Chapter 1262
Send Two Back Up
Savannah finished her check in with John Henry. She went back down the stairs.
Cammy frantically entered numbers into the keypad.
"How's it progressing?" Savannah asked.
Cam looked back at her.
"Cammy has already tried four hundred and twelve combinations." Cam said.
Savannah figured there must be thousands of combinations.
"It's going to take forever." Savannah said.
Cam tilted her head slightly. She hoped not.
"It won't be that long." Cam said. "Our power cells will run out before then."
Savannah decided not to point out she would be dead by the time 'forever' happened too. 'Forever' was a long time.
She waited another fifteen minutes as Cammy entered hundreds of more combinations.
Savannah wanted to check in.
"I'm going up to give a report." Savannah said.
Savannah went back up the stairs.
She picked up John Henry talking to Al and Ed.
"I want you to go get them." John Henry said.
Savannah wondered who he was talking about.
"Go get who?" Savannah asked.
John Henry was relieved to hear Savannah.
"There you are." John Henry said.
Savannah felt there was some new threat by his wording.
"What's happening?" Savannah asked.
John Henry doubted she was going to like the news.
"There's someone in the flood control channel headed in your direction." John Henry said.
Savannah hoped it wasn't a homeless person. She didn't want there to be an overreaction until they knew more.
"What can you tell me about them?" Savannah asked. "Are they armed?"
The drone images hadn't shown any weapons yet.
"No weapons are visible." John Henry said.
If it was an attack, she thought it might be multi-directional. One individual didn't seem like the big enough threat.
"Check in all three directions someone can approach through the flood control channel and the branch this building is located on." Savannah said. "If these are Grays or Fanatics I think there will be more than one."
John Henry tried to take every precaution possible.
"We have our drones searching everywhere around the old newspaper plant." John Henry said. "They're as low as they can go and not be detected by a human."
Savannah worried about an HK drone attack. She certainly didn't want any of them to arrive unannounced.
"Do you still have some at altitude?" Savannah asked.
John Henry brought all of the drones down to search. CamNet made other plans.
"Yes." John Henry said. "CamNet set two back up after I sent them all down low."
Savannah knew why. It was Young Allison's doing. She didn't want to get caught with all the 'fighters' down low attacking the 'torpedo bombers' while the 'dive bombers' showed up at altitude. It was how the Battle of Midway played out. The dive bomber pilots said it was just like target practice. They peeled off in formation order and quickly destroyed most of the enemy carrier force. There was no fighter opposition because they were all down on the deck. The quest for the 'easy' kill proved fatal for the aggressors. It was another version of 'target fixation' and the consequences it brought with it.
She went and checked the loose panel. The energy bar and the puppy were gone. She smiled. Her smile quickly faded. If the place turned into a battle zone again, there was a good chance the mother dog and puppies would all be killed. She was worried about Cam and Cammy as well.
Savannah wasn't sure about the nature of the unknown threat. She began to wonder if it was something they'd triggered.
"Be alert for any more drones, both HK drones and small drones." Savannah said. "We may have tripped an alarm trying to get in."
John Henry was prepared to take aggressive action if anything was done to put the operation in danger.
"CamNet has recommended we take the person down if they turn up the branch and head in the direction of the outlet Cam and Cammy used to enter the drainage system." John Henry said.
Savannah came up with a better idea. It looked like it was going to take Cammy a long time to enter all the numbers possible for the correct sequence. She wanted to use the person who was headed their way to open the door for them if possible and not trigger an explosion.
"I'm going to call a 'negative' on the take down at this time." Savannah said. "If we can't open the door, maybe they can. We still don't know if this place is wired."
John Henry updated her on the personnel reassignments.
"Al and Ed have been directed to follow the person in through the drainage system. They're moving into position now to do so." John Henry said. "Steve and Tom will remain at the exit and the vicinity of your location."
Savannah knew it took some time to make the passage through the drainage system. She didn't think the person would arrive anytime soon. She would still allow some additional leeway of time.
"I'm going back down and report to Cam and Cammy." Savannah said. "I'll come back in ten minutes the next time."
John Henry was aware a lot could happen in ten minutes. He knew a lot could happen in ten seconds. Right now things would need to play out for a few minutes.
"Roger." John Henry said.
Savannah closed the upper door and went back down the stairs.
Earlier at the Young bunker:
Anna was alerted by CamNet of a new threat.
"We have contact." Anna said.
Young Allison was instantly alert. She wondered when something would develop once they started nosing around.
"Where's it at?" Young Allison asked. "How many are there?"
Anna wasn't sure what the big picture was yet. Right now it seemed very limited.
"There's one person that's been detected so far in the flood control channel." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted the search intensified. She believed if there was going to be enemy action; it would be a little more involved. It made her wonder if someone so obvious could simply be a diversion. She didn't want to get caught flat footed.
"Have John Henry search in all three directions of those channels." Young Allison said. "It goes for any approach around the newspaper plant. There could be more coming in on foot."
Anna communicated with John Henry and he took the appropriate action.
"The drones have all dropped down to a lower altitude." Anna said.
The revelation caused a mini panic for Young Allison. She was worried it may be a diversion. She really didn't want to get caught looking in the wrong direction.
"Send two back up immediately." Young Allison said. "Keep one at five thousand feet and the other at fifteen thousand feet. We don't want to get caught with our pants down. Stay alert for an HK drone attack. What's happening on the ground now could be a sucker play."
Anna received confirmation two drones were back where Young Allison wanted them. It seemed like a good idea to her as well.
"Two drones have returned to the assigned altitudes." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted the unknown newcomer tracked by two of the team.
"I want Al and Ed to be ready to intercept or shadow the unknown person." Young Allison said.
Anna sent out the directive.
"They'll move in to terminate them now." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't want to jump the gun. There were several reasons for her concern. The first one was, they didn't know who the individual was. The second one was, if it was a diversion, they would tip their hand they were on to a probe or potential attack.
"There shouldn't be any terminations yet." Young Allison said. "It could be a homeless person."
A few minutes later Savannah came into contact with John Henry again. They listened to the conversation.
Anna was as surprised as she was unsurprised. It always amazed her how similar the two girls thought. They both put forth similar ideas.
"Savannah has come to the same conclusions you have." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't think they always shared the same conclusions or made the same deductions. Savannah's plan wasn't what her plan would have been. She didn't like the unknown person to be able to come so close to Savannah. She also didn't want the Metal girls to force the door open and set a bomb off. She needed to trust Savannah's judgment since it involves her directly and what her current goal was. It was a tactical decision as opposed to a strategic one.
"I'm not so sure about allowing the person to get close enough to open the door for them if they can't." Young Allison said. "I'll trust Savannah's judgment on it since she's on the ground."
Anna heard when Savannah's next transmission would be.
"We should hear from her in ten minutes again." Anna said. "If we don't, maybe it means she's inside with Cam and Cammy."
Young Allison was very displeased at the turn of events. She could think of a few other problems.
"Or they're all shot up and terminated." Young Allison said.
At this point, she just hoped there wouldn't be an underground explosion. She would have preferred for them to establish a series of relays, so they could communicate continuously.
Earlier at the Resistance Base:
Samantha was in the commissary. She wanted to get something for Vanna and Allison to eat. She wanted to do it quickly. It excluded the idea of making anything fancy. She didn't want them to change their mind.
She looked in the refrigerator and saw there were some plastic containers with food already prepared in them. She figured they must be some 'left over' food from a previous meal.
It wasn't what she expected to do. It seemed the most convenient and the quickest way to help the girls. She took out two plates and put some of the food on each one and warmed it up in the microwave. She cut everything into bite size pieces and took two bottles of water along with two forks. She headed for the Command Center.
Allison was surprised Samantha returned so quickly. She figured if she needed to do it, she'd probably still be looking in the refrigerator.
"Wow! You're fast." Allison said.
Samantha didn't want to take credit where it wasn't due.
"There was some food already made." Samantha said. "I just warmed it up."
Samantha handed her a plate, a fork and a bottle of water.
"Thanks." Allison said.
Samantha could see Vanna was nursing Precious. She set the plate next to Vanna and took the lid off of the water bottle.
"Would you like me to feed you?" Samantha asked Vanna.
Allison suppressed a giggle.
Vanna wasn't sure if Samantha was joking or not. She knew sometimes it was hard to tell when a Terminator was involved. Sometimes they said funny things in the most innocent way. She knew there could be a lot of sexual overtones associated with one person feeding another one. It usually started out in a playful manner and soon turned into a full blown love making session.
Allison looked at her with a smile on her face. It was clear she tried not to laugh.
"I've got it." Vanna said. "Thank you."
Vanna and Allison started to eat as they watched the monitors.
They were about halfway through the meal.
"They have contact." John Henry said.
He'd received the alert from CamNet. He'd missed it himself since he was focused on Vanna's exposed breasts. He knew it was something which seemed to happen with more frequency. He often let his server run autonomously and take care of everything. There were other things he liked to focus on.
He quickly went over what they'd found.
"I'm dropping the drones down to be able to scan for thermal signatures in the channel and around the old newspaper plant." John Henry said. "I want to make sure nothing else is moving around there. It could be a multi-pronged probe. The girls may have tripped an alarm."
Allison wondered about the strategy.
"Are all the drones down low now?" Allison asked.
John Henry wanted to address the current threat.
"Yes." John Henry said. "It's where the immediate threat is."
Allison wanted to add some input. She felt it was important enough to mention.
"Maybe one of the drones should stay higher." Allison said. "I think it would provide a better overview around the entire area."
John Henry was a little surprised about what happened next, after Allison spoke.
"Wait." John Henry said. "CamNet has just sent two drones back up to altitude."
They heard from Savannah a short time later.
Allison was leery about what Savannah wanted to try. It seems a little more than dangerous to let the fox into the chicken coop.
"I don't know about allowing the person to approach and open the door for them." Allison said.
Vanna felt it was more a matter of perspective. They weren't the ones there.
"Savannah's the one on the ground." Vanna said. "We can't second guess her."
John Henry wanted them to know when the next check in time would be.
"Savannah will contact us again in ten minutes." John Henry said.
Allison thought the check in time should be much closer, based upon what they knew so far.
"Let's hope so." Allison said. "A lot of things can go wrong. They can go wrong fast."
Vanna finished nursing Precious.
Samantha came over to help.
"I'll take her." Samantha said. "You can finish your food."
The new information worried Allison. It was clear the danger factor went up substantially in the target area. They didn't know what the nature of the threat was. They didn't know if it was a probe or a faint. It could be a distraction to a bigger attack.
"I think I lost my appetite." Allison said.
Vanna looked over at Allison. It was unlike Allison to become so moody. She didn't want her to waste her food.
"Remember, there was a time when we didn't have any food to eat." Vanna said.
Allison remembered fighting off rats with a stick to dig through garbage piles before to find some scraps of food to eat. Whenever she was able to kill one of the rats, they ate it too.
"You're right." Allison said. "I never waste food if I can help it."
The girls finished the food and drank some water as they waited.
"There's another contact." John Henry said. "A second hit has been detected."
Allison looked at the clock. Now she wished she would have said something about a more frequent check in time for Savannah.
"Great." Allison said. "Savannah won't be back in range for six more minutes."
Vanna tried to determine what the threat was. She hadn't picked it up herself yet.
"What is it?" Vanna asked.
John Henry looked for more targets.
"This one is a surface contact coming from the east." John Henry said.
Allison wanted the team below ground protected. They were currently blind right now.
"Send Tom or Steve to intercept it." Allison said.
John Henry noticed action was taken, even before Allison spoke.
"CamNet has already directed Steve to go." John Henry said. "Tom is to remain where he is and keep the exit open for the girls."
Vanna wanted to make sure John Henry checked for airborne targets. It seemed to her things just got more complicated. It didn't seem like a coincidence either.
"What's happening in the sky?" Vanna asked.
John Henry quickly checked again.
"There are no airborne contacts yet." John Henry said.
Allison thought they should intensify their efforts.
"It doesn't mean there won't be." Allison said. "Everything should go to double alert status."
Vanna didn't want Allison to get too involved. She didn't want Allison to give conflicting information to what was obviously coming from The Young bunker. She did think it was somewhat amusing to know everything Allison said, actually was already set into motion the same way. It was clear Allison and Young Allison thought alike. It was nice to have her engaged and active again anyway. She felt Allison had been out of the action too long. She was a Resistance fighter and it was in her blood.
There were times Allison confided in her. She wanted to rejoin the fight. She was sure the reasoning behind it was because of all of Allison's failed pregnancies. She knew Allison viewed her body as worthless. Allison didn't think it matter if she was killed or injured in the fight against Skynet. It was a very troubling thought.
Seconds Ago in the Young Bunker:
Anna received more bad news.
"We have a second hit." Anna said.
Young Allison looked on the satellite map to see where it was located.
"It's a probe from the east side." Young Allison said. "Have CamNet send Steve to intercept it. Tom is to remain where he is. I want to make sure the girls have a way out. I don't believe any of this is a coincidence. It must be coordinated."
Anna asked CamNet to check the airspace. The probe appeared to be from at least two different directions. It also might be multi dimensional.
"The airspace is still clear." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't like the two pronged probe. It seemed like a precursor to something bigger. She thought they were way beyond recon and surveillance at this point.
"Have CamNet dispatch more drones at once." Young Allison said.
The drones needed to come from outlying areas.
"Two more were already on the way." Anna said. "Four more will be sent."
Young Allison was afraid the team below ground set off a warning device.
"I don't like this." Young Allison said. "They may have tripped an alarm somewhere. This could bring a bigger response."
Allison wouldn't put it past Skynet or SkyMaster to attack their own forces to get at the Resistance. She didn't think whichever group it was knew it was the Resistance. They would only know another group was there. They wouldn't be there to say 'hello' either.
Anna tried to reassure Young Allison.
"CamNet and John Henry are working together." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted answers. She didn't believe things were just happening on their own.
"These people came from somewhere." Young Allison said. "Have CamNet and John Henry check all previous scans for the last two hours."
Young Allison wanted to find the location if possible where the people came from.
Anna could tell Young Allison was about to amp up the response. She wanted to reassure her everything was happening she'd wanted so far.
"They're checking." Anna said. "Everything is being monitored."
Sheila and Ally left the two girls behind in their cabin. They headed straight back to Sheila's room.
It was clear Sheila was extremely stimulated.
"I think it was the hottest thing I've ever done." Sheila said.
Sheila thought back on some of the other things she'd done. Previously she thought the hottest thing she'd done was when she was in Ally's chassis and she'd 'modified' it. She wasn't sure exactly what would happen and what would regenerate. She hadn't wanted to experiment on her own sheath. She remembered how upset Ally was to get her chassis back with a modified sheath.
Ally was more than a little surprised at everything she'd witnessed. She was highly stimulated now as well.
"I can't believe you gave away your rings." Ally said.
Sheila reached up and touched her breasts through her dress.
"I gave up both sets of them." Sheila said. "I feel naked now."
They arrived in the private area. They quickly went inside Sheila's small room.
Ally was ready for a little more right now after watching both of the girls get pierced.
"Get your dress off and you will be." Ally said.
Sheila took her dress off.
Ally did as well. They were both naked now.
Sheila looked at herself in the mirror. She did feel very naked without her jewelry. It was almost like a part of her was missing. She'd opened a new door for the girls. She planned to expand it.
"I wanted them to look Hot." Sheila said. "I can get more. I have some more back at the base."
Ally knew Sheila also had some in a larger diameter. Those really made a statement.
"It was for a good cause." Ally said.
Ally originally wasn't too keen on the idea. She thought it was for the best. She was pretty sure they weren't done with the two girls either. It seemed more like a beginning, than an end.
Sheila thought her breasts looked less attractive now. The rings made up for what she lacked in size. It seemed to be something perceived as important to men and some women. She didn't think it was something which should really matter. It was something controlled by genetics. An individual didn't have any control over how they would develop or what they would look like. She thought she looked fine. She believed Jesse was beautiful. She figured it should include herself by extension. The rings made everyone look and then look again. They made her distinctive. Now she was plain and average.
A new fear gripped her. Now she was 'nobody'.
"Do you think John will still want my chassis?" Sheila asked.
Ally didn't think it was a big deal. Her observation indicated males were more concentrated on something in another area.
"I do." Ally said. "I think John only cares about the middle of the word chassis."
From the file Cameron gave Sheila, she knew John really seemed to like the rings. He'd paid a lot of attention to them.
"No, he liked my rings too." Sheila said. "He played with them a lot."
Ally hoped it was a little deeper. The rings weren't floating in the air.
"Did you ever think he might have liked the sheath they were attached to?" Ally asked.
Sheila worried maybe John only liked her chassis because it was Cameron inside. She wanted to know if John would respond the same way and do the same things without her rings.
"I want to find out. I'm going to have Cameron use my chassis again." Sheila said.
Ally could have done without Sheila's revelation. She didn't want Sheila to obsess over the issue. It wasn't a big deal, even if she thought it was.
"Oh, brother…." Ally said.
Sheila's face suddenly brightened. The look of uncertainty vanished.
"I hear John and Cameron now." Sheila said.
Sheila went to exit her room. She was still naked.
Ally quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Wait." Ally said. "You're going to cause a problem."
Sheila shrugged her shoulders and giggled. She wanted to find out. She believed her current appearance would be a pretty good indication of what she was ready for.
"'Trouble' is my middle name." Sheila said.
Ally tilted her head slightly.
Cameron could see John was physically aroused at the prospect of what was coming up later on. She wanted to take advantage of the situation now, while everything was available. She believed it would give her a better experience later on when it was her 'first time'. She would reset her files as she used Hanna's chassis and stripped it of its virginity.
John was excited about what was going to happen. He didn't want to seem too greedy. He was ready to 'try out' Cameron in Hanna's chassis.
They were almost back to the room.
Cameron entered the private area with John.
She heard Sheila and Ally talking.
Cameron opened the door to their suite. There was some personal business she wanted to take care of. She sent John on his way.
"You go inside and get ready." Cameron said. "I'll be right in."
John looked around and figured there was some issue Cameron needed to deal with. He was unaware Ally and Sheila were in Sheila's room.
Cameron walked over to Sheila's room. The door opened as she approached. She spotted Jesse and Ally in there.
Wait.
It wasn't Jesse, the breasts were too small. It was Sheila without her jewelry.
Ally could see Cameron was momentarily confused.
"Don't ask." Ally said. "It's a complicated story."
Cameron looked at Ally and frowned. She then turned her attention to Sheila. She was going to ask. She knew Sheila wouldn't have her jewelry off unless there was an awfully good reason. She figured it better be a good reason.
"Sheila, where are your rings?" Cameron asked.
Sheila was afraid Cameron was upset now.
"I donated them to a good cause." Sheila said.
Ally thought a better explanation was needed.
"She fixed those two girls up with a set each." Ally said. "She didn't bring any spares."
Cameron wanted to know what Sheila did with them specifically.
"Where did you install them at?" Cameron asked.
Ally didn't think it was a big deal. She didn't want it to cause a problem.
"It was in their cabin." Ally said.
Cameron looked at Ally and frowned again.
"You know what I mean." Cameron said.
Sheila was pleased by what she'd done. She was pretty sure she could have done more if she'd had more sets of rings. She didn't. She was satisfied with the outcome.
"Relax, it was only their nipples." Sheila said. "They both look beautiful."
Cameron was very concerned now. She knew the girls would have been at least half undressed if not naked. She didn't think Sheila would be able to show any restraint if any opportunity presented itself.
"Did anything else happen?" Cameron asked.
Ally was a little offended by Cameron's question. Cameron already told them, 'what happened on the ship, stayed on the ship'.
"Nope…." Ally said. "Not yet."
Cameron looked over at Ally and frowned again.
Sheila wanted to find out if John would be as excited about her sheath without the rings. She wanted to make sure she offered more appeal than just a couple of pieces of jewelry.
"Will you need my chassis later on?" Sheila asked. "I'm available. You'll be in total control."
Cameron wanted a 'backup'. It was good news.
"Maybe…." Cameron said. "Hanna is going to give it a try. She may back out. Claire seemed to disagree with Hanna's choice."
Cameron looked at Ally. She wanted another virgin chassis available.
Ally's position hadn't changed.
"Don't look at me." Ally said.
Sheila wanted the opportunity if it arose.
"I won't back out." Sheila said. "I'll actually be more like Jesse, except for the size, when we do the switch.
Cameron moved forward and examined Sheila. She moved forward and examined the area where the rings were previously at.
Sheila wanted to offer Cameron something to entice her.
"When I get another set, will you put them on for me?" Sheila asked. "The holes will be healed by then. They've already started to close."
Cameron was intrigued with the prospect. She thought about it for a moment. She came up with a better idea.
"I'll ask John to do it." Cameron said.
Sheila looked disappointed. She wanted Cameron to touch her. She would be able to experience the pain along with the pleasure.
Cameron liked everyone to be happy.
"We can each put one on for you." Cameron said.
Sheila smiled.
Cameron looked into Sheila's eyes.
She reached forward and touched Sheila's cheek. She wanted to express her profound appreciation for what Sheila allowed her to do. She was also very touched by what Sheila allowed her to take from her.
"Thank you for what you've done for John and for me." Cameron said. "I know the sacrifice you made. We both appreciate it greatly. Your act of courage and support won't be forgotten."
Sheila liked the honest praise from Cameron. It wasn't exactly how she thought it was going to play out. She didn't get everything she wanted. She was very pleased by the experience anyway.
"It was my pleasure." Sheila said. "Everyone sacrifices for John Conner."
Ally still saw it differently.
"I think yours was a different kind of sacrifice." Ally said.
Cameron looked disapprovingly at Ally.
"You two carry on. I need to be with John." Cameron said. "He is already ready."
Cameron didn't want to lose what was currently available.
Sheila reached over and handed Cameron the small bag. It was marked for the 'Captain'.
She wanted to make sure John would still be 'good to go' later on.
"You might need this." Sheila said. "I believe it will increase your pleasure in whichever chassis you decide to use. It should also provide John with some additional opportunities."
Cameron looked in the bag. She quickly looked back at Sheila.
"It's just between John and you." Sheila said. "It can be just you. Not everyone needs to know everything. It'll be our secret."
Cameron was worried about John's ability to 'continue' at the rate she was draining him, literally. She didn't want him to have a performance issue. She didn't want to give any of the borrowed chassis owners a mediocre or bad experience.
"This will help a lot." Cameron said. "Thank You. I appreciate your concern and foresight. I'll make sure you benefit from this too at some point."
Sheila liked the idea even better. She would be able to have Cameron use her chassis again. It's what she wanted.
Cameron left.
Ally was a little concerned by Sheila's actions.
"What was in the bag?" Ally asked.
Sheila didn't want to get specific due to the nature of what she'd provided Cameron with.
"A little 'pick me up' for John." Sheila said.
Ally tilted her head slightly again.
There was no further explanation.
Hanna left the girls and Holly behind. She wasn't sure of the look Summer gave her. She headed for the private area. As she neared the private area, she heard Derek and Riley. They were busy.
She entered the private area. Sarah and Kyle seemed really busy. So were John and Cameron. She understood Cameron's reasoning. It meant John wouldn't finish too fast when Cameron was with him in her chassis. She was a little nervous about it. Cameron told her it might be over in two minutes. Now with John expending himself with Cameron, her chassis would have a longer ride when Cameron used it. She really hoped it would be a better experience. Maybe it would have been better to just have had the shorter experience and been done with it.
She glanced over at the Master Suite and could hear Claire, Jesse and Gail in there. She thought Claire was going to be disappointed in her. It was something she wanted to try, even if Cameron was in control. It was her chassis. She could determine what happened with it or how it was used.
She wondered what being with a male was like. This was her chance to find out. She was going to do it, even if it was Cameron who did it for her. At least Cameron knew what John liked.
Hanna looked at Sheila's small room. Sheila and Ally were at it. Maybe she would wait in there until Cameron needed her. She would ask Sheila what it was like. Anything related to Vanna and a male was a terrible and painful experience. She was 'afraid' to ever view the actual files of the events as they occurred. She'd only viewed the fallout afterwards. A glitch impulse shot through her left hand. She was very glad Cameron would do it for her.
If she didn't care for the file about what happened. She would simply delete and erase it. It technically wasn't her, so it didn't seem like it would be a big deal going forward. She still wouldn't have been with a male, even if her chassis had been. She wondered how long the residual traces of John's 'presence' would be left behind. She didn't want it to cause a problem for Claire going forward.
Holly was impressed with Summer's ability. She was around her all the time. Summer always managed to surprise her.
"It's getting late." Holly said. "I need to get you two cleaned up and off to bed."
Jan wanted to play longer. She wondered if there was another motive behind Holly's decision.
"But we're having fun." Jan said. "I think it's because you owe Summer money why you want to go back already."
Summer wanted to remind Jan it was just a game.
"It's just for fun. It's 'make believe' money, it's not real." Summer said.
It was something which still bothered Holly.
"I would have a hard time coming up with seven million dollars on the ship." Holly said. "I would have to wait until we got back to the base."
Holly figured the only way to come up with the amount of cash would be to take precious metals, in the form of jewelry, from passengers. It would take some time to round them up and collect their valuables. She wanted a better solution.
Summer could tell Holly was a little upset. She didn't want there to be any problems. She understood how Terminators could obsess over something minor. Their current situation was technically a nonexistent situation. She knew how to 'fix' it.
"I'll make you a deal." Summer said.
Holly was confused. She owed Summer a lot of money. It wasn't good to be in debt.
Summer wanted to play 'rock, paper, scissors' with Holly to even the debt or double it.
Holly was a little apprehensive. Summer always knew what she was going to pick.
"You usually win at that game too." Holly said. "I may owe you even more money."
Summer wanted to be coy.
"You could win too." Summer said. "It's why it's called gambling."
Summer did usually win with Holly, except for the times she let her win. She liked to be fair. She always knew what Holly would pick.
They played and Holly 'won'.
"Your debt is absolved." Summer said. "We're even."
Holly smiled at her.
"Thank you." Holly said. "You're very generous."
Summer wanted to keep the atmosphere light.
"Easy come, easy go." Summer said.
Holly tilted her head slightly.
"Do we still have to get ready for bed?" Jan asked.
Holly felt better now since she was out of debt.
"We could stop by the buffet for some dessert or a light snack." Holly said.
Jan was ready to try some new desserts.
"It sounds like fun." Jan said.
Holly was pleased by Jan's reaction. She liked to see the girls happy.
"There's an ice cream bar, hamburger grill and pizzeria up there too." Holly said.
Jan was ready to go.
"What are we waiting for?" Jan asked.
Summer wanted them to police the area before they left.
"We need to put away the things we used first." Summer said.
They quickly put everything away and left the library. There was an elevator waiting for them when they arrived.
"That one doesn't work." A man said. "I was in it for about two minutes."
Jan and Summer glanced at each other. They almost giggled. They knew what the actual situation was.
Holly didn't see why the man couldn't ride with them. She assessed him at a zero threat level to her.
"What floor are you going to?" Holly asked.
Another elevator opened. The man headed towards it. He looked back over his shoulder.
"I'm going to take this one." The man said. "Good luck."
Even before he turned away, the doors rapidly closed and they started up.
"Jim is looking out for us." Jan said.
Summer was sure there was more than one entity looking out for them.
"Or CamNet is." Summer said.
Holly agreed with Summer's assessment.
"I think it is both of them." Holly said.
The elevator door opened and they exited.
"This is the pool deck." Jan said. "Can we go swimming?"
Holly didn't think it was a good idea so late.
"Maybe tomorrow you can." Holly said. "It's late."
Jan looked up and could see a lot of stars. It surprised her.
"Look at all the stars." Jan said.
Summer looked up.
Holly didn't.
It made Summer a little bit sad.
Hank and Larry waited to see what happened with the female Fanatic. She'd been inside the building for fifteen minutes. There hadn't been any gunfire or explosions.
"I wonder if she is still alive." Larry said.
Hank didn't think it really mattered.
"She may be for now." Hank said. "She won't be for long."
Larry wanted to find out a little more.
"Let's move in for a closer look." Larry said.
Hank pulled himself up the top of the wall
"Let's go." Hank said.
Larry knew Hank wanted to terminate the female Fanatic.
"Let's play it cool." Larry said. "She still seems to have knowledge of targets we don't."
Hank was sure he could beat the information out of her.
"I'll make her talk." Hank said.
Hank dropped over the wall.
Larry followed behind him.
They were both inside the compound of the target property. They cautiously moved along the sidewall towards the building.
The female Fanatic checked each of the dead men over as she made her way back towards the rear. None of them had a phone on them. She figured those were taken as well. She attempted to determine what group was actually in the building.
She quickly went over and checked the vehicles. There was no one inside of them. There were no weapons or explosives visible. There were also no keys for the vehicles. She hadn't found any keys on the men either when she'd searched them.
There were a number of machines inside of the building. It appeared to have been a machine shop. There were various metal forms around the machines. She could tell they were parts of a mechanical device. She wondered if it was for the construction of HK equipment.
She continuously listened for the sounds of a vehicle. She was sure one would return soon. She didn't want to be caught out in the open.
There was a metal container between some of the machines. It overflowed with rags soaked with some type of oil on them. She decided to light them on fire. She was sure the building was part of some type of Skynet operation for the construction of HK equipment.
She hadn't noticed a lighter on any of the men when she'd searched them. There was some welding equipment towards the rear of the building. There were a number of metal tanks which contained acetylene gas. There appeared to be only one set of them hooked up for use. She opened the valves on both tanks. There was a hiss. Then nothing happened. She looked at the rubber hoses connected to the equipment. She wasn't sure how to take the metal torch off the end of it. She remembered she'd spotted a set of shears by some of the machinery. There was some type of sparking tool next to the welding set. She squeezed it a couple of times and it made a spark.
The female Fanatic took the igniter with her. She went by the machinery where she'd seen the shears. She picked those up. She headed over to the can full of oily rags. She dumped the container over. She used the igniter to cause one of the rags to start to smoke. She blew on the corner of it. Soon there was a small flame. She arranged the other oily rags around it. In a short time there was a larger flame and a lot of smoke. She went over to the acetylene tank and cut the hose off. The gas immediately began to hiss out.
She decided it was time to get out of the building. She was about to go outside when she looked at the open doors. She went over to the large roll up door and looked at the control mechanism. She pushed the 'close' button. With a loud clanking noise, the roll up door began to go down. She went over to the regular door and went out of it. She closed it behind her. She looked around and listened for a moment. There was still no sound of a vehicle. She looked at the wall to each side. She decided she wasn't going to attempt to climb them.
She thought about using the gate on the blind side. It could be locked and she would need to climb it. She knew the gate on the driveway was open. She decided to chance it. She moved to the side of the building with the open gate and made a run for the street. She expected to see a set of headlights turn into the driveway as she ran down it. She touched her pistol as she ran. She didn't pull it out.
Seconds ago:
Hank and Larry moved along the side fence. They needed to go around various crates and drums as they moved. They were very near the building when they heard a 'clanking' noise. They moved further to the side behind a crate and paused.
"The big door is closing." Hank said.
They watched the roll up door start to close. Before it was all the way shut, they could see the female Fanatic move along in back of it. She came out the other rear door a few seconds later. She looked around in both directions and headed for the driveway. She disappeared around the corner.
"I didn't see her carrying anything." Larry said.
Hank wanted to pursue her and terminate her.
"I'll go after her." Hank said. "You can check the building."
CamNet told them not to pursue her. She wanted them to find out what was inside the building.
They moved up to the building. They were about to open the rear door.
"I hear something hissing." Larry said as he entered.
Hank could see the smoke coming up from the center of the workroom floor.
"There's something burning." Hank said. "You check on the noise. I'll check on the fire."
They both checked on where the position of the female Fanatic was at as they went to their assigned areas. She was almost to the street. She was still running.
Larry moved to the sound of the hiss. He quickly determined it was escaping acetylene gas. He closed the valve on the tank. The hissing noise stopped.
Hank went to the source of the smoke and saw a group of oily rags on fire. He kicked the pile of rags. The burning ones were now separate from the main pile. He picked up the other oily rags and dropped them back into the metal container and closed the lid. He would let the other ones burn themselves out on the cement floor.
Hank and Larry begin to search the inside of the building.
The female Fanatic ran along the side of the building towards the street. She looked in both directions as she reached it. There were no other vehicles visible. She continued to run towards the direction her vehicle was parked.
Thousands Of Combinations
What makes a person desirable
Is it all about appearance
If it's the normal standard
It doesn't have total adherence
A person who is average
May have much less appeal
When it comes down to it
They may be the one more real
Time is another factor
It can build things up slow
As inside of one's being
Feelings expand and grow
See the overall big picture
Forget about the details
As the wind builds in the sails
There's more than enough to tip the scales
To mix and match attributes
There are many fascinations
Once they start to happen
There are thousands of combinations
Nobody