Chapter 520

Panic Button

Jesse and Gail were out. They were away from the base.

"You know what I'm looking for." Jesse said.

Jesse could see Gail was a little concerned. She knew when someone went looking for trouble, it wasn't too hard to find. She thought of it more as trying to right a wrong.

Gail drove the SUV. She knew where they were headed. She just wasn't sure what was going to happen when they arrived there. It most likely wasn't going to be anything good. It never was.

"No problem." Gail said. "It should be like the last time."

Jesse put her weapons away after she checked them.

"It's what I hope." Jesse said.

Gail figured some people were going to die soon. It was what usually happened. She was there to make sure it wasn't Jesse.

They pulled up a block away from a theater and waited. One of the movies just ended. It was a romance movie of some sort. There were a lot of females who exited the theater.

They were aware a female was 'jumped' once a week near the theater which just let them out. It was often near the park which was close by. It was dark and secluded. There were a lot of trees and shrubs. There were a lot of places to hide for a perpetrator.

Jesse wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. The news report from the other day didn't sit well with her. She didn't understand why the authorities couldn't do something about it if it continued to happen in the same location over and over. She decided it was time to show the perpetrator, or perpetrators, how it was done in the Wastelands. She didn't want any more female lives damaged or ruined.

Strangely enough, the District Attorney didn't believe in prosecuting criminals because he thought it was unfair for them to serve time, even for murders. He believed they were victims of society. The perpetrator wasn't to blame, society was. Therefore there should be no punishment. She wondered how he would feel if some of the things happened to him. She needed to refocus. The females were out.

They watched the females disperse. Most entered cars or were picked up. A few waited for the bus. Some chose to walk. Most of those were in groups, but not all of them. Those were the ones who usually became victims.

"There are two females headed for the park separately." Gail said. "They are going to shortcut through it."

Jesse gritted her teeth. She knew it was a mistake.

The park was where some of the abuse took place.

Jesse looked over the two females. One was blonde. The other was Asian with long dark hair. She wore a short skirt. It reminded her of her when she was younger. Right now the issue became personal to her. It was personal in every way possible.

"You take the blonde." Jesse said. "I have the other girl."

Gail didn't like to split up. She couldn't protect Jesse if she was away from her.

"Maybe nothing will happen." Gail said. "We should try to stay together. If we hear something, we can respond to it. I don't think anything will happen to both of them simultaneously."

Jesse was ready to act. Her face was serious. She didn't want things to progress too far with one or both of the females. Just the encounter with a perpetrator, even if nothing else happened, would be bad enough. If the perpetrator began to touch them, or worse, it would be burnt in their mind forever. The perpetrator should never abuse anyone, under any circumstances, for any reason.

"It won't happen while we're here." Jesse said. "We can respond to each other if there's a hit on one of the females. I know it won't be you. You know it won't be me either."

Jesse felt confident in their ability to react. She wouldn't hesitate to kill if it was necessary. She knew Gail wouldn't hesitate to terminate either. They dealt with future Scavengers many times. The future Scavengers always lost.

Gail was sure it was a mistake. She knew how upset Jesse was about the incidents near the theater. She believed it was more about who the victims were specifically as females. None of them were accompanied by anyone else. She was even more concerned because Jesse wanted to watch over the Asian female. She knew Jesse read more into it than was actually there. She didn't want to have to say it, but she felt she needed to.

"You need to be careful." Gail said. "She isn't you. Don't let your guard down."

Jesse looked over at Gail. She understood her concern, and her warning.

"I'm going to make sure she never is either." Jesse said. "Let's go."

Gail was sure Jesse would view the potential victim as herself, or worse. She might view her as Young Jesse, her sister, or her mother. It would only make the nature of her response more violent and extreme. She was fairly certain the 'old Jesse' was right at the surface waiting to emerge in the most brutal way possible.

Jesse and Gail exited the SUV.

Gail tailed the blonde girl. She looked back over at Jesse as she disappeared behind some bushes in pursuit of the Asian girl. She was sure there was going to be someone terminated tonight. The manner it was done in was yet to be determined.

Jesse wanted to make sure Gail followed the blonde. It looked like she would. They didn't normally split up when they were 'out'. Gail did most of the 'dirty work' when an issue arose. No one knew how to deal with a Terminator face to face. No one could deal with a Terminator face to face. It didn't matter what type of weapon they possessed or brandished. Brute force was the most pathetic response to a Terminator.

She carried a Taser and an M9. She wished she still possessed the silenced .22 pistol Cameron let her use before. It didn't matter. She also carried her knife with her. The blade was thirsty for blood. It didn't get any more silent than a knife. It didn't get any more personal either. She could move right in on a target and stab them in a number of different places, multiple times, in a matter of seconds. It usually took a moment for the full nature of the attack upon them to be realized. By the time they did, they were already dead, even if they hadn't died yet. They would.

Jesse could get to her M9 or Taser in a second. Right now she chose to carry her knife in her hand.

It was personal to her. She followed a few hundred feet behind the young Asian female. She was going to make sure the female didn't become a 'woman' in the weeds along the side of the trail.

It was clear to Cameron what was about to happen in Savannah's room. She heard them converse and then strip. They were on the bed now. She waited to hear if Savannah let out a small 'squeal' or a 'gasp'. It shouldn't be too rough on her since she delivered the two babies. It was still something she wasn't accustomed or acclimated to.

Cameron was filled with anger, rage, and jealousy.

How could John do this to her?

He KNEW she loved Savannah.

Now John was about to take Savannah away from her.

A feeling of rage built up inside of Cameron.

Cameron's anger quickly grew out of control….

John and Savannah were naked on her bed. He was over the top of her. They were about to make love.

Savannah lay on the bed as she held John. She was ready for him. No foreplay was necessary. They were both ready right now.

They both knew it was about to happen. It was what they both wanted. It was long overdue by more than a few years.

Their eyes were locked together.

Savannah was more than ready to get started. It was something she wanted to try for a very long time, especially with John. She didn't care if it only lasted thirty seconds. She wanted to know what it was like with someone she loved and who loved her. She just wanted to get it out of the way. The 'first time' was always a big step.. Everything she read said it got easier from there on several different levels. In her case it was only a psychological barrier, the physical barrier was long gone.

She urged him forward towards her as she pulled him onto her and into her. She didn't want him to 'wimp out' at the last second. She wanted it to happen. She wanted it to happen now. It seemed like a perfect way forward to occur, especially since she was wearing Cameron's wedding dress when she brought him into her room. She meant what she said when she said, 'I do'.

It was their destiny.

The look of love was in their eyes and in the air.

They were both filled with anticipation.

Savannah waited a long time for the experience and she was more than ready to try it. She at least wanted to know what it was like. Depending upon how it went, and what his stamina would be like, would determine what other positions they could try. Right now the traditional one suited her fine. Once things got started, she planned to wrap her legs around him to make sure he stayed where he was and delivered everything he was supposed to.

John was elated he was about to be with a virgin. He always wanted to be the 'first' with someone. He really didn't care who. He was pleased it was Savannah.

"Go - slow." Savannah softly said. "I've never done this before."

John was so excited to hear Savannah's words, he almost finished before he started.

Bob could see they needed to know more immediately. John Henry seemed unresponsive at this point. Right now wasn't the time for some type of shutdown on his part.

"John Henry!" Bob shouted as he grabbed him. "Are we, or are YOU, under attack?"

John Henry possessed a blank look on his face.

Kyle became increasingly worried as each second passed. If they needed to act, they needed to act now. If there was the possibility of an attack, they needed to be ready before it happened, not respond to it.

John Henry seemed unable to communicate at this point.

Kyle wanted to raise the alarm. It was clear something was wrong on more than one level. They needed to get ready for an attack. The time for caution was gone.

"I want to hit the 'Panic Button'." Kyle said. "I want to err on the side of caution."

Bob looked at John Henry again and agreed.

"We can sort it out later." Bob said. "Good Call."

Jim still checked the monitors. He was worried too. Something was wrong with John Henry after he tried to issue some type of warning. The time for caution was over.

"Do it." Jim said.

Kyle hit the 'Panic Button'.

Instantly an alarm sounded around the facility with flashing lights. It was a low key alarm so as not to disrupt communications or operations. It emitted its own specific sound. They tested it twice, both times there were announcements before and during its sounding. Everyone was aware before it was tested as to what it would sound like and mean.

Now it was just the alarm and the lights. It was the real deal. Everyone would know it.

The panic button alarm would send the alert out to everyone an attack was imminent. The Detail houses would go to full alert. If the Young or Reese families were at home, they would be moved into the fortified underground bunkers. Cameron's base, all Terminators, and field operations would get the alert. Everyone's phone was modified to sound the alarm, even if it was turned off.

Bob used the com system which would broadcast everywhere the alarm sounded.

"This is no drill." Bob said.

The announcement from Bob made the warning sound even more serious.

It wasn't a message from John or John Henry. It gave it a much more ominous overtone.

Derek looked at Riley when the alarm sounded.

Fear gripped both of them. They knew what it could mean. They might be fighting for their lives in seconds. It was normally what they delivered to the enemy. So far in the past, the present, they hadn't been the recipient of an attack on their base.

"Arm yourself and stay here." Derek said. "Put your vest on with the special Coltan plates Cameron made for you."

Derek threw his vest on, grabbed his M4 and headed out.

Riley put her special vest on and went out anyway. It was a special vest Cameron made for her to protect her baby as much as possible. It was another sign of the extra effort Cameron went to, to assist others in the most meaningful ways possible. Her place was to protect Jan and she wasn't going to neglect her job…. It was to free up Sarah and Kyle for combat, or to repulse an assault on the base. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. She went to her designated staging area. They were all in this together.

Sarah was on her way to get Jan.

As soon as the alarm sounded, she went to the nearest arms locker, grabbed a vest, and an M4.

It barely slowed her down as she ran.

The Terminators at the base armed themselves with either an M60 or M249. All of them were loaded with Coltan projectiles. Each one also carried an M79 or M32A1 with acid rounds, as well as a bandoleer of HE rounds and several Thermite grenades. They didn't know what the nature of the threat would be. They were prepared for Grays, Terminators, or Liquid Metal Terminators.

They all were assigned specific locations to cover. They all moved with speed and efficiency. There was no guesswork with anyone's position.

Everyone knew where to go.

Cameron was outside Savannah's room. Her eyes glowed red, her anger raged out of control. Savannah belonged to HER….

John was about to steal the most precious thing she wanted for herself.

The alarm snapped Cameron out of it. It was about survival now. She couldn't help but feel it was tied to her recent disappearance. Maybe it was all on her. What she was worried about a fraction of a second ago didn't seem as important as survival. It was strange how things could be viewed differently based upon the circumstances.

She immediately headed for an arms locker. She grabbed a vest, M4, M32A1, and several Thermite grenades as she headed for the Command Center.

John's naked body was above Savannah's naked body, their lips were about to touch. Their two separate bodies were about to become 'one'. It was the future, and the future was now.

Savannah urged him forward. It was what she wanted. It was what they wanted. It was what Cameron said she wanted for both of them, for all of them.

"Go - slow." Savannah said softly as he was about 'share' with her. "I've never done this before."

John was sure he was going to finish before things even got started he was so excited.

They both froze when their phones and the base alarm sounded.

The look of hurt was in their eyes as the moment of love about to be completed was stolen from them. They were only a second away from fulfilling their destiny - A SECOND.

Savannah could feel 'John' just outside of her. He was almost lined up. He just missed in his haste on his first attempt. He was as excited as she was. She contemplated thrusting John into her. At least she wouldn't be a virgin anymore. It didn't matter if it was for a second or not. It was no longer the issue. There was a serious issue at hand. It was about survival now, not lust, or love.

She released her arms from around John.

"You need to get to the Command Center." Savannah said. "Let me open the arms locker."

John was away from Savannah in an instant. He briefly almost made the initial thrust. He would have taken Savannah's virginity. It would have only been for a second. Now they might need to fight for their lives. He jumped up.

Savannah opened the arms locker in her room. It was fully stocked for three people. Evidently Cameron anticipated a 'three way' might occur in there at some point. There were some with the females already.

"I'm sorry." John said.

They both scrambled for clothes and weapons.

"Next time…." Savannah said.

She was gravely disappointed. 'ALMOST' was the thought which screamed through her mind as she threw on her underwear and a shirt. She immediately put on body armor and grabbed her M4. She looked at the wedding dress one last time as it lay draped over a chair. She hoped she didn't die a virgin. She knew it could be worse. She hoped her virginity didn't go to a Gray. She cringed at the thought.

John was deeply disappointed. He was so close to his destiny, and what Cameron wanted for all of them. He grabbed his pants and threw the vest on Savannah tossed him, along with an M4. He didn't notice the bulge rapidly faded in the front of his pants.

They were hardly clothed, but they were armored up and armed. They were ready for the threat. They didn't have a clue what it was.

They both headed out the door and into the hall.

In the Command Center, Kyle, Bob, and Jim all armored up. They all now carried weapons as well.

Cameron ran in the door. She was the first one to reach them.

"What's the report?" Cameron asked.

Kyle didn't have any concrete answers. He was the one who pushed the 'panic button', so it was on him. A quick look at John Henry reassured him it was the right move.

"John Henry thought we might be under attack, or an attack was imminent." Kyle said. "Bob and Jim are currently trying to verify it. Something's really wrong with John Henry now too."

Cameron quickly checked everything there, and then checked with her base as well. CamNet was unable to detect a threat. CamNet wondered what happened at the Resistance base. CamNet was at full alert now also.

The blank look on John Henry's face changed some.

"Captured…." John Henry managed to say. "Cameron…."

Kyle heard it again. He didn't understand what it meant.

"What does it mean?" Kyle asked. "He's said it several times before Bob disconnected him from the server."

Fear flooded Cameron. If she was captured, everything was compromised. Their entire operation and hers was vulnerable. They could be wiped out, all of them, and 'everything'. Her hand was about to glitch. She needed to take control. She was CamNet at her base. Now she needed to be in control there.

"Plug me in." Cameron said.

Bob and Jim hesitated and looked at each other. It sounded like a bad idea based on what John Henry attempted to say several times. They both thought it might be the beginning of the end.

Cameron was angered further by their hesitation.

"Do it - NOW." Cameron commanded.

Bob plugged her into the server. Cameron was their leader. She would know what was best for all of them. She told all of them the same thing several times. Maybe she was right.

CamNet established a direct link with Cameron as soon as she plugged in.

Cameron was now in control of both of their servers. In this instant, she was the most powerful being on Earth.

She was able to get into every computer system in the world and take control. CamNet and JH, John Henry's server, were all 'one' with her.

Cameron was only a glitch away from becoming - Skynet.

Sarah reached Jan. She was asleep. She was awake now and looked around. She was scared. She sobbed a few times, but knew it was a serious event.

"How can I help?" Jan asked.

Sarah checked around again outside in the hall. She saw Riley coming in the distance. She then returned to calm Jan.

"You're good for now. Aunt Riley is here to take care of you." Sarah said. "Do whatever she says and follow the rules. Follow your training."

Jan nodded. The tears were gone. She understood her training.

"I will, Mommy." Jan said. "I'll fight when I need to as well."

Sarah felt a kick in her gut. She pictured Riley and Jan fighting it out against superior numbers before they were overrun. They would be killed, or ravaged first and then killed.

Riley would protect Jan and get ready for any assault.

"We know what to do, Sarah." Riley said.

Sarah knew she needed to protect Jan, Riley, and her baby as well….

"I'll be back." Sarah said.

If the fighting picked up, she would need to face it head on. She would try to draw the enemy away from Jan and Riley. She might buy them a few precious seconds.

Derek reached the Command Center.

"Where are they?" Derek asked. "How many are there?"

Kyle was pleased to see his brother ready for combat.

"We don't know." Kyle said. "It may be a false alarm, but John Henry tried to warn us of danger and then something happened to him. I hit the 'Panic Button' to play it safe. He kept saying something about an 'attack'. We don't know if it is just on him, or if it even is an attack on him."

Derek looked at the blank look on John Henry's face. It didn't look good at all. He could see Cameron was in control.

John and Savannah arrived a short time later.

"What is it?" John asked as he looked at the monitors.

Kyle and Bob filled him in. There were no facts.

It seemed to make it worse for all of them. If they knew the nature of the attack, they had something to fight. Now they only had their fears to fight as they waited.

John looked at John Henry. He seemed near standby status at this point. He saw Cameron was now plugged in at John Henry's station.

"Cameron, do you have anything?" John asked.

Cameron checked the area around both bases, the two Details, and other Terminators out in the field.

"I have nothing yet." Cameron said. "The protection Details report nothing. The Young residence is secure and everyone is in the bunker. The Reese Detail is at the ballpark. The Detail has closed in, but not yet taken the boys into protective custody. I told them to stay ready, but hold their position. They will act if it seems necessary, or we tell them to do so."

Derek and Kyle looked at each other with her revelation. It made them question their decision not to clue their younger selves in about the 'real world' and the Resistance. It was just something they didn't want them to need to deal with. They might be physically manhandled by Terminators to protect them if the situation escalated.

Cameron looked at John Henry. She thought he looked like she did sometimes….

She wondered if she corrupted him during their interface, or if she was infected with a virus. She could have passed it along to him. She scanned herself and nothing showed up. Then again, it could be how it was designed. How could anyone fight what they couldn't find?

"I want Bob and Jim to plug into this server." Cameron said. "They're trained on what to do. I'll interface directly with John Henry."

Cameron noticed John only wore his pants and a vest. He didn't have a shirt on and was barefoot. She also noticed Savannah only wore a shirt, underwear and a vest. It was John's shirt. It wasn't even buttoned and a lot was showing, even with the vest on.

She felt her left hand glitch. She was still plugged into the server. She was directly connected to both servers and everything in the world they could control. There were thousands of nuclear weapons at her disposal from various nations around the world.

Cameron looked at John and her eyes glowed red.

She was afraid he defiled Savannah. She was sure John 'spoiled' Savannah just to rub it in her face. It reminded her of the time she caught him out with Riley all night. She knew what they did. It was the way he smirked at her which hurt the most. It showed her how little she actually meant to him. Now he probably 'ruined' Savannah just to spite her. She knew how he thought. She was sure he did it just to claim her virginity. It was something he didn't get from Future Riley. She didn't think he got it from her either. She could only speculate it was. There was no conclusive proof.

The brightness of the red In Cameron's eyes continued to grow.

Kyle and Derek both noticed how John and Savannah were 'dressed'.

'What the Hell?' Both of them thought.

It looked like….

Savannah and John both noticed how they were dressed now too and how everyone looked at them.

Bob noticed Cameron as she looked at John. He could see there was a problem. It was a big one.

Jim caught it a second later. He too realized what was about to happen.

Cameron was about to go 'ballistic'. Her eyes glowed bright red and she was plugged in. She was about to 'glitch' out. Since she was connected to both servers, anything could happen.

Maybe Cameron was about to become Skynet.

"John, RUN." Bob shouted. "Unplug Cameron NOW."

Bob moved in front of John to protect him.

Jim moved to unplug Cameron.

Cameron stood as she prepared for combat. She was still plugged in. The fate of the world was at her mercy.

Cameron wanted to KILL.

Like ALL of her problems, they all centered around John. It didn't matter which John it was. It was always some version of him. They were all the same.

This problem involved him as well.

Cameron was sure John corrupted Savannah and defiled her - HER Savannah.

Was Cameron driven past the breaking point?

Was 'Skynet' only seconds away from becoming a reality?

Could ANYTHING stop what was about to happen?

Events reached a tipping point. The 'perfect storm' already started to happen.

'Game Over', seemed to be the only thought.

It looked like the end….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Panic Button

Few things in life
Come off like a dream
More likely than not
Things will make one scream

Everyone tries so hard
To make things work out right
Along the way are things
For which they must fight

Everyone steps up to the plate
Often one will swing and miss
As away fades a loving kiss
Who is actually the one remiss

Over and over it reoccurs
The results are often the same
It is just life's game
Everyone needs to share the blame

Nothing can be left unattended
There are always those who will butt in
When the one loved is about to be lost
Everyone hits the panic button

Nobody