Chapter 1258
Stand Down
John faced Claire as they stood. They were about to dance.
Claire moved John's hand across her body. She repeated the same process on the other side.
She continued to look into John's eyes. She took his hand and slowly, but firmly, ran it over her right breast. She paused momentarily to make a point as to where his hand was. She then continued along the curve of the side of her figure to her hip.
She'd just 'made' John touch both of her breasts.
John wasn't sure what was happening. He could tell Claire made it clear she was available, willing and ready. It briefly made him wonder if she'd used the laser. He was sure she would have. He knew it was a much better experience.
She now drew him in close and held him. It was clear they would soon be holding each other the same way without clothes on. Isn't it what dancing like this was all about? It was the intimacy of two people holding together as if they were making love. Couples could start out dancing and kissing. The kissing would lead to touching. The touching would lead to more. It always led to more when there was a mutual attraction.
John looked around. He expected one of the Metal girls to step in and stop it. None of them did.
He was excited about what was occurring and it appeared to be with Cameron's blessing. It made him worry something else must have happened. Cameron wouldn't allow this any other way. It made him wonder about the chassis swap. Maybe there was more to it than just an 'upgrade' for both of them.
He was out of touch and unable to determine what may have happened back at the base and with operations. He was willing to bet something must have gone down, besides him.
Claire showed him several dance steps for two songs. She looked into John's eyes the entire time. He felt like she was looking into his soul. He wanted her to look into his soul.
There were times when he felt his soul was empty. He remembered the time during the wake, when Cameron mentioned Native Americans thought a photograph stole their soul. He remembered Future Derek told her she was safe. She didn't need to worry about her soul because she was a machine. A machine wasn't alive, it didn't have a soul.
Jesse thought she'd let Claire make her point. She actually pictured the three of them in a 'threesome'. She could serve as a 'backup' if John didn't deliver for Claire. She would finish Claire off. The thought excited her even more. She would have John's essence no matter what.
Jesse asked if she could dance.
Claire and Jesse looked at each other for a moment.
John didn't want to be a problem. He went to sit back down. He thought Jesse wanted to dance with Claire.
Jesse reached out and touched him.
"Not so fast, sport." Jesse said. "I was speaking to you."
John looked around. He really thought she meant someone else.
Jesse pulled him closer.
It excited Jesse to see John look at her breasts. They were engorged right now and at their largest size.
She pressed her breasts up against John. She wanted to make a specific point.
"There's more than a size difference to compare." Jesse whispered in his ear. "These function. I need a pressure reduction. Can you help me out?"
John was excited by the idea. He looked around.
"Here?" John asked.
Even Jesse wasn't quite so crude, especially for the setting. She didn't know if John was serious. It seemed like it.
"Don't try to be funny." Jesse said.
John swallowed hard. He hadn't tried to be funny.
Claire was still there near them.
"I'll do it." Claire said.
The idea excited Jesse. She wanted to have an audience.
"Maybe John can watch." Jesse said. "You can show him what to do."
John wanted to do it. Cameron wasn't there. She'd given him 'approval' before for all of the girls. He was sure it would turn into a sexual encounter. He was aware Cameron specifically 'approved' Jesse before. He'd still like to give Jesse a try.
"I think I can figure it out." John said. "I've practiced a lot, even if nothing else was there."
Jesse was ready for more. All the talk and closeness brought her to a high state of arousal. She was going to get herself off, even if no one else joined her.
"Let's go back to my suite then." Jesse said.
John started to go but stopped. There were a lot of red flags going off in his head. He couldn't help but think about Future Riley. It always seemed to be something that came back to haunt him
"I'd better wait for Cameron." John said.
Claire tried to urge him on. She was ready for a three way at this point.
"Jesse needs it now." Claire said. "You should show some compassion and understanding."
John hesitated.
Claire and Jesse left. They were followed by Gail.
John turned around and Hanna was standing there.
"It looks like I'm your new partner." Hanna said.
John wondered what this was all about. He wasn't sure what all Cameron put into play. At this point, he wasn't sure what she referred to.
"Do you mean to dance with?" John asked.
Hanna looked into John's eyes.
"For anything you want." Hanna said.
John felt like he was talking to Vanna. He quickly checked the bust line. It was Hanna. Now it felt more like Savannah.
He wanted to make sure what she was offering.
"Do you mean like 'everything'?" John asked.
Hanna indicated her figure with her hands.
"Of course, I have everything Sheila has." Hanna said. "Sheila's not going to hog all the 'special time' with you. I hope you'll spread things out. "
John wondered how far things were going to spread. It seemed like there was more than one thing to 'spread'. It was something he like to see.
"Did Cameron ask you to do this?" John asked.
Hanna wanted John to know the full story. It was more than he'd thought and probably bargained for.
"She asked all of us, including Bob and Jim." Hanna said.
John was still intrigued by the idea of Jim and Bob. He wasn't sure why. There was a 'calling' deep inside of him. It would still be 'Cameron', if she was the one in control. He would ask her not to share the file with them.
"I don't know." John said.
Hanna wasn't going to let it go. She pressed on.
"I do." Hanna said.
John looked around and hoped Cameron would come back soon. He knew events were driving him at this point. He was pretty sure if he ended up alone with any of the girls, something would happen.
Hanna moved close to his ear.
"When you get to the 'good part', it's just like Vanna's and Savannah's." Hanna whispered in his ear. "I've been told we're identical there. I know first hand Vanna and Savannah are identical. This will give you a 'heads up' on what's in store for you. Your future has much to offer you."
John tried to look around for Cameron. He really wasn't sure where everything was going.
Hanna was 'all over' him. She wanted to give him a few more things to think about.
"Just pretend I'm Savannah in your mind." Hanna said. "It will be my 'first time' too."
Hanna almost mentioned she hadn't had any children either but refrained. John probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.
When the band stopped for a break, Holly decided to take Jan and Summer elsewhere.
There were some more activities for the 'older' children, the teens.
Summer looked back in the lounge.
"I saw a piano in there." Summer said. "I'd like to play it."
Holly didn't think now was the right time.
"I don't know if it's a good idea." Holly said.
Jan loved the idea. She liked to watch Summer play music.
"I want to see her play." Jan said. "She's the best."
It was Holly's function to make sure the girls got whatever they wanted. It was seldom anything material unless they wanted to get a gift for someone.
Holly looked over at Hanna. She was still 'all over' John. It looked like the 'Vanna' in her suddenly became dominant. Then again, Holly knew Cameron wanted to keep John away from the Control Center.
They were all aware of what Cameron did with Sheila's chassis. There was talk among them who would be selected next. It looked like Hanna made her move.
Holly wanted the experience too. She just was unsure if she would be willing to do it the same way Sheila did. All the girls were a little apprehensive about letting Cameron 'lose' their virginity for them. It was something that belonged to them. If Cameron was in control of their chassis, then it wasn't really like they'd done anything was it? If it wasn't their program, they were still technically virgins weren't they?"
"…Holly?" Summer asked.
Jan and Summer looked at each other. Holly seemed unresponsive. If they knew what she was pondering, they would have been worried too.
Holly quickly replayed her files. She knew what the question was.
"I'll ask a member of the cruise staff for you." Holly said.
Holly did ask them. They never once looked at her face. Their eyes were glued to her breasts. She bent down to touch her high heel. She wanted to make sure the cruise staff member got a good look. She figured if she told them she was going to play it herself they wouldn't mind. They didn't.
She sat down and Summer sat next to her. Summer started to play. She started out with something classical. The room quieted down as people began to watch her play. Holly silently moved away with Jan to watch.
Summer finished the first song and the people clapped.
Jan and Holly urged her on.
Summer saw she now controlled a captive audience. It was a Rockabilly gathering. She decided to take it back one decade from that era. She pounded out a 'Boogie Woogie' tune. She would show the people where their music emanated from. She started out heavy on the left side of the keyboard.
The Rockabilly Trio came back from their break early to see who was playing the piano. They all looked at each other and picked up their instruments. They wanted to play with her.
Summer finished her song and told them to play their music and she would play with them.
The drummer looked a little apprehensive. He knew a group played best when they practiced together.
"You don't know what we'll play." The drummer said.
Summer smiled at each one of the three in turn.
"I'm a fast learner." Summer said. "Let's go."
John was a little worried at first about Summer. He thought she might draw attention to them. She actually drew the attention away from them.
Hanna took John out to the dance floor again with the rest of the crowd. Holly and Jan started dancing next to them. Holly and Hanna switched on the next song.
Now John and Holly looked at each other. Every feeling they'd felt for each other for the fifteen months Cameron was 'gone', sparked back to life. It was clear during the time, when Holly never left his side to make sure he didn't hurt himself that they were both in 'love' with each other. It was with 'Cameron' right there in the 'middle' of them. Cameron was 'inside' Holly 'hiding' on her chip. Holly knew she was there. Cameron refused to show herself to John. Nobody did anything because of the lack of confidence in each other.
John always believed if he touched Holly back then, he would never see Cameron again. He'd refrained. That was then, this was now. He wasn't ever going to turn anyone down again.
Holly moved close to John. She wanted to make her position and intentions clear.
"Tell Cameron I'll do it." Holly whispered. "However she wants."
John didn't want to 'take' anything away from Holly.
"Your chassis belongs to you." John said. "You have a say in what happens to it."
He told her because he believed it. He knew what Cameron would 'take' from her.
Holly felt she did have a say. She felt she also had a rare opportunity as well. There were multiple reasons why she wanted to be with John and Cameron.
"John, we both want it. Cameron was always there, in me, then. Now we can do what should have happened then. Cameron will still be there now too." Holly said. "Even if Cameron is in control and her program is dominant, it's exactly how it would have been then. She would have been in control then too. I don't have any experience. I want to learn from Cameron and you. She'll share the file with me. Cameron will teach me how to make love to you."
John could hardly believe all of the females coming on to him and offering him everything. For the Metal girls it was everything. It was something special too. He didn't want to get ahead of himself. He didn't want the events to drive the narrative. He wanted it to be a real decision on everyone's part. He wanted everyone to have a choice.
"You think about some." John said. "I'll let Cameron and you make the decision. It has to be what you really want."
Holly was aware of what she wanted. It was what she'd wanted for years.
"It is, John." Holly said. "Please allow me the honor to be touched by you."
John was a little stunned. He thought it was a really powerful statement. He wasn't sure there was any honor to what Cameron was doing. The trouble with all of it was, Nobody seemed to care. There were no morals or scruples. There was only the animal hunger. It was more than just on his part.
He still couldn't get what Holly said out of his head. It seemed to be something she really wanted and believed. She seemed so honest and innocent when she'd said it.
Cameron was in the Control Center. She wanted some answers.
She questioned Sheila on what she was doing. She checked the bag to make sure there was no scalpel in there. She didn't want Sheila to take it too far and cause irreparable damage to someone.
Sheila was pleased to hear Cameron didn't think a couple of piercings would hurt anything. She didn't plan to take it too far.
Ally was surprised Cameron wasn't more of a Bitch about it.
Cameron sent Ally and Sheila on their way with a location where the two girls were now.
Jim wanted to refocus Cameron. He didn't want things to get out of control.
"Cameron, you'd better take a look at this." Jim said.
Cameron moved over to the monitor and watched John with Jesse and Claire. She looked at the monitor with a blank face. She needed to protect John. She wanted to know about the problem, instead of the solution.
"What do you have on the anti-Metal group?" Cameron asked.
Jim was unable to provide her with a better update. He was unaware of the earlier operation CamNet was involved with.
"CamNet and John Henry are still checking." Jim said.
Cameron worried about them. She worried about John. The girls needed to help her out. She knew it was going to happen on the cruise. She didn't know which one of them would be first. Claire and Jesse were up to bat right now. In a few days it would be Vanna and Allison. She really wanted to get Savannah and Young Allison on the ship. She just didn't think it was going to happen. There was always Young Jesse too. It would be more complicated to get her there and on the ship.
The enemy was everywhere. She needed to fight it in every way she could.
"They're out there." Cameron said. "I think they're close. I need to have John protected. They need to see he's not a 'Metal-lover' only."
They watched to see where Sheila and Ally went. They were headed to where the two girls they'd met earlier were.
Cameron turned her attention to what was happening at the old newspaper plant.
CamNet put everything on a 'time delay' so Cameron wouldn't start to worry.
There was nothing Cameron could do from the ship anyway except have a melt down.
CamNet was worried. She didn't want Cameron to be. She kept the side operation she controlled out of the Resistance orbit for now. What Larry and Hank were up to, would only cause more worry for everyone.
When Cameron checked the monitors back in the rear lounge, Summer was playing the piano with the Rockabilly Trio. John was dancing with Hanna and Holly. They were both hitting on him. She wanted Jesse and Claire to be with him first.
Cameron could tell things were spiraling out of control. She'd set things into motion and 'leaned' on everyone for long enough. Something was bound to happen. She needed to get a little more control on everything.
"I need to go." Cameron said.
Jim didn't want anyone to be in trouble for doing what Cameron wanted them to do. He wanted to remind Cameron what was happening was the fruit of all her meddling.
"None of this is any of their faults." Jim said.
Cameron wanted to be in control. As long as she dictated what happened, she was fine with it. She wouldn't allow interlopers who tried to take cuts. Everyone there knew John 'belonged' to her. None of them would try and 'take' him away. She wanted order and control. She wanted John safe.
"I'm well aware of everything." Cameron said. "This is all years of my manipulation coming to a head. It's all going to happen on the cruise."
She didn't have the players she wanted. She would need to go with the players she'd been dealt. Such was life.
Jim pointed out it was a legitimate concern on her part to try and protect John.
"I know you fear John will be assassinated by the anti-Metal faction." Jim said.
It was Cameron's job to protect John. It's what she was sent back to do. It needed to come before all else.
"John's safety comes first." Cameron said. "I want him protected."
Jim watched Cameron leave the Control Center. She could tell she was conflicted. There were things she wanted and didn't want. There were things she needed to do. She needed to do her job. He was glad there were enough females present to cover all the nights of the cruise. He hoped his chassis wouldn't be required. He was aware of what Holly said to John. He would let Bob have the honor.
Cameron started back at a fast walk.
She was aware Claire and Jesse were back in the Master Suite with Gail. Sarah and Kyle were back in the Honeymoon Suite. Derek and Riley were in their suite.
It seemed everyone was off to an early start. She would need to go down and see who was ready to have their chassis 'broken in'. She hoped either Holly or Hanna was ready. If not, Sheila would be back for another round.
She really hoped Sheila and Ally didn't go too far with those girls. If they wouldn't be on the ship, she wouldn't care what Sheila did to them. They were all captive on the ship, especially when it was at sea. Any adverse events would come back to haunt them.
Cameron wondered if she should have searched Sheila to make sure she didn't have a scalpel hidden on her.
Savannah headed down to where Steve and Tom were. She hurried to get there. She sure hoped 'Cherry Bomb' received word she was on the way. She was really unsure what the problem was. There was something there. It showed a heat signature and disappeared. Maybe it was Liquid Metal and it went into the drainage system. Maybe it wasn't. She knew there were four Terminators in the drainage system. They wouldn't have much move to maneuver at all. In the confines of the drainage system, they would need to resort to Thermite. They would all end up suffering extensive damage, provided they weren't terminated.
There were six Terminators down there. She was coming back with all six of them, one way or another.
Steve and Tom saw the bent drain cover grate move. They knew whatever was happening, was happening now. There was a drone right above them.
Al and Ed were aware there was someone outside the drain opening they were about to exit. It sounded like there was a drone close by as well now. They sure hoped it was theirs.
Cam moved into the small chamber where the last drain was after traversing the narrow pipe on her hands and knees. She found what she saw hard to believe.
She looked at Cammy.
"What are you doing?" Cam asked. "Are you alright?"
Cammy was there. She held a puppy to her cheek as she talked to it and she kissed it.
"I found a puppy." Cammy said. "He's blind."
Cam wasn't sure how Cammy was able to hold it without the animal becoming fearful. Maybe those new pheromones really did work. The puppy didn't seem bothered by her presence either. It didn't explain how Cammy came into possession of it.
"Where did it come from?" Cam asked.
Cammy looked up to the drainage grate above her.
"I think he fell through the grate." Cammy said. "His mother probably set him down and he fell in here. He was crying for her when I rescued him."
Cam wanted to carry on with the assignment. She didn't think Cammy should be sidetracked like she was.
"We need to finish the mission." Cam said.
Cam put her Taser away.
Cammy handed Cam the puppy.
Cam was a little hesitant to take it. The puppy was soft and furry and it seemed very confused. She felt it try to suckle the end of her little finger as she held it.
It was evident to Cam the puppy was a newborn.
"This animal is only a few days old. He needs his mother." Cam said.
"We need to bring him with us." Cammy said.
Cam looked at the metal grate.
"Can you open the grate there?" Cam asked. "It looks small."
"It's not big enough for us." Cammy said.
Cam quickly ran down what she knew to Cammy.
"Send a transmission out to everyone." Cam said. "We need to do it before we all start shooting at each other."
Cam handed Cammy the puppy back. She knew better what was going on than Cammy did. She was sure her head was a little clearer as well.
"Never mind, I'll do it." Cam said.
Cam sent out the information. She wanted to get everyone on the same page. She could hear a drone was low above them too. It sounded very close. She was sure it was one of their drones. There hadn't been any gunfire yet. She hoped to keep it that way.
They received word in the Young bunker. There was a change in plans. Savannah was on her way down to assist the Terminators at the scene.
Anna wanted to avert a disaster earlier. Now she really wanted to avert one. Young Allison was the only one who could redirect the drone's mission. She'd put herself in sole control of it.
"Call 'Cherry Bomb' off." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't like the change in plans. She didn't want Savannah injured. She didn't want any of the Terminators injured either. She sent 'Cherry Bomb' a new set of instructions.
Soon after the drone's reassignment, they received a transmission from Cam. It was the most promising report so far.
"That's Cam." Anna said. "Everyone there is our group except for the unknown heat signature."
Once she found out about the puppy, Young Allison figured what may have caused the fleeting heat signature. She figured the female dog was probably terrified at this point. 'Cherry Bomb' was in very close. It would be a new factor to terrify the dog.
"I think what we detected earlier was probably the puppy's mother." Young Allison said. "It was trying to get down to where the puppy fell. It probably was scared off when it heard our Terminators approach. I'm sure the whine of drone engines also bothered its ears. Send out an immediate 'stand down' order to everyone there. Get the drones to a little higher altitude."
CamNet and John Henry both received the request from the Young bunker and were able to get everyone on the same page and prevent any possible 'friendly fire'.
Ed and Al exited the drain cover. They were met by Tom and Steve.
Savannah arrived a short time later. She checked to make sure everyone was alright. Cam and Cammy came up out of the pipe thirty seconds later.
Cammy still held the puppy.
There was nothing there. There didn't appear to be a current or active threat.
Cam felt there were still a lot of unanswered questions.
"What was all of this about?" Cam asked. "Why was the Gray in here?"
Savannah wondered if the Gray tied in with the dog. It seemed a likely connection.
"Where's the puppy's mother?" Savannah asked.
The Terminators all looked around. They never saw it since they'd been there. They couldn't locate it now either.
"I can't spot it." Steve said.
Al felt there were still a lot of unanswered questions as well.
"The drain cover was pried loose." Al said. "It wasn't done by a canine."
Savannah thought they were close to something. They couldn't spot the dog. The only place it could be was inside of the building. The dog knew about an opening somehow.
"The dog found a way into the building. It's somewhere around here." Savannah said. "The Gray must have made an opening or there's something else here."
Cam looked around. She knew where the brief thermal contact was at.
"It has to be right here." Cam said.
Savannah didn't want to cause the dog, and most likely more puppies, any additional trauma.
"Do you all have the new pheromones?" Savannah asked.
Only Cammy and Cam did.
Savannah faced the male Terminators.
"You four, give us perimeter security. Give us some space." Savannah said. "Cam, Cammy and I will look for the dog or the opening."
Cammy held the puppy still, it started to whimper.
An idea popped into Savannah's head. Maybe they didn't need to look for the dog after all. She took the puppy from Cammy.
"John Henry, where was the heat signature at from my current position? I'm facing north." Savannah said.
John Henry checked the position.
"It was two yards to your left and one yard forward." John Henry said.
Savannah put the puppy down in the spot.
"Everyone back up and look to see where the dog comes from." Savannah said. "It should come to get the puppy. It will look like it is going to bite it or eat it when it picks it up, don't panic."
Savannah didn't want Cammy to try and stop the dog from picking the puppy up in its mouth.
The puppy made more noise now since it was no longer held. It was hungry as well. There was some sound in about a minute. A panel on the wall near them made a metal scraping noise. The mother dog appeared and looked around. It saw Cam, Cammy and Savannah. It picked up the puppy and went back inside the wall.
"I think we know where the Gray came from." Savannah said. "This is similar to the way the girls entered the building."
She was sure they'd checked everything from inside of the building before they'd left. It couldn't have been something that just happened. It didn't seem like it. Everything seemed to be set in motion beforehand.
There was clearly more going on than met the eye.
Hank and Larry took up their positions in the front and back of the storefront. They carefully opened the front and rear door. No alarm sounded as the doors were opened. They entered the building.
They each held their silenced M9 ready to shoot. Their Taser joined it in their other hand as soon as they were in the building.
Larry scanned both sides of the room before he'd entered for any heat signatures. He hadn't detected any. Once he was in the room, he checked from side to side. There was still nothing detected.
"The front area is clear." Larry said quietly.
Hank entered from the rear. Both of his weapons were ready. His initial scan before entry hadn't detected any thermal signatures.
"I have a hallway with several rooms." Hank said quietly.
Larry could see the door that led to the rear area.
"I see a central door. I'll open it up in exactly ten seconds." Larry said quietly.
Hank checked the first room. It was a store room. It was empty.
Larry came to the door at the end of the hall.
Hank indicated for him to take the rooms on his right side. He would take the rooms on the other side. There were three more doors to check. Two of them were on Larry's side.
Larry opened the first door on his side. It was a bathroom. He moved on to the next door.
Hank was at his next door too.
They looked at each other and opened them at the same time.
The female Fanatic decided to look through both boxes again and see if there was anything anyone could track. She didn't think there was. It bothered her immensely the hard drives were missing. She couldn't tell if anything else was missing or not. She'd just taken what was already in the boxes and what the two men looked at on the table.
There were several other addresses indicated in addition to the ones she was able to get off of the phones and the tablet. She wondered if someone would only take the hard drives and not take the boxes with all of the other information.
She quickly looked around where she was parked to see if there was anyone near her. There wasn't. She realized a Terminator could simply look through the documents and they would have a record of everything there. What they wouldn't be able to access were the hard drives. They would need some electrical equipment to do it. She couldn't help but look around her again.
If she was dealing with a Terminator, it clearly wasn't going to end well for her. It could be a Skynet Terminator or a Terminator who worked with the other faction of the Resistance. Either way, it was a waste of a special being. Terminators were like gods to her. She didn't know why they worked for the enemy. If they had free will to choose, they wouldn't work with Skynet at all. Given the choice between Skynet and SkyMaster, they would choose SkyMaster. As far as the Resistance went, she couldn't understand why they would work to destroy themselves and the entity who'd created them. She wondered what type of twisted programming the Resistance used on them. She was sure they were treated badly.
She felt like she'd been in one location long enough. She wanted to keep moving. She was sure she was being tracked by someone. She decided she was going to skip sleep. She started her vehicle. The fuel tank was only a quarter full. She didn't know how much driving she would need to do to visit all the locations she'd uncovered and flagged. She didn't know what was located at any of them. She decided to get a little more gasoline.
There was a gas station down the street. There were actually three of them. She wasn't worried about money. She'd been able to take plenty of cash off of the two men she killed in the building. She actually had thousands of dollars if she needed it. She knew cash 'talked' in the past. She knew her pistol 'talked' a little louder. Power came out of the barrel of a firearm.
She pulled out of the fast food restaurant and drove down the street. She pulled into the second gas station because there were no vehicles in it. There was one vehicle at each of the other two gas stations. She pulled up at a pump and parked. She went inside and handed the attendant a twenty dollar bill. She told him it was for pump number five. She spotted some pills to prevent drowsiness. She still had half of the drink that came with her combination meal. She picks up the box of medicine. It said there were twenty pills inside. She figured it would be enough to keep her awake all night and probably for a couple of days. She handed the attendant another ten dollar bill and told him to put the remainder on pump number five. She went outside and started to pump the gas. She took two of the tablets. She wanted to remain alert. She took two more.
She'd checked all around her as the gas pumped. She actually used the squeegee on the front windshield so she could look all around her in every direction as she cleaned the windshield. No one was spotted. She looked up. She was under the canopy over the pumps. She wouldn't be able to see an HK drone if there was one or not. It was a two way street. An HK drone wouldn't be able to see her either. She opened the lid on the trash can between the pumps. She'd already checked everything in the boxes she had. She'd taken a photo of anything she thought would be of further value to her. She didn't see anything that could be used as a tracker in either box. She no longer had any use for them. She'd dumped most of the material into the trash can before she left. She threw her fast food wrappers on top of it and put the lid back on the trash can. The pump stopped. She returned the nozzle back to the pump. She got in the car and drove off after she checked her phone for directions. She was off to a new quest.
Hank opened his second door. The room was empty
Larry opened his second door. The room was empty
"I don't think this is the right location." Larry said.
Hank was glad they hadn't kicked the doors in.
"We should be able to leave. No one will know we were here." Hank said.
They decided to check the other two storefronts with the 'lease signs' on them. The interiors were identical to the storefront they'd checked first. They came up with two more empty storefronts.
"Maybe it's one of the other five businesses located here." Larry said.
Hank was worried they'd spent so much time and came up empty.
"I don't see what could be here anyway." Hank said. "We could burn the entire section down and not worry about it."
Larry noted the lack of vehicles parked on the street and in the alley. There wasn't a single one of them.
"I don't think anyone is staying here overnight." Larry said.
They also needed to consider the prospect one of the empty storefronts once contained whatever was flagged. It more than likely had already been moved to a new location. There was no mail on the floor at any of the three empty locations. CamNet checked the water usage and electrical usage for the three empty storefronts. Nothing had happened in them for months.
They followed the progress of the female Fanatic.
"It appears she got some fuel for her vehicle." Hank said.
Larry noted it was down the street from the fast food restaurant.
"It was right after she got some fuel for her body." Larry said.
Hank thought what else she did was more significant.
"She looked through both of the boxes as well." Hank said.
They both understood the implications. She would know the hard drives were missing.
They contacted CamNet about what she wanted done with the entire row of storefronts. They were told to place a surveillance device in the alley so it could cover the rear of all of the storefronts. If anything illicit was going to happen, it would most likely happen in the rear.
Hank and Larry started their loose pursuit of the female Fanatic again as she left the gas station. She seemed to have a destination in mind.
The female Fanatic was back on the road. She continuously checked around her to make sure there was no one following her. She had the distinct feeling she was being tracked. She wasn't sure how. It didn't matter. She was on a mission. Her mission was to stop SkyMaster's enemies. If she was killed in the process of doing her job, so be it. Ascension awaited her.
The next address on her list was in an industrial area. An image of it showed up with the address. It was much like the building she just blown up with her bomb. It was similar to the building she was in previously. It was attacked and blown up. She'd been on operations which had taken down a couple of other buildings of the same basic design.
She hoped to find a machine shop being used for the production of HK equipment. She was told they once had an operation near Palm Springs where they were building some HK drones. She'd also heard stories of a Skynet assembly line set up in an old newspaper factory. They were able to build HK drones, HK Tracks and HK Treads.
She figured the next location was going to be Skynet related. She didn't think she would run into the anti-Metal faction of the Resistance again. Not only had she heard about the 'comfort bunks' the Grays always kept, she'd actually seen them with her own eyes. She felt the security of her loose 'poison tooth' in her mouth. They weren't going to take her alive. The fact it wouldn't matter repulsed her anyway. Her dead body would end up on the 'comfort bunk'. They just wouldn't have to tie it down.
There was a set of railroad tracks ahead. She was brought back to reality when the crossing arms began to lower as the lights flashed. She quickly looked around her to make sure she wasn't being followed. She stepped on the gas and accelerated over the crossing right before the gates came down. If anyone was following her, they would be stuck behind the train. She kept her accelerated speed up for a few minutes.
She looked in her rear view mirror. She saw the train behind her. She noticed it was a passenger train. She thought it was kind of late for one of those. Maybe it was one of the long distance ones. She heard those always ran late anyway. She'd never been on a train before. She hoped it was a better experience than riding a city bus.
Passenger trains were short compared to freight trains. The crossing gates went up sooner than she would have liked. There were still no headlights behind her. She'd only passed a few cars coming towards her.
She checked her phone. She was three blocks out from her next target. She hoped it looked a little more promising than the storefronts did. She really didn't think much could go on at such a small location.
The target building was just up ahead. The best she could hope to do for now was some recon. If the recon looked promising, she might try some surveillance. She didn't really have any way to attack another building unless she went inside. There was always the possibility she would be able to use the enemy's explosives against them. It wouldn't be the first time.
The female Fanatic parked two blocks away. She called up satellite images of the location she wanted to do recon on. She was alone on the street. She looked around and exited her vehicle.
Stand Down
Life is about choices
There were other things choose
Do the choices made by others
Determine who will win or lose
Even when one is forced
The can choose not to follow
They can suffer the consequences
If things are hard to swallow
It's all about how much
One is willing to bend
To think they have any real control
They would need to pretend
Even one choice
Can set one's fate
It may turn out great
It may be something they hate
When the choice is hard
One can swim or drown
How will they measure up
Will they step up or stand down
Nobody