Chapter 1567
Houseboat Honeymoon
Summer watched John Henry and CamNet change the epicenter of the 'earthquake'. They also reduced the magnitude by half to make it look as if it was very minor. It was the second time in just a few hours they needed to do the same thing for similar but different reasons. The explosion at the mine was the other event.
She wondered what would come back to her by 'suggesting' the girls from the ship assist the Resistance girls. She now knew the timetable was a little close, but everything worked out in the end. She'd asked CamNet to have a temporal mission ready to go if it hadn't worked out. The girls were all back on the jet now and could have a good time together. It seemed to be what all the girls liked anyway.
John Henry watched Summer. He was sure she was a little concerned about her actions. She didn't really show it. He would try and leave as much out of the report as possible to John when he prepared it. He was worried about what repercussions he would face when Cameron returned.
"You need to get some rest." John Henry said. "The operation was successful because of your contributions."
Summer looked up.
"I used the resources available on all counts." Summer said. "The mission was successful because of it without disrupting or risking our operation here."
John Henry was worried he'd offended Summer.
"I meant everything in a positive way." John Henry said.
Summer understood what John Henry meant. She didn't want him to worry about it.
"Thank you." Summer said. "I did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. I want to review the footage of the two sites and the toxicity reports."
Summer checked everything over one last time and headed off to her room.
Young Allison and Anna followed the 'clean up' by John Henry and CamNet. The trucks were all on their way to a secure site to be unloaded and the equipment processed. The captured HK drone would be processed as well.
"I want to know about the tracking data on the HK drone." Young Allison said. "I want to know where it came from."
Anna checked with the processing teams.
"They'll let us know as soon as the information is available." Anna said. "It will be after you get some sleep."
Young Allison frowned. She didn't want anyone to worry about her.
"I'm fine." Young Allison said. "I can hack it."
Anna wanted her to rethink her decision.
"No one doubts you can hack it, Allison." Anna said. "Right now you don't need to hack it. You need your rest. Summer is resting now."
Young Allison doubted it.
"I bet she's studying." Young Allison said.
Anna frowned.
"It may be true." Anna said. "It's still unhealthy."
Young Allison wanted a daylight look at the mine location and the hillside complex. She wanted to go over everything one more time to see if there was anything they'd missed. She would also like to see if there was anything they could have done differently, or at a different time. There would need to be a trade off with some of the things normally done.
"Let's review what was done during the night and I'll skip my PT." Young Allison said.
Anna didn't want Young Allison to exert herself.
"We will do it and then you will go lay down for at least two hours." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't think it was necessary. Maybe she could get some company.
"I will if you'll lie down next to me." Young Allison said.
Anna felt a 'rush' inside of her. She wanted it to happen. She needed to maintain control.
"You know it's not allowed." Anna said.
They both knew they would share with each other one day. It wouldn't be today.
By Young Allison's own 'order', she was not to 'be' with anyone until she was with Savannah or John. She'd asked Savannah to verify everything was as it should be. It was. She was pleased to hear the news. She'd been worried her harsh physical training may have caused some unintended wear and tear. It was common among female athletes. Right now she could just use the company. Everything had been stressful throughout the night.
"I only mean for the closeness and solidarity." Young Allison said. "We will both be clothed. I'd like the comfort of your presence. I know the rules. I don't intend to violate them."
The rules were they could look at each other, but not touch each other.
Anna was excited to hear it. There were times when she would enter Young Allison's room at night and just watch her sleep. It seemed very peaceful most of the time. She often wondered what Young Allison dreamt about.
"We can do it." Anna said. "Let's review the material and then you can shower and sleep."
Young Allison was in a hurry now.
"We can give it a preliminary look and I'll shower and rest for two hours." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted her to rest now. Maybe a little incentive was in order.
"I'll go run the water and take a shower while you look over the video files of the two sights." Anna said.
Anna called up the files and left.
Young Allison wanted to finish up right now.
CamNet provided live coverage of both locations from altitude. The cameras were able to zoom in on any spot in detail.
Young Allison watched Anna go up the stairs. She did a quick overview of each of the areas. Everything was rubble. There were no radiation leaks or toxic chemicals present.
'Who am I fooling?' Young Allison silently asked herself.
She ran up the stairs to head for her bedroom. She hoped to catch Anna in the shower. She pulled off her top on the way. Her pants were off as she reached her room. They all landed in the dirty clothes hamper along with her underwear. The water was still running. She was naked as she entered the bathroom. Anna was still in the shower! They could wash each other's backs….
Washing wasn't the same as touching was it?
The Blackhawk headed for the airport. It landed near the 727. The girls all got out. Wes would take off in the Blackhawk once they were clear. He'd return it to Van Nuys.
It looked like things were winding down.
Then again, looks could be deceiving.
They noticed Holly pull up in a box truck. It was marked with 'Sweet Dreams' on the side of it. It was the name of a local mattress wholesaler. What was it all about?
Holly explained CamNet sent her on a mission to bring a few mattresses for the jet. CamNet told her they would be needed. She also wanted to see Allison.
The Metal girls went to the back of the truck and each grabbed a mattress. Holly brought clean clothes for all of them too. It was the real surprise. Holly parked the truck next to a hangar once the girls took what they needed. Someone from the 'Sweet Dreams' company would retrieve it later. CamNet took care of the incidentals for them. With unlimited funds available, it wasn't too hard for people to want to assist them with a smile on their face.
The Blackhawk picked up some reeves and lifted off of the tarmac.
Mary watched the Blackhawk fly away.
"Wasn't he the pilot for the jet?" Mary asked.
Cammy reached up and activated the release in the tail of the plane. The airstair began to lower. She didn't want Mary, or any of the other girls, to worry about it. Everything was covered.
"There are several of us who can fly." Cammy said.
Leticia wondered if Sheila could. She looked over at her.
"Can you fly too?" Leticia asked.
Sheila wanted to do other things.
"I can fly any aircraft." Sheila said. "I'd rather make you fly."
The girls all giggled.
Gail and Cam were only in their underwear. They'd left their filthy clothes on the Blackhawk. They didn't want to mess up the executive transport. They'd each used a bottle of drinking water to wash off their hands and faces.
Laura checked both of them out as the airstair lowered.
"It looks like you two are dressed for the occasion." Laura said.
Her comment brought another round of giggles.
The extra mattresses the Metal girls held, kind of narrowed down what was going to happen.
Cam and Gail hoped to share with the girls from the ship. So did Samantha. Young Jesse was going to resist but she thought about the chances the girls took to go there and help them. Jesse and Sheila both asked her quietly if she would do a 'four way' with Leticia and them once she'd 'made the rounds'. It seemed like a 'given' at that point. She was in for whatever happened.
Cammy led them up the airstair.
Ally and Hanna were the last two up since they gave the 727 a 'once over'. Everything looked in order. They raised the airstair and closed the rear hatch as they boarded. They weren't surprised to see the girls were already in pairs. Both of the showers were in use as well. Cam and Gail wanted to glean up a little better. The beds were all in use as was the entire lounge area and the conference room. There were mattresses for everyone now. The mattresses could be placed together for a bigger group to share.
"I'm good with you." Ally said as she looked at Hanna.
Hanna kissed her as they stripped.
"You know it always works for me." Hanna said.
The 'Allison' and 'Vanna' in them always 'called' to each other. It was the 'Natural Order'.
Previously:
Cameron was sure it was the best night of her existence. She'd been with Savannah many times. Each time seemed better than the last. Savannah was asleep now. It would be sunrise soon. She wanted to do something nice for Savannah, maybe a surprise.
She slipped out of bed and went downstairs and took care of a few things. She needed to have everything ready for Savannah.
Savannah felt a mild vibration. There was also a slight rocking motion. She couldn't quite place where she was at. The night so far was the most loving time in her life. She'd spent it with Cameron. All of her dreams and wishes came true.
She opened her eyes. She was still tired. It was near dawn. Cameron's face was right next to hers. She moved her head over slightly and Cameron kissed her. It was a kiss of love. It was slow, soft and deep.
"Did you sleep well?" Cameron asked.
Savannah remembered everything. There hadn't been a whole lot of sleep involved.
"I slept a little, on and off." Savannah said. "I enjoyed my time with you more."
Savannah kissed Cameron this time. She could look into Cameron's big brown puppy dog eyes forever. Forever was a long time.
Cameron could feel Savannah's heartbeat pick up as they kissed and Savannah looked into her eyes. Love was conveyed without a word being spoken. Words were unnecessary at this point.
"Would you like to see the sunrise?" Cameron asked.
Savannah felt the vibration and the rocking still. It seemed to be a little more residual motion than the after effects of an 'all nighter'. She'd shared more than one of those with most of the females at some point.
"It would be beautiful." Savannah said.
Savannah suddenly sat up. The sheet slid off of her naked body.
Cameron took in her firm perky breasts. They 'called' to her.
Savannah looked around. They were in a different room. It was just as elegant, if not more so. It was a little smaller and without the two fireplaces. It dawned on her they were in a different location. She was still a little sleepy.
"This isn't the fancy cabin!" Savannah said.
Cameron smiled. She stood. She was naked. She remained facing Savannah so she could see all of her beauty.
Savannah did take in Cameron's beauty. She believed there was no one prettier or more beautiful on the face of the earth.
Cameron liked the effect her naked body produced with Savannah. She wanted to give her a better idea of what was happening. They were in a different location. It was a very different location.
"We're on the houseboat." Cameron said. "I thought you'd like a nice surprise to wake up in the middle of Lake Tahoe and see the sunrise."
Savannah was thrilled to hear it. She never felt Cameron move her to the houseboat. Cameron told her it was registered as a 'research vessel'. It sounded like CamNet's handiwork.
"I'd like it a lot." Savannah said.
The 'research vessel', aka 'houseboat', was a double deck affair. There were sleeping quarters on the upper deck. The dining area, lounge and galley were on the lower deck. There was a large open sundeck at the back of the Master Suite. It was covered for part of the way. There was an open sun deck for the rest of the way. Forward of the Master Suite were two smaller cabins, a spiral staircase led to the lower deck. The bridge was at the front of the upper deck.
Cameron thought back to all the times she'd taken Savannah 'camping'. They were all really survival training missions in disguise. She wanted Savannah to be able to survive on her own if she ever needed to. They'd watched a number of sunsets and sunrises together. Savannah always took her hand when they were together to watch them. They were some of her most precious memories. She remembered how she'd felt Savannah's small hand grow. She'd watched Savannah bloom from a girl into a teenager.
It was almost time for the sun to come up. The eastern sky was beautifully lit. They would need to move towards the open area at the rear for a better view to take all of it in.
"The sunrise will be in three minutes." Cameron said.
Savannah realized she hadn't just woken up on her own. Cameron kissed her to wake her up. She wanted to share this special sunrise with Cameron. It represented a new dawn in their lives.
"Let's see it." Savannah said. "We can share the beauty together."
Savannah got up. She was naked, as was Cameron. They walked to the rear of the Master Suite and looked out through the full length windows. There were two sliding glass doors. It allowed half the width of the room to be open to the outside. She opened one sliding door. It was very cool outside. She quickly slid it closed. The cold air produced some unanticipated results. She looked down at the front of her body.
"Now the 'headlights' are on." Savannah said.
Cameron moved behind Savannah and placed her hands over them to warm them.
Savannah could feel Cameron pressed against her back. It appeared her 'headlights' were on too. She placed her hands over Cameron's hands and encouraged her to do more than just hold. Cameron obliged her. Now things were even firmer for a different reason.
She didn't want to be selfish. She wanted to share the moment with Cameron. She moved Cameron alongside of her and took her hand as they waited for the sun to rise. She did it so Cameron would know she loved her.
Cameron understood what Savannah always did when she took her hand and stood next to her. It was Savannah's way to show her they were equals in everything. Since their love was consummated, they really were equals.
She reached over to a small table and took a prepositioned bathrobe off the back of a chair and placed it on Savannah before she allowed Savannah to take her hand again.
Savannah welcomed the soft bathrobe. It was very plush. She also saw there was another bathrobe there for Cameron. Cameron stood naked next to her as they held hands. She noticed there was a steaming cup of coffee and one of hot chocolate. There were two small juice glasses sitting there. One was full with orange juice and the other with cranberry juice. There was also an empty coffee cup. She wondered what it was for or if Cameron drank one. It would be a first.
Cameron smiled when she saw Savannah notice the breakfast drinks. She'd calculated the temperature to be perfect to try on the hot drinks approximately two minutes after sunrise.
Savannah offered Cameron a sip of orange juice before she drank the small glass. Cameron tried a taste. She did the same with the cranberry juice. Cameron tried a taste of it as well. She set the two small glasses back on the table when she was done with them.
"Here it comes." Cameron said.
Savannah thought the statement was truer than Cameron knew. She was very aroused to share the beauty of this adventure and this moment with Cameron.
She took a step closer to her and gently squeezed Cameron's hand as the sun broke over the surface of the smooth dark water and the mountains behind it.
They watched the sunrise together. They both thought of the events of last night as they did. They'd finally shared everything. The physical extension of their emotional love was wonderful.
"It's beautiful." Savannah said. "Everything is beautiful, Cameron."
Cameron looked over at Savannah. She realized she referred to her as well as the sunrise. It pleased her greatly. She remembered what Duplicate Cameron, in her future, told her about being 'complete'.
She faced Savannah with love in her eyes.
"I've never seen anything more beautiful or shared anything as beautiful." Cameron said. "I'm complete now."
Savannah knew there were a lot more things to share and explore together. She reached up and moved Cameron's head closer.
"The journey has only begun." Savannah whispered.
Cameron's eyes widened. She wondered what could possibly be better than what Savannah shared with her.
"Really?" Cameron asked.
Savannah kissed Cameron softly.
"Really…." Savannah said.
Savannah deepened the kiss.
Cameron 'made it' again with the revelation and Savannah's kiss.
Savannah felt Cameron 'make it' as they kissed. It aroused her greatly. She led Cameron back to the open bed and brushed off the robe.
Cameron looked over at the drinks on the table.
"Don't you want a hot drink first to warm up?" Cameron asked.
Savannah was already on 'fire' for Cameron.
"Later." Savannah said as she started in on Cameron. "It doesn't get any Hotter than this."
Savannah and Cameron kissed and touched each other everywhere.
Cameron quickly rotated around. She wanted more. Savannah could please her much better in this manner than John could. She kept her weight off of Savannah. She'd read in Cosmo a woman could please a woman better than a man could. She found the statement to be true last night. She went to start in on Savannah. Everything was ready. The rays of the rising sun lit Savannah up brightly. She 'made it' again with the visual stimulation.
'Savannah is incredibly beautiful.' Cameron thought.
A surge of excitement shot through Cameron as Savannah started in. They both made it but kept on going. This was how they could achieve multiple finishes one after the other. She'd read about it in Cosmo. Savannah proved to her it was true. She was soon lost in Savannah's loving.
Later on Savannah rested again. Cameron warmed her drinks and brought them to the side of the bed. Savannah wanted Cameron to try some of each. She noted the empty cup was still there. It was clean and hadn't been used.
"What's the empty cup for?" Savannah asked.
Cameron dumped half of the coffee in it and then half of the hot chocolate.
"It was in case you wanted to make mocha." Cameron said.
Savannah offered each of the three drinks to Cameron first as she'd done with the juices.
Cameron took a small taste of the coffee.
"It's too bitter." Cameron said.
Cameron took a taste of the hot chocolate.
"It's too sweet." Cameron said.
Cameron picked up the mocha and tried it.
"This is just right." Cameron said.
Savannah did the same things. She thought the hot chocolate was good and the mocha toned it down some. She did agree the coffee was too bitter. Now if she had a nice warm cinnamon bun to eat, it would be perfect. She figured she was going to need all the caffeine she could get before the day was done. She could probably use an energy bar or two to increase her stamina.
They moved everything to the small table by the big sliding glass doors. She draped her robe over the chair and sat on it. She wanted to let Cameron look at her body. Wait. Maybe it was a mistake. She still looked pretty banged up. She quickly slipped the robe on. If Cameron started to look at her and had a problem, she would direct her gaze to what Cameron seemed to crave most on her. There was nothing banged up there. She discreetly opened the robe and her legs some.
Cameron noticed. It stimulated her highly.
Once Savannah was done with her drinks, Cameron asked her to go down to the galley.
"Do I need to get dressed?" Savannah asked.
Cameron was still naked. She liked how Savannah couldn't take her eyes off of her. It pleased her more since Savannah looked at others identical to her a lot. She still held Savannah's eyes as if it was the first time she'd seen her. She wanted to remain how she currently was.
"I'm not going to get dressed." Cameron said. "It's hot out."
Savannah laughed. It was rather brisk outside. The real heat was inside of the room.
"It wasn't hot outside." Savannah said. "I can attest you sure are Hot though."
Cameron posed and rotated from side to side. She wanted Savannah to know what belonged to her.
"It's all for you from now on, Savannah." Cameron said. "I don't need anyone else."
Claire rested next to John. She'd only dozed on and off. She hoped he would 'take' her one more time. She wanted one more finish before the day started. She wanted the finish delivered with everything.
John opened his eyes. He was tired. Maybe he'd overdone it a little the last few days. He'd been with all the girls again and almost all the Metal girls. It had been the 'first time' for each of them, even if it wasn't for their chassis. He'd already experienced the privilege with Cameron in control of each of their chassis. Everything which occurred was wilder than any dream he'd ever envisioned. He'd envisioned it all with every one of the girls before. Now it was reality. The thought excited him and his body responded accordingly. 'Little Willy' was awake and up.
He looked over and was pleased. Claire was still there. He'd forgotten for a moment. She looked at him with love in her eyes.
"Hi, John." Claire said softly.
She reached out and gently touched the side of his face.
"Hi." John said.
Claire wanted to offer more of her attributes.
"I'll make breakfast for you." Claire said.
John took in her beauty.
"You don't need to do anything special for me." John said.
Claire was hooked. She wanted John for herself. He'd been able to do what no man had been able to do before.
"It's what I want to do." Claire said.
John felt 'himself' awaken.
"Is it all you want to do?" John asked.
Claire pulled the sheet off of her to expose her naked body to him. She was already about a third of the way 'there' with anticipation. When she saw John was ready to go, it increased to about two thirds of the way 'there'.
She kissed John and pulled him over the top of her. She wanted to remind him of what was available all of the time from now on.
"Take me." Claire whispered. "I'm yours forever."
John made his move.
Claire felt a mild stab of discomfort. She wasn't used to all the recent activity. It was all good in a second as John started in. Her first finish was in just seconds. She took him in a kiss and held it. John continued to deliver….
The female Fanatic and Jill just entered a moving boxcar. They were surprised when three men accosted them. One of them made a comment and all three of the men laughed. They started to walk towards them. Two of the men carried knives. The third man started to unhook his pants. It was clear what their intent was.
Jill didn't plan to be abused by anyone again. She was about to pull out her Beretta. She glanced over to her side and saw Jackie already had done so. She pulled hers out anyway.
The three men stopped in their tracks. They quickly looked at each other. The first man dropped his knife to the floor of the boxcar. He lifted his hands. The second man still held his knife but remained where he was. The third man had his pants halfway down, they remained there.
The female Fanatic wasn't in the mood to play games. She knew there was only one cure for this type of behavior.
"Mind your left ear." The female Fanatic said. "I'm going to fire one shot."
Jill brought her left hand up to her ear.
The female Fanatic fired one shot out the open boxcar door. There was nothing outside but scrub brush and rolling hills.
The second man dropped his knife and put his hands up.
The third man put his hands up and his pants fell all the way down. They were around his ankles.
The female Fanatic indicated with her Beretta for the third man to get out of the boxcar while it was moving. They'd started on the downgrade and the train picked up some speed.
The third man looked out the fast moving train and shook his head from side to side.
The female Fanatic lifted her Beretta and pointed it directly at his head.
The third man could tell in the dim light she was going to shoot him. He made a dash for the door to jump. He must have forgotten his pants were still around his ankles. As soon as he started to move, he tripped and fell. His body ended up halfway out the boxcar door. His head and shoulders hung outside of the moving boxcar. The second man made a lunge forward.
Jill fired a shot from her Beretta. She hit him square in the center of his face. He fell face forward to the boxcar floor. He'd actually knocked the man who is half out of the boxcar a little further out. The weight of his body on his legs kept him from falling all the way out of the boxcar. His arms waved around wildly in the air. There was nothing for him to grab. She pointed her Beretta at the first man. He raised his hands a little higher.
They could hear a difference with the wheels passing over the track. They probably went over a switch. There was a dull 'thud'. All of a sudden the man who was half out of the boxcar, and struggling to get back in, disappeared. His body must have hit a switch stand.
Jill looked out the open door of the boxcar. She saw the man's body disappear under the moving train. She was sure she saw an arm and a leg fly out a second later. She figured if the impact didn't kill him, the traumatic amputations would.
The female Fanatic indicated for the first man to toss out the second man's body.
The first man was scared. He shook his head from side to side.
Jill pointed her Beretta at his head. He reluctantly moved over to the second man. He was near the doorway.
The sound of wheels on the track changed again.
The first man could see they were on a trestle. He decided to make a jump for it instead. He ran towards the doorway and jumped. He cleared the moving train and the side of the trestle with no difficulty. The only problem was, the area the trestle passed over was void of water. The man plummeted down forty feet and impacted on the rocks below.
The female Fanatic moved to the doorway of the boxcar and looked out. She could see his body bounce and then abruptly stop when his head impacted against a rock. She held onto the side of the boxcar and looked to see what was coming up in front of them.
There was some water coming up.
"Let's get ready to toss this guy out." The female Fanatic said.
The two females quickly put their pistols away. They moved over to the fallen man to see if he had anything of value. He didn't. They each grabbed an arm and a leg and sent him out the door as they passed over the water.
Jill didn't feel bad about what they'd just done at all. The three men were predators. They would have abused them if they hadn't been armed. They most likely would have killed them as well when they were done.
"I guess it was sort of like a baseball inning." Jill said. "It was three up and three down."
The female Fanatic didn't want to keep an open invitation for anyone else to get into the boxcar.
"Let's see if we can close the door some." The female Fanatic said.
They both pulled on the door and got it to move most of the way closed. They left it open a foot so they received some light and could see what was happening around them. They were sure the other men had left the door open so someone else would board the boxcar. They more than likely would have robbed and abused whoever it was as well. It was doubtful it would matter if they were a male or a female.
The female Fanatic looked over where the men had been when they'd entered the boxcar. There were a couple of small backpacks. They tossed the knives out of the open boxcar door. They went over and inspected the backpacks. They found two bottles of drinking water, as well as some packaged food.
"They're the ones who brought this on themselves." The female Fanatic said. "We were just looking for a ride. They were looking for a different type of ride. It wasn't going to happen."
Jill touched her Beretta and her knife.
"I don't intend to let anyone ever touch me again who I don't allow or want to touch me." Jill said.
The female Fanatic nodded her head. She agreed with her one hundred percent.
"I understand why the future is full of people who are Scavengers." The female Fanatic said. "It's the same behavior we've seen over and over in the present. It seems to be whoever is willing to be the most violent, is who ends up the victor. "
Jill picked up a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap. She could hear the little 'snap' as the lid opened. The water was fresh and untouched. She handed it to Jackie.
The female Fanatic smiled and took a few sips. She handed it back to Jill.
Jill took a few sips and then returned it to Jackie. She looked in the bag at the food. There were a few energy bars. She handed one to Jackie. She took the other one herself. They sat by the door of the boxcar and looked out as the train went along. They started to notice buildings after an hour or so. Soon there were more and more of them. Pretty soon there were buildings along the railroad track. The backs of them were all heavily spray painted with different types of gang markings. Most of them were illegible.
"What are we going to do next?" Jill asked. "I still have the money you gave me."
The female Fanatic didn't have any immediate targets. There were other targets she could revisit. After all the near death experiences they'd been through. Maybe it was time to rest up for a day and actually get some sleep in a bed. They'd been pushing events very hard for the last couple of days. She still had several hundred dollars in cash she'd taken from some of the other men she'd killed.
"When the train slows down, we'll look around and see what the neighborhood looks like." The female Fanatic said. "We might not want to get off. The best neighborhoods usually aren't around the railroad tracks for obvious reasons."
The female Fanatic and Jill kept watch of what was coming up as the train moved along.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 26 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tiny was very impressed with 'Cindy's' abilities. He wondered what else she could do.
Cameron could think of a few things.
"I'm a pretty good shot." Cameron said.
Tiny didn't doubt her, but he thought men were generally better. He needed to consider how well she'd done on the quick draw. Nobody was faster than her. Even with their hands on their pistols, none of them were able to even clear leather before she 'fired' four times. It happened in less than the blink of an eye.
"All we have are blanks." Tiny said.
Cameron reached in the backpack. She came out with a box of cartridges.
"I have some .45 Colt ammunition." Cameron said.
Tiny quickly looked around.
"We need to keep a careful watch on it." Tiny said. "We don't want any live rounds getting mixed with the blanks. We don't want anyone to get hurt."
Only Tiny and two of the stunt men had pistols which would chamber .45 Colt ammunition.
The other stunt man's revolver was chambered in 44-40 Winchester. He liked to use the same cartridge in both his pistol and his lever action rifle. It was an 1873 Winchester carbine with a twenty inch barrel. Cameron asked if she could see it. He went to get it.
Young Alison didn't want anyone to get ahead of themselves.
"What about the filming?" Young Allison asked.
The other stunt man returned with his lever action carbine.
"They've gone over by the cave to do some close up filming right now." The third stunt man said. "They needed to redo a shot from yesterday. They wanted to do it at the same time of the day since it's an outdoor shot. We have about a half hour until they return back here. They just left. I told them we were going to practice a little bit with our blank cartridges before the next shoot."
One of the stunt men went over and set up six cans between two large rocks. There was dirt in the gaps between them. It would act as a backstop.
Young Allison handed Tiny six rounds. She handed out six rounds to the other two stuntmen who could use them and six rounds to Cameron.
The two stunt men went first. Both of them hit five of the six targets.
Young Allison collected six fired casings from each of them. She put them back in the box with the other live rounds.
Tiny was going to go next.
"I'm going to shoot the cans after you hit them, when they're in the air." Cameron said.
The men all looked at each other. They knew it would be very hard to do. Hitting a moving target, with an unpredictable trajectory, wouldn't be easy for anyone.
Tiny looked at 'Cindy' for a moment.
"If anyone else told me the same thing, I would laugh." Tiny said. "I would tell them it was impossible. Something tells me it's not impossible for you. I don't think anything is."
Cameron smiled.
"I'm ready when you are." Cameron said. "Take your time to aim so you hit all six of them. I want more of a challenge."
Tiny and the three stunt men all noted 'Cindy's' pistol was still in her holster. She was going to draw it and shoot after Tiny started.
Young Allison made sure everything was clear. It was.
Tiny went ahead and fired his first shot. He fired approximately one shot per second. He hit all six targets. It was clear to everyone who observed the targets after they were hit that they were hit a second time in the air.
Everyone was a little bit in awe.
"That's the best shooting I've ever seen." Tiny said.
Cameron wasn't done yet.
"I'm going to shoot all six targets in rapid fire." Cameron said.
Young Allison went and collected the empty casings from them to make sure all the live rounds were accounted for. They were. She gave Cameron six more rounds.
"I'm going to set the cans up so they're not next to each other." Young Allison said. "They'll be scattered over about an eight foot area."
Everything was quickly set up. Cameron reloaded her pistol and put it back in the holster. Her back was to where the cans were set up so she hadn't seen their location yet.
"I have six live rounds." Cameron said. "I'm going to start from this position without having seen the targets first. Say 'when' and I'll start."
Young Allison flipped the quarter again. When it hit one of the rocks, is when Cameron would start.
Tiny and the three stunt men all watched her. There was a look of dead seriousness on her face. They didn't know it, but 'Cindy' wasn't 'Cindy' right now, she was a Terminator in this moment.
The quarter flipped through the air. It went end over end multiple times. It struck the rock and made a sound.
Cameron drew her pistol as she turned. She fanned the hammer six times in rapid succession. It sounded like a burst from a machine gun. All six targets were in the air at the same time after she scored six successful hits. She twirled the gun twice and put it back in her holster. Some of the cans were still in the air. Less than one second had passed.
Tiny and the three stunt men were all a little awestruck.
"Not only can I see you're definitely the fastest gun in the West, you're also the deadliest gun as well." Tiny said.
Young Allison collected the fired casings from Cameron. She put them back in the box and showed it to Tiny and the three stunt men. There were thirty fired casings and twenty live rounds still in the box. Everyone was satisfied there was no loose live ammunition.
Cameron asked if she could borrow the 1873 Winchester and ten blank rounds.
The third stop man handed her the rifle. He opened the action on it. He gave her a brief description on how it worked.
Cameron already knew. She understood everyone wanted to be safe. She worked the action several times. She held the Winchester with her left hand. The stunt man handed her ten blank cartridges. She turned around for a moment and turned back.
The stunt man thought she'd only loaded a single round because she'd turned around so quickly.
"You can load all ten of them in the magazine." The third stunt man said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
"I just did." Cameron said.
She held up her right hand to show it was empty.
The stunt men all looked at each other. They wondered how anyone could load ten rounds so quickly.
Tiny was amazed at 'Cindy's' ability again.
"I suppose you're going to be able to shoot as fast as 'The Rifleman' with his trick rifle." Tiny said. "There's actually a pin which can be engaged to actuate the trigger so he doesn't need to pull it when he works the lever."
Cameron tilted her head slightly in the other direction
"I'm going to rapid fire." Cameron said. "I can shoot much faster than he can. I don't need any tricks."
Cameron often believed there was a very technical error with The Rifleman's rifle on the TV program of the same name. It was an 1892 Winchester. The 1892 was most commonly used in the Westerns for filming. The only trouble with 'The Rifleman' was the time period. It was set in the early 1880s. The rifle he used hadn't even been invented yet. It would have been more correct if he would have carried an 1873 Winchester.
The only thing which seemed to be even more absurd was in the TV series 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'. The main character carried a shortened 1892 Winchester. Both the rear stock, as well as the barrel and magazine tube, were shortened. It was often referred to as a "Mare's Leg'. There was nothing wrong with that part of the weapon. In fact, one of River's associates in her future carried a nearly identical weapon.
The absurd part was the cartridges the lead character carried in his gun belt. They were .45-70 cartridges. They were used in several weapons, including the Springfield Model 1873 rifle and carbine. She realized they were used for the television series to make it appear more dramatic with the large cartridges in the gun belt of the lead character. They were approximately twice the length of the cartridge actually used in the firearm.
Young Allison hoped the firearm would be able to keep up with Cameron. She didn't doubt it could. The designer actually converted one to full automatic capability.
"I'm ready." Cameron said.
Young Allison flipped the quarter again. When it struck the rock, Cameron started.
Cameron fired all ten blank rounds in less than half of a second. It sounded like a machine gun as well.
Tiny and the stunt men had trouble processing everything they'd witnessed. They watched the fired blank casings as they were ejected from the rifle and land on the ground. It happened almost so quickly there was nothing there, then all ten of them in a very short period of time. The strangest part of it all was, all ten shots were fired before the first fired casing hit the ground.
Young Allison wanted to make sure they didn't take things too far. There'd been two brief moments which sounded like automatic gunfire. It was bound to have been heard elsewhere.
Cameron opened the action and handed the third stunt man his 1873 Winchester.
Tiny picked up the ten fired casings on the ground. All of them were still hot.
"They say seeing is believing." Tiny said. "I know what I just saw, but it's still hard to believe."
Young Allison wanted to give the men something to think about.
"It's a good thing none of you bet against her." Young Allison said.
The other three stunt men were still awed by what they'd witnessed. They congratulated 'Cindy' and left. They were actually glad they hadn't bet against her. They all would have lost and they would have lost big.
Tiny was there alone with 'Cindy' and 'Emily'.
"I'm not really sure how you do everything, but you're amazing." Tiny said.
They talked for a while and the girls decided it was time to move on. Tiny wanted to know if they needed a ride and they said they didn't.
Young Allison knew they weren't supposed to change anything. She did want to issue a warning. Tiny seemed like a nice guy.
"In a few years, if you ever meet a man named 'Charlie', keep your eye on him." Young Allison said.
Cameron quickly looked at her but said nothing.
Tiny thanked them again for helping out Gladys and commended Cameron on her ability.
Cameron and Young Allison were ready to go. It was time for them to move on.
Houseboat Honeymoon
When something grows too large too fast
It can burst like an over inflated balloon
To attempt to re-inflate it
Would indicate one is a buffoon
Across one's inner landscape
There will be a lot of debris strewn
Some even seek total isolation
They create their own personal cocoon
To those high and mighty
They're actually out of tune
From the pitfalls of life
No one is ever immune
To continue the journey ahead
May feel like being in a typhoon
Sometimes it will seem as if
One to the other wants to maroon
When the sea and tides calm
One may need to dodge a harpoon
If everything works out
It may end with a houseboat honeymoon
Nobody
