Chapter 1451


Quite A Gathering


Young Jesse received Cammy's message. Dinner was fourteen minutes away. She debated whether to wake Savannah up or not. She decided Savannah needed to eat. She needed to take care of herself. She knew Savannah was pregnant with Vanna's baby.

"Savannah." Young Jesse softly said.

Savannah's eyes opened.

"It's dinnertime soon." Young Jesse said.

Savannah sat up. She needed a little refresher to get her going.

"I'm good." Savannah said. "Let's shower."

The two girls hurried into the bathroom and took a quick shower together. They were back out in a few minutes.

Savannah wanted a cold shower to wake her up a little. It did.

"I hope it wasn't too cool." Savannah said.

Young Jesse looked down at her breasts. She really wanted a pair of nipple rings right now.

"I look good with hard nipples." Young Jesse said. "So do you."

Savannah looked down.

"I guess I do." Savannah said. "I know you do."

They quickly dressed and straightened up their hair a little.

"Let's go." Savannah said. "We don't want to be the last ones."

Young Jesse didn't really think it mattered. They all knew what everyone else did.

"I get it." Young Jesse said.

Savannah was still tired, but not as sleepy. The quick nap she took did her a world of good. The endorphins Young Jesse made her system pump out helped a lot too. The excitement level itself helped invigorate her.

They spotted Derek and Riley come out of their room with Precious in the stroller.

Kyle came out of his room alone.

Riley looked around.

"Where's Sarah?" Riley asked.

Kyle didn't think it was a big deal.

"Sarah went to help Claire." Kyle said.

Derek and Riley exchanged glances. They hoped Sarah didn't compromise the meal. She wasn't known for always following instructions when it came to culinary matters.

John and Cameron waited at the junction of the two halls for the others to catch up.

There was some giggling in the background and the sound of running feet.

Vanna and Allison came into view. They were both topless and in the process of putting their tops on. They giggled some more as they switched tops once they'd put them on. They'd had each others top by accident.

"At least we beat Jesse." Allison said as she looked at the group.

Vanna smiled triumphantly.

"I told you we weren't the last ones." Vanna said. "I told you we'd beat her."

They approached the commissary as a group.

When they entered the room, they were all surprised to see Jesse helping Claire and Sarah. Jan and Summer were there too.

"I guess we didn't." Vanna said as she looked back at Allison.

Allison shrugged her shoulders.

"It happens." Allison said.

With her gesture, Allison and Vanna giggled some more.

Everything was all ready to go in the commissary.

John liked the set up.

"It's sort of like on the ship." John said. "I like it."

John looked over at Vanna and Allison. The food wasn't the only thing he liked on the ship either. He glanced over where Claire and Jesse were at. He noticed Summer look at him, he looked away.

They all sat down and shared a good meal and the fellowship of each other.

Cameron was the only Metal girl there. She took over tending Precious for Riley.

Everyone was home and uninjured.

Maybe there was no place like home.


Cammy returned to Sheila's room. Camille, Hanna, Ally, Gail, Cam and Holly were all there. She was as pleased as she was dismayed.

"This is quite a gathering." Cammy said. "It shows how redundant we all are."

Ally understood the implication. It wasn't something she liked either, for her own personal reasons.

"It's not very encouraging." Ally said. "Sheila and I were always redundant if it's the case."

Sheila looked around her room. She didn't feel she was redundant for anything.

"Speak for yourself, love." Sheila said. "I'm the life of the party. I also need a bigger room."

Gail remembered how big the rooms were on the ship.

"We should make the rooms more like the suites on the ship were." Gail said.

Ally looked around.

"Where will the balcony go?" Ally asked.

It brought a round of mild laughter.

Samantha entered the room.

"I have about a half hour." Samantha said. "I'm here to see the Metal girls I missed when they were on the ship."

Sheila was thrilled to see Samantha. She wanted to make sure she put the grab on her before she got away. She walked over and took her arm.

"I hope you don't mind an audience." Sheila said. "I love one to watch me…."

Samantha caught their reflection in the mirror. She couldn't help but draw a parallel observation.

"We look like Jesse and Claire." Samantha said.

Sheila looked in the mirror. She thought they looked better.

"The thought alone is probably going to get me off even sooner." Sheila said. "Now I'm about half way there."

Sheila's statement produced a round of laughter. Everyone was in a joyous and festive mood.


John Henry was plugged in as was Jim and now Bob. They viewed the action in Sheila's room.

Bob wanted to make sure they didn't cross any boundaries.

"They know they're being watched, right?" Bob asked. "We don't need any trouble."

Right now the only 'trouble' was in the three male Terminator's pants.

"Sheila was the one who told me where to put the cameras." John Henry said. "She wanted to make sure there was maximum coverage. She even told me how to get close up shots when necessary. She said she'd make sure 'everything' was lined up for a clear view."

Jim was able to check out a zoomed in image.

"I can see what she meant." Jim said. "She just gave us one now."

Bob was aware Sheila was an exhibitionist. He didn't think the other Metal girls were.

"Do all the other girls know they're being watched?" Bob asked.

John Henry shrugged his shoulders. It sounded like an issue best avoided.

"I'll let you ask them." John Henry said.

Jim figured he might just watch the show and not worry about it. The Metal girls were usually good with just about everything. They didn't have a problem with it on the ship after he'd installed the security devices in each of the suites except the Owner's Suite. Besides, what could a little eyeballing hurt? No, really, it was just 'looking'.

"They were fine with it on the ship." Jim said. "I did ask them."


Young Allison stopped watching the Resistance base. She followed up on the drone activity at the port and the other locations where they'd battled for the last two days.

Anna was plugged in so she was able to watch the same feed as John Henry was. It was sent to her by CamNet. She felt a little guilty about chastising Young Allison earlier. Now she was watching the Metal girls together on a live feed. It was very stimulating. If she was alone right now she would 'help herself out' a little.

She briefly wondered if she should allow Young Allison to view it as well. It would be a little more detailed view than she could observe just by peeking in the doors of the rooms. She especially liked the close up feature which was displayed from time to time. It was clear Sheila knew where to place her partner to make it happen.

She especially liked to see Hanna with one of the Terminators which shared Allison's DNA. She knew it would be like looking at Young Allison and her together. She also needed to remind herself it would be like looking at Savannah and Young Allison together as well. She knew they would be the real pair. It just hadn't happened yet. She was aware it would be soon.

The fire at the port mostly burnt itself out. There was an investigation into the incident. The authorities looked deeply into the terrorist angle.

Young Allison looked over the results of the melee.

"It was quite a fire." Young Allison said. "Even the locomotive is mostly melted. It's a charred and twisted hulk."

Anna hated to see a fine piece of machinery destroyed. Only the frame and engine block remained. She also believed it was a reminder to all the others who opposed them.

"It happens." Anna said. "The fire and explosions sent a message to all the groups involved there. They'll all think one of the other groups was responsible. They all lost more than a few men there."

Young Allison thought about the implications of it. She hoped it would curtail the activities of the others somewhat.

"Logically, they should all take a step back and not be so willing to fight." Young Allison said.

It didn't seem to Anna as if logic played much into it.

"Based on past performance, how do you think it will be played based on illogic?" Anna asked.

Young Allison knew what she would do. She had more than one personal axe to grind.

"I would want vengeance and try to go after the group I thought was responsible." Young Allison said. "In fact, I want to know if the Syndicate was involved in any way. I still don't like how they messed with the Metal girls in Las Vegas."

Anna didn't want Young Allison to lose focus of the overall operation. She'd already taken vengeance out on the Syndicate and the Cartel. She didn't want her to develop target fixation on either of those groups. She wanted her to think about the long game.

"Don't make it personal and don't let vengeance guide you." Anna said. "You need to think everything through one or two steps ahead."

Anna unplugged. She figured she needed to make things happen for Young Allison on her own.

"I'm going to make you dinner." Anna said.

Young Allison put it off several times. She didn't want Anna to serve her.

"I can do it." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted it taken care of now. She didn't want Young Allison's to get stuck on a new tangent. It was easy to do.

"Then you can assist me." Anna said. "You've delayed too long."

Young Allison got up and hurried up the stairs in front of Anna. She didn't like being reminded she'd waited too long.

"I can do it." Young Allison said.


Sheila spent five minutes with Samantha. It was more than enough time for a Terminator to get the job done. The other girls all wanted a 'crack' at Samantha too. Cam and Cammy would go last since they'd already shared with Samantha.

It was doubtful Riley would return before they'd all taken 'crack' at Samantha.

Sheila moved away from the group. She took out her phone and went into the bathroom. It was only used for showers. She did make sure the toilet seat and sink were kept dust free. She did have human visitors from time to time. It was something Cameron stressed all of the Metal girls do. They should always think of the needs of the human girls first.

She wanted to call Leticia. If there was nothing pending tonight, there was no reason she couldn't slip away and go by and see her.

No.

She needed to be strong. She was a machine. She didn't need a human lover. She already had a Metal one, or two. She thought about what she'd just left. Maybe it was actually a lot of lovers.

She decided to see what was happening in Golden Gate Park. Maybe she could fly up there and see if the gang needed another 'lesson'. Maybe she wanted to go after the female gang member who pulled the knife on her. She planned to teach her a few new lessons. She wanted to leave her with a lasting memory of pain and frustration in her future sexual encounters.

"What are you doing?" Ally asked.

Sheila looked up in surprise. She realized she was sitting on the toilet.

"I was resting my legs." Sheila said. "They were still sore from when Cameron used my chassis."

Ally laughed. She knew it wasn't true. Sheila could always turn off her pain receptors if she needed to. Even if it was the case, she knew it wouldn't deter any of them from allowing Cameron to do the same thing.

"You'd be back for more in a second." Ally said.

Sheila knew it was true. She'd be in there right now if she could. She would need to wait her turn.

"I would." Sheila said. "I think Cammy or Samantha will be there for a few hours tonight. Cameron has a real narrow window to get the others she wants to use in."

Ally finally asked the question she'd wanted to ask since Sheila left earlier. She saw her phone was in her hand.

"What were you looking at?" Ally asked.

Sheila didn't want to lie to Ally.

"I thought about calling Leticia but I didn't." Sheila said. "I wanted to check up on the activity in the park."

Ally tilted her head slightly.

"Do you mean the local park?" Ally asked.

Sheila laughed. She was ready for something a little more elaborate.

"I meant the park I own, Golden Gate Park." Sheila said. "We can be there in less than two hours from the time we leave here until we start snapping necks."

Ally was ready for some adventure. Things were pretty sedate on the ship, except for several instances. Well, they were actually a few. Some of them almost got out of hand. She was surprised there'd been no terminations. There hadn't even been any mutilations. She knew it was a close one with the 'Crazy Bitch'.

"I'm in." Ally said. "I think everyone will want to go."

Sheila I thought so as well. She didn't want to disrupt operations. If she bled off too much of the help, It would put Savannah back in the bullseye even sooner. She didn't know about the operations CamNet currently conducted on the side.

"I want to keep it simple." Sheila said. "I'll ask CamNet to set it up."

Ally didn't think Sheila should ask for too many favors. She'd already been granted several.

"I don't know if you want to be indebted to CamNet." Ally said. "She may make you her enforcer."

Sheila laughed at the thought. She was pretty sure the position was already occupied.

"She leans on Gail for enforcement duties right now." Sheila said.

Ally thought it was a little more specific than a general enforcer.

"Gail likes to watch over Savannah." Ally said.

Sheila felt an inner calling. She felt the need to do more. She hoped it would take her mind off of Leticia.

"I want to do something." Sheila said.

Ally didn't want to rush things.

"We've only been back a few hours." Ally said. "Give everything some time."

Sheila still wanted more.

"I'll think about it." Sheila said.

Ally didn't like it. The more Sheila thought about things, the more determined she was to do them. The more determined she was to do them, the more likely they would get out of control. The more they got out of control, the more it seemed to drive Sheila. It was a self perpetuating cycle which usually ended in extreme violence.


The group finished up with dinner and everyone drifted off to do other things.

Claire and Jesse headed out.

Jan and Summer did the dishes. Savannah and Young Jesse helped them.

Jan looked at Savannah. She wanted her to take it easy.

"You experienced a busy day." Jan said. "You don't need to help us."

Savannah smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I like to do my share." Savannah said.

Summer followed all of Savannah's activities.

"You already do more than enough." Summer said.

Savannah thought back on the last few days. It had been quite extensive.

"It's been a busy week." Savannah said.

They finished up soon enough. Everything was cleaned and put away.

Jan and Summer went off to Summer's room.

Young Jesse looked at Savannah.

"I think you want to get to bed early tonight." Young Jesse said.

Savannah let out a slight giggle.

"To rest, I mean." Young Jesse said.

Savannah wanted to rest up. She also didn't want to turn down an opportunity.

"I think I do." Savannah said. "I believe Cammy is going to be busy tonight."

Young Jesse saw it as the unspoken invitation to stay all night. She wanted what was best for Savannah. She wanted to be firm about it.

"I'll stay with you for a while. You need to get caught up on your sleep." Young Jesse said. "Your body needs a rest."

Savannah looked down at herself. She was fully clothed but she knew what Young Jesse referred to. She didn't want any flak to come back to Cameron or Cammy. She didn't want either of them blamed for what she did on her own. Cameron wasn't even there for the last week. It wasn't Cammy's fault either. She didn't want anyone to speak on her behalf about it.

"I don't want a big deal made about it." Savannah said. "It's just how it is. I don't want any complaints. I'm not complaining to anyone. It means no one else needs to either. Please don't mention it to them. You're going to make them feel bad for nothing. When they feel bad, I feel bad. I understand you want to help."

Young Jesse drew in her breath a little. She didn't agree but held her tongue. She didn't want to cause any more unnecessary stress for Savannah. She was willing to do more. She would like the opportunity to step up. She wanted to put her training to use. What good was the training if she never got to use it?

"I can stay here for now and help you." Young Jesse said. "I don't get out on any combat operations at home. There's no reason we can't share the workload. I need to get some experience as well. Training and the real thing, aren't the same thing."

Savannah didn't want combat for Young Jesse. There were so many things which could go wrong. It was an unnecessary risk. If the situation was different, it would be a different thing. It wasn't.

"I hope you can avoid it." Savannah said. "It's ugly and dirty business. You don't need to face the danger yet."

Young Jesse didn't want to argue with Savannah about it. She still believed it was time for her to do more. If the opportunity presented itself, she was going to take it.

Savannah and Young Jesse reached the room next to her room.

"This is the room Cameron picked out for you." Savannah said.

Young Jesse reached down and opened the door. The room was dark inside. They entered and Savannah turned on the light. There was a large bed in the room with a nightstand and dresser. There was a computer set up and an arms locker. She experienced a little Déjà Vu as she looked at everything.

"It has all the comforts of home I see." Young Jesse said. "It looks like my room Down Under."

Young Jesse went to the door in the wall and opened it. It led into Savannah's room. She was pleased to see there was direct and clandestine access to Savannah. It also gave them the opportunity to share with others without it being a problem in their own room.

Savannah was pretty sure the location of her room made everything a little more enticing.

"Now it's better than all the comforts of home." Savannah said.

Young Jesse laughed. She still didn't want to impose on Savannah.

"Maybe I'll sleep in here tonight." Young Jesse said. "I don't want to disturb you later on."

Savannah needed to get some operational matters out of the way in the Command Center. She wanted to give Young Jesse a heads up about what was in store for tomorrow.

"I have a briefing with John and Cameron tomorrow morning." Savannah said. "Young Allison is going to be there with me."

Young Jesse was given the full report on everything. She downplayed it. She wanted to see if Savannah would add anything else.

"I heard a few things about it." Young Jesse said.

Savannah looked behind her and closed the door.

Young Jesse could see Savannah's face light up.

"You should have seen her, Jesse." Savannah said. "It was awesome. She was like Cameron in combat. Even if it's what I expected, I never expected to actually see it. I still find it hard to believe."

Savannah didn't want to bring up the issue with the nuclear weapons deep below the anti-Metal bunker. It was something else she'd expected. It was something she never wanted to see either. She especially didn't want to see it on Young Allison's second combat operation. She was very conflicted about all of it. She knew she couldn't stand in the way of the future. She wouldn't be able to do it for Young Allison or for Young Jesse.

Young Jesse could see the look of love in Savannah's eyes. She knew they loved each other. She knew she would always need to play second fiddle in any type of arrangement. She'd seen Vanna and Allison together. She'd watched Duplicate Vanna and Duplicate Allison in some future. She'd seen the way Ally and Hanna interacted. She knew it was the same, or would be, for Savannah and Young Allison.

"You sound impressed." Young Jesse said.

Savannah was very proud of Young Allison, even if she hated the fact she was there in the first place.

"I was." Savannah said. "I am."

Young Jesse opened the arms locker.

"I see the combination is the same." Young Jesse said.

She looked at the two vests inside along with the associated weapons. There was more than enough firepower available there.

Savannah didn't want Young Jesse to feel obligated to stay at the Resistance base. She felt there were other considerations in life. They were things she didn't have an option about anymore.

"I know and understand your desire to stay to assist me." Savannah said. "I want to point out one thing I personally want you to consider in your decision making."

Young Jesse seriously wanted to stay and help Savannah. It pained her to see Savannah battered.

"The abuse your body is taking really angered me." Young Jesse said. "It made me feel sick inside too."

Savannah always downplayed how she looked. She wished she could downplay how she felt too. She couldn't. There were times she really hurt. She pushed through the pain and kept going. She reached up and touched Young Jesse's cheek as she looked into her eyes. There was another consideration which was more important. It was important to her. She wanted to make sure Young Jesse understood the importance as well.

"I want you to think about your family. There are your parents and sister to think about." Savannah said. "I would give just about anything to be with my parents again. You can't take your family for granted. It's something which is very precious, even if it seems like it's not. To lose them is very painful. You need to be with them as much as possible. I would if I could. I can't. I can't ever be with them again. I can't even see them ever again."

Young Jesse lived with Camille, but she saw her parents and sister almost every day. They lived side by side. There was a fortified bunker which was common to both of their homes. Everything was connected with underground tunnels.

It made Young Jesse feel sad for Savannah and how she'd lost everything. She understood where Savannah spoke from right now. She spoke from her heart. She realized it was a heart with a hole in it which could never be fixed. It was deeply personal.

She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to dwell on it either. She knew anything she said to console Savannah was probably going to make it worse.

Young Jesse walked through the open door which connected her room to Savannah's room. She wanted Savannah to go to bed and rest up.

"We can talk about everything as pillow talk." Young Jesse said.

Savannah followed her into her room. She wanted to take care of a few personal things. She knew she wouldn't feel like doing them later on, even if she woke up.

"Let me brush my teeth." Savannah said. "Once I get in my bed and we share for a while, I think I'm going to sleep all night."

Young Jesse followed Savannah into her bathroom. She watched Savannah brush her teeth.

"Candy is dandy but sex won't rot your teeth." Young Jesse said.

Savannah laughed.

Young Jesse saw there was a second toothbrush as well.

Savannah noticed what Young Jesse looked at.

"It's for Young Allison." Savannah said.

Savannah took out her night clothes.

Young Jesse noticed a second set next to them.

"Those are for Young Allison." Savannah said.

Young Jesse wondered if there was more happening than she knew. She didn't ask. She remembered Sarah asked for privacy about their encounter. Savannah would tell her if she wanted to talk about it. Nothing further was said. It was another reminder to her Savannah and Young Allison were destined to be with each other. She saw it on the ship with Vanna and Allison. The thought reminded her she was in love with Vanna now too. She understood how Savannah could care so much for Jesse as well as her. Even if they were the same people, they were different. There was still enough the same to make it even more special.

Savannah looked at her night clothes.

"I doubt I'll wear these tonight." Savannah said.

She faced Young Jesse and kissed her. It was a long, slow and deep kiss. They playfully undressed each other. They soon faced each other naked.

Savannah eyes roamed all over Young Jesse's perfect body. Every curve was smooth and distinct.

"You're so beautiful." Savannah said. "I love the way you look."

There was something else Young Jesse wanted. She'd wanted it ever since the time Jesse and her were in the hot tub in Australia and Jesse's top 'accidentally' fell off. It was something she'd been able to examine further up close when Jesse and her shared. It was before Jesse took over her duties to assist Riley.

"I plan to get a set of nipple rings like Jesse and Sheila have." Young Jesse said.

Young Jesse was able to get a complete reminder of everything from Sheila on the ship over the last couple of days. She'd examined everything extensively.

Savannah wanted to give Young Jesse a playful reminder.

"Jesse can't wear hers right now." Savannah said. "Well, at least on her nipples."

Young Jesse looked at her and giggled. There was something else she wanted to tell Savannah.

Young Jesse touched her lower abdomen.

"She won't be able to wear them for a few more years at least." Young Jesse said. "I have her baby right here."

Savannah touched her lower abdomen.

Both girls were pregnant with a baby for someone else. In reality it was still 'them'.

The two girls touch each other's lower abdomen. They understood. They needed to use their bodies to help the other versions of themselves. Skynet took their reproductive capability away from them. The two girls could give it back to them.

"Jesse will need to nurse her baby, and Vanna will need to nurse her baby." Savannah said. "What I carry really is Vanna's baby too. It's actually from her body. I know she wouldn't take the baby from me otherwise."

Young Jesse previously asked Jesse if she wanted the same thing. Jesse specifically asked her for it not to be from her. Jesse didn't say why. She thought she understood.

"What about Precious?" Young Jesse asked. "Riley has a pair of knockers. She said they don't do much."

It was a sore spot for all of the girls.

"Blame it on Skynet." Savannah said. "All of the girls from the future are damaged in some way. We need to keep it in mind for ourselves too. We've both been to the future. I've been to two of them. What happened to them, will happen to us."

Young Jesse was always appalled at the sexual abuse the girls from the future suffered. Jesse finally told her about most of what happened to her. None of it was pretty. What troubled her the most was Jesse said she still couldn't talk about some of the things. She didn't know anyone tougher than Jesse. It bothered her greatly. The things she heard were bad enough. What else was done to her?

"I know they were all abused too." Young Jesse said. "I'm glad we popped each other's cherry. I'm even more pleased I was able to give John my virginity. I would have hated for a Scavenger to have it."

Savannah and Young Jesse climbed into bed. The naked girl's heads looked at each other as they lay side by side.

Savannah wanted to know Young Jesse's impression of love making with a male. It was literally the same thing she would experience soon with the same person. She'd been so close several times.

"Can you tell me about it?" Savannah asked. "What was it like? Did it still hurt anyway?"

Young Jesse was very pleased with the experience. She hoped to do it a few more times before she left. Maybe it was the love which was shared and reciprocated. It wasn't just a sexual act. It was a loving experience. Nature still did play a part.

"Well, it still hurt a little at first. John went real slow." Young Jesse said. "Normally there's nothing that big inside of me down there. It doesn't take much for one of the girls to work on the G spot. In just a few seconds it was fine. Let me start from the beginning…."

Savannah listened wide eyed as Young Jesse spoke. Both girls touched themselves as she did. They soon touched each other.


The Gray wasn't sure how long it would take to reach the crossroads junction. He would try to use a phone there. If not, he would tank up and continue his journey.

So far he hadn't drifted onto the shoulder or into the oncoming lane. He wondered if he might have been a little too close when a big rig went by. It was some kind of a hopper truck. It shook his car pretty good. Maybe it was because the big rig was going so fast. He was sure the truck driver would have blasted him with his air horn if he would have thought he was too close.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been driving when he finally spotted the crossroads junction. It seemed closer than he remembered, but somehow it seemed to take a long time to get there. He was tired.

He could see there were a few cars parked at the diner. There were even a few cars parked at the shabby motel next to it. He'd brought the medical kit with him. He thought he had enough gas to get to one of the two locations. One of the locations was to the left and one of the locations was to the right. He knew if he showed up without enough gas in the tank to get back to the gas station, they would give him a hard time.

He noticed one car pull away from the gas station as he neared the crossroads junction. He knew there was a restroom there. He might try to inspect his wound before he moved on. He reached back and touched himself. There was no fresh blood. Maybe he shouldn't fool with anything until someone could assist him.

He pulled into the gas station at the pump closest to the restroom. He turned off the car. He leaned forward and pulled his shirt out to take a look at it. There was dried blood soaked through it. He didn't want to walk into the gas station to pay for the gas with blood on his shirt. He looked around in the back seat. There was an old coat and a dirty vest. He put the vest on. He got out of the car.

He went inside and gave the attendant some money. He asked about a pay phone. The attendant told him it was out of order. He asked if he could use the phone there, he said he would pay for it. The attendant said it wasn't working. He said his personal phone wasn't working either. From the people who'd visited the gas station, they'd all said the same thing as well. Some of the cell towers must be down. It happened from time to time. They were a remote community. They didn't get priority service to fix anything.

The Gray decided to use the restroom after he started the pump. He would pick up some food before he left.


The female Fanatic felt a rush of excitement. Jill was a believer. She really hoped they would be able to share with each other one time before they died. She told Jill some things about the future as they drove. She tried to downplay the negative and sugarcoat the positive. She made sure Jill understood it was a lot better in the past, the present, overall. The few perks the future offered weren't really worth all the suffering involved.

She paid attention to any other traffic on the road. So far there'd been no vehicles behind her. She'd stayed far enough behind the Gray in front of her. They'd passed a couple of oncoming vehicles. One of them was a big rig. She thought it was traveling very fast. It seemed to shake their car quite a bit when it went by.

"We should be at the crossroads junction very soon." The female Fanatic said. "I need to see which direction the car will go."

Jill wondered about fuel.

"Do we need to get gas?" Jill asked.

The female Fanatic didn't think it would be a problem. Once they knew the direction the man would go, they could always close back up on him. There were a lot of remote roads around them. She still had the map they took from the two serial killers.

"We can tank up and use the restroom." The female Fanatic said. "We can get some more food and drinks as well."

The female Fanatic closed up enough to see the Gray's car turn into the gas station. She waited until the man went into the station before she came closer. She turned behind the restaurant and drove in back of it and around the far side of the motel. She decided to wait there and see which direction he went. If he turned in their direction, she would back up quickly so the motel would shield them. She strongly doubted he would get a room there. It was a possibility.

She took a moment to look at Jill. If the man did get a room there, so would they. She wanted to share with Jill. Not only was it her desire. She was sure it was Jill's desire. It would also validate Jill's existence as a female. She knew what the men did to Jill. They stripped it away from her. She would show Jill she was still valuable as a human. She really didn't know how long their existence would last. She was sure it wouldn't be long.

Jill stole a few quick glances at Jackie. She looked at the motel next to them. She knew if things were different they could get a room there. The car would work just as well. It would be nice to have a real room for a change to share with someone. The hard ground under a blanket, or in a shabby tent just wasn't the same.

The female Fanatic and Jill waited for the Gray to make his move.


Lena wanted to get moving. They needed to go down on the cable car before the men. They wanted to be down off of the mountain road before they exited back onto the highway.

They hurried down the mountain side. They monitored where the men were at as they slowly descended from the drone footage.

The drone image showed several hikers approaching the men.

They didn't want there to be any problems.

"Maybe I should hang back in case there's an issue." Lena said. "You can go on down."

Tina thought they should stay together.

"I think it's time we took both of the men out." Tina said. "It's only a matter of time until they create some type of an altercation."

CamNet assured them they would be able to still go down on the cable car before the men did. She would hold it until they reached it, even if the men were close to them. They wouldn't be able to get on. It would leave without the men.

Tina and Lena followed the operation in the remote location with the female Fanatic and her new recruit. They still didn't know where the other big trucks were at. They only knew three of them were trapped inside of the collapsed mine. They would still need to go there and check it out at some point. They didn't think the men had any more usefulness where they were at.


The two men continued their trek down from the mountain top. Their progress was slow, even if it was downhill.

"I'm really bushed." The first man said.

The second man totally agreed.

"How much farther is it anyway?" The second man asked.

The first man thought they were about two thirds of the way down. It seemed like they'd been going for a while. He heard laughter up in front of them.

"Someone's coming!" The first man whispered.

The second man was a little concerned. He looked off to the sides.

"Should we avoid them?" The second man whispered.

The first man thought they should be amicable. He wanted to see if they had a working phone.

"Just be cool and follow my lead." The first man whispered. "Try to look friendly."

The second man wondered what he meant about being friendly.

"I always look friendly." The second man whispered.

The two men didn't know how many individuals they were about to face. They wanted to have a peaceful meeting. They desperately wanted some answers about what was going on.


Quite A Gathering

It the quest of life
Everyone searches for meaning
They never get very far
When everyone is cruel and demeaning

It doesn't take much
To leave one's head spinning
It can leave a bruised soul
It can leave a gut churning

No one wants to be the one
Left with their heart bleeding
Their hopes and dreams
Are left tattered and burning

Some may not believe
There are things worse than dying
Then they've never been the one
Left by the wayside crying

To seek out a new friend
Will create a new opening
As they begin to accrue
It will be quiet a gathering

Nobody