Chapter 780
Crimson Halo
Cammy stood at the door to the building. She was ready to drop down in an instant.
Sheila stood in back of her. She held her Taser in her hand ready to fire. It was aimed at the door behind Cammy's back. She was ready in case a Terminator opened the door. From the information they gleaned from the homeless woman, there was a pretty good indication there was a Terminator inside the location.
Bob was on the side of the building ready to breach as well. They would hit the Grays from two fronts. Everyone was ready. It was a 'go'.
Cammy knocked at the back door.
There was a delay as they waited.
The door opened.
It was a Terminator who answered.
Cammy acted even before the Terminator could say anything. They already planned on what they were going to do.
"Metal…." Cammy said as she ducked down.
Sheila fired her Taser over the top of Cammy's back.
The big Terminator went down with a thud. He didn't even have time to react.
Cammy quickly drug the big Terminator outside and placed a shocker under his shirt to keep him from rebooting. She didn't want anyone to see it and try to remove it.
Sheila and Cammy entered with their Tasers and Glocks up and ready.
They heard a crash on the side Bob was on. They knew he was inside the building as well.
"I'm in." Bob said.
Cammy and Sheila split up as both of them searched for targets. They saw several Grays headed toward the direction where Bob entered into the building. None of them seemed aware of what occurred at the rear door.
The Grays were unsure of what happened. They didn't even have weapons with them. They felt secure in the company of a Terminator. When they saw Bob, they turned around and came running back. Cammy was waiting.
Sheila came in from the side to flank them.
"Put your hands up." Cammy said. "Or die where you stand."
Two of the three Grays raised their hands. The third Gray made a suicide lunge for an AK47. Cammy and Sheila both fired a single round. The two bullets struck his head at the same time from two different angles. Most of his head vanished in a crimson halo from the simultaneous double impact of the two different trajectories.
The results weren't lost on the two Grays who surrendered. They both knew it could have been them just as easily. It still could be.
Bob was behind the Grays now and physically held them. Cammy and Sheila continued to search the building.
"I don't see anyone else." Cammy said when she returned.
Sheila arrived a few seconds later.
"It's all clear on my side." Sheila said.
Cammy wanted Bob to tend to the Terminator in the back. She spoke at a low decibel level only another Terminator you could hear.
"Check the rear door." Cammy said to Bob. "You'll see what needs to be done. Check under his shirt on the left side, six inches down first."
Sheila took control of the two men. She searched them and bound their hands and feet.
Bob took off to do what Cammy indicated.
It looked like they scored 'pay dirt'. Sitting inside the building was the third truck.
Cammy went and opened the back of the truck. It was full of HK drones. She moved away from the two men so they couldn't hear her. She made her report to John.
"We have one hostile Terminator down and deactivated. There are two Gray prisoners, one deceased Gray, and the third truck. It's full of HK drones." Cammy said. "There's no damage to our team. We got good intel from the homeless female Sheila assisted."
John was thrilled with the news. It seemed even better than he imagined it would be. He was very pleased they were able to capture all the equipment which slipped through their fingers twice. He also caught her reference to what transpired between Sheila and the homeless female. He didn't want to get involved. Sheila did and they found out they needed to be ready to face a Skynet Terminator. They were ready and everything went smoothly.
"It's excellent news." John said. "I'll inform the other teams."
John Henry thought John was way too ahead of himself right now. They may have gotten the third truck, but there was still an unknown number of boxcars out there they needed to deal with. It was going to be a long and slow process to track them all down. He wanted to give John a reminder before he became too celebratory.
"We still need to search for stored boxcars full of Skynet equipment or any on the move around the nation." John Henry said. "Things are far from over."
Bob waited for the next pulse to shoot through the downed Terminator. He brought him inside and removed his chip. He rejoined Sheila and took over watching the men.
Sheila moved them into opposite corners of a side room and told them if they spoke before being spoken to, they would be terminated.
Cammy was already in the back of the truck. She started to deactivate the drones. Sheila made a search of the truck for any trackers or GPS equipment. She found two trackers and the GPS device. She joined Cammy in the back of the truck and they started to reprogram the drones.
John understood the risk for every minute the team spent in the building. Right now the Skynet forces knew exactly where the truck full of HK drones was. If they suspected anything they could launch some type of counter attack, or even an HK drone strike.
"I want you out of there as soon as possible." John said. "I think you should leave immediately."
Earlier, Cammy searched the various buildings on two blocks as she looked for the location they ended up in. She came across a few prospects where they could move the truck for right now.
"I found an empty building on the next block. It can fit the truck." Cammy said. "I'll move it there for now. We'll place the deactivated Terminator in the back of it. I don't think they would think to look so close for it if anyone comes. All they will find are three dead Grays at this location."
John liked the idea. He wanted the truck moved away from where it was at. It took a second for what Cammy said about the prisoners to sink in. So far only one of them was killed.
"I thought you said two Grays were live prisoners." John said.
Cammy was aware Sheila was about to interrogate them. She knew how those interrogations ended. They obviously weren't going to let them go. She decided to keep her answer simple.
"They are for now." Cammy said. "They won't be for long."
Sheila loaded the deactivated Terminator into the back of the truck full of HK drones. She was ready for the next phase of the operation. Cammy and Bob needed to move the big truck away from its current location.
"The captured Terminator is in the back of the truck." Sheila said. "I'm going to question the men. Bob will open the roll up doors for you at both locations, Cammy."
Sheila went into the room and choked one Gray out. She moved to the other Gray and yanked him up and took him to where the dead man was. She wanted to taunt the Gray a little before she started in on him.
"Go ahead and say it." Sheila said. "I know you want to. It'll motivate me in my 'work'."
The Gray looked at Sheila with contempt. As soon as he got free he was going to show her a thing or two. He knew one thing she was good for. Actually it was the only thing she was good for.
"I won't tell you anything." The first Gray said. "You're a 'Metal Whore'. I have a few lessons to teach you. I can't wait to see everything you'll do with a smile on your face."
She looked at him and smiled.
"I hoped you'd say that." Sheila said. "In case you didn't notice, I'm already smiling."
Sheila heard the roll up door open and the truck start and drive out. She heard the roll up door come back down and close. She knew Bob and Cammy were away with the truck.
They didn't indicate there were any problems as they moved it over to the next block. If there would be any type of gunfire, she would leave the building she was in now to flank the attackers. They should be able to make quick work of them. Right now there was another task she needed to perform. It was actually one she looked forward to doing.
Sheila started her interrogation. She paused once to choke the other man out again. He was still across the room.
She beat on the Gray and broke a few bones. As the pain level increased, the Gray became a little more talkative. He still seemed to have a somewhat negative attitude.
"I only know so much." The first Gray said. "You need to let me go if I tell you everything I know."
Sheila wasn't fooled by his act at all. She figured there were quite a few things he hadn't mentioned yet. She wanted to encourage him to continue his confession.
"I'll think about it." Sheila said. "Remember I'm just a 'Metal Whore'. Everything which happens is up to you now. If I were you, I'd keep talking."
The first man she questioned soon told her all she wanted to know. She choked him out and went over to the other man.
The second Gray looked at his comrade who was dead and the figure of the other Gray. He started to come around again.
Sheila wanted to give him a few options.
"Your friend didn't want to talk." Sheila said.
The second Gray looked at Sheila. She started to walk back towards the first Gray.
"Are you going to snap his neck?" The second Gray asked.
Sheila paused then looked back. Her full broad lips formed into a smile.
"I never do anything so humane to a traitor of humanity." Sheila said. "His termination will be slow, painful, and very violent."
As the second Gray watched, Sheila went back to the other man.
Sheila thought he moved around too much. She broke a few more bones to keep him in one spot.
She walked over and stood in front of the second Gray.
"You already know how this ends." Sheila said.
The second Gray tried to tough it out.
"I'll never talk, no matter what you do to me." The second Gray said.
Sheila expected as much. It seems to be the standard reply.
"It's what they all say, right before they tell me everything." Sheila said. "I think you're all addicted to pain, suffering, and misery."
The second Gray looked away from her.
"I don't know anything." The second Gray said.
She tried to give him one more chance.
"Do you want to do this the hard way, or the easy way?" Sheila asked. "You need to understand, it's what you are going to do."
The second Gray seemed resigned to his fate.
"I won't tell you anything." The second Gray said. " It doesn't matter who you work for. You're a 'Metal Whore'."
Sheila moved closer to the second Gray. Their faces were only inches apart.
"I hoped you would say that." Sheila said. "It makes the answers so much more enjoyable when I hear them."
The second Gray looked at the other Gray who no longer moved.
The man let loose with a string of cuss words and insults. He finished up calling Sheila a 'Metal Whore' again.
Sheila smiled at him.
"Grays all seem to be slow learners." Sheila said. "Then again, they couldn't be too intelligent to begin with if they signed up to work with the wrong side. The wrong side is the losing side. I don't care for losers."
Sheila's eyes glowed red as she laughed.
There was a look of terror on the second Gray's face as he looked at her. He wasn't sure if a Terminator could be insane or not. What he witnessed and currently looked at was surely a Terminator with some type of a mental disorder. Maybe he referred to her as the wrong thing. He was sure she was a 'Metal Nut Case'.
The first few blows knocked the wind out of him and hurt immensely. He realized nothing was broken yet. He wondered how much pain would be produced when it started.
John was still jazzed because they were able to locate the third truck. He actually thought it was going to be in a different location. He really wondered if Sheila held back all the information she gathered from the last location. He didn't like how the information was obtained. He was willing to look the other way to find the third truck. Well, now what? Was it time to stop bending the rules?
"I'm glad we got the last truck." John said.
John Henry knew the team set out in search of some stored boxcars. It wasn't what they ended up with. He wasn't really sure what to attribute it to.
"It was a stroke of luck." John Henry said. "It was a lucky break for us unless Sheila held back on some information."
John really didn't want to get into the issue. He was still worried about moving the truck such a short distance away from where it was just captured. He knew they were on the outskirts of a larger community. If Skynet went looking for the truck, they would probably find it in short order since it was still daylight. Maybe they should take a gamble and try to make a run for it.
"I'm not sure moving it only a block or two away is a good idea." John said. "Is there any way we can move it to one of the outline areas without too much difficulty?"
John Henry was sure to move it anywhere was a risk. He also thought it was a bigger risk to leave it where it was. Skynet knew the location. He thought his options were limited right now as to what he could do and not inadvertently alert the enemy.
"There are a lot of traffic and surveillance cameras around there." John Henry said. "If any Grays are in the system, they'll see the truck moving. If I start shutting things down, it will alert them. I can loop the feeds, but someone may notice, especially with the traffic cameras. The same cars appearing in the same order are going to be noticed by any version of Skynet, or a Terminator monitoring the system."
John could see their options were limited. It appeared they would need to handle the last truck the same way they did the other two.
"So we sit on the truck and wait until it's dark and fly the HK drones out like we did with the other two trucks we took down." John said.
John Henry didn't think there are many other options available to them currently. He didn't think the big truck could get very far before it was spotted, based upon its current location. A battle for it was sure to follow. It would most likely be destroyed by one side or the other. Neither side would want the other to gain control of it. The Grays would most likely think they were from another faction of Skynet. The last big rig wasn't in an isolated place like the previous two were when they were tracked down and confiscated.
"It seems like the safest solution to our team." John Henry said.
John doubted they would be able to keep a lid on everything until darkness.
"I have a feeling some Grays, or Terminators, are going to find out before then what happened." John said.
It seemed pretty much inevitable at this stage of the game. What was unknown is what the Skynet response would be in its efforts to find the truck. They lost two of the big rigs already along with the chase vehicles escorting them. They lost a helicopter they sent to investigate another incident related to the trucks. It didn't seem Skynet would be willing to walk away.
"It would be most likely." John Henry said.
John was cut out of the loop of the interrogation when Sheila started in on the first Gray.
"How is the interrogation progressing?" John asked. "I see you've cut the feed to me."
John Henry didn't think John really needed to know anything but the results of the interrogation.
"If any information is gleaned, I'll let you know." John Henry said. "We need to start thinking about what to do going forward. You have a number of teams still out in the area."
John didn't need to see or hear to know what was happening. He didn't approve of Sheila's methods. He should have asked Bob to stay and beat the information out of the men. It would be a normal Terminator interrogation if he did. He didn't really think about how painful and torturous it was for someone to be beaten to death. Sheila usually included plenty of beatings in her interrogations as well. They all seemed to revolve around pain. Pain was a powerful motivator. It affected all animals which could feel it. When something was painful they tried to get away from it. They wanted the pain to stop.
He thought back on the T-1000 and how it tortured his mother to make her call for him. He knew Cameron tortured his mother to call for him too. Cameron could have done it herself and used his mother's voice. She didn't. She stepped on his mother's wounds to try and make her comply. Sheila seemed to have taken everything one step further. It really made him wonder what Jesse must have done to people for this behavior to be transferred through the 'Neural Interface' and become so dominant. Maybe it was their 'enjoyment' part of it which bothered him the most. He was unaware of the near sexual gratification Sheila was able to achieve when she tortured someone, especially sexually.
"I don't like what's happening." John said.
John Henry felt things were sort of out of their hands right now. They were both sitting comfortably in the Command Center, while Sheila and the rest of the team were out in the field in the middle of Skynet territory all on their own. They would be the ones most likely to face the brunt of any Skynet counter attack. He just wanted them to finish up and retreat to the new location.
"Do you want answers or not?" John Henry asked.
John Henry actually masked ninety percent of Sheila's interrogations from John. He didn't like them either. They were crude but effective. They didn't have a lot of time to question the men. They needed to get out as soon as possible.
John felt a little powerless right now. He was pleased they got their hands on the third truck, but now he began to wonder if they were going to be able to hang on to it.
"I want answers." John said. "I know it's very unnerving to listen to."
John Henry was aware there are other options which could be used if John really wanted to listen to or actually view the interrogation process.
"Sheila can set a body cam up, if you want to watch." John Henry said. "The people being questioned determine the extent of the 'interrogation'. They know they are going to die, some choose to stretch it out. I'm not really sure why. Once things start to happen, they never get any better for them. Perhaps their intelligence level is limited."
John knew why. It was because they thought they might be able to get away if they were able to buy more time. There was always the chance reinforcements would arrive to free them. It was because humans hung on to hope, even when hope was impossible at times. He really thought it was more how the enhanced interrogation was conducted rather than the actual enhanced interrogation itself.
"I'll pass on the body cam. I think it's her laughing which is a factor. It's very unnerving. She actually enjoys it." John said. "Is all this from Jesse?"
John Henry wasn't really sure this was a subject he wanted to get into at this time. It was probably going to be borderline on what Cameron considered 'personal information'.
"It's the base program for it." John Henry said.
John figured if this type of behavior came from the 'Neural Interface', it must have meant Jesse did the exact same things previously. It would also indicate she did them with the taunts and laughter as well.
"Has Jesse done this or things like this?" John asked.
John Henry was sure the subject was shaky ground. It didn't seem to be something they should explore. He wanted to stick to generalizations and not get into anything specific.
"I think we can assume it was probably something along those lines." John Henry said.
John tried not to picture Jesse doing the same things to other humans. The image still popped into his head. He knew she witnessed horrific abuse when she was held by Scavengers. She needed to do all sorts of things to remain alive and not be punished incessantly like the others were. The best way to do it, to survive, was to sign up with her captors. The same abuse was going to happen to her anyway. It gave her a chance to alleviate some of it. What would have been done to her, was done to others instead. Maybe the thirst for revenge was a big factor as well. He wanted to hurt those who hurt him. Would it be any different for Jesse to want to do the same?
"Remind me to never get her angry at me." John said.
John Henry hoped to put John's mind at ease somewhat. He was aware drug users often reverted back to the drugs they were able to kick at one point in time. He believed the type of behavior was very much like a drug. It meant the abuser could easily fall back on the use of the 'drug' at any time during a moment of weakness. It seemed it didn't take too much for an alcoholic to 'fall off the wagon' either. When someone fell off the wagon, they didn't usually get back up on it, at least not right away.
"I will. It's never a good idea to have anyone angry at anyone else." John Henry said. "River, and later Savannah, both worked with Jesse, she is reformed now. Savannah is also working with Sheila."
John remembered the rampage Cameron went on when she was damaged and went 'bad' for a short time.
"I hope Sheila never goes 'bad'." John said.
John Henry didn't think it would be a good idea either. He also believed there was a certain amount of motivation and justice behind some of the things Sheila did, especially on Cameron's 'off the books' operations. It wasn't all fun and games.
"I've seen files when I've checked things in Cameron's program before. They were of Sheila 'working' on sex traffickers. If she has the time, things get really messy." John Henry said. "There were abused children involved in the operation Cameron took down. She asked Sheila to make the traffickers 'pay'. I didn't think the human body could take such abuse while the person being abused remained alive. She made it quite cognizant for them to know exactly what they were being punished for and why."
John found the information quite disturbing. Not only did Cameron sanction the brutal behavior she appeared to encourage it. He understood sex trafficking operations involving children were a serious problem which seemed to continue to grow worldwide.
"Cameron watched the whole thing?" John asked. "Did she just stand there and watch it all unfold?"
John Henry didn't want to get Cameron in any trouble. She wasn't an active participant. He thought the best way to describe it was Cameron was nothing more than JAFO.
"Yes, she watched it all. No, she didn't participate. She only observed." John Henry said. "The big rig is at its new location. Cammy is about to return to where Sheila is. I think she wants to collect her before things go too far. They should get away from the structure as soon as possible before any Skynet operatives arrive."
A few minutes ago:
Cammy and Bob were able to stash the big truck in the other building a block over. They made sure the building was as secure as possible. They didn't think they could defend it if they needed to. It's not what they would do.
"Are you comfortable being here alone for now?" Cammy asked.
Bob didn't think they were detected on their short journey.
"Until something develops, I think I am." Bob said. "Maybe you should bring Sheila from the other building and make sure you're not followed."
Cammy was pretty sure what she would find when she arrived.
"I'll see what kind of a mess there is." Cammy said.
Cammy returned to the building where Sheila was.
She looked around and frowned. She was very disappointed at what she witnessed. It was actually worse than she anticipated. She anticipated it would be bad.
"This is a real mess." Cammy said.
Sheila looked a little surprised at her comment. She didn't see anything wrong with the events which just transpired.
"They needed some 'motivation'." Sheila said. "I helped them out a little."
She didn't care for their foul mouths. She didn't like the things they said about her. The only motivated her to work a little harder, and a little more thoroughly.
The last Gray was now dead as well as his two comrades.
Cammy wanted to get away from the building before any more Grays or Terminators showed up.
"Bob is going to stay with the cargo." Cammy said. "We need to clear out. I think we should take a roundabout way in case anyone has eyes on this place. We don't know about any missed check in times. If there were any, it's going to create quite a problem."
Sheila looked around at her 'work area'. She didn't want to leave the area how it currently looked. She didn't like to leave evidence of her atrocities behind. If they would have been sex traffickers, it was a different story. She liked them to know what was coming, or wouldn't be, quite literally.
"What about these stiffs?" Sheila asked. "We need to burn them."
Cammy thought something should be done as well. She wanted to remind Sheila of the mess she created.
"You don't want your 'handy work' found?" Cammy asked.
Sheila looked over at the three dead men. She thought they got off easy, especially the one who was shot.
"No." Sheila said. "I actually went easy on them. I know we're pressed for time. We can only stay here so long before someone shows up, or starts snooping around."
Cammy stopped back by their SUV after she left Bob in the big truck in the new building.
"We'll use Thermite on them." Cammy said as she handed Sheila two Thermite grenades. "I got these out of our SUV. I had a feeling you were going to need to use them."
Sheila figured she could rig a booby trap for now. It would go off sooner or later and take care of the problem. She hoped to add a few additional bodies to the count.
"Thanks." Sheila said. "I'll rig a booby trap with them in case anyone shows up. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone."
Cammy thought it was a good idea. They wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention earlier than they needed to. A fire would always attract lookiloos, even if the emergency services were suppressed or were redirected by John Henry.
"Once we have the HK drones out of here. We will torch this place anyway." Cammy said. "It's always a good idea to keep Skynet in the dark as to what exactly went down."
The girls rigged everything up and departed the building. They made sure the doors were secure so none of the homeless would wander in. The earlier gunshots, even though it was two of them, it only sounded as one, didn't seem to attract anyone. John Henry didn't report any calls to 911.
There was a 'bottled water' delivery truck at the facility where Bob parked the SUV. Sheila quietly slipped the trackers onto it. The driver returned and drove off. If anyone noticed the trackers on the move, they weren't going to find the big rig when they found the trackers.
The girls took the SUV and waited at a different spot.
John wanted to make sure the cargo and Bob were both secure.
"Bob, I want you to double check everything on the big rig and HK drones again." John said. "Since we're sitting on everything for now, I don't want any slip ups or surprises."
Bob didn't want any surprises either. He actually already started on the procedure. He needed to kill some time so he thought he might as well make productive use out of it.
"Affirmative…." Bob said. "I'm doing it right now."
John didn't like the close proximity everything still was to where they took the truck from.
"Pay attention to everything too." John said. "I have a feeling someone is going to find out what happened and start snooping around."
Bob hoped to have everything completed well before it happened. He wasn't sure if they would snoop so close to where the other building was or not. Logically if anyone took the big rig, they would leave the area with it, not move it to another building and wait for nightfall.
"I'll be ready." Bob said. "This was a good catch for us."
It sure looked like another big win for the Resistance.
Maybe they were overconfident now.
John was well aware when anyone became overconfident, they made more mistakes or were careless. He didn't want to fall into the trap.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
I'm Sorry
Life can be filled with sorrow
Full of remorse and regret
You think we would learn a lesson
But it seems we always soon forget
We try to reach out
To touch each other within
But we never seem to get further
Than only touching the skin
What do we really want
What do we truly seek
Only the strong survive
Trampling the weak and the meek
We all say we want to be better
If we really did, we would
We're really what we want to be
Without being spoken it's understood
The ever changing life we live
Is like a violent wild safari
If my actions have inadvertently hurt you
I'm sorry
Nobody