Chapter 757

One Ace

Cameron and Tom moved deeper into the bunker.

Cameron wanted to find the heat source. She was sure it was a giant power cell. Whatever the massive electrical surge earlier was, it appeared to have disrupted it. She hoped to find the plans for it. She wanted to make one for the Resistance. She wanted one CamNet and John Henry. She wasn't sure why the power being disrupted seemed to have a negative effect on them if they were being charged. This appeared to be the second instance of that same event.

She also wanted to find Skynet, 'a Skynet' if nothing else.

Tom was given instructions by Savannah on his mission not to leave Cameron alone. He was to try and reason with her. Savannah gave him several 'cards' to play to prompt Cameron. He thought it was time to lay some of them out.

"Cameron, it's unwise to continue past this point without a way out other than the way we came in." Tom said. "The temperature is increasing. You may be trapped if something goes 'critical'. This is a great risk for an unknown goal."

Tom knew Cameron didn't want to hear this. He still wanted her to at least think about it.

Cameron was still irritated she didn't find the heat source in the mine. She was sure it was something important. She wanted to know what it was and what it did.

"I want to find out what's overheating." Cameron said. "I think it's a giant power cell like I saw in my future. Somehow it's different. I want that technology. I want to build one."

Tom thought they sounded too dangerous. If it was the same thing it seemed highly unstable. He figured Cameron needed a reminder.

"What happened to it?" Tom asked. "I mean the giant power cell in your future?"

Cameron knew it went out with a giant bang.

"It exploded when I set off a nuclear warhead. It increased the yield and destruction." Cameron said. "It brought down an entire mountain."

They both knew of the earthquake that happened at the mine they were in, when whatever was inside of it exploded. That blast alone didn't bring down the mountain. It did lower the mountain by several inches. Cameron would have used one of her Nike warheads on the mine if she could have brought one there in time.

Tom wanted to remind Cameron what was going to happen if she didn't withdraw. Savannah was going to come after her.

"Savannah knows this and what happened at the mine. The rest of the team is out now. Savannah knows you're not coming." Tom said. "You KNOW she's coming for you."

Cameron frowned. That wasn't what she'd ordered.

"Savannah and Cammy are to withdraw." Cameron said. "I gave the order."

Tom was aware of Savannah's love and perseverance. He figured his presence next to Cameron should indicate that.

"Cameron, you KNOW that won't happen. She can countermand any order by you." Tom said. "She's not going to abandon you."

Cameron knew that was true. Still she was being driven by her core programming by Future John to destroy Skynet.

"I need to destroy Skynet." Cameron said.

Tom felt the heat continue to grow. He pointed out the obvious.

"When this place blows up, that's going to happen anyway." Tom said. "Whatever is in here is going to be destroyed. That includes us."

Cameron continued onward.

"I want Skynet." Cameron said.

Tom knew he still needed to play a few more cards. Cameron wasn't up to listening yet.

"Affirmative…." Tom said.

He would try again in a few minutes. He wanted Cameron to mull over everything he'd mentioned so far.

Cameron did mull over what Tom said. She needed to suppress a glitch impulse. She increased her speed. She at least needed to find and destroy 'Skynet'.

John Henry watched everything from drone feeds. He relayed the information along to John.

"Ally and Al have moved on top of the trailer. They're now at the front of the trailer." John Henry said. "They are ready to make their move."

John knew they wanted to wait for a specific spot.

"Where are the curves in the road at?" John asked.

John Henry could see things all around them.

"They're still a mile ahead." John Henry said.

John wanted action. He wanted to feel empowered.

"Take the truck down now." John said.

Ally was ready to act. She moved forward.

"We're on it." Ally said.

Ally and Al each swung down alongside of the cab on different sides.

Al was on the driver's side and Ally was on the passenger's side.

Ally opened the door and punched the Gray in the chest. She collapsed his lungs and ruptured his heart. He died instantly. There was never a chance for him to even raise his weapon.

Al tried the driver's door but it was locked. He saw Ally climb into the cab. His hand smashed through the glass and he grabbed the driver. He ripped him out of his seat belt and through the broken window. The broken glass dug into the driver's body.

Ally climbed over the dead passenger and reached for the steering wheel as the truck started to drift.

Al flung the driver onto the street. His body cartwheeled twice as it bounced along the pavement.

"John, one Gray is now in the street." John Henry said.

John wanted to make sure Al and Ally were covered.

"Steve, stay with the big truck." John said. "Bob and I will check the Gray out."

Ally moved into the driver's seat and unlocked the door. Al opened it. He slid in and took the wheel. Ally moved back over the dead man to the passenger's side. She started going trough his pockets and the cab.

John Henry already had a spot in mind for the big rig.

"Al, take the next turn off in two miles, it will be after the curves. There are some large buildings." John Henry said. "They appear to be in disrepair."

Gail and Sheila were ahead of the big truck.

"We see the road ahead." Gail said. "We're almost to it."

John wanted to make sure there were no surprises.

"Take it." John said. "Scout the area and make sure it's clear to bring the big rig in there. I don't want our team to run into some old farmer with a double barrel shotgun."

John figured that would end with the old farmer's termination.

Gail headed down the dirt road. They were blacked out. She didn't need to use lights to see.

"We're on that road now." Gail said. "There are no lights anywhere around."

Bob stopped when they arrived at the Gray lying in the road.

"Wait here." Bob said.

That seemed like a good idea to John. He remained vigilant and looked around them for any threats.

Bob check the Gray over. It appeared he terminated on impact with the road. He loaded him in back of the SUV for now. They would dump him at a later time.

John looked at Bob when he got back in the SUV.

"He's terminated." Bob said.

John and Bob resumed the chase.

"Bob collected the Gray from the street." John said. "He's dead."

Steve backed off of the rear of the big truck when Al moved into the driver's seat. He slowed and waited for John and Bob to catch up as soon as Ally and Al took control of the big rig.

"The drones scan nothing at the site we want to go to." John Henry said. "There are no heat signatures. Everything is clear."

John wanted to make sure one other loose end was wrapped up.

"Send one drone to check out the other area we thought there might be an ambush set up at." John said. "I want to know what was there if anything. That may still pose a threat on the backside of this operation."

John didn't want any Skynet operatives that close to where they would be at the old outbuildings.

John Henry was curious as well.

"One is on the way." John Henry said.

John wanted to take decisive action.

"If there's anyone there and they're bunched up, hit them with a missile." John said. "I'm tired of fooling with these people."

John Henry was aware they could be in several positions.

"I'll use the gun if I need to." John Henry said. "No one can escape it."

Al drove the big rig to the preselected dirt road. There hadn't been any new events. He slowed and made the turn.

"We're on the side road." Ally said. "We are headed toward the structures."

Gail and Sheila scoped out the remote and isolated location. They'd been there for a few minutes.

"We have a barn large enough for the big rig." Gail said. "Two vehicles should be able to park in back of it."

Steve decided to provide perimeter security.

"I'll remain at the junction of the roads." Steve said. "We can observe or stop anyone who takes the road you're on. We can trap them between us if we want to capture them."

Sheila perked up at the thought of prisoners. She wondered where she would start. She didn't want to get ahead of herself.

"It would give us some intel if we could interrogate them." Sheila said.

John Henry pointed out the lack of any live detainees.

"So far there's no one." John Henry said.

At the turnoff, John and Bob passed Steve. He concealed the pick-up truck as they passed him.

The big rig was already in the barn with Gail's van in back of it on the right side. Bob pulled up on the left side. The headlights of their vehicles illuminate the area. Sheila closed the doors behind them.

John didn't want to get burned or an HK drone strike called in on them.

"After we open it, we will search it for a GPS device or any other trackers." John said.

Sheila stood back a ways with John to keep him from getting too close. They needed to make sure it was booby trapped in some way.

John noticed she was still topless with her vest on. She smiled at him when he noticed. That wasn't an accident.

Bob, Al, Gail and Ally moved to open the back. They all held their weapons ready.

John wanted to make sure the area was clear.

"John Henry, is there anything happening around us?" John asked.

John went to move closer to the truck. Sheila's arm came up and physically stopped him. He looked at Sheila and nodded. He knew she was protecting him. It wasn't the first time one of the Metal girls physically stopped him.

"There's nothing in close proximity to your current position." John Henry said.

John worried about the other area. He didn't want any Skynet troops around.

"What about the other possible ambush area?" John asked.

John Henry checked that location twice.

"Nothing was located." John Henry said.

John wanted to use a trick Cameron used before.

"Have one drone ready to land." John said. "If we find any trackers we can put them on it to simulate the truck movement. We'll do that with their phones as well. We did that once before."

John Henry previously flew the drone over the top of the streets and even had the drone wait at traffic lights. It was all done at an altitude just out of human hearing range.

Bob stood at the back of the truck.

"Are you ready?" Bob asked.

John was more than ready.

"Open it." John said.

They didn't know what they were about to find. It could be anything or even an empty truck. He figured as long as it wasn't a bomb they did OK.

Savannah and Cammy were now inside the bunker. They were going after Cameron.

The bunker was dimly lit with fading battery powered emergency lights.

"Can you see well enough?" Cammy asked.

Cammy saw Savannah experienced a little trouble getting past some of the debris. They were from the explosion of the missile inside of the bunker.

"For now I can." Savannah said. "Once we got past the dead bodies and the debris in the front part, it hasn't been a problem."

Cammy would rather Savannah have remained outside the bunker. That wasn't he case.

"I don't know how far we can go." Cammy said.

Cammy didn't think they should go far at all. It was already hot inside where they were.

Savannah could feel the heat.

"I'm fine for now." Savannah said. "It is hot but I can manage."

Cammy planned to keep a close watch on the heat.

"It's one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit." Cammy said. "If it goes above a hundred twenty five degrees I'm taking you back, even if I have to carry you."

Savannah didn't plan to leave without Cameron.

"We need to find Cameron first." Savannah said. "You know that."

Cammy frowned. She hoped to stop Cameron from going any further.

"Cover your ears and I'll fire a patterned group of shots. She should be able to hear them and know we're coming." Cammy said. "In an enclosed space, the gunfire always seems louder."

Savannah covered her ears.

Cammy fired a series of timed shots.

'Bam - Bam pause Bam - Bam – Bam'

"Cameron should know we're coming." Cammy said.

Savannah already resumed her trek.

"Let's keep moving." Savannah said. "I'm not stopping."

Savannah moved ahead. She was determined to bring Cameron out.

She hoped to hear a return volley of shots but there was none.

Cameron heard the shots fired in a pattern in the distance behind them. That meant only one thing. Someone from the Resistance was behind them.

Cameron stopped. Tom did as well.

"It's Cammy." Cameron said. "That is my pattern that the shots were fired in."

Tom fired that same pattern for Cameron before.

"I remember doing that when we were inside the steel tubing at the mine." Tom said. "I fired that same pattern on a timed basis."

Cameron felt a glitch impulse. She'd been worried Savannah was going to die inside the pipe.

"Did you think we were going to get out of the mine?" Cameron asked.

Tom didn't need to even think about it.

"No." Tom said.

Cameron knew all the Terminators remained calm.

"You didn't panic." Cameron said. "We were finished."

Tom felt it was over. One person gave all of them hope and purpose.

"Savannah didn't panic." Tom said. "Because of that, none of us did and tried to dig our way out. We would have got stuck in the dirt as it collapsed around us. We would have been buried under tons of earth. Savannah's coolness saved all of us."

Cameron flashed her beautiful smile.

"Savannah's the greatest." Cameron said.

Tom remembered how Savannah scrambled through the collapsing rocks to search for Cameron. He was sure at the time he would never see her again. He knew that no one else would have taken that chance.

"She went after you with near certain death awaiting her. I didn't want her to go, she insisted." Tom said. "She loves you dearly."

Cameron felt elated as she thought of Savannah.

"I love her too, Tom." Cameron said. "I'd do anything for her."

Tom didn't like to play 'dirty'. He did see the need to play a card

"You're endangering her life by continuing." Tom said. "We're on the path to destruction. She will follow you to your doom and never look back. You're going to kill her."

Cameron stopped and looked at Tom. She knew what he said was true and in progress now.

"You walked me right into that." Cameron said.

Tom gave it to Cameron straight.

"Savannah asked me to remind you of the mine and what happened with Skynet in your future. I did." Tom said. "Both events ended with near catastrophe."

Cameron was a little displeased.

"You did that very well." Cameron said.

Tom continued to spell it out.

"We must protect the 'Chosen One'. It's our duty and function." Tom said. "You're not doing that currently."

Cameron's internal programming drove her.

"I need to find the 'Clean Room'." Cameron said. "I need to terminate Skynet. Give me five more minutes."

Cameron knew what she wanted to do and what she must do to protect Savannah. They created a major conflict for her.

She felt a major glitch impulse shoot though her left hand. This wasn't something that she needed to happen right now. She needed focus. She needed Savannah.

The further Cameron and Cammy went, the higher the temperature went.

Cammy knew how hot it was for Savannah.

"Savannah, it's one hundred fifteen degrees now." Cammy said.

Savannah forged ahead.

"It's hot." Savannah said. "I can hack it."

Cammy felt it was about more than 'hacking' it.

"We need time to get out of here." Cammy said. "You must take that into account."

Savannah wanted a signal from Cameron.

"We can go a little further." Savannah said. "Fire another volley."

Savannah covered her ears.

Cammy fired again.

'Bam - Bam pause Bam - Bam – Bam'

It was answered this time.

'Bam - Bam pause Bam - Bam – Bam'

The return volley worried Cammy.

"That was Tom." Cammy said. "It wasn't Cameron."

It sounded the same to Savannah.

"How do you know?" Savannah asked.

Cammy was sure there were other factors in play.

"The timing and spacing was slightly off. It was the same pattern that he used in the steel tubing we were trapped in at the mine." Cammy said. "I think he did it without her approval."

Savannah was aware the other Terminators feared Cameron as much as they loved her.

"I'll prevent his deactivation if it becomes a problem." Savannah said. "I don't think it will."

Cammy wondered how if none of them made it out.

"It may." Cammy said. "What did you tell him to do?"

Cameron gave Tom an Ace to play as a last resort.

"I told him to prevent Cameron from being terminated, to do any thing he could." Savannah said. "I don't know if he's used it yet but he still has one Ace to play to get Cameron to withdraw."

Cammy knew how stubborn Cameron could be. She was glad she wasn't like her.

"What is it?" Cammy asked.

Savannah looked right at Cammy.

"The same one you are going to use on me in a few minutes." Savannah said.

Cammy paused and looked at Savannah.

"You're very shrewd and 'persuasive'." Cammy said.

Savannah felt Cammy wanted to say something crude.

"You were going to say manipulative." Savannah said.

Cammy knew Savannah wanted to help.

"I was but you're not." Cammy said. "I am – Cameron is."

Savannah thought everyone would do what they needed to do. Sometimes things needed extreme action. They were all willing to go 'all the way'.

"We all are in a way, Cammy." Savannah said. "Even if we don't want to be, it happens."

Savannah wanted Cameron out of that mine and was willing to play all the cards to make it happen. She hoped Tom played the Ace soon. It was sure hot and getting hotter the deeper they moved.

I'll Show You

One day something is important
The next day it's not
Is there really any meaning
To all the things one has got

I don't think it's just me
Or the many things I don't understand
It seems those who surround me
Have their head stuck in the sand

I know what it is I'm supposed to do
That now causes me much confusion
There is more to see as I know you
Turning known realities into a delusion

I'm right in front of you
I preen before your very eyes
Open your heart and mind
Stop believing your own lies

I have more than one function
As I watch another that you pursue
I have everything they do
I'll show you

Nobody