Chapter 694

I'm In

Dan and Frank followed a box truck which appeared to be empty. If it wasn't empty, it only carried a very light load.

The buildings began to thin out. So did any other traffic. It wasn't a good development.

Dan didn't like the way things played out. The area around them became more remote.

"There aren't many places for the truck to go." Dan said.

Frank looked around. The businesses thinned out. There was very little activity around them. It appeared in a very short time they were going to stand out and be spotted following the box truck. He briefly wondered if they may have already been identified.

"Make sure we're not being led into an ambush." Frank said.

Dan kept a constant watch around them, especially behind them.

"I've been checking." Dan said.

Frank noticed something was about to happen. He saw the brake lights activate on the truck.

"I think they're slowing." Frank said. "This may be it."

Dan was afraid if they went any closer they would be 'made'.

"Let me drop back even further." Dan said. "I think you're correct."

It seemed Dan and Frank followed the truck to an unlikely destination. They sent the report to the Command Center.

"We've reached a destination." Dan said. "The truck's now parked. It seems out of place."

John followed their progress on the satellite overlay map. He wanted to know what they found.

"We've been tracking you." John said. "What does it look like?"

Frank used his Terminator vision to zoom in on the sign painted on the building.

"It says the building is a furniture manufacturing firm." Frank said.

John Henry knew Skynet was full of deceit. One would think to look for something Skynet related to be associated with an electronics or technology firm. Not a manufacturer of household goods like furniture.

"It's a nice cover." John Henry said. "Who'd think to look there? No one would question the arrival and departure of multiple trucks. They could be bringing anything to the locations from raw materials, to delivering finished products to the marketplace."

John was worried about what they actually did receive and deliver.

"We know it's not furniture." John said.

Dan zoomed in his vision as well into the front window of the location.

"It looks like they actually have furniture as well." Dan said. "They're trying to look legitimate."

John Henry did some quick research at locations where furniture was actually made. He discovered some interesting facts. He thought they would work out quite well when they destroyed the building.

"Furniture stores are known for burning spectacularly." John Henry said. "They usually have an assortment of chemicals for treating or varnishing wood. They're all highly flammable."

Frank observed the wooden furniture inside as well.

"I'm sure this one will be no different." Frank said. "Do you want us to take a look inside?"

John knew the Terminators were all ready to act. He knew they couldn't get ahead of themselves until they uncovered as much information as they could. He needed to know where the big rig ended up at and what Cam's status was. He didn't want to start one leg of the operation too early and jeopardize the other locations. Once the attack started, they were all bound to know soon enough.

"Not yet, keep it under observation for now." John said. "We don't want to tip our hand before Cameron is ready. I still need to hear from Cam too. I don't want anyone cut off or trapped. If the truck leaves, I want you to follow it, the building isn't going anywhere."

"Affirmative…." Dan and Frank both said.

They both understood if the building went anywhere, it would be up in smoke. It would most likely be after a catastrophic explosion, or a series of them. Not all of them would be related to the chemicals inside.

Young Allison was aware she needed to continue with her physical training and other studies. It was a busy schedule when there was action happening. Some days left her with little time to do anything else. Some days she needed to cut back on her sleep. There was only so much time and the shortcuts came out of her rest. She understood how lucky Terminators were by not needing to waste time sleeping or eating. Both of those things seemed to tug on her schedule and make things tighter.

She was a little concerned earlier when her mother and Sarah came down into the bunker. She heard them discuss her appearance, which bothered her. She looked the way she looked. It shouldn't matter to anyone. Some people chose to do nothing, others chose to enhance their appearance. Cameron always stressed she should look her best, especially when John was around. Savannah told her before not to fix herself up 'fancy' for her. Savannah said she preferred the real version of her. It actually made her feel good. Everything Savannah did, and the way she treated her, all made her love her more.

Sarah and her mother also discussed her abilities, which pleased her. She believed her ability was based on her hard work. She did work very hard to accomplish everything and do as much as possible. She liked to push herself as much as she could all of the time. She was sure it would help her going forward, especially after Judgment Day, if it were to actually occur. She knew from working with Summer she was even more gifted than any of them could possibly imagine. It only took Summer seconds to learn anything new, it didn't matter how complicated it was. She was incredibly intelligent. Summer was also very intuitive. She always seemed to know what everyone was thinking, sometimes it seemed before they even did.

With a lull in the current activity, she decided to get her music practice in. Anna would keep her updated if anything developed, especially with Cameron and Savannah. She was to be notified immediately if there were any changes with them, other than following the truck.

She made her way out of the bunker and into the living room.

"I have a little bit of free time, Mom." Young Allison said. "I want you to know ahead of time I may have to leave in a hurry. I don't want to seem rude, especially in front of guests."

Young Allison smiled at Sarah.

Sarah could see how beautiful Young Allison was. She knew Cameron's beauty belonged to Young Allison.

Claire was pleased with the opportunity to work with her daughter. She wasn't pleased about what would cause the interruption and her need to leave. She understood the Resistance needed to keep Skynet in check and attempt to defeat it. She lived in the future, Cameron's future, for nearly nine months. She may not have fully understood the need to defeat Skynet before she was into the future, but she sure did in the first few days she was in the future. Living conditions were very harsh.

Sarah watched Young Allison interact with her mother. She saw everything about it was different from the way John interacted with her at the same age. It was clear Young Allison took the responsibilities of the future seriously. It was something which took John a while to do. In her opinion it was too long. Maybe it was a poor reflection on her. She did try.

Claire asked her daughter to start out on the piano. She wanted Sarah to hear her daughter play. Being her mother may not make her the best judge, but she thought her daughter was exceptional.

Sarah was impressed with Young Allison's ability. She was perfect on the piano and could play whatever Claire instructed. There was only one minor correction. It was actually more of a suggestion than a correction. She never knew it was even off a little.

Hanna left Jan and Summer in Summer's room and went to check with Anna. There were no changes in the operation. Everyone sat tight for now. It looked like they needed to wait for the big rig to arrive at a location. They still needed to hear from Cam as well.

Young Allison was finished with her music lesson. Now it was time to start on her dance routine.

"I can dance for you if you want to see." Young Allison told Sarah. "I try to move like a cat. It's how Cameron taught me. She said it was 'fluidity in motion' to feel like I'm a cat."

Sarah wondered why Cameron picked a cat. She knew cats were fast with quick reflexes. It was the quick reflexes which really gave them their 'nine lives'. She wondered how many lives she actually had. For all the scrapes with Skynet she was involved with, she was sure it was more than nine. She wondered about Cameron. She figured it was somewhere between ninety and nine hundred. It was never anything good to think about. Danger was danger and Cameron was always in the middle of it.

Jan and Summer came to watch Young Allison. Sarah and Claire both noticed.

"You girls will be able to do it one day too." Sarah said.

Jan hoped one day to be as good as Young Allison. Cameron already showed her the basics. Cameron told her if she wanted to be good at something, she needed to practice everyday. It wasn't always something she did.

"Cameron says we are all destined for greatness." Jan said. "She's taught me too."

Sarah was actually surprised to hear it. She didn't know Cameron worked with Jan on any dance routines. She knew Cameron worked with Jan, but she thought she taught her 'other things'. They were things she didn't want to think about, but knew they were necessary. As her mother, she didn't like to teach Jan about killing. It was one thing she was grateful to Cameron and the others for. She looked at the big smile on her daughter's face right now.

"Can you show me?" Sarah asked.

Jan did. She danced while Young Allison played.

Sarah felt tears in her eyes. She saw what beauty Cameron could teach. She knew there was true beauty in Cameron. There was a saying Cameron used to describe it. It was something like, 'Dance is the hidden language of the soul'. She wondered if it was true. She knew Cameron didn't have a soul, but did anybody really? Cameron may be a cybernetic organism, a killing machine, and a very scary robot from the future, but she was a very unique individual in almost every area.

She knew Cameron was so much more than any of them could understand.

Wait.

Savannah and Young Allison understood Cameron.

It was the 'Natural Order', Sarah thought.

Earlier:

Allison was with Cammy before Holly returned home. Now she just 'finished' being with Holly. She didn't think she was addicted to sex, but she did like to 'finish'. It was the only time when, just for a moment, nothing else mattered. The past was forgotten and the future didn't matter. There was just a moment of escape and release from everything. It was the moment to live for. The moment was the only freedom from life in the future. What seemed to make each one more special was when she never knew if it would be her last one. It always seemed to fuel the need to have another one so it wouldn't be the last one if things went wrong. It was a self perpetuating cycle of desire and ecstasy.

She was well aware Vanna lived for the moment even more than she did. Jesse was even more addicted to the moment than Vanna and her combined. None of them thought there was anything wrong with it. Why would there be? It was natural human behavior. There was no need not to take advantage of it. Even with all the girls available, both Metal girls and human girls, all three of them still liked to finish by themselves at times. What she liked about those times was she could be 'anywhere', and with 'anybody' during those moments. She was the one in total control as to what happened, even if it was all in her head. She even asked Holly a few times to check and make sure she wasn't going to wear 'anything' out or abrade it away from too much friction. She looked at her clothes on the floor.

"I don't know why I even bother with clothes." Allison said. "I think I have them off half the time."

Holly felt it was her job to provide Allison with as much sexual gratification as she desired. She enjoyed it herself. She believed it was therapeutic for Allison for more than one reason. She remembered Cameron encouraged all the Metal girls to provide their charges with as much sex as possible. They were to provide the 'finishes' and keep them going. Cameron said she liked 'happy people'. Happy people didn't cause problems.

"You need an outlet for your frustrations and anger." Holly said. "You're able to channel it into sharing and pleasure. It relieves your stress. It makes you feel better to 'finish' repeatedly. It lowers your stress levels."

Allison was afraid sometimes she overdid it, but she was always ready for more. She sometimes wondered if Cameron controlled her through sex. Whenever there was a Metal girl involved, she always knew she was going to 'finish' and 'finish' repeatedly. There was always one close by whenever she felt like she needed one. There were now three of them at the house. Currently one of them was inaccessible. She wondered how long it would last. Since Anna looked exactly like Savannah, she really wanted a crack at her.

"It does take my mind off my problems, even if it's for a short while." Allison said. "I seem to have plenty of problems."

Holly thought Allison was provided with plenty of opportunities to forget those problems, even if it was for a short time. There was no need for Allison to worry about anything. She was there to make sure everything went smoothly. It was her function, well, one of them anyway.

"Everything will be fine." Holly said.

Allison looked at Holly for a long moment. She was pretty sure they were being controlled through sex. At this point in her life she didn't really care, and it didn't really matter anymore. Growing up in the Wastelands, there was no 'tomorrow'. There's only the 'right now', and what might happen in the next two minutes. Death stalked them at every corner and turn.

Now she wanted to watch her younger self play music and dance. She wasn't sure how Young Allison was able to do all those things since she wasn't able to do them herself. What made it all worse was the fact they were the same person. They literally were the same person. Young Allison could do them and she couldn't. It really made no sense to her. It certainly didn't add to her self esteem or confidence. The feeling of 'not good enough' wasn't far behind it either.

"Let's go watch Young Allison play." Allison said. "I can't seem to learn half of what she does. I've tried. It just seems like she knows things on her own somehow."

Holly cared very much about Allison. She didn't want her to sell herself short.

"Young Allison is very intelligent, like you, Allison." Holly said. "You are both very dynamic individuals."

Allison was very grateful to Holly because she helped her expand her knowledge and work on her education. Life was tough in the Wastelands. Most of the education was on how to stay alive during her time there. The sexual education for all the females was something they all learned through abuse. She didn't know a single female her age who hadn't been abused for her first experience.

It seemed it became a way of life and nobody really paid any attention when it happened to someone, or even cared. It was just how things were and how people grew up. The majority of females sought comfort in each other most of the time. It was where they could find and experience love. Some of them tried 'breeding sex'. Very few were successful. Most wondered when the next abuse would happen. They all seemed to learn sooner or later to just lay there and let it happen. What was the point in getting beat up, hurt, or killed, for something they couldn't stop? Once the perpetrator was there with a weapon, it was going to happen. She tried to refocus on the conversation.

"I didn't have much proper schooling, but I've learned a lot more since we've been together." Allison said. "It's all thanks to you."

Holly saw Allison was about to open the door, she was still naked. She thought she should say something, but not make a big deal about it. She was sure it was not being done on purpose.

"Do you want to put a robe on or something?" Holly asked. "It might be cooler in the other room."

Allison paused and looked down at her naked form. She wondered why she was about to walk out of the room naked. She was deep in thought about the past and what life was like growing up in the Wastelands. She wanted to make light of the situation.

"It's not like they haven't seen me, or others who look exactly like me naked before." Allison said. "It's ALL of them."

Holly didn't want to point out Sarah and Jan were there. She was sure Allison remembered. She handed Allison some underwear, shorts, and a top.

When Allison turned around Holly was completely dressed. It always amazed her how quickly the Metal girls could do anything. She slipped her top on.

"I don't know how you do it." Allison said.

Holly tilted her head slightly. She explained the procedure multiple times to Allison before.

"First I put my panties on, then my bra, next…." Holly said.

Allison just smiled at her and shook her head. It was one of the things which made the Metal girls so special. There was always a certain innocence about them, even if they were stone cold killers, and very scary robots from the future. They were also the best in bed and always able to deliver a 'finish'. What else mattered? No really, what else mattered?

"You're the greatest, Holly." Allison said with a smile on her face. "It's one of the reasons why I love you so much."

Holly was very pleased to hear Allison say she loved her.

"I love you too, Allison." Holly said.

Allison considered taking her top back off right now. She could always go another round. A few more finishes wouldn't hurt anything.

Earlier:

Cammy left the Young residence and headed out onto the street. She went on a sweep of the neighborhood. It was something Cameron used to do before she was able to get more Terminators in place to watch over the Young family. She wanted to make sure all was in order and nothing was different or off. She saw a dog, but it ran off when she got closer to it. She hoped it didn't run too far. It looked like someone's pet.

She often wondered what it was like to touch and hold an animal. It seemed most humans enjoyed doing it. Most of the animals seemed to have some kind of fur. She knew fur coats used to be popular for people to wear, especially females. She wondered if people wore them so they could be more like the animals they liked to pet. She wasn't sure why they weren't popular anymore.

Cammy took one look back at where the dog went. She hoped one day they would have pheromones which would make animals like them, instead of fear them. Without the 'fear pheromones' Cameron developed, it seemed animals hated them. For some reason they acted very aggressively. It was better with the 'fear pheromones' so they ran off. She really didn't want to terminate an animal for no reason. No one would be able to pet it anymore. Not alive anyway.

She passed by a cat one time which was hit by a car, it was terminated. She thought about petting it to see what it felt like, but somehow it didn't seem right so she didn't stop and kept going. She noticed with humans, it was the reaction of the animal to them touching it which seemed to be the reward, not just to touch its fur. It seemed to be a way of physical communication, as opposed to verbal communication.

She wondered how much different it was than what happened in the bedroom when she was with another female. It seemed to be pretty much the same thing. She did need to smile to herself though because there was no 'fur' involved on any of the females associated with the Resistance. The only hair on any of them was on their head. She really wondered why it needed to be anywhere else anyway. Perhaps if humans survived long enough, it would be the way things would eventually play out.

Cammy moved down a side street. She didn't like the look of one house. It wasn't well cared for and looked run down. There were cars parked on the front lawn. She would return with a crew from the Detail house and 'help' the people 'relocate' to a neighborhood more suitable for them. She decided to sweep the surrounding streets as well. There might be some more people who would need to 'move out'. Cameron always took control of the recently vacated houses once the current occupants were no longer there. Once she did, she could control who lived there. They could also 'move out' at any point she wanted them gone. They might not always have a forwarding address.

She took one more look back at the unkempt house. The people who lived there were potential future Scavengers and would need to be dealt with. She wasn't going to take any chances around Young Allison or Summer. It was time she took out the trash.

Cam made it as far as she could through the drainage pipes. It was a dead end where she was currently at. Four smaller pipes led into the tiny chamber she was in. She felt the ground around her start to vibrate. She didn't think it was an earthquake. The vibrations continued to grow. They were constant and steady. It was something different. It seemed to be some type of machinery. It was something which must be big and powerful to cause them.

She quickly moved back to the last opening she encountered and was about to peer out when she heard the throaty rumble. There was a switch engine moving towards the boxcars on the siding. It paused at the gate. There were two men there to open it. The engine RPM picked up. Twin columns of black exhaust were blasted skyward. There was one black cloud from each of the stubby short exhaust stacks on the switcher's hood. She identified it as an SW1500. She quickly ran through her database as to the makeup of the locomotive. It was powered by a V12 diesel engine. Each cylinder was 645 cubic inches. There were V16 and V20 models available as well with the same 645 cubic inch displacement per cylinder. This particular model wasn't turbocharged, it was normally aspirated. The turbocharged locomotives were equipped with a single exhaust stack on the locomotive engines. The turbocharger on locomotive engines normally produced approximately fifty percent more horsepower as well.

"Bob, is anything else happening?" Cam asked.

Bob was relieved to receive a transmission from Cam. He was very worried about her long period of silence.

"No. The locomotive just arrived with a short train. It left the other cars on the mainline." Bob said. "It looks like the switcher is going to pull the two boxcars there out and then replace them with two more. It needs to go through the switching move it's in the process of doing to accomplish it."

Cam quickly called up her files of her earlier trek over to where the rail siding was at. She determined she might be able to get inside the compound unobserved. It was going to take quick action on her part.

"I'm going dark for a while." Cam said. "I'm going to move back into the flood control channel and get closer to the stopped train."

Cam moved quickly away from the opening so she didn't receive any negative feedback from the Command Center as to what she wanted to do. She headed back out the way she came and entered the narrow flood control channel which fed into the larger one next to the railroad tracks.

"I'm out and headed for the short bridge the spur track crosses over the flood control channel on." Cam said. "I think I can get under one of the boxcars they're about to move inside the facility. I need to hurry."

John looked over at John Henry and saw he was as concerned as he was. It was clear what Cam wanted to do sounded exactly like something Cameron would do. Then again, he needed to consider the source. What was the difference between Cam and Cameron? It seemed the only difference was four less letters in her name. Oh yeah, one shared his bed, while the other one didn't. Not yet anyway.

"It sounds risky." John said.

Cam ran out of the drainage opening from the old newspaper facility into the flood control channel feeder branch. She headed into the main channel the small railroad bridge crossed over. She knew she needed to hurry to pull it off, if it was even possible, and not be spotted. It would blow the whole operation if she was and an alarm was sounded.

She didn't want any negative feedback. She pointed out everything was risky.

"Crossing a street is risky." Cam said. "We need to find out more about this operation. To infiltrate the location on the underside of a rail car won't be something they will expect."

John didn't want to argue it out with Cam. He knew she was a 'version of Cameron'. The argument would go nowhere and Cam would be agitated and upset with him afterwards. She would most likely still do the task she set out to accomplish, regardless of what he said or even 'ordered'. There was no point to make a scene or issue over something he really didn't have any control over, even if he was the General.

Cam saw the locomotive pull the two boxcars from the old newspaper building. They passed over the small bridge in front of her. She quickly pressed herself against the side of the flood control channel wall so she wouldn't be spotted easily. She didn't want to be spotted by the locomotive crew or the Grays who waited at the gate.

As soon as the locomotive passed, Cam ran towards the bridge. She was directly under it. Above her, off to the south side, she heard the boxcars couple together. In a short time, the locomotive accelerated again, followed by the 'pop' of air hoses, or 'glad hands', as the two fresh boxcars for the facility were pulled from the rest of the short train.

It was time to act. Cam jumped up and caught the bottom of the bridge. It was an 'open deck' bridge. She moved out along the bottom of the ties. She was ready to pull herself up after the first boxcar was shoved across, and come up underneath the second one. The two boxcars would be moving during this procedure. Timing would be important. She didn't want to lose an arm or a leg and be spotted in damaged condition. It would make combat much more difficult.

She could hear the locomotive slow as the switch was thrown for the siding. The rumbling increased and the bridge began to shake slightly. A dark shadow moved over the top of her. The first boxcar started over the bridge. It was directly above her. The first set of axles on the lead truck of the first boxcar passed over her. She pulled herself up between the narrow gap between two wooden ties and flattened herself out along the ties between the rails. The two axles of the rear truck on the first boxcar passed over her. She remained flat against the ties as the two axles of the first truck on the second boxcar passed over her. She rolled over onto her back and reached out to pull herself up and cling to the underside of the second boxcar as it moved along. She was able to get a good handhold and pull herself up flat underneath the boxcar. She hooked her feet on the air line. Unless someone actually looked underneath the boxcar, she shouldn't be visible.

Cam saw the legs of guards standing on either side of the gate as she looked from underneath the boxcar. The SW1500 shoved the cars into the siding. She passed by the guards without them checking anything. There was a hiss of air and a jolt with a loud squealing sound. The boxcars stopped moving. There was a loud 'clang' as the boxcars being pushed ran out the slack in the coupler draw-bars. There was a crewman who climbed down. He set the hand brake and uncoupled the two boxcars from another boxcar. It looked like one of the box cars they just pulled out. It was the way the switching maneuver needed to be performed. It was followed by the sound of the locomotive backing away. She bent her head down and saw the locomotive with the two box cars it originally pulled out of the siding move over the bridge to reclaim its train. One guard closed the gate and locked it. They disappeared toward the west side. They never even glanced back at the newly spotted boxcars.

"I'm in." Cam said. "The guards have moved away."

Bob watched the entire process with a lot of concern and trepidation as Cam boarded the train while it moved along the siding and disappeared behind the east side of the building. A short time later the locomotive returned with the two boxcars it originally pulled out of the siding and went to collect the rest of its train which still sat on the main line.

"The guards are headed to the west side and will soon turn to head north." Bob said.

It appeared Cammy went from the frying pan into the fire.

She was all alone and at the enemies' doorstep, literally.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I'm In

Is there such a thing as too close
Where one can't see
What's in front of them
Or hear a simple plea

Love is like a drug
The more one gets
The more they need
Their brain goes on the fritz

Love makes one deaf
Love makes one blind
The sad part about it is
It all happens in their mind

The destination is always the same
The path to get there is not
Maybe it shows one's true intent
If they're only focused on the slot

If the goal is only to win
At that point it's just a sin
It's over before it can begin
When all that matters is - I'm in

Nobody