Chapter 781

You Will Again

Sheila and and Cammy remained with the SUV. They made occasional foot patrols of the area. They were careful to always remain unobserved. They needed to worry about Grays or Terminators showing up.

There was also some concern about the homeless people looking for a place to break into. The homeless people could also blow the operation by being where they weren't supposed to be. The homeless people could wander into their operation or end up being caught in the crossfire. It would bother the Command Center a little more than it would bother any of the Terminators. The homeless people were usually viewed as little more than future Scavengers anyway.

Cammy decided to go out on another foot patrol. She wanted to take the homeless camp under observation. She did so several times on her previous patrols. She was concerned about the abused female Sheila rescued returning to the encampment. She saw how severely 'injured' the two men were who abused her. When she departed, she didn't know they were terminated. She could spread the word to other people in the camp about what happened. So far there was no sign of her.

John Henry made sure the dumpster with the two terminated homeless men in it was picked up and emptied. It was in case the homeless female went to the police and reported the incident, even if she said she wouldn't. There was no indication she did. The bodies were gone, there was no evidence.

Cammy watched the men leave the homeless camp. She was sure they were searching for the two homeless men Sheila terminated. She watched them stop by several hovels in the homeless camp before they went out. The seemed a little rough with both males, and especially females, they conversed with. She thought about intercepting and terminating them. No doubt if they were friends of the other two homeless men Sheila terminated, they were probably guilty of the same infractions. The homeless female only indicated she was abused by two men. Maybe she only saw two men and it was more than two. She reported the abuse went on most of the night. It sounded a little active for just two men. She was bound and gagged, she didn't say she was blindfolded as well. Maybe she was. Sheila indicated there was quite a bit of 'evidence' visible on the female.

She tracked them around the area for a while. She noticed they checked a few of the buildings to see if any of the doors were left open. They didn't appear to find any. If they would have entered a building, she would have followed them in and terminated them. She reported her findings to Sheila and the Command Center. She decided to check on Bob.

Bob waited with the big truck until nightfall. He patrolled the building. He frequently checked in with the girls and John Henry. It seemed to be overly quiet. He was about to make another patrol of the building. He thought he heard a noise. He wasn't sure if it was one of the girls, or another homeless person trying to get in. There already was one attempt earlier. He made a noise to simulate a rattlesnake. It seemed to dissuade them. They left the area immediately.

His AMT Hardballer Longslide and Taser were up and ready. It sounded like he may have a new target.

Cammy arrived at the building Bob was in. She'd just completed a foot patrol of the area. She waited outside the door.

"Brown…." Cammy said.

Bob heard a challenge word.

"Ferret…." Bob said.

Cammy didn't want any trouble or 'friendly fire'.

"Bob, it's me." Cammy said. "Everything is quiet around here now. Everyone from the business down the street is gone. It looks like they're closed for the day. I checked it twice. It was the last place around here with workers."

Bob was glad to hear it. It was the last of the people he worried about being hurt if a battle started. He didn't care so much about the homeless people.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

Bob removed the barricaded on the door and let Cammy in.

Cammy felt it was dark enough outside to send away the captured HK drones. There hadn't been any Skynet activity detected so far.

"I think we can get the HK drones ready to go." Cammy said.

Bob wanted to make sure the airspace around them was clear.

"Let's get an update from John Henry." Bob said.

John Henry was ready to get things moving. He felt they waited long enough. The sooner they sent the captured HK drones away from there, the sooner the team could pull out. There was no need to keep them there in harm's way one more second than necessary.

"Everything is quiet in the night sky as well." John Henry said. "I think everything is good to go."

John was more than ready to get the ball rolling. He was just glad they were able to put the grab on the last of the three trucks. It wrapped up his misadventure of not taking the equipment earlier when he was presented with the opportunity.

"It is time for us to claim the HK drones." John said. "Get ready to send them."

John Henry previously staged two of their drones near the granite quarry. They were available to back up Cammy and Sheila when they took down the Skynet forces with the two vehicles and the helicopter which arrived. They were in standby waiting for darkness since then. They would soon be over the area where Cammy's team was currently located.

"I've sent our two drones which were with you before to scout the area around you." John Henry said. "They should arrive there shortly at altitude. They should be able to spot anything out of the ordinary or inconsistent with the location."

Sheila remained on patrol around the surrounding area. The SUV gave her the ability to patrol a wider area than Cammy did on foot. Everything seemed quiet. She wondered if it was almost too quiet. It seemed as if she was the only vehicle moving anywhere.

"I'm patrolling the side streets." Sheila said. "There's no one around. I don't feel comfortable driving around in the same areas, even with an extended time period between passes. Without other vehicles around, I'm the only one. I'm the only target."

Bob was ready for his next assignment. He spent most of the day in the building with the big rig and the captured HK drones. He was ready for something a little more challenging. There was additional Skynet equipment to be tracked down. He didn't see any reason why they couldn't get started on looking for it.

"After the HK drones are away, what do you want us to do?" Bob asked. "We can help search for the boxcars."

John felt Bob's team already did enough for the current operation. Bob and Sheila were involved in the take down of all three big rigs. Cammy was with them for two of the take downs. He didn't see any reason why they couldn't return to the base. He thought they could use a little down time.

"We have enough teams already searching." John said. "Your team can return back to base. We don't know what else will develop around our area."

Cammy liked the idea of returning back to the base. Since Savannah was still out with Cameron, she didn't see any need to go back right away. She wanted to act on some of the information Sheila uncovered during her enhanced interrogations. She believed it was where they might find some of the hidden boxcars full of HK equipment.

"We can cut over to the coast." Cammy said. "There are some communities with old rail lines around Vandenberg AFB. I want to check there on the way home."

Sheila was a little bit more forthcoming with some of the information she gleaned from the Grays she interrogated. There was a good chance some of the boxcars were concealed inside some of the old buildings. There were a number of them which were potential targets.

"I think she has a point." Sheila said. "Any old factory with a spur track, or rail access into the building, is a good hiding spot. If the boxcars are inside a building they're shielded from a satellite's view. The inspection needs to be done on the ground for every one of those locations. We'll check all of them on the way home and every siding with stored boxcars. We know we can't rely on railroad switching records since everything was changed relating to the boxcars. Even a spiked switch off of the main line may not mean anything. It could have been done by Skynet crews. They could have un-spiked old sidings just for the switching move and re-spiked them once the box cars were inside of the building."

Cammy also hoped to uncover where any Coltan was stored or shipped from. She didn't think anything which revolved around this operation was close to being finished. It seemed there were still a lot of loose ends which needed to be tied up.

"There are still some fabrication facilities out there as well." Cammy said. "They were having parts shipped in by both rail and truck at the old newspaper facility. We need to find out where they obtained the Coltan from. There are probably other satellite facilities we don't know about which also need to be taken down. The longer we wait, the greater the chance is they will pull out from their old location and move to a new one."

John Henry through his server worked non stop to uncover whatever they could.

"I'm running down every lead and checking every traffic cam searching for clues." John Henry said. "We'll find them."

Sheila currently patrolled a little closer to the building where Bob and Cammy were at.

"John Henry, I can hear the drones." Sheila said. "You might want to pick up a little more altitude. They sound very low."

John Henry sent out an immediate warning. He checked the position of their drones again just to make sure.

"ALERT…." John Henry said. "Danger Close, prepare for evasive action. Our drones are not there yet. It has to be enemy activity. The HK drones must be from the local area. I haven't detected anything up to this point."

Sheila parked the SUV and got out of it with her M4. She quickly moved away from the SUV. It was now a target with nowhere to go. She figured if she could hear the HK drones, they probably already tracked the SUV moving around. She might be better able to avoid them on foot. There were at least more places she could get into the hide if they came closer and searched for her.

John wanted some more information if they could provide it. He still hadn't seen any information on his end.

"How many are there and where are they?" John asked. "Are they low enough for visual recognition?"

John Henry was very concerned about his inability to detect the HK drones Sheila reported. He figured they were the newer design with the quiet power plants. They must still be very low in order to avoid any detection by radar. He wondered exactly how close they were to Sheila's location. It seemed very close to him.

"I still haven't detected anything. There's nothing on any radar." John Henry said. "Our drones which are about to arrive in the area haven't spotted anything yet either."

Cammy and Bob both left the building they were in and split up. There was a strong possibility the HK drones possessed some way to track the big rig or the HK drones inside the back of it. There was also the deactivated Terminator they brought down earlier. The building they were previously in was most likely a deathtrap at this point.

As soon as Cammy left the building, she was able to detect the HK drones.

"I can hear them too." Cammy said. "It's very faint. There's something somewhere. I'm not sure if they're headed here or not."

Bob was aware the completed power plants were shipped in by boxcar to the old newspaper plant. Perhaps there was an assembly facility for those power plants nearby and a test was being conducted of a completed power plant to make sure it functioned properly.

"Maybe they're testing power plants or there are more hidden HK drones taking off." Bob said.

Sheila currently searched for a place of concealment. She knew it needed to be a spot where she wouldn't be picked up on infrared or thermal imagery from a searching HK drone. What she spotted now was even more bad news.

"I'm on foot and away from the SUV." Sheila said. "I see three vehicles approaching. Two are white vans, and one is a 4X4 pickup. It reeks of Skynet and probably Terminators."

Cammy was able to move to a more secluded location. With enemy HK drones in the area every precaution needed to be taken. With the report of drones, and now vehicles in the area it was clear they were facing an unknown enemy force. Before they could take any offensive action, they would need to determine how many of the enemy they would need to face. Any attack now would draw in more resources to a particular area.

"I'm in a secure location now. I have both buildings under direct observation." Cammy said. "I can see the building we took the truck from and the building where it's at."

Bob moved to a position where he could back up Cammy. It appeared the Skynet forces came to find out what happened to their truck load full of equipment. They were probably concerned about the Terminator who was with them, more so than the grays who were there as well. They were about to arrive with ground troops and HK drone air support. Currently their group was outnumbered and under gunned.

"I'm in position to cover Cammy." Bob said. "I think they're going to see what happened at the location the truck was at."

John Henry was finally able to detect one of the HK drones. They previously were too low to show up on any radar.

"I have an HK drone spotted." John Henry said. "It's now headed for where the truck was taken from."

Sheila knew the number wasn't correct. She'd definitely heard several. She didn't think they would only search the location where the truck was taken from.

"You've only detected just one?" Sheila asked. "I definitely heard more than one. It means they're looking elsewhere at the same time."

Even before Sheila finished speaking, John Henry detected a second HK drone in the same area.

"Sheila is correct. There is a second one now as well." John Henry said. "They must have taken off locally."

Cammy understood what the bad news represented. It appeared there were more Skynet targets to deal with. It was possible the drones could have been staged in the back of another truck, or in a local building. Either way it was another target.

"I think we have another Skynet facility here." Cammy said. "It's close by anyway. It's the only explanation for it. Even though it seems doubtful, there could be another assembly line located in the vicinity."

Sheila watched as the suspect Skynet vehicles approached. They seem to take a very cautious approach. Evidently there were weary of an ambush. It was an understandable precaution based upon the recent threat they faced.

"The two vans are headed for the back of the old white building." Sheila said. "They don't seem to be in a hurry right now. They must suspect something. They look like they're playing it safe."

Cammy spotted the pickup truck. They seemed overly cautious as well.

"The 'four by' is in the front of the building." Cammy said. "They haven't gotten out yet."

Sheila left a nice surprise for whoever arrived at the location. She wanted to give them a 'warm welcome' when they came to search for their compatriots. It would be a very warm welcome.

"Get ready for some fireworks." Sheila said. "The place is rigged with Thermite grenades and acetylene tanks. There was welding equipment inside there. It's all set to explode."

Bob's position wasn't as concealed as he'd like it to be. He was a little concerned about being 'double teamed' by more than one HK drone. In the future, they always tended to work in pairs. When they scanned an area, they could scan from two different directions almost simultaneously. It would make it very hard for anything on the ground to elude them.

"I'm moving behind a large steel beam where I'm at." Bob said. "I can keep it between one HK drone and me, but not two of them if they search as a team. If they work in conjunction there are no blind spots for them."

Sheila felt her current position was just as vulnerable.

"It's the same here for me." Sheila said. "I can keep a tree between me and one, but not two, HK drones if they're working together. One of them is bound to spot me as I move out of the detection range of the other one."

John was worried that two of his team members were in positions which could be easily compromised. He wanted to make sure Cammy's position was secure enough.

"Cammy, what is your current status on being detected by the HK drones?" John asked.

There was no response.

Bob was able to observe Cammy the last time he looked where she was at. She was no longer there. It immediately set up a red flag.

"I don't see Cammy." Bob said. "I'll go look for her."

John didn't want Bob out in the open with two HK drones in the vicinity. If Cammy was quiet and changed her position, there must be a good reason.

"Stay concealed." John said. "I don't want you to get lit up."

John Henry saw it for the maximum danger it probably represented. He was sure Bob came to the same conclusion even if he didn't specifically say it.

"There may be a Terminator on the ground already. She might have gone dark to avoid it." John Henry said. "It seems a reasonable deduction there are probably ground forces in conjunction with the HK drones and the vehicles. Everyone stay alert."

John wanted more of their resources sent to the area. He realized at this point he should have sent them earlier. Things seemed quiet where the team was earlier so he didn't think it was necessary. He only thought they needed to send the captured HK drones to a secure location and pull out. Now it looked like there was going to be a battle.

"Dispatch more drones." John said. "We need to give them more help and firepower."

John Henry already scrambled additional drones as soon as Sheila reported HK drones in the area.

"I already have." John Henry said. "Three more will arrive soon."

He didn't think 'soon' was actually the correct word. They were going to need some travel time to reach the area.

Ally thought she would be able to surprise everyone. She already took a little preemptive action of her own.

"Make it four. I'm already on the way with the manned drone." Ally said. "The Blackhawk is ready as well in case we need to recover any drones which go down, either theirs or ours."

All was quiet at the Young Residence.

Savannah and Allison were alone.

Cam, Gail, Jesse, and Vanna left earlier. They were headed back to the Resistance base.

Claire, Summer, and Young Allison went out with Hanna and Holly. Two of the Detail followed them.

Young Allison spoke with Savannah before she left.

"I understand Cam, Cammy, and Camille better now." Young Allison said. "They're 'Cameron' without actually being Cameron. It's the same way Allison and Future Allison are ME, but I'm not them. They are all 'stand ins' for Cameron and me."

Savannah believed things were a little different when a 'hands on' approach was taken.

"It's very complicated." Savannah said. "One day you will understand it all better. You'll be part of it."

Young Allison really wasn't sure why she wasn't allowed to be 'part of it' now. It seemed her numerical age was really a problem for everyone. She thought it was their hang up, not hers. She thought things should be based on her education level. It's how she operated when she assisted with operations. It didn't seem to be a problem for anyone. Her educational level was far above any of the other humans involved with the operation except for Savannah. She also possessed the same sexual desires as the other females did. They were all able to share with each other and she was only able to share with herself. She didn't want to curtail Savannah's or anyone else's sexual desires.

"I won't ever interfere again." Young Allison said. "Vanna and Jesse both spoke with me, as well as Allison. They all need some room and 'freedom'. Life can end quickly, especially in the future."

Savannah really didn't want Young Allison to dwell on the subject. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on either.

"Please, don't worry about this anymore." Savannah said. "Time will correct what needs correcting. Things are messed up because we're dealing with the same people and multiple timelines."

Young Allison understood it. It seemed having Terminator versions of the girls didn't help matters either. It only appeared to add to the chaos. Maybe variety or selections were better words than chaos.

She gave Savannah and Allison both a hug as she left with the others. How could she deny Allison the right to be with Savannah? Allison was 'her'. She loved Savannah. Everything was all the same people, even if they weren't. Somehow they still were. All she could do is look forward to the day when she would be able to partake in the love, and share with everybody as Savannah did. She again reminded Savannah she was going to do everything she did as far as it came to sharing the love.

Savannah was a little worried about Young Allison's plans for her future love making. She knew even if she was Young Allison's primary lover, both of them would share with all the other females as well. She actually wouldn't be surprised if Young Allison ended up in John's bed before she did, at a much earlier age. It made her think she needed to get in there herself and find out what it was going to be like so she could honestly tell Young Allison what to expect when it was her turn. She was more than willing to give it a try, but she really didn't know if she was going to like it.

Anna retreated to the bunker. She followed the operation throughout the day and into the evening. Now there was trouble brewing. She wanted to make sure Cameron knew.

"There's a situation developing." Anna said.

Cameron received the same information from CamNet. She came down into the bunker from upstairs. She actually was spying. She spied on Savannah and Allison. She imagined it was Savannah in the room with her instead of Allison. She tried to picture everything happening in the room based on the sounds she could hear and the reactions to each of them.

The more of the report Cameron heard, the worse it sounded. She received more and more information from CamNet, John Henry and Anna. It was clear the Skynet forces wanted to fight. They arrived in force along with HK drone support. They were on the outskirts of the city and it appeared they were willing to risk being observed to come out the victors. It appeared action was imminent. She knew she needed to be where the action was.

"I may need to go." Cameron said. "This looks bad. There's a battle about to happen."

CamNet displayed the tracking information on Cammy, Sheila, and Bob on a satellite map for her.

It was clear Cammy was being hunted. It appeared she was being hunted on the ground. If it included the air as well, she was about to be in serious trouble.

If the Skynet HK drones came into play, Cammy would be found.

Cammy's tracking disappeared from the map.

Anna and Cameron looked at each other. There were several possibilities as to why it could happen suddenly like it just did. She may have sought an area which couldn't be scanned from the air. She could still be tracked from the surface if the area she went into was discovered.

"She may have gone underground." Anna said.

Cameron looked at the satellite maps. She attempted to determine where she could have possibly gone.

"I don't see where from her last position." Cameron said. "She was in the vicinity between two structures. We should still be able to track her position if she was in either one of them. Perhaps there's some drainage system we can't see from the satellite maps."

Anna was at a loss as well as to what happened.

"I don't know either." Anna said. "I haven't detected any gunfire."

John Henry currently tracked the two HK drones.

"The HK drones are still searching near Sheila." John Henry said. "Her position could be compromised at any time."

They begin to receive footage now from both of their drones.

"I have the two Skynet HK drones locked up." John Henry said.

John wanted his troops protected, but he also knew they needed to use extreme caution when they engaged the Skynet forces.

"You need to be careful where you bring them down at." John said. "There are populated areas all around there."

Cameron was very displeased with the recent turn in events. She would rather take a 'shoot first and ask questions later' approach to keep everyone safer.

"If Cammy, Sheila, or Bob are targeted, bring the HK drones down immediately." Cameron said. "If an HK drone attacks them, their cover is blown anyway. There is no need to risk our people. I think we should shoot first. So far our drones appear to be undetected. They could strike now and bring down the HK drones before anyone figured out what happened. Our drones are equipped with air to air capability. So far all the HK drones even counted are set up for air to ground activity."

John was a little surprised Cameron entered the operation. He thought it was Cameron anyway. He knew there were several other individuals who 'sounded' like her. He didn't have the ability to recognize the voice modulation they all used so another Terminator could distinguish who was speaking. To the human ear there was no difference.

"Cameron?" John asked.

Cameron didn't think John should be so surprised.

"I'm everywhere." Cameron said. "And every when."

Now John wasn't sure if it was Cameron or CamNet which just directly contacted him

"CamNet?" John asked.

Cameron was a little irritated because John was confused about who he currently spoke with. She wanted to make it clear even if she threw in a little sarcasm.

"No, it's me, your wife." Cameron said. "We may need a second helicopter to retrieve the HK drones when they're flamed."

John Henry wanted to point out what nobody spoke of yet. Events might start to escalate. They could be at the beginning of something which could expand rapidly. They would need more resources if it did

"Or we may need more." John Henry said. "Ours may be damaged as well, or more HK drones may arrive. We still don't know where they came from. I'm sure it's from the immediate vicinity."

Cameron could see it was time for her to join the operation. She would be able to bring one additional helicopter as well.

"I'm going to procure the helicopter we have on retainer near Palmdale." Cameron said. "I'm flying there in it."

John was always a little worried when Cameron operated alone. She always seemed a little more reckless.

"Are you going alone?" John asked.

Cameron briefly looked up towards Allison's bedroom.

"Yes." Cameron said. "I don't think I need help. I'll go alone."

There was some movement at the door to the bunker.

"Like Hell she is." Savannah said as she appeared at the top of the stairs wearing only a sheet. "CamNet just alerted me. I'm going too."

John was a little surprised at the response. He wanted to verify who he thought it was. He hoped it wouldn't be a mistake.

"Savannah?" John asked.

Savannah wanted to reassure John she was now part of the operation as well.

"Yes, John. I'm going with Cameron." Savannah said. "She can always use a copilot. I can always use a little more practice time in the air as well."

Allison stood behind Savannah now, holding her clothes. She was naked as well.

Savannah handed Allison the sheet. She took her clothes and headed down to where Cameron and Anna were. Allison went back to her room to get dressed, and returned the sheet to the bed.

Savannah saw both Cameron and Anna look at her as she came down the stairs into the bunker naked.

Anna looked at Savannah's shapely figure. She glanced down at her own.

"I wish I still looked like you." Anna said.

Savannah didn't think Anna needed to worry about anything. She thought if anyone did it was her. Her body had taken a lot of abuse recently.

"You will again in a short time." Savannah said. "My body won't look so hot in a few months. I'll trade you."

The 'Cameron' in Anna's program wished they could trade as well. If it was possible, she would trade in an instant for Savannah's pregnant body a few months from now.

Cameron and Anna both watched Savannah dress, without 'watching'.

Savannah knew they both watched as well as CamNet.

Cameron saw Savannah keep looking at her as she dressed. She wondered if Savannah knew she spied on her earlier. She wasn't about to ask. If anything was said, she would own up to it. She wasn't about to confess on her own.

Cameron and Anna filled Savannah in on everything. The part about Cammy bothered her greatly. It sounded like Cammy was in trouble.

Savannah wanted to send a message to Cammy. She didn't know if Cammy could hear it, but she wanted to send it anyway.

"Cammy." Savannah said. "I'm coming for you."

Anna wanted to make sure Savannah understood Cammy may not hear her.

"She may be underground." Anna said.

Savannah looked at the satellite map where Cammy's last known position was.

"Where?" Savannah asked.

Anna wasn't sure either where she could have gone.

"We don't know." Anna said.

Savannah finished dressing.

"CamNet and John Henry can keep us posted." Savannah said. "The rest of my gear is in the SUV."

Cameron wanted to offer an excuse about her earlier actions.

"I checked on everything not too long ago." Cameron said.

Cameron saw Savannah look at her, but she didn't say whatever she looked like she wanted to say.

Savannah didn't want to cause Cameron any grief. She decided to stick with the operation

"Are we taking the Iroquois?" Savannah asked.

Cameron nodded.

"CamNet's made the arrangements for our transportation." Cameron said. "Everything will be ready for us."

Savannah wanted to get moving. They still needed to get to the airport and then they needed to fly to where Cammy and the others were at. Everything was going to take time.

"Let's go." Savannah said. "I want to get there, or at least closer, before this all 'hits the fan'."

Cameron and Savannah started up the stairs.

Allison was there waiting at the top. She was completely dressed.

"Can I go as well?" Allison asked.

Savannah responded immediately without really thinking about Allison's question. She didn't want Allison to be in a danger zone. With HK drones, Grays, and Terminators involved, it sounded as if things could turn very deadly.

"No." Savannah said. "I think you should stay."

They could see the look of hurt in Allison's eyes.

Cameron knew how Allison felt.

"Is it what you really want, Allison?" Cameron asked.

Allison wanted to feel a little more useful than she currently felt about herself.

"Yes." Allison said. "I'd very much like to go."

Savannah felt very protective of Allison.

"She should stay here." Savannah said. "It sounds like we're headed for potential combat."

Allison looked at Savannah. Her beautiful big puppy dog eyes reached out to both of them. She decided to make a personal plea. She didn't think she was playing dirty either. It's just who she was.

"Savannah, I want to go with you and Cameron." Allison said. "Please let me go with you."

Cameron looked at Savannah, who nodded at her.

"The three of us it is." Savannah said.

Cameron felt very content. She was glad Allison wanted to be involved. It was even better because Allison stepped up on her own accord. She wasn't 'conditioned' by anyone, or pressure to go. It was her desire to help the Resistance.

"Let's go." Cameron said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

We Will

Sometimes we will
Sometimes we won't
Sometimes we do
Sometimes we don't

Round and round
We play the game
It seems the results
Are always the same

We both know it's there
The words were already said
You heard them spoken
As I begged and plead

It seems every swing
Is always a miss
Is it too much
To share a kiss

It's going to happen
We can both get our fill
We do
We will

Nobody