Chapter 744

It Is The Truth

Cameron, Savannah, and Cammy were in an SUV. They were headed towards a suspected Gray hideout. Cameron obtained the location through a vicious interrogation. The interrogation ended with the Gray being severely 'punished' for his insults directed at Cameron. It was a little more than was required for his termination. It wasn't the first time some additional 'punishment' was inflicted during an interrogation because of someone's foul mouth. It certainly wouldn't be the last time.

Savannah was a little concerned at the nature of the path they were currently on. Both Cammy and her questioned the 'road'. Cameron said it was an old construction road which hadn't been used in years. It seemed to her nature did a pretty good job of reclaiming the landscape for its own.

The bumpy journey over the almost vanished dirt road, finally led them to a gate.

Cameron checked all the instruments on the SUV. Everything still looked good. There was no indication she was leaking any fluids which would compromise the SUV from continuing the journey. It was something she continuously monitored and needed to reduce her speed on multiple occasions as the conditions of the dirt road deteriorated more in some locations than others.

She stopped at an old gate. It was surrounded by a high fence.

Savannah took one look at the fence.

"It looks like a high security fence, even if it looks old." Savannah said.

Cameron could see Savannah was correct. She would expect no less for the location they were at.

"It's only a minor obstacle on our journey." Cameron said. "We need to investigate what the property manager was up to."

Cameron asked Cammy to take the wheel when she exited the vehicle.

"Be ready to drive through as soon as I open it." Cameron said.

Cammy got out of the rear and moved to the driver's seat.

Cameron communicated with CamNet to deactivate the sensors and alarm for sixty seconds. Everything would be looped to mask their entrance.

She made her way towards the gate. CamNet indicated the clock was started. She cautiously touched the gate and didn't receive an electrical shock. She picked the lock and opened the gate.

Cammy was behind the wheel. Even before the second gate was fully open she started forward and drove in.

Cameron closed and locked the gate behind them. She informed CamNet they were in and to resume normal security. She walked up to the SUV and got in.

"Let's roll." Cameron said.

Savannah tried to keep track of where they were at by dead reckoning.

"Aren't we inside the grounds of the power plant now?" Savannah asked. "This is the 'back country' area which is located miles from anything. It seems what we just did was a little too easy. I know we received some assistance, but I don't think someone who wanted to breach the perimeter would have needed to do too much more than what we did to do so, and remain undetected."

Cameron thought the security should be a little tighter. She would recommend it to CamNet going forward for the security of the nuclear power plant. Their entrance was little more than a walk in the park. It was a rather simple. She needed to work harder to get into some of the drug trafficking operations which were very small scale and low budget.

"Yes. It's something I'll look into. The route we're on was an old construction road." Cameron said. "CamNet has control of their security and they didn't detect our breach of the perimeter. We don't know if anyone else is monitoring anything."

Savannah looked behind them at the locked gate. She was sure Cameron meant some version of Skynet, or its operatives.

"Something tells me we're not going back out the same way." Savannah said.

Cameron was given the location by a Gray before his termination. She didn't know exactly where everything was located, but she did have a general description of the overall layout of where everything was at. It would be her starting point. He couldn't give her exact details because he didn't know everything. He only knew parts of it from his association with other Grays who were more involved with what actually went on.

The Grays they dealt with were part of the 'cleanup team' and muscle for the group. They bumped into a little bit more than they anticipated. They were more than a little surprised to find out they were intercepted by the legendary 'Metal Bitch'. It was a term Cameron didn't care to hear, even if it instilled fear into the enemy. So far all of the Grays she encountered thought it was a myth. She wanted to keep them guessing. They still had some distance to cover to near the area indicated. There should be another way out near there. It was bound to be monitored by the enemy.

"It's doubtful we will use the same gate." Cameron said. "I'll need to advance on foot in a few miles. You and Cammy will be able to back me up if I need it. I don't want to bring the vehicle too close in the beginning. I don't want to give away my position until I can see exactly what we're going to face."

Savannah didn't want Cameron going into the unknown alone. There were a lot of unknowns about the operation. Everything was unknown about it. She knew she needed to accompany Cameron. She figured Cameron would be less likely to take chances if she was with her.

"I'll go with you." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted to tell Savannah she did 'enough' for today. She would need to think about Savannah's suggestion based upon the risks bound to await them. There seemed to be a series of questions she would need to get answers for.

"I'll decide when we get closer." Cameron said. "We need to find out what the Grays are doing with all the power. I don't know how rough the terrain is going to be as we near the location. I may need to travel rapidly at times to avoid detection."

Savannah understood Cameron indicated she would slow her down. She knew it was a valid concern. She thought she knew what Cameron was really after. It went back to the mine they almost perished in, and all the energy the Grays used for some unknown purpose. There was a lot of heat generated by something when they cut the power off. The explosion which followed when everything went critical, exhibited near the power of a small nuclear blast. There was no radiation associated with it. At least there was no radiation which leaked out or was detected. They didn't know how deep the source of the blast actually was. Cameron was never able to find out what it exactly was. She was sure Cameron thought the same thing would be found there with almost unlimited energy available. She decided to prompt Cameron and see where it led.

"We never did find out what they were using all the power for in the mine we 'visited'." Savannah said. "I know you followed up on it later on. You never reported if you actually found anything or not."

Cameron was always dissatisfied she never knew exactly what went on inside the mine. There was also the partially constructed TDE she believed could transport anything from the future or the past, without the need to be covered with organic matter. She made detailed scans of everything related to it which was unboxed or uncrated at the time.

"There was a lot of heat coming from somewhere inside the mine when things started to go wrong." Cameron said. "It was a close one. I think they attempted to create a giant power cell. I believe they needed all the energy to get it started once it was constructed. I think we interrupted the process rather abruptly."

Savannah felt responsible for the explosion which followed. She was the one who ordered the power tap be disconnected after a certain time period once they entered the mine. The Terminators on the outside followed her directive. It seemed to start a chain of events which nearly ended in disaster for all of them. She decided to issue a cautionary warning to Cameron. She was in no hurry for a repeat performance of the escapade. She was still a little bothered when she was in a confined space now, but didn't let it turn into claustrophobia. It was always a reminder of how close things could get to the 'end'.

"I wouldn't care to go through the same thing again anytime soon." Savannah said. "I don't think you would either."

Savannah actually thought she would die in the mine, but said nothing. Even when she felt herself slipping away, she remained quiet. She didn't want to be a burden to Cameron and Cammy. She only asked Cameron to make sure her girls in the future were OK. At the time, she was pretty sure it was her 'last request'. She knew Cameron would honor it, even if she needed to use a clone or surrogate to do it. It was also on the presumption the Terminators would be able to get out of the predicament they were in. At the time there was no guarantee any of them were going to get out at all.

Cammy slowed suddenly. She was driving without lights the entire time. It was the first time she seemed to use extreme caution and slow down to almost a complete stop.

Savannah felt a sense of real danger now. She was sure Cammy must have spotted a threat. She didn't see anything herself.

"What is it?" Savannah asked.

Cameron caught a glimpse of something else as well at the same time Cammy must have.

"Something moved across the road." Cameron said. "I saw it too."

Savannah was worried. She thought there were several possible explanations. They were in an extremely remote area. There was most certainly no vehicle traffic, or even foot traffic where they currently were. They could have interrupted some animal's dinner.

"Was it an animal?" Savannah asked. "It may have been hunting."

Cammy replayed her files and hoped to identify whatever it was she caught a glimpse of.

"It may have been." Cammy said. "It may have been something else too."

Savannah was pretty sure if it wasn't an animal, they may have just been made.

"Do you mean like a Gray or a Terminator?" Savannah asked. "Do you think they have an LP set up? They certainly wouldn't be expecting a blacked out vehicle to be on this road."

Cameron double checked with CamNet. None of the power plant security patrols were within miles of where they were currently at. It was also several hours since the cleanup crew sent after the Property Manager should have reported back. She didn't look forward to a 'welcoming committee', but there was a good chance it's exactly what they were going to face.

"It could be a listening post or a patrol." Cameron said. "The Skynet forces have to know something went wrong. They may be expecting us. They are certainly going to be on a heightened alert if nothing else."

Cameron now wondered if she should have looked for another way in. The choices were very limited unless she trekked in on foot over the back of the mountain to the west. It would have taken considerably more time. Now, it may have been a safer choice. They were already committed to this endeavor. If they were 'made', they were a target anyway. The best course of action was to push on to the target area, even if they needed to do it on foot.

Savannah thought some reinforcements might be in order if they were going to face some type of organized resistance.

"We can call in more help." Savannah said. "I know you asked for drone support."

Cameron did call for drone support as soon as it was dark enough to send them. There was still a certain amount of travel time involved. Her main thought was to have John protected.

"We'll have some drones soon." Cameron said. "John Henry already dispatched them. John will have some as well. His safety comes first. We should probably be there ourselves to back him up and deal with this location another time. I didn't want them to hide whatever they were doing before I could come back."

Cammy wanted to remind them the whole reason why they were there in the first place. There were two boxcars of HK equipment which 'disappeared' into what they believed were three big rigs. Those big rigs may or may not contain the actual HK equipment. Some of it could have been offloaded at the location they were headed to. It would present them with a formidable enemy force if it was the case.

"They may have HK drones or even HK Tracks here." Cammy said. "If they have either of those on station, it will be a serious threat."

Savannah currently wore her 'night vision' equipment. She looked at the ever worsening terrain ahead of the SUV. She realized she would be a liability to Cameron and prevent her from operating at her full potential in the darkness of this rough landscape.

"I'll be at a disadvantage in this terrain in the dark." Savannah said. "If they have patrols, continuing to follow the road is out. It's where an ambush will be set up. I'll slow you down too much moving over the rougher terrain, even with my 'night vision' on."

Cameron was still unsure if there was even a threat on or near the road.

"I don't know what we saw, other than movement." Cameron said. "Even having replayed the file a dozen times, I'm unable to tell. It was just some movement of some type."

Savannah didn't want to end up in an ambush if the Grays were waiting for them.

"We need to fall back then." Savannah said. "At least until we get drone support."

Cameron didn't plan to wait. She would move out on foot. She believed Savannah's plan might have some merit.

"You and Cammy will do so." Cameron said. "I'm going to take a look around."

Cameron wanted to exit the SUV and recon the surrounding area. She would try to flank the position she saw the movement in. She sure hoped it's not what they wanted her to do if it was an ambush. It was time to find out.

Ally did her 'drive by' after letting Sheila out down the street. The house looked no different than any of the other houses on the same street. It was an affluent community.

"There are lights on." Ally said. "There are no vehicles visible."

John thought there should be at least one vehicle.

"What about the car the guy must have taken to the motel?" John asked.

Bob checked the area surrounding the motel while John and the others were inside the restaurant. He came up empty handed then.

"We never identified one." Bob said.

It sounded rather odd to John since the man's residence was miles away from the motel at Avila Beach.

"Do you mean someone dropped him off there?" John asked.

Bob was pretty sure the vehicle would be used as part of the plan to replace the Property Manager.

"More than likely the vehicle was 'boosted' as soon as the man became 'involved' with the female Gray." Bob said. "They knew he wouldn't need it anymore. His wife would expect to see the vehicle."

John hoped they gained some better insight as to exactly what the man was up to.

"What do the security logs show as to the whereabouts of the man?" John asked.

John Henry was a little surprised as to what the man's status was.

"They show he called in 'sick' today." John Henry reported.

Gail brought the van around the block to make her run past the house.

"I'm making my pass in the opposite direction." Gail said. "I spotted movement inside the house."

Sheila, by prearrangement, would pass by the house on foot very soon.

"I'll walk by in a minute." Sheila said. "If no neighbors are out, I'll move up to take a look."

John didn't want the recon to turn into an ambush for them.

"Use extreme caution." John said. "If he's been replaced by a Terminator, he'll be watching for us. He will know something went wrong with the property manager's termination."

Sheila felt surprise was still on their side.

"My bet is, he won't be watching for a female Terminator." Sheila said. "Especially one this Hot…."

John Henry wanted to remind them of other possible hidden dangers. They still didn't know what they'd stumbled on to.

"There may be Grays watching the house as well." John Henry said. "This operation wasn't planned in a day. One of the other houses may be under their control already and used as an observation post. It could be the same way we run the Detail houses to protect the Young and Reese residences."

John really hoped Sheila didn't go 'Cameron' on him. There was a chance she would do it based upon her earlier negative interaction with Cameron. She might feel she needed to prove something. She already stated she could do everything Cameron could. He was still sure it wasn't just about conducting an operation against an enemy.

"Keep any additional surveillance in mind, Sheila." John said. "Don't take any chances. You could have the enemy come at you from more than one direction."

Sheila planned to take a good look around. There was no need to have John worry about it. She was still going to do it anyway. The best thing to do was just agree with him and continue with her plan. It seemed to be the best course of action to follow under normal circumstances.

"You got it, love." Sheila said.

Gail was ready to make a rear approach to the target location. The original goal was to make sure the Terminator didn't escape to the rear of the location if he thought he was about to be attacked in the front. They didn't want him to get away. A hostile Terminator was always a threat.

"I'm now parked on the street in back of the target house." Gail said. "I'll try to move up through one of the yards in the back, or on either side in the back to take a closer look."

John thought it might be problematic. There were the unknown neighbors and pets to deal with. He started to worry about unplanned terminations of humans and animals around the location. He didn't want to make a big deal about it. He understood if there was a Terminator there, they couldn't allow it to get away.

"Use caution." John said.

Gail currently used the predator pheromones Cameron developed for the Terminators. They were very effective against all types of animals.

"I need to make sure there are no dogs." Gail said. "The owners may wonder why the dog is cowering or terrified. None of the animals choose to engage once they detect the predator pheromones."

Usually if the animal couldn't run, it sat in a pool of urine and quaked.

Sheila was near the house. She decided to make her move. She cut across the lawn from the sidewalk. She would need to use maximum caution since there was a hostile Terminator involved.

"I'm moving up to a window." Sheila whispered. "I'm going silent for now."

John thought it was a good precaution. He didn't think it would give them much warning if she needed it.

"How will we know if you need help?" John asked.

Ally was in similar positions before. She was close by now in a large luxury SUV.

"I think the gunfire will be a good clue." Ally said. "I'm ready to roll on the house in twenty seconds. I have five thousands pounds of SUV ready to run down anything in my way."

Ally was ready to back Sheila up, all the way.

Sheila and Ally may bicker in both public and private. One thing was for sure, they would always be there for each other during an operation. They wanted to make sure they were there for each other when it was their alone time which always followed.

Cammy disconnected the contact switch from the brake pedal to the brake lights earlier. She didn't deactivate the 'back up' lights. She swung around in a tight circle to head back the way they came, instead of backing up. She wanted to make sure there was no illumination from their vehicle

Cameron was ready to get out.

"Stop here." Cameron said.

Cammy stopped and Cameron exited.

Cameron took out the 'dome light' before she got out.

Savannah was a little surprised Cameron took the time to do it. She wanted to give her a playful alternative.

"I thought you were going to get out 'NASCAR style'." Savannah said.

Cameron tilted her head slightly to the side. It was an effective strategy in some instances. Right now she was fully geared up.

"If I didn't have all my gear on, I would have." Cameron said.

Cammy wanted to make sure Cameron knew what their location would be.

"We'll fall back a quarter of a mile." Cammy said.

Cameron planned to stay off the road as she conducted her recon.

"I'll advance off to the side of the road." Cameron said. "I'm going to check for an IED."

Cammy wanted to make sure Cameron and her were on the same page.

"I want you to tell me how far to move up and when." Cammy said. "Don't get too far ahead of us. We need to be able to back you up or retrieve you."

Savannah sensed right away Cameron would attempt to take all the risk to keep her safe. It was unacceptable to her. She wanted to be able to help Cameron and back her up.

"Cameron, you will not endanger yourself needlessly." Savannah said. "Let us keep moving up to reinforce you if necessary."

Cameron saw it a little differently than Savannah did. She wanted to be close enough to backup Cammy and Savannah if the situation warranted it. She didn't want it to go hot in the other direction.

"OK, Savannah." Cameron said and moved off.

Savannah wasn't so sure Cameron was going to listen to her. She looked over at Cammy.

"I don't like her being out alone." Savannah said. "I want you to go with her."

Cammy felt a glitch impulse. It wasn't part of the plan.

"It would leave you all alone." Cammy said. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Savannah didn't want to argue the point. She was aware it was a less than ideal choice.

"I know the risks." Savannah said.

Cammy was still disturbed about what she believed happened earlier between Savannah and John. She didn't know nothing actually occurred.

"There have been enough 'bad ideas' today." Cammy said.

Savannah understood Cammy's concern but she didn't really care for the jab.

"OK, Cammy." Savannah said. "I don't want to talk about it."

Cammy began to scan Savannah again.

Savannah didn't care for the attention under the current conditions.

"You just scanned me a short time ago." Savannah said.

Cammy didn't see it as a big deal.

"I wanted to check." Cammy said.

Savannah was irritated at this point.

"What did you want to check for?" Savannah asked. "What would be different?"

Cammy looked at Savannah.

"I wanted to know if you got pregnant." Cammy said.

Savannah thought the question was absurd. She currently carried Vanna's embryo.

"I already am." Savannah said. "You know it's from Vanna."

Cammy still felt it was a legitimate concern.

"I wanted to see if you got pregnant again." Cammy said.

Savannah was intrigued by the idea.

"Is it even possible?" Savannah asked.

Cammy was aware there was plenty of medical proof to back up her concern. She was unaware it was a concern of Cameron's as well.

"It's been known to happen with surrogate births." Cammy said. "It's been known to happen with natural births as well, even if it is extremely uncommon, it isn't impossible."

Savannah wasn't sure what Cammy was after. She didn't want to have the conversation.

"I don't want to talk about it." Savannah said. "Don't say anything else about it, period."

Cammy started to move her hand from Savannah's neck.

Savannah reached up and held it in place. She wanted to make things clear to Cammy and give her a little reassurance as well. Maybe it wasn't all she would give her.

"Nothing has changed between us, Cammy." Savannah said. "Everything is the same now between us as it was before."

Cammy continued to scan Savannah and detected she hadn't lied to her.

"It is the truth." Cammy said. "You're being truthful."

Savannah believed she was normally truthful to Cammy anyway. She wanted to make her position a little clearer without actually saying what the truth was.

"I just wanted you to KNOW it." Savannah said. "It is the truth. Nothing has changed."

Savannah hoped Cammy would figure out what it meant for her own peace of mind. It seemed to her Cammy was more 'disturbed' about what she thought happened than Cameron was. It wasn't how she expected it to go down at all. It made her question her decision to indicate the mating process was completed, when it actually never occurred. She didn't want Cammy to have a 'problem' and revert to some version of 'Allison' on her. Even worse, she could revert to some version of a Skynet controlled 'Cameron'. Cameron assured her before none of her clones possessed any Skynet related programming. She thought there could always be something hidden. She hoped she never found out.

The more she thought about it, the more she understood Cammy's concern. Cameron would only need to share John with her if the mating process were to continue. Cammy feared she would be rejected and deactivated because she was no longer necessary. She probably figured it was the excuse Cameron would use to terminate her.

Sheila headed across the lawn through the neighbor's yard. She didn't want to make a direct approach from off the sidewalk in front of the house. There hadn't been any external security cameras detected. She wanted to come across the gap between the two houses. There was a fence which separated them.

She crossed over the driveway of the target house and moved along up against the garage door.

She could hear two voices inside. She moved up to a window in the target house and peered in. She only allowed one eye to appear in the corner of the window.

The property manager's wife wore a bathrobe. She held a bottle of alcohol in one hand. The bathrobe hung open, she was naked underneath it. All of her private parts were on full display.

Sheila listened to the conversation. There seemed to be some type of verbal altercation in progress.

"I was busy at work." The Terminator said. "I told you already."

The female staggered and almost fell. She remained on her feet. She grasped the bottle of alcohol a little tighter. It was clear it was something she didn't want to lose.

"Don't lie to me. You were with some whore today." She said as she took another drink.

The Terminator who replaced her husband said nothing. He looked exactly like the man they terminated in the motel room.

The property manager's wife became even more irritated because he didn't respond to her.

"I'm talking to you." She said. "You were with some whore today. Don't think I don't know how you think."

The Terminator appeared somewhat agitated by the repeated questioning.

"I heard you the first time." The Terminator said.

The property manager's wife took a long swig from the bottle she held.

"Then hear me again." She said. "You were with some whore today."

The Terminator would have preferred if she passed out as she did earlier. He found the alcoholic drink with the highest percent of alcohol in it so she would pass out.

"Go back to bed, you're drunk." The Terminator said. "You should not drink and think."

The property manager's wife lifted a sagging breast and offered it to the Terminator.

The blank look on his face never changed.

"You can't even make love to me anymore. I've thrown myself at you and you refuse me." She said. "I know what's going on. I saw you with her. She's half my age. No. She's probably even younger."

The Terminator was instantly alert. It sounded like a new problem to him.

"When did you see us?" The Terminator asked.

The female took another long swig from the bottle.

"I saw you today." She said. "I followed you."

The Terminator tilted his head slightly to the side. It was an unforeseen development.

"That's most unfortunate." The Terminator said.

He took a few steps towards her.

The property manager's wife released her sagging breast. It plopped down against her belly and slid off to the side. It was apparent time caught up with her and ravaged her female figure.

"I turned the Bitch in." She said. "It's not unfortunate for me."

The new development sounded like trouble to The Terminator. He was aware they lost contact with some of their group. He didn't have all the details on it yet. The new turn of events sounded like it may be related. The property manager's wife may have been responsible because of her jealousy. He needed to know more.

"You turned her in to whom?" The Terminator asked.

The wife took another drink. She staggered and the bottle fell from her hand to the floor but it didn't break. The amber liquid ran out of it onto the floor.

The Terminator reached out and scooped her up before she fell.

"Who did you turn her in to?" The Terminator asked.

Her head bobbed back and forth several times.

"Who did you turn her in to?" The Terminator asked again.

Her robe fell open and off the right side of her body.

The Terminator tapped her face a couple of times. It appeared she passed out. It probably saved her life right now. The Terminator needed to find out who she contacted. It sounded as if there might be a string of terminations to carry out. He needed to find out what happened to their operatives.

He set her on the sofa. He made no effort to cover her half naked body.

"You should not drink and want to have sex." The Terminator said.

Sheila heard everything. She wondered who the drunken wife could have turned the female Gray in to.

The Terminator took out his phone and made a call. He took out some car keys and headed for the door to the garage.

Sheila heard the car start and the garage door open.

She was worried about what was happening. Something was 'off'.

Sheila wasn't sure if she was made or not. She quickly moved away from where she was. Things might be getting ready to go hot.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I Haven't Decided Yet

It never seems to change
Time after time after time
In the future or the past
You should be mine

People have come
People have gone
Always to each other
We seem to have been drawn

Sometimes it is hot
Sometimes it is cold
Time has proven
Our love never grows old

Should I go forward
Or stay and return
Is it for tomorrow
Or yesterday that I yearn

I think you can say
It's a pretty good bet
The future or past
I haven't decided yet

Nobody