Chapter 1442


To Help Herself


John was pleased to hear the honeymoon wasn't over yet. He wondered what Cameron would do next. One thing was for sure, anyone who she put in his bed, he would be more than willing to accommodate as long as it's what they wanted as well.

He was pretty sure at this point there would be. He looked forward to being with any of the girls again. He hoped word would spread so Jesse and Claire would want to be with him as well. He really didn't know what he would do if he found Riley in his bed at some point. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind. There were other things for him to concentrate on.

Cameron was very pleased with all the chassis she'd been able to 'borrow' while she was on the ship. She planned to continue the procedure. There were still a few more virgin chassis to harvest. She planned to collect on all of them. She thought about calling Samantha to their room. She wanted to wait until Claire did the updated 'Neural Interface' with her. It was something they needed to get done soon. She wanted to 'break in' Samantha's chassis. She was very pleased she looked almost identical to Claire at this point. She didn't think John would be able to tell the difference.

Cammy previously sent her a report about what went on with Samantha. It wasn't what she'd planned, but it served its purpose several times to keep Summer in the Command Center by keeping her mother 'occupied' with Samantha. She was aware of the lure of sex. It was an effective strategy to help control an individual.

All the information in the Command Center was another thing she needed to do. She needed to plug in and get the full story of everything which happened. She wanted the full extent of all the operations. There was a lot more which occurred than she knew.

John could see Cameron looked a little distracted. He didn't want to lose out on any new sexual opportunities she might provide. He wasn't going to push for any on his own. He figured as long as Cameron was the one in control, she didn't have a problem with it. It's what she'd said anyway. He wanted to prompt her some.

"What did you have in mind?" John asked.

Cameron blinked her eyes several times. John's words caught her off guard. She'd been in the process of putting some of the jewelry away she'd taken on the trip. She'd sort of 'zoned out' for a few minutes. The 'zoned out' feeling seemed to happen a little more often than it used to. It seemed there was a lot for her to think about. The more she tried to compartmentalize everything, the more there was to think about at the same time.

"I'm up for whatever you're 'up' for." Cameron said. "You know I'll do anything and everything you want."

John smiled. He knew it was true. It sounded like a blank check for him. He didn't know what he wanted to do first.

"I'm sure I can think of a few things." John said.

Cameron was pleased to hear it. She liked it when everyone was happy. She aimed to please too. She wasn't sure what would happen first.


Young Jesse and Jesse shared a wild time together the first two times. On the third time, Young Jesse wanted everything to happen a little slower. She wanted it with as much feeling as she could send Jesse. She knew it was something Jesse wasn't very 'good' at. She wanted to 'reach' her on a deeper level. She wanted to 'help herself'. If the deeper emotional level was in her, it was in Jesse too. She was going to share and show Jesse pure sweet love.

Jesse could tell this time was different. Young Jesse was very much like Savannah right now. There was always something special about it. They shared a long time this way. She really hoped others could see the beauty in her that she could see in Young Jesse.

Young Jesse was very pleased to see Jesse respond to her in the same loving way. She brought Jesse 'there' this time slowly and kept it slow right through the finish. She could tell they both felt as 'one' right now. It was what she wanted. They were the same person and they were really one right now.

Jesse didn't love herself, but she loved her younger self. It was who she wished she was and could be. Now Young Jesse was doing it with her, for her. She was on a high plateau Young Jesse strung out. When she made it, it was very deep and fulfilling. She wondered if it got any better than right now. Young Jesse knew exactly what she needed and wanted. It was just so beautiful.

"I love you, Jesse." Young Jesse said.

Jesse felt the same way too. It made the finish even more special.

"I love you, Jesse." Jesse said.

They shared a long slow soft deep kiss.

They looked into each other's eyes. They could 'see' into each other's soul.

This was the moment and feeling Young Jesse wanted for the next part. She wanted to make it as special for Jesse as possible.

"I'm pregnant with your baby." Young Jesse said softly as they held each other's gaze.

Jesse felt a rush of excitement and joy.

"Really?" Jesse asked.

Young Jesse continued to look into Jesse's eyes.

"Really." Young Jesse said.

Young Jesse saw the tears form in Jesse's eyes and run down her cheeks. It touched her so deeply, she did the same thing. Her tears fell on Jesse's cheeks too.

Jesse pulled Young Jesse down on her and held her tight in her arms. They shared tears and loving kisses for a long time…. She felt this was where the life was created which would be her child one day. She wanted to remember it was this act of love and sharing with 'herself' when it happened. She loved Young Jesse more than ever for what she'd done for her.


Savannah took another sip of her black coffee.

"This stuff is nasty." Savannah said.

Cammy looked at it and frowned. She didn't like to see Savannah in discomfort.

"Let me dump it out." Cammy said.

Savannah smiled.

"It's just an expression." Savannah said. "I'm fine. I know what it's like."

Cammy wanted to enact Savannah's plan to take out the sniper. She was updated by John Henry.

"Tom is ready to go." Cammy said. "John Henry has the captured drone up. He's in total control and moving it into position."

It was good news to Savannah. She took another sip of the coffee. It was all the motivation she needed. She wanted some action.

"Let's take him out." Savannah said.

Savannah quickly finished the coffee. With the impending action, she could feel an adrenaline rush on top of the caffeine.


The sniper waited in the room. It was in the third building, third floor and the fourth window from the south side.

He'd sent a drone out earlier and intended for it to be a booby trap for whoever went back to the van. He was sure they were inside the building he had under observation. There was some interference in communications. He'd lost contact with the drone for now. He even sent the detention signal, but there was no explosion. He hoped the explosion would draw those inside out to investigate. When they did, he would bring them down like sitting ducks in a shooting gallery.

He laughed out loud as he thought about it.

He stayed well back from the windows. He didn't want to be spotted. He could watch the area below but they couldn't see him.

He spotted some movement. There was something happening down by the rear of the building. He was a little surprised when another van pulled up. He moved closer to the window to get a better look. There was someone down there. They must be there to pick up whoever was in the building.

For some reason they'd entered the property through the rail siding gate. It didn't give him a clean shot. There was a hole in the wall on each side so he could go into the room on either side of him. He's been in both rooms earlier looking for the best angle. He took his rifle and went through into the next room. He got a brief look at the driver. He couldn't see very much. The driver was wearing a hoodie. He quickly opened the window so he could get a shot off. He brought his rifle up and rested it on the window sill. He lost the man but he would need to pass in front of his sights to get back into the van.

He smiled as he thought about the kill.


John Henry watched their drone footage. He brought the small captured drone over the top of the building. They'd anticipated the sniper would need to move into the next room to take the shot at the van. It was the van of the unknown squad who'd entered the drainage system used. The top of it was pockmarked with holes but they were able to start it and get it to move.

As soon as they spotted the window open in the next room, John Henry brought the drone down over the roof and headed right for the open window. Everything followed the plan perfectly. It could all change in an instant.


Savannah watched the drone footage. She wanted the sniper, but also wanted their people safe.

"Is Tom behind cover?" Savannah asked.

Cammy watched another drone image.

"His is." Cammy said. "He was only exposed long enough to open the gate. It drew the sniper out as you'd anticipated."

Savannah just hoped she didn't get Tom shot. Her goal had been to get the sniper to open the window first. She hoped he would wait a few moments to see if anyone else appeared so he could have more than one target. She knew if he fired at the lone target, any other ones wouldn't show themselves. The most he could get would be one of them. He didn't know there was only one of them there right now. It was Tom.


Vanna wanted to check on things in the lab. Allison tagged along with her. She looked a few things over.

"I'm not really ready to get back into this." Vanna said. "I know I need to do my job."

Allison was a little beat from the vacation.

"We need a vacation from our vacation." Allison said.

Vanna was ready for a little more action.

"Let's go find our Terminator girlfriends." Vanna said.

Allison liked the idea.

"You won't have to ask me twice." Allison said. "Let's get crackin'."


Earlier:

Cam really liked the superior 'Neural Network' Holly possessed. Holly had been created as a Restorator by Mrs. Weaver. Her chassis was from Skynet. It had been captured and Resequenced. She knew Holly liked to look like her human lover.

"It looks like the girls are going to be busy for a while." Cam said. "We can share for a while if you want."

Holly was pleased by the idea.

"I'm in." Holly said.

Cam produced a tether.

"We can use each other's chassis from the start to the finish." Cam said. "It's only if you want to."

Holly was even more intrigued. She could look like her lover. She could look like Allison when she controlled Cam's chassis. The idea pleased her greatly. She thought of something Allison said at times.

"You won't have to ask me twice." Holly said. "Let's get crackin'."

The two Metal girls stripped each other and then plugged in. It gave them a chance to see who they were going to be as soon as they started. Both of them were highly aroused.

Cam was especially pleased with her new temporary chassis. She liked the way everything responded as Holly touched it.

They'd shared multiple finishes when they heard someone coming. It was Vanna and Allison. They shared a final kiss as they each unplugged at the same time. The kiss finished with them back in their own chassis.

Allison and Vanna entered a few seconds later. They were a little surprised to see Cam and Holly standing there naked.

"It looks like we got here at the right time." Allison said.


Vanna and Allison were together with Cam and Holly. They all shared in pairs for a finish with each pair. They rotated partners to cycle through everyone.

There was a break in the sharing as they finished up.

Allison felt a little lacking.

"Somehow this was better on the ship." Allison said.

Vanna still felt like she was on the ship at times. There seemed to be a 'motion' feeling, even when she was lying flat.

"I have some residual effects from it." Vanna said. "I still feel like I'm on the ship."

Allison felt relieved. She was glad someone else felt it as well.

"I feel it too." Allison said. "I thought it was just me. I didn't want to say anything."

It sparked Cam and Holly to start scanning both of them.

"Great." Vanna said. "I should have kept my mouth shut."

Allison looked at Vanna and rolled her eyes.

"You can say that again." Allison said.

The girls didn't really mind. They knew the Metal girls loved them.


Claire was thrilled at what Hanna experienced, even if indirectly. She asked Hanna to do or to simulate the things John did to Cameron in her chassis. It was very rewarding to her.

"I've made it every time." Claire said with excitement.

Hanna noted they were all strong finishes too.

"I can see you enjoyed it." Hanna said.

Claire wanted to make sure it was the same thing as best as Hanna could emulate it.

"So it's exactly like how it was, and for the same amount of time?" Claire asked.

Hanna recreated the experience down to the millisecond. She'd borrowed a few of Sheila's 'marital aids' to replicate the experience as close as possible.

"Yes." Hanna said. "It was just like the real thing."

Claire wanted to 'finish' with a male at least one time. It always bothered her greatly because she'd never been able to finish with a male. It always made her feel like there was something wrong with her. She believed it was because none of them cared enough about her to get her there. She also knew about half of the females never did experience a finish during intercourse alone.

"I want it." Claire said. "I don't care if it's only once. I want it. I want John to take me to heaven the same way one time."

Hanna would have to relay the news to Cameron. She also knew there were going to be other factors involved. It wasn't what she wanted to see happen herself. She did want Claire to find the fulfillment she'd searched for her entire sexual life with a male.

"John is going to be more excited when he's with you." Hanna said. "When he was with Cameron in my chassis, he'd been with Cameron thousands of times over the years. Even though the chassis was 'new', the person controlling it wasn't."

Claire knew it was how it worked.

"When you're with someone new, you always finish faster." Claire said. "He might only last two or maybe three minutes with me. I won't make it like that. It's all the longer any of them lasted."

Claire was sure most of them were only about thirty seconds long. Just enough for the male to get what they wanted, and leave her with the mess to deal with.

Hanna thought it was because Claire was exciting to be with. Maybe she was a victim of herself in a way. She was aware of some of Cameron's actions prior to using a borrowed chassis.

"Cameron always was with John before she used our chassis. Since he'd already spent himself, he couldn't finish too fast." Hanna said. "She did it all the time. She was able to manage him very well."

There was still one other issue.

"What about when he was with Vanna and my daught…Allison?" Claire asked.

Claire didn't want to say 'my daughter'. It just didn't sound right. Allison was more like her sister or best friend than she was her daughter. They were almost the same age! In her mind, only Young Allison and Summer were her daughters.

Hanna didn't have a detailed description from any of the non Metal girls as to what actually happened with them and John.

"I only know all of them made it and were very pleased to have been with John." Hanna said. "None of them expressed any regrets either. It was the same for the Metal girls or the human ones. Everyone wants to do it more."

It gave Claire something to think about.

"Do you think Cameron will really let you have your 'one time' alone with John?" Claire asked.

Hanna knew Cameron promised her and all the Metal girls they could so she could 'claim' their virginity and 'give' it to John as herself.

"She made a promise." Hanna said. "We all expect her to keep it, even if we don't think she will. We all decided we will go directly to John. He was there when she promised. He will honor the deal, even if Cameron tries to avoid it."

Claire heard enough. She was going to talk to John and Cameron herself. If it didn't happen real soon, it was never going to happen.

She thought how exciting it was going to be to share with John and Sarah. She wanted to be with John before anyone found out she'd been with Sarah. She was afraid John wouldn't want to do it then. Now she wondered if Sarah would be with her again if she was with John. She needed to be very clandestine about it.

Claire looked over at Hanna. She hadn't told her about Sarah yet. She told her about some of the pursuit, but not of the 'score'. Maybe it was best kept secret for now.


The sniper looked through his scope. He concentrated intently as he controlled his breathing. He was going to take the shot as soon as he got it. He was sure it would make the others inside panic and try and make a run for it. He should be able to get one or two more of them.

There was some noise he heard. It seemed to happen very fast. He looked up from his scope and saw his drone was on its way back to him. There was only one problem. He wasn't using the controller.

He instinctively backed away from the window. He dropped his rifle and it clattered to the floor. He saw the scope hit the ground first. He knew it was going to mess with the 'zero' on it.

As he back peddled, he tripped over the floorboards. They were warped and wrinkled up. It was usually a sign they'd gotten extremely wet previously. He landed hard on his rear end. The drone noise was very loud now. It was in the room with him. He looked up from the floor and it was right over him. He knew he was going to die. He didn't even have time for his life to flash before his eyes.

His surroundings went white, as his world went black.


John Henry got a good close up of the expression on the sniper's face from the camera on the small drone. He looked quite astonished.

From their drone footage he saw the windows blow out on the room the sniper was in. There didn't appear to be a fire started. At least it hadn't started yet.

He sent out the announcement.

"The sniper has been terminated." John Henry said.


Young Allison and Anna were pleased. She was just getting started.

"Scratch one." Young Allison said. "I want the man in the blue car next."

Anna knew there was a lot in play there. She kept watch to see if a fire started in the building the bomb blew up in. It was a shrapnel device as opposed to high explosive. It was an anti-personnel bomb.

They recommended to John Henry to have him leave the damaged van Tom drove there. Since the area was a 'movie set' and the damaged vehicles there already were 'props', one more couldn't hurt.

CamNet sent out an alert.

"We have three vehicles closing on the compound." Anna said. "They came from three different directions and are almost there."

Young Allison worried about Tom.

They received a message from Savannah. It went to John Henry, CamNet and them.

"Have Tom move the metal covering and get inside the drainage system." Savannah said. "Tell him he needs to get out of it as quickly as he can afterwards. He needs to get out to a street away from there."

Anna received good news.

"Cammy is providing him with detailed information." Anna said.

They watched as Tom moved the metal and disappeared below ground. He moved the Metal back over the opening. The three vehicles were almost to the rear of the compound. They must have had eyes on the location and saw the van arrive.


Cammy and her team waited in the SUV. They'd sent the warning to Tom on how to get out.

The locomotive with the tank cars was near their location again. They could feel the ground shake a little and hear the rumble of the locomotive. The normally aspirated switcher had a very throaty sound to it.

Savannah was alarmed at the new developments. She looked behind them at the train. A plan quickly formulated in her mind. She looked at the drone images again. There were three vehicles converging on the port facility. It was obviously a substantial force. She wondered what group they belonged to.

"Cammy, I need you to go down and get Tom out." Savannah said.

Al already started the SUV and was moving.

He drove over two blocks and let Cammy out.

Once Cammy was inside the manhole, Savannah looked at Al.

"Drive up to the locomotive and let me out." Savannah said. "Then drive to the rear tank car and get on the end of it."

Al looked at her for a moment but did as she said without question.


Cammy entered into the drainage system. It sounded like the SUV drove away. Something else must have happened. Savannah wanted her to get Tom out of the system as soon as possible. It is what she was going to do. She was out of communication with everyone.


Tom was in the drainage system. He covered the entrance he used to get into the system back over behind him. Cammy gave him a set of instructions to follow. It's what he followed. He should end up back where he took the van from. It was now at the compound.


Savannah was in direct contact with John Henry and CamNet. She told them of her plan. It was to take care of the problem once and for all.

It was as Savannah suspected. They could control some of the things she needed lined up with the switches. A few of them would need to be done on her end on the ground manually. Many of the industrial siding spur switches were still manually thrown.


Young Allison was ready for a daylight drone strike on the three vehicles. Savannah didn't want to use the full option.

"What's Savannah doing?" Young Allison asked.

They listened to her lay out her plan. It sounded risky.

"I think we should use the drone strike." Young Allison said.

Anna could see Young Allison was going to do it anyway. She noticed some movement on another monitor.

"The blue car is moving." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted the man in it since he seemed to be the one who initiated the whole thing. She figured the explosion in the building across the way probably alerted him to a new danger. It seemed like there were two different groups, if not three at this point.

"Stay with him." Young Allison said.


Tom moved through the drainage system.

He thought he heard voices. It was silent again. His hearing was up to maximum.

He didn't think it was Cammy. There shouldn't be anyone from the Resistance in there either.


Cammy neared the junction with the main feeder line. She heard voices. Someone was in the system. They came from the direction Ally and Sheila came from. It was further down than she'd gone before.

She quickly backed up to the first junction in the feeder line she was in. It gave her more cover. She didn't know where this force came from. Maybe it was why Savannah and Al needed to leave. She wondered if they were going in after them.

She knew Tom was in front of the men somewhere. They most likely wore night vision of some sort. She would need to be very careful. She didn't know how many of them there were or how strung out they were.


Seconds ago:

John Henry noticed some suspicious activity about a half mile away from where Al just let Cammy off.

He could see the men were armed. He tried to have a drone get lined up for a gravity shot with the minigun. It didn't look like it was going to happen in time. He'd wanted to rain 'metal hail' down on top of them.

"There's more enemy activity entering the drainage system." John Henry said. "There are two cars which have stopped. The men are already gone. It's where Sheila and Ally went in at."

CamNet was asked to act but the men were already gone. Only the empty cars were left behind.


At the port facility, three cars entered the compound through the rail siding access because the gate was open. They pulled up on either side of the van parked there. They checked it to see if anyone was still in it.

The men on the ground who'd exited the vehicles quickly formed up into squads.

The man in charge wanted to get everyone moving.

"Team One will enter the building from the front." The leader said. "Team Two will enter from the rear once Team One begins to enter the building. Team Three will spread out and look for anyone hiding around here. There are a lot of containers and boxes. We know there are people on the ground here. Everyone look alive."

It was clear this force thought they'd cornered someone.


Savannah heard of the new threat. She considered aborting her current mission and going back to assist Cammy.

Ed, Bob and Jim said they had it covered. They were about four minutes out from arriving at the location the new group entered.

"Don't go in yet." Savannah said. "Everyone needs to be out of there in the next five minutes."

There was a surprise transmission.

"I can be there in one minute." Steve said. "I've moved closer to the area. Someone should come to watch the truck. I'm going in now."

Savannah needed some confirmation as soon as Cammy and Tom were out before she continued with her plan.

"I'm delaying the implementation of my plan for now." Savannah said.

Savannah knew once her plan was set in motion, there was nothing which could stop it. She would defer to Young Allison for now.

John Henry acknowledged the change in plans.

"It's Young Allison's show now." Savannah said. "I know she's ready to act."


Young Allison was ready to act. There were drones in position to rain down 'metal hail'.

"Open fire." Young Allison said. "Blanket the entire area and the building itself."

Young Allison already directed CamNet to set up for a minigun gravity shot. The only trouble was, it took time for the projectiles to reach the target. Everyone advised against using a missile and attracting more attention in the daytime.

She originally was going to supplement Savannah's plan and make sure everything was properly ignited with the sparks which would be created. 'Metal hail' would have to do for now.


Cameron and John finished up.

John only made it once. He was able to get Cameron there three times. He held back to give her the best experience.

"I think it concludes our Honeymoon." John said.

Cameron was pleased at how it ended. She wanted to stress to John how important it was to her.

"It was seven days of joy, pleasure, excitement and love." Cameron said. "Thank you for doing all the things I wanted to do and allowing me to be 'someone different'."

John was pleased. He'd been with Cameron in seven different virgin Metal girl's chassis and with one human virgin. Based on what Vanna said, he would consider her a 'virgin' too since it was her first time to be with a male by her own choice. He decided to throw Allison in with the group too. It was her first time for her to ever actually make love.

John gave Cameron a kiss.

"Thank you." John said.

They looked at each other.

"I love you, John, and you love me." Cameron said.

"I love you, Cameron, and you love me." John said.

They shared one more kiss.

John started to get up. He knew there was an operation underway. He didn't know the extent of it. He wanted to find out.

"We still have a few teams out." John said. "I need to check on everything."

Cameron gently pushed him back down in the bed. She didn't want him to get involved right now. She was sure it would spoil the mood.

"You rest up and I'll go see what's happening." Cameron said.

Cameron started for the door. She threw on some clothes as an afterthought and headed out. She was used to walking around the suite, the private area, and the Control Center on the ship naked.


Ally and Sheila intercepted the vehicle which launched and recovered the small drone at the collapsed bunker location. They hung back a little bit.

"Where's this bloke going?" Sheila asked.

Ally kept her distance. They were out of visual range and allowed the drone to track him.

"I don't know. This group was keen on setting ambushes for our other teams." Ally said. "I'm not taking the bait."

They continued with the mission.

Sheila looked down at her sheath. She pulled her top forward and looked inside. She didn't want any damage done to it. She liked everything where it was.

"Don't get too close." Sheila said. "I don't trust any of these wackers."


Tom heard the voices again. There was no mistake this time. Cammy told him of the layout of the main tunnel. He knew there were other branches. He decided to evade for now since the men would be trapped once they went past him. There were two more inlets at the port facility but they weren't large enough for a man to pass through. They were for water to enter the system only.

He moved into the third branch and went up it part way. He would wait for the group to pass and then take them down from the rear one at a time.

Tom drew his silenced M9 and waited. He would need to make sure all of them passed before he went in pursuit of them. He needed to remember, if he could see them, they could see him.


Cammy waited until she was sure the men passed. She went down and joined the main passageway. She held her silenced M9 in her hand. She thought she heard something behind her.

"Green." Steve said.

Cammy looked around.

"Frog." Cammy replied.

She was surprised to see Steve was there. It appeared he'd followed the men.

Steve wanted to convey the warning he'd been sent in with.

"We need to be out of this system as soon as possible." Steve said.

He gave Cammy an update.

She now knew where Savannah and Al went.

"I think Tom will evade for now since he doesn't know the enemy's strength." Cammy said. "We need to get him out so he doesn't follow them. I know he'll try to take them down."


John Henry saw Cameron was on her way to the Command Center.

She arrived a short time later.

Young Allison just called for a fire mission of 'metal hail'.

Cameron arrived with a smile on her face.

"Hello." Cameron said.

John Henry decided to give her a quick update.

"Hello." John Henry said. "This is what's happening."

He could see it spoiled Cameron's mood immediately.

The smile on Cameron's face evaporated rather quickly.

She was there just in time to see the compound hit with 'metal hail' minigun fire.


Young Allison and Anna watched as the projectiles dropped from the sky. The men on the ground began to fall among a 'metal hail' of sparks.

It looked like everyone in the third group was all hit and they were down. They'd all been out in the open.

The other two groups about to enter the building were a little more fortunate. About half of each group made it inside the building.

Young Allison was very displeased with the results.

"It's not what I wanted." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't see it as a bad thing for what was planned. The survivors were now trapped inside of the building.

"The only good thing is they're contained." Anna said. "I don't think they will be in a hurry to venture out. They'll have a surprise on the way soon."


Tom was able to hear the challenge and proper answer from the direction he was headed. He was aware there were other Resistance Terminators inside the drainage system.

He let the group of men pass. He would rejoin with his team members first before any action was taken.

He moved down to the junction and looked around the corner. He spotted two figures moving on opposite sides of the passageway.

He saw it was Cammy and Steve.

"Orange." Tom said.

Cammy and Steve stopped.

"Ocelot." Cammy said.

They quickly rejoined. Steve filled him in as they headed for the exit as fast as they could. They knew the next part of the operation couldn't proceed until they were clear of the drainage system. It was imperative they get out of it quickly.


Savannah and Al waited near the short train. There were only six tank cars left from the long string which was there earlier. Al saw the third and fourth tank car contained gasoline. The other four were diesel fuel.

"Why have they stopped?" Al asked.

Savannah watched them for a little bit.

"I think they're going to lunch." Savannah said.

The two crewmen exited the locomotive cab and locked the door. They went down the steps and headed towards them. Before they reached them, they turned and went across the street. They went around a corner and they lost sight of them.

Savannah felt it turned into a lucky break for them. The crew wouldn't need to be overpowered and immobilized. They most likely would have been hurt during the procedure. She wanted to get moving.

"Let's go." Savannah said.

They approached the locomotive. It was idling.

They went up to the cab. It was locked.

"Open it." Savannah said.

Al forced the door open.

Savannah gave him instructions on what they were going to do. She called on her earlier train handling skills she'd been able to learn when dealing with Skynet several times previously. This would be her third time to operate a locomotive.

"I'm going to use the train brake instead of the locomotive brake." Savannah said. "I don't want slack between the cars for the final push. I want to make sure the couplers are all compressed together."

Al went down and ran to the end of the sixth tank car.

"I'm ready." Al said.

Savannah needed to make sure the team was out before she could act. She knew how to gauge the distance based upon the length of the cars.

"As soon as the team clears, we move." Savannah said. "Remember to call out the car lengths to me."


Dan, Frank, Richard and Michael were sent to follow the blue car. They'd acquired a second vehicle and split back into two teams for the pursuit. Dan and Frank were one team. Richard and Michael were the second team.


Cammy came out of the manhole first.

"Our team is clear." Cammy said. "I have Steve and Tom."

They moved away from the opening.

John Henry confirmed there were no other Resistance members in the system.

Bob and Jim pulled up a few seconds later. They'd left Ed off at the box truck when they were by it.

The three Terminators piled into the SUV.

"We need to go after Savannah." Cammy said.

Bob hit the gas and spun around and went back in the direction of the tracks. He was aware of what Savannah was up to. He understood timing was going to be extremely critical for Al and Savannah's extraction.


Savannah received the all clear from Cammy, Steve and Tom. She'd heard John Henry confirm the whereabouts of the rest of the Resistance team.

She'd already released the brakes and taken up the slack since she was going to push the cars. She moved the throttle selector into 'run one'. The six tank cars with Al on the front ladder steps started forward. She moved the selector into 'run two'.

"The first switch is already thrown." Al said.

Savannah kept up the steady pace.

"Roger." Savannah said.

They traversed through two more switches which CamNet could control.

Al could see the next move was up to him.

"I'll need to throw the next switch." Al said. "You're fifteen car lengths out."

Savannah moved the throttle selector back to the neutral position. She used the train brake to slow the cars. She didn't want any slack in the couplers.

Al was content with the current speed.

"Keep it at this pace and I can run ahead and throw the switch." Al said.

Savannah released the train brake. The momentum kept the train rolling.

Al jumped off and ran ahead to the switch. He grabbed the lock and tore it off. It snapped in his hand. He grabbed the lever and threw the switch. The first tank car arrived at his spot seven seconds later. He stepped up on the short ladder rungs as it passed.

"It should be thirty three seconds until I need to get off for the next switch." Al said. "Remain at the current speed if possible."

"Roger." Savannah said.

She moved the throttle selector as necessary to maintain the current speed.

The train of doom was on its way.

Savannah intended to deliver a decisive blow to the compound. She hoped they would be far enough away before the fireworks started. The two cars of gasoline worried her. Gasoline vapor was extremely volatile.


The two Grays had eluded the initial attack of the HK Tracks. One of HK Tracks had fallen down a shaft. The other one was struggling to free itself from the forklift.

The first man looked back and saw the driver of the forklift emerge from the passageway he'd gone down. He wondered where the forklift was at.

The second man entered the main passageway. He looked in both directions and ran after the first man. He could hear the crunching metal behind him as the HK Track attempted to free itself from the forklift.

The first man passed the body of the man they saw attacked first as they started back down the passageway towards the front of the mine on the forklift. He was clearly dead. He thought about taking shelter inside of the cavern he'd been in. Somehow it didn't seem like a good idea. He kept running towards the front.

The second man could hear a loud dull 'thud'. He figured the HK Track just pushed the forklift over on its side. He wasn't sure. It would be out of the cavern in seconds. He could see the first man up ahead of him. He wasn't going to be able to catch up to him. He realized the HK Track was going to acquire him immediately.

He saw the body of the man who'd been shot first up ahead. He decided to enter the cavern. He figured more than likely the man in front of him would draw the fire of the HK Track if he continued to run down the passageway. He was certainly a target.


Seconds ago:

The HK Track had been shoved up against the side of the rock wall by the forklift. It attempted to move away. The crates were in the way. It ran into them and knocked them down. The wood splintered and the metal sub assemblies inside of them fell out. Some of them fell in front of the HK Track. They now became a further obstacle in its path.

The HK Track moved back and forth to free itself. It broke free of the forklift and drove up over the sub-assemblies. It momentarily got stuck but managed to cross over then. It went to get out of the cavern. There wasn't quite enough room to get out to the main passageway because of where the forklift was at. It needed to back up and angle towards the forklift to push it out of the way. It was still upright but had stalled. Once there was enough room, it headed for the main passageway.

It picked up a distress signal from the other HK Track. It indicated it was damaged and stuck. The distress signal was on the other side of the passageway as it emerged into it. It searched for a target to its left side. It didn't spot one. It searched for a target on its right side and spotted one man running. It recognized the target as the man who'd attempted to destroy it inside of the cavern with the forklift. It fired a missile in his direction.

It observed the missile explode near the man. His body flew through the air before he went down. It didn't see any other targets in either direction. It crossed over the main passageway and entered the chamber where the other HK Track signaled it was in distress. It wasn't there. It continued to receive the distress signal. It moved slowly forward towards the opening in front of it. It determined the other HK Track had fallen down a shaft. There was nothing it could do. It backed out of the side passageway back into the main passageway. It searched for targets in both directions.


Seconds ago:

The second man saw the first man turn into another cavern. He looked back just as the HK Track exited back into the main passageway. It looked the other direction first and then in his direction. He was almost to the opening. He made a lunge towards it. There was a loud explosion right in back of him. It knocked him off his feet. He landed next to the man who'd been hit with minigun fire earlier.

He tried to crawl over the dead man to get inside of the cavern. He saw something in front of him. It was a leg. He couldn't quite get over the dead man. It was very hard to move. He looked back and saw another leg in the passageway. He realized they were his legs. It was very hard to breathe. Blood was coming out of his mouth. He'd been hit with shrapnel from the missile and a flying rock. He just needed to rest for a minute. He lay back down next to the dead man. He was unaware when he joined him.


The first man made it into the cavern right before he heard an explosion. He looked back and saw the second man fly through the air. He could see his legs were gone. He knew the other man was finished.

He watched the HK Track go into the passageway he'd lured the other HK Track into. He made a break for it down the main passageway again. He knew it wouldn't be long before the HK Track emerged.

The first man made it to the next cavern. He ducked into it. He peered around the corner just as the other HK Track exited.


The female Fanatic and Jill approached the metallic noise. It was somewhere close to where they were at. They moved further down the passageway they were in. The noise was right in front of them. They could hear an explosion somewhere. More dust fell through the boards in the passageway.

"Let me take a look." The female Fanatic whispered. "If something happens to me. Don't follow me in. It will happen to you as well."

Jill watched as Jackie handed her two more of the phones she carried. She could tell Jackie thought she was going to be killed. She wanted her to have enough light to continue to search for a way out from the lower level. She certainly didn't want to fall down a shaft and end up in an even lower level. She watched Jackie cautiously move ahead and enter a cavern.

"Be careful." Jill whispered.

The female Fanatic didn't look back at Jill as she entered the chamber. She knew there was a pretty good chance she may be killed instantly. She was a little surprised at what she looked at as she did.

There was an HK Track lying on its side. It was at a strange angle. It was on top of something it crushed when it fell from the level above. She could hear it try and move when she entered the chamber. The tracks spun wildly for a few seconds. The only thing they touched was the air.

She could hear what sounded like another HK Track up above them. She made sure her light didn't shine up the shaft. The other HK Track moved away a short time later.

The back of the HK Track was to her as she approached it. She looked at the rear panel. She could see it was one of the two she'd worked on earlier. She moved up to it and began to remove the access panel on the back of it. She hadn't put back in all of the fasteners before. The tracks begin to spin wildly. She hoped it wouldn't cause it to rock off of whatever it was on top of. If it did, it might be able to spin around in a circle, even if it was on its side. She would need to stay behind it if it did.

Jill could hear the metallic spinning noise. It happened a couple of times after Jackie went into the chamber. It was continuous now. Jackie told her not to enter. She wanted to know what was happening. She carefully moved up towards the opening.

She could see Jackie was behind the machine. It was on its side at a strange angle. She could see the treads on it spinning wildly. In a few seconds they abruptly stopped. All there was, was silence.

"Were you able to turn it off?" Jill whispered.

The female Fanatic glanced back. She wasn't surprised to see Jill there. It was clear Jill's survival instincts were great. She was willing to take a risk on multiple occasions. She knew it was more than just her desire to kill some of the men who'd abused her repeatedly. She did realize the abuse was a strong motivating factor. It was for anyone who'd been abused and wanted justice.

"This one is off." The female Fanatic said. "There was another one above us a short time ago. It left. I don't know if it will be back."

Jill moved up and held her phone up to light the area as Jackie worked on the disabled machine.

The female Fanatic moved around to the underside of the HK Track. She worked on another access panel she hadn't been able to get to earlier, when the HK Track was in the back of the big truck. It took her a little bit of time but she got what she was after soon enough. It was the power cell.

Jill wasn't sure what Jackie was doing.

"What's the thing you're holding?" Jill asked.

The female Fanatic held up the power cell.

"It's what makes the machine work." The female Fanatic said. "It's the power cell. Think of it as a very powerful battery. As soon as we can get out of here, I'm going to use it to collapse the entrance to the mine. It is very explosive when it's ruptured."

It sounded dangerous to Jill.

"Will we be able to get out first?" Jill asked.

The female Fanatic shined her light upwards at the shaft the HK Track fell through down. There was wooden debris hanging down on one side of the shaft.

"This fight isn't over yet." The female Fanatic said. "I don't know what other dangers we'll face."

The female Fanatic climbed up on top of the HK Track. She was able to touch part of the wood hanging down. She needed a little boost to get a better hold on it. There was some movement behind her. Jill was now next to her.


Tina exited from the header station and headed for the trail which would lead up to the communications array.

Lena found a small theater showing a movie about the construction of the Aerial Tramway.

Tina made her way outside of the header station and along a trail. The trail went uphill a ways. It reached a junction and split into five different directions. There was a little placard which indicated where each of the trails led. Two of them were routes up to the top.

She picked the one with the longer route. She figured the two men would choose the one with the shorter route. There weren't too many others around when she started up. She could see most of the people who'd ventured out of the header station weren't moving very rapidly. It looked like the thin air was a little rough on them.

Lena remained in the small theater. The movie about the construction of the tramway ended and began to play again. It was on some type of loop. She could hear the hum of the upper pulley slow. She heard the cable car dock. She heard the buzzer sound indicate the door was about to open. She moved to the doorway of the small theater. She saw people exit and enter into the upper station. The two men were mixed in among them. She moved a little further back into the darkness. They never looked in her direction.

They moved past the small cafe. They looked at it but didn't stop. When they passed the restroom one of the men entered. The other one remained outside. The other man exited a few minutes later. The two men headed for the door to the outside. She watched them leave the station and start up the trail. She moved up to a window by the doorway and observed them go up.

Lena communicated everything she saw to Tina. The drone overhead covered it as well. As soon as they were out of sight and into the trees, she started out from the station. The drone overhead kept track of where the men were.


The two men took in the scenery as the cable car began its climb. They would be at the top soon enough.

They didn't really like being in close quarters with a bunch of strangers. They certainly didn't want someone to bump into them and find out they were carrying weapons.

It seemed most of the passengers were thrilled with the ride. Neither one of them cared for it. It seemed to sway a little too much for them between pylons as it ascended.

It slowed dramatically as it reached the top. It moved at a snail's pace into the dock. The buzzer sounded and the door opened. They went out in the middle of the passengers. They didn't want to be first or last. They wanted to be part of the crowd. There were placards along the way indicating where everything was at. They passed by a cafe.

"Do you want anything to eat?" The first man asked.

The second man needed to use the restroom.

"Not until I make some more room." The second man said. "I'm going to hit the latrine."

The first man remained outside and checked his surroundings. The second man emerged a few minutes later.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink before we start up?" The first man asked.

The second man still had a few snacks on him as well as two water bottles.

"I'm good for now, let's get started." The second man said.

The two men exited the building and headed up the trail. When they reached the junction at the top of a small hill, they looked at the placard and then up towards the top of the hill. They started up on the shortest route.

"Do you think we need to set an ambush up?" The first man asked.

The second man looked back around them. Most of the other tourists were still milling about around the station. There was a large observation deck on two sides of it. There were very few people on any of the trails. There was no one on the one they were on.

"It doesn't look like it." The second man said. "Maybe later on we might."

The two men continued up the trail. They could feel the effects of the high altitude as well as the climb itself. It wasn't overly steep, but it was steep enough.


To Help Herself

For many people it's hard
To reach out to another
They don't want to seem like
Their feelings will smother

Maybe it all goes back
To me, myself and I
It's where the usual rules
Seldom seem to apply

Sometimes it's nice to have help
There may not always be others around
Things can speed up fast
Before they will slow down

It makes those around wonder
Who is really in control
When everything inside is given away
It creates a void and leaves a hole

The only thing to fear
Is fear itself
She must learn to stand tall
She needs to help herself

Nobody