Chapter 366

Trouble Listening

Ally and Sheila cut a path of destruction through the city. They would stop at nothing to locate Cameron. They already passed through seven sex trafficking operations. They terminated over forty people. The vast majority of them were males. There were a few female enablers who were also terminated. So far they hadn't fired a shot. Everything was done exactly the way a Terminator was constructed to do. A Terminator didn't always need weapons. A Terminator was a weapon.

Scores of females were turned loose. They were set free on the streets. They would normally clean the operations out one or two at a time. It was so they could make sure the females were all given safe haven if they wanted it. There was no time for it today. The best they could do was to give the girls the money they found at each location. Most likely a third of the girls would be rounded up off the streets and placed back in some sex trade operation again. It usually wouldn't be the same one. It didn't really matter. Each of the females was a commodity which could be 'rented' or 'sold' in various different ways

There was one more sex trade location to hit and then it was on to the drug dealers. They would most likely become more involved. The drug operations usually entailed millions of dollars of product, or cash from selling the product. Most often it was a combination of both. It made them high value targets for a number of different groups.

Word must have spread about the take-downs. The last operation was fortified already. There were men with guns visible there already. There were a couple of sedans with 'soldiers' in them as well. They could act as reinforcements, or pursue anyone who appeared they were going to attack, if they tried to run. There never seemed to be a shortage of thugs. It was understandable in the sex trade since there were plenty of perks involved. The handlers always got first crack at the new recruits before they were put to work.

Ally noticed something.

"I see the dark sedan we spotted at the second location." Ally said.

Sheila recognized it as well.

"I'm glad we found it." Sheila said. "I was very disappointed we were unable to terminate the occupants of it before. I didn't like the fact they drove off before we could move in on them."

Ally took another look at the security.

"Either this place has what we want, or they were notified as to what has already gone down." Ally said. "I don't think the clowns in the sedan knew what happened at the second location, unless they returned to it after we were done there."

Sheila knew individuals always seemed to slip through the cracks in the different types of operations they did. It included those against Skynet related targets.

"It happens." Sheila said. "They could have taken anything from a restroom break, to a booty call, to a visit to a local fast food joint. It isn't really going to matter in a few minutes."

Sheila and Ally were both aware they might get shot up some. It was a gamble they were willing to take.

"I'm sure we're going to need to dodge a few bullets on this one." Ally said.

The Metal girls put on their maximum body armor. It appeared they were going to need it. Nothing was going to stop them one way or the other. They were Terminators and they were there to do a job. They needed to locate Cameron.

"We go in anyway." Sheila said.

Ally nodded.

"Damn straight." Ally said.

There was a more direct approach they could use. Ally was pleased to find the SUV carried an M32. Sheila loaded it with two HE rounds and four buckshot rounds. They parked their SUV a few blocks away. They spotted a vehicle which would aid them greatly. They appropriated a flatbed truck with stake sides. It was parked on a side street near a diner. It was loaded with pallets of bricks. There should be enough mass to tear the front off the building. They didn't want to send it directly into the building's interior. They needed to worry about the females inside. One of them could be Cameron.

Ally came down the street at speed in the flatbed. There was a vehicle traveling in the same direction she was going. She calculated a maneuver which should allow her to leave the truck at a greater speed and make sure it was on course. It was going to be a little risky and cause some property damage. She wedged the accelerator down and opened the driver's side door. She jumped onto the roof of a moving car as she passed it. She drove her fist through the 'sun roof' for a hand hold on one side. She broke the passenger's side window for the other handhold as she grabbed the roof with her right hand. The car hit its brakes as the truck sped along. She jumped off the car as it slowed and ran after the speeding truck.

Sheila was in the back. She aimed the first HE round at a black sedan which was parked there with three men in it. There was a second sedan parked on the side. It was the same one they spotted at the second location they took down. The thugs were waiting for them to arrive. They wouldn't have to wait much longer. They were already there.

She heard the truck approaching. She fired the first HE round, and then the second HE round. The second on was headed towards the target before the first one even hit. She ran toward the rear door as both sedans exploded. She would have preferred the terminations were a little more personal, but circumstances dictated otherwise.

The truck was angled to hit the front of the building and destroy it. There were several armed guards with weapons waiting there. By the time they realized the truck was headed for them, it was too late to move. There was what sounded like one long explosion from the back at the same time as the truck tore the front of the building off and killed six armed men.

Ally arrived right as the roof collapsed down over the front and broke off. She noted an entire pallet of bricks ended up on top of one of the thugs. It reminded her of what it looked like when someone stepped on a bug. She now carried an M9 in her hand. She was able to move into the hall directly and began to clear the rooms. Any non female was shot.

In the last room, she was surprised to see a much older female 'work on' one of the females who was on a bed. She didn't notice any violence in her behavior, as she did with most of the males. She didn't terminate her. She still might.

Moments ago:

Sheila crashed through the back door and used a buckshot round on each of the first four males she spotted. She could hear Ally cleaning house coming from the front. There were a lot of shots from her 9MM pistol.

They met up. It was outside of the last room with the older female.

"I don't see her." Ally said.

Sheila hadn't either.

"She's not here." Sheila said.

They quickly broke open the strong box. They would deliver the funds to the females who were detained there.

Ally looked at the older female and then at the other female she was with.

"Do you want her dead or not?" Ally asked.

The other female looked at the older one.

"No. Please don't." The other female said. "She is the only one who's been nice to me since I was forced into this line of work."

Sheila was somewhat amused. She decided to make a statement as much in jest, as it was in practicality.

"My advice is you go with her then." Sheila said. "Nice people are hard to find, even if the location where they're found is questionable."

They distributed the cash and the females scattered.

The older female departed with the other female.

They quickly left out the back and hurried to their SUV. The building started to burn.

Ally was worried about the older female and the other female. She hoped she wasn't throwing someone into the lion's den. She was somewhat surprised to see them moving down the street together. The other female actually helped the older female along. It seemed there was some compassion there, when they didn't need to be. Then again, maybe the older female 'delivered'…. If someone was nice, and could 'seal the deal', who knew where things could go.

What they didn't know was the older female was a repeat customer to the same location. She attempted to 'purchase' the female several times from the location. She was attached to her and wanted to give her her freedom. They always wanted more money than she could afford. She planned to break the female out at the end of her session. She brought her deceased husband's Colt Python with her. It was in her purse. She planned to use it to get the female out tonight. They talked it over just before all the action started.

The Metal girls were both very dissatisfied with the raids on the sex trafficking operations. They would need to move on to the drug operations now. Those were always going to be a little more fortified.

They both received the notification about Cameron's last know whereabouts. It looked like they were just given a new job.

They looked at each other and smiled. They probably weren't going to get shot up, well, not yet anyway. They headed for the Resistance base. They weren't bothered by all the people they terminated. Dead future Scavengers meant nothing to them. The individuals all chose to work or associate where they were, on their own. They saw the way the females were treated. They most likely contributed to the abuse as well. It didn't matter anymore. They received the fate they chose for themselves.

Earlier:

Police reports were located in New Mexico.

It seemed Cameron was a very long way from home.

The information came back to John Henry as he searched all the police reports. He first searched the ones in California, then expanded it to Arizona and Nevada. When those didn't bear fruit, he widened the search further. He would check the entire country, and then the whole continent if necessary.

The car Cameron was last seen driving was found wrecked and off the road. It appeared to have been involved in some 'road rage' type incident. There was a second vehicle involved. It was still at the incident site as well. There were reports of a box truck also at the scene.

The police reports were very concerning. The occupants of the other vehicle were violently killed. It was possible there may have been a wild animal involved of some type. It was thought something big and powerful, like a bear or a gorilla, being transported in the box truck, may have escaped.

John Henry deduced from the reports it appeared to be the 'work' of a Terminator by the damage done to the bodies found at the scene. He was able to trace the other vehicle back to one of the companies they were in the process of eliminating. The company was involved with the HK Tracks. The dead on the scene were Grays. Cameron must have tracked them down or identified them somehow. What was she doing in New Mexico? They were near the Texas border. A used Taser was found at the scene.

The implications of a Taser being involved was lost on no one.

"If there was a Taser used, it may be worse than we think." John Henry said. "It looks like Cameron may have been captured."

John started to view every possibility. None of them were good. The final thought was the worst. He needed to point it out.

"It may be more sinister than being captured. She may have been terminated." John said. "We need to get there ASAP."

John Henry already put things into motion.

"I've called up the jet." John Henry said. "It will be ready to fly within the half hour."

Everyone volunteered to go. They didn't know what they would find, but they still wanted to help.

John immediately thought of the 'Day Of Loss'. He said THAT event wasn't going to happen again. He didn't want to draw off their forces and then face some type of counter attack at the Resistance base, or the Reese and Young residences. All of the Terminators were going to be left in place and on full alert.

John decided to go alone with Bob.

Ally and Sheila showed up as soon as they were notified by John Henry. They were out running down leads in the underworld. Their path of destruction was monitored in the Command Center.

John was unaware as to the level of violence and devastation inflicted.

Sheila looked at Ally. She turned her attention to John.

"We're already packed." Sheila said.

Ally nodded.

"Damn straight." Ally said.

John wanted to keep the operation simple.

"I want to go alone with Bob." John said.

Sheila and Ally wouldn't be denied. They didn't just terminate over fifty people because they didn't have anything better to do. They went to find Cameron. They hadn't retrieved her yet. Their job wasn't done.

"We're going anyway, love." Sheila said.

Ally wanted to stress the point. She quickly glanced over at Sheila.

"We have a jet on call too." Ally said. "We can fly in formation or race there."

Sheila liked the idea of racing the aircraft on the way there.

"I'm going to be the pilot." Sheila said.

Ally looked a little upset.

"Hey, I'm going to be the pilot." Ally said. "It was my idea."

Sheila glanced at John.

"I'm going to fly inverted the entire way there." Sheila said. "As soon as I'm wheels up, and have enough room to clear the wing, the inverted flight will start."

John could see they wouldn't back down. He didn't want to create any other incidents. He was aware Sheila was known for extreme behavior. There was no need to encourage it.

"OK." John said. "You can go with Bob and I. You still need to follow my rules."

Sheila glanced at Ally and winked. They didn't actually have a jet on standby.

Ally wanted to downplay their 'move' somewhat. She wanted to make it seem as if they were a little disappointed they wouldn't be able to go on their own.

"Whatever…." Ally said.

Sheila planned to get to the location and work everything Terminator style. Bob could watch John while Ally and her 'cleaned house'. She planned to make the blood bath earlier in the day look like a Sunday School party. Depending upon the situation and the time factor, she still might get to use her knife after all.

Ally could see Sheila looked very stimulated. She was sure it was about the upcoming violence. It didn't matter. It was time to leave.

Savannah followed the events as well. They now were given a starting point. They knew where Cameron last was.

"We need to go." Savannah said. "Cameron needs us."

Cammy could see Savannah was serious. She understood her perspective. It was her job to guide Savannah as well and prepare her for the future.

"No. The team will check it out. We need to be on alert in case Cameron has been compromised." Cammy said. "All of our Terminators are on alert. You don't know what's occurred over the past few days."

Savannah was torn up.

"I still feel I need to do more." Savannah said.

Cammy knew her next statement wouldn't make her feel any better. She was also sincere.

"You have Cameron's spare chip location…." Cammy said. "You know what to do if it is necessary. I volunteer."

Savannah knew what it meant. Cameron would be destroyed. She would never allow it.

"I do. I will." Savannah burst out crying. "Cameron is invincible. Cameron is eternal…. I swear it."

A break in the events came across to John Henry.

For once it was good news. Well, at least it wasn't terrible news.

John Henry received the message from the 'drop line'. He received word from Cameron she was in Texas. She left the message as to where and what she wanted.

Ally and Sheila received the same message. They were informed they would be doing an infiltration mission with Cameron. They seemed to have a pretty good idea what it would involve. They just did a few of them.

John was given the information by John Henry. He better understood why it was a good thing Sheila and Ally were going.

John Henry stood everyone down at the base and with the Details. Cameron hadn't been compromised.

Cameron was now on the hunt. She only wanted Sheila and Ally to come. She didn't want to involve the Resistance in a 'personal matter'.

She didn't want John to compromise his safety over a non Resistance issue. She made her case clear to John Henry. She hoped John would listen. It seemed he experienced a lot of trouble listening. It was quite irritating at times.

Holly and Hanna both received the message with some additional details. Cameron followed a couple of Grays she identified and was involved in some type of 'accident', but she was OK. She needed some help in running down a few more leads.

Claire cried about the initial report regarding Cameron. It broke her heart to fear the worst. Allison and Hanna both attempted to calm her down. Holly took the girls to another room to study with them. She didn't want them to see their mother so devastated.

Allison experienced a lot of death and destruction growing up. None of it ever got better or easier. Somehow it actually seemed to get worse.

"Mom, we all love her." Allison said. "Every one of us does. We all feel the same way."

Claire wasn't acclimated to violence. It was difficult to fathom it all, even if she watched it unfold.

"It's so hard to deal with." Claire said. "I remember the time Cameron drove the truck. She hit the other car head on to stop it. She risked herself to stop those 'machines'. I remember seeing the metal in her face when her skin was torn open. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would still refuse to believe it."

Allison saw and experienced plenty of things which were hard to believe.

"The future is very shocking at times." Allison said.

The incident Claire referred to was when Cameron and Isabel told her the truth about 'everything'. It was a Future Shock to her. She was already in love with Cameron by then. Somehow, it seemed finding out the truth only made her love Cameron even more. She always knew Cameron was special. She never really understood how much until then.

"I want to move to the base, the girls and I." Claire said. "I want everyone better protected."

Allison didn't like it because her father wasn't in the equation.

"What about Dad?" Allison asked.

Claire wanted to believe everything could be OK.

"I don't know. I don't care." Claire said. "I'm going to have your baby, and then I'm going to have a baby, MY baby. I'm going to give it to Cameron as her own and John's baby."

Allison didn't need to think about the scenario for more than half a second. It was about the last thing she wanted.

"Mom, the child will be my brother or sister…." Allison said.

Claire could give up a new baby, but not her existing children. It was worth the sacrifice for how it could help Cameron.

"No, it will be Cameron's child." Claire said. "I need to do it for her. It will help keep her safe to take care of it as her own. She won't be so reckless if she has a child of her own. I have to do this for her, Allison. I HAVE to. I can help protect her."

Allison hoped it was true. She really hoped being responsible for a child would help 'tame' Cameron. She didn't know how much or for how long. She watched the way Young Allison and Summer both stood up to Terminators at times when they were younger.

She didn't want her sibling 'given away'. Now it was her turn to sacrifice. Maybe this was Cameron's plan all along. It was her plan now.

"Mom, calm down." Allison said very worried. "If I'm able to bring my pregnancy to term, we can give her my baby. The one you're carrying now for me instead."

Claire stopped her sniffling and touched her cheek.

"It's your baby, Allison." Claire said. "It's your child. The baby belongs to my daughter. It's my grandchild."

Allison loved Cameron. She would do anything for her.

"Mom, do you think there's anything I wouldn't do for Cameron?" Allison asked. "Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

Allison figured now wasn't a good time to point out she already 'died' once trying to help Cameron, or there was another one of 'her' stuck 'in some future', or dead. She realized how much her mother really loved Cameron. She also knew her mother was going to 'do' what they were all reluctant to 'do'…. She knew Cameron would facilitate it. Her mother was headed for John's bed….

The closest address Cameron identified was some 'flea bag' motel off of the main highway. She parked the truck a quarter mile away and walked in. It was a seedy part of town. It was the kind of place she knew one needed a gun to be safe, or a Terminator.

It was almost dark now. It would give her some cover. She knew she was about to leave a trail of bodies behind.

As she walked, she saw some figures moving. They moved to intercept her. She needed to deal with situations like this many times. It usually happened in the bad parts of town or near a homeless camp.

"Nice night for a walk." Someone said behind her.

She passed a group of men drinking in an alley a block ago. She figured it would come to a head soon enough. It did. She wasn't in the mood to play games. She took action instantly.

Cameron turned around and sent two men flying. The other two stopped and started to back up. She grabbed them as well and slammed them together. They were all down and incapacitated. She turned and kept walking as if nothing happened. The entire confrontation only lasted about six seconds.

She reached the address and went to the room. She listened outside for a few minutes. She thought she knew what she would face. She headed straight for the front door. It was time for her to be what she was, a Terminator.

Cameron came through the front door. She grabbed the first man and broke his spine with a single blow to his back. Two other men reached for guns. She drove her fist through one man's chest, while she grabbed and lifted the other man by his neck as she crushed it. He dropped to the floor like a rag doll when she released him.

There was one more man Cameron heard before she entered. He was in the restroom. She slammed through the bathroom door. His pants were only half way on. She reached over and snapped his neck. He sprawled on the bathroom floor.

Cameron looked around the room for additional intel. She collected a large sum of cash and any other information the men might have on them. Most of them carried a phone.

She left the location two minutes after first scanning it. She passed the men she encountered earlier. They were just starting to stir. She thought about terminating them but moved on. They weren't part of the mission. They should have learned a lesson. She didn't know how long the lesson would last.

She walked back to the truck without further incident and drove off. She needed to meet her people at the local airport. It would be the case as soon as she acquired some new wheels.

Cameron was at the small airport. She heard the jet approach from several miles out.

The jet landed. She waited for them. She 'borrowed' two vehicles and they were ready for the arriving crew. She wanted to give them several options.

Cameron wasn't pleased to see John get off of the jet. Bob was with him and she would make sure he stayed at John's side.

John's greeting was less than she would have hoped for. She would have preferred something a little more positive to start out with.

"Do we even want to know where these SUVs came from?" John asked as he gave Cameron a hug and a kiss.

She was pleased he at least gave her a hug and kiss.

"I doubt it, and 'Hello' to you too." Cameron said with a smile. "I needed them. I take what I need."

Cameron was even more pleased to see Ally and Sheila. They would assist her with the 'heavy lifting' of the mission.

Ally and Sheila gave Cameron a hug as well. They were very relieved and pleased to see her undamaged. They feared the worst. They left a trail of destruction behind them in their search for her.

Cameron looked back at John. Since the fun and games were over, she needed to show John her displeasure with his presence.

"I asked you not to come." Cameron said.

John was ready for the rebuke. It was a weak argument on his part.

"I guess we all have trouble listening." John said. "I asked you not to work alone."

Cameron really didn't want to fight right now.

"It happens." Cameron said.

She was glad she hadn't been abused when she was incapacitated. She didn't like her earlier disorientation and being chained down, or about to be sold. It was nice to have help sometimes. She was actually glad to see John. She still thought he was very handsome.

'Sharp Dressed Man' by 'ZZ Top', came to Cameron's mind as she looked at John….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Trouble Listening

People can converse and talk
Are spoken words just noise
Maybe they're the precursor
To someone's games and ploys

It is the ones that are held dear
Who the words we want them to hear
Maybe they can touch and endear
To let them know we're sincere

What do words really say
What do they really mean
Can they reach the one we want
So that we will be seen

Like sand in the wind
Things will come and go
Sometimes they can happen fast
Most of the time they are slow

The message we wanted to convey
Should be bright and glistening
It never is that way for long
When one has trouble listening

Nobody