Chapter 747

Battering Ram

John Henry was very displeased at the way things were going in the search for the big rigs. He was concerned for the location where Cameron currently was. Everything seemed inactive right now, but he didn't think it was going to stay the same way for very long. He checked in with the other teams conducting the search.

He received good news from the field. One of the teams searching for the big rigs appeared to have made a possible contact. It was a solid lead anyway. He quickly notified John. Until they knew more it wasn't a sure thing. It was a start anyway.

John rode with Bob in an SUV. They were headed in the direction where the last probable contact was for one of the big trucks they were searching for. His head began to nod as the night grew longer. He was startled awake with a com transmission from John Henry.

"John, I think Steve is onto something." John Henry said. "It looks like we got our first solid hit. We don't know for sure, but it looks like one of the trucks we're looking for."

John was elated to hear the news. He needed to get his mind to refocus. He wanted to know how hot the lead was, and how far away it was from him.

"Finally, it's about time. It sounds like great news." John said. "Where is it, and when was it?"

John Henry was aware it was near where they searched earlier.

"It's located near Stockton." John Henry said.

John was done fooling around. It was time to act if they came across an opportunity. He wasn't going to let it slip through his hands again.

"Have them take it out." John said. "As soon as it's clear and safe to move, I want them to take it down. What else has been identified with it?"

John Henry already directed a second team to back up Steve's team.

"We have two teams on it." John Henry said. "The Grays have an SUV with them for muscle. I've sent several drones to back them up. They may take a little longer to get there."

John wanted to give them immediate additional support.

"Divert the drones backing up my team." John said.

John Henry wasn't sure it was a good idea. If Cameron's operation remained unfruitful, he might be able to use those drones.

"I still have two with Cameron's team." John Henry said.

Cameron's operation slipped from John's mind as he began to doze off. He wondered what the current status of it was. He didn't want to leave them high and dry until he knew more. He didn't want to pull them away and then have her need them.

"Leave them for now until she's away from there." John said. "Has anything changed at her location?"

John Henry was only able to determine the SUV was damaged by its abuse over a mostly nonexistent road which all but reverted back into the landscape.

"No. Cammy and Savannah have joined her." John Henry said. "Their vehicle may have suffered damage on the back road. It is operable but it's lost the brakes. They already determined if they need to run, they can head back uphill where gravity will act as a brake when they need it.

John didn't like the idea of them not having a working vehicle. It wasn't like they could just boost another one and be on their way. He wanted Cameron's team to have a way out if they needed it. It was time to send in some additional troops.

"Have the team of Terminators on the outskirts move in to reinforce Cameron's team." John said. "Keep me posted on Steve's team."

John Henry set everything up with the drones.

"As soon as the drones arrive at their location, I'll tell them it's a go." John Henry said. "Are you still going to go there? It may take you some time to arrive."

John looked over at Bob.

"What's our ETA?" John asked.

Bob held up two fingers.

"It will be approximately two hours." Bob said.

John hoped it would have been a little less time to arrive. There wasn't a whole lot he could do about it right now.

"Yes. We're headed in the direction now." John said. "We're a couple of hours away."

John Henry wanted to know what other time frame John was willing to operate by.

"They will have drone support long before you arrive." John Henry said. "I will make sure you know every detail as it happens in case you want them to act before you arrive."

John wondered if it would be over by then with the big rig. He hoped to be there for the take down, but they were not to wait. He didn't want there to be a big firefight, but he wasn't about to lose the truck load of equipment. The question was, what was in the truck? He sure hoped it wasn't empty. It was an all too real possibility.

"If they enter an area where there won't be collateral damage, they aren't to hesitate to stop it." John said. "I'll be there when I arrive. They don't need to wait for me if they can pull off a clean operation."

He didn't like Cameron being out in the middle of nowhere with a vehicle which wasn't in good mechanical condition. Then again, maybe a vehicle without brakes was suitable for Cameron to drive, she seemed to seldom use them.

He was less concerned about Cameron because she was used to doing the same activity. Cammy was with her. For all practical purposes she was 'Cameron' since she ran the same program. Savannah was there to make sure good judgment was used. He was aware Cameron and Cammy butted heads often, but he didn't think it would be an issue with Savannah with them. More than once he heard both Cammy and Cameron refer to each other as a Bitch, and they were glad they weren't like the other one. He found it somewhat absurd since they both ran the same program. In other words, they thought they were each a Bitch, but it only applied to the other one and not themselves.

He wondered about the whole operation. They were being run all over the state. Two states were involved so far and maybe a third one soon if one of the big rigs went to Nevada or Oregon.

They still didn't have any idea how big the operation was or where they obtained the Coltan from. Maybe it was the bigger question. Was there some stockpile somewhere they didn't know about? The Skynet forces needed to obtain some from somewhere in order to construct the HK equipment they did so far.

There was always the Gamble about catching the bigger fish. Sometimes a smaller fish needed to be sacrificed to do so. The downside was they might not end up with any fish at all. As far as the HK equipment went in the three trucks, it was where they were at now.

Cameron moved along swiftly. The clouds were gone from the sky. There was enough moonlight so Savannah could see well enough without her night vision equipment. She could always put it on again if the situation warranted it. They closed up on the entrance to the structure.

She motioned for Cammy and Savannah to hang back a little.

Cameron looked around for any surveillance cameras. She didn't spot any as she came to the door of the main structure. It was locked. Cameron pushed on it but it didn't move. The reinforced door worried her a little. She was going to need assistance.

"Cammy." Cameron called. "Help me try to open this. It appears we will need to use maximum force."

Cammy moved up to assist Cameron. Savannah fell back further. She watched their rear.

Both Cammy and Cameron pushed on the door. They both exerted their maximum strength to no avail. It didn't move. It was a very strong reinforced door.

Cameron was irritated they couldn't force the door open. It left her with several options on how to open it. They could blow it open, which would make a lot of noise, or she could try to use the SUV as a battering ram. She didn't want to leave them without any transportation. She double checked with John Henry as to the availability of any outside assistance.

"John Henry said we have a team of Terminators, ready to reinforce us. They're still a ways out." Cameron said. "I'm going to use our SUV and try to knock down the door. I believe it is barricaded from the inside. If it is, it means there are Grays or Terminators inside of there. It doesn't look like they want to associate with us. I find it rather rude. I can't wait to get inside and carry on a 'conversation' with them."

Cammy was a little worried if they disabled the SUV completely and needed to move quickly, it would be tough on Savannah.

"If we have to move away on foot, it will put Savannah at a disadvantage." Cammy said.

Cameron would normally stay and fight. She looked at Savannah and made a different decision. She figured her chassis could also act as armor for Savannah.

"I'll carry her if it is necessary to withdraw." Cameron said. "I'll make sure she gets to safety."

Savannah was to the rear of them. As she watched their six, she began to look at the construction of the side of the structure from the corner. She really wasn't sold on an idea there was only one way in.

"This is a concrete building." Savannah said. "What other way into it would there be? There is most likely another exit and the ventilation system somewhere. There are no windows here."

Cameron could see the logic in what Savannah said. She couldn't imagine there was only one way out, and there was probably a ventilation system somewhere.

"Cammy, check all four sides and return here." Cameron said.

Cammy returned in just over a minute.

"All the sides are solid concrete." Cammy said. "There are no openings of any kind or size."

Savannah pointed up.

"Try the roof." Savannah said.

Cammy hadn't spotted any roof access during her recon.

"There's no ladder." Cammy said.

Savannah knew the Metal girls could get creative when they needed to be. Their superior strength and agility give them a lot of options.

"Cameron can jump while you hold her waist and toss her up at the same time." Savannah said. "It can be a sort of slingshot effect."

Cammy looked up at the side of the structure.

"I think it's too high." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't think she would be damaged if she was unable to make the grab. She fell much further before when fighting another Terminator. It was at the safe house where Future Derek's team was located. Her program was separate from her chassis another time. They dealt with a Terminator known as Vick. He posed as the husband of Barbara Chamberlain who worked on a traffic control system known as ARTIE. She eventually entered the traffic control system and left traces of her program there which CamNet used later on to take control of the traffic system and expanded it throughout the region. Now wasn't the time to think about the past.

"We can try it." Cameron said. "I have fallen from an upper story window before. It was several floors up. I was in combat with an unknown Terminator at the time, a T-888."

She was also pushed out the same window by Sarah when she was offline and they needed to leave before the Terminator showed up and put John in bigger danger. She landed on top of a vehicle and crushed the roof nearly flat.

Savannah thought it sounded a little extreme.

"Were you damaged?" Savannah asked.

Cameron remembered she took several strong blows during the day. The worst part of it all was, the hostile Terminator was able to escape. He chose to evade rather than fight. They later terminated him. She sustained little damage other than cosmetic damage in those encounters.

"No. I was hit by a car soon after the fall when I was chasing the hostile Terminator. I only suffered minor sheath damage from both events." Cameron said. "My face smashed through the front window of the vehicle. I told the family inside to remain calm."

Savannah read about the incident. She was glad Cameron was very durable. She needed to remind Cameron sometimes even if she was durable, she wasn't indestructible. She hoped John Henry may have come up with some better satellite or drone photos by now. She wanted to know what the situation was before Cameron went up.

"John Henry, what imagery do the drones show for any other possible entrances to this area?" Savannah asked. "What about the roof of the main structure?"

John Henry was unable to see anything which would help them. He did have other good news though. The backup team was very near them.

"Both look like a negative." John Henry said. "The other team of our Terminators has breached the outer perimeter of the access road and is moving up now. Their ETA is seven minutes. They'll be arriving from a different direction than your team did. They are on the actual dirt road which leads to your location. It appears to be a firefighting access road. So far they haven't detected any surveillance watching the road. They are highly suspicious there probably is some."

Cameron was immediately upset with the news. Who would send in another team when they didn't even know what they were dealing with? She thought John Henry should have checked with her first. She wanted to put an immediate halt to their progress until she knew more. She didn't want a team of Terminators to walk into an ambush. She didn't need any outside interference.

"Have them hold for now." Cameron said. "I didn't call for them yet. I need to know more about what is actually going on here first."

John Henry felt he needed to justify who sent the additional help. He could tell Cameron was upset. He hoped to be able to smooth out the situation with the actual facts.

"John was the one who sent them, he was worried about your team. He was worried about Cammy, Savannah, and you." John Henry said. "I told him about the difficulty your vehicle experienced with its braking system."

Cameron could understand his reasoning, but it didn't change the fact she was the one who is in charge of the current operation. She was the one on the ground and all decisions should go through her first. She was the one who would need to best deploy the personnel where they were needed.

"John isn't here." Cameron said. "I am. I appreciate the thought, but I will call for them when I need them, if I need them."

John Henry quickly relayed the message for the other team to pause.

"They're holding." John Henry said. "They'll be ready to respond when you need them, or redeploy to a different location if you deem it's necessary. I will notify John of the current situation and everyone's status. Everything was well intentioned."

Since Cameron knew there was an additional team nearby, she could go ahead and sacrifice the damaged SUV and use it to knock down the door. If it didn't work, she was willing to take more drastic measures. The SUV impacting the door was going to make a lot of noise.

"I'm going to use our SUV as a battering ram." Cameron said. "If it can't breach the door, I'm calling for a missile strike on the door itself. Have one of the drones ready to act if it becomes necessary. I don't know what type of reaction we're going to receive once our attack starts. It could be anything from a jamming field, a massive explosion, or nothing at all."

John Henry was aware a drone strike was going to be very destructive.

"It sounds risky. There will probably be a lot of shrapnel and flying debris." John Henry said. "Do you have cover?"

Cameron previously scoped out the area upon her arrival earlier. She found something which should give them sufficient cover for what she believed would be a much bigger explosion other than the drone strike. She was worried about what could blow up inside of the structure.

"There's a drainage ditch along the perimeter with several concrete culverts." Cameron said. "We will take refuge there if the missile strike is necessary. There may be a massive secondary explosion."

John Henry wondered if Cameron knew how large the second explosion would be. She didn't know what was inside which could explode, it left a lot of unanswered questions. He didn't think there was any way to calculate it.

"Will everyone be protected?" John Henry asked.

Cameron felt only one of them needed to be protected. Both Cammy and her could sustain some sheath damage if necessary.

"Savannah will be protected." Cameron said.

Cameron wanted to get started. She directed Cammy and Savannah to go to the drainage ditch.

"I need both of you to be secured when I use the SUV as a battering ram." Cameron said.

Savannah saw a red flag right away. She wanted Cameron protected as well. She didn't see how it was going to happen if Cameron was out in the open.

"Is this necessary?" Savannah asked. "What about you? How will you be protected?"

Cameron attempted to calculate all the variables necessary as she set everything into motion. She figured it was going to be a close one to reach the drainage ditch. She didn't think she could make it into one of the cement culverts. She knew Savannah wanted to hear it straight.

"I need to make sure the SUV is lined up and accelerating." Cameron said. "I'll get out before impact once everything is aligned. I'll try to make it to the drainage ditch."

Cameron went to the first shed she checked earlier and returned with a battered shovel. She saw it there when she checked before. It should work perfectly for what she needed to use it for.

"I'll break the handle off to the proper length and jam the accelerator with it." Cameron said. "Hopefully it will buy me a few additional seconds to move away."

Savannah wasn't sold on the idea. She was around some previous events which seemed a lot like this one was turning out to be. She wasn't sure if Cameron took all the factors into consideration. She worried about a couple of things which would damage not only their Terminator, but also their drones.

"What if the impact triggers a massive secondary explosion?" Savannah asked. "What about the high voltage power lines? There could be a massive energy surge. It might incapacitate all mechanical equipment for miles around."

Cameron felt a glitch impulse. She already gave some thought to what she was about to say and the reasoning behind it. She still believed John and Savannah mated earlier. It was what she wanted to happen to protect John and the future. Cammy wasn't constructed with two chip ports by accident. She planned ahead for an eventuality much like what could happen now.

"You have my spare chip and Cammy has two ports." Cameron said. "After today's 'events', and what is sure to follow, I can merge Cammy's program with mine and I will be Cameron Prime in Cammy's chassis."

It wasn't what Savannah wanted to hear. It sounded more like Cameron already planned her own destruction. She wondered if maybe she should tell Cameron the truth about what actually didn't happen.

Cammy would rather have her program merged with Cameron's than to submit to chip extraction and be deactivated.

"I want it as well, Savannah." Cammy said. "I want to be one with Cameron."

Savannah wanted to hear it even less. It wasn't what she wanted at all.

"I don't." Savannah said.

Savannah didn't want Cammy 'deleted' or 'merged'. It would alter Cameron as well. She decided she was going to prevent it from happening. She didn't need to worry about it right now. They may be in combat soon. They may all be blown up before it was over. There was a possibility none of them would survive.

Cammy hoped Savannah would keep her program 'alive'. There was no guarantee. Either way, she was willing to move forward to be able to exist however she could. Right now she wanted to get Savannah secured and protected. It was clear Cameron was going to go through with her plan. She could tell Savannah was upset with the discussion.

"We'll discuss this later." Cammy said. "There are more important things for us to think about right now. Let's get into the ditch."

Cammy and Savannah went into the ditch. Cammy made Savannah enter a cement culvert which fed into the ditch and blocked her in with her chassis. It seemed to her Savannah would be well protected.

Savannah was a little hesitant to enter the culvert. It reminded her of another tight space she recently was in. Even though she was far enough up the culvert to be protected, Cammy was right at the entrance. There was no more room.

"I'm protected but you're still exposed some, and there is no room for Cameron." Savannah said. "This is too big of a risk."

Cammy believed the ditch alone would offer sufficient protection. The cement culvert was just an added bonus.

"I'm like a door now." Cammy said. "Cameron will be shielded by the ditch from any blast. She might get covered with a little dirt or falling debris."

Savannah wondered what would happen if the hillside came down and covered over the area they were in. She would be buried alive again. She didn't like the idea of it. It still bothered her how close to termination they all were. She was afraid being in this closed space again would make her feel claustrophobic, but so far it hadn't. She was sure it was because of her concern for Cameron's safety. She couldn't think about her predicament when Cameron was in peril.

The thoughts of the previous event begin to weigh heavily upon her. She needed to point out there were a lot of similarities as well as a lot of important differences.

"This situation reminds me of what happened in the mine." Savannah said. "Nobody knows we are here, and there isn't any breathing apparatus. If we get buried by the hillside there's no way for me to survive."

Cammy felt John Henry could send the backup team of Terminators to dig them out if it actually happened. She calculated there were several hours of oxygen within the length of the culvert piping for Savannah if it became necessary. She wanted to get it over with. If the Grays were gone, they could go ahead and leave. Depending upon how extensive the complex was would determine if Cameron returned with one of her nuclear warheads later on. It wouldn't happen tonight with Savannah there.

"We should be fine." Cammy said. "Cameron, we're ready."

Cameron hoped the location would be secure for both of them. She really hoped she would be able to make it to the drainage ditch. She actually began to doubt it. The job still needed to be done.

She took another look around the area as she headed for the SUV. There was no indication of any change around her since she first arrived. If the enemy knew they were out there, they could have come out and attacked. There was no sign of anything which should be aggressive directed at them.

Cameron arrived at the SUV. She started it and drove it over towards the entrance. She lined it up about one hundred and fifty feet back from the bunker door. She ripped a section of material out of the rear seat to make a crude 'rope' to tie the steering wheel on both sides. She wanted to make sure it stayed straight on its short but violent journey. She calculated the length the shovel handle needed to be to go between the seat and the accelerator pedal, and broke it off.

She knew the further away she was from the door when she sent the SUV on its way, the more chance she would have to make it into the ditch. The further away the SUV was from the door, the greater the chance would be of it missing the direct blow she wanted it to inflict. She moved the SUV closer. She wanted the door open. She would need to rely on her speed.

She double checked everything again. She placed the transmission into 'Neutral'. She jammed the handle between the seat and the accelerator. The engine immediately screamed to full throttle. She moved the shift selector into 'Drive'. A 'rooster tail' of dirt shot up behind her as the SUV surged forward. She checked her aim and stepped out of the moving SUV. It already accelerated to twenty three miles an hour as she exited.

She hit the ground and rolled. She came up on her feet and headed for the drainage ditch. She ran at full speed. She calculated the distance as she ran. It was worse than she originally thought. She could see she wasn't going to make it into the ditch in time before the impact of the SUV and the outer bunker door. The SUV accelerated faster than she calculated. Maybe she should have broken the shovel handle a tad shorter. It wasn't the case. She continued her run at full speed. She decided on a new strategy since she wasn't going to make it into the ditch.

There was a loud 'crash' as the SUV impacted the door.

Cameron dove for the ground. The ditch was too far away. She hoped lying flat on the ground would minimize the sheath damage to her back but there was no guarantee.

She waited prone on the ground. She wondered what being vaporized would feel like….

Somehow it probably wouldn't feel like anything. If she was vaporized, nothingness is all there would be.

John's team was headed for Stockton with the Metal girls. The drones which were with his team departed to back up Steve's team. He wanted to check with Cameron but couldn't reach her.

The lack of communication instantly worried him. He contacted John Henry to find out what was happening. He didn't care for the fact she told the backup team to remain where they were.

"John Henry, what's Cameron doing?" John asked.

John Henry looked at the drone footage. He knew John wasn't going to like it.

"Cameron is down." John Henry said.

John sat up in his seat. It sounded worse than he first thought.

"What do you mean 'down'?" John asked. "Is she damaged?"

John Henry really didn't have much to elaborate on as far as the situation was.

"She used the SUV as a battering ram against the door of the complex she's trying to breech." John Henry said. "She tried to make a run for it, but was unable to make it to the drainage ditch where Savannah and Cammy are."

John was worried about Savannah. Cameron was down, what would have happened to her and Cammy?

"Are Savannah and Cammy OK?" John asked. "Can you tell how injured or damaged anyone is?"

John Henry lost all contact with Cameron's team.

"The information is currently unknown." John Henry said. "I've lost communications with all of them."

John figured John Henry must have some overhead images if he knew Cameron was down.

"Do you still have drone footage?" John asked

The last thing John Henry saw from the drone footage was Cameron attempt to take shelter on the ground in the prone position after she realized she couldn't make it to the ditch. What happened afterwards he didn't know.

"Negative." John Henry said. "I've lost it as well. The last thing I saw was Cameron attempting to take cover on the ground."

John wasn't sure what exactly was going on there.

"Is this one of those Skynet dampening fields?" John asked.

John Henry didn't know all the details.

"It seems different." John Henry said. "I believe the impact of the SUV triggered something."

John tried to think of some of the other things which could bring a Terminator down.

"Was it some kind of EMP?" John asked.

John Henry noted none of the drones went down.

"It's currently unknown." John Henry said.

John hoped the reinforcements could get there soon to render aid.

"Is the other team of Terminators there yet?" John asked. "They should be near the area by now."

John Henry was aware Cameron changed John's earlier order.

"No, Cameron asked them to hold away from the area." John Henry said. "She wanted to find out more before they moved up. She didn't want to have too many personnel in the area if things went bad."

It wasn't the information John wanted to hear. He asked them to go up there for a specific reason. It was to be able to back up Cameron's team.

"It sounds like things did go bad." John said. "Get them up there now."

John Henry appeared to have lost contact with them.

"I've tried, they're non responsive as well." John Henry said.

Bob listened to the conversation.

"This is getting better by the minute." Bob said.

John looked over at Bob. He couldn't agree with him more right now. It sounded like they needed to take action on their own. He would probably need to go there himself now to find out what went wrong.

"Recall one of the drones sent to help Steve. Send it to the area where Cameron is. Have it go in at high altitude. Have it look in from the side if there is a dampening field." John said. "We're turning around."

Bob turned around and headed back the way they came.

John expected to see the van with the Metal girls as they turned around.

"Where are the girls?" John asked.

Bob was a little concerned with the action the Metal girls took on their own. He realized they understood the seriousness of the situation. It took John a little longer.

"They turned around as soon as John Henry said Cameron was down." Bob said.

John now second guessed his earlier decision not to let them go to assist Cameron when they requested to go. Based upon what happened, it should have been the plan he followed.

"I should've let them go earlier when they wanted to. They knew something like this would happen." John said. "They're used to operating with Cameron and know how things tend to go wrong."

Bob knew everything was in flux. There is no guarantee anything was going to go one way or another. If there was a good way, or a bad way, things could go, it most likely would go the bad way. This newest development appeared to be a case in point.

"It seems to be the way these things unfold." Bob said.

John was very upset with the turn of events. There was no communication with anyone. There were no drones transmitting video footage of the area. He didn't know the status of anyone, or the extent of any injuries or terminations. The bottom line was he didn't know anything.

"Why do these things always happen? John asked. "There's always something which seems to go wrong."

Closing monologue by Cameron:

It's Not Brain Surgery

You think I don't know
That I can't comprehend
I'm not the one
Who needs to pretend

Look where your love goes
With whom time you spend
Leaving me to communicate
With these words I've penned

The growing rift between us
You allow it to distend
Think not, I don't know
What actions you intend

With every lost kiss
It's me you offend
With every part untouched
Our love you suspend

It's not hard to figure out
Who has committed the perjury
Look at your face in the mirror
It's not brain surgery

Nobody