Chapter 879

History Repeats Itself

Sheila was unable to find anything of value or usefulness in the cab of the truck. From what paperwork she did find, it was evident the truck was stolen. They would have John Henry backtrack where it was stolen from and see if it turned up any additional leads. He might be able to pick up some hits on traffic cameras around the area to give them a clue as to where else the truck may have visited. So far the initial report was it was stolen from North Las Vegas three weeks ago. The information didn't tell them very much.

Cameron spoke of her plan to use the truck as a 'Trojan Horse' to gain unchallenged entry into the facility. They would try to get the two HK Tracks reprogrammed and use them to make the initial entry into the building from the loading dock.

It seemed like a good plan. The trouble was, they still didn't know what they would need to face, or what was inside of the building. The information was all one big question mark.

John didn't want Cameron to rush anything. There was no need to do it, at least not yet. He was worried Cameron wouldn't listen to anyone. Then again, Savannah was there and she seemed to be able to 'reach' Cameron. He was a little concerned about the minor spat which occurred between Cameron and him. She basically told him if he didn't like her plan, she would just go in alone. He knew it wasn't a good idea. It seemed she already did it enough times already. She didn't need to do it anymore.

"I don't like where this is headed." John said.

John Henry thought since there wasn't any shooting so far, it was a good sign. He knew things could be a lot worse. They were bound to heat up anyway.

"It hasn't gone hot yet." John Henry said.

John thought 'Yet' was the key word in his statement. He knew once Cameron made up her mind, it was very hard to dissuade her from doing what she wanted to do. There were numerous past missions where she sustained heavy damage by doing things her way. In most of them, there were others who could have accompanied her and spread out the burden of combat. He did know in some instances, things just happened. There were others with her now. He hoped Savannah's presence would be the 'voice of reason' for any suggestions she made to Cameron.

"Savannah may have been able to get Cameron to reconsider." John said. "I think it should remain a team effort. I'm sure Savannah will agree."

John Henry understood Savannah could be a moderating influence on Cameron. He knew Cameron could be very stubborn once her mind was made up about how she wanted to do something. It still didn't change the fact Cameron's instinct was to take the most direct route possible.

"'Terminator style' is to go in the front door." John Henry said. "It's in her programming."

John was aware there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. He did want to try to give them every advantage possible. It would include trying to get someone inside to take a look around to let them know what they would face. They needed to do a few things first before they would be able to do it.

"Let's see if we can get a look inside. We need to at least disable or loop the outside cameras." John said. "Then maybe Ally or Steve can take a peek. I don't like going in blind with an HK Track driving around inside of the building."

John Henry wasn't so sure but there was only one active HK Track inside. They usually operated in pairs to give each other mutual support. Based on the drone images he looked at, he could see the building was very large. It alone would seem to indicate there is more than one HK Track roaming the aisles. The initial contact Ally picked up may have been the HK Tracks being loaded in the back of the truck the Resistance team now controlled. It still left the possibility there was other HK equipment active inside the building.

"There may be more than one HK Track patrolling the interior." John Henry said.

John looked a little more disgusted than he did a few seconds ago. The more he heard, the more he understood they didn't have any control over what was about to happen. It still needed to happen. If they waited too long, the entire building could be put on alert and every piece of HK equipment could be activated. It all depended what protocols the Grays operated under. Dan's communication with the building indicated there was definitely a Terminator involved with the operation. At some point they would be contacted and notified of what the current situation was, or what was suspected. The only thing known for sure was they faced a threat inside of the building.

"It sounds like more good news." John said somewhat sarcastically. "It was just what I needed to hear."

John Henry's interpretation of the telephone conversation between a Gray inside of the warehouse, and with Dan posing as one of the Grays with the truck, was the Terminator affiliated with the warehouse wasn't at location currently. There was no guarantee the response wasn't a ruse. Dan may have actually spoken with the Terminator. There was no way to know.

"It's possible the Terminator associated with this group isn't present." John Henry said. "The one Gray indicated they may be in Reno."

John was still a little wary about the telephone conversation. There were a few times when the response seemed to be delayed a little more than it should have been. He wasn't sure they actually pulled it off with the phone conversation. If it were the case, it was bound to trigger a series of negative events associated with it.

"It might be a ploy too." John said. "Like Savannah said, they may have missed a key word, or code word, in the phone conversation. The Grays may be expecting an assault. The fact they tracked the truck shows they're paying attention to what's happening around them."

Based on the interpretation of events, John Henry was worried there may be a little bit more in store for the team about to arrive than they anticipated.

"Then we must consider the possibility whatever HK equipment they have there may be activated, including any HK drones." John Henry said. "It's a very large building and could have dozens of pieces of HK equipment inside of it."

It was all information John would have rather not heard, but he needed to because it was all relevant to what was about to happen. None of it appeared to benefit their team.

"You're just full of good news." John said.

John Henry didn't think he was. He thought John could be correct about something else. There was little chance of changing Cameron's mind. Maybe Savannah could do it. Maybe Cameron could convince Savannah her plan was a good plan. There was no direct threat. The bottom line was they still didn't know anything happening inside of the building nor exactly what they would need to face once they were in the building.

The entire nature of the telephone conversation bothered John. If they did get some truthful information out of the Gray they spoke with about the location of the Terminator, why were they in Reno? It seemed the operation continued to grow and grow. Everything stemmed out of a chance encounter with locating two of the clandestine boxcars as they left Barstow. It was hard to believe it was only earlier in the day when it occurred.

He took a moment to look around the interior of the Honeymoon Suite. His eyes drifted to the location of the bedroom. The heart shaped bed in there call to him. He really thought he was going to get lucky earlier with Cammy. What would have happened if he did? Would it make a difference? Would it really matter? What if Cameron and the team was decimated in the next few minutes when they attempted to breach the interior of the Skynet facility? What if Cameron and Cammy were both terminated? What if Savannah was killed?

The more he thought about everything, the more it all seemed like a bad idea. There were twelve Resistance drones on station. Maybe the best course of action was to just level the building and pick up the pieces later on. It was an isolated location.

John didn't think it was going to matter. Cameron was determined to go in. What else was new?

Ally waited for word to move ahead to approach the door on the south side with the loading bays. She needed the cameras taken down or looped first.

She believed time was of the essence. She wanted to get inside before anyone noticed the door wasn't tightly closed. If they closed it and locked it, it would make entry even more dangerous. She figured it would be dangerous enough going in there in the first place.

It did make her wonder if she was detected at some point. Maybe the fact the door wasn't closed tight was because they wanted her to enter the building in a specific location. They would know exactly where she was at once she entered. If they didn't try to take her down immediately, they might wait a few seconds to see if anyone else entered with her or behind her. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Maybe the HK Track she heard moving around was waiting for her.

The lack of any type of surveillance equipment on three sides of the building still didn't make any sense. Even if the elements made it hard to maintain the electrified perimeter fence, there should be some surveillance cameras. How hard was it to rig up a few additional cameras? It didn't seem like it was very hard to her at all.

She knew none of it mattered. She still needed to get into the building so she could find out what the girls were going to face when they arrived. If there was going to be an ambush, maybe it was better if she were the one to trigger it herself. It would spare a lot of grief and damage to the rest of the team.

Ally glanced around the corner again at the door which wasn't closed tight. Were the Grays really so careless as to not even close and lock the door? None of it left her with an easy feeling. It didn't matter. She was ready to move in an instant as soon as she was given clearance.

If someone closed and locked the door on the south side, maybe it would make more sense to force open the door on the west side. She was sure the roll up door on the north side wasn't the right choice to make to gain entry.

Al knew they were going to try and use the box truck as a 'Trojan Horse'. He decided to go down and back up Ally or Steve at this point. He would reinforce whichever one looked like they might have the best chance of getting inside unobserved. He didn't want to be the one to blow the operation.

He was mindful there was at least one active HK Track inside. He still carried the LAW rocket. He only had one. There was a pretty good chance if he needed to use it, he would probably need a few more as well. Either way he would still be able to 'reach out and touch someone' if it were necessary.

Steve finished his inspection of the side doors on the east side for the rail siding. It wasn't what he hoped to find. He wanted to give the entire building an inspection. He knew there was a roll-up door on the north side which hadn't been checked yet.

"The east side doors are all secured from the inside." Steve reported. "I'm going to move completely around the back of the building on the north side before I join Ally. I don't want to go in front of any of the cameras on the south side."

John Henry was concerned about the large roll up door on the back of the building. Ally didn't check it. Any type of HK equipment could come out of the opening once the door was open.

"There's a large door on the north side." John Henry said. "Be mindful an HK Track or even an HK Tread could come out of it."

Steve figured it might include an HK drone as well. He decided not to mention it because he figured they all knew already. It would actually be the biggest threat to any of their team but not for long. He knew there were a dozen Resistance drones in and around the immediate area.

"Affirmative…." Steve said. "I'll use caution."

Facing HK equipment of any type was nothing to look forward to.

He needed to use caution and not be the one to trigger anything or blow the operation. He knew everything inside of the building was an unknown at this point. Because of the reflective paneling on the roof for the sun and the heat, none of their drones could get a good enough scan as to what any potential target areas of the building they needed to look for. Without any detailed scans for heat signatures, they didn't even know how many Grays were inside of the building. They didn't know if they were clustered in one area or spread throughout the structure.

Cameron still wanted to use the 'Trojan Horse' tactic. It seemed like a sound idea to her. If everything worked as planned, they should be able to back right up to the dock. The enemy should open the doors for them to 'walk in'.

Savannah was now in the back of the truck with Cameron as the box truck returned to the warehouse. Cameron originally wanted her to ride in the cab with Frank and Dan. She wanted to be with the rest of the female Terminators.

Frank drove the box truck. Dan was in the front next to him. From a distance they would look like 'Smitty' and 'Tito'. Dan wore the red cap 'Tito' wore before his head met 'Smitty's' head with crushing force. Since the cap was red, it helped hide the fresh bloodstain on it. The impact of their heads together was rather extreme. Gail didn't like the way they touched her when they thought she was terminated.

Cammy and Sheila worked on reprogramming one HK Track, while Cameron and Gail worked on the other one. Since there was enough time to work on the HK Tracks, they would be able to fully reprogram them to Resistance standards.

Savannah was mindful of the time. She knew everything needed to be ready before they backed up to the dock. They still didn't know what they would face once the back of the truck was opened. She still hoped they would be able to get some better information before they arrived. It seemed very important to her.

"We're only five minutes out." Savannah said. "We still don't know what we're about to face. We need better intel before we attempt to enter."

Cameron was confident they would be able to pull it off. It wouldn't be the first time they used a technique like this one. There was no reason it shouldn't work again.

"It will work, Savannah." Cameron said. "We've done this before."

Savannah didn't think past practice mattered much in this case. Every situation was different. She didn't want them to be overconfident, at least until they knew more about what was inside of the building.

"It may still be a problem." Savannah said. "If they're 'on to' us, they might expect it. I'm not sure the conversation Dan conducted didn't tip them off."

Cameron understood it was always a possibility. It seemed to her if the Grays in the warehouse thought it was the case, they might take more drastic preventative action against their team first. They wouldn't want them on their doorstep, even if they were ready for something.

"I think they would send out an HK drone if they thought we were about to set them up." Cameron said.

Savannah was a little worried about the possibility. The HK drones didn't necessarily have to come from inside the building either. They knew the group possessed them because they just captured two of them when they cleaned out the two boxcars earlier in the day.

"Let's check." Savannah said. "John Henry, what's the status in the sky?"

John Henry kept a careful watch of the sky around the target location.

"The sky is clear for twenty miles around your area." John Henry said.

Savannah did a quick calculation of what she knew to be the maximum drone speed. Twenty miles wasn't too big of a cushion in time to prepare for an aerial assault. She wanted a little more space and time available to the team.

"I'd like you to double the search area." Savannah said. "Better yet, increase the search to fifty miles, immediately."

John was more than a little nervous at this point. He was already weary about Cameron's plan. Savannah's concerns worried him even more. HK drones could change the dynamic of the battle significantly. They could even attack the structure themselves once the Resistance team was inside of it. There was a strong possibility one or more power cells may detonate during an attack. It could prove to be quite devastating.

"Is there something we don't know?" John asked.

Savannah wondered what exactly it was they did know. It wasn't much.

"It's everything." Savannah said. "I don't like it. I'm worried about the entire operation."

Cameron instantly became alarmed. She needed to trust Savannah's instincts.

"What do you feel, Savannah?" Cameron asked. "Was there something in the conversation?"

Cameron was aware it was Savannah's ORDER which got all of them out of the 'day care' structure in time.

They would have stayed while one of them tried to disarm the bomb otherwise. Based on the timing of the explosion, there wouldn't have been sufficient time to disarm it. They would have all been severely damaged by the force of the explosion, if not outright destroyed. They all would have suffered debilitating massive sheath damage.

Cameron gave Savannah the power to 'order' all of the Terminators, including herself. Savannah possessed the power to 'order' John Henry and his server, as well as CamNet.

She knew Savannah was the most powerful individual on the planet with her ability. Savannah possessed the means and the power to be able to order and control John Henry's server and CamNet to do whatever she wanted done. Since they were in every computer system around the world, there was a lot they could do for Savannah. It didn't bother her one bit. She believed Savannah would always do the right thing. She believed an individual's actions stemmed from the true person they were inside. If someone was going to do questionable behavior, it was something they would do no matter what. It was part of their being.

She knew Savannah would NEVER send her or any other Terminator to their certain destruction as John DID with her. How could John do it to her? It was one thing to stop a prison van. It was another thing to actually enter a prison to retrieve someone. She was aware her hand now started to glitch.

Cameron knew Savannah would re-body any Terminator who was destroyed with their back up program, or protect them with 'temporal management'. Savannah already used the same technique to prevent a vital part of her sheath from being permanently destroyed. It was one of the few original parts of her sheath. It was very important to her because of the significance of what it represented. It was important for her relationship with John.

"…Cameron…?" Savannah asked.

Cameron blinked her eyes twice and looked at Savannah.

"What?" Cameron asked.

Savannah still questioned the plan. She saw Cameron's hand glitch a few times too.

"I don't think what we're about to do is a good idea." Savannah said. "Are you having a 'problem'? I've noticed a few irregularities."

Cameron blinked her eyes twice again in rapid succession. She still saw the image of what she looked like after John sent her in to get Sarah out of jail. She didn't think there was anything wrong with her. Her thoughts were no different from the thoughts which normally haunted her. There was nothing new anyway. She felt fine.

"I don't think there's a problem." Cameron said. "I'm fine."

Savannah was a little worried about the short time table they were on. She felt it mattered.

"We have about four minutes to get this right." Savannah said. "It's not much time to prepare, especially if everyone isn't functioning properly."

Savannah didn't like Cameron's plan being so rushed. They still needed more information. She was aware they could only delay the arrival of the truck for so long before it was going to raise some type of alarm. They weren't going to have time for a second chance. She still believed there was a good chance the alarm was already sounded.

Kyle and Sarah were out of their room now. Kyle went to assist Derek. Sarah went to check on Jan. She was pleased to see Claire there with Summer. When Sarah first entered the room, she locked eyes with Claire. There was more than a passing moment between them with their stare. There was a hunger in each of them which was stirred. It wasn't the time or the place for anything along those lines. They were both there for their girls right now. The girls were what mattered.

Claire asked if Summer could spend the night with Jan. Sarah thought it was a good idea. She knew how much Jan and Summer liked to be around each other. Jan didn't interact with other children very much. It wasn't because she tried to isolate Jan. It was her experience with her attempts to give John a 'normal life', which made her very wary of what happened with Jan. When they tried to live a 'normal' life before, it always seemed bad things happened. She always felt John was shortchanged despite her best efforts.

Summer and Jan would watch a movie before their bed time.

Claire took Sarah aside and wanted to ask her about 'everything'.

"I saw Savannah was almost shot in the face a short time ago." Claire said.

Sarah looked instantly concerned. It was news to her.

"Really?" Sarah asked. "Normally we don't get to see things quite as graphic."

Sarah wondered why it was shown to Claire. It must have been done for a reason. She would look into it. She didn't think it was because John Henry wasn't in the Command Center to filter what would be viewed. It was a possibility his server, JH, might not have seen it as a problem.

"Savannah is the only one John and Cameron will allow out on combat operations other than Terminators." Sarah said. "Savannah goes on her own. Nobody makes her do anything she doesn't want to do."

It was troubling information to Claire. She didn't quite understand why it was the norm. It didn't seem very fair to Savannah. It seemed like a very large burden placed on her back. If there was an explanation, she would like to know what it was.

"Why?" Claire asked.

Sarah could only state the obvious answer to the question. She was sure there were other layers or dimensions to the actual reason.

"Savannah's the only one Cameron will listen to sometimes." Sarah said. "Savannah protects Cameron from needless damage."

Claire understood the reasons, but she wondered if there were still other issues in play.

"It doesn't make any sense." Claire said. "Does Cameron still have a 'termination wish'? I thought she worked everything out."

Sarah believed Cameron was more focused than ever on part of her original mission. It actually seemed to be more of a vendetta at this point.

"She's driven impulsively to eradicate all forms of Skynet." Sarah said. "It's become very personal to her. It's no longer her function or mission. It is personal to her as an 'individual'."

It was very troubling news to Claire. She heard stories previously about what Cameron believed she became. Maybe it was another roundabout way of 'self termination' to prevent it.

"Is it because she thinks she will become Skynet?" Claire asked.

Sarah was always troubled by the thought. She could see how it would eat away at someone. It would bother her if she thought she might turn into someone terrible. She thought it would bother Cameron as well.

"I don't know." Sarah said. "I still go out on a recon every now and then. John and Cameron won't let any of the rest of us become involved with any planned combat. Sometimes things expand rapidly and it may become combat. Everything involving Skynet has a lot of risk in danger associated with it. Things are often unpredictable, even when they shouldn't be. "

Claire thought of her earlier request to Hanna. It was the request to take her daughter's place and fight the battles herself.

"So even if I was to receive full training, Cameron wouldn't allow me to fight alongside her?" Claire asked.

Sarah knew the Reese brothers were already trained Resistance fighters and Cameron didn't allow them, or her, to be anywhere near any combat.

"It's very doubtful." Sarah said.

Claire felt she had a valid case for her desires.

"I want to take the risk so Allison - Young Allison and Summer won't have to." Claire said. "I want to take some of the pressure off of my daughters. I want to protect them by serving in their place."

Sarah didn't believe it was something which could be stopped as far as Young Allison was concerned.

"I think it is a pretty good bet Young Allison will join Cameron and Savannah, when she is a little older. I don't think Jan or Summer will. I really don't know." Sarah said. "If Judgment Day occurs, all bets are off. We know what has occurred in other Skynet futures."

It was a reminder Claire could have done without. She was dead in the other futures where Skynet took control after Judgment Day.

Claire was aware the training still went on anyway.

"You still train Jan as well." Claire said.

Sarah was very worried about the future if Judgment Day occurred. It was the things of a personal nature which worried her the most. They actually sickened her when she thought about some of them.

"Yes." Sarah said. "If Kyle and I are killed, I don't want the same things to happen to Jan which happened to Jesse, Vanna, and Alli…, I'm sorry."

Claire felt a sick feeling in her gut at the mention of those events. It saddened her greatly to remember what Allison told her one time.

"I know they were all abused. For some of them it was worse than others. For others it was only a few…." Claire said. "Allison apologized to me for those things. It wasn't her fault. I don't even know how they all cope with it."

The brutality and savagery of it all bothered Sarah. It really made her wonder what was wrong with some people. Why would they stoop so low? Why didn't females matter? What gave them the right to act in the manner they did?

"Kyle told me it happened to all the females at some point. It was simply part of 'life'." Sarah said. "When some people think they are going to die they become animals, even some in the Resistance."

Claire wanted her daughter's protected.

"I want to move to the base." Claire said.

Sarah was actually surprised it hadn't happened years ago.

"I know you wanted to before." Sarah said.

Claire thought about it more than once.

"I'm not sure why it hasn't happened." Claire said.

Sarah thought there might be a 'trigger' to Cameron's plans.

"I'm willing to bet once Young Allison is a little older it will." Sarah said.

Claire wondered if Allison, and even herself, were a factor in Cameron's decision. She expressed multiple times she was willing 'to be with' John and produce offspring for John and Cameron. She really wondered if John would be able to deliver and give her a finish during the process. It was something no mail was ever able to do.

"Is Cameron trying to protect the 'Natural Order'?" Claire asked. "Does she want Allison away from John until Young Allison is 'ready'?"

Sarah wasn't aware of the scope of Claire's offer to Cameron for the 'use' of her body for basically anything Cameron wanted it used for. She was aware 'Allison' needed to be the 'right Allison'.

"It will be Young Allison once she's older." Sarah said. "She's the one Cameron wants for John and Savannah. The 'Natural Order' is very important to Cameron."

Claire couldn't deny her statement based on her personal experience.

"I was there, Sarah. I saw it and I lived it for almost a year." Claire said. "It was the four of them. Future Allison and Future Savannah were lovers before they were involved with Future John and Duplicate Cameron. Look at Vanna and Allison. They were together in the other future. I think history repeats itself."

Sarah could see that there was some beauty in it. She didn't think it was anything negative.

"It seems to have a way of doing it." Sarah said. "Cameron told me she believed there were 'tides in time'. It was the occurrence of similar events in different timelines unassociated with each other. I'm not sure if history repeats itself, or if history makes itself."

Claire told Sarah about the new development where Jesse and Vanna both now could help Riley nurse Precious.

Sarah noticed a few changes on her own recently. It seemed like a personal subject to stay away from. What Claire indicated now made everything make sense.

"I noticed they were both 'bigger'." Sarah said. "I thought something 'else' was in the works. I know Allison is pregnant again, she is still a long way off."

Claire looked away from Sarah.

Sarah became a little alarmed. She might have hit on a touchy subject where she didn't need to. It wasn't her intent to create any problems, or stir up bad feelings.

"Oh no." Sarah said. "Is Allison still…."

Claire was worried about Allison. Things just didn't seem to work out for her.

"She is, but she's not doing well." Claire said. "I don't even know how many times it is anymore. It was too painful to keep track of all the failures."

Sarah knew all the girls from the future experienced reproductive problems. It seemed to be one area where Skynet was more successful with its 'attacks' on humans.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Sarah said. "I know Riley was touch and go."

Claire knew she was a 'backup' for Allison through Cameron's actions. Everything was still under wraps. Cameron explained to her the baby she carried could still be needed elsewhere. It was why no one was to know she was pregnant with Allison's baby. It seemed the way things were done in Cameron's future, with Future Allison, caused some unnecessary tension for Allison.

"I don't know what will happen with Allison." Claire said. "I do know Cameron will make sure it happens for Allison, one way or another."

Sarah checked the time. She knew it was getting later.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Sarah asked.

Claire felt a slight rush of excitement with Sarah's question. She quickly pushed her personal desires to the back of her mind. She knew it was actually a valid concern. She hadn't made any definite plans yet. She knew what she would like to do.

"I'm not sure yet." Claire said. "Maybe one of the girls will be free. If not, Hanna still has a room here, even though she doesn't use it anymore."

Sarah could see why Claire was popular among the girls. They all wanted to spend time with her. She was very pretty. Rumor said she was very driven and passionate in bed. She thought about it as she looked at Claire, if she was still unattached, she would want to be with Claire too….

"...about, Sarah?" Claire asked.

Sarah let her mind drift and answered what she thought was the correct answer.

"The girls are doing fine here." Sarah said.

Claire was confused by Sarah's answer.

"What?" Claire asked.

Sarah decided to redirect the subject.

"I hear them working on Derek and Riley's room. I've needed to fabricate a few things in my life. Maybe we should give them some advice or pointers on the construction." Sarah said. "I'm sure we could offer some 'tips' on what they're doing."

Claire wasn't so sure about it.

"Nobody likes a nag." Claire said.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

"It sounds like even more reason to put our two cents worth in." Sarah said.

Claire and Sarah both laughed.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

History Repeats Itself

Anyone can stumble and error
It's easy to make a few mistakes
It depends what happens next
If they hit the gas or the brakes

What's the new trajectory
Where will it ultimately lead
Will it do anything more
Than make another's heart bleed

It's inevitable that sooner or later
It will all blow up and be exposed
Are the feelings really new ones
Or just the old ones superimposed

When it all starts to fall apart
Everyone claims they'll change
They could have done that already
Doesn't the lack of it seem strange

Some are given another chance
It's always still about themself
Will it really surprise anyone
When history repeats itself

Nobody