Chapter 1220
Size Isn't Everything
Savannah was with the Resistance team at the old newspaper plant. She questioned one of the females who'd been apprehended and detained.
She explained to the girl what was about to happen. Cammy was going to touch her neck while she went over what they'd discussed.
The girl wanted to know why she needed to be touched.
Savannah told her if she wanted to leave, it was necessary.
The girl didn't like it but wanted to go.
Savannah conducted the interview again. It didn't take long.
Cammy turned the girl back over to Al and took Savannah off to the side. There was good and bad news.
"She's telling the truth about most of the things." Cammy said. "She's not as forthcoming about others."
Savannah touched her silenced M9. The severity of the infractions would seal the girl's fate. She wanted a definitive answer.
"Does she live or die?" Savannah asked.
If it was up to Cammy, the girl would die. She would leave the determination up to Savannah. It was only because Savannah was going to kill the girl herself, she didn't want to push it too far on her own.
"You tell me." Cammy said. "This is what we know so far…."
Cammy proceeded to go over the different parts of the interview with Savannah.
Savannah walked up to the girl and motioned for Al to move off.
Cammy remained in the background.
Savannah wanted some better answers. Based on some of the events she knew about Vanna, she understood not everyone was forthcoming about everything. She understood the reasons for it. There were things that happened in one's life they would rather not relive or discuss.
"Do you want to change any of your story?" Savannah asked.
The girl thought about it for a minute. She looked down at the ground.
"No." The girl said. "There are some things I'm ashamed of. I tried to avoid them."
Savannah thought about Vanna again. She would feel the same way if she was the girl.
"I can understand your point of view." Savannah said.
The girl looked up from the ground and back to Savannah.
"Can I go now?" The girl asked.
Savannah couldn't allow it.
"No." Savannah said.
The girl looked scared again.
"You said I could go." The girl said.
Savannah told her the truth. She knew what happened next was up to the girl.
"You lied to us about some things." Savannah said. "I told you I needed the truth. I need all of it."
The girl didn't want to admit it. She wondered how Savannah knew or could even suspect it.
"Did you use a lie detector on me?" The girl asked.
Savannah glanced over at Cammy. She wondered how long it would be until Cammy decided to snap the girl's neck. She was sure if the girl became abusive or profane it would set Cammy off. She tried not to glance in Cammy's direction.
"It was something similar." Savannah said. "We have some specialized equipment that's able to detect lies and half truths."
The girl tried to defend her actions.
"I told you there are things I'm not proud of. I'm ashamed of them." The girl said. "I never wanted anyone to know about some of them."
Savannah wanted to try a new approach. Maybe the offer of real assistance and help would sway her.
"Do you wish to go to a shelter?" Savannah asked.
The girl looked at Savannah and then looked around.
"I don't know." The girl said.
Savannah tried to prompt her and point out the hopelessness of her situation.
"Is this the life you want?" Savannah asked. "How many more months or even weeks do you have left in this lifestyle? People don't last long in your circumstance. I'm not telling you anything new or you don't know."
The girl briefly looked at her wrists.
"I don't care." The girl said. "I tried to overdose twice and cut my wrists once."
Savannah wondered if the girl wanted to try a new approach to suicide.
"I saw the scars." Savannah said. "Are you trying for HIV now?"
The girl was aware she ended up with AIDS; it would be a slow death.
"No." The girl said. "I don't want to go out with AIDS."
Savannah pointed out the evidence.
"Both you and your friend have needle tracks." Savannah said.
The girl became defensive again.
"Those were done to me." The girl said. "I told you I was ashamed of some of the things I've been through. I didn't have a choice."
Savannah tried to be reassuring but firm. She glanced over at Cammy again. She knew if there wasn't some progress, what happened next was going to be out of her hands.
"I need to know the truth." Savannah said.
The girl's entire body seemed to sag. She let out a slow breath.
"I'm going to tell you a little more about what happened." The girl said. "There will probably be a few minor details I'm going to leave out. I just want to go. Let me start from the beginning."
The girl now revealed she was picked up at a bus station the first day she ran away from home. She was forced into the sex trade by the end of the first night. She'd been hopped up on drugs to make her more compliant. It became her lifestyle against her will.
Savannah didn't like to hear what happened. She pointed out the obvious.
"Few escape from that type of lifestyle." Savannah said. "Once you're in a stable like you were, it takes something extraordinary to be released. Unless you were able to escape."
The girl told the story of how three females came in and killed all the sex traffickers. Her and her friend hid under the bed they were chained to. They saw the legs of the three females but only ever heard two voices. They were too terrified to come out when all the other girls were freed.
They managed to break the wooden bed frames and escape later on.
"I still have this." The girl said.
She lifted her pants leg and there was a shackle around her ankle.
The story of three females freeing the other girls caught Savannah's interest.
"Did you see any of the females who freed your 'group'?" Savannah asked.
The girl remembered the incident clearly. It was because of the actions of one of the females why they'd remained hidden. They were afraid the same thing was going to happen to them.
"No." The girl said. "One spoke with an accent like British or Australian or something. It sounded like she enjoyed killing the traffickers. She laughed at them and taunted them as she killed them. It was very sadistic. We were sure we were next if we came out."
Savannah didn't need to hear any more to know exactly what happened. It sounded like Cameron, Ally and Sheila paid the stable a visit. It was also most likely the reason why the girl only ever heard two voices and not three. Ally and Cameron sounded identical to a human ear.
"Cammy, come here." Savannah said very quietly so only Cammy could hear.
Cammy walked up.
Savannah looked at the girl. They were still in dark gloomy light.
"I need you to look at my face. She's going to take your shackle off for you." Savannah said.
The girl looked at Savannah. Cammy bent down. There was a metal snapping sound and Cammy stood up.
"The metal was weak. It broke when I pulled on it." Cammy said.
The girl looked down at her ankle. The reminder of the past was gone. She reached down and touched the spot where it was removed from. She started to cry. She was free of her past. She didn't know if she had a future.
It sickened Savannah to know how the girl was treated. It really wasn't much different than being in a Scavenger camp at that point. Scavengers were known for taking 'souvenirs' from their victims. Hopefully the girl had been a little luckier. The girls were a commodity to the sex traffickers. They needed to have a sellable item in order to make money. She wanted to offer the girl some hope.
"You're free of your past." Savannah said. "You can make a new future for yourself. I'll help you."
The second girl came over and joined her. They both cried for a few minutes. They were both free. It was also clear the girls were more than friends.
Savannah understood why they found comfort in each other. It was much the same way as the girls from the future found comfort and understanding in each other. It was the only love they could truly feel. It was two people who shared a similar experience. They knew exactly what the other went through, without the need for them to explain it and relive it.
Cammy noted earlier the girl only drank half of the water and only ate half of the energy bar. She watched now as the girl gave the other half of each item to her friend. They were quickly consumed. It was clear to her they truly cared about each other. She hoped they would take Savannah's offer. She would still terminate them if she needed to. Now she would feel a little remorse if she did.
Savannah explained the options to the girls again about what their choices were. She didn't mention one of them was termination.
The girls agreed to go to rehab.
Savannah told them the costs would be covered. She saw it as an opportunity to genuinely help someone. In this case, it was two of them. It was clear to her about ninety percent of what occurred wasn't the fault of the girls.
"This is the first day of your new life." Savannah said. "You control your destiny from this point forward."
The girls were able to compose themselves.
"Who are you people?" The girl asked.
Savannah didn't know how to put it in words other than to say it.
"We're people who care about the future." Savannah said. "It includes your future."
It was time to clear out. It was decided each of the teams would leave the way they'd entered. There was a drone for each team now in case anyone or anything was encountered. Steve and Tom were able to make a repair to the building where the loose panel was. It wasn't loose anymore. They made sure it was secured.
The two girls would leave with Cammy and Savannah. The three teams would run each other through an ambush as they cleared out.
They still didn't know if they'd been targeted.
If they were part of an elaborate ruse, it was working. If they weren't, there were two girls who'd suffered a lot for no good reason other than the greed and cruelty of men.
The drones on patrol hadn't detected anything out of the ordinary yet. There were no aerial contacts and no surface contacts around them.
Holly was very pleased Sarah and Riley asked her to walk with them. She was there to make sure they were protected. She knew the risk was low on the ship. She was still there to do a job. She could do it with them as well as away from them. She wanted to give them a few options where they could go to watch the docking procedure.
"Did you want to go to the front of the ship on top of the bridge or the front of the ship's bow on deck eight?" Holly asked. "The overall view is better from the upper deck. You can look over the side of the 'flying bridge' down alongside the ship. It will also give you a better view of what's happening around you. Only the superstructure of the ship will block your view."
Sarah thought an overall view would be better.
"We can try the upper deck." Sarah said.
They looked over to the side the land was on.
Riley spotted a large flag. She was impressed with its size.
"That's a really big flag." Riley said.
There was a giant Mexican flag near the inner section of the small harbor.
Sarah hadn't seen a flag as large as the one flying over the harbor in person before.
"It's quite impressive." Sarah said. "When I was down in Mexico with John before, they didn't have the big flag. It's hard to miss."
Riley heard Sarah and John were in Mexico a few times prior to her arrival. She heard there was some trouble one time with John and Future Riley. She thought she probably shouldn't ask about it specifically. She didn't like to atone for the actions of John and Future Riley. Whatever happened between them, it wasn't her. She decided to keep it simple and see what Sarah would volunteer on her own.
"Have you stayed in Ensenada before?" Riley asked.
Sarah thought back to the times she was with John in Mexico. When they lived in the cabana, things weren't too bad. She often wondered if they should have stayed there longer. She thought Skynet would find them there if they'd stayed any longer than they had. As far as she knew, it may have happened in an alternate timeline. Sometimes she just knew when it was time to move. She looked out over the landscape of Mexico before her. She felt a wave of 'goose bumps' flood her body.
"Not specifically." Sarah said. "We passed through it a few times. We never stopped or anything. We were on the move a lot."
They were over the bridge now. They'd needed to go up another small set of stairs to get there.
"The view from here is fantastic." Riley said.
Holly pointed out the obvious.
"This is the view the captain and bridge crew have." Holly said. "They're right below us."
Riley looked down at her feet and imagined a flurry of activity on the bridge. She figured the captain gave orders and someone steered the ship with a giant wheel. She didn't know everything was much more modern. She didn't know CamNet could take control of the ship at any point in time.
Derek and Kyle were being entertained by Gail in the main dining room on their third breakfast of the day.
Gail would answer any question they asked her. They asked her a lot.
Kyle would always look around to make sure no one was listening when they asked a question. Some of them were very female specific.
Derek would look around when Gail answered. There was some personal information he wanted to know. He didn't know exactly what Gail would or wouldn't say about it. She'd already made reference about an earlier question but he wanted a more specific answer.
"So Jesse's never been with another male since she was with me?" Derek asked.
Gail knew Jesse preferred females. She was aware Jesse wanted to be with John if he would have her. So far it hadn't occurred.
"No." Gail said. "She's only been exclusively with females."
Kyle wondered who else Jesse would have been with. It left John and him. It seemed to narrow down the fact nothing occurred outside of the Resistance either. He wanted to rib Derek a little bit.
"I guess it doesn't say much about you." Kyle said.
Derek was pleased to know Jesse hadn't been with others. He would have hated for another man to be involved and he was actually dumped for someone else. He wanted to give Kyle something to think about, even if it was just bluster.
"I broke the mold and ruined her for all other men." Derek said as he quickly looked at Gail. "No offense."
Gail asked Jesse about males before. She only wanted to know about the ones Jesse was with voluntarily. She wasn't impressed. She didn't want to hear the stories of the abuse.
"Females offer her everything she seeks. Since she's sterile, a male serves no purpose in her life. All they leave is a mess and a headache." Gail said. "No offense."
Derek was afraid Gail may know some details about Jesse and him. He would prefer Kyle not hear them. He wanted to redirect the conversation. He wanted to do it quickly.
"Let's move on to another subject." Derek said.
Kyle stated what Derek thought about. He could see Derek looked very apprehensive at this point.
"It's a smart move before you end up looking worse." Kyle said.
Gail thought female with female interaction and love was beautiful.
"All the females in our group have been with other females." Gail said. "It is no big deal like some make it. I don't understand what they're afraid of. There's a lot of love to share between them."
Derek and Kyle were both aware Riley and Sarah experimented with female lovers at times.
Kyle knew Sarah's were when she was younger. It was before John was born. Most of them were in high school. They didn't need to worry about getting pregnant from each other either. It's what she told him anyway.
It made Kyle think about some things he'd noticed recently. It was whenever Claire was around. He always noticed Sarah behaved differently. The sharpness and hardness always seemed to soften. He would make a point to see if he noticed it again when Claire was on board later on. If she wanted a female partner every now and then, he was OK with it. He wanted her to be happy. Maybe if Sarah had a female lover on the side, he might get lucky with her too. He wondered what it would be like to be with two females at the same time. There were things he could do to 'work' on both of them at the same time. Maybe it was just a fantasy for him. Either way, if Sarah wanted a little more from a female, he didn't have a problem with it. Sarah would still be with Jan and him at the end of the day. He figured everything that made her happier would be better for both of them.
They continued to quiz Gail about everything.
She even invited them to come to the nude sunbathing area when it was open. If they wanted to inspect her sheath in detail, it was an setting appropriate for doing so. In the nude sunbathing setting, they could see everything.
Kyle nervously looked around where they were in the main dining room. He sure hoped Sarah didn't pop up during the middle of the discussion, especially after Gail's last statement.
Derek decided if Riley wanted a relationship with one or more of the Metal girls, it was fine with him. He was in for a three way too if it ever happened. It sounded like the best of both worlds. He originally hoped it would be Holly, now since they'd talked to Gail, he thought she was an excellent choice.
'Man, does she have a pair of knockers.' Derek thought. 'Those jugs just didn't quit….'
Hanna was finished with her duties. She changed her clothes in anticipation of what was to come. She wanted to get off the ship as soon as it docked to meet Claire. She was aware there were four male Terminators with them. She thought an extra one would be even better, especially if it was her.
Ally was still in her maid's outfit after Hanna changed.
"You can come with me." Hanna said.
Ally still looked a little sad.
"I want to wait for Sheila." Ally said.
Hanna wasn't so sure it was what was needed.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Hanna said.
Ally wanted to see Sheila and check how she was doing. She didn't like the way events played out. She still didn't think Sheila was at one hundred percent.
"Why not?" Ally asked.
Hanna thought the pressure would end up on Ally to take her 'turn'.
"It's most likely going to end up with you in the Owner's Suite next." Hanna said.
Ally was upset about the whole thing.
"Hardly. I don't plan to go into there." Ally said.
Hanna saw it a little differently. She didn't think it was necessarily a negative adventure for Sheila. It was something all of them thought about, even if they never talked about it. They all wanted to know what it was like to be with a male.
"If Sheila enjoyed her experience, you'll want it too." Hanna said.
Ally could find out. She didn't need to do it first hand.
"I'll tether with her and see for myself." Ally said.
Hanna thought Ally would want to try for sure then.
"It might be a mistake." Hanna said. "I wouldn't recommend you try it."
Ally looked in the direction of the Owner's Suite and slowly shook her head in disgust.
"I don't know what will happen." Ally said.
It seemed quite clear to Hanna.
"I do." Hanna said. "It will all depend upon what someone wants to happen."
Hanna still believed they would all have freedom of choice. It seemed to be what the takeaway value was from Young Allison's conversations with Cameron. Cameron would still get her way, but she would need to give up something in return. She would need to allow each of them to be with John on their own, without her in control. It seemed to be a price Cameron was more than willing to pay to use their chassis.
The group was away from the Ensenada airport without any incident or even a checkpoint.
Jesse was sure they would have needed to go through some type of customs procedure through the airport, evidently it wasn't the case.
The van drove through part of the town to head for the coastal road to see La Bufadora.
Jan looked around. Everything was different in some way, even if it was the same. She didn't like the way the buildings looked or how they were painted. Some of them were in very bright colors. They didn't go with each other and stood out like an eyesore. She didn't realize some of them were painted exactly that way for a reason. They were to stand out to attract business.
"I don't like it here." Jan said.
Claire could see many things were different. She wanted Jan to show some tolerance and understanding.
"Other people live differently." Claire said. "You need to understand and accept things for the way they are."
Jesse looked around too. She'd seen worse, a LOT worse.
"This place looks like Paradise compared to the Wastelands." Jesse said. "Believe me; you don't know how bad it can get. I hope you never do either."
Jan didn't want to seem cruel. She glanced over at Summer.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way." Jan said. "I'm used to things where we live."
Summer studied a lot of different topics. She understood diversity was the way of life from country to country.
"Every place around the world is different." Summer said. "Customs and languages are different."
Jan looked around some more. She needed to think about some of the stories she'd heard from John and her mother. She was aware life was much tougher for them at times than it ever had been for her.
"I just need to get used to it for a while." Jan said. "My mom and John lived here for a long time. It was more in the jungle. I know this city is nice compared to how it was at times."
Dan could feel the apprehension of Jan. He didn't think she needed to worry about anything. He was there to do a job with three other Terminators. They wouldn't fail.
"There's nothing to fear." Dan said. "There are four Terminators here with you. Any threat will be neutralized. You'll be protected."
Summer wanted to change the metric. She wanted to show Jan a different way to view things. She started to show Jan all the things that were the same from where they lived. She thought it was a better thing to focus on, not what was different.
Jan quickly understood what Summer wanted her to see. Some things made better sense to her.
"I see now." Jan said. "We're more the same than we are different."
Jesse pointed out she looked 'different'. It was something she first experienced in Australia. She didn't look like most Australians, no one in her family did. Sometimes there were negative repercussions because of it. It wasn't something she had any control over. It was how she was born. She couldn't help she look different from others. She didn't feel she was any different from the people she grew up around. It was other people who saw her as different, even if she saw herself as the same. It was very traumatic at times. It even led to some physical altercations. It didn't change much after Judgment Day. The difference after J-Day was she was able to kill those who offended her. She had to go through a lot of abuse before she got to that point in her life. She wanted to keep it simple for the girls.
"I'm different too." Jesse said.
Jan smiled at Jesse. She'd grown up around Jesse and Sheila her entire life. She really didn't see anything different about them. She thought both of them were beautiful.
"You're also the same." Jan said.
Summer thought she'd made her point.
"See what I mean?" Summer asked.
Jan smiled and nodded.
"I do." Jan said.
They were on a coastal road and out of the city in a few minutes. The change was rather abrupt.
Jan wanted to ask when they were going to arrive at the blowhole. She also wanted to know when they could get on the ship. She really wanted to get on board.
"When will we be able to get on the boat, I mean ship?" Jan asked.
Frank kept track of what was happening with the ship. He wanted to give them a partial timeline. It was too early to give a definitive time when everything would happen.
"The ship will be docked when we get back." Frank said. "They'll still need to clear customs and any inspections."
Jesse wondered if Jan wanted to see her parents. She knew they hadn't been separated for very long.
"Are you in a hurry to see your mom and dad?" Jesse asked.
Jan saw them leave only yesterday. There were other times when they'd been gone longer. It was usually her father though.
"No." Jan said. "I see them all the time."
Jan seemed somewhat indifferent to Claire. She couldn't help but think about Savannah. It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"You need to always appreciate it, Jan." Claire said. "Some people never get to see their parents again."
Jan thought of Savannah losing everything much younger than she was now. It saddened her.
"I feel bad for Savannah." Jan said.
The conversation made Jesse think of her family, a family that was dead. They were alive again in the past, the present. It wasn't the same thing, even if somehow it was. It was still her family. None of those bad things happened to them.
"I was lucky and was able to see my parents and sister again." Jesse said.
Jesse's statement made Summer wonder about Young Jesse.
"Is Young Jesse going to come here again?" Summer asked. "I'd like to see her."
Jesse felt her family might be safer where they were now. There were Terminators to protect them. Young Jesse shared a 'Cameron clone' as a lover. They should survive the first attacks by Skynet if they were ever launched. The houses Cameron provided for them had a common bunker installed.
"I don't know." Jesse said. "My family is happy where they are."
Summer wondered about Jesse. Would she be happier with her family or here? She actually wondered why Jesse wasn't with them.
"What about you?" Summer asked. "Do you want to live with your family?"
Jesse thought about everything for a moment. It was a complicated answer. She looked at Claire.
"I'm happy where I am now." Jesse said. "There are much worse places to be. I've been to many of them."
There were many things about her life which caused Jesse shame. Some things were done to her. There were some things she'd done to other people. She never wanted her family to know any of the details about her life after they all died in her future. She was sure if she was around them all the time, they would learn more and more details about her. She didn't want her family to despise her as she often despised herself.
Jan noticed the 'far off' look in Jesse's eyes. She knew all the girls from the future had a rough time. She knew a lot of bad things happened to them. She wanted to change the subject.
"How long will it be until we get there?" Jan asked. "I mean the blowhole thing."
Ken kept constant track of where they were and what was around them.
"La Bufadora is only a few miles ahead." Ken said.
Jan wanted a time.
"I mean in minutes." Jan said.
All of the Terminators were very aware of their surroundings.
"It will be in eleven minutes, ten minutes." Lou said.
They went up a small hill and Summer spotted the ship. It was as plain as day as it sat in the ocean and approached the land.
"I see the ship." Summer said.
Everyone looked to where she pointed.
Claire was impressed at how large it was.
"It looks big." Claire said.
Jesse was still wading through the past somewhere.
"Size isn't everything." Jesse said.
Claire understood exactly what she meant.
Vanna and Allison followed the 'interrogation' through the body cams and com traffic in the lab.
Samantha listened as well. She watched Vanna's and Allison's reaction to everything that was said.
Vanna was sickened by what she heard from the interview with the girls at the old newspaper plant.
Allison saw her become upset and asked her to sit down.
"You look ill." Samantha said.
Vanna brushed it off. She knew the story all too well.
"I'm fine." Vanna said.
Allison thought Vanna looked anything but fine.
"I can turn it off." Allison said.
Vanna needed to hear more.
"NO." Vanna said. "I need to hear her story."
Allison tried to reassure her the girls would receive assistance. She hoped it would give Vanna a little peace of mind.
"Savannah is going to make sure they get help." Allison said.
Allison knew it was some of the same things Vanna endured. It was less extreme for her. She'd never been tied or chained down for her abuse. She'd never been held down by a group of men while they took turns.
Vanna looked at the security monitor. She didn't know if it would do any good or not but she needed to say what she felt.
Allison noticed and moved over next to Vanna and took her hand.
"CamNet, I want to ask you to make sure those two girls get the best treatment there is." Vanna said. "They need to be free of drug use and placed on a different path. They need a real chance at life."
Allison looked at her longtime lover and then at the security camera.
"I want the same thing too for them." Allison said. "If we can only help a few people, I want it to be them. I know we can't help everyone but we can help some."
Samantha checked on Precious and moved over to where the girls were. She'd refrained from becoming involved directly or commenting. She felt it was time to say something to refocus the girls.
"Maybe we don't need to follow this right now." Samantha said. "Savannah will see to what needs to be done."
Vanna wasn't sure if CamNet would respond to her, or even both them. since Allison spoke too. She did know Savannah would do the right thing.
The girl's story troubled Young Allison too as they listened.
"They weren't much younger than me when this all started for them." Young Allison said. "It could be me there. Everything that happened to them could have happened to me under different circumstances."
Anna wasn't sure what to say. The things that happened to people weren't always fair.
"Life can be very cruel." Anna said.
Young Allison saw it differently.
"It's not life that's the problem." Young Allison said. "It's the people that are."
Anna pointed out a greater evil.
"What about Skynet?" Anna asked.
Young Allison felt Skynet created its own evil.
"I guess machines can be cruel too." Young Allison said. "Skynet could always make a choice about what it wanted to do. The machines it created didn't all have a choice."
Anna wanted to make clear Terminators could make a choice too if given a chance.
"All of the machines, when they were freed from Skynet directives, have all joined the Resistance." Anna said. "It's happened in the futures we know about as well."
It was clear any of their Terminators could leave at any time to try and rejoin Skynet. None of them ever even considered it for a second. When they were given an opportunity to work with humans, they could see they weren't the problem. When they were given a chance to be around Savannah, all of them would follow her anywhere.
"Life is about choices." Young Allison said.
Young Allison watched as one of the monitors showed what transpired in the lab. It was very disturbing to her. She knew in reality, it was actually 'Savannah and her'.
Anna noted Young Allison's concern.
"Vanna and Allison are troubled by all of it as well." Anna said. "They're asking for CamNet's help."
Anna wondered if Young Allison would ask CamNet as well.
"CamNet knows what the right thing to do is." Young Allison said as she glanced at the security camera. "We all do. Vanna speaks for Savannah and Allison speaks for me."
Anna saw the teams were leaving. They all went out the same way they'd entered.
"The teams are withdrawing from the old newspaper plant." Anna said.
Young Allison paid better attention to the monitors. She didn't want to lose focus of everything happening around the old newspaper plant.
"Is there any hostile activity that looks apparent?" Young Allison asked.
Anna kept careful track of everything, both on the ground and in the air.
"No." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to keep watch after the teams left.
"Keep one drone at the location at altitude and see if any one else shows up." Young Allison said.
Anna indicated the security monitors from inside the building.
"The surveillance is still in place." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to see who it was before they were inside. There could be a vehicle do a drive-by or a couple of drive-bys to see what they could tell without actually entering the property. If anyone paid any extra attention, she wanted to know.
"I mean before they actually enter the building." Young Allison said. "If anyone even seems interested, I want to know who they are and where they go."
Anna pointed out the other issue that needed to be addressed.
"What about the search for the truck or truck driver?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted justice. She wanted to locate the truck if it was possible.
"Track them down when all of our teams are clear." Young Allison said.
Anna could tell it was personal to Young Allison at this point. She wanted to see how far she was going to go.
"Then what will happen?" Anna asked. "Are you going to have him killed?"
Young Allison didn't believe the decision was actually hers. She believed the decision was made by the individual themselves when they perpetrated the act.
"I don't know." Young Allison said. "The girls don't want to involve the police. The perpetrator needs to be held accountable for what was done. The actions of the individual are what determine their fate, not us. The sentence they draw is the sentence that they've given themselves."
Anna didn't want Young Allison to kill on her own. They should have more proof first.
"I suggest you confer with Savannah about it." Anna said.
Young Allison thought about it. She wanted to act but she didn't want to act rashly.
"Maybe I will." Young Allison said. "Thank you for explaining."
Hank and Larry carefully moved down the passageway. They could see some fresh blood on the surface of the floor.
"The female must be injured." Hank said.
They were both aware of what happened to female captives in the hands of Grays.
"I'm sure it's going to be a whole lot worse before she's terminated." Larry said.
Hank hoped to end everyone's suffering when they encountered them.
"Let's see where the blood trail goes." Hank said.
They follow the passageway until they reached a 'tee' junction.
There were two directions they could go. They could either go left or go right. They didn't know at what point they were going to run into additional enemy forces. Both of them currently held their silenced M9 in one hand and their Taser in the other. They didn't know if they would run into any Terminators or not.
Larry looked to the left and to the right.
"Do we each want to go a separate direction or stay together?" Larry asked.
Hank looked on the floor of the passageway.
"The blood trail goes to the right." Hank said. "It's most likely where we'll find more of the enemy."
They briefly discussed what their objective was going to be.
"It all sounds a little unconventional to me." Larry said. "It might just work."
Larry took the branch to the right. He was in pursuit of the captive female.
Hank took the branch to the left.
They hoped to avoid anyone getting in behind them. They wanted to make sure they had a clean way out if they needed it.
Earlier:
The Gray continued to drag the female along by her ankle. Once he was away from the other two men who captured her, he let go of the female's ankle he looked back around the corner to make sure they hadn't followed him. They didn't. They were on their way back out.
He quickly moved back to 'examine' her. Her top was already torn open. He wasn't impressed with what he saw. He looked a little lower. He was pleased with what he saw. She didn't appear to be diseased like the homeless females they normally encountered were. He knew she soon would be. It wouldn't really matter. She would be dead by the time the diseases would be able to manifest themselves.
He picked up her ankle and continued to drag her along. The back of her head drug across the floor of the passageway. Her dark hair was strung out behind it. He didn't notice the drops of blood that would occasionally fall from her head onto the ground. Her hair usually turned them into a faded streak.
Every so often he passed by a small room. He was headed towards the main living quarters.
Hank went down the left branch of the passageway. He listened as he moved along. He couldn't detect any noises in the direction he was headed. He wasn't sure if he would reach a dead end.
Larry continued down the right passageway. He could hear movement ahead of him.
Size Isn't Everything
Some things are big
Some things are small
Some things are short
Some things are tall
Feelings are very real
How powerful is an emotion
Maybe it should be viewed
By its true devotion
What is the depth of love
Can everything be measured
Maybe what's freely given
Should instead be treasured
What is real power
Is it great strength
Maybe it's how far one will go
No matter what the length
Is there a limit to extent
Perhaps it's the scope
There lies the root
It's based on hope
There are many things
To which one can cling
Remember the reality
Size isn't everything
Nobody