Chapter 870

Aware Of That

Cammy and Gail surprised the two unknown individuals. They both turned around and faced Cammy and Gail. One held a small pry bar. The other one held a hammer and screwdriver. They didn't look like anything more than local thieves. They were very young too.

Gail pointed her M4 at the two young punks.

"Drop the weapons now." Gail said.

The two young men looked at each other and realized that the person indicated the tools that they held.

The two young men quickly dropped what they were holding and raised their hands when they saw the vest clad, M4 toting individuals who'd confronted them. They thought they were the police.

The two young men looked very nervous. One seemed to be much more so than the other.

"Are you going to take us in?" One asked.

It was clear they thought they were headed to jail.

They were surprised by what Gail said.

Gail knew a future Scavenger when she saw one.

"You will be questioned and then terminated." Gail said.

Cammy shot Gail a stern look. These were teenage punks. They were common juvenile criminals.

"What?" The other one asked in surprise.

Cammy figured she'd better take over the interrogation of the two young men.

"Where do you live?" Cammy asked.

The first teen looked at the second one before he spoke.

"We both live over about four streets." One said. "We were just looking for some place to blow some 'herb'. We didn't want anyone to know."

Gail felt the individuals were uneducated.

"Narcotics are bad for the human body." Gail said.

Gail quickly and roughly searched the two young teenagers. She took the drugs away from them. One of them carried a small pocket knife. She took that too.

The two young men thought Gail was the badass of the two.

Cammy and Gail appeared to end up in a 'good cop, bad cop' scenario. It wasn't something that they'd planned. It was just the way that it worked out. It was accurate as well.

"Are you the police?" The other one asked.

Cammy liked the idea of that prospect. She decided to run with it. She also hoped it would limit the amount of questions that the two young men might have about them. She thought maybe she could even play it up a little to make them think twice in the future.

"Yes. We're tracking a murder suspect. He was reported around here." Cammy said. "He abuses his victims and brutalities them before he kills them. He always does it while they're still alive too. It's very gruesome."

One teen looked a little more shaken than the other.

"I feel sorry for those women." One said.

Cammy decided to play her hand a little harder. She thought that she could make a point and drive home her message with a little more force.

"He only preys on teenage boys or younger." Cammy said. "You boys take off and get back home. If you have younger brothers, keep them indoors and don't sneak out at night. When we catch him, you will hear about it on the news. Stay safe until then. Now take off."

The two teens quickly looked at each other. They weren't sure if it was for real or if the 'police' were just messing with them before they took them in.

"Are you letting us go?" The other one asked.

One of the boys reached for the tools they'd dropped.

"Leave the weapons." Gail said. "You'll be given one warning only. You've already received it."

The one teen looked even more worried than he'd been before.

"My dad will be upset if we don't bring the tools back." One said.

Cammy didn't know if she made a hard enough 'sell' earlier. She decided to make it a little more explicit.

"He won't be upset that you're still alive and not dead." Cammy said.

Gail could see both of the teenagers were terrified. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to be mutilated before they were terminated.

"Go." Gail said. "You've already been warned."

Cammy could see that the boys were even a little afraid to go home at this point.

"Run all the way home and don't stop for anyone." Cammy said.

The two boys took off.

Gail watched them depart with a look of contempt on her face. She was clearly displeased with the decision to allow them to leave without any form of punishment. If Jesse was with her, the boys would have been punished.

"We should have terminated them." Gail said. "They will turn out to be Scavengers. We can still catch them and ensure they will never abuse anyone."

Cammy didn't believe that the two individuals actually did anything wrong other than possess the narcotics. Savannah often stressed moderation and their responses to non-Skynet issues unless it was Scavenger like activity. If someone acted like a Scavenger, they were to be dealt with as such.

"Their offense didn't warrant termination or anything else in this case." Cammy said. "Savannah has taught us to show some discretion and compassion. They're young and may think twice before escalating their undesirable activities."

Cammy gave a full report to John Henry. He filled them in on the drone images of where the men were inside the structure. The two individuals that they accosted were already one block away from them and still running.

Cameron issued instructions to all of them. The assault of the structure was a go. She wanted everyone in place. To know where their targets were at inside of the structure, would aid them greatly.

John paid careful attention to Cammy's and Gail's actions with the two teenagers. It looked like things were touch and go a few times. He was relieved that Cammy didn't kill the teenagers. He was pretty sure Gail would have, just to tie up loose ends. Her Terminator instincts were still strong.

John Henry hoped to put John's mind at ease somewhat.

"I'll monitor the boys to make sure they leave the area." John Henry said.

Cameron listened as well. She didn't want them back into the target area.

"That is a good plan." Cameron said. "If they don't enter a house in four blocks or if they return to where they were, I'll let whatever Terminator they encounter decide their fate. Gail said they'd get only one warning. They already received it."

John looked over at John Henry with Cameron's comment but didn't say anything. He waited for Savannah to moderate Cameron's response. It didn't happen.

John Henry decided to move on. As far as he was concerned the incident with the teenagers was over. Now it was time for the 'main event'.

"The operation with Cameron's team shouldn't be too involved." John Henry said. "It looks pretty straight forward at this point."

Cameron's team wasn't John's only concern. He believed that the person who faced the biggest threat currently was Ally.

"Hopefully it will go smoothly. I'm worried about Ally." John said. "She's about to run and lead her pursuers into an ambush."

John Henry didn't feel it was their responsibility. The bikers had a choice. They could ride away or they could go after Ally. What they did determine their own fate. They didn't need to stop in the first place.

"The choice to follow and engage Ally is up to the bikers." John Henry said.

John needed to agree with the logic but he hated to see needless death even if the individuals deserved it. The bikers weren't back from the future to do harm and support Skynet. They were in reality nothing more than common thugs and criminals. He also understood that if Ally wasn't a Terminator that she would probably be brutalized and killed by the bikers. He also noticed that Savannah didn't do anything to stop what was about to unfold in that theater of operations either. It still bothered him a little bit that Young Allison was the one who would call the shots in Ally's case. It was clear that everyone wanted him to know what his future held. It was clear that Savannah and Young Allison both held future Scavengers in contempt.

Cameron was pleased that everyone was returned to her operation. She also had the added bonus of Cammy and Gail to assist as well. She knew that Savannah would be pleased with the additional assistance.

The time for thinking and planning was over. She laid out her plan for everyone with her

Cameron decided to have Cammy, Gail and Dan go in the back door. Sheila would rejoin Savannah and her. They would go in Terminator style through the front door. Frank would cover the side where several of the individuals were concentrated in case anyone tried to flee out of a window.

The thermal images from the drone showed the men hadn't moved much. It didn't appear that any of them we're sleeping or resting. It was more than likely they were at work on computer terminals. Whether they did Skynet's bidding or looked at porn was unknown to her currently. It didn't really matter.

Cameron went over everyone's assignment again.

"Savannah, you'll watch our rear." Cameron said.

Sheila couldn't resist the urge to make a sexual comment.

"That's the job I wanted." Sheila said.

Savannah decided to run with the statement. Maybe it would lighten things up a little bit before the raid.

"It's my job now." Savannah said. "I have a lot of practice, especially with you. Your rear looks just like Jesse's and Young Jesse's."

Cameron knew they tried to ease the tension. It never bothered her to hear Savannah discuss any of her exploits with the other females. She wanted Savannah to feel and share as much love as possible. She was very glad she was able to direct Savannah in that direction as she grew up. She knew it was the right choice for her.

Savannah noticed that Cameron was on edge. She didn't want Cameron to go off on some tangent of her own. There was still a lot that they didn't know.

"We still don't know what or who we're facing." Savannah reminded her. "All we know is they seemed to know about the one set of Grays."

Cameron was done waiting. It was 'go time'. Everyone knew their positions and jobs.

"We're going to find out a lot more." Cameron said. "Everyone move out. We will breach in thirty seven seconds from NOW."

All the teams moved into position. The attack was about to start. It should be an easy take down but things always seemed to have a way of going bad, fast.

They all figured this one would be no different. It didn't matter they needed to start some place and that someplace was through the front door, Terminator style.

Derek drove Holly to the 'Home Improvement' store.

He was thrilled with the new truck. It was nearly a new vehicle too.

"I really like this truck." Derek said.

Holly was pleased that Derek was pleased. She wanted to give him a couple of pointers and a warning.

"You can drive it whenever you want but if you use it on an operation it may be compromised." Holly said. "You must also have a Terminator with you or follow you."

Derek secretly wished that it could be Holly. He needed to remember that Holly 'belonged' to Allison now. He didn't want to take anyone's lover away from them. It made him think about Jesse. Did Cameron take Jesse away from him? He wasn't really sure that Jesse ever actually 'belonged' to him. Their relationship was always sex based from the beginning until the end. He always wanted more but there was always a 'brick wall' around Jesse. She didn't allow anyone to get close to her in a loving manner. He watched Cameron change all of that. Unfortunately he didn't benefit when Cameron broke down the wall around Jesse. He needed to refocus. He didn't want to seem rude to Holly.

"I know how it works." Derek said. "I'm not itching to get smoked either."

Holly tilted her head slightly at his response but didn't comment.

Derek learned long ago that none of them went out without a Terminator escort of some type.

They rode mostly in silence as they went through the city streets.

Derek pulled into the front lot of the big box store. He figured they would have to go inside and search for the stuff they would need. The big stores were a hassle to try and find things on your own. The help was hard to find. When one was found, they didn't always know where things were located at either. For many of the employees it was their first job in that type of business and they were very uninformed about many things. He already knew more than most of them through practical experience.

Holly checked her phone and smiled. It was a message from CamNet.

"Drive to the back for 'Will Call' service." Holly said.

Derek wondered why they would go there.

"If you say so…." Derek said.

Holly smiled at Derek.

"I say so." Holly said.

Derek arrived in the back. A worker waited for them with everything they needed. It was all ready to go.

"Did you do this?" Derek asked. "Everything is what Riley will like, even the paint."

Holly wasn't surprised at who actually placed the order.

"No, CamNet ordered it." Holly said. "She also paid for it."

Derek was even more surprised by that revelation. He still found it hard to believe that he actually spoke with CamNet previously.

"CamNet did that for Riley?" Derek asked. "It, I mean she never ceases to amaze me."

Derek was aware there was always a 'cloud' hanging over Riley's head that was unspoken.

Holly was able to sense Derek's apprehension.

"Yes." Holly said. "Riley is NOT Future Riley. We ALL know that."

Derek knew that that statement was true. He also knew that all of the girls still kept some distance between Riley and themselves. He always felt that they wanted to do more but they didn't want to 'hurt' Cameron. It was a very sad scenario for Riley. He did know the individual who reached out to Riley the most often was actually Cameron.

"Let's not even talk about any of that." Derek said.

Holly was aware how to play a scenario like that. Allison taught her what to do and say when someone was uncomfortable with something and didn't want to mention something.

"Talk about what?" Holly asked.

Derek understood the issue was dropped. He looked at her and could see how beautiful she was.

They were ready to load the items.

Holly reached down and picked up both doors at the same time.

Derek was aware how heavy they were. He saw the worker look at her and he quickly moved to help her.

"Let me help you." Derek said.

Holly didn't have any trouble when she picked up the doors.

"I don't need any help." Holly said.

Derek pointed at the worker that looked at her with wide eyes.

Holly let Derek help her.

"Your girlfriend is really strong." The worker said.

When the worker said 'girlfriend', Derek and Holly looked at each other.

"She works out…." Derek said as they finished loading the items in the truck.

Derek thought that Holly would 'work out' fine as his girlfriend in addition to his earlier statement. He didn't feel too guilty to think about it but he did need to remember that Riley and Precious both waited for him to return to the base. All he could do is chalk it up as another 'what if' scenario. He seemed to have a lot of those in his life. Life moved forwards, not backwards.

Claire decided to leave Bob with Summer and Jan. Bob said it was fine with him. She noticed that Bob actually looked 'happy' when he was around Summer. She was sure that was the only time she'd ever seen him look 'happy'.

She did know that Summer had a special way with everyone that she'd encountered. She could reach out and 'touch' them in a way that no one else could. She didn't need to even physically touch them either to do it.

Claire wanted a better tour of the Resistance base. She wanted to move the girls to a safer location. It would also put her closer to a wider selection of females, both Metal and human.

"Show me everything here again." Claire said to Hanna. "I mean everything. I want stories about what's happened and where. I've already heard about more than a few of those."

Hanna was a little worried about Claire's questions. She was more than aware that she would need to 'share' Claire a lot more than she currently did if she was to move to the Resistance base. That was a two way street. It would also give her more flexibility. She would certainly like to spend more time with Sheila and Ally if she could. It was usually a good time when the 'Three Musketeers' operated together.

"It's not that dramatic." Hanna said. "Do you still want to move here?"

Claire was aware there were advantages as well as a few disadvantages.

"I do." Claire said. "I'll miss the backyard for Allison – Young Allison and Summer."

Hanna was aware that there were other alternatives close by.

"There's a park nearby." Hanna said.

Claire frowned a little bit.

"I just don't know if it is the right choice." Claire said.

Hanna wasn't oblivious to Claire's human desires.

"Do you wish to be closer to Vanna and Jesse?" Hanna asked.

Claire looked quickly at Hanna. She shrugged her shoulders slightly. She didn't see any reason to lie about it. She enjoyed being with all the girls. That included both the human and Metal girls as well.

"It would be a lie to say that I don't." Claire said. "Where do Sheila and Ally stay?"

Part of Hanna's 'job' was to ensure Claire was able to experience all the things that she wanted. Cameron wanted all of the human females to feel happy all the time. She knew that happiness for most of them was a sexual encounter with another female.

"They usually work for Cameron at her base." Hanna said. "I can inform Cameron you wish to have them 'visit' you more often. She will make it happen. It's not a problem for me either. I care for both of them deeply."

Claire also needed to think about her daughters and their father. He didn't come around much anymore but he was still the girl's father. She'd made up her mind a long time ago never to be with him sexually again. He'd never once satisfied her.

"Will Paul be allowed to visit here?" Claire asked.

That sounded like a bad idea to Hanna.

"That's doubtful." Hanna said. "Any off site meeting will be no problem."

Claire always felt a little disappointment when she thought about him. She felt a little guilty about moving on but not too much. There wasn't much out of the marriage for her other than the money that he earned to support the family. Money was no longer an issue. She was a little concerned about her 'replacement' though.

"He has a girlfriend now." Claire said. "I can't blame him. I abandoned him in his own home. I bet she's better than me…."

Hanna wanted to see what Claire actually knew.

"Have you seen her?" Hanna asked.

Claire didn't think that she was very old. She did know that Paul liked to look at the younger girls though. She always noticed that when they went out.

"No, he makes sure I never do see her." Claire said. "She's probably prettier and younger than me anyway."

Hanna wondered if Claire just said that or if she actually meant it.

"Is that what Paul would want?" Hanna asked.

"Yes." Claire said.

Hanna knew whatever Paul 'wanted', is what Cameron would make sure he received.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Hanna said.

Hanna was very aware that nobody ever saw his new girlfriend. It was a pretty good bet why. Cameron would do whatever it took to get her way. She was willing to bet Paul's new 'girlfriend' was a Terminator who looked just like a 'teenage Claire'. She would do whatever he wanted, when he wanted it. She would never say 'no'. She wouldn't get tired or use that as an excuse. Most of all she would protect him from the future. She also briefly wondered if the Terminator girlfriend didn't look like a teenage version of Claire, if she would look like a teenage version of Cameron. In reality that would look like Young Allison, his daughter. It was a sobering thought.

Ally drove away from the backside of the building as seven motorcycles were about to come around the far corner. She saw one remained behind on the side of the road, as seven more came from the other side. They'd left a 'lookout' behind them to warn of any danger to the bikers.

Ally drove onto the dirt road behind the abandoned building. It led to the excavation site. It was three miles away. It was a really rough road with a lot of soft loose dirt on it. It actually looked like there hadn't been a vehicle of any type on it for years. The excavation site itself had been lost to time.

Two bikers tried to cut her off. She punched it and shot past them. They needed to swerve to keep from being knocked over. It caused the two of them to collide slightly but they remained upright.

Ally stayed on the accelerator. She reached down and turned off the dome light. She'd wanted to make sure the bikers saw she was a lone female. She'd leave that part out of her report. She was ready to meet the challenge of those who dared to threaten her. The 'Allison' in her wanted retribution for what was done to Vanna. This looked like a good place to start.

As soon as Ally hit the loose earth, she kicked up a 'rooster tail' of dirt behind her. She showered the bilkers with a cloud of dirt and dust. If they weren't going to follow her before, they surely were going to now. They were covered in dirt and debris. Many had been hit by small rocks as well.

Ally kept it floored. She moved rapidly and the bikes needed to slow some to be able to see. There was a giant dust cloud behind her. She drove without any lights and the bikes all used their headlights now that it was dark. They tried to see and ride over the rough unpaved road in a blinding choking brown and gray 'fog' of dust and dirt.

She shot ahead of the pursuers. It was what she wanted. She wanted to be at the excavation site waiting for them. She looked in her rear view mirror at the dancing headlights that followed her in the cloud of dust.

Ally looked ahead and smiled.

"Welcome to the future." Ally said out loud to herself.

Young Allison watched the drone footage. She was aware of what Ally did to provoke a confrontation. She knew that was unnecessary but all of the Terminators developed a dislike for bikers after what almost happened to Duplicate Allison and Duplicate Vanna. That was the night River killed over two dozen of them – alone.

Anna could see how young Allison followed the events intently as they unfolded. She wanted her to keep some distance between an operation and herself.

"Relax." Anna said. "You're going to become over emotionally involved. Let the events play out as you've planned them."

Young Allison knew at this point once the bikers followed Ally that there were going to be terminations. It was something that she'd helped orchestrate with Anna and CamNet.

"I want to make sure everything is ready." Young Allison said. "I'm worried about Ally. I know what the bikers were going to do to Duplicate Allison and Duplicate Vanna."

Anna thought it was too late for Young Allison to change her mind. Ally was already committed.

"Everything is as you requested it." Anna said. "Are you ready to kill?"

Young Allison quickly glanced at Anna with an irritated look on her face. She was tired of that question. The operation was underway and there was no turning back at this point.

"It's their choice, not mine." Young Allison said. "Don't ask me that again."

Young Allison didn't like that question. It wasn't her who would do the killing. It was the biker's actions that determined their fate. They still could choose to leave on their own. She'd actually requested they be given that option if at all possible before their death sentence was delivered.

"I've been asked by Savannah to remind you that when this time came that this is for real." Anna said. "People are going to die soon."

Young Allison didn't need to hear this anymore. Everyone was responsible for their own actions. She wasn't responsible for other people or what they did.

"I'm aware of that." Young Allison said. "Depending on the choices they make is what will determine if there will be grieving parents, siblings, spouses, children and friends."

Young Allison knew all the implications of how deep each death reached, even for scum and future Scavengers. Everything in life came with a price. Even if that price didn't need to be paid for years or decades, at some point the toll became due.

The Grim Reaper was about to collect it.

Aware Of That

When someone steps out
Who's the last to know
Things can happen quick
Things can happen slow

Everyone looks the other way
They've all done it too
Somehow it's always different
When it happens to you

Each person sees it differently
Many things can make them snap
It all comes down to morals
Some still hang on for a scrap

Why can't they walk away
Why do they always stay
They don't listen to what people say
They continue to go out and play

What comes around goes around
Get ready for tit for tat
Two can play the game
They're soon aware of that

Nobody