Chapter 85

Hang On

Allison knew she needed to act. Cameron and Jesse needed help.

"My turn…." Allison said.

Allison continued her slide into the burning building. When she dodged Ed, it caused her to lose her M4 as he grabbed for her to stop her. It clattered across the cement floor away from her and disappeared under some machinery. She was afraid Ed would grab her and physically restrain her. She didn't want to be prevented from going to help Cameron. She kept moving to avoid being stopped. Ed would have nabbed her if it wasn't for the new threat which developed.

Ed couldn't follow her because he needed to help Derek with the new Terminator threat. It was of greater concern to the operation at the moment. It was the immediate threat. They needed to prevent any more hostile Terminators from entering the building or fighting them.

Since the threat on the inside of the building was unknown, other than there was more than one Terminator, they didn't want to be sandwiched between two groups of hostile Terminators.

Allison heard several explosions as soon as she entered the burning building. She could feel the concussion waves. There was a raging fire burning on one side of the structure. The roaring inferno was punctuated with intermittent explosions. The air was thick with smoke. It seemed to get thicker by the second. There was limited visibility and it was difficult to breathe. She tried to stay low as she advanced. She hoped to avoid the thicker smoke and flying shrapnel.

She hoped Ed and Derek would be able to handle the new Terminator threat. She didn't want hostile Terminators both in front and in back of her. It was bad enough she was under armed now. The thick smoke prevented her from having a good view of what was in front of her. She understood it wouldn't inhibit a Terminator. They would be able to use different vision spectrums to 'see through' the smoke.

Allison looked around as she advanced. There was some movement off to the side. She pulled her Coltan loaded Model 66 out and advanced on the position. The ever increasing volume of smoke made it harder to see and breathe by the second. She was ready to engage any target she came across. It didn't matter if it was a Terminator or not.

'Hang on Cameron.' Allison thought as she advanced.

She was unsure what awaited her. With fire, explosions, and Terminators around her, it would be nothing good. It was the unknown. She was going to find Cameron. She knew she needed to find Cameron. It was all that mattered. She hoped to be able to find Jesse as well.

Coming face to face with three Terminators wasn't an exciting prospect. She moved ahead anyway. Cameron needed help. Nothing would stop her until she found Cameron. She didn't plan to leave without her.

John joined Sarah and Kyle as Jim moved forward to reinforce Ed. Derek joined them soon afterwards. Jim and Ed dealt with the new Terminator threat. It looked like it would be resolved soon. Their team had been able to strike first.

Derek scanned the area around them.

"Things went bad fast." Derek said.

It seemed to be the usual way things went for the group.

"Doesn't it always?" John answered somewhat disgustedly.

Kyle looked around.

"Where's Allison?" Kyle asked.

Derek was still upset with what happened.

"She went in after Cameron." Derek said. "She went inside the building."

It sounded fatal to Sarah. They needed to help her. She knew their Terminators would need to assist them.

"Allison went into the burning building?" Sarah asked. "We need Ed and Jim to go in after them, now."

Allison wasn't the only one missing.

"What about Jesse?" Kyle asked.

It bothered Derek greatly. Jesse was with Cameron. It should be a 'plus'.

"It's still an unknown." Derek responded. "There was nothing else after the call for help. We lost any further communication."

John was worried about Cameron and the others. He was tired of waiting. He felt it was his 'duty' to respond. He understood the rules, but the rules were open to interpretation.

"We need to go after them." John said. "I'm going myself."

Another vehicle pulled into the parking lot. It was clear there was more trouble on the way.

"Not so fast." Sarah warned. "Here comes some more Grays or Terminators."

The new threat needed their immediate attention. The four warriors sprung into action.

John looked back at the burning building as another explosion rocked it. The current fight was there now with the new threat. It was right in front of them. They needed to make sure those inside the burning building could get out. They didn't want them to be pinned down or trapped inside of it by the new group of Skynet operatives.

Allison moved forward. Her Model 66 tracked in front of her. She searched for a target, but hoped she didn't find one. It would slow her down if it was a Gray. If it was a Terminator, maybe she would be terminated. She'd faced death before. If she fell in the just cause of helping a loved one, so be it. The cards would land where they fell.

A burning timber crashed near her. Sparks and embers flew in all directions. The heat was intense. It was much hotter than she imagined. The heat alone felt like it would kill her. The smoke blinded and choked her as she moved. Maybe the lack of oxygen would bring her down. She briefly thought of turning back. There didn't appear to be a way forward.

It was time to make a choice. It was a hard choice.

'I'm coming out with Cameron, or I'm not coming out.' Allison told herself.

She better understood some of the extreme actions of Cameron now. When something needed to be done, it needed to be done. Whoever was there was the one who needed to do it. She was the one there. She needed to do it.

There was another explosion off to her left side. She ducked down as she heard metal hit metal around her as shrapnel flew. A piece hit her vest with a heavy thud. She hoped there would only be a bruise there. Maybe the shrapnel made it through, it sure hurt. She pushed on ahead. She didn't have time to look. She didn't have time to bleed.

Allison saw movement ahead of her. She felt her heartbeat quicken, she didn't think it was possible. Her heart already seemed it was about to beat out of her chest. She held a firm grip on her Model 66 as she advanced toward the movement in the smoke. Cameron needed help and she was coming to help her. She was ready to fight if she needed to. There would be no retreat at this point. Withdrawal wasn't an option.

She was somewhat relieved as she spotted Jesse dragging Cameron along the floor. They were just ahead of a wall of flames following them. A burning timber would fall behind them every few seconds. There was a lot of burning debris and embers in the air. If they weren't moving, they would be inside the raging inferno in seconds. It seemed to be closing on them. The heat was intense. She never imagined it could be so hot.

There was another explosion behind Jesse and Cameron. Jesse turned away from the blast. Something burning hit, and stuck, to the back of her vest. It caused her to stagger. The back of her vest started to burn. It may have been red hot shrapnel from the last explosion. She fell to her knees and slipped out of the burning vest. She stood and teetered some as she started to pull Cameron along the floor again.

Jesse only thought of going back out the way they'd entered the building. All of her focus was on that one goal. She needed to get back outside with Cameron. The smoke and heat were about to consume her for good. She still pulled Cameron along the ground anyway. She wasn't going to abandon Cameron to the flames.

The smoke was intense. The heat was incredible. She understood the smoke, but it was the heat which amazed her. How could it possibly be so hot? She was sure the fire was consuming the oxygen, as much as it was affecting the air with the thick smoke. She needed to keep moving. It was one foot in front of the other.

Jesse was unaware Allison was in front of her.

Allison could see Jesse slow down some. She didn't want to give away her position, but Jesse need some 'hope'.

"Jesse!" Allison shouted. "I'm right here. I'm in front of you. Don't stop. I'm coming."

Allison took one quick look around to make sure it was clear. She holstered her Model 66 and grabbed Cameron's other arm. It was clear Jesse was about to go down.

"Jesse, how bad is Cameron hurt?" Allison asked. "How bad are you hurt?"

Jesse was relieved to see there was someone to help Cameron out. She needed to rest.

"Allison, get her out. You must save Cameron." Jesse gasped and then collapsed. "I'm 'done', keep going. It's all right. Don't worry about me."

John and his group would need to engage the small group of Grays who arrived.

They wanted to wait for the vehicle to come a little closer. They didn't want to disable it too far away from the building. There was a chance someone inside of it could escape.

The vehicle stopped about a hundred feet from the burning building.

Kyle and Derek fired at the vehicle to disable it.

John and Sarah fired into the passenger's compartment.

The vehicle was at a slight angle. One of the rear doors opened on the far side. Everyone needed to reload except for Sarah. She kept part of her magazine in reserve. She was to be able to cover the target while the others reloaded. It was exactly what she did right now.

So far there hadn't been any return fire from the vehicle.

Derek and Kyle moved to flank the vehicle in case anyone else attempted to get out of it.

There was some concern whoever was able to get out of the vehicle might be a Terminator. There hadn't been any return fire or any attempt to advance on their location.

Derek and Kyle were in position. Everyone opened up on the Gray. As they reloaded they could hear Ed and Jim fighting their battle on the other side.

It was clear their fight seemed to get worse. It was evident they were dealing with a hostile Terminator.

John heard the pig open up.

Jim and Ed encountered stiff resistance. There'd been a lot of return fire.

The Coltan loaded M60 ended the threat.

The Terminator fell.

Jim soon returned. There were several explosions where Ed was at.

"The Terminator is terminated." Ed stated as he appeared.

"The Grays are terminated as well." Jim said.

They looked at the building. One side was a raging inferno with intermittent explosions going off inside.

Things didn't look good for those still inside the building.

John was ready to go in anyway. Derek and Kyle stopped him. It didn't appear a human could survive inside there at this point.

Jim could see how dire the situation was.

"You four must remain here." Jim said. "If you don't, we must remain here to make sure you do as well."

John knew it was the same thing Bob told him earlier.

"You need to get them out." John said. "You need to get them out no matter what's happened."

Sarah gripped Kyle's arm at John's words. It sounded very grim and final to her. She believed she could control the others.

"I'll make sure everyone stays here." Sarah said. "Take care of it."

Ed could see it was going to be touch and go.

"We have it covered." Ed said as they took off.

Sarah took John's arm with her other hand. No words were spoken.

John could see the hopelessness of the situation. He at least hoped their Terminators would make it out at some point. He wondered what Cameron and the others would look like with their sheaths burnt away. He pushed those thoughts from his mind and refocused. There was a job which needed to be done. It was their job to stop Skynet. It was what they did.

"Let's keep the perimeter secure and watch for any additional threats." John said. "We still have our Terminators who need to come out of the building."

Everyone noticed he didn't include Allison and Jesse.

There was another explosion in the building. About a third of it collapsed in a shower of sparks.

No one else mentioned Allison or Jesse either.

Allison grabbed Jesse's and Cameron's wrists and started to drag them both as best as she could. She was bent over almost double to get enough traction and leverage to drag both of them. Even down that low, the smoke was thicker than fog. She hoped she didn't lose her way. It was hard to see anything at this point. She was concerned she was going to get turned around and start going the wrong way. Even if she was able to find the right way, it was questionable as to how far she would be able to go.

It was a struggle. Allison wasn't going to leave either of the women behind. She considered the fact none of them may get out. Her earlier thoughts came back into her mind.

'The cards would land where they fell.' Allison thought again and kept dragging both women.

Allison reflected on the fact sometimes the hard choice was the right choice.

It was only a few more seconds before she was down on her knees. She was sure she was going to pass out. She wouldn't let go of Jesse or Cameron. They were all coming out, or none of them were.

There was movement on two sides of her. It could only be a Terminator at this point. The Terminators Cameron fought must have tracked them. She was aware there were several Terminators closing in on her. The time to run was over. She coughed and choked violently.

Allison pulled her Model 66 and prepared to engage the threat. She moved between Cameron and Jesse to protect them as best as she could.

It was time to fight. She needed to make it count. She raised her Model 66 to engage the targets. She was glad to hear a familiar voice. It was very distinctive.

"Allison, I'm here." Bob said as he started to scoop her up. "More help is coming soon."

Allison was still mobile. She wasn't done yet. If Bob took Jesse and her, he would need to leave Cameron. The flames were rapidly approaching. She didn't want Cameron to be incinerated.

"Take Cameron and go." Allison said. "I've got Jesse. We're not done yet."

Bob hesitated for a moment. He picked up Cameron and started out.

"Follow me." Bob said.

Allison put her Model 66 back and staggered to her feet. She kept pulling Jesse. It should be easier only dragging one of them. Somehow it was even more difficult. It was because she was exhausted and oxygen deprived. The smoke affected her vision and breathing. The heat was unbearable. It felt like she was going to melt.

Jesse's eyes opened. She thought for a moment Cameron was up. She quickly realized it wasn't Cameron. It was Allison. She could feel the intense heat. The smoke was thick. She knew Allison needed to get out now.

"Leave me, love…. Please save yourself." Jesse gasped. "I'm not worth it."

Allison looked at the approaching flames. She knew they wouldn't make it out. She could barely even breathe anymore. She lost track of Bob somewhere during the process.

"I won't leave you, Jesse." Allison gasped.

Allison again collapsed to her knees but kept pulling Jesse.

Jim and Ed entered the other side of the building. They were able to hear Bob, Jesse and Allison. They knew where to go.

Allison was on her knees dragging Jesse when they found them. It was evident Allison could leave Jesse and try and save herself. She didn't do it. Even as she was dying from the heat and smoke, she continued to assist Jesse.

It was a sight they wouldn't forget. It was human perseverance, even in the face of defeat. The strength of love and compassion was very powerful for something which was unseen. It was something that existed, even if it couldn't be touched or viewed. Wait, they could 'see' it now in Allison's actions.

Bob lifted Cameron and moved away a few seconds ago.

Jim picked Allison up. Ed grabbed Jesse. They made it out as the remainder of the building detonated and then collapsed a few seconds later.

Cameron rebooted.

Allison and Jesse gasped for air. They coughed and choked terribly.

The three females were covered with soot and small burns in several locations on their clothing. Jesse received several tiny shrapnel wounds. She showed some blood here and there on her.

They were all out and they all made it.

Bob picked up Allison. Cameron picked up Jesse. The team returned to their concealed vehicles and left. John and Kyle cooled Allison with drinking water. Sarah and Derek did the same for Jesse.

Cameron would later review John Henry's after action report. With the com traffic, and body cam footage, she was able to put it all together to determine what happened when she went down.

She shut down after an electrical generator slammed into her. It then shocked her as she became tangled in the wiring. It wasn't until one of the secondary explosions when the generator was blown free, and the shocking stopped. She needed to go through the full reboot process.

It was when Jesse held her before she started to drag her away from the flames when she spotted a way out. Jesse made the choice to forfeit her chance of saving herself to try to save her instead. She was able to view Allison's actions as well. She wouldn't forget what these two women did for her and each other. They were willing to risk death to save her and each other.

Cameron was proud of Jesse and Allison. Both women were more than worthy of John.

She knew she would be leaving John in good hands….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Hang On

When two hearts are awakened
What is it really that makes them drawn
To face an unknown future together
As they try to create a new dawn

Is it true feeling and emotion
That allows this love to spawn
Or is something more sinister
Making it all a big con

Everyone seeks something more
They hope it's not a put-on
They don't want to be left broken
Feeling like a worthless peon

Even if it starts out beautifully
Isn't the ending already foregone
One is soon played like a pawn
Left feeling like an imbecilic moron

It matters not one's lexicon
When the other is gone
One becomes isolated and withdrawn
Woebegone abounds as they try to hang on

Nobody