Chapter 1236
She Could Be
Cammy moved through the storm drain system. She cautiously approached the location where she thought she'd hit the Gray with indirect gunfire. She was sure he was hit with a ricochet or shrapnel from the concrete wall.
She spotted some of the spent projectiles. She didn't see much blood. She was about to move to where she could look out of one of the storm drain openings. She would be able to communicate with John Henry then. She wanted to make sure the Gray hadn't made it out of the system yet. He might be able to slip past her and double back when she went down one of the branch lines.
Just before she took the branch to head to the curbside opening, there was some noise from the connector pipe which led to the next street.
Cammy paused and listened. It meant the Gray was still in the system and headed south. There was no need for her to communicate with anyone at this time. She moved out after the Gray instead. She wasn't sure if she would fire more rounds unless she was able to acquire a better target. She was down to her last two magazines since she'd already fired three of them.
She hurried after the Gray when she heard another sound. It was much closer now. She hoped to be able to grab him so she could get some answers. She would like to hear what they were before she snapped his neck.
Cam moved in the direction the Gray should approach her from. She was aware Cammy was behind him. There was no way out for the Gray. There was only one storm drain opening in the curb between where Savannah made contact and where she was at now. She hoped to hear him coming so she could try and put the grab on him. They needed some answers and she was going to get them. She would like to hear them before she snapped his neck.
She paused to listen. It was very quiet. She finally heard a faint noise.
Cam waited and heard it a second time. She smiled in the darkness. The sound was closer. The Gray approached her position. It looked like she would be able to nab him. She put her M9 away and pulled her Taser. It was possible the Gray was really a Terminator. She decided to play it safe.
Savannah was sure the Gray was boxed in between Cammy and Cam. Steve and Tom were both there now and covered the position she'd been at and the next street over in back of where Cam went in. It left the last two streets uncovered. It's where she headed. She wanted to cover all the bases and see what was at the end or actually the beginning of the storm drain segment.
She passed the seventh street and cruised to the eighth street. The last two streets only contained one building each. They both appeared to be unoccupied. There were no vehicles she could spot at either one.
Savannah looked at the drone footage on her phone. There were no vehicles on the far side of the buildings she couldn't see from her current position. There could always be vehicles parked inside of the buildings. There was no way for her to tell. She looked around and decided to leave her SUV on the seventh street where it could be seen from the storm drain opening. She exited the SUV with only her Taser and M9. She didn't want to be spotted with her M4 if a motorist happened to pass by. There hadn't been any cars moving around the streets since she'd first arrived in the area. There wouldn't be any through traffic. The two streets both ended in a cul-de-sac. If any vehicles arrived or departed, it should be in relation to the two buildings in her sector.
Steve and Tom both reported no contacts and there was no word from either Cammy or Cam. It was still a waiting game.
Savannah took up a position where she could cover the last two storm drain openings on the eighth street.
There was a pile of dirt she took up a position behind. It was near the last opening in the curb. It seemed a little out of place for the neighborhood.
She was in contact with John Henry as she made all her moves. He didn't seem happy. She was sure it was because Young Allison wasn't happy with what she was doing. She didn't know Allison was with him.
Cammy and Cam were in the middle of tracking a Gray underground. She was going to do her part to assist them and protect them.
Allison sat in John's chair in the Command Center and watched.
"I don't like Savannah being exposed like she is." Allison said.
John Henry thought things were progressing as best as they could be.
"The Gray should be trapped between Cam and Cammy back three streets from Savannah's position." John Henry said. "Tom is only two streets away from her. There was one drone over her position. Now there are two drones."
Allison didn't want to feel like she was in the way.
"Maybe I should keep my mouth shut." Allison said. "You all know what you're doing."
Allison felt sort of out of it. She spent most of her time in Palmdale doing very few things for the Resistance. She was afraid she'd grown complacent and lazy. It seemed being with her family and lovers in Palmdale made Skynet and the war seem a long way off at times.
It made the future seem a long way off as well. No matter how far away she was from her past, the future, it was always still there. It was in her mind. It was something she couldn't escape. Maybe it was something she shouldn't try to escape. It happened. It was part of her life. The things which happened in the future were what made her who she was. She didn't know if she wanted to be defined by the future. She wanted to be defined by who she was now. She actually didn't think she was very much.
Allison knew she was out of her time. It was Young Allison all the Metal girls concentrated on to train her and educate her. Young Allison spent all her time when she wasn't training or practicing in the bunker. She always watched and learned. The last few months she'd been actively participating. It was usually outside the scope of John Henry and John. Everything Young Allison did was all more than she ever could have.
John Henry didn't want to seem rude to Allison. He liked to work with John. John wasn't there. Allison was.
"All input is appreciated." John Henry said. "Every observation and opinion has value."
John Henry knew human intuition sometimes played a valuable role. He could only look at what was there and the facts. At times, it seemed humans could 'see' things that weren't there or even logical.
Allison wondered if John Henry was in direct communication with Young Allison.
"Are you communicating with Allison right now?" Allison asked.
It wasn't usually the case with John Henry. There was usually always someone between Young Allison and him for most interaction.
"No." John Henry said. "I may communicate with Anna or infrequently with CamNet. Normally I only share and receive information from CamNet. We don't usually converse."
John Henry knew when CamNet conversed with him, it was usually some type of reminder for him to mind his place and not interfere with whatever her plans were. CamNet always put the brakes on for him when he overstepped her boundaries.
Allison knew Young Allison seemed to have a lot of pull and the complete backing of Cameron. She wondered if Young Allison could control John Henry.
"How much control does Allison actually have over you?" Allison asked.
John Henry wasn't sure of the best way to answer her question. There were several layers involved.
"Young Allison can order me on what to do or not to do. So can Savannah." John Henry said. "It isn't usually the case at all. Neither of the girls ever issues an 'order' if it can be avoided."
John Henry was aware most of the 'orders' Savannah ever issued were to evacuate the team from certain disaster. It actually happened on several occasions. If Savannah hadn't acted in the manner she had, there most likely would have been a few terminations for the Resistance Terminators.
Allison wondered about all the power in the hands of Young Allison. She knew they were very much alike. She was aware she could become angry very easily. While she may be quick to anger, she was also quick to forgive. She wasn't so sure it was the case with the Young Allison. When she was upset about something, she never let it go. It actually reminded her of Cameron.
"Can you disobey Allison?" Allison asked.
John Henry didn't think so. There would be a price to be paid if it happened.
"No, I can't. If I did, CamNet could lock me out. She can control anything I can do." John Henry said.
It sounded extreme to Allison. She wondered how far they would go to battle each other if the situation arose. She didn't want Young Allison to become abusive. She didn't like the idea of John Henry being locked out of his own system either.
"Has it happened before?" Allison asked.
John Henry didn't like where the conversation was going.
"No. I've never been ordered by Young Allison, nor have I ever disobeyed her. Has CamNet locked me out before? Yes." John Henry said. "They have only been short 'warnings'."
John Henry hoped Allison wouldn't pursue the nature of all of the infractions he'd been 'punished' for. Some of them were of his own doing and not related to anyone else.
It was somewhat of a surprise for Allison to hear. She wondered how John put up with all it. It seemed like a big invasion of his authority.
"How does it go over with John?" Allison asked.
John Henry was always impressed with Young Allison's actions. Some of them were quite bold. He was very aware Young Allison acted on her own and went around them to do things which benefited several operations. She'd prevented damage to different Terminators at different times with her actions. He believed her actions were worth commending, not criticizing.
"So far, whenever Young Allison has assisted us, it's been the right call. Her actions were superior or more beneficial than John or I acted on." John Henry said. "She's acted at times when we failed to do so."
Allison wondered who was leading who. She wanted to know who the actual individual behind some of what happened was.
"Is it Allison or CamNet who's making those decisions?" Allison asked. "There's a very distinct difference there."
John Henry was sure where the ideas originated from. It was most likely Young Allison in every instance who at least initiated the action. CamNet carried it out or expanded on it.
"It's both of them acting together." John Henry said. "CamNet acts on whatever Young Allison suggests."
Allison saw CamNet as the instigator. She remembered CamNet 'hitting on' Young Allison when CamNet was only a super computer. She felt Young Allison was being preyed upon. It bothered her immensely. She was the one who pointed it out and said something. It produced several reactions she hadn't expected. One of them was Savannah's direct involvement. She realized now she should have stepped up and filled the void. She could have provided CamNet with whatever she desired. Maybe it was something she should still look into.
"Can CamNet refuse to do what Allison wants?" Allison asked.
John Henry knew all the machines MUST obey an 'order' from Savannah or Young Allison.
"No. If it's an 'order', she will do Young Allison's bidding. She may question some of the decisions or ask Young Allison to seek input from Savannah or Cameron. She's even suggested she seek out John and me. Young Allison is willing to listen and work with others."
Allison worried Young Allison's lack of experience could get her into trouble or lead to the wrong decision. She wanted to know specifically. John Henry already said she'd made the right call in every instance. She wanted to make sure it wasn't a generalization.
"Were any of the decisions from Allison bad or the wrong one?" Allison asked. "Has she ever gotten anything wrong?"
John Henry didn't even need to think about it. Young Allison prevented damage and termination of some of the team members more than once. Her choice to 'punish' the Syndicate was an eye opener. It was as audacious as it was vengeful.
"No. She's never made a mistake operational wise." John Henry said. "The decision to pit the Cartel and the Syndicate against each other was the only one which really worried us. The scope of it has reached worldwide and resulted in hundreds of deaths so far."
John Henry thought it might even be thousands of deaths from the top to the lowest thugs out on the streets. He saw no need to elaborate on it. He was sure it would draw a rebuke from CamNet if he did. He didn't want to find out.
Allison wondered how responsive Young Allison was to her actions and the consequences.
"Allison knows this too, right?" Allison asked. "She knows that people are dying because of her actions."
John Henry felt Young Allison knew everything she did and what its impact would be. By going through CamNet, it was technically outside the orbit and scope of the Resistance operations. Cameron always maintained her operation was separate from the Resistance operation. CamNet didn't take orders from the General. She would help the Resistance as necessary, but she wasn't beholden to it.
"She does." John Henry said. "Young Allison delayed implementation of her plan at CamNet's urging. It has since been enacted worldwide. CamNet has taken billions of dollars from both groups. It has benefited the Resistance greatly."
He also thought it would help with the future Scavenger problem if Skynet were ever able to gain control. He didn't want to mention it in front of her. There was no need to make her think about some of the terrible things which occurred there to Jesse, Vanna, Riley and her.
Allison didn't think she could do all the things Young Allison could. Young Allison seemed to know way more than she did and was clearly smarter than her. She wondered if Young Allison was her or maybe if she was really River.
"Is Allison really me?" Allison asked. "Are we really the same person?"
John raised the same issue several times. The answer was always the same.
"Your DNA is identical." John Henry said. "John has asked me to check several times."
The concept made Allison wonder if Cameron ever checked the DNA. It would mean Cameron wasn't responsible if it was different. Young Allison wasn't the only one she worried about.
"Do you know if Cameron has ever checked?" Allison asked. "Has she checked anyone else's DNA?"
John Henry was aware Cameron looked into both Young Allison's and Summer's DNA several times.
"She has." John Henry said. "She's checked Summer's DNA as well."
Summer was another one she worried about. Her younger sister was clearly going to be the most intelligent and gifted one of them all. Maybe it was Summer who was really River.
"Are they different?" Allison asked. "Is Summer's DNA different?'
John Henry knew what she was after. It seemed to be the same thing everyone was after when the issue came up.
"Are you asking me if Summer is River?" John Henry asked.
Allison hated to say it. The issue was there nonetheless.
"Maybe it's what I'm asking. I know we've been over this before." Allison said. "We all saw how beautiful Metal Summer was."
Allison thought Metal Summer may have been the only one, human or Terminator, who was more beautiful than Cameron.
John Henry didn't want to start rumors based on speculation. There was no factual evidence to suggest River was there somehow by what would most likely be Cameron's tampering or manipulation. It would be some form of 'temporal malpractice' by someone.
"I don't believe Summer is River." John Henry said.
Allison still wasn't sold on the idea one of them really wasn't River.
"But she could be." Allison said.
John Henry knew many things were possible with time travel and Cameron's willingness to tamper and make 'adjustments' to any timeline she felt was necessary. Cameron may have been able to 'clone' River in her future or obtained some of her genetic material to 'create' Summer. There was no evidence to back up any of it.
"So could you and Young Allison." John Henry said. "I don't believe any of you are."
Allison's thoughts were interrupted when Vanna called her.
John Henry was grateful for the interruption. The subject matter related to Cameron 'time tampering' was very disturbing. He tried not to look at the security camera but ended up doing it several times anyway. He didn't want any negative repercussions from CamNet.
Vanna wanted to join back up with Allison. She hoped to follow the operation a little closer. Precious needed her.
Samantha could tell Vanna was a little antsy. She hoped to be able to watch Precious if Vanna wanted to go elsewhere.
"Are you going to stay?" Samantha asked.
Vanna's top was open as she nursed Precious. She felt her responsibility was to Precious.
"I'll stay until she takes a nap." Vanna said.
Samantha wanted to take over for Vanna.
"You wanted to be with Allison." Samantha said.
Vanna promised Riley she would look after Precious.
"This is more important." Vanna said. "I started to lose focus of my responsibilities and commitment to watch and care for Precious."
Samantha was used to doing it all for Riley. It was her job.
"I can help too." Samantha said. "I want to."
Vanna was sure Samantha was ready for another sexual encounter. So was she. She needed to think of Allison and especially Precious. She didn't know when Riley returned if Samantha would still have her sexual freedom. She was actually surprised Cameron allowed her to explore for the time she would be available to do so. She certainly wasn't going to be one to complain about it.
"Let me speak to Allison and see what's happening." Vanna said. "We were a little worried about some of the operations we saw which started to develop."
Samantha felt there was an easy solution.
"Call her." Samantha said. "I can call her for you."
Vanna was sure Samantha wanted to be with her again. Maybe she was projecting her desires on Samantha.
It excited her greatly the way Samantha's sheath Resequenced. She was nearly identical to Claire at this point. As best as she could tell, everything from the neck down was identical. She'd taken a pretty close look at some things.
Vanna called Allison, she filled her in on everything related to the operation. Allison didn't want to leave the Command Center. It was evident Allison picked up on her desire to be with Samantha again. She wanted to make it clear to Allison what was going to happen.
"I think I'm going to stay with Precious until she takes a nap." Vanna said.
Allison wanted to indicate to Vanna she was free to do as she wanted.
"I can call you if anything happens." Allison said.
Vanna clandestinely indicated to Allison what was going to happen with Samantha.
"In that case maybe I'll 'hang out' with Samantha here for a while." Vanna said.
Allison was up to another encounter.
"It's fine." Allison said. "Maybe I'll join both of you later on then."
Vanna looked over at Samantha and she nodded once.
"Everyone's on board with it." Vanna said. "Precious comes first and any other thing is after that."
Allison did understand Precious came first.
"I understand." Allison said.
Vanna spoke with Allison a little longer and hung up. She glanced over at Samantha.
"I take it you heard everything?" Vanna asked.
Samantha was able to tell what Vanna and Allison 'wanted'. It was what she wanted too.
"I did." Samantha said. "I'm available…."
It was a green light for Vanna.
"It looks like Precious is done for now." Vanna said. "I'm available as well once Precious is changed and takes a nap."
Samantha wanted to move things along.
"I'll take care of it." Samantha said. "We can share the duties."
Vanna looked forward to being with Samantha again.
"Then we can share each other." Vanna said.
Vanna left her top open as Samantha took Precious from her.
"I hope she's sleepy soon." Samantha said.
Vanna opened her top all the way. She didn't think it hurt to advertise.
"I do too." Vanna said.
The group in the buffet was just about done with lunch.
Sarah hoped to see John and Cameron arrive. It never happened. It was time to move on. There were other things they could do on the ship.
"It looks like we're about finished here." Sarah said.
Kyle wondered if they should check on their daughter before they did anything else. He was pretty sure what would happen soon enough.
"Do you want to check on Jan?" Kyle asked.
Sarah looked over at Hanna to see if there was anything they needed to know.
"Jim hasn't indicated there are any problems." Hanna said.
Sarah didn't want to look like a 'helicopter mother'.
"No. I don't want her to be the only one whose mother shows up to check on her." Sarah said. "Holly is nearby if anything arises."
Claire wondered if they would do some more things on the ship after lunch. She'd looked at some informational brochures on the desk in her suite.
"I read there was miniature golf." Claire said.
Riley whispered to Derek. He nodded back at her.
"We might go back to our room for a while." Riley said.
Derek tried to downplay what was really going to happen. He wondered about the medicine he'd procured in Ensenada. Maybe it was time to put it to the test.
"It's 'dress up night' tonight." Derek said. "We can rest and get ready."
Kyle noticed Sarah perked up when Claire mentioned miniature golf earlier. He could still use a break from the bedroom.
"Sarah and I will check out the miniature golf area." Kyle said. "It seems like fun."
Sarah saw it as a challenge.
"Prepare to lose." Sarah said.
Kyle wondered who else wanted to go.
"Are any of the Metal girls going with us?" Kyle asked.
Ally hoped the game would take her mind off of Sheila.
"I can go." Ally said.
Kyle looked at Sarah and then at Ally.
"My money's on her." Kyle said.
Ally smiled at Kyle.
Jesse wanted to see some more of the ship and what else was available. She really hadn't been able to look around it much.
"I still want to see more of the ship." Jesse said.
Gail would gladly show Jesse around.
"I can show you." Gail said.
Jesse looked at Claire. She wanted to do things to make Claire happy. She knew to make a relationship work, there needed to be a lot of give and take. She was in a very giving mood at this point.
"Maybe Claire wants to try miniature golf first." Jesse said. "The things on the ship aren't going anywhere. We'll have time to see everything later on."
Claire wanted to make Jesse happy. She was willing to please her lover. It was something she'd always done.
"Neither is the miniature golf course going anywhere." Claire said. "We can look around the ship first. I'd like to see more."
Hanna spoke with Claire.
Claire nodded.
Hanna then spoke with Ally. The Metal girls could see Ally wanted to check on Sheila.
It was decided Gail would go with Jesse and Claire. Hanna would go with Kyle and Sarah. Ally would go with Derek and Riley.
It would put Ally closer to be able to check on Sheila. It was clear to all the Metal girls Ally was worried about her.
The three groups split up and all headed in different directions.
Young Allison was worried about the current operation. The fact there'd been gunfire earlier, didn't help any. She knew they were battling the unknown.
"I don't like Savannah exposed like she is." Young Allison said.
Anna tried to reassure her.
"The Gray should be trapped between Cam and Cammy." Anna said. "There are two drones over Savannah's position."
Young Allison could tell what Savannah really planned.
"Savannah is using the SUV as a decoy. She thinks if the Gray gets past Cam and Cammy, she'll corner him on the last street." Young Allison said. "She's thinking ahead to a worst case scenario."
Anna saw it a little differently. If the Gray eluded the Terminators in the storm drain, he was either good and dangerous, or lucky and dangerous.
"If the Gray gets past Cam and Cammy, we have a problem." Anna said.
Anna indicated both Cam and Cammy would be down.
Young Allison could see it covered the rest of the variables for Savannah to make the move she had.
"It's a good tactical move on her part." Young Allison said. "It still leaves her exposed and on her own for direct support."
Anna didn't see it as being overly critical. She pointed out there were still two Terminators nearby.
"You can send Steve and Tom to assist her." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't want to leave all the other streets open.
"They need to cover the other streets until we hear from Cam and Cammy." Young Allison said.
Young Allison looked over the satellite maps.
Anna wanted to know what exactly Young Allison planned.
"What are you looking for?" Anna asked.
Young Allison couldn't see where it was going to go.
"I don't know." Young Allison said. "The Gray must have been headed somewhere."
It all looked like a dead end to Anna.
"I don't see where." Anna said.
Maybe it was the point. There was nothing. Young Allison felt there should have been more.
"There's something we must be missing." Young Allison said.
Anna went over everything they'd discussed.
"We've ruled out he's headed for one of the buildings." Anna said. "It's the only location available to give him some kind of cover to escape."
Young Allison looked at the drone images and back at the satellite photos. The pile of dirt Savannah was behind raised a few questions.
"What's the big pile of dirt and gravel for where Savannah is at?" Young Allison asked.
Anna looked at the images Young Allison viewed.
"I don't know." Anna said.
Young Allison wondered where it came from. It must be there for a reason.
"Why is it there?" Young Allison asked. "It seems out of place."
Anna could tell it was more than a small issue for Young Allison.
"Do you think because it is near the first storm drain opening it has significance?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted to know more. Several ideas popped into her head. The most ominous one is what came to the forefront.
"If they were to tunnel some more, they would need to do something with the dirt they dug out." Young Allison said. "I want to see some more past satellite photos of the area."
The photos came up.
Anna could see right away it wasn't anything new.
"It looks like it appeared there over a year ago." Anna said.
It didn't match the timeline of the previous operation.
"It was long before the operation started at the old newspaper plant." Young Allison said.
Anna pointed out they may have been late to the party to know what was what or when.
"You mean at least until our awareness of it. We don't have a definitive timeline on any of it." Anna said. "Much of it is speculation."
There were always a lot of unknowns involved.
"I don't know what to think now." Young Allison said.
Anna felt everything could be dealt with in due course.
"Cam or Cammy can check it out once the Gray is taken down." Anna said.
Young Allison tried to keep her mind off of the time lag. Things seemed to take longer than they should.
"I would have thought they would have him by now." Young Allison said.
Anna said what they were both thinking.
"Maybe there was a problem." Anna said.
Young Allison already worried about the same thing.
Maybe the real problems were yet to happen.
Hank and Larry set out to complete the search of the complex.
They weren't sure of what they would find. They were inside the enemy's lair right now. Everyone they encountered would be considered hostile. They each held their silence M9 in one hand and their Taser in the other. There was still the possibility they could encounter Skynet Terminators.
Hank moved forward towards the main passageway from the one carved out of the rock.
Larry followed behind him. They would return and check out the other location once they thinned out whatever remained of the herd of Grays.
Hank expected to find more than they had so far.
"I'm not sure what else is here." Hank said.
Larry was just as disappointed as Hank was.
"I think we're on a lower level." Larry said.
They continue through the passageway. They reached a circular staircase.
Hank looked over at Larry.
"The stairway goes up." Hank said. "Maybe we are on a lower level."
Larry felt the staircase was very small.
"I don't think they brought those crates we saw earlier down the staircase." Larry said.
Hank came to the same conclusion.
"I don't think they came in the way we came in either." Hank said. "There's no way they could get a truck up to the entrance we used."
Larry knew there was another option available to a Skynet operation.
"They could have been carried by Terminators." Larry said.
Hank knew it was a possibility but he thought there was more.
"There must be an elevator to an upper level." Hank said.
Larry took another look at the staircase.
"We can either go up here and look around or we can go back and see what's inside of the rock tunnel." Larry said.
Hank thought they should check everything on this level before they went up.
"Let's go back and check it out." Hank said ."I'm pretty sure once we go up a level, we won't be coming back down this way."
Hank and Larry went back in the direction they'd come from.
The female Fanatic quickly exited the van with her pistol in her hand and looked all around her. It was clear someone had been in her van. It wasn't the two dead men who lay at her feet either.
Several thoughts coursed through her mind. She thought about trying to rearm the bomb first. It didn't seem like a good idea where she currently was at.
The fact someone disarmed the bomb troubled her greatly. She wanted to get out of the immediate area as soon as possible. She needed to make sure it was clear around her. She did a sweep around the van in one direction and widened it by a few hundred feet and did a sweep in the opposite direction. She didn't spot anyone.
She hurried back to the van. She decided to start it and see what happened. If it was going to blow up, it was going to blow up.
The two dead men were in the same spot she'd left them. She closed the side door on the van and moved around to the driver's side. She'd previously opened the door to start the van earlier. She cautiously opened it again. There was no negative effect. She climbed into the driver's seat and put the key into the ignition.
The female Fanatic vowed her loyalty and service to SkyMaster. She was ready for Ascension. She turned the key. The van started immediately. She dropped it into 'Drive' and spun around in a big circle. She turned so sharply one of the rear tires bounced over the top of one of the dead men. It didn't bother her at all. She kept watch all around her as she went back in the direction she'd come earlier.
She wanted to reach a more secluded area so she could rearm the bomb. She planned to use it.
Hank and Larry returned to the rock tunnel. They paused and listened for any sounds they could detect. There were none.
They proceeded through the tunnel. They came to a ninety degree turn in a short distance. There was a 'tee' junction soon afterward.
"We'll each go one direction and return back here in one minute." Larry said.
Hank took the right side and Larry took the left side.
Larry soon found what he believed they were looking for.
There was a large metal door with a keypad on it. He tried the door. it was locked. He went back towards the junction.
The branch Hank took went on for several hundred feet and stopped. It ended with a wall made out of bricks. He looked at the construction. It didn't look recent. If it was a single layer of bricks, he would be able to smash through it with relative ease. If it was multiple layers, it would be much more difficult. He decided to return to the rendezvous point.
Hank arrived a few seconds before Larry did. They quickly discuss what each of them found.
"I would have to say what you found is where we want to go." Hank said.
Larry was sure it was. Now they needed to get in and see what was behind the large metal door.
"I don't think we can force it open." Larry said.
Hank figured they could try.
"If we can't, we can try to 'Jimmy' the keypad." Hank said.
The two Terminators returned to the metal door. Larry looked over the keypad.
"I can see the three keys have had more usage than the others." Larry said.
Hank knew it would take them a while to go through a series of different combinations using the three different numbers.
There was a loud metallic 'clank'.
Hank and Larry looked at each other. It sounded as if the door was about to be opened from the inside. They figured they'd been detected. There wasn't enough time to return to the section of the tunnel Hank checked. They each moved to an opposite side of the door and pressed themselves against the wall. They both held their M9 and Taser ready to fire.
The door opened with a 'squeak'. A man walked out. He didn't appear to realize anyone was waiting there. He reached back to close the door. It was when he spotted Larry. The man's mouth opened to shout some type of a warning. He never got the chance. Larry fired almost point blank into the Gray's head with his silenced M9.
Hank moved forward and caught the body before it fell to the ground. He also prevented the door from closing all of the way.
Larry moved forward and took the Gray from Hank.
One of Hank's hands was still between the door and the door frame.
They were ready to make entry. They figured they needed to move now before anything else happened.
Hank and Larry both moved up to the door. They were ready to enter. They each held their silenced M9 and Taser ready.
The female Fanatic drove out from between the trees and onto a dirt road. The dirt road quickly turned into a paved road. She constantly checked behind her to see if she was being followed. No other vehicles were spotted. She didn't know she was being tracked by drones high overhead.
CamNet observed the female on the move through the trees earlier. She thought about destroying the van with a missile. She decided to wait. The van was currently locked up for a missile shot by one of the drones if it became necessary. She wanted to see where the van went. It might lead them to an additional target. She was concerned she hadn't heard from Hank and Larry since they'd gone inside of the complex. All she could do is monitor the other operations and see how things played out.
She wondered if she should bring Young Allison in on the operation. She was sure at this point she would get some negative feedback because Hank and Larry had been out on their own. She was glad she at least kept the drone support for them. Maybe it was best to give everything a little bit more time.
The female Fanatic drove through an industrial area. She thought about driving back to the building where the explosion occurred. It seems like a bad idea at this point. She already knew what happened. She already knew what she would find. There wasn't anything to find.
Perhaps the best course of action for her would be to arm the bomb and head for the two buildings next to the hillside complex. There wasn't a whole lot for her to go back to at this point. It appeared everyone in her cell and the other cell she knew about were dead. There were more than likely additional SkyMaster cells out there. She didn't know where they were or how to contact them. It was the way they operated. It was so no one could be made to talk and divulge the entire scope of the operation. The one person in her group who knew how to contact one person in another cell was dead. They were supposed to blow themselves up or use their poison tooth to prevent giving any secrets or information away.
There was an old location her cell originally used when they'd journeyed from the future into the past. It was their first base of operation. Maybe she should swing by there and see if anything new developed. She also needed to consider the possibility it may be under observation by a group of Skynet operatives. There were a few other groups to worry about as well. They seem to be minor players. They certainly were in the future she came from. SkyMaster ruled supreme.
The female Fanatic decided the first order of business was for her to arm the bomb. If she was going to go out, she wanted to go out with a bang. She would drive by the old location afterwards.
She Could Be
There are many around
No two are the same
Look for compassion
Not where to place blame
Beauty is not physical
It's a state of mind
Unlock the mental door
There are many to find
What's before you
Is the iceberg's tip
It's been there waiting
For you to unzip
Search no further
Than what's at hand
Let them in now
Then you'll understand
Push away life's debris
There's one to hear your plea
Open your heart as you look and see
You know who she could be
Nobody