Chapter 251

Skyscan

Earlier:

Sarah inquired about the recon mission Kyle went on with Derek and Jim. She was a little disturbed to hear the facts of what happened. She didn't like it because the female who reported seeing a 'UFO', and was adamant about what she saw, was put under a psychiatric hold for seventy-two hours. She understood what the female most likely viewed was an HK drone.

"I want her released from wherever she's at and everything related to what occurred erased." Sarah said.

Kyle didn't think he had much say over it.

"Some of the team will be out on a mission soon." Kyle said. "I drew back up duty with the helicopter and a force of Terminators. I recommend you talk to John Henry and he should be able to make most of it happen. Jim was going to follow up at the location. Maybe he can go get the female himself."

Sarah was tempted to get the female herself. She didn't like the fact someone was locked up for reporting the truth. Maybe the female actually believed it was a UFO. She didn't know what an HK drone was. Then again, they didn't know if it was in HK drone or not for sure.

More than likely the female would want to return to where she was at in the canyon since she tried to stay off of the grid. What would happen if they took her back there and the HK drone showed up again? If some version of Skynet was testing it, the female might present a live target to further test the HK drone on. It was a dilemma on what to do.

The female who made the report would clearly be safer in custody than she would be back under the bridge in the canyon. She also might get jammed further into the system if she remained adamant about seeing a UFO.

Savannah understood Sarah's concern for the female. Sheila was back. She thought maybe Sheila could deal with it herself. She didn't think Sarah should. Maybe both Sheila and Jim could go. She thought about it a little more. Maybe she could go as well. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. Cameron might become upset if she assigned herself to an away mission. The possibility existed the female was actually mentally disturbed.

It seemed the best thing to do would be to let the Terminators handle it. She went with Sarah and talked to John Henry about it. John Henry didn't think they should get involved. Sarah was adamant they should. Savannah backed her up.

John Henry was a little hesitant to take up the issue. When Savannah made it clear it was what she wanted as well, he decided to act. Maybe it was when Savannah said she was going to go with Sarah and get the female out. He understood it was time to do something.

He changed all of the records and ordered the female should be immediately released. Everything related to the incident was erased from the official records. They reviewed the surveillance cameras as the female was released.

Sarah nodded at Savannah.

Savannah gave her a wink. She collected Sheila. There were a few things she wanted to take care of as well.

The Resistance team was ready to act. The target was a new firm working on an AI to control weapons systems for the Navy. It was called Skyscan. It was an offshoot of Skyshield from the Air Force. Both were warmed over Skynet programs. The Resistance group knew Skynet was behind them directly, indirectly, or would take over them soon enough.

John Henry repeatedly sent viruses out to confuse, slow down, and mislead the programs before locking them down. He always made it look like the people behind them were incompetent and amateurs. Now the games were over. It was time to shut down the company, and any workers foolish enough to still be around.

The two teams arrived ten minutes after the first drone. It scanned the facility while the second drone scouted the surrounding area for any threats or ambushes. It made wider and wider sweeps. It returned periodically to see if anything changed. There were no enemy Terminators spotted. Leading up to the attack, there were drones sent every night for several day at different times and from different directions. They didn't want to set up a pattern if the drones were spotted. They didn't want them to seem like a direct threat if they were detected.

Derek and Steve cut the power going into the structure. Jesse and Gail watched their six. John, Bob and the two 'girls' moved into position to enter the facility. Cameron was on the other side about to enter.

The building was left over from the 'Cold War' era. It operated until the late Seventies when the whole aerospace industry entered into a decline mostly predicated by the failed and disastrous government administration in relation to the defense of the nation. Embassy takeovers further added to the decline of the nation during the same time period. It was clear the 'weak' President at the time, wouldn't act to defend the nation or its citizens who worked for it abroad.

The President during the time period previously was a submarine commander. He stated he wouldn't have launched his nuclear missiles if he was given a direct order to do so. It was clear he wouldn't protect the nation going forward when he was President. The military wanted something which would act on its own. The groundwork of a 'hands off' defense of the nation is what led to the creation of Skynet.

The President at the time was clearly responsible for the creation of Skynet by his professed intentions to not respond to a nuclear attack in a like manner. He believed the nation ran its course and didn't matter if it was obliterated. He lost the next election in a landslide. People wanted to feel protected. It seemed to be a case of, 'be careful what you wish for'.

The teams made their way inside of the building. Much of the machinery was shoved into the corners of the building for years as they tried to use the structure for other things. Skynet seemed to know about the building. Skyscan was created and sprang up inside of it. Much of the old machinery was moved back into place and put back to work. The work was about to come to an end tonight.

John's team moved in. The battery powered lights were on. There were some workers milling about. They seemed confused as to what went wrong. None of their phones worked as John Henry jammed all communications. Steve and Derek followed Cameron in while Jesse and Gail remained outside.

Bob, Steve and Cameron took the lead. They were to terminate as many people as they could silently.

Jesse loaned Derek her silenced pistol. She liked the extra 'reach' it gave her over her knife. She still liked to use her knife. It was a personal way to say 'hello' to someone. She knew 'in close' her knife was better than a gun. There was never a miss or a body part hit which wouldn't incapacitate a foe. The blade found its way to a vital organ and 'ended it'. She still thought the silenced pistol was a nice touch.

"Don't lose it, love, it's my favorite." Jesse told Derek.

Derek briefly reflected on their past association.

'I thought I was.' Derek almost said.

He remembered otherwise and didn't go there. It was over now. Everyone moved on. Memories still lingered and suggested false hope at times.

"I won't." Derek said. "I'm respectful of other people's property. It should be evident by now. I guess we both are."

Derek and Jesse shared a look of understanding for a moment. Life moved on.

On the way over, Derek and Jesse caught up on some small talk. They never reminisced about the old days. Both of them moved on and what was done was over. It's how it was in their future. Relationships never seemed to last too long before someone ended up missing, captured, killed, or dead.

Derek and Riley were content.

Jesse was happy with Gail and Vanna. At least in this timeline for now she was. Everyday was a new day.

Derek saw some movement and fired one silenced round. There was a grunt and the sound of a body falling.

Steve moved toward it. There was a 'snapping' and 'crunching' sound. He indicated it was clear. Cameron moved off to one side as they advanced through the building.

Cameron found three targets. The first was a Gray who tried to stalk them. He carried an AK-47. She was disgusted with the inferior weapon he carried. It lacked accuracy. He tried to make his way around them. She spotted him and cornered him near a giant lathe. She moved around the back of the lathe and came up on the front side of it right in front of the Gray. She pulled the AK-47 out of the man's hands. She slammed her right fist into his head. It snapped his neck.

There was a second Gray who tried to track Cameron. She moved off from the main group to intercept the first Gray. Every time he thought he could get a shot lined up, she moved. It didn't register on him she must be a Terminator to keep avoiding him so easily.

He heard the struggle by the lathe and knew he had her now. He moved around the back of the lathe with his AK-47 and was ready to fire. The only one there was his friend. He was dead on the ground. Something slammed into his back and he collapsed forward and fell on top of his friend. He was unable to move. He stared his dead friend in the face. Even in the dim light he could clearly make out a 'fist print' on the side of his face. He knew he was about to die.

Cameron heard the second Gray stalk her. She was ready for him after the first Gray was terminated. She moved right up in back of him and punched him hard in the spine. She fractured it and severed his spinal cord. He was an instant Quadriplegic. She could see he was near death. He couldn't breathe or even scream. Only his head was still alive as he fell to the ground. She thought how peaceful the two Grays looked on the floor on top of each other. She stomped hard on his neck and snapped it. His head was now at a crazy angle to his body. She moved on.

She spotted the third Gray as he came out of hiding and tried to run. He was armed so he was still a threat. He could still turn and fire at any moment. Currently his actions were governed by panic.

The third Gray only chose the Skynet lifestyle for all the perks it offered to be a Gray in the future. He liked having first crack at the female prisoners before they entered the work camps. It was something all the Grays looked forward to. He liked when they took a female prisoner. The more she fought, the more they beat her. Some didn't even survive the initial abuse. It always brought complaints from the other ones. They would toss her remains into the holding tank anyway when they were done. There was always some additional abuse which occurred, even after she was dead.

It never ceased to amaze him how low the morons who supported the Resistance, or chose to live in the Wastelands as Scavengers were. It was why he chose the easy life with Skynet. If those imbeciles wanted to live a life of squalor and on the run, it was their problem, not his. He wanted to go with the winning team.

Now here he was and they were being attacked. He wasn't going to fight. Instead he hoped to escape. He was tired of Skynet anyway. It seemed to be a lost cause at this point. He spotted some movement across the workroom floor but didn't shoot. He didn't have a clean shot. He was worried all he would do is draw return fire and pinpoint his location. He was in no hurry to get his ticket punched.

There was some commotion and snapping sounds by the big lathe. It sounded like something to get away from. He didn't stop to help or even investigate. He crawled out of his hiding spot and he made for the exit. It was time to make for the hills. It was every man for themselves. If his side won the battle, he would come back and join it. If they didn't, it was time to move on.

Cameron caught the movement and went to intercept the fleeing figure. He didn't look like he was going to join the fight but he still carried a weapon. He was a threat. She didn't want him to get outside in back of Jesse or Gail. It was the general direction his escape route currently took him.

The third Gray could see he was almost to the door to get outside. He was going to keep running and not look back. He was done being a flunky. There were a couple of options for his future. The female who appeared in front of him right now wasn't one of them.

Cameron spotted the exit the man was heading for. She hoped to take him alive. Since he was a coward, he might be willing to divulge some information before his termination. She pulled his AK-47 away from him and picked him up by the throat as she lifted him off of the floor.

He managed to pull a knife out from somewhere and he made a failed attempt to slash her face. She used her other hand to grab his hand with the knife. She made sure the knife stayed in his hand. She raised his hand with the knife to slash his face instead. She wanted him to feel what it was like. The knife made contact on his forehead and dipped into his eye socket. He tried to scream but couldn't since she held his throat tight. She noticed most of his right eye was on the end of the knife now.

She closed her hand tight and crushed everything in his throat into pulp. She dropped him to the floor. He no longer moved. She figured he got off easy for attempting to damage her face.

All three of the Grays were now neutralized. She made her way towards the 'Clean Room'. She wasn't sure what she would find. Whatever it was, she would terminate it.

John's team cleared out the south side of the building. Bob took down three targets as well. The two girls were on John's six. Hanna dropped back some while Ally was right in back of John. John still didn't seem to notice it wasn't Vanna and Allison. Then again, it was the whole point of an infiltration unit.

Bob moved ahead.

A figure popped up on the side of John and opened fire.

Ally quickly moved to the side of John to shield him.

John could feel the bullets hit her body.

Hanna fired and the man went down.

John could only imagine the worst.

"Allison!" John said very worried.

He knew she just took rounds meant for him. She seemed unaffected.

Ally figured it was time to end the charade. They were in the shooting stage of the operation. It was time John knew the score. She also wanted him to be aware of the serious situation he just survived, thanks to her.

"It's Ally, John, not Allison. If it was, you would both be dead." Ally said.

John looked her over again real fast. She looked like Allison. She didn't look like Cameron. She lacked the refined stunning beauty look. He needed to make sure of what she just indicated.

"Ally?" John asked, still confused. "I thought you were Allison."

Ally was a little upset John didn't say she looked like Cameron. Then again, no one ever said it to her. The 'Neural Interface' with Allison only affirmed her natural beauty wasn't to be flaunted. Beauty always brought trouble in the future. It would often escalate to some type of abuse. It was best not to be noticed in the future.

John could see her arm was damaged and some metal showed on the side of her cheek. He was very concerned now.

Ally could tell John was worried about her. She wanted to put his fears to rest. She was very displeased with the damage. She didn't like to have damage to her face. None of the female Terminators did. Right now she didn't want John to worry about her.

"I'm one hundred percent functional." Ally said.

Now John wondered about Vanna. Vanna seldom accompanied them on operations where there was combat. Allison always insisted she remain in a support operation and she would take the position instead. Now he didn't know who it was.

"Vanna?" John asked as looked back.

Hanna thought 'the cat was out of the bag'. There was no need to continue the infiltration procedure. They were in a serious stage of the operation.

"I'm Hanna." Hanna said with a smile.

Hanna scanned the area for additional threats. She then checked Ally over for anything other than cosmetic damage. There was no mechanical damage, it was only superficial. She could see Ally was upset with the damage to her sheath. She didn't want Ally to dwell on it. She quietly reminded Ally all the parts which 'counted' were good to go. She would spend some time on them later on when the operation was over. It seemed to make Ally worry less about what happened.

John was upset they fooled him. He was impressed at how much they acted like the real girls. He knew Cameron was behind it to protect him. Cameron saved his life again, and made her point. He recalled Cameron said she could make a Terminator version of him. Maybe it was something to think about.

He remembered his mother wasn't impressed with the idea. He did believe it could have some merit. Since he needed to worry about Skynet and the anti-Metal faction, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a 'double'. He didn't think it would be a bad idea to have a Terminator version of his mother either. If anything happened to her, the Terminator version of her would be able to be with Kyle and Jan. It wouldn't be the same, but it would be better than nothing.

Derek and Steve continued on when Cameron went to engage the three Grays. They were in a firefight. Steve was hit several times.

Cameron joined with Bob and they moved in to flank the attackers and ended the threat.

"Go back to John." Cameron said to Bob.

John Henry came over the com and said the drones picked up several cars. They were about to arrive with what appeared to be additional help for the enemy. John directed Derek and Steve to go back out to help. Cameron joined up with John and told Bob and Hanna to go out the other side to help.

John advanced with Ally and Cameron. One was on each side of him. Cameron was slightly ahead, and Ally was slightly in back of him. He stole several quick glances at Ally and Cameron. He couldn't help but think they possessed identical bodies or sheaths, only the chip was different. Ally still looked like Allison, while Cameron always looked Tight. He wondered if Cameron already played any 'games' with him and Ally…. He really wouldn't be surprised after the other run-ins they experienced over things related to 'sharing'.

He didn't think he was going to complain again if Cameron tried to pull a fast one. It really didn't seem like it would be such a big deal. Maybe it would actually make it more exciting if Ally didn't run Cameron's program. Maybe it would be like doing it with Allison. He didn't want to worry about it. Cameron was going to do whatever she was going to do and no one would be able to stop her.

John did wonder if Cameron was his 1999 Cameron. She indicated there could be several of her. Ally was a one hundred percent physical copy. He was told they both shared the same DNA. Were there others who contained a copy of Cameron's chip? Were any of them 'with' him and he didn't know? He wouldn't put it past Cameron, especially after he rejected Isabel-Cameron. She told him she accepted his 'challenge' to be fooled by her. He didn't think he actually issued a 'challenge' to her. It seemed to be the way she perceived it rather than what he actually intended.

Cameron could see John was distracted. It was why she liked him at the base. Ally was damaged now because he was inattentive earlier. She was glad John wasn't injured. She knew Ally would be upset about her damage. She wanted John to focus a little better before she ended up with some damage herself. If she was damaged, she wouldn't even be able to borrow Ally's chassis with a chip swap. It was already damaged.

"John, I need you to pay attention." Cameron said. "We're in a combat zone."

Cameron was displeased even more now because John was along. It didn't seem like his head was in the game. It was dangerous out in the field. Most of the enemy they encountered were willing to fight. So far only one of them proved to be a coward. When he was cornered, he tried to fight. She remembered how close the blade came to her cheek.

John was aware he let his mind wander. It was a good way to end up hurt or worse. He thought of the damage to Ally.

"I'm sorry." John said.

He could tell Cameron was really displeased with him right now. Maybe he could give Ally a 'whirl' if the opportunity arose….

Cameron could see John wasn't at one hundred percent for a combat operation. She was sure it would lead to her being damaged at some point. It wasn't anything she looked forward to. They soon neared what she wanted to find.

"Stay out here and watch." Cameron said as she went into the 'Clean Room'.

John Henry alerted the team to three vehicles which were headed in their direction. The teams outside were ready for them. He decided he wouldn't use the drones unless it became necessary. There could still be more enemy personnel on the way.

Gail unslung her M79 and fired a HE round into the second car as it pulled in back of the first car. The round exploded inside of it. The first car was trapped now. It's retreat was blocked. Jesse opened up on the first car with her M4. Derek and Steve fired into both cars as Gail fired a second HE round and hit the first car. Three withering burning bodies managed to get out of the two cars and died where they fell. There were plenty of bullets to end their suffering.

Bob and Hanna engaged a third car which arrived on their side of the building. They both emptied their M4's into it and moved in on it to see if anyone survived. A lone figure crawled out of the car. Hanna grabbed him and slammed him against the wall and held him there while Bob checked the car.

The situation outside was under control and they'd apprehended one wounded prisoner to interrogate. Bob and Steve reentered the building. Jesse, Derek, Gail and Hanna kept watch outside.

Jesse was thrilled to see they procured a 'live one'. She wanted to get some information. She knew just how to do it. She thought about her encounter with the mean girls the other day. The 'old Jesse' showed back up very quickly then. The 'old Jesse' showed back up now as well.

"Derek, keep watch." Jesse said as she pulled her knife out. "Gail and Hanna, hold him down while I ask him a few questions."

Jesse hadn't done a 'personal interrogation' in awhile….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

You've Been Distracted

You know it's to you
That I've become attracted
But whenever I've added
It seems you've subtracted

It appears to me
The more I have reacted
That for some reason
The goal becomes protracted

As I've expanded
It seems you've contracted
The more I've expressed
The more you've redacted

The choices you make
On more than one are impacted
What was once clear
Has become abstracted

Look what you're doing
The way you have acted
You're making mistakes
You've been distracted

Nobody