Chapter 1556
Not Without Us
John Henry knew the assault was underway. The reports and body cam footage showed all the Grays in the third building were down.
Summer searched for new targets. There were some drones which were in close now. It didn't matter who heard them at this point. It seemed every Gray above ground was dead.
Things progressed faster and went smoother than anticipated. Then again, looks could be deceiving.
Young Allison knew there must be some Skynet Terminators involved in the operation. None had shown themselves yet. It was as good as it was bad. They were there someplace.
Anna received notice from 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb'. They were ready to enter the hangar. They couldn't support Young Jesse in the passageway. They were ready for some active targets. She told them to hold for now. They weren't part of the 'strike package' yet. They might be needed elsewhere. They were to retain their ordnance unless they spotted a target of opportunity.
Young Allison felt things progressed rather smoothly. It wasn't necessarily a good indication.
"I think this is going to get a little hotter before it plays out." Young Allison said.
Anna knew it was all too often the case.
"The teams have been lucky so far." Anna said. "I don't think Skynet or the Grays ever fully understood the nature of the threat."
Cam and Samantha would stick together as one element. They were one team of seven with three elements.
Hanna and Ally joined them. They would remain together as another element.
Richard, Michael and Cammy were further towards the hill inside the building. They looked for the access which led into the hillside. They were worried as much about what could come out of it, as to what was inside of it.
Cammy wanted to make the team into four elements. She would strike out on her own if necessary. The 'Cameron' in her really showed. They all knew part of it was because Cameron was out with Savannah.
"I found it." Cammy called out. "I'm going in."
Cam and Samantha hurried over.
"Not without us." Cam said.
Cammy peered into the darkness of the opening.
"Stay back for now." Cammy said. "I think there's a door up ahead."
Samantha wondered why there were no reinforcements sent out for the Grays.
"They may not know the full extent of what's actually happened outside here." Samantha said. "Everything has been relatively quiet."
Cammy started ahead with her M4 ready.
"They'll know soon enough." Cammy said.
Cam was worried they could be about to walk into an ambush.
"Look alive." Cam said. "There could be anything waiting for us."
It currently seemed as if the Resistance team held all of the cards. It could provide them with a false sense of security and accomplishment.
Skynet was known for not always dealing from the top of the deck.
Holly was on top of John. She was after her own pleasure and fulfillment right now.
John was along for the ride.
He really enjoyed watching everything bounce on Holly with her movements. He tried to hold back and not finish too soon. He wanted Holly to make it twice if she could. He was pretty sure he was done for the night after this. It was actually almost morning at this point. He was tired and sleepy.
Holly already made it once and really picked up the tempo when she did. She made it again thirty seconds later and so did John. She slowed and stopped. She bent down to kiss John again. The look of love was in her eyes.
"I love you, John." Holly whispered.
John was caught up in the moment, or was he.
"I love you too." John said.
John's feelings went back a long way with Holly. She'd been there everyday for him for fifteen months after the 'Day Of Loss'.
Holly pressed herself against John but kept her weight off of him.
"We should have done this years ago when we were together." Holly said. "I really mean it. I wanted to."
John thought about the time period more. They'd been close to it more than a few times.
"Maybe Cameron actually prevented you." John said.
Holly tilted her head slightly. She remembered Cameron - Duplicate Cameron, 'told' her it was OK, but she just couldn't. Even if it was Duplicate Cameron, it was still Cameron. There was no real distinction between them. They were identical.
"Maybe she did and made it seem like it was my choice not to." Holly said.
John wondered about it too. Cameron was the master of manipulation.
"It would be just like her." John said.
Holly even offered to allow Cameron to use her chassis when Cameron was on her chip.
"I really don't know." Holly said.
It seemed like wasted years at this point to John.
"Why didn't she use your chassis?" John asked. "The girls were gone too. Everyone was presumed dead. She knew it."
Holly often wondered about it.
"Cameron believes you only care for her because of her appearance." Holly said. "She's always believed it. She still does. You can see how she's made Young Allison look exactly like her in every way."
John was aware of it. He didn't want to think about Young Allison right now. He understood what Cameron's directives were from Future John. He believed Cameron always felt 'threatened' by Holly's appearance, especially when she was still a blonde. The pretty face, nice rack, and hot figure, all only added to Cameron's 'discomfort'. He was sure it was based on his shortcomings more than anything.
"She was afraid I would love you instead of her if she used your chassis." John said.
Holly wondered if she'd been manipulated.
"It's probably why she didn't want to use Gail's chassis either." Holly said. "It was available with Gail deactivated at the time. I offered to let her have my chassis. I would have taken Gail's chassis if she didn't want it."
John figured if he would have started a relationship with Holly back then, it never would have stopped, even when Cameron returned from the 'dead'. It would have been a 'love relationship' which would have needed to be 'worked' in. Cameron wouldn't want the competition, especially if she believed the competition possessed a superior appearance.
"We could have done this for years." John said.
Holly didn't want to talk about it anymore. She felt cheated.
"I need to go check on Precious." Holly said. "It's my assignment. I may have been here too long."
John and Holly shared a long kiss with a lot of touching by John. He hoped for a little more.
"We can shower and get cleaned up." John said.
Holly picked him up and carried him to the shower. He liked when the Metal girls did it.
They took a playful shower and then dried each other off.
John helped Holly dress and he walked her to the door.
Holly wanted to make her position clear. She felt it was an important point.
"I meant what I said." Holly said. "I've always loved you."
John wasn't sure where things were headed. All the girls wanted more.
"I don't know what will happen." John said.
Holly felt 'short changed' by Cameron. It was probably why Cameron steered her towards Allison and shipped her off to Palmdale. It was to keep her away from John.
"I'll be back." Holly said.
She gave John a loving kiss and left.
John watched her walk away. He'd really wanted her for those fifteen long months of nothing but 'Rosie'. As usual, it was all Cameron's fault. He really planned to make up for being a 'pud knocker' for all that time. He thought he was off to a good start.
Earlier:
Riley and Claire were in the nursery. They were both naked now.
Derek secretly watched them from the hall through the crack in the door by the hinges.
Claire and Riley discussed what style of rings Riley would like to get when she couldn't nurse any more.
Riley decided she wanted ones like Claire wore since they were the same as the one's Samantha wore.
"Would Derek be good with it?" Claire asked.
Riley looked over at the door to the nursery.
"We could ask him." Riley said.
Derek's eyes widened. He was sure he'd just been made. He didn't want to get caught spying. He was at 'full attention' right now. His robe did little to hide it. He quickly hurried away from the door. He reached the bedroom and looked back down the hall. He didn't see anyone. Maybe it was just a statement.
Claire thought the choice should be Riley's to make.
"I'll let you do it." Claire said.
Claire and Riley got down to business and shared with each other. They both 'finished' twice.
"I should check on Precious. Claire said.
Riley thought it was her responsibility.
"I'll do it. I should go back before Derek misses me." Riley said.
Derek snuck back soon after his last retreat. He'd watched Riley and Claire share together. Since Riley was on her way back, he made another retreat and got into bed. Riley joined him a few minutes later.
He looked over when Riley laid down. She looked at him and he was over the top of her in a second. Things went very smoothly.
Riley was taken by surprise. She was more than 'ready' for Derek. She was pleased at the way Derek performed. He was good for this, but she knew she still preferred females. The last few days reaffirmed it.
She didn't know in the darkness she was 'Claire' right now to Derek in his mind as he 'pounded' away.
It was easy for someone to be 'anyone' in the darkness. The body parts were the same. The mind filled in the blanks.
Claire was going to get dressed but she dozed off. She was still naked.
The human girls were all on the 727 Executive Transport parked at the small airport. They were all heavily engaged with each other.
Allison was with Laura in the Executive Suite. Jesse was with Mary in the Master Suite. Vanna was with Leticia in the lounge area.
The girls all finished up and did another rotation.
Jesse was with Laura in the Executive Suite. Vanna was with Mary in the Master Suite. Allison was with Leticia in the lounge area.
The girls were all pretty beat by this point in time. It was where they all fell asleep when they 'finished' up.
They waited for the team to finish their operation so they could give them a ride back to Van Nuys, and then back to the base.
It was almost morning anyway.
Holly headed to the Command Center to see how things were going. She took one last look towards the direction of John's room before she entered.
Summer and John Henry greeted her when she arrived.
John Henry got her up to speed on everything. She'd followed a lot of the operation through her com.
"They're about to enter the hillside right now." John Henry said.
Holly wondered about Young Jesse. She was the only human on the mission and it was her first time out.
"How's the other team?" Holly asked.
Summer kept track of where everyone was at. Her biggest concern was losing the signal from the team underground. The team would be on their own when it occurred.
"They're progressing rapidly on an intercept course with the other team." Summer said. "We were able to track them most of the way. We've almost lost the signal."
Holly sat next to Summer to watch. There were body cams on everyone now including Richard and Michael.
The signal was weak with Young Jesse's team because of the heavy metal door they'd passed. They'd put a repeater on each side of it, but the signal was faint. If they encountered one more door like it, they would most likely lose the signal completely.
Cammy found the passageway into the hillside. It was large enough for an HK Track to pass through. It probably wasn't a good sign. It only added to the worry of the HK subassemblies the team found earlier.
Michael and Richard would keep the exit open. They didn't want any surprises to develop behind them, especially if they lost contact.
Cammy wanted to go in alone. Ally and Hanna would follow close behind her. Cam and Samantha would follow a little behind them. They didn't know what the interior would hold.
Cam thought she should be up front with Cammy, but she didn't need to be a 'glory hog'. The earlier activity in the mine was intense enough. She was still covered from head to toe with dirt ground into her clothes. It covered all of her exposed sheath as well, her hands and face.
Cammy was in combat most of the last week with Savannah. She didn't like Savannah to be with Cameron, but she would rather have her there. Savannah was a little more secure there than where she was at right now. The fact Young Jesse was there was bad enough. She was aware Young Jesse stepped up so Savannah could have some time off.
There was a large blast door ahead of them once they passed from the third building into the hillside itself. It wasn't closed tight. The five Metal girls slipped inside.
Samantha looked at the blast door as they passed it. It could trap them inside if it closed.
"I think we should jam this open." Samantha said. "We don't know how to control it."
None of them wanted to get trapped in there.
Cammy used her com and asked Michael to bring one of the drone subassemblies which were on the hanger floor and do it for them. She figured it should slow the closure of the blast door if nothing else. It was unknown how much force was behind the closing mechanism.
The passageway went for about a hundred feet before it came to 'zigzag'. It was further protection for whatever was in the interior.
Cammy carefully peered around the edge of the 'zigzag'. There was a second blast door. It was also not closed tight. It reminded her a lot of how CamNet's bunker was set up. There were three branches of the passageway on the other side of the second blast door. Everything would need to be investigated.
"I need Cam and Samantha to take the left branch." Cammy said. "Ally and Hanna will take the right branch. I'll continue down the center branch."
The Metal girls weren't keen on separating, but the more they could find out, the sooner they could take action. None of them except Cammy liked the fact she was now a team of one.
Sheila led the team down the passageway. It periodically went through a series of right angle turns. They'd come to another junction. It appeared to head away from the hillside. It seemed to be headed in the direction of the road, or the ravine on the other side of it. There was no way to know yet. It was most likely an escape route.
Larry and Hank were sent to investigate where it went.
Young Jesse didn't want the two teams to get separated by too much distance or time.
The girls would go on for five more minutes and then wait for Larry and Hank to catch back up.
The girls continued until they reached another metal door after another set of turns.
Young Jesse looked at the construction of the door. She knew what would happen next.
"We're going to lose contact here when we go through." Young Jesse said.
Gail was sure they were just about to the main part of whatever was inside.
"I think we're almost there." Gail said.
Young Jesse knew there weren't any facts to back it up. They were surrounded by the unknown.
"We don't know what's ahead." Young Jesse said.
Gail entered the combination she'd used on the other door. The green light came on. She carefully opened the door a foot and a half. Sheila went through.
Sheila immediately came back through and silently closed the door.
"There's a patrol coming." Sheila said. "I heard at least three voices."
Gail locked the door. They quickly retreated back through the last set of turns and reached the junction Larry and Hank went down. There was no sign of them.
The girls could ambush the patrol at the junction. It also gave them better protection.
There was no cover in the passageway itself if a fire fight broke out.
The Gray patrol approached the metal door. They opened it. They passed through it and closed it behind them.
"Keep moving." The leader said. "Pick it up."
The first Gray was very displeased they'd been sent out on a patrol.
"Why do we have to do this?" The first Gray asked.
The leader hoped to maintain some type of unit discipline. It looked like they were off to a poor start.
"Shut up and stay alert." The leader said. "There are too many things happening we don't know the results of yet."
The second Gray didn't believe they were qualified to do the job. It wasn't one of their normal duties.
"We're technicians, not troopers." The second Gray said.
The leader didn't believe it was anything to complain about. The job needed to be done.
"So was Lang's crew." The leader said. "We don't know what happened to them either."
The first Gray was aware of the image which was picked up before Lang's crew was sent out to intercept them. It actually looked like a choice assignment at the time.
"I'll tell you what happened." The first Gray said. "They went out after a couple of lost female hikers. Once they nabbed them, you know what happened. The whole crew is still taking turns. We'd have done the same thing. When we find them, I'll do both of them myself."
The third Gray believed the first Gray's assessment was spot on. It was for a specific reason as well. When the troops weren't given 'comfort', they were going to seek it when they found it.
"It's because we haven't had any 'fresh meat' for a week around here." The third Gray said. "I'll tell you what. As soon as we meet up with them, I'm going first from this crew."
The leader didn't care for the lack of discipline. The men were inattentive and unorganized. Everything they said was based on speculation. The level of the threat they faced was unknown.
"Shut up." The leader said. "We don't know who was out there. It could be anyone."
The first Gray was sure the targets Lang's team was sent out to intercept were female. They'd heard some rumors about a female Terminator.
"You don't think it's the 'Metal Bitch' we've all heard about do you?" The first Gray asked. "Some say she's a renegade from another version of Skynet."
The third Gray felt a little more apprehension. He was sure it was more than just a story.
"I heard it too." The third Gray said. "She wants to be her own version of Skynet."
The second Grey tried to be funny.
"They can call it Sky-Slut." The second Gray said.
Three of the Grays laughed. The leader didn't.
The leader wanted the men to take things seriously.
"Stay alert." The leader said. "The threat is real until we find out it isn't. You morons have been pushing buttons and connecting wires for too long. You've all lost the edge."
The first Gray was aware there were multiple threats out there.
"What about those psychos from the one future Skynet?" The first Gray asked.
The second Grey knew exactly who he referred to. It was something which was always downplayed whenever it came up. It didn't matter, the word was out and everyone knew about it.
"He means the Fanatics. They worship SkyMaster as their god." The second Gray said. "They blow everything up, including themselves."
The third Gray tried to add some humor.
"I'll give them something to blow." The third Gray said.
It produced another round of laughter.
The first Gray wanted to put a dig in on the third Grey.
"He won't care if it's a male or a female either." The first Gray said.
The first and third Gray laughed very hard. The leader and the third gray didn't.
The leader experienced enough. He felt he needed to put his foot down. The men didn't give him any respect. He was going to make them follow his orders. He wanted them to know what would happen next.
"I'm going to shoot the next one of you clowns who opens their mouth." The leader said. "Take this seriously. We may have lost a lot of people tonight at the mine. Something is wrong here."
The Grays neared the intersection. They didn't appear to know it was there in the dim glow of the red lights. None of them had ever come this way before. They were all terminal jockeys.
The Resistance girls listened to the conversation as the Grays drew closer. They were in the branch off of the main passageway. Larry and Hank hadn't returned yet. They were in the branch further behind them.
Sheila and Camille moved forward. They each held their silenced M9. Young Jesse moved up with them.
Gail still had the backpack nuke strapped to her back. She'd disabled two of the red lights before the branch turned. The group wouldn't be back lit now. They were in total darkness.
Camille didn't want Young Jesse so close.
"Stay back." Camille whispered. "They're almost here."
Young Jesse didn't intend to remain on the back burner. She wanted to be part of the fight. She'd put her night vision on as soon as the red lights were disabled.
"We'll take them together." Young Jesse whispered. "It's time to put my training to use. I want to do this. I need to do this."
It was Showtime.
Gail was concerned for Young Jesse, but Sheila and Camille were in front of her. They should hold the advantage in the near darkness.
She began to wonder what happened to Hank and Larry. It seemed like they should have been back by now. Maybe they should have checked out the other branches as they went along. Was there anyone else behind them? There hadn't been any explosions or gunfire yet. If someone didn't squawk their transponder code, it would have triggered one of the modified Claymore mines disguised as the red lights.
Young Allison wasn't pleased with the way they started to lose contact with everyone.
"I want 'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' to patrol the area along the road and the hillside where Young Jesse is at." Young Allison said. "There may be other ways out of the system they've entered."
Anna brought them down closer to the ground. The two drones scanned for any signs of movement or heat signature. There was a drone up high which looked down on the entire section.
"There are three drones working the area." Anna said. "'Coltan Overcast' and 'Cherry Bomb' will instantly engage any threat."
Young Allison checked the scans for any hostile HK drones in the area but none were detected yet. It was always her worry.
Earlier:
Hank and Larry moved through the branch passageway. They figured it would lead to the outside. It was longer than they'd thought it would be.
There was some sound ahead of them further down the passageway.
"There's someone ahead of us." Hank whispered.
They both paused.
"It sounds like at least three people." Larry whispered. "They probably went to flank the rest of the team."
It sounded like whoever it was, seemed to be in a hurry or careless.
Three Grays moved through the branch. They didn't know Hank and Larry were behind them.
The first Gray felt there'd been too many problems associated with what they were attempting to do. Things went smoothly at first, until they didn't any longer.
"I'm telling you guys, we need to run." The first Gray said. "This whole operation is compromised."
The second Gray wasn't convinced. The two Terminators with them indicated everything was under control.
"The 'Metal Bitch' and 'Robbie The Robot' didn't seem to think so." The second Gray said.
The first Gray felt it was a flaw in their programming.
"The 'Metal Heads' never think they're in danger." The first Gray said. "It's why they can't recognize it."
The third Gray believed things were a little more severe than anyone would admit. Based upon the actions of the Terminators, it seemed to confirm his suspicions.
"The two 'Circuit Brains' were going to get the Skynet hard drives out." The third Gray said. "It sounds like danger to me. Why else would they fool around with them?"
The second Gray was uncomfortable with the new duty they'd been assigned. It wasn't what they'd been trained for.
"They lost all the combat troop or they wouldn't have us doing this." The second Gray said. "Most of the technicians have never been on combat operations."
The first Gray felt the second Gray made his point. It was time to cut their losses. It was time to think about survival.
"It's why I'm telling you guys we need to run." The first Gray said. "We all felt the 'earthquake' earlier. We all know what it was."
The second Gray knew there was still a lot of speculation involved.
"We really don't know anything." The second Gray said.
The three Grays slowed. They could see a door in front of them.
"We're here." The third Gray said. "This is the way out."
The second Gray felt they lacked a lot of information
"We don't even know where we are." The second Gray said.
The first Gray wanted to press his personal agenda.
"We know this is an escape tunnel." The first Gray said. "We'll slip out and run."
The first Gray released the latch on the metal door. It opened inward with a slight squeak. He looked outside.
"What do you see?" The second Gray asked.
The first Gray couldn't see very much
"It's dark out there." The first Gray said.
The third Gray was a little impatient.
"Let me look." The third Gray said as he pushed his way forward.
The first Gray wanted to use a little bit of caution.
"Easy, man." The first Gray said. "We don't know who's out there."
The third Gray was willing to take his chances. He wanted to get as far away from Skynet as possible. It wasn't worth dying for. It didn't turn out to be the smooth ride like they were promised.
"It's better than dying in here." The third Gray said. "I'm done with this operation for good. I'm leaving."
The second Gray wasn't about to try to answer to the two 'tin cans' as to what happened to the other Grays. He didn't want to be held accountable for their disappearance. He figured if they were going to run, they should probably try to make the most of it. There was no reason they couldn't pick up a little 'comfort' along the way.
"Not without us. I'm with you, bro." The second Gray said. "We'll put the grab on a couple of skanks and head for the high country."
The third Gray was pleased with the prospect of some 'fresh meat'.
"I want a blonde this time for one of them." The third Gray said.
The first Gray thought it was wishful thinking. He didn't think beggars could be choosy.
"Most of those are fake blondes." The first Gray said.
The third Gray could think of a few ways to make a determination. It would happen soon enough once they put the grab on someone.
"I know one way to tell." The third Gray said.
The three Grays all laughed.
They were away from the escape door by a few feet.
"Listen!" The first Gray said.
They all heard it.
"It's an HK drone." The third Gray said.
The second Gray was instantly worried.
"Where is it?" The second Gray asked. "Is it ours?"
The first Gray had been involved in the operation in the hangar earlier in the day. He knew for a fact it wasn't. They'd attempted to assemble one with the male Terminator earlier. 'Robbie the Robot' said they didn't have all of the pieces.
"Let's get back inside." The first Gray said. "We need to move fast. Ours were all in sections."
The second Gray thought about some of their enemies. The most likely one seemed to be the one from a further future to him.
"It's probably the Fanatics." The second Gray said. "Who else would have an HK drone?"
The first grade was sure there was more than one contender.
"The 'Metal Bitch' who wants to be Skynet herself." The first Gray said.
The third Gray cringed at the thought. He understood getting killed was one thing. He also knew how it was done was another thing.
"She kills everyone." The third Gray said. "I've heard what the bodies look like. There are all kinds of things missing…."
The Grays turned and headed back for the escape door.
Anna noticed 'Cherry Bomb' picked up movement not too far out from the third building between the road and the hillside. She wanted to verify it wasn't any of the team. She received confirmation.
"We have contact. 'Cherry Bomb' didn't pick up a transponder code. All of the team should have one on." Anna said. "Everything was double checked."
Young Allison thought they were in a good position.
"See if it can get a visual." Young Allison said.
Young Allison didn't want any 'friendly fire'.
Three seconds later, the image of three unknown men came back.
Young Allison observed enough.
"Fire…." Young Allison said.
The Terminator needed to clear the room and the one across the hall from it. He also needed to get the boxcars ready for transport. He left the terminated Gray in the hallway. He moved into the room the Gray exited from. There were two other men sleeping. He quickly moved up to the first one and snapped his neck. The second Gray started to stir. He moved over to his position and snapped his neck as well. Both men were terminated in their bunk.
He went back into the hall and retrieved the original Gray. He dropped him on top of a bunk. He made a quick search of the room. There were various weapons scattered about the area.
The Terminator could see there were three other bunks in the room. Two of them didn't appear to have been used for a while. The third one was messed up. It indicated there was at least one more Gray associated with the room he was in. He still needed to clear one more room.
He exited the room and crossed over the hallway to the remaining room before the front lobby area. He listened outside of the door. He could definitely hear there was at least one individual in there. It didn't sound like they were sleeping either. He held his silenced M9 in his right hand. He opened the door with his left and stepped into the room.
The Gray didn't turn around when the door opened. There were a dozen different monitors in front of him.
"I'm glad you're here. I wanted someone else to see this." The Gray said. "I've picked up a few anomalies on the security system."
He moved up behind the Gray. He put his silenced M9 away. He grabbed the Gray by the back of his neck and yanked him out of his chair. A pistol clattered to the floor. He changed his grip and held the Gray up against the wall as he searched him.
The Terminator wanted to get a few answers. He also needed to get the boxcars ready for transport.
The security chief could see some bright flashes of light within the flames of where the spatial portal had been. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He would need to get closer. The flames were rather intense.
He thought he spotted some movement away from where he could hear the damaged HK Track moving around. He thought it might be two females. There weren't any females on the base. He quickly ducked behind some containers. He still needed to worry about any enemies inside of the building.
The heat from the flames was very intense. He could only move so close to the spatial portal. He could see enough to see it was still there. There was nothing else around it other than burning flames but he could clearly make out the outline of it. Sometimes it would assume the rectangle shape he'd previously seen it in, other times it would be smaller and irregular. He wasn't even sure how it was still possible for it to be there since everything else was gone or burning.
The security chief spotted something else outside of where the wall of the building once stood. In the glow of the flames, it looked like two females. There were apparently two inside of the building, and two outside of it.
He was unaware he'd just been targeted.
The female Fanatic and Jill seemed to have threats in front of them and in back of them.
"I still think the Gray is our biggest threat." The female Fanatic said. "We know he will see us as a threat as well. We still don't know what the status of the damaged HK Track is."
It seemed to Jill they should attempt to kill him as soon as possible.
"Maybe I can't distract him and you can take a shot at him." Jill said. "He still has the rocket launcher with him, even if it's not in his hands currently."
The sound of the HK Track grew more intense.
The two females hurried away from where they were at.
They caught sight of the Gray from their new position.
The female Fanatic raised her Beretta to take a shot. Before she could pull the trigger he moved. A fraction of a second later, there seemed to be bullet impacts around where he'd had just been. She wasn't sure what caused it. There hadn't been any sound other than the burning of the flames and the clanking of the damaged HK Track.
There was a burst of minigun fire behind them. It seemed to be directed upward.
The female Fanatic and Jill sought cover. It appeared there were other figures outside of the burning building as well.
Lena and Tina spotted some movement back at where part of the building still stood. They could hear a damaged HK Track moving around as well. It was clear there were multiple threats which still existed.
CamNet wanted to do a lower drone scan. She sent one drone in just above Terminator hearing range. It would put it at risk from the damaged HK Track still in the building.
The drone picked up a figure of a human moving inside. It did a gravity shot at his position. The figure moved before the rounds hit. There was a response of returned minigun fire from inside of the building. The rounds were out of range from the altitude the drone currently was at.
A missile streaked up from inside of the building. When it passed through the roof, it deflected the angle. It 'whooshed' by the drone overhead. It missed it by several hundred feet. The drone immediately moved to a higher altitude.
Lena and Tina both spotted the Gray and saw him move before the 'metal hail' hit. He'd been lucky. They knew his general position. They also knew the general position of the damaged HK Track from where the minigun rounds, as well as the missile, emerged from the roof of the building. Currently the HK Track was their biggest threat. They moved off to the side and would re-enter through the door they'd driven the big rigs out of a few minutes ago.
The drone had also picked up other movement inside of the building. It would attempt another gravity shot at the last known location of the second contact.
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Temporal Mission:
Past Timeline:
November 25 1963
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Cameron continued to clean the weapons as Young Allison warmed her food.
Young Allison turned the burner to 'low'. She came over to assist Cameron.
"I need to take care of my weapon myself." Young Allison said.
Cameron frowned slightly.
"You can eat first." Cameron said.
'Drag City', by 'Jan And Dean', began to play.
"I like this one." Young Allison said. "It's not as offensive as 'Surf City' is."
Cameron quickly understood the reference.
"I think it's more a matter of perspective." Cameron said. "Since the majority of surf and race songs are sung by males, or male groups, they feel their target audience is also mostly male. It's the same way the audience of the multitude of 'girl groups', or a single female, of the time period don't only target females with their songs."
Cameron was informed by CamNet, when she blocked the files of Cammy and Sheila when they returned from the past, about some of their 'interaction'. It was reported to her they'd interacted with more than one musical group and several of the songs performed by the groups, or the individuals, were actually about Cammy and Sheila. CamNet refused to be specific about which songs they were. They'd used a multitude of false names the majority of the time. She didn't specify either if some of the 'early' deaths of some of the individuals were actually terminations. They may have occurred when the individual wanted a little bit more than the Metal girls were going to give. They were probably made to look like 'accidents' from some type of substance abuse.
Cammy and Sheila also ran afoul of several 'outlaw' motorcycle clubs, more commonly known as gangs. They included the 'Sons Of Chaos' and 'Satan's Angels'. They'd also experienced multiple run-ins with the Syndicate in Nevada, primarily around the Las Vegas area. They were even going to detonate the hydrogen bomb they'd stolen from the military in the center of Las Vegas to wipe it off of the map forever. A ten megaton H-bomb would have destroyed the entire city. They would have made it look like it was an 'accident' during the transportation of the device. It was how they'd appropriated it in the first place.
Young Allison could see Cameron was drifting. She decided to refocus her attention.
"Are you going to reload the Colt Single Action Army with new rounds?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron was very pleased she'd been able to acquire the new boxes of ammunition for the model 1873 Colt.
"Yes." Cameron said. "I'm going to bring it with me as well if we visit one of the movie ranches."
Young Allison was a little concerned.
"Shouldn't we try to keep live rounds off of a filming set?" Young Allison asked.
Cameron wasn't concerned about it.
"Apparently it's a common practice, even in our time period." Cameron said. "There was an unfortunate incident not too long ago."
Young Allison was sure there were live rounds around more than anyone would admit in the movie industry.
The record ended.
Young Allison finished up with her P-35 and reloaded it. She placed the magazine into the well and worked the action. She chambered the top round out of the magazine. She placed the safety on. She removed the magazine and placed the round which had been in the chamber previously, back into the magazine. She reinserted the magazine.
Cameron wanted Young Allison to consume her meal.
"I'll put everything away." Cameron said. "I want you to eat now."
Young Allison headed into the bathroom to wash her hands off thoroughly. She returned to her room and removed the records which just played. She carefully put them back in the proper sleeve. She removed the center device on the record player, which was necessary for the larger diameter hole of the singles, and took out an LP album. It was by Johnny Cash. She put it on and set the speed to 33 1/3 RPM. It was currently set for 45 RPM. She started it. She wasn't really sure why there needed to be different speeds for the record player. It also had a setting for 78 RPM. She was aware 78 RPM wasn't usually found on newer record players. She figured if the music was going to move, the record might as well do the same thing as it played.
Cameron heard a very distinctive voice as a song emanated from Young Allison's room. She was very pleased with the selection.
'I Walk The Line', by 'Johnny Cash', was the next song to play.
Young Allison emerged from her room.
"I like this song." Young Allison said.
Cameron didn't comment on her belief it didn't apply to too many individuals in the majority of countries around the world. She knew it was easy for 'things' to happen either unexpectedly, or through conscious decision. She was sure the majority of them were through a conscious decision. She couldn't help but think about John and Future Riley.
Young Allison didn't want Cameron to take anything personal.
"It's just a song." Young Allison said. "Enjoy it for what it is."
Cameron understood everyone experienced problems of various types. It was part of existing. She wanted to point out a few facts she'd come across.
"Johnny Cash was one of the best selling music artists." Cameron said. "He sold more than ninety million records worldwide. His music genre embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel. He also went through many of the trials and tribulations of performers, musicians, actors and celebrities. He was able to work through the majority of them and remain productive for a number of years unlike most of the other musicians who started around the time he did, and those who emerged decades later. He was very universal and persistent."
Young Allison understood what Cameron meant about some of the shortcomings of other performers. Once some of them became sidetracked, they never could make it back to the mainline, even with multiple attempts. She believed it was all drug related. The lifestyle dictated the artist would end up in a vicious circle of amphetamines and barbiturates and every other type of substance imaginable, including the most common drug, alcohol.
"It's not about how you get knocked down." Young Allison said. "It's about how you get back up and move ahead. Things don't get done by thinking about them."
Young Allison went and started on her food. It was just as good warmed over as it was fresh. It was actually a little warmer when it was warmed over. She watched Cameron put away the cleaning supplies and the firearms. She saw her check the other weapons as well. She wasn't surprised when Cameron kept the Single Action Army out. She was actually a little surprised to watch her unload it before she began to practice with it. She was sure it was because of their earlier conversation about an unfortunate incident.
One of the items she'd picked up at the sporting goods store was a holster for the model 1873 Colt. If they were going to give it to the attendant at the Sports Center, she wanted to make it useful for him. Westerns were popular both on the big screen and the small screen during the time period. It wasn't hard to find a holster for in the sporting goods store. She'd watched Cameron loaded bullets into the little loops on the belt before she put it on.
In less than the blink of an eye, she watched Cameron draw and dry fire the weapon. She knew the actual recoil of a live round wouldn't affect her aim or speed. If they did end up on a movie set, Cameron was going to be the fastest gun in the West. The only one who could match her, would be another Terminator. If it came down to shooting live rounds, she didn't doubt Cameron would reign supreme.
'Get Rhythm', by 'Johnny Cash', was the next tune to play.
Young Allison watched Cameron practice with the Single Action Army as she ate her food from the Bear Pit.
Not Without Us
There are many different things
Which two can talk about and discuss
The direction they may go
Can be violent and treasonous
Some don't seem to care
They can be quite callus
To get close is hard
It would be easier to hug a cactus
Sometimes it's easy
To lose direction and focus
It may be when another
Tries to pull some hocus pocus
It will do absolutely no good
To shout, cuss or fuss
When two need to cool down
It is best to take a short hiatus
There is always the status quo
There is seldom a surplus
To leave anything behind
Not without us as a bonus
Nobody