Chapter 980

Nowhere To Go

John was concerned with the truck and its apparently slow journey. It seemed to be an attempt to identify a tail and trap it in traffic for a targeted hit once it was identified. It appeared to be an effective strategy.

"What's with the truck?" John asked. "I don't like how this is shaping up."

John Henry didn't have any sound answers.

"It is still on its way." John Henry said. "It's going somewhere. It doesn't appear to be the port. Not yet anyway. Hanna and Holly are away from it now. They're on a divergent route."

John looked at the drone footage of the truck first, now he looked at the drone footage of the old supermarket. He was able to check on the Terminators and Savannah. They were still at the location as they waited.

"I know the girls are itching to take down the target." John said. "I can tell just by looking at them.

John Henry checked the time. The team would have a further advantage once it became dark. Darkness was normally the time they liked to operate. It would allow them to bring the drones in for close support. With the new quieter power plants, they would be able to operate within effective gun range of any target. There was always the chance that they would be spotted when they were in the city by someone. They were always on the move.

"It will be dark soon." John Henry said. "That will serve our purpose better. It will make it safer for the girls."

There was one thing that bothered John a little more than all the other things that bothered him. There didn't seem to be any shortage of those.

"I want to make sure that the building the deceased men are in is torched." John said. "I don't want them found."

John Henry already wanted to clean up that mess on his own. More of their Terminators were finished inspecting the captured HK equipment that they'd acquired over the last few days. They were available for other tasks.

"I planned on that." John Henry said. "There were several homeless people that saw Cameron, Cam, Cammy and Ally. If the Ogre is found like he was left, it will raise questions. Someone may talk. I'll have a team take care of it."

John Henry soon was contacted by CamNet. He was informed that it was already being dealt with. He wasn't sure if that was something done by CamNet herself or if it was directed by the Young bunker. He was aware of some of the other activities that had been put into motion as well by CamNet.

John wanted to get some more firepower into the area.

"As soon as it's dark, I want some more drones in the area." John said.

That was something that John Henry was already prepared to do.

"I have them ready to go." John Henry said.

As soon as he made his statement, he was contacted by CamNet who informed him that more were already on the way. They would remain at altitude until darkness arrived.

John Henry noticed recently that CamNet was more directly involved. He was also aware that Young Allison was prompting things. So far every decision was the right one. Those decisions saved their group a lot of damage. They probably saved Savannah's life on at least two occasions if not more.

He tried to look more into Young Allison's training. CamNet told him Cameron liked to keep things about Savannah and Young Allison private. He understood the 'warning'.

John Henry watched the slow progress of the truck. It finally moved out of traffic and backtracked a short distance. It looked like they neared a destination. He saw the truck enter a location. He did a quick search of where the truck went into. He didn't like what he saw. It looked like more bad news.

"The truck has apparently reached one of its destination." John Henry said. "It's turned into a cryogenic laboratory."

John recognized it for the bad news it was. Maybe they could get some specifics.

"What's the cryogenic laboratory used for?" John asked.

John Henry wasn't sure if the laboratory was compromised and under the control of Skynet or if it was simply being used for what was available in it.

"That's currently unknown." John Henry said.

This location would require further investigation and most likely be targeted for a hit.

"It sounds like a place we should look into." John said. "If the entire place isn't dirty, I'm sure that's someone who works there is."

They watched the drone footage as the truck maneuvered around in the parking lot.

"The truck is about to back up to the loading dock." John Henry said.

John wanted to know what was going on inside that lab.

"After it leaves, I want a team inside that place." John said. "I want to know what's going on inside of there now and I want to know what's happened previously."

"Hanna and Holly are nearby and Cammy and Ally are on the way." John Henry said. "I will need to check into it and see what some of their past dealings have been."

John thought about the earlier assistance that Hanna and Holly were provided with by Cameron.

"CamNet's team can follow the truck when it leaves and heads for the port." John said. "I want the Metal girls inside there when Cameron and her team enter the old supermarket."

John Henry could tell that John might want to change the plan.

"Will we wait for the truck to return to the port area before they act?" John Henry asked.

John didn't like the location the truck was currently at. He wanted to know what the port location was. He wanted to think about it a little bit more.

"I'm not sure yet." John said.

John wanted to get the job done and get his people out. He was aware that having Cameron and Savannah at the location with a known Terminator caused him a lot of worry. He wanted that threat ended. If any of the teams were inadvertently compromised, they were all a target.

John Henry didn't want to trigger one part of the operation before all the pieces were in play. John was the one who would make the choice.

"Let me know." John Henry said.

John wanted this over and his people away from there. He didn't want to get attacked while they waited or have an HK drone attack called out on them.

"We'll wait until at least night." John said. "We need to end this."

The more John learned about the operation, the more everything about it bothered him.

Cameron didn't like how the events unfolded either.

"Savannah, I'm glad you suggested we send Cammy and Ally to back up Holly and Hanna." Cameron said. "They will have better protection that way."

Savannah made that call earlier. It seemed like the right thing to do. Since they needed to wait for the truck to reach its destination before they were going to act at their current location, they might as well make effective use of the troops they had available.

"They took the homeless people to the shelter. Everyone was reunited and it seems the homeless people were all happy. As for where we are, there are a lot of unknowns." Savannah said. "We have four Terminators at each location or will shortly. It appears that CamNet has sent at least two to assist with the truck as well."

Cameron wondered if the truck would make any additional stops along the way or head back to the port directly. Even if it returned to the port area, it was going to take some time. She could only imagine how much longer that would delay their ability to act where they were. It seemed too long to her.

"The truck is still a ways from the port when it leaves where it is at." Cameron said. "I hope there are no additional stops."

Savannah hoped there weren't either. They would further need to thin out their personnel if more people were needed at additional locations. She felt the terminus of the truck was of importance.

"We need to know where the truck goes or where it came from." Savannah said. "There has to be something there. I don't know if any of these locations will lead to a mainframe or not. It doesn't seem like it based upon their location."

Cameron didn't care for the mention of a Skynet mainframe. She believed Savannah was correct though that one wouldn't be found at any of the locations they currently investigated. She was ready for action now. She would prompt action herself as soon as it was dark. The thought of a female, especially a young one, that might currently be assaulted while they waited, didn't sit well with her. They didn't have any proof of that one way or the other. She was going to verify that herself and she wasn't going to wait much longer.

"I'm going to have John Henry cut communications as soon as it's dark." Cameron said. "I want to see if they have a female inside."

Savannah didn't want Cameron to spook the truck from its port destination. She needed to give Cameron a reminder. She was sure the destination was an important piece of the puzzle.

"As soon as the truck is at the port, we can." Savannah said. "We need to wait."

Savannah reached over and gave Cameron's hand a gentle squeeze to show her she understood her concern for the girl.

She was worried there was a female captive being held by the Grays inside the old supermarket. She was very aware that Cameron wanted to get in there and free her. Savannah felt what was done was done and the fate of the female was probably already terminal. She didn't want to blow the operation over an unknown.

Vanna was alone with Allison again. They'd just left Riley's quarters and the nursery behind. They walked through the halls of the Resistance base. They didn't seem to have a specific destination.

"I'm glad to see Riley is doing better." Vanna said.

Allison thought so as well. She'd been a little concerned about her. She was sure she was going to end up the same way if she was able to have her baby. It wasn't a comforting thought. She knew that she was going to need to rely heavily upon Vanna and the Metal girls. She didn't want to be a burden to her mother, her younger self or her sister, Summer.

"At least she doesn't seem like a nervous wreck anymore." Allison said. "I want to check on Summer."

Vanna looked over at Allison when she mentioned Summer. She figured that Summer was the last person who would need any checking up on. She thought that Summer was the most gifted individual that she'd ever known.

"Summer is fine." Vanna said. "Let's go by and check on Jesse and make sure she's going to be available in a few hours."

Allison frowned a little to herself with that last suggestion.

"Maybe we can call her instead." Allison said.

Vanna thought Allison didn't want to see her mother sharing with Jesse. She decided to refer to her as 'Claire' instead of 'your mother'. It made Claire seem more like one of the girls that she really was and not as someone's mother.

"Are you worried about seeing Claire?" Vanna asked.

Allison thought about that a lot. Her mother was a person too. She didn't feel it was her decision to determine who could be with who or when anyone else could share with each other. That would be a very selfish action on her part.

"No. It's no different than what we do." Allison said. "I still don't like you being with her sometimes but I do understand. Just don't talk about it to me like we do the other girls. I won't deny either of you the joy and pleasure you can share with each other."

Allison didn't want to hear how her mother was 'better' than her for sex.

It seemed to Vanna there was a deeper issue here for Allison.

"You still seem troubled." Vanna said as they walked. "She is who she is. We are who we are."

Allison felt a certain amount of guilt and remorse. Sometimes she wondered if she was responsible for her parents separating. She was aware that her mother was very dissatisfied with her personal relationship with her father. She on the other hand experienced a very fulfilling and wild one with Vanna and all of the girls.

"I think it was because my mom witnessed what I was doing. I think that in turn made her want to restart her old lifestyle." Allison said. "She liked what she saw and what I was sharing."

Allison knew her mother liked who she was sharing with too and now she shared with all of them as well. They were all within a few years of each other's age as it was.

Vanna saw it as no different than what they did.

"There's been a fine selection of females in and out of the Young residence the last few years." Vanna said. "It would tempt anyone. Look at us. We've been with ALL of them."

Allison thought it was a little deeper than that. There was a facilitator amongst them. There was someone that wanted to make sure that all of them were happy and content.

"That's just the thing." Allison said. "No one needs to be tempted. As soon as Cameron is told what someone wants or figures it out herself, it happens."

Vanna didn't see that as a problem. She thought it showed the depth of love and caring Cameron was able to experience.

"That sounds like a good thing." Vanna said. "Cameron cares about all of us and loves all of us."

Allison wondered if sometimes maybe it was too much. Maybe it was like taking a kid to the candy store and allowing them to pick out whatever they wanted and as much as they wanted.

"No, I mean ANYTHING." Allison said. "Cameron tries to give us anything we want."

Vanna was a little worried about the direction the conversation seemed to be headed.

"What are you getting at?" Vanna asked.

Allison still felt it was her fault somehow that her parents separated. It wasn't something she ever wanted to happen but it did anyway. She tried to tell herself that they made their own decisions. She didn't make those decisions for them. She knew that everyone was an adult and that half of all marriages ended in divorce anyway. Somehow she still felt responsible.

"Maybe that's what my dad did." Allison said. "Maybe he asked Cameron for something specific."

Vanna knew where this was headed. They'd danced around this issue before.

"Do you wonder who or what his girlfriend is?" Vanna asked.

Allison frowned. It didn't matter how many times they'd talked about it. It was the subject matter that still bothered her.

"Yes, we've talked about this before." Allison said.

There were several directions the turn of events could go.

"You're afraid it's 'you' or a 'Cameron look alike' that he has." Vanna said.

Allison didn't want her father to have a lover that looked like Cameron and HER. She saw from the first time her father laid eyes on Cameron that he loved her 'appearance'. He wasn't able to correlate at that time that Cameron looked like the teenage version of his young daughter.

"I am." Allison said. "I'm afraid it's ME."

Vanna noticed where they were stopped at as they talked now. They were in one of the 'dead zones' where there weren't any security cameras. They were alone and isolated. It was clear that Allison was about to hit on a sensitive issue. She wanted her to get to the point. She figured it was only a matter of time until someone would be sent to investigate what they were up to.

"We're in a secluded area." Vanna said. "Spill it."

Allison didn't say anything at first. It came out finally.

"I want to see her." Allison said. "I want to see who my father's lover is."

Vanna thought there were easier ways to get answers.

"Why don't you just ask Cameron?" Vanna asked. "I don't think she will lie to you if you ask her."

Vanna thought Allison could always get Young Allison or Savannah to ask Cameron for them. She knew Cameron wouldn't lie to them.

Allison almost did that very thing and ask on several occasions. She wasn't sure based on the sensitivity of the issue if Cameron would be forthcoming with her.

"I want to see her." Allison said. "I want to know myself for sure."

Vanna was thrilled by the prospect of another 'Allison based Terminator' but didn't show her desire.

"What if it is 'you'?" Vanna asked. "That would be like Ally."

Allison came to that conclusion a long time ago. She looked into it as well.

"I asked Ally if he ever hit on her." Allison said.

Vanna was a little worried about that. She knew that there were restrictions and severe punishment for any female Terminator who violated Cameron's rules

"Did he?" Vanna asked. "Cameron has forbidden all the female Terminators from relations with any male other than John. Anyone who violates those rules will be deactivated."

Allison needed to think about what Vanna just said for a few seconds.

"Ally didn't think that he hit on her any harder than he did any of the other females either Terminator or human. As for Cameron to restrict who any female Terminator can be with as far as males go, hasn't she done that with all the human females too?" Allison asked. "That's except for Riley and Sarah."

Vanna didn't have any desire to be with any males other than John. She didn't know what the aspirations were of Allison, Claire or Savannah. She was sure that if anyone had a desire to be with a male other than John it would be Jesse. She didn't believe anything like that ever happened. Maybe they were all unofficially regulated to ever only being with John if they ever wanted to be with a male.

"I guess she has." Vanna said.

Vanna and Allison started their walk again and headed for their room. At least there they could find comfort and release with each other and the satisfaction that brought, even if it was momentary in duration. There was always an escape available to them from reality.

Hanna and Holly were on a side street that paralleled the truck.

"I'm glad we got out of that traffic." Holly said. "We were too exposed with nowhere to go."

Holly looked at the image from the drone on her phone. It appeared the truck reached one of its destinations. They were sure it wasn't the final destination.

"Well, we know where they're at now." Hanna said.

Both of their phones and coms lit up with a warning.

"You're being targeted." John Henry said. "You have a tail."

Hanna checked her mirrors and looked around.

"I don't see them." Hanna said.

Holly looked around them as well. She made sure her weapons were ready.

"I don't see anything either." Holly said.

John Henry wanted them to know where the information came from.

"The drone over you has picked them up." John Henry said. "That must be why it's out of your field of view."

Holly looked at her phone again. It was still the same image she'd viewed previously.

"I thought the drone was with the truck." Holly said.

John Henry was only informed by CamNet a short while ago about the additional drones.

"You have one now as well." John Henry said. "It only arrived a short time ago."

Hanna still didn't see any threat around them. Other than the warning from John Henry, she felt no sense of danger.

"Are they actually targeting us or are they back up for the truck?" Hanna asked.

John Henry could only report what the drone picked up.

"You're between the truck and them." John Henry said. "Cammy and Ally are moving to intercept them."

Hanna was glad that the additional help was close. It appeared that being stuck in traffic allowed Cammy and Ally to make up a lot of time and catch up to them.

"I'm glad they're backing us up." Hanna said. "Where's CamNet's team?"

John Henry developed a contingency plan to deal with the unknown vehicle.

"They're one street over from you. They're paralleling you." John Henry said. "I'm going to have you cut over towards them at the storage locker facility. There's no one there at this time. It's somewhat secluded if we need to make a terminal decision. It will make a satisfactory kill zone."

Hanna hadn't spotted the storage facility yet. She was familiar with a large group of them that were in the local area. The ones from that company were all painted a certain way.

"Is that the storage place with all the orange doors?" Hanna asked. "I see a lot of those when I drive around on operations."

John Henry was familiar with the company brand that Hanna indicated. That wasn't the case currently.

"This one has green doors." John Henry said. "It's an independent location."

Holly was a little concerned about their circumstances.

"Are we going to try to question anyone?" Holly asked.

John Henry received instructions from CamNet that if Hanna and Holly had been targeted, they were to attack first and ask questions later. Everyone was in position to carry out that directive.

"If they're following you, Cammy and Ally will join you in taking them down." John Henry said. "Cameron's Terminators will be waiting."

Hanna looked over at Holly and nodded.

"I see the location up ahead." Hanna said. "I'm about to make my turn."

Cammy received the warning first before she spotted the tail on Hanna and Holly.

"I see them now." Cammy said. "They're in the brown sedan."

Ally looked at the drone image that they were sent. It confirmed what Cammy spotted.

"Don't get too close." Ally said.

They received information from John Henry there was a drone now over them and the suspected Gray vehicle was targeted. The drone was still in high altitude, so it would be a missile strike.

"We sure seem to be getting a lot of help from CamNet." Cammy said.

Ally thought things really picked up the last week or so in that regard.

"I've noticed." Ally said. "Everyone's noticed."

Cammy knew exactly what it was. She understood the reasoning.

"It's Young Allison trying to protect Cameron and Savannah." Cammy said.

It seems very logical to Ally even if the actions were somewhat forward. She was aware that as much as Young Allison wanted to stay in the background and act through CamNet, it was clear CamNet's activities were being directed from her.

"They're her mates." Ally said. "They will be anyway."

Cammy believed it was even deeper than that. Young Allison had stepped up to the plate and started doing what she felt needed to be done, that wasn't being done already. She believed that every call that Young Allison made was the correct call.

"We would have suffered losses without those decisions." Cammy said.

Ally knew that was true. She wondered if there was some point Cammy wanted to make.

"What are you saying?" Ally asked.

Cammy shrugged her shoulders as she drove. She continued to close up on the brown sedan.

"I don't know." Cammy said. "Things are different."

Ally wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet. Time would tell.

"We all know different or new is 'bad' and so is change." Ally said. "At least we always think that at first."

Cammy I was more concerned about her personal interest.

"I'm worried about Savannah." Cammy said.

Ally didn't think she needed to remind Cammy about the inevitable but she did anyway.

"The 'Natural Order' is unchangeable." Ally said. "Everyone knows this. You know it too."

Cammy was worried about the future and the past. Her experiences in the future, the past and the present showed that everything was changeable in some way. She was aware that most of those ways weren't good.

Nowhere To Go

It's always easier
To burn one's bridges
Than it is to put
A door back on its hinges

People make mistakes
They do the wrong things
They try hard to fix it
But pull the wrong strings

Harsh words come easy
They are seldom actually meant
In a heart and mind
They leave a big dent

Is everything in life
Really made to be broken
Perhaps some things
Were best left unspoken

Events that ramp up
Always reach a plateau
Things stagnate and corrode
Because there's nowhere to go

Nobody