Chapter 549

Over The Road

When Cammy moved off to the side of the 'drain pipe', she could see that it was an electrical fixture that appeared to have come apart near the 'drain pipe', not a trap. She briefly considered going back and climbing it anyway to enter or look through the transom window. It would present her with a good overview of what was happening inside. No tracked vehicle made an appearance yet so maybe she was still undetected.

There was a door in the wall near her. She heard it being unlocked. She quickly moved past it and hid behind a row of rotting wooden boxes that were next to it. Maybe she'd been detected after all. She hoped it wasn't a Terminator that was about to come out and fight her. She was ready if it was. She knew that fight would draw an HK Track out after her if they fought. It would probably bring a whole group of Grays out too. It seemed she may lose her 'backup' support as well for a short time. It sounded as if Savannah and Bob would come to where she was at if Gail and Jesse needed to leave. It appeared that Cameron drew propriety over her. What else was new?

A man in overalls came out of the door that opened and threw something towards the junk pile. It fell way short of its mark. The man cursed and stepped down to walk over and pick it up and throw it again.

Cammy made a run for the open door. She wanted to get inside before he turned back towards it.

She quickly looked inside and around once she'd entered. She wasn't sure what she'd face. There were two big presses near by. Cammy entered and headed for the closest press. She moved between the two presses as the man re-entered and locked the door again.

"Hey." Someone said.

Cammy looked around. She didn't expect to be spotted so soon. She was ready for combat.

John Henry questioned everyone while he tried to keep track of everything. He wanted as many facts as possible.

Cameron was off the grid for awhile earlier but was back on it again. Now Cammy was off the grid.

"What's Cammy's status?" John Henry asked.

Gail and Jesse lost track of Cammy visually once she went over the wall. Cammy last reported that she was alongside of the building and searched for a way it that would be unobserved.

"We haven't heard from her for awhile." Gail said.

Jesse could only report what they'd last heard. She wasn't so sure that leaving right now was the right thing to do. They were ready to go down and assist Cammy and get her out.

"Her previous transmission was that she might have avoided a trap." Jesse said. "I don't think we should leave her."

John hadn't heard anything critical from Cammy. The big rig was on the move with Cameron underneath it. Gail and Jesse needed to get in front of it.

"Cameron needs you to get moving now." John said. "Bob and Savannah will arrive there in fifteen minutes."

That seemed like too long of a time interval to leave Cammy without support. Her last report hadn't sounded promising.

"I don't want to abandon Cammy." Gail said.

Cameron could hear what was happening. It was apparent her safety came before Cammy's safety to John. She didn't want that to be an issue. She wasn't under the threat of an immediate attack over the rear axles of a big rig.

"They can stay." Cameron said. "I'll manage on my own."

Jesse didn't want to leave either but they needed to get moving to get in front of the big rig. There were others on the way. There hadn't been any shooting yet.

"Bob and Savannah are coming." Jesse said to Gail. "Cameron needs us in front of her."

John Henry was worried about Cameron as well. She wasn't in the best spot to be on a moving vehicle.

"If you're in front of her you can always pull over and let the truck pass and Cameron can drop off." John Henry said.

Gail felt like they were about to 'run out' on Cammy. It just didn't seem the right time to leave.

"I want to hear from Cammy first." Gail said.

John could see that his decision to favor Cameron created an issue that they didn't need. It was still his decision.

"Wait five minutes and then you need to go." John said. "I don't want to lose track of Cameron. We need to be able to extract her."

Bob could ascertain the tension that was now in the air. He would go in himself to retrieve Cammy if that was what was needed. He wanted to ease Gail's mind some.

"Gail, we'll be there ten minutes after you leave." Bob said. "We'll have it under control. If there's a problem, I'll go in and get Cammy out myself."

Savannah felt she needed to weigh in. She didn't want any harm to befall Cameron or Cammy. She didn't plan to leave anyone behind.

"We won't leave without her, Gail. I Promise." Savannah said. "Cameron needs help too. You know I won't abandon Cammy or Cameron – ever."

Gail remembered Duplicate Jesse – HER Jesse, didn't abandon her either and turned to come and help her when she was 'killed'. She still missed Duplicate Jesse even if she was alive now in River's future and never really died. That event still smoldered in her mind. Dead or not, Duplicate Jesse wasn't with her anymore. Jesse was. Even if it was the same person, it was still a different person.

Now she needed to think about Jesse and the danger she was in. Jesse shouldn't even be on this operation. She was there for Savannah. It was clear to her that love would make people do things they normally wouldn't do. She'd watched the footage of Savannah fight for her life with both Cameron and Cammy. Savannah was willing to terminate with them rather than save herself. She did know that Savannah wouldn't abandon anyone. It didn't matter who they were. Savannah was willing to go 'all the way' no matter what the price was.

It made her rethink her earlier desire to terminate when she believed that Duplicate Jesse was terminated. Savannah made her see that she needed to do more and if she was going to terminate, it should be in combat or combat related.

John Henry detected an anomaly in the security system.

"I have activity in the hanger area." John Henry said.

John hadn't released any of the troops yet. It was too soon in the operation.

"What's happening there?" John asked.

John looked around and saw that Cam was gone.

John Henry was a little surprised. He hadn't detected anything earlier. CamNet must have blocked some of the security footage. He didn't want to make an issue over that.

"Cam has readied the manned drone for departure." John Henry said.

Once Cammy entered the building she'd picked up a lot of static on her com. It was useless and made static noises. There was some type of jamming field in play. It was similar but different than the one they'd encountered yesterday.

"Hey." Someone said.

Cammy thought she'd been spotted. She didn't think she'd be detected this soon. She prepared for combat. She didn't see anyone when she looked around. She'd expected to see a Gray with a gun. If it was a Terminator she figured they would just have grabbed her. She moved closer to where the voices were to take a look.

"What did you do with it?" Someone asked.

"I threw it outside with the others." The man answered that went outside. "You know how angry they get if we mess something up."

"Tell me about it. Get back to work, that 'freak show' will come around here in about three minutes." Someone said. "That Bitch is like a clock for timing. I still don't see how anyone that Hot can be such a cold Bitch."

"It's not like she knows she's good looking so she can get away with stuff either." The man answered. "It is like she doesn't even know she is a woman. She's all business."

That sounded like a Terminator to Cammy. She shut her com off. It stopped working anyway. If there was a Terminator here, they must have something important. It sounded like it was a 'Metal Bitch' too.

Cammy could still hear an HK Track moving around somewhere inside. It appeared that she would need to deal with several threats. She wanted to see what all was inside of the building and try to remain undetected.

If she was spotted and they sent a Terminator and a few HK Tracks after her, they would run her down in no time. She figured she'd better lead them away from where Gail and Jesse were. She didn't check the SUV that she was 'sent away' to by Savannah. She hoped that since Bob was with them earlier that he'd packed a few LAW rockets inside of it. It would take one of those to stop an HK Track.

Gail and Jesse rolled out in exactly five minutes. They never heard from Cammy.

Jesse could tell Gail wasn't happy. She wasn't either but more help was on the way. They needed to keep the entire operation functional. She reached over and touched Gail's hand and smiled when Gail looked at her.

"We'll make it all work." Jesse said.

Gail got down to business. Cameron needed her – both of them.

She didn't want to 'abandon' Cammy but she knew that Savannah would make sure Cammy got out.

Gail looked over at Jesse. She wondered if Jesse needed to choose between Cameron and her who she'd pick. No she didn't need to wonder. It would be Cameron. That was the only logical choice. She looked over at Jesse and smiled.

Jesse smiled back. She'd just thought the same thing.

Gail and Jesse were a few miles ahead of the big rig. They could turn around at any point and be back to it quickly. They could pull off to the side of the road and wait for it to pass. They could simulate a 'traffic accident' and see if the truck would stop or at least slow down so Cameron could get off.

Jesse figured that Gail topless would catch the driver's attention. He couldn't miss those massive 'jugs'. Her nipple rings would be harder to spot from a big rig. They were best 'used' up close where she could lure the 'mark' in and use her knife on them. She liked to see the 'life' fade from their eyes as they slowly comprehended it was all a set up to kill them.

Gail looked over and could see that Jesse was aroused. She wondered if Jesse thought of Cameron, Savannah or her right now. She also knew it could be about an impending termination. She was aware that always excited Jesse. Well, it used to anyway. She was better now. She needed to refocus.

"John Henry, my review of the satellite map shows this road will divide in eight miles." Gail said. "Do you have any idea where they're headed? I need a direction to take."

John Henry already pondered that same question. There seemed to be a logical choice.

"Negative for sure." John Henry said. "My best guess is they will head up the east branch of the road when it divides."

John looked over at the satellite map.

"Why's that?" John asked.

John Henry laid it out. He didn't want to be wrong but make it known why he'd made that decision.

"The east branch heads into a more remote area. If they're testing HK drones that area would make more sense." John Henry said. "Or any other type of HK equipment could be tested there too."

John didn't like where Cameron was at under the truck.

"How are you doing, Cameron?" John asked.

Cameron remembered a poster that covered over the safe where the four Resistance fighters lived at. Three of them were terminated there.

"I'm hanging in there." Cameron said.

John wanted to take some action. It appeared that Cam already arrived at that conclusion on her own accord.

"Do you want drone support?" John asked.

Cammy thought Cammy would need it more than she currently would.

"No. Not at this time." Cameron said. "Check with Bob and Savannah when they get on station if we still can't reach Cammy."

Bob and Savannah were almost to the location that Gail and Jesse were at previously.

Savannah kept careful track of where they were at.

"We're four minutes out." Savannah reported. "We won't leave without her."

Nobody doubted that at all.

Cammy checked the time. She knew a 'Metal Bitch' would make the 'rounds' in three minutes based on what the two men discussed earlier. It didn't appear that they knew the 'Metal Bitch' was a 'Metal Bitch' even if they suspected something was 'off' with her. That meant she would most likely not go back the way she'd come once she arrived. She probably followed a routine and stuck to it. It was a Terminator thing.

She planned to slip out and go back the way the 'Metal Bitch' arrived from. She heard more tracked vehicles moving. It sounded like the smaller version, the HK Track. That is what she'd thought earlier.

When the 'Metal Bitch' came into view it was a model she'd witnessed at the TDE in the Skynet facility in Cameron's future. There was no way to know if it was the same one. There were many of the 'Standard Models'. Other models like Cameron were created from a targeted individual for a specific infiltration and termination mission. It was Cameron who made her own clones. She briefly wondered if Cameron did that to decrease the chances of her own termination by Skynet. Maybe she was really a 'sacrificial lamb' to increase Cameron's chances of survival. It seemed like an effective strategy.

The 'Metal Bitch' went by and Cammy could hear her berate the man for his slow production. The 'Metal Bitch' informed him he should have two more of the finished product at this time. She moved into the shadows until she saw what they came for. This was an assembly line for HK Tracks. There was a row of them completed already. It was little more than rolling death that waited to be dispensed.

As Cammy watched, one started up and went through a series of maneuvers. It then lumbered away and into the back of a waiting truck.

Cammy looked for more Terminators but none were apparent. This facility needed to be destroyed. Cammy was going to make her way out and call for a drone strike.

Then she thought of another idea. It would depend if these units were armed with ammunition or not. If they were, they could do the job for her….

Cammy now needed to risk a closer look.

John was still unsure about John Henry's decision as to where the big rig with Cameron underneath it would go.

"I'm looking at the satellite photos." John said. "I don't see where they'd go."

Savannah wasn't sure it mattered. They would end up somewhere.

"Maybe they're going out of the state." Savannah said. "They could be going anywhere or everywhere. Maybe there'll be more than one location."

John could have done without that scenario. They seemed to have a hard enough time dealing with Skynet where it seemed it wanted to be located.

"If they're spreading to different parts of the country, that's bigger than we can handle." John said.

Savannah tried to narrow it down. Something Cameron told her once came to mind.

"My guess would be a decommissioned airfield where it wouldn't be unusual for aircraft to be." Savannah said. "I remember Cameron told me of one such location like that where you and her intercepted a shipment of Coltan."

Cameron remembered that incident. She didn't like that they'd left one Gray behind. Maybe he was just a flunky. He was still a collaborator. She later tracked him down and snapped his neck. She'd done it slowly so he could hear the first set of his own bones break. She hadn't liked him from the start.

"Yes. That's true." Cameron said. "I've since recovered that Coltan and added it to my stockpiles. I also eventually retrieved the Terminator we left there. He now works for CamNet. He was gone when I went back but I tracked him down. He tried to do the same thing still."

Cameron didn't mention the 'flunky. There was no need to upset anyone. They didn't always like the way she did things.

Savannah knew that is what Terminators did. They kept with the same task until it was completed. Savannah figured that was why Cameron always kept pushing the girls and her on John. That was some directive from Future John that she couldn't complete. It caused her great distress. She thought about 'Little Willie' bouncing around on the outside again, so close….

John Henry quickly checked on Savannah's suggestion. He hit 'pay dirt'.

"I show an abandoned helicopter training facility that's twenty six miles from your location." John Henry said.

Gail quickly made a determination on how to handle things on her own.

"I'll approach to within one mile of that base and head in on foot." Gail said.

Gail looked at Jesse.

Jesse understood and nodded.

"It's for Cameron, love." Jesse said. "I'll be fine. If it is a bust, I'll drive up and pick you up and we will move on to the next location."

Cameron was worried about Cammy's silence. She knew why she'd needed to go 'silent' earlier.

"I haven't picked up on a transmission from Cammy." Cameron said. "Has anyone?"

John Henry worried about the same thing.

"There's been nothing so far." John Henry said. "No one has."

Savannah and Bob arrived at the location. It was quiet. That seemed like a good thing.

"We've taken up station where Gail and Jesse were." Savannah said. "We have nothing. Everything looks normal inside and outside of the building."

John Henry closely monitored the surveillance devices left behind earlier. He did that at both locations.

"The surveillance equipment that Jesse and Gail set up previously hasn't indicated that there was any gunfire at that location." John Henry said. "Yet…."

They all knew how fast that could change and often did.

Cammy was 'Cameron'. She would respond in the same manner to anything she perceived as a threat. There was no way for them to know what would happen next.

Opposites

Sunshine
Rain

Happiness
Sorrow

Yesterday
Today

Now
Tomorrow

Love
Hate

Joy
Pain

Up
Down

Inside
Out

Rust
Dust

Lust
Trust

Nobody