Chapter 552

Showtime

Cammy wanted a closer look at the old helicopter base. It was time to get some answers. There was nothing visible, but there were vibrations and sounds detected. Gail gave her a rundown on everything she noticed so far. There were several buildings and several large hangars.

In past operations, they often found Skynet related locations to be underground. It was usually if they involved some version of Skynet itself. The current situation appeared to be above ground. The hangars could be used for storage. There could be some type of production or assembly going on in them.

Cammy and Gail moved down to the fence which surrounded the old helicopter base. The fence looked old and rusty. It was straight and neat without any sag or erosion problems evident. It seemed strange for an 'old' fence.

Gail started to reach for the fence. She was going to rip it open. It would offer her little in the way of resistance.

Cammy saw a 'red flag' with the fence. It was too perfect, even if it looked old. It might be an 'electric fence'.

"Careful, I think it's 'hot'." Cammy said.

Gail withdrew her hand.

Cammy and Gail took a closer look at the fence.

"Thanks. I see it now, it's electrified." Gail said. "This is a new fence painted to look old."

The new revelation set off even more 'warnings' about where they were at. The old base was much more than it looked. There was a natural drainage ditch along the outside of the fence.

"The fence is probably tied in with some warning sensors if the electrical field is disrupted." Cammy said. "Let's follow this gully around the fence and see if we can find a better approach. This will keep us low to the ground and harder to spot as well."

They heard Cameron latest report.

"The truck is slowing." Cameron said. "I think I'll head back outside. It looks like it's close to 'Showtime'…."

All the pieces fit together.

"It looks like this is the right place." Gail said.

Cammy kept a careful watch. She was sure they were all in danger.

"Things should start to happen soon." Cammy said. "There's a new fence around the outside perimeter which is electrified. It is disguised to look as if it is an old fence. We're about to investigate for an alternate point of entry."

Cammy and Gail found a spot in the soil eroded from heavy runoff. They needed to scoop out some more dirt to pass underneath the fence. They slipped under the fence there. They ripped a bush loose and placed it in front of the spot they entered. They headed for the hangar area. So far they didn't think they tripped any sensors and didn't disturb the electric fence. They were inside the base perimeter and no apparent alarms were sounded.

There was a lot of ground to cover and everything around the runway was wide open and flat. The old hangars and other buildings were on the far side of the runway.

After they let Cammy off, Bob sped through the darkness without his headlights on.

Savannah would need to put her night vision on to see clearly in the darkness. She knew it could disrupt her level of perception when traveling at a high rate of speed. The perspective would change slightly. Terminators didn't have the same drawback. She wanted to make sure everything was good with Bob.

"Can you see?" Savannah asked.

Bob looked over at her.

"I see everything." Bob said.

Savannah looked down the dark road. The speed was too unsafe for her to try and drive the same way.

"I can't see much." Savannah said.

Bob soon detected another vehicle.

"Up ahead, I see a truck." Bob said.

Savannah looked but didn't see anything. She hoped they would be able to catch up with Cameron. It didn't seem likely.

"Do we know if it's the truck with the HK drones?" Savannah asked.

Bob was closer now. He zoomed in with his vision.

"I don't know." Bob said. "The rear doors are painted a light yellow color."

Cameron was over the rear axles on the big rig again. She could see behind her if she leaned her head down closer to the road and looked under the rear axles.

"It's the truck." Cameron said. "You were hard for me to spot without your lights on at first. You are quite a ways back. Stay back and don't come too close. The truck is slowing some. I don't know why."

John Henry followed everything on the satellite overlay map. It showed where all the 'players' were at on the field.

"Our trackers indicate Jesse's vehicle is a half mile into the hills to the east across from your location, and one mile south from the helicopter base." John Henry said.

Bob slowed. He wanted to take Cameron's advice. He didn't want to be the one to raise the alarm about the truck being tailed.

Savannah thought about their proximity to Jesse. She knew Jesse was all alone. She knew Jesse was on the operation to give her support because of her bruised condition. Now she was by herself. It didn't sit well with her. She asked Bob to stop. He stopped.

"Maybe, I should join Jesse." Savannah said. "She's all alone. It's a short hike."

Cameron became alarmed with Savannah's proposal. She didn't want Savannah to go there on foot.

"No." Cameron said. "You'll remain with Bob."

Savannah saw it differently. She didn't know what effect it would have on the current mission. She did know it was the right thing to do.

"Jesse is all alone." Savannah repeated. "We can team up. She has the SUV and additional weapons. I'm going to go where she's at."

Jesse would like Savannah's company, but she could see it would cause a 'problem' for Cameron. She was alone a lot in the past, the future. She could take care of herself, most of the time. There were times when she couldn't. She wasn't armed during those times. She was armed now with various weapons available to her in the back of the SUV. There was no need for anyone to change things.

"I'm fine, love." Jesse said. "Thanks for caring."

Cammy and Gail were already deep inside the perimeter of the old helicopter base. They stayed in the shallow drainage ditch which caused the erosion at the bottom of the fence. The action was going to be at the base, not back where Jesse remained.

Gail thought of their current circumstances. She didn't like leaving Jesse alone. She didn't know she was going to penetrate the base itself. She liked the plan to have Savannah reinforce Jesse. She didn't think it was her place to say.

Cammy wasn't sure how anything would play out. All she could do is speculate based on past experiences. She knew there would be one vehicle they could commandeer if they needed one. It was the truck with the HK drones on it, along with Cameron.

"Since we've entered the perimeter it's doubtful we will return to the SUV where Jesse is at. She can always leave the area." Cammy said. "We will join up with Cameron and come out in the big rig if we need to."

Gail knew they could always retreat back to the SUV if they needed to.

"It's there if we need it in case things go wrong here." Gail said.

Jesse could drive away. It didn't seem like the right move. Since they didn't know what they faced at the base, they didn't know what would happen going forward. What if the Metal girls needed to retreat or follow someone? They didn't know what level of resistance they would face. There were still a lot of variables.

"I don't like closing the back door." Jesse said. "I can still hold here. The location seems relatively secure. I could probably move the SUV further down the hill and closer to the base. It might be a rough ride."

They really didn't know anything yet. The only thing everyone was sure of was, they knew there was more than met the eye where everyone was headed. The unknown was always dangerous. The area radiated an even higher level of danger.

Savannah was dissatisfied with the solution, and to leave Jesse alone. It didn't sit well with her. It wasn't the right thing. Nobody should be alone. She cut her com. Cameron wasn't the only one who could act on her own. She could as well.

"Bob, I don't like Jesse out there alone and isolated." Savannah said. "She doesn't have a Terminator to back her up. She doesn't have anyone to back her up. If the rats flee the sinking ship, they'll probably head straight in her direction to get away."

Bob could see the potential for a lot of scenarios. If Cameron couldn't take the truck, she would need to get out somehow. Cammy and Gail were there now as well in the base itself. They didn't have a vehicle either. It was back up in the foothills with Jesse. He wanted to see what Savannah's plan was.

"What do you want to do?" Bob asked. "We may have to make a dash into the old base for Cameron, Cammy, and Gail."

Savannah looked into the darkness where Jesse's approximate location was at. She checked her phone image of the location. She wasn't very far away from Jesse. She could reach her in a short time.

"Ask yourself this, if you were me, or in my place, what would you do?" Savannah asked.

Bob tilted his head slightly.

The thought briefly popped into his head he could be like 'Savannah'. He could have his chip installed in Hanna's chassis. He could know what it was like to be 'Savannah'. He also knew it wasn't what she meant. It was still an intriguing idea. If any of the Metal girls wanted to switch chips with him, he was going to do it. It seemed like the chassis swap was his best choice. He knew it was something the Metal girls did from time to time.

Bob quickly readjusted his pants when Savannah looked into the darkness to the right side of the SUV.

He knew Sheila tried to 'borrow' a male chassis before. She wanted to 'break in' all of the Metal girls herself with it. Cameron got wind of what she was up to and threatened her with deactivation if she did it. Cameron wanted all the Metal girls to remain 'unsoiled' for John if he ever 'needed' them. Cameron threatened to make any Terminators who were involved with the process genderless. It would be done in front of their fellow Terminators. It would happen before their public deactivation. She said the male chassis would be emasculated as well. The sheath would be burnt with plasma to prevent regeneration in the area. None of the male Terminators listened to Sheila after they knew what the consequences would be. Sheila didn't ask anymore either.

Sheila and Ally arrived at the facility Cameron originally was to conduct her recon mission. They decided to go in separately. They still needed to worry if Cameron was compromised earlier. The surveillance never showed an alarm was raised. They thought it was better to play it safe. Experience taught them the enemy was always unpredictable, even if they were predictable. They both entered the HK drone factory perimeter from different spots. Neither of which was the one Cameron used.

They formed up at the rear of the parking lot. There were only a half dozen cars parked there.

Ally was pleased she arrived first. She watched as Sheila approached. She liked to give her a hard time.

"I beat you." Ally said. "I've been here for two minutes."

Sheila looked a little indignant. She wanted to set Ally straight.

"I needed to go nearly twice as far." Sheila said. "If you factor in the time and distance, it means I won. Your second best, just like always."

Ally did the math. Sheila was right. Based upon the seriousness of the operation, she didn't want to push it. She didn't want to turn the moment into something negative before the start of an operation. She decided to focus on what they already knew. It wasn't very much.

"Cameron said a Terminator was outside when a truck arrived." Ally said. "She needed to leave on the truck to avoid detection. She heard the wine of an HK drone power plant inside of the building. We know the truck was loaded with completed HK drones. We need to find a way in without being detected."

Sheila hoped they hadn't stepped up security. The surveillance cameras didn't indicate they did.

"What if they're actually on patrol?" Sheila asked. "I saw one big truck backed up to the dock, and a smaller one further down."

Ally looked for anyone on her approach.

"I've seen no one outside." Ally said.

Sheila detected some movement. She ducked down a little more and pulled Ally with her as she pointed.

"There is now." Sheila said. "Look.…."

Gail and Cammy tried to take in everything as they approached the buildings through the ever more shallow drainage ditch. They were mostly exposed at this point. There was a better than even chance they would be spotted if someone were to look where they were at. They relied on the fact no one would look where they were at, because there wasn't a reason to, unless they tripped a sensor somewhere. They were able to avoid touching the fence. They hadn't spotted any surveillance devices so far. It didn't mean they might have not missed one or more.

Cammy filled John Henry in on her observations. Gail added a few details.

They could hear the truck as it approached now. They knew Cameron was on the truck over the rear axles. They didn't know if there would be any inspection of the truck or not before it entered the base. It hadn't stopped since it left the location where the HK drones were loaded into the back of it. It would just depend upon the level of caution those at the base would use. If what they experienced today was any indication, it seemed like a routine event. When things became routine, everyone became sloppy.

It was clear there was a coordinated effort involved with the base personnel. They must be in contact with the truck driver.

"The hangar door on the third hangar from the east is opening." Cammy reported. "I can see several big rigs parked inside."

Cammy wondered if there was a phone call from the truck driver, or if a Terminator at the base could hear the truck coming and knew what it was. There could be a manned checkpoint where she couldn't see it as well.

John knew the chances of any of his troops being detected was about to increase dramatically. There was going to be some activity with the new arrival. The quick response by whoever opened the hangar door indicated they didn't want the truck left out in the open any longer than it needed to be. He thought the conditions on the ground should dictate what those at the target location did and when.

"Do you want to hold or advance, Cammy?" John asked. "You can tell what's happening better than we can. I recommend extreme caution no matter what you choose to do."

Cammy looked at Gail who nodded. She wanted to know what all was there. She was sure it was more than they thought.

"We'll advance." Cammy said. "I want to know what's in the other hangars. We need to make sure Cameron gets out."

Cameron wanted Cammy to know where she was currently.

"I'm still underneath the trailer." Cameron reported. "I'm going to ride here as long as possible. It will get me closer to the action, if there is any."

Gail saw a light flash on the control tower off to the side.

"We can see the headlights dancing on the old control tower." Gail said. "The truck should turn right in a short while."

It looked like it would all come together soon.

Jesse sat waiting. The concern of Savannah for her touched her deeply and also made her wonder. What if there was a patrol out? She exited the SUV with her M4 and checked her silenced pistol. She moved forward for twenty yards then to her right for thirty yards and then back for fifty yards. She was now behind the SUV by about fifteen yards and off to the side with a good view of it. She didn't see anyone attempt to track her when she moved.

She kept watch on the SUV. She thought if anyone was out looking, the SUV would be the target. She figured it would draw the patrol to it first, if there was even one. There was no way to know how far they would go on a patrol from the base.

Jesse already picked out a secondary location to move to if she needed to use one of her weapons. She knew the first location would draw fire. She waited in silence and still didn't see anything around her.

"Do you see them?" Savannah asked softly.

Jesse thought her com experienced a volume malfunction. The voice sounded so clear.

She felt something near her. She hoped it wasn't a snake.

"There are three of them." Savannah said softly.

Jesse looked around. When she looked back, Savannah was next to her. She jumped a little. She hadn't expected to see Savannah there. She hadn't seen any movement at all. She just went through an evasive maneuver so no one could track her position to where she currently was. She hadn't heard anything either. She was afraid she'd gone soft.

"You scared me." Jesse whispered.

Savannah didn't want to alarm Jesse.

"I've been here for almost two minutes." Savannah whispered. "There were five of them before…."

Savannah alerted Cammy and Gail there was a patrol out. It meant possibly more. They would need to watch their backs, as well as the front with everything they did. Somewhere along the way from where the SUV was, and where Cammy and Gail were now, a patrol passed by them on one side. They could have been further off to either side as well. The range of the patrol could be widespread.

Jesse saw Savannah carried her M4 slung and held her silenced pistol in her hand.

"They haven't spotted the SUV yet." Savannah whispered. "If they do, they'll try to radio it in. John Henry should have communications blocked. They're probably going to miss their two associates relatively soon anyway."

Jesse wanted to take the initiative and make the first move. Well, the second move anyway. It was apparent Savannah already made the first move. She knew one thing for sure, Savannah was good, real good. Nobody could sneak up on her the same way.

"It means we need to take them now." Jesse whispered.

After moving away from the drainage ditch, Cammy and Gail made it over to the hangars.

Cammy and Gail were alongside the first hangar. There was a door on the side of it.

Cammy reached for the door handle

Gail was a little concerned.

"They may have an alarm." Gail said.

Cammy paused but tried it anyway. It was locked.

Savannah sent out the warning about the patrol she encountered. It was a good bet there were more.

"There is a five man patrol out by the SUV Jesse, Gail, and Cammy arrived in." Savannah said. "I'm near the SUV now."

Cammy was surprised Savannah was in the area. She wondered if Bob was with her. She didn't think so. The last report from Bob was he was near the truck as it turned into the airport property.

"That was Savannah." Cammy said to Gail.

Cammy was now worried about Savannah. It meant Savannah was out alone in hostile territory, unless Jesse was still there.

Gail was worried as well now.

"Where's Jesse?" Gail asked. "There are five Grays in the patrol."

Jesse and Savannah held the upper hand right now. They didn't want the Metal girls to worry.

"I'm busy, love, relax." Jesse whispered. "It's only a three man patrol now."

The fact there were patrols out didn't go over well in the Command Center. The fact Savannah was apparently no longer with Bob didn't sit well either.

John was worried about the patrols and really wasn't surprised Savannah was now there with Jesse. It looked like the right call based on the current situation.

"Great, there are patrols out and around the perimeter." John said. "There are enemy troops between our groups of people."

John Henry worried about what else was out there. He was sure there were more as well.

"It makes sense." John Henry said. "It's a good thing Cammy and Gail have successfully avoided them. I don't think they detected them earlier either. It's an even better thing they weren't ambushed."

John wasn't as worried about the Metal girls as he was about the human girls. It was clear Savannah and Jesse already engaged the enemy if the five man Patrol was not only a three man patrol. The entire Patrol would need to be dealt with or it was going to raise an even bigger alarm. The girls didn't have any Terminator support either.

"Now it's Savannah and Jesse out there." John said.

John Henry wasn't sure how all of this was going to fly with Cameron.

"I can't believe Bob let her go on her own to help Jesse." John Henry said. "Cameron is going to be angry."

John figured Cameron wouldn't be the only one.

"So is Cammy." John said.

They received a report from Sheila and Ally.

It didn't sound good.

Ally and Sheila moved towards a door on the side of the building. They wanted to stay out of view of the gate guard and the loading dock area.

"We need to get closer." Ally said.

Sheila moved in front of Ally.

"It's what we're doing." Sheila said. "You're too slow."

Ally was getting ready to respond with a smart remark.

Sheila held up her hand. They paused as they heard some angry words from inside.

"It sounds like there's an argument going on in there." Ally said.

Sheila glanced back at Ally.

"It's probably the Terminator getting on someone's nerves." Sheila said. "It's kind of like you do to me."

Ally looked a little upset.

"I've got a nerve you can get on top of. You like the attention." Ally said. "Let's listen."

Cameron felt the truck come to a stop outside the open hangar door. She peered out from underneath the trailer. She could see four other big rigs backed in, side by side. There were no HK drones apparent she could see. There was only a row of cars on the far side.

The truck shuddered and shook and started to back in next to the other parked rigs. At this point, she didn't think they were going to unload the trailer. The truck stopped with a loud hiss as the air was set.

Someone moved up along the side of the trailer.

Cameron hadn't spotted them earlier. She did now. It was a Terminator.

There was a Terminator inside the hangar! She was ready to jump out and fight them if necessary. She reached down and armed her Taser. She wasn't sure if it was a patrol, or an inspection. The Terminator didn't appear to be looking for her.

Cameron could hear the hangar doors start to close. They stopped about ten feet apart. They left an opening big enough for a car to exit.

The Terminator talked to the man she saw who drove the truck. The Terminator gave him an envelope and a set of keys. There was a row of parked cars along the far side of the hangar. The truck driver got in the first one and drove out. The hangar doors closed. The Terminator went on patrol inside the hangar.

Cameron could see it was going to be a new problem. She was on the ground now as she followed him from beneath the trucks. He looked around, turned off the lights, and went out a side door.

It actually went a little smoother than she thought. She didn't want to walk into a sucker play. She paused and waited a few moments to see if he would re-enter and try to spot someone. It didn't happen. It was time to take a better look around.

Cameron swiftly moved around the hangar and inspected it. She went from truck to truck and checked the insides of the trailers. There were five loaded trailers, including the one she arrived on. All of them were full with HK drones in them. It was a lot of HK drones. They were all neatly packed and ready to go. She hoped to put the grab on all of them. She was going to need more drivers. She needed to check out what was in the other hangars as well. They might need a lot more drivers.

Cameron reported her findings to John and John Henry.

John scrambled the "MIKE Force' once he found out Savannah and Jesse were on the ground together without any Terminator support. The fact there was an enemy patrol near them only sealed the deal in his book, especially since two of the patrol were already terminated.

"The Blackhawk is already en-route with Derek, Kyle, and four of our Terminators on it." John said.

Cameron didn't want to trigger anything before it needed to happen.

"Make sure they don't come in until Cammy and I give the 'all clear'." Cameron said. "I don't want to lose any advantage we might hold. I've spotted enemy Terminators on patrol here."

John was worried they were overextended everywhere.

"Beautiful…." John said.

Cameron ignored John. Cammy was outside one of the hangars. She wanted to know what she'd found so far.

"Cammy, what do you have?" Cameron asked.

"Trouble…." Cammy said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Showtime

Everyone thinks they know it all
Few know much if anything
They act like a Joker
But think they're a King

People can be stubborn
They don't want to listen much
It's why they flounder
They don't stay in touch

Is it really that hard
To listen when they hear
There's a difference
To the one they hold dear

Sooner rather than later
It all comes to a head
When that doesn't pan out
Some wish they were dead

Life itself is an uphill climb
It can be covered with grime
One needs to pull it together
When it's Showtime

Nobody