Chapter 1494
Like A Funnel
John and John Henry were in the Command Center. Summer joined them after CamNet relayed a transmission to her through her com. Cam speculated there was a version of Skynet directly involved. No one knew Summer was there yet as CamNet fed her information.
"One of the drones has picked up some additional activity." John Henry said.
John was wary of an ambush.
"Let's see what we have." John said.
John Henry put all the drones on a wider orbit. It was so what they each tracked, wasn't pinpointed to a specific location. It was a precaution in case anyone was able to track them. It was doubtful anyone could, even a version of Skynet.
Kyle's team and Allison's team were both ordered to pull back. Gail and Hanna quietly reinforced both teams but hung back a little more.
"The roads around the area will soon narrow down to just a couple in a few more miles." John Henry said.
John could see it now.
"It's like a funnel." John said.
It could act like a 'pointer' to Skynet, or a choke point, for anyone tracking the Grays. It would make an ambush easier to pull off.
"It will draw any tailing vehicles into a few select routes." John Henry said. "There are no alternate choices available."
John wondered if this was the break they'd been waiting for.
"Do you think it's the Coltan source?" John asked.
A soft voice from behind them caught them off guard.
"It's a sucker play." Summer said.
John and John Henry both turned around.
"Hi, Summer." John said.
Summer wanted to remind them of Cam's earlier assessment.
"Hi." Summer said. "Cam thinks this is some direct involvement by a version of Skynet."
John Henry received the transmission but didn't think so. There were no facts to support the theory.
"It's a possibility." John Henry said.
John was worried about their drones.
"Can Skynet track our drones?" John asked.
John Henry doubted it. They controlled all of the assets.
"We have control of all of the radar systems, including weather radar." John Henry said. "Each drone emits its own jamming field on top of it."
John didn't want to chance it.
"Have all of the drones take evasive action and fallback to their bases." John said.
John Henry didn't want to go 'blind' so soon. He didn't want to lose their advantage.
"We should have at least one remain." John Henry said. "Every drone has volunteered."
John learned when Savannah and Young Allison personally interacted with the drone fleet, the drones all become more self aware. They all possessed AI to act on their own on a given assignment. They all seemed more 'outgoing' now. He'd noticed the same effect with the girls and the Terminators as well to a much greater degree. He did want to keep track of what was happening.
"Pick one and have the rest fall back." John said.
It reminded John of the events which led up to the 'Day Of Loss'.
"Everyone has fallen back." John Henry said.
John decided to have everyone return to the base along with all but one drone.
Summer watched John pull everything back. Based on all of the unknowns, it seemed like a good idea. She'd studied the 'Day Of Loss'. Cameron was able to 'fix' most of what actually happened on that day. The events they knew, were what Cameron actually did there when she went back in time.
"Put the drone into its widest orbit around there, and at its highest altitude." John said. "We will know where things end up at."
John Henry figured the drone would be outside the range of the standard Skynet jamming field. It didn't mean if they were after one of the Skynet mainframes, it wouldn't be able to have a larger one.
Summer quietly asked CamNet to replace the drone on patrol with one armed with EMP weapons. It should be able to take down the Skynet jamming field if one appeared.
She wanted to be able to interface with the Skynet mainframe from a secure location if anything could be found that it was linked to. She conveyed the information to CamNet.
CamNet said she would be deactivated if anything happened to her.
Summer reminded CamNet life was about choices. She'd just made one and wanted it respected.
CamNet didn't protest further. She wanted to see what Summer could do against Skynet. She was aware whatever Summer could do to a version of Skynet, she would be able to do it to her as well. The encryption River placed on the TDE was proof some information was more than could be decoded. Summer was able to do it.
Allison wasn't thrilled about the return to base notice.
"I can't believe we just got recalled." Allison said.
Holly tilted her head slightly. The order seemed quite clear.
"You can believe it." Holly said. "I verified it with John Henry. John is back in control."
Cam liked it better when Young Allison called the shots, when John was on the ship. It sounded even better when Summer was involved. The girls used less caution and delivered more action. They'd even used nuclear weapons! Everything was done to protect their troops and destroy the enemy.
"We know what to watch for." Cam said.
Vanna thought they needed more caution now.
"If Skynet suspects something is amiss, the machine shop becomes a potential booby trap in the future as well." Vanna said. "Nothing can be taken at face value."
Cam hoped the ploy to make the Grays think they'd dealt with the Fanatics, and everyone in the cell was dead, worked. There was no way to know for sure.
"We've covered all the option." Cam said.
Allison checked their six. It appeared everyone was headed back.
"Kyle's team is behind us." Allison said. "Homeward bound it is."
Derek and Kyle were less than impressed with the recall.
"It looks like we're sidelined, bro." Kyle said.
Derek knew they still had several hard targets available to them.
"It happens." Derek said. "We know where some of their assets are. It's a start. Those structures can be taken down at any time."
Bob was worried about a deeper issue.
"If there's the potential for another 'Day Of Loss', it's a wise move to fall back for now." Bob said. "It was a terrible day."
The Terminators all relived the horrific day as if it just happened when they thought about it. They needed to think about how Cameron 'fixed' everything later on.
Kyle was directed where to pick up Allison's team at.
"There's the other team ahead." Jim said.
Kyle spotted them a short time later.
"I guess we'll caravan back to the base." Kyle said.
Gail and Hanna acted as an ambush. They watched both teams pass by their location. There didn't appear to be anyone tracking them.
They fell in line in back of Kyle's SUV which was behind Allison's SUV.
They'd remain outside the area where the other SUVs were at.
Hanna wanted to remain within striking distance if a situation developed.
"We can ride shotgun for a while." Hanna said.
Gail knew there was no pressing need for them to return to the Resistance base. There were several options available to them.
"It seems prudent." Gail said. "We can return back to the base, or track down some more Grays, or Scavengers. Our girlfriends are most likely sharing."
Hanna was aware in her absence, it appeared to happen nonstop.
"They seem to do a lot of it." Hanna said. "It will allow us more time together until we're needed."
Gail asked the question they both thought.
"What happens when we're not needed anymore?" Gail asked.
It was on Hanna's mind too. She better understood some of the trials and tribulations Cameron experienced.
"I really don't know." Hanna said. "I'm sure it won't be anything good."
They both hoped the girls would need assistance with their infants. They were available twenty four hours a day to assist. They still might have some usefulness. Right now both of them would like to find some additional targets. They really didn't care what they were.
Samantha was unaware of Riley's recent sexual adventures with Claire and Sarah. She loved Riley and wanted her to be better accepted and loved. She checked on Jesse, she was a little depleted again.
Samantha took Riley off to the side.
"You could stop by Jesse's room real quick." Samantha said.
Riley wondered what was up.
"Is Claire still there?" Riley asked.
Samantha was sure Claire and Sarah both were. More than likely they were busy with each other right now.
"She is, or was." Samantha said.
It seemed to Riley Samantha was about to set up a sexual union.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Riley asked.
Samantha smiled and touched Riley's cheek.
"Yes." Samantha said. "I want you treated fairly."
Riley wanted to downplay it some.
"I might be rejected." Riley said.
Samantha felt some sadness for Riley in that regard.
"Right now you already are." Samantha said. "I want it to change."
Riley thought even if nothing happened right now, it would cover her tracks for what already did happen. She didn't want to abuse Samantha's affection.
"I want to, but I don't want to 'hurt' you." Riley said.
Samantha knew sacrifice was the true test of love.
"We should all be able to share, if it's what everyone wants." Samantha said. "It doesn't hurt anything. Shared love is beautiful."
Riley wanted to be fair.
"It includes you." Riley said.
Samantha knew she was on shaky ground.
"It should, but I still need to worry about Cameron." Samantha said. "I'll keep Jesse here for now."
Riley felt a tinge of remorse and guilt over Jesse. She was still a little uneasy about the chain of events associated with everything. It may have been a while back, it just didn't seem like it, even if it was.
"I was with Jesse a lot before." Riley said. "I'd love to be with her again. Cameron took Derek away from her, and 'gave' him to me."
It was water under the bridge to Samantha.
"Go." Samantha said. "That was then, this is now."
Riley checked in on Precious again before she slipped out.
Samantha wanted to keep Jesse and Jan entertained while Riley was away.
She asked Jan to go grab another shirt for her since Precious spit up a little on the one she currently wore earlier.
Jan thought about what she'd watched earlier. She wanted to see more.
"Will you change it here?" Jan asked.
Samantha knew what Jan wanted to see.
"I can." Samantha said. "It's only if you don't mind."
A giant smile formed on Jan's face.
"I don't mind." Jan said.
Jan was gone in a flash.
Samantha moved closer to Jesse. She wanted to let her know about what happened earlier.
"She tried to spy on me earlier." Samantha whispered.
Jesse knew what the girls all wanted to see. She was more than willing to show them herself. It's what she'd always done.
"It's best to let them see." Jesse whispered. "The female body is beautiful. It should be shared freely."
Jesse was sure her body was shared a little more than most, both by her choice, and against her will. It was what it was. Either way, she was where she was at right now.
Life was good in Paradise.
Claire and Sarah were in Jesse room sharing. They heard the door open. Neither of them looked. They thought Jesse was back.
"Jump in." Sarah said.
Riley was a little surprised to see Sarah and Claire sharing. It was obvious it wasn't the first time. She wondered how long it was going on for.
She stripped off her clothes and stood naked at the side of the bed.
"I want to be with both of you, if you'll have me." Riley said.
Claire and Sarah both turned their heads. They quickly looked at each other. Neither knew the other was with Riley already.
"I'm OK with it." Claire said.
Sarah knew they needed to use some moderation.
"I am too." Sarah said. "We need to play it cool though."
Riley was thrilled with the prospect of being with both of them at the same time.
"I understand." Riley said.
There was some hesitation as how to start. It didn't take long for the action to start.
Riley dove right in on Sarah. Claire started in on her. Sarah worked on Claire.
Once they all made it, they switched.
Riley still couldn't believe this was all happening for her.
Life was good in paradise.
Things looked good at the nude beach club.
The girls all ordered a drink. There were interactive monitors.
Leticia looked at 'Sue'.
"Aren't you going to get a drink?" Leticia asked.
Sheila didn't want to go there.
"We need to maintain a really strict diet." Sheila said. "We only consume special nourishment."
Laura wondered if it was oil and gasoline. She figured it could be electricity too. It didn't seem like a good idea to ask. The 'special girls', whatever they were, were being very generous.
Mary wanted to feel things out a little.
"Is it how you keep your strength up?" Mary asked.
Cammy didn't like the direction of the questions.
"It's best not to worry about it." Cammy said.
Laura quickly glanced at Mary, and then looked at 'Barbara'.
"I can see every 'Barbara' plays it close to the chest." Laura said.
Leticia came to the aid of the 'special girls'. She gave both Mary and Laura a stern look.
"Don't go there." Leticia said. "Every girl needs a few secrets, especially a 'special girl'."
Mary wanted to know more. There were still a lot of questions.
"I don't think you ate much on the ship." Mary said.
Ally thought they ate plenty.
"We ate what made people happy instead." Ally said.
The girls all giggled.
There were signals which screamed 'robots' to the human girls, while their eyes saw only beautiful females.
The girls were in their private cabana now with their drinks.
The beach was on one side. The pool and common area was on the other side. The cabanas were very nice. There was air conditioning, a small refrigerator with several different types of alcoholic beverages in it. There were three large wide lounge chairs with folded sheets and towels around. The cabana could be closed off for complete privacy.
The girls all watched the activity occurring elsewhere. There were hook-ups in the less private cabanas. There were even a few by the side of the pool. Everyone went about their business as if nothing was actually going on. It was obviously a commonplace activity.
"This is a wild swinger's joint." Laura said.
Mary liked the females around her age. She knew some of the older ones really knew how to make things happen down there.
"There's a lot of fine females out there, even some of the more mature ones." Mary said.
Leticia was aware some of the older ones could be very generous or very mean. She could speak from personal experience as to how it usually was.
"Most of the older females know exactly what they want." Leticia said. "They don't usually have male friends either. I mean for sexual partners, even if they're married."
Cammy checked with the girls. They settled in. She ordered another round of specialty drinks for them on the interactive interface in the cabana. They arrived in short order. The server was nude as well. She was a nice trim and petite Asian female.
The server reminded Leticia what she looked like when she was a teenager. She'd love to have a body like that again, and know what she did now. She'd been with about twenty of the neighborhood boys around the same time as well. She'd been their 'first' for all of them. Not one of them lasted longer than two minutes. She wondered if they still remembered her.
Pretty soon the girls all started to share. The Metal girls moved from girl to girl. At one point, Cammy and Ally shared. Needless to say, everyone stopped to watch them for a while. It was just too Hot not to look at. Even to watch them just kiss was Hot.
None of the girls wanted to walk down to the ocean yet. There were others which made the trek. There were some games of volleyball going on. It was more a team effort than a two on two competition.
Mary wondered about a lot of things as to where they were at now. She'd like a little more secluded atmosphere. It would be too easy to get into the hook up mode. Those could go on for hours, one after another.
"Is there a more private pool?" Mary asked.
Sheila was aware of all of the amenities available to them.
"There is." Sheila said.
The girls wanted to go there.
The Metal girls looked at each other.
Leticia noticed. She remembered what Mary and Laura thought about the girls being robots, well, cyborgs anyway.
"Can you go in water?" Leticia whispered to 'Sue'.
Sheila tilted her head slightly.
"Of course I can." Sheila whispered back.
Leticia smiled.
"You can do anything." Leticia whispered.
Sheila knew she couldn't reproduce or swim. She was aware of all of her limitations. She knew she was durable, but not indestructible.
"I can do a lot of things." Sheila whispered. "There are others I can't do."
Laura thought of the earlier volleyball game they watched.
"Maybe we could play some volleyball first." Laura said. "The pool will be nice to cool off in later on."
The Metal girls like the idea. They didn't think they would have much competition.
"That's just my speed." Sheila said.
Ally wanted another chance to touch all three girls.
"Let's rub them down with sunscreen first." Ally said.
There was a loud 'clang' noise. The Metal girls all looked. There was a 'Horseshoe' game set up.
Leticia noticed what they all looked at.
"Can you play that game too?" Leticia asked.
Sheila looked over at the game. How hard could it be? It was all based on mathematical calculations. There was a set destination for the horseshoe. The horseshoe was a constant weight. The sea breeze shouldn't have much effect on the trajectory of the metallic object.
"I can play any game." Sheila said. "I can play the game with my eyes closed."
Leticia smiled and kissed 'Sue'.
"You're funny." Leticia said.
Sheila looked at Cammy and Ally.
"That's me, 'Funny Sue'." Sheila said.
Ally couldn't help but 'see' Sheila laugh as she would 'work on' a sex trafficker, either male or female. It was an eerie thought. She wasn't sure 'funny' was the correct terminology. It seemed 'sadistic' was more accurate. She loved Sheila dearly. She was sure Sheila enjoyed the violence as much as she did the pleasure.
The girls finished up with the two versions of the F-84 and the F-86.
Joe started to lead them to the F-89 Scorpion.
Young Jesse spotted a small jet. It sat very low to the ground. The pilots sat next to each other, side by side, rather than in tandem.
"What about this cute little bloke?" Young Jesse asked.
Cameron looked at the small jet.
"It's a T-37 Tweet or 'Tweety Bird'." Cameron said. "It is a side by side jet trainer."
The girls walked up to the plane. Almost all the other aircraft needed some type of stool or ladder to reach the cockpit area. The small jet trainer didn't require anything.
John Allison remembered a few images she'd viewed before.
"I saw a photo of one of these in camouflage before." Young Allison said. "It was loaded with weapons. There were a lot of them."
Cameron was aware of the specifications. It was a specialized version of the trainer aircraft.
"It was an A-37 Dragonfly, or 'Super Tweet'." Cameron said. "It was equipped with wing tip tanks and four hard points on each wing. The A-37B could carry over five thousands pounds of ordnance."
Young Jesse was impressed. She quickly realized its capability and potential. It was a bigger payload than the B-25 carried, even Cameron's Mitchell.
"This little shrimp could do all that?" Young Jesse asked.
Camille pointed out another important feature. She didn't want to mention the Resistance drones in front of Ted and Joe.
"There was a minigun mounted in the nose too." Camille said. "It was the same type as some other aircraft you're familiar with."
Savannah wanted to see how it stacked up with similar aircraft.
"I kind of like it." Savannah said. "How does it compare to the T-33 or an AT-33?"
There was a T-33 parked in the Resistance hanger. Cameron converted it to AT-33 specs with two hard points and rocket stubs.
"The A-37 can carry more ordnance than the AT-33. The cruise speed is almost the same. The AT-33 is a hundred miles an hour faster at maximum speed. The rate of climb is forty percent better with the A-37 at almost seven thousand feet per minute. The AT-33 can fly a mile and a half higher and the range is nearly double. The A-37 can carry four drop tanks which gives it the same range. It's a small plane."
The more Young Jesse heard, the more she liked the aircraft.
"I like the little shrimp." Young Jesse said. "It's a small package, which packs a big wallop."
Cameron thought maybe she should add some to her fleet. Since it was based on a trainer, it was relatively easy to fly. She clandestinely contacted CamNet and asked her to track some down and procure them. They would all have the airframe strengthened and the power plants modified for greater power.
Young Allison pictured Savannah and her flying in one together. Then again, she'd done it with almost every aircraft with two or more places. She looked at the plane parked on either side of the T-37. There was a B-52 on one side and a B-47 on the other side. Both of them made the 'Tweety Bird' look even smaller.
Young Jesse looked at the to strategic bombers.
"The B-47 Stratojet looks like the B-52 Stratofortress' little brother." Young Jesse said.
Cameron reminded them about what designers did to cut costs and speed production of various aircraft.
"Remember the designers keep playing with a set design. They make it bigger or smaller." Cameron said. "They can add or take away engines. They make the wings longer or shorter. The locomotive progression was the same way. Often the last phase of a model looked almost like the next model. Many planes went through the same progression."
Ted was ready to open the B-47 for them but they declined. They would do the B-52 or 'BUFF' at the end instead. There were several different words used for the last 'F' in 'BUFF'. It depended on the company present which dictated which one was used.
Cameron wanted to give them some comparative facts to consider.
"The B-47 bomb load was slightly greater than the B-50, but the speed was much greater." Cameron said. "The top speed of the B-47 and the T-33 was almost identical as was the rate of climb. The B-47 was capable of much greater range."
The more Joe and Ted listened to Cameron, the more they learned. Who were these girls? They were literally like walking encyclopedias. Not just any encyclopedias either. The information they knew was very specialized and factual.
Joe led the girls to the F-89 Scorpion.
"The Scorpion was designed from the start as an all weather interceptor and night fighter." Cameron said.
Savannah could see it resembled another all weather fighter they'd viewed just a short time ago. There were several differences she could spot right away.
"It's bigger than the F-94." Savannah said. "It was only a single engine. This one has two.
Cammy pointed out some advantages the Scorpion held over Starfire.
"It also could fire the Genie air to air nuclear rocket." Camille said. "There were 20MM cannons tried as well. The main armament was 104 'Mighty Mouse' rockets."
It sounded like a pretty heavy 'punch' to Young Jesse.
"I think I like this over the F-94." Young Jesse said.
Cameron knew the Air Force felt the same way about the aircraft. Its longevity was proof of it.
"Performance was almost identical." Cameron said. "They lasted about ten years longer in service over the F-94 fleet."
Joe led them to the T-33 Shooting Star often called the 'T-bird' and the T-38 Talon.
Anna hadn't said much. She ran Cameron's program like Camille did. She thought it was time for her to add some information.
"We already talked about the 'T-bird'." Anna said. "I just wanted to point out it started as a P-80 which was lengthened to take two pilots as a trainer. The Talon next to it started as a 'trainer'. A 'fighter' version was developed from it as the F-5. Early versions of it were called the 'Freedom Fighter'; later versions were the 'Tiger II'. The final product was the F-20 Tigershark. It was a plane politics unfairly killed."
The F-20 was slated to be adopted for an 'aggressor role' in both the Air Force and Navy training programs. It was so the aircraft could simulate battle between dissimilar aircraft, other than the ones they flew. A competitor made a deal with the Navy to sell them F-16 Falcons, below the actual cost of the manufacturer of the aircraft, in order to keep the F-20 out of the market. It was another example of behind the scenes corruption in the government. She knew it didn't really matter what government it was.
Young Allison noticed Joe and Ted looked intently at Anna. She tried to tell if they looked at her face or something else. She'd seen them try not to look at her.
Savannah wanted to refocus everyone's attention. It seemed there were a lot of distractions.
"We see the T-38 used in a lot of 'chase plane' applications." Savannah said. "There aren't a whole lot of supersonic trainers around, but there are others."
Joe led them across the way to the KC-135 Stratotanker.
There was a ramp in place so the girls walked right up and into it.
"There were a limited number of C-135 Stratolifters built." Cameron said. "There were many variations of the aircraft built. The KC-135 Stratotanker was one of them. The E-3 Sentry AWACS version is another. They both share a common ancestor to the commercial 707 passenger jet."
Young Allison noted the similarity of the refueling boom.
"It's the obvious replacement for the KC-97 we were in earlier." Young Allison said.
Cameron was aware of some of the limitations and difficulties of aircraft with dissimilar speeds attempting to fly at a common speed for refueling.
"More jets meant more jet tankers to refuel a little safer." Camille said. "There was less of a speed differential problem."
The main fuselage was wide open. It was flat and ran the length of the plane to the boom operator's station. There was a large cargo door and jump seats down the interior of the fuselage.
Young Jesse looked at all of the room inside. It was the most room of any aircraft they'd been in so far.
"We could hold a dance inside here." Young Jesse said.
The cockpit was just as open and roomy.
"I like this." Savannah said.
The girls all took the pilot's seat and copilot's seat.
Advanced avionics eliminated the need for a navigator. There was a station for one.
"At least the pilots get to fly and control the plane with this one." Young Jesse said.
Camille pointed out a change to the original design. With the aid of more capable computer equipment, one less person was needed for the flight crew.
"The 707 passenger version did have a 'Flight Engineer'." Camille said. "The C-135 family didn't."
Young Allison viewed it as an improvement.
"This looks like one time when the military got it right." Young Allison said.
They finished up in the cockpit and walked the length of the plane through its open interior.
"They could put a bowling alley in here." Young Jesse said.
They checked out the boom operator's station.
"This is an improvement over the KC-97 for sure." Savannah said.
The girls checked out the controls.
They needed to walk the length of the empty plane again to exit.
Savannah took Cameron's hand and they skipped through the fuselage. Young Jesse and Camille did too as well as Young Allison and Anna. They laughed and giggled as they did. It was a reminder the girls were still playful.
Joe and Ted hadn't gone up inside the aircraft with the girls. They weren't sure why they all looked so happy when they came down the ramp.
The B-36 was in front of them. Joe led them to a row of jet fighters first.
The Terminator watched the car crash through the front of the building and disappear inside. He followed it in on foot. He could hear the engine running at full speed. He saw one of the thugs was pinned up against one of the interior firewalls walls by the front of the car. He was still alive.
He spotted a second thug on the ground. He was terminated. As he passed the car running at full speed up against the wall, he snapped the neck of the thug pinned there. He moved into the rear of the building. He caught sight of a third thug stagger out the rear door. He figured he would take off in the vehicle. Whatever his destination was, would be a new target. He let him go.
He moved into where the office area was. The fourth thug was on top of 'Trojan'. He reached out and touched him. He was still alive. He wasn't sure why he was unconscious. He didn't think it was from the vehicle running at full speed down the hall. There may have been a dispute. He quickly snapped his neck and exited out the rear of the building. He didn't see any need to torch it now. It wasn't going to be used anytime soon.
The Terminator moved through the alley and back up one street. He could see some people gathering out in front of the building. There was some smoke coming out the front of it. He was pretty sure it was from the car running at full throttle. He could hear it sputtering every now and then. The engine was probably about to pay the price for running at the 'red line' for so long. The cooling system was probably compromised as well.
He got into the sedan which followed him earlier when he was in Trojan's car. He drove away from the area. He parked a quarter of a mile away from where his SUV was and walked there. It only took him a few minutes. The drone over him showed the area was clear and no one was tracking him. It also showed where the sedan which fled the rear of the building was currently at.
The Terminator wondered if the man who fled found something he missed. The other man in the office area was unconscious for a reason. It wasn't from anything he'd done. He wondered what the fleeing thug got his hands on. It was probably some narcotics he'd missed. It could have been taped to the back of one of the drawers in the desk, or the file cabinet. It wasn't his problem any longer.
The drone tracked the thug in the sedan. He didn't attempt to contact anyone when CamNet restored service to his phone. He closed up the distance with some assistance with traffic management from CamNet.
It was clear the thug was headed for the local mall. He was probably going to switch vehicles. It wasn't going to do him much good. CamNet currently tracked his phone. There was the possibility he might dump it.
He was already at the mall when the thug entered the parking lot. He was parked on the lowest level. He waited near the stairwell for the thug to enter the parking structure. He went up one floor and watched the thug park. It was clear he carried something with him.
The Terminator needed to decide if he wanted to take the thug out now, or wait for him to acquire another vehicle and leave.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 23 1963
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Cameron and Young Allison returned to their room. Young Allison started laughing as soon as the door closed.
"I would have liked to have seen the look on the man's face when he heard you mentioned he could have ended up like a steer." Young Allison said. "Maybe it was something you should have done anyway."
The thought did cross Cameron's mind. No doubt if Sheila would have been there with her, it would have happened. It probably wouldn't have been the only thing either. Sheila tended to get carried away once she got started on sex traffickers.
"I didn't want to change anything more than I needed to." Cameron said. "It's possible they may have selected a different female target if we wouldn't have been there. If they would have, things probably wouldn't have ended well for her. I think the two men are going to lay low for a while. I don't think they'll stop. More than likely they've gotten away with it for too long and will continue to do it."
Young Allison took care of her personal business. It was time to move on.
"I'm ready to go." Young Allison said.
Cameron took one more look around the room. She looked at the pencil and stationery on the dresser. She'd picked up another stationery pad when she passed by the front desk on their way into the diner. She replaced the one she'd written on. Even if somebody tried to see what was written on the paper above it, it wouldn't be anything. It was a new pad. The pad she'd used was now in her purse.
It actually felt a little strange for her to carry the purse around. Normally if she carried anything, it was usually a rucksack full of explosives or a satchel charge.
Cameron didn't want the female desk clerk to ask her any questions. She went down the rear stairway with Young Allison and walked her around to the front. She returned to the rear entrance and went back up the rear stairway. She moved through the hall and went down the front stairway and approached the front desk. She glanced out the window and could see Young Allison waiting outside.
She could see the door to the office area behind the front desk was closed. She figured the male desk clerk was inside of it. She shared some small talk with the female desk clerk and paid the bill. She mentioned her sister was already in the car with the luggage. She gave the desk clerk a two dollar tip which seemed to please her.
Cameron exited out the front. She collected Young Allison. They moved along. They made their way to the railroad station. It was a short walk. There were only half a dozen patrons waiting for the train. She wanted to check to make sure it was on time. It usually was. They'd all made a big investment after World War Two on new passenger equipment. The railroads could see the writing on the wall with the arrival of the jet age. The passenger business lost more ground every year.
The station agent told her Train One was on time. It would arrive at 11:40 AM.
Young Allison looked around the interior of the station. She found some brochures for the train they were about to take and other connecting routes it would interact with. There were a few of them.
The brochure stated the Sunset Limited began service in 1894. It received a lot of business from the Atlantic and Caribbean ship routes. It started service approximately twenty years before the Panama Canal was completed. With other options available, few people wanted to spend the time on a ship when they could simply switch to deluxe rail transportation in New Orleans or Houston. Times changed since then.
There was a map which showed the various stops along the way. None of them stuck out is any place she would really want to visit, especially in 1963.
Cameron walked up to her.
"The Sunset Limited will arrive in just over an hour." Cameron said.
They sat in the waiting area. They watched as a few more people arrived.
"Everyone has luggage." Young Allison said. "All we have are our purses."
Cameron was aware it raised a few questions at the hotel yesterday when they'd checked in.
"If anyone asks, we will tell them we have everything we need." Cameron said. "There's a baggage car on the train. Everyone should assume we checked our luggage."
At 11:30, a worker wheeled out a cart with luggage on it. He moved it to the approximate location where the baggage car would be on the train.
The people inside the station headed out to the platform.
It wasn't long until they could hear the air horn in the distance.
They could see the two headlights on the locomotive. One of them was a constant beam, the other one oscillated in a figure-eight pattern. It was done with a mechanical device. Sometimes it was referred to as a 'Mars Light', or a 'Gyralight'. Each was a brand offered by a different manufacturer. The railroad workers picked up on the names and used them interchangeably, regardless of the actual manufacturer.
They could see the red front end of the locomotive as it grew closer. It was relatively clean. The gray sides of the locomotive were as well. There were three locomotives in the contest.
"The locomotives are EMD E9 units." Cameron said. "The second locomotive will be repainted into its original Daylight colors and end up in the Sacramento Rail Museum. You've actually already seen it.
Young Allison looked at the locomotives. Cameron had taken her to various museums over the years. The first two locomotives were facing in the same direction. The third one faced backwards.
It didn't matter which direction any of the locomotives faced because they could run in either direction the same. The traction motors did the same job whichever direction they faced. They received electricity from the diesel powered prime mover through a generator.
"I can see they all have dual engines in them." Young Allison said.
Cameron was aware of the design.
"They each have two twelve hundred horsepower power engines in them." Cameron said. "The trucks have three axles each, but only two of them are powered. The center axle on each truck is an idler to help dispersed weight. It's known as an A-1-A wheel arrangement."
Young Allison watched as the baggage car went by. The door on it opened as it passed by them. She noted how shiny all of the passenger cars were. All of them had a red band above the windows and below the roof with the railroad's name on it.
"Are the cars made out of aluminum?" Young Allison asked. "I can see the metal isn't painted."
Cameron touched the side of one of the cars as the train stopped.
"They're made out of stainless steel." Cameron said.
The side doors on two of the cars opened. They were separated by several cars in between. There was a set of stairs. the conductor put down a 'step stool' in front of the stairs on the passenger car. The people begin to board. They showed the conductor their tickets and he told them which car to go to.
Cameron and Young Allison boarded between an elderly couple, and a family of three. No one seemed to pay them any attention.
They made their way through the train. There were sets of doors between each of the cars. They opened with the push of a rectangle panel on each of them. There was a momentary delay between the time the large button was pushed, and the door opened. They made a 'hiss' sound as they opened.
"The doors are pneumatic." Cameron said.
Young Allison was a little surprised to see there was a room steward waiting for them. They showed him their ticket and he led them to a room. They move along one side of the passenger car. It was to give each of the rooms the maximum amount of space. The steward stopped near the far end of the car.
Cameron wanted to be close to the exit doors on the passenger car in case they needed to get out in a hurry. It was just a precaution on her part.
He let them into the room. He asked if they needed any additional luggage from the baggage car. They told him they didn't.
Cameron closed the door.
Young Allison was pleased to see they had their own bathroom.
She could see the seats could turn into beds for them to sleep on. If they stayed in their room they would have a lot of privacy.
"Will we be in here the whole time?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron tilted her head slightly. She wasn't sure Young Allison would want to spend the entire time in the room. There really wouldn't be much to see except the landscape for most of the journey. A lot of it was a rather bleak desert landscape.
"You will need to visit the dining car for your meals." Cameron said. "There's also a lounge car where many go to consume alcoholic beverages. There's usually a lot of smoke in there from cigarettes, cigars and pipes. The coach passengers are kept separate from the sleeping car passengers. They're generally two different classes of people."
Young Allison didn't want to mix with a bunch of Blue Bloods. She didn't know if they would wear a fancy evening dress or not.
"I think we can remain in our room." Young Allison said. "I don't need to breathe a bunch of toxic fumes or have people stare at me and wonder what it is I do."
Cameron kept track of the time. Exactly fifteen minutes after the train stopped at the station, there was a small jolt. It was very slight. The train slowly pulled away from the station and picked up speed. So far the train ran exactly on schedule.
Cameron sat in the seat which looked backward to the direction of travel. Young Allison sat across from her and looked out the window. Their journey was just about to start.
Like A Funnel
Feelings can become concentrated
They may be drawn like a magnet
When too many are collected
They become stale and stagnant
When there are too many players
One can't cover all of the bases
It's hard to keep track
With so many changing faces
To be or not to be
Seems mostly like not to be
When one starts losing tack
It becomes very hard to see
The path to go forward
May not always be straight ahead
It's often on thin ice
One must dread to tread
When a mountain is reached
One may try to dig a tunnel
There is only so much space
As everything collects like a funnel
Nobody