Chapter 774
Alert The Girls
John didn't like the way events developed. He was worried about Cammy and Sheila. He needed to worry about Bob too with the big truck full of HK drones. He wanted to get more help there as fast as possible. They already staged some drones nearby before daylight. He didn't want them spotted if possible, but he wanted them available.
"Can our drones make it there unobserved?" John asked.
John Henry ran a few calculations.
"It's most likely." John Henry said. "The quarry is in the foothills."
John wanted to make sure they'd be ready in a moment's notice.
"I want them both ready to fly." John said.
John Henry made sure they were available before Cammy and Sheila started down the road to the granite quarry. If the girls met any opposition they were ready to scramble.
"They're both ready now." John Henry said. "As soon as Cammy reported contact, they were both powered up."
John nodded. He expected nothing less. John Henry was always on the ball.
"I can always count on you." John said.
John Henry would like to feel like he never dropped the ball. There were times where he felt he had. His inability to properly track the two box cars from the old newspaper plant, along with the removal of their cargo, set all of the current events into motion.
"I've experienced my lesser moments." John Henry said.
John thought he did multiple times himself. He was sure his list of failures was probably the longest of everyone at the Resistance base.
"We all have." John said. "ALL of us. Nobody is perfect."
John didn't want to have to use the drones while it was daylight still. Since it was a remote location, he would risk it to keep the team safe. He wanted the cargo of captured HK drones. He also wanted the third truck.
He felt the whole endeavor was on him by not taking the HK equipment from the boxcars in the beginning. He knew he cut more than a few corners with a lot of the things which happened since. He looked the other way at things he didn't approve of to get results. He was sure he probably needlessly endangered his troops. He didn't like having to watch Savannah fight for her life and almost be killed several times. He didn't believe he was done cutting corners yet either. He better understood how goal driven Cameron could be when she was on an operation. He felt the same way right now.
Was it possible for someone to always hold to a higher level of ethics and standards than the enemy and still win? He didn't think so. It was the boxer in the ring who used underhanded and illegal techniques which could render a superior boxer into a serious defeat. It wasn't any different on the battlefield. Maybe it was the scope and scale of the infractions which seemed to actually diminish them since there were so many. One could always point a finger at the enemy and blame them for 'starting it'.
Cammy carefully checked every one of the Grays below. She was confident none of them were Terminators. She watched their mannerisms and movements. No attempt was made to move any of the boulders yet either. Sheila gave her the description of the one individual she suspected. There was no clear evidence to substantiate her claim. It was possible she was correct. Time would tell.
"None of them are Terminators for sure." Cammy said. "As best as I can tell. The one you indicated is still a possible Terminator."
Sheila brought her M4 up. It seemed to her now was a pretty good time to clean house. The targets were identified. They should be dispatched before things progressed further. Even though it seemed unlikely, perhaps they were in contact with others through some means which weren't detected yet.
"Let's take out the trash." Sheila said.
Cammy put her hand on the barrel of Sheila's M4 to gently lower it down. Since the Grays were isolated, she didn't think they needed to be in a rush. Perhaps there were a few other endeavors they could partake in before everyone was terminated. She could see how disappointed Sheila looked they weren't going to terminate the Grays right now. She thought maybe she could offer her a different type of incentive.
"Maybe we should go down and 'talk' to them." Cammy said. "We might get some more information."
Sheila's expression lit up at the prospect of some additional 'interrogations'. She touched her knife and then she frowned. She knew she was way out of line with the Resistance policy. 'Off the books' operations with Cameron were one thing, Resistance operations were another. She strongly doubted Savannah would want her to continue with what she did on several recent occasions. She knew Savannah was upset about almost being terminated multiple times at the bunker complex. It actually started in the bathroom of the motel where the female Gray tried to strangle her. It was time to rein things in a little.
"I think we should follow the plan." Sheila said.
It made Sheila think of Savannah. She decided to confess to Savannah what she did. She knew she took things too far earlier. She knew she enjoyed it too. It would also need to be confessed. She wasn't supposed to take pleasure in the suffering of others, especially if she was the one who caused the suffering.
Cammy was a little surprised at Sheila's reluctance to do what she enjoyed. She was ready to act. It seemed rather straightforward to her.
"I'm going down there." Cammy said. "They're all trapped in there. There's only one way in and out."
Sheila thought Cammy was pushing things a little bit too much. Maybe things were a little bit too convenient. She wanted to think everything through. Was this the beginning of an operation? Was it the end of an operation? Why did events occur in the order and manner they did?
"Are you sure about this?" Sheila asked. "Think about it first."
Cammy did give it some thought. She doubted things were what they seemed.
"Do you mean because the Grays showed up at just the right time for us to see them?" Cammy asked. "I have thought about it. It reeks of Skynet. We think it's the perfect kill zone for the Grays. Maybe Skynet thinks it's the perfect kill zone for the Resistance."
Sheila didn't care much for the change in atmosphere.
"Do you think it is a trap?" Sheila asked. "It seems like one to me."
All the evidence seemed to indicate the same thing to Cammy.
"Yes." Cammy said.
Sheila checked the inside of the quarry again, rock by rock. It was possible there were already Skynet troops in place before the other two vehicles arrived. They might even be around where they were at if it was a setup.
"I don't see anything." Sheila said.
Cammy checked as well. She thought of Sheila's earlier assessment about one of the individuals.
"It's possible there's a Terminator down there." Cammy said.
Sheila needed to question Cammy's decision to go on down.
"And you want to walk out into the middle of it?" Sheila asked.
Cammy was ready to meet any challenge.
"I do not fear Skynet." Cammy said.
Sheila was a little shocked at Cammy's sudden boldness.
"It's the 'Cameron' in you talking, not 'Cammy'." Sheila said.
Cammy tilted her head slightly to one side.
"What's the difference?" Cammy asked.
Sheila believed the difference was the time they invested in each other while they were in the past. Cammy may run Cameron's program, but she wasn't Cameron. There were a lot of differences, even if there were a lot more similarities.
"The difference is eight years in the past alone with me…." Sheila said. "Us…."
Cammy also knew it meant Savannah, her true love. Maybe she needed to rethink her impulsiveness a little bit. It was a very strong calling which was hard to ignore. She knew it was another flaw she inherited from Cameron. She was sure glad she wasn't a Bitch like Cameron was.
"Time changes everything." Cammy said. "Or does it?"
Sheila was sure time changed a lot of things. Cammy's question was valid. How long did it actually change it for? Did things always go back to the way they were before when normalcy was returned? Maybe there was no 'normal'. It often didn't seem like it. How much of it was real? What was real? Was anything?
John Henry monitored everything in the area where Bob and the Metal girls were at. He watched the air for all activity, specifically HK drones. He soon spotted something he hoped he wouldn't see.
"I have an aerial contact." John Henry said. "It's headed towards the target zone."
John was afraid it was going to happen sooner rather than later. He immediately thought the worst.
"Is it HK drones?" John asked.
John Henry double checked on the hit.
"Negative. It's a helicopter." John Henry said. "It was a rather sudden appearance on the radar screens."
John hoped they could track the source from where the helicopter came from. He wanted the teams to be aware there was a helicopter in the area. They currently didn't have a clue about where it came from, or where it was going. There was no way to know if it was connected to the current operation or not. They used helicopters in the Resistance operations. There was no reason Skynet wouldn't do the same thing.
"Alert the teams." John said. "Try and find out where it came from."
John Henry figured Bob would be the largest target.
"Bob, I have a helicopter approaching your area." John Henry said. "It is fifteen miles out."
Bob took it for the bad news it was.
"If they use infrared they'll spot me." Bob said. "We need to know if it's armed. Both of those will be a bad combination for me."
John Henry wasn't sure what they were up to yet.
"I don't know if they're looking for you." John Henry said.
Bob worked on one of the HK drones. So far he reprogram three of them. He was almost finished with the fourth one. Theoretically John Henry could activate and control them at any point in time. They should operate like any other Resistance drone. There was always the fear there could be some hidden Skynet 'over ride'. So far none were encountered. There were none on the last batch which were flown out of the barn either. Technically they were Resistance drones now.
"I have three of the drones ready for combat." Bob said. "You can take control of them as well if you want. They no longer belong to Skynet."
John actually liked the idea. He'd like to use Skynet equipment against them. It's what would happen anyway. Right now they could become 'pinch hitters'. He decided to use a distance limit to be the guide for what action would follow.
"If the copter gets within five miles, I'm going to authorize it." John said.
John Henry wanted to get things ready. He wanted to make sure one of them would be ready to go in an instant if it was necessary.
"I'm powering up the one closest to the rear of the truck." John Henry said.
Bob was impressed at the minimum noise output of the engines, even in the confined space of the rear of the big rig.
"It's very quiet." Bob said. "The new power plants are very advanced."
John floated the idea they discussed before. It seemed they were dealing with different Skynets, not only from different futures, but at least one from a further future. There were many things they weren't sure of. So far, any of the Terminators which were captured, either had their memories scrubbed, or the chip self-destructed.
He knew Cameron considered attempting to install a neck port on an active captured Terminator. The purpose would be to access the chip which would otherwise self destruct when it was removed. They considered using just the head to complete the procedure, but weren't sure there wouldn't be some type of fail safe built in. The work would need to be done between two minute intervals as the Terminator was shocked back offline repeatedly. So far there weren't any successful reports of such an event occurring.
"What if this design is from a Skynet further in the future?" John asked.
John Henry didn't believe they possessed anything concrete to work with as to the nature of any of the other Skynets they might encounter.
"We've discussed this before." John Henry said. "It could be from another timeline as well."
Bob didn't want to worry about Skynet, different timelines, or different futures. He wanted to know where the closest threat to him originated from. It was his immediate concern. He'd like to pay the location a visit when they were done there. He thought it would be very polite to 'introduce' himself to them.
"Where did the helicopter come from?" Bob asked. "Where is it now?"
John Henry was somewhat concerned to see the trajectory of the helicopter change slightly. He already took some preemptive action on his own. He would notify John about it later on, or if the issue arose. The current trajectory took some of the heat off of Bob. The downside was, it transferred it to where the Metal girls were at.
"It just appeared." John Henry said. "It must have been parked somewhere close by and hidden. It is ten miles out but veering."
Bob hoped it wasn't headed in his direction still.
"Which direction is it veering to?" Bob asked.
John Henry was able track the progress.
"It's headed towards the quarry." John Henry said.
John was afraid the girls were exposed because they were up on the rim of the canyon which overlooked the quarry below them.
"Alert the girls." John said.
John was pretty sure this was about to go from bad to worse. There seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions which revolved around all of this.
John Henry continued to check on the origins of the helicopter. It may not have actually originated where it was first detected. It was possible it could have been down on the deck flying from another location. There was a lot of flat farmland it could hug, especially if it followed any of the irrigation ditches. They would generally be obstacle free.
Cammy and Sheila currently searched for a hidden Terminator when they received the disturbing news.
From their current position, they wouldn't be able to elude a thorough helicopter search.
"It looks like the Grays are getting reinforcements." John Henry said. "Are you well enough hidden? We don't know the helicopter's capabilities."
Cammy hadn't anticipated a helicopter entering the arena. It wasn't something they usually encountered when they dealt with Skynet forces. It was most likely some outside contractors involved with Skynet's illicit operations. A contractor was a mercenary by definition, or a collaborator if nothing else.
"Our vehicle will be spotted in any kind of search." Cammy said. "There's no way for us to completely hide it from detection. How far out are they?"
John Henry was aware the girls didn't have much time to act.
"It's fifteen miles from your position." John Henry said. "It will be there any matter of minutes. We still don't know what it is, who it belongs to, or what its destination actually is."
Sheila doubted it was a gunship, but it would be nice to know if it was.
"What type of 'bird' is it?" Sheila asked.
John Henry could only view a 'blip' on his monitor.
"The type of helicopter is unknown." John Henry said. "There's no way to know if it's a 'slick' or a 'gunship'. It would seem there would need to be some type of discretion in its appearance to avoid unnecessary attention by others who may witness it."
Cammy was a little concerned with the sudden appearance of the helicopter. It either hugged the ground from wherever it originated from, or it came from a much closer location. She'd like to pay the location a visit when they were done there.
"We only have a few minutes to act." Cammy said. "Where did it come from? We heard you tell Bob it was just 'there' all of a sudden. It seemed to be headed in his direction before it switched course to our direction."
John Henry was unable to determine its origination.
"It just appeared without warning." John Henry said. "It only appeared to gain some elevation because of its relation to the foothills."
Sheila hopped into the SUV to try to get it to a more concealed location. The options were very limited on the rim of the canyon.
Cammy thought it was time to throw caution to the wind. They were probably going to need some more firepower and they would probably need it soon. She wanted to use more of their available resources.
"Sheila's moving the SUV now. If they have infrared, or a Terminator with them, they'll still spot it." Cammy said. "I want the drones up and at altitude, now."
John Henry already took the precaution. He silently indicated what he wanted to do to John and received approval.
"Our two are already up. They belong to the Resistance." John Henry said. "Bob has three more ready. They are new recruits to the Resistance."
Bob was able to complete his task. He finished the programming on the rest of the drones.
"They're all ready now." Bob said.
Cammy was a little weary of using the captured Skynet equipment. If there was a squadron of HK drones headed towards them, then it would be worth the risk to use them. If they decided to rejoin their brethren, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference when they were attacked. They would be obliterated anyway.
"I don't want to use the new recruits unless we need to." Cammy said. "There may be hostile HK drones, even if this is a trap. We really don't know what any of this is or what we'll face before things is done. Everything involved with this operation is a little different than anything 'normal'."
Sheila would have liked to have possessed a heat seeking missile. They didn't have one. They would need to make do with the weapons on hand. It would mean they would need to wait until the helicopter was much closer before they could bring it down.
"We don't have a Stinger." Sheila said. "I can knock the helicopter down with the LAW rocket if it gets close enough. It shouldn't be anything more than a 'slick'. If we aren't spotted initially, the helicopter should turn into a 'sitting duck'."
John Henry wanted to remind them the type of helicopter was unknown. It was doubtful if it was a gunship, but it could still be armed with door guns. There could be some type of rocket pods on the sides of it, or even mounted below it.
"We don't know what it is." John Henry said. "The helicopter would have to be fairly close to hit it with the LAW rocket."
Cammy didn't like the way everything continued to unfold with the operation.
"We'll have our weapons ready." Cammy said. "Have one drone target the helicopter and the other one search wider for low flying HK drones which might approach us. I think we're being set up."
John Henry made sure the Skynet forces wouldn't be able to communicate with each other. It was time to put a communications block in place. It may alert the enemy to their presence, but it would also prevent them from making any further plans with each other.
"All communications are jammed in a ten mile radius." John Henry said. "It includes four separate locations around there."
Sheila figured it would buy them some time and put some doubt into all of the Skynet forces.
"It will create confusion for them." Sheila said. "They won't know at first if it's a result of their remote location, or interference by the Resistance, or another Skynet group."
Cammy figured she would be able to add a little confusion of her own.
"I have a suppressor on my M4." Cammy said. "I'm going to 'pop' the Grays."
John wondered if something changed on the ground there. He wondered if the Grays took an aggressive posture.
"Do they look like they're expecting combat?" John asked. "Have you been detected?"
Cammy wanted to make sure her targeting was all preset based on where the Grays currently stood.
"No, I'm marking their positions." Cammy said. "I should be able to hit all five in less than two seconds, if they keep standing there. If they start moving or seek cover, it will add an additional delay. Only a Terminator would be able to return any type of effective fire."
John figured they must know the helicopter was on its way.
"I think they're waiting for the helicopter to arrive." John said. "It might have someone important to the Skynet operation on it. It's possible there is a high value target on board.
Sheila readied the LAW rocket. She tapped on the side of it and smiled at Cammy.
"It looks like it." Sheila said. "I'm waiting for it too."
Cammy could only think of one reason why they would send a helicopter to the remote location.
"The only thing they would need to bring there is a Terminator." Cammy said. "Maybe they actually want to remove some of the boulders on top of the vehicles. It's possible there was something in one of them we missed."
John Henry was able to move their drones into position. The enemy was targeted.
"The helicopter is locked up." John Henry said. "If it takes aggressive action, there will be a missile fired at it in seconds. Tell me to 'fire' if you think it's needed sooner."
Cammy checked her targeting of the Grays on the ground inside the quarry again.
"I can hear the helicopter now." Cammy said. "The people on the ground haven't moved. They appear to be waiting for it."
Sheila made some calculations of her own. She thought she could do more damage if she timed her shot placement correctly.
"If the helicopter flies over the Grays on the ground on its approach, I'm going to use the LAW rocket on it." Sheila said. "The flaming wreck should fall on top of all of them."
Cammy liked the idea. She didn't want to use the missiles on their drones on a soft target like the helicopter. They still needed to worry about HK drones showing up. The missiles would be better used on those.
"Save the missiles on the drones." Cammy said. "They may be needed elsewhere."
John still perceived the helicopter as the main threat.
"What else would they be needed for?" John asked.
Cammy decided to spell it out for him. She wanted to make sure the Command Center understood her reasoning.
"For the HK drones I think are going to show up." Cammy said. "It will be our biggest threat. The number of the enemy force will determine their chances of success or failure. The new recruits may need to be deployed."
Cammy was sure things were going to get bigger before it was over. Sheila and her selected several different firing positions to engage the helicopter or the Grays on the ground. They would be ready to move to those locations in seconds and change positions as needed. They'd worked out several different scenarios they could instantly switch to or from as needed. The goal was to give each other covering fire if it was necessary.
Sheila was ready with the LAW rocket. She hoped the helicopter would be close enough so she could use it. If there were no Terminators involved, the Grays should all be 'sitting ducks'.
They were also both worried about hostile HK drones making an appearance after they gave away their positions. They didn't think the helicopter and Grays were bait, but they could be. Skynet wouldn't think twice before making sacrifices with machines or humans. Everything besides itself was a Pawn. They were all expendable assets.
Like every operation, there were a lot of unknowns, this one was no different.
Savannah could see how happy Young Allison looked. She knew Young Allison didn't get out enough and was very isolated. She knew the feeling well. Sometimes it was a feeling of being 'trapped'. There was a whole world to be explored, places to go, and people to meet, but she couldn't do any of those things. Her whole life was predetermined for her and she was 'forced' to live it.
Right now they all shared a good and happy time together. Savannah and Young Allison enjoyed the music. It seemed Cameron did too. It was a positive note for all of them.
Cameron was aware with a good set of speakers, the bass and drums actually could be felt through her chassis. It added a physical aspect to the audio input. She saw how the pulsating 'throb' actually reached out and touched the girls and her. It became quite stimulating. It made her wonder why so much of the current music was so mundane and boring. She felt music which actually reached out and touched someone was a powerful tool. It seemed as if most of the singers involved with music were nothing but performers. They didn't play their own instruments, nor did they write their own material. They were a little more than leeches and parrots of someone else's work and effort. There were still a few singer-songwriters out there. There weren't very many.
Savannah and Young Allison each ordered a cheeseburger and fries along with their malts. Savannah ordered 'chocolate peanut butter cup'. Young Allison ordered 'double strawberry'.
Cameron only got a 'sticky chewy chocolate' malt. She tried a few 'tastes' from each of their plates as well. She didn't try any of the cheeseburgers. She tried a few tastes of deceased animals before. They didn't appeal to her. Sometimes it made her wonder how cruel it was to breed animals just so they could be terminated and consumed. Somehow it reminded her of Skynet type activities. It seemed it was much the same way Skynet viewed humans. It didn't actually eat them, but it used and abused them until they were deceased.
The three of them all interacted playfully as the food was consumed.
Cameron dipped a fry into her malt and took a taste.
Savannah and Young Allison looked at each other, but said nothing. Savannah decided if Cameron went to try any ketchup or mustard with her malt, she would stop her. They didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention.
The three girls all spent some time dancing to the different tunes Young Allison selected. They laughed and joked and shared a very good time together. They could all see how they interacted with each other. They were like 'one'. It was a very beautiful feeling.
Savannah and Young Allison noticed how much more like 'Allison' that Cameron seemed to be the longer they interacted this way.
Cameron was no longer a scary robot from the future. She was almost 'human'.
Savannah and Young Allison were very aware of it. They didn't think Cameron was. They didn't want to mention it and spoil a brief moment like this where Cameron didn't need to be wound so tight. She didn't need to worry about Skynet or where her next battle would be fought. She didn't need to worry about being shot up.
Cameron was aware of how different she felt with Savannah and Young Allison in their current setting. Now she began to wonder when she took Young Allison into the past, and when Savannah was there too, she might not want to leave. Savannah would still have Vanna's baby. They could all stay in the past and raise the child together. This is the life they could lead, the four of them. It would be beautiful. She could always return to the present from the past and visit John to 'tank up' and deliver more genetic material to Savannah or Young Allison if they desired to have more children. She should be able to time her arrivals back to the present either hours or days after she left with Savannah and Young Allison. John wouldn't know what was actually happening if she did it in such a way.
Cameron didn't want to get caught up in the idea and 'zone out'. She excused herself and went outside to check on everything and make a quick patrol around the premises. She didn't think it was necessary. It somehow made her feel better to do it though. Savannah and Young Allison were inside. She couldn't let anything happen to them.
Savannah and Young Allison returned to their seats.
Young Allison sat across from Savannah now. She reached over and touched Savannah's hand as she looked into her eyes.
"Maybe the next time we come here I won't be 'off limits' anymore." Young Allison said. "We will both be here again when I'm older."
Savannah really didn't want Young Allison to dwell on the subject.
"Please, I don't want to talk about it now." Savannah said. "We already talked about 'everything' in your room. It will all happen when it is supposed to. I promise, Allison. I swear it."
Young Allison smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She figured she needed to make a couple of amends herself.
"I want to apologize for what I did earlier to Allison and you." Young Allison said. "I know Allison is 'me'. I know you both wanted to share. I was jealous. I was wrong and acted immaturely. I'm deeply sorry I took something from you and her which you both wanted to share."
Savannah believed the situation could have been handled better on all levels.
"We should have been more discreet." Savannah said. "There's a lot of 'sharing' in my life. I've told you everything. I never want secrets between us. I only haven't mentioned details or personal things. I've shared with all of the girls in one way or another."
Young Allison knew it included her mother. She intended to do exactly the same thing with everyone who was available in the current timeline. She wanted to be with everyone who Savannah was with. She told Savannah the same thing several times. She told her again in her bedroom earlier. She knew Savannah didn't agree, but she didn't object either. How could she? She already did it.
Cameron entered the front door and headed for their table.
"I apologize again. You are free to do as you chose." Young Allison said to Savannah. "I will apologize to Allison as well."
Cameron saw Savannah and Young Allison were having a personal discussion.
"Is everything OK?" Cameron asked.
Savannah wanted to skip the details. She figured the overall gist of the conversation would be good enough.
"Yes it is." Savannah said. "There were a few things we needed to work out. There were a few growing pains. Everything worked out fine."
Cameron thought about some of her trials and tribulations in the timeline.
"I've experienced plenty of those myself." Cameron said. "I still do."
Savannah wanted to reassure Cameron they weren't unique to her.
"We all have." Savannah said. "We all do. We all will going forward. It's how life works."
Young Allison wanted to take Cameron and Savannah back to the dance floor.
"Let's dance." Young Allison said.
Young Allison led both of them by their hands.
A song which really 'moved' just started to play.
'The Twist' by 'Chubby Checker', drifted around the room.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
We Need To Go
There are many directions
For one to choose from
Some may be easier
Others will be harder to overcome
Even if we know the future
The path isn't clearly marked
We may think we're moving
When we're really parked
Isn't the future
Soon the past in but a second
Things seldom seem to happen
As we've planned or reckoned
I really don't know
I really don't care
As long as we have each other
Our lives to grow and share
Nothing is written in stone
That by now you know
You tell me where
We need to go
Nobody