Chapter 1359
Nothing More Than That
Young Allison spotted a vehicle headed towards them. She warned the others.
The team on the ground watched the vehicle approach. It was an SUV. The team started to spread out. They might have to fight.
The vehicle turned off its headlights. It was much easier to see.
"I think it's ours." Young Allison said.
Savannah looked. It was the SUV they were with earlier. There was no way to know if it had been compromised. Anyone could be behind the wheel.
"It is." Savannah said. "Everyone stay ready anyway."
The com traffic was a little clearer now. It improved the further they moved away from the buildings.
The SUV slid to a stop sideways in front of them. The driver's door opened, along with the door behind it.
"If you want to leave, come with me." Cammy said.
Cammy slid over into the passenger seat.
Anna was in the second row. She climbed over the seat into the third row.
Savannah headed for the driver's seat. She figured Cammy moved over so she could drive if an EMP went off. She would at least be able to steer the vehicle.
Young Allison climbed into the third row next to Anna.
Kyle handed the Barrett to Anna who stashed it in the back. He climbed into the middle row seat followed by Sarah and then Derek.
As soon as the rear door slammed closed, Savannah floored it. She wanted to put some distance between them and the buildings.
Young Allison looked out the rear window. Things had taken a turn for the worse.
"The south building is on fire." Young Allison said.
Savannah thought it would at least take care of the mess they'd left behind inside of it. If the building vaporized, it was a different story. It would really clean up the mess in both buildings. It would also raise a bunch of questions as to what happened there.
They knew there wouldn't be any emergency response. It was as much for the responders own safety, as it was what they wanted destroyed.
Savannah could see another SUV ahead. She took her foot off the accelerator.
Cammy noted her concern. She knew who it belonged to.
"Allison's Detail is up ahead." Cammy said. "They insisted on doing their jobs."
Savannah put her right foot back down on the accelerator. They were half a mile away in no time.
"I think we're clear of an explosion." Savannah said. "I'm not so sure about an EMP."
They were a mile away in short order. Communications were back to normal.
Cammy and Anna were both updated by John Henry and CamNet as to what was happening. They passed along any relevant or urgent information. The latest update was a little worrisome.
"Pull over behind the building up ahead, but not next to it, in case it collapses." Cammy said. "There are a series of small explosions going off in the south building. The north building is on fire now as well."
Savannah pulled over and so did Young Allison's Detail.
They could hear two drones approach their position down low as they stopped. They landed between the two SUVs and the building. They acted as an additional layer of protection between the SUVs and whatever was about to happen.
Young Allison immediately recognized the drones as soon as she spotted them.
"It's 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb'." Young Allison said.
It surprised Derek, Sarah and Kyle when Young Allison referred to the drones by name.
"Do the drones have names?" Sarah asked.
Young Allison was pleased at what they'd done.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "Savannah and I named them when we repaired them."
It was another surprise for Derek, Sarah and Kyle. They didn't know the girls ever repaired any of the HK equipment.
Savannah opened her door.
"Take shelter on the outside of the SUV." Savannah said. "The Terminators need to shut down for now."
Everyone got out and huddled with their back to the SUV. Savannah didn't know if the windows would blow out.
John Henry warned them the blasts were getting bigger.
They could barely hear them.
Kyle looked to see if there were any storm drains or manholes nearby. He couldn't spot any in the dark.
Young Allison decided to check her phone.
"My phone works." Young Allison said. "I have some footage."
They looked at a far off drone image of the burning buildings.
The roof appeared to collapse inward on the south building.
Savannah didn't like the way things looked. She was sure a massive explosion was eminent
"Turn everything off for now, coms, phones, everything." Savannah said. "This may be when something happens. I need for our Terminators to go into a controlled shut down for awhile."
There was a brilliant flash of light behind them a few seconds later. They waited for the sound of the explosion to reach them. It was barely a muffled bang.
Savannah had been around similar events before. She recognized it for what it was.
"I think it was an EMP blast." Savannah said. "I was much closer to some before. There were several of them before a large explosion."
They waited to see if there would be any more. It was what Savannah previously experienced. Nothing else happened. They waited another minute.
Young Allison wanted to look at her phone again to see what happened.
"I want to make a check with my phone." Young Allison said.
Savannah thought they could sacrifice one electronic device for some information.
"Do it." Savannah said.
Young Allison checked.
They all gathered around to look. Savannah reactivated her com.
The entire south building was collapsed, along with half of the north building. The other half of the north building was on fire.
John Henry couldn't give her any more of an update other than what they looked at. He didn't know what was happening either. He did confirm the flash of light was an EMP blast. It wasn't very big or strong. He reported there was no damage to any of the Resistance forces.
Sarah wasn't really sure what was happening. She expected there to be something more. She'd felt one of the 'earthquakes' from the previous encounter at the mine.
"Is that it?" Sarah asked.
It seemed like it, but they didn't know for sure. The control equipment was at the north end of the north building. It was burning as well.
Young Allison looked at Anna and touched her cheek.
Savannah did the same with Cammy.
Derek looked at the inactive Terminators.
"When will they power back up?" Derek asked.
Cammy gave Savannah a time of five minutes earlier before she'd shut down. They were all offset by thirty seconds. It would allow them to go back into standby if nothing happened. They wouldn't be all active at once. It also meant they wouldn't all be deactivated at the same time.
"They set a time of five minutes." Savannah said. "I bet Cammy will reboot sooner than that."
They watched the north building collapse in the section where Young Allison used the Thermite grenade. There was no explosion or flash of light.
John Henry said they would send a 'clean up' team in tomorrow once everything cooled down. They needed to remove a few things. There was at least one Terminator chassis in there. The bodies below ground in the passageway may still be there. They would need to be dealt with. They didn't like to leave things which might raise questions later on if possible. The less anyone knew, the better. It included the authorities and any surviving members of one of the groups they took down. Not everyone from every group was there at the time of an attack. They were sure there were always survivors who'd been elsewhere at some of the locations they'd taken down.
"I think that's it." Savannah said. "We're done here for tonight. It's actually early morning now."
Young Allison looked towards the eastern horizon. It was still dark.
"I think the sun will be up in a few hours." Young Allison said. "It's been a long day."
Sarah checked the time.
"We're past the 'Witching Hour'." Sarah said.
Sarah, Kyle and Derek all reflected they were on the cruise ship for the last sunrise and all the luxury and splendor it offered them. Look what they just went through. There was a world of difference between those two lifestyles.
Cammy opened her eyes. She sat upright.
"What happened?" Cammy asked.
Savannah filled her in.
Anna and the rest of the Detail rebooted soon afterward.
Savannah and Young Allison went over to 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb'. They both touched them. They soon showed signs of activity. The girls gave them a final touch and moved away from them. They powered up their engines and took off. They did a slow circle around them and then headed straight up and disappeared.
Sarah watched all of the interaction between the girls and the drones. It was clear the drones were more than just tools. They were machines, but they also had awareness. It made her wonder how advanced all of them actually were. She understood the loyalty the machines would feel towards Savannah and Young Allison.
She knew those were the same feelings Cameron possessed for John up until the time she was damaged and went 'bad'. Cameron always said she fixed herself. She hoped the same would apply to any of the machines when it came to all of the Resistance personnel.
Savannah and Young Allison spoke quietly for a short time. The two girls gave each other a long hug.
Young Allison joined her Detail along with Anna in their SUV.
Derek wondered where they were going.
"Are they leaving?" Derek asked.
Savannah understood Young Allison wanted to reaffirm the closeness of her Detail and Anna.
"For now they are." Savannah said. "They were going to go back to Palmdale right now. I asked them to come to the Resistance base so we could get our report in and then get some rest."
Sarah knew it was late. She thought they could all use a little rest.
"I think the report can wait until the morning." Sarah said.
Cammy looked back at them. She knew only the girls could relate what occurred after everyone else pulled out.
"It's fine." Cammy said. "It's mainly Savannah and Young Allison who will need to pass along what happened."
Savannah drove. She looked back and saw Young Allison drove the SUV behind her as they headed for the base. It didn't seem to bother her as much anymore. It was clear Young Allison was much more than she previously could admit to herself. Maybe she was being too overprotective. Maybe she was afraid of what could 'happen' between them. It was more than clear Young Allison was ready to become a 'big girl'. It would change everything.
John Henry filled them in on what would happen. Cameron's Terminators would remain in the area for the rest of the night to see who showed up, if anyone. John Henry restored the power grid. There were three blocks in an industrial section which were without power because the transformers were destroyed. They would have priority service in the morning to be repaired by the city. An emergency work order was already placed.
Samantha watched the updates and noticed a few things on the drone footage as the team left the buildings. The images disappeared.
She was contacted directly by CamNet and told what to discuss and what not to discuss. She wasn't looking for any trouble. She wasn't even sure what she saw. She didn't review her files either.
She quietly awoke Riley after she checked on Precious and told her Derek would be back in a few minutes and everyone was fine.
Jesse and Claire woke up too. She informed them Derek, Sarah and Kyle were on the way back along with Savannah.
Jesse thought she should stay in the nursery in case Precious needed her. Claire said she would stay too. Jan and Summer were up now as well.
The team arrived. They stopped by Riley's room. Savannah thanked them for coming to check on her in the building. They didn't elaborate on anything that happened. Jan left with her parents and Summer said she was going to sleep in her bed.
Savannah and Cammy said they needed to make their report to John Henry before she turned in. Young Allison and Anna weren't seen by anyone. They went around the long way to go to the Command Center.
Cammy and Savannah went to see John Henry.
When they were in one of the 'dead zones', Savannah told Cammy about the female Fanatic and what really happened.
Cammy agreed they shouldn't report the specifics of her termination. They continued on their way.
It still bothered Savannah to think about it.
Cammy was troubled by the new revelation from Savannah.
Young Allison and Anna went the back way to the Command Center. A figure stepped out to greet them as they approached. It was Summer.
Young Allison and Summer hugged each other. It was very evident the two sisters shared an emotional hug. It might have been the most emotion Young Allison expressed all night.
Summer knew some of what happened, but not everything. She knew enough to know her sister was in it pretty deep tonight. Anna gave Summer a hug too and told her she needed to sleep now. They left Summer off at her room and continued along to the Command Center. Savannah and Cammy arrived a few minutes later.
Savannah looked both ways and closed the door to the Command Center. She looked at the security camera.
"I need to know if anyone is headed to the Command Center." Savannah said. "John Henry will be notified at once."
Young Allison wondered what it was all about. She didn't ask.
"The details of what's discussed here now, will remain on a 'need to know' basis. Allison or I will determine what and who it is. It includes John and Cameron until their cruise is over." Savannah said. "At that time, I'll make a full report to both of them in person, with Allison at my side."
Savannah looked over at Young Allison and she smiled at her.
It was time to get started.
Savannah began the report as Cammy, Anna and John Henry listened. CamNet also listened.
Young Allison started her report when she'd left the SUV and headed for the building.
Savannah and Young Allison continued their report together once they'd linked up.
Anna sat and listened to what Young Allison did and the number of people she'd killed. She reached over and took her hand at one point.
Young Allison smiled at Anna and told her she was good.
John Henry, Cammy and Anna asked a few questions here and there. They were all beyond impressed at what transpired.
"Derek, Kyle and Sarah can fill in their parts tomorrow." Savannah said. "You have the bulk of the story."
Cammy wanted to add something. She felt it was important.
"Derek told me he wasn't sure if they were going to make it before Allison acted." Cammy said.
Anna threw in what Kyle told her.
"Kyle told me the same thing." Anna said. "They wanted it to be known because they doubted it would be reported as such."
Young Allison didn't want anyone to dwell on her actions.
"I did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done." Young Allison said. "It was nothing more than that."
Everyone there thought otherwise. It was doubtful any other person would have even attempted what she did, let alone pull it off so spectacularly and successfully.
Maybe the most impressive thing was how Young Allison kept her cool and demeanor. It really was like she wasn't affected by any of it. Maybe Cameron really could make a 'human version' of herself. Maybe she'd already accomplished it.
Riley was very pleased Derek was back and unhurt. He only gave her a brief rundown of what actually happened and said the operation was mostly over when they'd arrived. He was very aware Kyle and him actually hadn't contributed much to the operation. He wondered if they actually weren't a liability. It was clear now Savannah and Young Allison were in control of things before they'd arrived.
The girls had already cleared one building and the underground passageway. They'd remained undetected by anyone who they hadn't killed. They didn't know the status of Savannah at the time. He didn't know Young Allison was there as well either.
There was no doubt in his mind the girls would have cleaned out all of the rest of the enemy in the building in a relatively short amount of time. Kyle and his presence there only accelerated the timeline and possibly endangered the girls because of it. They'd been detected almost from the moment they'd entered the building. The girls hadn't.
Since there was no body cam footage of what they'd experienced, and the close call it was, he saw no need to worry her. They'd made it out. All was well that ended well.
He showered and checked on Precious. Samantha was in standby by her crib. He didn't want this kind of life for Precious. What happened tonight as he watched Young Allison kill, confirmed what he felt. It could be his daughter one day. There just had to be a better life for her.
He went into the bedroom and removed his towel. Riley was there naked in bed waiting for him. She wanted to show and share her love with Derek.
It was a different kind of sharing than it was on the ship. This was where the love really shined. They both knew the risks and finality of the lives they led. Every touch with each other was to reaffirm their closeness and love as they shared.
Kyle went and cleaned up while Sarah got Jan to bed. She joined him a few minutes later in the shower. They lovingly washed each other off and kissed when they faced each other. They dried each other off and headed for the bedroom.
Kyle looked in on Jan to make sure she was asleep. After what he witnessed with Young Allison, he didn't want the same future for Jan.
He joined Sarah in bed.
Sarah looked at him for a moment before she spoke.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sarah asked.
Kyle thought about it. Maybe it was best not to bring any of it up right now.
"It was a close one." Kyle said. "Maybe we can just go over it in the morning with John Henry."
Sarah didn't want to make it an issue.
"It's fine." Sarah said.
Kyle still lay there. He was impressed at what he'd witnessed. He couldn't get the image out of his head. The words just slipped out of his mouth without really thinking about them.
"You should have seen her." Kyle said. "It was amazing."
Sarah waited for him to go on, but he didn't. She decided to make her desires known. It was what they both wanted right now. It gave them a taste of reality and being back in the grind.
The killing time was over. It was now time to make love. They could share each other and the fact they were both still alive and unhurt.
Cameron was informed the team made it out of the buildings. They were both burnt to the ground. There were no injuries to anyone or damage to any machines.
She was aware there was more to the story. She would contact Savannah directly tomorrow, actually later today, and ask her for more details.
Cameron left Jim and headed back into the Owner's Suite. She was still naked. She went and checked on John. He was sleeping peacefully. He wasn't snoring right now so she lay down alongside of him. She decided she would stay until sunrise. It was only a little over an hour away. She gently brushed the hair off of his forehead and kissed him softly on the cheek.
She thought this was the kind of life John deserved. Not whatever Hell that Savannah just went through. She still had no idea what part Young Allison played on her own. She planned to be at Young Allison's side when she entered combat for the first time. She didn't want her endangered without a Terminator backup.
Once the truth was known, it was going to affect Cameron deeply.
Jim was very glad when Cameron left the Control Center and didn't ask him to accompany her. It was something he'd worried about. He saw how selfish Cameron acted with the Metal girls and what she took from each of them.
He went back to monitoring the ship and the Resistance operations.
He listened in the Owner's Suite for any sounds of Cameron approaching.
Savannah and Young Allison finished their report. Savannah said they needed to get cleaned up and get some rest. They left together.
John Henry, Anna and Cammy were alone in the Command Center.
Cammy watched them leave on the security monitor.
John Henry was sure there was more to the story.
"How much do you think they left out?" John Henry asked.
Cammy didn't want to make a big deal about it. She wanted to back Savannah up.
"They told most of it. They left out whatever they needed to leave out so they could finish the story." Cammy said. "You need to leave it at that."
Anna wanted to go with Savannah and Young Allison. She didn't want Young Allison alone for the rest of the night. She knew there was going to be some repercussions for Young Allison at some point.
"Young Allison put on a brave face. I know this is going to touch her sooner or later." Anna said.
John Henry thought Savannah would be able to take care of it, as it should be. It was the 'Natural Order' after all.
"Savannah is there for her if she needs comfort." John Henry said. "I know she went through a similar experience."
Cammy thought Young Allison summed it up herself.
"She did what she was supposed to do." Cammy said. "She did it without any Terminator backup either. It needs to be stressed and remembered."
Anna knew it was even more. Young Allison went in by herself. There was no drone support. There weren't even any communications. She literally was all alone when she'd entered the danger zone.
"She did it without Savannah or anyone else to back her up." Anna said. "THAT is what needs to be remembered."
Cammy knew who was responsible for it.
"Put the credit, or blame, where it belongs." Cammy said. "Young Allison is the product of Cameron's training, or indoctrination."
Cammy and Anna looked at each other.
"What are we going to do now?" Anna asked.
Cammy looked over Anna up and down.
"I could think of a few things if you weren't such a prude." Cammy said.
Anna didn't like the comment. She was 'saving herself' for Young Allison. It was the same way Young Allison was 'saving herself' for Savannah.
Before she could respond, John Henry offered a solution.
"You two could always clean the weapons. It sounds like some of them received a lot of use." John Henry said.
Cammy hoped it would take her mind off some of what happened.
"Maybe I will." Cammy said.
Anna was still miffed by Cammy's earlier comment.
"I guess we can." Anna said.
Anna wondered when Claire was going to find out Young Allison was there. She knew Summer wouldn't 'tell' on her. Like Derek and Kyle, she thought Young Allison's exploits should be celebrated for what they were. Even if they seemed somewhat foolhardy, they were brave and based on a calculation of success.
With the after incident report available, she'd calculated Young Allison's chance of success for the initial attack on the men with gas masks at seventy three percent. The chance of success for struggling with the big man was at fifty four percent. If she would have had a gas mask before she started, the odds would have gone up even higher in her favor, especially against the big man. She couldn't take a breath of air for the whole time. She was proud of Young Allison and her actions.
Savannah walked with Young Allison. She wanted to take her hand and hold it. She didn't think Young Allison was ready for it. Not yet anyway. She would be at some point. It was what she went through before herself when she'd first needed to kill. She only killed one person, not over a dozen at that time. What Young Allison did was very personal in the way it was done. It was direct and point blank. She made sure her opponents were dead.
They reached the turn to go to Savannah's room.
Young Allison continued straight.
Savannah was a little confused.
"Where are you going?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison slowed and looked back at her.
"I need to clean my weapons." Young Allison said.
Savannah thought it was admirable, but it could wait until morning.
"It's late. You need to get cleaned up and rest." Savannah said.
Young Allison knew her responsibilities.
"It's work before play." Young Allison said. "Or I guess in this case, work before rest."
Young Allison continued to the armory as Savannah followed her.
Savannah also knew she acted much the same way after her first combat experience. Maybe it was just a way to deal with what actually happened. She thought it would be better if Young Allison would decompress. She would stay by her side. She remembered Vanna was there for her when she'd needed someone.
Mel, Brian and Randy were there and they were almost finished cleaning all the weapons used.
Young Allison was a little surprised.
"You didn't have to do that." Young Allison said.
The three Terminators looked at each other. They wanted Young Allison to rest. They knew they couldn't tell her to do so. They could take the burden away from her so she could rest on her own. There was also a certain amount of logic behind it.
"We don't sleep." Brian said. "It gives us something to do instead of going into standby."
Savannah saw they laid out all the electronic gear as well. She wondered if any of it was damaged.
"Is it all functioning properly?" Savannah asked.
They checked everything twice.
"It appears that way." Randy said.
Mel held up a Taser.
"Do you want to try this on one of us?" Mel asked.
Savannah thought he was joking at first. She quickly realized he was serious.
Young Allison didn't want to do it. She remembered when she'd shot Cammy before as part of a 'real life' test. Cammy was already damaged and said one more bullet wound wouldn't matter, as long as she didn't shoot her in the face.
Young Allison reached back and pulled her Model 66 out.
"I still need to clean this." Young Allison said. "I killed a man with it today, up close."
She swung open the cylinder and ejected two empty casings and four unfired rounds. She looked at the two empty casings for a few seconds and then tossed them in the bucket of fired brass.
Savannah could see Young Allison contemplated her actions, even if it was briefly.
Young Allison saw Savannah look at her. She thought it was self explanatory.
"It was him or me." Young Allison said. "It was life or death."
Mel took the Model 66 from her.
"I'll clean this for you." Mel said. "You need to rest."
Young Allison could see they were going to do it anyway.
"You can return it to me later on." Young Allison said. "Thank you."
Young Allison touched each of the three Terminators from her Detail on the cheek. They all seemed very pleased.
Savannah noticed, but didn't say anything. She thanked them too and they left. They were back at her room in a short while.
They entered the room.
Savannah looked around and closed the door.
"I know how you feel right now." Savannah said. "I felt the same way."
Young Allison just wanted to wash off and lay down at this point. She didn't want to think about what happened. It was done. It was over with. It was in the past now.
"I'm fine." Young Allison said.
Savannah didn't want to push it.
"You get cleaned up first." Savannah said. "You have your toothbrush and some night clothes here."
Young Allison stripped down to her underwear. She faced Savannah and then took her night clothes into the bathroom.
Savannah threw Young Allison's clothes into the wash hamper and added hers to the pile. They probably needed to be washed twice. She was now in her underwear too. She heard Young Allison in the shower so she went in and brushed her teeth to speed things up.
She heard the door to her room open and went to see who it was. She hoped it wasn't Jesse or Claire.
She saw Cammy go out with the laundry basket. Young Allison's Model 66 was on the dresser with six cartridges lined up in a row so Young Allison could load it herself.
"Thanks, Cammy." Savannah said as the door closed.
She heard the water turn off in the shower. She thought it was fast.
"It's your turn." Young Allison called out.
Savannah picked up her night clothes and entered the bathroom.
Young Allison was in the process of putting her night shirt on.
They passed without comment and Savannah stripped off her underwear and entered the shower. As she washed, she could see Young Allison brush her teeth and exit the bathroom.
She made it snappy and finished up and dried off. She put on her night clothes and entered the bedroom. Young Allison was already in bed. She lay down next to her and pulled the covers up.
Savannah felt Young Allison's hand reach over and take hers under the covers. She gave it a very soft squeeze to acknowledge it. The girls were able to express their love for each other in the simplest way possible. It reaffirmed they were there for each other.
Young Allison felt comforted by just having Savannah near her. It was why she'd entered the fight in the first place. She felt she needed to be there for Savannah when she was all alone. Right now, neither one of them were alone.
Savannah was glad she was there for Young Allison if the 'events' bothered her later on.
Both girls were asleep in minutes. It had been a long day.
CamNet's Terminators started back down the hill. They hoped to receive the location of the female Fanatic as they worked their way down. One of the drones quickly located her position.
Tina looked at her phone as they made their way down.
"She's only a few hundred feet away from here." Tina said. "I'm going to terminate her."
CamNet instructed them to return back to their SUV and wait.
Lena didn't think it was the right move.
"We can take care of her now and move on to the next assignment." Lena said.
They were both aware the operation Savannah was on ended. The Resistance personnel returned back to the base. Cameron's Terminators were still around the area. They hoped to find some stragglers.
CamNet informed them a drone would stay with the female Fanatic. She believed there was still more useful information to be gleaned from her. Neither one of them were happy about the decision.
It appeared they would be needed at another assignment which just developed.
"How does a new assignment develop a few hours before sunrise?" Tina asked.
Lena thought about it.
"I bet it developed earlier and there was no one to act on it." Lena said.
Tina didn't know.
"I still think it's a mistake to leave the enemy behind." Tina said.
Lena and Tina kept a wide berth of where the female Fanatic was at. They were off to the new assignment.
The female Fanatic knew there was a drone close by. There was more than one. She closed her eyes and waited. She hoped her service to SkyMaster was rewarded as promised. She was ready for Ascension.
She could hear the drones. She knew they were armed with missiles. She knew they should have a plasma cannon or a minigun on them. She didn't know how the ones searching for her were equipped.
It was clear there was some version of Skynet out there. It began to make sense to her as she thought about it. It was probably one of the reasons why there'd been such little emergency response at any of the locations.
It may not be the future, but the future was there now. She waited in silence with her eyes closed. There was nothing else she could do.
She could hear the sounds of a battle in the distance. There was a loud explosion. The ground near her shook. It appeared the battle wasn't as far away as she'd first thought. She knew there were drones overhead.
From her place of concealment, she could see flashes around the night sky in various locations. Perhaps the battle was much bigger than she'd first thought.
There was the sound of running near her.
"I need every third person to strengthen the north wall." The man said.
She was a little surprised to see there were others around her. The person on her right got up and moved away. They were the third person. She saw others get up and move as well.
"It's going to leave us shorthanded." The man next to her said.
She wasn't really sure exactly what was happening. She took a moment to look around her. There was a lot of destruction.
One HK Tread and two HK Tracks backed away from the line.
"You've got to be kidding me." The man on her other side said. "Now we're under gunned as well."
Two HK drones swooped by low overhead towards the enemy positions. She wasn't sure who the enemy was. There seemed to be a lot of them anymore.
There was a massive explosion from the direction the HK drones went.
It seemed to initiate a lot of enemy fire aimed in their direction.
"Get down." The man on her right side said. "You're going to get hit."
She quickly ducked down. The area around her began to take hits of all different types. There were bullets as well as plasma rounds. She didn't know why she'd been so careless. She knew better. She just seemed a little confused. She wasn't sure if she'd been wounded or not. Maybe she'd received a concussion earlier. Everything just seemed a little off.
There were a series of loud explosions. She could hear screaming.
"Now we've had it." The man on her other side said. "They're using plasma mortars".
She glanced over at the other man.
"As soon as they get us zeroed, we're cooked." The other man said. "I mean it literally."
She knew she needed to get it together. She took stock of her weapons. She was relieved to see she had a plasma rifle. She also had a sidearm. She was a little surprised to see she had two plasma grenades and one EMP grenade.
She remembered she could have used an EMP grenade earlier. She couldn't quite remember what for.
Another HK drone flew by. It seemed to be in back of her. It was going perpendicular this time. It wasn't long before there was another one as well.
The sound around her was very loud. She checked to make sure her ear plugs were in. She could feel she was very dirty. She figured there must have been an explosion close by earlier on. Why else would there be dirt all over her?
The firing seemed to intensify. She tried to identify any targets. She couldn't make anything out. She opened up in the direction everyone else was shooting. She knew she had two extra reload modules for her plasma rifle.
There was an explosion next to her. She was showered with more dirt. She looked over and the man on her left side was gone. The blast knocked her down. She tried to get up. It was like there was something on her. She struggled to move. Something slid off of her body as she moved to a kneeling position. She saw it was half of a human being. It was the lower half of the man who'd been next to her. She felt sticky as well. She tried to brush some of the dirt off. It was more like mud now. She realized it was blood. She hoped it wasn't her blood. She figured it was from the man who'd been next to her.
She wondered where the top half of his body was at. Maybe it was what had taken the direct hit. It was probably what all the blood was from. She went to look over the top of her emplacement. He was a little surprised at what she saw when she looked over. It was an eyeball. It must have been the eye of the man next to her. It was blown out of his head and landed on her rampart. She used the barrel of her plasma rifle to knock it away.
The detached eye represented death. She didn't want death to look at her. She'd seen plenty of death throughout her life. She didn't need death to see her.
There was some type of roar in front of her. It was hard to make out exactly where it came from or what caused it. It seemed to grow louder by the second.
She saw the man next to her look in her direction. In the flashes of light, she could see there was blood on his face.
"What's the noise?" She asked him.
The man looked at her like she was insane.
"It's the Horde." The man said. "We're all going to die. You'd better take off. I'll try to cover you."
She didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. The firing continued around them. It was in front of them, above them and behind them.
"I must have a concussion." She said. "I don't know where I'm at. I don't know what the Horde is either."
The man really looked at her like she was insane now.
"Not only do you need to get out of here, you need to get to an aid station as well." The man said. "You were instrumental in repelling an attack earlier. You allowed us to get back to a more defensible position."
The female Fanatic didn't know any more now than she did earlier. If they were in a battle for their lives, she felt a responsibility to stay and do her share. They were part of a team. They all needed to work together. They all needed to support each other.
"I don't want to leave the line." She said.
The man wiped some blood off the side of his face
"You can't let the Horde get a hold of you." The man said.
There were more explosions all around them. There was screaming from somewhere down the line. Someone begged for someone else to 'finish it'.
"I don't remember what the Horde is." She said.
The man fired his plasma rifle several more times. It ran out of its charge.
"I'm out." The man said.
The intense noise from in front of her seemed to be even closer.
The female Fanatic reached over and picked up a plasma rifle. It was on the ground next to her. She figured it was from the 'half of a man' who was now in her hole. She tossed it over to the other man.
"Tell me about the Horde." She said. "I don't remember what it is."
Bullets begin to impact around them, from in back of them.
"They must be inside the wire." The man said. "They'll do terrible things to you. You can't let them take you alive. You need to remember to save the last round for yourself."
The female Fanatic was very confused. The Horde sounded like some type of Scavengers to her. She needed to know more.
The man next to her opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, the top of his head disappeared. His body fell like a rag doll back into his hole.
She felt something hit her. She picked it up. There was some hair on it. She realized it was the top of the man's head. She let go of it and wiped her hand on her clothes. She remembered how dirty they were. Everything was dirty. It was gooey . It was sticky. It was like bloody mud.
She was surrounded. The enemy was all around her. She could feel them closing in. It was like she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move? Did she still have her legs? Were they still there? Maybe they weren't from the man in the next fighting position. Maybe they were her legs.
The female Fanatic could only wish she was somewhere else right now. She knew she was about to die. Somehow the way it was about to happen, made her question Ascension.
Lena and Tina headed for their next operation. They hadn't been given any details. They'd reluctantly left the female Fanatic behind.
CamNet began to provide them with information. It was clear it was going to be a follow up on one of Cameron's 'off the books' operations.
They headed back into the city.
Tina looked around them as they drove. It looked like a slum.
"I can see we're in the nice part of town now." Tina said.
Lena didn't care for the location.
"Skynet acted too early." Lena said. "Skynet didn't need to destroy humanity. Humanity is going to destroy itself."
Tina knew it was past the Witching Hour. Usually the cockroaches of life crawled into their abodes by now. It was evident there were a few groups of them out.
"There are still a few good people in society." Tina said. "The Resistance females need to be protected from the future."
Lena knew it was true. It still seemed like there was a large percentage of the population which didn't contribute much to society.
"We've only been activated for a very short time." Lena said. "I'm sure we'll be deactivated soon enough. We need to remember we work for CamNet. We don't work for Cameron and we don't work for the Resistance."
Tina felt their actions would justify their need.
"What we clean up now, someone else won't have to do later on." Tina said.
She checked her satellite overlay map. They were provided with fresh drone images. There was one drone with them. The other one was still back at the mine.
CamNet's Terminators were at their new location. The eastern sky was lit. Sunrise wasn't far off. They looked over their avenues of approach. They weren't going to go in as customers. They were going to go in as Terminators.
The female Fanatic's eyes opened. She felt an extreme sense of panic. She tried to move from side to side but couldn't. There was something around her which prevented her from moving. She gasped for air.
She remembered where she was. She was between two large rocks. She hoped her sudden movement and gasping didn't attract any unnecessary attention. She's been trying to hide from two HK drones.
Wait.
What was real and what was a dream?
She could still hear the whine of a HK drone in the distance.
No. Where she was at right now was real. What she saw happen on the hillside was real. She knew what she saw. The other part was the dream. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been asleep. She was so tired. She only tried to lie still earlier so she wouldn't be spotted. She couldn't help it because she'd drifted off. She'd only been able to get a few hours sleep in for the last few days.
She didn't know what time it was. She reached down to take out a phone. She'd turned all of them off when she started up the hillside earlier. She thought maybe it was a good idea not to look at one. The HK drone might be able to pinpoint her location.
She could hear the HK drone coming closer. Maybe it spotted her when she'd woken up. She'd made too much noise. She'd moved around too much. She couldn't help it. The dream had been too real. It had been terrifying. She still didn't know what the Horde was. Where did the thoughts even come from?
She tried to push herself deeper into the terrain as the HK drone approached. She could see the eastern sky was lit up. If she was going to reach Ascension, she would just as soon get it over with now. She still had her pistol. She could rise up and go down fighting. It was the most honorable way to reach Ascension.
The female Fanatic wondered if she would see the new dawn. It might be a morning of madness.
Nothing More Than That
Is it easier to push
Is it harder to pull
Is the glass half empty
Is the glass half full
Maybe when one looks
They don't see a glass at all
When they try to move forward
They hesitate and stall
If one starts to take
When is it ever enough
The road is seldom smooth
It's always bumpy and rough
Life is a jigsaw puzzle
Everything becomes a shell game
The pieces move around
The results are always the same
When one tries to stand tall
They're soon knocked flat
What one see is what they get
There's nothing more than that
Nobody