Chapter 1552
Dead Reckoning
Summer and John Henry tried to piece it all back together. It appeared the team was tracked somehow. It presented a real threat to both teams which were currently operating there.
John Henry went over all the data multiple times. There was only one conclusion he could reach.
"There must be some kind of surveillance we missed." John Henry said.
Summer agreed. It looked like it was time to blind the enemy as much as they could.
"It's time to hit them where it hurts." Summer said.
It was time for a complete blackout of all radio, microwave and cell signals for the enemy.
John Henry didn't cut the power yet. He did cut all other forms of communication as well as any internet traffic. No communications would leave or reach the complex now. It was isolated.
Gail and Jesse were in the process of inspecting the vehicles and gathering any phones or other intelligence when he did it. If anyone was watching them, it's where they last would have seen them.
Cam and Samantha would have been spotted at the fourth building before things were cut.
After they were done with the vehicles, Young Jesse and Gail checked the ambush site at the old pump station behind them. 'Cherry Bomb' currently stood guard over the location. The 'metal hail' and direct minigun fire tore everything up as well as the bodies.
Young Jesse was more than a little curious as to what her contribution actually was.
"Can you tell how many of these 'donks' I killed?" Young Jesse asked.
Gail wasn't sure. All the bodies showed multiple gunshot wounds from both the direct gunfire from 'Colton Overcast', as well as the 'metal hail' from above.
"Based on where the first three bodies are at, I'd say you definitely took them down." Gail said. "'Coltan Overcast' fired at the same time you did but it was much further away. The gravity shots arrived a few seconds later."
Young Jesse could see the Grays didn't have much of a chance. They took gunfire from three different sources.
Gail searched the men as Young Jesse kept watch around them. There were drones over them as well. All but a few were now much lower. They would respond immediately to any perceived threat against the teams on the ground.
Young Jesse knew she was responsible for at least five deaths so far that night. She thought it would bother her more, but it didn't. She'd been trained to kill the enemy. It's what she'd done. She didn't know who the new group was. There was still something which bothered her. She needed to know a little more.
"Can you tell who any of them are?" Young Jesse asked. "You know what I mean."
Gail communicated with John Henry as she searched the fallen men. They were all armed and several carried Skynet barcodes.
"These people were connected to the future somehow." Gail said.
Young Jesse was worried about one thing. She hoped none of them were friendlies. She hoped none of them were from some branch of the Resistance, unless they were the anti-Metal faction. Then she was glad they were dead. They were a threat to all of their Terminators. She wanted to investigate the location where they were hidden further.
"Let me go down and check the bottom of the cistern." Young Jesse said. "I have a feeling they weren't in there all this time."
Gail knew it was risky. If it was connected to a tunnel system, there could be others waiting.
"I'll go first." Gail said. "Wait until I call you."
Gail went down a ladder. It was only for ten feet. She found out where they came from almost instantly.
"I have an opening with a closed door on it." Gail said.
Young Jesse felt a little relief. It meant it was most likely part of the complex they were there to check out and take down. The dead men were all Grays.
"I'll be right behind you." Young Jesse said.
Young Jesse took another look around the area first. She didn't spot any additional movement. So far she relied heavily on her training. It paid off at every juncture.
Young Allison was worried more than ever about hostile HK drones showing up with the recent encounter. Someone sent those Grays to the specific spot to try and stop Gail and Young Jesse. They didn't quite make it in time. She wanted to take some additional pre-emptive action. She wanted to make sure they could have a quicker response.
"It's a pretty good bet someone knows the team is outside the buildings." Young Allison said. "Drop all but two drones down to just out of human hearing range."
Anna knew it was within effective range for all of their drones' weapons to bring direct fire on a target.
"All but two have already started to descend." Anna said. "'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' are in tight around Gail and Young Jesse."
Young Allison knew it was a close one for Young Jesse and Gail earlier. They'd almost been taken by surprise. They weren't. There was an additional concern she wanted to address. It was an important one.
"If the opening Gail found goes into the hillside, we're going to lose contact with them." Young Allison said. "I doubt they have many repeaters. Gail probably still has a few."
Anna checked. It wasn't promising news. There was an additional factor which could reduce the effectiveness greatly.
"She has three." Anna said. "It won't take them to the third building if any of those tunnels go there unless it's straight. It's highly unlikely."
Anna felt if it was a connected tunnel system, it would have 'bends' built into it. There was bound to be some type of 'blast' protection. There were probably some doors or bulkheads along the way.
Gail worked on the hatch. She thought she might need to blow it open. If she did, it would advertise they were coming. It might not really matter at this point. It seemed someone already knew they were there.
Since the communications were cut, whoever sent them probably didn't know the outcome of the battle. All they knew was there were two people, and they sent seven men after them. If they knew they were both female, the men would have even been more confident they would be triumphant. They'd probably been discussing what they would do to them once they captured them, or even after they'd shot and killed them.
Young Jesse searched the surrounding area for any additional signs of movement. She knew most of the drones were lower now. She was advised 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' were in even closer.
It seemed she'd made the spot the same time two drones did earlier. 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' were close enough now to do detailed scans of the surrounding area. There currently weren't any Grays standing around them. There could still be additional Gray's in hiding somewhere. The tunnel system more than likely possessed several exits.
She looked at the pile of dead men Gail 'stacked' up after she'd searched them. Their bodies were actually placed like 'sandbags' around where she was. They were placed to give her additional cover. She was going to need to tell Camille about what happened at some point. She didn't think she would play the danger angle at all. There was no need to cause her worry. She'd gone out on her own.
Gail worked on the hatch. She thought it could only be opened from the inside at first. She was able to pry one corner loose and once she could get her hands on the lip of the door. She was able to pry it open. She opened it carefully in case there were armed Grays behind it. There weren't. There weren't any booby traps detected either. It looked like the men arrived with extreme confidence they would get the jump on them. Things worked out a little differently for them.
"We're in." Gail called up.
Young Jesse took one last look around up top and dropped down into the cistern. Gail was just inside the hatch. Once she was inside, Gail closed the hatch and wedged the metal of the frame over the corner of it. It would prevent anyone else from easily entering the underground system. It wouldn't stop a Terminator from entering.
Gail thought it was a deterrent, more than something permanent. She specifically showed Young Jesse where to use her knife
"If you need to come out this way, you should be able to place your knife here and bend this up slightly." Gail said.
Young Jesse looked where she indicated.
"I got it." Young Jesse said.
The tunnel was dimly illuminated with red lights every fifty feet or so.
Young Jesse took off her night vision.
Gail looked over the construction of the area. It tied in with the work they'd discovered was done earlier.
"This tunnel isn't more than a year old." Gail said. "The concrete is still very fresh."
They traveled several hundred feet and the tunnel split.
Gail placed a repeater at the junction.
Young Jesse believed they wanted to head in the direction of where the third building was located. She didn't know where the other direction led.
"Dead reckoning says we head in this direction." Young Jesse said, as she pointed.
Gail nodded. It was the direction towards where building three was at.
There was one major thing they needed to consider. With a connection to the passageway they were in, they could end up with Grays both in front of them, and in back of them.
John Henry didn't like the new turn of events. Depending upon the design of the passageway, communications could be lost very quickly.
"I don't want to lose contact with them." John Henry said. "A firefight in a confined space will be very deadly."
Summer didn't want to lose contact either. She believed there was a temporary fix they could use.
"Gail has the phones she took off of the Grays from the two cars and maybe one or two from the men around the pump house. I'm sure most of the ones the group carried were damaged from all of the gunfire." Summer said. "She can remodulate them to act as repeaters as well. She can place them on top of the red lights."
Summer worked on another plan. She wanted to check a few things first. She needed some images.
John Henry sent a message to Gail.
Gail took an image of the lights at Summer's request. It was forwarded to CamNet. It was part of the plan.
Cam and Samantha were near the fourth building when Gail and Young Jesse encountered the newest problem. They'd just crossed the street but didn't stop. They moved around to the back of the building first.
"It doesn't sound like a random act." Samantha said.
Cam didn't think so either. It left an obvious conclusion.
"They were targeted." Cam said. "It probably means we've been made as well."
Cam wondered if they'd tripped a sensor or maybe they'd been picked up from the moment they'd arrived. Maybe they should have parked further out.
Samantha knew Gail and Young Jesse were already inside the hillside. She wanted to progress the events as quickly as possible. It seemed time was a factor now.
"We need to check this building and then take down the third building." Samantha said.
Cam agreed with her assessment. There were a couple of other things she felt were prudent and should be addressed as soon as possible.
"We need some trucks and more people." Cam said. "Some close drone scans would be nice too."
John Henry heard the request. He was still short on resources. There was also a time lag involved in getting people there.
Summer was aware of the same limitations. She'd already started to work on a plan.
It was time to get creative.
Young Allison wasn't slack either. She contacted Summer directly and they both agreed on a plan.
Anna ran it by CamNet and Summer told John Henry what would happen. CamNet already set things in motion.
The truck at the welding shop was loaded. The welding shop was stripped of all the equipment they wanted. Jim joined the group in the machine shop along with Frank.
Bob was hard at work with the crew in the process of removing the equipment. He received some instructions from the Command Center. There was another task they needed to switch to immediately.
"You four will need to finish up here." Bob said. "I need to leave with Jim, Al and Ed."
Bob quickly filled Steve, Tom, Dan and Frank in on the other operation.
They needed to act with some urgency.
Bob and the three others hurried out to his SUV. They took off with all haste. They would need to acquire some big trucks along the way.
Hank, Larry, Richard and Michael were all at Cameron's base earlier and ready for a temporal mission.
They'd just received one.
Hank and Larry stripped. They moved on to the TDE pad. The arcing and flashing started, the energy bubble enveloped them.
They were gone in a flash.
Richard and Michael stripped and stepped up to the TDE pad. The process was repeated.
They were off to the same destination. They would take two drastically different methods to arrive there.
In the ravine, where the one Gray's car was on its side, a coyote silently approached the car. It sniffed the air and sensed its dinner was near. It stopped in its tracks and looked around. It put its tail between its legs and ran off. Dinner would need to wait.
The arcing and flashing started.
An energy bubble appeared in the ravine.
Richard and Michael were in it.
The energy bubble dissipated.
Michael and Richard stood. They were twenty feet from the sideways car. They went to it and removed clothing from the three dead Grays inside. They also collected their weapons. They climbed out of the ravine and approached the second car which was stuck with one wheel in the mud. They removed the manager's assistant and passenger. They obtained any additional clothing or weapons they needed. They tossed the dead men in the ravine with the other Grays.
They moved the car out of the mud and headed for where Cam and Samantha were at in it. They drove the assistant manager's vehicle. It should be known to those at the current complex. Even with the lack of communications, a known vehicle should be allowed to approach. The group Young Jesse and the drones took down was sent to protect it. They should arrive within a few minutes.
Cam and Samantha were about to do the roof entry procedure when they were given a warning from a drone. It was a timely warning. There were several heat signatures detected. It looked like the lower drone scans paid off. They moved back to the door and waited.
The side door of the building opened and four Grays came out. They were all only a few feet apart. The Grays looked a little more than surprised to see what awaited them. It wasn't what they'd anticipated.
Cam and Samantha both used their silenced M9 pistols. The four men fell. They waited and two more men came out. They silently fell as well.
John Henry notified them Richard and Michael were on the way. They would arrive in one of the Gray's cars in a few minutes. They quickly came up with a plan as Samantha and Cam searched the fourth building.
Gail and Young Jesse were given the order to stop.
Young Jesse didn't like being in the passageway and not moving.
"Why?" Young Jesse asked.
Young Allison contacted them directly.
"You have help on the way." Young Allison said.
Gail and Young Jesse looked at each other. They weren't sure how anyone could have arrived there so fast. They wanted to know a little more.
"When did they get here?" Gail asked.
Young Allison paused for a moment before she responded.
"It was eleven years ago." Young Allison said. "Move back to the junction you just passed. Stay at least thirty feet away for a few minutes."
Gail and Young Jesse started back to the junction. They hadn't gone far. They still needed to worry about the enemy appearing on either side of them.
There were some chipping sounds and a hole appeared in the side of the tunnel wall. They moved closer as the hole got bigger.
Hank and Larry emerged. They were both armed. Larry carried a backpack nuke with him.
"We've been waiting for you." Hank said.
There was a whole assortment of items inside the 'vault' they were in. Since they knew the location of the tunnel once Gail and Young Jesse entered, CamNet sent them back in time. They arrived and constructed the vault before the tunnel system was built, or Skynet even set the location up.
They'd acquired one backpack nuke and constructed more of the 'red lights'. They were actually a redesigned Claymore mine. They were to be put up in pairs at any of the junctions they passed and set to go off with a motion detector which didn't squawk their transponder code. They could also act as a repeater.
They were informed only Richard and Michael didn't have vests with a transponder like the rest of the team wore.
Gail and Young Jesse looked at each other.
"When did Richard and Michael get here?" Gail asked.
Larry knew the plan was put into effect a few minutes ago for Young Jesse and Gail. For their part, they'd been there for years in standby. Richard and Michael took a more direct approach.
"They should have arrived right after you entered the tunnel." Larry said. "It was the plan. They've gone to assist Cam and Samantha."
Ned and Wes received orders to collect some gear from the Resistance hangar. They both jumped down from the front door of the jet and set out to work. They loaded everything into the back of an SUV and drove it to the rear of the jet. The airstair was down when they arrived. Holly was on her way down the airstair with Claire.
Cammy, Sheila and Camille followed them down. They began to carry things up the airstair into the back of the 727. Holly and Claire left in the SUV once it was unloaded.
Jesse kept Mary, Laura and Leticia entertained in the Executive Suite as the team of Terminators prepared for a mission. They were going to use the jet to carry it out. They would be able to arrive the quickest at the scene, along with all of the equipment required. A temporal transfer would be faster, but they wouldn't be able to bring the equipment.
Earlier:
Vanna saw Precious was asleep. She took her back to her room. When she returned, she watched as Hanna and Riley started in on each other. It was hot to watch. She remembered Hanna was with Riley years ago. She wondered if they'd secretly kept it up. It didn't matter. It was on right now.
She waited until they both made it. She slipped off her robe and went over to the bed.
Hanna looked up. She could see Vanna wanted in.
It was clear Riley was game too.
Hanna wanted Riley and Vanna to share alone first, before it became a three way. She knew Riley would want to 'compare' Vanna and her. It was something everyone wanted to see at some point as to how 'identical' a Metal girl was to her human DNA donor. Everything was always the same.
"I'll let you two get acquainted." Hanna said.
Hanna picked a robe up off of the floor and put it on. She went to check on Precious.
Riley and Vanna looked at each other.
They moved forward and kissed. The kiss deepened. This was something which was a long time in the making.
"I've always wanted to be with you." Riley whispered.
It excited Vanna greatly. It was her desire as well. She felt she needed to offer an explanation.
"I wanted the same thing too, Riley." Vanna said. "I'm sorry the way some 'things' got in the way. It was very complicated for a long time. We needed to walk a very fine line."
Riley knew it all was a result of Future Riley and what happened with John and how no one wanted to further 'upset' Cameron by being involved with her. She understood it all, but she always felt like a 'second class' person because of it. Those weren't her transgressions. Because of everything she'd been subjected to. She would kill Future Riley herself if she ever met her.
The two of them started in on each other. There were a lot of lost years to make up for. They didn't waste any time. They made good progress as events seemed to feed on each other. The desire was compounded and multiplied as things progressed.
Derek opened his eyes. He could hear some kind of noise. He noticed Riley wasn't there. He got up to look.
He made his way to Precious' room. He didn't look inside. His attention was focused elsewhere. He was about to look in the nursery. The door wasn't shut tight.
There was movement behind him.
"Precious is fine." Hanna said.
Derek spun around.
He thought it was Vanna. He noted right away her robe wasn't closed. He also noticed there wasn't a scar on her lower abdomen. He could see the entire front of her body clearly. He didn't think it was an accident.
"Hi, Hanna." Derek said. "I thought I heard something."
Hanna closed her robe up some but left one breast mostly exposed. She wanted to draw his attention and keep it. She leaned over to look back in Precious' room. Her breast popped all the way out. She left it exposed.
"There's nothing to hear." Hanna said.
Just then, there was clearly the sound of someone who'd just made it. It was followed a second later by someone else.
Derek started to look back towards the nursery.
"You can go back to bed." Hanna said. "It can be whatever you want it to be then."
Derek started towards his room. He looked back once when he heard someone make it again. He was sure it was Riley.
He went to his room and closed the door. He didn't release the door handle and opened it back up silently. He watched Hanna slip off her robe as she entered the nursery. He also noted she didn't close the door tight.
He left his room and snuck forward. He went past Precious' room. He moved one eye around the corner to look into the nursery. Riley was on her back on the bed. Vanna was on her knees over Riley. It was clear Riley was hard at work, especially when Vanna's head arched back. Hanna worked on Riley as she did the same thing to her.
He wasn't sure which one was Vanna or Hanna from the angle he could see them. It didn't really matter because they switched once everyone made it.
Derek figured Riley was with Vanna before. He didn't know it wasn't Vanna who Riley was with at that time. This was actually their first time together.
He couldn't watch anymore, or he was going to try and join in. He didn't think it would go over very well with the other girls. He backed away from the door and returned to his room. He needed some relief. He hadn't seen anything so hot in a long time with his own eyes.
He really was excited. He was more excited for Riley. He hoped this allowed her to find what she needed. He hoped once she found what she desired, she would still desire him. Now it made him wonder if maybe all the times he was with Riley, he should've done a little more and lasted a little longer. The one thing he knew for sure was the girls always delivered.
He couldn't say he'd always done the same. 'Love' became 'sex' and things slacked off. Sometimes it only lasted long enough for him to make it. It seemed to be more often than not. It looked like 'this' was his fault for being inattentive and lazy. He wasn't sure if 'lazy' was actually the correct turn, maybe it was because everything became so common place and routine. He understood it was something which afflicted all couples in a long term relationship.
He was pretty sure it was what most relationships devolved into and why the divorce rate was over fifty percent.
Allison and Ally talked about going to see John.
They shared a few more times and talked about it again.
Ally received a special alert tone on her phone.
She immediately lifted her head
"Don't stop." Allison moaned.
Ally sat up and checked her phone.
"I need to go." Ally said. "I just pulled a mission."
The Metal girls knew it was always duty before booty.
Hanna was almost there when she received a special alert on her com.
She immediately lifted her head.
"What's wrong?" Riley asked.
Riley looked very worried.
Hanna decided to keep it simple.
"I need to go." Hanna said. "Go back to your room for now."
Hanna knew it was something serious to be alerted at this time of the night. Well, it was actually the next morning already.
Vanna was a little alarmed as well.
Vanna followed Hanna out of the nursery.
Allison followed Ally out of her room.
They both knew something was up. It was clear they both wanted a better explanation of some type.
Hanna had been given some alternate instructions. She decided to relay those at this time.
"You two can go with us if you want." Hanna said. "We're going to the executive transport at Van Nuys."
Vanna was worried about someone else too.
"What about Precious?" Vanna asked.
Hanna didn't think it would be a problem.
"Riley is here. Holly and Claire are on the way back. They will be here soon after we leave." Hanna said. "Bring your clothes. We can dress on the way there. We need to get moving now.
It was all a little confusing to Allison. Everything was so sudden.
"What's going on?" Allison asked.
Ally wanted to give them something to look forward to. She didn't want to get too explicit in what was about to go down. Well, maybe something else would go down.
"We need to do something and you two can watch over Mary, Laura and Leticia with Jesse." Ally said. "They're all on the jet right now at Van Nuys."
They headed out to one of the vans carrying their clothes in their hands. They only wore their bathrobes.
Vanna and Allison both wanted to know more.
"We want to know everything you know." Vanna said.
Hanna and Ally were able to fill them in on the way. They needed to get all the information themselves first. It was a running commentary on the way there.
It seemed there was a lot happening operationally and personally.
Vanna and Allison were sure they were in for more than 'babysitting'. They could both feel it.
They both understood someone could take a girl out of the Wastelands, but they could never take the Wastelands out of the girl.
They could both 'feel' there was going to be action. It wouldn't all be in the bedroom either.
The Terminator moved off of the railroad siding. He followed a parallel route next to it. He used his enhanced vision to search for any security cameras. He believed he'd spotted two of them. His goal was to remain out of the view of them. He was soon notified CamNet had taken control of them. The feeds were looped. He could move about freely around the exterior of the building. There were two other additional cameras on the opposite side of the building from where he was located. He wouldn't show up on any of them.
He continued along the rail siding. He went up on the dock which had two loading doors. They were spaced far enough apart to receive two fifty foot boxcars. He tried both of the roll up doors as carefully as he could. Both of them were secured.
The Terminator moved off of the dock and proceeded towards the door where the siding entered the building. It consisted of two doors which swung outward. He tried both of them. They were both secured with some type of drop pin into the ground. He believed he would be able to reach underneath the door and lift the pin if it wasn't locked at the top. It might be secured with a latch.
He carefully peered inside between the gap of the two doors. It wasn't much and he couldn't see much. What he could see was there was at least one boxcar in front of him. The view from the drone image, as well as the past satellite images, indicated the internal siding which went into the building was long enough to hold at least two boxcars. It was something they'd encountered at several other locations previously.
On previous occasions, the boxcars were loaded with several different types of HK equipment. He would need to enter the building to investigate further. The drone above him currently remained out of Terminator hearing range. Once the boxcars were spotted, they moved a little higher. The sensors on HK Tracks and HK Treads were much more sensitive than those of a Terminator. Some of the boxcars also contained HK drones. Usually none of the equipment was activated. The original intent was for Skynet to be able to move things around the states so they weren't in one fixed location. Any fixed location was a target. They'd only stumbled upon the procedure by chance when they took down the old newspaper plant.
The Terminator wanted to check out the other exterior doors and windows first. He looked along the east side of the building. It was a solid wall where the siding was inside. He moved back along the external loading dock to the south side of the building.
There was a roll up door. It was raised in elevation so a truck could back up to the building. He tried the door. It was secured. He would be able to force any of the doors open if he wanted to. The trouble was, it would create unnecessary noise. He wanted to try to make his entry as stealthy as possible.
There was a small stairway next to the roll up door which led to a door into the building. He went up the steps and tried the handle. It was locked. He continued along the south side of the building to the west side. There was an external ladder. There was a metal cover secured over it for the first eight feet. It was locked. It was also wired. It was a good indication all of the doors may be wired. He wasn't sure about the door over the railroad siding though. It wasn't a very tight fit. The landscape began to slope slightly upward. He paused for a moment as he looked around.
He could see the interior level of the building was now level with the ground on the west side. There was another roll up door at ground level. He tried it. It was secured as well. He moved on to the regular door next to it. It was locked.
There was one car in the parking area on the west side of the building. He moved over to it for a better look. It was covered with a thick layer of dust. He figured it was probably inoperable.
There were some windows further down on the west side towards the north side. There was also another pass door into the building. Everything was secured. He was sure it was all wired based upon the cover over the external ladder. There were skylights on the roof, as well as and interior roof access hatch.
He went around the front of the building. The windows in the front as well as the front door were all secured. He made his way back around the west side to the south side. He jumped up and caught the first exposed rung of the ladder past the metal security cover.
The Terminator pulled himself up the ladder and made his way onto the roof. He carefully moved towards the first skylight.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cameron and Young Allison watched as the majority of the group retreated. It was obvious they didn't want to be on the wrong side of a firearm. Only one of the group remained with the leader.
"It better not happen again." The leader said. "If it does, we'll be back with guns as well. You've been warned."
Cameron and Young Allison thought it was going to progress a little further.
"I think the man from the house is Section 8." Young Allison said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly. There were several definitions for Section 8. One of them involved public housing, the other one was a term used in the military for someone who was mentally disturbed. It meant they were unfit for military service. She quickly determined which one Young Allison indicated. She'd heard the man say he was 'itching to kill someone'. She was sure it indicated some type of mental instability.
"I'm going to go over and diffuse the situation." Cameron said. "I don't think he will shoot me, even if he does, it won't do anything to stop me. I will just need a few days for my sheath to heal."
Young Allison felt Cameron would still need to use a great amount of caution.
"His weapon may be loaded with black tip armor piercing ammunition." Young Allison said. "I'm sure he picked everything up as surplus."
Cameron was aware certain parts of her sheath and chassis were more susceptible to damage than others. The team normally wore bullet proof vests which also served to carry their gear. She was equipped with neither in this time period.
"I don't think I need to worry about it." Cameron said. "It's a couple of hotheads. Hopefully a pretty face will calm everyone down, maybe not."
Young Allison wasn't sure what Cameron would do. She didn't want her to take it too far.
"Maybe two pretty faces will be better than one." Young Allison said.
Cameron didn't want Young Allison to endanger herself.
"I want you to remain in the vehicle." Cameron said. "I'll be back."
Cameron exited the panel truck.
Young Allison quickly moved over into the driver's seat. She was ready to turn the key and start the panel truck. She could turn it into a four thousand pound battering ram if she needed to. It was one of the reasons why they usually drove around in SUVs. There was a lot of mass to them in case they needed to be used in an alternate fashion other than driving.
Cameron quickly crossed the street and headed straight for the potential combatants.
"I want both of you off my lawn now." The individual said.
The leader looked at the man who was with him for support.
"You're a big man now." The leader said. "You know what you did was wrong. What you're doing now is just as wrong as well."
Cameron made a coughing sound. All heads turned in her direction.
"Excuse me for interrupting." Cameron said. "It's a nice night for a walk. I'd like to be able to do it without all the yelling and shouting. I could hear the argument going on from down the street. I think everyone has made their point. Why don't you boys wrap it up and go about your business like adults."
Cameron stood in front of the individual with the M1 Rifle. She looked at the leader and the man still with him.
"Get back in your truck and leave now please." Cameron said. "The situation for tonight is concluded. Don't make me tell both of you again. You won't like it when I get angry."
The three men didn't know what to make of the newcomer. There was what looked like a young beautiful teenager, who'd just put herself in extreme danger to tell everyone to wrap it up and go back to what they were doing.
"Who are you?" The leader asked.
The individual wondered the same thing.
"Yeah, who are you?" The individual asked.
Cameron smiled at the three men.
"I'm currently training to be a policewoman." Cameron said. "I think the best way to avoid interaction with the authorities is to not provoke an incident which brings them out. It's a new line of thinking they teach at the Academy. There's nothing here anyone needs to get hurt over. There's certainly nothing here anyone needs to die over. Do you know how much paperwork there is involved in a homicide? Why don't you boys all agree to play nice going forward and we can wrap this up before the squad cars show up. I called them before I came out to try to deescalate the situation. You boys know you'll be playing the 'skin flute' when you're in prison don't you?"
All of the men looked a little worried. It didn't seem any of them thought about the consequences of their irate actions.
Cameron looked at the individual with the rifle.
"Go back into your house now." Cameron said. "You're right to self defense stops at your front door. Anything other than that is murder. In this case, it would be premeditated."
Cameron turned her attention to the leader. The other man had already gone back to the truck. When he heard there were squad cars on the way, it was clear he wanted to go.
"You can't tell me what to do." The leader said.
Cameron reached over and grabbed the leader. She slammed him down into the ground face first. She didn't use enough force to break anything. She put her knee on his back and pressed down.
The leader struggled to move but he couldn't budge.
"I can't breathe." The leader gasped.
Cameron pinned the leader in place.
"I hear that statement a lot." Cameron said. "Are you going to leave now or wait for the squad cars to arrive? I'm giving you a chance to wrap this up in a peaceful manner. I'll hold you here until they come."
Cameron twisted the man's right arm behind his back.
He cried out in pain.
"Stop struggling or you're going to be known as Lefty from now on." Cameron said. "I'll tear your arm out of the socket."
The leader stopped struggling.
"Alright, it's over. I'm out of here." The leader said.
Cameron moved off of the leader. He struggled to get out up but made it on his own. She stood boldly before him.
"Don't make me bust you up." Cameron said. "I'm highly trained in all forms of police techniques. You don't want to make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."
The leader didn't like her right now. He wasn't going to say anything else. The girl was incredibly strong. She was as strong as two or three men. No wonder she was going to become a policewoman. It made him wonder what her diet consisted of. If the circumstances were different, he would ask her. Maybe the vitamins they advertised on television actually worked.
The other individual had retreated to the doorstep in front of his house.
"Go back inside and close the door." Cameron said. "Go put your Garand back in the closet, or under your bed. You won't need it anymore tonight. Make sure what happened earlier doesn't happen again. Remember, every action produces a reaction. Most of them aren't positive."
The leader was back in his truck. He started it and drove forward a couple of houses and turned around at the end of the cul-de-sac. There were two large white delivery van vehicles parked there. The truck had some trouble clearing both of them. The oversized vehicles obviously didn't belong in a residential neighborhood.
Young Allison watched everything unfold. She currently held her Hi-Power in her hand. She was ready to use it if it became necessary. She wanted to make sure the other individual with the leader didn't retrieve a weapon from the truck. He didn't. She also wanted to make sure none of the people from the end of the street returned with a weapon. She watched the cars all leave one by one except for one. It most likely belonged to the individual with the leader.
The truck passed by slowly to head out of the cul-de-sac.
"I know where you live." The leader said.
The individual was in his doorway now.
"You know what's waiting for you." The individual said.
The truck drove away.
Cameron looked down towards the end of the street. All of the other vehicles except one were gone.
"Close your door and use good judgment going forward." Cameron said. "None of this needed to happen. None of it needed to escalate. I'll call the station and tell him the squad cars aren't needed."
The individual went back inside. The door closed behind him. She heard the deadbolt lock.
Cameron started to walk away. She could hear an irate conversation going on inside of the residence. It appeared the individual was acting to protect his young brother in law. Hopefully everyone learned a lesson. She watched the truck stop and the passenger get out and get into the remaining vehicle on the side street. They both drove away. She walked down a few more houses and then crossed over the street to the other side. She approached the panel truck from the rear.
Young Allison put her Browning away.
Cameron got in on the passenger side.
"You can drive us home." Cameron said. "I think we're all done for the night."
Young Allison hoped so. She was ready to eat her food from the Bear Pit. She started the panel truck and backed up a few houses. She made a three point turn and headed out of the cul-de-sac. She turned back onto the side street. She looked for any vehicles waiting on either side of it. There were none.
"Is the situation really over?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron thought everyone had enough time to reflect on how bad things could have turned out for them.
"I think more than one person learned a lesson tonight." Cameron said.
Young Allison and Cameron continued down the side street and were soon on Devonshire Street. They made a right hand turn and went west.
Dead Reckoning
More than one thing of beauty
Is able to bite or sting
It can be something physical
It can be based on feeling
Moments have their ups and downs
Much like those of a swing
Sometimes a daily dose of reality
Needs to be more than seeing and hearing
Some are tougher than others
Few seek out a beating
Fewer still seem to be able
To accept when things are waning
The journey forward has twists
A step may lose some of its spring
Things once easy or smooth
Will start rubbing and binding
The maze of life is confusing
There are no walls, floor or ceiling
Without a guide or map
It's all done through dead reckoning
Nobody
