Chapter 799

Stinger

Cammy's Coltan rounds struck the HK Track as it attempted to head for the exit outside. She hoped to be able to disable it and not destroy it. She wanted to get closer to it so she could use her Taser on it. If they could capture it, they could use it against the incoming HK drones.

The HK Track turned and fired at Cammy. She ducked down below the level of the dock again. The bullets impacted above her on the concrete dock. She could hear them ricochet in all directions.

The second HK Track that was lying on its side still attempted to operate. She would have to come back and deal with that one as soon as she took the first one down. They were both a threat.

The HK Track headed in the direction where she was. She moved to a new position. She wanted it to come right above her position.

There was a depression in the dock which created a lip or slight overhang. Cammy moved under that. She fired one round at the second downed HK Track. She wanted to draw the HK Track in closer. The HK Track that stalked her moved right above her as it searched for her.

There was a screeching and then a crashing sound as the door to the outside was ripped loose. Ally and Sheila breached the door. The HK Track pivoted around and fired its minigun at the doorway.

That was the break Cammy hoped for. It gave her a few precious seconds to act.

Cammy popped up and used her Taser on it. The barbs stuck in one of the joints. The HK Track went offline. She needed the Metal girls to assist her.

"Ally, Sheila, come in here, quick." Cammy shouted. "I need both of you."

Ally and Sheila feared Cammy was disabled or shot up. They didn't see her at first.

"Are you OK?" Ally asked.

Cammy hadn't sustained any chassis or mechanical damage since this operation started.

"Yes. I've only sustained minor sheath damage." Cammy said. "Ally, deactivate the HK Track lying there next to the tracks. It's fully functional so 'zap it' first. Sheila, I need you to deactivate the crushed one also. I don't want them to be able to relay any information to the approaching HK drone. I don't want it to know what's happening here."

Cammy was already up and started to reprogram the HK Track she'd just deactivated.

"We have less than four minutes to get one of these things working before the HK drones get here." Cammy said.

Cammy was sure that was the only way they were going to avoid an HK drone attack.

Sheila 'pulled the plug' on the crushed HK Track and then went to help Ally.

Cammy saw them stand it back up. It wasn't too hard for both of them. It didn't look like it was damaged very much.

The Metal girls worked frantically to 'draft' the two captured HK Tracks into service for the Resistance. The time was running out and it was running out fast. If they didn't have an HK Track to assist them, they would need to fight the HK drone themselves. That wasn't a good prospect.

John Henry continued to track the progress of the two HK drones as they neared the location of the Metal girls.

"Cammy, the HK drones are two minutes out." John Henry came over the com.

Cammy worked on her HK Track. She checked on Sheila and Ally.

"It will be close." Cammy said. "How about you two, will you make it?"

Sheila knew that they needed to get everything right. They didn't want the HK Track to go 'bad' on them halfway through the procedure.

"We'll see." Sheila said. "We're working on it."

Cammy finished up a minute later with her HK Track.

"Go outside." Cammy said to the HK Track. "Attack the incoming enemy HK drone."

The HK Track headed for the door that Ally and Sheila forced open. It seemed much like a 'pet' to Cammy at this point. A few minutes ago it wanted to terminate her.

Cammy relayed all the information from John Henry as to the approaching HK drone's direction and altitude as the HK Track clanked outside. She walked with it as she gave it specific instructions. It would be ready for the fight.

She directed the HK Track to take up position between the two damaged HK Tracks outside. The HK drone would have three targets instead of one. No, make it four. The second HK Track clanked out of the building. Ally directed it to take up station at the opposite corner from Cammy.

"It's thirty seconds out." John Henry came over the com. "The altitude is dropping. The direction has changed as well. It looks like it's about to take evasive action."

It appeared to Cammy that the two HK Tracks could now track the target.

"We're ready." Cammy said.

Cammy thought at least the HK Tracks were ready. She was aware the HK drone could select targets of its own other than the HK Tracks. It could select one of them. They would need to make sure but they were in a more secure location so that the HK drone couldn't pick them up right away.

Savannah pushed the Iroquois. She tried to get to a specific rock formation she'd seen previously. She wanted to be there before they encountered the HK drone. If they could get there first, it would give them the advantage to set the stage and be in control of the battlefield.

Cameron could see that they were near The intercept point. She checked to make sure that everything was ready. It was.

"The Stingers are both hot and ready, Savannah." Cameron said.

Cameron hoped for a clean shot. The HK drone would need to be in gun range for its attack to be effective. She hoped that this wasn't a newer model that was equipped with air to air missiles. So far none of the HK drones that they'd encountered were so equipped. That was one of the features that they installed on their own drones to give them an advantage against the Skynet equipment.

John Henry fed them the information on where the HK drone was at. They would beat it to the selected location by over a minute. That would allow them to have the advantage they wanted.

"I see the rock formations." Holly said.

Savannah was able to get a close up look of the area that she'd selected. It was pretty much as she remembered it and hoped her plan would work out. There was no guarantee.

"This is where I want to be." Savannah said.

Cameron looked over the location in detail as well. She believed Savannah's plan could work.

"I think this is a good spot." Cameron said. "It's a lot better than being caught in the open or trying to run and be intercepted by the HK drone."

Savannah was unsure exactly how they would be able to use the offensive capability of the Stingers.

"Can you do a forward shot with a Stinger?" Savannah asked. "Or do I need to be sideways?"

Cameron previously discussed with the Metal girls what would be necessary for a forward or backward shot from the side of the helicopter. It was going to be risky for the person who operated the Stinger because of how far they would need to lean out the side of the helicopter to fire it.

"A forward shot would be difficult." Cameron said. "If someone holds on to me, I can lean out and try it. I believe that same method should work for a front or rear shot as well."

Cameron knew she would need to rely on one of the Metal girls to hold her in place and keep her from falling out the side of the helicopter to her certain doom below.

Savannah wanted to be ready and notified as soon as possible.

"When one of you first spots the HK drone you will tell me and I will fly around the rock formation." Savannah said. "The HK drone should give chase. The direction I'll go leads to three canyons. That should confuse the HK drone momentarily. We will continue in a circle around the rock formation itself and hopefully come up behind the HK drone. I don't know if that will work or not. If it does, it gives us a clean shot at the target from the rear."

Cameron was aware how HK drones operated in the future. They were always set up for ground attack and that is how their programming was as well. So far all of the ones that they'd encountered in the present were still constructed and set up the exact same way. Even though they were an aerial target, the HK drone should attempt to attack them in the same manner as it would a ground target if it was moving. There was no guarantee that is actually what would happen but it was most likely. She wanted to make sure that Savannah stayed within the operating parameters the HK drone would most likely be acclimated to. She didn't want the HK drone to try to think outside of the 'box' it was programmed to operate in.

"You have to keep it low. So the HK drone stays low." Cameron said. "It should try and attack us directly, like it would targets on the ground."

Savannah already figured that into her calculations based upon the geographic features she was going to try to use to their advantage.

"I plan to." Savannah said.

Savannah didn't know if her plan would work but it seemed worthy of a try. They couldn't outrun the HK drone. They needed to stay and fight. By remaining in the combat area, they also took the heat off of the Blackhawk which headed out over the ocean. The crew of the Blackhawk was aware of Savannah's decision as the pilot of the Iroquois. They knew that Savannah and her crew took the risk so they wouldn't have to. That act would only strengthen the resolve of every Terminator to follow Savannah into combat anywhere or any when. It was clear that the 'Chosen One' didn't run from battle. She ran towards it. It was the same way that the Terminators liked to operate and fight.

John was worried about both groups of girls. It was all coming to a head in the next few minutes. He thought that the Metal girls on the ground at the target location would have a pretty good chance of survival with two HK Tracks to back them up. The HK drone that would come to attack them would have the advantage of being able to fire missiles. They counted on the fact that the HK drone would attempt to determine what was actually happening on the ground before it fired missiles. That should bring it into gun range. That would be its undoing.

His real worry was the girls in the Huey. It was a civilian slick and unarmed. He was aware they had a few weapons onboard that they could use against the HK drone but it had a speed advantage over them and was armed with a minigun and air to surface missiles. It could still fire those and hope for a hit but it would be a long shot.

"This is nerve racking." John said. "What's the status of our offensive capability?"

John Henry took the risk and dispatched some of their drones in response to the two HK drones that were on their way to the target area. It was a risk but it was necessary to even the playing field. The trouble was the time involved to get their drones to the target area.

"I've dispatched four of our drones from several of the outlying areas." John Henry said. "I'll control the narrative if they're spotted."

John was aware that time was their enemy as much as the HK equipment was.

"How soon until they get there?" John asked.

John Henry was a little worried it might be a clean up operation since they wouldn't be able to assist directly when they would be most needed. If the Skynet forces came out the victor on the first round, they wouldn't on the second round once their drones arrived.

"They won't arrive until the engagements have started." John Henry said. "Or more likely have concluded."

That wasn't good enough for John. He knew this would all come down to the skill, ability and ingenuity of the girls, the girls on the ground and the girls in the air. He knew that Cameron was able to survive every encounter with the Skynet forces that she'd been in. He banked on that ability now. Cameron was in the helicopter with Savannah and her team. Cammy was on the ground with the Metal girls at the target location. Cammy ran Cameron's program even if it was 'out of date'. She was still 'a Cameron'.

Cammy, Ally and Sheila waited for the attack to come from the HK drone. There were the two freshly reprogrammed HK Tracks to back them up. Both of those were set up for air defense now. They would only be able to use the minigun. It had a limited range against an aerial target. They wanted that aerial target to come in close and look over the Skynet facility first.

That didn't appear to be the case.

"Missile…." Cammy shouted as she took cover back around the corner.

The HK Track she reprogrammed fired its minigun as the disabled HK Track next to it exploded from the missile strike. The HK drone selected the wrong target. It was what she'd hoped for. She believed that was because of the way that she'd positioned the equipment. The inactive HK track that was targeted was posed in the most aggressive manner.

The HK Track at the other end of the building opened fire also.

The HK drone swooped up. It attempted to gain altitude. The Metal girls fired at it too. They all scored hits with their Coltan rounds. It had come in low anyway, even though it fired a missile first.

The HK drone started to spark as it tried to climb away. It was clear it wasn't going far. That didn't mean it was no longer a threat. It still was. It carried additional missiles as well as a minigun. It could still do a lot of damage before its final demise.

Smoke began to pour out of the right side of it as it stopped its climb in slow motion. It appeared to run out of power and air speed. It stalled. A second missile fired wildly into the air as the HK drone tipped to its right side and fell from the sky. It tumbled slowly around once as it fell. It impacted into the ground. There was no explosion.

The three girls and the two HK Tracks were all undamaged so far. They'd been able to survive the first round of the Skynet offensive. They didn't know any details for sure yet but they knew that there would be more than one round. It wouldn't be over this easy. The next group to arrive would probably be ground troops along with additional HK drones to back them up. John Henry already informed them that four of their drones were on the way. They were still a ways out and would take some time to get there.

The Metal girls were still on their own for now. So far everything worked out for them even if things were close to disaster several times.

Cammy looked around the area outside the building. They would need to move the two functional HK Tracks into position once they knew what the nature of the next attack would be. There was one damaged HK Track and one destroyed HK Track along with three downed HK drones lying about the area. There was also the equipment that was still inside the building and the boxcars.

"We're going to need a crew and trucks to police this area." Cammy said. "There's way too much equipment for the two helicopters to handle in any type of timely fashion. Skynet knows about this area. It will more than likely continue to send additional forces. We can't remain here indefinitely without sustaining some type of losses."

John understood the nature of what Cammy indicated. They needed to remove the captured and damaged HK equipment but they also needed to remain on guard. Time was a factor as well.

"The Blackhawk needed to divert but should be there soon." John said. "There's a force of Terminators on board who will be able to assist you."

John Henry knew they were going to need some large trucks for the captured HK equipment.

"I've already directed more resources your way." John Henry said.

John wanted to make light of the situation a little bit.

"We'll send some pants along for Ally and Sheila." John said.

Sheila didn't see any need for that. She took her body cam off and gave the Command Center a view of herself. It always excited her to have an audience.

"What do we need pants for?" Sheila asked. "I don't need any. I want everyone to see me."

John enjoyed the view.

"I think they already have." John said.

Ally wouldn't mind a pair of pants. She looked down the road that they'd arrived on.

"Maybe our clothing problem is solved." Ally said.

John wondered where they were going to get clothing from since there was no indication of any Grays being at that facility.

"How is that?" John asked.

Ally pointed out the new arrivals to Sheila and Cammy.

"I see an SUV approaching and I'm betting it's not ours." Ally said.

John Henry knew it was going to be trouble. They didn't have any other forces close to their location at all.

"The Blackhawk will be the first of our group to arrive." John Henry said. "The SUV can only be more hostiles.

Cammy wanted to make sure that the Metal girls and the two HK Tracks were ready.

"I was afraid of that." Cammy said. "Girls, we have Grays or Metal about to arrive. I think that we should give them a proper welcome. We don't want to be rude."

Sheila still used her body cam to send images to the Command Center of herself.

Ally took in the scene and shook her head slightly from side to side.

"I don't think we need to worry about being rude when we have someone with us who is lewd." Ally said. "I'm sure they would rather look at what Sheila has to offer anyway."

Cammy wasn't impressed.

"Stop fooling around and get ready." Cammy said forcefully.

Young Allison was aware the action with all the fighting bothered her mother.

"Mom, you don't need to see this." Young Allison said. "You can go up if you want."

Allison could see how worried and upset her mother was as well.

"Yeah, Mom, it's stressing you out." Allison said. "You can go be with Summer."

Claire was stressed out and worried but she also understood better what the future was going to be like. She needed to be better prepared for it. If her daughters could do this and survive it she wanted to be able to do the same.

"I need more training." Claire said. "If this is what the future is going to be. I need to be ready."

Young Allison wanted to stress the importance of what they were doing now and why.

"They're trying to stop it. WE are trying to stop it." Young Allison said. "I don't want that for you or Summer. I want to prevent that."

Claire did have some insight into the future. She'd been to Cameron's future so she could deliver a baby for Future Allison. Everything about that future was terrible. She understood other futures were worse. What she didn't want was for their future to end up worse than any of the others. That thought really bothered her.

"I've been to the future and it was messed up." Claire said. "It wasn't as bad as the future you came from, Allison. What if there's a future worse than both of those waiting for us?"

Young Allison came to the conclusion long ago the speculation was pointless. It didn't fix anything or actually do anything. Until the events actually happened, they wouldn't know what they were or how to deal with them.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Young Allison said. "There's no need to dwell on 'what ifs'."

Claire was still worried about Cameron and Savannah and the other Metal girls that were in the helicopter.

"What is going to happen with the girls in the helicopter?" Claire asked. "OUR girls are there too."

Everyone understood that Claire meant Hanna, Holly and Anna as well as Cameron and Savannah.

Young Allison knew the girls were going to fight. It's what they did. It's what they always did.

"We don't know." Young Allison said. "It's like this all the time."

Claire didn't like what Cameron wanted to do with Allison – Young Allison. Cameron said she wanted to 'protect' her. Cameron told her ALL the younger girls would be abused and assaulted if they weren't under the protection of a Terminator or trained. She knew that is what happened to all the females in Allison's future.

"I'm worried about all of them." Claire said. "I'm worried as well about both of you, the other girls and Summer."

Claire knew this was all terrible. She knew the Resistance was trying to stop it. She didn't know if they could. The thought of her young daughters being held down as a line of men formed in front of them caused her real fear. She knew what would happen to her as well. Then again they would have to survive Judgment Day for any of that to happen. There was no guarantee that would happen either. She knew the only guarantee about life was death.

Savannah and the Metal girls were ready for the HK drone that was about to attack them. So far it looks like things were going to happen as they'd planned them.

"Here it comes." Cameron said. "It's taken the bait."

Holly was a little worried when the HK drone fired a missile.

"It just fired a missile." Holly said.

Cameron watched as Savannah took evasive action. She wasn't worried.

"It is not air to air." Cameron said. "It will miss."

Savannah dropped the nose slightly as she moved away around the rock formation at full speed.

The missile fired at them missed them by a long distance. It didn't track them but remained straight on its flight to 'nowhere'.

"It will try to use the gun now." Cameron said. "It will need to close on us for that. Remember, it's much faster than we are."

Hanna looked out the side of the helicopter behind them.

"It's following us." Hanna said.

Savannah swung around the far side of the rocks. When the HK drone reached that position it wouldn't have a target. She hoped to continue around the rock formation to get in back of it.

Cameron leaned out the starboard door with the Stinger. Anna held her. Both of Cameron's hands were needed to hold, aim and fire the Stinger.

The UH-1 came around the corner of the rock formation and the HK drone was there. It was right where they wanted it to be. Cameron fired the Stinger. The HK drone was going faster than they'd anticipated. It quickly moved around the rocks as Savannah had done just seconds ago. The Stinger missed. It couldn't make the turn.

"Damn." Savannah said.

Anna pulled Cameron back in. Cameron moved to the port side and took the Stinger from Hanna.

Cameron realized they were in serious jeopardy now. In order to survive they were going to need to be above the HK drone. They couldn't have the rotor between them and the target if the HK drone would be able to get above them.

"It will try to come over the top of the rocks." Cameron said. "Try to get above it. Climb at maximum speed immediately."

Savannah already started to climb. She pushed the UH-1 to its maximum performance to gain altitude. She pushed the turbine to its full maximum output that the modifications would allow it to do.

The UH-1 bolted above the top of the rock formation.

Cameron was pleased to see they were above the HK drone.

"We're above it." Cameron said as she leaned out.

There was a massive jolt to the Huey that shook the entire helicopter. It rocked violently.

Cameron slipped and fell out of the helicopter door. She was still holding the Stinger….

Wrong With You

Look deep in your heart
Let your true love arise
Stop letting your hard head
Be filled with another's lies

Why can't you see
Why can't you listen
You know which one
Will shine and glisten

You think it was me
That failed and went bad
Through no fault of my own
Stop making me sad

I know you know this
It's cut and dried
You're the one broken
Your true feelings denied

You can't see what you have
Uncaringly another you pursue
Because there's something
Wrong with you

Nobody