Chapter 327

Colonel Connor

Cameron gave the men directions to run them around. She wanted to buy some time to get Hanna and Sheila into position to join her. Hanna was briefed and knew she would play 'Colonel Savannah Connor'. Sheila would play 'Jesse Flores'. It was a gamble she was willing to take the risk. The people could be part of the anti-Metal faction who knew Future Jesse. It meant they were a threat to John, and all of them were 'Metal Lovers'.

She was 'banished' from Future John's side because of people like them. She intended to settle the score and get some payback. People like them cost her dearly and hurt her deeply. She still felt the effects of the trauma as if it just occurred. Her left hand still glitched from time to time, she kept it out of view.

Cameron didn't want to get sidetracked in the past, the future. There were enough current demons to deal with. She didn't know if the group was there to hunt John. It was possible they could try to do the same thing Skynet attempted. There was also a chance they were there to complete Future Jesse's mission. They could be after Savannah and Young Allison as well. She felt the glitch in her left hand increase. She needed to focus on the current threat.

She grilled the leader on how long they were there and what they were doing. It turned out they were only in the past for a few weeks. She wasn't sure she bought their explanation. She wanted to know what their mission was. None of it added up or made sense.

Cameron didn't like the answers she received. She casually bushed the leader's neck and determined he was lying to her. She wondered what if anything was true. The anti-Metal group was deceitful by nature and definition. They were of subversive force within the Resistance. If their goals were ever achieved, they would drive humanity back into the Stone Age.

She knew the people only dug their graves deeper and faster with each lie. She could set Sheila to 'work' on them. She would gladly look the other way to make them suffer. She felt she suffered enough because of people just like them. They ruined her life twice with their manipulation and deeds. She needed to think of all of the facts. Since John knew about the operation, it would be best to terminate them. He didn't approve of the 'enhanced interrogation' which would be performed on them.

John and John Henry listened as Cameron questioned the man.

John Henry monitored the man's voice modulations.

"He's lying to Cameron." John Henry said. "Cameron will know it as well."

John knew it always angered Cameron when she was lied to.

The question remained as to who were the Grays and who was the anti-Metal faction. They could be both or neither. Maybe they actually infiltrated each other. Cameron told him it was often the case in the future. Each group put spies in the other's camp.

It was still unknown as to what both of the groups were doing before their team encountered them. It always meant there were more of them somewhere. It was always more trouble waiting to happen. There was always another threat out there. This appeared to be several additional threats.

It seemed they still faced not only the threat from Skynet in multiple timelines, but the anti-Metal faction as well. It was probably also from multiple timelines. The anti-Metal faction viewed the cooperation of using reprogrammed Skynet 'equipment' as treason. They viewed 'Metal Lovers' as the enemy. They would view anyone with a 'Metal lover' as the worst form of traitor.

John hoped to get some better answers. He was a little concerned as to what Cameron might do. He was aware Sheila was ready to join up with Cameron once Hanna arrived. He wanted to know more about the group.

"Can we backtrack any of the people?" John asked. "Can we tell where they came from?"

There were several options open to John Henry. They were all techniques which were used before. He knew John was concerned about what Cameron may do for answers. There were standard law enforcement techniques he could use to at least get a general idea.

"We should be able to get some data from their phones." John Henry said. "I will trace back the cell tower 'pings' if nothing else. I will give us the area most often used to start our search at."

John figured the Terminator was Skynet related in some way.

"The Terminator was the biggest threat." John said.

John thought about it a little more. Maybe the HK drone was a greater threat. No. It was the Terminator. The Terminator could walk right up to them. The HK drone needed to be directed by someone on where to go and what to look for. It was a puppet. The Terminator was a player.

John Henry knew where to start. He would need to get the phones and electronic devices first, including the chip from the Terminator and the HK drone.

"I may be able to get some information from his chip or the Grays our drone took down at the ambush site." John Henry said. "It's if they weren't too badly damaged."

John Henry hoped to be able to pinpoint a location if possible. He would check into everything about it. He would see when an increase in electrical or water usage at the location occurred. He was aware it was easier to bypass the electrical meter than it was to bypass the water meter. Both of them still could be done to hide what was really going on.

It was unknown as to what lengths they were willing to go to hide. If they really were only back a couple of weeks, he didn't think they would have doctored anything yet. He would need to wait for the information to get started.

Cameron received word Hanna and Sheila were in place. They awaited her arrival with the 'convoy'.

She told the leader to have his vehicles stop as her associates were now there. She greeted her two female Terminator friends. The sight of Sheila as 'Jesse' didn't seem to raise any recognition. She mentioned it was too bad Sheila and Hanna couldn't come along.

Hanna and Sheila went on instant alert. Cameron just indicated to them they were about to be Terminators for the mission. It meant they would most likely need to terminate everyone.

Sheila couldn't help but feel a slight rush of excitement at the thought. She understood the enemy they were about to deal with was different from the 'off the books' operations. John didn't approve of the 'enhanced interrogation' techniques she employed with the drug and sex trafficking groups.

John Henry monitored the feed. He sent information for the drone to target the lead vehicle. Sheila and Hanna each got into the two trailing vehicles.

John would have preferred to have all of the female Terminators together. He understood Cameron wanted to spread them out so they could have better control of the situation. He needed to think about the group they dealt with. They might have ways to bring down a Terminator if it was something they routinely hunted. It was what the group was after when they became involved. He just wondered if there was a bigger ploy in the works.

"I don't like this at all." John said. "I think these people are stalking us. I don't want to get 'set up'."

John Henry couldn't pick up anything positive from the leader of this group.

"Yes. I agree. They don't seem to be Grays, but are from the anti-Metal faction." John Henry said.

John decided to take a risk. He figured he would need to answer to Cameron later on about it. Cameron told him it was his place to lead from the Command Center. He decided to do exactly what she indicated. He would make the tough call now and deal with the consequences later.

"Send the two drones from the Details to come and assist. They're both fully armed." John said. "Put the Details on highest alert."

John Henry hoped he hadn't 'jumped the gun'. It was action he took through his server a short time ago.

"I already did it when Cameron said it was 'too bad Sheila and Hanna couldn't come'." John Henry said. "I knew you would request it. Cameron indicated things were going to go hot."

John hoped maybe he would draw a little less heat now since John Henry acted about thirty seconds before his request. He fell under the circumstances it was the right thing to do. Evidently John Henry determined it was the most logical thing to do. As long as the protection was adequate at the two Detail locations, he didn't see it as a problem

"It was good preemptive thinking." John said.

John checked the position of their other Terminators shadowing Cameron.

Bob felt he was in a good position after he let Sheila off at the rendezvous point. He was a little reluctant to let her go off on her own. He understood inside, she was no different than he was. They were both Terminators..

"We are behind them and Cameron's Terminators are paralleling us." Bob came across the com. "We're ready to strike."

John was worried about what else was happening around Cameron's team. They needed to discover any threats, before they actually became threats.

"Does the drone detect any ambush being set up or additional vehicles?" John asked.

John Henry tracked the location where Cameron was currently at. There was nothing around her for several miles in any direction.

"Negative." John Henry said. "The area looks clear. As soon as Cameron slows and the lead vehicle pulls ahead, it will be hit with a missile. Cameron has taken them into a kill zone. They are now in an area where there are no structures for several miles."

Cameron, Hanna, and Sheila all monitored the conversations. Each was ready to strike. It would be over in seconds.

Cameron continued to grill the leader. She still didn't think he suspected her as a Terminator. She also needed to consider the fact he did, and was playing her to buy additional time.

She heard the other two drones approach. She didn't like the fact they were pulled off of the Details. She did understand the threat seemed to be located where she was. The first drone gained altitude. It started a wider search of the area. Sheila and Hanna were aware of it as well.

They all knew when the first vehicle was about to be 'lit up'. It was 'Game On'.

Cameron directed them to a remote area. She abruptly slowed and the lead vehicle pulled ahead. The two vehicles behind her slowed and bunched up in back of her. The lead vehicle disintegrated in a fireball three seconds later.

She reached over and grabbed the man next to her and squeezed his neck to choke him out. She possessed just the tools she would need to probe his mind at her facility.

Cameron looked in her rear view mirror and saw both Sheila and Hanna move into the driver's seats. Their threats were already neutralized. They confirmed 'two down' each over the com.

Cameron's Terminators pulled up in front of her. Bob pulled behind the two trailing vehicles.

Once they were clear of the area, Cameron turned the leader over to her Terminators. As John suspected they really were her program clones, in male Terminator bodies.

Sheila and Hanna turned the four bodies over to Bob for disposal. The car which was targeted with the missile strike was shoved into a ravine. They would dump the other two cars they were driving in the gang infested part of town and leave the keys in them. It would direct attention away from them to any surviving members of this group. Cameron would take Sheila and Hanna back to the base herself.

Cameron directed the two fresh drones to back up Camille and Summer and the first two drones would return to the base for rearming. Depending upon what they uncovered, or found out, they might be needed again before the night was through.

Savannah set the trash can back on the floor. She wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand. She was unable to speak at first. She went to the restroom and rinsed her mouth out. When she returned, she took Vanna in her arms and held her for the longest time.

Vanna finally stopped crying.

Savannah really didn't know what to say. She did want to make a point to Vanna. She would do it with her full name.

"I know my words can't express anything to comfort you, Savannah." Savannah said. "I'm no longer in as big of a hurry to 'grow up' so fast. I think you want to be alone now."

Vanna looked up when Savannah called her Savannah. It was a moment in time to stress they were the same individual. They were the same person. Whatever the Resistance did in the past, worked so far to prevent Judgment Day.

Savannah couldn't even imagine all those things being done to her starting from when she was a younger. It's what it was in reality. All of those things happened to her. Vanna was her. She went and got Cam. Ally followed her in.

Cam could see Vanna was stressed out and very upset. She laid Vanna out on her bed and lay next to her. She took her hand.

"I'm here now." Cam said. "I'll never leave you…."

Vanna looked over and faintly smiled. She knew Cam was really 'Cameron' right now, even if her program was out of date. It was very comforting and reassuring. It was what she wanted. What more could anyone want?

Savannah and Ally left.

Ally could see the spunk and spark was out on Savannah right now. She wanted to offer her something to make her feel special.

"Do you wish for me to carry you?" Ally asked. "You don't look so hot."

It sounded really nice to Savannah. She needed the comfort and contact of another person. It was a long time since she could remember anyone able to carry her. She knew it wasn't a problem for the Terminators.

"Yes, please." Savannah said. "I'd like you to do it right now."

Ally scooped Savannah up in a quick motion and brought her to her room and laid her on her bed as well. She headed for the door to wait outside.

Savannah wanted some companionship. She didn't want to feel alone.

"Ally, please stay with me for a while." Savannah said. "I don't want to be by myself."

Savannah reached out her hand to Ally.

Ally lay down next to Savannah and took her hand as well.

Savannah now understood every extreme measure Cameron took to prevent Skynet from gaining control. A world with Skynet was a living Hell. No, it was worse than a living Hell. It was the Hell of Hell.

She would step up her part to help prevent Judgment Day and the Hell which would surely follow it. She cried softly to herself until she fell asleep.

Vanna did the same….

Earlier:

Steve and Tom helped with the recovery of the HK drone and the disabled Terminator. They waited out of the area for now. They didn't want to be in the area if another HK drone showed up. It was possible whoever sent the first one, might send another one, or more than one.

Camille and Summer kept track of Cameron's operation as she left the area. They hoped to see if there was any further development at the ambush site they were at.

There were four deceased humans at the ambush site. Two of them were terminated from a missile strike. Two were terminated from the two separated drone gun attacks.

They were able to retrieve one usable phone from the four bodies. It would be turned over to John Henry to go through for any future leads.

They previously conducted a preliminary search with Steve and Tom for any bunker or tunnel entrance. None was found. Since there were no vehicles in the area, it made them think there still could be a hidden entrance. If someone let them off, it seemed likely they would pick them up as well. So far the phone hadn't sounded. They would be at a disadvantage on several levels. There could be a code word or phrase which would need to be spoken. They also didn't know what any of the terminated individuals actually sounded like.

There hadn't been any reinforcements detected yet. The drone on station with them didn't detect anything else or any additional movement around them.

They collected the two bodies and the body parts from the two men hit with the missile. None of the weapons with, or around, the decedents were serviceable. They were all dumped in a depression in the dirt between some rocks. They used one small block of C-4 to blow a small rock slide down on top of the bodies and damaged weapons. The area was now 'sanitized' as to what happened there.

After the blast from the C-4, they thought they heard some type of 'grating' rock sound.

The drone was overhead almost instantly. They knew John Henry was on top of it.

Camille was sure it was some type of opening somewhere.

"Are you able to detect anything?" Camille asked.

John Henry used his server to communicate with them. He didn't want to alarm John needlessly.

"There's no movement around you." John Henry said. "I don't even detect any animals."

They waited in silence.

They heard the noise again.

They spoke in low decibel tones that only another Terminator could hear.

"There it is again." Camille said.

Summer looked in the direction the noise came from. They were both very focused when it occurred.

"I make the noise at sixty two feet to our left and twelve feet up. It's in the rocks on the side of the small hill." Summer said.

It was Camille's assessment as well. She wanted to flank the position. She did a quick calculation of a drone image of the area and the topography.

"I'll go around the backside of the hill and approach the location from the rear." Camille said. "It should take me six minutes and seventeen seconds."

Camille took off to the right. Summer moved across the front of where the sound came from to be on the left side of it. She moved behind a rock and carefully took the spot under observation. She was still unable to detect anything.

There was no movement spotted by the drone.

Five minutes and forty seven seconds later Camille came over the top of the small hill and made her way towards the suspected area. Summer moved out of her place of concealment to join her.

They both arrive at the location on time. It was exactly six minutes and seventeen seconds from the time Camille gave.

They looked over the rocks in the area. They remained silent as they checked.

Camille pointed to the ground. There was a partial footprint in the build up of some silt.

Someone was up there at some point.

There was no apparent opening anywhere where they were at. They did find several pieces of shrapnel from the missiles. They were still very warm.

Camille reached down to pick up a piece of the shrapnel, when something shot out at her hand. She reacted instantly. She moved her hand away and a snake's head just missed her arm. Its mouth was open and its fangs were prominent.

"It's a reptile." Camille said.

Summer picked up a rock.

"Maybe we should terminate it." Summer said. "I don't like how they look. I'll smash its head."

Camille went to move away when another snake lunged at her. She grabbed it behind its head and looked at it. The tongue stuck out at her in the air. The fangs were coated with venom. The snake stared at her without blinking. She quickly realized why.

"It tried to terminate me." Camille said. "It has no eyelids. I don't like how it looks either."

She closed her hand tightly. The snake body withered around wildly for a few seconds. Its eyes bulged out of its crushed body. She dropped it on the rocks. The lifeless body slid off of a rock and disappeared.

There was a 'crunch' noise. Camille looked over at Summer. She'd used a rock to smash the head on the first snake when she moved the rocks with her foot to make it reappear.

"They're vipers." Summer said. "It's how they terminate their prey. They were probably disturbed by all of the activity around the area. I think they're normally inactive at night. They like the sun to warm their blood during the daytime."

Camille looked around the area for any more. Used several different spectrum scans.

"They were vipers." Camille said. "Now they're terminated. They're just bones and meat."

Summer didn't think the terminated snake's bodies would go to waste. They were now part of the food chain.

"Maybe a coyote will find them later on." Summer said. "The rotting humans should attract them at some point. The coyotes won't be able to get to them to devour them under all of the rocks."

Camille agreed with her assessment.

"The terminated snakes will have to suffice." Camille said.

John Henry reported it was still clear around them.

"It still troubles me because we don't know how the people arrived." Summer said.

Camille figured it was moot at this point.

"Well, we know they won't be leaving." Camille said.

Summer looked over at the makeshift grave site.

"They picked the wrong day to be a Gray." Summer said.

The Metal girls took one more look around the area.

"I think we're done here." Camille said.

They heard Cameron's operation progress.

The drone over them was replaced with two fresh ones with their full armament.

"We have plenty of firepower available now." Summer said.

Camille didn't think it would be needed. They might encounter some additional targets where they were at.

"Maybe we can find some more snakes." Camille said.

They rechecked the area one last time. They wanted to make sure the noise they heard wasn't from anything else other than the terminated reptiles. There was no hidden opening they could find. It was time to leave. They headed for the Blackhawk rendezvous point.

Camille and Summer arrived at the reconnoiter site and boarded the helicopter. The recovered HK drone was secured underneath it. The damaged Terminator was inside on the floor. The copter lifted off and headed for the drop off point for the HK drone and Terminator.

Camille and Summer were let off where they were picked up and recovered their vehicle.

The two drones made a quick sweep of the area and one at each of the Detail locations. Everything looked all clear. They returned to the base.

The operation appeared to be over.

Cameron returned Sheila back to the base. She then headed for Palmdale to let Hanna off.

She wanted to personally check on Claire and her 'three' daughters.

Cameron grilled Hanna about how events were going and the state of affairs between Allison and Holly.

She wanted an update on Allison's condition. She also wanted to see and interact with Young Allison and Summer.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

If You Want To Be Good At Anything

Love is like work
To be successful at either
One must stick with it
Never taking a breather

When you lose sight of the goal
It becomes easy to wander
What was once near and achievable
Soon evaporates into fading yonder

Commitment and perseverance
Is needed from all involved
Lacking that nothing can be resolved
Whatever was is soon dissolved

Before one decides to push
Flushing the other away
Maybe stop, think and listen
What it is they're trying to say

We must focus our will
All of our concentration bring
You have to practice every day
If you want to be good at anything

Nobody