPR." Sheila said.
Sheila quickly began chest compressions.
Cameron thought Sheila spent as much time fondling Leticia's breasts as she did administering chest compressions.
Sheila was glad to feel her efforts produced a positive result.
"There's a pulse." Sheila said.
There was a gasp for air and a cough. It was followed by another gasp of air.
Leticia worked her way back from death. She was young and she was healthy. She'd only been dead for about thirty seconds.
Leticia opened her eyes and looked straight ahead. 'Sue's' face was inches from her face.
"I'm in Heaven." Leticia said very unsteadily.
Sheila wanted to avoid any accusations.
"No, love, not yet." Sheila said. "You're still in the bed in your suite."
Leticia's eyes widened. She was sure of what she'd seen.
"No. I was there." Leticia said. "I saw the light."
Sheila tried to downplay what happened.
"I think it was just a good climax. You only visited Heaven." Sheila said. "There's nothing wrong with you."
Leticia noticed 'Barbara' standing naked by the bed. She tried to remember who'd sent her there.
"Was I with you, Barbara?" Leticia asked.
Cameron didn't really want any part of what Sheila did earlier.
"No. It was all Sue." Cameron said.
Leticia tried to sit up on her elbows but couldn't.
"Is Tony here?" Leticia asked. "I want to be with him before I go."
Cameron wondered if Leticia was going to terminate anyway. She remembered her choice of words when she was trapped between the two trucks. It was when John terminated her, even after she told him she loved him. She told him she didn't want to go. Did 'go' refer to going off the ship, or terminating? Maybe Latisha was worse off than they thought.
Sheila could see both Cameron and Leticia we're very concerned about the recent events. She still tried to downplay them.
"Relax, love." Sheila said. "It was your best series of finishes ever."
Leticia actually lost track after sixty five in a row, one after another. It was when 'Barbara' arrived. There were dozens more after those. Everything in her mind was overloaded with pleasure as it all faded to black.
"I couldn't remember how to talk or even breathe." Leticia said. "I was swallowed by intense pleasure. I couldn't see or hear either. There was so much feeling."
Leticia reached down to her groin area. She still didn't have good muscle control. She attempted to touch herself.
"Is everything still there?" Leticia asked.
Cameron and Sheila both looked at each other and then checked Leticia out.
"Of course it is." Cameron said. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Leticia thought she felt the area 'explode' before everything went dark.
"I don't know." Leticia said. "There was such pleasure. It felt like 'explosions' going off down there and in my head."
Sheila didn't want Cameron to come down on her for 'damaging' Leticia.
"You're fine." Sheila said. "Everything's back to normal, right?"
Leticia touched herself.
"I think so." Leticia said. "Let me share with Barbara again."
Leticia thought Cam, Camille and even Ally, were all 'Cameron' who she knew as 'Barbara'.
Sheila moved off of Leticia. She glanced over at Cameron.
"She's all yours." Sheila said. "Have fun."
Sheila moved away and left Cameron standing in front of a very aroused Leticia.
"Take me." Leticia said. "I want what you did before."
Cameron hadn't done anything before. It was most likely Cam or Camille.
Leticia reached up and took Cameron's arm. She gently pulled her down.
"Kiss me like only you can." Leticia whispered.
Cameron couldn't resist. She was drawn to Leticia like a magnet. Their heads moved closer together. Their lips were inches apart.
"I mean down there." Leticia said.
She redirected Cameron's head to go a lot lower.
Sheila watched from across the room. It looked like Cameron was about to enter a whole new world. She was headed straight for the 'gold'. She knew Cameron would start out slow and then she would be consumed with excitement as she felt Leticia respond to her. They would feed off of each other at that point. Leticia was most likely on her way out again. She hoped it wouldn't be permanent.
John started to fondle Allison. He looked back once and there was no one else there. He was glad to see they were the only ones in the room. He didn't need any games from anyone.
He moved over the top of Allison.
"If you want me to stop or do something different, just say so." John said. "I want you to feel comfortable."
Allison looked up at him with loving eyes.
"Go slow when you start out." Allison whispered. "I've only done this once recently."
John was excited to be reminded of it.
Allison didn't want to think about the times it happened by force. All of them hurt immensely. There was no pleasure whatsoever. The only good thing was it was always over in less than two minutes. It wasn't much better when she tried the breeding sex. There was still a fair amount of pain involved with it. Again, the only good thing was, it was over in less than two minutes.
Right now she didn't want it to be over in two minutes. She wanted it to last as long as possible. It wasn't just the intercourse either. It was everything else associated with it, both before and afterwards. It was about feeling wanted for who she was, more than what she could offer.
It was much more than just about sex for either one of them. It was about love.
Holly, Cam and Camille were all together in the main part of the Master Suite. Their human lovers were all elsewhere right now.
They didn't have a problem with it as long as they could share.
Ally and Hanna were together in the small room of the Master Suite. They let their 'Neural Interface' programming 'take over'. They were like Allison and Vanna right now.
It was always beautiful.
Gail left the Honeymoon Suite when Vanna arrived. She saw Allison enter the Owner's Suite. She listened to hear where the other Metal girls were at. She didn't hear Cameron or Sheila.
She decided to get up to speed on the operations before she joined a room.
Jim looked over as Gail entered the Control Center.
He liked it because she was still naked.
They briefly spoke. She grabbed a robe and left. She didn't want to cause any problems if anyone saw her in the passageway to visit the girls in the outside suites. She wanted check on Leticia, Mary and Laura.
Jim was instructed by CamNet not to let her, or anyone else, know the current situation at the anti-Metal base.
He wasn't even sure what was happening at this point. CamNet put him in the dark too. It must mean something went wrong.
Young Jesse was able to absorb all the love and experience Vanna could offer. It was all delivered with a human touch. It made a difference as to how she 'got there'. The Metal girls always got her there. It was always a little more mechanical or physical. The human emotion and feeling was always lacking.
Allison, and now Vanna, really delivered it. It made her miss Savannah more than ever. Vanna was Vanna and not Savannah, even if she was. She needed to remind herself of it. Vanna was very beautiful as herself.
"This is really special, Vanna." Young Jesse whispered.
Vanna tried to give her an extra special performance. She knew a happy customer was a repeat customer.
"We all have something to offer." Vanna whispered.
Young Jesse wondered what she offered to Vanna.
"What do I offer you?" Young Jesse whispered
It was her youth, freshness and willingness to learn which excited Vanna. Her tight firm body was to die for. Every smooth curve was well defined and shapely. They were all soft, but firm to the touch.
"You offer yourself. You're very beautiful." Vanna said. "You offer your personal and inner beauty as well. Beauty is more than skin deep and you have both."
Young Jesse hoped it meant she was a good person. She tried to be one.
Savannah was worried about more than just 'Cherry Bomb' at this point. If there was some type of a problem in the passageway, it might affect the bombs as well.
"I'll go back." Savannah said. "You need to wait out here or go on. We're on a timetable."
Young Allison didn't want to be separated from Savannah.
"I'm going with you." Young Allison said.
Savannah wanted to protest but the look on Young Allison's face indicated she was determined. They didn't have time to argue. She knew Young Allison wouldn't back down.
"Let's go." Savannah said.
Savannah and Young Allison ran down the passageway back the way they'd come. They soon turned the corner. It was now dark. All the lighting in the passageway was off.
They slowed and stopped.
"Listen." Savannah said.
They could hear water gushing ahead of them. It was a lot of water.
"There's a breach in the passageway." Young Allison said. "It's going to flood the chambers at the rate it's coming in here."
They both realized it could complicate or even compromise the bombs going off. They didn't know how the timers would respond if they were immersed in water. It wasn't part of the training.
They reached a spot where they should see 'Cherry Bomb'. There was only one problem. 'Cherry Bomb' wasn't there any longer.
John Henry received the report from Savannah.
"What went wrong?" John Henry asked.
Summer looked over all the data.
"The escape tunnel the anti-Metal group constructed did something to weaken the passageway. Somehow when the patrol exited from it, something changed with the underground spring." Summer said. "The leak Savannah thought got bigger, did get bigger. All the water is now going into the two mile long passageway."
John Henry instantly understood what it meant. It meant the two bombs could be compromised. They may not go off when the timers indicated. They may detonate early. They may need to be manually detonated.
Summer was way ahead of him on his calculation. She could already see what was going to happen. It was clear in her mind as if she was there looking at it.
John Henry and Summer looked at each other.
There was a vision:
Young Allison and Savannah would find the passageway flooded when they neared where the bombs were. The branch to the backpack bomb would be totally flooded since it was lower. The chamber the B-61 bomb was in would be partially flooded. One of the girls would need to go under water in the darkness to the bomb and need to manually detonate it.
Young Allison and Savannah would go together since one of them might not make it to the bomb. Neither of them would have time to get out by that point.
The girls reached the bomb underwater and the timer was out. The bomb was still armed. They could see each other in the darkness from the red glow of the interface pad. They'd lost their night vision along the way somewhere. They were both out of air. They reached for the manual detonator together. They kissed and pushed the button.
John Henry and Summer still looked at each other.
John Henry just saw all of it. He wasn't sure how. He knew it was from Summer somehow.
Summer was just sure she'd witnessed the future. It was a future she wasn't going to allow to happen. It was a future she was going to prevent. She didn't care what she needed to do to do it. She couldn't allow anyone to die because of her plan.
"We might need a temporal energy bubble there soon." Summer said. "They're both going to die."
Summer wanted the girls out. The mission also needed to be completed. There was a lot in play.
CamNet was able to 'see' what John Henry saw since it was now on his chip and in his server.
She couldn't allow it to happen. She wasn't even sure about the file she'd witnessed and already watched it dozens of times since. Was it real? Was it how it was going to play out? Was it the future? Was it a future?
How was anything she saw possible?'
Was Summer - River?
Was Summer an even more advanced version of River?
John Henry called for Savannah and Young Allison to stop and turn around.
Savannah needed to find out what the problem was and how it was going to affect the mission.
"We can't." Savannah said. "Not yet."
Summer could see they weren't going to listen to John Henry. She didn't know if they would listen to her.
"Savannah, you and Allison mustn't go any further." Summer said. "Do you understand?"
Young Allison understood. The mission needed to be accomplished. It meant it was the end of the line. She'd already covered the possibility. It gave her some comfort, but not much.
"We do." Young Allison said. "You'll remember your training and your duty."
Summer knew her 'duty'. It was to take Young Allison's place in the 'Natural Order' if she 'fell'. Young Allison conditioned her to assume those 'duties' since she was very small. Her mind was always big and she understood them and 'everything' associated with them. She wanted to make her position clear to the girls.
"It's not happening." Summer said. "Not today anyway."
Savannah and Young Allison went further.
The noise of the water grew louder.
"There's 'Cherry Bomb'." Young Allison said.
What they looked at wasn't what they'd expected to see. Something was terribly wrong there.
'Cherry Bomb' was on its side at a forty five degree angle against the wall. It was right on the opposite side of where all the water was gushing out of the hole in the wall from. The hole was only about five inches in diameter that they could see. It could be bigger further down. The water shot against the far side of the wall. It was like a fire hose and then a 'water main break' a short time later.
"It looks like 'Cherry Bomb' came to investigate some noise here and tried to stop the hole in wall from getting worse." Savannah said. "Something must have happened to it when it was slammed into the opposite wall when the hole opened up."
Young Allison saw a bigger problem.
"What about all the water?" Young Allison asked. "It's going to flood the bombs."
It was clear what Summer warned them about at this point.
"I need to go by and get to the big bomb." Young Allison said. "It will need manual detonation."
It was the last thing Savannah ever wanted to hear.
"NO!" Savannah said. "I'll never allow it."
Savannah gave Young Allison a hug and turned away from her.
"I'll do it." Savannah said. "You need to go back out now. Please don't make me beg you. I love you, Allison."
John and Allison worked together slow and deep. They felt as one. It seemed as if their bodies were about to melt together and they would literally be one.
It was a level of sharing John never experienced before. It was pure feeling and emotion driven by intense pleasure. It touched his soul.
Allison was lost in her own world of pleasure and sharing. She was only ever able to feel anything like this before with Vanna. What he was engaged in now seemed more intense. Everything on, and in, her body was functioning as it was designed to do. She was past where Vanna ever took her before. It said a lot. Maybe it was because she'd loved John almost from the moment she saw him in her future. She'd wanted him all of these years. Maybe this was the pent up feeling from all those years combined.
All Allison knew right now was she wanted John. She wanted all of him. She would take her place in the 'Natural Order'. Young Allison would have to wait. She hoped Vanna would experience the same feelings too and be with John and her. If not Savannah would be. It worked for her too.
Young Jesse was sure by this point in time she loved Vanna as much as Savannah, if not more. She'd never been loved like this before. Sure John 'popped her', so to speak, but she didn't really know what to expect. It was wonderful and everything. What Vanna gave to her was out of this world.
Somehow Vanna was able to turn love into feeling and emotion at a level she'd never even dreamt about. It was something much more than Savannah ever was able to share with her. She would gladly like to be around Vanna all of the time if this is what she could expect. No wonder Allison was devoted to her.
No wonder Jesse was in love with Vanna and Allison. How could anyone who was with them not be?
Leticia moved 'Barbara's' head lower.
Cameron didn't think she could stop now if she tried. She was headed straight for the gold.
Leticia made it clear what she wanted.
Cameron liked what she saw. She kept going on her own. She was filled with anticipation and a level of excitement which she'd never experienced before. Maybe it was because it was something she wanted to try for years. She originally thought Vanna was going to be her first in the lab after her chassis was repaired. It was right before Allison was sent back from the alternate future.
There'd been a few more times when she thought it was going to happen as well. It never did. Now here she was in a position to make it happen. Everything was right there. It was right in front of her face. It called to her.
Young Allison watched Savannah walk away from her and go under the shooting jet of water. Savannah never turned back to look at her. It was when she knew Savannah wasn't coming back. If Savannah would've looked back at her, she couldn't have gone on.
There were a million thoughts coursing through her mind. She needed to focus on one of them. It was the one she just heard.
Young Allison knew she needed to honor Savannah's last request. She swore to avenge Savannah and personally kill as many Grays and anti-Metal operatives as she could. It was all out war to her now and personal. She would work with CamNet and they would hit every group hard when they found them. She would use every weapon at her disposal. She didn't care about a little extra radiation every now and then if it was what was required to eradicate the enemy. She would wipe them off the face of the Earth. It would make what happened with the Syndicate and the Cartel look like a Sunday school picnic.
She quickly turned her attention to 'Cherry Bomb'. The water wasn't splashing directly on to it now as the hole continued to grow larger and lower off to the other side a little further away from them.
There was no power output from 'Cherry Bomb' she could see. Maybe the impact against the wall and the stream of water knocked or ripped something loose. She was no expert on drones and only studied the design layouts and schematics. There was no written manual to memorize.
She looked at the connection of the internal control panel and the power supply. She shoved on all the cables to make sure they were still connected.
Over the roar of the rushing water she thought she could hear someone talking. She thought it was John Henry. She couldn't hear him clearly. She realized her body cam was transmitting what she was trying to do. He was trying to help her. Everything suddenly changed.
"Make sure the white wire is connected to the third terminal."
Wait.
It was Summer's voice. She paused and looked around. It was like Summer was right next to her. No, Summer was in her head. The roar of the rushing water couldn't diminish the clarity.
She followed all the instructions as she was given them.
Some lights on 'Cherry Bomb' came on. It was coming back to life.
There was the high pitched whine of a drone traveling at high speed. She saw the passageway was lit with bright light from a speeding drone. It was coming towards her from the outside.
She ducked down next to 'Cherry Bomb.
'Coltan Overcast' was coming. It slowed to a hundred miles an hour as it passed 'Cherry Bomb' and her.
She could feel the rush of air as it passed her. The sound level was very intense.
It felt as if a burden was lifted off of her heart. She'd already resigned herself to the fact Savannah was going to die. She didn't see any other way out. She knew a temporal extraction wouldn't work with a manual detonation. She felt very elated and hopeful right now. She couldn't contain her joy.
"Go!" Young Allison stood and shouted. "Go get her!"
Young Allison continued to follow the instructions in her head.
In a short while from the direction of where Savannah went, she could hear sustained minigun fire. It almost sounded like the entire amount the drone carried.
'What the Hell?' Young Allison wondered.
Soon afterwards there were two explosions, which almost sounded like one. There was a little more minigun fire.
Young Allison really wondered if there was a battle going on. Her earlier sense of elation rapidly faded. If 'Coltan Overcast' engaged the enemy, Savannah had to be right there in the middle of it. Her sense of worry became very overpowering.
"Everything is fine with Savannah and 'Coltan Overcast'." Summer communicated. "It's all part of the plan."
Young Allison felt a little less worrisome.
'Cherry Bomb' was able to get its power plants working. It was able to lift the one side on the floor up and get level. It moved away from the wall and passed by her. It rotated around so it was facing forward. It set down about fifteen feet in front of her.
The lights on 'Cherry Bomb' which pointed ahead came on. They flooded the passageway with light.
There was a massive explosion from the direction Savannah and 'Coltan Overcast' went. She looked back. She was sure the gushing water had just doubled in volume.
"Get on it and lay flat. Hold on for all you're worth." Sounded in her head, it was Summer still.
She quickly climbed on and did as instructed.
'Cherry Bomb' lifted up. She looked back over her shoulder and spotted a light growing brighter by the second. It must be 'Coltan Overcast'. She sure hoped Savannah was on it. It rapidly closed on her and 'Cherry Bomb'.
"I'm ready." Young Allison shouted. "Let's ride."
'Cherry Bomb' went to full power and lifted off the floor. It started out slow enough to keep her from sliding off.
They were moving fast as 'Coltan Overcast' closed up right in back of them.
"Coltan Overcast' turned off its lights. In the reflection of 'Cherry Bomb's' lights on the passageway walls, she could see the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. It was red hair blowing in the slipstream of the two drones. It was Savannah.
She was sure her heart fluttered a little bit. She wanted Savannah more than anything. She realized she loved Savannah more than she thought was possible. She wanted to share herself with Savannah before something happened to one of them. She knew this was another close one. She also knew they weren't out of danger yet. The clock kept running. Time waited for no one.
Earlier:
The more Cammy and Anna heard about the deteriorating situation with Savannah and Young Allison the more they became upset and enraged.
"Listen." Tom said.
The arguing and complaining stopped.
John Henry gave them a quick briefing. It was time for someone else to take over.
"Now it's your turn to listen to the voices in your head." Summer said. "This is what Cammy and Anna are going to do…."
Summer gave them instructions.
Cammy and Anna each pulled out their knives and faced each other.
The four male Terminators thought they were going to fight for a few seconds. They wondered why they would use knives.
They could hear a drone approaching.
Cammy and Anna handed their knives to Steve and Tom.
"Cut us open." Cammy said.
Anna and Cammy shed their gear and pulled their tops off.
The four male Terminators watched with some fascination. They liked what they saw. They didn't like what was to come next.
Steve and Tom hesitated.
"Do it." Cammy commanded. "Hurry, every second counts."
'Coltan Overcast' arrived and sat down next to the group. Four items were secured to it and it took back off and sped away.
Steve and Tom were very uneasy at what they'd just done.
Minutes ago:
Savannah needed to stay out of the main stream of the water flow. It was mostly on one side. It was several inches deep and had enough force to knock her down if she stepped in it. It seemed to be getting wider and deeper. She'd picked up the pace.
Over the roar of the water she thought she heard something.
She looked back and saw a light. It kept getting brighter. She could soon hear the whine of a drone traveling at high speed. She thought maybe Young Allison was able to get 'Cherry Bomb' reactivated.
If she did, she sure hoped she wasn't on top of it.
She started to receive information directly into her head from her com.
'What the Hell?' Savannah wondered.
It was Summer coming through just like she was standing next to her. She gave her a run down and what the plan was.
Savannah was somewhat relieved to see it was 'Coltan Overcast' which arrived.
She was instructed to move back.
'Coltan Overcast' opened up with its minigun into the ceiling of the passageway. It sent Coltan rounds into the concrete. It chipped away big chunks in a band across the top.
Savannah was back several hundred feet at this point. She was flat on the floor against the opposite wall from the rushing water.
She heard two missiles fire. The explosion was almost instantaneous.
The passageway collapsed in on itself down where she'd been earlier. It looked like it was blocked. It stopped the immediate flow of water from continuing. In the glow of the lights she could see the water already start to deepen. The blockage acted like a dam. There was no guarantee it would hold.
'Coltan Overcast' moved back to where she was at.
There were new instructions for her.
There were two bloody power cells on the back of 'Coltan Overcast' along with two Thermite grenades.
She knew right away at least one of them was from Cammy. She didn't doubt for a moment Cammy would give up both of her power cells if there was a way to protect her. They both may have been, or one was from Anna. They were both equipped with an extra chip port and two power cells.
The minigun fired again. This time it concentrated on a spot high in the wall over the rushing water. The red hot barrels spun out empty. She could see white smoke drift on them in the reflection of the light.
It was her turn to act now. Everything was prepared for her on its arrival by the team outside. She followed the instructions in her head. She was sure things were going to be cut pretty close.
She placed one power cell in the 'hole' cut into the wall and a Thermite grenade behind it. The explosives were removed so only the Thermite would burn. She placed the other power cell on the floor next to the wall, with the other modified Thermite grenade behind it. She pulled the pin on the one on the floor and moved over and pulled the pin on the one on the wall. She'd been instructed to do it in that specific order. She quickly ran from the location. At first she didn't think they were going to work. She realized they must have extended the fuses to give her more time to get away from the location. She was pretty sure every second counted.
She climbed up on 'Coltan Overcast' and it began to back up at speed. She currently looked at the location. She saw both Thermite grenades ignite. She wondered if they were supposed to set off the power cells when they ruptured the casing. They continue to build up speed.
They were going backwards very fast when the two heat seeking missiles were fired. They headed straight for the Thermite grenades and the power cells in front of them.
Savannah ducked down when she realized what was about to happen. They were moving very fast. She needed to hang on. She was glad they were basically traveling in a straight line. If they were doing some type of maneuvers she figured she would probably fall off. They weren't. They were trying to get away from the explosion which was sure to follow. There were two power cells which were about to explode. It would permanently seal the passageway with tons of dirt and rock. It was definitely going to stop the water from reaching the location of the bombs.
She saw the initial impact of the two missiles before she made herself part of 'Coltan Overcast'. She hunkered down as much as she could on the speeding drone. There was a massive explosion. She hoped the fireball wouldn't overtake them. She wasn't about to lift her head to look. It didn't. After a few seconds she lifted her head and looked. She couldn't see anything in the direction they'd come from.
'Coltan Overcast' slowed some as it rotated around. Since the light was back on, she could see what was in front of them It was 'Cherry Bomb' with Young Allison on it. The light dimmed as they closed right up on the back of 'Cherry Bomb'.
Savannah saw Young Allison look back.
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' sped down the passageway with their precious cargo, Savannah and Young Allison.
There was a race now. It was a race against time.
The first man concentrated on the road ahead. He passed the turnoff for the freeway which led towards the port area. He continued on to the east. He glanced over at the other man. He was already asleep. It had been a long day.
He checked behind them for a tail. He didn't spot anything suspicious. Traffic was very sparse. He saw there was an off ramp up ahead. He could see there was an on ramp on the other side of the street. He quickly took the off ramp. He went down it. There was no one behind him. He waited at the bottom. There was no traffic around him. No one else got off the freeway. After two minutes, he went across the intersection when the light changed for the third time. He went back up on the on ramp and paused. He waited a little longer and then accelerated back up to freeway speeds.
He didn't think they had a tail. It still worried him they'd run into the Mob at two different locations. The third location where they'd been reported previously was at the port. It wasn't his problem any longer. He'd already sent out the message. A full team would be sent to investigate things.
There weren't very many cars on the freeway with him. It appeared as if there were more on the other side. He figured it was people on their way to work. He currently drove east. He could see a faint glow on the horizon. It wasn't much. Not yet. He knew it would be sunrise within a few hours. As much as he liked to see a sunrise, he wouldn't like to drive into the sun's glare as it came up. He hoped to reach his destination before the sun came up.
The two men in the white van continued their journey. They still had over an hour to go until they reach their next destination
Tina and Lena were ready for any mission they were assigned. They hoped they could get some better drone support at some point. It seemed the Resistance operation underway needed all of them. Every time they'd been able to get some extra drone support, it ended up being pulled away.
They were pleased there was still one drone over the location where the female Fanatic had gone. They knew at least three of the big rigs were in there. The drone over them had gone into a wider orbit to search for the other four. There weren't many roads around there so they needed to be in close proximity.
Lena wanted to know more about the inside of the location where the female Fanatic was at.
"I need to get inside there and check out what they have." Lena said.
Tina knew Lena did it the last time.
"I can do this one." Tina said. "The only trouble is, we're not done with the two Grays yet."
Lena was concerned about the time.
"By the time we get there it's going to be daylight." Lena said. "It'll make our movements much more difficult."
Tina wondered if CamNet would act on her own.
"Maybe the drone over the location will be directed to collapse the entrance." Tina said.
Lena figured they should know what was inside first.
"I really think we need to know what's in there." Lena said.
CamNet's Terminators continued to follow the white van. They watched it do the evasive maneuver with the freeway on and off ramps. They were directed to continue to follow it. They were going to need to make an excursion in a few more miles.
The female Fanatic turned on the light on one of her phones. She didn't think anyone was in front of her because of the time and what she saw earlier. She went down the junction for a short distance and stopped. She saw what she didn't want to see.
There were two HK drones sitting there. She paused where she was at when she'd spotted them. She hoped they weren't activated by her presence. She didn't think so. Nothing seemed to happen. They weren't.
She heard some noise behind her. She quickly turned the light off on the phone she held. She pressed her back up against the wall along the side of the opening. She held her Beretta and her left hand and held her knife in her right hand. If she only saw one individual she would try to take them with her knife first.
She hoped it was Jill as much as she didn't hope it was her. If it was, it meant someone was coming. It was possible Jill waited too long and it was someone else who was coming.
Jill watched Jackie go down the junction. She watched her light fade away into the distance. It left her with a very uneasy feeling of aloneness.
She couldn't help but think about what she'd spotted in the one room earlier. It was like what she'd been tied to earlier. She didn't want to end up there again. She was sure the three men in the room were three of the ones who'd abused her.
She touched the knife she was given from the man she'd killed earlier. The man and his accomplice deserved to die for what they'd done. She tried not to think about what she'd spotted in the bag. She saw 'parts' from both males and females in it. She wondered if a coyote had come along and made a meal of it. It would just see what it ate as food. It wouldn't know those parts were once part of a human being. It wouldn't know what parts they were. It wouldn't know those parts were cut off while they were probably still alive. She wondered how long it would have been until something similar happened to her. Some of the men told her what they would do to her before they killed her. She didn't doubt any of it.
She heard some noise. She felt her heartbeat increase. It was already beating at a pretty good rate. She listened further. There was a metallic noise. She couldn't quite place it. She heard it again. It was definitely closer. She wasn't sure where the noise came from. She moved a little further into the junction Jackie had gone down earlier. She remembered what she was told. She was told to find Jackie before she spotted what she heard. She headed down the junction.
It was very dark and she moved through it. The light from the phone only did so much. She remembered what Jackie said about there being holes in the ground. She called them shafts. She wondered where they went. It was probably to a lower level. Her light showed something up ahead.
It looked like the passageway was about to get larger. She slowed down as she neared. She cautiously entered the open area. She spotted some type of machine. There were two of them. She didn't know what they were. They looked very strange. They seemed like something she would see in a movie.
"Jill, I'm over here." The female Fanatic whispered. "Turn off your light and come here."
Jill jumped a little when she heard Jackie speak. She wasn't expecting someone to be behind her. Well, it was more off to the side. She quickly turned off her light and went towards the voice she'd heard.
She felt a soft hand touch her. She could feel the strength in it. It pulled her in the darkness. It somehow felt very comforting. She remembered what Jackie told her earlier. She told her she knew what 'it' was like. It made her wonder what type of abuse she'd needed to suffer. She wondered if it was related to her job. She already knew how brutal the 'terrorists' could be.
"What did you hear?" The female Fanatic whispered.
Jill could feel Jackie right next to her. Her lips were right against her ear.
"I heard a noise." Jill whispered. "It was towards one of the junctions without any light. It sounded like metal moving. I didn't stay to see what it was. I came here like you told me."
The female Fanatic felt a rush of fear. She knew it was something Skynet related. It was most likely an HK Track. If it was on patrol or sentry duty they might be able to avoid it. If it was some type of a Terminator, they were going to have a little more trouble.
She moved away from the side wall of the cavern and listened down the passageway she'd come through earlier. She didn't hear anything. She hadn't had time to look at everything else in the cavern. There were some crates off on each side. She knew they might be able to hide behind the two HK drones. Their construction should shield them from any cursory scans.
"The people I'm after have various types of mechanical equipment." The female Fanatic whispered. "They're trying to use technology to further their gains as part of their agenda. It's possible you're going to see some very strange things."
Jill already saw something which looked strange when she'd entered the cavern.
"I saw those two things when I came in." Jill whispered.
The female Fanatic pulled Jill a little closer. She could feel the warmth and softness of her body. It troubled her to think about what she'd been through earlier. It really made her wonder what was wrong with some people.
"We need to hide right now." The female Fanatic whispered. "I need you to touch me and follow me in the darkness."
Jill reached over and touched Jackie. She felt she'd followed her into the 'darkness' already. It wasn't anything about visibility either. It was about the state of affairs. She could feel how firm she was to the touch. Even with the firmness, there was softness to it. She knew what it was like to hold a female body in her arms. Now wasn't the time to think about it.
"I'll follow you anywhere." Jill whispered. "Tell me what to do."
The female Fanatic already stowed her weapons. She kept one hand on Jill and the other one in front of her. She knew the approximate location of the two HK drones. She was over to the first one in seconds. She moved around to the back side of it. She reached over and placed Jill's hand against it.
Jill could feel the cold metal. She preferred to touch the soft firmness of Jackie instead.
"I need you to get down underneath this and not move." The female Fanatic whispered. "If the metal sounding machine comes in here, you can't move. Don't try to look at it. If you do, it will spot you. If you can see it, it will see you. It's very sophisticated."
Jill thought the warning sounded ominous. She wondered what kind of a machine it was. It must be different from the two where they were hiding. Jackie guided her down to the ground and underneath the cold metal. She wondered how long they would have to be there.
The female Fanatic made sure Jill was secured. She moved over to the second HK drone. she was just about to go underneath it when she heard the clanking noise. It was an HK Track. She didn't think it was in the junction they'd taken yet. She quickly got underneath the HK drone.
Jill remained perfectly still where she was at. She could hear the metallic noise much clearer now. Everything was still completely dark around her. It was total darkness. The noise continued to grow. It sounded like it was coming closer. She could feel her heart pound even harder. The metallic noise grew louder and louder. She could hear her heart pounding in her head. She was sure it was going to give her position away. She remembered what Jackie told her. She couldn't move. She shouldn't try to look at anything either. She said if she could see it, it could see her. What was 'it'?
The female Fanatic knew the HK Track was in the cavern. She knew it would be scanning in all directions. She wasn't sure if they would have been spotted behind the crates or not. The crates were only made out of wood. Where they currently hid now, was made out of Coltan.
She's Dead
The actions one may take
May soon lead them to dread
Especially when those events
Were because they were misled
The path should be forward
One can't always look ahead
When things aren't clear
They're easy to be misread
When two hearts share
Feelings are easy to embed
They expand and grow within
Through the mind they spread
When one starts to see red
Don't become a mean hothead
Things become perilous enough
When they hang on by a thread
It doesn't really matter
What he said or she said
It the scope of things
When she's dead
Nobody
