Chapter 1086

Short Takeoff

The B-25 thundered above the Central Valley. Young Allison was the pilot. She flew from the copilot's seat. They'd just flown under the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge in the last half hour. They were going to land at the small airfield in Madera. It was an uncontrolled airport. There was no control tower.

Savannah checked her map. They were just about to pass Merced. She glanced over at Young Allison.

"I'll take it, Allison." Savannah said.

Young Allison would have liked to have continued as the pilot. She felt that Savannah already had given her a lot of leeway. She looked over at Savannah and nodded.

"You got it?" Young Allison asked.

Savannah gave all the instruments a quick 'once over'. She was ready.

"I got it." Savannah said.

They were about twenty miles out from Madera at this point. Savannah eased back on the throttles about fifteen miles later.

Cameron checked the sky around them. She looked in front of the aircraft. She saw that their heading was right on course.

"I see the airfield." Cameron said. "The runway we are lined up with is over five thousand feet in length."

Savannah thought that was a runway with plenty of length for them.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Savannah said. "This aircraft doesn't need a lot of runway to take off or land."

Young Allison studied the Doolittle Raid. She was aware of the preparation that went into it along with the testing and practice. A short takeoff in a B-25 was the main focus. It left her with a desire to break those records. She felt if someone else was able to do it that she should be able to do as well. She wanted to do it better.

"I want to beat the record for a short takeoff." Young Allison said. "I think I can do it."

Savannah was well aware of the short takeoff distances that were achieved in preparation for that mission. She felt it was unsafe and unwise for Young Allison to attempt it. Those short takeoff distances needed to be achieved to make sure the aircraft would be able to take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. It was all for a very specific mission.

"The practice takeoff distance was less than three hundred feet." Savannah said. "They achieved those short distances in preparation for the Doolittle Raid. I don't think that's safe for you to try."

Young Allison did her homework on the preparation. She looked into what was done for the takeoff procedure.

"It's all about standing on the brakes and revving the engines." Young Allison said. "I studied everything about that mission and the lead up to it. That's why I wanted to fly under the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge."

Savannah remembered the distance because it was so short. It was also under more favorable conditions with a speed advantage of a moving ship and the wind.

"The shortest distance was two hundred and seventy-five feet from a moving carrier deck heading into the wind." Savannah said. "They didn't need to climb. They only needed to get enough speed for level flight off of the carrier deck."

Cameron felt her rework of the engines with the porting and polishing and slightly higher compression would all help out. Simply put, the engines on her B-25 were the best engines on any B-25 that ever flew. Everything had been machined and fitted by her Terminators. She oversaw much of the operation herself

"The engines on this plane are in top shape and produce more horsepower than the engines on the B-25B used in that test." Cameron said. "Even though this plane is heavier, I think she can do it."

Now Cameron wanted to try it herself. She was sure she could do it.

Savannah could see Cameron was on board with the idea. Since it appeared it was going to happen, she wanted it to happen under the safest conditions possible.

"You need to make sure it's safe for a takeoff like that, Cameron." Savannah said. "Let's try not to do a 'Ruptured Duck' take off."

Cameron saw it as a challenge. She believed under her stewardship and guidance that Young Allison would be able to do it.

"I'll check and verify everything as it happens." Cameron said.

Cammy could see what was happening on the tarmac at the airfield.

"I see the P-51." Cammy said. "I see Sheila and Ally waiting down there for us."

Savannah wanted to make sure that everybody was on the same page and knew what was happening and why.

"Tell them we're making two touch and go landings first." Savannah said.

Derek was back in the nose. Cameron was behind the girls in the jump seat. Cammy was in the top turret. Gail and Ally were in the rear fuselage.

Savannah dropped down and made a smooth touchdown. She then kicked up the power and took back off. She came around and did it again. She was even smoother the next time. On the third touchdown she chopped the power and landed. She taxied near the P-51 and the waiting tanker.

She taxied the B-25 up to the P-51 and swung it around, just outside of the P-51's wingtip. It was lower than the B-25's wingtip. She checked over all the gauges one more time and shut the two engines down.

The girls exited the aircraft from the front and rear hatches in the bottom of the fuselage.

Savannah and Young Allison started an inspection of the plane with Cameron. Cammy went over to the tanker and asked the driver to bring it closer. They were ready to furl the aircraft.

The tanker driver watched Cammy walk up. He could see she looked almost identical to the other girl that landed in the P-51. Somehow she looked even better. He wasn't sure that was possible but evidently it was. Seeing was believing. She looked younger too.

"Wow." The tanker driver said. "You're really pretty."

Cammy didn't wish to engage in a conversation with the tanker driver. She wanted to have the plane refueled. She would have ignored him altogether but she knew that Savannah wanted her to act cordial to others.

"Thank you." Cammy said and walked away.

The tanker driver glanced over at Ally who shrugged her shoulders.

Ally had previously told him that her 'sisters' were better looking than she was.

"I told you so." Ally said.

Ally and Sheila came over to greet the girls.

Cameron gave Derek a brief rundown of the situation with Riley. She also gave him the opportunity to continue in the B-25 or take a flight in the P-51.

Derek thanked Cameron again for the opportunity to get a ride in the B-25 and soon in the waiting P-51. He also told Savannah and Young Allison their flying was excellent.

The tanker driver heard what Derek said to Savannah and Young Allison. He was surprised to hear they were the ones flying. He started to check them out. He thought all of the girls looked to be in their early twenties or less. As for the two that were indicated as the pilots, they were definitely in their teens, especially the one that looked like her sisters.

"They were flying?" The tanker driver asked.

He could see the redhead was a knockout. The other one looked a little 'young'. The more he looked at her, the more he wondered how old she was. He still couldn't get over how much the sisters all looked the same. Two of them were definitely twins. One of them looked like their older sister and the one who'd been flying looked like their younger sister. It was really amazing to see how identical they all looked, just slightly different. He focused on Cameron. He was captivated by her look and her presence.

"Wow! Your older sister wasn't joking when she said you were all beautiful." The tanker driver said.

Cameron ignored him. She didn't like the fact that he'd checked all of them out. She knew Ally didn't like being looked at as 'older'.

The tanker driver now started to check out Gail and Anna.

Derek observed what was happening. He could see that none of the girls liked what was happening, except maybe Sheila. He wanted to give the tanker driver a friendly warning. He didn't want there to be any trouble on the tarmac.

"Some of these girls are 'underage'." Derek said quietly to the tanker driver. "I wouldn't concentrate on them for your own good. Here comes their 'guardian'."

Gail was on her way over. She didn't look happy.

The tanker driver looked at Gail. She looked very upset and angry. He did notice that she had giant breasts. He figured he'd better not concentrate his gaze on that if she said anything to him. He was sure that would set her off. He knew that some females were pretty touchy about people 'looking' at them, especially their breasts. It did make him wonder why they wore skimpy clothing or tops that showed just about everything there was to see. He didn't see men dress like that, at least not 'Straight' ones. He figured if they didn't want people to look, they should keep things covered up. Most of the females on the tarmac right now were covered up, except the one Asian girl. She'd given him a look at everything. He knew that everyone was different. Right now he was worried that he might have a problem. He moved in back of Derek and looked away from where the girls were.

"I see what you mean." The tanker driver said. "She looks like she could rip my head off."

Derek was aware that she actually could do that. It wouldn't take her long at all to do it either.

"I wouldn't chance it." Derek said.

The tanker driver went back to making sure he was doing his job.

Cameron told everyone to use the restroom if they needed it and finished up with the refueling.

The tanker left.

Derek returned and Ally approached him.

"Let's go." Ally said to Derek.

Derek walked over to the Mustang. He touched the three gun barrels on the port wing.

"Is this thing armed?" Derek asked.

Ally had been up on both wings to make sure the six 50 caliber machine guns were loaded.

"Yes." Ally said. "I checked them myself."

Derek wondered if he would get to sit in the front seat.

"Do I sit in the front or the back?" Derek asked.

Ally could fly from the back seat but wanted to be in front this time. It would give her better visibility and increase their safety.

"You'll be in the back seat and don't touch any of the controls." Ally said.

They climbed up and strapped in.

Sheila went up and checked them. She made sure Derek got a 'close up' of her nipple rings as she checked his restraints.

Derek needed to show a lot of restraint to not reach out and touch one. Sheila looked exactly like Jesse to him. Somehow she seemed a little hotter and a lot more alluring. He wasn't sure if it was because of her jewelry or the way she presented herself. It was clear that she teased him but he'd heard a lot of stories about the way she treated prisoners both male and female. He needed to remember that she was a killing machine, quite literally. It did make him wonder what a Metal girl would be like in bed. Holly was his personal favorite but Sheila would 'work' just fine.

Cameron didn't want Ally to showboat. She was aware that Ally needed to play second fiddle to Sheila whenever they were together. She didn't want her oversight or independence to get the best of her. She didn't want her to try any high-G maneuvers, either positive or negative.

"Don't overdo it or you'll need to clean up any mess, Ally." Cameron said.

Ally saw that Savannah looked at her as well from the distance. There were no words spoken but she received the message. She reached up and touched her heart through her sheath. She didn't want to disappoint Savannah or Cameron. She didn't want Derek to have a bad experience either. He was always nice to her and she appreciated that. She also liked the way that he looked at her. She knew that he looked at all the girls but he looked at her too. That was something more than a lot of people did, especially in the company of Cameron and her clones.

"I won't do anything that I shouldn't." Ally said.

She felt like asking Cameron if she ever did things that she shouldn't or that the other people didn't do. She figured if she was guilty of anything, it was helping cover up for Sheila and her antics or whatever other extreme measures she'd taken. Maybe that was best left unsaid.

Ally started the P-51 and taxied out to the runway. She kicked up the RPM and took off. She didn't even come back and buzz the field or 'cut the grass'. They were out of eyesight in a short time.

John and John Henry noted that Kyle stopped by before his recon with Bob to see if anything was happening.

They didn't have anything new for him.

John Henry thought that Kyle wanted a little bit more. Maybe he wanted a mission that would develop into some action. He wasn't sure. He didn't know it was just the opposite after Kyle's 'talk' with Sarah.

Claire and Hanna entered the shooting range.

Bob worked with Summer while Jan watched. They looked over at Claire and Hanna and waved at them.

Hanna went over to Jan. She started to assist her while Claire watched.

Sarah entered the area a few minutes later. She nodded at Claire. Trying to talk was hard with the gunfire. The ear protection didn't make it any easier.

Hanna saw Sarah and motioned for her to come over. Sarah took over from Hanna with Jan. Hanna took over from Bob. Summer gave him a hug before he left.

The act of affection wasn't lost on anyone. It was clear that Summer genuinely liked Bob.

Claire checked him out and wondered again what a male Terminator would be like in bed. Bob nodded at her as he passed.

She checked out Hanna and Sarah as they instructed the girls. She wondered what Sarah would be like in bed. She didn't know that all the girls wondered the same thing. That included the human girls as well as the Metal girls.

Bob was aware he checked Claire out as she checked him out. Being around her was different. The girls were all like family but Claire was only seen every now and then before. That made her 'interesting'….

He wondered what it would be like to try 'it' one time.

Cameron had warned all of them before that they were not to be with the human females unless she approved it. That also included the Metal girls. The human girls weren't totally off limits. They just needed Cameron's approval and instruction first. Cameron explained to them that human females were very fragile. They would need to limit their performance level drastically if they were with them. She said otherwise that they would 'tear them up'.

Bob exited the practice range and saw Kyle headed his way.

Kyle knew any recon could turn hot. He waited until Sarah took off and double checked all his gear. He stopped by the Command Center for any updates. There were none. He headed for the shooting range.

He was almost there when Bob exited.

"Bob." Kyle said.

Bob wasn't too surprised to see Kyle since Sarah had just arrived. When he'd passed by their room earlier with the girls, he could hear them actively sharing with each other. He didn't say anything to the girls. When he looked back at Summer she winked at him as they passed the room. It was clear she knew what was going on as well. That was something that he'd noticed about Summer. She seemed to know a lot about what was going on around her. That included things that she couldn't see or shouldn't be able to hear either. Summer reminded him of River.

"Hello." Bob said.

Kyle was ready to hit the road.

"Are you ready for some action?" Kyle asked.

Since Bob didn't sleep, he was available for action twenty four hours a day.

"I'm always ready." Bob said. "Let me get my gear and we can go."

Kyle could hear them practicing in the shooting area. He hoped the girls in there never needed to fire any shots in anger or to protect themselves. He really did not know what the future held. He was glad they were being trained. It made him think of the things that happened to Vanna, Allison and Jesse. They were all girls when they were 'taken'.

He wanted the training increased for Jan.

He hated Skynet and the evil that it spawned.

"Let's go check out our target area." Kyle said. "If we find anything Skynet related, we take it out."

Bob could tell that Kyle was primed for action.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

Bob glanced back at the shooting area. He saw Claire as she looked out the little window at him. It made him wonder again what it would actually be like to be with a female.

Riley wasn't happy about the results of her exam but was pleased to learn there was nothing new 'wrong' with her. What her problem stemmed from was lack of proper nutrition growing up. That was something that wasn't her fault. There was nothing to eat most of the time. There were a few times when she'd been 'taken' and didn't put up a fight. The men in those instances often left something behind for her to eat. It wasn't much but it was something. Something was better than nothing. There'd been no agreement beforehand to exchange sex for food. She just didn't feel like fighting anymore. She learned if she didn't resist, she wasn't beaten as much. It was going to happen anyway so why get beat up as well? It was over a lot faster too. She didn't want to think about that right now.

She was afraid that maybe she'd developed cancer or some other ailment. She was really worried it was going to be breast cancer. She was afraid she might 'contaminate' Precious if it was. She didn't want Derek to know if it was something terminal. That was why she'd asked Samantha to make sure he was elsewhere so he wouldn't go to the doctor's office with them.

Cameron spoke with her once Samantha relayed her concerns to Cameron about not having Derek go with her. Cameron said she would take care of it. She did.

If it was something terminal she was going to ask Jesse to 'take over' for her and raise Precious with Derek. If Jesse didn't want to do that, she would ask Vanna, Allison or Claire. If none of them wanted that. She would have asked Cameron to make a 'Metal version' of her for Derek and Precious. She also considered seeking the help of her younger self in this timeline. She wasn't sure how that would go over with everyone. She could only imagine the allure of a younger version of her around John as well as everyone else. She could see how hot Savannah, Young Allison, Young Jesse and Jan were. It wasn't her first choice but it was an option. She was sure Derek wouldn't mind any of the choices. She often felt Derek didn't pick her by choice but by default. There was no one else available to him at that time. Maybe that wasn't the right way to look at it.

She did remember that he went out of his way to find her and protect her after she was freed from being held by the Grays. The other Resistance fighters that came back with her weren't as lucky. They were all dead. Derek saved her and protected her. That was from day one.

Jesse could see that Riley was lost in her own thoughts. She didn't want her to dwell there. Nothing good ever happened in the thoughts that were about the past.

"We'll be back to the base soon." Jesse said.

Jim wondered if maybe they wanted some food or something. They were already out so it was no big deal. They could go to a restaurant or pick up some fast food. He felt there was plenty of protection for Jesse and Riley.

"Is there anywhere you want to stop on the way home?" Jim asked.

Riley looked at Samantha and didn't want her to have to wait in the SUV alone again. She felt really bad about that. She wanted Samantha with her because she had strong feelings for her. She didn't want her to feel bad because of her. That was the absolute opposite effect she wanted to happen.

"No, that's OK." Riley said.

Samantha could tell that Riley was worried about her. She didn't want Riley to worry about her. She appreciated Riley's thoughtfulness.

"Don't worry about me." Samantha said. "I don't mind waiting."

Jim wanted everything to work smoothly. There were other alternatives available to them.

"I can acquire transportation and go with Jesse to pick anything up." Jim said. "Holly can drive Riley and Samantha back."

Jesse hadn't done that in awhile. The thrill of it sounded fun. It wasn't exactly action against Skynet but it was action.

"Do you mean we can boost a car?" Jesse asked.

Jim knew it was a daily occurrence for a Resistance Terminator somewhere to acquire transportation when necessary.

"Sure." Jim said. "We do it all the time. I can let John Henry know and it never gets reported as 'borrowed'."

Riley noticed how excited the prospect of that made Jesse feel.

"Let me think about it." Riley said. "If Jesse wants to do that, go ahead."

It made her wonder what exactly Jesse and Gail did when they went out. They never talked about anything when they returned. Sometimes they returned in different clothing than they left with. Their old clothes were never seen again either.

Young Allison spoke quietly with Savannah about what she wanted to do and why. Savannah wasn't too keen on the idea but thought with Cameron in the copilot's seat that the event would be as safe as possible.

Savannah and Young Allison inspected the plane together. They were satisfied everything was in top condition. They boarded the aircraft with Cameron and Anna.

Young Allison strapped into the pilot's seat. Cameron took the copilot's position. Savannah was on the jump seat behind them. Savannah double checked Young Allison and everything she did.

Cameron was aware of Savannah's concern for Young Allison and what she wanted to do. She wanted to make it clear to Young Allison the procedure that they would follow.

"The first take off will be standard." Cameron said. "Then you will land. We will do a shorter take off the next time, then a touch and go. After that we will land."

Young Allison understood Cameron wanted her to get a good feel of the plane for takeoff and landing. She would do as many as necessary to feel sure of herself.

"OK." Young Allison said. "I want it to be safe for everyone."

Cameron looked at Young Allison and then at Savannah. She directed her attention back at Young Allison.

"If you feel confident after everything, we can try a very short takeoff." Cameron said. "Savannah will have to agree. She will be the 'decider'."

Young Allison looked at Cameron and then at Savannah. She knew if she did a good job that Savannah would give her a chance.

"OK." Young Allison said. "I'm open for suggestions and advice."

Savannah thought Young Allison looked pretty calm and sure of herself. She wanted to make sure.

"Are you nervous?" Savannah asked.

Young Allison didn't see it as a big deal. It was just a take off that would be done a little shorter than normal.

"Not really." Young Allison said.

It felt to Young Allison in her mind as if she'd done all this already. It seemed a lot of things felt that way to her. Some things she just seemed to know without ever really studying them. She didn't know it was because of her nightly 'conditioning'.

Cameron wanted to scan Young Allison to make sure that she wasn't nervous. She didn't think that would go over very well with Savannah or Young Allison. She refrained for now.

"Let's go through the start up procedures." Cameron said.

Young Allison did and everything was good.

Savannah noted she didn't miss anything.

Cammy and Gail stood by with the fire extinguishers for start up. It was a precaution that was unnecessary but safety always came first when Savannah and Young Allison were involved.

Young Allison called for, 'all clear'. She rotated the first big R2600 over through several revolutions to clear the cylinders.

She was ready to give it some spark. The engine turned over and started immediately with the usual thick cloud of gray smoke. The second engine did the same.

Both engines fired up smoothly, one after the other.

The Metal girls all boarded the plane.

Young Allison checked to make sure everyone was secure and taxied to the runway.

She went through the takeoffs and landings like Cameron asked her to do. She was back on the ground again.

Cameron wanted to make sure Young Allison was ready.

"Do you feel confident?" Cameron asked.

Young Allison felt very confident about the short takeoff.

"Yes." Young Allison said.

Cameron sought Savannah's input.

"Savannah?" Cameron asked.

It was clear to Savannah that Young Allison was ready. Just to be safe she wanted Cameron to step in if any issue arose.

"Allison is good." Savannah said. "If there's any problem you take over immediately, Cameron."

Young Allison nodded at Cameron.

"I agree." Young Allison said. "Safety is paramount."

Savannah didn't think Young Allison would have any trouble. She wanted to give her a little reminder before they got started.

"Remember to rev the engines to the redline and watch the manifold pressure." Savannah said.

Cameron knew Young Allison could pass the redline a little if necessary. She'd also scheduled the best fuel possible.

"We have the highest octane fuel." Cameron said.

Young Allison looked at Savannah then at Cameron.

"Let's do it." Young Allison said.

Young Allison stood on the brakes and firewalled the throttles.

Savannah wanted to give her one last reminder. It was the same reminder that all the pilots on the Doolittle Raid were given.

"Remember to 'pull the yoke all the way into your gut until you feel your backbone.'" Savannah said. "'You just need to get the wheels off the runway. You don't need to climb.'"

Young Allison releases the brakes. The Mitchell shot forward.

The speed began to build.

"Pull back as hard as you can." Cameron said.

"The nose wheel is up." Cammy said.

"One hundred feet…." Anna said.

"One hundred fifty feet…." Anna said.

"Two hundred feet…." Anna said.

"Two hundred fifty feet…." Anna said.

The thunderous roar from the engines was deafening.

"We're airborne." Anna said. "Two hundred seventy two feet…." Anna said.

Savannah wanted Young Allison to build some airspeed.

"Don't climb." Savannah said. "Keep it right above the runway."

Young Allison retracted the landing gear and built up air speed. She went into an aggressive climb at the end of the runway.

Young Allison leveled off at three thousand feet and cut back on the power.

Cameron was very pleased with Young Allison's performance.

"I think you've set several records today." Cameron said.

Young Allison was sure she did. They were really personal records or for their group. No one else would know of them.

"Thank you, Cameron." Young Allison said. "Thanks, Savannah."

Cameron unstrapped and Savannah climbed into the copilot's seat.

"You're a natural, Allison." Savannah said once she was situated.

Cameron and Anna looked at each other. Young Allison responded to all her 'conditioning' ahead of schedule. She was willing to take a risk with total confidence that she would succeed.

Short Takeoff

When one tries to swim
Are they going to sink
That seems to be
What some people think

Some try to run
When they should walk
Maybe they can't back up
The things that they talk

That seems to be the case
With every other thing
They can't even speak
Yet they try to sing

They want to soar
They think they can fly
That's not going to happen
Until they learn not to lie

It's easy to laugh
Some even will scoff
When the one they despise
Crashes with a short takeoff

Nobody