Chapter 604

Right Behind You

There was a lot to the current operation Cameron didn't like. There was a group of Grays after them. They set up a ploy to throw the Grays off earlier, but somehow the Grays were still on to them. They were able to track them somehow. It was bad enough. She wanted the threat neutralized.

"Bob, I want you to move forward and take down the black SUV." Cameron said. "We'll be right behind you. We can use the box truck as a 'battering ram' if we need it."

Cammy glanced over at Cameron with the last part of her statement. She hoped to avoid any excessive maneuvering with the box truck.

Bob didn't like the fact the device they were tracked with was in his vehicle. He was ready for some payback. The operation was as personal to him, as it was to Cameron.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "We have the tracking information from John Henry."

Savannah wanted to make sure everyone else was ready. She didn't want any of their team caught off guard.

"Is everything good with Cam and Gail?" Savannah asked.

Cam looked back at Gail who nodded to her.

"We're both ready." Cam said.

Savannah wanted everyone to be ready. It seemed they needed to deal with a lot for one day.

"Watch out for the unexpected or any Terminators." Savannah said. "There have been a lot of unknowns today. There should be at least one Terminator here now. We don't know what vehicle it will be in. More than likely it will be the lead vehicle. We don't know."

Savannah remembered the earlier encounter with the three HK Tracks, and the big battle a few hours later. They currently dealt with the aftermath of the battle. They took something the enemy tried to hide. It was clear the enemy really wanted their cargo back. She knew Cameron, Cammy, and her experienced more than one close encounter with death today. The day wasn't over and neither was the threat, not yet anyway.

She knew she needed to be there for Cameron. She was aware earlier she prevented Cameron or Cammy from being chewed up by minigun fire from an HK Track. It turned out to be more luck than anything. She ended up in the right place by default. The HK Track rolled right on top of her hiding place in a maintenance trough. She touched her neck. There were still a few small burns from the hot brass which rained down around and on her. She figured it was better to deal with the fired brass rather than the fired projectiles. She inadvertently touched her torso. The three bruises from the earlier bullet impacts on her vest didn't hurt as much anymore. They served more as a reminder than anything.

John didn't know the full scope of the earlier operations. He did know he wanted his people to remain undamaged. He didn't want Cameron to overreact to any situation

"I want everyone to use caution." John said. "We've been lucky so far today. Let's keep it that way. I want to avoid attracting any more attention to us than necessary. Everyone's safety comes first. If we need to go ballistic on the enemy, then it's what we'll do."

Cameron wanted to give their team some more flexibility. There were three of them in a box truck and three of them in an SUV. She wanted one more vehicle added to the mix and she wanted Savannah a little further insulated from the pending action. She was ready to go on the offensive. She didn't like being stalked. She would take the brunt of the action herself.

"Let's move." Cameron said. "I'm tired of playing games. It's time to 'win'. Cam, I want you to acquire another vehicle. Bob and Gail will continue on. When we reach your location, I'll ride with you. Savannah and Cammy will remain with the box truck. It can still be used as a 'battering ram' if we get into a scrape."

Savannah glanced over at Cammy with Cameron's last statement. It was the second time she mentioned it. It didn't seem like a good idea to her.

Cameron tried to form a plan to keep Savannah safe and the cargo protected. She wanted to end the threat. She didn't think the need to acquire some replacement vehicles was too far off anyway. They would most likely need to switch several more times before they were done with everything.

Bob and his team moved ahead of Cammy's group in the box truck. They let Cam off at a pick-up truck. The side window was down. It would be one less impediment to acquiring a vehicle. It would also give them equalization in height with the SUV or the van.

Cam reached inside the open window and opened the door. She climbed into the pick-up truck and immediately started it. She watched Bob and Gail continue on. She looked in the mirror of the pick-up truck. She could see the box truck coming.

Cameron asked to borrow Savannah's silenced pistol. Savannah handed it to Cameron with an extra magazine.

Savannah let her hand linger on Cameron's hand after she handed her the pistol.

"Be careful, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron understood the warning for what it was, as well as what was implied. She would be careful, somewhat. The job still needed to be done, one way or another.

"I'll try." Cameron said as she exited the box truck.

Cameron climbed into the front of the pick-up truck when the box truck arrived.

Cam pulled out onto the street.

Bob and Gail moved on in pursuit of the target, the black SUV. Their vehicle was most likely known to the Grays.

The one Cam appropriated wasn't. It would give them the edge. She overtook and passed Bob's SUV.

The occupants in the black SUV looked to the sides of them down side streets while watching ahead. They didn't look behind them. They already saw whatever it was they passed. They were looking for the box truck and never spotted Bob's SUV approach.

The fact Cam was now driving a pick-up truck in front of it helped to mask it.

Bob was in back of Cam. He needed to stay close enough to assist whatever move Cam and Cameron made. He saw Cammy was in back of him by a few blocks. They would move up when Cam made her move.

Cam saw the black SUV was going to get stopped at the next signal. It was by prearrangement through CamNet.

Cameron was in the signal system once. She never left, so to speak. She left behind a 'back door' they could always enter to allow 'traffic management' as was needed for a mission.

Bob was ready to move around in back of the black SUV to block it. Gail's M4 was ready to open up on the black SUV if necessary.

Cammy saw what was happening and started to close up on Bob and Cam. It was clear the action was about to go down.

Good news arrived right before they acted. The second of four known threats was no longer a threat.

"The ambush crew has reported the silver sedan has been stopped and the occupants are now in the trunk. They were terminated. There wasn't a Terminator with them." John Henry reported. "It's two down and two to go."

John didn't want them to get ahead of themselves.

"It's two down and two to go we know about." John said. "We need to be concerned about another Skynet Terminator somewhere which may not have been identified yet."

Cam zoomed in on the black SUV. Everyone inside was spotted.

"We're making our move now." Cam reported. "I make three occupants. There are two in the front and one in the rear."

Savannah was aware they still hadn't come across a Terminator in the first two vehicles which were taken down. She didn't want anyone to become complacent with their easy victories so far.

"Watch out for a Terminator." Savannah reminded them. "They're not going to go down without a fight."

Cameron's Taser was ready as well, just in case.

At the next light, the pick-up truck with Cam and Cameron pulled alongside of the black SUV. Bob and Gail pulled up in back of it. It was in the right lane. There was a car in front of it and the curb on the right side of it. They were trapped. It didn't appear they suspected anything.

Cameron previously rolled her window down in the truck as they approached the black SUV. She held Savannah's silenced pistol in her left hand ready to fire. It was propped on the window sill. It was aimed into the interior of the black SUV. Cameron's right arm lay on top of the silencer as if she were resting her arm there. The pistol was hidden from view. Her Taser was hot and ready to fire if needed.

The windows in the black SUV were down to give the Grays inside a better chance to look down the side streets.

The driver of the black SUV looked over at Cameron. She smiled at him. She marked her targets, calculated her firing angles and fired three times. All three targets were neutralized in one second.

In a flash Cameron was out of the pick-up truck. She opened the driver's door of the black SUV and shoved the dead driver over against the dead passenger. She looked in the back and the third man was down as well. They all took the silenced round through the left eye. She was ready to pull her Taser if any of the men moved. They didn't.

"I have three down." Cameron said. "None of them are a Terminator."

Cameron was still worried about what Savannah indicated. There should be at least one more Terminator associated with the operation they were currently on. Three of the known enemy vehicles which were taken down in the last few minutes were only crewed by Gray's. She double checked the three individuals in the black SUV. They were all terminated. They were all humans.

When the light turned green Cameron drove away as if nothing happened. Bob was behind her and Cam was in front of her. The box truck moved up. Bob and Gail dropped in back of it.

Cameron was pleased at how swiftly they were able to act. She sent her report back to the base. There was still one more known threat. She wanted to take it down herself.

"The black SUV has been neutralized. The three men in it were terminated. Where's the white van?" Cameron asked. "Is there any change in air activity?"

John Henry followed the white van with a drone. It appeared it might be about to conduct the pre-arranged meeting with the other two vehicles. All of their Communications were blocked. It was currently the only way for them to know how to contact the others.

"The white van appears to be stopping on the main road you were on earlier. It's slowing down." John Henry reported. "No hostile air activity has been spotted."

Cameron knew the speculation about a meet. There could be some other reason as well.

"Can you tell why they're stopping?" Cameron asked.

John Henry could only speculate what they already thought.

"No, they may be waiting to join up with the other two vehicles which were with them." John Henry said. "All communications are down, except ours. They can't call each other."

Cam quickly thought of a ploy to fool the occupants of the white van.

"There's a closed electronics store up ahead. I saw it when we passed by earlier." Cam said. "Let's pull around in the back and dump the bodies in the black SUV. I'll ride with Cameron. We will pull up behind the white van like we're rejoining them."

Cameron liked the plan. She wanted to act now. They would save one step and get into place sooner.

"No, just pull over and leave the truck. We will toss the dead Grays into the back of this SUV for now." Cameron said. "It will save us time."

Bob wanted to make sure Cammy and Savannah were covered. It was the ultimate prize for the Skynet forces. At some point, their original plan would be to act. They might have a time limit on how long they were willing to wait.

"I will stay with Cammy's team." Bob said.

Savannah looked at Cammy who nodded back at her. She wanted Cameron and Cam protected. They were good where they were at for now. She was concerned with the unknown.

"No. Cammy and I will be fine." Savannah said. "I want Bob and Gail to assist Cameron and Cam. There may be more Grays or a Terminator in the van. There's still a good chance there's a Terminator associated with the group of Grays tracking us."

Cameron wanted things to end now. She formulated a new plan. It was based on what she observed on their side trip. She was sure it would produce a surprise for the enemy. She knew they wouldn't like the new surprise.

John and John Henry agreed it was the best course of action for the amount of time available.

They wanted to have a private conversation. They cut their coms.

John didn't care for the way things played out. The fact the team was being tracked earlier still bothered him. They were able to identify some of the enemy earlier. There was one known threat to deal with. Were there more?

"I don't like it." John said. "It's all spur of the moment."

John Henry knew it was how Cameron thought. They all did. They needed to improvise and adapt in the spur of the moment when they conducted an operation as a Terminator.

"It's just the way she's programmed." John Henry said. "It's a sound plan for such short notice. It will give them better cover going forward as well."

John hoped so. It seemed pretty 'iffy' to him. There were still a lot of things which could go wrong. Cameron was the one on the ground. He needed to give her flexibility to operate in the field as she saw fit. He might not agree with everything, but he did need to trust Cameron's judgment.

"We'll see." John said.

Cameron maneuvered the black SUV into position to approach the white van from the rear. The ambush crew would join them with the silver sedan as well. The ambush crew's two vehicles would move to back up Cammy and Savannah in the box truck. Bob and Gail would move to a preselected position and get ready to strike.

It was as good a plan as could be quickly implemented and draw minimal attention to them. Cameron would switch to a direct approach next to end the threat if the plan didn't quickly pan out.

She didn't know if they would find a Terminator or not in the white van. As much as she didn't want to find one, she did want to find one so they knew where it was at. As long as there was the threat of a Terminator in their proximity, they were all in danger.

The white van sat waiting. The driver of the van spotted the silver sedan and the black SUV approached from behind. They were both a few minutes late. It wasn't a big deal. They were to search for their targets. Sometimes things needed to be double checked to make sure they were clear. The driver of the van saw they were getting near but seemed to be taking their time about it. He wanted to set up a new plan of action. He attempted to contact them by phone multiple times when they were separated. It was always the same thing, there was no signal. As soon as they parked, he would motion for them to come to the van for further instructions.

On the side street up one block, the driver of the white van saw the box truck they were trying to intercept. It passed across the main road and continued down the side street. It looked like they were running. He was sure they spooked it when they were searching for it. It really made him wonder where they thought they were going to go driving a giant land barge.

The driver of the van flashed his lights and honked his horn twice. He stuck his hand out the window and motioned for the two vehicles to follow him. He hoped they both saw what he did so they knew what he wanted to do. He just spotted their primary target. He wanted to attempt to capture the box truck if it was possible. If they couldn't capture it, they were to destroy it.

He sped away from the curb. The black SUV and silver sedan weren't far behind him. He sure hoped they knew what he was up to. He knew they would see it soon enough if they didn't when it crossed the street up ahead.

The driver of the white van made a right hand turn at the next street. He could see the box truck ahead of him now. He closed up on the box truck. It hadn't seemed to have 'made' him yet. He checked his mirror and the black SUV and silver sedan were still behind him. They closed up to reinforce him. So far with the lack of communications, everything turned out better than anticipated. Their prey was just delivered 'gift wrapped' right into their hands.

The box truck made another turn. The driver of the van was sure they 'made' him now. The three vehicles all followed it. There was no one else around. It was time to make a move.

The box truck turned again and went down an alley. It was soon in back of a building. The building looked abandoned. There was an SUV which came from around the side of building. The box truck stopped at a crazy angle, the driver's door opened a figure hopped out and into the SUV. The SUV quickly sped off. The box truck was just left sitting there. The drivers' door was still open. It looked like they gave up. He wanted the occupants of the SUV, but he wanted the cargo more. It would be a big plus if he could capture everything inside the box truck without needing to destroy it.

The white van closed on the truck and waved for the vehicles following him to go after the SUV. The silver sedan cut around the side of the building with the tires squealing. The black SUV followed it.

The white van slowly crept up to the box truck. Four armed figures emerged, a fifth appeared unarmed. The four armed men moved forward to the rear of the box truck. The box truck seemed abandoned. There was no sign of their enemy. The unarmed man moved to the back of the truck to open it as the four armed men raised their weapons.

The unarmed man released the latch and the rear door rolled up. The four armed men stood ready with their weapons. They all concentrated on what they expected to be inside.

Someone took something from them and they wanted it back. It looked like now they would have it. The other two teams with them would attack the SUV that ran. They doubted they would be able to capture anyone alive. If they could, they would be savagely interrogated. They would have it all. It was clear the victory was theirs.

Everyone was stunned as the rear door rolled up. It began to dawn on all of them they just got played. It was a 'Sucker Play' and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker'.

The back of the box truck was empty. The man who opened the door spun around as the armed men all looked at each other. There was now a Terminator standing behind each one of the armed men. They all died without ever firing a shot. It was a 'Sunday Punch' on top of a 'Sucker Punch'.

The man at the back of the empty truck tried to pull a pistol when he was hit with a Taser. He was immediately hit with barbs from a second Taser. He went down with a thud.

The Terminators checked the van as they moved past it to come up behind the armed men, it was empty. No shots were fired. The Grays and Terminator stalking the Resistance team were neutralized. The current threat was terminated.

Cameron's plan worked perfectly. She made her report to the Command Center.

"No shots were fired and all current threats have been neutralized." Cameron said.

Cameron liked it when a plan came together.

John and John Henry received Cameron's report. It appeared as if things played out surprisingly well in their favor.

"It looks like Cameron pulled off another successful operation." John Henry said.

John could see they did. He also thought things could have played out a little differently for their team in a negative way. He wanted to say they 'got lucky', but he didn't want to distract from Cameron's successful operation. The Terminators from the ambush site made a difference and provided them with some additional support they didn't initially have. He wasn't really sure if it mattered or not. Cameron still would have done the same thing with her small group.

" It appears as if they found the Terminator they suspected was with the group." John said. "It was their biggest threat."

John Henry still needed to be concerned about everything in general. He wanted to wait for Cameron's report.

"We don't know what else is out there." John Henry said. "There could be more."

Ally and Sheila were with the leader of the group of Grays they encountered. The rest of his team was terminated. He was currently being questioned by the Metal girls.

"I don't think we're going to get anything productive." Ally said.

The Gray was still reluctant to deluge any useful information.

Sheila was tired of the delay. She used moderation because Ally stood right there to scan the Gray as he was questioned.

"It's your last chance to die with dignity, love." Sheila said. "You need to be a good sport about it."

The Gray cursed her.

Sheila hit him hard. There were more broken bones and internal damage.

The man screamed.

Sheila laughed and moved closer to him.

She was satisfied with the agony the Gray was in. She decided to try a different tactic.

"Let me see if I can find some flammable liquid to dump on this whacker." Sheila said. "I want to burn him alive. I like to hear him scream like a sissy."

Sheila walked away.

The Gray heard what she said. He saw people burn to death before. It was the worst way to go. He looked up at Ally. He was a mess. He tried to speak. His mouth moved but no words came out. He could taste the blood in his mouth. He wondered if he was bleeding to death internally. It wouldn't matter if he was or not. If the insane cyborg set him on fire, he would die screaming. He coughed several times and tried to speak again.

"Finish it." The Gray pleaded.

Ally looked down at him with a blank face.

"I need the locations." Ally said. "I know if you're lying. I want this to end as peacefully as you do. You know what I mean."

The Gray was in agony. He knew it was about to get worse.

"She's insane." The Gray pleaded." "IT is insane."

The blank look remained on Ally's face.

"She's going to burn you alive." Ally said. "You don't need to suffer any more. I can give you the escape and peace you desire. I'll end it before she does it to you. You can die with some dignity. You've done enough for your master. Now it's time to do something for yourself. Help yourself and I'll help you too."

They could hear cans of some type being set on the floor.

"I found something." Sheila called out. "I have some paint thinner, alcohol, and petroleum jelly to make sure it sticks good. It's like homemade napalm. It should burn hot."

The Gray looked up at Ally.

"Do you promise?" The Gray pleaded.

They could hear Sheila in the background.

"I just found a container with acid." Sheila called out. "I'm going to use it first."

Ally smiled faintly.

"I'll save you from further pain." Ally said. "This is the right thing."

The Gray gave Ally several addresses. Ally asked him a few questions. He seemed truthful.

Ally snapped his neck.

Sheila appeared from around the corner. She was cleaned off and dressed. It was clear she hadn't been looking for any flammable liquids. It was all a ruse to get the Gray to talk.

"I can't believe they always fall for the 'good cop, bad cop' routine." Sheila said.

Ally went to the sink and washed her hands off. They were covered with blood. She wondered if it was more like 'good cop, insane cop'. It was probably better not to mention it and upset Sheila. They were able to retrieve the information they wanted.

"Well it worked." Ally said. "I think you put him in enough pain. We don't throw them around like Cameron does."

Sheila smiled.

"There's been a few of them thank me before when I've paused." Sheila said. "The pain is less intense. It allows them to refocus and rethink how they want to die."

They headed for the SUV.

Sheila got behind the wheel.

Ally went and opened the roll up door. Sheila drove out. She pulled the door down and got into the SUV. She looked back and shook her head some.

"I didn't like it." Ally said.

Sheila shrugged her shoulders. They got the address. The Gray wouldn't have given it up otherwise. Now there were several targets they could investigate. More than likely there would be some fighting of some type once it was established the address information was correct.

"What's the first location?" Sheila asked.

She knew it was the 'good cop, bad cop' routine. The way it was done the enemy couldn't figure it out. The enemy was the enemy. What else was there to know?

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Across My Universe

My jumbled thoughts cascading
Into a tangled rambling mess
They collided within my sad mind
Across my universe
Floods of remorse joy of hope
Are mixing through my hurting head
Restraining and reshaping me
Across my universe

Where can the true one be

Love will change my world

In my mind I am singing this song
Makes me wonder where I belong
It echoes restraints and drifts
Across my universe
Emotions grind and sting like gravel
On a winding dirt road
They collide and ricochet unevenly
Across my universe

Where can the true one be

Love will change my world

Burdens of work daily drudge of life
Are tearing through my empty heart
Cringing through thoughts of tomorrow
Across my universe
Love or lust seems to remain unknown
Hope and fear cutting to the bone
Yet to come dreams exist
Across my universe

Where can the true one be

Love will change my world

Nobody