Chapter 1569


Hold Her Down


Young Allison could hear the HK drones closing in on her. There were two of them searching for her. They'd attacked several of the spots she'd hidden in previously. How did they know? They did a systematic search of the area and closed in on her hiding spot. She could feel her heart pounding. She was afraid they were going to detect it. It sounded like a drum every time it beat.

She looked down at herself. She was naked. She didn't know where her clothes were. There were scars, cuts, scabs, sores and bruises all over her. She didn't remember how she'd gotten all of them, but they were there. The HK drones flew off. She needed to get back to the bunker. She couldn't remember where it was at. In fact she couldn't remember where anything was at. She was lost.

She heard voices. Maybe it was a Resistance patrol. She was about to run out to them for help. Wait. Maybe it was Grays or Scavengers. There were a lot of Scavengers. She'd found the remains of a girl she thought she once knew. She wasn't sure who she was. There were several different types of abuse and damage to her body. Her mouth was open and it looked empty. She looked further and her tongue was gone. It had been removed. The part which bothered her the most about finding the mangled corpse, was all the injuries were healed and now scar tissue. These things were all done to her while she was alive. Enough time passed for them to heal. Some of the scars looked fresher than others. They weren't all done at the same time. She was abused over an extended period.

The men drew closer. Their voices were distinct now.

"I got a good look at her." The first voice said.

"Let me hear it again." The second voice said.

"I'm telling you." The first voice said. "She was naked."

"When we catch her, she's mine first." The second voice said.

"Maybe it's the Bitch who escaped two weeks ago." A third voice said.

"I hope it is." The second man said. "I wasn't done with her yet. One thing's for sure, she won't be able to mouth off anymore."

There was a round of laughter.

"No. The one I saw was smaller. She still had all her fingers." The first voice said. "I'm pretty sure she still had everything too."

"She won't for long." The second voice said. "You know what I always take first before we get started. I like to be able to identify my women. I like them to know where they stand and what else is going to happen to them."

"If they get too mouthy, they're not so talkative without a tongue." The third man said.

There was another round of hearty laughter.

Young Allison looked down at herself. Everything was still there along with all her fingers. Why didn't she have any clothes? The men passed by near where she was at. She'd expected them to find her and drag her out of her hiding spot. Where were the HK drones at? She wished they were back right now.

She remembered Vanna, Jesse and Allison all told her the abuse would be worse if they found out she was untouched. She should have taken care of it earlier. She should have done it after J-Day. She didn't remember when J-Day was. A look around the landscape clearly indicated it had occurred.

"There she is." The third voice said.

Young Allison was gripped with fear. They must have spotted her. There was nowhere to run.

There was a scream. It sounded like a female.

Wait.

They must have found someone else. She never saw them.

"Hold her down." The second voice said. "Say goodbye to it, Bitch."

A shrill scream pierced the Wastelands.

The men laughed as the female cried out in agony.

"I did what I wanted." The second voice said. "She's marked forever now as a Scavenger's woman."

"I'm going first this time." The third voice said.

Young Allison couldn't stand to hear anymore. It could be her right now. She felt she needed to do something. She didn't know what. She didn't have any weapons. Whatever happened to the other female, would happen to her as well. She needed to get away. Escape seemed to be the only answer. She got up and ran. She didn't care if the HK drones came back. She needed to get away from there now. Her feet felt like they weighed a ton each. She was slow and sluggish.

She was lost again. She'd avoided the group of Scavengers. It was a close one. The screams she heard indicated someone else wasn't as lucky. She felt she should have done more. She should have at least tried. It weighed heavily upon her. How could she? She didn't have anything to fight with.

There was a 'metallic' sound and then a 'cracking' noise. It wasn't an HK Track. It sounded like metal on rock. She moved and looked out of a crack in the wall. She was in a collapsed building now. She didn't remember how she got there, but she was there. She was more than a little surprised at what she spotted. It immediately instilled a sense of fear in her. It was even greater than what she'd already felt. There was a T600. It carried a minigun. Its red eyes looked deadly. The eyes searched for her.

The T600 walked over to an overturned car. It was a burnt out wreck. She could see a skeleton still sitting in it. It was upside down inside it, like the car was. The T600 flipped the car over with its free hand. It showed the power behind it. She imagined the metal hand as it wrapped around her throat and squeezed the life out of her. She needed to run. It was headed in her direction. She passed through a group of bleached skulls. They were all around her. They must have been what the T600 walked on earlier.

The T600 tracked her for a while. She was able to lose it when she went into some swampy water. She was sure it was full of pollutants and toxins. She could feel her skin burning. Maybe it was some kind of acid. She quickly got out of the water. She looked down at herself. Everything was gone. The area from two inches above where her breasts used to be, to her toes, was now only a skeleton. It wasn't the bad part. It was a metal skeleton. She was a cyborg!

She tried to scream but couldn't. She reached up with her metal hands and touched her face. There was only metal there. She remembered she'd slipped under the water twice as she crossed it. There was only a small patch of sheath left on her. She reached up with her metal hands and tore it from her metal endoskeleton. She looked at it and dropped it on the ground. There was some 'squeaking' noise. She looked down. There was a group of rats. They began tearing apart the last piece of her 'flesh' and fighting each other over it. It appeared some of them attempted to kill few of the other rats, rather than just take a piece and run. The rats were no longer just aggressive, they were vengeful. She was going to step on them and crush them.

"I see one of them." The first voice yelled. "It's one of the metal ones."

"Let's get it before it gets away." The second voice said. "Have Johnson's squad cut it off."

Young Allison ran. The clanking of her metal feet on the ground gave away her position.

The Resistance patrol ran after her. A plasma round whizzed by her. She wanted to tell them it was all a big mistake. She wasn't a Terminator.

"Stop…." A voice yelled. "It's in the mine field now. It's finished."

Three seconds later there was a massive explosion. She was catapulted into the air in a fireball. She could see both of her metal legs and a metal arm fly past her eyes. She'd stepped on a plasma mine.

Her torso landed on the ground with a metallic thud. Her head was at a crazy angle now. It was mostly ripped loose from her torso. She tried to crawl with her one arm but couldn't go far. There were sparks coming out from inside her. It was her power cell. It was ruptured. It was going to explode. She tried to reach inside to rip it loose and throw it away from her. She found it. The metal fingers on her hand melted as she grasped the power cell. It was white hot. It was too late. Her power cell was going to explode.

She was finished.


Derek was tired when he awoke. He looked at the bed. He was alone. Holly and Claire were both gone.

Wait.

It was his fantasy as he plowed Riley in the early hours of the morning. It was sweet. He couldn't get enough of her, as he thought of them. It was easy to do in the dark.

He got up and looked around. He went to Precious' room. Riley was in there. She held Precious. She was naked and tried to nurse Precious. Precious was fussy.

"I hate these things." Riley said as she looked down at her breasts. "I wish I didn't have them. They're useless."

Riley often believed certain parts of her body were there for the pleasure of others. She knew they all had a biological purpose. It seemed the purpose was seldom used. It was for the pleasure of others when everything was used. She hurried past him and went to the kitchen area. She took out a bottle and warmed it. She tested it first and gave it to Precious.

Derek thought their quarters looked a little empty. There was usually a little more activity in it.

"Where's Samantha or Holly?" Derek asked.

Holly spoke with her earlier. She was a little surprised she'd needed to carry out a duty assignment.

"They're all out on a mission." Riley said. "Holly told me before she left."

Derek knew there were others.

"What about Jesse or Vanna?" Derek asked.

Riley was a little surprised they were away as well. It was very unusual.

"They're all out." Riley said. "Only Claire is here. I can do this as well as her. I don't want to bother her."

It sounded pretty extreme to Derek. He thought he'd felt something earlier.

"Was there an earthquake?" Derek asked.

Riley was sure there was more than one.

"I felt two small ones." Riley said. "One was earlier."

Derek wondered what it was all about. Maybe they were the only ones left.

"Are Sarah and Kyle here?" Derek asked.

Riley didn't know for sure. Nothing was mentioned about them by anyone.

"I think so." Riley said.

Derek could see Riley was agitated as she bottle fed Precious. He thought maybe it was time for him to step up a little. He didn't want Riley to be upset.

"I can do it if you want." Derek said.

Riley was a little surprised to hear Derek say it. She really shouldn't be. It was something he'd done before.

"It's fine." Riley said. "Thank you anyway."

Derek wanted to do something for Riley while she tended to Precious. He wasn't a great cook, but he could get by.

"I'll get cleaned up and make us some breakfast." Derek said.

Riley could see Derek loved her very much. She needed to keep it in mind on her new sexual adventures with the girls.

"You're a good man." Riley said.

Derek felt a little guilty about plowing Riley and thinking it was Holly and then Claire later on. Well, he wasn't the one who was actually with them. Now he didn't feel as guilty. He still did feel guilty though.


Summer lay down. She tried to study for a bit instead. She soon drifted off. It was an uncomfortable rest until the 'voices' came. They soothed her as they filled her mind with knowledge. It's what she was used to….


Kyle opened his eyes. Sarah was next to him. She was sound asleep. The sheet was down to her navel. He went to pull it up but paused. He took a little time to look at her new jewelry. He still couldn't believe she'd done it. He thought she looked even more stunning now. He wondered if it signified she gave up on having another child. It didn't seem to be the case last night. She was all over him until he was drained. Things were down and stayed that way. He'd heard her pleasure herself several times afterwards when she thought he was asleep. It was like she couldn't get enough. No wonder she was tired. He pulled the sheet up on her as he got out of bed.

He checked on Jan. She was sound asleep as well. He pulled her covers up and kissed her on the cheek.

He decided to get cleaned up. He heard the shower running as he left Jan's room. He looked in the bathroom and Sarah was in the shower. He could see she was in a hurry. She probably thought he was already out.

He looked down at himself. He didn't think he was up to anything. He was spent. He decided to lie back down.

Sarah finished up. She dried off and looked at herself in the mirror. She arched her back some to make her breasts more prominent. She thought she was a little less perky than she was a few years ago. There was a slight sag to her now. The rings would distract anyone from noticing. She flipped them both up and down. They were still a little tender. She really wished she would have done it in high school. She would have been a hit. She was happy now. It was the only thing which mattered.

She went back into the room naked. She saw Kyle was back in bed. She thought about trying to get a quickie out of him. He was spent last night. It made him feel bad when he was unable to give her what she wanted. She'd collect later on when he was 'up' to it.

Sarah slipped her underwear on. She picked up her bra. She looked at it and laughed. She tossed it back in the drawer. She doubted she would ever wear one again. She was truly liberated now. She looked down at her jewelry and smiled. She'd really like to hit a topless beach and see how many looks she drew. She was willing to bet it would be everyone. Her jewelry was a heavier gauge and larger diameter than what the other girls sported. They were very prominent. If she were topless, someone would be able to notice them from a distance.

She finished dressing and headed out after she checked on Jan. She would get some food started for Kyle and Jan. She headed for the commissary.


Claire watched John walk away earlier. He was the man for her. She couldn't wait for the day when she would carry their child.

She needed to clear her head. She didn't want to get ahead of herself. There were still other obligations she needed to fulfill for her daughter, any version of her.

She quickly took stock of what was in the commissary and laid a few things out. There was now a lot of food since she'd requested it. There were plenty of fruits and vegetables too.

She would lay some things out for the others too. Right now she concentrated on John. She still needed to check in on Summer.

Claire decided to make him a steak. She turned the fire on a frying pan and put a little butter in the pan. It quickly melted and sizzled. She put a lot more in and dropped the steak in. It was a Ribeye. It wasn't too big. She would make him an omelet to go with it. She got everything ready for it.

She reached back into the refrigerator and took out some cheese. When she closed the refrigerator door, she saw Sarah enter the commissary. Sarah headed straight for her. She watched Sarah open her top another two buttons. There was only one at the bottom buttoned now.

"Hi, Claire." Sarah said.

Sarah moved right up to her and kissed her. The steak wasn't the only thing sizzling! She could tell Sarah was too.

Claire returned the kiss and they briefly fondled each other.

"Hello." Claire said.

Sarah looked at the cooking food and closed her top up two more buttons. She was ready to help.

"Where are we at?" Sarah asked.

Claire wanted to know how many people she needed to prepare for.

"Are Kyle and Jan coming?" Claire asked.

The last Sarah saw of both of them, they were in bed. There were probably a couple of other contenders though.

"Not for a while." Sarah said. "It sounded like Derek and Riley were up though."

Claire went back to the refrigerator and took out some more things.

"John will be back in a short time." Claire said. "I promised him breakfast."

Sarah believed it would be better if she assisted rather than attempted to do something on her own. The results were usually a little less than stellar. She believed she could be more useful as a helper. It would also be a learning opportunity for her.

"Tell me what to do." Sarah said. "I'm yours."

They shared a long look and Claire gave her some instructions.

Claire really wanted to do the mother-son thing….


John Henry got John up to speed on anything pending. He didn't get into the details of what happened last night and early this morning. He was still worried the scope of the conversation would turn contentious when all of the details were known.

John figured anything else could wait. He wanted to join back up with Claire.

"Well, it looks like everything is under control for now." John said. "I'll be back after breakfast."

John Henry didn't think it was necessary to hurry.

"You can take it easy if you want." John Henry said. "If anything happens, I can call your room."

John looked at John Henry. He knew John Henry knew everyone who'd been in his room and for how long. They were only in there for one reason….

"We'll see." John said.

He excused himself and headed for the commissary. He saw his mother enter right as he turned the corner. He slowed and moved up carefully and looked in the other door. He was surprised to see Claire and his mother kiss openly. They fondled each other too. Was it for real?

He dropped back from the doorway.

'Who are you to judge?'

John was surprised.

'I know everything….'

John was a little worried.

'Everyone is busy….'

John was really worried now.

'You know where my room is….'

He forgot all about his mother.


Savannah and Cameron were in a houseboat on Lake Tahoe. It was disguised as a 'research vessel'.

Cameron started in on the preparation for breakfast.

Savannah could see she'd already done a few things. Maybe she'd gotten a little more sleep than she'd thought.

"Would you like waffles, pancakes, an omelet, biscuits and gravy, or steak and eggs?" Cameron asked.

It seemed like quite a selection to Savannah. She could see there were sausage links and bacon too.

"I think I'd like biscuits and gravy." Savannah said. "It sounds good."

Cameron smiled. She took out some freshly made biscuit batter. She put some on a cookie sheet and placed it in the oven. She also put four sausage links in a frying pan along with four strips of bacon.

She added some milk to a pan on the stove and started the gravy. She'd clearly had it all ready to go.

Savannah watched it all. She needed to remind herself Cameron didn't sleep. It seemed it was possible to accomplish quite a bit if all twenty four hours of every day was used for productive purposes. When it came to the food, Cameron knew what she would pick, right down to the sausage for the gravy and four strips of crispy bacon. She would bet it was how it went down.

"You knew what I would pick." Savannah said.

Cameron smiled. She'd been able to observe Savannah for a number of years.

"I've been around you for over half of your life." Cameron said.

Savannah thought about her statement. With her almost two years in the future, it was close to two thirds of her life.

"You certainly showed me during the nighttime." Savannah said.

Cameron secretly watched Cammy and Savannah together many times. She knew what Savannah would like, how and when. The actual application was much more exhilarating than just watching them.

"I learned from you." Cameron said.

Savannah was pretty sure Cameron did a few things she hadn't done to her. It didn't matter. She was content with all of it.

"I've never shared a better time with anyone." Savannah said.

Savannah's favorite time was her first time with Young Jesse. They both knew what to do, without ever having done it. It took them a little trial and error to get it all straight and into a flowing rhythm. They'd also deflowered each other. Jesse and Vanna told them to get it 'out of the way' before Judgment Day. They did and ended up impregnating each other later on with the genetic sample from John, which Cameron left for Camille. It was intended to be used at a later date. They'd advanced the timetable.

Cameron was very pleased to hear it. She'd watched Savannah with all of the human girls, and Metal girls, at some point. It was all except for CamNet.

CamNet irritated her because she'd shared with Savannah first. It was only very recently. CamNet did make everything happen where they were, and what they doing right now. It was as much of an irritation as it was a blessing. She understood it demonstrated CamNet was willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice was the true test of love. CamNet proved she loved Savannah by arranging everything for Savannah and her.

Cammy was another 'problem' which would need to be dealt with. Cammy, Cam and Camille all continued to run her program. It was the main reason Cammy was such a Bitch to her. They were the same program. Cam was just as possessive when she was around Vanna, as Camille was when she was around Young Jesse.

Cameron still felt Savannah made her existence complete. Once Young Allison joined them, she would be complete. She would need to 'push' Savannah a little on it. It was time they expanded their relationship. Once Savannah's and Young Allison's relationship was started. She would be able to share with both of them. She knew CamNet still had her eye on Young Allison. It was the main reason why Savannah went to CamNet. She'd traded herself for Young Allison with CamNet. Anna would also be a factor. Anna ran her program along with the 'Neural Interface' with Savannah. Anna was always much more pleasant to deal with because of it.

Savannah and Cameron shared some small talk as Cameron prepared her food. It was all ready in a very short time. Cameron handed her a plate with three fluffy buttermilk biscuits. They were covered with thick sausage gravy. The four crispy strips of bacon were on the side. Cameron handed her another mug of mocha and a surprise. It was a large cinnamon roll. It was freshly made as well. It was clear Cameron had been busy while she was asleep.

Savannah looked at the cinnamon roll. It looked good. She'd really wanted one.

"You're the greatest, Cameron." Savannah said.

Savannah also liked the view. Cameron was still naked. She'd put an apron on at one point. It was very cute to see her wearing only the apron while she was naked.

Cameron planned to have Savannah as dessert.

It was the same thing Savannah planned for Cameron.


Sheila took Leticia into the Master Suite. Jesse and Young Jesse were with her. She wanted to give Leticia a very special treat.

"Your dream is about to come true." Sheila said.

Leticia looked at the three of them. She rested her gaze on Sheila.

"I think you're right." Leticia said. "How many more of 'you' are there?"

Sheila looked at Young Jesse.

"Not me, love, her…." Sheila said.

Leticia could see now without any doubt Jesse was the older version of the younger Jesse.

"You two are from the future." Leticia said as she looked at Sheila and Jesse.

"Maybe so…." Jesse said. "There are also two more of me. They are Duplicates of me. There may be another version of me out there somewhere from a different future. We're unsure exactly what happened to her."

Leticia thought about what Jesse indicated. She understood it to mean they were all the same individual at one point in time.

"Do you mean there are three more of you?" Leticia asked.

Jesse wasn't exactly sure how to describe it.

"There are two who are me, and another version of me. We don't know her status." Jesse said.

Leticia looked at Sheila, Jesse and Young Jesse again. She thought about what was just mentioned.

"How is all this possible?" Leticia asked. "How is any of it possible?"

Sheila didn't want to dwell on it. It was what it was. It should be left as such.

"Did you see the 'sheila' on the helicopter?" Sheila asked.

Jesse could see Leticia looked a little confused. She wanted to give her a small explanation.

"The term 'sheila' is an Australian slang reference for a female." Young Jesse said.

Leticia saw her first when they'd carried her from the elevator. She was heavy. She looked quite dead. She also saw her scalp was cut open. There wasn't just a hole in her head. There was an empty socket of some kind. It looked electrical in nature.

"I did." Leticia said as she looked at Sheila. "Is she like you?"

Sheila already made plans for the newly captured female chassis. She might run into some interference from Cameron or even CamNet, but didn't know. She felt she'd earned the right to make some decisions about other female Terminators.

"She is." Sheila said. "She's also going to be you."

Leticia told Sheila she wanted to 'be like her'. She didn't fully understand at the time what Sheila was. She still wasn't sure.

"Do you mean she's going to be like you, but look and act like me?" Leticia asked.

Jesse wanted to point out the procedure necessary to accomplish the task.

"If you agree to do the 'Neural Interface' she will be." Jesse said. "She'll be like Sheila is to me."

Leticia wondered if maybe she should be in love with Jesse then instead of Sheila. No. She loved Sheila.

"What are you going to call her?" Leticia asked.

Sheila didn't want them to get sidetracked. There were other things to do.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Sheila said. "Right now you need to satisfy three of us."

Leticia really wondered what it would be like. She didn't think she'd be harmed by doing the procedure. Jesse didn't seem to be afflicted in a negative way. She wanted Sheila to know how much it all meant to her. It meant a lot.

"Thank you for all of this." Leticia said. "I'm yours forever."

Jesse thought Sheila was really lucky. She would really like to have a 'play thing' like Leticia. No. She hoped she was a better person now. It would still be nice to have a submissive.


The female Fanatic and Jill dropped out of the boxcar onto the gravel ballast which held the ties in place. They could see there was looting activity on both sides of them. They went underneath the boxcar. They wanted to avoid any of the gang members if possible.

They paused once they were underneath the boxcar. They carefully moved to the other side of it from below it. They didn't see anyone to the left or to the right. They moved out from underneath it and stood. They wanted to get away from the area.

The female Fanatic wanted to make what they needed to do clear to Jill.

"If you encounter anyone with a firearm, go ahead and shoot first." The female Fanatic said. "Don't say anything, don't think about it, just do it."

Jill wondered about what she should do if they pulled a knife. She figured if they were anywhere near them at all, it was best to go ahead and shoot. She didn't want to be taken captive by a gang. She didn't think it would be any less traumatic than it was when she was abducted by the group from the future. More than one of those men indicated they were going to kill her when they were done abusing her.

"I think most of these people are here to steal." Jill said. "If anyone does anything threatening, I'll shoot first. I know we need to keep moving."

The female Fanatic was a little concerned about their location. They were in a man made depression. The street level was above them. It was some kind of a trough which passed through the neighborhood they were in. It was to avoid street crossings.

"There's always someone who wants a little more." The female Fanatic said. "Those are the ones we need to watch out for."

Jill didn't think it was too much different anywhere. It sounded like the future was even more messed up than the present. It hadn't really changed much ever since she'd been in school. There was always somebody who wanted to be a bully of some type. It seemed things got worse the older she got.

She didn't want to think about what happened at a party once in high school. Right now it's flashed into her mind. She didn't remember much about her 'first time'. She was drunk and on drugs when it happened. She just remembered the initial stab of pain. She was glad it was over with in about twenty seconds.

It was the second time when she realized how cruel people could be. It happened at a party as well. She'd only had a few drinks and just taken some type of pills a guy gave her. He said he had some more out in his car. He said they were more powerful. She followed him out there. What she found instead were a group of males. She sensed danger and immediately turned around to leave. The drugs she'd taken started to affect her. She felt very sluggish. All of a sudden she was weak, and her vision became blurry.

"Grab her." The first male said.

It felt like several people grabbed her. She felt her pants were pulled off and her shirt was removed as well. In a brief moment of clarity she struggled to get away. It was too late.

"Hold her down." Another male said. "We're going to pull a 'train' on her."

She tried to struggle but it was useless. She just remembered it was one after another as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Some of them were very brutal. She was even more surprised when one of them flipped her over onto her front side. She didn't think the pain was going to get any worse, but it did. She blacked out somewhere during the process. She quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind.

"I'm going to shoot first and not ask any questions." Jill said. "I'll grab whatever firearms I see if I do. I know we need to keep moving."

The female Fanatic could see there was a sloped section in front of them. There'd only been a few looters on the other side when they'd come out of the boxcar.

They were able to move along unopposed. Everything seemed to be happening on the other side. There were a few boxes which they saw land on the ground in back of them from where the container cars were. They were just about to pass by the refrigerator cars. They could hear the engines running on all of them. With the train stopped, it actually seemed rather loud.

"Let's see what we can get." The first man said.

Three men came over the wall almost in front of them. The men blocked their path.

"I see something we can get right now." The second man said.

The third man leered at them as well.

"Let's grab them and go." The third man said. "They're too good to pass up. There's always another train to loot."

The female Fanatic was able to spot at least two of them carried firearms. Their shirts pulled up on their torsos when they'd dropped down into the trench from above.

"They're armed." The female Fanatic said.

The female Fanatic drew her Beretta and fired three times.

All three men went down instantly.

Jill pulled her Beretta as well. It was her job to watch their back. She expected the gunfire to draw others. She wasn't mistaken.

"I saw someone look around the back of one of the container cars." Jill said.

The female Fanatic quickly relieved the three men of their firearms. There was a set of keys on one man's belt. She grabbed them as well.

"Let's keep moving." The female Fanatic said. "The majority of these people who started to loot are here for monetary gain. The three men who accosted us appeared to see a target of opportunity, evidently in more ways than one."

The female Fanatic handed Jill one of the weapons. It was a revolver. She kept the other two.

Jill figured she should use the revolver first if she needed to shoot. It didn't appear there were any other rounds for it other than the six which were in it.

They hurried past the refrigerator cars. They passed by a couple more boxcars. They could hear people inside of them. They kept moving. They would be able to go over the side of the wall in just a few seconds.

Someone came up from underneath the boxcar right in back of them. Jill was able to hear them before she saw them. There was a man with a gun in his hand. It wasn't pointed in their direction.

"There's one behind us." Jill said.

The man came out from underneath the boxcar and looked in the direction they'd come from. He'd just started to turn in their direction when she fired the revolver. She fired it three times. The man dropped to the ground.

The female Fanatic didn't want to stop.

"Keep moving." The female Fanatic said. "Get ready to make a break for the wall."

There was a wooden pallet against the side of the wall. It stood up on its end at an angle. It would act like a ladder.

"Go now." The female Fanatic said.

Jill quickly tucked her weapons away and went up.

She made it over the wall. Jackie appeared right behind her. There hadn't been any more gunfire.

A few seconds later there was some gunfire. It wasn't in the area where they were at. It was down by the container cars. It was two shots followed by a multitude of shots. Evidently two of the gangs decided to mix it up. There was enough loot for all of them, but their desire to be 'top dog' precipitated some type of battle. It could have been the one gang didn't like the other gang on its 'turf' either.

They quickly moved across the street. They took cover in an alcove of a building. They could hear some more cars screech to a halt. They saw more people get out of the cars and move over towards the wall where the train was at on the other side in the trench. No one's focus was directed in their direction. It was directed where the gunfire currently came from. It was doubtful the gang confrontation would even make the evening news. It was a common occurrence.

The female Fanatic and Jill quietly slipped away from the area.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Temporal Mission:

Past Timeline:

November 26 1963

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Cameron and Young Allison entered the western portal of Tunnel 26. They would be in semi darkness for nearly the next mile and a half.

Young Allison briefly wondered if there would be any wild animals in the area. She didn't think one of them would last very long if a train came by. They would most likely panic and end up underneath it at some point in time.

They'd only been walking for about four minutes when Cameron pointed out the first depression in the wall of the tunnel.

"This is one of the safety alcoves." Cameron said. "You can see it's big enough for several men to stand inside of. There are nineteen more of them."

Young Allison knew it wouldn't be a problem.

"Are they all this size, or are some of them larger?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron was aware some were larger than others. The majority of them were all the same size as the one they'd just passed. She could see the next one up ahead.

"There's one which is big enough to hold a 'speeder' once it's taken off of the track." Cameron said. "It was originally so a 'hand-car' could be moved off the track if a train came while they were in the tunnel. The crews are able to check what's happening now by radio, or by the block indicators on either side of the tunnel entrance."

Young Allison noticed something when they'd entered the tunnel.

"I saw what looked like some gauges near the tunnel entrance when we came in." Young Allison said.

Cameron spotted them too.

"Those were the block indicators for the work crews." Cameron said. "They were clear when we entered."

Young Allison figured it would prevent someone from entering when a train was coming. There was still a certain amount of travel time involved to make it through the tunnel. Some of the crews would be conducting inspections along the way.

"I guess for what happens later on, there are twenty of the safety alcoves." Young Allison said.

They'd been walking for about twelve minutes.

Young Allison started to use the heavy duty flashlight. She shined it on the tunnel walls, as well as the arch of the tunnel. She was a little surprised at the condition of it.

"I can see there's a lot of water seepage through the concrete." Young Allison said. "There are brown and black stains as well as white and gray ones in no apparent order. It's all random and at different levels. I have a feeling some of it is mold or mildew from being continuously wet. I would think the diesel exhaust from the locomotives would build up inside here on a heavy freight working uphill."

Cameron was aware there were many dangers.

"It's one of the reasons why you see all of the 'No Trespassing' signs everywhere around here." Cameron said. "Chatsworth Park is located right below Tunnel 27 and Santa Susana Park is located not too far from where we went in Tunnel 26 at."

Young Allison figured they were probably a lot of people who went into the tunnels who shouldn't. She was with a Terminator who could detect any danger long before she could. Cameron had also been inside of the tunnels in several different time periods. It still left a bad thought in her mind.

"Has anyone ever died in this tunnel?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron was aware of more than one incident. They were probably others.

"Teenagers derailed a freight train inside of the tunnel. The engineer died as a result of the collision." Cameron said. "You saw those deep scratches in the cement wall earlier on. It was probably the location where it occurred. It could have been from another derailment as well. As you can see it gets pretty soggy along the right of way. There could have been some slippage at one point. "

Young Allison thought it was a little sad when someone thought it would be 'fun' to derail a train and not think about the consequences.

"Were there any other deaths?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron was aware of a multi-fatality event.

"There were. A train working up the grade out of Chatsworth stalled near the apex of the tunnel." Cameron said. "There was an issue with the fuel flow for the locomotive once it stalled. It was a steam locomotive. There was always a lot of smoke to deal with on one of those anyway. The fuel oil wasn't shut off. It soon began to overflow and caught on fire. It resulted in the death of both the fireman and the engineer. They died from smoke inhalation. The locomotive needed to be towed back to the Chatsworth water tower. It was doused with hundreds of gallons of water to cool it down when they pulled it out of the tunnel. There was also another unfortunate discovery when they pulled out the freight cars."

Young Allison wondered what it would be. She knew a lot of animals used to be transported by rail. It occurred to her they still were in 1963 as well.

"What kind of animals were they?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron briefly tilted her head slightly in the darkness.

"They were human." Cameron said. "It was a couple of hobos riding in the ice hatch of a refrigerator car. They both succumbed to smoke inhalation as well. I'm sure there were other instances where livestock was terminated when a steam locomotive stalled in the tunnel without the additional fire. I don't think all of them were documented. I do know of an incident in Tunnel 5 in Tehachapi. A 'Cab Forward' stalled working uphill inside the tunnel. They attempted multiple times to restart the train. The smoke volume continued to grow. There were cattle in more than half a dozen stock cars. All of them were terminated."

Young Allison noted occasionally there would be gouges in the wooden ties in various places. There was also more water in some areas than others. At one point there was water on both sides of the track.

"What are these marks from?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron knew there was more than one type of danger.

"They can be from many things." Cameron said. "There's always the danger of dragging equipment. Things break. Sometimes a wheel may come off of the track. It may bounce back onto it. Loads shift inside boxcars and on flat cars. You need to remember a train is hauling cars from all over the country. Some are from both north and south of the border as well. They can be in various states of mechanical condition. There are always inspections, but things can be overlooked and missed. Sometimes a freight car might have flat spots on the wheels from being involved in an emergency stop situation where the wheels slide across the rails in a shower of sparks."

Young Allison understood there were a lot of different dangers which could occur. She was pleased to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the direction they were headed. It first started as a dot. She could clearly see the circular curve of the arch with the flat sides now. She was glad to see it wasn't the headlight of a locomotive. She was sure there would have been an oscillating light as well as if it was. It was one of the trademarks Southern Pacific was known for. The majority of their locomotives during the time period carried a full 'light package'. Some of the hood units were equipped with multiple signal lights on both the front and the rear of the locomotive.

"We're almost halfway through." Cameron said.


Hold Her Down

To make each new day better
Don't start it with a frown
Nor does one need
To act like a clown

The beginning of the end starts when
Communication experiences a breakdown
It fosters many different problems
Most will end with a meltdown

Someone always wants what another has
Often there will be some type of shakedown
When the abuse is too great
It can cause a shutdown

No one wants to live
In a cold empty ghost town
It doesn't matter too much
Even if it was once renown

When the tides of life grow
A lesser person may drown
Always remember there's one
Who won't allow anyone to hold her down

Nobody