Chapter 1357

Model 66

Savannah spotted a figure in the haze. She moved her weapon to cover the 'threat'. It didn't look like they'd spotted her yet. Everything happened fast in a situation like this. There was always the risk of friendly fire. She was unsure what their status was. They'd taken a lot of gunfire before the gas was deployed where Derek and Kyle were at. She hoped it was one of the Reese brothers.

It was. It was Derek. She swung her M4 back in front of her. He fell in alongside of her. They both were in pursuit of Young Allison. They didn't know how much longer she could stay in the fight, especially without any breathing apparatus.

Derek knew Kyle was in back of them.

"Kyle's behind us." Derek said in a muffled voice through the breathing apparatus. "I tossed him a gas mask."

They looked for any targets in the gloom and for Young Allison. They both expected to see her on the ground in front of them. She could have been shot or succumbed to the effects of the gas. They knew someone could only hold their breath for so long.

They came across another dead man who appeared unarmed. He looked like a technician. They spotted Young Allison ahead. There was another man grappling with her. He was a big brute of a man too. He would soon be able to pull her M4 away from her. It was why she'd fired it on full auto to empty the magazine. He would only get an empty weapon. She knew she would lose the brute force contest. She kicked his knee out and he collapsed.

Savannah and Derek each raised their M4 to fire on him. Before they could shoot, there were two very loud reports. They were deafening in the hallway they were now in. The man fell backwards. Young Allison dropped to a low crouch as she spotted additional movement on her side emerge from the thick haze. She held her Model 66 with both hands and pointed it at them as they approached. She saw it was them and reached down to retrieve her M4. She holstered her Model 66 and put a fresh magazine in her M4 and hit the bolt release.

Young Allison kicked the man she'd just shot hard in the face. His head swung off to the side. She fired a round from her M4 into his head. The act of vengeance wasn't lost on them. She pointed at a room behind her as she pulled her Thermite grenade out. She armed it and waited two seconds and then threw it into the room. There was an explosion followed by intense screaming from inside the room. A man ran out on fire as the Thermite burnt deep into his flesh. She shot him twice in the back. He slammed into the wall. She fired one more round into his head.

Derek and Savannah were having a hard time processing everything they'd witnessed. It was like watching Cameron in action. Young Allison was still in the fight without a gas mask. She was the one who'd killed everyone.

There was still screaming inside the room. Derek and Savannah moved to back Young Allison up. She moved into the doorway and fired four more shots. When Savannah and Derek looked in the room, there were two more dead people. One of them was a woman. They were both burning in multiple places on their bodies.

Savannah took a deep breath. She took off her gas mask and handed it to Young Allison. They could hear her take several deep wheezing breaths.

Kyle showed up behind them with another gas mask. He handed it to Savannah. He handed her both Berettas too. He'd spotted them on the floor.

Savannah loaded both of them with a fresh magazine. She handed one to Young Allison.

Kyle thought Derek and Savannah had been busy. He would be surprised to learn later on, all the carnage was done by Young Allison while she was holding her breath for almost two minutes. He knew it was the type of action 'legends' were created from. He remembered Cameron and Mrs. Weaver 'created' the 'Legend of Allison Young and John Connor' in his future. The legend was real in the past, 'the present'.

Young Allison's involvement would be something for everyone to study in the after action reports later on. There was a lot of damage one motivated individual could do against adverse odds. Even when all of the cards were stacked against them, they managed to reshuffle the deck as they went along and create a winning hand. They didn't wait for luck to happen. They made their own luck.

Ally-Cameron was on top of John and just about to finish. She did and rode it out a little longer to squeeze another finish out of it. She relaxed and leaned down on top of John. She straightened and rolled over as she brought John on top of her. She still held John tightly. She firmly held him in place.

John was able to finish at this point which gave Ally-Cam an additional finish. He was too exhausted to speak. Ally-Cameron still held him tightly. It took him a few moments to catch his breath. When he did, Ally-Cameron released him.

Cameron thought about giving John and Ally a 'cheap thrill' and unplug herself from Ally's chassis while she still held John firmly. Ally would reboot before John could escape her grasp. He would probably still be 'connected'. She didn't want to play 'mean', even if it was for fun. She also didn't want to compromise Ally in case she decided to delete the file she'd transferred to her in real time. Without the file from her, Ally was still untouched by a male as far as her program was concerned. Her chassis was a different story. It was no longer a virgin chassis.

As soon as John rolled off of her, she reached back and unplugged the tether. Ally would reboot in fifteen seconds.

John was between Cameron and Ally as Ally rebooted. Cameron was already up on one elbow as she looked at them. It really reminded him of his dream earlier when he thought he'd been with Allison and Cameron did almost the same thing.

Cameron wanted to see what Ally's reaction was going to be. She was either going to come out swinging, or have a giant smile on her face. It was a giant smile. It was what she wanted to see. She liked it when everyone was happy. John and Ally both looked happy. She knew she was.

Ally opened her eyes. She was speechless. She'd just experienced John make love to 'Cameron' in her chassis. It was a fantastic experience. She could see why all the Metal girls were itching to come back for more. Not only did she want more, she wanted to have her 'one time' with John. She didn't think it would be as good of an experience as when it was run through 'Cameron's chip'. It would be her own experience and her 'real' first time. She wasn't sure how the feedback through Cameron's chip was better, but it was. It's what they all told her it would be. They were right.

Ally went up on one elbow and looked at John and Cameron. She was very pleased with what they'd provide her with.

"First off, I want to thank both of you for the experience. Second off, I need to say it was wonderfully fantastic." Ally said. "Third off, I can stay all night if you want. I know John needs to rest. You can tether with me later on again. I can wait."

Cameron smiled and got up. She was very pleased with the experience and being able to deliver another virgin chassis to John with her in control.

"John needs his rest." Cameron said.

Ally still lay on the bed. She wanted more. She wondered how she could have 'bad mouthed' the experience Cameron just provided her with. She'd been so against it earlier in the cruise when Cameron started in with Sheila.

Cameron wanted John to get some sleep. He needed to rest in more ways than one. She looked at John and then she looked at Ally.

Ally could see Cameron wanted her to get up. She reluctantly did.

John got up too. They all hugged and thanked each other several times over.

"I'm yours, anytime you want me." Ally whispered in John's ear.

Cameron smiled when she heard it. It was something all the Metal girls said to him. It was the reaction she wanted. She liked it when everyone was happy.

She wanted to make up for the months and years she'd left John high and dry. She didn't think it would be a problem going forward if one of those issues of a prolonged absence arose again. There was no reason John couldn't have some comfort. As long as everyone remembered John 'belonged' to her, whatever else happened, was just fun and games.

Holly finished up with Vanna and stayed with her until she fell asleep. She then carried her into the main bedroom of the Master Suite and carefully placed her next to Allison. She gave them both a soft light kiss and headed out. All the other Metal girls were in the Honeymoon Suite.

Holly passed through the private area. She didn't bother to dress or even put a robe on. Everyone in this section had already seen her naked many times. What was the point? She saw Cameron appear at the door to the Owner's Suite. It meant Ally was 'done'. Holly hoped Cameron would invite her in so she could use her chassis again. She figured John was expended for a few hours at this point. Cameron smiled at her and closed the door. She was a little disappointed there wasn't an invite right now.

She entered the main section of the Honeymoon Suite. All the Metal girls were there. They were all naked. It looked like Ally only arrived about thirty seconds ago.

Everyone talked frantically with each other like school girls as they discussed their 'new love' to their friends. They all talked about the things Cameron and John did with each of their chassis. They all wanted Cameron to use their chassis again.

Holly joined in the discussion as excited as everyone else. The girls talked about swapping chips among themselves as soon as they got back to the base. Everyone wanted to try new things and 'be someone different'. It seemed to be some residual effect left over from Cameron controlling their chassis and the file she'd shared in real time. Everyone was a little jealous Gail was able to have Cameron share with her in two different chassis.

Sheila soon led Ally away to the smaller bedroom of the Honeymoon Suite. She told Ally she didn't want to wait too long to get her 'taken care of'.

The other girls watched as Sheila led Ally away. They could see the love between them was strong, even if they never wanted to admit it. They also understood they all shared with a full time human lover. Ally and Sheila didn't have the same luxury. They only had each other.

It was probably why Ally, and especially Sheila, seemed to have such a strong attraction to the girls from the ship. They were smoking hot on top of it all.

All of the Metal girls either viewed Mary, Laura and Leticia in person, or watched images in the Control Center of them. They each tried to decide which one they liked the best. Leticia usually seemed to come in first overall in appearance. She was followed closely by Mary. Laura was right behind her. They all had different qualities and attributes about them. They were all able to view Sheila's video files in the Control Center of her doing the piercings and examinations of each of the three girls. They knew in detail what they all looked like, everywhere. Each of them were completely different in every aspect.

Jim watched the girls move back and forth between the suites from the Control Center. He saw they were all concentrated in the Honeymoon Suite now.

He was a little surprised when Cameron entered the Control Center from her suite. She wanted an update on the operation developing. He didn't have any new information to give her. It seemed to upset her. There was no new information to give her, even when he inquired specifically.

Jim was even more surprised when she entered the spare room of the Master Suite. Allison and Vanna were in there in the main part of the suite. Holly only left a few minutes ago. It was right after Ally left the Owner's Suite to go to the Honeymoon Suite.

He wondered if she would return with Vanna or Allison. Why else would she go there?

Allison woke up a little when Holly placed Vanna in the bed and gave her a soft kiss. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She'd experienced a pretty long day.

She listened for Holly to leave. She never heard her.

She looked up and Cameron stood over her. She was naked. It startled her some to see Cameron appear from out of nowhere. She quickly looked over at Vanna. She rested peacefully next to her. Cameron reached over her to pull the cover up on Vanna. Cameron's breasts touched her face slightly. It sent an instant thrill through her.

Cameron straightened and smiled at her.

"Will you join us?" Cameron asked as she held out her hand.

Allison wasn't sure if she was ready for this. She looked quickly over at Vanna. She was aware Cameron chose her. It meant SHE was the 'Chosen One'.

"Tonight is the night." Cameron said. "You'll become John's protector."

Allison could already feel her body begin to respond just thinking about it. It was so long overdue she could almost taste it. She imagined she would too at some point.

"Hell, yes." Allison said.

In a swift and careful motion, Cameron lifted her out of the bed without disturbing anything.

Cameron carried her to the Owner's Suite. Jim held the door open for them. She thought it was odd, especially when he thanked her. She wasn't sure what she was being thanked for.

Allison decided to play some cards.

"I want something for doing this." Allison whispered.

Cameron looked at her.

"As long as you're with John three times a week, you can have what you want." Cameron whispered.

Allison hoped it wouldn't be a problem.

"Can I have – anything?" Allison whispered.

Cameron smiled.

"You can have anything you want if you do this." Cameron whispered. "This will be for the rest of your life. It will be three times a week."

Allison smiled.

"I want to be with you one time a week." Allison whispered. "It will be just you and me for a few hours once a week."

Cameron smiled and kissed Allison on the cheek.

"It's a deal." Cameron whispered. "It's the same thing your mother asked for."

The smile on Allison's face faded a little. It was a reminder she could have done without. It didn't help any to know everyone thought her mother was better in bed than her.

Sarah wanted to move closer to where the shooting was at earlier. She picked up the M82A1 and decided to take it with her. Kyle or Derek would want to have it when she joined up with them.

It was a little heavy to carry as well as awkward. After lugging it around, she hoped to be able to use it. She knew it would do a number on anyone. It wouldn't matter if they were a human or a Terminator. Both Derek and Kyle told her of the experiences they'd previously had of using one of them. Kyle said he preferred it to his plasma rifle on multiple occasions.

"I better get to use this thing at least once." Sarah said to herself.

She advanced on the north building. She really hoped she ran across a Gray. Even if it was a Terminator, the ten round magazine in the M82A1 should do a number on it. She carried two spare magazines with her as well.

Al and Ed were ready to move in on the outlying building they needed to 'inspect'. They would go in the front and Larry and Hank would enter from the rear.

The building was dark like the surrounding neighborhood. The power was off for the entire area. The building didn't show any signs of activity. The few vehicles parked around it seemed to have been there for a while.

They weren't going to take any chances. They received the building plans from John Henry. It was only a map as to the original layout of the structure. They knew over time modifications were often made to the buildings which were never 'official'.

They carefully made entry and determined it wasn't the building they were looking for. It fell on Steve's team at this juncture. They were at the other building.

Steve and Tom received the update Al and Ed came up empty on their building. It made their location the prime suspect. It was the building John Henry indicated would have the most likely chance of being the one they were looking for.

They were used to getting more input from John and even CamNet which everyone knew was usually Young Allison working in the 'background' from her bunker. There was none of the feedback this time.

John Henry asked Richard and Michael to acquire a box truck on their way there. They were under the impression the people they were after were possibly Fanatics or Grays from an even further future. There was still the specter of the anti-Metal group.

It was decided they would use the box truck as a battering ram to knock down one of the rear doors to see what would happen with the building as well as allow a point of entry.

There was no activity detected at the location either. There were also a few cars and trucks parked there next to the building. It looked like everyone was already at the other two buildings.

Richard lined the box truck up and backed it towards the large roll up door before he jumped out of it and sought cover behind a block wall. The truck smashed through the roll up door and knocked it down. It continued inside the building until it stalled after hitting whatever else was inside there.

There were drones ready to hit the target if needed. The first missile would be fired inside where the door once was so it would blow up inside the building, instead of on the outside of it. There was no return fire or anyone spotted. The building seemed unoccupied.

Since the building hadn't blown up yet after the abuse it just suffered, they would try to take a look inside. It was always a 'crap-shoot'. They would all need to use extreme caution and watch for booby traps.

John Henry was ready to have the drones flatten the structure if necessary. He didn't want any Terminators or humans terminated on his watch. He was going to play it safe.

He watched Sarah lug the M82A1 towards the north building. It seemed more bulky than heavy. It was about four feet long. Cammy and Anna kept him updated as to what they heard. It wasn't much anymore. Most of the firing inside stopped. The last two shots reported were from a pistol. Anna was sure it was Young Allison's Model 66. If she needed to use it, they were in trouble.

Samantha watched over Precious and the girls. Jan was fast asleep but Summer was up every now and then. She didn't know CamNet fed Summer information directly.

Riley and Claire were asleep. Jesse was up. She wanted to know the latest on the operation. There wasn't much to report. CamNet and John Henry sat on most of the information.

Jesse was a little dissatisfied with the lack of information. She didn't think there was much she could do about it one way or the other. She currently wasn't part of the operation and most likely wouldn't be either. She looked over at Claire and Riley and smiled.

"Look at them." Jesse said.

Jesse indicated Riley and Claire leaning against each other asleep.

Samantha did look at them. She especially liked to look at Riley. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. She tried to keep it simple.

"Everyone needs their rest." Samantha said.

Jesse never seemed to get enough of it. She was often 'busy'. She figured she could catch up on her sleep when she was dead. She tried to live life in the moment. It was hard to break the habits from her past, the future. Here now in 'Paradise', there was a pretty good chance there would be a tomorrow. In the future she came from; tomorrow wasn't a sure thing. The only constant was death.

Samantha looked at Jesse's breasts. She wanted a little 'more'.

"I don't think Precious needs to nurse for a while." Samantha said. "You look like you need a pressure reduction."

Jesse looked around. She was ready for it.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't." Jesse said.

Samantha was very tempted by the offer. Riley and Derek were back and Cameron said she was to remain celibate. She didn't want to break Cameron's rules so overtly. She was appreciative she was even able to share for the few days when Riley and Derek were away.

She smiled at Jesse.

"I'll be back." Samantha said.

She left and returned a minute later with a breast pump and a bottle. Her duty to Precious came before her own desires.

"Maybe we can set some aside for Precious if you need to go out tomorrow." Samantha said.

Jesse looked at the items Samantha brought. It looked like a hassle. She wanted to be playful about it.

"I'll let you do it for me." Jesse said. "I'll 'moo' every now and then."

Samantha tilted her head slightly. She wasn't sure what Jesse meant specifically.

"Pretend I'm a cow." Jesse said to clear up any confusion.

Samantha tilted her head slightly in the other direction. She nodded and smiled after a few seconds. She quickly configured an image in her mind.

"You would look really Hot with four breasts." Samantha said.

Her interpretation caught Jesse by surprise. It would still be intriguing to say the least. She could picture herself with four norks and four nipple rings. She briefly reflected she would still have less than Gail overall.

Earlier:

Young Allison's POV:

Young Allison fired the Berettas on both sides of her as she ran until they locked open. She'd taken the men by surprise. They were all focused on where Derek and Kyle were at. She dropped the Berettas and immediately brought her M4 up. She shot a man in a lab coat. He appeared to be unarmed. He wore a gas mask like the others. He was the enemy. Now he was dead. She made sure.

A big brute of a man came out of a room right in front of her.

She took a step back so she could line her M4 up on him. He grabbed the barrel and deflected the rounds away from him. He was going to be able to wrestle the M4 away from her. He had a good grip on the barrel. She flipped the selector to 'auto' and squeezed the trigger to empty the magazine. The man screamed as the barrel heated up, but held on to it. They spun around in a circle one time. She was able to kick his knee out. He went down on his knees. He pulled the M4 away from her. She reached inside her vest and came out with her Model 66 and fired twice into his heart. He went down for good.

She spotted movement from the way she'd come. She took a combat posture to engage the new threat with her Model 66. She was relieved to see it was Savannah and Derek. She was to the point she was going to need to take a breath. Wrestling with the man cost her precious time and oxygen. She retrieved her M4 after she kicked him in the head and recharged it with a fresh magazine. She fired once into his head.

There were at least three figures in the room the man came out of. She'd seen them going for weapons when she was swung around past the doorway at one point. She pulled her Thermite grenade and armed it. She waited two seconds before she tossed it inside.

The screams from inside the room were shrill as the burning Thermite started to eat through their flesh in the spots where it landed. One man ran out on fire. She 'popped' him. He went down. She made sure he stayed down.

She really needed to take a breath. She entered the doorway of the room and finished off the screaming burning figures as they withered around wildly on the floor. Everything around them was burning inside the room. She gave them two shots each. Their suffering was over.

Savannah took off her mask and handed it to her. She exhaled the remaining air out of her lungs as she put the mask on and drew two deep breaths.

Kyle appeared and handed Savannah a new one.

Derek came up and helped her get the mask on properly. She felt a little lightheaded but made a quick recovery.

Young Allison took a closer look at the burning equipment.

Savannah was at her side. She figured she was going to get a grand chewing out about everything when it was over. She hoped to hold it off for a little bit.

"I think this is what controlled the energy ball in the other building." Young Allison said.

Savannah looked at everything. It was on fire.

"I don't think it controls anything anymore." Savannah said. "I think we need to get out of here."

A few seconds later an alarm went off inside the room.

Young Allison spotted the Terminator's power cell.

"I think you're right." Young Allison said.

She thought she could get to the power cell before the flames did.

Derek and Kyle checked the other rooms around them. No more people were encountered.

Savannah could see Young Allison was going to make a grab for the power cell. She didn't think it was a good idea. They should all run instead.

In a flash, Young Allison 'danced' between the two burning figures on the ground and the flames. She grabbed the power cell and ripped it loose from the wires connected to it. Something near her hissed and snapped off of one of the machines. It flew past her face. It was close. She held the power cell and 'danced' back out of the room.

Derek watched her make her move. He didn't think he would have tried it. He still tried to put it all together. He'd only ever seen Cameron do all the things Young Allison just did. It all happened in the last minute.

Savannah was concerned with the location.

"We need to go." Savannah said. "There's some kind of energy ball in the other building. It appeared to be out of control earlier. With the loss of this control panel, I'm sure it's going to get worse. I think losing this room will allow it to go critical. I believe a catastrophic explosion is imminent."

Derek dropped back to cover their rear as they made for the doorway. A figure loomed up out of nowhere from the exit and blocked their path out. Time was of the essence.

Maybe things weren't over yet. They didn't have time for this right now. They needed to get as far away from the buildings as possible. They also needed to do it as quickly as possible.

Lena continued along the newly uncovered passageway. There was a lot of fine dust everywhere. There were no tracks whatsoever on the ground. It didn't appear anyone had been inside of the passageway for half a century or longer.

Rocks begin to appear in front of her. The further she went, the more there were. Everything abruptly ended at a pile of them. It was a cave in. She was sure it was the result of a catastrophic blasting failure.

She wasn't about to attempt to dig through it to see what was what. It appeared someone already tried it at one point in time. It was much like the cave in on the other branch she'd first gone down. She decided it was a dead end. It was probably a dead end in more ways than one for someone or a group of individuals. It was time to head out.

She quickly backtracked through the passageway and reached the cavern. She updated with Tina. She found out there were two vehicles spotted. One was on the road up to the mine already. The other one was on the dirt road which paralleled the high tension power lines. They decided it was time to blow the mine closed.

She looked at the crates of explosives in the cavern. She thought about moving them out into the main passageway but decided against it. They looked very unstable. Some of them were kegs of black powder. Others were small crates full of TNT. She decided she would leave one of the two satchel charges she carried there. It looked like it would give her the most bang for her buck. She set the timer on the first satchel.

She decided to leave the repeaters in place. She would be able to override the timer on the satchel charge. She could detonate the charge early, or she could detonate it later on. It would give her the most flexibility as when to collapse the passageway.

Tina gave her another update. It was time to get moving. She exited the cavern and paused briefly at the main passageway. She didn't hear anything in either direction. She decided to take one of the lanterns with her. She ran at a fast speed back towards the opening. She wanted to get outside before either one of the vehicles arrived. It was all part of her plan.

In a few minutes she passed the location where she terminated the second man. Everything there was still the same. She continued on out. In a couple more minutes she passed the branch in the passageway. She briefly looked down the dead end branch. She left the lantern at the branch in between them. She continued on her way. She was a minute out from the barrier. She paused and placed the second satchel charge. She wedged it between one of the large timbers and the rock wall.

She reached the barrier and passed through it. She was outside the mine a short time later. She headed for where Tina was at.

The Gray caught a flash of light in the distance. It appeared there was another vehicle headed in his direction. It seemed to be on the dirt road along the high tension power lines. There was no way for him to make out what type of vehicle it was. He was sure if he could see them, they could see him.

With the trouble at his location, and the possibility he was being followed, he wasn't sure what to do. He thought maybe the best thing to do was to stop for a few minutes and get out. He stepped on the brake to slow and then stopped the van. He put it in 'park' and turned off the key. He turned the lights off. He started to get out. He was on a rather steep incline. He decided to set the parking brake as well.

He stood there in the darkness next to the van and listened. He held his pistol in his hand. If someone wanted to get to him, they would need to come up the road. If there was an enemy, they should be behind him.

His eyes quickly acclimated to the dark. He moved away from the van and listened. He couldn't hear anything. He looked down the road he came up. The dust had all settled. There was no sound of a vehicle approaching on the dirt road. He looked over in the distance towards the high tension power lines. He could see the other vehicle was much closer.

The moon came out. He was briefly able to make out the moving vehicle. It appeared to be the other white van. It was the rest of his team! He felt somewhat elated and a little bolder. He looked down at himself. He realized he was silhouetted by the moon. He quickly moved back against the hillside. It worried him a little because he'd actually been able to see his shadow in the moonlight behind him.

It worried him because earlier he thought maybe he'd been 'chasing shadows'. What if the shadows were chasing him? He moved down the dirt road a little more so he could take a look at it where it made a turn. He squatted down next to a boulder on the outside of the dirt road. He followed the dirt road intently as best as he could in the dim light. There was definitely no sign of another vehicle on the dirt road yet. The moon went behind the clouds again. It was very hard to make out the details of anything at this point.

He decided to remain where he was at until the other van reached the turn off from the main road to the dirt road. He wasn't sure where they would connect with the main road at, from the dirt road they were on next to the high tension power lines. He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He didn't think it would hurt to have a smoke while he waited.

The female Fanatic continued up the dirt road. She caught a flash of light in the distance. She believed it was another vehicle. It was on a dirt road. She wondered if it was headed in her direction. She was unable to make out what type of vehicle it was. She watched the vehicle above her and the vehicle in the distance as she made her way upward.

She felt she'd made good time on the dirt road. She saw the van above her stop. It turned off its lights. She didn't think it was anywhere near the destination yet. She wondered what was up. She quickly moved up against the hillside so she wouldn't be silhouetted if the moon came out.

The moon did come out in a very short time. She could clearly see the silhouette of a man standing on the road above her. He was no longer by the van. She was sure he wanted to see if anyone else was on the dirt road. He'd be looking for a vehicle, not a person. She could see the headlights in the distance. It was a white van. She knew it was the other one which left from the last building she'd blown up. She smiled to herself. She figured it just made her job a little easier. All the chickens would be in the coop when the wolf entered.

She looked up at the position where the man was at. He was gone. She pulled her Beretta out. She looked all around her. She didn't think the man knew she was on the road. He may have suspected he was being followed. He didn't know she was on foot right now.

She could see the other van was much closer. She figured they must be in communication with each other. She didn't want to continue on the road and she didn't want to go back down on it either.

There was a slight arc of yellow light in the area where she'd last seen the man above her. It appeared the man decided to have a smoke. At least she knew where he was at. He was watching the road.

"Damn." The female fanatic said.

It looked like she was going to have to do it the hard way.

The female Fanatic started it up the hillside.

The two men in the white van continued along. They weren't sure what awaited them.

The first man tried to keep track of the vehicle on the hillside while the second man drove.

"It looks like the other lights stopped." The first man said.

He glanced up in the direction. He couldn't see anything. He needed to keep his eyes on the road.

The moon came out.

The first man was able to get a look at the vehicle.

"It's the other white van." The first man said. "It isn't moving."

The second man wasn't sure why he would stop.

"I wonder why he didn't continue." The second man said.

The first man thought the answer was easy.

"He's waiting for us." The first man said.

The second man thought it was a good idea.

"If he waits where he's at until we get there, it will ensure he doesn't have a tail." The second man said.

The second man picked up his pace with the van. In a few more minutes they were near the main road. He needed to laugh again as they approached the main road. There were two poles with a chain across it in front of them. There was flat dirt on either side of the two poles. He simply drove around one of the poles and back onto the main road. He hurried towards the turn off for the road to the mine. There was no one else on the road in either direction. He made the turn and started up the dirt road towards the mine.

Tina took up a position between the two vehicles and waited for the new arrival. It wasn't too long before Lena was back in contact with her again. She updated her on everything. They worked out a plan on what they would do to collapse the mine. Lena would set both of the satchel charges and join her.

She waited between two of the vehicles and kept an eye on the mine entrance. She became a little concerned when one of the vehicles stopped. It was the one on the road up to the mine itself. She couldn't see it from where she was at. She heard it stop and shut off. She didn't think it was a mechanical malfunction.

She could see the other van closing as it followed the high tension power lines on the dirt road. She figured the other man must have spotted it and decided to wait for it. It was probably because he felt there was safety in numbers more than anything.

Lena was out of the mine a short time later. They quickly filled each other in on all the small details.

Tina wanted to have a better look as to why the van was stopped on the road up to the mine.

"I want to see what's going on." Tina said. "We don't have drone support yet."

Lena understood her concern.

"Do you think he might try to make his approach on foot?" Lena asked.

Tina pointed out it was the method they'd used.

"It's an effective strategy." Tina said.

Tina and Lena made their way over to the side where they could look down. They made sure they wouldn't be silhouetted by the moon if it came back out.

They conversed at a low decibel level.

"I see him." Tina said. "He's by a rock along the side of the road. He's smoking."

"It doesn't matter." Lena said. "They'll be up here soon enough."

The figured the female Fanatic was nearby as well.

CamNet's Terminators decided to move the vehicles up there inside of the mine opening as they waited. It wouldn't take them long. They were assured several drones were on their way.

The two men in the van started up the dirt road to the mine. They soon spotted the other van on the road in front of them. They didn't see the driver. They stopped about a hundred feet in back of it.

The first man looked around nervously.

"Where's the driver?" The first man asked.

The second man was a little concerned.

"I don't know." The second man said.

The driver of the other van approached from behind them.

"I'm glad to see it's you guys." The third man said.

The first two men were a little startled by his appearance.

"That's a good way to get shot, Callahan." The second man said.

The third man filled them in on the fate of the other location. They were both a little surprised to hear it. The second man wasn't happy at the loss of his friends.

"Are you sure everyone was killed?" The second man asked.

The third man felt he'd seen enough destruction to be sure no one survived.

"I checked." The third man said. "Three of the walls were completely down."

The first man thought it sounded like the other two locations.

"It seems to be the way things play out." The first man said

The second man wanted to know more. They didn't even know who the enemy was.

"Was there anything unusual or out of place?" The second man asked.

The third man thought there was a lot of debris everywhere. Wait. There was something.

"There was the wreckage of a truck inside of the building." The third man said. "I think it's how the bomb was delivered."

The first man looked at the second man.

"I wonder if it was the truck missing from the dock when we went back to my location." The first man said. "It was a stake side truck."

The third man thought about the wreckage.

"I don't know. It could have been. It didn't look like a box truck." The third man said. "It wasn't a big rig. It was a mangled mess."

The three men decided to go up to the mine and see what was happening there. They felt a little more confident being together. The two vans continued up the hillside.

The female Fanatic needed to lay low as the second van passed. She was in a position where she could see the two vans stopped together. She couldn't hear what the men discussed. She tried not to move around too much while they were still there. Once they finally got back into the vans and drove up towards the destination, she continued her climb.

It was rough going on the side of the hill. The hardest part was she couldn't see everything clearly. Her feet slipped a few times as she was moving. It wasn't a very steep hill. It was the noise she was worried about.

She debated if she wanted to move back to the road so it was an easier climb. It would also be much faster. She needed to worry about them watching the road as well. She didn't think they were going anywhere for a while.

The female Fanatics slowed her pace. She wanted to make it up to the location in one piece. She also didn't want to be detected before she arrived.

Almost Taste It

Life is full of tests and trials
Even some full blown tribulations
Things usually come up short
They seldom meet one's expectations

The sooner one can recognize
Few things ever work out right
The quicker they can regroup
The faster they can rejoin the fight

The road can be bumpy
The path is seldom smooth
It all goes back to what one
Decided to follow and choose

Hang in there and push ahead
To the victor go the spoils
It's all now possible
Because of their endless toils

Perseverance and fortitude is the key
For those who don't quit
Victory is so sweet
They can almost taste it

Nobody