Chapter 784
Scratch One
Moments ago:
Sheila knew the HK drone was about to close in on her. She was ready to make her move. She knew she needed to get away from where she currently was.
She still kept an eye on the building. She saw, and then heard, the building erupt into an inferno. There were two explosions a short time apart. It was what she planned. She was pretty sure any of the Grays who entered the building would have died in there. She also knew if there were any Terminators with them, they would be severely damaged. Even damaged, they would still be a major threat.
She could see the explosion caused the HK drone tracking her to temporarily pause its attack to assess what the recent explosion actually meant in regards to it. She was sure it was heavily distracted as it attempted to determine the threat level. It was a factor which played into her favor.
She also heard another drone approach at high speed. There was a very short burst from a minigun. She turned her attention to it. She wasn't exactly sure what just happened. At least the minigun fire wasn't directed at her, well, not yet anyway.
The sound of the new drone grew intense. It sounded like the manned drone. From the earlier com traffic, she knew it should be Ally.
The HK drone which was about to light her up broke off its attack run. She witnessed the manned drone perform a wild maneuver around the HK drone about to attack her. The stunt looked like something Cameron would do. It worked to get the HK drone off of its attack run on her. She saw the HK drone was now in pursuit of the manned drone. She lost sight of them in seconds. A few seconds later there was another short burst of minigun fire. She wasn't sure if it was the manned drone firing again, or the HK drone which was in pursuit of the manned drone.
Sheila quickly moved from her position. If there was somebody with eyes on her right now, she was going to find them. She was pretty sure she was being targeted from the ground. It was time to return the favor. She would really like to get a little 'one on one' time with them.
A few seconds later, two missiles streaked down from the sky and struck the burning building which was already a raging inferno. It appeared the rest of the roof collapsed inward on top of the flaming mass. Anyone who survived the initial two explosions, the smoke, and the flames, was subjected to some new trauma. She figured all of the Grays must have been inside of the building for the Command Center to add such finality to it all.
She was actually pleased the results of her earlier activity would be consumed by the flames. There wouldn't be anyone to question things, or point the finger at her. Normally the building was torched where such activity occurred, usually right after she finished up with her 'work'.
She definitely planned to get some retribution if she could for being so close to being damaged and most likely terminated. Normally Grays or sex traffickers needed to 'pay' for any infractions they committed against the group, or her specifically. She planned to make anyone in this group 'pay' for what just transpired. She knew she needed to keep her guard up. They still didn't know exactly what was going on and how they were targeted. It didn't really matter. Someone was going to need to 'pay' for everything. She intended to collect, quite literally.
Sheila needed to find out what the situation was with both Bob and Cammy. She needed to see what she could do to help either of them. She was very worried about Cammy since she went 'dark' earlier.
Moments ago:
Bob witnessed the building explode. It was actually two explosions. It was one which was followed seconds later by the other one which was much larger. It was powerful enough to make part of the building collapse in on itself. He could see the HK drone approaching his position pause its attack to evaluate whatever just occurred, and what the threat level was to it. Seconds later he heard a short burst of minigun fire over by where Sheila was at. It didn't sound like a ground attack on her position. No missile was fired either.
He now heard a second drone approach at high speed and another short burst from a minigun.
The HK drone which currently closed on his position was suddenly hit with a short burst of minigun fire. He watched the manned drone perform a wild maneuver around the HK drone about to attack him. There was almost a mid air collision between the manned drone and the HK drone about to light him up. The HK drone which closed on him broke off. There was another HK drone in pursuit of the manned drone.
The wild maneuver looked like something Cameron would do. It ended the immediate threat to him and he was grateful for it. He figured the manned drone must have done the same thing over Sheila's position. Now the manned drone was the target of the two HK drones. They both seemed very determined to follow it since they were attacked and out maneuvered by it. He wondered if the HK drones chose to attempt to attack the manned drone because they were shot at, or because they were out maneuvered. Maybe it was a combination of both.
Bob saw both HK drones were in hot pursuit of the manned drone as it sped away. It 'jinked' wildly as it flew. The manned drone was able to throw off a gun attack by the two pursuing HK drones. The manned drone appeared to pull away from both of its pursuers. The HK drones didn't have air to air missiles.
A few seconds later, two missiles streaked down from the sky and impacted the burning building. The entire roof collapsed into the flaming mass. He doubted there would be any survivors out of the inferno. He was sure if there was a Terminator inside the building, it would be severely damaged. It could still pose a threat though.
He moved from his position and went in search of Cammy and whatever stalked her. He was pretty sure it was a Terminator. It was probably the same Terminator who must have alerted the HK drone to target him. He hoped he was able to find him before Cammy did. He wanted to show his displeasure personally to the Terminator. He remembered what Sheila wanted to do to the Terminator near Avila Beach. Maybe he would let her do it to this one if they were able to capture him. He was very upset he was almost lit up by the HK drone.
He hoped to meet up with Sheila so they could provide some type of offensive operation to assist Cammy and whatever tracked her. He needed to consider the possibility there could be more than one Terminator on the ground already. He would still need to move with extreme caution not to walk into some type of trap set up by another Terminator.
John Henry checked the images from the drones overhead. He was also in communication with Bob and Sheila. He still hadn't heard from Cammy yet.
"Bob and Sheila are both clear." John Henry said. "I have nothing on Cammy."
John was very relieved Bob and Sheila hadn't suffered an HK drone attack.
"It was a close one." John said.
John Henry felt a little restricted by John's request to limit collateral damage.
"The HK drones were targeted. I was ready to flame them." John Henry said. "I tried to use the caution and restraint you requested."
John did feel a little conflicted because he needed to think about innocent people on the ground. Events played out a little differently than he anticipated they would. He couldn't say he was displeased by them so far.
"It was still close." John said. "Everyone did an excellent job."
John Henry checked the position of Bob's and Sheila's movements.
"Bob went to search for Cammy." John Henry said. "He's on his way to her last known position."
John checked over the drone images. It appeared there was no movement by any of the Grays on the ground near the burning building. He wanted to make sure the captured HK drones in the back of the truck were protected. He wanted to get those launched as soon as possible. He was sure there would be more Skynet forces arriving soon. It might be ground troops, or more HK drones. It very well could be both, along with additional Terminators. He didn't know.
He didn't want to lose control of the HK drones they captured in the third truck. It seemed as if Bob should be able to assist Cammy. He wanted Sheila to go elsewhere.
"Send Sheila to where the HK drones we captured are at. Let's get them launched." John said. "I want to make sure Skynet can't get its hands back on them."
John Henry sent the message. It was not well received by Sheila. She wanted to assist Cammy first.
John wanted to make sure it was clear around his troops on the ground.
"Are there any other HK drones approaching, or vehicles on the ground?" John asked. "I want to know if anything looks suspicious at all."
John Henry didn't spot anything.
"Negative…." John Henry said.
John looked at the image of the burning building.
"Did anyone make it out of the building which blew up?" John asked.
John Henry previously directed one of their drones to orbit the area around the burning building. The drone was there to ensure there would be no survivors. So far it hadn't needed to take action. His main worry was a damaged Terminator could exit the building. Even if it was damaged, it would still pose a threat.
"There were no survivors apparent." John Henry said. "The building is still burning and has collapsed in on itself. Everyone there must be dead. It doesn't look like anyone could survive the explosions and the resulting fire. The smoke would have quickly overcome any survivors from the explosions and the collapse. It looks like the flames would have taken care of everything later on."
John didn't like how the HK drones seemed to come out of nowhere. He wanted to find out what happened and take care of the problem. If it happened once, it could happen again.
"Is there any way you can determine where the HK drones came from?" John asked.
John Henry used triangulation from their drones in the area to come up with a possible location. There were several possible targets. He was fairly certain he could narrow it down to one of them.
"I've tracked their origination point to a building across town." John Henry said.
John wanted some payback and he wanted it now. He wasn't going to fool around and watch the building. He wanted any more threats ended before they could happen.
"Get a drone over there and flatten it now." John said. "I don't want any more surprises."
John Henry set everything into motion, including the cover story.
"I've reported more natural gas detected in the area." John Henry said. "A drone is on the way. I've dispatched one more to assist."
John wanted to make sure their drones were protected.
"Have them fire from as far away as they can in case they have Stingers on the ground." John said. "They may be expecting an attack. It's possible they could have other types of HK equipment. HK Tracks or HK Treads could be used to repel any type of air assault or ground assault."
John Henry hadn't considered the possibility. He knew it was sound advice.
"I'll do it." John Henry said.
John was satisfied the immediate situation involving the three Terminators on the ground was under control as much as it could be, even if they didn't know what Cammy's actual situation was. He was worried about Ally. He was still awed by her earlier action.
"Ally, how are you doing?" John asked.
Ally needed to make sure she didn't lose the HK drones. It was a challenge to make sure she didn't inadvertently pull away from them. She didn't want to call it a 'game', but it was what it almost seemed like to keep them in pursuit.
"I'm just like the Pied Piper." Ally said. "One drone tried to break off and return. I went to full throttle, looped around, and gave it another burst from the minigun. It seemed to upset both of them. They're both still following me. I slow down every now and then so they can start to overtake me. It gives them the false hope they can catch me."
John hoped she stayed focused. He didn't want her to become complacent. It would be better for them if both of the HK drones continue to follow her to the quarry where they could be dealt with properly.
"How far from the quarry are you?" John asked.
Ally checked to make sure the drones were still on her six. It looked like one lagged a little behind the other. She wasn't sure if it was the one which broke off earlier or not. There was really no way for her to tell.
"It should be just under one minute." Ally said. "All my weapons are hot. I was able to get a good look at the quarry on my way to the target location. I have a good overview of its layout. I know where the debris from the helicopter is, as well as the interior layout of the quarry itself. I don't know if they make tombstones out of granite or not. I do know they used to make countertops out of it. It's generally a hard rock based upon the way it is created. I personally think marble looks a little better. It's got a little more style and pizzazz to it."
John wanted to make sure she took care of business as soon as possible. He didn't want her to be like a cat who 'played' with its prey before it finally killed it. He observed cats like it before when he was in foster care. It was almost like the cat didn't want to kill it, it just wanted to bring it home to 'play' with it. Every time the captured prey would try to make a break for it, the cat would grab it and chew on it again for a while and set it down and watch it.
For whatever reason, he really didn't know why, he was pretty sure it was something Sheila would do. She would eventually kill her prey, but she liked to 'play' with it for a while first. He thought most of the male Terminators would terminate their prey immediately. He figured Gail would do the same thing. He wasn't really sure exactly what the other female Terminators would do at this point in time. It would be interesting to know how quickly they would terminate their objective when they weren't pressed for time and were alone. He knew what he wanted to happen in the current situation.
"Flame them as soon as you're over the target area." John said. "Don't play with them. I don't want you to chance receiving any damage yourself, especially when you have the advantage."
Ally didn't need John to tell her how to handle the situation. It was what she planned to do anyway. Now since he mentioned playing with the target, it seemed like something she wanted to do. Supposedly her intelligence was artificial, as was the intelligence on the HK drone. She wasn't exactly sure what artificial intelligence was. There were some creatures which seemed incredibly stupid. They were usually the ones eaten by other animals. Most of the predators, but not all, were generally more intelligent than the herbivores. If she thought about it, it seemed like a Tyrannosaurus Rex possessed a fairly large head compared to the rest of its body, especially its arms. She really wondered why its arms weren't better weapons.
John didn't receive a response from Ally right away.
"Did you hear me?" John asked.
Ally heard him the first time. Now he took all the fun out of it.
"Killjoy…." Ally said.
John wanted to remind her of their other priorities. There were still troops on the ground they needed to get out of the target zone as well as the cargo in the back of the truck.
"We still have Cammy to worry about." John said. "We have captured HK equipment to remove."
Ally wanted to make sure they were able to give Cammy maximum protection. She would do what needed to be done where she was at. Someone else would need to clean up the mess. She would try to make sure it was in as finite of an area as possible.
"I'll return as soon as I can." Ally said somberly. "I won't worry about the wreckage of the HK drones I leave behind at this time. Everything should be in the confines of the quarry if it works out right."
John Henry already directed the helicopters to deal with the remains of the HK drones. Ally still needed to flame them first. He wanted Ally to return back to the target area as soon as possible.
"The Blackhawk and Iroquois have been directed to head for the old quarry when they arrive." John Henry said. "You need to take care of the destruction of the HK drones as soon as possible."
John hadn't thought about the helicopters in a while. He knew Cameron was on the way.
"How far out are the choppers?" John asked.
John Henry was aware of both of their positions. It appeared as if they completed approximately half of their journey.
"They're just over a half hour away." John Henry said.
John hoped all of their 'business' would be concluded by then. His main concern was Cammy and her current whereabouts. It bothered him there hadn't been any updates of any type. They're also hadn't been any additional gunfire or explosions reported by Sheila or Bob. The drones in the air didn't detect any disturbances on the ground. He really hoped Savannah didn't end up in the middle of it when all Hell broke loose. He didn't think it would still be in progress by the time the helicopters arrived.
"Everything will be all over by then." John said.
John Henry was worried Skynet would offer a further response, especially since it came out on the short end during the latest encounter. It lost all three big trucks, two HK drones, as well as a number of operatives. It wasn't the way he would want to end a confrontation.
"Will it?" John Henry asked.
John could have done without the reminder.
"You did have to say it didn't you." John said.
They still didn't know what else was going to happen. Cammy was the immediate concern now.
The building the HK drones came from was the next worry.
Ally still needed to flame the two HK drones which pursued her.
Anything which happened after it was a total unknown.
Minutes ago:
Cammy saw the Terminator took the bait and hurried to follow her. It was what she wanted to happen. She didn't want him to use caution. She wanted him to think he would have an easy kill.
She moved quickly into position and held her Taser ready.
There was an explosion outside somewhere. It was followed by a second one which was much larger. There was the sound of a minigun which fired twice, in two short bursts. Strangely enough, it was only a few rounds each time.
Cammy heard several drones pass overhead at a high rate of speed and two more explosions almost simultaneously in the distance again. They sounded like missile strikes. She was unsure what the extent of the air activity was. It was more than they normally encountered on an operation.
She knew Bob and Sheila must be in danger. It sounded like whatever was going to happen out there, already did. She hoped they were OK. As soon as she dealt with the threat stalking her, she would go to see how she could help everyone else.
There was no more gunfire outside or any more explosions. The sound of the drones was gone too. They all sounded like good things, she wouldn't know for sure until she was done there.
She watched the doorway she entered from. There was the hint of a shadow from a light on the street on the open door. The shadow moved.
Cammy saw the Terminator carefully look in the doorway. When he saw it was clear, he slipped inside. He entered crouched down low apparently to avoid any gunfire. She didn't think she needed to worry about an HK drone now. They either were shot down, or driven off. She doubted they would risk a shot into the building with their Terminator inside. Then again, Skynet could write it off as an 'operational loss'. She wouldn't put it past it.
There was a metal ingot on the workbench she was crouched under. She reached up and took it. It was heavy, but not for her. If she threw it right, it wouldn't bounce much once it hit the ground. She didn't want its impact trajectory to give away the position it was thrown from.
Cammy saw the Terminator look at the X-ray room. When he looked away, she threw the ingot into the doorway of the X-ray room. It landed with a loud 'clang' and the sound of a tray of parts waiting for the X-ray process spill to the floor. There was a loud 'clattering' of metallic parts across the floor inside the X-ray booth.
The Terminator turned and fired half a dozen shots into the doorway of the X-ray room. The Terminator didn't have a target, but fired at where he heard the sound. She wondered if she would have done the same thing.
He carefully moved in the direction. He looked back twice and then he continued forward.
Cammy saw he was going to be where she wanted him.
So far everything seemed to go as planned.
She began to think it might work….
Seconds ago:
Bob moved back towards where the SUV was parked earlier in the day. He saw a shadow move inside the building. It wasn't Cammy or Sheila. It seemed to be the profile of a male. He was sure it was a male Terminator. It most likely was the individual who targeted his position for an HK drone strike. He cautiously approached.
As he neared the door, there was a 'clang' of metal inside. He paused as he heard six shots fired. It wasn't a 9MM, so it wasn't Cammy who fired. He wasn't sure if the shots were directed at her or not.
He was on the tail of whoever was after Cammy.
Bob was at the doorway now. He was about to look inside.
Sheila carefully moved away from the stand of trees where she was hiding. She didn't go anywhere near the SUV. She figured it was still targeted. Even though the threat from the air was neutralized currently, it didn't mean there wasn't someone on the ground with a LAW rocket. Someone directed The HK drone to where she was hidden earlier. They were probably still out there. They could lay in wait until she entered the SUV and then fire the rocket.
She was very displeased when John Henry directed her to go to the building with the big rig and the HK drones. She wanted to go help Cammy first. He informed her Bob was already on his way to assist her. He really wished she would have reversed the roles. There was a job which needed to be done.
She moved toward the building they moved the big truck into. She continuously looked and checked around her to see if anyone followed her. She still felt she was specifically targeted by someone earlier. If they did it once, they could do it again. She hoped to spot them before they spotted her again. She would really like to have a 'personal conversation' with them.
Sheila looked back without appearing to look back. She thought she saw movement in the shadows alongside one of the buildings. She was almost at the building she wanted to enter. She passed by it without looking at it and moved on.
She didn't want to lead whoever pursued her to where the truck with the captured HK drones was. She wanted to try and turn the tables if she could. She wanted some payback for what almost happened. She was still highly agitated she was almost 'lit up' by the HK drone just minutes ago. She really hoped to spend some time with them alone if she didn't need to terminate them outright.
Sheila needed to stay focused. There was a chance whoever she believed currently stalked her was a Terminator. She hoped it would be a Gray, but it seemed unlikely based upon all the recent activity. She needed to remember a hostile Terminator could do everything she could.
John Henry was surprised by the sudden turn of events. It seemed like bad news to him.
"Sheila just went dark." John Henry said. "So has Bob."
John understood exactly what it meant. The trouble was, he didn't know who stalked who at this point. It could be either way, or both simultaneously.
"Beautiful…." John said. "We just wiped out a group of Grays and all three of our people on the ground are stalking or being stalked. It looks like things are far from over."
John Henry tried to make sure everything was covered as best as possible with the current equipment available to him. They might need to make an adjustment of some equipment.
"I have one of the drones following Ally in case one of the HK drones breaks off again." John Henry said. "I sent two to where we thought the HK drones originated from. One is on wide recon and the last one is waiting to see if any Grays or Terminators come out of the wreckage of the building the big truck was originally in."
John's biggest concern was his three Terminators on the ground. He wondered if he should have kept their drones deployed a little differently.
"So we don't have eyes on Bob, Sheila, or Cammy." John said.
John Henry hoped to free up several of their drones once they finished their assigned tasks. He still needed to make sure the area was protected from any further HK drones or vehicles approaching.
"No." John Henry said.
John really wished he would have sent more troops and drones earlier.
"Beautiful…." John said.
John Henry had confidence in their troops. None of them were a stranger to danger.
"We're all doing what we can." John Henry said. "This isn't their first rodeo."
John knew his Terminators on the ground would be able to handle any threat. He just hoped they weren't damaged too badly doing it. He was worried about Ally too. He didn't want her to get too overconfident about what she was doing.
"Ally, what's your story?" John asked.
Ally didn't think she needed any oversight from the Command Center. She decided to mess with John a little bit first.
"It's the story, of a lovely lady. Who was bringing up…." Ally sang.
John immediately understood the reference to a TV program. He wasn't amused. It did remind him though one of the teenage stars on the TV show did look a little bit like Cameron. At least she did in the time period. Quite a few years passed since the TV show. Time took its toll on everyone. There was a different TV show on another channel about a family of musical performers. He actually thought the teenage female star on the show about the musical family really looked a lot more like Cameron did. Maybe the only real difference for a good match was the color of her eyes.
"Funny…." John said.
Ally could see the quarry up ahead. She looked back as the two HK drones both closed in on her. She slowed a little more to keep them hooked. She thought of the best plan to insure the wreckage of the HK drones landed within the confines of the old granite quarry.
"John Henry, do you have the HK drones targeted?" Ally asked.
John Henry made sure their drone following the two HK drones kept a continuous lock on both of them.
"Both of them are locked up." John Henry said.
Ally wanted to lay out her plan.
"I'm going to overfly the quarry and then climb. The HK drones should do the same. They will be right over the quarry if they do." Ally said. "I've slowed down so they will close up on me. I'm going to full power and climbing now. Get ready. Fire…."
Ally looked back down at the drones from her maximum performance climb. Both of the HK drones fired their miniguns at her. She was now out of range. She could see two flaming streaks as they closed in on the HK drones. One HK drone dove into the quarry as the other continued after her. The HK drone which continued to climb was hit by both missiles and fell straight down into the quarry. The flaming wreckage just missed the other HK drone which dove into the quarry to seek cover from the missiles.
She was a little disappointed one of the drones survived her attack plan. It was OK too. She decided the other HK drone could use her personal touch.
"Scratch one." Ally said. "I'll have to go down and take out the other one myself. It sought cover inside the quarry."
John was aware HK drones were programmed to survive as well as attack.
"Be careful, Ally." John said. "The HK drone wants to terminate you as much as you want to terminate it."
John Henry wanted to remind her their drone which helped her, could only offer the use of its minigun.
"Our drone assisting you is out of air to air missiles." John Henry said. "I can have it close to gun range."
Ally wanted a crack at the HK drone herself. She also felt they should have a contingency plan in case things didn't work out. It was always a possibility.
"Keep it out a ways but ready. It may have to go to guns if I don't make it." Ally said. "It's now a fight with me against 'Skynet'."
John reminded her she carried a full complement of weapons.
"You still have air to air missiles." John said.
Ally laughed.
"I never said it would be a fair fight…." Ally said.
Ally knew it was about winning. She planned to use all the tools at her disposal to achieve a victory. It would still depend on how the events unfolded going forward. The missiles needed a certain amount of distance to arm. They also needed to be able to lock onto a target. It might be a duel between guns if they were in close with each other. Maybe it all would go back to AI against AI. Some predators consumed other predators, as well as herbivores. She was about to find out which one she was.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
It's Not Enough
One reaches out
To seek even more
Without realizing it
They've just closed a door
Something new happens
They're quick to grab
Do they even ever think
Whose heart they might stab
Have a good time
Go ahead and take your fill
Was the love you destroyed
Worth the short thrill
When you wake up
You'll see I've evolved
You were the only purpose
Around which my life revolved
I've grown beyond this
Don't think it's a bluff
What we have now
It's not enough
Nobody