Chapter 1350
Some Of It's Just Better
Young Allison aimed her silenced M9 at where whoever was in the spiral stairway would come out of the doorway. She quickly checked in the direction Savannah went. There was no sign of her. She looked around her and there was nothing to be seen. Things were dimly lit from the glow of the energy ball in the other room. It was definitely brighter now. The hum was louder too.
She looked towards the front of the workroom area.
Where was Savannah at?
She was aware Al and Ed entered the building across the room from her current position. It was why she'd positioned herself on the side where she was at. There was a solid wall behind her. She knew she was spending a lot of time concentrating on the approaching target. Why was it taking so long?
She looked towards the front.
Where was Savannah at?
It was all back to the issue of time. There was a lot that happened. It all happened in the last five minutes for her. It seemed like five hours. Waiting for the unknown was always intense. Cameron trained her as realistically as possible. This was different, maybe because it was the real thing. It made it different for her. Maybe it was because she'd killed three people. Maybe it was because she'd made sure they were dead.
She thought it would trouble her more to kill someone personally. It didn't really, or make a difference. She knew she was responsible for thousands of deaths in the battle between the Cartel and the Syndicate. She'd sent death to Grays and Fanatics. She's killed the bikers who'd gone after Ally. None of those were first hand, but she'd killed them nonetheless. Dead was dead.
She looked towards the front.
Where was Savannah at?
It didn't matter if she'd killed them. They were the enemy and it could be Savannah or her lying on the floor instead of them. Maybe it could be Savannah or her tied to the desk in the other room. The thought of it really bothered her. There were no Terminators to back her up right now. She'd trained for it too. She hadn't imagined a scenario where it would happen, but here was one now. This was real and she was here.
She looked towards the front.
Where was Savannah at?
Young Allison needed to calm herself. She'd only moved to her current position less than ten seconds ago. The person coming up the stairway was probably still another ten or more seconds out.
They knew their Terminators were all out of the two structures. They could withdraw and call in a drone strike. What about the energy ball? What would happen to it? What was it anyway?
She wanted to take the fight to the enemy. If she wasn't waiting for Savannah, she would have gone down the stairway to find out more. She didn't like being in a defensive position. She wanted to strike, not wait.
She looked towards the front.
Where was Savannah at?
Savannah left the dead female Fanatic behind. It still bothered her because she'd put up with all the abuse, but she hadn't killed herself over it. Vanna told her there were times when she thought about doing it, killing herself. It wasn't until Allison rescued her from the burn pile for the dead and became part of her life before she'd never considered it again. She told her Allison's love was something to live for. She wondered what the female Fanatic lived for. Maybe she had loved ones too. Maybe it was SkyMaster.
She looked back at the room one last time. It still troubled her.
Savannah wanted to get back to Young Allison. She was about to enter the workroom area again when she saw a figure dart away from the opening to the spiral staircase and the room with the energy ball. It was much brighter in the room at this point.
She dropped down and made sure her glow stick was hidden inside her vest. It was. She didn't want to be a target.
It was most likely Young Allison who'd moved away from there. It could only mean one thing. There was someone, or more than one person, coming up the stairs. Young Allison moved so she wouldn't be back lit from the glow of the energy ball.
Savannah entered the workroom area in a low crouch and moved to the side she'd spotted the figure move to. She wasn't usually without communications of some type on an operation. It happened from time to time. There was usually a Terminator around. Sometimes there weren't, or they were incapacitated. She'd actually experienced all those things just recently. She did what she needed to do anyway.
She was worried the most because Young Allison was there. It was the worst possible way for her combat experience to begin. She was really on her own and operating on nothing but training. It was a good start, but real life took a lot of different turns. She'd been in plenty of them. There was still no substitute for experience.
She wanted to get closer to where Young Allison was. She also didn't want to spook her. She continued her low crouch and moved in her direction. She checked where Al and Ed entered from and where she'd just left. Those areas remained clear. They were still places where others could enter the building from since it's where they did too.
Her main concern was what was going to come out of the stairwell, and how many it would be. It was the present threat.
As she moved closer to where she thought Young Allison was at. She hoped Young Allison wasn't trigger happy.
It was a risk too.
So far she'd seen Young Allison handle the situation like a pro. She was cool under fire. She moved like a cat. She was a cold blooded killer. She figured Cameron would be proud of her handiwork. She wasn't, but if it kept Young Allison alive and in the game, it was really all that mattered in the end.
Allison was thrilled to dance with John. It was somehow more exciting with Vanna and Cameron right there next to them at times. Sure she wanted to dance with Cameron too, but she wanted 'to be with' John. She'd given up her dream 'to be with' Cameron long ago. Wait. It wasn't true. She still dreamt about it all the time. John looked like the better bet right now. If she could get closer to John, she could get closer to Cameron.
She'd been with Ally, Cam, Cammy and Camille. Three of them were Cameron clones. Ally shared her DNA, as did the rest, and she'd done the 'Neural Interface' with her. In a way it was a Terminator version of her specifically. Cameron had done the 'Neural Interface' with Future Allison. It was still her, even if it wasn't. Wait. She'd actually been with herself. She'd shared with Future Allison when she visited the past. It was one wild experience. It was literally herself she was able to share with.
She figured the only thing which could be more like herself, would be Duplicate Allison. There were two sets too. They literally were her. They were created during a TDE malfunction. She didn't know what would happen with Young Allison going forward. Based upon the temporal activity which occurred, there was a possibility Young Alison could end up older than she was. It was something to think about. There were most likely other alternate futures. Hopefully they each contain some version of her. She would hate to think she was dead in one of them. It was a possibility. She needed to refocus. She was there with John.
Allison was ready to go all the way with John. She'd been so close so many times. Not only had she been in his bed numerous times naked, she'd fantasized about it often too. She'd done quite a few solo finishes thinking about it. It was something she'd wanted since before she left her future. She wanted him then and never stopped wanting him.
Maybe it was the fact John never 'used' her. She'd certainly made herself available on multiple occasions. It was really hard for her to understand why he never was with her. She'd been right there for the taking. Cameron made it clear she wanted it for John. She wanted him to have human females at his side.
She carried his child right now. It was inside of her. Cameron needed to do it artificially. She wanted more than ever to be with John before her body was ravaged by the effects of pregnancy and childbirth. She wanted him to know what her body was like before it all happened. Even if Cameron and her shared the same DNA, they weren't the same person. She'd been with Future Allison and she was different from her in some of her responses and things she did. Cam and Cammy were clones of Cameron and both of them were different. They even had the 'same' lover to share with all the time. Vanna and Savannah were different and they were the 'same person' too.
She wasn't even sure how many times she'd been pregnant. The trouble was, none of them went very far. Her body seemed incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term. It was a sad thought for her. Why couldn't it work? It almost seemed like some cruel joke Skynet continued to play on her. She could conceive life. She couldn't sustain it to fruition. All of the 'children' she'd created 'died' before they could ever be born. She really hated Skynet.
Right now she wanted so very much for John to kiss her. She wanted him to want her. She deeply respected the fact when he could have 'used' her to pretend she was 'Cameron', he didn't.
At this point in time, they'd wasted a lot of years they could have shared and made love. He seemed ready now to embrace the future. One thing was for sure, when her current pregnancy failed, she was going to do the next one the traditional way. John was going to get her pregnant himself. She wouldn't mind the failures so much if it was done the traditional way. It would give her an excuse to keep trying it with John. She was pretty sure all of the girls were going to try for a traditional conception going forward. She'd already heard it was what Young Jesse wanted as well.
It also reminded her about her mother. Her mother was willing to do the same things she was. Her mother was beautiful and only a couple of years older than her. She was younger than Vanna and Jesse. It was still really hard to get used to being the same age as her mother. Sometimes it was very hard to see her as her mother. She was more like a good friend. Maybe it was her best friend. No. Vanna was her best friend. Vanna was her true love.
She saw Vanna glance at her. Great, she was her 'competition' too. It wasn't her hardest competition. There were two other contenders as well. Jesse was one. She was better in bed than Vanna, and Vanna was better in bed than her. Then there was her mother. What worried her most about it was the simple fact that all the females, both Terminator and human, wanted to be with her mother. Her mother was better in bed than her and more desired by 'everyone'. Even Vanna craved her mother. It didn't leave her with a positive feeling about herself.
In the end it didn't matter. They were all the 'B' team. It was Savannah and Young Allison who would rule at the end of the day. It was Vanna and 'her' in reality. Everything was back to where it started. Then there was always Young Jesse to worry about as well as her own younger sister Summer. Then there were the Duplicates….
It was also mind-boggling to think about. It was always said Savannah was the 'Chosen One'. Later Young Allison was added and they became the 'Chosen Ones'. She still wasn't sold on the idea. The more she watched her younger sister, the more she realized how exceptional and gifted she was at everything. She was pretty sure in the end that the true 'Chosen One' would be Summer. She didn't necessarily think it would apply to being with John either. She thought it might apply to the Future itself. She didn't talk about it with anyone.
The song ended and Allison moved in close and hugged John. She was totally 'ready' to make love to him. It's what it would be too. It would be to 'make love', and not just to 'have sex'. She didn't need to be possessive about it. It was one thing she'd learned a long time ago. Vanna was her true love and they loved each other dearly. They didn't have a problem sharing with others. Maybe it was because they were all females. There was plenty to share and no one needed to 'fight' over any of it. There was as much as anyone wanted. A Metal girl was always good to go on a moment's notice, and they always delivered.
She realized she was still holding John when the next song started. She took a step back and smiled at him. She so desperately wanted him to kiss her. She glanced over at Cameron and she gave her a smile and nodded. Cameron wanted John 'protected'. She feared for his life. Cameron didn't want John in isolation like what happened to Future John. She was ready to do her part to prevent it. Maybe tonight was the night. Maybe it wasn't. Jesse and her mother went home empty handed. She intended to leave the ship with John's 'little soldiers' where they were supposed to be.
She didn't know what would happen going forward. She did want it to happen at least one time. She really didn't think one time could hurt anything. She wasn't there to steal John. She was there to make his life better. She also believed it would make Cameron's life better. She would always let Cameron be with John as much as she wanted to. She could just be the fill in for when Cameron was away. She remembered Cameron was away, way too many times. When Cameron returned, she would always take a step back.
Allison looked at John and swallowed hard. She felt her heart pound in her chest. She could feel her body respond to her desires. Her body knew what she wanted. It was ready for it too. She knew it. She really didn't know what would happen going forward.
Whatever would happen would happen.
Vanna watched Allison. She was really working on John. Sure she looked like Cameron tonight, but it wasn't every night. She didn't want to worry about it or restart the 'cold war' over it. She still spent a lot of time watching them.
Cameron leaned close to her.
"You'll get your chance too." Cameron whispered.
Vanna looked at her.
"Is it what you really want?" Vanna asked.
Cameron looked serious.
"I don't want John terminated for being a 'Metal Lover'." Cameron said. "I want him protected and I need 'help' to do it. I want you to want it for yourself as well. It's what I want. It has to be what you want as well. There's beauty in shared love."
Vanna had been down the same road many times with Allison.
"It's all up to him." Vanna said. "You know we've done everything but drug him in the past."
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
It was an effective strategy. It worked before with the girls.
Holly and Gail-Cam danced in the back of the room. They didn't get too close to the others. They didn't want to be an influence on what was happening. Even their presence there was an influence to a certain extent. It was most likely not a positive influence either.
Holly wanted the best for Allison and she hoped it would happen for her. She would have been very insecure about what was occurring now if she hadn't allowed Cameron to use her chassis. She was able to experience the love between John and Cameron with the real time download of information. It was beautiful. She wanted Allison to feel the same love too.
Gail-Cam wanted to be with Vanna and Allison while she was in Gail's chassis as much as possible. It was a small thrill 'to be someone different'. She better understood Cameron's quest to do the same thing. She noticed one thing about her interaction with others. In her current chassis, everyone looked at her breasts first. When she was in her chassis, everyone looked at her face first. She would ask to switch out with the other Metal girls more often. She was aware in the past; Cammy and Sheila were in each other's chassis for around two years on and off. Cammy told her one time was over a year straight.
Holly and Gail-Cam didn't say much as they danced. There was nothing to say. Cameron was the one in control of everything that happened around them and involved them. They were all the puppets and Cameron was the Puppet Master. All anyone could do was wait for Cameron to pull the strings.
Ally and Sheila headed to the sky lounge. They rode the elevator to the top of the ship.
A few times Ally watched people do a double take of Sheila and her. She was pretty sure the double take was of her. Sheila's nipple rings weren't as prominent with her current dress. When they were prominent, everyone did a double take on those. It was especially so when she didn't look like 'Cameron', which was almost all of the time. She normally looked like Allison.
She wasn't going to mention it. She was sure Sheila could see the same things she could. If she mentioned it, there was a good chance Sheila would have a 'wardrobe failure'. At the very least, she would have some type of 'nip slip'. It was best to just let things slide for now.
Ally needed to worry about Cameron and Allison because they were both out. It was possible someone they'd passed may have seen Cameron and Allison only a few minutes before in a different part of the ship. It would spark some questions if they thought about it. Then there was Cam-Gail to worry about. She was tied up with Hanna right now so it wasn't an issue. Jim was supposed to run interference for them and keep them all separated.
Sheila seemed kind of quiet to her. It was very unlike her. She felt the need to address it.
"Do you want to discuss it?" Ally asked.
Sheila looked at her.
"Discuss what?" Sheila asked.
Ally could tell Sheila was a little off.
"You're not saying much." Ally said. "Normally you have a lot to say about everything."
Sheila was never afraid to speak her mind. It put them in more than one situation because of it too. It seemed Sheila liked the challenges they presented. She was more than willing to escalate them so she could resolve them with force. She was aware Sheila enjoyed violence. She seemed to relish it.
She wasn't sure if it was the thrill Sheila received when she administered the violence, or if it was the results. She was pretty sure it was the former.
Sheila was troubled. Normally, dealing with an issue wasn't a problem with her. She felt very conflicted over the current situation. If she needed to do something to tie up loose ends, it wouldn't be her first choice.
"I was just thinking about what you said about Mary." Sheila said. "I might need to terminate Mary, Laura and probably Leticia too. I kind of liked them. I don't want to have to kill them."
It was disturbing to Ally to hear Sheila say it. Maybe it was because she expressed her concerns earlier about what happened. She'd better backtrack some or those girls were headed for the 'drink'.
"I don't think it's necessary." Ally said. "We just need to avoid them."
Sheila wasn't so sure.
"I thought about what you said and all her questions." Sheila said. "The truth is, we can't answer most of them."
Ally was aware Sheila wanted to have sex with them earlier. It was only because she wanted Cameron to use her chassis again why she hadn't.
"I think if you'd been with one of them or more, you'd terminate them." Ally said. "They're just some party girls out looking for some fun and adventure. Let it slide. We'll avoid them."
They'd exited the elevator earlier. They were over by the stairwell. Ally wanted to make sure Sheila wasn't going to have any problems. The episode with her high heeled balance was still fresh in her mind. It was still unsettling to think of Sheila standing on the railing of the ship's balcony, wearing only her high heels. The part where she slipped off, made it all worse.
The music blared loudly in the sky lounge right next to them.
"Let's go have some fun." Ally said. "I'm only going to be a virgin for less than two hours."
It seemed to bring Sheila back to her normal self.
"Sure, love, let's live it up some." Sheila said. "Remember, if you get cold feet, I want your spot."
Ally was aware all the Metal girls did. Everyone asked if they could replace her if she changed her mind. The thought of it only made her want to try it more at this point.
She knew she would get her turn. She was aware Allison or Vanna might get their turn before she did. She kind of hoped Allison would give it a go first. It would make Cameron try even harder when she used her chassis to show John all sex was good, some of it's just better.
Ally and Sheila walked into the party scene in the sky lounge.
Jim kept track of everyone. He was unsure what Cameron was doing with Allison. It was obvious she was 'pushing' her.
Cameron previously contacted him several times for updates on what was happening with the operation involving the anti-Metal group.
CamNet blocked any further updates.
He could only report to Cameron there was no new information.
He'd listened to Ally and Sheila's conversation and hoped they didn't terminate the females they'd interacted with. He would need to alert Bob if they appeared they were about to do so. Their disappearance would be bound to raise some questions.
Bob needed to threaten two males with arrest and prosecution for their part in the near abuse of one of the females and drug possession. It should be dealt with once they reached San Francisco.
Summer went with Jesse mainly for her mother's sake. There was no threat to the base and there was no attack imminent. She thought Jan would need some reassurance too since both of her parents went out to fight.
Claire gave Summer a hug when Jesse held the door for her. Jan gave her one too.
She tried to paint a better picture for everyone than it was. There was no need to worry them needlessly, especially for things they couldn't control.
Riley was worried about Derek. She also feared about the safety of Precious.
Samantha tried to tell them the immediate threat was over. They were all still worried.
Jesse took Samantha off to the side.
"How's your medical database?" Jesse asked.
Samantha looked worried with her question.
"Is there some problem I don't know about?" Samantha asked.
Jesse wanted to be ready. She knew the circumstances were a little different this time. All of the potential combatants were going to be human.
"I was worried about anyone on the team who might need medical attention when they returned." Jesse said. "I thought we should have everything ready."
Samantha looked at Claire, Jan and Riley.
"Those three will take it hard if there's a problem." Samantha said.
Jesse knew it was true. She knew something else too.
"They'll all do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done." Jesse said. "They'll rise to the occasion."
Samantha looked at them and nodded.
"Maybe I'll swing by there and make sure everything is ready to go. I want to have everything set up so I can quickly plug into the database." Samantha said.
Jesse looked at the others. She knew things could get ugly fast.
"Make sure there's a set up for John Henry as well." Jesse said. "It's possible two surgeons may be needed."
Samantha nodded.
Jesse walked away from Samantha. She was going to talk with Claire. Riley called her off to the side.
Riley looked around and made sure no one could hear.
Her eyes were wide with anguish.
"Jesse, if there's an attack, even if it's not today, or whenever it might be, I need you to do something for me." Riley said.
Jesse was concerned how serious Riley looked.
"Sure, love, you name it." Jesse said.
Riley looked around and then at Precious.
"I need you to take Precious and run with her." Riley said. "You'll be able to take care of her and feed her. I'll stay to provide covering fire for you."
Jesse could see how Riley's statement was tearing her apart.
"Relax, love." Jesse said. "We'll all leave together."
Riley looked very intense.
"If we can't, I need you to promise me." Riley said. "Precious comes first."
Jesse didn't want Riley to have a melt down. She didn't think right now was the time to debate the issue.
"I promise." Jesse said.
A giant smile blossomed on Riley's face.
"Thank you, Jesse." Riley said.
Jesse hated Skynet. They brought out the worst feelings in people, while they brought out the best in people.
John Henry hated to see Summer leave. The intelligence level with her was unmatched. He believed Claire was restricting her potential by insisting she not be involved with Resistance activity. Young Allison took on the task to do it and train Summer herself. She wanted a 'replacement' for herself in case she fell. The girls were highly intelligent and understood the depth of what was really being said. It was a heavy trip to lay on the girls. It bothered him too. None of the girls backed away from the challenges. Look where Savannah and Young Allison were right now. It was the proof.
He concentrated on getting the teams into position. He was going to delay Derek, Kyle and Sarah from entering the combat arena as long as possible. He was aware he would only be able to delay it so long. He hoped the girls would come out on their own. If more people went in, the chances for injury or worse grew substantially.
The energy field seemed to start when the power went off. Earlier Summer suggested he turn the power back on. He wondered if it would overload their systems or result in some catastrophic failure. With Savannah's and Young Allison's whereabouts unknown, he deemed it was too risky.
CamNet informed him her six Terminators were on their way back as well.
It put a lot of Terminators on the way.
A lot would depend on what Savannah and Young Allison were able to do. There was no way to know if they were even still in the fight. They could be dead or tied to desks themselves right now. There was no way to know.
No matter how many different scenarios he ran, it seemed the negative ones were all dominant. It appeared to be a trait humans exhibited as well. When things started to go bad, they concentrated on all the bad thoughts and ideas. The positive ones were always pushed to the back burner.
Anna waited with the M82A1 pointed out the rear of the SUV. She had a good field of fire between the two buildings. She was very upset she couldn't be at Young Allison's side during this time. Young Allison's first combat shouldn't have been on her own. Cammy's report on the female captive only made it worse.
She spotted something move.
"I have a movement." Anna said.
Mel already had a LAW rocket ready and an HE round loaded in his M203 below his M4.
He was ready too.
"Give me the Target location." Mel said.
Kyle and Derek followed each other with the two vans. The two Terminators with each of them were dressed and ready for action. They wanted to get back in the fight once the energy field was knocked out. They took it personally because the attack was directed at them.
John Henry told them he wanted to get everyone into position before anyone acted. He said he would direct them where they needed to go.
Cammy and Sarah took a different route.
Sarah didn't think Cammy would listen to anyone. Savannah was her lover and she was going after her to bring her back. She wanted to give her a reminder about caution.
"We need to follow the instructions like everyone else." Sarah said. "It most likely will be Derek, Kyle and I who need to enter the structures if the jamming field is still up."
Cammy still looked upset.
"I don't know what's happening inside there." Cammy said. "I saw some horrible things."
Sarah was briefed in detail about what Cammy observed with the female detainee. Kyle previously told her of some of the atrocities he'd witnessed. Most of them were done to females. She understood his desire to take Jan into the past to grow up and have a 'normal' life.
"I understand." Sarah said. "I know you believe in Savannah."
Cammy did believe in Savannah. It was Young Allison who was her biggest worry right now. She knew Savannah would do whatever she needed to do to protect Young Allison. It meant she would put herself in harm's way to do it. Her judgment and thinking would be clouded now. Love did things to a person.
"We'll see what we can do when we get there." Cammy said. "This is far from over."
As far as Cammy knew, it hadn't even started yet.
The female Fanatic took one more look around to see if the vehicle was coming. She didn't see it yet. The two men were almost within knife range. She didn't want to use her Beretta unless she needed to. She really wanted their vehicle.
In a few seconds, the men were now close enough to act.
She figured the two men would fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book.
"I thought you said you had a car." The female Fanatic said as she pointed. "Who's that guy?"
Both of the men started to turn their heads in the direction she'd pointed. It was behind them.
Her knife was out as soon as they both started to turn their heads. She stabbed the man she knew carried a knife. She stabbed him twice in the side. She moved around him and was in back of the second man. She didn't know if he was armed or not. She didn't know if either one of them carried a firearm or not. She wanted to kill them silently. She didn't want to scare away the driver of the car.
The first man went down on his knees as he grabbed his side. The second man hadn't even reacted yet. She stabbed him three times in the back. He fell flat on his face. She turned her attention back to the first man. He fumbled around as he tried to get his knife. She stabbed him again in the neck. He went down. She backed up from both men and pulled her Beretta out. She didn't want any last ditch attempts by one of them to pull a firearm if they had one. It didn't look like either one of them was going to do anything other than die.
She kicked the first man hard in the side where she'd stabbed him. He let out a muffled groan. She moved to the second man and kicked him. There was no sound at all. She grabbed his foot and pulled him off to the side. She came back to the first man and kicked him again. There was no sound. She grabbed his foot and dragged him over next to the other man. They were no longer in plain view. She looked around for the car. She still hadn't spotted it yet.
The female Fanatic looked back at the two men. She wanted to let them know how she felt. She didn't care for what they'd planned to do to her. She figured they were beyond hearing, but she wanted to say it anyway.
"That's what you get when you act like a Scavenger." The female Fanatic said. "Just be glad I didn't treat you the same way they treat people".
She quickly searched the men. Only one of them carried a weapon. It was the knife. They both had a phone and about eighty dollars between them. She took the cash and added it to the cash in her pockets.
There was another small explosion over where the smoke billowed up from the collapsed and burning building. She could hear the sound of a car coming.
She quickly concealed herself along the side of the building. The men were on the opposite side across the driveway from where she was at. The car cruised up slowly. She didn't know if the driver knew exactly where they were at or not.
The sedan turned off of the street with its front end in the driveway and stopped. She figured the driver was about to call one or both of the men. She decided to try another ploy.
She moved out from her place of concealment and waved her arms back and forth in front of her, above her head.
"Hey. The men need your help." The female fanatic said. "They said you were coming. You need to come right now. It was some kind of animal. You can help them. They're right here. You need to hurry."
The female Fanatic moved in front of the car and pointed off to the side where the men were at.
She heard the car door open. It was still running.
"What kind of animal was it?" The third man asked.
She could see him look her over.
"Hurry…." The female Fanatic said. "They need help. It was some kind of dog looking thing. It looked like a cross between a fox and a wolf."
The third man started to approach. He was away from the car right now.
"It sounds like a coyote." The third man said. "How many were there?"
The third man could see the heads of the two men. He looked at the female one more time and started to move towards them.
The female Fanatic produced her Beretta.
"Do you remember when you were told you would get to go third?" The female Fanatic asked.
The third man's head spun around.
"What?" The third man asked.
He saw the Beretta in her hand.
"He said you would get to go third." The female Fanatic said. "He meant you'd be third to die."
The female Fanatic fired two shots. The third man went down. She advanced on him with the Beretta in front of her. She kicked him hard in the side. He didn't move. She moved a little further down and kicked him in the side of the head. He didn't move. She held the Beretta to the base of his neck as she searched him. She took his phone and his cash. He only had twenty dollars.
She took one more look around her and didn't see anyone. She needed to get moving. She figured it was only a matter of time until the authorities showed up. She didn't know what would arrive first. It could be a fire truck or a police car. She wanted to get out of the area. She grabbed the third man's ankle and drug him over with the other two men.
The female Fanatic headed for the car. She approached with the Beretta in her hand. There was no one else in it. She tucked her pistol away and got into the running car. She put it into reverse and backed up. As soon as she was back on the street, she put it into drive and drove away from the cul-de-sac. She was on the main road in a few seconds.
She knew one, or both, of the white vans would probably return soon. She decided to wait and see if she could spot either one. They were going to see the building was destroyed when they drove down the street, if they even went that far. Either way, she was going to follow the first one which showed back up.
Wait.
She knew where the van with the two men in it was headed. It was obvious the man who left by himself went to a different location. She would follow the van with the single driver if it showed back up at the same time as the other one did. She was sure he would go back to whatever location he'd just visited. The other van probably would as well.
There was another building down the street. There was a hedge in front of it between the street and the parking lot. It was on the front side of the building. She backed in alongside of the hedge. The top of the car was visible if someone looked. She didn't think if someone was just passing by they would notice it. It wasn't a vehicle they should recognize anyway. It still might cause some concern if it was spotted.
She turned off the car and waited. She expected to hear sirens in the distance. So far there hadn't been any. It seemed to her the emergency response in the area was extremely poor.
She decided to see what was in the car. She searched the interior. She found some type of pills. She tossed them loose out into the hedge. There were a lot of drink cups and food wrappers in both the front and the back on the floor. She looked at them and shook her head in disgust. The men really were like Scavengers. They lived like pigs. Wait. She didn't want to disgrace an animal who acted on instinct and natural behavior with men who chose to live in such a fashion. They were just Scavengers, even if no one knew what they were in this time period.
The female Fanatic moved to the trunk of the car. She took one more look around her to make sure it was clear. She lifted the lid. She took a step back. It wasn't what she'd expected to find in the trunk. Then again, the men acted like Scavengers.
CamNet's Terminators entered the mine. They would terminate every individual they encountered as they moved deeper into it. They wanted to find out what Skynet was up to in the mine. The nearby high tension power lines were what made it worrisome.
Down the rabbit hole they went.
The opening was in total darkness. There was no light visible. They didn't need light to be able to check their surroundings as they moved.
Lena looked at the surrounding walls and floor of the mine entrance.
"There's a lot of dust and fallen debris around here." Lena said.
Tina looked around as well.
"There's room to park the vehicles inside of here." Tina said. "I think they haven't been in this location very long."
About a hundred feet in, they reached a wooden obstruction. It appeared it was constructed to seal off the interior of the mine. It was old construction. It had probably been there for seventy or more years. The wood was in very poor condition. There was a door built into it. It appeared there'd been half a dozen or more hasps on the door at one time. No doubt it was broken into over the years by various groups of individuals.
The door was currently closed but it was unlocked, at least from the outside. Lena advanced with her silenced Beretta. She tried the door. It evidently was latched from the inside.
"We can break it open." Lena said. "I don't know if there's any type of surveillance on the other side, or if the door is wired from the inside."
Tina wasn't so sure. Everything they'd seen so far looked very dilapidated and slipshod.
"We plan to terminate everyone anyway." Tina said.
Lena didn't want to tip their hand too soon.
"We want to try to find out what they're doing." Lena said. "We don't want them to hide it or destroy it before we can see what they're doing."
Tina understood the need for caution. She backed up several feet from the wooden obstruction. She looked at the top of it.
"We can climb over it." Tina said. "It doesn't go all the way up to the roof."
Lena looked up as well. The top of the passageway was uneven. The wood was built straight across. There was two to three feet of space in several places.
"You can boost me up and I can go over the top. I can open the door from the other side. I can see if anything is wired."
Tina moved forward and tested the sturdiness of the old wood. It seemed somewhat rickety.
"It's possible the wood may collapse." Tina said.
Lena was willing to take the gamble. They wanted to try to arrive unannounced at wherever the destination was where the Grays they'd spotted earlier were at.
She tucked her M9 away and handed her M4 to Tina.
Tina slung the M4 on her back next to her own. They moved to the left side where the wood was attached to the wall. They hoped it would be stronger there. They really didn't know.
Lena looked back at Tina.
"Let's do it." Lena said.
Tina cupped her hands together.
Lena put her right foot into them. Her left hand touched the rock wall.
Tina lifted her up to shoulder height.
Lena moved both of her feet into each one of Tina's hands as she extended her arms upward. She reached up and was able to touch the top of the wooden piece with her arms out as she reached up. She tested her weight on the wood. She heard it groan and creak a little bit. It looked like it would hold. She went to pull herself over the top. There was a loud crack and the top wooden piece broke. She was already over to the other side but not down on the ground yet when it happened.
She landed on the ground and turned around. She was able to grab the falling piece of timber before it hit anything else. She quickly looked around the area. The area was completely dark. There was no one there. She checked for any surveillance devices. None were spotted.
The door through the wooden barrier didn't appear to be wired either. There were no sensors detected. She opened the latch on the inside and swung the door open.
Tina looked a little less than pleased. She conversed at a level only another Terminator could hear.
"We might as well have broken the door open." Tina said. "The broken timber made a lot of noise."
Lena didn't think it was her fault. The wood was old.
"I don't hear any alarm." Lena said. "I don't hear the sound of anyone coming either."
Lena moved the broken piece of timber out of the way up against the rock wall.
Tina was ready to push on. She gave Lena back her M4.
"Let's go." Tina said.
CamNet's Terminators advanced into the interior of the mine.
Some Of It's Just Better
Some things in life are good
Some things in life are bad
Some things make one happy
Some things make one sad
Nobody can predict the future
Even if they know what it will be
Things always play out differently
It's about more than what one can see
Every moment in life
Is another roll of the dice
Nothing is ever exact
It's never precise
One can plan all they want
It doesn't mean a thing
When things go awry
They will still hurt and sting
When love calls out
Everyone becomes a debtor
All love is good
Some of it's just better
Nobody