Chapter 1572


Sweet Dreams


Young Allison looked at her watch. It was almost time for the school bus.

Claire didn't want Allison to miss breakfast again.

"You need to eat some breakfast before you go." Claire said.

Young Allison looked over at the bacon and eggs. They looked as good as they smelled. She looked at the clock on the wall.

"I'm running late, Mom." Young Allison said.

Claire looked at the food. It would go to waste.

"I told you not to spend so much time on the internet." Claire said. "You know it's bad for you."

Young Allison didn't want to argue right now. She might lose her internet privileges again. Her mother could talk to her father. He was very stern. She felt justified in her actions.

"Most of it was for research for my homework." Young Allison said. "I need to look some things up to find the information. Everything takes time."

Claire couldn't complain about her daughter's grades. They were all straight 'A's. She'd started out doing architecture drawings with her father. She soon started doing other things. They weren't buildings. They were mechanical arms and legs. She worked on them with her younger sister, Summer.

"You don't see Summer running late do you?" Claire asked.

Young Allison frowned. Summer was like no other.

"You know she's perfect at everything, without trying." Young Allison said. "I have to work hard at everything."

Young Allison never could compete with her younger sister. From the age of two, Summer could do everything better and faster than she could. They were only a few years different, but Summer was perfect at everything.

Claire never told anyone, but she wasn't Summer's mother. She found out she had a cousin who was pregnant. She was very young. The cousin was pregnant and was going to give the baby up for adoption. She wouldn't have it. She told her cousin she would raise the baby as her own.

Summer was ready for school. She'd eaten her breakfast and done the dishes. She'd also started the laundry and corrected two mistakes on her father's latest drawing. She'd been checking over them since she was four years old. She quietly fixed any mistake and corrected what was necessary. So far none of the flaws she'd needed to fix would have resulted in catastrophic failure.

"Come on, Allison." Summer said. "I need to get to the university."

Young Allison frowned. Summer skipped every other grade in school and was in her final year at the university. She'd received scholarships all around the world, but her mother refused to let her out of the house. She was a teenager. Her mother said she wasn't about to allow her into a predator rich environment. She'd heard stories about when Summer's professors were late, or failed to show up, Summer taught the class. She already knew more than the professors.

Claire was aware her cousin might be there soon. She disappeared for months at a time. Nobody knew where she was, nor could they find her. She always wore the same dress when she visited. She just seemed to appear. She wanted the girls to refer to her cousin as 'Aunt'.

"Aunt River might be here tomorrow." Claire said.

Young Allison frowned. She looked almost exactly like 'Aunt River', but Aunt River spent most of her time with Summer.

"How come we never go to where she lives?" Young Allison asked.

Summer didn't like her sister always asking the same questions.

"She lives far away." Summer said. "You know that."

Young Allison grabbed her things and followed Summer outside. She'd only taken a couple bites of food.

Claire leaned out the kitchen door.

"Don't talk with any boys." Claire shouted. "It applies to both of you."

Summer giggled.

"A lot of them sure talk to me." Summer said.

Summer noticed the males all spent as much time looking at her, as they did at the other girls. They didn't pay much attention to the regular girls. She knew she was sitting on what they all wanted, quite literally actually.

Young Allison looked back at Summer. Their mother would put even more restrictions on them if she knew.

"Don't let mom find out." Young Allison said.

Summer didn't think it was a problem. She had a way of making their mother 'see' things her way. She could do it with anyone. She always knew what those around her thought and felt. It was why she knew what all the males 'wanted'. She wasn't surprised about half of the females wanted the same thing.

"Mom will know what I need her to know." Summer said.

Young Allison struggled to assist Summer with her special work.

"I worked on the hand for you last night." Young Allison said.

Summer watched on her computer as her sister worked. She also knew she spent two hours looking at pornography. She allowed her to look at various things. She redirected her thoughts for the rest of the time to female 'activity'. She needed to 'push' less now. Her sister would often go there to look at the activity herself. She didn't want her to make a 'mistake' and end up pregnant.

"I already reviewed it." Summer said. "It was good work, thank you."

Young Allison watched Summer design everything else.

"Did you finish the torso yet?" Young Allison asked.

Summer was ready for the next step. She'd 'assisted' the university with several purchases they 'needed' to make.

"I did, as well as the head." Summer said. "I'm already working on the chip and the power cell. I should be ready to start fabrication soon. I procured a CNC mill and a 3D printer for the special metal through the university."

Young Allison looked around. Summer played the stock market under a false identity. She'd already procured millions of dollars.

"Don't get caught manipulating the stocks." Young Allison said. "Everyone you choose makes money. You always know how to make a good investment."

Summer was told by Aunt River what to buy and when. She was always right. It was like she knew what would pay off big and fast.

"Aunt River gives me advice." Summer said. "She's never wrong."

Young Allison knew Summer wanted to use a special type of metal for her project. Aunt River was to assist her.

"Did she get the special metal?" Young Allison asked.

Summer was provided with an automobile by Aunt River, which she kept hidden. Only her sister knew she had it.

"Aunt River did. I have it in a storage locker." Summer said. "I can drive there between classes when I need to."

Young Allison still found it hard to believe Summer drove.

"I told you to be careful so you don't get caught driving, you're younger than me." Young Allison said. "Mom won't even let me drive. I did Driver's Education and Driver's Training. I scored the highest in the class."

Young Allison thought she was very proficient behind the wheel.

Summer didn't think it was a big deal. She was a safe driver. She always knew what the cars around her would do before they did it.

"At least you have a license." Summer said.

Young Allison was aware Summer did too. She had a completely separate identity. She was sure it was probably several of them.

"You do too." Young Allison said.

Aunt River helped her out with it too.

"I made it myself." Summer said. "I have it and a passport. Everything is in the system. It's all completely legit."

Allison looked at everything before. She wondered about the name.

"Who is Emily Gage?" Young Allison asked.

Summer knew where the name came from, but not who the person was.

"It's a name I picked." Summer said. "Aunt River may have mentioned it one time."

Young Allison found herself in a different place. It just seemed to happen. They weren't waiting for the school bus. They were now in a laboratory.

"I'm ready to put the chip in." Summer said.

Young Allison looked. There were two nude 'females' on two separate work benches. She went over and looked at them.

"This one looks like me." Young Allison said.

Summer didn't want her to worry.

"It's how you'll look." Summer said. "She shares your DNA."

Young Allison looked at the other 'female'.

She was beautiful. She had red hair and a youthful appearance. It was somewhere between Summer's and hers.

"Who is this one patterned after?" Young Allison asked.

Summer didn't know. Aunt River provided the DNA sample to her.

"All I know is she's patterned after the 'Chosen One'." Summer said.

Young Allison heard the reference before.

"What exactly does it mean?" Young Allison asked.

Summer only knew it would be something important in the future.

"Time will tell." Summer said.

Summer knew what her sister wanted to 'check out' on both of the 'females'. She excused herself for a restroom break, but hung back to watch. She watched her sister take a closer look at both of the 'females'. She'd done the same thing previously herself.

Young Allison took a quick look at the female who looked like her. They were identical. She quickly moved to the redhead and looked. The thought of a pink butterfly came into her mind. She'd never seen anything so beautiful on any of the females she'd looked at on the internet. She quickly moved away from both of them.

Summer returned.

"Will they have hair anywhere besides on their heads?" Young Allison asked.

Summer found it unnecessary, distracting and unsightly.

"They'll look as all females should look." Summer said.

Young Allison used a razor to make sure she did. She wanted to get laser treatments as soon as she could swing it.

"I agree." Young Allison said. "Do you have names for the robots yet?"

Summer frowned. It was a common misconception on several levels. They were androids because everything was synthetic, even if some of it was organic. If she were to introduce a human body part, like a female reproductive tract, they would be true cyborgs. She'd put in a special request for any young, brain dead, female from a traffic accident.

"They're androids, even though some think they're cyborgs." Summer said. "They're superior to any robot. As for names I've already decided."

Young Allison wanted to know. She wanted to be able to associate a name with them.

"What are they?" Young Allison asked.

Summer touched each of the 'females' in turn.

"This is 'Cameron'." Summer said. "This is 'Savannah'. We'll call her 'Anna' with her youthful appearance."

Young Allison loved those names. They just seemed right. She wanted to see how their efforts turned out. It was time for the next phase.

"I like them." Young Allison said. "When will they be activated?"

Summer was ready. She didn't see a need to delay any longer. She wanted to see how her design actually worked.

"I'll do it right now." Summer said.

Young Allison watched Summer activate some new device. The 'females' both sat up and then stood. Their faces were devoid of expression. Their nakedness didn't seem to bother them. She knew she would look like 'Cameron' soon. She actually liked the female attributes of 'Anna'. Everything 'private' was the way she liked it.

The blank looks bothered her a little bit.

"They look kind of lost." Young Allison said.

Summer wanted to check them out first before she activated the emotional programming. She didn't want to get ahead of herself and create a problem.

"It will come later." Summer said.

Young Allison looked around. She was in her bedroom now. She wasn't sure when it happened. She was just there.

There was a familiar face sitting on the bed next to her. There was a big smile on Anna's face.

"We better not tell anyone we're doing this." Anna said. "They might not understand."

Young Allison and Anna kissed and touched each other. They were both naked.

"I've shared with Cameron and you for several years now." Young Allison said. "You both share with Summer."

Anna smiled.

"It's beautiful." Anna said. "I remember the first time we did this."

Young Allison did too. She'd gotten a pretty good stab of pain out of it for a few seconds. She hadn't expected Anna to go 'there'. Once Anna found her 'G spot', the pain was soon forgotten. She was so excited it barely mattered.

"You were my 'first'." Young Allison said.

Anna looked very happy.

"You are my 'first'." Anna said.

Young Allison tossed. Her head went from side to side. She was asleep in her bed. The dream world began to slip away. Reality called to her. Maybe she called to it.

"I want you to be my 'first'." Young Allison said.

Anna detected a change in Young Allison's scan.

"Allison, wake up." Anna said.

The scan seemed to intensify.

"I want you to be my 'first'." Young Allison said.

Young Allison opened her eyes. Anna was there right next to her.

"I want you to be my 'first'." Young Allison said.

Anna knew it wasn't possible. Young Allison made different 'rules' previously.

"It's forbidden." Anna said.

Young Allison clung to Anna.

"I want you to be my 'first'." Young Allison said. "I love you."

Anna didn't think Young Allison was fully awake. She wasn't sure exactly where she was at. She wasn't convinced it was a good place either.

"Allison, wake up." Anna said.

Young Allison looked where she was. She was on top of Anna and held her tightly. They looked into each other's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Young Allison said and backed up back to her side of the bed.

Anna wanted what Young Allison said. She needed to back off.

"It was just a dream." Anna said. "Everything is fine."

Young Allison looked over at Anna. Anna was her dream, not the kind when you sleep either….

"I want my temporal mission." Young Allison said. "I want it now. I can't wait any longer. I need 'more'."


The two Grays put their weapons away as they moved back through the building. They were satisfied there were no threats. They continue to speculate about what may have happened. There was no way for them to know for sure.

CamNet's Terminator was now inside of the building. He knew exactly where the two men were at. He decided to wait for them to come to him.

"I really don't see the point of this gig anymore." The first man said.

The second man didn't want any trouble.

"You knew what the rules were before they sent us back." The second man said.

The first man would have agreed to anything to get out of the future and return to the past. It's what he'd done.

"That was then. This is now." The first man said. "Things aren't what they used to be."


A drone tracked the Skynet Terminator. He was referred to as Ajax by the group of Grays associated with him. He currently was on his way back to the other building. He was unable to reach them by phone. He began to wonder if he'd actually been lured away.

As he approached his base, he expected to see smoke drifting up from the area. There was no sign of any. He drove into the parking lot. He could see one of the men look out of the window of the door. He didn't think anything was wrong. He got out of the vehicle he'd taken from the other location and approached the building. The door opened as he neared.

The drone overhead monitored everything.

Ajax entered the building. He could see all of the Grays were armed. He did a quick inspection. He tried his phone again. It now worked. He attempted to contact the two Grays he left behind in the other building. There was no response. It was as if the call didn't go through. It made him wonder exactly what was going on. He understood they were under attack, but he didn't understand the full nature of the attack. It seemed as if there were a few pieces missing still.


The two Grays decided to return to the sleeping quarters of the others. The others might be gone, but all of their belongings were still there. Maybe there was something they could take for themselves. They checked the first room which contained the 'comfort bunk'.

The first man looked at it.

"I wish it was occupied right now." The first man said. "I'd really like to knock one off right now."

The second man looked at the bunk, and then at the first man.

"Don't look at me, dude." The second man said. "It's not going to happen."

The first man frowned. It wasn't what he meant.

"Let's check the next room." The first man said.

The two men headed over to the next room. They began to look through the clothing and dressers in the room. They only came up with a few items.

"It doesn't look like there's too much here to find." The second man said.

CamNet's Terminator knew exactly where the men were at from the surveillance cameras. He moved into the hallway where the sleeping quarters and Security Center were located. He was soon outside the room where he'd terminated the other Grays earlier.

"I think we got everything there is to get." The first man said.

The second man wondered if they shouldn't take another look around the building. They'd been rather distracted as they searched for whatever they could find to take with them.

"Let's jam all the valuables in our pockets." The second man said. "I don't want Ajax to notice and make a big deal about it when he returns."

The two men jammed whatever money or other valuables they could find into their pockets. They'd made quite a haul. They were sure if they would have checked the men themselves earlier, they probably could have gotten more. Then again, they were all in bed, so maybe not.

"Let's look around one more time." The first man said. "I don't want some homeless moron to break in and we didn't notice it."

The second man was very happy with everything they'd acquired.

"It looks like we're home free for now." The second man said.

They turned around to go out the door. They were a little surprised at what they saw.

"Wrong…." CamNet's Terminator said.

CamNet's Terminator grabbed both of the men by their neck and snapped them. They didn't even have time to reach for their pistols. It wouldn't have done any good anyway. He took the keys from the first man and went out and moved the box truck up to the door. He loaded both of their bodies into the back of it. He made sure the building was locked behind him. He drove off.

He left the box truck near where the other one was at. He backed it up to the rear of the other one. He went into the gap between the two trucks and opened both rear doors. He moved all of the terminated men into one of the box trucks. He left the truck with the bodies there. He drove the empty box truck over one block and left it. He hurried back to his SUV.

CamNet's Terminator headed back towards the building where Ajax was at.


The two females watched patrons get on and off the bus as it drove away from the area. It didn't take long before they didn't hear gunfire or sirens anymore. When two passengers from the furthest seat to the rear left, they moved back to it.

Jill felt her heart racing. It wasn't just about the danger they'd been in either. She reached over and took Jackie's hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. There was a slight pause before the gentle squeeze was returned.

The two females looked at each other. What was there to say? They'd been in a number of death defying situations over the last few days. They literally could have been killed a dozen times each. They could have been taken captive as well. It was a fate both of them viewed as worse than death.

"We're still alive." Jill said.

The female Fanatic was actually surprised.

"When I went on my vendetta against Skynet, I honestly didn't think I would last more than a few hours." The female Fanatic said. "I've been able to survive this long mostly because of luck. You also assisted me more than once."

Jill figured it was the least she could do.

"You saved my life as well." Jill said. "I would have died in the warehouse at the end of a dirt road, if you hadn't freed me."

The female Fanatic never really expected to work with someone who wasn't from the future. It was a result of circumstances. It actually worked out quite well.

Jill was very pleased with the results.

"One hand washes the other." Jill said.

The female Fanatic looked out the window of the bus. She could see there was a mall up ahead. It seemed like a good place to pick up another set of wheels.

"Let's get off at the next stop." The female Fanatic said. "I want to see about getting us a car to drive."

She reached up and pulled the little cord above the windows. There was a tone. A small sign lit up which said: 'Stop Requested'.

The bus pulled over at the next traffic light. The two females exited from the rear section of the bus. They saw several patrons get on and the bus pulled away from the stop. They moved to the corner and activated the button so they could walk across. They received the walk symbol and went across the street to the mall. They immediately moved around to where the parking lot was. There was a ground level section as well as a multi level parking structure.

The female Fanatic looked around at the various vehicles. She watched as someone walked out to their vehicle. It was a female with a small child. An older lady pulled up off to the side and waited for them to back out. The female secured the child and moved around to the driver's side and got in. She backed out of the spot. Before the older female could pull in, another car from the other direction, quickly pulled in front of her and parked in the spot. The older female honked the horn of her vehicle. There were two young men in the car which pulled in. They got out, looked at her and laughed. They went into the mall.

Jill watched what happened.

"It wasn't very nice what those two punks just did." Jill said.

The female Fanatic looked at her and smiled.

"I think we just found our car." The female Fanatic said.

Jill figured she was going to slash the tires on it if nothing else. She liked Jackie's idea even better. With all the activity they were involved in, there was a better than even chance the vehicle would end up destroyed. She felt the two men deserved it.

The female Fanatic and Jill quickly entered the vehicle as soon as the two men went inside of the mall. They were able to start it and drive away. Right now it was their turn to laugh.


Claire and Sarah worked on the breakfast. They were very happy to be in each other's company. They stole a few more playful kisses in the panty and 'inspected' each other's jewelry before they went back into the kitchen area.

Sarah reminded Claire to pull her top back down.


Summer was headed to the commissary.

John followed behind her. He really didn't know what to think at this point. He just knew he'd overdone it in bed with so many different females. It sure was a beautiful experience though.

He was worried he may have acted inappropriately with Summer. He knew his thoughts sure were. They crept into his mind again as he followed close behind her. He moved up alongside her so he would stop looking at her. Now it was worse. He tried to push everything from his mind.

Summer looked up at him and smiled.

"Are there any big operations planned?" Summer asked.

John had a hard time concentrating. He tried to focus on her face. He thought maybe he should have watched the briefing John Henry prepared. He didn't have an hour or more to spend, to do it. It seemed there were more than a few things which had gotten away from him.

"I'm not sure what's planned." John said. "I think I fell a little out of touch."

Summer shrugged her shoulders.

"It happens." Summer said.

They entered the commissary.

"Hi, Sarah." Summer said. "Hi, Mom."

They exchanged pleasantries.

Summer was ready to get to work. She was very pleased both Sarah and her mother seemed happy. She knew why. She didn't think it hurt anything. What was wrong with being happy? She wanted to be around happy people.

"How can I help?" Summer asked.

Claire gave her a few tasks.

John felt like he should do more. He looked at Summer and Claire together. The mother-daughter thing crept into his mind again. He looked away quickly when Summer glanced over at him.

"What can I do?" John asked.

Sarah figured it was time Jan and Kyle made the scene.

"You can check on your sister and father." Sarah said.

John looked at Claire and Summer again. It seemed like a good idea to get away.

"I'm on it." John said.

Sarah noticed the way John looked at Claire. It was how she looked at Claire. She knew Cameron wanted Claire to be with John. She wondered if maybe it hadn't happened. Claire never said anything. She figured it didn't really matter at this point. It was basically a free for all around the base for the females. John seemed to make the rounds with some of the females. She didn't know it was actually most of them.

'It's not a problem. Don't worry about it.'

Sarah blinked her eyes. She tried to remember what she'd just thought. Whatever it was, it was gone….

Summer glanced at Sarah as she continued to assist her mother. There was a smile on her face as she helped. She was aware help came in many different forms.


Riley was upset she couldn't nurse. She used the bottle. Vanna and Jesse left her plenty. They were all marked and dated.

Derek didn't like to see Riley upset over something which wasn't her fault. Cameron explained to him why and how it was like that for her. Skynet was to blame. It made him feel bad for Vanna and Jesse. They were both sterile.

"It will all work out, Riley." Derek said. "It always does."

Riley looked around. She wasn't used to not having some extra help. It made her wonder if she'd been too dependent on others. This was really the first time there hadn't been a Metal girl to assist her in a long time. It showed her she could do it. Derek offered to help too. He was a good guy.

It made her feel a little guilty about what she'd done with the girls, but not too much. It was something she'd craved for years. Then she was able to get so much and such variety all of a sudden. What was even better was it seemed all the females 'wanted' her too. They were all 'afraid' to act. She knew she should've 'knocked' sooner and earlier.

"I'll get something started for us in the commissary." Derek said.

Riley looked at Precious. It was time she 'grew' up. She wanted to make herself more useful. She wanted to feel more like a mother.

"I'll go with you." Riley said. "Every other mother can do all of this herself. I can too. I'm going to."

Derek wondered if maybe it was the intent to 'push' Riley a little. He figured it would stress her out some. Maybe having the comfort of a female would help ease her tension. If they wanted to share with him too, he was open to the idea. He would prefer if Riley made the offer to him. If she did, it would indicate it really was OK. He figured things would probably happen sooner if he didn't seem too greedy. He wasn't going to push. If a ticket to ride was offered, he was going to take it.

He got out the baby carriage and the diaper bag for Riley. He tried to make everything smooth for her. He didn't want her to stress out about anything.

Riley set Precious in it and they were ready to go.

Derek held the door open and Riley pushed the baby carriage through.

Riley stopped and looked at Derek. She wanted to offer him 'more'. She thought about how she kept him at a distance when she was pregnant, and after Precious was born. She didn't think it was a conscious decision. It was just because she had trouble coping with all of the different things.

"Thank you for everything, Derek." Riley said. "I really mean it. Whenever you want me, I'm yours anytime of the day or night for anything…."

Derek smiled and gave her a kiss. It wasn't a bad offer, but he'd hoped for a little extra. He'd make up for it with Riley. When his eyes were closed, she would be anyone he wanted, she always had been….


John was at his parent's room. He'd just knocked. He saw Derek and Riley approach. He looked at Riley with hungry eyes. He wanted to be with 'her' again. He reminded himself Riley wasn't Future Riley. It didn't really matter. She still was, even if she wasn't. Everything was the same. Everything was identical.

They exchanged pleasantries and said they were on the way to the commissary. He told them things were already underway.

The door opened and brought him back to reality. He did steal another quick glance at Riley from behind.

"I hope you won't look at me like that." Jan said. "That's unless we become Hillbillies."

Jan laughed.

John felt embarrassed. He tried not to take another look at Jan after her statement. He ended up doing it anyway. He quickly looked away. She was his sister.

"Mom and Claire just about have breakfast ready." John said.

Kyle appeared behind Jan.

"We were just about ready to leave." Kyle said.

The three of them headed for the commissary.


Savannah and Cameron shared with each other on and off. It really was like a honeymoon.

They watched the scenery at times as they sat side by side under the covered part of their balcony. They felt they were back deep enough in the shadows, and far enough away from shore, that no one would see they were naked as they sat in the lounge chairs.

Cameron thought of something she always wanted to do, besides Savannah.

"Is this what it's like to get away from it all?" Cameron asked.

Savannah looked down at their naked bodies and the hand she held. She looked at the lake, the forest, and mountains beyond. There was only the soft throb of the engines.

"I believe it is." Savannah said. "We don't have a care in the world right now."

John never even crossed Cameron's mind. She was content with where she was and with who she was with.

Cameron smiled.

"I thought so." Cameron said.

Savannah sipped an iced tea Cameron made for her.

"I feel rested…." Savannah said.

They quickly looked at each other. They kissed.

Cameron held the kiss as she picked Savannah up and carried her back inside to the bed. The sexual aspect of what they shared was beautiful. It was the emotional love and feeling from Savannah which she craved the most. It was love which was pure and true. It was the same love Savannah always offered her. She was a fool for not accepting her love years ago. Everything would have been different. She wanted Savannah just to hold her and kiss her. The simple touches meant so much. She could feel the love behind each of them.

Savannah wanted what they'd discussed earlier. She didn't want to leave Lake Tahoe a virgin. She wanted Cameron in a male chassis before they left. Even though there was nothing left after two children, she still wanted her first experience. She knew it would be her most special one if it was Cameron who shared with her first. She could feel her body respond at the very thought of it. It responded in ways it normally didn't respond to female love. She knew she was more than ready. Nature wanted to make sure everything went smoothly for her.


Lena and Tina continue to follow the progress of the white van from the drone above it at altitude. So far they hadn't been able to determine a destination.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Temporal Mission:

Past Timeline:

November 26 1963

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Cameron thought she'd better give Young Allison some advanced warning about what was going to occur.

"There's a train coming uphill towards us." Cameron said. "We're still going to be in the tunnel when it arrives."

Young Allison felt a little apprehension. She wanted to continue the journey.

"We should be able to get into one of the other alcoves without a problem." Young Allison said. "Let's keep moving."

Cameron heard the approaching train blow for the Chatsworth Street crossing. She tried to do some calculations. The train should be to Tunnel 28 in approximately two minutes. The uphill climb would start as soon as it exited Tunnel 28. The train would need to make the curve to the south and go up the grade through the big cut. It would be at Tunnel 27 in approximately six minutes. The locomotives would be through Tunnel 27 in approximately seven minutes. They should be able to see the headlight less than a minute afterwards. The locomotives should enter Tunnel 26 in approximately eight to nine minutes.

"Depending upon how much tonnage the train is hauling, and how much power is on the point, I believe it will be into the tunnel in less than ten minutes." Cameron said. "I believe we will be three alcoves away from exiting Tunnel 26."

Young Allison didn't think there was much they could do about it. She did find something which became increasingly irritating. It was the 'light at the end of the tunnel'. Since she'd been in darkness for so long, the light visible at the end of the tunnel almost seemed like a spotlight in her face. She tried to look at the ties, rather than towards the exit.

"The daylight bothers my eyes." Young Allison said. "I'm trying to concentrate on the ties. I noticed something about this half of the tunnel. There's a lot more water along the sides of it, especially the south side.

Cameron didn't think there was too much they could do about it.

"The light is the light." Cameron said. "When this tunnel was excavated, they hit a large natural spring. You could see evidence of other water leaching through the walls on the half behind us. This side has all of the water from the natural spring. It's here year round. It's especially worse after it rains. As you know, it doesn't rain much in Southern California.

There was enough light coming through the tunnel exit. Young Allison returned the flashlight back to Cameron. She put it into the backpack.

Cameron kept track of the time.

"I think we should wait at the next alcove." Cameron said. "I can hear the locomotives working hard uphill through the big cut. Several of them are turbocharged four cycle units. They are most likely U25B locomotives from General Electric."

Cameron didn't want to point out the General Electric locomotives would prove to be somewhat troublesome. Later in their service, she knew most of them sat on the 'dead line' at Taylor Yard, and the Bull Ring Yard, waiting for their leases to expire so they could be scrapped. There would be one entity of the railroad which would purchase the locomotives, and then lease it to the railroad proper. It was all a convoluted paper game to take advantage of the tax laws.

Young Allison wanted to make sure they were in the alcove when the train went by. The loose metal band on the last train was really something to think about. They soon reached it.

"Let's wait here for now." Young Allison said.

Cameron didn't think it would be a problem. There was no way to know. The ten minute time was up. So far she hadn't spotted the headlight. She could still hear the locomotives working hard. She began to wonder if maybe one or more of the units may have shut down. It happened from time to time. Even though General Electric had a long association with ALCO, most of their endeavor had been to supply electrical gear for the partnership. They did offer a line of switching locomotives on their own.

Southern Pacific currently operated multiple examples of the General Electric 44 Ton unit, as well as the 70 Ton unit. They'd even owned a 50 Ton unit which was used on the narrow gauge section of the eastern Sierra Nevada range. The narrow gauge line was originally 302 miles long. When one of the officials toured the line when it was built, he stated it was either 300 miles too long, or 300 years too early. He seemed to be right on both counts. Only a small section of the narrow gauge trackage was ever converted to standard gauge. The remaining section was accessed through Mojave. The rest of the route was abandoned or turned into a roadway. The Highway Department took over the cut they'd made through Montgomery Pass.

The time continued to pass. There was a delay.

"I think they're having a problem." Cameron said. "We can wait here, or try to make it to the next alcove. We can always continue on to it or retreat back to this one if we spot the headlight as it exits Tunnel 27."

Young Allison wanted to get out of the tunnel.

"Let's head for the next one." Young Allison said.

Cameron and Young Allison hurried along the tracks. There was a lot of water along the south side of the tracks. She could see the next alcove.

"It's just up ahead." Cameron said. "We will be to it in less than a minute"

Young Allison didn't like to look at the bright light coming in through the tunnel portal. She was nervous about the approaching train. She was relieved when they made it to the next alcove. She stood inside of it and looked around the corner of it towards the portal.

"Has there been any change?" Young Allison asked.

Cameron could still hear several turbocharged units in Run 8. It was the maximum throttle setting. It's what produced the most amount of electricity through the electrical system from the diesel engine. She figured the traction motors were probably overheating on several of the units by this point in time. The engines were taking a beating as well.

She began to wonder if they shouldn't try to make it to the next alcove. If they were able to make it, they would be very near the exit to the outside.

"Let's try to get to the next one." Cameron said. "If we make it, the next one will put us outside."

Young Allison felt her apprehension grow. She wanted to get out. If the train was having some type of problem, she didn't want to get blamed for it. She didn't doubt Cameron would terminate anyone who threatened them in any way.

"Let's get crackin'." Young Allison said.

She immediately exited the alcove before Cameron responded.

Cameron quickly followed her. She could hear it sounded different now. More than likely she would see the headlight soon after it exited Tunnel 27.

Young Allison could hear the locomotives much louder now. She saw what she didn't want to see. She saw the headlight as the train exited Tunnel 27.

"We need to hurry." Young Allison said.

Cameron believed they'd make it to the final alcove in time.

"We're good on time." Cameron said. "We'll be there before the train enters the tunnel."

Cameron could clearly see the lead locomotive. It was a U25B. She could see a lot of smoke billowing up into the air from one of the locomotives behind it. It was evidently having some type of a turbocharger issue. General Electric locomotives of the time period were always known for smoking. Later on, as California became more environmentally extreme, they would station someone at the state borders and fine the railroad every time a 'smoker' crossed into California. It led to General Electric units being banned from California and used on other parts of the system. Several decades later, the newer General Electric units were very reliable and powerful. They eventually dominated the entire locomotive market.

Young Allison could see the thick black smoke billowing out from one of the locomotives. She knew she was about to breathe it. They were going to make it to the next safety alcove, but they wouldn't be able to make it out before the train passed by them. She really hoped it didn't stall in the tunnel before it reached the apex.

"I'm going to get down low in the alcove when we reach it." Young Allison said. "I can see the air quality is about to get much worse."

Cameron knew the pollution level was about to be extreme. The general pollution level of the Los Angeles area would continue to grow for more than another decade. She remembered reading an account of the students being told to remain in the gym for physical education class instead of outside on the field. The smog would be so thick; the Santa Susana Mountains couldn't be seen from Devonshire Street. They were only a couple of miles away as the crow flies.

"I know you can hold your breath for a long time." Cameron said. "Take a big breath right as the lead locomotive starts to pass us. The exhaust stack on it is approximately three quarters of the way back. Hold your breath for as long as you can and let it out slowly. The locomotives should be well past us by then. The remainder of the exhaust hopefully will be sucked towards the direction the train is going."

Young Allison made it to the alcove. She quickly took one last look around the side of it. She could feel the pressure change in the tunnel as the lead locomotive entered. In just a few seconds, the sound level drastically increased as well. It was clear the running locomotives were struggling.

Cameron didn't believe the lead locomotive would reach them for more than a minute.


Sweet Dreams

There are many facets to life
It's certainly the way it seems
Everything is hard to control
It's often bursting at the seams

Some will take things too far
They push it to the extremes
They're wrapped up in themselves
With all their various schemes

When the tears start to flow
They will arrive in streams
Everything is soon tarnished
Nothing is left which gleams

Some give good lip service
They think it redeems
They still play things out
With their own themes

When the darkness comes
Will it be filled with screams
Will one feel happy and content
So they will experience sweet dreams

Nobody