Chapter 498

Not Too Close

Sheila closed up on the remaining vehicle. There could be action soon.

Savannah and Sheila exchanged a quick glance.

"Things may get hot." Sheila said.

Savannah wanted to tell Sheila they already were 'Hot' with her sitting next to her. She remembered her duty. She checked her weapons. She didn't like the earlier close call.

"I'm ready." Savannah said. "They tried to kill Cammy and me."

John Henry watched footage from the drone overhead. He also made sure there were no other hostile drones in the area. They didn't want any unpleasant surprises.

"Sheila, don't get too close." John Henry cautioned. "They may think they've eluded us."

Cameron glanced at the various drone images on her phone with one eye as she drove. She noticed Ally watch her.

"I have one eye on the road" Cameron said.

Ally shrugged her shoulders.

"I have one hand ready to grab the steering wheel." Ally said. "I still don't want to test out the airbags."

Cameron frowned and gave Ally a dirty look. She didn't like her actions questioned. She didn't want any negative feedback. She also wanted Savannah and Sheila to wait.

"We're almost there." Cameron said. "Cammy is going to ride with Sheila."

The unspoken part of that statement was, 'Cammy is going to watch over Savannah'. That was understandable since they were lovers.

Cameron didn't want to be obvious as she protected Savannah. She offered up a plausible explanation as to why she should become the lead vehicle in the pursuit. She received an update from CamNet as well.

"We will switch vehicle positions so the same vehicle isn't always behind them." Cameron said. "I have additional Terminators close by."

John Henry checked the drones he'd positioned. Things looked good so far. He wasn't sure where Cameron's Terminators were at. Some of the Resistance Terminators were close. He wanted them to be aware anyway.

"Steve and Dan are closing in on your position." John Henry said. "I have two additional drones scouting the area around you. I want to make sure you're not being led into an ambush or anyone is moving in on your position. All communication systems are down. All 911 calls are going through my server."

Ally was on foot to back up Gail and Jesse who were also on foot. They were in pursuit of a Gray who bailed out of the car that Sheila and Savannah now tracked. It was more of an industrial area before, now there were homes involved.

"Gail and Jesse are entering a residential area." Ally said. "This isn't a good spot for a firefight."

Jesse held her silenced pistol ready as she advanced. She let Gail take the lead. Ally closed up from behind them.

Cameron didn't want to lose the Gray. She also wanted Jesse protected.

"Stay with them, Ally." Cameron said. "Cam, do you have him?"

Cam could see the overall picture from the manned drone. The Gray tried to take evasive action. He made things worse for himself. She wanted to have Ally cut him off. They could end the pursuit and keep him from entering a home. There could be hostages involved then. That would be bad for everyone.

"I'm on him. He is moving through back yards. He was just bit by a dog. It got his leg good." Cam said. "I see him limping now. Ally, you can head him off if you go to your right and run for about thirty seconds. You're almost there. Turn down the street to your right."

Ally took off running as directed. She made it to the intercept point ahead of the target. She waited in the shadows as the target approached her.

"Piece of crap fleabag mutt." The Gray muttered.

Ally could hear him mutter to himself and curse the dog that attacked him. He was almost to her position. It was time to say 'hello'.

The Gray emerged from behind a fence, limping.

"Nice night for a walk." Ally said.

The Gray was clearly startled. He didn't expect to see young female out.

"Yeah." The man said as he looked around.

Ally stepped out of the shadows. She was now close enough that the man could make out her features. When he saw her face, he panicked.

"Bitch." The man said to Ally.

He tried to bring his weapon up but Ally moved in and snatched it from him. She shoved him into a block wall. It was hard enough to make his head snap back and knock himself out.

Ally looked him over. She might have shoved him a little to hard when he insulted her. Only Sheila could call her a 'Bitch'.

"I have one in custody." Ally said. "He may be blind now. The back of his head is crushed."

Ally hoped that he was blind and the last image he would remember was of her.

Cameron didn't want any damaged live ones for either Sheila or Jesse to 'play' with. There was no need to tempt them.

"Terminate him." Cameron said.

Ally reached down and snapped his neck. She quickly searched him. She found nothing. There was a large dumpster nearby. She dumped his body in it.

Jesse and Gail reached her location right after that. They'd stayed out of the yards so it took them a little longer.

Jesse hoped to interrogate him.

"Where is he?" Jesse asked.

Ally nodded towards the dumpster.

"He'd dead." Ally said. "I threw out the trash."

Jesse was a little disappointed. Her silenced pistol was in her right hand. Her other hand rested on her knife. The 'old ways' died hard.

"Some girls have all the fun." Jesse said.

Ally was going to say something sexual but saw Gail move up behind Jesse. She kept her mouth shut. Some Terminators seemed more 'uptight' than others. Gail was the largest of the female Terminators in more ways than one. She wasn't much of one for jokes.

"It happens." Ally said. "It seems when the Gray saw my face that it meant something to him. Like he recognized me. He only called me a 'Bitch'."

Sheila listened to the conversation. She liked to razz Ally.

"That's understandable." Sheila chimed in. "Because you really are a Bitch."

Ally shrugged off the insult. She'd get Sheila back later. There was something about the encounter with the Gray that bothered her. Something was off.

"That may be true at times but he didn't call me a 'Metal Bitch'." Ally said. "It was like when the other Gray saw Savannah. It was as if they knew who we were."

Cameron felt a sense of alarm. That wasn't a good development. She wondered how the Grays 'made' Cammy and Savannah earlier. How did they know what they looked like? There was more going on here than they knew. It wasn't going to be anything good either. It seemed as if someone was specifically searching for the Resistance.

Gail, Jesse and Ally headed back to the SUV. They would join back up with Cameron and Sheila's team.

Cam made a broad 'figure eight' orbit around the area with the manned drone.

"I see no unusual activity around you." Cam reported to the trio.

Cameron didn't think things added up the way they should. They missed something somewhere. This operation left a lot of unanswered questions. It left more red flags than anything.

"Cam, go back to where we hit the first two vehicles and see if anything is happening there. If there is - hit it again." Cameron said. "It's the only way to be sure."

John watched everything unfold. He'd hoped to get some intel and find out where this group came from. The part about recognizing people that looked like 'Allison' or 'Cameron' and 'Savannah' bothered him.

"We're not going to get much intel out of this operation." John said. "What's really going on here?"

Cameron like everything less and less. This seemed personal to her. She was probably the intended target, not Cammy or Ally. She really hopped it wasn't Savannah. She did draw the biggest insult before.

"Someone tried to hit Cammy and Savannah. They seemed to recognize both of them." Cameron said. "I'm sure they thought Cammy and then Ally was me."

Ally was present at both encounters. She saw the way the Grays reacted. It was clear that they knew who they were or someone who looked like them.

"The man panicked after he got a good look at my face." Ally said. "Seeing an 'Allison' or a 'Savannah' seems to cause these people great fear."

John Henry wondered about it all too. Cameron was after a specific target earlier. Now all those plans were disrupted.

"Cameron wasn't able to initiate her original operation tonight." John Henry said to John.

John wondered if it was all connected or separate. They'd dealt with more than one group of Grays or the anti-Metal faction at the same time before.

"Maybe we need to take a step back." John said. "I don't want to walk blind into what could be a setup."

This was personal to Cameron now. She planned to get some explanations and complete her original task as well.

"The night is still young." Cameron said. "I want Steve and Dan to cut him off and physically block him. I'm coming behind him to box him in. I want some answers."

Cam returned to the location of the earlier missile strike on the first vehicle. She noted activity as she approached in the manned drone. She was a little surprised as to who was there.

"There is another car stopped at the site where we hit the two vehicles." Cam reported. "It looks like local gang members."

Cameron saw an opportunity to 'police' the area. She'd sent two of her Terminators to do that but she could kill two birds with one stone and pin all that happened there on the local gang. There would also be the added benefit of reducing the future Scavenger population.

"If they go to drive away hit them there." Cameron said. "I have two of my Terminators on the way. They will engage them on the ground and then 'salt' the area with drugs and cash. It will look like a drug deal gone bad. This will cover our tracks. No one investigates gang hits that involve drugs anymore."

Sheila would have like to have gotten a hold of the future Scavengers. She looked over at Savannah and toned down her response.

"It will mean a few less Scavengers." Sheila said. "That's a good thing if nothing else."

Steve was about to make the interception in front of the Gray's vehicle.

"We see him coming." Steve said. "We're rolling."

Cameron had the Gray in sight as well. They were just up ahead.

"I'm closing fast behind him." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted Cameron to remember there was plenty of back up.

"We're right behind you, Cameron." Savannah said. "Don't take any chances if you don't need to."

Cam spotted another vehicle approach the two damaged vehicles and the car from the local gang. They weren't Cameron's Terminators either. Much to her surprise the two groups began shooting at each other.

"There is another vehicle that approached the gang members." Cam reported. "It appears to be a rival gang. They've started a gun battle in the middle of the road. They're killing each other."

Kyle sat with John and John Henry as they monitored everything. They received video feeds from the Terminators and the drones. It was awesome to watch. It was almost like some 'creepy for real' video game. He'd seen enough killing in his life to know it was all very real and terminal.

Cam watched as the new gang eliminated the first gang.

"The second vehicle of gang members has terminated those from the rival gang. They're going through their car now." Cam said. "I'm going to light them up."

Cameron hoped her Terminators would arrive before Cam opened up with the minigun or fired a missile. They'd already used one missile earlier.

"Not yet." Cameron said. "Not until they start to leave. I want the gangs to take the 'fall' for this. This puts all the heat on the gangs and we don't need to sanitize anything."

Dan and Steve made their move as Cameron closed up right in back of the Gray. They moved to block the Gray's vehicle between their SUV and Cameron's SUV. They boxed the Gray in and forced them to stop.

Cameron pulled up right behind the stopped Gray.

The three Terminators exited their vehicles and approached the trapped Gray.

Sheila, Cammy and Savannah pulled up alongside Cameron. Steve and Dan were on the opposite side.

The Gray held his hands up. It appeared he was about to surrender.

Cameron opened the door and pulled him out of the car.

The man recoiled some as he got a good look at her.

"You're that 'Metal Bitch'." The man said as Cameron searched him.

Cameron resisted the urge to snap his neck.

He looked over and saw Cammy with Savannah.

"There are two of you?" He asked.

Gail, Jesse and Sheila arrived. Ally got out of the SUV.

"Three, if you count me." Ally said.

The man's gaze then settled on Savannah. A new look of fear crossed his face.

"You're 'The Redheaded Witch'. You're that THING we were told about." The man said. "What are you? You look like a teenager."

He panicked and tried to run. Cameron held him firmly in place. He was clearly terrified at the sight of Savannah.

For some reason he was more frightened of Savannah than Cameron or the other Terminators. He called them a 'Metal Bitch' to their face but when he saw Savannah, it made him try to run.

It was clear to all of them that the sight of Savannah made him more afraid than being questioned by a Terminator.

Sheila and Cammy moved forward and pinned the man in place.

Cameron was sure this must have something to do with Mrs. Weaver. That was problematic in itself. Now she wondered if Mrs. Weaver was still 'in some future'. If she was, where was this Gray from? What if it wasn't Mrs. Weaver but a Liquid Metal Terminator that looked like Savannah? She wanted to play this out some. She moved next to Savannah.

"Do you want me to terminate him or do you wish to slice him up?" Cameron asked.

Savannah caught Cameron's 'game'. It appeared she was about to play 'her mother'."

"I'll slice him up." Savannah said as she walked forward. "I like to hear them scream."

Cameron wanted to offer the Gray an incentive to cooperate.

"If you talk, I'll ask her not to slice and dice you." Cameron said.

The man stood in terror as he looked at Savannah.

"OK - OK." The man said.

Cameron smiled to herself.

"Talk." Cameron said.

The man visibly shook with fright.

"Just keep that THING away from me." The man said. "I can't believe it looks like a teenager. Why does it look like that?"

Savannah moved away and out of sight. Dan and Steve searched the vehicle. Cameron conducted the interrogation as Cammy and Sheila held him. She pumped the man for information.

The man talked and then noticed 'The Redheaded Witch' was gone. That seemed to cause him to panic again.

"Where'd that THING go?" The man cried out.

Cameron wanted to terrorize the man some.

"It's part of the street now. It's under you." Cameron said.

The man lost control. The front of his pants became wet. Cammy and Sheila still held him firmly. He began to cry.

"I told you everything." He sobbed. "Don't let that THING get me."

Cammy scanned the man during the interrogation. He didn't lie much.

"He's telling the truth." Cammy said.

Cameron obtained the information she wanted. The man was useless now.

"Then we no longer have any use for him." Cameron said. "Terminate him."

Cameron looked at Sheila and nodded. Sheila snapped his neck, she looked back at Savannah and Savannah nodded.

Sheila smiled and hoisted the man's lifeless body up. She threw him in back of the SUV.

Cameron wasn't sure how they knew what they looked like. It was based more on their 'description' that what they actually looked like. For some reason they thought 'The Redheaded Witch' looked younger than they'd expected.

"It seems they know about Mrs. Weaver and think Savannah is her." Cameron said. "It must be based on descriptions since they expected Savannah to look older."

Savannah saw a further danger to it all.

"They also seem to know about you." Savannah said to Cameron.

John Henry tried to make sense of it all. He was sure Cameron was correct that it was based on the descriptions of what the team looked like rather than photos or first hand knowledge.

"I'm processing everything he said." John Henry reported.

John didn't like being hunted. They might be after Sarah and him as well. That put everyone at risk including his sister.

"I don't like it." John said. "They were out looking for us."

Everyone knew he specifically meant Cameron and Savannah.

Cameron had a target location. She didn't intend to endanger Savannah further. There were other resources available.

"Well, there is no need to disappoint them." Cameron said. "I'm launching an all Metal strike against the location he divulged. I'll need Hanna tonight. It sounds like we have a 'reputation' to live up to."

If these people thought Savannah was Mrs. Weaver, Hanna should fit right in nicely to play that role.

Ally wanted to keep the mood light.

"I guess they're going to be 'dying' to meet us." Ally said.

Cameron knew they would be dying when they met her. Nobody threatens Savannah. This was personal to Cameron now.

Not Too Close

People are just people
Everyone is a stranger
One doesn't know who they are
The unknown represents danger

Some will chose to knock
Most will be ignored and disregarded
The end result most likely
Will mean someone is discarded

The only ones that can truly hurt us
Are the ones that are loved and cared for
Everything hurts so much more
When it comes from one that we adore

The more one is 'burnt'
The more skeptical they become
That is the price that must be paid
In the attempt to try and 'get some'

Try to move forward in life
Make things more than morose
Be ready for the inevitable adios
Survivable distance means not too close

Nobody