Chapter 1449
Up Top
Sarah and Young Jesse were alone together in the seclusion of the pantry in the commissary. They were surrounded by food items. They looked at each other and quickly moved towards each other. They were both hungry…. It wasn't for food either.
They immediately kissed. It was a wild kiss. Sarah could 'experience Young Jesse' in the kiss and realized it was actually Jesse she'd experienced. The kiss grew wilder and more intense. Their hands groped each other's body. They were pretty much the same size.
Sarah felt she was a little bigger. It seemed the older she got, the bigger her breasts and rear end got, while everything else stayed about the same. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was enough to notice over time when undergarments didn't fit as good as they once used to fit.
She made up her mind in an instant. She was going to be with Jesse too. They'd flirted with each other for years. There were times when it almost happened. She'd always stopped at the last second.
She remembered Jesse's words.
'You'll want it bad enough, soon enough.' Jesse said. 'You know what's good. You know where my room is. The door is always open for you. I have what you want.'
Sarah couldn't help herself right now. There was a compulsion to get as much out of life as possible. She wasn't sure if it was her recent combat exposure or to see and know the danger Savannah and Young Allison faced. Maybe it was a sense of doom. She just needed a little more out of life right now.
Young Jesse needed to remind Sarah it was likely Claire would be back soon. They both giggled and straightened their clothes. They made a point of touching each other's breasts through their clothes one more time as they did. It was clear they both wanted more. The fact it was 'secret', made it all the more special.
Sarah knew she was reaching into the cookie jar when no one was looking. She really didn't see anything wrong with it. It was just a few girls having a little fun. She wondered how far into the cookie jar she would reach. She was pretty sure it was all the way. She wondered at what point she would reach for the forbidden fruit.
Savannah ducked down after she fired the HE round from her M203. She hoped she was far enough away for it to arm. She'd been about to switch to a buckshot round when everything happened. It was what she loaded in as now the big EMP went off.
She saw Derek and Kyle were both behind good cover like she was when all the explosions went off. She checked her com which was off before the EMP blast. It didn't work. It was probably due to being in such close proximity to the large EMP blast.
"I think all of our electrical gear is fried." Savannah said. "It was a big EMP and it was directed right at us. It's a good thing it went off inside of the bunker instead of out here."
Savannah was glad Cammy moved farther away from where they were. She hoped it was far enough away from the big EMP. Most of the blast seemed to be inside the bunker. Cammy should have been shielded by the earth and rock between her and the bunker.
Savannah was up in an instant and moved toward the opening. The door was blown off of it. She saw a shoe in the gloom as she looked in. She took a closer look. There was a foot in the shoe. It'd been blown off of someone's leg.
Derek and Kyle were right by her on either side of the opening.
Her eyes adjusted a little better. There was a body. It was pretty torn up from the grenade and HE round. The EMP which went off must have been the icing on the cake to finish them off.
Savannah ducked down and went inside. The ground was slick with blood and tissue. She needed to see if there was any further opening where anyone could come out of. She couldn't see one.
Derek joined her in the small bunker. Kyle remained outside to cover their six.
"This looks like it was an HQ of some type." Derek said. "There are radios and other electronic gear here. It's all blown apart."
Savannah didn't see any other openings. The bunker appeared to be just a bunker. It wasn't part of a complex.
"I think this is it." Savannah said.
They could hear running footsteps. Kyle was still outside on guard. There was no alarm raised. It must be Cammy. It was welcome news.
Derek went out of the small bunker followed by Savannah. They spotted Cammy almost to their position.
Cammy looked very concerned.
"Is everyone OK?" Cammy asked as she rushed up.
Savannah looked at Derek and Kyle.
"I think so." Savannah said.
Cammy had been unable to contact Savannah when she'd rebooted. It made her think of the worst possible scenarios.
"I couldn't reach you." Cammy said.
Savannah hoped she could contact the rest of the team. She took a moment to look Cammy over as well.
"Does your com work?" Savannah asked. "Ours don't."
Cammy heard com traffic as she tried to contact Savannah on her way down.
"Yes." Cammy said. "I'll let everyone know you're all OK."
Cammy sent out the word and handed Savannah her second com she carried.
Savannah tried it and it worked. She told Allison and Vanna to move up to their position along with everyone else.
Vanna told her everyone was good and they were on the way.
Cammy went inside the small enclosure and looked around. She spotted a few interesting items.
"It's just a small bunker." Cammy said when she exited. "There was a Skynet jamming device too."
They went down and checked their vehicles. One of them was fried and wouldn't start. The one Savannah and Cammy came in did. It was behind a large rock.
The other four vehicles arrived.
Cammy led the Terminators in the 'clean up'. All the bodies were tossed inside the bunker along with the damaged weapons. The rock above it was blasted off to cover the opening. It was now a sealed tomb.
Cameron quietly spoke with Savannah before she returned back to her vehicle.
Savannah informed them they would continue down the dirt road and look for a third ambush site.
Everyone headed back to their vehicles.
Sheila and Ally looked around.
"I guess we get to ride with you." Ally said.
Savannah wanted to make sure the others were better protected if something went wrong.
"It sounds great." Savannah said. "Security dictates otherwise. I want you to ride along with the other teams instead. They're your top priority."
Ally and Sheila looked a little disappointed. They'd both wanted to ride with Savannah and Cammy. They understood Savannah wanted to make sure Vanna and Allison were protected as well as Derek and Kyle. They knew Savannah would always send her help elsewhere.
In the Command Center, they watched the action at the spot where Savannah, Kyle and Derek were at. They'd lost communication with them.
"I can only reach Allison and Vanna right now." John Henry said. "The Terminators were all in standby. The drones all report back as undamaged."
John knew Cammy was close to the EMP blast where Savannah was at.
"What about Cammy, she was closer?" John asked.
There was no communication with her yet.
"Her status is unknown." John Henry said.
They watched the drone footage.
"Have Vanna and Allison move the vehicles up when they get a few Terminators online." John said. "Make sure a few remain in standby."
They soon spotted Cammy was up. She gave them a brief report as she hurried to where Savannah, Derek and Kyle were at.
"Cammy is undamaged." John Henry said. "She has a spare com for Savannah."
A few moments later they were able to communicate with Savannah. They were relieved to know the bunker was a dead end. They watched the troops unite. The cleanup of the area soon started.
John hoped the mission was concluded. He went on the assumption it was.
"It looks like we're done." John said. "I think everyone can come home."
John Henry doubted it.
"I think they'll look for the third ambush next." John Henry said.
John wanted them to finish up and withdraw.
He was about to issue the order to return to base when Savannah ordered the troops forward. He watched with disgust as Savannah and Cammy moved out ahead of the group. They would be the first to make contact if there was any. After the first EMP went off, Savannah would be on her own, again.
John was a little disgusted with himself. He knew he should be out there with his troops. He wasn't. He was in the safety of the Command Center at the Resistance base. He briefly looked around where he was at. It was a long way from the ship.
Everything around him was very basic. It was all designed for functionality. There were little creature comforts around him. It was all business. He still felt he should be out there leading the troops. He didn't like everything to fall on Savannah's back. He could take some comfort because Derek, Kyle, Vanna and Allison were there. For the comfort it produced, it also produced a lot of worry. He didn't want any of them out in the danger zone. Skynet activity dictated otherwise.
Cameron went out of her way to make sure he was out of the loop for the entire week. Now as he got back into the loop, all of the trouble and worries were back. He also could see they were able to function without his input at all for an entire week. He still needed to find out the full extent of everything which occurred while he was on the cruise ship.
Anna and Young Allison watched the clean up from the Young bunker. It looked like things were about to wrap up.
"Maybe they can return now." Anna said.
Young Allison doubted it.
"Savannah will finish the job." Young Allison said.
A few seconds later Savannah issued the order to continue on.
Anna didn't like the additional danger for the group.
"Maybe we can prompt any action." Anna said.
Young Allison thought of it herself.
"I'm sure 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' would want to violate the 'hard deck' and fly right down the center of the dirt road in the daylight." Young Allison said. "If John wasn't back, I would be tempted to authorize it."
Anna believed she would. It would put the two drones in great danger. It would also most likely trigger the next ambush early.
As it was, half of the drones watched both sides of the dirt road for any signs of activity. The other half were on the lookout for any HK drones at any altitude which tried to join the party. They still didn't think the anti-Metal group thought they were fighting the Resistance. It meant they expected some action by Grays or Fanatics. There was still the further future group to worry about. They possessed advanced unknown technology. They still didn't have any idea how any of it worked.
Summer followed the operation closely as she assisted Jan in her studies. She didn't tell her the danger her father was in when he backed up Savannah a short time ago. She was worried about the third ambush or some action by some of the other groups.
Young Jesse and Sarah moved out of the panty and back into the kitchen area of the commissary.
Sarah was able to get one last soft pinch in on Young Jesse's rear end. It caused both of them to giggle.
Claire reentered the commissary about six seconds later.
"I expected to find you two kissing or fondling each other when I got back." Claire said jokingly.
Sarah and Young Jesse shot each other a quick glance.
Young Jesse decided to play it out.
"If I would have known it was OK, I would've done it. I was unsure of the rules here." Young Jesse said. "Sarah is beautiful. Is it what you two do? It sounds very thrilling if you do."
Sarah and Claire shot each other a quick glance.
Claire looked at Sarah and Young Jesse.
"There are no rules around here." Claire said. "Everyone is good to go, as long as everyone else is."
There was a pause, then all three of them giggled.
Sarah wanted everyone to know she was on board for anything.
"It sounds like a plan on both counts." Sarah said. "Maybe it will happen."
The three girls all laughed.
Only Sarah knew it was a reality with both of them. She couldn't help but look at Claire and Young Jesse as they prepared to clean up.
Young Jesse washed her hands thoroughly with soap and water. Sarah and Claire did the same.
"All right, we can get started." Young Jesse said. "Show me how you cook 'Up Top'."
Claire laughed.
"Is 'Up Top' the opposite of 'Down Under'?" Claire asked.
Sarah looked at Young Jesse and Claire with lust and desire.
"I like 'Down Under' and 'Up Top' both." Sarah said.
It brought another round of laughter.
Claire and Young Jesse both knew Sarah did. They'd experienced her first hand, so to speak.
There was a lot of sexual desire in the air. No one acted on it.
Claire started to give directions to Sarah and Young Jesse. She noticed Young Jesse was a natural. Sarah still needed some work. She smiled as she realized it was only in the kitchen where Sarah needed some work. She was dynamite in the bedroom. The repressed sexual desire Sarah let build up for so many years needed an outlet. She was sure Sarah would seek out more females at this point. Once one got a 'taste', it was hard to turn back.
She thought back on her own journey. She'd repressed her true desires for so long while she'd been married to Paul. It was the most sexually frustrating time in her life. The only thing that happened to satisfy her, was herself. She pushed those thoughts from her mind. Everything was better now. Life moved forward, not backwards. Life was good in Paradise.
Savannah led the procession down the dirt road. Derek and Kyle received new coms so she was in contact with everyone. She'd expected Cameron to replace Cammy when she spoke with her earlier, but she didn't. It was very unlike her. It made her wonder why. She wondered if it was to remain on Cammy's 'good side' so she could strip her of her virginity like she'd done with all the other Metal girls on the ship. She was sure it was the reason. It wasn't really something she wanted to think about. She needed to refocus.
Based on the destroyed electrical gear they'd found in the small bunker, it appeared any other of the anti-Metal faction's troops would've been warned of their presence.
The fact they would've lost contact with the two ambush sites and the vehicle with the small drone, would only reinforce their whereabouts.
Savannah wanted some updated information.
"Where does this road come out at and how much further is it?" Savannah asked.
Cammy gave her the distance and location. She thought Savannah looked a little worse for the wear.
"You look beat." Cammy said.
Savannah was tired at this point. She hoped things would be over soon.
"I am." Savannah said. "I'm ready for a hot shower and a warm bed."
Cammy frowned. She knew it would be Young Jesse in the warm bed with Savannah. It was something she couldn't deny Savannah.
"You need to eat something more substantial too." Cammy said.
Savannah shot Cammy a quick glance. She checked the time.
"It's that late already?" Savannah asked.
Cammy knew time didn't lie.
"It is." Cammy said.
Savannah continued down the dirt road. It seemed like a long two days. The week seemed like a month. No. The week seemed like a year.
A lot had happened. She'd faced danger multiple times. She'd faced death multiple times as well. She never backed away from her duty. She was still concerned about the danger Young Allison had been put in. She knew Young Allison did an outstanding job. It was clear Young Allison was ready for more. She didn't know if she was. She didn't know what she was waiting for.
Jim looked over at Allison as she drove. He didn't think her driving was very bad. She'd only almost run into the back of Derek twice. So far she'd avoided a collision. He thought about their time on the cruise.
"You must be getting hungry." Jim said.
Allison thought about the good time she'd experienced on the ship. There was a non-stop supply of food available in multiple locations, including their suite.
"I am." Allison said. "For the last few days around this time, we went to three places for lunch and then ate dinner a few hours later."
Bob was aware of the dining activity.
"The ship was a big switch from the Resistance base or the Young residence." Bob said.
Since Bob mentioned 'home', the Young residence, it made Allison miss it more. Being back at the base seemed so confining to her, there was less freedom. It was nice to be around Vanna and all the girls, including Savannah.
She'd grown used to her childhood home again. She'd actually been able to live out her 'childhood' there, even if it was her 'second childhood'. She watched Young Allison develop from a girl into a beautiful young woman. She felt Young Allison was much prettier than she ever was. Summer wasn't too far behind her either. She was going to be a real knockout. She liked being able to answer all of Young Allison's 'personal questions' before she ever needed to ask them. She'd even provided Young Allison her first razor and told her there were more permanent solutions. She also gave her a few tips on using the razor.
The Young residence now sat on top of a fortified bunker which could withstand just about anything, but it was still home. It was where her life was fun and simple. It was how it was before Skynet blew up the world.
It may be safer at the base, but there was no place like home. It brought a smile to her face. She thought back on a time when….
"Watch out!" Bob said as he reached for the steering wheel.
Allison snapped out of it and corrected the SUV. They'd almost gone into a ditch alongside of the road.
"It was just an irregularity in the road." Allison said. "I'm fine."
Her statement made Bob and Jim look at each other. They wondered how many of Cameron's 'problems' weren't really her own. They were sure she'd inherited quite a few of them from Future Allison through the 'Neural Interface'. Allison wasn't Future Allison, but they all originated from the same individual. The apple usually didn't fall far from the tree.
"Maybe you're tired." Jim said. "You didn't get much sleep at night."
Allison figured he monitored everything all the girls did since there weren't a whole lot of other things for him to do on the ship. She didn't know he'd installed cameras in all of the rooms except the Owner's Suite.
"I might be a little sleepy." Allison said.
Jim was worried Savannah was in 'worse' condition.
"Savannah has been up for a couple of days." Jim said. "I've monitored her Resistance activity. It's been a busy week for her."
Allison didn't need to hear how Savannah was being drug around like a Terminator. Her physical condition bothered her.
"It's terrible." Allison said. "She's suffered a lot of abuse as well to her body."
Jim and Bob would both like to see it first hand. They'd been able to see plenty of both Allison and Vanna naked on the cruise. Jim always made sure Bob received all pertinent files. The cameras were installed in the rooms to ensure everyone would remain safe. Since Bob was in charge of security on the ship, it only seemed logical to share the files as well. There was a lot of downtime which led to a lot of 'up time' when they reviewed the footage of the girls in action.
"She's led the fight against Skynet along with its illegitimate offshoots and the anti-Metal group this last week." Jim said. "I'm anxious to learn the full story."
It set off an alarm bell with Allison. It seemed like there was more he didn't know about.
"What 'full story'?" Allison asked. "I thought you followed everything."
Jim was aware a lot more happened than he knew about.
"I did." Jim said. "CamNet blocked a lot of what actually happened."
It sounded like some type of 'cover up' to Allison. She wondered what type of things would actually be blocked.
"Why would she do that?" Allison asked. "What all went on?"
Jim wondered the same thing.
"I don't know." Jim said. "It was blocked."
Allison needed to have a talk with Savannah and Vanna about it. She wanted to speak with Young Allison too. She had some strong personal thoughts about it.
"I don't think Savannah is being treated fairly." Allison said. "Too much is expected out of her. I know what happened to people in the future who were always active non stop. They lived very short lives."
Bob hoped Savannah would prevail.
"Savannah will be the leader of the Resistance with John Connor and Allison Young – Young Allison Young." Bob said.
Allison thought 'Young Allison Young' sounded ridiculous, even if it was accurate.
"I hope we can avoid a Skynet future." Allison said.
Jim felt everything the Resistance did, worked towards that end.
"It's what this is all about." Jim said.
Allison could feel and hear her stomach area make some noises.
Bob could hear it as well. He wanted her to do something about it.
"You should snack on an energy bar." Bob said.
Allison felt a little embarrassed.
"Great." Allison said. "I hoped only I could hear it."
Jim thought a little deeper. He wanted to remind Allison of something important.
"You have more than yourself to think about." Jim said.
Allison frowned.
"Do I?" Allison asked. "I doubt I'm even still pregnant and no one will tell me."
Allison expected both Jim and Bob to reach for her neck. They didn't have the same abilities as the female Terminators did for scanning. Neither one touched her. She took it as a bad sign.
"It's what I thought." Allison said.
Bob wanted to explain their inaction a little better.
"We can't scan you like the Metal girls can." Bob said. "I don't know what the future will bring for anyone, but I believe in Cameron. I believe she will make everyone's desires and wishes come true."
Allison didn't doubt it. Cameron 'gave' Future Allison her baby her mother carried for her. It was supposed to be for her. It was from her body, for her. It was her child who was given to another version of 'herself'. She did understand it, even if she felt cheated.
"Slow up!" Bob said.
Allison looked up. She'd closed up on Derek's SUV fast. She stood on the brakes. She still hit the back of it, but just barely. If it would've been pavement instead of a dirt road she was driving on, she was sure she would've missed it.
She could've done without the next com transmission in her ear.
"See, I told you so." Vanna said.
Allison looked back in her rear view mirror. She saw Vanna driving at a safe distance behind her. She noticed the last SUV wasn't behind Vanna. It didn't seem right.
"Where's Kyle at?" Allison asked.
Jim and Bob both checked the drone footage.
"He's fallen back some but nothing's wrong." Bob said.
Allison looked in her rear view mirror to see why.
"Look out!" Jim said.
Allison looked forward and swerved to avoid running into the back of Derek's SUV again. It was a close one. She wondered why Derek was such an erratic driver. She thought he should pay better attention to the road. She would need to get him straightened out if he said anything. She knew how to deal with the Reese brothers whenever there was a problem.
A new threat was detected in the Command Center.
"We have a dirt bike on an intercept course with the convoy." John Henry said.
It alarmed John. He wondered if pre-emptive action was necessary.
"Is he locked up?" John asked.
John Henry was advised of some new action he was sure originated in the Young bunker.
"Yes." John Henry said. "CamNet has just informed me she dropped two drones down to twenty five thousand feet for a quicker response with a missile or some 'metal hail'."
John was unaware of the new threat until John Henry said something.
"Where did they come from?" John asked.
It was something everyone checked on.
"So far the information is unknown. Cameron has an M82A1 in the back of the SUV she's in." John Henry said. "We're running the footage of past drone sweeps to see where the dirt bike originated from."
John hadn't heard too much out of Cameron so far. She was letting Savannah and Cammy take the lead as they'd done all week. Maybe she was testing them. It was very unlike her. The dirt bike's sudden appearance bothered him.
"If it originated from some concealed position along the road, this person is probably 'dirty'." John said.
The drones were ready to act.
"I can bring them down." John Henry said.
John felt they needed to know more first. There was a high risk it could be something completely innocent.
"Wait." John said. "Let's see where they came from first. I don't want to kill some kid out for a Saturday afternoon ride on his new dirt bike or something."
John Henry was aware there was action about to be taken anyway.
"Maybe you don't." John Henry said. "It looks like he is about to get 'lit up'."
Anna and Young Allison spotted the dirt bike rider.
"Where did they come from?" Young Allison asked. "Get them locked up right now."
Anna checked.
"We don't know their point of origin yet." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to take some preemptive action. She didn't want to get caught looking in the wrong direction. It seemed highly coincidental a dirt bike would suddenly appear near the team.
"I want two drones to cut the altitude in half." Young Allison said. "Have CamNet make sure the airspace is clear."
Anna was informed about the current response on the ground.
"Kyle has dropped back." Anna said. "Cameron has an M82A1 ready."
Young Allison thought Cameron was very quiet on this trip. She'd actually expected her to join Cammy and Savannah earlier. She expected there to be some confrontation with Cammy about it. So far it hadn't happened. It didn't mean it wouldn't. Her main concern needed to be the unknown dirt bike rider.
"If it looks like they have an EMP of any type, I want them taken down." Young Allison said. "I don't want them to get close enough to use it."
Anna felt everything was covered.
"CamNet and John Henry are all over it. They're both ready to act if anything is spotted." Anna said.
Young Allison didn't want to act outside of John. She would if she felt it was necessary to protect the troops, all of the troops.
"Make sure John understands our position and why." Young Allison said. "It could be a recreational rider but I don't believe it is."
Anna wanted to see how far Young Allison was willing to go with John.
"Do you wish to speak to him directly?" Anna asked.
Young Allison knew she needed to step back now. John was in the Command Center.
"No." Young Allison said. "If things heat up I might."
Earlier:
Savannah was now aware of the unknown dirt bike rider 'contact' on an intercept course.
"Have everyone slow down some." Savannah said. "Let's see what we have."
Cammy didn't like the threat.
"They should be targeted and terminated now." Cammy said. "We experienced some trouble with people on motorcycles before. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Savannah began to wonder about it.
"What if they have EMPs placed alongside the road?" Savannah asked. "Maybe we need to spread out more."
It raised some alarm bells in Cammy. She didn't like the implication.
"Do you think the motorcycle rider is to get us to speed up and bunch up more?" Cammy asked. "Do you think we're being herded?"
Savannah wondered if a signal was sent out somehow from the bunker they'd just destroyed. There were a lot of things there. They needed to be there for a reason.
"I don't know." Savannah said. "What was all the electrical gear in the bunker? What was it supposed to do?"
Cammy checked to see if John Henry placed a jamming field in effect around them. He did.
"No signals should be able to get through over the airwaves." Cammy said.
Savannah just wanted to get away from the area at this point.
"Let's get off this road." Savannah said. "How much farther is it?"
Cammy calculated the distance.
"We should pick up a paved county road in three miles." Cammy said.
Savannah still worried about the unknown threat.
"Where's the dirt bike at?" Savannah asked.
Cammy looked at the drone footage.
"They're no longer on an intercept course." Cammy said. "They're on a parallel course."
It sounded just as bad to Savannah.
"Can they physically see us?" Savannah asked.
Cammy looked at the landscape around them.
"They can see us clearly." Cammy said. "Look on both sides of us. When we're not passing through any of the rocky hills, you can see out a ways."
Savannah wanted to act to protect the group. She needed more information.
"Do we have an origination point for the dirt biker yet?" Savannah asked.
The reports didn't look promising.
"The first drone image shows they came out of a dry wash." Cammy said. "They must've been hiding under an overhang of rock prior to then."
Savannah ran the time interval.
"How long would they have needed to be there once we put drone coverage up?" Savannah asked.
Cammy knew the team was lured into this area.
"Probably as long as it took to get the ambushes set up before we started to search the area." Cammy said. "Everything was all done hours in advance."
Savannah knew it was the same tactic used against them last night.
"I still don't think it's our group they expected." Savannah said. "I've felt that way all along. Have our teams we left outside this area be extra alert."
They were Al and Ed with the box truck, along with Dan and Frank. They were now in an SUV. Larry and Hank were to join them from the area of the destroyed large bunker complex site.
"There are drones over all three groups." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to create a buffer zone.
"I don't want them around this area." Savannah said. "They are to withdraw and run each other through an ambush to make sure they aren't followed."
Savannah pulled over.
Cammy looked around.
"What's wrong?" Cammy asked. "We only have a mile and a half to go."
Savannah worried about her troops.
"How far back is Kyle?" Savannah asked.
Cammy looked at a wide drone image.
"He's almost two miles behind us, he's dropped back some." Cammy said.
Savannah felt it was time to take the heat herself.
"I want the rest of the team to pass us and drive out." Savannah said. "We're going to be 'tail end Charlie'. Have them pick up the pace to speed things along."
John watched Savannah slow and pull over. He hoped there was a good reason and it wasn't something mechanical.
"What's Savannah doing?" John asked.
John Henry felt the move could only mean one thing.
"She thinks the risk to the group is going to be at the tail end." John Henry said. "She's going to take the risk herself.
John wanted some fresh perspective. He'd heard about the remarkable job she'd done over the last few nights.
"I'd like Summer here to assist us." John said.
John Henry would like to have her there as well.
"I'm already here." Summer said.
Both John and John Henry turned around.
"Hi, Summer." John said. "Thanks for coming."
John was going to ask how long she'd been there but didn't.
"I knew you wanted me." Summer said.
John tried to get the images from the movie out of his head after her statement. It only made him think about them more.
Summer wanted to redirect John's focus. She felt it needed some assistance.
"To help you with the targeting, I mean." Summer said.
John felt embarrassed. He hoped the clarification would help, but it didn't. He still thought of the movie.
John Henry didn't want any trouble for Summer.
"Is it going to cause you a problem with your mother?" John Henry asked.
Summer hoped to avoid it. She was willing to take the gamble.
"I think to get our team out safely matters more." Summer said. "I've been following the operation."
Somehow it didn't surprise John or John Henry.
John was told Summer could 'see' things differently than they did. He wanted to see how differently.
"What about the dirt biker?" John asked. "How do you read this?"
Summer replied instantly.
"Bring him down." Summer said. "He's already targeted. He's a threat. Do it now."
They all watched drone images. As soon as Summer said it, the dirt biker flew backwards off his bike. The biker and the bike both tumbled wildly.
It took John by surprise. He didn't give the order.
"What just happened?" John asked. "Who did that?"
Based on what they saw, it seemed obvious to John Henry.
"It had to be Cameron with the Barrett." John Henry said.
Even as the biker tumbled there was a brilliant flash of light.
"It was an EMP." John Henry said. "It must have been in his backpack."
It was even more worrying for John. He was concerned about the range.
"How big was it?" John asked.
Summer already calculated the yield.
"Not big enough to affect our troops from his distance." Summer said. "If he'd been able to come closer, he would have been able to bring down more than one vehicle and the Terminators in them.
John Henry just finished his own calculations.
"She's correct." John Henry said.
Summer smiled at them.
Kyle slowed enough to get the motorcycle rider off to the side of them.
Cameron held the Barrett out the side window. She had him zeroed. When Summer spoke, she fired. CamNet previously informed her about the accurate targeting information Summer was able to do when they were blinded by the enemy jamming field and every one of her calls were spot on. She was able to 'read' the battlefield before everything was in play.
The knowledge was good enough for Cameron. She pulled the trigger as soon as Summer said to bring him down. The EMP which went off as he tumbled in the dirt, was proof she was correct again.
Cameron planned bigger things for Summer. It was time she stepped up and took her rightful place in the Resistance. It made her think about the 'Chosen One'. Maybe it really was just the 'Chosen One' and not the 'Chosen Ones'.
Earlier:
"Young Jesse is going to help our moms in the commissary." Summer said.
Jan looked excited.
"I want to work with Young Jesse." Jan said. "I like her."
Summer didn't mention her mother liked her a lot more.
"I'll clean up here." Summer said.
Jan thanked her and took off.
Summer straightened a few things and left for the Command Center. She arrived from the back way.
She entered the Command Center and headed for the monitors which all came on as she arrived. CamNet provided her all the information she needed. She'd already been briefed through her com.
Jan arrived in the commissary a few minutes after Claire returned from delivering the bottle for Precious. She teamed up with Young Jesse while Sarah and Claire teamed up.
They all started in on the meal.
"Is Summer coming?" Claire asked.
Jan could only tell her what she saw.
"She's straightening everything up." Jan said. "She'll be here when she's finished."
Claire smiled and went back to work. She was pleased Summer was so thorough.
Savannah watched the first two vehicles pass her. Derek went by. He was followed by Allison. She noticed some front end damage to the SUV Allison drove. Vanna was close behind her. Kyle was a little further back making good time. They passed her.
She'd already started to roll as Kyle passed her.
Savannah fell last into line. The five vehicles were spaced out some still. They were less than an eighth of a mile apart overall.
"I'm clear." Derek reported.
Cammy watched the drone footage. Derek was on the paved road and soon began to pass a few isolated houses.
The other three SUVs followed him out and they soon closed up some more.
Savannah hung back still.
Young Allison didn't like to see Savannah end up in the last spot. She would've hoped Cameron joined her team. She didn't.
"If anything is going to happen, it should be soon." Anna said.
Young Allison was ready to make a statement if it did.
"If anything does happen, I want a 'maximum effort' response." Young Allison said. "Notify John Henry."
At this point, Young Allison would bypass the Command Center to deliver an adequate response and make a statement.
CamNet indicated to her anything she wanted would be provided.
The female Fanatic didn't know if there was a new group who'd arrived or a straggler they'd missed. Both were a possibility.
She carefully moved towards the entrance of the mine. Her Beretta was up and ready.
She could see the HK Track was disabled. It was smoking and sparking. It had been hit with a LAW rocket. She saw the empty tube lying on the ground.
She could see a Gray about to get into a vehicle. She was glad it wasn't the one she'd just loaded. It was the one closest to the open door. She could see there was blood on his back as he tossed an AK-47 inside of the first car. He appeared to move very sluggishly.
The female Fanatic was about to shoot him. She lowered her pistol down. It might be the break she needed.
Jill cautiously moved up behind Jackie. She had her Beretta out and watched behind them as she moved up close to her.
"Do you see anything?" Jill whispered.
The female Fanatic kept her eye on the Gray.
"There's a wounded man about to leave." The female Fanatic whispered.
Jill wondered why she hadn't killed him yet.
"He's not going to get away is he?" Jill whispered.
At this point, the female Fanatic wanted him to do so.
"No. Do you have the bomb ready?" The female Fanatic whispered.
Jill held it in her hand.
"It's right here." Jill whispered.
They could hear the car start.
The Gray wasn't going to stick around to see if there was anyone else who could get out. He opened the door on the first vehicle. He almost fell over as he went to get inside of the car. He wasn't sure why his balance was off so much. Maybe he was weaker than he thought from blood loss.
He managed to get inside and start it. He moved the AK-47 closer to him as he put the car into gear. He passed a couple of dead men as he drove towards the opening. He was in a hurry but he didn't want to be in too big of a hurry. He didn't want to wreck the car.
The bright sunlight hurt his eyes as he exited the mine. He didn't see any other vehicles parked outside anywhere.
The Gray went down the dirt road and turned onto the main highway.
The female Fanatic watched the Gray drive out of the opening.
Jill wondered what was happening.
"He's going to get away." Jill said.
The female Fanatic hoped he would lead them to the next location.
"We need to move." The female Fanatic said.
They moved over to where the HK Track was at. It was still smoking and sparking.
"What happened to this thing?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic briefly looked over the HK Track. She decided to use a new strategy for the bomb.
"It was hit with an anti-armor weapon." The female Fanatic said. "Start the timer for one minute."
Jill was a little concerned. It didn't give them much time. She reset the counter. All she needed to do was push 'enter'.
"Where do you want me to place it?" Jill asked.
The female Fanatic touched the back of the HK Track.
"You served us well." The female Fanatic said. "Place it down here at the base of the HK Track. As soon as you hear the car start, go ahead and arm it."
Jill watched Jackie hurry over to the second car. It was now the first car. She got in and started it. She pushed the button to arm the timer. She saw it start to countdown. Her hand brushed against the HK Track as she hurry towards the car.
"Thank you for helping me." Jill said.
She ran over to the car. As soon as the door closed, Jackie drove away. She spotted a few dead men on the way out.
The female Fanatic exited into the bright sunlight. She could see the dust in the air from the dirt road as the other car traversed it. She couldn't see the other car yet.
Jill looked back.
"I think it's almost time." Jill said.
As soon as she finished her sentence, she could see a bright flash of light. It was followed by a mass of flying rock, dust and smoke. The sound arrived a second later. It was loud. She watched as the area above the entrance seemed to collapse inward.
"Wow!" Jill said. "It was a really gnarly explosion."
The female Fanatic glanced back over her shoulder and saw the destruction. It was what she wanted to see. Everything was as she'd expected it would be. The mine was sealed. There'd been no indication of another entrance.
"No one will go in there for a while." The female Fanatic said.
The female Fanatic reached the main highway. She could see the fresh dirt on the pavement of the highway. The Gray appear to have turned to the left and gone back in the direction they'd come from. He was obviously headed for the road junction.
"It looks like we get to go through the little community again." Jill said.
The female Fanatic could see the other car up ahead. She planned to be as far behind it as possible. She took one more look at the dust cloud in the air where the entrance of the mine had been.
The Gray was on the main highway. He drifted over to the side of the road and ended up on the shoulder. He quickly corrected himself and got back onto the main highway. He'd been on the highway for about two minutes when he heard a loud explosion noise. He immediately looked in his rear view mirror and then his driver's side mirror. He could see some smoke in the air from the area he just left.
"I must have hit the HK Track harder than I thought." The Gray muttered to himself.
He was under the assumption the HK Track he hit with the LAW rocket exploded. He remembered it was smoking and sparking as he drove away. He didn't think anybody else made it out of the mine unless they'd left before him.
The Gray continued down the highway. He tried his phone one more time. It still didn't work. He needed to get to one of the other locations and warn the others.
Tina wasn't able to get the answers she thought she should get. She received an alert on her phone. She looked at it and saw a vehicle exit the mine and head for the main highway. The drone high overhead zoomed in on it. It wasn't the female Fanatic.
Lena kept the two men at the communications array under direct observation. She'd received the same alert on her phone. She could see whoever left was in a hurry. They actually went off of the road a little bit after they turned. She wondered if they were hurt.
She needed to keep her eye on the men. They continued to photograph the array. She received an additional alert on her phone. Another vehicle just exited the mine. It was driven by the female Fanatic. The other unknown female was still with her. They apparently were still working together.
The second vehicle was almost to the highway when there was a massive explosion. A fireball belched out of the front of the mine along with a lot of rock and debris. The entire section over the entrance collapsed down on itself. It was a very large internal explosion. More than likely there was at least one power cell involved from some type of HK equipment.
Tina didn't get any more useful information out of the man. She snapped his neck and placed him among the rocks. She hurried back over to where Lena was at. She could see the men coming down from the array.
"I don't think anyone else will enter or exit the mine." Tina said.
Lena didn't either.
"We don't know what was inside of there." Lena said.
Tina didn't think they were going to find out now.
"Unless there's some other entrance into the location, I don't think anyone it's going to find out." Tina said.
They watched the two men pass by the location of where the bunker had been. They took a few more photos.
The two men looked over the communications array. They both took a few photos of everything along the way. It was what they'd done at all of their stops. They moved down from the top of the mountain and passed by the location they were instructed to look at. There was nothing to see. They took a few photos and paused.
"Do you want to go back the way we came or take the other route?" The first man asked.
The second man remembered the other route looked longer.
"Let's just take the shortest route possible." The second man said. "I've got a killer headache right now."
The first man thought it was because of the high altitude.
"It will probably go away when we go down a little lower." The first man said.
The two men started down. They kept a brisk pace but didn't go too fast.
"Where will we go next?" The second man asked. "I hope it's not to the port."
Both of the men tried their phones as they went down the mountain.
"Let's see if we can get some confirmation." The first man said.
The second man put his phone away.
"Other than taking photos or serving as a flashlight, my phone is pretty much useless." The second man said.
The first man tended to agree.
"So far wherever we've gone, there hasn't been a working phone other than the one at the gas station." The first man said.
The second man wanted to take a little more aggressive action.
"The next hikers we see, we can ask to check one of their phones. "The second man said. "Maybe it will be a couple of broads."
The first man didn't want to get carried away up on the mountain. They still needed to ride the cable car down to where their van was at.
"Let's just play it cool for now." The first man said.
The two men continued their track down from the mountain top.
CamNet's Terminators watched the two men start down the mountain side.
Lena wanted to know what Tina was able to find out from the other man.
"What information did you get?" Lena asked.
Tina was a little disappointed in her efforts.
"It wasn't anything future related." Tina said. "They appeared to have been common criminals. They'd been looking for an illegal crop of cannabis they thought was planted up here. They'd been unsuccessful to find it."
Lena checked her files. The records indicate it was a common practice for people to do in remote locations. The national forests were especially prone to such activity. If the crop was discovered, no one could be arrested for it unless they were actually there at the time the authorities arrived.
"What other crimes were they involved with?" Lena asked.
Tina thought it was more than a few.
"I have both of their phones and a few locations." Tina said. "I forwarded all the information to CamNet. She can decide what follow up activity is necessary."
Lena wanted to get moving. They needed to go down on the cable car before the men. They wanted to be down off of the mountain road before they exited back onto the highway.
Up Top
When is the time to move ahead
When is the time to stop
Isn't it all just an excuse
To look around and shop
What will show new promise
What will be another flop
In the smorgasbord of life
Is there anything more than slop
Is anyone really different
Is anyone more than a prop
Does anything really change
When there's another swap
When a neck is on the block
When will they feel the chop
Is the grass any greener
When there's a new crop
Will anyone really know
Will they feel each teardrop
From the bottom of the barrel
Can anyone make it up top
Nobody