Chapter 803

Silent Communication

A new location turned up as a positive hit on more HK equipment. It was from one of the teams out searching for this very thing. It was a location very similar to the one that Cammy's team had just taken down. Cammy's team stumbled across that one by physically checking each location with a siding. Their efforts were targeted especially those sidings that entered inside of a building. There seem to be more of those than they'd originally thought. What was even more confounding was how many industries used to have rail access and no longer used it. Most of the tracks we're still in place, even if some were no longer connected to the main line.

John sent teams out to many locations along the rail lines in California. They would eventually need to start checking the surrounding states. What they'd uncovered so far proved this was a real threat.

The thing that was surprising about Cammy's operation was that only two HK drones were sent to challenge them in a daring daylight raid. Only one carload of Grays arrived to check it out. There should have been more or a larger response. There was nothing or any follow up by Grays or Terminators.

John was sure the longer they waited to act, the more the enemy forces would be likely to prepare for them. Even with the blackout enacted by John Henry, word would still get out. The missing HK drones and Grays that vanished would send the message soon enough.

With the new target, John wanted more Terminators involved from the start. As chance would have it, Cameron's team was the closest. He didn't like the fact that Savannah would again be thrust back into a combat situation. He wanted a better alternative from John Henry.

"Do we have anyone else who can get there any time soon?" John asked.

John Henry was unsure of John's decision to question the logical choice. It seemed to be one of the human shortcomings he witnessed at times. It was a good team. What it lacked was a larger selection of weapons.

"Cameron's team can be there in just over an hour and fifteen minutes. They're already in a helicopter. There are eight of them." John Henry said. "The next closest team is three hours away."

John was still dissatisfied with the current situation. He wanted to speak with Savannah directly.

"Get me a secure channel to Savannah." John said.

John Henry's already anticipated the request and everything was ready to go as soon as John asked.

"It's done." John Henry said. "It's just Savannah and you."

Anna was the pilot and flew the Iroquois. Savannah was the copilot. She could see Anna flew it better than she did, even though it was Anna's first time. It was all part of the 'natural ability' that every Terminator possessed.

Savannah checked the map and position. She wanted to know where they were specifically at all of the time. It was harder to keep track as they cut across open country.

She was surprised to get a call from John.

"Savannah, how are you doing?" John asked. "We're on a secure line."

Savannah doubted there is any such thing as a secure line with CamNet involved, unless she asked for it. That was probably debatable even at that.

"I'm fine, John." Savannah said. "What's up?"

John figured he might as well get to the point.

"There's another mission…." John started. "You're the closest team."

Savannah wasn't sure that she liked the direction the conversation was already headed. She thought it was time to take control of it.

"And here I thought you were going to ask me out on a date." Savannah said.

There was a slight pause before John spoke.

"Was that a joke?" John asked.

There were several times Savannah knew that she was very close to making love to John. On more than one occasion they'd literally been one second away from completing their union. She'd been one second away from no longer being a virgin. None of them happened.

"No." Savannah said. "We've sort of skipped the 'date' part already…."

John was aware not only did they skip the date part. They'd actually skipped any foreplay as well. He hadn't even kissed Savannah yet with a loving kiss. He'd just gone straight for the 'gold' at her urging. She said she was ready and he knew that he was too. He'd been in such a hurry for that first thrust that it never happened. He really wanted to be her first. He was aware that he hadn't been for Future Riley and he was sure he wasn't for Cameron either. He was sure that that honor belonged to Future John. What bothered him most about that was he was sure that it happened under anything but honorable conditions. He wondered if Cameron was even activated when Future John first took her. He didn't need to go there right now. He pushed those thoughts from his mind. They'd be back soon enough.

"I guess we have." John said.

Savannah knew she threw John off his train of thought.

She glanced back at Cameron.

Cameron smiled at her and nonchalantly nodded her head.

Savannah was willing to bet CamNet sent Cameron the same information. She expected John to continue with whatever he was going to say but he didn't. She decided to prompt him a little.

"Go ahead, John." Savannah said.

John wanted to be certain Savannah was physically up to the task without pushing herself.

"I want to make sure you feel up to it." John said. "You went through a very busy time lately. I personally think that you should have some rest."

Savannah felt a little guilty about throwing John off his train of thought but not by much. She wanted to make her position clear about the team. She wanted to make sure John addressed his call to the proper person going forward. She was part of the team and Cameron was the team leader.

"If our team needs help, I'll be there." Savannah said. "Get Cameron on the line. This is her team. She'll make the decision. I'm good for whatever she decides."

Savannah looked at Cameron again and touched her headphones. She wanted Cameron to know she would receive a communication, an official one anyway. She was still sure Cameron heard her entire call with John.

John and John Henry communicated with Cameron. Savannah listened as well. She received all the information and the location.

Cameron looked at Savannah who nodded and gave her a 'thumbs up'. She returned the 'thumbs up'.

Savannah leaned over and showed Anna a spot on the map. The Iroquois immediately swung in that direction. Savannah watched as Anna pushed the redline.

They were off into the unknown again with an impending mission that they didn't know many facts on. It appeared the new mission would turn out to be like a usual operation. They would have a location and that was about all.

The girls all checked their weapons.

The Huey thundered across the sky.

John was still a little confused about his conversation with Savannah. He tried to go over some of the things that she'd said. Did she clandestinely indicate to him that she was ready for more? If she did, he was in. He needed to laugh to himself a little bit about his last thought. He sure wanted to be 'in'. He really wanted to be with a human female again. Maybe that wasn't it at all. Maybe he just wanted to be with someone who he felt wanted to be with him also. He wasn't so sure that was part of Cameron's agenda anymore. She was still with him but not often. He actually believed it was more of a 'job' or a 'task' that she needed to perform rather than something she actually wanted to do on her own. He shook his head to clear it. That wasn't the issue now. He was displeased that the Metal girls and Savannah were a 'go'. They were headed right back into a danger zone. They'd literally just left one minutes ago.

"I really dislike this." John said.

John Henry didn't see a problem with it at all. He actually believed that it was a good thing for the operation. What better or more experienced group could be headed to the target location?

"It's the perfect 'Mike Force'." John Henry said. "We'll have others there soon as well."

John would have liked to have had the current operation that Cameron's team just left wrapped up before they started on a new endeavor. He didn't like having his forces so dispersed and tied up at the start of another operation.

"We still need to get the captured equipment out of the area. I know we moved everything to a more secure location for transport. I'm still worried about it." John said. "I don't want to delay any longer on that. They need to be protected as well."

John Henry felt that the cleanup team had good aerial protection.

"They have all four drones at their location." John Henry said. "Plus more of them will arrive soon."

John needed to think about what John Henry said for a few seconds.

"How are there four drones still with the cleanup crew?" John asked. "Why isn't one with Cameron's team still?"

John Henry doubted John was going to like the answer. He really didn't think John should have expected anything other than what was done.

"Cameron directed the drone watching over them to stay with the others." John Henry said. "She wants that operation protected."

It always irritated John when Cameron sent away her help or her protection. He understood she wanted others protected but he wanted her protected as well, especially since there was a complete team with her and Savannah was among that team.

"What about her and the rest of her team?" John asked. "Get me Cam or Gail."

John Henry quickly searched out the location for both of them.

"Cam is working in the lab with Vanna and Jesse." John Henry said.

John waited for a further answer to the rest of his question. It wasn't forthcoming.

"Where's Gail?" John asked.

John Henry was a little disturbed that there was no tracking information.

"That information is currently unknown." John Henry said.

John didn't think it would be that hard to find her.

"Track her." John said.

John Henry immediately ran into a 'roadblock'.

"I can't." John Henry said.

John was already irritated about Cameron's team. The delay now only irritated him more.

"Why can't you?" John asked.

John Henry knew that he couldn't push things under the current situation.

"CamNet has informed me Gail is on an assignment for her." John Henry said.

John shook his head in disgust.

"Great 'CamSkyNet' is asserting itself." John said.

John Henry thought John should understand they were all working for the suppression and defeat of Skynet and any of its illegitimate offshoots.

"I'm doing the same thing twenty four hours a day." John Henry said. "I have the people where you want them and move them as needed."

John saw things a little differently in the method that they were carried out.

"You clear it with me FIRST." John said.

John Henry knew that was true to a certain extent. At least a third of the day, if not more, John was unavailable. He needed to act on his own in those situations. If something serious enough came up, he would contact John anyway. That was anytime other than if Cameron was with him. She'd made it very clear to him that when she was with John they weren't to be disturbed by anything short of Judgment Day.

"Not always." John Henry said. "You need to sleep."

John possessed total confidence in John Henry.

"I trust YOU." John said.

John Henry felt he needed to remind John of something that he believed he shouldn't have to remind John about.

"Don't you trust CamNet?" John Henry asked. "Don't you trust 'Cameron'?"

John didn't answer.

John knew Cameron was driven by her own agenda to fulfill. She still did the things that he - Future John, programmed her to do. It was the base cause of most of her grief. It always seemed to point back at him. He didn't want to dwell on this issue. It was time to move his agenda forward.

"Get me Cam." John said.

Vanna worked by herself in one area of the lab. Cam showed and instructed Jesse how to do something new in another area.

"You hold it here and then turn this." Cam said.

Jesse smiled and nodded.

"I got it, love." Jesse said.

Cam's phone rang.

"Excuse me." Cam said.

Cam moved away from Jesse.

"Hello." Cam said

To John it was like talking to Cameron. They sounded identical to him.

"Cam?" John asked.

Cam briefly wondered who John thought he currently conversed with since he was the one who called her on her phone.

"Yes." Cam said. "What's up?"

John explained the situation to her.

Cam understood the nature of the threat immediately. She asked Jesse to work with Vanna.

"I'll take the manned drone and leave at once." Cam said.

John not only wanted to make his desire understood by Cam, he also wanted to make his authority understood by her

"You're to stay with Cameron and Savannah no matter what." John said. "No order can countermand mine. Is that understood?"

Cam could better understand Cameron's frustration with John. It did appear that he was a slow learner on certain things. It would fall to her to remind him of a few of them.

"It's understood but I may not have a choice." Cam said. "CamNet can control the manned drone. Cameron can order me elsewhere as well as CamNet."

John gritted his teeth a little. It appeared that Cameron, in more than one form, was always like a fly in the ointment. He wanted his orders followed.

"Take the manned drone and go." John said. "Stay with them – period."

Cam was almost ready to go.

"I'm already headed to the hanger area." Cam said.

"Stay in touch." John said. "With ME."

Cam entered the hanger area a few minutes later.

She called John upon her arrival.

"Hello." John said.

Cam figured she'd better identify herself since John was always confused as to who he was talking to with some of the girls.

"It's Cam." Cam said. "We have a problem."

John was even further disgusted than he'd been earlier.

"What now?" John asked.

Cam looked around the empty hanger.

"The manned drone is gone…." Cam said.

John resisted his urge to throw his phone. He quickly looked over at John Henry.

"Where's the manned drone?" John asked.

John Henry was unable to understand the nature of the problem. There shouldn't be a problem. He physically looked at the video evidence. He wanted John to view it as well.

"It's in the hanger." John Henry said. "Look, here's the security video feed."

John looked at the image and sure enough the manned was there in the hanger. He wanted Cam to help him check a few things out.

"Cam, walk to where the manned drone was parked." John said.

Cam already stood in the manned drones parking spot

"I'm standing there now." Cam reported.

John looked at the video feed. Cam wasn't in it. There was only the manned drone.

John could see that this was going to be a dead end for now.

"Go back to whatever you were doing." John said. "Thanks anyway, Cam."

Cam wasn't sure what was going on but to her it was obvious that either Cameron or CamNet was behind it. It seems like a subject to not get involved with.

"OK." Cam said.

John looked at the video image of the manned drone sitting in the hanger. He glanced over at John Henry.

"How long has it been gone?" John asked.

John Henry wondered what type of flak he was about to run into.

"Currently that's unknown." John Henry said. "I'm contacting CamNet now."

As John watched the monitor, the manned drone 'disappeared' and he could see Cam as she away.

John Henry was able to obtain some information but it wasn't very descriptive.

"CamNet has informed me she's using it with Gail." John Henry said. "She said that she needed it for something specific."

John didn't have a problem with that but he would at least like to be notified or kept in the loop when something like that happened. He didn't like things being done in secret, especially when they were related to Cameron or some variation of her.

"I would like to know what is going on." John said.

John Henry was unable to obtain any further detailed information.

"CamNet's response was, 'Everything is fine'." John Henry said. "The link has ended."

John figured there must be some way that they could track their own piece of equipment as well as one of their Terminators.

"Can you track it?" John asked.

John Henry knew that could be a touchy subject

"Not if CamNet doesn't want me too." John Henry said.

John thought about slamming his fist down on top of the table again but refrained.

"Who's in charge around here?" John asked.

John Henry tilted his head slightly. He wasn't sure how John could be that confused or disoriented. The answer was rather straightforward

"Aren't you?" John Henry asked.

Savannah checked the map, time, speed and heading.

"We're coming up on the rendezvous point." Savannah said.

Anna hadn't slowed very much if at all.

Her dissent was at a steep angle and her speed was relatively fast.

There was one precaution that Savannah wanted to remind Anna of.

"Watch the tail rotor." Savannah said. "The LZ isn't hot."

"I'm sorry." Anna said. "It's in my programming to 'push' everything."

Savannah figured that was because Anna shared Cameron's program as her base program. She also wanted to compliment her on her flying ability, especially since it was her first time.

"You did much better than I did." Savannah said.

Savannah only could wish things were that easy for her.

There was an SUV and a dual cab pick up truck waiting for them at the LZ.

Ally watched as Cameron prepared to exit the helicopter along with all of the girls. It seemed to her Cameron overlooked something important.

"Are we just going to leave this bird sit here unattended?" Ally asked.

Cameron wanted to make sure a valuable asset wasn't compromised.

"Hardly." Cameron said.

They exited the helicopter as the rotor spun down.

Savannah wasn't really sure what Cameron was after or going to do right now.

"I'll stay if no one else wants to." Savannah said. "I can have it back up in the air in no time if we need an extraction."

Cameron didn't want to leave Savannah unattended without Terminator protection. There was someone else that still needed to be punished.

"Sheila will stay." Cameron said. "You'll accompany me, Savannah."

Sheila didn't say anything. She knew she was on shaky ground with Cameron. Even though Savannah asked Cameron to drop it. She knew Cameron wasn't going to do it this time. It was because it involved Young Allison that seemed to get Cameron all steamed up. Maybe it was because of Summer and Jan too.

Ally looked at Sheila and felt sorry for her. Even with all the banter and dares, they were the best of 'friends', friends with 'benefits' at that. They both clearly loved each other.

Savannah watched and knew she could stop the 'conflict' if she pushed it. She'd said her piece but Cameron was still 'ate up' about it. She was aware that Cameron needed to resolve it on her own. She wanted it resolved too.

"Where do we go from here?" Savannah asked as she took Sheila and Cameron aside.

Cameron stuck with the current operation information.

"You heard the briefing." Cameron said. "It is a location similar to the last one that we just dealt with."

Savannah wanted a different answer.

"I wasn't asking about that." Savannah said.

Cameron and Sheila both knew what Savannah referred to.

"Sheila knows what she has to do." Cameron said.

Sheila knew this was coming.

"What do you want?" Sheila asked.

Cameron didn't care. It was the nature of the punishment that mattered.

"You can pick for yourself." Cameron said as she turned away.

Savannah swallowed hard at the implications of what was going to happen. She needed to say something.

"Cameron, I don't want to interfere with discipline." Savannah said. "It's personally offensive to me."

Cameron knew that Sheila, like her, was a machine that masqueraded as a human female. The bottom line was Sheila was still a machine and not a female.

"Sheila isn't real." Cameron said. "She's a machine."

Savannah still saw it a little deeper. It was more than an organic sheath over a Coltan chassis to her.

"SHE is a machine, you even said it. She is more to me than a machine." Savannah said. "Cameron. I ask you to reconsider."

Cameron didn't want to waiver on her decision. The rules needed to be clear and defined.

"I need to make an example of her." Cameron said. "Discipline and order has been lost."

Savannah started to take off her vest.

Cammy noticed right away and headed over to see what was happening. It looked like trouble to her.

Savannah waived her off.

Cammy was upset at whatever Cameron was doing. It involved both Sheila and Savannah. They were the two individuals that she cared the most about. She knew it was time to get some reinforcements. She went and talked to the other Metal girls. They all started over as a group.

Cameron didn't want Savannah to remove her body armor.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked.

Savannah continued to remove her gear. She felt she needed to make a point. She was a little worried it was going to be a very painful point at that.

"I'll take Sheila's 'punishment' in her place." Savannah said. "If there's going to be some kind of punishment, it needs to be the same punishment for everyone. It has to be punishment that anyone who is going to dish it out also needs to be able to receive it along with anyone else."

Sheila understood the implications of what was about to happen to Savannah.

"You can't, love." Sheila said.

Cammy arrived with the group of Metal girls.

"I'll take her 'punishment' as well." Cammy said.

The Metal girls all begin to remove their gear.

"We all will." Hanna said.

Cameron looked at all of them and then at Savannah.

"It's over. The matter is closed. I want everyone to make sure that everyone's gear is on properly so you're all protected" Cameron said. "Let's go."

Cameron wasn't really going to make Sheila punish herself. She wanted Savannah to openly challenge her and bring the Metal girls closer to each other and to Savannah. It's exactly what just happened. It solidified Savannah's leadership and dominance.

The Metal girls were all clustered around Savannah now.

This was further proof to all of them that Savannah was truly the 'Chosen One'.

Cameron smiled as she climbed behind the wheel of the SUV.

She smiled even more as Savannah climbed in next to her.

Savannah put her hand out and Cameron took it. They exchanged a few gentle hand squeezes. It was silent communication of their love for each other. It reassured BOTH of them that their love was strong. It was clear that all roads had a few bumps but the path forward was still the path forward.

If We Cry

There may be people
That around me surround
Nobody has noticed
I've already drowned

It's the aloneness
That overwhelms my soul
If it was never there
I was never whole

What do you want
What's my purpose
Or am I only extra
A backup surplus

Before anyone acts
Do they ever think
What they do to others
Can really be mean and stink

Does it really matter
Will anyone ask why
Nobody will care
If we cry

Nobody