Chapter 1346
This Is For Real
The audience could see things were about to change on the stage in the main theater.
The two country western singers finished their individual songs and were now going to perform a duet of some classic June Carter and Johnny Cash songs.
Cameron hoped it was entertaining for John and the girls. So far, the current performance lacked the intensity of the stage show with all the dancers and decorative sets.
It seemed to her much of the 'country' music was about what went wrong in life as opposed to what went right. It really reminded her of her poems. They were mostly about what went wrong and why. It was easy to assign blame, especially when it was the fault of someone else. Many of her poems were about what other people made her feel.
The singers both stepped up to the microphones.
'Jackson' by 'Johnny Cash and June Carter', was the first song.
The audience seemed to like the duet with opposing ideas. The song was more upbeat with the music as well. It helped liven things up.
Cameron scanned around the room.
Everything was in order.
She turned her attention to enjoying the performance.
Ally and Sheila didn't like all the questions from Mary. They thought she should be happy they'd rescued Laura from her drinking and drug use mistakes. They'd prevented her from being abused.
Sheila wanted to roll with what Ally said to help cover up the knowledge they'd possessed. She couldn't tell her about their group and what they controlled.
"Well, she is psychic." Sheila said.
Ally frowned at Sheila.
"She's a psycho." Ally said.
Sheila shrugged her shoulders.
"It happens." Sheila said.
Mary didn't know what to think.
"I don't believe you." Mary said.
Sheila smiled. An idea popped into her head.
"She can prove it to you." Sheila said.
Mary wanted to hear it. She wanted to see how someone could prove they were a psychic or had ESP.
"How?" Mary asked.
Sheila thought some time in the casino would prove it.
"We can take a trip to the casino." Sheila said.
Ally thought Sheila would be better at it.
"She's just being modest." Ally said. "She's the one who is the real psychic."
There was a knock at the door.
Jim notified the girls who was there.
Ally motioned for Mary to stay with Laura.
"It's Leticia." Ally said.
She answered the door.
Leticia walked into the room.
Mary's mouth dropped open a little. She knew there was no way either of the girls could have known who was outside of the closed door.
Ally stepped aside and let her in.
The girls all exchanged pleasantries.
Mary looked at Ally and Sheila and then turned her attention to Leticia. She was able to bring Leticia up to speed.
It seemed since they'd all received the same piercings, they all got along better now. It was evident Mary and Leticia would most likely hook up before the cruise was over. They checked each other out a lot.
Sheila asked Leticia about her piercings and everything was fine.
The girls were amazed at the almost total lack of blood from any of the piercing when they were done. Then again, most of the videos they'd watched were nearly bloodless as well. Seldom was there ever more than a small drop.
Mary asked Leticia to stay with Laura for a while. She wanted to see 'Peggy' and 'Sue' play in the casino. She wanted to see how they could prove they were psychic.
She still didn't know how they knew it was Leticia at the door.
Mary left with Ally and Sheila. They headed for the casino.
Ally wanted to play things up a little. She knew Jim, or even CamNet, would provide them with information ahead of time when it was possible.
"The second elevator door will open right as we pass by." Ally said.
Sure enough, it was what happened.
Mary really began to wonder about all this. Who were these people?
Cam-Gail and Hanna left the private box and headed out to go back to the suite area.
They kissed along the way.
An older couple suggested they 'should get a room'.
Hanna saw Cam-Gail took offense to it but she stopped her from acting.
Cam-Gail looked back at the older couple. She was dissatisfied she wasn't able to administer 'corrective action'.
"We don't take any crap when I'm out with Jesse." Cam-Gail said. "Jesse takes care of any problems herself. She knows how to deal with troublemakers and rude people."
Hanna wondered if Jesse ever terminated anyone over being rude. it didn't seem like a good time to ask. She certainly didn't want to give Cam-Gail any ideas. She didn't want it to be an issue. She wanted to try a different approach.
"Let it go." Hanna said. "What would Savannah want you to do?"
Cam-Gail thought about it for a second.
"Savannah would want me to be a better person." Cam-Gail said.
Cam-Gail frowned.
Hanna sensed there was a new problem.
"Now what's wrong?" Hanna asked.
Cam-Gail looked a little sad.
"I'm not a person." Cam-Gail said.
Hanna saw it differently. She knew Savannah saw things differently as well.
"You are to Savannah." Hanna said.
Cam-Gail smiled. Savannah always made her feel good about herself.
"I think it's true." Cam-Gail said. "It's what makes Savannah so special. We aren't just machines to her. We're living beings like any other creature on earth. She loves us for who we are. She never looks down on us for what we're not."
They passed through the casino.
"Do you want to play?" Hanna asked.
Cam-Gail looked at everything there in the casino.
"Savannah would disapprove of gambling." Cam-Gail said.
Hanna saw it a little differently. She wanted to put it into perspective. There were different ways to frame it.
"You're not really gambling." Hanna said. "You would just be playing. Like someone plays a video game."
Cam-Gail tilted her head slightly. She wouldn't be trying to win money or hit the 'big one'. It would be like playing a video game. Right now she wanted to be with Hanna. She tried to think of some humor. Savannah always told her to look at the bright side of things.
"I want to share with you." Cam-Gail said. "You're the only 'slot machine' I want to play."
Hanna thought about what Cam-Gail said. She laughed softly to herself. She spotted something. She looked over to the side.
"Great. Here comes Ally and Sheila." Hanna said.
There was a good looking female with them. She appeared to be quite youthful.
"I've seen her before." Cam-Gail said.
Hanna recognized her too.
"It looks like one of the girls Sheila pierced." Hanna said.
Hanna and Cam-Gail both would have liked to have been there to watch. Sheila told them about it. She told them it totally turned her on. They were sure it would have turned them on as well.
It made Cam-Gail think about having Sheila do it to her while she was in Cam's chassis. The breasts were the perfect size for piercings on her current sheath. She'd seen Cameron before when she'd done it. It was several times actually. It enhanced her beauty. She could enhance Cam's beauty for her before she returned her chassis. She quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to create any problems.
"I think we should go before they see us." Cam-Gail said. "What happens if Cameron and Allison stop by here after the show?"
Hanna nodded. She didn't want any issues. Jim was supposed to alert them when there was going to be a conflict. Right now there wouldn't actually be a conflict. It would only be a conflict if there were three of them with Allison's appearance or two of them of Vanna's appearance. There was no need to push it.
"I think you're right." Hanna said. "Let's bounce."
Hanna and Cam-Gail slipped out the side entrance away from where Sheila and Ally entered.
They headed out to go back to the suites. It's where the real action was anyway. They didn't need to wait around hoping to hit the jackpot. They both knew exactly where the jackpot was at. They both planned to score big.
Jim tracked the team members on the ship. He would need to warn Cameron not to take Allison through the casino if they went that way. Maybe he should tell Sheila and Ally to leave instead. Allison should be able to do what she wanted.
He was a little concerned at the operation currently underway. He no longer received any data about it. He asked John Henry about it and he was informed CamNet was taking care of it. Somehow it didn't sound good.
He didn't know Young Allison asked CamNet not to forward the data to the ship. She didn't want Cameron to worry about what she couldn't control and the group they were most likely dealing with.
Young Allison knew it would cause Cameron unnecessary grief and probably affect her attitude and disposition on the ship. It would probably impact negatively against John. She knew she needed to watch out for everyone.
Ally and Sheila spotted Hanna and Cam-Gail leave when they arrived. They thought it was a good thing. Mary didn't see them. It was a better thing. They hoped Jim would warn them if Cameron and Allison came their way.
Mary wanted to see them prove they were psychic.
"How are you going to prove to me you're psychic?" Mary asked.
Ally walked along a row of electronic slot machines. She looked around on the floor and spotted a quarter. She picked it up.
"Do you see this machine here?" Ally asked. "It is going to pay off on the next pull."
She quietly communicated to Jim about the 'problem' they ran into. He said he could take care of the casino for them.
Mary wasn't 'sold'. She was very apprehensive. She wanted to make sure she understood everything correctly.
"So you're telling me, if I put this quarter in this machine and pull the handle, I'll win?" Mary asked.
Ally looked around.
"Yes." Ally said. "Play it cool."
Mary wondered why Ally and Sheila looked around so much.
"Why do you keep looking around?" Mary asked.
Sheila didn't want to get into the whole 'casino thing' with Mary. She also thought it would help build the suspense.
"We ran into some trouble before." Sheila said. "They don't like it when people win big."
Her statement made Mary wonder.
"How much did you win?" Mary asked.
Sheila looked around.
"It was thirty thousand dollars." Sheila said.
Mary was more than impressed. She knew it was a lot of green. It was enough to buy a new car. Well, a compact one anyway.
"That's a lot of money." Mary said.
Ally wanted Mary to play the slot machine. She checked with Jim while Sheila was talking to Mary.
"Put the quarter in and play the machine." Ally said. "I'm starting to lose the vibe."
Mary looked at both of them and put the quarter in and pulled the handle.
The machine started to make noise, bells rang and lights flashed. Coins poured out into the tray.
Mary looked at both of them. She found it hard to believe.
"Is this for real?" Mary asked.
Sheila reached down and picked up a handful of quarters and let them drop back into the tray a few at a time. There was a loud 'clanking' of coins.
"You tell me." Sheila said.
Sheila and Ally started to walk away.
Mary looked at all the quarters. She wondered why they didn't take them.
"What about your money?" Mary asked.
Ally looked at her and smiled.
"It's your money now." Ally said. "You put the quarter in and pulled the handle."
Mary looked around and found a cardboard coin bucket. She quickly scooped up all the quarters. The circular container felt heavy. It seemed like several hundred dollars to her.
Sheila and Ally moved over to the blackjack tables. They watched the games for a while.
Mary soon joined them with the bucket of quarters. There was a giant smile on her face. It was clear she was very happy now. The earlier anguish she'd felt over Laura was pushed to the back of her mind.
"Can you do it again?" Mary asked.
The good thing was, she'd stopped asking questions about them.
"Yes." Ally said. "I don't like to overdo it. It can't attract a lot of attention fast."
Sheila thought back to the adventure in Las Vegas. She was sure there were others in the past when she was there with Cammy. She'd dealt with plenty of crooks in some of Cameron's 'off the books' operations. She simply told it how it was.
"We experienced a few run-ins with 'casino types' before." Sheila said. "They like to take people's money but not give it out."
Mary tried to hand the bucket of quarters to Ally.
"I can't take your money." Mary said.
Ally smiled at her.
"It's yours now." Ally said. "I can always get more."
Sheila looked at the bucket of quarters. She wanted to make it seem like it was no big deal.
"That's chicken scratch." Sheila said. "Do you want to really see some money?"
Mary moistened her lips lightly. She wasn't sure if she was going to cross a few lines she shouldn't cross.
"Is it legal?" Mary asked.
Ally stood straight and indicated her sheath and dress.
"Do we look like crooks?" Ally asked.
Mary looked at both of them. They looked the farthest from a crook she could imagine.
"You look like super models or actresses." Mary said.
Sheila smiled.
"I thought you were going to say I looked like a porn star." Sheila said.
Sheila always thought she would make a good porn star. If she was a human female, it would be how she would like to earn money. Where else could someone get paid for having a good time and be able to get off?
Cameron saw how the audience clapped and liked the last song. The mood in the auditorium was very much more upbeat now.
'If I Were A Carpenter' by 'Johnny Cash and June Carter', was the next song.
Cameron listened to the song. There was something about the way the male and female singers looked at each other when they sang their parts. They looked like two people deeply in love.
It hit Cameron like a ton of bricks.
They were actually singing the song to each other. She could tell by their body language and facial expressions. The couple was a pair in real life. They were lovers.
Cameron could see the expression of love.
She glanced over and saw Allison and Vanna could tell too. She watched them take each other's hand and how their fingers interlaced and touched each other. They were telling each other they felt the same way about each other without speaking. It was beautiful to watch.
She decided to not put them in John's bed on this trip. They belonged in each other's bed. They belonged in each other's arms. She would make sure Holly and Gail-Cam gave them plenty of space and time to be alone together. If anything happened with John on the trip, it would be of their own choosing. She wasn't going to meddle and spoil it for anyone. If they wanted to expand on their own, she wasn't going to stop them either.
Holly and Gail-Cam did notice it too.
They both loved their girl. They could see the real love was between Vanna and Allison.
The stage performance ended.
It was to be the duo's last song.
No one wanted it to stop.
Maybe the message sent to the audience was it didn't need to end. When the people returned to their cabins and suites, it could just begin. The message of unconditional love had clearly been sent.
Cammy was about to move onto the main workroom floor when the shots from the rear of the building rang out. The lights went out in the same second.
She looked back to make sure Savannah was able to get her night vision on. She saw Savannah remained at the doorway between where she was at now and the captive. The captive was a threat to them until they knew more about her.
Cammy knew where the person she was after was at from the drone images. When she'd entered the workroom floor they'd evidently sought cover. It was most likely because of the gunfire at the back of the building.
She still knew where their approximate location was. She checked her phone but there was no image. There was no reception.
There seemed to be some type of high frequency energy interference. She began to feel it start to affect her. There was more gunfire from the rear. The gunfire was answered by suppressed shots from an M4.
It wasn't a good sign.
Savannah could feel a vibration in the door frame she was standing in. Her phone lost its image. It no longer functioned. She thought it might be the start of some counterattack. It was something different and it seemed to be directed at the Terminators. It was like the energy field they ran into at Serrano Point. It wasn't the random pulses. This one was focused and controlled. She knew when it was time to cut and run. Right now it was time to cut and run
"I order everyone out now. Everyone needs to fall back." Savannah said. "This is an electronic attack on Terminators. Fall back, that's an order."
The com was filled with static a second after she spoke.
There were no responding communications in return.
It looked like bad news.
Derek and Kyle watched the images. They started to pixilate.
"What's happening?" Derek asked.
John Henry tried to determine what exactly was occurring.
"I don't know." John Henry said.
They heard Savannah's transmission.
"I order everyone out now. Everyone needs to fall back." Savannah said. "This is an electronic attack on Terminators. Fall back, that's an order."
They lost all the images. Only the drones out on wide recon were still transmitting.
Derek and Kyle were on their feet.
"It's an attack." Kyle said. "It looks like it is aimed at our Terminators."
Derek knew what it meant for Savannah. They needed to act.
"We need to go." Derek said. "If the Terminators go offline, it means Savannah is out there all alone. She won't leave them."
Kyle was ready to go.
"Let's roll." Kyle said.
Derek and Kyle headed out the door.
John Henry didn't want them to go alone. It was against the rules.
"You need a Terminator escort." John Henry said. "I'll go with you."
Derek wanted Precious and the girls protected. They were going to need defenders at the base.
"You need to protect the base." Derek said.
John Henry heard and saw their TDE come online. It was powering up.
CamNet sent him a priority message.
John Henry sounded the base alarm.
Claire was in a deep kiss with Sarah.
The base alarm sounded.
Claire's eyes shot open when she heard the alarm. Jesse was kissing her.
What?
What the Hell?
Claire thought she was kissing Sarah. She must have dozed off.
Was it only a dream?
Claire looked around. She was in her room, not Sarah's room.
"What's happening?" Claire asked.
Jesse was up and headed for the arms locker in the room.
"It's the base alarm." Jesse said. "We might be under attack."
Claire was up in an instant. She was worried about her daughter. She was worried about the other girls as well.
"Summer!" Claire said. "We need to worry about Jan and Precious too."
Jesse tossed Claire a vest as she put her vest on.
"We need to move." Jesse said as she held up an M9. "Are you good?"
Claire nodded.
"I'm good." Claire said.
Jesse handed Claire the M9.
Claire racked the slide back to chamber a round. She put the safety on and put it in the holster on her vest.
Jesse took an M4 along with her M9 and several Thermite grenades. She chambered a buckshot round in the M203 mounted below her M4. She wanted to avoid using an HE round inside the base if possible.
"Stay with me." Jesse said. "We're going to get the girls."
Jesse headed out with Claire behind her.
Claire was scared to death but she followed her training. Jesse would make sure she got to the girls. Jesse may have been tarnished in many things. It was clear she was in her element now. It was where she shined.
Sarah was in her room. She was about to take a shower when the alarm sounded. She headed to the arms locker in their room and armored up. Everything was ready to go. She was out the door in less than ten seconds. She only wore her underwear and vest. She needed to find Jan and Kyle. She could worry about clothes later.
She saw Kyle and Derek running towards her.
She opened an arms locker in the hall so they could armor up.
Samantha entered the bathroom to wash Riley's back.
The base alarm sounded. She sprang into action.
Riley came out of the shower, she was dripping wet.
"Get Precious." Samantha said.
Riley looked at her clothes as she passed. She grabbed her pants and tried to put them on as she ran to get Precious.
Samantha opened the arms locker and took out three vests and some weapons. She entered Precious' room.
Riley was just hooking her pants.
Samantha handed her a vest.
"Put this on." Samantha said.
Riley put it on over her dripping wet breasts.
Samantha carefully wrapped Precious in a Kevlar lined blanket and in a vest that had everything taken out of it. She handed Riley an M9.
Riley jacked the slide and checked the load. She put it in the holster on the vest. Samantha handed her Precious wrapped in her protective blanket and surrounding vest.
"Get ready to move." Samantha said.
Riley came up next to her as she looked out the door of the room. She wanted to make something clear. There was only one thing which mattered to her right now. It wasn't herself either.
"If anything happens, I need you to take Precious and run." Riley said. "Precious comes first. Don't worry about me. Precious is all that matters."
Samantha nodded.
There was movement in the hall.
"Get back." Samantha said.
Summer and Jan were almost finished.
They were putting things away.
Summer looked up and then at Jan. She knew they needed to get moving.
"Come on, Jan." Summer said. "Quickly, drop everything."
Jan looked around. She became alarmed. She didn't know what was happening.
"What's wrong?" Jan asked.
Summer opened an arms locker.
Jan was more than confused at this point.
"What are you doing?" Jan asked.
The base alarm sounded.
It all made sense to Jan now.
"Put your vest on." Summer said as she handed her one.
Both the girls armored up.
Summer handed Jan an M9.
"This is just like training, but for real." Summer said. "Do everything like you were trained. Don't think about it, just do it."
Both girls were armored up and armed as they headed out.
"We need to find the others." Summer said. "My mom should be in her room."
Jan wasn't sure where her parents were. She was still trying to figure out what happened. Everything happened so quickly. Somehow Summer knew a few seconds before the base alarm went off.
John Henry worked with CamNet to try and determine the extent of the attack. It seemed localized at the target site. Both bases were on alert. There were no transmissions from the target area. Only the outlying drones on patrol could look in from the sides. It appeared to be something different than a Skynet jamming field.
John Henry adjusted the com signals for the base. He didn't want everyone talking over each other. All communications would go through his server. He could communicate with everyone at the same time, but individually.
It was only ten seconds from the point when he sounded the alarm. He began to communicate with everyone one on one.
Young Allison watched in disbelief.
They heard Savannah's transmission.
"I order everyone out now. Everyone needs to fall back." Savannah said. "This is an electronic attack on Terminators. Fall back, that's an order."
Young Allison felt somewhat justified now. It was a feeling she'd experienced deep down when Savannah and Cammy left.
"I KNEW it." Young Allison said.
They lost everything from the attack site. The video feeds were all gone. There was no communication either.
Anna tried to find out what happened.
"It appears to be an attack directed against Terminators." Anna said.
Young Allison was armored up. She checked her weapons. There was no time to delay.
"Go to the location, NOW." Young Allison said.
Mel looked back at Anna. He knew Young Allison was about to be put in extreme danger.
Young Allison didn't want anyone to second guess her.
"Do it - NOW." Young Allison said. "Hurry, every second is going to count."
Mel started out in a rush.
Anna understood the magnitude of what was about to happen.
"I can't allow this." Anna said.
Young Allison double checked everything. It was time to be firm.
"You don't need to allow it." Young Allison said. "It's an order."
Anna couldn't let it happen. Young Allison was about to enter a combat zone. She was going to be alone without Terminator support. She didn't even know what she was about to enter.
"This is unacceptable." Anna said.
Young Allison looked at Anna. She knew it was all about survival right now.
"Savannah is there by herself." Young Allison said. "She may be the only one unaffected or maybe only the least affected. We both know she isn't going to leave anyone behind."
They were almost there. The SUV began to sputter.
Young Allison could see the severity of the electronic attack. They weren't even to the location yet and the SUV was about to stall. It was time to act.
"CamNet, send the time bubbles to their last known locations immediately." Young Allison said. "If the drones make it out of the target area, I want you to have them regroup and prepare for an assault. I want it to be a 'maximum effort' response."
Young Allison didn't know if it was related to the unknown portal. Somehow it seemed related by the nature of the attack. Maybe what Savannah and the Terminators walked into was actually an elaborate trap.
She figured if they didn't like her response on the other side of the portal previously, they were going to like her response this time a lot less.
She planned to use every resource she could get her hands on. Well, every resource CamNet could get her hands on.
Jan saw Summer didn't turn towards her mother's room. She was sure she would go to her mother.
"Where are you going?" Jan asked.
Summer planned to do a little more.
"We're going to the Command Center." Summer said.
Jan was worried about her mother and father.
"What about our parents?" Jan asked.
Summer knew it wouldn't be a problem for them.
"They're trained fighters." Summer said.
Jan knew everyone wasn't.
"Your mom isn't." Jan said.
Summer was aware of who was with her mother.
"Jesse's with her." Summer said. "She'll make sure she's covered. Jesse is as tough as they come. She's also a survivor. Both of those things matter."
They entered the Command Center. John Henry was armored up and holding an M249.
"I knew you'd come." John Henry said.
Summer wanted any additional details. She didn't want the adults to worry about them.
"Fill me in and notify everyone where we are." Summer said. "Get someone to the TDE room."
John Henry wondered what Summer was doing.
Summer pointed at her ear. She was in direct contact with CamNet.
"Just do it." Summer said.
John Henry sent Sarah to back up Kyle and Derek in the TDE room. He told her he had Jan and Summer with him. He sent Claire and Jesse to back up Samantha and Riley. He informed them he had the girls as well. Everyone knew where everyone else was at. There was no need to worry about each other currently.
They needed to worry more about what was going on elsewhere.
Cammy found the person crouched down behind a desk. She shot him in the head. She heard the order to get out. There was an energy bubble which appeared off to her side. It wasn't where she'd been. She heard one near the location where Savannah was at. She followed her order from Savannah and entered the time bubble. She barely made it. She could hardly move. It was evident it was an electronic attack.
Savannah moved to reinforce Cammy. She left the female where she was. A time bubble began to form in a room down the hall. It was clear something was off. She saw it was empty. She went to look for Cammy and the other Terminators. She was sure they were about to shut down if they weren't already.
Her night vision wasn't working properly. She took them off for now. She switched to her M4 and checked the M203. It was loaded with an HE round.
She entered the workroom area just in time to see three energy bubbles. She wasn't sure how they were all there at the same time. It looked like Cammy was in the closest one before it disappeared. The other two each contained two large figures. She hoped it was the team who was in her building. She didn't know. There were no communications. She would need to check to make sure the team was out.
A shadow moved in front of her. It was an unknown figure. They fired at one of the energy bubbles as it vanished.
Savannah fired three suppressed shots and saw the figure go down.
She moved towards the back. She held up her night vision to take a look. She saw there was a figure on the ground for a moment before they went out again. She needed to make sure it wasn't one of theirs.
She moved towards the location. There was some flickering illumination she could make out. There was a fire burning somewhere up ahead. It must be in a room off to the side.
Derek and Kyle grabbed vests and weapons from the locker Sarah opened. They all received updates from John Henry. He directed all three of them to proceed to the TDE room as there was a time bubble forming there. They were told CamNet sent it. They didn't know what would be in it. They were to clear the TDE pad for more transfers. They were happening at Cameron's base too.
Sarah didn't like the way things sounded right now.
"What does 'clear the pad' mean?" Sarah asked.
Derek looked at Kyle as they ran. He then looked at Sarah.
"It sounds like there may be casualties." Derek said.
Kyle knew it could be worse.
"We might pick up some of the enemy as well." Kyle said.
Sarah and Kyle shared a grim glance at each other. They hurried to take their posts. The time for thinking was over. It was time to act.
Young Allison's team was a block out from the target area.
It was clear Anna and Mel were being affected by something as was the SUV. She didn't want them trapped there and immobile. The further they went, the more likely the chance was they would be stuck.
"Stop now." Young Allison said. "Let me out and move back two blocks. Tell CamNet what's happening here. If the energy field grows, I need you to fall back further. Don't get stuck and captured. I don't need to worry about both of you right now. I need you to keep moving to stay in the game."
Anna received a transmission. It wasn't a good one.
"All the Terminators are out." Anna said. "All the drones but two made it out as well."
Young Allison felt her stomach knot.
"What about Savannah?" Young Allison asked.
Anna could hardly move.
"She didn't make it." Anna said. "There was a lot of trouble with the time bubbles. None of them went where they were supposed to. They were all off. The energy field is disrupting everything."
Young Allison needed to know more. She needed to get to Savannah. She didn't want anyone else to get trapped. It was time to make the hard choices.
"Fall back, that's an order." Young Allison said. "No one else goes in. That's an order."
Young Allison exited the SUV. She headed towards the target. She looked back and could see it moving sporadically away from the location it had been in seconds ago. She could see the look of concern on Anna's and Mel's faces.
She needed to reach the target.
Young Allison checked her night vision. It wasn't working properly. She moved towards the south building.
She released the safety on her M4.
She took a deep breath and kept moving forward.
This was for real. Savannah needed her.
A stone cold hardness overcame her.
'Cameron' wasn't there to help, or was she?
Anyone who crossed her path was going to die.
There was the sound of a door opening.
The female Fanatic quickly crouched down against one of the folding platforms at the front of the dock. She hoped she hadn't been detected when she passed in front of the office area or looked down the west side of the building. She held her Beretta in her right hand as she tried to go underneath one of the platforms.
She was able to get under the folded plate of the front of the lifting platform.
"Check in the well." The first man said.
She could hear someone on the metal platform in the next spot over.
"There's nothing here either." The second man said. "It's just like the roof."
The metal covering above her suddenly sank down about an inch. There was a loud metal noise. She was sure the man sent to check in the well for the trucks was on top of the platform she was under. She hoped he didn't activate it. She wasn't sure where all the moving parts were at. She didn't want to get caught up in any of them.
There were several heavy footsteps on the metal above her. As quickly as the metal above her head went down an inch, it raised back up with another screech of metal.
The second man was evidently off of the lifting platform.
"I'm going to check the west side." The first man said.
"I don't see anything here." The second man said. "I'll look on the east side."
The female Fanatic slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. She wasn't sure why the two men came out to the front. Her best course of action seemed to be to remain where she was at.
"I don't see anything over here." The first man said.
"I don't see anything on the east side either." The second man said.
"I was sure something was out here." The first man said.
"It probably was just an animal." The second man said. "You know we see them all the time around here. Some of them would have made a good meal in the future if we could have caught them."
"I doubt you ever needed to catch one." The first man said.
"I didn't always work for Skynet." The second man said.
"Does your phone work out here?" The first man asked.
There was a slight pause.
"No." The second man said.
"I would really like to know what the two teams we sent out found." The first man said. "They both should have reached their destination by now."
"I guess we'll have to wait until they return." The second man said.
"What happens if they don't return?" The first man asked. "We still don't know what's happening."
"Maybe we should close the gate." The second man said.
"It would take at least four of us to move it." The first man said. "You know it hasn't worked in two weeks."
"Let's call out the rest of the guys and they can all help us." The second man said.
"I don't want to get caught with everyone out in the open." The first man said.
"That's nice to hear." The second man said. "I'm out in the open right now."
"Go get the brown van Shawn drove here earlier." The first man said. "We'll use it to block the driveway."
"I really don't think there's room in the back to maneuver any type of large vehicle." The second man said.
"What happens if someone else shows up in another van?" The first man asked. "It could be packed with explosives."
"You have a point." The second man said. "I'll go get it."
"I'm going to turn on all of the lights." The first man said. "I want the rear area lit up as well."
The female Fanatic was glad they hadn't shown this level of caution earlier.
"Hey, I see something." The second man said.
The female Fanatic quickly checked to make sure she was still concealed under the metal lifting platform. She noticed the front of her shoe was sticking out beyond the lip of metal.
CamNet's Terminators continue their climb towards the hillside location. They could spot several vehicles near the old stamp mill. One of them was the white van. When the drone arrived, it would give them the best angle of approach to avoid detection. Every indication was they were headed for an old mine.
They were notified of the sudden change of events at the location where Savannah, Cammy and the five teams of Terminators were at.
They were informed the drone wouldn't be making its pass. The two drones involved in their operation were being recalled. There'd been a 'maximum effort' response called at Young Allison's direction. 'Maximum effort' meant every available weapon would be used against the target.
They wanted to know if they were to respond or not. They didn't know if they should go after the two men in the white van or go to where the female Fanatic was at. Obviously the old mine with the stamp mill wasn't going anywhere. They could return there at any time.
CamNet advised them to continue towards their current target. Terminators were unable to function at the target site where Savannah was at. It was questionable whether a missile strike on the location would work once Savannah was clear of it. The missiles may not track when they were fired in from the sides.
"I think we should head there anyway." Lena said.
Tina didn't think it was a good idea.
"We better stick to the plan." Tina said. "We know where the other white van is headed. It will most likely return to the location it left from at some point."
Lena doubted the location would be there for very long.
"They may not have anywhere to return to." Lena said.
The two Terminators continued their hike towards the hillside location. They would need to be extra careful for sensors and tripwires as they made their approach. There was also the possibility there could be sentries.
The female Fanatic wasn't sure if she'd been spotted. She resisted the urge to draw her foot back from where it currently was. If the front of her shoe was spotted, it could simply be a shoe discarded under the dock. There was other trash underneath there with her. There were drink cups, plastic bottles and various types of food wrappers. There was a roll of something. It felt like a roll of duct tape. She could feel it was almost all gone. She decided to take it with her. She slipped it around her left wrist like a bracelet. She gripped her Beretta tightly in her right hand.
"What is it?" The first man asked. "Where is it?"
"There it is." The second man said. "I'm going to shoot at it."
The female Fanatic expected to feel the impact of a bullet into her foot any second.
"I see it now." The first man said. "It's a coyote, imbecile."
"I should still shoot it anyway." The second man said.
"The last thing we need is to draw more attention to our location." The first man said.
"It's probably what has been around our building." The second man said. "It's what I told you all along. Don't call me an imbecile either."
"All right, relax." The first man said. "Maybe you're right. I'm just worried because of what happened at the other locations."
"Do you still want me to get the brown van?" The second man asked.
"No. Forget about it." The first man said. "Let's just go back inside. Let's get all of the lights on anyway."
The female Fanatic let out the second long breath she'd been holding. She drew her foot back slightly. She could hear the door open. It sounded as if the two men went inside. She hoped it wasn't a trick and they were both standing there with weapons pointed in her direction. She knew she needed to get moving. She needed to get away from there before more lights came on. Even if they hadn't spotted her already, they more than likely would.
She moved so she was laying on her left side. She would roll the front of her body out with the Beretta in her hand pointed upwards at the dock. If they were there, she hoped to at least get a few shots off before they shot at her.
It was time to act. She needed to get moving one way or the other.
She rolled out from underneath the lifting platform with her pistol ready. There was no one there. She quickly got into a crouching position and lifted her head up above the level of the dock. There was no one on it. She broke into a run and headed towards the east side. She would be in the field in less than a minute. Once she was past the target property, she moved up closer to the buildings of the next two properties as she ran. She looked behind her. There was no one following her. No bullets flew in her direction.
The female Fanatic reached the end of the cul-de-sac and ran out into the field. She headed in the direction of where she'd left the stake side truck. She took one last look at the target building. She saw lights come on all around it. It didn't appear any alarm had been raised. She looked at the roll of duct tape around her wrist. She hoped it was still usable.
CamNet's Terminators made their way towards their new objective. They were aware without any drone coverage. They may lose all the other targets. They currently had one of their own. They advanced up the hillside.
This Is For Real
Time has proven yet again
Upon deaf ears has gone my appeal
It's stranger than fiction
It may even be surreal
Not much in life
Ever turns out to be ideal
Things that start out good
Are quick to repeal
When one gets greedy
From another they may steal
It warps the soul and mind
It makes heart as hard as steel
Once a heart has hardened
It's very hard to anneal
If it can't soften
It's impossible to heal
Look around and see
What there is to feel
The power is strong
Because this is for real
Nobody