Chapter 1380
Golden Gate Park
Cam-Gail didn't have any trouble passing through the checkpoints or metal detectors. She returned to the Control Center and plugged in. CamNet provided her with some disturbing updates. The pending operation with Savannah was her biggest concern. The trouble with the human girls from the ship seemed to be another escalating problem.
She directed Sheila, Ally and Hanna on where to go. It didn't look like they would be able to reach the three girls in time to assist them.
She didn't want to disturb Cameron's helicopter flight. She was afraid she might have to. She didn't know how big of a problem things would turn into. It appeared the girls from the ship would be abused at this point.
If Sheila and her team arrived, they may be damaged when they went to assist them. There appeared to be at least fifteen assailants in several different groups. The girls from the ship were trapped between the different groups up against a lake.
She thought about what Savannah would want and what Young Allison would do.
It made her next decision easy.
She planned to call in a drone strike. She was surprised to see the drones were already headed there. It appeared someone else was on top of things. She was sure she knew who it was.
Cameron continued her helicopter flight around the San Francisco area. She pointed out all the major buildings along with City Hall and various other local landmarks.
John, Allison and Vanna thought it was a fantastic view.
The Terminators all liked the flight too.
Cameron flew down the inside of the bay towards the airport when she received some disturbing news. CamNet contacted her directly with the impending action in Golden Gate Park. She made sure all the Terminators on board received the information. She didn't want John, Allison and Vanna to know what was about to happen at this moment. Events were already in motion to prevent it. It was doubtful any of them would work short of an outright drone attack in the middle of a city park, even if it was a really big park. They might not be able to keep everything under control.
Cameron upped the power and the Blackhawk picked up speed. She brought the nose of the helicopter around and headed for Golden Gate Park.
John noticed the increase in power from the Blackhawk. He could tell right away Cameron must have gone to full power as she brought the Blackhawk around hard. It wasn't a sightseeing maneuver. It was more of a combat maneuver.
"What's wrong?" John asked. "What is it?"
It was clear to him she wanted to make up time. There must be a specific destination in mind.
Cameron wanted to downplay the situation.
"There's an issue with some of the passengers from the ship." Cameron said. ""We're going to take a look at it and assess the situation."
She already knew there were two drones on station and a team on the ground headed to the location of the incident. She hoped their arrival would moderate the response.
John wondered why it involved them.
Allison and Vanna picked up on the threat right away. They were pretty sure they were only a few passengers Cameron would go out of her way to assist.
Vanna was immediately concerned.
"I bet it's Mary and Laura." Vanna said.
Allison thought a little further. They'd watched some of the surveillance footage in the Control Center earlier.
"It could be their friend too." Allison said.
Cameron glanced back. She could see the girls nailed it. She didn't see any need to hold back on the information.
"It is Mary and Laura." Cameron said. "It's their other friend Leticia as well."
Cameron gave all of them the information she knew. It didn't sit well with Allison and especially Vanna.
It seemed more like a Scavenger attack to Vanna than anything.
"Let's hurry and get there so we can help." Vanna said.
Allison was ready for action.
"Let's get crackin'." Allison said.
John was worried now too. He thought the girls were pretty. He looked back. He saw Vanna and Allison both had weapons out. There was no mistaking Allison's Model 66. The Terminators were all armed too. He expected to see an M60 or M249 appear in the door on one side of the helicopter. It didn't happen, at least not yet.
John understood the girls took the incident personally on several different levels.
He didn't think they should get involved. He thought back on the incident in school with the cheerleader. He changed his mind.
"Let's get there so we can help them." John said.
Everyone seemed pleased the General agreed.
Cameron wanted to free herself up for action. She wanted to make sure John was protected as well. It was time to do a personnel switch.
Ken and Lou replaced Cameron and John in the pilot and copilot's seat.
The Blackhawk thundered back up the peninsula at full power. The modified helicopter made good time.
Earlier:
Sheila was apprised of the seriousness of the situation. Her driving increased to her full Terminator ability. The convertible was pushed to its maximum and beyond.
Ally could sense the extreme danger they were in as Sheila drove. She checked to make sure the vehicle was equipped with air bags. It was. It would have been nice to have a roll bar in addition to the air bags. It was a luxury they didn't have.
"This is like in the movie." Ally said.
Hanna was unsure what movie it was. She made a guess.
"Was it 'Gone In Sixty Seconds'?" Hanna asked.
Ally thought more along the lines of the one she'd recently viewed with Sheila.
"No. It was the one filmed here in San Francisco." Ally said. "It's named 'Bullitt'."
Somehow the name of the movie seemed to fit right in with their operations.
Sheila smiled.
"Hang on." Sheila said. "'Frank Bullitt' is my middle name."
Hanna tilted her head slightly. It seemed Sheila possessed quite a few 'middle' names.
Mary, Laura and Leticia were surrounded. What looked like it might be their only way out was cut off. There was a third group which now approached them from the street. It was their last hope. They thought it might have been their salvation. Now it was another dead end.
The three girls stopped running. There was nowhere to go.
Laura looked around in panic. She checked her phone again. She was still on hold for 911.
"What are we going to do?" Laura asked.
Mary was desperate to escape. She could see only one direction they could possibly go.
"We can try and go in the pond." Mary said. "Maybe they won't follow us."
Leticia looked over at the flat dark surface. It looked more like a lake to her than a pond. She was worried she was going to have a problem. It was a big one.
"How deep is it?" Leticia asked. "I don't swim."
Laura looked at the dark body of water.
"We don't know." Laura said. "It could be two feet or ten feet deep."
Mary thought things like this only happened to other people.
"Why is this happening to us?" Mary asked.
Laura thought things could happen to anyone. Her earlier abuse in the dark park almost seemed insignificant at this point.
Leticia made the decision to buy them some time. She would face the attackers alone. She would give them what they wanted.
"You two go on. Try and make a break for it across the water." Leticia said. "I'll stay here. I've dealt with this before growing up. Don't worry about me. You know I'm a survivor. I'll do whatever they want."
Mary didn't know Leticia very well. She didn't want to abandon her. She didn't want to go through a gang assault either.
Leticia could see they were hesitant to try and make a water escape.
"Go." Leticia said. "It will be over quick enough."
Mary and Laura still hesitated to abandon her.
It was too late.
The gang caught up to them.
"Nice night for a walk." The leader said. "I think we all know what's going to happen here."
His statement brought a round of laughter and cat calls from the gang members.
The female gang member looked at the three girls from the ship. She decided to give them some helpful advice.
"Just strip and your clothes won't be ruined." The female gang member said. "It's no big deal if you go along with it. None of them will need more than a few minutes with each of you."
A few of the gang members gave her a dirty look. They knew she spoke from experience. She'd been with all of them as part of her initiation. It was all one after another.
It seemed like a big deal to Mary and Laura.
Leticia knew she was right. It wasn't a big deal as long as it wasn't violent. She was ready to undress.
The new group of assailants who came from the street were almost to them somehow. They'd moved very fast.
The gang leader looked up. He was surprised anyone would challenge them. The homeless group was still off to the side as they awaited their turn. They knew not to get too close until his crew was done.
"Well, it looks like things just got better." The leader said. "We might even have some leftovers for the homeless creeps now."
Mary, Laura and Leticia were bewildered by what they saw.
It was 'Peggy', 'Sue' and 'Ann'. Where did they come from? Didn't they know the danger they were in?
Ally, Sheila and Hanna were there now.
Sheila walked up to the gang leader. It was clear she was unafraid.
"Is this what they call Yank hospitality, love?" Sheila asked. "I'm just new in town."
Hanna and Ally calmed the three girls down. They reassured them they were going to be OK.
The homeless group further slowed in their approach off to the side. They didn't want to have a run-in with the gang. They'd had some trouble before. Some of the homeless people ended up in the hospital. The gang members all carried weapons. They would wait for the 'leftovers' when the gang was done. They were all pleased to see there were three more females. It would cut down on the wait time for each of their 'turns'.
Life was good in Frisco.
Anna tried to keep Young Allison from getting involved in what was happening in San Francisco.
"It's not your concern." Anna said.
Young Allison saw it differently. She'd already asked CamNet to move the drones into gun range.
"The Metal girls are there." Young Allison said. "It makes it my concern."
They looked at some drone footage. There were two of them there ready to lend direct fire support if necessary. They were in close. They were out of human earshot. The miniguns were armed and hot. They'd already established targets between them, and back up targets in case one of them was downed. It seemed unlikely based on the targets. It was standard procedure for them in an attack. There'd be no confusion on what targets to strike next. The Metal girls knew they were there.
Anna could see they might be seconds from a blood bath in a city park. There could be over a dozen killed in a matter of moments.
"You need to use restraint." Anna said.
Young Allison thought she was.
"I haven't unleashed CamNet on them yet." Young Allison said. "Make no mistake. I will if I have to. This is about our group now."
Young Allison knew CamNet was processing targeting information as they spoke.
Anna didn't want an incident.
"The Metal girls have it under control." Anna said. "Cameron is almost there. She will be shortly. She'll direct the action."
Young Allison didn't like waiting.
"We'll see." Young Allison said.
The drones all requested the command to act.
Savannah asked for 'close in' drone scans one more time on the building they needed to enter.
Cammy looked at the results.
"Nothing shows up." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't like things at all.
"I don't think if they were working on a version of Skynet in there, they would just leave." Savannah said.
The drone scan indicated zero activity in the building. It appeared everyone left when the building closed down for the night. There were drones watching for the three men who Cammy identified in the clean room. They were never spotted leaving.
"I don't think so either, unless they were able to take everything with them." Cammy said. "They could have removed all the hard drives and left the support equipment behind."
Savannah wasn't sure what other options there could be.
"Maybe it's what they did." Savannah said. "Once they couldn't reach 'the Boss', they must have figured out what happened and they were next. What about the energy usage?"
John Henry was on top of it.
"There's been minor consumption since the building closed." John Henry said. "There's no Skynet hook up I can detect. There's minimal information flowing in or out of the building. There appears to be several computers which are processing SETI data. It's probably one worker who decided to use the electricity at work. It's an effective strategy to cut home electrical costs."
It didn't leave them any closer to an answer where the men went.
Cammy was anxious to return where she'd been.
"I'm going to need to take a look inside the building." Cammy said.
It still reeked as a 'setup' to Savannah. She knew there were other options available to them.
"We can always blow up the building." Savannah said. "The workers are out."
Savannah also knew the workers would be out of jobs tomorrow if the building was flattened. Most of those workers were unaware who their new boss was.
Cammy thought some conclusive answers would be better. If everything was destroyed before she could look at it, there would still be a lot of mystery.
"It won't give us any answers." Cammy said. "We need to know what happened."
Savannah thought about how involved the operation was last night. At least Young Allison wasn't there for this one. They could use a few answers for once. They hadn't gotten any information about the unknown portal or the 'energy ball'.
"Let's go take a look." Savannah said.
The Terminators knew it would endanger Savannah.
"We can go." Richard and Michael both said at the same time.
Cammy felt she was the best qualified to go.
"I've already been inside the 'clean room'." Cammy said. "I'll go."
Savannah wasn't going to let Cammy go alone. She was worried about a booby trap if the Grays were on to them. It appeared they were.
"We're both going." Savannah said. "I want a non standard entry. I don't want to enter through a door if we can avoid it."
Drone scans taken from altitude earlier began to show up on the laptop. So did the building's plans. From their earlier 'inspection' of the building, the plans matched what they'd witnessed. The 'clean room' was the only new addition.
Cammy looked over everything.
"It leaves us with another window entry, a hole in the wall or a hole through the roof." Cammy said. "Two of those are going to make a lot of noise."
Savannah looked again. There was no interior roof access. It was all outside with a ladder at the rear of the building. There were no skylights either. The air conditioning unit wasn't located on the roof. It was along the side of the building.
"I guess it's another window entry." Savannah said.
Cammy recalled the alarm system and any motion detectors she'd spotted.
"The alarm system is basic." Cammy said. "It won't pose a problem. John Henry can bypass it and make it appear it's on after he shuts it off."
Savannah didn't think it was intended as a 'setup', but it may have become one.
"What about alternate ways into the clean room?" Savannah asked. "It was on somewhat of a raised platform."
Cammy recollected the clean room's construction.
"It was elevated for the electrical wiring and cooling system." Cammy said.
Cammy's statement made Savannah wonder about it.
"Was it a big enough area for the men to hide in?" Savannah asked.
Cammy became concerned.
"It's possible." Cammy said. "They could be under the computer equipment. There was only minimal room. They would need to lie flat and be concealed below the floor panels. They wouldn't be able to move around much at all."
Savannah thought about Cammy's description. It didn't sound like the men would have room to fight either. They would need to use the restroom at some point. There'd been no movement detected at all inside.
"I don't think they're in there." Savannah said. "I think they gave us the slip."
Cammy thought about going by the representative's house who'd acted as their guide earlier.
"Maybe I should visit the guy who 'showed' us around." Cammy said. "He knows there's something going on there that's not part of the company."
Savannah was aware the Syndicate, with the involvement of Grays, was responsible for compromising a few things for people and using it against them.
"Remember, not all of these people had a choice when they were 'leaned on'." Savannah said. "He may not be the owner, but he works for the owner. He must have been asked to 'look' the other way at times."
Cammy really didn't have any compassion for collaborators.
"Let's try a window and see what we find inside." Cammy said. "We may need to torch the place anyway."
Savannah thought about all the people who went to work today. Tomorrow they may all be unemployed. There may also be a few who don't survive the night.
"Let's go." Savannah said.
Cammy and Savannah exited the back of the van. Hank and Larry were in the back of the building. They moved a little closer. Richard and Michael would stay with the van for now. They had a lot of heavy weapons if they were necessary.
The girls made their way to the side of the building. They passed the men's and women's restrooms. They both had a high window. It was only to let light in. It was too small to enter from. They moved to a small office. It was next to the break room.
The window was only a piece of glass. It didn't open.
Cammy looked at the window. It was mounted from the inside.
"I think I can get it out." Cammy said. "It may crack or break. It's held in differently than the others we removed."
Savannah didn't like the delay. They were exposed and out in the open alongside the building.
"Maybe we should try a different one." Savannah said.
Cammy thought they would all be the same.
"I don't know if it will matter." Cammy said.
Savannah saw they were next to the break room.
"What about the windows here?" Savannah asked.
Cammy looked at them.
"They're the same." Cammy said.
Cammy headed for the back of the building.
Savannah noticed Larry and Hank moved up to meet them in the back. It wasn't what she'd expected.
Hank wanted to give them an additional option.
"We can open a rear door." Hank said. "One of them has a keypad."
Savannah saw it was the employee entrance from the rear parking lot. They'd entered from the front earlier in the day.
Cammy looked over at the storage shed in the back. It was where the leader of the Grays told the representative to lure her out to. They wanted her isolated so they could 'deal' with her. The thought made her look forward to 'dealing' with them.
"You work on the keypad." Cammy said to Larry. "Take it apart if you have to and make the connection."
Cammy walked over towards the storage shed.
Savannah saw Cammy head over towards it. It wasn't part of the plan.
"What are you doing?" Savannah asked.
Cammy wanted to know what they had in store for her before.
"I want to check where they wanted to bring me earlier." Cammy said. "I want to see what's there or what they intended to do. It's probably a 'comfort bunk'."
Savannah cringed at the thought. She was sure there was more. She stopped Cammy.
"Maybe it's where they are now." Savannah said.
Cammy didn't see how they would get there without being spotted. The drones had been watching the location since they withdrew.
"I don't know." Cammy said.
Young Allison wanted to follow what was happening in San Francisco but Cammy and Savannah were on the move.
"Get a drone to scan the outbuilding right now." Young Allison said.
Anna knew it had already been scanned.
"It was done earlier." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't want any surprises.
"Do it again before they get there." Young Allison said.
Anna could see Young Allison's concern. She went to act but it was already being done.
CamNet acted on Young Allison's request.
There was a heat signature inside now. Anna issued the warning herself. There was no time to go through John Henry.
"Cammy, disengage." Anna quickly said. "Someone is in there."
They saw Cammy and Savannah stop. Cammy moved Savannah behind her.
"Target the shed." Young Allison said.
Young Allison wanted to be ready for action.
"It's locked up with a missile." Anna said. "Cammy and Savannah are too close."
Young Allison noticed a drone moved in closer. It was in easy gun range. She figured it was 'Coltan Overcast' or 'Cherry Bomb'. They would both be there to watch over Savannah.
"They're covered now." Young Allison said.
Anna checked.
"It's 'Coltan Overcast'." Anna said.
Young Allison smiled. She knew 'Pink Butterfly' would be there to help. Savannah renamed it 'Coltan Overcast' for personal reasons.
Cammy shielded Savannah with her chassis. They moved off to the side a little so they weren't in front of the door. She noted there was a spot for a padlock on the front of the shed. There wasn't one there now. She silently showed Savannah it as they moved further off to the side.
Savannah knew the level of concern, worry and danger went up dramatically in the last thirty seconds.
Hank left Larry at the rear door and came over to assist them.
John Henry looked back over the information feed. They listened over their coms.
"There appears to be one person standing inside the shed." John Henry said. "They're near the door."
They didn't know if the person inside was listening or waiting to jump out and ambush them. How and when did they get there and remain undetected before?
Sheila walked up to the gang. They all looked at her and then at each other. It was clear she wasn't afraid of them. Everyone was afraid of them when they were together. No one ever approached them.
She looked at the female gang member.
"Do you want to dance, love?" Sheila asked as she winked at her.
It seemed to upset the female gang member. She pulled out a knife. The male gang members voiced their approval and encouraged her to attack the 'crazy foreigner'.
She cursed and lunged at Sheila with the knife.
Sheila sidestepped and grabbed her wrist. Everyone could hear it break with a loud double 'crack' sound. Before the female could even scream Sheila hit her hard in the back of the neck and knocked her out. She didn't want to kill her yet. She'd already made other plans for her. She wanted to make sure she was conscious when she carried them out.
Sheila now held the knife. She lifted the limp female's head up by the hair as she pressed the knife to her throat. Her body hung at an angle below her as she was suspended from her hair. The position made her throat very prominent. It was clear her throat could be cut instantly.
"Who does this piece of trash belong to?" Sheila asked. "Does anyone want to claim her before I give her to the lot over there?"
Sheila indicated the group of homeless men who was still slowly closing. The new action almost stopped them. They still continued, but at a much slower pace.
The gang members were unsure what to do. They started to advance on Sheila. She pushed the knife into the unconscious female's neck and drew blood.
"Maybe you'd like her better with an ear to ear grin." Sheila said. "Take off now and no one else gets hurt."
There was a round of insults and cussing. The gang members started to fan out. More knives were produced.
Ally and Hanna stayed with Mary, Laura and Leticia. They all carried their Taser and M9, as did Sheila. They hadn't pulled them out yet. There were two drones. They were in close to back them up. They were both in gun range. If any gang member produced a firearm. The minigun on the closest drone would cut down the entire group.
From the near distance, there was the increasing throb of a helicopter approaching.
A bright light came on and illuminated the group on the ground as the helicopter flew over the trees. As it overflew the group of homeless men, the helicopter did a 'water drop' on top of them. The Blackhawk was still configured as a firefighting helicopter. It slowed and showered the men. Most of them were knocked down by the force and the amount of the water. The Blackhawk was low to the ground and the heavy downward rotor wash added to the chaos. There were several thuds near the homeless men. It was Bob and Jim. They'd jumped down to make sure there were no 'problems'.
The Blackhawk continued towards Sheila. There was another thud and another figure approached the gang and Sheila. It was Cameron.
The Blackhawk landed next to the small lake. Hanna and Ally ushered the girls towards it. They appeared dumbfounded by everything that just happened. It was all like a crazy scene from an action movie. The only problem was, it was real for them.
Holly opened the other side door a little way. Allison and Vanna exited out the other side door and came around the front of the helicopter. They planned to 'replace' Ally and Hanna.
Holly, Gail-Cam and John helped the girls inside. Allison and Vanna reentered behind them. Ally and Hanna disappeared into the darkness. They would cover both teams from the shadows.
It was hoped in the confusion that Mary, Laura and Leticia wouldn't notice the switch. They weren't dressed exactly the same either.
Other than being terrified, they seemed to notice Holly's breast size and then Gail-Cam's even larger size. The fact Allison and Vanna were dressed differently than Ally and Hanna hadn't registered on them. It was mostly dark and maybe they'd only looked at their faces. They had bigger issues to worry about than anyone's wardrobe.
Ally and Hanna moved away in the darkness to assist Bob and Jim if necessary. Cameron and Sheila were armed and backed up by two drones.
The gang members were more intimidated by Cameron as she boldly walked up to them. They were even more impressed by her beauty.
Cameron faced the advancing gang members.
"Stop where you are." Cameron said as she glanced at Sheila. "If they take one more step, give the slut a 'Glasgow Smile."
Sheila smiled and repositioned the knife inside the unconscious female's mouth. She was ready to slice her right cheek open all the way back. It was something she hadn't done before. She thought about doing it anyway. If the female would have been conscious she would have done it. She would want her to know it was her as she did it. She looked over at the Blackhawk and decided not to. She didn't want to scare Mary, Laura and Leticia any more than they already were.
There was gunfire over where the homeless group was. The gang members looked over that way and saw there were several figures lying on the ground. They didn't move.
"Take off now and no one gets hurt worse." Cameron said. "It's just that simple. Think of your friend."
They looked at the female being held at an angle by her hair off of the ground with a knife in her mouth.
The gang members all held knives still. Cameron didn't hold anything. The knife Sheila held was still poised to slice open the unconscious female's cheek.
The leader put his knife away. The others hesitated and did so themselves.
"We're cool." The leader said. "Give us Yolanda and we'll go."
There was the sound of more gunfire where the homeless men were. A figure looked like they were shooting the men who were down on the ground in their heads. It was hard to see in the dark gloom.
Cameron looked at the leader.
"Have your people run from here now." Cameron said. "You'll stay."
The other gang members took off before the leader could even speak.
Sheila tossed the knife she held into the pond.
She let go of the unconscious female's hair and her face slammed into the ground. It sounded like a front tooth fractured, maybe it was both. It was probably her nose too. She thought the slut got off lucky for threatening her. There were other things she could do as well before she left.
Cameron looked at the gang leader. She still hadn't produced a weapon. Her presence commanded authority.
"Pick her up and go." Cameron said.
The leader picked her up and turned to leave.
Sheila wanted to set some new rules.
"This park belongs to us now." Sheila said. "If I see any of you here again, I'll kill you. This is MY park now, all of it."
Sheila's eyes glowed red. The leader staggered backwards and almost fell over. There was a foul smell in the air now.
"Who are you people?" The leader asked in fear. "What are you people?"
Sheila smiled. Her eyes still glowed bright red.
"We're your worst nightmare." Sheila said.
The gang leader ran from the area as urine and feces flowed down his legs inside his pants. He was unaware of it as he ran with the female in his arms in utter terror. He didn't know anyone who wouldn't be scared of a group of armed men. The red eyes are what really threw him. He wondered if he'd just encountered aliens. Who else wouldn't have been afraid of him and his crew? Who else could have eyes that glowed red?
A short time ago:
Bob and Jim listened to the conversation with Cameron and Sheila. The group of homeless men was drenched with water. Those who could take off ran back the way they'd come. About half of them were down on the ground. They were stuck in slick mud now.
To play it up for Cameron, Bob fired his un-silenced M9 into the ground to make it look like he shot some of the men. He did it a second time. He could see the gang scatter a few seconds later. The rest of the homeless men took off a few seconds afterward.
Ally and Hanna joined them from some trees nearby. They both held their silenced M9 at the ready.
They watched the Blackhawk lift off.
"We have a car." Ally said.
Ally and Hanna led Bob and Jim over towards it. It appeared they were done there for the night. Then again, maybe they weren't.
John Henry was able to contain all 911 traffic related to the incidents in San Francisco. Some of them pertained to Sheila's wild ride towards Golden Gate Park. He made sure all emergency responders were out of the area and stayed out of the area.
Holly and Gail-Cam got Mary, Laura and Leticia buckled in and gave them all a pair of headphones.
Sheila and Cameron joined them a short time later. Cameron closed the door and the Blackhawk lifted off.
The girls all talked at once.
Sheila motioned for them to listen.
"We were on a sightseeing tour when our pilot spotted some trouble on the ground." Sheila said. "I was surprised to find out it was you three. Would you like to join our Bay Area tour flight? It's free."
The three girls seemed to be at a loss for words now. They thanked Cameron, Sheila and the others for saving them.
There were thousands of thoughts flowing through their minds and silent prayers of thanks for what was barely avoided.
Laura looked at her phone. She was still on hold for her 911 call.
"Shouldn't we notify the police?" Laura asked.
Sheila was aware of the no prosecution and no bail situation for criminals.
"This is San Francisco." Sheila said. "The police don't respond to most of the calls. They won't respond to any abuse against females either. It's part of living here."
Cameron didn't want the girls to continue to worry.
"Save your questions until the flight is done." Cameron said. "You'll be much safer now since you're with us. I think you can see that. Sit back and try to relax. I know it will be tough at first. To keep talking about it and asking questions will only make it worse. Need some time to decompress."
Cameron watched John check out the three girls sitting across from him. She could see he liked Leticia the best.
Allison and Vanna noticed it as well. They did too.
Leticia was as fine as they came. It was all natural beauty too.
CamNet's Terminators anticipated a confrontation of some type very soon. There was no sign of the men at the end of the cul-de-sac who entered the burnt out building. The drone conducted a low level scan to try to see where they were at that one point. They didn't show up.
The two homeless men at the door over the railroad spur into the building continue to fool with it.
"If you push on the other side, while I pull on this side, we can squeeze through." The first homeless man said.
The second homeless man looked around them.
"We're making too much noise." The second man said. "We need to get out of here now. You're asking for trouble."
The second homeless man moved away from the doors.
The first homeless man finally let go of the door he was holding. He took off after the second homeless man.
"I wanted to check to see if the girls are in there." The first homeless man said.
The second homeless man hurried away from the area. He headed towards the west side of the building. They were currently on the south side. He looked in back of him as they moved.
"We were making way too much noise." The second homeless man said. "Let's look for an easier entry. You know we can usually find an unlocked door or a window not shut tight in a lot of these buildings at night."
The two homeless men were almost to the corner when they heard some metallic noise behind them.
Seconds ago:
The three Grays inside of the building thought they'd heard some type of noise near the door over the railroad spur which entered the building. They'd previously been searching for a crate with a specific number.
"Are any of you clowns armed?" The third man asked.
"If we were, you wouldn't be calling us clowns right now." The second man said.
"Don't get smart." The third man said.
"I don't think he could if he tried." The first man said.
The third man looked at the other two men with disgust. He produced a handgun.
"Follow me and shut up." The third man said.
They heard the noise two more times as they approached the door over the railroad siding.
The third man pointed his gun between the doors when they reached it.
"I want you each to try a door to see if it will move." The third man said.
The other two men looked at each other. They moved up to the large doors and tried them. They only moved a few inches.
"It's not big enough for anyone to get through." The first man said.
"Maybe it was an animal." The second man said. "I saw something that looked like a giant rat one time."
"It was an opossum, moron." The third man said. "They usually play dead when they're confronted with danger. It's not a threat to us."
"It looked like it had a lot of teeth to me." The second man said. "I should have blasted it."
"Why didn't you?" The third man asked. "Don't tell me. Like now, you didn't have your pistol with you."
"We're in our base." The second man said.
"They seem to be falling one by one." The third man said. "I want you jokers packing heat from now on."
"Do you want us to take a look outside?" The first man asked.
"I was wondering what you were waiting for." The third man said.
"You're the one with the gun." The second man said.
"Just open the door up." The third man said. "I'm not afraid of the Boogeyman."
The first man opened his side of the door. There was a loud squealing noise as he did.
The third man quickly passed through the opening to the outside. He searched for a target with his pistol. There wasn't one. He took one more long look around before he went back inside.
"Lock it up." The third man said. "Make sure the 'cane bolts' are thrown into the tie. One of them wasn't before."
The three Grays closed and secured the doors. They went back in search of whatever crate they were looking for.
Seconds ago:
Tina and Lena watched the episode at the other end of the track unfold from each side of the front boxcar. They conversed at a level only another Terminator could hear.
"The Grays don't seem very proficient." Tina said.
Lena watched as the men went through their antics.
"We know there were two homeless men trying to get in." Lena said. "They didn't know what the threat was. They didn't take it seriously."
Lena kept one eye on the men at the rear door and on the drone footage of the two homeless men as they moved along the south side of the building. It appeared they hadn't given up their quest to enter the building.
"The homeless men are headed for the west side." Lena said.
They watched the Grays finish up and secure the doors. They went back to searching for the mystery crate.
Tina checked on the vehicle at the end of the cul-de-sac.
"The men at the end of the street no longer show up." Tina said.
Lena could only draw one conclusion.
"They're either in some type of vault or they've gone underground." Lena said.
The drone was able to zoom in on the license plate. CamNet checked the records. The address came back to a house a few miles away.
"Based on the images of the individuals and the license plate data, I think it's a group of local teenagers." Tina said. "They're probably at the location to use illegal narcotics."
Lena didn't think they had time to deal with them. They were going to need to secure the building they currently were in and see if CamNet could scrounge up any additional Terminators to come and start collecting anything of value inside. They were going to need to head to where the female Fanatic currently was at with the big rig. So far they were both still on the move.
The two homeless men were almost to the corner when they heard the large doors over the railroad siding squeal.
They spoke in hushed tones.
"Hurry…." The first homeless man said. "I told you there was too much noise."
Both of the homeless men made it around the corner. They could see the three cars in the parking lot outside the office area.
"Let's see if we can find an open door or window while they're tied up in the back." The second homeless man said.
The first homeless man didn't even want to look around the corner at where they'd just left.
"You really do have a death wish." The first homeless man said.
"We don't know what goes on around here." The second homeless man said. "We see people come and go all the time."
"Isn't it exactly what happens at every business around here?" The first homeless man asked.
"You know as well as I do there's something off about this place." The second homeless man said.
The two homeless men moved along the west side of the building. They tried a few doors and windows. Everything was secured. They looked around the front side of the building. They could see the box truck backed up to the dock.
"It looks like every other place around here." The first homeless man said.
"What about the place at the end of the street?" The second homeless man asked.
"Half of the buildings around here are vacant." The first homeless man said. "We've been inside all of them. There's nothing behind the curtain. The building down the street is where all the dopers hang out. They're the ones who caught it on fire when they were trying to cook meth or 'free base' or something."
"Don't forget about the gang of illegals who ride the rails." The second homeless man said. "They seem to be around this area a lot more now."
"I wish I could forget about them." The first homeless man said. "I really wish this country would enforce the immigration laws they've had on the books for years. Those people are nothing but trouble."
They walked around the entire north side of the building. They tried the entry door near the dock but they didn't try all of the roll up doors to see if any of them were open.
"I can see there's a carload of dopers at the end of the street right now." The second homeless man said.
"We can go down and see what's happening." The first homeless man said.
"We might run into the illegals." The second homeless man said
"I think I saw them split earlier." The first homeless man said. "They seemed like they were in a hurry."
The second homeless man thought about the rail traffic they'd watched pass by in the last few hours.
"They probably hopped on the eastbound container train." The second homeless man said. "It was going kind of slow. Usually they 'highball' this section of track."
"I think what you really want to know is what happened to the female we saw earlier." The first homeless man said.
"What about those other two we saw pass by later on?" The second homeless man asked.
Both of the homeless men were past the target property. They were no on the east side. They heard a car come around the corner off of the main street. They could see the headlights when they looked.
"Quick, let's hide." The first homeless man said. "It might be the cops."
The two homeless men weren't looking to get rousted. It could be any number of individuals. They seem to come out at night. They quickly moved into the bushes on the building next to the target building and waited.
CamNet's Terminators followed the progress of the homeless men outside of the building as well as the three Grays inside of the building. They'd been able to hear the homeless men talk about the other vehicle at the end of the cul-de-sac. It was much as they'd suspected. It was just a group of local drug abusers. It was the new vehicle which caught their attention.
The female Fanatic touched her Beretta and her knife. She had the two bombs. She could try to take out the occupants of the vehicle or blow it up if she couldn't. She didn't want to lose the big rig if possible. She looked at the street map on the overlay of the satellite image. She was going to have to gamble.
It appeared the big rig was going to be on a straight stretch of highway if it didn't make a turn at the next intersection. There were two gas stations catawampus from each other at the intersection.
As she neared the intersection, she could see only one of the gas stations was lit up. The other one was dark. It was evidently out of business. The truck had gone straight as she'd hoped. She made a right hand turn at the intersection and immediately turned into the back of the closed gas station once she was past it. She turned off her lights. She exited the vehicle with the satchel charge. She moved up to the side of the gas station and looked at the main street. She could see the vehicle approaching.
Much to her dismay, it began to slow.
"Damn." The female Fanatic said.
It was clear the vehicle was going to turn or stop. She slung the satchel charge crossways over her shoulder and body. She pulled out her Beretta.
The female Fanatic was unsure what she was about to face. At least she was off of the main street. She didn't believe the truck driver would be able to hear or see what happened if she only used her Beretta. Whoever was in the gas station more than likely would. If she needed to use the satchel charge against their vehicle, she was pretty sure everyone was going to hear it.
A Loss For Words
When someone speaks to another
Everyone is able to hear
Are the words they speak
Something to cherish or to fear
Do the people here hear
Do they actually listen
It's doubtful they do
Or the words would glisten
A person hears what they want to hear
It's a sad fact of life
It cause much pain and grief
It creates unnecessary strife
The boy who cried wolf
Made everyone stop caring
Does the same thing apply
When it comes to sharing
When someone no longer matters
Everything is for the birds
It leaves one empty handed
They're at a loss for words
Nobody