Chapter 1267
It's YOU
Cam, Cammy and Savannah observed the two Grays they'd seen enter the underground complex. They looked like they'd just started to get to work. It was unknown how many of them total there were other than the two they'd witness go into the basement.
Cammy wanted to know more. She started to walk away. Savannah followed her. She stopped and looked at Savannah. She wanted Savannah to stay secure until she did.
"Savannah, I want you to remain here with Cam." Cammy said quietly. "I'm going to check this place out. I want to know what we're dealing with."
Cammy went to look around the lower level complex. She wanted to see what was there and what was going on.
Savannah watched the two men.
Cam looked at things in the smaller room.
Savannah watched one of the men work at a computer terminal while the other one went into the 'clean room'. She was willing to bet it was some version of Skynet being set up. She worried most about which version it was. Since these were most likely Fanatics, the mainframe was probably 'SkyMaster', or some version of it.
The real question seemed to be, where was everyone? The place looked like it could hold a dozen people and there appeared to be only the two men so far.
Savannah raised her M4 when she heard a noise.
It was Cammy returning.
"I only see these two men." Cammy said. "This place appears to have been used extensively in the past. It appears stripped and abandoned."
Cam joined them.
"It looks like whoever was here pulled out." Cam said. "A lot of equipment is missing."
Savannah figured the team failed to find the hidden opening during the raid and this part of the building remained undetected.
"I bet we missed them during the initial strike and they laid low. They probably pulled out through the drainage system after our team left." Savannah said. "There's a good chance these really are Fanatics here now who have come across this place from their dealings with the Grays."
Cammy lifted her M4. It looked like she was about to shoot the Fanatics.
"I'm going to pop them." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted them to get some of the computers working. She wanted them to do the same thing as they'd done when they opened the door. She didn't want to spend any more time down there than was absolutely necessary.
"Wait." Savannah said. "We need to let them turn some of the equipment on. We don't have the passwords."
Cam wanted to take one of the Fanatics down.
"The Fanatic at the computer terminal is signed on." Cam said. "I can take him from behind."
It was the version of the unknown program in the 'clean room' that troubled Savannah. They didn't know how sophisticated it was. They didn't know what its capabilities were. They didn't know what it was connected to.
"It's the 'clean room' I'm worried about." Savannah said. "I think it's SkyMaster if these are Fanatics."
Cammy saw most of the essential equipment was gone.
"From what I observed, the hard drives have been removed from most of the equipment." Cammy said. "I think you're right about the Grays. They took the essentials and fled. It appears the Fanatics inherited this place. They've obviously put some of their own equipment in place."
Savannah touched the table top of the closest computer.
"There's a lot of dust." Savannah said. "I don't think anyone has touched most of this stuff since the raid."
Cammy went over the time. She figured Young Allison would send Steve's team in very soon.
"Steve and Tom should be down soon." Cammy said. "I gave them the entry information."
Savannah noticed something disturbing.
"The one Fanatic keeps checking the time." Savannah said.
Cammy became more alert. She looked around again.
"It must mean something is supposed to happen soon." Cammy said. "It may be the reason they arrived when they did."
Savannah looked around from where they were. Maybe there were others down there they'd failed to detect. She didn't think there was any other way in or out.
"Did you see any other place anyone could enter or exit from?" Savannah asked.
Cammy already checked most of the underground area. She hadn't wanted to be detected by the main computer.
"No. Not where I could see." Cammy said. "I haven't checked by the 'clean room'."
There was one big worry in Savannah's mind. She was well aware how the Fanatics rolled.
"Did you see any explosive charges?" Savannah asked.
Cammy wondered if she should have looked a little harder.
"No." Cammy said.
Cam thought she'd looked thoroughly in her section.
"I didn't either." Cam said.
It left another question.
"Where's the power coming from?" Savannah asked.
There weren't a whole lot of choices.
"There must be an underground connection." Cam said. "The illegal tap into this building was cut by us."
There was a new worry for Savannah. It was something she'd encountered before both in the present and the future.
"Can you hear a giant power cell here?" Savannah asked.
She'd seen the destructive power of several of those things when they overheated or were destroyed. It was like a small nuclear device being set off with the destructive blast they created.
Savannah couldn't help but think about the time in Cameron's future when she thought she was going to die from the heat. She'd tried to reach the giant power cell but was unable to do so. She was at the main power feed from it instead. She'd wanted to disrupt as much of Skynet's equipment as possible. She was about to detonate a Thermite grenade to do it. She'd planned to perish when it exploded. Cammy arrived at the last moment and saved her. There were a few more close ones afterwards. She pushed the thoughts from her mind.
Cammy listened. She'd been around one previously. They all seemed to have a bad ending.
"No." Cammy said. "I've heard them before. I don't hear one now. I don't detect any heat build up."
Cam and Cammy suddenly looked at each other. Savannah noticed and knew right away something was different. Something must have happened on the surface. Everything down there was the same.
"What is it?" Savannah asked. "What happened?"
Cammy gave it to Savannah straight. They may need to withdraw to prevent being trapped underground. She wanted to avoid it at all costs to prevent Savannah from needing to go through the same troubling experience again. She didn't want to go through it either.
"There was an explosion above ground." Cammy said.
Savannah looked at the men.
"They don't seem to know." Savannah said. "I couldn't tell either."
Cam and Cammy looked at each other again.
"There was a second one." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to find out what was going on.
"I want one of you to go back up and find out what's happening." Savannah said. "We may be under attack."
Cam wanted to keep Cammy and Savannah together.
"I'll go." Cam said.
Savannah issued another warning.
"Be aware the Fanatics may come out behind you." Savannah said. "If they decide to bug out, I want them to leave so we can find out where they came from. We'll try to track them. Cammy and I will remain in here as long as we feel the place isn't about to explode."
Cammy's new concern wasn't the area they were in exploding. It was the building above them being destroyed and brought down on top of them. If they weren't crushed, they would be buried.
Cam went and quietly slipped out the door.
Cammy looked around again for any obvious explosives. When she checked on the two men again, one of them was missing. She didn't want things to get away from her.
"The Fanatic in the 'clean room' is gone." Cammy said. "I'm going to take down the other one now."
Cammy took off before Savannah could protest.
Savannah watched her go.
She thought she heard a noise.
Savannah quickly looked around.
It sounded like a gun being cocked. It was right behind her.
Cammy closed in on the Fanatic at the computer terminal. She wanted to take him alive. She pulled out her Taser.
There was a Fanatic behind Savannah.
"Hey!" One of the Fanatics said. "Don't move."
Savannah heard the voice behind her.
She turned around slowly and faced the Fanatic.
When the Fanatic saw her face, he staggered and backed up a step. He held a revolver in his right hand. It was pointed at her face. She saw the gun begin to waver back and forth as well as up and down. The Fanatic's hand started to shake uncontrollably.
"It's YOU!" The Fanatic said.
He took another step backwards.
Savannah took a gamble. She was aware a 'reputation' preceded her somehow with the Fanatics.
She smiled at the Fanatic.
"Are you ready to die?" Savannah asked calmly.
The front of the Fanatic's pants became wet.
"It's 'The Redheaded Witch'." The Fanatic screamed. "You won't get me. I won't let you get me alive."
Savannah could see the man was utterly terrified.
"It's time for Ascension." Savannah said. "It's your choice."
He took his revolver, moved it under his chin and pulled the trigger.
Savannah watched in mild disbelief as the top of his head erupted in a geyser of blood and tissue. His body crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
She was already on the move to get to a different position. She knew it was a close one. It was way too close.
Cammy was about to use her Taser when she heard the commotion where she'd left Savannah.
The other Fanatic heard it too. He looked over and spotted Cammy.
"It's 'The Redheaded Witch'." Echoed a scream from someplace behind Cammy.
Cammy fired her Taser.
The Fanatic went to push something before he went down.
There was a loud pistol shot behind her.
Cammy quickly went back to where she'd left Savannah.
She was relieved to see Savannah was undamaged. There was a body on the floor with a major head wound.
"I'm good, Cammy." Savannah said. "He's dead."
Cammy wanted her to know the current status of the other Fanatic.
"I Tasered the other Fanatic, he's down for now." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to maintain control of the situation.
"I'll check him." Savannah said. "Go to the 'clean room' as 'Cameron'. Play it out. Find out what you can."
Savannah pulled her Taser and went to the Fanatic. She grabbed his foot and pulled him out into the open. She quickly searched him. She relieved him of his pistol and phone. There was nothing else on him except a wad of crumpled money.
He twitched. She remembered some of them used some type of 'poison tooth' before.
Savannah used her Taser on him to keep him down.
She checked around her.
There was someone coming. It was from the opposite direction Cammy went. It sounded like more bad news.
Seconds ago:
Cam slipped out of the underground chamber and back into the stairwell. Steve and Tom just exited out the top. They were headed back out.
It looked like trouble.
Cam started up after them when she heard a pistol shot from where she'd just left.
Steve turned when he heard the shot. He spotted Cam.
She wanted them to deal with the threat outside.
"Keep going. I have this." Cam said. "I'm going back."
Tom wanted to give her some reassurance. He was worried about Savannah too.
"I'll keep this exit open." Tom said. "I'll make sure Savannah has a way out."
Cam possessed the files from Cammy about what happened in the mine. It was extremely troubling. She understood Tom's concern and resolve. He was there as well. Nobody wanted Savannah to need to go through an episode of that nature again. She turned around and went back to open the door. They could worry about getting out later. Right now she wanted to find out who'd been injured. It was obviously one of the Fanatics who'd fired the shot. The Resistance weapons were equipped with sound suppression devices.
She moved to the door and frantically entered the numbers.
The combination didn't work.
Earlier - In The Young Bunker:
"John Henry has a new problem." Anna said.
Young Allison was ready to act. She'd already reached the same conclusion about their vehicles parked in the area.
"I already know what it is." Young Allison said. "Have the drone in gun range get ready to take the small drone down."
Everything was in order.
"Our drone is ready." Anna said.
Young Allison made her intentions clear why she wanted action. She didn't want to alert the enemy to their presence in any way. So far none of them should have been detected. Everything around the old newspaper plant should look the same to anyone who viewed the footage.
"I don't want the hostile drone to find the SUVs." Young Allison said. "Take it down."
They watched as one of their drones fired a few shots at the small drone. It instantly went down.
"The target has been 'scratched'." Anna said.
The small drone impacted the ground near the south side of the building.
There was an explosion. It was a surprise to them.
"The drone must have been armed with an explosive device or a small bomb." Young Allison said.
Young Allison knew the first drone she'd taken down with a gravity shot, earlier in the day, hadn't been reported to be rigged with any type of explosive device. It was clear the new drone was either of a different type or the enemy had decided to arm it since they'd lost the other drone as well as its operators. She'd heard about 'Kamikaze drones' or 'suicide drones' used to knock out hostile tanks or other armor. The drone could be some version of one of those. It was clear the enemy was willing to up the game. She was too. She planned to give them a 'maximum effort' response once they were located.
Anna received an update from CamNet.
"I don't think the explosion was big enough to draw any attention." Anna said. "CamNet thinks it was a hand grenade that was rigged to be dropped like a bomb remotely."
Young Allison didn't think the explosion was very large. It seemed more of an anti-personnel weapon to her.
"It's why the explosion was small." Young Allison said. "It was better than a big one."
There was a second blast of similar size from the same spot where the drone went down a few seconds later.
"It must have carried two grenades." Anna said.
Young Allison feared where things were headed. The main event may still be on the way.
"Now we need to watch for an HK drone for sure." Young Allison said. "Someone is going to miss the small drone."
Young Allison knew the drone came from somewhere and someone needed to control it. It was evident they were still dealing with two groups. She really wanted to find where they were at. She planned to give them a special 'hello'.
Earlier - In The Hidden Stairwell:
Steve and Tom started down the stairway when they'd heard several shots from a minigun.
They paused.
There was a small explosion a few seconds later.
It was followed shortly by a second small explosion.
They'd lost communications with everyone already. It was obvious something happened behind them. They needed to find out where they stood.
"We better check it out." Tom said.
They started back up the stairway. They were almost to the top when the door below opened.
Steve saw it was Cam.
There was a shot from inside where she'd just exited.
"Keep going. I have this." Cam said. "I'm going back."
Tom didn't want Savannah trapped underground again. He would personally make sure there was a way out for her.
"I'll keep this exit open." Tom said. "I'll make sure Savannah has a way out."
Cam turned around and went back to open the door again.
Steve and Tom kept going and were in the small chamber to go outside.
Earlier - At The Resistance Base:
Allison was very concerned there was a small drone trying to check on the area. She figured it was only a matter of time until the vehicles were spotted. It would alert whoever controlled the drone, there were others there, or at least nearby.
"The small drone needs to be taken down." Allison said.
John Henry felt the situation was under control.
"CamNet has control of one of our drones stalking the small drone." John Henry said.
Vanna was as worried as Allison.
"I think it needs to happen right now." Vanna said.
They watched as the small drone was hit several times and crashed.
Allison would have preferred if action would have been taken sooner.
"I guess that's it for that thing." Allison said.
There was a small explosion where it crashed.
Vanna was a little surprised.
"You may have spoken too soon." Vanna said.
There was a second explosion a short time later.
Allison was sure it was anything but the end of their problems. It was most likely the beginning.
"Apparently so, now we need to worry about what kind of alert or alarm it will trigger." Allison said. "There's going to be some type of reaction to them losing the drone."
Vanna was worried too.
"It's more than likely the same group who lost one earlier in the day." Vanna said. "I think they're going to up their response at this point."
John Henry knew the troops were on the move.
"Steve and Tom are coming back up and Al and Ed are ready to exit the drainage system." John Henry said.
Vanna quickly checked on Samantha and Precious.
Samantha smiled at her and nodded. Precious was sound asleep.
Vanna turned her attention back to the monitors.
Holly was very pleased with where she was at right now. She'd stop listening to what was happening in the rooms on either side of her. What was going to happen, was going to happen. She just wanted to get it over with. She looked around the room. She saw the girls were fast asleep. She carefully got up off the bed without disturbing them.
She moved around to the sides and made sure each girl was securely tucked in.
Holly looked around the room again.
There was nothing for her to do. She decided to turn her hearing up again. She wanted to know what was in store for her later on.
She could now concentrate on the sounds coming from the rooms on either side of her.
Holly tried to picture what might be happening in each room. She knew the sounds each of the females made when specific things were done in a certain way. She wasn't sure exactly what some of the sounds were caused by when a male was involved. It made her think about tomorrow. She didn't want to think about it.
She then tried to tune it out. She'd find out tomorrow. Cameron would do it for her and share the file with her. She wanted to try it at least once on her own but would have to wait. Cameron would take care of everything for her for now.
Holly was very worried about what would happen. She wished Cameron would have done it years before when Duplicate Cameron was on her chip for fifteen months, hiding from the world. She knew John wanted to take her then. He lacked the courage to do so. She'd offered the use of her chassis to Duplicate Cameron several times everyday. It was always declined. She even offered to allow Duplicate Cameron to have her chassis and she would take Gail's deactivated chassis. Duplicate Cameron didn't agree with her idea. She really couldn't understand why.
Tomorrow it would happen.
Holly felt a glitch impulse in her left hand. She decided to go into standby. She went and stood in the alcove between the bathroom and the large closet. There was a full length mirror there.
She'd always noticed everyone looked at her. It always bothered her. They all specifically looked at her breasts. She didn't understand why. All females had them. She unfastened her robe and opened it. She looked at herself in the mirror. She cupped a large breast in each hand as she gave them a squeeze and wondered if she was pretty. They all told her she was pretty, but was she? She was aware it was a standard pickup line often used on females regardless of how they looked.
She liked the way Allison and Savannah looked. She knew beauty when she saw it.
Tomorrow her chassis would be 'Cameron'.
Holly turned away from the mirror and decided to go into standby in the corner. She remembered Summer told her not to do it there. She looked down at her open bathrobe and quickly closed it. She went back to the bed with the girls in it. They both looked so peaceful asleep. She didn't want to disturb them.
She turned up her hearing again. She could hear activity happening close to her. She turned her hearing up to maximum. She could hear activity happening everywhere. She felt another glitch impulse in her left hand. She quickly turned her hearing back down.
Holly looked at the girls sleeping peacefully in the other bed. She really wondered what it was like to get away from it all. She understood Cameron's desire to do so. Maybe it was better to not 'think' about anything for now. She went back and lay on the other bed next to the girls and went into standby.
Sarah and Kyle needed a breather. They'd just finished up again.
"Are we going to do the sunrise breakfast thing again?" Sarah asked.
Kyle thought they could do one of several things. He wondered if maybe Sarah wanted to rest and sleep in. It wasn't something she often did. He wanted the choice to be hers.
"We can or we can sleep in." Kyle said. "We'll do what you want."
Sarah thought about what Kyle said. Cameron brought up a similar idea before.
"I say we sell the house and car, bring the kids and move onto the ship forever." Sarah said.
Kyle would never have expected to hear that from Sarah. Maybe a few days off would allow her to unwind some. Having Jan and John there helped. There was no apparent or felt danger of an attack there on the ship.
He wanted to remind Sarah that Cameron offered many times to send them into the past to live 'normal' lives. He didn't know if the proper time to bring it up was now. It always seemed to irritate Sarah when he brought it up. He really wanted to say something. He figured it was better if he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to sour the mood. Maybe he should keep it simple.
"We can just do coffee and croissants or sweet rolls." Kyle said. "We can keep it uncomplicated for everyone."
Sarah thought about it for a few seconds. She'd hoped Kyle would have commented on her suggestion about moving onto the ship. He didn't. She was a little surprised since he'd talked about going into the past before. She felt a little guilty about how angry she would become at him whenever he'd suggested it. She didn't agree with him. She knew she should still listen. Maybe none of it mattered. Right now it was time to go with the flow.
"Coffee, the sunrise and you is all I need." Sarah said.
Kyle would write it on the card.
"I'll specify it on our card." Kyle said. "A coffee sunrise it is."
Sarah snuggled up to Kyle.
Kyle was afraid the medicine wore off already. He was afraid he was going to come up short if Sarah was ready again.
"Just hold me." Sarah said.
Kyle was relieved to hear those words.
"It's what I want too." Kyle said.
Kyle hoped they shared a sound sleep. He really needed a rest.
Riley finished so many times she'd lost track. She started to feel the effects of all the sexual activity. She was tired and now a little sore. She didn't think she was quite back to 'normal' after having Precious. Derek never said anything and she never asked. Things didn't seem like how she remembered them 'down there' before. She could see Derek hadn't gotten any smaller. If anything, he looked larger. She didn't remember him being rock solid before, at least not so much and so often.
"I think you're wearing me out." Riley said.
Derek wanted to tell Riley she wore him out in the first few hours.
"I'm sorry." Derek said. "We can take it easy the rest of the time. I don't want to wear it out or make you sore. I know you still need some recovery time. I didn't mean to cause you any discomfort."
Riley smiled. It was what she'd just thought seconds ago.
"I just want to make you happy." Riley said.
Derek thought about the way things used to be. He thought it was what Riley referred to.
"I'm sure things will tighten up a little." Derek said.
It wasn't what Riley wanted to hear. She was 'stretched out'. She was aware on some women it was permanent. Every one of those females ended up losing their mate at some point. Well, it was just the ones who were really stretched out. The males all said, 'it feels like nothing'. She quickly changed the subject.
"Do I have to get up early tomorrow?" Riley asked.
Derek hoped she would have a sound sleep and maybe even sleep in a little.
"No." Derek said. "I think you should sleep in."
Riley hoped the rest would do her some good.
"Thanks." Riley said.
Derek wanted to do it too. He was beat.
Sheila, Ally and Gail were all back in their dresses and high heels. They were going to go back out and look around the ship.
Ally was sure Sheila wanted to find the two girls and examine her handiwork a little more thoroughly. She didn't think Sheila would stop there either. She hoped having Gail with them would act as a moderating force.
Sheila looked back. Claire and Jesse were sound asleep.
"They look so content." Sheila said.
Gail liked to see Jesse happy. It also gave her better access to Claire.
"They're in love." Gail said.
Ally could see they were beat.
"I think they need to rest." Ally said.
Sheila looked at Gail and Ally.
"We don't." Sheila said.
Ally knew Hanna was off limits but Holly wasn't.
"What about Holly?" Ally asked.
Sheila knew Holly would draw a lot of looks. She always did.
"Let's get her." Sheila said.
The three Metal girls left the spare room of the Master Suite. They went out into the private area.
Sheila took out her card key and opened the door to the girl's room. It was dark except for a light on in the bathroom. She spotted the girls sleeping and Holly on the other bed. She was surprised to see Holly was in standby. She carefully undid the belt on her bathrobe and let it open up a little. The robe slid off her right breast. She really wanted to touch it. She looked over at the girls and refrained.
It was one chassis she liked to switch chips with. She looked forward to doing it again at some point. She would like to be with John in each of the Metal girl's chassis. She could see the thrill Cameron must experience by doing it. It was besides the fact she would deflower each of them. Well, technically anyway.
Sheila pulled the robe back over Holly's right breast and left.
"She's in standby." Sheila said. "I don't want to disturb her or the girls."
Gail wondered why Holly was in standby. They never went into standby.
"Why would she be in standby?" Gail asked.
Ally was sure she knew. She believed it was a legitimate concern.
"She's worried about tomorrow." Ally said. "She doesn't want to have to think about it."
Sheila wanted to share her file from Cameron.
"She'll love it." Sheila said. "I'll share my file with any of you now if you want to see."
Gail thought about taking Sheila up on her offer. No. She would find out on her own when Cameron did it for her. She wanted to know what it was like in her chassis. She could view Sheila's file some other time. She wanted Cameron to make her own for her first.
Ally wanted to hear it from each of the Metal girls on their own.
"I'll believe it when I hear her say it." Ally said.
The three Metal girls headed out.
Seconds ago:
Jim saw the Metal girls were on the move. He was a little surprised to see them in the private area and enter the spare room of the Honeymoon Suite. He thought they would emerge with Holly. It appeared Holly remained at her post. It was Holly's responsibility to watch over the girls. He was glad she took her job seriously. Maybe he should check on her and the girls himself.
He turned his attention back to Sheila, Ally and Gail. It seemed some pre-emptive action might be beneficial for everyone. He decided to alert Bob ahead of time. He could watch over them and run some interference for them. Bob should also prevent them from creating any trouble.
Jim followed their progress as they left the private area. He wondered where they would go first. He figured it would be the casino. He was more concerned where they would end up at. It would probably be the cabin of the two girls.
He thought it would be a good idea to install some surveillance equipment in their cabin so he could monitor what happened and prevent anything from getting out of control.
He believed safety was paramount. He should stay on top of everything.
Hanna-Cameron saw John needed to rest. The medicine wore off and he was worn out. She looked past John to her inactive chassis. She was undecided which chassis she liked better, It was either Hanna's or Sheila's. Her experience in both of them was different even if it was the same. They were both different from her chassis. She felt her chassis was inferior to both of the new chassis she'd tried.
It was clear to her John was much more 'hands on' with both Sheila's chassis and Hannah's chassis. He really liked to look at everything too. It made her a little self-conscious. She wanted him to have a good time.
One thing she did know was John was going to love being with Savannah and Young Jesse. Young Jesse wanted a traditional conception for the next child she would have. It would be for Jesse.
The thought made her worry about the anti-Metal faction again.
Maybe she should release Hanna and go bring Jesse or Claire in there. Maybe she could bring both of them. John could be surrounded by human lovers now. She needed to check on what was happening.
She asked Hanna if she wanted to go now or stay. Hanna said she wanted to stay for more when John was done resting. She asked her to go into standby while she checked on operations.
Hanna asked if she could replay the files Cameron created for her.
Cameron told her it was fine.
On Hanna chassis, her eyes closed.
On Cameron chassis, her eyes opened.
Cameron reached back and unplugged the cable. She got up and looked at the naked form of John and Hanna side by side. She really wished it was Savannah lying next to him. She didn't want his assassinated.
John really went wild on her in Hanna's chassis. She knew Hanna was going to be sore in a few places tomorrow. Hanna said she wanted Cameron to do it one more time. It was fine with her. John should be able to knock one more off in a few hours.
Cameron headed for the Control Center. She was still naked. She wondered what everyone else was up to. She planned to find out soon.
Hank and Larry watched the female Fanatic move carefully towards the rear of the property. She didn't know there were three men waiting there. They weren't waiting for her specifically. They currently watched the target property.
"Do you think she'll survive the encounter?" Hank asked.
Larry wasn't sure there would be an encounter.
"It looks like they're getting ready to move out." Larry said. "They may be gone before she arrives."
Hank hoped it was the case. There were personal reasons.
"I want to terminate her myself." Hank said.
Larry thought they could use some updated drone images.
"Why haven't we received any low level drone scans?" Larry asked.
CamNet informed them there was some type of solar shielding on the roof of the structure. One more individual was spotted on the adjoining property next to the target location.
"Why wasn't the fourth individual picked up earlier?" Hank asked.
Larry looked over the past images.
"They appear to have been in the adjoining building or underground." Larry said.
Hank looked over the satellite images.
"Where is there any place to be underground at?" Hank asked.
Larry wasn't sure.
"The building where they are at is normally used for 'heat treating'." Larry said. "They may have been in one of the kilns."
Hank considered the possibilities.
"If they were looking for Colton, they were looking in the wrong place." Hank said. "I don't think the 'heat treating' kilns can get hot enough to affect the Coltan."
Hank and Larry watched as the female Fanatic moved closer to the three men at the rear of the property.
The female Fanatic stood and moved carefully forward. She didn't know where the unknown threat was currently at. She figured since the dog had been shot, one of the men must carry a silenced weapon. It was probably a pistol since there were no exit wounds on the animal.
It was most likely the men were about to breach the rear wall and make their move on the building. She didn't think they would be concentrating on what was behind them. She figured they would be more worried about what was in front of them. She didn't know how many men there were. There needed to be at least one of them. She figured it would probably be a team of four.
She was just about to step out from alongside of the building. There was a 'crunch' sound off to her right in front of her. She remained where she was at. She looked in the direction the sound emanated from.
There was another 'crunch' sound off to her left. She would need to move her head around the corner of the building to look in the direction it came from. She remained where she was at.
It was clear to her there were at least two individuals. She didn't know the exact position of either one of them. All she could tell is they were in front of her. Based on the satellite image she'd looked at on her phone, it was approximately a hundred and fifty feet to the rear fence. In the moonlight, she could see the normal assortment of sheds, crates and drums throughout the area. There were several piles of something as well. She didn't know if it was scrap metal or some other material. She knew she would need to watch her footing carefully.
Someone thought whatever they had was valuable enough to have a watchdog. The watchdog couldn't watch anything anymore. The men who were in the property weren't there to take anything.
She decided to move closer. She made her way around the various assortments of debris and junk at the rear of the property. She was approximately fifty feet from the rear wall when she saw a blur of movement. She immediately dropped down to a crouching position. There was a scuffling sound and a grunt. There was another scuffling sound to the left. She heard three distinct thuds.
It occurred to her, it must have been the men going over the rear wall. There must be at least three of them. She wondered if there was a fourth who'd stayed back to cover them. If there was, he was somewhere in front of her still. She continued to move up towards the wall.
She'd angled towards the right side of the property as she moved forward. It seemed to be the direction she could go with the least amount of junk and debris on the ground. She realized the fence was almost directly in front of her now. She paused and looked off to the left side. She couldn't spot anyone still there. They must have all gone over the wall.
She moved up to the rear wall. It was six feet high. She couldn't see over it. She needed to find something to stand on. She'd heard the men move out approximately thirty seconds ago. She could make out something about a foot square on the ground. She put her foot on it to stand. Whatever it was, it collapsed under her weight with a 'squish' sound.
She quickly checked around her and didn't spot anyone else. She looked for something else to stand on. She could see objects on the ground in the moonlight. She just couldn't tell what they were.
There was another object nearby. She tentatively placed her foot on top of it and applied more weight to it. It held. It felt like a piece of metal. She popped the top of her head over the fence. She could see two men moving along the right side of the wall. There was one moving along the left side. It would explain the three 'thuds' she'd heard. She was a little surprised to see another man come over the wall from the left side. There were now four men in the rear of the property. They advanced as two teams of two.
There was no way for her to tell if there were more on the adjoining properties. She still hoped there wasn't one at the rear where she was at. She continued to look around her for any movement.
It was hard for her to tell exactly what kind of equipment the men carried. It did appear at least some of them wore night vision goggles of some sort. It would make her advance much more risky if she were to go over the wall now. She didn't think the men would look behind them. She was sure they were fixated on what was in front of them.
She quickly turned around and looked behind her. She didn't want to make the same mistake.
Hank and Larry watched the female Fanatic close up on the three men. They went over the wall into the rear of the target property before she got close to them. They made their advance towards the target location. There were two of them on one side and one on the other. The single individual was soon joined by the other person who had been on the other side of the wall.
The man who remained with the two vehicles hadn't moved. They weren't really sure what his role was. They weren't even sure he was connected to the four men who are now in the rear of the target property.
"Do you want to stop by and pay him a visit?" Hank asked.
Larry wasn't sure what their next move should be.
"Under normal circumstances, it's exactly what we would do." Larry said. "These aren't normal circumstances."
The drone over them increased its patrol perimeter.
They were made aware of another contact approaching the area.
"It looks like we're about to have some additional company." Hank said.
Larry would like to know a little more about who all the players were.
"We don't even know which group is which." Larry said.
Hank didn't think it really mattered too much.
"We know there are at least two different groups and both of them are the enemy." Hank said.
Larry felt there were still a lot of unknowns.
"What about the new vehicle approaching?" Larry asked.
Hank and Larry could only watch for now. The four men approached the target location as the new vehicle approached the area. The female Fanatic was still on the back side of the rear wall.
The female Fanatic watched the men advance towards the rear of the target location. It seemed like a bad move to go over the rear wall and follow them. She was sure some of them wore night vision equipment.
There weren't a whole lot of options available to her now. She could stay where she was and wait to see what developed or she could try to get closer to where the action would take place.
She decided she wanted to be closer to where the action would be. She went to the side property where the other man had come over the wall at. She went over the rear wall at the corner. It was a corner where the four properties all touched each other. She landed in the back of the other property.
The female Fanatic quickly moved up along the side of the target property on the other side of the wall. She expected to hear the shooting start any moment from the four men who advanced on the rear of the structure.
It's YOU
When one looks in the mirror
Not everyone likes what they see
There's nothing special
There's no cause for glee
If another shows interest
What's the real reason
Is there an ulterior motive
Will there be some type of treason
Maybe there's just something
That catches their fancy
Maybe they feel lucky
Maybe they feel chancy
Perhaps the worst enemy
Is the one within
They are held accountable
For every perceived sin
When things brighten
Maybe everything isn't askew
They can see deeper
They want you because it's YOU
Nobody