Chapter 775

Good Riddance

Cammy and Sheila concealed themselves from the helicopter as it neared their location. They hoped they wouldn't be spotted. They stayed low as the helicopter made a slow lazy circle. It didn't appear to be searching for them. It appeared the pilot looked for a place to land. He needed to be mindful of the debris kicked up by the rotor wash.

"The helicopter is flying around the perimeter." Cammy said. "They may not be searching for us specifically. It doesn't look like it."

John Henry currently had the helicopter locked up with one of their drones at altitude.

"Say the word." John Henry said. "The missile will be there in less than two seconds."

The helicopter headed for the center of the quarry and the Grays waiting down below.

Sheila was sure they weren't the targets. She was ready to fire the LAW rocket if necessary. She currently held on to it. She hadn't armed it yet.

"I don't think they even looked in our direction." Sheila said. "I can bring it down myself if I need to. It's within range."

Cammy was convinced they hadn't been detected. She didn't want John Henry to waste a missile from their drone.

"Hold your fire." Cammy said. "They didn't spot us. We can take care of things ourselves."

Cammy glanced over at Sheila and nodded.

Sheila armed the LAW rocket. It extended to its full length. She aimed it at the descending helicopter. She already worked out a plan for what she wanted to do. She quickly checked her calculations and targeting information.

"I'm going to flame it when it over flies the people on the ground." Sheila said. "I have him zeroed."

Cammy raised her M4. She liked the idea. She would be able to start in with some sniping of her own as the rocket traversed the distance. It would happen very quickly.

"As soon as you fire the LAW, I'll start in on the Grays with my M4." Cammy said. "I'm going to work from right to left."

Cammy aimed her M4. She started to pick out targets and locations. She wanted everything preselected for quicker shots. She already performed the same procedure several times. This time it appeared it would bear fruit.

Sheila was ready to act. Everything was just about lined up. A little bit more and she would have it.

"I'm going to fire." Sheila said. "Everything should be lined up in two more seconds. Get ready."

Cammy was ready to fire. Her finger tightened on the trigger.

"I'll start shooting as soon as the rocket is away." Cammy said.

The helicopter slowly made a lazy circle to land. As soon as it was over the Grays on the ground, there was a 'whoosh' as the LAW rocket streaked down from the rim of the quarry. Before the rocket even hit, two of the Grays were down from Cammy's M4.

The LAW rocket impacted the engine compartment of the helicopter. It was a Jet Ranger. It immediately went out of control as the engine area was blown apart, fuel and flames spread as it fell. It tipped over on its left side. Two more Grays were hit and went down from Cammy's M4. The last one standing was cut in half by the now nearly inverted helicopter rotor on its final rotation. The rotor then impacted the rock and shattered. Pieces of it flew in all directions. All of the bodies on the ground were peppered with shrapnel from the rock and the rotor.

The burning helicopter erupted in a fireball as it landed on the five bodies below. None of the figures on the ground were still alive.

There was a smaller secondary explosion in the burning wreckage.

They were both a little surprised at what they spotted next.

A human torch climbed out of the burning inferno. Its limbs flayed in all directions. A final suppressed round ended the screams. The body dropped back into the raging inferno.

Sheila dumped the empty LAW tube as soon as she fired it. She picked up her M4. Both of the Metal girls searched for additional targets. There were none apparent.

Cammy wanted to make sure the helicopter wasn't bait. Their position was now identified.

"Are there any HK drones?" Cammy asked as she searched the burning wreckage and surrounding area.

Sheila switched from watching the flaming inferno to check the area around them and the rest of the quarry.

John Henry kept a careful watch on the area. He didn't like how the helicopter wasn't detected until it was fifteen miles out. He didn't want a repeat performance with any HK drones. If they hugged the terrain, or followed one of the roads, they would remain undetectable by standard radar.

"Nothing's been detected." John Henry said. "You have one of our drones over you. The other has moved seven miles out. It's searching for any movement low to the ground."

Bob followed the situation as it developed in the granite quarry from the back of the big rig. The HK drones which were powered up earlier, now shut down. He thought it was a good thing if they weren't needed. At this point they should be able to operate as any other Resistance drone because of the reprogramming. Still, they liked to go through everything in detail to make sure there was nothing hidden. It was always done at a secure location away from any of the actual Resistance storage areas.

"The HK drones in the back of the truck have powered down." Bob said. "What is our next move going to be?"

John Henry decided to shut them down when it became apparent they wouldn't be needed. He would still like to have a team go through them first and make sure there were no hidden surprises in any of them before they were actually launched.

"They will not be needed." John Henry said. "At least they won't be needed yet. We don't know what else is happening or what the current incident will provoke."

Sheila and Cammy viewed the wreckage and carnage below them in the granite quarry. They were sure there was going to be some type of follow up action.

Cammy wanted to inspect everything to determine exactly what was what if it was possible. They might be able to gain some more clues as to what the clandestine meeting was about in the first place. She hoped to find the device which was used to locate the two vehicles under the tons of granite. It might give them a clue as to what the Grays were able to track.

"I'll go down and check on the wreckage." Cammy said.

John wasn't so sure it was a good idea. It sounded like the goal was accomplished to terminate the Skynet forces. He would rather have them withdraw and go to reinforce Bob. He wanted to make sure the load in the back of the big rig was protected. He didn't want to lose the load of HK drones again.

He was also concerned about the location of the third truck Sheila extracted from one of the Grays during an enhanced interrogation. With the current turn of events, the Grays might try to move it or disperse the load. He needed to deal with what was right in front of them first.

"I think we should pull out at this juncture." John said. "If they're all dead and burning, what's the point? There's no need wasting anymore time there. Someone is going to come looking for them at some point."

Cammy didn't want to leave any unknowns behind. They were already there at the scene so they might as well do a complete search and evaluation.

"One of the vehicles is undamaged." Cammy said. "I'll search it for any intel. I want to look for any Terminators in the wreckage. Maybe there will be another clue as to the location of the last big rig. I want to see if I can locate the device they were using earlier."

John didn't want them to waste any more time at the location. If Skynet knew where to send the helicopter, it also knew where to send HK drones. The helicopter wasn't detected until after John Henry cut communications. It meant Skynet already knew where the two cars on the ground were headed. He thought the area was too 'hot' to remain. He wanted to make sure Bob was protected.

"Cammy, let it go." John said. "I want to pack it in. Our main concern right now is Bob."

Cammy looked at Sheila. Wordlessly she started a descent down into the canyon on foot. She didn't think it would take too long to gather some additional information.

"It's too late, love." Sheila said. "She's already started down the canyon side into the quarry. I'll drive down there and pick her up. I'll stick with the trail until it turns back into a road. It was a bit of a bumpy ride. If you rode with me, I would take off my top so you could watch everything bounce on the way down."

John was irritated to hear the unauthorized change in plans. Since it was going to happen anyway, he still wanted them to use maximum caution. Sheila's remark did a lot to defuse his negative disposition. He would look too. He actually thought it would be quite intriguing to watch.

"Be careful of your earlier suspicions about how this was a 'set up'." John said. "We don't want anyone damaged. We don't want an unknown booby trap to be tripped."

Sheila knew John really meant terminated.

"I think Cammy is on the best approach to avoid such an event." Sheila said.

Sheila thought it was a better approach with Cammy going down on the inside of the quarry from the rim, while she approached from the gravel road at the entrance. Her approach should draw the attention of anyone they missed, or who was hiding. She really didn't care to be bait, but this seemed somewhat low risk at this point. Either way, Cammy would have her back. She looked forward to when this was over and Cammy could have her 'front'.

Anna kept track of the events occurring at the granite quarry.

Both John Henry and CamNet kept her updated with everything as it occurred.

Anna called the Metal girls down into the bunker to monitor what happened. They all followed the events.

Gail verified where Savannah was at. She wanted to make sure Cameron hadn't clandestinely taken her to the scene of the current activity. She was satisfied it was just Sheila, Cammy and Bob that were there.

"We should be there with them." Gail said. "They could use additional help."

It appeared to Hanna everything was concluded for now.

"They seem to be doing OK on their own." Hanna said.

Holly wouldn't mind doing a little more. She was almost always at the Young residence in Palmdale. She wanted to share the burden.

"We don't get out much." Holly said. "Maybe we should be there."

Cam glanced up towards Allison's bedroom. Vanna was currently in there with Jesse and Allison.

"We all have other functions." Cam said. "ALL of us."

Gail was dissatisfied because Savannah needed to go on so many missions. There were plenty of other Terminators available to do it. It didn't always need to be Savannah.

"We should do more." Gail said. "We all know it."

Hanna didn't go out on any operations any longer which we're related to the Resistance. She did go out with Cameron, Sheila, and Ally on some 'off the books' operations at times. She understood what Gail's real concern was.

"Relax." Hanna said. "Savannah isn't out there."

Gail didn't like her answer. There was a sad reality to all of it concerning Savannah. She wanted to make sure they all understood it too.

"Maybe this time she isn't." Gail said. "Savannah has seen more combat than most of you. She certainly faced and took down more Terminators than any of you. I want you all to think about the fact. It's undeniable. It isn't fair."

Hanna could see Gail was wound too tight. There was nothing they could do about the current operation. As far as any future operations went, it was mostly out of their hands too. Cameron was the one in control. She wanted to redirect Gail's thoughts.

"It sounds like you could use a 'finish'. I'll 'take care' of you myself." Hanna said. "We can use one of the back rooms. You need to wind down a little."

Hanna's response seemed to anger Gail even more.

"This isn't a joke." Gail said. "It shouldn't be treated as one. Besides, if I wanted a Metal Savannah, there already is one. It's not you."

Anna understood Gail just referenced her. She looked down at the front of her sheath. She hoped to get everyone to take a step back. She now regretted calling them down into the bunker. It was now a point of contention instead of information.

"I'm sorry." Anna said as she tried to lighten the toxic mood. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm 'off the market' at this point, at least in appearance. I need to prepare for my temporal mission."

Gail was still wound up. She was still angry Savannah was out in the field so often. She personally tried to make sure she was there to back Savannah up whenever she could, if she knew about an operation she was involved with. She didn't care for any of the comments the others made when she did it either. It was about protecting Savannah.

It was something all of them should be doing. It was more than just about being 'sweet' on someone. It was the principle of the entire matter and the reality of the situation. She felt the easy life all of them currently lived was part of the problem. It was because Cameron took on the burden of fighting the war herself which allowed all of them to live the easy life. She wondered how many of them actually remembered they were really Terminators, not mechanical love dolls. The last definition seems to be accurate for most of them.

"You're a machine." Gail said. "YOU all are. WE ALL are. We can get a new chassis or a replacement sheath. Savannah can do neither."

It was clear Gail was very upset at the constant danger Savannah was in, even if she wasn't in any right now. Her words resonated with the other Metal girls. They knew what she said was true.

Holly and Hanna both knew the description was accurate for them. It was all they ever did anymore. It was to switch back and forth between Claire and Allison and provide them with endless sexual gratification. It seemed to be more than Cameron's plan to make sure Allison and Claire remained happy and passive. When they were both of those things, they didn't ask questions or confront Cameron as she stole Young Allison's life right in front of them.

Summer heard the argument going on in the bunker. She looked down and saw what was happening. She knew she could diffuse the situation almost instantly. She went down and walked up to Gail and took her hand. She knew there were various ways she could cause or create an attitude adjustment with not only humans, but also with the Metal girls.

Gail picked Summer up and held her. Her mood softened at once. Her face brightened as she held Summer.

"You're getting big." Gail said.

Summer knew Gail would pick her up. Only a Terminator picked her up anymore since she was big now.

Gail was no stranger to carrying around human females. It was something she often did with Jesse as well as Vanna. The circumstances were usually a little different. They were certainly more involved.

Summer touched Gail's cheek. She wanted to give Gail something to think about.

"We're all growing." Summer said. "In many ways, the journey has really only just started for all of us."

The rest of the Metal girls dispersed. Gail carried Summer back upstairs and set her down.

Summer took Gail's hand and led her to the piano. She wanted Gail to sit next to her. She played while Gail watched….

The real beauty of what Gail saw, rather than heard, was to watch Summer play. It was like she was 'one' with the piano. The piano was a mechanical device. It was a machine. She could see the music flowed out of Summer herself and into the piano. It was beautiful. It was a perfect combination of a human and a machine, Summer and the piano.

Claire watched what Summer did. She did nothing to stop her. She saw it was what Summer wanted to do and she knew how to fix the developing problem. It was all done with such grace. There was no animosity or hard feelings after Summer 'touched' all of the Metal girls in her own special way. There was no sexual aspect to it as there would have been if Allison or her would have intervened.

She really wanted to have another baby for herself after she was done allowing Cameron the use of her body for breeding. She thought about what Summer told her earlier. It was clear Summer belonged to the future.

She was aware of Summer's unique abilities. She never discussed them with anybody. She was aware of only one other individual who possessed any abilities like Summer. She was half a millennium in the future. It made her wonder if the future didn't belong to Summer.

Cammy made her way down the hillside into the quarry. The going wasn't too rough. She used as much cover as she could, but not enough to slow her down. She was on the lookout for anything out of place. She still was unsure if the Grays were in the process of laying a trap. They may have hit first before the Grays were ready to spring their trap. Cammy saw Sheila moved the SUV down from the top of the quarry rim to join her.

She should have stayed concealed until Sheila entered, but she didn't wait. She wasn't about to use Sheila as bait. They shared a very special bond now. She wasn't going to risk damage to anyone else, especially Sheila. They needed to look after each other for eight long years. It was eight years away from everyone else.

Was it though? Was there interaction with the group on the temporal mission? It caused her hand to experience a slight glitch. Why was she thinking about this now? She needed to push the thoughts from her mind. Everything was blocked. If there was no interaction, why did anything need to be blocked? She needed to make sure she didn't trigger a booby trap.

The wreckage of the helicopter was still a burning inferno. Cammy needed to keep the car between her and the flaming mass. She didn't want any sheath damage from the excessive heat. Jet fuel burnt at a very high temperature.

Cammy approached the Gray's vehicle. The paint was blistered on the right fender and hood from the heat of the burning helicopter and the other Gray vehicle.

She carefully checked the vehicle over and opened the door to look inside. She went through the belongings there and the car itself. Nothing of significance was found. She started the car and put it in gear. She let it idle along into the flaming inferno.

Sheila drove through the entrance and entered the quarry in their SUV. She drove near the flaming wreckage, but not too close.

"Hop in, love." Sheila said. "I didn't bring any marshmallows."

Cammy took one last look around burning wreckage and got into the SUV.

"I feel like we're missing something." Cammy said. "I don't know what."

She still thought something was off. It didn't seem quite right to her. This is where she would have liked to have Savannah with her. She valued her input. It seemed humans were better able to 'read' a situation like this. As a Terminator she looked at everything logically. The human mind seemed much more chaotic and unorganized. Somehow all the disorder allowed them to 'see' things a Terminator couldn't.

It looked like a win to Sheila.

"Well, we can't put any 'shrimp on the barbie'." Sheila said.

Cammy took one look back as Sheila exited the quarry.

"Let's get Bob." Cammy said.

Sheila could see Cammy was disturbed.

"Are you still bothered?" Sheila asked.

Cammy looked around again.

"Yes." Cammy said.

Sheila reached over and touched Cammy's thigh. She knew how to redirect her thoughts.

"When this is finished, I'll make it all better." Sheila said. "We'll forget about this mess."

Cammy reached over and touched her cheek. Her previous worry was filled with a sense of anticipation.

"You always do…." Cammy said.

Cammy and Sheila formed a dependency on each other. To be in the past for so long together and alone, they both could tell when the other one needed them the most. There was more than one way to keep a Terminator from experiencing a glitch episode. Experience proved 'something' was the best way to do it.

John Henry watched the sky. He thought there should be more. More of what, he wasn't sure. It just seemed like it wasn't over yet. His biggest worry right now was the truckload full of HK drones Bob currently oversaw.

"Our drones show nothing around you, Bob." John Henry said.

Bob didn't want to end up a target. He figured it was only a matter of time until someone came to look for the helicopter and the Grays they lost contact with. In the search for them, they were more than likely to find the big truck along with the Metal girls and him.

"I see the girls coming now." Bob said. "I think you should take the drones away. We can get them out of here and dump this truck. It's going to become a target sooner rather than later."

John was worried the drones would be spotted, but two of theirs already operated in the area currently. He wanted to deny Skynet the use of the HK drones they captured. Bob and the girls were still in a very remote area. He thought it was time to act.

"Maybe you're right." John said. "This is all too risky now. We've experienced too many close ones. We're going to get jammed up if we keep sitting on everything."

Bob wanted to know if any additional information was obtained about the third big truck they were searching for.

"What is the status on the last truck?" Bob asked.

John really wanted to locate the truck. All the other teams in the area searched for it.

"We now have four teams on it." John said.

Once the HK drones were away from the big truck, Bob wanted to leave it behind. It would free him and the Metal girls up.

"Do you want Cammy, Sheila, and me to go and assist as well?" Bob asked.

John felt they did more than their share already.

"Not at this time." John said. "Maybe it's best if you wrap it up and leave the area."

Bob was a little confused. They were Terminators. They didn't need to rest. He wanted to get his hands on the last truck. He was involved with the first two, he wanted to make it a full house.

"We don't need to 'stand down'." Bob said.

The SUV pulled up.

Cammy looked at the rear of the big rig.

"Are there any changes around us?" Cammy asked.

John Henry checked the radar screens as well as the images from the drones on patrol around them. He felt everything was clear enough to move the captured drones away from the area.

"There are none." John Henry said. "Everything appears the same. We're going to take the drones from your location now."

After the last three incidents with the Grays they were involved with, Sheila thought it was about time.

"Good riddance…." Sheila said.

They watched the first drone power up as John Henry sent it commands.

They watched the drones fly off, one by one. Bob and Cammy closed the back doors of the truck. Bob got into the driver's seat of the SUV.

Bob looked at Cammy and Sheila. They both seemed a little off. Maybe he could suggest something to take their mind off of things.

"You two can ride in the back." Bob said.

Sheila looked at Cammy and winked.

"I wish we still had the van." Sheila said.

Cammy tilted her head slightly. She was with Cameron and Savannah during the time period the Metal girls drove the van.

"What happened there?" Cammy asked.

Sheila wasn't sure where to start. Maybe a simple answer would be the best one to give.

"A lot…." Sheila said. "I'll show you a few of the things."

Sheila was a little worried about whatever troubled Cammy. She would take her mind off of things for a while. Maybe whatever it was would 'click' at some point. She saw Bob was going to pay attention to what they did. She didn't have a problem with it. It actually motivated her as much as it excited her.

Bob headed out on the road back toward where the last big truck may be located. He adjusted the rear view mirror and kept one eye on it, and one on the road.

He found the drive fascinating as well as educational. He better understood why John Henry spent a lot of time doing 'research' on females. It didn't matter if they were human or Terminators. Bob carefully and clandestinely reached down and adjusted the front of his pants.

Cameron monitored the events as they unfolded through CamNet. She tried to do it discreetly. She didn't want to spoil the joyful mood the girls were in. She didn't want to spoil her joyful mood either. They all shared a really great time together. The way Savannah and Young Allison got along was beautiful. They were truly meant for each other. She wondered if maybe she was the interloper. She figured she might be the 'glue' which actually held the four of them together in the future. It was clear to her right now, Savannah and Young Allison didn't need anyone to hold them together.

She still thought about her earlier idea. It could be just the three of them in the past. There would be the baby Savannah currently carried. It would then be the four of them. She didn't want to get lost in her thoughts.

The waitress wore a period outfit and she provided good service to the three of them.

She looked at Young Allison and then at Cameron. She appeared to do several double and triple takes.

"Your younger sister really looks like you." The waitress said. "I mean just like you."

Cameron spoke without really thinking about what she actually said. It was because what she said was factual.

"We hear it a lot." Cameron said. "We share the same DNA."

The waitress thought they were both so beautiful. She thought they could be actresses. She honestly believed it. She really felt she needed to say something.

"You both have wonderful genetics." The waitress said. "Your beauty is beyond comparison. You should think about acting. You too could probably get a lot of parts together."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She thought it might be an option if they stayed in the past. They could be anybody they wanted in the Sixties and nobody would know who they really were. She would want very specific parts to play to better represent females in the film industry. She was aware it was the time period when female nudity seemed to get its foothold and take off from there going forward. It became widely accepted. It was actually quite gratuitous in a number of films. There were nude scenes, and sex scenes, when they didn't need to be. There were a few rules she would lay down.

"Maybe…." Cameron said. "It would have to be parts which don't degrade females. There is too much of it already."

The waitress knew there was a famous malt shop which tended to be a magnet for some of the studio types in the past. They always seemed to be on the lookout for a pretty face. She didn't realize they were actually looking for someone to audition on the casting couch.

"I'm always on the look out for a very pretty face. Some of the studio folks come around here." The waitress said. "They asked me if I ever see individuals who seem extraordinary and stand out with their natural beauty."

Savannah returned from the restroom.

The waitress looked at Savannah. She gave her several 'once-overs' as well.

"You're as pretty as your friends." The waitress said. "Blue eyes and red hair is very rare."

Savannah appreciated the comment. To her there was no person more beautiful on the planet than Cameron. She felt the same way since she was first taken in by the Resistance. She remembered seeing Cameron's true beauty once things settled down after they rescued her. They were in the old auto shop. John was very nice to her. She could see Cameron radiated beauty just with her presence. Sarah seemed very concerned about everything and more than a little uptight. She knew their 'friend' got hurt. She didn't know what was going to happen to her. She knew one man who came there tried to hurt her. She didn't want her mind to go back to the past.

"Thank you, but she's prettier." Savannah said. "Nobody looks as Tight as her."

The waitress looked back at Cameron. She watched them whenever she could as she did her duties.

"I noticed you are very 'protective' of your friend and your sister." The waitress said.

Cameron was a little concerned at the waitress's statement. She quickly deduced there was no foul intent behind it.

"There are a lot of bad people out there." Cameron said. "We don't want any trouble."

The waitress nodded her head up and down several times. She thought about some of the previous bad experiences in her life. She briefly thought about what she believed was her 'first boyfriend'. He actually didn't care about her at all. He wanted one thing from her. He made sure he gave her enough alcohol to lower her inhibitions and he took what he wanted from her. After his vile act, she never saw him again. He moved on to the next innocent victim.

She didn't know it, but she was his twelfth conquest. He would eventually go on to abuse twenty three teenagers. As he got older, his victims didn't. He was eventually arrested for child abuse and was currently in prison. When word leaked out he was a 'child molester', the other prisoners 'took care of him'. Some of them had young daughters too. He was now physically unable to ever be with a female again, as a 'male'.

Young Allison wanted to bring home some treats for her mother and Summer as well as the girls. She ordered what she thought they would like and Cameron paid the bill.

Young Allison played one more song as they waited for the things they ordered 'to go' to arrive along with the change. Cameron gave the waitress a big tip before they left. She seemed very pleased.

'Jailhouse Rock' by 'Elvis Presley', played as they departed.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

We Know Where

This is my heart
You know it's there
You've decided
To have an affair

On what you're doing
We'll never agree
Press the button
Please set me free

It is with me
You were suppose to share
I think it's time
Someone else beware

I wish I was blind
So I couldn't see
What you are doing
Right in front of me

Carbon chain C24
I see you don't care
Lanolin and red dye number 27
We Know Where

Nobody