Chapter 556

I'll Drive

Cameron wanted to use caution until Sheila and Ally were clear. It all seemed to fall apart fast. She didn't want them to get discovered or trapped inside one of the buildings they needed to hit. She wanted them way from the building first. She wanted to get everyone on the same page.

"Cam, I'll need you soon." Cameron said. "Ally and Sheila need to get clear first before we attack the two buildings with the assembly lines."

Cam was ready. She watched as the four drones around her lifted off. It was clear John Henry or CamNet took control of them. She wanted to get moving too.

"I'm ready to go." Cam said. "As soon as we hear from them, I'll go up and I'll be at your location in less than two minutes."

Cameron considered what Cammy said about the HK Tracks at their current location being slightly different from the one's she encountered earlier and sabotaged.

"You need to be on the lookout for any Skynet HK drones as well." Cameron said. "There may be other locations associated with this group we don't know about yet. It's possible they could send reinforcements. We don't know how large of a group they may be able to assemble. It could be anything from two, to twenty. Everything is still an unknown. "

Cam didn't care to run into any problems either. She knew at least one HK drone took a shot at Holly when she was in the manned drone. It was unknown if it was an air to air missile or an air to ground missile which attempted to be used in a last ditch effort to save itself. Either way it failed and was shot down by Holly. The HK drones in the future were all set up for air to ground activity because Skynet owned the sky. The Resistance changed the weapons complement on the HK drones they captured. They wanted to own the sky in the present. Everything they encountered with a Skynet HK drone in the present was still set up for air to ground activity.

"I'll be on the lookout for everything." Cam said.

Cam thought their drones would be spread thin at three different locations simultaneously. It would make things easier for her at her location. Anything else in the air at the old helicopter base would be a target. She also needed to be mindful the Blackhawk was on the way with the 'MIKE Force'.

She wanted to hedge her bet some. Once the four drones headed off in pairs she lifted off. She decided to move closer to the old helicopter base. She would stay out of the range a Terminator could hear her. She needed to consider the prospect they were Terminators on patrol somewhere since there were at least two Skynet patrols they knew about. There could also be more than one LP. It was possible there were listening posts set up somewhere around the facility due to the extensive nature of what it contained.

Cam personally studied all the available satellite images they could provide her with while she waited. The majority of them were taken during the daytime. Some of them were taken during the night time. She compared what would look different in detail between the daytime and the night time. She wanted to know what targets she could engage and where the best place would be. From what Cameron indicated, the focus was going to be on the central hangar of the three large ones there. The first and third hangars were already under their control because they deactivated the HK Tracks in one, and the HK drones in the other one.

She continued to edge closer to the target area. She still needed to keep some distance. It wasn't her choice. It was a necessity for now. She didn't want to be the one who tipped their hand.

Gail was sure there was a Terminator on her tail. She didn't want to lead him to where Jesse and Savannah were at. She decided to use herself as bait. She was attacked a very short time later. Now she was in a fight for her existence, her life. She was beaten up badly by the two Terminators. She didn't think she could last much longer. They were both bigger and stronger than her. She was surprised she was still in the fight. It was because she needed to protect Jesse.

She calculated how quickly she could rupture her power cell and cause it to explode. She should be able to damage, if not destroy the two Terminators. It was certain to alert Jesse of the problem. She knew she needed to protect Jesse. She knew she failed at it before. She could tell she was finished in her current battle. She couldn't exist without Jesse again. It would be an honorable termination to go out this way. There should be quite a 'bang'.

As Gail fought, she was aware they were about to close in for the kill. It would happen the next time around. She began to disrupt her power cell's safeties. It would make it easier to explode.

'I love you, Jesse.' Gail said to herself as they moved in.

She knew what needed to be done.

Gail reached up to rip her sheath open and rupture her power cell….

She needed to make sure Jesse and Savannah were protected. She needed to protect the Resistance. She didn't want her chassis captured either. She heard the stories about what happened to a captured female Terminator when she was reprogrammed by whoever captured her. She would be turned into a 'Metal Whore'. The thought of dozens of men abusing her chassis while it was forced to perform every type of sex act imaginable was the final motivation to rupture her power cell.

'Destruction before dishonor.' Gail thought to herself.

She needed to protect Jesse and Savannah. She didn't want the girls to need to face the two enemy Terminators once she was deactivated.

Cameron went to check out the central hangar. It wasn't what she expected to find so soon. It was as she feared. The lights were on inside the center hangar now. Something was happening inside. An alarm must have been sounded somewhere. Cameron ran down the side of the hangar towards the front. She believed whatever came out from the inside would be there.

She figured the HK equipment would come right out the main hangar door. It was time to play her 'Ace' and create a distraction. She would need some additional support as well.

"Bob, I need you now." Cameron said. "Take up position in front of the first hangar. Be prepared to fire on anything which leaves the central hangar. It's time to let 'Painless' out."

Bob followed the com traffic. He was back inside the SUV with the engine running. All he needed to do was put it into gear to go.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "I'm less than one minute out."

Bob glanced over at the M134 handheld minigun. It was loaded and 'hot'.

Cameron needed to buy one minute. She wished she would've called Cam earlier. She hadn't. She forgot Cam was 'her'.

"Cam…." Cameron said. "I need you."

Cam was already up and headed for the old helicopter base. She hadn't waited for the order to take off and proceed to the target area. She was 'Cameron' too. She knew how to play the game and stack the deck. She also didn't always play by the rule book. For Cameron or any Cameron clone, there was no rule book. There was only action.

"I'm already headed there. I'll be there right after Bob." Cam said. "I know how these things go."

Cameron smiled to herself. It was what she would have done as well. She was around to the front side of the middle hangar now.

The hangar in back of her started to open. It was the one she left Cammy in. It wasn't what she expected to see. She was under the impression everything was under control inside of the hangar since Cammy was in there.

'Now what's happening?' Cameron thought.

The unmistakable clanking sound of an HK Track could be heard.

One clanked outside followed by another. It sounded like more were coming….

Cameron didn't want to have to face multiple threats now. If there were HK drones, they were inside the center hangar. It's where she needed to go and try and prevent them from taking off. She needed to attempt to destroy them on the ground before they could take off and become a threat. Just the fact they existed made them a threat. The HK drones she dealt with in the back of the big rigs were all unarmed. She was sure all of the HK drones in the central hangar would be fully armed.

She was a little dismayed to hear the high pitch sound of an HK drone power plant. It was more than one. It was clear several were just powered up.

Sheila and Ally were in the building Cameron was unable to infiltrate previously because a Terminator came out of the door before she could do anything. She needed to ride on the undercarriage of a truck which left the facility with her mission unfulfilled.

The Metal girls successfully infiltrated the building and discovered it was an assembly facility for HK drones. They watched a truck loaded full of HK drones. A female Terminator went into the back of it to inspect the load. The Metal girls saw an opportunity.

Ally ran into the rear of the trailer and caught the 'Metal Bitch' off guard. She fired her Taser and scored a hit. The 'Metal Bitch' went down. There was a look of surprise on her face right before she took the electrical charge.

The 'Metal Bitch' hadn't imagined encountering any hostile Terminators at the assembly line location. The last thing she saw were the red eyes of Ally. She would have realized another Terminator took her down. It didn't matter. Once the lights went out, they weren't coming back on.

Sheila followed Ally in and saw she already Tasered the 'Metal Bitch'. She took up a defensive position at the rear door. She needed to make sure no one spotted them. Her main concern was the male Terminator. It looked like they were good, at least for now.

Ally drug the 'Metal Bitch' to the front of the trailer and removed her chip. There was a sound or cloth being ripped as well.

The truck started up.

Sheila moved further inside the truck. She was between the last and second to the last HK drone.

The truck shook and bounced and pulled forward about ten feet and stopped, with a loud hiss.

The rear doors were shut thirty seconds later. The two Metal girls ducked down as the rear doors were closed.

Ally and Sheila looked at each other in the darkness.

Soon the air hissed again and the truck shuddered and rumbled forward.

Ally and Sheila both picked up John Henry in the Command Center as soon as they were away from the building.

"We're clear of the structure." Ally said.

John Henry relayed the message.

John was relieved to know they were out since the assault at the old helicopter base already commenced.

John Henry blocked the communications from all three target locations. None of them should be able to communicate with each other. They didn't know if there was any other way for them to get word to each other about what was going down. There were two drones ready to attack the two assembly line locations. They would arrive in a very short time. They needed to act before the 'chickens could flee the coop'.

The truck slowed at the checkpoint but didn't stop.

Sheila knew they needed to disable the HK drones and take control of the truck. The attack was about to start and she wanted the driver out of the picture before he was notified of any attack. She wanted to catch him off guard.

"Do you want to drive the truck?" Sheila asked. "One of us needs to take the HK drones out of service."

Ally still wanted to take the lead. She quickly calculated what was necessary.

"I'll drive." Ally said.

Sheila moved to the front of the trailer. She moved up to the 'Metal Bitch'.

Ally wasn't surprised as she watched Sheila. She still needed to 'say' something.

"What are you doing?" Ally asked.

Sheila was about to rip the pants open for a better look of the new female Terminator.

"I'm going to inspect the 'Metal Bitch' for damage." Sheila said.

Ally laughed.

Sheila looked closer. The clothes were already torn open. It was clear what already happened.

"You're too late." Ally said. "I beat you to it, this time. There was no damage. Disable the drones and then you can 'play'."

Sheila was a little disappointed. Ally was able to 'one up' her on just about everything since they entered the building until now. It was probably because of their earlier 'discussion' about who arrived first at the location.

Ally was pleased she outmaneuvered Sheila. Now it was time to take control of the truck. She felt good about everything and herself right now. She climbed up on top of one of the drones and ripped a panel loose from the roof of the trailer. She climbed out onto the top of the trailer and walked on top of it as she moved forward. She clambered down the front of it. She moved across the back of the cab over to the driver's side and opened the door.

The driver was surprised. There was a stunned look on his face as Ally punched him in the side. He doubled over. Ally shoved him over to the passenger's side and slid into the driver's seat. She closed the door. She blew the air horn twice and floored it.

Sheila quickly disconnected the power supply from each of the HK drones. She heard Ally blow the air horn twice and the speed picked up. She proceeded to open the top and inspect the 'Metal Bitch' in detail everywhere. She liked what she saw. She planned to have Ally place her chip in the new female Terminator chassis for a day or two. She wanted to try everything out. It was something they usually did when Cameron was away for a few days. It was a way to blow off some steam before things returned back to normal. After the incident with Isabel, they didn't chance going out in public until the sheath was Resequenced.

She was in contact with Ally and John Henry the whole time she checked everything out on the 'Metal Bitch'. She told herself she might have missed something. She should check everything again on her. There was nothing else for her to do so she repeated the process several times. She thought about joining Ally in the cab of the truck.

Ally and Sheila told John Henry which side of the building to target first. They transmitted the images they took with their phones.

Cammy already provided them with her information on the targeting as well for the structure she was in.

Their four drones were on their way in pairs to each location. The targeting information was already entered. The drones were 'cleared and hot'.

Cam was up too. They were all cleared to fire….

Gail was in a life or death fight and she was about to lose. Just as she went to rip her sheath open and damage her power cell so it would explode, one Terminator was able to grab and pin her down after he slammed her to the ground again. She couldn't get to her power cell.

The other Terminator smiled. He decided to end things. He didn't like the fight she put up. He decided to rip her head off. He would take the headless chassis back to the barracks and allow the Grays to 'use' it. It amused him to watch them. He wouldn't need to hear anyone scream or cry as they abused her as was the case with human females. He really disliked them. Maybe he would try it this time, just to see what they all thought was so great about it. With her power supply intact they would be able to use her headless chassis indefinitely.

He didn't like the 'street trash' he needed to round up for them sometimes. None of them lasted more than a week. The Grays were very rough with them. Maybe he would even give the head back once he removed the chip from it. She could always be there with a smile on her face for them.

He remembered on one occasion when he brought back a homeless female there were a lot of complaints. He didn't see what the problem was, she was a female. What else mattered? They said she was too 'old'. He didn't think for the way she would be abused it mattered to them. When he faced the men, they all backed down. Strangely enough the 'older' female lasted the longest among all of those he rounded up for them. She was actually very experienced and did whatever the men told her to do. She understood it was the only thing keeping her alive. He actually looked into who she was and how 'old' she was. She was thirty three years old. He wasn't sure why it was considered 'old' since humans lived to be twice that age.

There would be no need for him to obtain human females again. He would terminate them anyway when he could. He really disliked how they cried and screamed. Those thoughts would make the termination of the hostile 'Metal Bitch' so much sweeter.

Gail was pinned down. She knew this was where it ended for her. She saw her head was about to be torn off.

The Terminator who reached to rip Gail's head off stiffened and fell. His head impacted on one of the rocks where they were at. He didn't move.

Gail wasn't sure what happened at first. She still struggled wildly. Maybe there was some noise in the background. As the Terminator fell, it revealed someone was behind him.

Standing on the incline was one of the 'men' Gail followed up the trail. She recognized the vest and cap. It was her next target. There was a Taser in their hand.

The other Terminator who held Gail looked over but didn't act instantly. He wasn't sure what just happened or why. It looked like one of the Grays brought his Terminator associate down.

Gail broke free and shoved him away from her. He landed on his back.

Before he could get back up he was hit with a set of Taser barbs as well. He was out now too. In the last several seconds, both of the hostile Terminators were taken down.

Gail looked up at the 'man' who'd fired the Taser. They reached up and pulled their cap off. A mass of beautiful red hair flowed over the shoulders.

It was Savannah! She never saw anything so beautiful in all her existence. She was 'finished' and Savannah saved her.

Savannah jumped down next to Gail and handed her a knife.

"I want you to deactivate them." Savannah said as she began to collect the weapons scattered around the area.

Gail quickly removed the chips from the two fallen Terminators. There was an intense desire on her part to smash both of their faces in but she didn't because Savannah was there. She didn't like the rough treatment they gave her. They were able to defeat her. It was only because there were two of them. When she saw the one Terminator reach for her head as the other one held her, she knew what was going to happen. She was about to be terminated.

"Thank You, Savannah." Gail said. "You saved me."

Savannah smiled and touched Gail's cheek.

Gail felt a rush of 'electricity' flow through her, but it wasn't actual electricity. She wasn't sure what it was, but she wanted more of it.

Savannah wanted to reassure her about Jesse.

"Jesse's fine. We all help each other." Savannah said. "Jesse…."

Jesse waited at her secondary location. She knew the next person she saw was going to be a Terminator. She waited with her Taser.

Her com crackled to life. It was Savannah.

"I'm here, Savannah." Jesse said. "Did you find Gail?"

Gail was pleased to hear Jesse ask about her. Before she could answer Savannah did.

"She's here with me." Savannah said.

Jesse wondered why Gail didn't answer herself.

"Is Gail alright?" Jesse asked.

Savannah could see Gail look for her com. It was knocked out at some point.

"Yes." Savannah said.

Jesse was worried even more now.

"Why doesn't she say something?" Jesse asked.

Savannah knew how Terminators thought and how some things could 'bother' them. She didn't want Gail to have a 'problem' going forward. She chose her words carefully. She wanted Gail to have some dignity after her close encounter with termination. From what she saw, it was clear Gail was about to be terminated, and knew it was going to happen. She knew it was something which was going to bother Gail forever. She wanted to find a way to ease the 'pain' going forward.

"Everything's fine. She fought two Terminators. They're both deactivated now. She just finished removing their chips." Savannah said. "Her equipment is scattered around. She's collecting it now. Drive the SUV down the trail until you see Gail or me. You should see her in two minutes. Watch your downhill speed. Don't come down too fast. Keep it in first gear and don't let it go above twenty miles an hour, fifteen is probably safer. There's only a trail so a reduced speed is highly recommended. We don't want the SUV damaged until we can make our next move."

Jesse wasn't sure she heard Savannah correctly. She wanted some clarification.

"Gail survived an attack by two Terminators?" Jesse asked.

Savannah saw Gail look back at her. She smiled at Gail.

"Yes." Savannah said. "She just finished deactivating them. I saw her do it myself. She just pulled their chips."

Gail understood everything clearly in an instant. Savannah was the 'Chosen One'. She appreciated what Savannah did for her in front of Jesse. She would need to tell the real story at some point. She was 'finished' and she knew it. Savannah was the one who saved the day for her. She was indebted to Savannah for her existence, her life. She would do anything for Savannah going forward. It didn't matter what it was.

Jesse was pleased Savannah and Gail were OK. She got up to head to the SUV. She wished there was a little more time so she could 'work' on the dead men around the area. Maybe it was better if she didn't 'go there' again. She was supposed to be beyond it. The punishment would be retroactive and the men wouldn't know what happened since they were already dead. Previously, she would perform the 'punishment' on them first before she killed them. She didn't want to disappoint Cameron or Savannah.

Jesse slowed enough to kick the closest dead man in the face as she ran to the SUV.

"You lost." Jesse said. "We won."

Savannah warned her to watch her downhill speed. She figured the trail must get steeper as it went down. She didn't want to run into Gail or Savannah after their great victory. They took down ten Grays and two Terminators between the three of them.

The com traffic indicated the rest of the team was in a little bit more of a jam than they were.

The hangar doors began to open on the center hangar. Cameron ran to go inside. She would have to deal with the HK Tracks later. They were off to the side right now at the end hangar.

As Cameron entered the middle hangar, there was a HK drone lifting off. She jumped and grabbed the side of it. The sudden weight gain on one side of it caused the still ascending HK drone to swerve violently off to the side she was on. The HK drone headed towards the opening as the hangar doors opened. It was no longer lined up with the opening and headed for one of the doors. She dropped off before it hit. It bounced off the door and tore one power plant off. It then glanced off the inside of the hangar wall and headed back the way it came from on one engine. It suddenly dropped to the ground.

Cameron got a quick look around the inside of the hangar before she dropped off the HK drone. There were a dozen HK drones parked in there. They were all ready for combat.

There was some confusion as to what went wrong from those inside. They began to respond to the alarm of an attack and now this happened.

Cameron was spotted. There was a Terminator headed her way now. She threw a Thermite grenade on the downed HK drone and ran back outside.

She was aware several HK Tracks were headed her way on her right side as she exited the hangar. She saw Bob arrive on the opposite side. A HK drone flew out of the hangar. She fired her Coltan loaded M4 into one engine and then the other. It continued forward in a lazy arc and fell on the old runway. It exploded in a fireball.

The drone inside Cameron threw the Thermite grenade on, exploded a few seconds later. She could hear ordnance inside 'cooking off'. There were a series of screams which followed.

Another HK drone flew through the fireball and out of the hangar. Bob opened up on it with a Coltan loaded minigun. The third HK drone joined the second one on the runway as a flaming wreck.

Cameron moved towards Bob's position as the HK Tracks approached….

Two Terminators ran from the flaming doorway. Both of them fired weapons toward her.

They met 'Painless', Bob's minigun,. They both fell. He fired a second burst into them.

Another HK drone flew out through the flames before either Bob or Cameron could fire on it.

Cameron could hear the HK Tracks were closer.

More Terminators and men exited the burning hangar….

Some of each group were on fire. She figured the human ones were the ones that screamed as they burnt. She briefly wondered how they could run faster as they burnt. It was at first anyway. 'Painless' brought all of them down.

Things just seemed to go from bad to worse.

It was a typical operation for Cameron.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Problem Solved

No longer need you distress
For the pain will go away
It's no longer a problem
No matter what they say

What's done is done
You must move ahead
There is much more to a person
Than what others may have said

However this event occurred
You must no longer worry
Look around and triple check
It may hurt you if you hurry

Life revolves around people
Their actions can really stink
No longer can you punish yourself
Please remove your mind from the brink

I do not stand over you
I stand beside you
I will not abandon you
But all this, you already knew

Nobody