Chapter 1431
Open Invitation
Summer spotted something disturbing. It was definitely bad news. It was more trouble on top of what they'd already experienced.
"The patrol is back out." Summer said.
John Henry figured the underground explosions alerted them. They most likely 'felt' them as opposed to 'heard' them.
"It's probably because of the action to seal the passageway." John Henry said. "Two power cells exploding is quite a wallop. It was bound to be felt."
Summer watched her monitors.
"All of the LP's have been put on alert." Summer said. "They are all manned with three people now."
It seemed like an EMP would be detonated soon as a precaution. The anti-Metal group would need to worry about bringing down an airliner with too big of one.
Summer thought they should take immediate precautions.
"All of our Terminators and drones should be at least seven miles away." Summer said. "Ten miles would be safer."
John Henry checked. CamNet already moved everyone away once the passageway was sealed. It was everyone except for Cammy's team and the two drones with Savannah and Young Allison.
"Most of the drones are in compliance with the directive." John Henry said.
Summer laid out additional grids. She wanted to provide CamNet with targeting information if they lost contact with another jamming field.
"The patrol is headed right back to where they were before." Summer said. "They're targeted for a gravity shot with a missile and 'metal hail' minigun fire if it's needed."
There was still a lot which could go wrong.
"It may be a necessary option." John Henry said.
They didn't want to tip their hand too soon if it could be avoided. A missed 'check in' time with the patrol was sure to start something into motion. They wanted to be the ones who called the shots. They wanted the anti-Metal group to respond to them, not the other way around.
Cameron was at a point where she wasn't going to be able to stop what she was about to do. The excitement level alone drove her. Everything was right there in front of her. All she needed to do was take it. It called to her.
Leticia made it clear what she wanted. It was an 'open' invitation to Cameron.
Sheila moved closer next to Cameron to watch what was about to happen. She was as aroused as Cameron and Leticia were. She hoped to turn it into a 'three way' once things got started.
John and Allison felt as one right now with each other. It was something neither of them ever experienced before. There was a level of depth and feeling which was overwhelming for them.
They both looked into each other's eyes and knew they wanted more of everything. They needed more of it. Maybe it was the years of pent up love for each other which was finally unleashed. One thing was for sure. They should've been doing everything ever since Cameron asked them to start. It was a mistake on their part for not listening.
If Allison wasn't already pregnant, she knew she would be soon anyway with what they felt. She wanted all of the love for herself. She also wanted to have Vanna experience it. She didn't know what Vanna did earlier, but it wasn't a whole lot. The demons from the past came to haunt Vanna as she tried to share with John. Allison believed if Vanna could experience and feel what she did right now, the demons would be slain. She wanted it for her long time lover. She wanted Vanna to be free from her past.
It wasn't difficult for her to want more for herself. She knew the past had a way of haunting everyone in different ways. Death was so commonplace it seemed like it was normal. It wasn't normal. It should never be normal for people to die needlessly. Abuse was another thing which seemed like it was normal. Every female suffered from abuse. It was usually of multiple types. She wanted Vanna to find her way to the current future, from her future.
She wasn't sure anyone could leave the past behind, even if it was the future
Young Jesse felt very much the same way about Vanna as Allison did for John right now. She was at a level she'd never been to before, even when she'd shared with Savannah and Jesse.
It was at a level the Metal girls lacked the emotional connection to reach.
It was said Cameron was the closest to a human as possible for a machine to be. Maybe all the Metal girls would be there too one day.
Right now it was Vanna. She made her feel like she'd never felt before. She tried to return the same level of love.
Young Allison wondered if maybe they should stop before they exited out of the passageway. There was no indication of immediate danger waiting for them. She decided to keep going.
Savannah agreed with Young Allison they needed to be away from there as quickly as they could be.
They weren't sure if the patrol would hear them or not. If they did, they might call for an EMP. It was doubtful anything the patrol carried could knock them down unless they were closer to them. They would still be within a half mile of the patrol.
The two drones tried to cut some of their sound output. The new power plants did a good job of it already. They throttled back some.
John Henry cleared them to exit and stay right above the ground for the first few miles.
There was a diversion on the way when they would exit. It should distract everyone and make them think twice about being 'EMP happy'.
John Henry looked over at Summer. He watched as she took some action on her own.
"I didn't fully understand the plan when you put it into effect." John Henry said. "It's a risk for the pilot."
Summer knew everything was a risk. It was all a matter of degree.
"I'm going to owe Ken a big favor." Summer said. "He did us a real solid."
John Henry knew a lot could still go wrong.
Summer made sure there was a backup program for Ken before she allowed the mission to go forward. The chance he would be terminated was greater than fifty percent.
They weren't betting odds, especially with someone's existence. With the need to get Savannah and Young Allison away from the passageway before the bombs went off, every Terminator volunteered to do the same thing.
Earlier:
The anti-Metal patrol was back in their tunnel. They begin to remove some of their gear.
"It's great to be back home." The first female said.
"You just want some slot time with your new girlfriend." The second male said.
"I'd say don't knock it until you try it." The second female said. "Then again, you're all done in two minutes. What does two minutes do for anyone else?"
"I wish I could go for two minutes." The third man said. "I can't keep it up for more than twenty seconds before I lose it."
"It's what you get for abusing a Metal Bitch." The first female said. "You know those things go bad sometimes. Nobody knows why. It's why we don't have any in the Free Resistance."
"You mean except for the 'Metal Whores' the males like to abuse." The second female said.
"It's the only way they can get any." The first female said. "It shows what losers they all are."
"Knock it off." The first man said. "We're still under an alert."
They felt something. There was a small jolt which shook everything. It didn't continue.
"What was that?" The first female asked.
"What was what?" The second man asked.
"I felt something too." The third man said.
"Maybe it was an earthquake." The second female said.
The first man was in the process of giving his report to Command.
There was a much larger jolt a short time later.
"There it is again." The first female said. "Everyone must have felt it. It was at least five times as big."
"It was probably an earthquake." The third man said.
The first man finished up his call with Command.
"Command wants us back out there." The first man said. "They aren't sold it was an earthquake. There hasn't been any listing of one on the website which tracks them."
"Does it mean it was an explosion?" The second man asked.
"They don't know." The first man said. "None of the LPs heard a thing, but they all felt it too."
"It would mean an underground explosion then." The second female said. "What's the story on the ambushes we sent out?"
"There still hasn't been any contact." The first man said. "We need to get out there now, people."
The patrol collected their gear and headed back out.
"If I hear the mountain lion again, I'm going to do some 'recon by fire' at the sound." The third man said.
"I'd say if a little pussy cat scares you, you don't have any balls." The second female said. "Then again, you actually don't."
Her factual statement brought a round of laughter.
The third man looked angry.
"It's really funny. I'll let you walk point." The third man said. "You can meet up with a two hundred pound pussy that can eat you."
His factual statement brought another round of laughter.
"Pay attention." The first man said. "Every LP is on alert and we should be too."
"We don't even know what we're looking for." The first female said.
"I have a feeling we'll know it when we see it." The second man said.
They headed outside. The patrol moved in the direction of the opening of the passageway. It was where they'd left off before.
In a few minutes, they started to hear something. It grew louder.
Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump….
"There's a chopper inbound." The first man said. "Maybe it's an assault."
Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump….
"It sure seems loud." The second female said.
Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump….
"There it is." The third man said. "It's all lit up."
Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump….
"It's one of the fire fighting helicopters." The first man said. "Maybe something did happen. Do you see a fire anywhere?"
Thump, Thump, Thump, Chop, Thump, Chop….
The first man checked in with Command.
Chop, Chop, Thump, Chop, Chop, Chop….
The helicopter was closer and louder.
Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop….
"Should we bring it down?" The second man asked.
Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop….
"Does it look like an assault to you?" The first man asked.
Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop….
"No." The second man said.
Chop, Thump, Chop, Thump, Thump….
The helicopter moved away from their location.
Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump….
The two drones exited the passageway at a moderate speed and stayed right above the deck. They'd debated whether or not to close the door behind them when they left. It would have cost them additional time. It didn't seem like it mattered at this point. There were going to be two nuclear bombs exploding in a matter of minutes. Even if anyone went to explore the passageway, it didn't go anywhere any longer. It had been collapsed in two separate places. It was a dead end. Anyone who was in it when the bombs went off, would find out it was literally a dead end as well.
Savannah and Young Allison both spotted the Blackhawk behind them. It was between them and the patrol. They hoped to get away before an EMP was set off. The Blackhawk was a decoy to mask their noise signature. It was a risk for the pilot. They hoped to mitigate the risk by being as open and obvious as possible with the helicopter.
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' hugged the ground and were soon a few miles from the target area. The Blackhawk moved away from the area too. It would be at a safer distance in a short while.
They were soon at the location Cammy's team was at. The spot was still a few miles away from where the vehicles were at.
Savannah asked to be let off to be with Cammy's team. Young Allison wanted the same.
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' set down and the girls got off.
Cammy and Anna greeted them.
There were eight machines which needed to get to a safer distance. There was no easy way to do it with what was available. It was time to make a few hard choices.
Young Allison directed Steve and Tom to get onto 'Coltan Overcast' and Richard and Michael to get onto 'Cherry Bomb'.
"I want everyone away from here." Young Allison said. "We'll go with Cammy and Anna."
Savannah thought it was a good move. It protected the maximum number of their troops.
The girls thanked 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb'
They both paused at 'Cherry Bomb'.
"I want you to get a complete external and internal diagnostic." Savannah said.
They both touched 'Cherry Bomb'.
"I'll follow up on you." Young Allison said. "I want complete repairs made on anything which needs to be repaired. I want you to be at one hundred percent. We want you at your best and protected from accidents."
The drones stayed right above the ground and left with the male Terminators. There would be less damage to all of them if an EMP blast was able to affect them.
"They should be clear in a few minutes." Anna said.
Anna knew the distance was too great for them to cover.
"We won't be." Cammy said.
Savannah and Young Allison checked Cammy and Anna over. The second power cell was removed from both of them with precision. They would heal up nicely. They would need to get a replacement another day.
"It's why we're here." Young Allison said. "Anyone needs to come through us to get to you."
Savannah knew the timers were counting down. It was close to the time things should start to happen.
"How long will it be before the strike starts?" Savannah asked. "I make it at less than five minutes."
"Four minutes and forty three seconds, forty two seconds." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted a defensible location for them.
"Let's go." Savannah said. "We need to find a spot for you to go into standby at."
The four girls looked at each other and moved out. The fact it was the four of them together now didn't go unnoticed by anyone. The girls never took the easy way out and were at the heart of everything which happened.
Maybe they were the heart of everything which happened.
Cameron was almost to her goal when everything changed.
Sheila saw Leticia's eyes roll up and her head tilt off to the side.
Leticia was gone.
"She's out again." Sheila said.
Cameron thought about completing her goal but refrained. It seemed like Leticia was in trouble still.
Cameron and Sheila both moved up to check on her.
The suite door opened and Gail entered. She'd heard the earlier drama as she approached. With the latest revelation she decided to enter. She actually possessed quite a bit of experience for just such a situation.
"Let me take her." Gail said. "I've dealt with Jesse before like this. Sometimes it is harder to bring her back from the edge than other times."
It was news Cameron and Sheila could have done without. It sounded like Jesse may have gone a little further than she needed to on multiple occasions.
Gail hurried over to Leticia. Sheila and Cameron backed up. They watched her 'work' on Leticia. She made sure her heart was beating and she was breathing.
"I still lose Jesse a few times a month." Gail said.
It didn't seem very safe to Cameron. She thought Jesse stopped the practice of being taken so far.
"Is it wise to do?" Cameron asked.
Gail looked over real quick.
"She's cut back. It was several times a day for months and at least twice a week for years." Gail said. "She didn't want me to 'bring her back' sometimes. She said she wanted to die happy. I waited as long as I could, but I always brought her back anyway."
Cameron thought it might have been more a 'figure of speech' than an actual 'command'. She knew Terminators took some things the wrong way sometimes.
"You need to bring her back every time." Cameron said.
Gail looked at Cameron and thought about what happened with Duplicate Cameron and the duplicate set of girls.
"I won't allow her to die. I lost her once. It's never going to happen again." Gail said. "Not being here with me is the same as being dead, even if it isn't. Duplicate Jesse isn't here anymore, what's the difference?"
Cameron felt a twinge of guilt. It was because of her actions why Duplicate Jesse was in River's future. She'd told John she wouldn't change the timeline when she rescued the duplicate girls from certain termination. Instead of allowing either duplicate set of girls to return to their current timeline, she'd left one group 'in some future' and used a temporal rescue to send the other group of duplicate girls to River's future. She was about to respond when there was some new activity.
Leticia soon opened her eyes. She coughed several times. She looked into 'Lisa's' face.
"Lisa?" Leticia asked. "What happened to Sue and Barbara?"
Sheila moved up and touched Leticia.
"We're here, love." Sheila said.
Leticia smiled when she saw 'Sue'. She was in love with her.
Gail pulled the cover up on Leticia. She didn't want anyone else to push her over the edge again.
"You need to rest." Gail said.
Leticia looked at Cameron.
"It was wonderful, Barbara." Leticia said. "I don't remember much, but I know you sent me to heaven too."
There was some movement from the pass door between the suites.
"What's all the commotion?" Mary asked.
The three Metal girls looked over.
Mary and Laura stood there. They were both naked.
Cameron wanted Mary and Laura dealt with right now. She didn't want them to start asking questions. She didn't want them to know Leticia died twice from overstimulation.
"I'll stay with Leticia." Cameron said. "Go to them."
Sheila and Gail both touched a cheek on Leticia and headed for Mary and Laura.
"The real commotion is about to start." Sheila said. "We're coming to your suite now."
Sheila took Mary and Gail took Laura as they led them back through the pass door into their suite.
The Metal girls planned to give them the 'Full Metal Treatment'. Mary and Laura would leave the ship very satisfied.
Cameron sat with Leticia to make sure she didn't 'go out' again. She touched her cheek and her hair. Leticia fell asleep soon. She listened to what was happening next door. It was clear they were busy.
She looked around and looked back. She carefully lowered the cover down past Leticia's breasts. She looked at her breasts in detail and touched both rings. She made sure the captive bead was centered. She then covered her back up. She scanned her a few times.
Cameron planned to use Leticia's DNA on her next captured female Terminator. She would do the 'Neural Interface' too with her. She would have Sheila keep an eye on her for a little while.
She checked the time. She would need to make sure the breakfast carts were brought to the rooms on time. No, Jim should have it covered.
Cameron hoped one of the girls was with John.
She would check in a little bit. If John was available, she would bring him there. His 'services' were needed today or tomorrow.
Cameron gently touched Leticia's lower belly.
The thought made her smile as she scanned her again.
Savannah wanted to hunker down early and be prepared. The anti-Metal group was bound to start setting off an EMP or two.
"This looks like a good spot." Savannah said. "There's cover and protection from the mountain. It gives us a hill and these boulders between us and the mountain."
Cammy reminded them the blast shouldn't blow out of the side or top of the mountain. If anything, it should collapse in on itself. It was how the placement of the weapons was planned. Richard and Michael knew what weapons would be used in the future, which was now, when they built the passageways in the past. They knew what the specific yield would be on both of them.
Young Allison tracked the patrol on her phone. They were near the passageway now.
"I want the entrance to the passageway blown closed when the LPs are attacked." Young Allison said. "I don't want the patrol to make it in there by some fat chance."
Anna knew Young Allison wanted something else.
"What do you really want for them?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted to kill them for what they'd said about Terminators and what they'd done in the past, the future.
"I can't make it personal." Young Allison said.
Savannah looked at her. She knew what she wanted and she understood why.
"Sometimes it is personal." Savannah said. "They need to be neutralized right before the attack. Why don't you set it up with John Henry. I'll make sure Cammy and Anna are tucked away."
Anna wanted Young Allison to be mindful of the time.
"You have sixty seven seconds." Anna said.
Young Allison contacted John Henry and got Summer instead.
"It's all set up." Summer said. "'Metal hail' is ready to fall at your command. It will be followed up with a missile strike when the LPs are hit, just to make sure. Say when."
Young Allison was about to kill in front of her sister. Wait, her sister set it all up. She was going to kill them herself. She was unaware how many people Summer targeted and killed over the course of the night.
The time was running out fast.
Summer could sense some hesitation from Young Allison. She didn't have any.
"I'll do it." Summer said.
Young Allison didn't want Summer to do her dirty work.
"No. Do it now on my order." Young Allison said.
Summer already acted before Young Allison spoke. She wasn't taking any chances. If she fought, she needed to fight to win.
"It's done." Summer said. "The 'metal hail' is on its way."
Young Allison moved over against Cammy and Anna who were now in standby. Savannah moved in back of her and shielded her with her body. Their hands found each other and they interlaced their fingers in silence. They should be far enough away. The blasts should be contained deep in the mountain. Something could still go wrong.
It was Showtime.
Moments ago:
The anti-Metal patrol watched the helicopter move away and off into the distance. It wasn't the same direction they were headed.
It was quiet again.
They paused and listened for a little bit. There were no growls or snarls to be heard.
"Everything is quiet in Command." The first man said. "There hasn't been any additional movement from the ground. They said the tremors showed up on the government tracking system after all. They're about to issue a 'stand-down'."
"I think it's a good thing." The first female said.
The patrol moved out of the trees into an open area.
The 'metal hail' silently came down and enveloped them.
They didn't even have time for it to register.
They fell as a group.
There were six explosions ten seconds later. They all came as one.
The three LP's disappeared with two missiles each, along with the opening the patrol came out of, the passageway the Resistance used, and into the group of bodies the 'metal hail' took down.
The sudden attack caused an immediate panic in the anti-Metal base. They'd just issued a 'stand-down'.
There was a small EMP set off followed by a much larger one about ten seconds later.
They buttoned up the base as soon as they lost contact with all their forces which were out.
A jamming field was enacted to block all communications around them. They checked all their security cameras for the approaching assault.
Nothing showed up. There was nothing around the base and nothing in the sky.
What the Hell?
The female prisoner was back inside the base. She knew right away it was her fault. She knew she'd led the enemy to their lair. She wasn't sure how. She'd been scanned and they took every precaution about being followed on the way back.
In the next instant the ground began to move. All the power went out. There were only a few battery backup emergency lights. The shaking of the ground grew worse. It seemed there was a loud roar to go along with it.
Everything came apart. All the scrambling figures inside screamed as they were crushed and all the debris fell into the void.
The anti-Metal group could no longer hate. Peace found them. They were dead.
John Henry and Summer watched the effects of the weapons used.
There was a massive cloud of dust where the base used to be. The front of the mountain collapsed in on itself. There was no 'blow out'. It was a good thing. They hadn't wanted a fireball or mushroom cloud. The radiation which could have escaped would have been a give away as to what actually happened.
"We're going to feel some shock waves." John Henry said. "The P-wave is already here."
Summer felt a slight jolt and rolling motion. It ended as quickly as it started.
"My mother is going to feel it." Summer said.
John Henry figured there were a few million people who were going to feel it.
"I think everyone will." John Henry said.
Summer didn't want any negative repercussions from her mother. She wanted to stay ahead of everything.
"Let me go check on her." Summer said.
She quickly left the Command Center.
John Henry checked all the drone images. He'd even been able to get a few satellites to make passes over the area.
There was no movement on the ground at all. There was only dust there. Hopefully the anti-Metal group could find some tranquility in death.
Seconds ago:
Savannah and Young Allison heard the explosions when the LPs were taken out. They stayed hunkered down when the two EMPs were set off. They weren't really aware of the jamming field since it was only of such a short duration before it was destroyed.
"We'll feel it any second." Savannah said. "It's time."
Savannah and Young Allison felt the earth move below them. It felt like an earthquake.
Young Allison thought it lasted longer than it should have. Time seemed to be going very slowly at this point.
In a few seconds it was over.
"Is that it?" Young Allison asked.
From past experience Savannah thought so.
"Yes." Savannah said. "It is unless we trigger a real earthquake. It's always a possibility. It could be a foreshock to a much bigger earthquake, a real earthquake."
Savannah visually scanned the landscape around them for any movement or threats. Young Allison joined her.
"How much longer will it be until they reboot?" Young Allison asked.
Savannah knew Cammy would come back online first.
"It will be soon." Savannah said.
Savannah communicated with John Henry and the other teams which were out. Everyone was secure.
Cammy rebooted and Savannah filled her in. Anna rebooted thirty seconds later. Young Allison filled her in.
It looked like a successful operation by all accounts.
CamNet would have some of her Terminators remain near the location for a few days to look for any stragglers. Richard, Michael, Larry and Hank would remain in the area. They would have drone support from fifty thousand feet in the daytime.
It was time to pull out. It appeared their work there was done.
Savannah directed Dan and Frank to head to the port in the van as they'd originally intended. Ken would pick up Lou and they would have the Blackhawk at the port across from where the ship docked. Everything for them would be as it was scheduled.
Al and Ed would follow up on the first ambush site. Steve and Tom would follow up on the second one. They would make sure everything was 'covered up' as to what actually occurred.
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' returned to give the girls a lift back to the SUVs before everyone left.
Randy, Brian and Mel waited for Anna and Young Allison to arrive.
Summer rushed back to her room.
The tremor wasn't as bad as she'd anticipated.
She listened in on her mother's room. It sounded like Jesse and her mother were sharing. They may not even have noticed it depending on what they were doing.
She quickly put her bed clothes on. She tended to her personal needs and brushed her teeth.
When she exited the bathroom, she saw her mother standing at the pass door.
"Are you OK?" Claire asked.
Summer glanced back towards the restroom.
"Yes." Summer said. "I just used the bathroom."
Claire looked around the room.
"Did you feel anything?" Claire asked.
Summer didn't want her to worry needlessly.
"Yes. It was a mild earthquake. It wasn't much more than a tremor." Summer said. "It didn't seem very bad."
There was some movement in Claire's bedroom.
"Is everyone OK?" Jesse asked in the background.
Summer didn't want them to try to investigate further. The incident was over.
"Yes, everyone is fine." Summer said. "I think we can all sleep now. It's almost morning."
Jesse took the answer to mean the team was OK and there weren't any problems. She was glad to see Summer was back in her room as well. She wanted Claire to return to bed.
"Come on, love." Jesse said. "We need to get some sleep."
Summer gave her mother a hug and they both went to their beds.
Summer got in bed. She then got out once her mother was back in bed with Jesse. She hurried back to the Command Center. She wanted to see everyone home first. Things may not be over yet.
John Henry received a call from Derek and Sarah asking about the earthquake. He told them the team successfully dealt with a group of the anti-Metal faction and everything was under control.
"Everything worked out fine." Summer said.
John Henry was surprised she was back already.
It was time for CamNet and him to redirect where the epicenter was at for the 'earthquake'. It was downplayed as a mild quake which was shallow.
John Henry noted Summer went over all of the drone footage at the three locations where the teams saw action with the anti-Metal group.
He wondered if there was something he'd missed. It seemed there were a lot of things he missed when Summer was around. He would check with her soon and see what she was up to.
To get all the teams to where they needed to go used all the vehicles which were parked behind the diner.
Savannah wanted Young Allison home. Ken and Lou were still nearby with the Blackhawk. Summer asked John Henry to have them wait before they left.
"I need you to go back home." Savannah said.
Young Allison didn't want Savannah to go off on some new trek.
"I'll go if you do the same." Young Allison said.
Cammy didn't want any issues.
"Why don't we get on the Blackhawk and discuss it as we fly?" Cammy asked.
Anna wanted Young Allison on the helicopter too.
"I'd like to get away from this area as well." Anna said. "I've needed to go into standby way too many times tonight."
Savannah wanted to make sure everything was going to be in place for the ship to arrive. That should happen soon. It would be daylight in an hour or so.
Young Allison's Detail got on the Blackhawk when it landed.
Anna ushered Young Allison on board.
Savannah and Cammy were still outside.
"Savannah!" Young Allison said. "Get in."
Cammy and Savannah continued their discussion.
Cammy got in.
Savannah took one last look back at the mountain and got inside. She was the last one on the ground.
Mel closed the door.
The Blackhawk lifted up and avoided overflying the area where the big bunker complex previously was. They didn't want to risk an EMP going off somewhere in the rubble.
Savannah looked back once. She wondered how many people were killed tonight. It saddened her some they needed to die for their hate.
"They chose the lifestyle, not us." Young Allison said.
It still saddened Savannah a little. She really wished they could come to some type of working accord. With what she'd heard personally, and what Young Allison heard personally, it didn't seem like it was going to happen.
"Yes they did." Savannah said. "Everyone digs their own grave one way or another."
Young Allison thought they'd helped the anti-Metal group 'dig' theirs. Now they could rest in it.
The two men in the white van continued their journey. They still had over an hour to go until they reached their next destination. The driver looked over at the sleeping passenger as he moved along the freeway. There wasn't much he could do to speed things up.
CamNet's Terminators continued to follow the white van. They watched it do the evasive maneuver with the freeway on and off ramps. They were directed to continue to follow it. They were going to need to make an excursion in a few more miles.
They received their instructions where to get off the freeway. The drone would stay with the white van. They were given the address to proceed to. They received some good news as well. There were more drones freed up to assist them since the Resistance operation concluded.
They would receive two more drones. Two more drones were also directed to the location where the female Fanatic was last spotted. They would go in search of the other four big rigs.
Lena was pleased to hear the news about their additional assistance.
"I hope they're able to detect any threats before we encounter them." Lena said.
Tina thought they had so far. Neither of them had taken any damage.
"We haven't been ambushed yet." Tina said.
They went over the layout of the location they were to approach. It was connected to the Syndicate. The information gathered from the terminated Syndicate soldiers phones indicated there was a new shipment of females about to arrive at one of the locations. They'd been rounded up earlier in the evening from several local sources.
The area they entered was a series of rundown motels. The authorities were paid to look the other way by the Syndicate. The operation was mostly centered around females. There were some drugs involved. It wasn't a major dealership. The drugs were mainly used to control the new 'recruits'.
They needed to park a few blocks away. They would have to walk in. They exited the SUV. They carried a few Thermite grenades with them along with their silenced pistols.
"How do locations like this even exist?" Lena asked.
Tina believed it was all due to human behavior.
"Humans are very self centered and greedy." Tina said. "It appears they're driven by three primary factors."
Lena found something in her files.
"Don't tell me." Leda said. "It's sex, drugs and rock and roll."
Tina thought she was very close.
"I think sex and drugs are two of them." Tina said. "I think it's about greed, through money and other acquisitions."
Lena was aware of the vast amount of sexual programming contained within her files. There were various techniques on how to satisfy both males and females. So far, she didn't have any first hand experience since her activation. She hoped to learn more before she was deactivated.
"There are many vices." Lena said. "I think alcohol is the most widely used drug of all."
The new drone was over the location. They were able to view the images around it.
The other drone which arrived with it currently searched for the vehicle approaching with the females in it. It soon located it a few miles away. They thought they had enough time to take care of the personnel on hand at the beat up motel.
They approached the office area. The attendant wasn't at the front desk. They were in the back part of the office area. They carefully opened the door so the little bell attached to it didn't jiggle and ring.
Lena moved up to the doorway and looked in. The attendant viewed a number of monitors. She moved up in back of the attendant and snapped his neck. She looked at the various screens he'd viewed. There appeared to be a camera in each of the rooms. There were twelve rooms. There were twelve screens. There was only activity on two of them.
There were two men who appeared to be abusing a female. She believed it was the handlers. The female was still in the initiation phase of what her new 'career' would be. It appeared one man had just finished and the other one was about to start.
She looked at the other screen with activity. There was a man inside with several empty bunks. She figured he was getting them ready for the new arrivals. She could see there were several hypodermic needles on a tray on a counter. Most likely the girls would be injected with drugs upon their arrival to make them more compliant. It was the standard operating procedure.
Four of the other rooms all showed a female on a bed. They were nude. They were either asleep or drugged. Four of the other rooms appeared to be vacant. The new arrivals would end up in them soon enough.
There were men asleep in the other two rooms. She figured they would be up soon enough when the new batch of females arrived. They would need to start the 'break in' procedure once they were drugged.
It was time to act. They selected their targets.
Lena quickly headed for the room where the two men currently abused the female.
Tina headed for the rooms with the two sleeping men. They would never wake up. She entered the rooms, one at a time, and shot both of the men as they slept.
Lena kicked in the door and shot both of the men with her silenced M9. She watched a hypodermic needle fall from the man standing over the nude female. He been about to inject her with some more drugs.
The female looked over in her direction but didn't move. She spotted her clothes on the floor in a corner. She picked them up and handed them to her. She told her to get dressed. She would deal with her later.
She moved to the room as the man laid out the hypodermics. He looked stunned as she smashed through the doorway. She grabbed him by the neck and choked him out. She didn't kill him yet. She took the hypodermic needles he'd laid out. There were six of them. She injected him with all six of them and left him there.
Tina carried a set of keys she picked up from the room of the second man she killed.
She gave Lena two of the keys. She kept two for herself. They went to check on the females in the rooms. The girls were all secured to the beds with an ankle shackle. They broke the shackles off and told them to get dressed. They were all a little sluggish.
The drone showed the vehicle was only two blocks away. It was painted as a bread delivery truck. It was for a nonexistent bakery. It was probably someone's idea of a joke as it's what the females would generate for the Syndicate. 'Bread' was a slang synonym for money.
Lena and Tina quickly rounded up the females. They put the five of them in the empty room next to the office location. The bread truck pulled up next to the office thirty seconds later.
The clanking grew louder. The female Fanatic knew the HK Track was in the cavern. She knew it would scan in all directions. She wasn't sure if they would have been spotted behind the crates or not. The crates were only made out of wood. Where they currently hit now was made out of Coltan.
Jill could feel her heart pounding. She didn't know exactly what it was moving around in the darkness. Somehow it seemed to make it worse. She could hear it, and even feel some vibrations as it passed. She remembered what Jackie told her and didn't move.
The female Fanatic tried not to move as she could hear the HK Track move around the two HK drones. She hoped Jill would remain still as she'd instructed her. The HK Track completed its circuit around the area. It exited the cavern and went back down to the junction.
She looked over the top of the HK drone she was behind. She couldn't see the HK Track. She moved over to where Jill was at.
"It went back out." The female Fanatic said.
Jill slowly let out her breath. She'd been holding it.
"Is it gone?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic couldn't hear it anymore.
"It is for now." The female Fanatic said. "We need to be careful."
Jill thought they needed to be more than careful. It seemed like an understatement. Not only was there the group of terrorists, there was some kind of machine working for them.
"Who was controlling the machine?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic didn't want to get into a discussion right now about the future.
"It's automated." The female Fanatic said. "Wait here. I'm going to check to see which direction it went."
Jill wasn't sure she liked being left alone.
"Will it come back?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic figured it would at some point.
"It probably won't come back for a while." The female Fanatic said. "I need to see where it goes."
Jill could hear Jackie leave. She wanted to know more about what was around her. She took out her phone and turned the light on. She wanted to look at the machine she was hiding under. She looked up over the top of it towards the opening. She couldn't see anything. She shined her light off to the side. She could see there were some boxes. They were made out of wood. They were like the ones she saw in the back of the truck when she'd let Jackie out of it earlier. She shined the light in the other direction. There were more of the wooden containers on the other side.
She looked at the layout of everything around her before she moved. She wanted to have a good idea how to get back where she'd been if it was dark again. She turned off her light and stood. She walked over with her hand outstretched until she touched the wooden crates. It was sixteen steps. She turned her light on and looked back at what she'd been hiding under. It really looked like something out of a science fiction movie.
She could see it was armed with some type of gun. There were six barrels on it. She was sure there were other weapons as well. She hoped to not find out what they actually were. She figured it would be the hard way if she did.
Seconds ago:
The female Fanatic moved through the passageway. She wanted to get back to the junction. She could hear the HK Track moving around outside of it.
She carefully looked around the corner. The HK Track went in the direction they'd come from. She didn't think they'd be going back the same direction for a while. She hurried back to collect Jill. She could see the glow of a light coming from the chamber as she approached. She figured Jill had seen plenty by now. She looked over towards where the light was.
"Be glad I'm not one of them." The female Fanatic said.
There was some movement from behind her.
"I was kind of hoping you were." Jill said.
The female Fanatic turned around. She saw Jill had her Beretta pointed at her. Jill lowered it down when she saw it was her. She thought it was a good ruse. It worked.
"In that case, I'm glad I wasn't one of them." The female Fanatic said.
Jill went over and collected her phone. She pointed at the HK drones.
"What are these things?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic wanted to give her a plausible explanation.
"They're a type of drone." The female Fanatics said. "I'm sure you've seen something about drones on television."
Jill had seen drones were used in combat areas as well as for search and rescue.
"They don't look like any I've ever seen." Jill said. "They don't even look aerodynamic."
The female Fanatic understood her question.
"They don't rely on aerodynamics to fly." The female Fanatic said. "I would like you to go back to the junction and listen there. Don't go out. I need to know if anyone or the machine comes back."
Jill looked a little hesitant.
"OK." Jill said. "If I hear anything I'll come right back here."
The female Fanatic moved over to the closest crate. She took out her knife.
"Thank you." The female Fanatic said. "I need to see what's in the crates."
Jill carefully made her way back through the passageway. She could see the junction up ahead. She moved up to the corner and paused. She could look more in the direction they'd been going than the direction they'd come from.
She could hear the metallic noise from the way they'd entered earlier. She carefully looked around the corner. She couldn't see anything moving around. She hoped it was a good thing. She remembered if she could see it, it could see her. She wasn't sure why the device followed them into the cavern.
The female Fanatic pried the top off the closest crate. There were more sub-assemblies for HK equipment in them.
She moved to the crates on the other side of the HK drones. It was more of the same. She wanted to see what else was inside the mine. She quickly made her way back out towards the main passageway. She could see Jill up ahead.
Jill glanced back.
"It's back the way we came from somewhere." Jill said. "I could hear it. I can't right now."
The female Fanatic was sure it came from the junction on the other side of the passageway. She wanted to know what else was in there.
"Let's cross over to the other side." The female Fanatic said.
Jill figured they'd 'cross over to the other side' before the day was done at the rate things were going. It wouldn't be the other side of the passageway either.
"Lead the way." Jill said.
The female Fanatic quickly hurried across the passageway to the other side. She moved down to the next junction and entered it.
Jill thought about her previous position.
"Do you want me to remain at the opening like I did on the other side?" Jill asked. "I want to help. Tell me how to best help you."
The female Fanatic appreciated Jill's willingness to assist. She was sure she would make a good recruit for SkyMaster. She could also see there was a lot of unrefined beauty to her. She wondered what went wrong in her life. Now wasn't the time to think about it.
"It's a great idea." The female Fanatic said. "I appreciate everything you're doing to help me."
Jill didn't think she'd done a whole lot. She felt she owed Jackie her life for rescuing her earlier. She was certain the men would have hurt her even more before they killed her.
"I'll do what I can." Jill said. "I still want to kill those three men."
The female Fanatic understood. She wanted to take it a step further.
"I want to kill all of them." The female Fanatic said.
The female Fanatic left Jill behind and went down the new junction passageway. She turned on the light on her phone to see. The passageway was a little longer than the other one. She could see it opened into a cavern as well. There was more bad news inside of it.
Open Invitation
Many things can cause aggravation
When there's no destination
One seeks to find validation
As a path to salvation
They want to feel vindication
As they avoid isolation
They need to dodge exploitation
Nobody wants termination
Relationships experience fragmentation
Leading to doubt and hesitation
It may result in deprivation
When one develops a fascination
There's no limit or moderation
Each wants the other's confirmation
Without any form of condemnation
They don't want to face domination
Or things which cause irritation
Feelings are not about calculation
They're about affirmation
Hopefully in the right combination
The key to success is communication
The culmination will be celebration
Pursue every shared aspiration
To delay the phase of toleration
It sends out an open invitation
Nobody