Chapter 1491
Did You Do That
John wanted to find where the box truck brought the Coltan from. They needed to track down the source. He was aware the truck was being guarded. The more of the enemy there were, the greater would be the danger to his troops.
"How many Skynet chase vehicles are there for the box truck?" John asked.
John Henry watched for them on the return trip once the box truck left the machine shop. They'd already had an encounter with some of the group.
"There's just one so far I've detected." John Henry said. "It's several miles behind, but closing. It leads me to think there could be more. Then again, we did take out one of their vehicles along with its occupants."
John was a little confused about how it all went down. It seemed to him he was missing a few pieces. John Henry didn't seem to want to elaborate on all of the details involved. He wasn't sure they really mattered at this point. They'd been able to redirect the Grays attention to the Fanatics. It should have appeared to them it was a loose end which was tied up.
CamNet recommended to John Henry the other side operation not be discussed. It wasn't a Resistance matter. It was his opinion, from what little he was able to observe, CamNet endangered the three girls from the ship. He was unsure what she was really after. It must be something.
He was still unaware of the other side operations being conducted by CamNet on her own. One of them was definitely Resistance related. The other one currently was not. It switched back and forth. If more Skynet related activity were known in the Command Center, it would require additional engagement by the Resistance forces.
It was CamNet's goal to keep Savannah from being drawn into the activity. It would happen as soon as Cameron became involved.
John looked over the current drone images. They always needed to be wary of an ambush.
"Keep our troops on the ground on parallel routes for now." John said.
John Henry was worried about Vanna and Allison. They shouldn't even be out there right now. He thought they'd already done enough for the day. He hoped to prompt John to act in a more professional capacity.
"Do you want to officially recall Allison and Vanna?" John Henry asked.
John Henry didn't want to point out John's objectivity might be compromised because of his earlier physical 'association' with the girls. It was one of the reasons why people needed to keep their work lives and personal lives separated. Once the lines were blurred, everything else was as well. He believed humans were already prone to making irrational decisions without any additional complicating factors.
John thought about it. He didn't want to be on the 'bad side' of the girls since he'd 'been with' them. He hoped to be with them a little more. He also needed to keep them safe so he could be with them.
"Let me speak with them." John said.
John Henry made the connection. All four girls in the SUV would be in on the same conversation.
"Hello." John said.
They all greeted him.
John figured it was best just to get down to business. No matter how he approached it, he wasn't going to be popular.
"First off, I don't like you being out on your own right now." John said. "The current situation is very fluid."
Allison didn't want anyone else to take the heat for her actions.
"I made the decision, John." Allison said. "I wanted to back up Kyle's team. It was my call and everyone here with me advised me against it. All of them did. I'm the only one responsible."
John liked it because Allison stepped up, made a decision, and stuck with it. It reminded him of Cameron. He knew the 'Neural Interface' Skynet used with Future Allison and Cameron, was much more limited than the one Cameron revamped. He really wondered what Cameron would be like if she was more like Future Allison. When Future Allison visited, he was very infatuated with her. He knew he'd really made a big mistake by not being with her when she wanted to be with him. He needed to refocus.
"You're to operate in a support role only." John said. "Cam and Holly are to engage any threats you face. It also includes if you need to back up Kyle's team on the ground."
Cam wanted to adopt those parameters for the group. They were reasonable and would provide better security for the girls.
"We can operate within the plan." Cam said.
Holly could see Allison was disappointed. She wanted to point out to John why they were there.
"Allison and Vanna want to do a little more, John." Holly said. "Cam and I are worried, but we understand their desire to do more."
John could see the Metal girls with them were worried. They all wanted to do more to take some of the burden off of Savannah. He wanted to remind them there was good tactical support.
"The drones are doing the surveillance." John said. "None of the teams on the ground need to get close."
Vanna was aware the drones could only do so much from fifty thousand feet.
"What about the recon on the ground once a destination is reached?" Vanna asked. "More than likely someone will need to take a closer look. Things could be inside of a structure."
It was a worry for John. He wanted to make sure the girls understood everything.
"Kyle's team will handle it." John said. "It may not be necessary yet. There's one thing we need to consider. What is it, Allison?"
Allison took other factors into consideration, even if the others didn't think so. This wasn't her first rodeo.
"I know how the game is played." Allison said. "The whole thing could be an ambush. It could be a set up to see who follows them after the earlier incident, who they were led to believe was the Fanatics."
John hoped she listened to herself.
"It's the number one worry." John said. "You need to play it safe and watch for any ambush, even on a parallel route."
Vanna didn't think they would be alone.
"I'm sure John Henry or CamNet will have a drone ride shotgun on us." Vanna said.
John finished up the call.
He looked at John Henry.
"Do you think they'll listen?" John asked.
John Henry based his answer on past experience.
"No." John Henry said.
John frowned.
"I don't either." John said. "Is there a drone on them?"
As soon as John asked the question, there were drone images of Allison's SUV and Kyle's SUV which appeared.
"Did you do that?" John asked.
John Henry was sure a lot more was going on behind the scenes than he knew about. He wasn't responsible for the current action.
"No." John Henry said.
It was clear CamNet knew what was important. Not only did she need to protect Savannah and Young Allison, she protected the others as well. It was all tied together.
Ted put a ladder up to the wing for the girls to look over the A-26. If the bomb bay was open, they could access the cockpit and the rear gunner's compartment with a short ladder at either end of it. It wasn't open.
Right away they could see the limitations of the design of the A-26 over the B-25. It was originally a two man plane with the all gun nose on the A-26B. As originally built, there was only one set of controls. There was a crawlway for the bombardier/navigator to reach the nose on the A-26C model where the copilot's position would be. It was only later when the B-26K was redesignated as the A-26A, when the dual controls were installed. Most of the Warbirds in private hands were converted to dual control also. A lot were used as 'water bombers' in fire fighting duties. The up side to the new role was it kept many of them flying after military service. If they were flying, they didn't end up in the scrap yard.
"I really like the B-25 design better than this." Savannah said.
It seemed to be the general agreement with everyone. There was no easy way to move the fewer people the A-26 could hold, around inside of it. Then again, it was designed as an 'attack' aircraft, even if it served mostly as a bomber. The payload was double the one on the Mitchell, and it was much faster.
The plane on display lacked the lower rear turret and was only still fitted with the top turret. The gunner sighted targets with a periscope for the two remote controlled turrets. Cameron's A-26 was configured as an A-26A with the eight hard points on the wings as well as the eight gun nose. With a bomb load, there was no way to get from the front to the rear. Without a bomb load, someone could crawl over the bomb bay doors. The prospect of them opening in flight was a mind blower.
Ted made sure everything was secure.
Joe led them to the B-23 Dragon.
"The B-23 was the first American bomber fitted with a glazed tail gun position." Joe said. "It was basically a redesigned fuselage of the B-18 Bolo. It was based on the DC-2 airliner. Very few were built. Howard Hughes kept one as an executive transport for years."
Ted opened a side door on the B-23. The plane was stripped inside. The tail gun position was used from the prone position and offered very limited visibility. The cockpit was nothing fancy. The fuselage seemed cavernous, even if it wasn't, after the close quarters on A-26.
Cameron was aware it was rumored the aircraft was considered at one point for the Doolittle Raid on Japan. It was determined the aircraft lacked the proper range. There weren't a sufficient number of aircraft available. It was constructed in very limited numbers. The bomb load was also fifty percent less than the B-25. The B-25 had very long legs compared to the other attack and bomber aircraft of similar size and payload. The B-25 could also become airborne in less than three hundred feet. It was the distance of five average houses.
Approximately a third of the B-23 bombers were converted to cargo planes. They originally were classified as UC-67, later redesignated as C-67.
Ted secured the Dragon.
Joe led them to the KC-97. It was large with four R4360 engines as well as two J47 jet engines. They looked at the aerial refueling boom set up before they entered. There was a small cockpit with a window for the boom operator in the lower rear of the fuselage.
Ted opened a door on the side for them. He put a short ladder there if anyone needed it. It was a big step up. There were ladder stairs to move from the lower level to the main level inside.
John watched everything for a time on what seemed like a new operation. He wasn't sure he liked how things began to shape up with the box truck.
"Let me speak with everyone in Kyle's team." John said.
After the pleasantries were exchanged, John went straight to the point.
"You need to stay at least two miles away from the box truck." John said. "There's a tail on it from the machine shop. It was a few miles out before. It has closed up to a half mile behind the box truck."
Bob knew with the tail so far behind, they wanted to see if someone else would start to follow the box truck. He paid careful attention to the drone images.
"We're monitoring everything." Bob said.
John was glad Bob and Jim were with Derek and Kyle.
"I take it you all heard the conversation with the girls earlier." John said.
Kyle understood why the girls were there to back them up since they'd been there to back the girls up earlier.
"We did." Kyle said. "We appreciate their support but don't think we'll need it."
John already knew how it worked.
"They want to do more, but I want them safe." John said. "It goes for all of you too."
Derek wanted some personal involvement because of how the events played out.
"We know it could be a set up." Derek said. "We burnt them pretty good before. I got tagged. It was how they tracked us."
John liked when Derek 'came clean'. It didn't really seem like it was his fault. It could have happened to anyone. He didn't see any reason to dwell on it. He didn't want any of them to get closer.
"The drones are going to do the surveillance for now." John said.
Kyle didn't want any further restrictions to be placed on them. He knew it was best to agree with John for now. They could always modify the plan if it was necessary.
"We understand." Kyle said.
John wanted to make it clear to both teams.
"The Command Center is where you will clear all operations first, unless it's an emergency." John said. "John Henry or CamNet may advise you of something I don't know about."
Bob was pleased to see John was in control. He'd been on the cruise ship along with John and a lot of the team. He hoped to get back to business as usual. He thought it was more of a 'Terminator thing'.
"The General is back in town." Bob said.
John would rather be back on the cruise ship with a selection of females in his bed. Since he'd been back at the Resistance base, he hadn't done too bad either.
"We're all in this together." John said.
The events over the last week seemed to change quite a few things. It was clear they were together in more ways than one.
The girls entered the KC-97 Stratofreighter. It was a two level interior with the separation at the 'narrow point' of the 'figure eight' fuselage. The lower half and wings of the aircraft were essentially the same as a B-50. It expanded at the halfway point so there was more room inside. It was what gave the fuselage its unique shape. They went up a few sets of ladder type stairs to the flight deck.
Savannah could see why she preferred the cockpit view of the predecessor aircraft. There was twice the visibility in both of the bombers. If she would have seen the current view first, she didn't think it would have been as bad. It was only because she'd seen something better first which made the current view less than appealing. It was actually no different than any other aircraft of its type.
"I can see I like the nose of the B-29 and B-50 better." Savannah said. "It seems like there's only half the visibility now."
The KC-97 was more of a conventional design. While based off of the B-50, more than the B-29, there was plenty of room on the flight deck. The navigator and flight engineer stations were revised, if not just as complicated.
Young Jesse opened up a small door. She was more than a little surprised.
"Look, there's a 'loo' in here." Young Jesse said.
The girls were all surprised to see it at the rear of the flight deck.
Camille wanted them to know they were much more amenities which could be fitted into the aircraft than just a restroom.
"There was a passenger version of the basic design of this aircraft. It was called the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser." Camille said. "It even contained sleeping berths."
Young Allison could see a distinct advantage to such a feature.
"It sounds like my kind of travel." Young Allison said. "I bet a lot of people joined the mile high club on one of those."
Savannah and Young Jesse laughed.
The girls moved into the cargo area. There were a series of long cylindrical tanks inside.
Young Jesse knew the aircraft was configured as an aerial tanker.
"I assume it's where the transfer fuel was stored." Young Jesse said. "As in the fuel for the planes it refueled."
Cameron wanted to point out there was additional capacity.
"It was." Cameron said. "The lower level contained tanks as well."
They made their way back through the fuselage to the boom controls.
Young Allison took a close up view of everything.
"Operating it looks like it was a hassle." Young Allison said.
Young Jesse pictured the flying boom trailing behind the aircraft and some unexpected turbulence.
"I'm sure there were a few accidents." Young Jesse said.
Savannah looked at more modern aerial tankers at air shows before.
"It must have worked pretty good since they still use the same basic setup for the Air Force today." Savannah said.
Cameron wanted to point out there were a few very unique aircraft constructed from various air frames of the C-97 Stratofreighter, and 377 Stratocruiser. She took out her phone and called up a few pictures.
"There was one company which converted some of these aircraft into very oversized load cargo planes. They shared such names as Pregnant Guppy, Super Guppy, and Mini Guppy. They were used for various loads, including several rocket stages, for the space program."
Savannah looked at the bulbous shape of the aircraft. It looked to her like there would be a lot of aerodynamic drag.
"It seems it would be a handful to fly, especially with the load inside of it." Savannah said.
Young Jesse thought it would be a challenge.
"I'd like to give it a whirl." Young Jesse said.
Camille was about to point out it would most likely take a temporal mission in order to do so. She didn't want to give anyone any ideas.
Young Allison would like to see what it was like as well.
"Everything is a challenge, until it isn't." Young Allison said.
They took one more look around the interior of the KC-97. It was time to move on.
They liked all the room inside the plane. They exited the upper deck by a few more short ladders and went out the side of the plane at the rear. Ted was there with a short ladder for them. He locked up the door.
Joe led them to the Vulcan bomber. It was a jet bomber from Great Britain. It was a modified delta type wing aircraft. It was large. The big delta wing made the jet look larger than it was. There was a lot of wing surface area.
Hanna and Gail wanted to stay in touch with the two teams which currently shadowed the box truck. They also needed to run down a few targets.
Gail spotted a target of opportunity. She hit the brakes slightly.
"There's a target right there." Gail said.
Hanna looked over. She spotted two men in an alley. They pushed a female back and forth between them.
Gail made a U-turn and drove right up to where they were.
Hanna and Gail exited the SUV.
The two men looked surprised to see the two females approach them. They were even more surprised to see drying blood on their clothing, especially the redhead. There was a lot on her.
Hanna now wore Sheila's clothing.
Gail and Hanna walked up to the two men.
"Let the girl go." Hanna said.
The men looked her over from head to toe and back.
"You're bleeding." One man said.
Hanna smiled.
"It's not my blood." Hanna said. "It's from some punks like you."
Both men issued a string of curses. The girl broke away and ran off.
"Hey." The second man said. "She was our 'trim' for the night. It looks like now both of you are instead."
The second punk pulled out a knife.
Gail punched the second man in the throat. His neck snapped. He collapsed like a rag doll. His head hung off his shoulder at a crazy angle.
The first man was still shouting curses. He stopped in mid curse as his homeboy fell to the ground. He realized he was about to die. These Bitches didn't play by the street rules.
He tried to draw his knife. Hanna reached out and squeezed his forearm. It broke and the flesh pulped as everything was crushed down to about an inch in diameter in her grip. The man passed out. His arm was ruined. It would need to be amputated if he lived. He wouldn't.
Gail kicked him in the side of the head and his skull caved in.
They got back in the SUV and drove off. Gail ran over both of the dead men's legs. It should look like a traffic accident of some kind.
"The side trip didn't delay us much." Hanna said.
Gail was up for some additional action.
"Let's find some more." Gail said.
Sarah followed Jesse and Claire to Claire's room. The girls talked a few things over. Now it felt like it was time for a little more.
"Are you all up for a three way?" Jesse asked.
Claire felt a rush of excitement.
"I am." Claire said.
Sarah looked at both Jesse and Claire. She couldn't imagine anything else she wanted more right now.
"Hell, yes." Sarah said.
They all kissed and started to undress each other….
They all looked at each other's naked bodies before they climbed into bed. Each one thought the other two were Hot.
Claire and Jesse wanted Sarah to lie down and they would both concentrate on her.
Jesse motioned for Claire to move up to Sarah head on her knees, while she slid down and started in on Sarah. Claire felt Sarah start in on her. Sarah reached up and fondled her as well. They stayed that way until everyone finished at least once and then they switched positions. Jesse and Claire traded places. The action picked up where it left off.
They kept up the rotation and Jesse switched with Sarah. Claire stayed where she was. After Claire and Sarah switched, Claire would take Jesse's place on the bed. It was a good rotation all three of them liked and really got into.
It was going to last them for a few hours. They would eventually form into a triangle. They would switch as well to a different partner arrangement every few finishes.
Riley was just thrilled to death about everything that happened. She knew everything was a game changer and she was the one who needed to use moderation. It seemed to her like Samantha was a little worried about the line they'd crossed. She was unsure what to say to her.
Samantha was worried. She'd loved Riley for a long time and she didn't like how Riley was shunned by everyone but Cameron. It was what was ironic about the whole thing. They all treated Riley differently because of Cameron. Cameron was the one who always reached out to Riley and helped her.
She knew Riley loved Cameron dearly for everything and she understood why things were like they were, even if they weren't of her doing.
The thing Samantha was the most relieved about was Riley hadn't been with John like she'd thought. It would be up to her now to make sure it never happened. It might even lead to her deactivation. She was willing to sacrifice for Riley and ultimately Precious. Precious would need her mother growing up, She intended to make sure Riley was around to do it.
She decided to go into standby for now next to the crib like she often did. What would be different this time, was she really would go into standby instead of just simulating it, and look at Precious for hours at a time instead.
Riley's mind was flooded with a million thoughts. This was really all still a lot for her to take in. She really wondered if she'd taken things too far. They all sort of just happened.
Cammy, Sheila and Ally walked over to where Leticia, Mary and Laura were talking.
"So what did you beauties decide?" Sheila asked.
Mary was still a little shook up.
"I don't want to eat." Mary said.
Ally knew the Metal girls weren't going to. There was certainly no need to push it.
"It's understandable." Ally said.
Cammy was aware the brutalities of life were hard for some people to stomach, quite literally.
"You went through a lot." Cammy said.
Sheila was impressed Leticia watched her 'work' on the two female enablers. She never said a word or blinked an eye. She could see it sickened her some, but she couldn't look away. She wanted to make sure there were no problems.
"Are you good, love?" Sheila asked Leticia.
Leticia never was with anyone so forceful, or violent, before. She'd also never been with anyone who could love her like 'Sue' could.
"I was a little scared when we were taken captive. I saw the van coming and I knew you would save me." Leticia said. "You've done it more than several times too. You're unlike any other person I've ever known."
Mary and Laura looked at each other. The thing about the 'robots' popped into both of their minds. It seemed to 'ask' about it was a really bad idea. Especially since all the killing which happened earlier. They were pretty sure they didn't want to 'know too much', and be dealt with accordingly.
Laura wanted to dance around the subject.
"I know we can't ask you any specifics, but will you need to go out again and 'work'?" Laura asked.
Cammy wanted to keep things contained.
"We never know what will pop up." Cammy said. "There are many different threats and challenges which must be addressed."
Ally wanted to remind them their situation was always fluid.
"We receive a lot of 'help' from our associates." Ally said. "What happened earlier wasn't on our schedule. We went to assist our colleagues."
Leticia wondered how many people 'Sue' killed and how many of them she'd 'punished' first.
"Do you face such violence often?" Leticia asked.
Cammy was worried the girls might be injured the longer they associated with each other.
"Yes." Cammy said. "Everything we do is dangerous. You can't be involved in it again."
Sheila looked at the three girls. She was impressed they'd all stepped up to meet the challenge.
"What you did for each other, and for what you thought was for us, was admirable." Sheila said. "We're highly trained and skilled at what we do."
Mary wanted to ask what it was they wanted them to see and why. She was aware the 'special girls' knew they'd observed them before the operation began. They'd even given them a 'warning', but made no attempt to stop them.
"We saw impossible things." Mary said. "This wasn't the first time."
Leticia didn't want the conversation to go to a bad place. It was clear the 'special girls' were all very powerful.
"The girls work out." Leticia said. "It's why they're strong."
Mary still knew some of the things were impossible for humans. She didn't think there were very many human males who could grab two grown adults by the neck, lift them in the air and slam both of them into a brick wall, drop them, and do it again to two more people with enough force to crack the glass in a window. She knew doors could be kicked in. She never knew one could be kicked in so hard it would tear loose and fly through a wall. How much strength and force was behind it?
"I think we can all see it was more than what anyone could do just by working out." Mary said.
Laura saw her share but she'd missed all the real violence.
"I know they helped those girls." Laura said. "We all rode in the 'meat wagon'. It's real enough to know someone is doing something to try to stop it. It matters, even if the method is unconventional. It matters to me."
Leticia looked at Mary and Laura. She then looked at 'Peggy', 'Barbara' and 'Sue'.
Ally, Cammy and Sheila looked back at her.
"It matters to me too." Leticia said. "I want to do more. I'm well trained to follow orders and do what other people won't do. I want to join you."
Cammy looked at Sheila.
"Sue will make the determination at a later date." Cammy said. "Now we want to have a good time and do something or we can go back to your place."
Laura could use something to take her mind off of everything she'd witnessed.
"I guess everyone needs to decompress." Laura said.
Leticia leaned over to 'Sue's' ear.
"I want to be with Tony." Leticia whispered. "I want to show him I have what it takes."
Cammy and Ally looked at each other. They heard what Leticia whispered.
They really wondered what Leticia thought she'd need to do. To be with 'Tony' was the least of it.
Summer decided to check on Precious and see if Samantha was available.
"We can get Samantha if you want." Summer said.
Jan liked the idea. She thought of a couple more individuals.
"What about Riley and Precious?" Jan asked.
Summer didn't think it mattered where they watched the movie. There were plenty of big screens around the base. It was mostly so they could watch multiple computer screens on one big screen if there was an important event about to happen. There seemed to be quite a few of those.
"Maybe we can watch the movie there." Summer said. "I'll catch up to you."
Jan headed off for Riley's room. Summer wanted to make a stop. She wanted to pay a visit to the Command Center.
It seemed there were a lot of things in play.
The scrawny man opened the door to the rear and led the Terminator inside.
The Terminator could snap his neck and go through the building and terminate everyone else. He figured it would be easier to move the girls away from the location if they were already dressed.
The scrawny man stopped in front of a door halfway down the hall and opened it.
"This is our biggest room." The scrawny man said.
The Terminator looked at the room. There was a queen size mattress on the floor. It was in one corner. There were two chairs in the room. There was nothing else.
"It will be sufficient." The Terminator said. "Bring me the girls, now."
The scrawny man turned to leave.
"Do you want any other chairs?" The scrawny man asked.
The Terminator thought it would be more comfortable for the girls to sit in a chair than on the floor or be further degraded by needing to sit on the mattress.
"It would be satisfactory." The Terminator said. "I want them fully clothed, including footwear. I like to remove everything myself. Remember to go ahead and take their next dose of narcotics for yourself. You've earned it. "
The scrawny man's face lit up at the prospect of getting an additional fix.
"You've got it, boss." The scrawny man said.
He disappeared from the room.
The Terminator listened to hear what was happening elsewhere inside the area. He wanted to know how many assailants there were. He could identify two other male voices. One of them sounded like a customer. The scrawny man informed him earlier one of the other girls was currently 'busy'.
After a few minutes, he could hear some movement in the hall.
The door opened. Two females entered. Each of them carried a chair. They were both fully attired as he'd requested, including footwear.
Both of the females looked at him rather nervously. They could see he was a large individual.
"Sit down and relax." The Terminator said.
Both of the girls nervously did so.
The Terminator awaited the arrival of the rest of the females.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 23 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was deafening as the locomotive prepared to roll over the two men. They both frantically struggled to break their bonds. They wouldn't be able to do it on their own.
Cameron stood off to the side in the distance and watched. There was no emotion on her face.
The ground shook and rumbled from the weight of the locomotive.
The desk clerk could see the locomotive was headed right for them. At the last second, it turned slightly to the side. Much to his amazement it passed a few feet away from him. He felt his hands come free. He hoped they were still attached to his body. They were. It took him a while to realize they were on a siding and the locomotive was on the main track. He looked over at his uncle. He looked as surprised as he was they were both alive and they were both now free.
The short train rumbled along in back of them. They both sat up to free their feet. The first thing they removed was the gag.
The desk clerk realized his mouth was full of vomit. He spit it out. He could see his uncle do the same thing.
"I'm going to kill whoever did this to us." The uncle said.
The short train was past them at this point.
"We don't know who did this." The desk clerk said. "They could have just as easily killed us instead of sending us a warning. There must have been more than one of them to do all of this. I hope it wasn't some of your buddies in the Society, or the Klan."
The uncle looked a little worried at the mention of two of the group's he belonged to. They were several of the groups which were now frowned upon by some of his fellow Texans. There weren't a few years ago, but they were now.
"Some of those guys are real mean." The uncle said. "I was there when they killed people before. Well, if you consider them people. I don't. They used a rope and a tree for one of them, and a rope in a signpost for another one. One of them was tied behind a truck and pulled along a dirt road for five miles. The only color which could be seen then was red."
The desk clerk was still a little worried.
"I know they don't care for me very much." The desk clerk said. "I've always done what they wanted. I did everything the way you taught me."
The uncle looked around nervously.
"It's something you're never to talk about." The uncle said. "I've told you the same thing since you were six."
The two men got to their feet.
"What are we going to do now?" The desk clerk asked.
The uncle looked around.
"Hopefully find my truck." The uncle said. "If not, we need to walk back. I think we're about four miles from the station. The hotel is right near it. My truck should still be parked there."
The desk clerk was a little nervous.
"I think we should forget about those girls for tonight." The desk clerk said. "I'm going to need a change of underwear while I'm at it. I think these are headed for the trash can. My pants are pretty messed up too."
The uncle understood what he meant. He shook his right pants leg several times until everything inside of it dropped out onto the ground. It was a little mushier than he thought.
"We'll see if we can score some new pants where the section crew is housed." The uncle said. "Their laundry is usually hanging out right along the roadside."
The desk clerk wasn't opposed to the idea.
"We'll leave our old stuff there." The desk clerk said. "They can clean them and use them themselves."
Cameron kept both of the men in earshot as they walked. If they planned to return back to their room, she would maim both of them.
It appeared to her as if they would follow the railroad tracks and return to the hotel. She made her way back to the beat up pickup truck. She went to start it. The battery was dead. She put it into neutral and began to push it. Once it was moving a few miles an hour, she got inside and put her foot on the clutch and moved the shifter into first gear. She popped the clutch and the truck started. She really thought it was a shame modern vehicles couldn't be started as easily. She wasn't always sure progress was progress.
Cameron returned back to the hotel and parked the truck where it was. She moved around to the side of the building where the window of their room was at.
Earlier:
Young Allison wasn't sure she could go back to sleep. She'd tossed and turned for another hour. She was worried about the implications of her actions, more than she was about the actions themselves. It really made her wonder about the third shooter. Why would she even think it was Sheila? No, it was just a dream. She got up and moved over to the window to look out.
Things had been relatively quiet for the last hour after she'd heard the last air horn. She heard something impact lightly on the glass. She looked down and was a little surprised to see Cameron standing there. She didn't see her just a few seconds ago. She was aware Cameron was like a shadow at night.
She opened the window and looked out in both directions
Cameron looked up at the window.
"Toss me the stationery and the pencil on the dresser." Cameron said quietly.
Young Allison quickly moved over to the dresser and picked them up. She went over to the window and dropped both of them down.
Cameron caught both of them in the air.
"I'll be up to the room in two minutes." Cameron said quietly.
Cameron took the stationery and the pencil to the beat up truck. She quickly wrote a note and left it on the seat of the truck. She found a rusty knife under the seat. She used it to affix the piece of stationery to the seat.
Young Allison moved the glass back into the bathroom. She moved the chair away from the door. She stuck the Model 19 behind her back and kept her hand there as she waited by the door. She could hear footsteps approaching. They stopped outside the door.
"Green." Young Allison said very quietly.
She knew only a Terminator could hear her.
"Monkey." Cameron said quietly.
Young Allison opened the door with the Model 19 in her hand.
Cameron entered. She took one look around in both directions down the hall before she closed the door behind her.
Young Allison felt Cameron touch the back of her neck. She knew Cameron wanted to scan her. It was something which happened all the time by one of the Metal girls anyway.
"Did you kill them?" Young Allison asked quietly.
Cameron conversed with her quietly so they didn't disturb anyone else. She wasn't even sure there was anyone else in any of the rooms on either side of them, for at least a couple of rooms. It was probably done on purpose so the desk clerk could carry out his dirty deed.
She showed Young Allison the items she'd acquired.
Young Allison was pleased to get some .357 Magnum ammunition. She quickly reloaded the Model 19. She would have preferred some jacketed hollow points. She wasn't even sure if such ammunition was available currently. The more powerful lead projectiles would still get the point across, if push came to shove.
Cameron watched as Young Allison replenished the ammunition in both of the .38 Special revolvers. She informed Young Allison the 1911 was loaded with newer ammunition. She showed Young Allison the back of one of the cartridges she'd removed. She could clearly see the two numbers 44 on the back of it. It was obviously surplus ammunition left over from World War Two.
Young Allison understood firearms which were carried on a person all of the time, tended to pick up 'moisture' from their bodies. Over time, the moisture could lessen the effectiveness of the cartridge. She'd read a report one time where two individuals got into a gunfight. One of the individuals was shot seven times at point blank range with .45 ACP ammunition. He returned fire with a .22 long rifle pistol. He killed his assailant with one shot. The individual who'd been shot seven times, rode two different city buses to the hospital to seek treatment. The investigation determined how he was able to survive.
In the Resistance, they normally went through ammunition quickly enough so it was never an issue for them. It was doubtful any of the same rounds stayed loaded in any of their firearms for more than a week.
Cameron looked at the other two firearms. They were the Colt Single Action Army and the P-08 Luger.
"I half expected you to switch over to the Parabellum." Cameron said.
Young Allison never personally trained with either of the obsolete firearms. The more worrisome of the two to her was the Parabellum.
"I've seen plenty of YouTube videos of people having to work the toggle, or slap the toggle down, to keep the pistol firing through one magazine of eight rounds." Young Allison said. "I can see why it was replaced by the P-38. I know Beretta used the P-38 design as the basis to build their line of double action pistols. The M9 pistols we normally carry are the evolutionary result of it."
Cameron was aware they'd switched to the M9 for several reasons. The first one was they could acquire crates of them from different military depots. They were promptly transferred to future weapons caches for the Resistance. The other reason was because the barrel could be replaced with one which was threaded to easily take a silencer. It required no other modification to the firearm to function. With the subsonic ammunition they used, the only sound heard was that of the slide working and the empty brass ejecting when it was fired. The small 'cough' associated with the bullet and gasses leaving the barrel, was barely audible to a human at point blank range. None of the enemy heard it for long.
When she scanned Young Allison, she detected a high level of stress. She wasn't sure if it was from the events earlier in the day, or the events of a few hours ago. It was probably a combination of both.
"Why don't you lay down and rest a little bit. The sun won't be up for a little while yet." Cameron said.
Young Allison looked at the bed.
"I'll just lay down on top of it if you lay down next to me." Young Allison said. "I hope I won't snore like John does."
Cameron could understand Young Allison's concern.
"Everything will be fine." Cameron said.
Cameron could always turn her audio receptors off. No, she'd better not. She looked over at the door. She would need to be able to respond to any threat.
Young Allison lay down on top of the bed with the custodial uniform on. She did take her shoes off. She kept the Model 19 close. She was pleased when Cameron lay down next to her and took her hand. She drifted off to sleep easily.
Cameron stared at the ceiling as Young Allison fell asleep. She figured the two men should arrive back at their truck soon. She hoped they liked the message.
Did You Do That
When two people first meet
They may soon want more than to chat
Into the ring of life
They will throw their hat
Things can heat up fast
When there's no thermostat
Caution needs to be used
So no one falls flat
Everyone needs to remain flexible
Like an emotional acrobat
Things may soon devolve
Into some verbal combat
It takes some effort and time
To act as their own diplomat
There must be give and take
Without being a copy cat
Some rely on past merits and laurels
Upon their own back they pat
They are overconfident and smug
Did you do that
Nobody