Chapter 689
Tip Of The Iceberg
Three Resistance teams followed the Skynet truck. The truck recently left a suspected Skynet facility where they spotted an HK drone subassembly being loaded onto it. They wanted to find out where it was going. They would also like to know where the truck came from. They always changed positions so they didn't give away the tail. It didn't appear it was a Terminator who drove the truck, which would make spotting the tail even harder. If there was a Terminator involved, they would be 'made' very quickly. If combat operations broke out too soon, it could endanger team members and the rest of the operation. In order to get as much of the Skynet related material and Grays all at once, the attacks, when they came, would all need to be at the same time and coordinated.
Bob leapfrogged into position and followed closest to the bobtail truck at this point. It was near a very large and empty looking structure. Right away, as he first looked at the structure, he knew they could build any kind of HK equipment, from HK drones to HK Treads, in a structure the size it was. If it was an assembly line, they could have setups for everything, it was big enough. He wondered how they moved the HK equipment, and to where, after it was assembled. The building was big enough they could store them there too. He was pretty sure they were at the target location, at least one of them anyway.
"The truck is about to stop." Bob said.
John looked at the satellite overlay map. He could see there was some type of large structure.
"We're tracking you." John said. "It looks like a big building. What's there exactly?"
Bob looked over the building. He could see where a sign was removed. There was a faint outline of the lettering with the name which was once on the building. He knew it was a victim of more modern times. It was a dinosaur from the past in the present.
"It's a closed newspaper facility." Bob said. "It looks abandoned. It's very big."
John thought it was a sign of the times. Technology long ago passed the print industry by. They come up a day late and a dollar short. Reality dealt their form of communication a knockout blow.
"No one reads yesterday's news anymore." John said. "Newspapers died more than a decade ago. It's hard to believe a few forms of them still exist."
Bob believed the demise should have occurred several decades ago. It was extremely inefficient and lacked any type of relevance for real news. John was right. All the newspaper could provide was yesterday's news. He quickly made some external observations around the building.
"They have a rail connection along the east side. It's a dead end spur track." Bob said.
John Henry was aware of how the giant rolls of newsprint were shipped.
"It makes sense, paper used to come in bulk shipments." John Henry said. "They were very large circular objects. They could be easily damaged so they wouldn't go through the presses without jamming. It was a very outdated mode of communication.
Bob looked at the siding as he passed near it. He was a little surprised at what he observed. He could tell the siding was in active use.
"Yes. There are boxcars there now." Bob said. "I can see the tops of the rails are shiny, not rusted. They're moving things in or out of there by rail now."
The fact Skynet would use the rail system was somewhat of a surprise to John. He would have thought of it as archaic as newspapers. He wondered if there was some angle they may have missed. It was possible the boxcars could bring in sub assemblies, and leave with the finished product, whatever they were.
"It's different and unexpected." John said. "When you say 'now', do you actually mean right now, or just being in use for the movement of cargo?"
Bob didn't spot a locomotive. There wouldn't be any switching moves for awhile.
"The boxcars are just sitting right now." Bob said. "John Henry will need to check the dispatch schedule of the railroad company to find out when the movements occur. It's possible they may be able to track where the boxcars end up at."
It was a concern to John Henry. He immediately wondered if this operation wasn't much bigger than they first anticipated.
"It would indicate a heavy volume of something going in or going out." John Henry said. "A boxcar could hold considerably more than a trailer or container. It would bypass inspections on the highways. There wouldn't be any traffic cams to track the trucks by. They could keep the 'goods' in motion and never stay in one place for very long. They wouldn't tie up manpower or personnel this way either. They could send boxcars all over the country to remote locations. There are a lot of closed factories with rail access. At some of those locations the siding goes inside the building, which would shield it from satellite imagery. It would also hide it from the public eye. It wouldn't be in the open for anyone to see."
John was very concerned.
"What did we actually find?" John asked. "It seems like something major."
John Henry believed they would find out soon enough.
"What Bob has just uncovered is a new dimension and aspect we hadn't considered before." John Henry said. "Skynet could have equipment stored throughout the state and country. Boxcars are seldom used as compared to a few decades ago. There are thousands of surplus boxcars Skynet could obtain easily. The railroad companies wouldn't even miss them if Skynet used a little ingenuity in its ability to influence bookkeeping on any of the rail lines. It's a very real possibility."
Sheila's team moved into position.
"We're taking over for Bob." Sheila said. "He's gone over to the far side. We've crossed the spur track and are passing the truck loading bays. There's one big rig and two bobtails parked at the dock now."
John was a little more concerned with each new revelation. It appeared as if they would need additional vehicles to track the big rig and the bobtails when they left the facility. There was no observation of the other two bobtail trucks at the location Ed currently kept under surveillance. He wanted to hear a report from all three teams.
"Everything indicates a large operation." John said. "What do you see Gail?"
John wondered how big things were going to get. At what point it was going to get away from him? Most of these events were all spur of the moment and not planned in advance. They knew the building wasn't going to go anywhere, the trucks were another story.
Cameron directed Gail to take a different route once they knew the truck reached its destination. She wanted to look at a different side of the structure from where Bob and Sheila would be able to view. She wanted to know what was happening, or could happen, on all four sides of the building.
"We're circling around the side. The south side is blocked by the mainline railroad tracks. There's a cross street about a half mile in either direction." Gail said. "There is also a small flood control channel which runs along the main street. It angles into a bigger flood control channel which parallels the railroad tracks."
Cameron recalled a previous encounter with a 'Metal Bitch' through a flood control system. She blew her in half with a Thermite grenade at the conclusion of the chase. She was able to repurpose the sheath material from the upper half of the destroyed female Terminator. She used it to repair another female Terminator who was heavily damaged in the front torso section. The repaired Terminator looked female again. She was a little concerned about how the flood control channels on two sides of the structure could be used by the enemy.
"They may use those as escape routes." Cameron said. "We've seen it before. Everything can happen out of sight from the land surrounding it, since it's below ground."
John Henry looked at the details of a zoomed in satellite image.
"I'm looking at the satellite map." John Henry said. "The flood control channel which runs along the west side of the building is paved for two miles to the north. Before the concrete begins, it's a dirt wash which comes from the nearby hills. It becomes shallower the further north it goes. Once it joins the larger channel which parallels the railroad tracks to the south, it runs east and west. The flow direction must be to the east because it keeps getting wider with feeder channels running into it. They're all angled in an easterly direction as they join the main channel."
Sheila spotted some movement near the end of her drive by.
"The box truck is backing up to the dock." Sheila said. "Another truck is leaving."
John wanted to know where the other truck was going.
"I want you to follow it." John said. "Keep your distance. Try to get a tracker on it. I don't want them to know they're being followed. If we tip our hand too early, it will change the dynamics of the entire operation. We need to uncover as much as we can first before we act."
Sheila already conferred with Ally before they contacted John as to what they were going to do. They already planned to follow the truck. They wanted to pay a special visit to its destination.
"We're on it." Sheila said. "We know the drill."
John noticed Bob's team moved to a different location. So far there was no updated information.
"Bob, what are you able to see from your new position?" John asked.
Bob wanted to make sure his vantage point was good before he made a report. He thought they were in a good location to view fifty percent of the structure.
"We've moved around to the south side of the railroad tracks." Bob said. "We can watch the west side of the structure with the trucks, and the south side which is blocked by the flood control channel and the railroad tracks. The east side is the side for the boxcars. We can't see the east side or the north side from here. We can view when any trucks arrive or depart, as well as any rail activity."
John didn't want any blank spots.
"What's on the north side?" John asked.
Cameron already directed Gail to move to the north side for a closer look.
"I think it is office space." Gail said. "It appears to be unused. It looks like the windows are covered with paper on the inside."
John was aware there were more trucks to watch than there were teams available right now unless he split them up. He wanted to keep eyes on the building too. He wanted to know where everyone of those trucks went to, and preferably where it came from as well. There was no way to know what was in them when they arrived, or in them when they left.
"Keep us updated on the truck traffic." John said. "If you can spot any type of cargo, let us know immediately."
It was clear to those in the Command Center the operation was way bigger than they first anticipated.
John looked over the satellite images. He really didn't know what to expect when the location was first detected. It took him a moment to get some perspective on the actual size of the structure.
"It's a very big place." John said.
John Henry was concerned as to what exactly was going on inside of it.
"There can be a lot happening in there." John Henry said.
John needed to find out what was going on inside of the building. It seemed it was going to be problematic in order to pull it off. They were still going to need to find out what exactly was happening in there sooner or later. He knew some things could be worse than others.
"Assembling HK equipment is bad enough." John said. "If they can start making Terminators, it's really bad news."
It seemed to John Henry anything related to Skynet was trouble.
"Is any news ever good?" John Henry asked.
John slowly shook his head from side to side as he thought about it.
"Not really." John said.
It never seemed to be anything good. Whenever they were done taking down an operation, there was always another one waiting to pop up in its place.
John often wondered what they were missing and when Skynet would make a power grab and try to end the world. Maybe only CamNet being on every computer system prevented it. CamNet was there because of the 'backdoor' the Gray operative, Charles Fisher, first set into motion. CamNet was there and stopped it. She now controlled the system. He wondered if maybe it wasn't all some type of manipulation by Cameron in the future. Who really knew the full extent of what Cameron and Future John did or were planning? Maybe they were all pawns in some convoluted drawn out scheme. There were more than a few times where he was pretty sure he was a pawn in Cameron's game. He knew she played the game to win, but he wondered if she really knew what the game actually was. Future John did erase a lot of her files before he sent Cameron.
He really wondered what exactly was on those files. He knew it was something Cameron wondered about as well. She made two visits back to her future and never indicated she found out what they were. She was there for months the second time she visited. Duplicate Cameron was already there for several months before they arrived. He figured she would want to know what happened as much as Cameron did since they were the same individual. There was no indication anything was resolved. He was pretty sure it was intentional on Future John's part, his part.
Cameron told him before there were times she lied to him. He asked her if it was about important things. She said sometimes it was. Was it still the case? Did she lie to Future John? Did she lie to herself? Who could he trust? Could he even trust himself?
Jim's team with Derek and Kyle arrived back at the Resistance base.
Derek went to see Riley immediately when they returned.
Jesse greeted him as he came in. They exchanged pleasantries and then talked about Riley, she was in the bedroom.
"Vanna's with Riley now, she's sleeping." Jesse said.
Derek felt a little uncomfortable being so close to Jesse and alone.
"Thanks, Jesse." Derek said. "I really appreciate this."
Jesse could see Derek was uneasy. She didn't think he needed to be.
"Anytime, love." Jesse said with a broad smile. "We go way back."
Kyle entered the room soon afterward. He could see right away his brother looked very nervous on top of the worry he already felt. He looked at the way Jesse was dressed. It was a very skimpy pair of shorts in a very short halter top. Everything could be clearly seen through the clothing. He tried to be cordial.
"Hey, Jesse." Kyle said.
Jesse gave Kyle a 'once over' before she responded.
"Hi." Jesse said.
Vanna just exited out of Riley's room as Kyle entered. She filled them in on everything.
"So what happens next?" Kyle asked.
Jesse didn't think it was anything severe, just a combination of a lot of little things.
"We wait. Nature will dictate what happens next." Jesse said. "She just looks tired and doesn't feel good. There are no harmful signs we can detect."
Vanna knew the infirmary was fully stocked and ready for any emergency. She thought they could take advantage of the facility just to make sure everything was OK.
"I think we should move her to the infirmary when she wakes up." Vanna said. "I'll ask John Henry to check her out. We have all the medical gear now. He has access to all the medical procedures. He can tap into a vast database."
Kyle didn't know much about medicine. He didn't think any of them did.
"There is nothing we can do." Kyle said. "I know I can't. I don't know Tech stuff."
Vanna noticed how Jesse's top looked. It wasn't put on correctly.
"Jesse, your top is inside out." Vanna said.
Jesse looked down at it and pulled it off. She was topless as she turned it the correct way. Her nipple rings bounced with the movement of her arms.
"Let me fix it." Jesse said.
Derek tried to look away, but he still saw plenty. He thought about times past.
Kyle couldn't help but watch. It made him wonder how Sarah would look with a set of nipple rings. He thought she would look pretty Hot. He figured Sarah would go with a larger diameter or heavier gauge. It was what he would want her to do anyway. He would try to wait for the right time and mention it to her.
Jesse smiled at him as she put her top back on. She thought about asking him to make sure her rings were centered before she slid her top down over them. She decided it would best be better left for another time. It would be better if they were all alone.
"There we go." Jesse said. "I'm as right as the rain."
Nobody said anything.
Jesse knew they all enjoyed the 'show'. She enjoyed giving it. An audience always excited her. In fact, she missed them sometimes. She knew none of them were aware she actually turned her top inside out before she put it on in the hopes she would be able to do exactly what she did. Vanna didn't know what she planned to do.
Anna was a little upset with Young Allison's proposal to do some 'testing' on her.
Young Allison saw the tear on Anna's cheek.
"What's wrong?" Young Allison asked.
Anna quickly wiped the tear away.
"Nothing…." Anna said.
Young Allison was sure it was about what she suggested earlier.
"It was about testing my 'Neural Interface' on you, wasn't it?" Young Allison asked.
Anna didn't want to be altered. She understood Cameron's apprehension to be changed as well.
"It would change who I am." Anna said. "I don't want to change. I like who I am now. I don't want to be different."
Young Allison could see she overstepped. She didn't mean for it to be so traumatic to Anna. It was more of a thought, than a request. Her original intent was to do something to help Cameron.
"It was just an idea, please forget about it." Young Allison said.
It started to bother Young Allison now with the 'pain' she caused Anna. It wasn't intentional. She was only trying to think of a way to work around problems which others experienced. It certainly wasn't to create a problem.
Anna felt it was her duty to serve Young Allison and do as she requested.
"If it's what you want, I'll do it." Anna said.
Young Allison was very upset about the pain she caused Anna.
"No. I don't want you changed." Young Allison said. "I'm sorry."
Anna was crudely reminded of her actual place in Young Allison's life. One thing was for sure, it wasn't first place. The sad part was, it never would be.
"Remember, I'm a 'placeholder' for Savannah." Anna said.
Young Allison sighed. She understood some of Cameron's frustrations better now. There was what she was supposed to do, and expected to do, and what she wanted to do. They didn't always correlate with each other.
"I'm well aware of my place in the 'Natural Order'." Young Allison said. "I know my future, I know my duty. I have promises to keep. I intend to keep them, all of them."
Anna was deeply in love with Young Allison. She knew her place but she also offered an alternative if they could change the future going forward. She didn't want to be specific about what choices Young Allison could make on her own at any point.
"If we can change the future and prevent Judgment Day, you can have your own life." Anna said. "You'll have the freedom to choose something different."
Young Allison was ready to accept her future. She was ready to accept it now. She wanted to have it now. Future Allison was very clear to her about what the future would offer her.
"I want what I already 'have'." Young Allison said. "I've talked with Future Allison about it. I asked her if my destiny was something to look forward to or dread."
Her statement sounded a little ambiguous and open ended to Anna.
"What did she say?" Anna asked.
Young Allison felt a slight flutter to her heart and she remembered what Future Allison told her.
"She told me to get close to Savannah and Cameron and never let them go." Young Allison said. "I know what she meant."
Anna could see one person was left out of the equation. It seemed like it should be important.
"What about John?" Anna asked.
Young Allison swallowed hard. She knew what she would have to do to protect John going forward. She promised Cameron she would, and it's what she would do. Future Allison told her it wasn't too bad as long as she had a choice to be with a male, and wasn't being forced by one of them. It didn't sound very enthusiastic to her. She knew relationships weren't just about sex. There were many other factors involved as well. She knew the other factors were actually much more important than just the sexual aspect. Anyone could provide John with sex. She didn't think many could provide him with love and guidance. There was a difference.
"Future Allison said it is something I would have to 'accept'." Young Allison said. "Everyone sacrifices for John Connor."
Young Allison already knew it was the female body which excited her, not the male body. Maybe it would change with more hormones as she grew older, maybe not. Maybe both were in her future. Either way, she knew her destiny and was ready for it. She would do what was necessary to protect John and the future. She knew Savannah would always be there for her for whatever she needed and whenever she needed it. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement thinking about it.
Sarah pulled up at the Young residence with Jan and Cammy.
Kyle called Sarah, right after she arrived and filled her in.
Sarah was very dismayed by the news. She knew how she tried to get Riley to go with her. She didn't know if it would have been better to have Riley with her, or the fact Riley was still at the base. Either way, she felt sort of guilty right now. Maybe she shouldn't have left Riley at all. She knew Vanna and Jesse were close by. She didn't expect John to get involved, or Derek and Kyle to need to return and leave an operation.
"Do you want me to come back?" Sarah asked.
Kyle didn't think the situation looked too serious, but he didn't know medical stuff. He wanted his daughter to have a little more time away from the base.
"I don't think it's necessary." Kyle said. "I do know Jan wants to see Summer and Young Allison."
They finished their conversation.
Cammy saw the concern on Sarah's face. She called John Henry for an update to see if anything was wrong. She thought she may need to return to the Resistance base with Sarah. She would ask her. She knew there were enough Terminators at the Young residence to more than adequately protect Jan as well as the other girls.
"I can return with you, Sarah. Anna will be responsible for Jan until she returns to the Resistance base." Cammy said. "Anna is 'Cameron' and 'Savannah'. I don't think you will need to worry about her protection in Anna's care."
It gave Sarah a lot of comfort to know there was a 'Cameron' close by, other than Cammy who was right next to her. She did know all the children really enjoyed being around Cameron, then again, so did everyone else.
"I know she's great with kids." Sarah said.
Anna walked out with Summer and Young Allison.
Jan was thrilled to see Summer.
Cammy went in with Anna, Summer, and Jan.
Young Allison decided to meet with Sarah on her own.
Sarah sucked in her breath a little bit when she looked at Young Allison. She looked just like Cameron, only a little younger. It wasn't much either. Maybe it was just what she wanted to see. She smiled and greeted her.
"Hello, Allison." Sarah said.
Young Allison hoped to fill Sarah in a little better.
"Hi, Sarah." Young Allison said. "I've been briefed by CamNet on everything."
Young Allison went over everything happening with Riley and the current operation.
Sarah was left with the distinct feeling she was speaking to 'Cameron' right now, not Young Allison. Based on her youthful physique, it was clearly Young Allison who she currently spoke with. She did take in her youthful appearance and could see the fascination John would have with it. Young Allison was simply a younger version of 'Cameron' for all practical purposes. They looked the same. They talked the same. Young Allison was very pleasant to deal with.
"Why do I have the feeling I'm talking to an adult and not a young woman?" Sarah asked.
Young Allison wanted Sarah to know she was ready to step up. She wanted her to know she was ready for everything. She felt justified in her feelings.
"My education and metal development has far exceeded my physical development." Young Allison said. "I have great responsibilities I must fulfill."
Sarah needed to check herself. She was getting caught up in Young Allison's philosophy.
"It's Cameron's doing." Sarah said. "I don't agree with it."
Young Allison didn't like the rebuff. She wanted to remind Sarah who put everything into motion and made everything possible. It wasn't Cameron.
"Don't blame her." Young Allison said. "It's your son who put all this into play. He sent Future Kyle back, Future Derek back, and Cameron back. He must have known what he was doing and wanted. I've been in training all my known life. It's all I remember. It's all I know. I know everything."
Sarah closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew Cameron was making a 'human version' of herself with Young Allison. She wanted to blame John, but it was Future John who did it indirectly through Cameron. She needed the reminder Future John also sent Future Kyle back. He sent Future Kyle back for her. Maybe he wasn't the jackass she earlier accused him of being. It was still all a little disturbing to think about on multiple levels.
Young Allison took Sarah inside.
It was very clear to Sarah that Young Allison was definitely the equal of Savannah. It also appeared her potential would be even greater as well. She would soon enough discover Summer actually possessed the greatest potential of everyone.
John waited for more to develop. He began to wonder why Cameron was so quiet. He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer, even if he did.
"Do we have a new target?' John asked. "Where's Cameron?"
Gail figured she better tell it to John straight.
"We have another truck leaving." Gail said. "Cameron's gone to procure additional transportation."
John knew what it really meant.
"You mean steal another car." John said.
Gail knew it was a normal source of procurement when a vehicle was required immediately. It wasn't like they were going to keep it or anything.
"Yes. It's what I said." Gail said. "Savannah is with me currently."
John knew it wasn't a big deal. What they needed to do was get some trackers placed on some of the trucks. It appeared it was going to take a little more work and ingenuity to pull it off.
"OK. We may need to borrow a few more unless we can get trackers on some of the vehicles." John said. "There's only so much we can do with what we have available."
Savannah was made aware by Cameron the trucks weren't the only thing they needed to keep track of.
"Cameron wants to tag the boxcars also." Savannah said.
John Henry knew the railroads already possessed a tracking system for their equipment. He didn't think it would be too hard to track where they were at.
"We can follow the manifest to see where they've come from and where they go." John Henry said.
Savannah's discussion with Cameron led her to believe it was actually all a big 'shell game' for Skynet. She was aware at the end of the shell game the 'mark' always picked the wrong shell. The shell they picked was always empty underneath.
"What if they're diverted or unloaded enroute?" Savannah asked. "The loads could be transferred at some point. It could happen anywhere. There may be other rail cars used in their place. It all depends how many Terminators they have on it and what form of Skynet is backing them up. We could end up with nothing but false information."
It all sounded like another headache John could do without. He could see they really didn't have any control over anything, or any idea at what was actually occurring, even if it was happening right in front of them.
"This operation is spiraling out of control." John said. "A few weeks ago, I thought we curtailed everything, now it looks like we've only previously found the tip of the iceberg."
Cameron listened to the entire conversation and decided it was time to put forward a plan of what needed to be done. She thought she formulated a pretty good plan.
"Apparently…." Cameron said. "This is what I want to do…."
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Tip Of The Iceberg
Take a good look
At the one you're with
To think the love will last forever
Is nothing but a cruel myth
What's there now
Can evaporate in an instant
In the blink of an eye
Two can become very distant
Things will often devolve
To little more than coexistence
The gap slowly widens
As does the personal distance
Because change is very hard
Each accepts mutual toleration
It's the slow road to nowhere
Before a complete deterioration
When the first signs of another are noticed
The game is already long over
It's just the tip of the iceberg
Anything received then is only a leftover
Nobody