Chapter 808
Will Do
Gail made it known that she wanted to get back into the large drone and make it the manned drone again. She wanted to be better able to back up Savannah and the others. She wasn't sure why she'd needed to exit the manned drone in the first place.
She was unaware that decision was made by CamNet to block her from knowing what was done with the second EMP and how it was deployed.
John wanted Gail returned to the manned drone as well. He believed it would give Savannah and the team better coverage.
"Gail, the large drone is coming back to pick you up." John said.
Gail was thrilled to hear that. She wanted to get back up and make sure the team was supported, especially Savannah.
"Thank you, John." Gail said. "I appreciate that."
Sheila could see right away that Gail perked up with that news.
"You look happy, love." Sheila said.
Gail didn't know if she could actually be happy or not. She however was very pleased if nothing else.
"I'm very satisfied with that decision." Gail said.
Sheila thought that was different from Gail's normal disposition. There was usually a sterner look on her face. She wanted to say it like she saw it.
"You normally look like you want to snap someone's neck." Sheila said.
Gail felt that was something that was out of her immediate control. She was constructed as a Restorator by Mrs. Weaver. She was never a Skynet Terminator.
"That's how I look. My programming isn't as advanced as the others, even yours. I don't have the advanced 'Neural Interface' like you do." Gail said. "I want to do this. I want to be able to assist better than I have."
Sheila and Gail could hear the large drone approaching.
Sheila wanted to give Gail some parting advice. She didn't have a full time human lover like most of the female Terminators did. There were times that she wished she would have a full time human lover. There are other times when she realized it gave her more freedom to do other things and switch from female to female without a problem because everyone knew her status and was willing to accommodate her. From personal observation she did know that full time relationships could turn painful at times.
"Be careful with your 'desires'." Sheila said. "I share your base program. That's advice from 'You' to YOU saying it. I know how one can get caught up in these things."
Gail was aware she was hopelessly in love with Savannah. She really didn't know what she could do about that. It was something that just seemed to happen on its own
"I think we both know it's too late for that." Gail said.
Sheila didn't want Gail to draw the scrutiny of Cameron. It could easily be interpreted that Gail crossed a line and risked interfering with the 'Natural Order'. That in itself was bound to raise more than a few tail feathers if it was pursued in the wrong manner.
"I'm afraid WE do." Sheila said. "Don't get yourself in a 'fix' like I've done. I have Cameron looking at me with a score to settle."
Sheila was pretty sure Cameron wasn't done with her yet. She really thought the best course of action at this point was to 'punish' herself and get it over with.
The Iroquois was still running. It was ready to lift off for a quick extraction.
"Are you going to keep this thing running?" Gail asked.
Sheila thought that maybe she would let someone else make that decision. The Huey had only been restarted because Gail wanted to move it closer to where the team was at earlier.
"I'll see what the boss man wants." Sheila said.
Gail and Sheila looked over as they heard the large drone approach. It came in fast. They figured that was CamNet showing off.
Gail climbed out of the Iroquois and onto the large drone as soon as it landed. She climbed inside of it and quickly checked everything over. It was now the manned drone again. She lifted off and began a recon of the area.
Sheila wanted John to make the decision as to what to do with the UH-1.
"John, what do you want me to do with the helicopter?" Sheila asked. "It's running. We got it ready in case we needed a quick extraction."
John was pleased to hear that the helicopter was instantly available. He hoped that they weren't going to need it but he wanted it instantly ready in case they did. He was very wary of what would happen next.
"We may still need that. Keep it running and be ready to go." John said. "Savannah and I both think there's more at play here."
Sheila checked all her instruments again. Everything looked normal. She kept her hand on the throttle. She was ready to kick up the power. She could be airborne in seconds.
"Keep me posted." Sheila said.
John didn't know what was going to happen next but he was pretty sure there was going to be something.
"Will do…." John said. "We don't know what else will develop yet."
Savannah held her M4 at the ready. She needed to heed Cameron's earlier warning that there may be more Grays inside the building still. They hadn't had time to do a thorough search because the HK Tread in the boxcar was active, even if it was stuck. She looked around the layout of the building. Everything looked the same as it did before. She peeked in at Cameron again.
Cameron was on the HK Tread. She looked over as Savannah peeked in. She was able to eliminate the current threat.
"I've Tasered the HK Tread and disconnected the power supply." Cameron said. "It's not going anywhere at this point."
Savannah's biggest worry was if there was an operator inside or not. Was that operator a human or Terminator?
"What about the door to it and whatever is inside?" Savannah asked.
Cameron climbed off the HK Tread. She moved over to Savannah and handed her Taser back to her.
"I didn't need to use it." Cameron said.
Savannah still wanted to know if there was anyone inside or not.
"Thanks." Savannah said. "Are you going to try and open the door?"
Cameron believed that there was someone inside. She wanted to pull a ruse to see if they could get the individual to come out on their own.
"Yes." Cameron said as she winked at Savannah. "We'll burn the HK Tread in the boxcar. I saw some diesel fuel earlier. Let me get it. It's in the far corner, you can help me carry it back. If that doesn't work, there's a LAW rocket on the way. We should be back in three minutes if we hurry."
Cameron hopped out of the boxcar and moved past the doorway. As soon as she did, she went underneath the boxcar and brought Savannah with her.
She didn't say anything but indicated what she wanted to do. It was a sucker play for whoever was inside the HK Tread. She wanted them to hear what she'd said and for how long she would be gone.
Savannah's M4 was ready and Cameron's Taser was out.
They hoped the prospect of being roasted alive inside the now inoperable HK Tread would make the occupant try to make a break for it. That might work if they thought the coast was clear. Cameron indicated they would be gone for three minutes. That was why She'd mentioned the diesel fuel on the far side of the building.
Savannah and Cameron waited in silence under the boxcar. It seems like it would be much easier to have the individual come to them rather than try to force them out of the HK Track themselves.
John Henry followed Savannah's advice and put more of the drones as they arrived onto long range recon around where the team was. There was a major concern by both Savannah and John that the team wasn't done at the target site yet.
"We now have ringed and overlapping drone coverage over a twenty mile diameter." John Henry said. "I haven't picked anything up that shouldn't be where it is."
John was very worried about the team on the ground.
"Keep our guard up." John said. "Savannah and I think the same thing and that there is more to this."
John Henry began to wonder about some of the other decisions that John made previously since there was no apparent threat.
"Do you still want Sheila to keep the helicopter running?" John Henry asked.
John considered his options. At this particular point in time there was no apparent threat.
"Maybe we should save the fuel." John said.
John Henry relayed the information. Sheila seemed unenthusiastic about shutting the Iroquois down again.
John wondered if Gail noticed anything that seemed off or out of place now that she was back up in the air and around the immediate area.
"Gail, how do you read things?" John asked.
Gail was in the manned drone. She personally kept watch over the team.
"I see nothing out of the ordinary." Gail said. "The immediate area looks sedate other than some road traffic on the main highway in the distance. There's not much else moving. I see a freight train headed this way. It will pass through the location we're operating at. The railroad tracks are very close to the building where they pass by."
Two voices spoke as one from two different locations.
"That's it." Savannah said.
"That's it." John said
Savannah wanted to be specific and her belief.
"That's the Trojan Horse." Savannah said.
John understood that as well. He wanted to know what the makeup of the train consisted of.
"I agree." John said. "What kind of freight cars are on it?"
Savannah wanted to know exactly how close it was to their position.
"How far away is it?" Savannah asked.
Gail overflew the train earlier. She hadn't thought much of it since it was on the track. It couldn't go anywhere other than where the track went. It didn't seem like a threat.
"It's a mixed freight. It's four miles out. It's arriving from the north." Gail said.
Savannah wanted some more detailed information.
"How many boxcars are there?" Savannah asked.
Gail gave Savannah a brief recap.
"There are twenty four boxcars." Gail said. "Most are container cars. There are several hopper cars with a few lumber cars and tank cars."
The tank cars caught Savannah's attention.
"How many tank cars are there and where are they located?" Savannah asked.
Gail quickly recollected their position.
"There's a group of them at the back." Gail said.
John was interested in the tank cars now too.
"How many of them are there?" John asked.
Gail wasn't sure why all the tank cars weren't together.
"There are six tank cars." Gail said. "There are two large hopper cars in the middle between them. There are three tank cars on each side of the hopper cars."
The more John Henry heard about the tank cars and the hopper cars, the more he became concerned. He'd begun to calculate various scenarios and some of them were very troubling.
"I need to know what the tank cars are carrying as well as the hopper cars. They are usually marked on the outside." John Henry said.
Gail checked her files to see what specifically was there.
"I read diesel fuel and gasoline on the tank cars." Gail said. "There's fertilizer in the large hopper cars."
Young Allison watched the events unfold. She's been very apprehensive of the takedown of the Skynet equipment. But all seemed to go off without a hitch. The current problem was the HK Tread that was in the boxcar where Savannah was at. She listened to the latest information about the train that currently approached the location. the more she heard, the more she began to worry.
Alarm bells started to go off in her head.
She needed to find out some detailed information and she didn't want to go through the Command Center. Without Anna there she would need to use CamNet as her intermediary.
'CamNet, what kind of fertilizer is it?' Young Allison typed.
'It's Ammonium Nitrate.' CamNet responded.
Allison sat next to Young Allison in the Young bunker. She didn't know that there were various types of fertilizer. It seems very insignificant and unimportant to her.
"What is it?" Allison asked. "Why does it matter?"
Allison didn't see why fertilizer would matter to anyone. It didn't seem like a big deal to her or that anyone would even care. She could tell that it meant a great deal to Young Allison for some reason.
Young Allison was gripped by a sick feeling deep inside of her. Once she knew what all the components were at the rear of the train, it spelled grave danger to her. She looked at Allison with a stern look on her face.
"It's a bomb." Young Allison said. "Fertilizer and fuel were the main compounds that were used as a bomb to blow up a Federal Building in Oklahoma. I studied this event two weeks ago."
Allison was confused as to how that could actually work. She believed Young Allison.
"You need to alert everyone at once." Allison said
Young Allison already started that procedure the moment she put it together.
'CamNet, the train is a giant bomb. Alert everyone. They need to withdraw.' Young Allison typed.
Allison was unsure exactly what Young Allison did to send the alarm. She felt the need to do more herself now that she was alerted to this threat.
"What can we do?" Allison asked. "I'm calling John."
Young Allison didn't want to become directly involved yet. She believed that if the warning came from CamNet that everyone would listen. She felt that would offer the best protection for the team.
"They've been alerted." Young Allison said. "I've passed the warning on to CamNet."
Young Allison was confident that CamNet could send the information to everyone the quickest. She was aware that when CamNet spoke, everyone listening.
John Henry was very surprised by the message that he received from CamNet. He knew that it needed immediate action.
"CamNet has informed me that the train itself is a gigantic bomb." John Henry said. "The bomb consists of the tank cars and the fertilizer cars that are at the rear of the train."
John expected some type of a sucker punch. This information was a little different than what he'd expected. He hoped that Sheila hadn't shut down the UH-1 yet.
"I want everyone out." John said. "Sheila, lift off for an emergency extraction."
John Henry thought that was the quickest way to get their troops out of the immediate area.
"That's a 'good call'." John Henry said.
Sheila hadn't shut down the Iroquois. She'd left it running. Gail's concern along with Savannah's and John's feeling that something was wrong was what allowed her to make that decision not to shut the Huey down. She kicked up the power, looked around and up and took off.
"I'm up." Sheila responded. "My ETA is three minutes."
Gail believed she could disable the train before it reached the target site.
"I can attack the train now." Gail said. "I'll have to use the minigun. I only have air to air missiles left."
John Henry immediately found that statement somewhat odd.
"You should have one more air to ground missile." John Henry said.
Gail knew it was there earlier. That was no longer the case.
"It's no longer on the large drone." Gail said.
There was no indication what happened to it. The only explanation was that CamNet must have used it at some point. No one believed that it would have fallen off of its mount. That was a subject to worry about at another time. Protecting the troops is what mattered now.
John wanted immediate action.
"Get another drone there." John said.
John Henry previously put all of them on recon duty to search and keep the area around the team under surveillance.
"They're all on recon. I've recalled two of them." John Henry said. "They're on the way."
John knew that his team wasn't the only concern. There were others that were caught up in the current situation who might be injured or killed as well.
"We need to worry about the locomotive crew." John said. "They would be unknowing in all of this."
Ally listened to the reports as they unfolded. She believed she could offer a quick solution.
"Gail, pick me up." Ally said. "I'll uncouple the cars if you let me off on top of the train. The locomotive will pull ahead of them if we close the angle cock on the air line once I pull the pin to uncouple them. That should take the head end crew out of danger."
John didn't want any of his people to get onto a rolling bomb. There was no way to know how it was to be detonated.
"That's too risky." John said.
Gail already made the decision to deal with the situation herself.
"I have it covered." Gail said. "I'll protect Savannah."
The message from CamNet was a game changer. This was the sucker play that Savannah feared. This time they were the suckers for taking the bait. She was currently under the boxcar that held the HK Tread with Cameron. They hoped to trick the operator of the HK Tread to exit from it on their own so that they could either take them into custody or kill them.
"Cameron we need to withdraw." Savannah said. "You heard."
Cameron wanted the person that she believed was inside the boxcar.
"We aren't done here yet." Cameron said. "You should go."
Savannah looked over towards the exit and then back at Cameron
"I won't leave you." Savannah said. "We'll both stay."
Another minute passed.
There was a metallic noise, followed by the sound of footsteps on the floor of the boxcar above them.
Savannah readied her M4 as Cameron readied her Taser.
From underneath the boxcar Savannah and Cameron waited.
This sucker play for the Gray or Terminator, took longer to play out than they'd anticipated. Now time was running out for all of them. They needed to wait and make sure that the individual committed to getting out of the boxcar before they could act so that they couldn't run back into the HK Tread again.
Sheila lifted the Huey off for all it was worth and rushed to the extraction site. She arrived quicker than anticipated.
"I'm coming in hot." Sheila said. "I don't see everyone. It looks like there are three of the team missing."
Ally did a quick head count.
"Everyone is here except Cammy, Cameron and Savannah." Ally said.
John was upset that Cameron and Savannah weren't there. He figured that Cammy went to look for Savannah herself. He still needed to worry about the overall safety of the entire team. The entire team mattered more than three individuals. He wanted to make his position clear to Sheila.
"Everyone get on board." John said. "Sheila, be ready to go. If I say to leave, you do it, no hesitation or questions. You will do it immediately."
Sheila was a little concerned about the missing team members. She didn't want to have a run in with John either. The current trouble with Cameron was bad enough.
"I will." Sheila said.
Anna wanted Sheila to move the helicopter closer to the building.
"We're all in." Anna said. "Move closer to the building. We have a better chance of them being able to get on board."
John already considered that possibility and discounted it. He needed to think about the entire team.
"Negative." John said. "There are still Grays or Metal in there with Cameron and Savannah. I'm not going to risk all of you."
Hanna wanted John to know why Cammy went to assist them.
"Don't forget that Cammy is there too." Hanna said "She took the LAW rocket from me to bring to them."
John gritted his teeth as he waited. He was going to have to make a hard call.
"Sheila, be ready to move." John said. "The good of the many, comes before the good of the few."
John Henry calculated the destructive value of a fertilizer-fuel bomb of that size. The effects of it we're going to be devastating over a large area.
"The blast radius of the Ammonium Nitrate in that volume will be very large." John Henry said. "The rail cars themselves will be turned into thousands of pounds of deadly flying shrapnel. The concussive effects and shock wave will most likely bring down the building."
John figured it would do the same for the helicopter if it wasn't away from the area.
"That endangers the Huey too." John said.
John Henry tracked the progress of the train. It continued to close on the location.
"The train is closing." John Henry said.
John wanted to tell the helicopter to take off immediately but Gail said that she would have it covered.
"Let's see what Gail can do.…" John said.
John was unsure what she was up to. He hoped it was not going to be a terminal act.
Cameron and Savannah listened to the cautious footsteps on the floor of the boxcar above them. The footsteps above them slowed and stopped. They figured the target peeked around the open boxcar door to see if it was clear to make a break for it.
The figure moved from the boxcar to the dock.
Cameron lifted her Taser.
The figure jumped down between the boxcar and the dock as someone entered the building. His attention was focused on the newcomer. He was unaware of the danger that was only a few feet away from him. Cameron was directly in back of him.
The figure never looked under the boxcar as the new threat was across the room. He raised a pistol to shoot at whoever entered.
Savannah looked and saw it was Cammy with a LAW rocket.
Cammy looked around and wondered where they were at. She brought her M4 up as she crouched down and swept the room for targets. She thought it was possible that they might be inside the boxcar.
It was clear to her that there were still active targets in there. Savannah and Cameron must be in too close to speak. She wondered if that meant there was a Terminator in there.
John watched as the manned drone closed on the rear of the train. The closer it moved, the less he could see. He wasn't really sure as to exactly what was happening. Whatever was it looked like a big risk to Gail as well as the manned drone.
"We're losing the view from Gail." John said. "She must be right on top of the train."
John Henry wasn't exactly sure what Gail was up to either.
"She's dropped down to the deck." John Henry said. "She must only be ten or twelve feet off of the ground."
As John viewed the image it became further obscured.
"The feed is off or blocked." John said. "I can only see a blur."
John Henry checked, everything operated normally with the manned drone.
"The manned drone is still operating." John Henry said. "It's in real close to the train."
John really wanted to see what was happening. He wanted another drone image as soon as possible.
"How soon until another drone arrives?" John asked.
John Henry watched as one approached the train.
"We have footage from another drone coming in now." John Henry said. "It's acquired the train."
John looked at the feed in amazement. He knew Cameron was a bad influence on the other Terminators. This looked like a stunt she would pull. It was bold and looked risky. Maybe that is what it took sometimes to get the job done.
"Now that's just insane." John said as he viewed the new drone footage of the train and what was happening on top of it.
Things Are Good Now
I'm good
I'm perfect
I'm good now
Everything's perfect
Things Are Good Now
I keep telling myself
I FEAR the saying is true
History repeats itself
What if I fail
What if I revert
Will you have the courage
To render me inert
You can't be trusted
Neither can
I don't want to go
Can't you feel me cry
I'm good
I'm perfect
I'm good now
Everything's perfect
Things Are Good Now
Things Are Good Now
Things Are Good Now
Error….
Nobody