Chapter 648

Next Move

Vanna and Allison held each other close. It was very comforting for them just to hold each other. Things already got off to a good start with them previously. It was time for some pillow talk. They eventually talked about what was next.

"Cam would like to be with you later on." Vanna said.

Allison felt a rush of excitement. She thought it was more like being with 'Cameron 'than 'herself'. It did make her wonder about 'herself'. She wondered if it was one of the reasons why Vanna didn't need her as much as she used to. There was someone who looked just like her, with her all the time. Not only did she look like her, she looked better than she did. She could perform all of the day and all of the night.

"I'd like to share." Alison said. "How does she compare to me when you're together?"

Vanna looked over at Allison. It sounded like a 'loaded' question. There wasn't going to be a good answer for any type of comparison. Other than sharing the same appearance, everything else was different in reality. She would try to stick with a diplomatic answer. She wasn't so sure how it was going to sound when it actually came out.

"You know no human girl can compete with a Metal girl for sex." Vanna said. "There's no substitute for you when it comes to love, feeling, and emotion. You're the one I can truly share everything with. As much as we enjoy it, life isn't about sex. Sex was the escape from reality. Even if it was only for a few brief moments at a time. It is each other we want."

Allison felt the same way. She was with Hanna at least twice a week. It was never the same as being with Vanna, even if everything was identical. The same emotional level was never even close. She knew emotions could create a lot of baggage along the way. Maybe more of it was bad as opposed to good. She felt she exhibited more than a few shortcomings.

"I agree. I don't think any of the Metal girls ever get depressed like I do." Allison said. "Maybe it makes them more appealing."

Vanna smiled and kissed Allison. Maybe it was what made Allison appealing. Sometimes a person's vulnerabilities added a level of appeal and attraction. It was always nice to try to 'fix' something, especially when it was broken.

"It's part of what makes you - you." Vanna said. "It's a package deal."

Allison wondered where Vanna was going to go when she left her room. There were several individuals waiting for her. It was something she was used to by now. It was no big deal really.

"Are you going to see Holly, Hanna, or my mother?" Allison asked.

Vanna expected the question sooner or later. She would have preferred if Allison would have referred to her mother as Claire, rather than 'her mother'. It just didn't have a good ring to it. Claire was actually a few years younger than her. There were no secrets between them.

"I'd like to be with all three of them if I could." Vanna said. "If you tell me not to be with any of them, I won't. I'm not here to hurt you. I don't like to see you down. I don't want to see you hurt. I want you to feel happy and good about yourself."

Vanna thought about the past, the future. Allison didn't look happy very often. She did when they were alone together. She didn't see her beautiful smile often, but when she did, it made everything worth living for. The past of the future was now the present.

Allison felt very self-conscious when Vanna was with her mother. It left her with a feeling of being inadequate. She knew if any of the girls were given a choice, they would rather be with her mother before they were with her. She also knew it wasn't her place to control anyone. Everyone should have freedom of choice. It was a luxury they didn't always have in the future. She knew both Vanna and Jesse paid a steeper price than she ever did in the same regard. It was never anything good to think about.

"If two people want to share, I think it's up to them." Allison said. "I would like to see you again when you're done with the others."

Vanna thought she should feel a little guilty, but she didn't. She enjoyed being with all the different females and everything each one of them could offer. She looked forward to being with Hanna and Holly almost as much as she did with Claire.

"There's plenty of love to share." Vanna said. "We still know who we belong to at the end of the day. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Allison was pleased when Vanna reached out and touched her cheek.

Vanna got up and went to the door naked. She opened it and Cam walked in. She was naked as well. She walked out as Cam moved over to the bed. She looked back once and reminded herself how beautiful they both were. She knew their beauty belonged to Allison.

Cam and Allison looked at each other for a few seconds. They each knew they looked like the other, but it was really the only thing the same about them. They didn't look identical, even if they were.

They shared a kiss. Allison quickly realized Cam was just with her mother. She recognized it from being with both Holly and Hanna after they were with her mother before. She was sure she always came in second best for everything her mother could offer them. The bottom line was, her mother was just better in bed than she was. There wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. Her mother was better at everything. Maybe she was only better at killing people. She hoped her mother never needed to kill anyone. It was something she could do for her.

Cam didn't want Allison to over think anything. She quickly reached up and held the back of Alison's head closer as she deepened the kiss. She didn't want her to pull away. She knew it would excite Allison in the long run. It did.

Allison responded in kind. She deepened her kiss as well. She knew things were about to pick up. She briefly wondered if maybe she could ask Cam what her mother did, or how she did things, which were better than she could do. Holly and Hanna would never tell her. They always told her she was fine the way she was. She didn't want to be fine. She wanted to be better. Cam soon made her forget about all of her troubles and thoughts. A Metal girl could make them forget about everything.

John worried about what was happening with Cameron's team. They didn't have a clear picture. The drone operating on the periphery couldn't provide much detail. He knew additional Terminators arrived, but there was no indication what occurred.

"Is there any word from Cameron or Cameron's team?" John asked. "I need to know more."

John Henry hadn't been updated.

"There's none yet." John Henry said. "Wait. I'm getting something from Gail."

John figured it would be their best source of information since she was right over the target area for some time.

"Patch it through." John said.

John waited but nothing happened. He was just about to ask what went wrong.

"… Attacked…." Gail's voice came through with static.

John Henry missed most of the transmission.

"Can you repeat it please?" John Henry asked.

The transmission cleared up. It still wasn't very good.

"Cameron's team is all operational. Her Terminators are on the scene as well." Gail said. "There's only one damaged hostile Terminator still in the fight. Cameron's team has him cornered."

John wasn't sure how Gail was doing. There seemed to be a few things happen they didn't know all the details of.

"What's your status?" John asked. "We lost contact."

Gail didn't want to get specific. She was still in the fight. It was the only thing which really mattered. She didn't leave the area as long as she could protect Savannah. Right now it looked as if all of the threats were neutralized or were about to be.

"I received some damage." Gail said. "There's a jamming field in place."

John wondered if he would get a straight answer out of her. He knew Terminators weren't always forthcoming with the facts. He needed to look out for all of his troops. He couldn't just concentrate on Cameron and Savannah.

"How bad is the damage?" John asked. "Do you need to withdraw? I don't want you there if you're in danger of going down. I'm authorizing you to pull out if it's necessary. If the situation is stabilized it seems like the prudent thing to do."

Gail wasn't about to leave with Savannah still down there. Cameron and Cammy could take some abuse, Savannah couldn't. Gail quickly checked all her instruments. The minigun was still operational.

"I choose to remain in the fight." Gail said. "The damage isn't critical."

John Henry wanted to provide her with some options.

"There's one hostile drone which attempted to flee." John Henry said. "Do you want to intercept it?"

Gail didn't want to leave. She felt she could still provide a valuable service where she was currently at. She was there to watch over Savannah specifically, and the others in general.

"I think I may still be useful where I am." Gail said.

John solved the problem as quickly as it arose. He knew Gail wanted to stay.

"As long as she's not damaged, I would rather have her stay until Cameron has everything under control." John said. "Our two drones can handle the damaged HK drone."

Gail planned to stay anyway. She spotted a new turn of events. It appeared as if they would require her immediate attention.

"I need to re-enter the jamming field now." Gail said. "There's been a new development…."

John Henry attempted to communicate with her. There was no response.

"I've lost her." John Henry said.

Jim updated John as to how far away they were.

"We're about twenty minutes away." John said.

John Henry still had a few cards to play.

"I'm checking the feed on the drone off to the side." John Henry said.

John was very worried about Cameron's team and her troops.

"What is it?" John asked.

John Henry double checked the drone feed. It wasn't what he wanted to see. It wouldn't be what John wanted to hear.

"It's not good…." John Henry said.

Cameron's team was able to corner the Terminator in a shed on the compound. He was already heavily damaged and missing a limb. It was time to bring him down.

Cammy and Savannah were set to fire Coltan rounds through the side of the shed.

Cameron kicked in the front door of the shed.

The Terminator wasn't there. He wasn't in plain sight anyway.

Instead, there was something even worse.

"Run." Cameron screamed.

Cammy immediately grabbed Savannah and ran. The nature of Cameron's warning was ominous.

"Let's go." Cammy said.

The shed exploded into a mass of metal splinters and flying debris as an HK Track came crashing out of it. It began to fire its minigun. It just missed Cameron as she dodged out of the way.

Cameron rolled as the HK Track spun around as it searched for her. She just barely avoided getting hit again. Now she faced a new problem. The one armed Terminator was concealed behind the HK Track. He grabbed for her.

The scream of a drone's power plants rapidly grew in volume. There was a burst of minigun fire. It was from Gail. She hit the HK Track from behind. It spun around and went to fire at her.

Cammy and Savannah opened up on it. Both of them fired on one of the treads with Coltan rounds. It caused it to break. They now became the new immediate threat. The HK Track spun around to face them. It fired a burst from the minigun in their direction.

Cameron kicked the Terminator as he grabbed for her. She fired her M4 into him. He lunged at her. She dodged and fired point blank into the HK Track's targeting system. She emptied the rest of her magazine into the Terminator's mid section.

The HK Track spun back around to face her as she moved away from the Terminator.

Cameron saw the Terminator start to spark and smoke. His power cell was damaged. It was about to rupture. It was going to explode.

She needed to get out of the area as quickly as possible. She didn't want the HK Track to continue to shoot at her as she attempted to flee. She looked over at the smoking Terminator. She didn't believe there was time to adequately deactivate the HK Track.

Cameron pulled her Taser out and jammed it into the gun mount of the HK Track and fired. It was the method she learned from Savannah. The HK Track was offline for now until it rebooted.

The smoking and sparking one armed Terminator made a desperate last grab for Cameron and fell against the HK Track. He seemed to be immobile at this point. She could see a bright glow from inside the Terminator. He was on fire now from inside. She decided not to attempt to deactivate the HK Track, but to flee. It was clear the Terminators power cell was only seconds away from exploding.

"Run." Cameron yelled again as she took off.

She headed for the position where Cammy and Savannah fired at the HK Track from.

Cammy saw the threat of an explosion was beyond critical. It was imminent. She looked around for better cover. There weren't a whole lot of options. The Terminator's proximity to the HK Track was not a good development. It was probably going to be debris in shrapnel flying in all directions within the next few seconds.

"We need to get behind the cement wall." Cammy said.

Savannah understood the severity of the situation. She didn't want to leave Cameron behind.

"Cameron…." Savannah said.

Cammy saw that Cameron was on the run. They didn't have any time to waste.

"She'll make it." Cammy said. "We need to move now. Your survival depends on it. You need to have better cover immediately."

Savannah could see it wasn't the time to argue. The situation seemed very dire.

Cammy and Savannah made it behind the cement wall.

Savannah peeked back over the wall to see where Cameron was at. She was on her way. Cammy pulled her down and lay over her body to shield it. She knew it was serious.

There was a blinding flash of light as she lay under Cammy. She saw a shadow in the flash of light. Something landed next to her as the sound came. It was Cameron. She rolled next to her and shielding her as well, with Cammy still on top of her. Debris and pieces of metal, wood, and dirt began to rain around them and on them. The noise of the explosion was deafening.

The world started to go black.

Seconds ago:

John didn't know all the details of what was about to go down.

"What is it?" John asked. "Now what's happened?"

John Henry saw Cameron's hands were full.

"It's an HK Track." John Henry said. "Cameron's fighting it. There's also a Terminator she's fighting with."

It sounded like trouble to John. He wanted to get the facts straight.

"Do you mean she's fighting both of them at the same time?" John asked.

John Henry spotted the additional developments.

"Yes." John Henry said. "Gail's just made a strafing run on it to draw the HK Track's fire away from Cameron. It turned and fired at her. Now Cammy and Savannah have fired at it. It's turned to face them. Cameron made a move for it with her Taser. They appeared to have immobilized it."

John was sure there must've been some damage to his troops.

"Is anyone hit?" John asked.

John Henry didn't have any facts. There were only observations.

"It's unknown at this time. Cameron's attacked the Terminator and the HK Track, both of them appear inoperable." John Henry said. "Cameron's running from the area at an incredible speed. Cammy and Savannah have taken cover behind a cement wall. I believe the Terminator's power cell is going to explode. It will also explode the HK Track. It could be the other way around too. I don't think it will matter. It will be a very big explosion."

John would have liked to have been behind a monitor in the Command Center so he could see what was going on. He wasn't. He still needed to go by the descriptions from John Henry.

"Are they all behind cover?" John asked.

John Henry could see it was going to be close, maybe a little too close.

"Cammy and Savannah are. Cameron's trying. There's been a massive explosion and a series of smaller ones." John Henry reported. "The jamming field is gone."

Gail was able to give them a quick rundown of everything. She saw the area where the three girls went was now covered with debris. The three girls weren't visible.

"I can't see anyone right now." Gail said.

Savannah needed to catch her breath. She wanted to report in.

"I'm alright, I think. I need to check on Cammy and Cameron." Savannah said.

John felt a wave of relief to hear Savannah's voice.

Savannah reported she wasn't hurt. Cammy was on top of her and Cameron was next to her. Both of them used their chassis to shield her. They'd both lost their coms in the blast. They both reported back as operational….

John knew it left a lot of leeway for damage….

He knew if Cameron wasn't behind the wall before the explosion, there was going to be a lot of sheath damage. He doubted he'd see her in the bedroom anytime soon. Then again, he did know where Savannah's room was. He really wanted her virginity.

Savannah's ears rang from the explosion.

Cameron rolled away from Savannah and looked at her.

"Are you OK, Savannah?" Cameron asked.

Savannah thought she was. Her ears still rang.

"Yes. How are you and Cammy?" Savannah asked.

They both told her they suffered some minor sheath damage but were fully functional.

Savannah called in her report. Cammy found her com but Cameron's was lost in the struggle. Savannah offered to give Cameron hers.

"No. I have another one." Cameron said as fished it out of her gear.

Cameron rolled away from Savannah further and moved some debris off of Cammy.

Cammy was hesitant to move until Cameron removed some of the debris. She didn't want any of it to fall on Savannah as she tried to get up.

"Let me get off of you." Cammy said.

Savannah tried to lighten the mood some. She was very aware they just experienced a 'close one'. There didn't seem to be a shortage of those recently.

"Thanks. I just got a reminder." Savannah said. "Now I know why I'm always on top…."

The three girls looked at each other and giggled.

Savannah checked them over for damage as they checked around for threats.

Cameron and Cammy both double checked Savannah for any injuries.

Savannah didn't like all the extra attention. She didn't understand their concerns.

Cameron contacted her Terminators and updated with CamNet and John Henry.

John wanted to send Gail out to follow the fleeing drone. He was sure there were other targets wherever it would end up at.

Savannah expressed other considerations. She didn't want Gail to move further away from their normal area of operation and develop a worse problem with the manned drone.

"John, Gail's drone took some damage. She needs to return to base and get it checked out." Savannah said. "The drones you have tracking it already are enough to follow it or disable it further."

Cameron was sure Gail suffered additional damage, especially the second time she dropped down to assist her.

"Savannah's correct." Cameron said. "Gail took further damage coming to my aid twice. Her equipment needs to be inspected. I don't want anyone damaged needlessly."

There was no parachute for the pilot of the manned drone if it was damaged to the point of not being able to fly. There was no aerodynamic lift capability to an HK drone of any type. If it lost power, it would crash. A crash with the manned drone would most likely result in a one way trip to the scrap yard. It wasn't a place to look forward to by anyone.

Young Allison and Anna watched all the new developments.

There was now an air of relief in the Young bunker.

Anna wanted to know how Young Allison would deal with the situation differently than what John expressed.

"What's your call on Gail?" Anna asked.

Young Allison believed a call like the one they currently faced depended upon the situation. There were two machines in play. One was the drone itself, as well as its operator. There were two drones following the damaged HK drone. In this case she agreed with Savannah.

"Savannah's correct." Young Allison said. "The risk is too great for so little to gain."

Anna would have liked there to have been more direct feedback as the operation unfolded. It wasn't the case. The Skynet jamming field prevented it from being transmitted. They would have access to the missing data soon enough. She wanted Young Allison to wind things down for the night.

"I'll have the footage from Gail's drone and from the body cams later." Anna said. "We'll fill in the missing pieces then and review everything. We can wrap this up for now."

Young Allison liked to stay with an operation until everyone was home. She felt she should endure the same things Savannah needed to, even if she wasn't the one on the battlefield. Savannah needed her sleep as much as she did. Maybe it was a way to make a point.

"I don't want to stop monitoring until Savannah and Cameron are back." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think it was necessary. She didn't want Young Allison to push herself needlessly. The situation was under control. There were plenty of Terminators to deal with everything.

"I want you to rest for now." Anna said.

Young Allison saw it differently. She wanted to make a point.

"When does Savannah get to rest?" Young Allison asked.

Anna immediately saw the 'Catch 22'.

"When Cameron does…." Anna said.

Young Allison made her point again.

"It's - never." Young Allison said.

Young Allison wanted some changes. She didn't like Savannah being run around endlessly. She was ready to step up and do her fair share. She didn't have the same hang up about her age like the others did. Age was just a number. Ability and training were more important. There shouldn't be artificial restraints placed on her. Savannah made her own way into the world of the Resistance. She intended to do the same thing.

Two of the Resistance drones tracked the fleeing HK drone to its destination. They remained far enough back and hoped they wouldn't be detected. They were still wary of the HK drone leading them into some kind of trap.

John Henry was a little surprised at where the drone ended up at. It was a new area where they didn't have much operational experience.

"John, the drone we're tracking has set down." John Henry said.

John hoped they got a break.

"Where's it at?" John asked.

The exact location was somewhat obscure. John Henry used the community name which was most recognizable to John as to where it was near.

"It's in the 'low desert'. It's close to the Palm Springs area." John Henry said.

John thought the location was somewhat ironic. It seemed his mother and Skynet thought along the same lines at times.

"Skynet sure likes the desert." John said. "So did my mom. Most of the other Skynet activity we have been dealing with has been in the 'High Desert'."

John Henry could observe from the drone footage Cameron was just about ready to pull out.

"Cameron's operation has nearly concluded." John Henry said.

John thought it was typical. Everything would be over when he arrived.

"We're almost there." John said.

John Henry was worried there would be a verbal confrontation with Cameron about John being out in the field. There was no need to push the issue. Since the operation was concluded, it would be a wise decision if John withdrew.

"Perhaps it's best if you return." John Henry said. "There isn't much you can do when you get there."

John wanted to see Cameron. He wanted to make sure she was alright. The terminology about her being 'operational' seemed to leave a lot of unanswered questions. He also wanted to see Savannah.

"I'll see Cameron first." John said.

John Henry decided to let it slide. He did his part to make sure there was no trouble. The rest was on John.

"The Blackhawk has retrieved the fallen hostile HK drone." John Henry said. "Al's team has collected the one at the location you were at."

John knew the explosion was very large. He was sure there'd be some repercussions from the surrounding area. They always tried to take control of the narrative.

"What is the feedback and spin on the explosion?" John asked.

John Henry already prepared a cover story. He thought it was a pretty good one this time. They weren't going to use the usual story of a natural gas explosion for everything on this operation.

"It will be reported 'flour dust' at a cookie factory exploded." John Henry said. "It's happened before."

John laughed to himself.

"There was an explosion at a cookie factory?" John asked. "That's a first."

John Henry knew it was the sound decision. They also relied on their proven reason for an explosion at the first location.

"The other location will go down as a natural gas leak which resulted in an explosion and fire." John Henry said. "It is part of our standard procedure to cover our tracks."

John knew they needed to follow up on the location where the HK drone landed.

"Let's figure out our next move." John said.

John Henry figured common sense should be what guided John at this point. He hoped John realized he drew away critical resources. He was pretty sure where Cameron was headed next. He didn't think John should be a part of it.

"Your next move is to return to the base." John Henry said. "I've sent a team of Terminators to check out the Palm Springs area."

John thought it might be a good ideal to gather some intel first. He figured he was already in enough hot water with Cameron to push things too much.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Next Move

To advance in life
Everyone must take a chance
It's just how it works
In life's endless dance

Sometimes one can forge ahead
That is seldom the case
There are many obstacles
In life's never ending chase

Each small step forward
May seem like two steps back
Things that should be simple
Turn into more of an attack

One needs to keep moving
To stop is to accept defeat
The payoff must be remembered
It may be something sweet

It's only to themselves
That anyone needs to prove
Once they find their grove
They'll know their next move

Nobody