Chapter 1547
Touched By An Angel
Earlier:
Ally entered the nursery. She listened before she went further. It sounded like Riley and Derek were asleep. She'd hate to walk into anything. She made her way to Precious' room.
"I've been waiting for you." Summer said.
Ally jumped a little. She hadn't noticed Summer was there.
"You startled me." Ally said.
Summer picked up on Ally's reaction. She tried to make light of it.
"Don't worry, when I come for you, you'll know it." Summer said.
Ally noted Summer said 'when', not 'if'. She decided to let the comment pass.
"Hello, I didn't know you were here." Ally said.
Summer smiled and touched Ally.
"Hi." Summer said. "I was just fooling around."
Ally almost felt an electric type feeling when Summer touched her arm. Others told her the same thing too. She didn't think Summer fooled around either, maybe only with Jan, Young Allison and Savannah. She was very 'adult like' with all the Terminators.
"How's Precious?" Ally asked.
Summer looked over at the crib.
"She's dreaming." Summer said.
Ally wondered about it.
"Do you know what she's dreaming about?" Ally asked.
Summer smiled.
"Yes." Summer said.
Ally wanted to know what an infant dreamt about.
"What is it?" Ally asked.
Summer wanted to play around with Ally.
"I know what everyone dreams about, even if they're daydreams like Terminators have." Summer said. "I don't think dreams should be shared unless the one who dreamt them wants them to be shared. I think you know what I mean."
Ally wondered what Summer knew about her.
"I know it all…." Summer said.
'I didn't ask that question.' Ally thought.
"You didn't have too…." Summer said.
Summer smiled at Ally and left.
Ally checked on Precious and began to review her files of what just happened. She wondered how much of the conversation was actually spoken on her part….
Summer headed out. She dropped by and checked on Vanna and Allison.
Vanna tossed and turned.
Summer could 'feel' her distress. She was troubled by it. She silently entered the room and went over and gently touched Vanna. Vanna stopped thrashing about and was soon deep asleep. She'd 'helped' Allison before at night too in Palmdale. Sometimes Holly would come and get her. She usually came on her own.
Vanna slept peacefully now. She smiled at Allison's and Vanna's sleeping forms and left.
Summer headed for the Command Center.
Moments Ago:
Vanna hid behind some rubble. There were some men looking for her, again. She'd escaped from them earlier. She was able to grab her top before she ran off. They'd ripped her pants off….
Her top was long so it hid most of 'her' as long as she was upright. If another group of men found her like that, it would happen again. It always did. She'd just wanted some food to eat. She hadn't eaten anything for three days. She'd found some muddy water and put some of it in a depression in a rock. She let it set for a while. She drank some of it once it cleared up a little.
She could tell the men were angry she'd gotten away. They'd planned to keep her for another week and then 'trade' her for some supplies. They wanted to get plenty of 'use' out of her first. She'd been 'sold' before the same way. The first two days were always the worst. She seldom had any time to rest. They men were all over her nonstop…. It was the case earlier.
There were only four of them in this group, but they'd made the most of it. One of them had given her a piece of rat jerky to eat at one point. It was after his third time. She hated when they held her down and took turns. It always started in a similar manner with a group…. She would try to be on her knees later on. From that particular position, she didn't need to look at them and see the crazed looks in their eyes. It was over faster too. The downside to it was, it presented two choices to them. Some took advantage of both. She never really understood it.
The men passed by where she hid this time and moved on. She waited until she couldn't hear them anymore. She was sure she'd lost them. She doubled back to their camp and gathered as much food as she could find and some water. She figured she'd already 'paid' for what she took. She hurried away from the camp and the men. She went deeper into the Wastelands. She didn't think they would follow her there, maybe they would.
There were Scavengers there and patrols with Grays and Terminators. She could end up in the hands of either. More of the same, but worse, would happen. She could face slow mutilation at the hands of Scavengers or a short life in a Skynet work camp. A few made it out of them. Most didn't. All of the females were heavily abused by the Grays first and then by the men in the work camp. No one cared. They all knew they were going to die. The females all hoped they died sooner.
She ate the food as she ran and hid from spot to spot. If she was captured again, the food would be taken from her. It would be just for starters….
There was some movement up in front and off to the right side. They weren't too close. She planned to keep it that way. It was a Skynet patrol. She changed directions and headed the opposite way. They seemed to be looking for something where they were at. She was glad it wasn't her.
It wasn't long before she spotted another group. This one was most likely a group of Scavengers. There were a lot of them. She changed directions again. With any luck, the Skynet patrol and Scavengers would find each other. Luck wasn't usually with her. She decided to head back out of the Wastelands. She hoped the men who'd held her previously would be gone.
She spotted a Resistance patrol. If there were more than two of them, she might be OK. If there were only two of them, they would 'take' her as well. It'd happened three times before already. They weren't brutal about it. They'd even apologized to her, but they still went and 'took' her anyway. She'd encountered other females and they all told the same story. She'd never met a female who hadn't been abused multiple times. It was just the way things worked. It seemed the ones who were hard to look at, were the ones who'd escaped from a Scavenger camp. There were usually signs of major abuse….
She closed up on the Resistance patrol. There were three of them. Great, it was a gamble now. She looked behind her at the Wastelands. There were still the Scavengers and the Skynet patrol out there. There was also the group of men she'd just escaped from. They wouldn't be happy she took their food and ate it already. They were going to want more from her the next time they caught her.
It wasn't worth the risk to join up with the Resistance patrol. Maybe if she had some pants on, but not like this. Once they got a look at her and saw she was exposed, they would want 'more'. She reached down and touched herself. It was as she'd expected. They would see she'd been 'active' very recently. It wasn't by her choice. She really wished she didn't have red hair everywhere. She was going to find a way to change it one day and be like all the other females down there. She'd even tried to remove what was there. Things always grew back. She always seemed to attract more abuse when she was captured with one or more other females.
There was movement right in front of her.
Oh no!
The four men who'd 'taken' her earlier were back. They must've followed her. There were four groups to avoid now!
Her heart pounded. She was terrified. There was no way out. There was no direction to run. One of the groups was going to get her. Why couldn't she have been born a bird?
The darkness closed in around her. She wanted to be anywhere else but there.
In a flash, she was in a field of green grass. She hadn't seen one in years. There was the sound of waves gently crashing. She looked and saw she was near the beach. She ran through the grass towards the surf. In the background the sun began to rise. It was a beautiful sunrise. Everything was calm and peaceful now. The earlier events were forgotten.
It was as if she'd been touched by an angel….
Vanna slept peacefully now.
Young Allison and Anna watched the interrogation. They saw how it concluded. There was nothing to talk about.
It was time to move on and refocus.
"They have a new target." Young Allison said.
Anna made sure a drone was on its way. CamNet already dispatched one. More were ready to join it.
"There will be a drone over the target shortly." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted John Henry in on it too.
"Let's let the Command Center take this part." Young Allison said.
She often 'overstepped' her authority. She wanted to be a team player too.
Summer was briefed by CamNet on all the developments. She was spared the details. She was pleased with both her recent encounters with Precious and Vanna.
She re-entered the Command Center.
"I'm back." Summer said.
John Henry was worried about the time. It was late. It was near the 'Witching Hour'. He wanted to offer his opinion. If nothing more, it would be part of the record he'd pointed it out.
"You need your rest." John Henry said. "You should sleep now."
Summer could see John Henry was worried it would come back to him if it was found out she wasn't in bed. She didn't want to cause a problem.
"I won't stay long." Summer said. "I don't want to get anyone in trouble. There will be company here soon enough."
She'd passed by John's room on the way there. She was aware of the activity inside.
Young Jesse drove towards the location the Gray gave up. She followed behind Cam in the captured vehicle they'd appropriated from the Grays.
"There's a drone over the target location." Gail said.
They weren't sure how good the intel was.
"Is it legit?" Young Jesse asked. "I don't want to get stuck in a sucker play."
Gail looked over the images. There was no way to know anything for sure yet.
"It's unknown at this time." Gail said.
John Henry contacted them a few minutes later.
"I've traced some of their phone traffic to this area." John Henry said. "It may not specifically be the same building."
Young Jesse thought about how she would play it if she was questioned. The idea would be to give misinformation to the interrogators. She'd watched on the television news in Australia about a police raid. The thug gave up the information about a building across the street from the real location. When the authorities arrived, they raided the wrong building. The criminals in the actual building were able to slip out the back and avoid apprehension.
"I'd give up a location near where the real target was." Young Jesse said. "I'd hope my people discovered someone snooping around or the location could be a big booby trap too."
John Henry kept the drone at fifty thousand feet to avoid detection. It was at the urging of the Young bunker. They still suspected there was more in play than they'd seen so far.
"I haven't detected anything different since the drone arrived." John Henry said. "I'll let you know if anything changes. You're still a few miles out."
Young Jesse smelled a rat.
"I'm going to drop back from Cam some." Young Jesse said.
Samantha pointed out the drones overhead could provide information as well as deliver ordinance.
"There's a drone orbiting her and us as well as several out on wider 'figure eight' patrols." Samantha said. "All of their weapons are hot."
'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' were with them as well. They were allowed to disregard the hard deck and attack any target they perceived as a threat to Young Jesse.
Young Jesse worried about Bob's team. They were at a known target with Grays on site.
"What about the other location?" Young Jesse asked.
Gail was aware the situation hadn't progressed yet. It was still in a holding pattern.
"So far it's nothing." Gail said. "There's a drone at another location associated with it."
Young Jesse was sure the Grays would all be brought to justice.
"They'll all get what's due them." Young Jesse said.
The prior action and activities of the Grays dictated the toll was death.
Young Jesse wasn't bothered by her earlier termination of the two Grays. She actually done them a favor and put them out of their misery.
Leticia couldn't believe her good fortune. She was with Sheila and her 'twin' sister.
Jesse thought Leticia was hot and she liked her jewelry. She really liked the personal attention Leticia paid to her.
Leticia was between Jesse and Sheila at this point. She needed to rest a little.
Jesse wanted to know more about Leticia being a 'submissive'.
"Tell me, love, will you do anything Sheila asks of you?" Jesse asked.
Leticia looked at Sheila. The look of love was in her eyes.
"Yes." Leticia said. "I'm devoted to her. I love her dearly. I'll do what she says and be with whoever she wants me to be with."
Sheila thought she'd straighten Leticia out on the changes she wanted. She wanted Leticia to be independent. She wanted her to respect herself and be an individual. Leticia was everything she could want from a human female. Since she'd come into 'possession' of her, she wanted Leticia to be herself. She wanted her to be more than someone who needed to obey others.
Her files from the 'Neural Interface' with Jesse indicated she'd possessed the equivalent of several submissives in the future. Jesse made all of them do something to prove their love for her. Once they did and were scarred for life, Jesse dumped them and moved on to the next one. Her files indicated those actions on Jesse's part were some of the things she regretted the most about her past. She'd taken a chance for real love and purposely ruined it. Maybe it was one of the reasons why she wanted Leticia to find herself.
"I want you to be your own person and stand up for yourself." Sheila said. "You don't need to do what others tell you to do. It includes me. You have the right to say 'no'. I want you to speak up. You're the one in control. No one else is."
Jesse felt the 'old ways' rise up in her. She wanted a submissive. She'd controlled submissive females and males by force, not free will, when she was associated with a group of Scavengers. She'd demanded more from all of them at some point. She actually made them do it to themselves. She wanted them to remember her.
"I'll take her." Jesse said.
Sheila looked at Jesse and frowned. She was aware of what was done in the past, the future. She looked at Jesse. She wanted her to look a little deeper and remember everything. The initial impulse was outweighed by the final remorse.
"Think about it for a little bit first." Sheila said to Jesse.
The look on Jesse's face indicated she did. She quickly remembered her regret. There were some events of the past she would rather not relive.
"I'll pass." Jesse said. "Sheila is right on all accounts."
Leticia paid careful attention to Jesse and Sheila when she was with them. She knew how to 'read' people. She needed to find out what they liked and wanted. She'd observed Jesse and Sheila did some things the same way.
"I'll obey you as well." Leticia said. "I believe you are inside Sheila. You two are physically different as to what you are. You are Sheila's personality, at least a major part of it."
Jesse and Sheila looked at each other. Leticia knew a lot and put more together. They both thought she would make a good interrogator on a non violent level. She was able to deduce information rapidly to get more out of an individual.
Sheila ran Gail's program, but she was who she was from the 'Neural Interface' with Jesse.
Jesse warned everyone before the procedure was done that there was a lot of 'darkness' inside of her. Most of it was evident in Sheila's actions. She wanted Leticia to describe what she believed about Sheila.
"Tell me more." Jesse said.
Leticia didn't think it was anything bad.
"I know Sheila is 'special'." Leticia said. "She's a unique being. Exactly how or what I really don't know. She's like a human female to me with super human abilities. She's like a 'super hero'. I can see now she's patterned after you. I don't know if you created her or how it works. If you have the ability to do something of such magnitude, then you're like a god. I still love Sheila no matter what. She is what she is to me. All I see is love and beauty."
Sheila was glad to hear it.
"So if I was a scary psychopathic killer robot from the future, would you still love me?" Sheila asked.
Leticia already thought about it. The dominance excited her.
"Yes." Leticia said. "I already do. You've saved my life more than once in more ways than one in the last few days. I watched you kill for me. I did things to please you. We served justice together."
Jesse wanted to know more about it. Justice needed to be served sometimes. She'd personally made sure there would be fewer future Scavengers going forward.
"Did you like to administer justice?" Jesse asked.
Leticia looked from side to side. She didn't want the others to hear.
Sheila wanted to know more. She placed her hand on Leticia's neck. She wanted to see what was real.
"Yes." Leticia said as she turned and looked at Sheila. "I felt my life had a real purpose for once. I want to do more. I want to be like you. Can you make me like you?"
Sheila could tell Leticia was being truthful.
Jesse and Sheila knew it was complicated.
Maybe it was time to offer a little more and see what happened.
"We can't make you like Sheila." Jesse said. "We can make a version of you that's the same as Sheila, but she'll be like you. You'll remain unchanged and stay how you are. You'll need to do a 'Neural Interface'. It will copy who you really are deep down inside. The 'bad' will tend to weigh heavier than the good."
Sheila shrugged her shoulders some when Jesse said it. She didn't see it as a negative. The violence stimulated her.
Leticia didn't know if they were playing with her or not. It seemed impossible to 'make' a version of her like Sheila. They looked serious. There were still a lot of unanswered questions of how any of it was possible.
"Are you from space or the future?" Leticia asked. "I can see you've been hurt badly before. I think Sheila was created to prevent you from being hurt badly again."
Jesse really wondered about Leticia. She wanted a purpose. She wanted to belong. She wanted to serve. She wanted to be somebody.
Sheila trusted Leticia. She wanted her. She nodded at Jesse.
Jesse took a deep breath. It wasn't something which was shared with outsiders, for multiple reasons.
"I'm from the future." Jesse said. "So is Sheila's chassis. She was specifically created in this time period with future technology to look like me and be like me."
Leticia still wondered if they were playing with her. It meant Jesse was 'violent' too based on what she'd said. She liked dominance. It radiated power. There was also one other piece of the puzzle which now fit in perfectly. With the admonition of the future, it was obvious what the present represented.
"It means Stephany is really you from this time period. You're Stephany when she's older." Leticia said. "You're both the same person. She's Young Jesse."
Jesse never wanted Young Jesse to be like her or experience what she'd experienced. She wanted it to be known to everyone.
"You're correct. I hope to prevent her from ever becoming me." Jesse said. "I'm not proud of my life."
Leticia wasn't proud of her life either. She wondered how wide spread things were. She didn't believe any of the group was 'bad'.
"You're the good guys." Leticia said. "Are there many like you?"
Sheila didn't think there were enough of them at times.
"No." Sheila said. "There's not very many of the good guys. There are a lot of the bad guys though."
Leticia really wondered about it all. The things she'd witnessed made more sense now. There was one more individual she wanted to know a few specifics about.
"Is Tony, I mean John, from the future too?" Leticia asked.
Sheila and Jesse both looked at each other. This is where they needed to use caution.
"He's from now." Sheila said. "He's from the present."
Leticia could see John was 'in charge' It was evident 'Barbara' was really the one who made everything work. It could only mean one thing. Another piece of the puzzle made sense.
"He's the leader in the future." Leticia said. "He's the one who set all of this in motion…. He's trying to prevent whatever happened from happening."
Leticia really wondered if they would kill her now. She'd figured it all out. Well, some of it anyway. She was sure there was a lot more. There were probably thousands of details which went along with everything else.
Sheila still touched Leticia's neck. She felt the twinge of fear for a few seconds but it passed. She didn't want her to worry.
"Relax, love, I won't hurt you." Sheila said. "Just remember, anyone who's ever spoken of this to others, ended up in an insane asylum."
Leticia didn't have any close family still alive. Maybe this was her calling.
"I want in." Leticia said. "I want to join."
Sheila and Jesse looked at each other.
"Do you want to risk being hurt or killed?" Jesse asked. "Death is our mistress."
Jesse let Leticia get a good look at her scar.
"Things like this could happen anywhere on your body, including your face." Jesse said. "This is almost how my face ended up looking."
Leticia was ready for more. She looked at Sheila.
"I feel like I've been touched by an angel. I can try it, or I can serve as I do now." Leticia said. "Warriors need comfort. They need to feel special and loved. There are many ways to serve…. I can be a 'comfort woman' to all of you. I want to help."
Even Sheila was a little surprised at her commitment to service. She knew 'comfort women' were used throughout history by armies. Most of the females engaged in such activity didn't serve by choice.
Jesse didn't know how it would go over. It would be up to Cameron in the end. Sheila clearly loved Leticia and she was always willing to share herself. Sheila didn't seem to have a problem sharing Leticia either.
"You would be assigned to Sheila." Jesse said. "The decision isn't ours to make. Your old life would be history. Everything which existed before would need to be forgotten and put away forever. Is it a sacrifice you would make? You would need to live on the base forever. There is no 'out' once it happens."
Leticia really didn't like her 'old life'. It was just how she survived and got by. It gave her purpose. She always thought she would need to do the same things, and be the same way to survive and get by. Now there was an option. Everything could be different.
"Would I always be assigned to Sheila?" Leticia asked. "Are the others I saw on the ship all there?"
Sheila thought Leticia was pushing things.
"Yes and yes." Sheila said. "There's a lot of 'room hopping' at night too. Everyone is 'down' with it. The variety is excellent."
Leticia was ready for more. She did need to think a little bit about what Jesse mentioned with there being no 'out'. She was pretty sure the only way out was a one way ticket. She'd done a lot of thinking about 'Barbara'.
"I'm in." Leticia said. "I understand John and Barbara need to agree first. None of the girls who look like Barbara are her. I can tell she's special. I'm sure it's not her name either. I haven't seen her since the ship."
Sheila and Jesse didn't want Leticia to think too much about all of this.
"Just enjoy the ride for now, love." Sheila said. "It's time for us to 'room hop' right now. Don't talk about any of this with the others."
The girls all shared a silent look and a few loving kisses.
Claire and Cammy soon joined Leticia.
Jesse and Sheila moved on to Mary.
Camille and Holly went to Laura.
The girls were all in for a treat with each other. They would all switch one more time before they rested. Sleep didn't seem important right now.
John and Hanna were done for now. Hanna made it four times and John finished twice.
Hanna was very pleased with the experience and would need to update the 'Neural Interface' with Vanna to see if her experiences were similar. All of Vanna's past experiences were where she didn't have a say. None of them were by her choice. It made her worry at first how it would be. If it was by choice it was beautiful.
They took a playful shower. Hanna wanted to buy John some more time before she sent Ally in. He needed to recharge. Vanna could see the limitations of the male body. They were vastly inferior to the female body, especially a Metal girl. She really doubted Cameron was fully satisfied. No wonder she pursued Savannah and Young Allison. They' always shown her kindness, love and respect.
When the shower was done, they dried each other off.
Hanna wanted to make her position going forward clear.
"Thank you." Hanna said. "This may have been my 'one time', but I plan to be back if I can. You made me feel special."
John was pretty sure Cameron would be the one to decide it. It seemed all the girls wanted more. He still wasn't sure which one he liked the best. They all brought something different to the table, even if what they brought was the same thing. The difference was in the details and everyone was different, unless they were a clone or patterned after one of the girls. They were still different. Cammy and Camille were different and they were the same in every detail. Their personalities were different and they were both superior to Cameron's personality. The thought made him wonder if he was the one who held back Cameron's development. He didn't want to focus on it right now. He turned his attention back to Hanna and what he wanted as well.
"It's fine with me." John said.
He thought about asking about Cameron. It didn't seem like the right time. He helped Hanna dress as she helped him. They both found rewarding and entertaining.
John walked Hanna to his door.
They shared a long slow kiss which Hanna deepened.
"I shared a really great time." John said.
Hanna wanted to take it a little bit further
"I shared a loving time." Hanna said.
She moved her lips close to his ear. She wanted to take the guesswork out of her statement.
"I love you, John." Hanna whispered.
John looked her in the eyes.
"I do too." John whispered back.
He really wanted to be with Savannah. He thought to be with Hanna and Vanna again would be nice too.
Hanna gave him another quick kiss.
"I'll send Ally soon." Hanna said.
John was dressed but he looked down.
"I think I'm going to need a few minutes more." John said.
Hanna didn't think it was a big deal.
"There are plenty of other things you can do in the meantime with Ally." Hanna said. "She likes a lot of attention. We were tight before I was assigned to Claire. Sheila knows how to push all her buttons both sexually and emotionally. I guess we all have a lot more 'emotional type' feelings than we started out with. We were designed to expand our programming to better fit in. I think it's worked."
John was well aware of the same things with Cameron. Wait. Why did he think of her again? He sure didn't want to do it when Ally arrived.
Hanna smiled at him and walked away.
John watched her go. He was about to close the door when he decided to see what else was going on. He knew everyone wasn't on the jet right now. He wanted to see if the jet went anywhere and where Cameron was. He really wondered how things would go with Savannah and her.
He smiled to himself as he headed for the Command Center. It should put Savannah one step closer to his bed if nothing else. He was going to be with Ally soon. He still hoped to get his time in with Cam, Samantha, Gail and Holly. He really looked forward to being with Holly. It was one piece of chassis he'd wanted for years…. He would need to tell Cameron again this was the greatest honeymoon ever. He didn't know the Metal girls all acted without her specific 'approval'.
The Metal girls all saw things their own way. They all wanted their 'one time' like Cameron promised as she took control of their chassis previously and stole their virginity from them with John. They all thought she was very selfish to do it to them. They all hoped she liked the 'payback'.
The Terminator was aware a Gray was about to appear in the hallway and head for the restroom. He realized returning back to the bathroom was probably a bad idea. He quickly made his way down the hall in the other direction. He would start from the front and work his way back.
He quickly hurried down the hallway towards the front area. He reached for the handle to open the door to the lobby area. It was locked. He could hear the door handle turn at the other end of the hall where the two men were at. He quickly turned towards the closest door and opened it. He stepped inside just as the door at the end of the hall opened.
"Just relax for a few." The first man said. "When nature calls, no one stalls."
"Whatever, dude, just hurry back so we can get started." The second man said.
The Terminator looked around the room he was in. It was some type of storage area. He could hear the other man walk down the hall and enter the restroom. He was concerned about the missing screen on the window.
The first man looked back and shook his head as he walked away from the second man. He entered the restroom and closed the door behind him. He looked at the restroom window and went over to open it a little bit. He got halfway towards it when he immediately needed to turn back towards the stall. He quickly pulled down his pants in just a nick of time.
The Terminator searched through the room he was in. There was nothing of significance or value in it. He opened the door a crack and looked down the hall. He went back into the hall and tried the door into the front lobby. He found it unusual it was locked so no one could exit from it. There was a double cylinder deadbolt on it.
The first thing it made him think about was there may be detainees there. They wouldn't be able to go further than where he was at right now. Most likely there would be someone in hot pursuit of them if they'd attempted it.
When he passed by the front twice earlier, he hadn't seen anything of significance. He moved down the hall to the next room. He quickly slipped inside. It only contained some more miscellaneous boxes. He looked out into the hall again before he entered it.
Even as he approached the bathroom door, he could hear the sound of gas being passed along with a splashing noise. He didn't think the man would be done for a few minutes yet.
He checked the next room. There was no one in the room. It contained a series of makeshift bunks. He saw there was some rope on one of them. It was as he'd suspected why the door was locked from the inside so no one could exit.
The Terminator moved up to the hallway door and listened. He could hear the toilet flush. He went back to the bathroom door. He figured if the man is going to open the window, it would be now. He turned the handle on the door, it was locked. He pushed a little harder. The door popped open.
The man who used the toilet was standing in front of the window. He was a little surprised when the door opened behind him.
"Can't you wait until I'm done?" The first man asked.
He turned around and was surprised to see a large stranger standing there. He was even more surprised to see the red eyes. He opened his mouth to shout a warning. It was too late. He was grabbed by the throat and his neck was snapped.
The Terminator searched him. He took his phone and keys. He set his body back down on the toilet. It slumped over to the side against the wall and slid down a little ways until it bound up. He went back to the bathroom door and looked out. The hallway was still clear.
He checked two other rooms. One of them was used as some type of eating area. The trash can was overflowing with paper plates. He noted there was no wasted food on any of them. It was something he'd encountered before. It was apparent anyone who was back from the future never wasted food, even when they could. Most of them had grown up without enough to eat.
The Terminator was satisfied there was no one else in the front of the building. He made his way to the door into the workroom area and listened.
"Let's get started." The second man said. "I'm tired of waiting. It's late."
He could hear the sound of a roll up door of the building go up.
"The back of the truck is locked." The third man said.
"Let me go get the keys." The second man says.
The Terminator quickly moved alongside the doorway. He was on the backside of the direction it would open from. He was aware there were at least two other men in the rear portion of the building. It was possible there were more.
The door opened several feet.
"I can't believe I have to go in there." The second man muttered to himself. "He's probably cuffing his dummy."
The second man passed by the door. It didn't appear he was going to close it.
The Terminator closed it for him.
The second man spun around when he heard the door close. He sensed there was someone there in his peripheral vision.
He was a little startled to see a Terminator standing there. The red eyes gave it away. As his mouth opened, a large hand reached forward and grabbed his neck. It was snapped in an instant.
The Terminator held the second man off the ground by his broken neck. He moved back up to the closed door and listened. He could hear what sounded like an electric pallet jack or a small electric forklift.
He quickly carried the dead man down to the bathroom and tossed his body on top of the other man. His body had slumped down to the floor from the position it had been in earlier. He made his way back to the doorway and listened.
"What's taking those clowns so long?" The man asked.
"They're probably smoking each other's poles." The fourth man said. "I figured the guys would bring back some entertainment. We could use some around here."
"We haven't had much around here." The fourth man said.
The Terminator could hear the sound of movement in the work room area. So far he only detected two other voices. He carefully opened the door to the work room area and looked inside.
He could see the open door to the outside and the box truck waiting in front of it at the dock.
"Those guys sure must be heavy hitters." The fourth man said.
"I have no idea what they're doing." The third man said. "They both should have been back by now. Let me go see what the holdup is. It's like I have to do everything around here myself."
"I do my part." The fourth man said.
"Yeah, yeah, it's what they all say." The third man said.
The Terminator quietly closed the door and waited in the same spot he had previously. It appeared the third man was about to come to him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cameron looked over at the pinball machines and smiled. She went over to check them out. She looked for the one with the highest score. It would give her a goal to beat.
Young Allison went to the cashier with a five dollar bill and received twenty quarters. She saw the attendant in the snack bar look over in Cameron's direction. She wasn't sure if he was checking her out personally, or what he was about to do. She moved up alongside him. His concentration was fixed in the direction of Cameron.
"Boo…." Young Allison whispered.
The attendant jumped about a foot.
"You startled me." The attendant said.
Young Allison nodded in Cameron's direction.
"I saw you paying a little too much attention to my sister." Young Allison said. "It's rude to stare."
The attendant looked a little embarrassed.
"No, I wasn't checking her out." The attendant said. "I wanted to see which game she was going to play. I have the high score on two of them. Nobody can beat me."
Young Allison stifled a laugh. She was pretty sure Nobody would beat him.
"Which two are they?" Young Allison asked.
The attendant pointed to the two closest ones.
"It's those two." The attendant said.
Young Allison wanted to make things interesting.
"What happens if she beats you?" Young Allison asked.
The attendant looked a little uneasy.
"I guess I'll have to try a little harder the next time." The attendant said.
One of the other patrons headed towards the counter.
"I'll talk to you later." Young Allison said as she walked away.
The patron pointed up at the sign and told the attendant what they wanted. He got to work.
Young Allison walked up to Cameron and gave her a quarter.
"This will get you started." Young Allison said.
Cameron noted the other quarters in Young Allison's hand.
"What are all the other quarters for?" Cameron asked.
Young Allison indicated the machines.
"So you can play longer." Young Allison said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
"How hard can it be?" Cameron said. "It's just a machine."
Young Allison put eighteen of the quarters in her pocket and kept one out.
"I'm probably going to need the rest of them myself." Young Allison said. "Why don't you get started and I'll see how you do first. I haven't had the opportunity to play too many of these machines myself. I'm sure you'll be unstoppable."
Cameron smiled and put the quarter into the machine.
"We'll see." Cameron said.
Young Allison watched as the first ball dropped down and Cameron carefully launched it into the machine. She seemed to do a calculated pull on the lever as she released it. The little ball shot forward and immediately started scoring points. She could see Cameron was going to do very well.
"Oh brother, I don't stand a chance." Young Allison said.
Cameron didn't want her to worry.
"We're here to have fun." Cameron said. "We're still on a timetable for when we need to leave."
Young Allison nodded. She put the quarter in another machine and received her first ball. She launched it. It bounced around a few times. She hit it forward several times until it rolled between the flappers. The second ball popped out. She reached down and touched the other eighteen quarters in her pocket. She wondered if she would go through all of them before it was time to go or not.
The attendant served the patron and they left. He looked over at the cashier. She was busy. She always seemed to spy on him so she could tell the manager what he did or didn't do. He turned his attention back over to the two sisters. He was sure they were twins. They both looked the same to him, other than the way they were dressed. He could see how well the first girl played. The lights on the machine flashed constantly. The bells never seem to stop ringing.
Young Allison kept a watch on Cameron as she played. She was still on her first ball. She'd already gone through half of the quarters on her machine. She looked at the clock up on the wall.
"When do we need to roll?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron continued to play the game.
"We need to leave here in sixteen minutes, fifteen." Cameron said.
Young Allison was sure she'd be through the quarters by then. She'd tried all the other machines and hadn't had any better luck with them. She could see the attendant at the snack counter continue to check Cameron out. She still wasn't convinced he wasn't checking her out personally. She was just glad he wasn't checking her out. She'd watched the girls from the future almost kill people before when they looked at Savannah and her when they were younger. She learned all of the stories as she got older. Allison told her a lot of things. It always left her with a very sick and hollow feeling. She knew it was actually her who'd experience those things in the alternate future.
The machine Cameron was playing made a siren sound.
"I just got the new high score." Cameron said.
Young Allison lost track of what all Cameron did when she played some of the other machines.
"Don't tell me, you're still on your first ball." Young Allison said.
Cameron remained silent and kept playing.
Young Allison could see Cameron wasn't going to answer.
"Oh come on, you know it's just an expression." Young Allison said.
Cameron glanced over and giggled.
"I fooled you again." Cameron said. "It's still my first ball. Unless I throw the game, I'm not going to be able to use all of them in the time we have left."
Young Allison noticed the attended looked a little worried.
"I think I have a solution." Young Allison said. "I think I can make someone's day."
Young Allison went over to him. She looked behind the counter. She spotted something she wanted to use.
"Can I have a piece of the notebook paper in the cubbyhole, and borrow your pencil?" Young Allison asked.
The attendant watched Cameron play as he handed Young Allison what she wanted.
"Here you go." The attendant said.
Young Allison wrote in large letters on the piece of notebook paper. She handed the pencil back to the attendant.
"Thank you." Young Allison said. "You can put this on the machine when we leave. When you're done with your shift, you can go over and continue to play. You can get yourself a new high score. Just think of it as picking up where you left off."
The attended looked at the piece of paper.
'OUT OF ORDER'. Was written on it in big letters.
"Let me have a couple of pieces of tape and we'll put this on over the coin slot when we leave." Young Allison said.
Cameron was aware of everything happening around her. She continued to run up the score. She was mindful of the time. The ball was back in the original launch slot currently.
"It's time to go." Cameron said.
Somehow those words seemed familiar to her. It was from a story River told her before.
Young Allison put the sign on the machine.
They headed for the door.
Young Allison glanced at the attendant as they passed. She winked at him as she spoke.
"Nobody will know." Young Allison said. "It'll be our secret."
The attendant stood there with his mouth slightly open.
"Thanks." The attendant called after them as they reached the front door.
Cameron held the front door open for Young Allison. They both exited out into the parking lot.
Touched By An Angel
Backroom talk is easy to speak
It isn't too difficult to taint
It's not too hard to figure out
Everyone is not a saint
To rest on one's accolades
They need be based on merit
Things which still haunt one
Can't be blamed on a ghost or spirit
Not everything in life is fair
The playing field is seldom level
Look at who the other players are
Before pointing the finger at the Devil
Look not at the differences
Accentuate on what's common
Not all the voices in one's head
Are those of a demon
Rejoice at what is actually there
Let the good things coalesce and gel
The feelings which remain will be those
As if touched by an angel
Nobody