Chapter 751

We Fight

Cameron and Cammy both heard some type of tracked vehicle approach where they were currently at. They were unsure of the exact nature of the threat. Their initial idea was to confront the threat and prevent it from reaching where Savannah was. They left Savannah at the bunker. Upon further reflection, they decided it was better to retreat back to where Savannah was at, take her and leave the area. If the Skynet forces possessed tracked vehicles which could respond this quickly, it was surely only a matter of time until HK drones showed up.

They knew the Skynet group hid and stored HK equipment in various ways. Since there was some type of major bunker located near the nuclear power plant at Serrano Point, it seemed very likely they would stage various types of HK equipment nearby to protect it.

Where were the HK drones? It's really something they expected to encounter. Well, at least their drones anyway would encounter them.

Savannah waited at the bunker entrance. She was there in case any of the Grays tried to leave the bunker. It seemed unlikely at this point. They appeared to have barricaded themselves behind the second blast door and waited for reinforcements to arrive. She was a little apprehensive when both Cammy and Cameron went to confront what were possibly the reinforcements about to arrive.

She needed to worry about the Skynet forces having a second exit out of the bunker. It seemed it was most likely they did. Not only did she need to watch the inner blast door, she needed to watch behind her to make sure none of the Skynet forces slipped in behind her. If they did, she would be trapped between the two groups of Grays. She was carefully concealed and waited for a threat to develop from either location.

Events seem to unfold quicker than she planned.

Savannah thought she detected movement off to her side. She raised her M4.

"Purple…." A female voice said quietly.

Savannah kept her M4 up and ready.

"Baboon…." Savannah answered quietly.

Cameron and Cammy came into view. It was clear they were in a hurry.

"It appears the Skynet reinforcements are about to arrive." Cameron said. "It sounds like there are either several HK Tracks with them or an HK Tread. There's an undetermined force with them as well on foot. It appears some, if not all of them, are Terminators."

Savannah looked at the inner bunker door. There was still a threat there they needed to be dealt with. They might not be able to pursue their attack to its fullest. She still believed they should initiate the process.

"I'll go with Cammy." Savannah said. "Get the Thermite started."

Cameron was still a little worried about being trapped between the bunker and the advancing Skynet forces. She didn't want to get stuck at the entrance to the bunker trapped between two groups of Grays.

"We may need to retreat." Cameron said.

Savannah felt the burning Thermite would keep the Grays inside from escaping, and weaken the inner bunker door to make it more susceptible to a drone attack.

"Do it anyway." Savannah said. "We can use the outside of this structure as cover."

Cammy wanted to remind Savannah of the threat which actually led them to decide it was time to leave. They weren't in a position for a protracted fight against Skynet equipment. There was no way for them to put up an effective defense.

"They may still send HK drones." Cammy said. "Even if we have some cover, we're still exposed to an attack."

Savannah knew two of their drones were still in the area. Their drones were equipped for air-to-air combat as well as ground attack. So far all of the HK drones they encountered were only set up for ground attack. Based upon the equipment recently captured from the old steel mill and former newspaper plant, nothing changed in Skynet's armament. All of the HK drones they captured were still set up the same way, for ground attack. She felt it gave them a distinct advantage.

"We have our own drones." Savannah said. "It's a calculated risk. Isn't it what everything comes down to anyway? Maybe there will be additional equipment sent from our side to assist us."

Cammy came out from inside the outer bunker wall, she brought Savannah with her. They headed around the corner of the bunker. They could still keep anyone bottled up there if they tried to break out. She listened to the sky. Maybe there was some additional assistance for them.

"There are three drones in the area." Cammy said. "I don't hear any weapons fire of any type. It is probably all our drones."

Cameron came out of the bunker. A cloud of white smoke billowed out behind her.

Savannah knew neither Cameron nor Cammy wanted to leave the situation at the bunker unfinished. She knew what their reason for withdrawal was. It didn't sit well with her. Right now, she was the 'problem' holding them back. She was ready to put her training to use.

"If I wasn't here, you would move to attack the HK Tread." Savannah said. "So let's all do it. Cammy still has one Thermite grenade. We've all trained on how to disable one. We are a formidable fighting force."

Cammy and Cameron looked at each other. It was what they would do if they were on their own without Savannah being there.

Cameron felt the tasks should fall to her. It was how things would play out if she was on her own, or even there with another group of Terminators. The enemy would be engaged. She wouldn't allow them to gain the upper hand. They still needed to worry about the Grays inside the bunker. It was a two front battle, even without the appearance of HK drones. She decided it was time to act.

"Give me your Thermite grenade, Cammy." Cameron said. "You and Savannah may need to engage any Grays who try to make a break for it."

Cammy looked at Savannah and then at Cameron. Sometimes action needed to be taken, regardless of the consequences. John Connor wasn't the only one she would need to sacrifice for. She knew what her duty was.

"You stay with Savannah, Cameron." Cammy said. "I'll take on the HK Tread."

Savannah knew how risky it would be. If the Skynet forces arrived as reinforcements, they'd be looking for trouble along the way.

"Be careful, Cammy." Savannah said.

Cameron was afraid Cammy wouldn't come back. She wanted to give her some reassurance as to her future if she were destroyed.

"Cammy, we'll merge…." Cameron said.

It was fresh in Cameron's mind what Cammy asked for. She wanted to merge their programs into one, or Cammy wanted to be permanently deactivated. Cammy said she would rather face termination if she wasn't with Savannah. Now Cammy took the job she would normally do. She was sure Cammy wouldn't use caution. Maybe she should stop her.

Cammy was already gone.

Cameron still felt the need to deal with the threat herself. So far they're drones didn't seem to do anything. She figured they were probably damaged by the same energy blast which brought Cammy and her down. There was no indication as to exactly what the energy attack was, where it came from, or if it was going to happen again. She knew their drones were set up to fall into a fail safe mode during an EMP type attack. It was much the same way her chassis processor would still be able to function even if her chip was offline, or even removed. It was much the same way Cromartie's chassis was able to track down his head with the chip in it.

Bob sped towards the area where Cameron's team was at. The van with the Metal girls was in front of them. They both hurried towards the target area. They traveled at an excessive rate of speed, well beyond the speed limit. John Henry made sure there was no law enforcement presence around them.

John was worried about how much time elapsed since the video footage from the drones which were incapacitated was played for him. He no longer saw the van with the Metal girls in it in front of them. He saw the van earlier. He didn't notice what happened to it, other than until now when he didn't see it.

"How soon until we get there?" John asked. "Where did the Metal girls go?"

Bob checked their location against the location where Cameron was at. They wouldn't be there anytime soon.

"We're still a ways off." Bob said. "The Metal girls are in front of us, even if you can't see them. They're traveling at a very high rate of speed. Their vehicle is being pushed to its maximum capabilities, and then some."

Bob didn't want to have an accident with John in the SUV. The Metal girls obviously used a little less caution. They could use their Terminator abilities to push the van to its fullest extent. It was doubtful any of them would be terminated if they were to have a major accident.

"John, I have new information. Cameron's team has emerged from the bunker." John Henry said. "There is heavy smoke pouring out behind them."

It sounded like a bad development to John. He knew Cameron didn't like to run from any fight. He wondered what went wrong there. He was done fooling around with anything. It was time to bring the fight to the Skynet forces.

"I want the drones to engage anything which appears it might even threaten Cameron's team." John said. "I don't care if it's Terminators or a rattlesnake. Open up on it. Don't hesitate. I want all three of them protected. Without being able to communicate, they must be very uncertain about everything. It's clear they don't want to withdraw from the area."

John wanted to urge Bob to drive faster but he knew they were way past a safe speed already. Well, a safe speed for a human to drive. Bob wasn't human, he was a Terminator.

He tried to put himself in Savannah's place right now. It would be a very uncomfortable place not knowing anything other than where a group of the enemy was at. The prospects of additional enemy forces arriving behind them only seem to make it worse.

Young Allison called Anna back into their section of the bunker. There was a new development where Cameron was at. She didn't think she should mention the images CamNet showed her about Savannah. She believed it was something everyone should see and know about. It made her think about the small child who was rescued by a 'mermaid'. It wasn't a mermaid, it was Savannah who drove into the water after the small child, and came up underneath it as she surfaced. She tried to push the thoughts from her mind. She was unsure of the nature of the new development.

"Cameron's team has exited the bunker with a cloud of gray smoke behind them." Young Allison said. "I think they must have done something. They're still covering the area they just left from."

Anna studied the images. She tried to determine the nature of their attack.

"There must be a secondary door inside." Anna said. "They're using Thermite on it."

Young Allison was relieved to see all three of them. She also saw them split up and one figure move off on their own. In the darkness she was unsure as to who it was.

"Is it Cammy or Cameron?" Young Allison asked. "I can't tell from the images. They've pulled out a Thermite grenade."

Anna continued to look at the images. She was unable to make a conclusive determination. The illumination from the Moon left a lot to be desired. They could also see images through both thermal and infrared displays.

"I'm not sure." Anna said. "Cameron would be most likely to attack on her own, but I think it is Cammy."

Young Allison wondered why there weren't any drone images of whatever threatened them. Their drones should attack whatever Cammy was going to attack first.

"What's she attacking?" Young Allison asked.

Anna hoped for a further update or additional images. There were none.

"I don't know yet." Anna said.

It didn't look any better to Young Allison than it did earlier.

They were still fighting the unknown.

If it was Cammy who went to attack the unknown force instead of Cameron, it seemed like a bad development to her. It seemed more like Cammy was being sacrificed instead of Cameron facing the threat herself. She wondered if Savannah made the decision to sacrifice her lover for her true love Cameron.

She looked over at Anna and wondered if she would be able to do the same thing on her own if it came down to Anna or Cameron. She swallowed hard and returned her attention back to her monitors. It was clear to her she would need to make the same choice Savannah evidently made. Cameron came first.

A choice so extreme still bothered her. How does one sacrifice one person they love, for another person they love even more? Maybe the choice would be for her to do the job herself instead of sending either one of them. Maybe they weren't sent. She could prevent either of them from going, by 'ordering' them not to.

Cammy moved forward to engage the threat. She pulled a Thermite grenade out as she moved. She intended to disable the HK equipment where she found it to prevent it from getting any closer to where Savannah and Cameron were. The clanking noise was even louder as she approached. It sounded different from any HK Tread or HK Track she ever heard before. It sounded big, whatever it was. She could feel the ground vibrate and shake as it moved closer. Maybe it was a new threat. This might be an APC or even a tank. The area they were in was very isolated. Skynet may have developed something new. It didn't matter, she needed to protect Savannah.

She saw movement on the ground ahead of it. It was a group of people. They moved fast on foot. It seemed to be too fast of a pace for humans. They must be Terminators. She knew she needed to act. She also knew she needed to knock out the tracked vehicle. She would concentrate on knocking out the main threat and then engage the troops on the ground. It seemed like it wasn't going to end well for her.

Cammy was aware of what Cameron said as she left about merging their chips. It was so she would allow herself to be destroyed in combat if it was necessary to protect Savannah. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make. It was a very real thought. She wouldn't allow harm to come to Savannah. She was painfully aware she wasn't part of the 'Natural Order'. She was expendable.

She could hear them coming. She knew she couldn't get too close, especially to see them. If she could see them, they could see her. She didn't want to lose the element of surprise.

She was going to let the Terminators pass and knock out the biggest threat first. She would attack the Terminators after she did. The Terminators would actually fall back and concentrate on her. The group of Terminators would hunt her down. As long as they were hunting her, they weren't endangering Savannah. She really would like to see a little drone support on her behalf.

The clanking grew louder. The earth vibrated and shook more under her feet. There was something big and it was coming.

Wait….

Something was wrong.

Everything was off.

Cameron moved Savannah to a more secure location. They expected to hear Cammy engage the enemy force. For some unknown reason, it hadn't happened yet. It either meant something went wrong, or there was a bigger threat which needed to be dealt with. Either one of those prospects didn't sound promising.

There was never any explosion or gunfire in the distance. Cammy should have reached the target by now. Instead they only heard the clanking grow louder. They both could feel the earth vibrate and shake underneath their feet.

Savannah was a little concerned about the situation, as well as Cammy.

"I still hear it coming." Savannah said. "It sounds big."

Cameron was sure Cammy would have tried to knock out the tracked vehicle first.

"Cammy must have something worse to contend with." Cameron said. "There's been no gunfire."

Savannah was aware of their success in deactivating hostel Terminators. The same thing could happen to any of their Terminators including Cameron.

"Maybe she's been taken down." Savannah said.

It was a grim thought for Savannah. She knew how many Terminators she took down. Cammy may have fallen the same way. She knew she needed to fight and try and see if they could recover Cammy. She didn't want her reprogrammed as a 'Metal Whore' to be used for the sexual gratification of the Grays.

There was movement from the direction Cammy went.

Cameron saw it for the threat it was. It was most likely hostile Terminators.

"There is a group approaching." Cameron said. "Get back."

Savannah was upset because she thought something bad already happened to Cammy. She wanted vengeance.

"NO!" Savannah said. "We fight."

Cameron attempted to assess the situation. Something seemed off to her.

"Not yet." Cameron said. "This is something different. It's why Cammy hasn't acted yet. There's more to it than we know, even if we don't know anything."

Savannah wondered what could be different. They were apprised there was a team of Terminators on the way to back them up. Maybe they drew a lucky break for once.

"Maybe it's our back up." Savannah said.

Cameron was a little worried as much as she was surprised at what she saw next in the darkness.

"I don't know. I see Cammy. She's running." Cameron said. "There are figures running behind her."

Savannah raised her M4. She was ready to give Cammy covering fire.

"We fight." Savannah said.

Cameron put her hand on the barrel of Savannah's M4 and gently pushed it down. She was able to identify who else was with Cammy.

"It's our back up team with her." Cameron said.

It sounded encouraging to Savannah. It still didn't answer the question as to what else was moving around out there. She knew none of their reprogram tracked HK equipment was in the area. The earth continued to shake and vibrate as the clanking grew louder.

"Then what's that clanking?" Savannah asked. "It sounds very close. It sounds very large."

They could feel vibrations in the ground from it grow stronger.

"It's currently unknown." Cameron said. "All I can tell you is it's big. I see Cammy now."

Cammy ran up to them.

"It's our backup team." Cammy said. "They brought some mechanical assistance with them."

The team of Terminators who followed Cammy spread out. They checked the fallen and covered the bunker entrance.

Cameron began to give them instructions immediately. There were things she wanted to do, but didn't have the time to do them without leaving Savannah properly protected. Since the help was there, they could assist her.

"Collect any information or phones from them." Cameron said.

The clanking continued to grow louder. They could feel the ground rumbling even more.

Savannah still covered the bunker entrance when she saw it.

It was a massive bulldozer. It was one of the biggest she ever saw. Even in the darkness she could see it was painted red. There were markings on the side of the cab area for the fire department.

Cammy directed it to the corner of the bunker. She climbed on it and gave instructions to the operator.

"Savannah, I want you to provide rear security for the bulldozer." Cameron said.

Savannah understood the real nature of the assignment Cameron gave her. She would be protected if anything happened from the bunker by the superstructure of the giant bulldozer. She doubted any small arms fire could penetrate the massive blade on the front of it.

"You want me protected by its mass." Savannah said.

Cameron saw no need to deny it. They still needed to worry about any more Grays popping up around them from an alternate exit out of the bunker system. There were several more options available to them now which they didn't have before the arrival of the backup force and the massive bulldozer.

"I do. It's still an important function. Someone needs to do it. We don't know if the Grays have more ways out." Cameron said. "The bulldozer is going to start chipping away at the corner of the bunker. It also has a hydraulic hammer on the rear of it. If we can breach the structure wall, the Grays inside are going to try to make a break for it. We're using more Thermite against the bunker door. The new team has C-4 with them as well. Once the door is white hot, we'll place a charge. We will keep repeating the process until one endeavor is successful."

Savannah understood Cameron's reasoning. She still wanted to contribute something more meaningful.

"OK, I get it." Savannah said. "I still want to do more."

Cameron indicated the fallen Grays around the area.

"You already did. It seems like a lot." Cameron said. "You were the one who protected Cammy and me. We're both very appreciative. I know you think it was your job, but we both know it was more. It isn't lost on either of us."

Savannah looked around at the dead Grays which littered the area still. They were armed troops who would have killed her, or wounded and captured her.

"I did what was necessary." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted Savannah to understand her concern.

"We need to protect the baby, your baby." Cameron said.

Savannah touched her still flat belly.

"It's Vanna's baby." Savannah said.

Savannah knew Cameron wanted the baby, as she did the other two she delivered. She could see it in her eyes. She didn't want Cameron to dwell on it.

"I'll have yours next, Cameron." Savannah said. "Nobody else will. I want your baby to be from me."

Cameron knew what she meant. Savannah wanted to 'protect' Young Allison.

Savannah knew she needed to do it before Judgment Day. She was young and healthy now. Her body was strong enough to keep having children. She didn't want Young Allison bred. It was her biggest concern and fear. She never wanted Young Allison to feel like she did when she needed to put her child in the arms of another, even if it was 'herself', and leave it behind. It was always a sick feeling which never left her. Every time she remembered the events, she needed to cry. If she didn't think about something else right now, it was going to happen, even on the battlefield.

Cameron knew it was a touchy subject for Savannah. There was no need to go there now.

"We'll discuss it later." Cameron said. "I don't want you hurt. We still need to do our job now."

Cameron was well aware of the risk Savannah took to protect her and Cammy earlier. It was heroic and brave. Savannah put Cammy and her before herself. It's not what she wanted to happen. It did. This is where they were now.

Savannah quickly refocused. She didn't want the Skynet forces to pull a fast one.

"Cameron, we also need to watch for them to escape or try to go through another exit." Savannah said. "I know in the mine we were at, they seemed to have another way in or out. We have several ways out with the bunker at the Young residence and at each of the bases."

Cameron could hear at least one drone at work.

"One of the drones is sweeping the surrounding terrain now. It's checking for heat signatures." Cameron said. "I can hear it searching in a pattern."

Savannah didn't like the lack of communication ability they currently experience.

"Is there any way to get our communications back?" Savannah asked.

Cameron checked all of her equipment several times and the equipment of the group of Terminators which arrived. They all experienced the same things.

"I think our equipment is all damaged. The Grays seem to have a jamming field as well." Cameron said. "I tried to use some of the phones off of the fallen Grays, none worked. It was excellent shooting, I might add."

Savannah didn't want to hear about what she did. There were people who died. They were the enemy. They came after them with weapons. It was the rules of war. It was kill or be killed. There was nothing to be proud of. She wanted to stress it.

"I did what I needed to do, when it needed to be done." Savannah said. "Anyone of us would have done the same thing."

Cameron witnessed other humans in combat in all the futures she went to, as well as the present. She saw others run and hide. They left their comrades to perish. The only ones who fought as hard as Savannah did, and took all the risks, were soon killed - ALL of them. It's not what she wanted to happen to Savannah.

In fighting Skynet there was a price for bravery. It was death. There were always those who rose to the occasion and met the challenge. Cameron knew Savannah would be one of those. She would never abandon her fellow soldiers. She would never abandon her.

Cameron was sure she would be the death of Savannah in some way. The thought troubled her greatly. She suppressed a glitch impulse as she inspected the area and the progress of the two teams at work to breach the bunker. It was clear they were going to enter the bunker one way or another. They still needed to worry about any Skynet reinforcements arriving or HK drones.

John looked at the drone feeds. He was a little surprised at the sight of the giant bulldozer.

"Where did they get such a monster?" John asked. "It's really huge."

John Henry felt they caught a lucky break with what they found. There were no microchips or processors to be affected. It was all 'old school' technology.

"They were able to get an older fire service bulldozer started and have brought it up to help with the destruction of the bunker. With its older technology, it was unaffected by whatever the electrical discharge was which fried everything else." John Henry said. "The drone footage doesn't indicate any damage to our Terminators or Savannah. One drone is running a search pattern to search for a 'break out'. The other two are searching for threats in the air or on the ground."

John was pleased to hear they were doing all they could. There was still one thought that troubled him in the back of his mind. It was based on earlier incidents.

"That's good to hear." John said. "If there is a Skynet there, I think it will be protected by a doomsday device."

John Henry knew it wouldn't be the first time.

"Cameron encountered one before which possessed one." John Henry said.

Bob checked their location against where they still needed to go. With the backup force of Terminators on the scene, he didn't think their late arriving contribution would add anything to the situation except more irritation to Cameron. There were other more productive things they could do.

"John, with Cameron's situation under better team cooperation, we can go after one of the big rigs like we planned." Bob said. "Cameron seems to have the situation under control. It appears there's plenty of help."

John knew Bob wanted to clandestinely warn him of another 'threat'. It was something he was very familiar with. It was always the same story, even if it was a different day.

"You're really telling me Cameron is going to be upset if I show up there." John said.

Bob was involved in more than one scenario where everything played out the same way after John arrived. It was just something Cameron always did.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "She will direct all her help to protect you."

John knew it would increase the danger to Savannah. He didn't want it to happen.

"I'm worried about Savannah and Cameron." John said. "I don't want to make it go from bad to worse."

Bob was aware there were still two more trucks out there which hadn't been identified yet. They received a solid lead on one, but it was all. He wanted to give John his honest assessment.

"We also have a job to do." Bob said.

John understood the full impact of everything Bob indicated. He still wanted to assist Cameron and Savannah as much as he could. He could bleed off a little of his help.

"I'll let the Metal girls go to help her." John said. "I think it's what they want to do anyway. I don't have a problem with it."

Bob wanted to put everything into context for John. It was a bad idea.

"I think it will cause a bigger problem." Bob said. "She will see you as under-protected and pull out to come to your aid. She will punish the Metal girls for leaving you."

John let out a long sigh. He knew he couldn't fight 'City Hall'. Bob was right. They did have a job to do. They were also others to assist them and protect him.

"Tell Gail to turn around and follow us again." John said. "We're headed back to Stockton."

John knew this was a 'no win' scenario with Cameron. She would direct all the help his way. She would strip it away from Savannah and her. He felt a little better about leaving now. There was more help for Cameron's team. There was a team of Terminators and three drones.

Maybe all of the assistance left him with a false sense of security. Maybe he wasn't the only one.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I'm Dying To Hear It

Do you only speak to hear
The melodious tone of your own voice
For with each new untruth
You make a bitter stinging choice

What's so difficult
With the truth to say
Everything is another delay
Another way to betray

Here we go again
Go ahead and talk
Then wonder why at you
Everyone will smirk and gawk

Whatever you're saying
Is just so many words
It's nothing I will believe
Save it for the birds

What's the latest story
To what will you admit
Go ahead and spill it
I'm dying to hear it

Nobody