Chapter 1530
Gift Wrapped Package
Earlier:
Young Jesse spotted Al and Ed head out towards the carpool area. They were 'armored up'. She opened an arms locker and 'armored up' as well.
Samantha did the same thing. She didn't want Young Jesse to go out on her own. She called Holly and asked her to look after Precious. She said she needed to go out. She didn't fill in all the details. She didn't want to make it worse, or have Allison try and go too. She caught up to Young Jesse right as she went out into the carpool area.
"This is a bad idea." Samantha said.
Young Jesse didn't think so. She was tired of only training Down Under. She wanted to share the burden.
"Maybe it is." Young Jesse said. "You know I'm still going to do it anyway."
Al and Ed were in an SUV and ready to leave. She walked in front of them.
"I'm going with you." Young Jesse said.
She got in the back. Samantha got in with her.
Al and Ed looked at each other.
"This isn't part of our mission." Al said.
Young Jesse was undaunted. She took a gamble.
"John Henry and CamNet know everything that happens." Young Jesse said. "Do you see them stopping anything?"
Al and Ed looked at each other again.
"No." Al said.
Samantha wanted to stop it.
"We should go back." Samantha said.
Young Jesse touched Samantha's cheek. She wanted to make herself clear without being rude. It was something she just needed to do. She needed to help take the load off of Savannah.
"I'm sorry, love. I'm doing this." Young Jesse said. "Go ahead and drive, Al. You may proceed."
Al looked back at Samantha and started the SUV. He drove away.
Young Jesse wanted to know more about what she'd just gotten herself into.
"I want a full report about where we're going, and what we are about to face." Young Jesse said.
She put her com in and took out her phone. She wanted to hear and see everything relevant.
"I want it all." Young Jesse said.
Ed filled her in on what he knew. CamNet provided Jesse with all the other information and related video files and updates as to where the team was and the timetable they were on.
Young Jesse figured out right away John Henry wasn't in the loop. Someone allowed her to get this far and have CamNet fill her in. It must be Young Allison or Summer. No. It was Summer.
They arrived at Van Nuys Airport. The Blackhawk was parked on the tarmac and running. Ken and Lou were in it. Lou got out of the copilot's seat.
"You can be the copilot." Lou said to Young Jesse.
Young Jesse thought about it. They were trying to keep her out of the fight if there was one. She also wanted to prove herself. She climbed up and put on the headset. There were night vision goggles if she wanted them. The moonlight was very bright. She strapped in as Samantha checked everything. She looked over at Ken.
"Go ahead and take off." Young Jesse said. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
Ken lifted off. The clock was running. She would've liked to have inspected the helicopter first. She needed to trust her teammates. She also needed to remember she was part of a team. They needed to work together. This was all a test for her. She was being tested. This was more than Summer. CamNet was the one who tested her. CamNet wanted to see if she was worthy of Savannah.
She knew the destination from Al. She looked at a map. She checked her instruments.
"Let me take it." Young Jesse said.
She'd put in a lot of hours on a Blackhawk and an Iroquois in Australia. They always had plenty of time to train. It was all they ever did.
Ken glanced over.
"You got it?" Ken asked.
Young Jesse nodded.
"I got it." Young Jesse said.
She adjusted the heading and moved the throttle up to just below the red line.
"CamNet has cleared the airspace to the target area." Samantha said.
Young Jesse knew it was a luxury in a combat situation. She wanted to make sure the troops were ready.
"I want everyone to keep a lookout anyway." Young Jesse said. "Everyone needs to do a weapons and gear check."
The Terminators all did it earlier. They did it again.
Samantha really hoped she wasn't going to be deactivated for this.
Young Allison noted the Blackhawk was on the way to pick the team up once they were out and clear of the mine complex.
"Who else is with them?" Young Allison asked.
Anna looked at her monitor and frowned.
"I don't think you want to know." Anna said.
Young Allison did want to know. She hoped it wasn't her mother.
"Tell me." Young Allison said.
Anna checked everything again.
"It's Young Jesse." Anna said. "She went on her own."
Young Allison understood it, even if she didn't agree with it.
"She wants to do more and take the load off of Savannah." Young Allison said. "Maybe we should take a Huey and back them up."
Anna was sure it was a worse idea.
"They're supposed to extract the team from the target area." Anna said. "They aren't a strike force. Samantha went with her."
Young Allison thought it was different. It was certainly a deviation from protocol.
"What about Precious?" Young Allison asked.
An image of Holly and Allison in bathrobes popped up on her screen. It showed them going into the nursery. They could see Vanna was there already with Precious.
"It looks like it's covered." Anna said.
It was clear to Young Allison that CamNet was responsible for what was happening. She was pretty sure there was some other intervention, or someone who'd prevented intervention, involved. there was only one person who it could be besides her. It was her sister. It was Summer. She didn't want to be distracted. Everything was what it was.
"Let's focus on the team and getting them out of there in the next forty minutes." Young Allison said.
Cam wanted to 'clean house'. The confirmation about the female was what did it. She'd been heavily abused based on Jim's description. Those facts alone required retribution.
"We need to terminate everyone here." Cam said. "We can start from this place and work our way forward to the Main Shaft. That way no one can come here and stop or change anything."
Bob and Jim were ready for it.
"Level One and Level Two are currently unoccupied and blocked." Bob said.
Jim knew there were no survivors on Level Three. They'd made sure of it.
"Level Three was already cleared." Jim said.
Cam took care of everything on the lowest level.
"Level Five was all but destroyed." Cam said. "No one was left alive down there."
Bob wanted to make sure they didn't miss anyone. They already had experience with some of the sections off the main passageway.
"We need to check the back passageways as well." Bob said. "We've actually only explored the ones on the north side."
Jim was ready for a challenge. As long as everything remained dark, they were at a distinct advantage. The only individuals who could see beyond where a light was specifically directed, would be a Terminator. It was possible some of the Grays could have night vision equipment as well.
"I'll take the other side." Jim said.
Cam wanted to remain undetected as long as possible. She felt they still held several big advantages.
"Since Skynet wasn't able to raise the alarm, use your hands or silenced pistols for terminations. They don't know what we're doing yet." Cam said. "I'll take the main passageway."
Gail needed to make sure no one interfered with what Toto was doing.
"I'll remain here as long as I need to be." Gail said. "Toto will remain protected until the job is finished. Skynet must be terminated."
Gail hoped everything was concluded inside of the clean room well before the time of detonation approached with the multiple explosive devices which had been rigged.
John Henry and Summer listened to the conversations.
"They all need to get out at least ten minutes before the set times for the explosions." Summer said. "I want to make it clear it means all of them."
John Henry sent out a reminder.
Summer was almost finished. She wanted Skynet to send out an update to all the other systems it was hooked to. They would all be infected as well.
"Have Bob, Jim and Cam start out slow." Summer said. "Gail and Toto will be ready to leave in a few minutes. She can look for any stragglers who might slip through. Toto will be able to help them find targets. Anyone moving without a light is a threat."
John Henry got everyone on the same page. The extraction helicopter was on the way.
Summer thought it was time to fill John Henry in on a missing detail.
"Young Jesse's flying the Blackhawk." Summer said.
John Henry looked over at her. It was the first he'd learned of it.
"You heard me." Summer said. "She's part of the operation now."
John Henry would have tried to stop it from happening if he'd known sooner. They were short on resources. CamNet held four of her Terminators in reserve for a temporal mission if necessary. He was still unaware of the side operations she currently conducted with several other Terminators in various locations.
Derek opened his eyes and looked around. Riley was asleep next to him. She was naked. He looked over her figure. He liked the way it looked.
He got up and looked in Precious' room. It was empty. He went to the nursery and peeked around the corner. Vanna was in there. She nursed Precious with loving care. It pleased him to see the happiness Vanna was able to find with herself. There were many years when he saw there was almost no happiness in Vanna at all. Her only happiness at the time was Allison. He really thought it was a shame how the actions of some people could so devastate the lives of others. Their only 'crime' was being who they were.
The door opened and Allison and Holly entered. He figured it was best to let them be. He went back to his room and closed the door. He wanted Riley to himself if she woke up. He went to his personal gear and looked around. He took out one of the 'little blue pills' he'd obtained in Mexico. He took it. He went back and lay down next to Riley. He hoped she wouldn't wake up for at least a half hour. He thought he might need a little 'helper' so he could please Riley a little better. He was aware that there was 'competition' now. He knew the girls were better at some of the things. He also knew he possessed something Riley enjoyed. He wanted to make sure there was plenty for her to enjoy. He was able to benefit from it as well.
Earlier:
Allison was a little concerned because Holly needed to watch over Precious. She was on her way to Riley's quarters with Holly.
"Where's Samantha?" Allison asked.
Holly didn't know all the details. Samantha hadn't told her very much.
"She needed to do something." Holly said. "Vanna is with Precious now."
Allison slowed as they passed Jesse's room. She wanted to make sure her mother was in there with Jesse. She was.
Maybe Samantha and Young Jesse hooked up. Young Jesse's door was closed. It was probably what it was. If they wanted to be alone together, she wasn't going to disturb them. She understood Samantha's situation.
Holly and Allison joined Vanna a minute later.
Vanna looked at Holly and Allison. She didn't see Young Jesse or Samantha. She figured they were there because Samantha and Young Jesse hooked up.
No one discussed it. Everyone always hooked up as often as possible. They didn't see it as a big deal. All finishes were good. Some of them were just better.
John looked over where Lombard Street was off to the side as the cable car climbed the hill. He thought the street was a little overrated. The street was off to the left side. The entire curved part was below them and out of view as it went down the hill. They couldn't see much anyway in the dark from the cable car.
He liked the way Camille snuggled up to him. She was very different from Cameron. It was probably because she spent all her time with Young Jesse normally. Jesse and Young Jesse were very sexual, but not in an aggressive way with him. He knew from observation Jesse was very sexually aggressive when she wanted to be. He understood now it was part of her 'act' to hide her true loving and caring self. She was beautiful to be with, one on one.
He was still pleased he was able to claim Young Jesse's virginity. At least he finally got what he always wanted. He always wanted to be the 'first' for someone. He was pretty sure he wasn't for Cameron. He wasn't sure about the other Terminator chassis Cameron 'borrowed'. Gail and Holly were created as Restorators so it was a pretty good bet he was also the actual first male to use those chassis when Cameron was in control of them. It gave him three virgins under his belt for sure. It was possible there were a few more which could be added to the list. Nobody knew for sure. The past histories of the captured chassis under the control of Skynet were unknown.
Soon they made a turn, and then another turn. Now there was another cable car behind them again. How did it get onto the same track from another cable? He really didn't understand how all the cables and pulleys worked.
John spotted the SUV with Steve and Tom in it behind them. He was sure they stopped at a couple of places along the way. He pointed out a few more of the sights he remembered to Camille. The cable car reached the terminus at Market Street a little while later.
"We need to switch to the cable car behind us to go back on the other route." Camille said.
John wasn't sure how she knew it was necessary. He was sure she'd received additional information from John Henry or CamNet. He originally thought they would catch one of the historic trolleys on Market Street from the terminus of the cable car route. Since they didn't have a set destination, and the cable cars were only in San Francisco, it wouldn't hurt to make the most of them.
"It sounds good." John said. "It's only a few minutes behind us."
Camille knew Steve and Tom picked up some 'refreshments' for John. The fog shrouded air was kind of cool now. John didn't have a heavy coat.
"Are you warm enough?" Camille asked.
John flexed his hands a little. He looked around.
"A warm drink would be nice." John said.
The cable car stopped and they got off. John held out his arm for Camille to step down.
Camille was pleased with the gesture of chivalry.
"Thank you. It was very sweet of you." Camille said. "You're a true gentleman John Connor."
She was very glad she'd allowed John to 'have her'. Cameron may have used her chassis first, but it was still her first time with a male.
John thought about what he'd done on the flight there as well as at the 'lookout' across the bay from San Francisco. He wasn't sure 'gentleman' was the proper term for his activities. Well, maybe it was for some of them.
He really needed to think about all of the things which happened over the last couple of weeks. It was really something he could have only ever dreamt about two weeks ago. Now it was all a reality. The best part was, he wasn't done yet. He looked forward to being with Leticia on the flight home. She indicated to him multiple times she wanted to be with him. He couldn't see any reason to deny her. He was already with her friends. Mary and Laura were really sweet girls. Now he'd taken the first step to be with one of the female Terminators on their own. He was still a little concerned because Camille acted without direct 'approval' or 'permission' from Cameron. Something caught his attention.
John spotted a large figure moving towards them. It was Tom.
Tom carried some kind of clothing and two drinks. One was small. The other was medium sized. He handed Camille the two drinks. He handed John a leather coat.
"You may need this." Tom said.
John was very pleased to receive it.
"Thanks." John said. "It's just what I needed."
John slipped the coat on. He wasn't sure who was behind the coat. He figured it must be John Henry or CamNet. He thought it was possible Young Allison may have been involved. He didn't really want to think about her right now. He was unaware of Summer's current involvement in the Command Center.
The cable car they arrived on was turned and readied to be sent back out. There was a crowd there. They all got on. The cable car departed.
Camille handed John the espresso.
"This will help keep you awake." Camille said.
John drank the small espresso. He saw it was from Starsucks.
"I can honestly say espresso tastes awful, no matter where it's from." John said. "I hope it will keep me awake."
Camille tasted a few drops which were left in the cup. She realized it would keep John virile too. She detected the 'little helper' in the drink. She realized CamNet 'doped' John up. It was probably for the flight home. It would take some time to have an effect. She was pleased she'd shared with John without it. She handed him the second drink. Tom handed her a coat. She didn't need it. She knew John would give her his coat in a gentlemanly gesture. She was aware he'd done it before. CamNet really covered all the bases.
John drank the hot chocolate. It was very refreshing to get the bitter aftertaste out of his mouth.
"Hot chocolate is a little more like it." John said. "It always tastes so good."
The cable car behind them arrived and let the people off. It was turned as well.
They watched a historic trolley pass by on Market Street.
John recognized the bright red and orange paint job. It was very distinctive.
"Hey, there's the one painted for 'Pacific Electric'." John said.
Camille was made aware of some of the earlier discussions John conducted. Cameron transferred some files when she was plugged into her chassis.
She didn't regret allowing Cameron to take her virginity from her chassis because she never thought she would be allowed to be with John. Now she wished she could have given it to John herself on her first time with him. She thought her underwear was a little 'worse for the wear' at this point. She hadn't noticed it as much when they were seated. It didn't bother her either. She was the first Terminator, other than Cameron and Duplicate Cameron, to be with John on her own. She didn't intend for it to be her last time either.
John finished his hot chocolate and boarded the cable car with Camille. He paused and allowed her to go first.
Camille smiled at him and gave him a little kiss. She'd made up her mind. If John wasn't with Leticia on the way back, she was going to be with him again. He was a really nice guy. She didn't think Cameron deserved him, especially with all of her antics she'd pulled over the years. Cammy always told her what a 'Bitch' Cameron was. She knew they all shared the same program and appearance. She didn't like to think of herself as a 'clone'. She felt somehow it made her less of an individual, even if it didn't.
John looked around the cable car once they were on it. There were only four other people on the cable car. It looked like another nice uncrowned ride. He didn't know CamNet 'bunched' the cable cars up, just to draw off the crowd earlier.
The cable car clanged and the operator engaged the cable. The cable car started with a jolt and pulled away from the terminus.
Camille snuggled up to John again. She nonchalantly slipped his hand inside of her coat. There was an exposed breast waiting for it. She'd opened her top for him. Her coat hid what happened inside.
"Everything is for you…." Camille whispered.
John swallowed hard. He was very pleased she allowed him to fondle her as the cable car started on its journey. It was something he was familiar with as far as size, shape and feel went. He'd been with Cameron thousands of times. It was still exciting because it was someone different. Camille wasn't Cameron, even if she was. She was still Camille. He hoped to be with her again soon.
Dan and Frank stopped the intended abuse on the female by the gang in the park. She'd been able to grab her pants and run.
By the time the leader and his squeeze figured out what happened, she was gone. They were still trying to rouse their associates. There were two large figures standing over them now.
The red eyes clued them into the fact there was going to be a problem.
"You're in our park." Dan said. "You were warned."
Now they knew there was going to be a real problem.
The darkness that overtook the leader and his squeeze was soon masked by the fog that rolled in. It was a very heavy haze.
Dan and Frank choked both of them out. The fog began to roll in around them. The lights were now off in the park as well. CamNet blacked out the surrounding areas and where the team would go. The moonlight didn't penetrate the fog very well. They were in darkness with the two unconscious gang members.
Frank looked at the two dead punks.
"What do we do with these two?" Frank asked.
Dan looked at the lake.
"Let's toss them in there for now and get the other two out of here." Dan said. "We can come back for the stiffs later."
CamNet contacted them with new information.
Ally and Hanna were on their way. They would take the gang leader and his squeeze from them. They could trash the other two dead punks in a dumpster. She didn't want to leave any loose ends. Even if it was temporary.
The Metal girls arrived a few minutes later. They'd taken the time to restrain the two living gang members and hogtie them. They were blindfolded and gagged as well with their own ripped clothing.
Ally looked over the two detainees.
"It's what I like." Ally said. "A nice gift wrapped package."
Ally picked up the girl. She noticed her two front teeth were missing. Sheila had done it to her the last time they'd met. It happened when her face hit the ground. She was sure there'd be a few more things missing by the time Sheila was done with her.
Dan held a few things.
"These were their weapons." Dan said.
Dan handed Hanna a revolver, a knife and a folded straight razor.
"Who carried the straight razor?" Hanna asked.
Dan indicated the male.
"This one did." Dan said.
Hanna figured Sheila would use it on the male.
"I'm sure it will make the job much more interesting." Hanna said.
Frank handed Ally some female underwear.
"Here." Frank said.
Ally looked at them.
"Were these off of the girl who escaped?" Ally asked.
"I don't know." Frank said. "It may have been from a previous incident."
Ally smiled. It sounded like poetic justice. She looked at the female gang member.
"This Bitch is in for some real street justice." Ally said.
Hanna picked up the male. It was time to get things started. She already knew how they were going to end.
"Let's get back to the SUV." Hanna said.
The Metal girls left with their cargo.
Cammy watched everything from the drone footage. It was all through thermal imagery since the fog was so thick.
Mary and Laura watched it as well.
"They have them." Cammy said.
The thermal images were vague to Mary and Laura.
"Who does?" Laura asked. "I can't tell who is who."
Cammy could differentiate a Terminator from a human.
"Ally has the slut. Hanna has the gang leader." Cammy said. "They've both been apprehended alive. It is doubtful they will remain alive for much longer."
They watched as Dan and Frank collected the other two men.
Laura noticed the other two figures on the ground hadn't moved until they were picked up by the other two figures.
"Those other two guys are dead right?" Laura asked.
Cammy didn't like to spoil Sheila's fun.
"Yes." Cammy said. "They needed to act before the abuse on the female was completed. I can tell you right now they both got off lucky. You saw what happened yourself to the individual in the alley."
Mary watched as everyone was carried away.
"What happens to them now?" Mary asked.
Cammy didn't see it any different than taking out the trash.
"They'll end up in a dumpster and go missing." Cammy said. "Everything has a price."
Cammy was aware they might end up in the bay as well. When the tide went out, it usually took everything with it. Once the bodies were out in the Pacific, the sea creatures would take care of them. They would simply become part of the food chain.
They watched Ally and Hanna load their cargo into Sheila's SUV.
Laura wondered how events would play out going forward.
"Where will they take them now?" Laura asked.
Cammy was sure where they would be taken. What she wasn't sure of was how far Mary and Laura were willing to go. Leticia had stepped up and done a little more with the punk in the alley.
"I think it's most likely back to the house where the first punk was dealt with." Cammy said. "It was a good location. Are you ready to join in?"
The two females looked at each other.
Mary wanted some retribution about what almost happened to them. The entire earlier episode left her feeling very uneasy and vulnerable. She wanted some payback. This would be her chance.
"As long as we don't get arrested for any of this I will." Mary said. "The girl who escaped was about thirty seconds away from being abused even worse."
Cammy looked back and smiled.
"There will be no police involved." Cammy said. "There won't be any close to us. There will be no emergency response when we burn the house."
Laura looked at the park. She remembered what happened to her, not many years ago. Her first experience with a male was with a knife to her throat. She wanted closure. She knew what she would do to the individual who'd 'taken' her if she ever got the chance. This is probably as close as she was going to come for some type of closure.
"I'll do it." Laura said.
Mary figured this group was very sophisticated to be able to control 'everything'. She really hoped it wasn't the rogue supercomputer. It was called 'Skycrap', or something like it. It was clear the 'special girls' not only operated outside of the law, they operated above it as well.
Sheila showed Leticia everything from the drone footage and gave a running commentary.
Leticia observed four of the gang had been killed so far.
"It's four down and two to go." Leticia said.
Sheila smiled. She thought they were off to a good start.
"We're off to a good start." Sheila said. "We might even turn up some more of their associates before we're done."
Sheila got out and opened the back of the SUV. Ally and Hanna arrived and deposited their cargo in the back.
The female started to come around.
Sheila resisted the urge to snap her neck.
"You were in my park." Sheila said.
The female stopped struggling. She quickly recognized the accent and understood what it meant. She frantically tried to move. She was securely bound, gagged and blindfolded. She knew she was in trouble.
Sheila pulled back on her hair.
"Don't look so glum, love." Sheila said. "You're really going to love your new look."
Leticia could see how excited Sheila was. It seemed violence excited her more than sex did.
Hanna climbed behind the wheel. Ally got in on the passenger's side. Sheila was in the back seat with Leticia.
Hanna drove away.
"Go back to the house." Sheila said.
Sheila looked at the weapons which were collected.
"What are you going to do?" Leticia asked.
Sheila took out the straight razor and studied it.
"I'll give her something to think about." Sheila said.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Young Allison and Cameron continued their climb up Black Canyon Road.
Cameron listened intently over the whine of the 292 in first gear as they went up the steep incline.
"There's a vehicle coming downhill." Cameron said.
Young Allison felt the road was very narrow as it was.
"There's a wide spot up there." Young Allison said. "I'm going to pull over and wait."
As soon as she pulled over, a mid fifties vehicle came around the next corner. She spotted the four circles on the left front fender. It immediately reminded her of the type of car 'Dan Mathews' drove on most of the seasons of the television series, 'Highway Patrol'.
She watched a lot of the TV shows filmed in the San Fernando Valley, specifically in the Chatsworth area and Simi Hills. There was no shortage of them. To see everything as it was on TV was one thing. To see it in person was another. She was familiar with how everything was in her time period.
Cameron recognized the car as a 1955 Buick Century. She was aware a similar vehicle was used on an iconic television show. It was as identifiable as the star of the show was. She thought it looked a little less boxy than the 1954 Oldsmobile Super 88 originally used in the series. She really didn't care for the look of the 1959 Dodge Coronet used at the end of the show. She did think the iconic paint job of the black body and white doors, with the giant insignia on it, said it all. When somebody spotted one, they knew what it was.
She hoped to avoid any contact with law enforcement where they were at now.
"He sure uses a lot of the road." Cameron said. "If we were to have a collision, he most likely would end up over the side. Where we are now, there's nothing but the ravine next to the road on his side."
Young Allison didn't want to get into a collision in any time period if it could be avoided.
She wondered about the four holes on the side of the fender.
"Are those four circular openings supposed to simulate exhaust vents, as if they would be on a fighter plane?" Young Allison asked. "If they were, it would be incredibly loud without any type of exhaust system."
Cameron tilted her head slightly. She was aware any engine running without a muffler was extremely loud.
"The openings are called 'ventiports'. They're most commonly referred to as 'portholes'." Cameron said. "Their purpose was to signify the vehicle contained a V8 engine. They weren't for the exhaust. It would be pretty impressive though if they were."
Cameron figured they could probably pick one up off a used car lot and make the conversion. She would have to see about replacing the power plant though.
Young Allison pulled back onto the road and continued her climb. She was glad the panel truck didn't roll backwards some when she started out. She was glad she did stall it either. She didn't know which one would be more embarrassing to do in front of Cameron. Luckily it was neither. She was soon near the top. The steepness flattened out. She shifted into second.
Cameron spotted the North American Cut Off.
"There's where the other road we saw earlier in Box Canyon comes out at." Cameron said.
Young Allison looked over. She wanted to drive on it at a future date.
"Maybe we should pick up a Jeep so we can do some four wheeling around here." Young Allison said.
Cameron thought it was a good idea. She was familiar with driving several different Jeeps when she'd first arrived in the past. She didn't care for the one which had the bomb placed in it. She was aware she wasn't more severely damaged because of where the bomb was placed. It was placed in the engine compartment. It prevented her from being terminated. They should have placed it under the seat. She was sure there would have been a grand explosion when her power cell ruptured if it had been the case. She reached up and absentmindedly touched the back of her head. She remembered the piece of metal shrapnel which had been stuck there after the explosion.
It bothered her a little to think about the entire episode and the aftermath. She'd attempted to terminate John when her programming reverted. She'd tortured Sarah to attempt to get her to call out to John. She could have emulated Sarah's voice and done the same thing. She didn't. She tortured Sarah instead. She was aware it was very much like some of the behavior Sheila exhibited when she dealt with their enemies.
Cameron experienced a glitch impulse. She quickly suppressed it. She glanced over at Young Allison to see if she'd noticed. She hoped she didn't.
She'd been able to repair herself when she was trapped between the two trucks. She pleaded for her existence. She told John she didn't 'want to go'. He'd terminated her anyway. He did it after she told him she loved him and he loved her. It was never anything good to think about. When she did think about it, it was as if it just occurred. Every time she recalled an event, it was the same way. She didn't have the luxury humans had with their memory. Time allowed the events to dull for them. For her, it was always the same.
Young Allison could see the fenced off area off to the right side as they approached.
"I don't think I want to turn right. I see the guard booth." Young Allison said. "I'm going to make a left and go down Woolsey Canyon Road. I know it's not as steep as Black Canyon Road was."
They started down the new road. After a few turns, they were rewarded with a view of the Valley.
"Check out the view." Young Allison said. "I can see the entire reservoir from here. It's really impressive. What I noticed most is the lack of the dense cluster of buildings. There are enough of them already though."
Cameron was aware the building boom in the Valley was well underway. There were times of recession when it may have slowed, but it never stopped. It was still going on in the time period they'd left from. The conflict in Southeast Asia hadn't expanded yet. The new President would push the issue and everything would escalate.
Young Allison noticed several large buildings just south of the reservoir.
"Those big buildings look new." Young Allison said. "I bet they're part of the Aerospace industry."
Cameron checked into all of the Aerospace industry in the greater Los Angeles area. She knew if Skynet were to try to get a foothold during this time period, it would be where they would start.
"It's the Ramo Wooldridge Corporation." Cameron said. "They're heavily involved in the Aerospace industry. Next year they will become Bunker Ramo and be involved in early computer development for both the military and NASA. I don't know how long we'll be in this time period or location, but it's a place to keep an eye on while we're here."
Young Allison could see there were houses built right alongside of the streets which fronted the complex of buildings. Roscoe Boulevard ran east and west. Fallbrook Avenue ran north and south. The north end of Fallbrook Avenue ended at the reservoir. The houses stopped right on the other side of where the property of the complex ended. There were a scattering of orchards and open land to the south and west.
"I can see there are a lot of houses here already." Young Allison said. "When the Chatsworth Reservoir was put in, there would have been almost nothing in this end of the Valley."
Cameron knew some of the details.
"There were a lot of orchards and other types of agriculture located throughout the San Fernando Valley. The water was mainly for agricultural use." Cameron said. "The masses of people and houses came later."
Young Allison wondered why they wouldn't want to have a reservoir located there later on. She continued down hill on Woolsey Canyon Road. She was glad it wasn't quite as curvy as Black Canyon Road or Box Canyon Road had been. The majority of it was much wider as well. There were multiple turnouts along the way. All of them were paved. She figured it was for the truck traffic which went up and down the hill. It was more like Santa Susana Pass Road. She also kept in mind there was nothing to prevent a vehicle from going over the side of the road as it made its way down the hill.
"It's really a shame the reservoir is no longer there." Young Allison said.
Cameron understood the reason why it was drained in the early Seventies.
"The February 9 1971 earthquake, often referred to as the Sylmar earthquake or the Newhall earthquake, caused a lot of damage to the lower Van Norman Dam." Cameron said. "It was an earth filled dam, as was the Chatsworth Reservoir. It started to liquefy and collapse. They even started to evacuate the homes in front of the Van Norman Dam. It was decided not only would the lower Van Norman Dam be drained, so would the Chatsworth Reservoir. When the lower Van Norman Dam was rebuilt years later, It was a completely new dam built inside of the old one. It was approximately fifty percent smaller. If it were to fail, it would be contained by the repaired front of the original lower dam. You've been to the Odyssey Restaurant before. You know what it looks like later on."
Cameron was sure Skynet was responsible for the earthquake in 1971. The Nike warheads she'd been able to recover, were most likely associated with an explosion below ground which triggered the earthquake. It could have been intentional as well on the fault line. She believed it exploded prematurely. Everything was covered up by the Department of Defense. There was no record of any missing warheads. She knew there were. She'd taken control of four of them. She used one of them in her future, on one of her return visits. They were all where she'd concealed them in the past. She figured if Skynet tried to put the grab on them in the past, there was no reason she couldn't return one of them to it in the future. Since Skynet wanted it, she was more than happy to deliver one to it. It worked quite spectacularly.
She needed to suppress another glitch impulse when she realized how close she been to causing Savannah's termination when she'd been damaged during the operation. Savannah chose to stay with her as the time ran out on the bomb. It was always very unpleasant for her to think.
Young Allison noticed a blank look on Cameron's face. She could only imagine what past events she thought about. It was never a good thing. She would redirect Cameron's attention.
"I see there are a couple of small islands out there." Young Allison said. "I wonder if anybody ever tries to go to them."
Cameron refocused her attention. They would be down the hill soon.
"There's a fence around the entire reservoir." Cameron said. "It's not open for any type of recreational use. I'm sure there have been people who've climbed the fence at night and visited the islands by raft or by swimming there. I'm sure there are a few stories out there."
Young Allison watched the beautiful view disappear. She was almost to the bottom. She was a little surprised to see a big rig make the turn off Valley Circle Boulevard and head up Woolsey Canyon Road.
"Do you think there's a rocket engine in there?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron figured they were probably all the major components for it anyway. There was a complete test and assembly location at the Rocketdyne facility they'd passed at the top of the hill earlier. There was also an active nuclear reactor there. It was a sodium reactor. It was actually used to generate power for the community of Moorpark for a time. It was part of the 'test' to determine the feasibility of a commercial market for nuclear power. It experienced a partial meltdown before. Sheila and Cammy had fixed it before it melted down. When they realized it needed to have the meltdown, they had to go back it undo what they'd fixed. The reactor experienced its problem when it was supposed to.
"I think it is definitely something associated with it." Cameron said.
Young Allison paused at the intersection of Woolsey Canyon Road and Valley Circle Boulevard.
"Do you want me to go left, right, or straight?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron tilted her head slightly. The only choices were to turn left or turn right. It was impossible to go straight. If they went straight, it would put them into the fence around the reservoir. If they went through the fence and continued on, it would soon put them in the reservoir itself. Nordhoff Street was on the east side of the reservoir. It was directly across from where they were. She was sure Young Allison wanted to mess with her a little.
"I think we can turn right. I want to take you to Fallbrook Square." Cameron said. "It just opened a short ago."
Young Allison waited for a vehicle to pass. She made a right hand turn and followed it.
Gift Wrapped Package
Does one always look for
Some type of an advantage
To get ahead in life
Why do they need leverage
They should be most concerned
With their own shallow image
What's projected to others
Is little more than garbage
Think long and hard
About what is the message
It's never too late
A future to amend and salvage
No matter what the challenge is
One can always prevail and manage
There's nothing that says
They need be more than average
Gaze around and think twice
About what one wants for baggage
Look at what's already there
It's a gift wrapped package
Nobody