Chapter 745

Floor It

After Cameron exited the SUV, she moved rapidly away from Cammy and Savannah. The information she received from John Henry and CamNet showed her target area was still a few miles ahead of her. She was sure Skynet in some form was up to something.

Cameron went wide around the spot she saw the movement and came up on it from the back side. She went through her various vision spectrums as she scanned for a target. So far nothing turned up.

There didn't appear to be anything in the road or alongside it. There were no wires she could see. There was always the chance it could be radio or phone detonated, so it could be activated by 'command detonation'. It usually meant the enemy would need to have eyes on the target. There was still no sign of anyone, or any type of surveillance device.

Cameron looked up and off to the side. She could hear something coming. There was a drone off in the distance. She briefly looked around for cover before she was informed by John Henry it was a Resistance drone. It did cause her a moment of consternation. She wanted to warn Cammy and Savannah as well so they didn't worry like she did.

"Cammy, I have a drone spotted." Cameron said. "It's ours."

John Henry brought the drone down to a moderate altitude. It was currently out of human hearing range, but not Terminator hearing range. It was equipped with the new power plants which were much quieter than any they encountered before. It couldn't be heard far from where it was at. It was able to operate at much lower altitudes. The lower it could go, the better its thermal sensors were able to perform.

"Cameron, I'm looking down at your position." John Henry said.

Cameron was concerned about her immediate area. She hadn't been able to spot anything on her own and hoped if there was anything there, John Henry could find it. She needed to make sure there was no threat.

"Is there anything around me, human or Terminator?" Cameron asked. "It may even be some type of animal. It could be anything from a mammal to a reptile. Our arrival in this area may have spooked whatever it was. There probably hasn't been a vehicle down this route in over a decade. It most likely would startle any animal."

John Henry searched the area around Cameron. He also began to receive images from a second feed. There was another drone about to arrive.

"There's nothing I can detect." John Henry said. "There's a second drone which should be on station soon as well. It's only picked up Cammy and Savannah, other than you."

Cameron still wasn't satisfied everything was detected yet. Maybe whatever she spotted earlier was already gone.

"Cammy and I both spotted movement." Cameron said. "It moved from north to south. It was twenty feet to the west of my current position."

John Henry double checked the area around both Cammy's SUV and Cameron. The search came up negative again. There wasn't anything spotted through any vision spectrum.

"There's nothing there I can detect." John Henry said. "It may have been an animal and you could have spooked it. It may have run off, or be in a burrow. They often dig one to hide or rest in."

Cameron still wasn't sold on the idea. If it was an animal, and it did enter some type of burrow, it would explain why it was undetectable currently. She wanted John Henry to expand the search parameters of the drones which just arrived.

"It's a possibility. The road we were on is no longer in use. I'm five miles out from the target area." Cameron said. "What's between me and the location? We don't know if there are any Terminators present. It's a strong possibility."

John Henry took one drone up to a higher altitude to be out of Terminator detection range. He had it fly to the area Cameron indicated. He kept a second drone in a figure eight pattern between Cammy's SUV and Cameron's position. It could be to either location in a matter of seconds.

"I haven't been able to detect anything." John Henry said.

Cameron hoped it would make her trek a little less stressful. Her biggest worry now would be to get targeted by any hostile HK drones. They knew this group possessed them, so it was always a real threat.

"Watch for any HK drones." Cameron said. "What do you make of the target area?"

John Henry gained some additional altitude with the drone as he approached the target area.

"I can see it is located near the power transmission lines." John Henry said. "It appears to be located next to a hillside."

John Henry's report seemed to confirm Cameron's suspicions. The area indicated didn't show up on any of the satellite imagery. She was only able to determine the location from the Gray she interrogated, and then brutally terminated by 'punishing' him for his insolent and filthy mouth. He terminated in agony.

"It's what I was afraid of." Cameron said. "It is well camouflaged from the satellite photos. Someone went to a lot of work to make sure it wouldn't be discovered from the air, at least by satellite imagery."

John Henry figured there needed to be more than what he was able to detect with the drone. It was most likely built into the hillside or underground.

"Do you think it's a tunnel or mine?" John Henry asked. "It may be a bunker as well."

Cameron wasn't sure what to make of it at this juncture. It would call for a closer observation. The description of the location and its nearness to the high tension power lines seemed to indicate it was very similar to the operation which was taken down in the mine. She hoped to get a look inside and see if they possessed the advanced TDE, and if it was operational. Any information she could glean on the construction of a giant power cell would also benefit the Resistance going forward. If it was any of the things John Henry or she thought, some additional assistance could come in handy. She would like to take as much as possible with them if it was already constructed.

"Where are our other teams of Terminators?" Cameron asked.

John Henry directed them earlier to where they were currently located. It was a back road onto the property of the nuclear power plant which was in place for fire fighting. It was miles away from the reactor and power generating facilities themselves.

"They are in position on the dirt road leading to the far end of the compound." John Henry said. "There has been no activity there since their arrival."

Based on the nature of what she suspected, she doubted the Skynet forces abandoned the location. There was always the slim chance they may have panicked and run once their hit team disappeared, but most likely they were still there. The position would probably be fortified.

"I doubt they've pulled out." Cameron said. "I think they're hiding and waiting. It's going to make our job a little more difficult if we encounter opposition."

John Henry was ready to send the teams of Terminators to a location ahead of Cameron. They could either secure the area or assault it. He made the movement of the team's quietly to keep them off of John's radar. John was already tied up with his own operation. He didn't want John to tell him to commence the attack before Cameron signaled it was OK. He figured he better double check and see what she wanted to do.

"Do you want to send in our teams?" John Henry asked. "They could get things started, or possibly even wrapped up before you arrive. Your team could intercept any stragglers who may escape in your direction, or try to make it to the power plant itself."

Cameron looked over to the location where Cammy and Savannah were at inside the SUV. The best safety for Savannah's part would dictate she allowed John Henry to send in the teams of Terminators now. Her personal quest to deal with Skynet herself indicated otherwise. She wanted to know what was there before any destruction began. She previously lost what was inside of the mine due to unforeseen results. She hoped to do better this time. She was sure whatever it was, it was a similar setup. The location near the high tension transmission power lines was the indicator. She didn't believe it was just a coincidence.

She thought about the best way to do things. She immediately started in the direction alongside the road to get closer to the target area. She needed to consider the possibility there might be HK equipment hidden there in addition to any Terminators.

"No, I'll check the target area myself first. I think you need to move the drones to a higher altitude in case there are any Terminators there. I don't want to alert them. Increase the altitude to stay out of HK Track detection range as well." Cameron said. "Cammy, move up the road two miles and then hold until my next instructions. I'm traveling down the road now to see if I trigger anything."

Savannah was appalled at what Cameron just said. She didn't want Cameron to trigger a booby trap. She wanted her to use a little more care as she proceeded.

"Don't use yourself as bait." Savannah said. "Cameron, use caution. The goal is to reach the target location in one piece. If there's a closer dirt road to the target area, it's probably the same road the Grays use to go to and from there. You said it yourself, the gate we used hadn't been opened in probably a decade when you opened it earlier. The road we're on has been forgotten to time. Use good judgment, for all of us."

Cameron moved swiftly and quietly through the darkness. She felt everything was under control. She felt her judgment was good.

"I am." Cameron said.

Cameron wanted to move in on the position. She also wanted Savannah to be safe. She was willing to take the risk to protect Savannah. She didn't think anyone would watch the route they were on because it didn't exist on any maps and was mostly reclaimed by the terrain over time.

The more she learned about the operation, the more involved it seemed. Maybe she was being over cautious and worried about nothing more than some animal. She calculated the way they were about to arrive should be undetected and unexpected. Now she wondered if she miscalculated.

She was aware there were risks to all operations. This one was no different.

Cameron also monitored the com traffic from John's operation. She was certain he was in danger because there was a Terminator involved with the location he was near. She thought the Metal girls would be able to handle it on their own. She wanted Bob to keep him as far away as possible. Unfortunately he put up a lot of resistance to being too far from where the action was. It was typical of his behavior. It gave her one more thing to worry about and she moved along the trail forgotten to time.

Sheila was by the window. She heard the car start, and the garage door start to open. It was time to move. She didn't like the suddenness of how things happened. She couldn't hear the conversation of the Terminator when he used his phone. She wasn't even sure he actually made a phone call. He may have sent a text message to someone or something similar. Now the car was running and the garage door was opening. It meant the car would be out soon. It depended on how long he warmed it up.

She glanced back at where she looked in the window. She wondered if she spent a little too much time looking at the wife of the property manager. She was well past prime. Her physical features were ravaged by genetics and time. She really couldn't blame the property manager for being seduced by a much younger, and more beautiful female than his wife.

It didn't really matter now. Both of them were terminated. She knew it was the property manager's own actions which allowed him to be seduced by the female Gray. She was sure his wife's time ravaged body, and possible alcohol addiction, were contributing factors for him to seek something a little more pleasurable to be with. No. He collaborated with the enemy. He got what he deserved.

Sheila planned to enter the house once the car was gone. She would take a look around and see what else she could find. The wife appeared to be intoxicated and wouldn't be a problem. Right now she needed to wait.

She headed for the far side of the house, away from the opening garage door. She didn't want to be spotted by the vehicle pulling out. She thought it would be a better hiding place. She was sure she looked at the half naked drunk wife of the property manager too long and was spotted. She was trying to check her out. It was something she always liked to check on any females in her custody.

She actually did it on a recent operation and got her face slashed open by the female when she pulled a knife on her. She threw her into a vat of molten metal as punishment after she cut her face. She was glad the female was still alive as she entered the molten mass. Her screams were intense as the molten metal consumed her flesh and bones. If she would have been able to spare a little more time, and the other Terminators weren't in the same vicinity, she would have 'worked' on her a little bit. There would have been a lot of things missing. It wasn't something she normally did on a Resistance operation. Then again, there weren't usually females associated with the enemy. Most likely she was a 'contract employee' like many of the individuals they faced now. The worked for the beast for money.

She read the reports from John Henry about how Mrs. Weaver personally terminated over thirty individuals who were all 'contract employees'. They may not have known exactly who it was they worked for, they did know the things they worked on were of a very unusual nature by any standard. They all paid the price.

She needed to refocus. Now wasn't the time to let her mind drift. There were thoughts which nagged at her from several different directions.

She wondered if she was being set up.

Wait.

Why was she at where she was at right now?

She was on the opposite side of the property. It was because the car started and the garage door opened on the other side of the house. So far the vehicle hadn't exited.

She felt like she was being herded.

Maybe it was a 'play' to get her to go in the direction where she currently was.

It seemed like it would be better to head for a different location. She changed her direction again right before she rounded the corner of the house to be out of the view of a departing vehicle.

There was a dull 'thud' and something moved. It brushed against her, right where she was headed. The blow glanced off of her, but still sent her sprawling.

Only a Terminator could deliver a blow of such force. If she hadn't moved in the last fraction of a second, the blow could have knocked her offline depending upon where it was directed.

One thing was clear.

She was under attack….

She was played.

She blamed it on the property manager's wife for 'distracting' her earlier. If she survived the current attack, she planned to pay her a personal visit and leave her with a lasting lesson. It would be one she could never forget, because she couldn't. It would be a physical lesson.

Right now she needed to survive the attack.

John was aware everything was silent now. He was sure it was all about to fall apart. He wanted to know the condition and status of his troops.

"I don't like this." John said. "Gail, can you see anything?"

There was no response.

"Sheila?" John asked

There was no response.

Bob read the situation as impending danger.

"They must have gone 'dark'." Bob said. "There is most likely a Terminator after one of them."

John wondered what they came up against since they were in two different locations. He was sure Bob's assessment was spot on. The silence would indicate they most likely dealt with a Terminator. He thought if it was a Gray, the threat would already be neutralized. It could be a group of them too. Without any feedback, he didn't know.

"It has to be a bad sign if they both are 'dark'." John said. "There could be more than one, or some type of ambush may have been detected. We haven't heard any explosions or gunfire so I don't think an ambush has been launched yet."

Bob quickly started their SUV.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "We need to get underway immediately."

Bob drove away from the location where they were parked. They were worried about additional Terminators or Grays having the area under observation. He didn't want to get caught flat footed as a sitting target. Most likely they already would have been identified by now if there was some type of observation post set up. They would be a harder target to attack if they were moving.

John thought Ally should get moving for two reasons.

"Ally, drive by now." John said.

The Escalade was already running. Ally moved the shift selector from neutral into drive.

"I'll be there in twenty seconds." Ally said.

Ally waited to hear something from Sheila but didn't. She was worried about her too.

Moments ago:

Gail was on the street in back of the house they watched.

She moved into a yard one house over from the target house and behind it. There was a cat which ran off. It urinated as it went. Her predator pheromones terrified the feline. It didn't hiss or anything in its desire to get away from her. It wasn't about to challenge her in any way.

Gail peered over the rear wall of the target house. She heard a car start. A figure ran from the garage and around the far side of the house across the back of it and away from the garage. At the speed he was moving, he was a Terminator. It looked like he was about to surprise Sheila or ambush her. He was going to come out on the opposite side of the house from the garage. She figured Sheila would have her back to the area where the Terminator would come out because she would be on the lookout for the car to leave to make sure she could move so she wasn't spotted.

She knew it was time to act. She jumped over the fence in a flash. The figure moved just out of her view around the corner as she landed. She pulled her Glock and Taser and set off after him. She decided to keep a wide berth as she neared the corner. She peered around the corner and saw him go over a fence to the front.

Gail didn't have time to fire her Taser. She took off in hot pursuit. She put her Glock away as she ran to give herself one free hand and one to use for the Taser.

It was clear the Terminator was after Sheila.

John waited anxiously to hear from any of the Metal girls.

"Ally, do you see anything yet?" John asked.

Ally was headed directly for the target area. She only just started out ten seconds ago.

"I'll be there in ten seconds." Ally said.

Bob and John were further away than Ally was.

John wanted to make up the distance fast.

"Floor it, Bob." John said. "Let's get up there."

Bob floored it and the SUV shot forward.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

John was worried about Sheila and Gail. They were all right there and it was happening under his nose. The trouble was, he wasn't sure what was happening. They didn't know if they were about to head straight into the middle of an ambush or not. Two of their team needed assistance. It was the only thing which mattered right now.

Cammy and Savannah slowly moved up in the SUV to back up Cameron. Cameron was on foot to make sure the path was clear for Cammy and Savannah.

Cameron wanted to stay far enough ahead of them but not get too far away from them in case she needed to return to them if they were ambushed. She also wanted to scope out the target area before their arrival.

Cammy checked her calculations against the odometer in the SUV. She was right where she was instructed to be.

"Cameron, we've moved up exactly two miles." Cammy said.

Cameron ran to put as much distance between the SUV and where she was currently at. She determined if there was a threat, she would engage it first. She hoped to have it neutralized by the time Cammy and Savannah arrived. So far no threats were detected. She was glad she didn't need to backtrack to assist them.

"You're still three miles away from the target area." Cameron said. "I'm moving to take it under direct observation now."

Savannah was a little irritated to know Cameron hadn't stuck to the plan and then rushed ahead. She looked over at Cammy.

"I think we should move up more." Savannah said. "It's what I want you to do now."

Cammy was about to respond to Savannah when Cameron gave them new instructions.

"You can move up two and a half more miles." Cameron said. "I want you to travel slowly the last half mile. Cammy, you can turn the SUV off and coast down the side of the hill. There are a lot of rocks so use caution and watch your downhill speed."

Savannah saw all it as a little chancy.

"Wait for us, Cameron." Savannah said. "We don't need to rush things. It won't take us too long to get there, even if we use caution."

Savannah motioned for Cammy to turn her com off. She wanted to give her new instructions so Cameron could be better protected.

"Hurry, I'm not about to let her go inside a mine, tunnel, or bunker alone." Savannah said. "Bad things seem to happen in them, all of them. I would tell you to floor it, but I know we can't without damaging the vehicle."

Cammy could see the genuine concern Savannah felt for Cameron. It made her feel jealous. She did know it was how things were from her first day of activation. It was just something she needed to live with. She knew if she ever forced Savannah to choose between Cameron and her, she wouldn't be the one who was chosen. It was always best not to rattle the cage.

"I know you're worried about her." Cammy said.

Savannah peered intently ahead as Cammy drove. She strained her eyes to look for any threats with her night vision equipment on.

"I love her, Cammy." Savannah said.

Cammy tried to keep the SUV from being damaged as she hurried.

"I know. I know." Cammy said. "I'll hurry for the first mile and a half."

Cammy gave the SUV some more gas.

Savannah didn't have a good feeling about where Cameron was. She wanted Cammy to throw caution to the wind. She thought about her earlier statement and realized it didn't matter. She knew they needed to back Cameron up now.

"Floor it." Savannah said.

Cammy did as Savannah asked her to.

The increased speed began to severely punish the SUV. They made good time over the rough terrain. Savannah wanted the distance closed up fast. The ride was very bouncy. She wanted to be ready to move in with Cameron if she entered into something. It was doubtful they would be leaving in the SUV once it finally stopped.

Sheila went down with the powerful glancing blow. Her Taser and Glock both went flying in different directions. She rolled and came up. She was able to catch the Terminator off guard. He was still recovering from his near miss. It caused him to stagger and nearly fall because there was so much force behind his blow. He must have thought he was about to face a human. He might have even thought it was the property manager himself since he didn't know what actually occurred in the motel room. One thing was for sure, he didn't expect to face another Terminator.

She slammed him into the side of a tree. He bounced off as he took another swing at her. He missed her as she dodged. He seemed agitated because he wasn't able to take her down easily. Maybe it was because she was a female Terminator and he was more powerful. It was doubtful he was as experienced. Sheila knew how to keep him off guard.

"It looks like I'm a little more than you can handle, mate." Sheila said in a taunting fashion. "I guess the 'junk' between your legs is as useless as it actually looks."

The Terminator seemed to become even further agitated by her comment.

"You're a 'Metal Whore'." He said.

Sheila didn't care for the insult. She planned to take things further.

"Now it's coming off." Sheila said.

The male Terminator didn't care for her mouth. He went to strike again.

Something landed behind him.

It was Gail.

The new development caught him by total surprise. He just came from the back and side. There was no one there. They were behind him now. He decided his best course of action was to evade. He would return and terminate the property manager's wife at a later time. She also irritated him immensely. It was probably what threw him off with the time he needed to spend with her as she made her pathetic sexual advances toward him earlier. Maybe he would give her what she said she wanted before he snapped her neck. No. He would do both at the same time. Right now he needed to get away from his current location.

Gail fired her Taser twice.

He attempted to move to avoid her. Two of the barbs hit him and made contact. He went down.

Sheila kicked him in the face as he fell. She checked around her for any additional threats. None were detected. She then smiled at Gail.

"Thanks, love." Sheila said to Gail. "I'm gonna give you a REAL special treat the next time we're alone. I'm going to take you right to the edge of a shutdown with extreme pleasure."

Gail was stimulated somewhat by Sheila's comments. She thought Sheila always gave her a real special treat whenever they were together. Maybe there would be something new. She felt bad about her earlier animosity when she threatened Ally and Sheila with physical force. She only wanted to make sure they didn't badmouth Savannah.

"We all do our part." Gail said. "We're a team."

The Escalade pulled up next to the curb and stopped quickly in front of the three Terminators on the lawn.

Ally looked around for any additional threats. None were spotted.

"John, the situation is under control." Ally said. "You don't need to approach."

John didn't want them to get complacent. He knew how these things could keep expanding. There was a good chance it wasn't almost over, but about to get started.

"Watch out for any Grays." John said. "This may be a bigger operation than it looks like."

Ally got out of the Escalade to warn the girls and back them up.

"John says to watch out for Grays." Ally said.

The three Metal girls all scanned their surroundings.

Sheila collected her Taser and Glock and pulled her knife out. She was irritated by what the Terminator called her. She planned to do what she said she would do.

"I want you two to hold him down. I want him to reboot." Sheila said. "I'm going to collect a souvenir from him so he knows what happened before he's deactivated."

Ally and Gail looked at each other. They saw Sheila was serious.

Sheila began to count down the seconds

John and Bob pulled up.

Sheila glanced over. She knew John was with him.

"Forget it." Sheila said and removed his chip instead.

John was a little concerned about the wife. He wondered if the Terminator terminated her before he came after Sheila.

"Where's the wife?" John asked.

Sheila was still a little angry about her encounter with the hostile Terminator. She didn't think the property manager's wife would have moved from where she saw her last passed out at.

"She's inside." Sheila said. "I'll check on her."

Sheila attempted to 'check her out' earlier. It was how she was spotted by the Terminator. It was the drunken wife's fault she was almost terminated. She decided to do to the drunken wife what she wanted to do to the female Gray earlier. She wanted some blood.

John wanted to wrap things up and get out of the area before any lookiloos showed up. The sight of anyone moving a deactivated Terminator appeared the same as someone moving a dead body.

"Load the Terminator in our SUV." John said. "Ally, take Gail to retrieve her van. We'll wait here for Sheila."

Ally left with Gail.

John waited in the SUV.

Bob went to the garage and shut off the car. He hit the button to close the garage door and exited. He looked in the window Sheila looked in previously. He saw Sheila 'look over' the wife. She appeared to be terminated.

He wondered if Sheila killed her. He watched her pull out her knife and reach out for something on he property manager's wife. He was sure what she was about to do. He was aware she did the same thing multiple times in the past. It usually involved with the sex trafficking operation, and the female enablers who lured in the other females to their doom. Savannah worked with her to change the type of behavior. He knew it was something she inherited from Jesse through the 'Neural Interface'.

Sheila wanted blood and she was going to take it.

"Somebody's going to pay for what almost happened." Sheila said. "Your pathetic body is about to become even more pathetic, and useless, for you anyway."

Bob watched Sheila.

Sheila would have preferred if the woman was conscious. She wanted her to know what happened as it occurred.

Bob felt he witnessed enough. He looked back at the SUV where John waited. He knew what the right thing to do was. He rapped on the glass.

Sheila snapped her head up and saw Bob looking at her. He shook his head from side to side.

He lifted his left hand and pointed at his eyes then at her. He let her know there was a visual record of what was about to happen. It wouldn't be a 'he said she said' type thing.

Sheila nodded and laid the woman flat. She put the robe on top of her naked figure and started to leave. She thought about Savannah. She was a little upset at herself for what she almost allowed to happen. She took a small pillow off the couch and placed it under the female's head. She exited the house.

Bob waited for her.

It looked like he wanted an explanation. Sheila was a little concerned she was caught with her 'hand in the cookie jar' so to speak. Since she hadn't actually done anything, she didn't think it was really a big deal.

"She's drunk." Sheila said. "She'll live. I didn't touch her."

Bob wasn't so sure.

"What did you put in your pocket?" Bob asked.

Sheila resisted the urge to maim the woman at the last second.

"It was my knife." Sheila said. "It was all I did. I don't want to let Savannah down. Thank you for reminding me about other things which are important."

Bob was glad he didn't let things go too far.

"You didn't." Bob said. "I know you were 'angry'. There's nothing to worry about."

Sheila was still 'angry'. This night wasn't over yet….

She didn't want to let Savannah down, but she did want vengeance for all of the day's events.

She was upset over the bludgeoning she received at the hands of the Terminator. She sported a few scraps and cuts from everything now. Sheath damage, even when minor, seemed to upset all the female Terminators. She was no exception.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Sad NOT Tired

I want to TELL you

That I never want to SEE you again

But I CAN'T

I CAN'T

I would Never HURT you

I would Never CHEAT you

I Never made you feel OBLIGATED to do anything

I Never USED you

When I SEE you

I want to CRY

When I THINK of you

I want to DIE

I HATE you

I HATE You

I - H*A*T*E - Y O U

HATE really means LOVE

The TEARS run down my cheeks

I'm NOT tired

I'm SAD

I AM SOMEBODY

NOBODY

.

I WAS Good Enough