Chapter 672

My Angel

Bob and Jesse were ready to head out after Gail and Savannah. They knew the Grays in the patrol split up. They wanted to make sure their team was covered.

Jesse sent a quiet message out through her com to Savannah and Gail.

"We're coming, Savannah." Jesse said. "We're coming, Gail."

Bob would lead and Jesse would follow. They would watch Gail's and Savannah's backs.

Savannah heard the conversation and knew Jesse was about to put herself in danger. It wasn't what she wanted and she knew it wasn't necessary.

"Negative, Jesse." Savannah said. "All four of our targets are down. Thank you. You stay with Bob and the Metal Strike Team. We'll return shortly. We don't know what's going to happen at the bunker yet."

Gail crossed over and met up with Savannah at the rendezvous point. She returned from a slightly different direction. It was to make sure there wasn't an ambush waiting for her.

Savannah was pleased they were reunited and all of their targets were terminated. She knew both Cammy and Cameron faced unknown threats of some type. She wanted to head for the direction where they were at and see if they could assist them.

"We need to move down and help Cammy and Cameron." Savannah said. "It's unless the 'Metal Bitch' leaves the bunker. If she does, we'll take her down."

Gail didn't think their team members at the bunker would let any of the Skynet forces get very far.

Savannah switched back to her M4. Gail still carried a silenced MP5. She knew Gail would take down any Grays and she would back her up with the Coltan rounds in her M4 if they came across a Terminator, or anyone wearing body armor. They both carried their Tasers at the ready.

She knew the Command Center would be able to vector them in to where Cammy and Cameron were currently at. They started out.

"John Henry, guide us in." Savannah said.

John Henry could observe the trackers on both Cameron and Cammy. He noted they were on the move. Cameron's target was identified, Cammy's wasn't.

"Cammy's moving, but her targets aren't showing." John Henry said.

Savannah wondered if Cammy's target was a Terminator. It sounded as if Cameron may have done a little better.

"What about Cameron?" Savannah asked.

John Henry was able to report a little good news amongst the unknown news.

"Cameron's reported her targets are down. She's trying to get in front of Cammy, so whoever she's tracking can be led into an ambush." John Henry said. "Cammy may be facing a Terminator."

Savannah knew they needed to get moving. She would rely on Gail's ability to get them to the proper coordinates John Henry provided her with. She hoped to keep a running commentary going as to where they were at. She didn't want Gail to hold back and she planned to keep up with her. She wanted to get to where Cameron and Cammy were at.

"Gail, tell Cameron where we're going." Savannah said. "I know you have the satellite map in your head. Give her our ETA and where we'll end up. I'll match your pace. Cammy should hear it also. Pass the information as we go."

Gail knew where Cameron was and where Cammy was headed. She set it up with Cameron, as Savannah and her hurried into position. She noted Savannah's breathing was different. It didn't sound good. It was clear all the activity at two miles up affected Savannah. She was aware Savannah currently exerted herself beyond a safe level to keep up with her. She started to slow.

"Savannah, you're pushing yourself too hard." Gail said. "Your breathing is labored."

Savannah could feel the effects of the exertion at the high altitude. It was worse than she thought it would be. The only good news for her right now was they were going downhill. If she attempted to do the same thing going uphill, she knew she wouldn't be able to. She didn't plan to stop. Cammy needed her.

"I'll keep up. Don't slow down." Savannah said. "We need to help Cammy."

Savannah was afraid Cammy would be fighting a Terminator if she wasn't already. She knew Cameron was there in the vicinity. They still didn't know what the size of the overall force was stocking Cameron and Cammy.

Cammy knew she needed to be careful. It was obvious she faced the bigger threat. She slowed and moved carefully. It appeared her target did the same.

She was sure she stalked a Terminator, and it stalked her. Every time it seemed like she was about to gain an advantage, it was gone just as quickly. It didn't really make a lot of sense.

Cammy heard the conversation with Cameron and Gail and knew she needed to lead her pursuer in their direction. She knew Cameron was coming to assist her as well as Gail and Savannah.

She didn't want Savannah in the fight. She knew all the physical activity Savannah was doing taxed her body at the high elevation. It wasn't something they trained for, or any operations in the snow. This mission was both of those things. There might be issues to train for going forward. The current location wasn't something expected.

There was a 'crack' in the brush off to her side.

Cammy paused, they were closer now. She could hear them. Every move she made seemed to be countered. They were good. She needed to stop pausing. Every time she did, they moved closer. She wasn't quite sure how they were able to do it and continue to gain an advantage over her.

It was time to spring the ambush.

Cammy headed straight for Cameron.

It was a mistake.

Cameron checked for any other threats around her, there were none apparent. She tried to move in to help Cammy, but Cammy was all over the place. Something wasn't right. Cammy must be facing a Terminator.

Savannah and Gail should arrive soon. Cameron didn't like the danger Savannah was put in. CamNet patched through the conversation between Gail and Savannah about Savannah pushing it too hard and her labored breathing. It caused her hand to experience another glitch impulse. She believed love was something special. In this case, she saw it also presented something very deadly. Savannah would risk everything for her. She watched her do it before. She stayed to die with her when the nuclear bomb was going to explode. It wasn't right. Her existence wasn't worth anyone else's existence, especially Savannah's.

'Love is going to kill her.' Cameron thought.

A figure appeared suddenly in front of Cameron. Before she could react, they threw her like she was weightless. She landed hard as her weapons went flying.

She was now the one under attack by a Terminator. It was a big one too. She was in a fight for her life. Her weapons were scattered all around her.

Cammy was headed for Cameron, but it seemed the Terminator was always able to be faster than her somehow. There was a loud crash up ahead of her and something moved toward her from the side. It all happened so fast. She didn't have enough time to prepare.

It impacted her and sent her sprawling. She caught a glimpse of Cameron being thrown around like a rag doll just ahead of her. Something slammed her face into the dirt. She no longer knew where her weapons were.

It quickly became evident to her she wasn't facing a Terminator. There were at least two hostile Terminators there with them, maybe more.

Cammy knew they were fighting for their lives at this point, both of them. Both Cameron and her were blindsided. She attempted to send out a warning to Gail and Savannah as to the nature of the attack.

Savannah and Gail moved down the mountain to reinforce Cameron and Cammy. They heard a garbled transmission.

"…Metal…." Cammy uttered.

It was the only word audible in the segment which was picked up. It was enough to alert them.

In the distance they could hear the fighting going on.

It was evident the battle was underway.

Savannah knew she was slowing Gail down. It was apparent either one or both Cameron and Cammy were in a battle with at least one Terminator. Something needed to be done now.

It was decision time, but there was no decision to make, it was already made.

"Gail, go to them." Savannah said. "There may be more than one Terminator. Cameron and Cammy need assistance NOW."

Gail was conflicted by what Savannah wanted her to do. She didn't want to leave Savannah alone on the mountain side. She understood Cameron and Cammy could use the additional assistance right now, but she feared for Savannah safety. She felt she was currently responsible for Savannah.

"Savannah…." Gail said.

Savannah understood the risks and Gail's apprehension. She thought there was a greater need for Gail's assistance than watching over her. She didn't feel she was the one currently facing a life or death threat. Cameron and Cammy were.

"I'll be fine." Savannah said. "It sounds like they're at least two terminators. Go, help Cameron and Cammy."

Gail didn't want to abandon Savannah. She was there to protect Savannah in the first place. She still felt it was her primary responsibility. If anything happened to Savannah it would be her fault.

"Savannah…." Gail said again.

Savannah understood the conflict which occurred in Gail's mind right now. She needed her to get past it and go where the help was needed. It wasn't with her right now.

"Please, Gail." Savannah said. "Hurry, they need you right now. One or both of them may be overpowered. I'll be fine."

Gail reluctantly took off toward the sound of the fighting. She experienced a very negative feeling inside of her she left Savannah behind and alone on the mountain side. She also understood the message Savannah conveyed to her about Cammy or Cameron being overpowered. She knew it was a real concern. Savannah wanted her to be there for them, like Savannah was there for her when she was being overpowered.

Savannah watched Gail reluctantly leave. She knew Gail didn't want to leave her alone. Right now she was tired and it was hard to breathe. It appeared she suffered from the effects of the high altitude with all the running. The Metal girls needed help and she was coming. It would just take her a little longer. She continued to push it. She didn't plan to stop until she dropped or was terminated. The Metal girls needed help and she planned to do her duty. She needed to make sure she kept situational awareness at all times. She didn't want to develop tunnel vision. She also knew she didn't want to develop another type of tunnel vision if the effects of the high altitude and her exertion started to creep up on her.

Gail was on her way to join the fight now, it's the only thing which mattered. She would do her best to do what she could when she arrived. She didn't know the nature of any other threats so at this point she actually hoped she arrived.

John and John Henry were in the Command Center and monitored the events as they unfolded. Even with the additional assistance Cameron and Cammy received, it seemed they were still at a disadvantage. It wasn't the only problem. It appeared now Savannah was on her way there and just sent Gail away. She was currently alone.

They still didn't know where the new group who attacked Cameron and Cammy came from. They weren't sure how they were identified. They didn't even know how many assailants there were. From Cameron's brief report she indicated she terminated two Grays. The way things sounded now it indicated both Cammy and Cameron each battled at least one Terminator. There could be more Terminators or more Grays as well. They didn't know.

"This just went from bad to worse." John said. "Cameron and Cammy are both fighting Terminators. We don't know how many. Savannah sent Gail to help them and left herself exposed. Who knows what else is up there?"

They both knew Savannah was trained and experienced. She wouldn't back down from a fight. The main problem was, they didn't know the nature of the fight, how large it was, or how many perpetrators were involved.

John Henry could track everything as well as hear the sounds of fighting through the coms of the Metal girls. He didn't like the fact Savannah and Gail were now separated. He directed Gail towards Cammy, she was the closest to her.

"Savannah's still approaching the fight." John Henry said. "Gail is almost to where Cammy's at. I'm guiding her, but she can clearly hear the fighting."

John was very worried about how quickly everything fell apart, again.

"Warn Gail to watch for an ambush as she approaches." John said. "If she spots anyone headed in Savannah's direction, it needs to be her new priority."

John Henry understood why John wanted him to make the announcement. He quickly passed the word along to Gail.

Through the sounds of fight they heard a long burst of suppressed gunfire. It must be Gail firing the silenced MP5, she was in the fight. They didn't know if there were additional Grays, or if Gail fired to draw the Terminator's attention. He did know being hit with a burst of automatic gunfire would draw anyone's attention away from what they were currently focused on. It would clearly indicate to them they faced a new threat.

Savannah knew Gail was headed to help Cammy. There was fighting elsewhere nearby. She headed for the other sound of fighting. It was different from the one Gail responded to. She was pretty sure it was Cameron in a fight of her own.

She heard the burst of silenced 9MM rounds. She hoped it was Gail. It was followed by the crackle of a Taser.

The high altitude along with all of the running started to take its toll on her. She was winded when she reached the clearing. She brought her Taser up ready to fire. She immediately spotted the nature of the threat. Cameron and a Terminator rolled around across the ground. Dirt and debris flew in all directions. There were weapons scattered all around the area.

There was no clean shot. The only choice was to fire. The shock might be transferred to Cameron as well. Cameron once told her she fought a Terminator inside a house. They fell through the floor into the basement. She shocked him with an electric wire while they were in physical contact. She was able to disengage and rejoin John and Sarah as they fled the area.

She realized later on it was a mistake for her not to stay and pull the chip from the disabled Terminator. She could have acquired John and Sarah at a later date. It caused them a lot of grief later on. A lot of people ended up terminated because of it. The first one was the actor Cromartie patterned himself after. Another was a school administrator. Those were just to start with. Later twenty members of the FBI HRT, hostage and rescue team, were killed. Another was a teenage boy in a bowling alley. There were probably others she didn't know about.

Savannah fired her Taser. Cameron was able to roll away. The hostile Terminator went off line.

Cameron looked a little disoriented, but she quickly collected herself. She looked all around her.

"There may be more." Cameron said. "I don't think this is done yet. Stay alert."

Cameron looked around and found her knife and Taser on the ground.

Savannah spun around as she searched for another target. She didn't spot one.

Cameron removed the chip from the downed Terminator.

Savannah knew Cammy and Gail were close by somewhere. She didn't know where.

"Cammy?" Savannah called out.

Gail was relieved to hear Savannah's voice.

"She's over here." Gail said. "She's rebooting."

Cameron was in the process of deactivating the Terminator Savannah took down. She knew Savannah wanted to join Cammy. She thought everything was under control where they were at right now.

"Go." Cameron said to Savannah. "I'll deal with this."

Savannah headed to where Gail answered from.

Cammy was offline when she arrived. Gail was about to remove the chip from the Terminator. She took it out.

Savannah wanted to heed Cameron's warning there could be additional threats.

"Gail, take up security duty around this immediate area." Savannah said. "There may be more. There could be additional Terminators or Grays."

Gail picked up Cammy's M4, checked it and moved in a small circle between Cameron and Cammy. She was ready to engage any threat which presented itself.

Savannah held her Taser ready as she searched for a target.

Cammy opened her eyes. She started to get up and spotted Savannah.

"My angel…." Cammy said.

Savannah wanted Cammy to know where the help really came from. She knew Gail's infatuation with her irritated Cammy. She hoped the current event would smooth things over somewhat. Gail was there because of her. Gail was able to assist Cammy and prevent her from being terminated because of it.

"Gail did this for you. She's the one who saved you. I just got here. Make sure you thank her." Savannah said. "I needed to help Cameron. We don't know yet if there are more perpetrators or not. You need to stay alert. Gail took your M4. She's searching for additional threats."

Savannah handed Cammy her Taser which was lying on the ground near her.

Cammy searched the downed Terminator as she checked the area for further threats. She also collected various weapons including her own.

Savannah wanted Gail to know she did for Cammy, what she did for her. She wanted to point it out to her to help further put her troubling incident for Gail in the past for good.

Cameron came into the clearing and threw the deactivated Terminator next to the other one. Gail was behind her with all of the collected weapons. There were quite a few at this point.

Cameron and Cammy rearmed themselves and checked their weapons.

Cameron checked her Taser and gave it to Savannah. She took the one which was already fired by Savannah.

Gail did one more sweep around them.

"I see no sign of any others." Gail said. "I detect no one."

Savannah looked at the two Terminators, they were very large. They both looked like big brutes. It was clear by their size they must be very powerful. It was probably why they chose to engage the female Terminators in hand to hand combat. They didn't know the Metal girls were about to be reinforced.

"Are those new models?" Savannah asked.

Cameron visually scanned both of them to see if she could recognize them.

"No, they're actually older models." Cameron said.

Savannah checked over Cameron and Cammy for damage, it only appeared cosmetic. She made sure all of their limbs were fully functional. They were.

Gail looked at the sky through the trees. The sun was long gone and the twilight was almost as well.

"It is getting dark. It is going to be hard for Savannah to navigate soon." Gail said.

Savannah didn't want to be a burden. She would keep up with the Metal girls in whatever they did. She didn't know if there would be any Moonlight or not. She could always use her night vision. It would make traversing through the brush off the trail more troublesome and slower going.

"I'll manage." Savannah said. "I'm fine."

Cameron and Cammy both looked at each other when Savannah made her last statement. Neither one of them commented. They didn't have to. They knew Savannah was physically taxed. They also knew she wouldn't quit until she dropped. They would both prevent it from happening.

Cammy picked up one Terminator.

Gail reached for the other one.

Cameron felt it was her responsibility because it was the one which attacked her. She also knew Gail was more familiar with the area they were currently in, and up to the summit.

"I have him." Cameron said. "Thanks. You know the terrain better than I do. I think you should take point. Be on the lookout for anything."

Gail led with Savannah behind her. Cammy was behind Savannah and Cameron brought up the rear. They headed up towards the summit.

Savannah could see Gail took it easy. She wanted all their teams together at the summit as soon as possible.

"Keep a good pace, Gail." Savannah said. "I can keep up."

Savannah pushed it a little harder.

The Metal girls all respected her perseverance and commitment even more.

Gail kept the pace moderate. She didn't think a few minutes delay was going to be a problem unless fighting broke out before they arrived. There was no indication any other patrols were sent out yet. There was a strong possibility more could be dispatched. So far Bob and Steve didn't have anything else to report. She wanted to ask about Jesse but knew it wasn't appropriate. She knew if there was any type of problem Bob would let her know. She also knew Bob wouldn't let anything happen to her.

She felt very confident about entering the fight earlier. She could see it was a wise decision on Savannah's part to send her when she did. Cammy was already offline when she arrived. It appeared as if the Terminator was about to deactivate her. He knew what it was like to face similar circumstances. As soon as she came into the clearing where Cammy and the Terminator were at, she opened up on the Terminator with the silenced MP5. She emptied the entire magazine into his back as she moved in to bring him down with her Taser. She didn't hesitate to fire at all as she closed up the distance between them. She looked around to make sure there wasn't a second one or any Grays. She knew it was what Savannah did for her. She was glad Cammy wasn't more severely damaged or terminated. If she hadn't followed Savannah's directive, she very well may have been.

She understood Savannah took a risk as well by sending her away. Savannah told her before they all needed to look out for each other. She knew sometimes it was nice to have help. She glanced back often at Savannah as she moved forward. Savannah never slowed even as the rate of her breathing increased and sounded even more labored. She made sure there were no threats in front of them as they headed towards the summit and the Skynet bunker.

John and John Henry watch the events on the mountain side escalate. It was only a matter of time before some type of alarm would be sounded, or there was a reaction of some type by the Skynet forces. He didn't want their team to be outgunned, especially from the air.

"I think we are going to see an HK drone from the packing house soon." John Henry said. "It won't be long until they realize something is drastically wrong. It will most likely be from the 'Metal Bitch'.

John could see it as well. He contemplated the best course of action in what would draw out the Skynet forces.

"I do too." John said. "We'll let the first one leave, but any after it, we'll bring down with the Stingers we have in the area. The MST is armed with several Stingers. They will be able to bring down the HK Drone when it approaches the top of the hill. I think it's dark enough now for us to take some preemptive action with our drones."

John Henry was glad John mentioned it. He thought he was going to wait until it was darker. He was going to do it on his own and notified John after they left. It would be pointless for John to tell him to wait once they were already gone.

"I'm sending both of our drones up and I'll keep them at a high altitude." John Henry said. "I have four more on the way now since it's dark, well, darker anyway. It will be completely dark soon enough."

It sounded like a good plan to John. There was one loose end he didn't want to lose track of. He knew it was something very important to Cameron. He also knew he could use it to end the threat in the canyon on his own.

"If possible, I want one drone kept in reserve for the anti-Metal folks." John said. "I don't want Cameron to go inside there when this is finished. I would rather destroy the entrance first before she can go in."

They both knew Cameron would go in to take a look when she was done on the mountain side. She would probably drag Savannah with her. It was something neither one of them wanted to happen.

John Henry didn't think they were anywhere close to being done with the packing house, or the activity which was sure to unfold at the summit of the mountain. He checked on the status of their equipment. Everything was ready to go. He was pleased to see the repairs were completed on the Blackhawk. Not only was the damaged wiring replaced, so it was all the other wiring around it. They were unable to determine what actually caused the electrical fire.

"I think we're a long way from being finished." John Henry said. "All three helicopters are operational when we need them."

John felt things were close to breaking loose. He wanted everything ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Have them ready to fly." John said. "We can have the 'Mike Force' ready to land in a few minutes. The other helicopters will be able to provide some covering fire if necessary."

John Henry was a little leery of a surprise. Since they felt they dealt with more than one group of Gray's, they needed to keep a watch on the sky.

"We'll need to account for any hostile HK drones first." John Henry said. "If we send the helicopters too early, it may draw them out. I don't want to make any of them a Target of opportunity for the enemy."

John was worried by the same prospect as well. He didn't want to take any chances.

"I don't want the helicopters to become targets." John said. "Have them ready to lift off in a moment's notice, but have them hold for now."

John Henry thought it might be good to have them all 'burning and turning' for a quicker response.

There was a lot of apprehension in the Young bunker.

The conversation in the Command Center gave Young Allison an idea. She thought John and John Henry's worry was actually the answer to the problem.

"It's what they need to do." Young Allison said. "They need to give them some bait to draw them out."

Anna wasn't sure what Young Allison specifically referred to. She knew whatever it was, it would be questionable and dangerous.

"It could be risky." Anna said. "I don't think any of our Terminators, other than Cameron, would want to be used as bait for anything. I think you should rethink your proposal before you go further with it."

Young Allison looked over her monitors one more time. It all became clear to her how it could all come together and work out. She could visualize the pending battlefield. She was a little irritated because Anna indicated she was willing to sacrifice some of the Terminators. She didn't feel any better about risking any of their equipment. They were still things which needed to be done. Anna told her earlier there would be hard choices to make. Now was one of those times. The goal was to complete a successful mission.

"Use one of our drones as bait, when the time comes. You can ask for a volunteer." Young Allison said. "Not the helicopters. I know how to approach the bunker as well."

Anna was well aware if Savannah, Young Allison, or Cameron, asked for a volunteer, everyone would volunteer because it was them. She believed it would apply to the humans as well as the machines, all of the machines.

"Your plans always have merit." Anna said. "Let me have the gist, or the details, and I will relay the message."

Young Allison laid out her plan to Anna.

Anna knew right away the plan was a risk, but if it worked, it would save having to do an all out assault. It was a sound plan at any rate. It certainly seemed like a 'Sucker Play' against the enemy which would be followed by a 'Sunday Punch'.

"I'll run this by John and John Henry." Anna said. "The team could literally walk right into the bunker, almost."

Young Allison smiled. It was exactly what she thought would happen. There wouldn't be any enemy resistance waiting for them either.

"It's the plan." Young Allison said.

Anna knew they were still one wild card in the game.

"What about the female captive?" Anna asked.

Young Allison was aware of her.

"Our team comes first." Young Allison said. "The damage to her has already been done. We don't currently know her status. We do know we need to stop the enemy. It's what we're going to do."

It gave Young Allison a sick feeling inside to think of the things they must have done to her, maybe they were still doing them to her Maybe she was already dead. Their team came first. This wasn't on her. It was the fault of the Grays. It was Skynet's fault. Everything was Skynet's fault.

She heard the stories and read the reports. She knew they hadn't tossed the female's corpse outside yet, but from what she understood, it wouldn't matter to most of them if she was still alive or not as the abuse continued. She planned to make sure every one of the Skynet forces was terminated.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

My Angel Or Devil

There are many in life
Who pass by unnoticed
Some see something more
They want to be noticed

If one gets closer
Do they just want to be near
Or do they develop
Into someone held dear

Every time a heart opens
There's always a price
More often than not
No one thinks twice

Some are full of mischief
They're hard to control
The range of their antics
Is bound to take a toll

Do they want to be my angel
Or are they the devil in disguise
Time will surely tell
By the sum of their lies

Nobody