Chapter 880

You Study Everything

John worried about what bothered Savannah. She expressed extreme concern over the unfolding operation. Cameron put a lot of pressure on them and Savannah to move ahead with her plan. He could tell Savannah didn't like the plan but was reluctant to upset Cameron.

"I wonder what Savannah is thinking?" John asked.

John Henry already came to the same conclusion. He knew exactly what Savannah's concern was. It was his concern as well.

"She thinks what Cameron wants to do needs more intel first." John Henry said. "She's correct to think it. It's what I think as well."

John could tell Cameron's plan wasn't Savannah's only concern.

"She seems concerned about a possible HK drone attack." John said. "I'm not sure why. There hasn't been any indication of any HK drones in the air at all."

John Henry felt they were in better condition than they normally would be on an operation. He was able to broaden their drone search area with no problem.

"I've sent six of the twelve drones out to do recon. They can be back very quickly if we need them." John Henry said. "It's a good thing there are so many on station. We can thank CamNet for the abundance, especially so far away from home. I only would have sent four. We have three times as many there now."

John was sure there was some 'behind the scenes' 'prompting' to get CamNet to act in the manner she did. The girls in the back of the truck were his immediate concern.

"Yes - CamNet…." John said. "The box truck is almost back to the warehouse. I think we need to delay it."

John wanted to buy more time because of Savannah's concerns. He was sure Young Allison was the driving force behind much of what happened with Ally's earlier endeavor in the desert, and the unfolding one at the warehouse now. She may be on the sidelines, but she was willing to act, or at least have CamNet act on her behalf. He was aware she was mentally advanced beyond her physical years. He wasn't sure if she was as emotionally advanced as well. It was a subject to worry about another time. He needed to get his head in the game for the action about to unfold.

John Henry was able to deliver some good news for a change.

"I've just taken control of the cameras in the loading dock area." John Henry said. "Ally is clear to move in if it is still safe for her."

John thought of the words his mother pounded into his head ever since he could remember.

"It's never safe…." John said.

It worried John to know Cameron was about to lead her team into the unknown. The unknown where there was at least one active HK Track roaming around. Now he was about to send Ally in to try and infiltrate the interior of the building. He could be sending her to her doom. They could all be headed the same way.

John could feel the same uneasy concern Savannah seemed to feel. Things seemed to happen too fast and with little control. He couldn't think of any other alternatives other than to have everyone withdraw. He was reluctant to make the call, the same as Savannah was.

There was a job to be done. There was a certain amount of risk involved with everything they did.

Nobody was certain of the best way to do it.

It was the fact everything right now seemed to be on a timetable. It was a timetable they didn't have a lot of control over. The truck could only be delayed so long before it returned back to the warehouse without raising even more suspicion than it probably already did.

If the truck wasn't already a target, it probably soon would be the longer the delay was. The Grays inside the building already seemed suspicious because the truck stopped, and wanted to return to change a tire which was losing air.

Ally waited along the corner of the west and south walls. She could get a clear view of the loading dock and the door which led inside the building.

There was only an entry type door on the west side. She was concerned someone could exit from it and move in behind her. It would force her around the corner to the south side. There was a second door other than the door which wasn't closed tight where others could come out and confront her at the same time. It wouldn't leave her with any cover. She could get caught up in a crossfire.

It wasn't her only worry. An HK Track could still exit from the north side and come out to confront her. She should hear it first. Grays could exit from all four sides if they wanted to. She could end up with Grays all around her very quickly. She would have drone support to start out with. It could all change rapidly depending upon what was inside of the building, and how quickly it could be deployed to confront the Resistance team. Either way, she was on the front line and would be target number one. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

She wanted to make her move and enter the building. She wanted to get things taken care of before the truck arrived with the girls in it. She felt an obligation to help protect her fellow Resistance team members. Most of them were Terminators, but not all of them were.

Ally received word she was good to go. It was what she wanted to hear. She couldn't help but have some fun and make a smart remark before she entered the 'lion's den'.

"It's about time." Ally said. "I felt like I was getting old. If I would have brought a needle and some yarn along, I could have crocheted a shawl."

John Henry took Ally's statement a little too literally. He realized it took him a little longer normal to be able to get into the system and remain unnoticed when he did it. He wanted to explain what the delay was about. It wasn't him.

"There was heavy encryption on all their systems in the warehouse." John Henry said. "I worked as swiftly and clandestinely as I could. I was busy the entire time"

Ally thought maybe she needed to say something because it seemed like she offended John Henry.

John spoke before she could.

"Ally, you need to use extreme caution." John said.

Ally wondered what the 'back up' plan was. So far she hadn't heard one.

"I take it you have a diversion ready." Ally said. "It's only IF I need one."

John Henry actually did have a 'back up' plan. He needed to know where all of the Resistance personnel were at any given moment though in order to enact it safely.

"Yes." John Henry said. "I have the opposite corner from where you're going to enter, targeted with two missiles. They'll hit one hundred feet apart and blow the corner of the building off."

Ally hoped if there was any shooting it happened when she first entered the building, and not when she was over in the corner John Henry just described.

"It sounds exciting." Ally said. "I hope I'm not near there if it happens."

John Henry hoped to have some situational awareness as Ally moved through the building.

"I also have the door you are going to enter targeted with a missile to hit the doorway and a second one to hit fifty feet behind it." John Henry said. "It should travel into the interior of the building once the first missile blows an opening into the wall and the door off."

John Henry wanted to use a technique Savannah used before at the Skynet bunker near the Serrano Point Nuclear Power Plant. She thought it would reduce opposition by using a double missile strike a few seconds apart. It was an effective strategy. It worked quite well.

Ally was worried about what was going to happen. She tried to make light of the situation.

"Great." Ally said. "Now I'm going to have to worry about you getting an itchy trigger finger."

She was going to comment on how Sheila seemed to have an 'itchy trigger finger' as well. She never used it on a trigger though. There was always another location where she was able to use it. She needed to concentrate on what was about to happen instead.

Ally moved around the corner and headed for the short stairway. It led to the door at dock level. The door was still closed but not shut tight. The Grays who left earlier didn't check it before they went down the short stairway. It was the way it appeared anyway. She didn't see it happen so there was no way to know exactly what occurred. Al seemed to have eyes on it. He didn't see any indication it was something which was staged. It still didn't mean it wasn't done to act as a lure if they thought they were being watched by someone.

The lack of any external security on three sides of the building still bothered her. It was a remote location, but it still seemed it was something which should be prudent.

She cautiously moved forward. She took one last look around her. Everything seemed quiet.

Ally carefully went up the stairs. She was going to peek inside.

John watched her from the drone footage. He was aware they could possibly be seconds away from everything falling apart. Steve and Al were both in the vicinity. It would take them some time to actually reach the door she entered. She was going in alone, but there was assistance nearby. He didn't think there was any need for her to actually enter the building yet. He wanted to know what she could see first.

"Be careful, Ally." John said. "The box truck is two minutes out. I only want you to take a look. I don't want you to enter the building yet."

Ally cracked the door open a half inch and then an inch. She wanted to see the interior better. No alarm went off, or one sounded by anyone inside. What she observed was more than what she expected.

She remembered a movie she watched one time about a boat and a big shark. She couldn't help but try to make a joke out of it, even if it was a serious matter.

"John, you're going to need a bigger truck…." Ally said.

Seconds ago:

Al went under the perimeter fence where Steve entered. The fence was shallow near the drainage ditch next to the spur track. Runoff water eroded the bottom of the drainage ditch. Over time it allowed more room between the drainage ditch and the bottom of the fence. It was something the Grays should have attended too long ago. He felt they were way too lax and sloppy. It was much the same thing Ally indicated earlier over on the west side of the property.

Earlier:

Steve originally was going to go around the back, or north side of the building, to try and get closer to Ally. He decided he needed to take the longer route to avoid the security cameras in the front of the building along the dock on the south side. Once it was evident John Henry was going to get the security cameras looped, he moved back along the east side. He wanted to look across the dock on the south side. He would be able to take a much shorter route this way.

He carefully checked both of the large sliding doors on the side of the building where boxcars would be unloaded as he passed. They were just as secure as they were earlier.

Steve was at the corner of the east wall and the south wall. He watched Ally head for the door. He heard Al approach from behind him.

"The security feed is looped." Steve said.

Al peered around the corner as well and looked along the south side where Ally was about to enter the building.

"I heard." Al said. "Should we join Ally?"

Steve wasn't sure what would happen next. It all depended upon Ally's actions.

"We can if she goes inside." Steve said. "She's only supposed to look."

They both heard Ally tell John they were going to need a bigger truck.

"It doesn't sound good." Al said.

Steve understood it to mean there was a lot of HK equipment inside the building. He couldn't help but think about the earlier biker incident. He was aware what went around, came around.

"Let's hope we don't get what we gave the bikers." Steve said.

Al remembered what a bloodbath it was for the bikers. He hoped it didn't come to it either. He became concerned with Ally's actions. It appeared as if she was about to disregard John's specific instructions.

"What's Ally doing? Al asked.

Steve looked on with more than a little apprehension at Ally's latest action.

"She's not following the plan for starters." Steve said.

They were both aware the female infiltration units were very impulsive and exhibited 'human like' traits. They didn't always stick to the agreed upon plan. The current situation appeared to be a 'case in point'.

They watched as Ally open the door a little further. She moved towards the opening. She looked back and around her and then disappeared inside. The door went closed behind her.

Cameron asked for the truck to stop due to Savannah's concerns. They were only half a mile away from the warehouse. They were stopped at a curve with a small hill between them and the view of the warehouse.

They heard Ally say they were going to need a bigger truck.

They waited for a further report, but nothing happened. No additional information came to them.

Savannah became alarmed with the delay in a follow up report from Ally.

"What happened to Ally?" Savannah asked. "If she's stopped transmitting, it's a really bad sign."

Cameron didn't know if it was bad news of some type. There were multiple reasons as to why the transmission could have stopped. Most of them involved something to do with the enemy.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "Maybe there's one of those local jamming fields inside the building, we've encountered those before. They're different from the other jamming fields which blankets the whole area and vicinity. There were two other desert locations we took down previously where they were in effect. They existed only inside of the building. It was where they were assembling HK equipment. We don't know if they're actually assembling anything here or not. We were under the presumption it was a storage facility. There's no way for us to know until we get a look inside. It's what Ally must have done."

Savannah thought about what Cameron said for a few seconds.

"It would mean she went inside." Savannah said. "There may be a Terminator close to her also. The fact the door was open, well, at least not closed tight, still raises a red flag."

Savannah feared Ally could be down too. She may have been deactivated. There was no gunfire reported yet.

Sheila was very worried about Ally. She was ready to move now. There were several choices available to them

"Maybe we better move in and back her up." Sheila said. "We can either enter in this tub, or hop out and proceed on foot. There are other doors located around the structure. We can breach multiple locations at one time. The current plan still sounds a little iffy anyway.

Cameron knew there was help much closer to Ally.

"Al and Steve are there." Cameron said. "They should be able to reach her position very quickly."

Savannah didn't want speculation, she wanted some answers.

"John Henry, where's Ally?" Savannah asked.

John Henry was a little disturbed when he saw her open the door enough to go inside of the building. When he saw her look around in back of her as she went in the door, he didn't think she was going to come out soon. He attempted to warn her off, but it was to no avail. All communication was lost as the door closed.

"She entered the structure." John Henry said. "I lost her tracking and body cam as well. I can't reach her through her com or phone either. There is some type of dampening or jamming field in effect. It may be something which affected our ability to scan the interior of the location earlier. Our original thought was it was because of the reflective insulation panels on the roof. It's possible it was something more."

Cameron was a little upset Ally deviated from the original plan. She did understand circumstances could dictate something different at times. There were many times she needed to do something other than she originally thought she would need to do on an operation.

"It wasn't part of the plan." Cameron said. "Then again, plans change."

John Henry believed it was more specific. He was sure there was a reason.

"She must have seen something." John Henry said. "It's possible she saw someone leave the area and decided to make a move further inside the structure. I don't think she knew her communications would be severed if she entered the building. There was no prior indication it would happen."

Savannah understood circumstances could dictate changes. She also thought when those changes occurred, the others should be alerted and informed as to what was now different.

"She should have said something." Savannah said. "Now we're back to square one. We don't have any intel whatsoever. We don't know what she saw, nor do we know why she made her move when she did."

Cameron was concerned about the local dampening field in the interior of the building. She knew Ally could have walked in the building transmitting and very soon been cut off without knowing it occurred. She only would have figured it out when she no longer received a response. It was never a good feeling to be cut off from assistance, or to be able to transmit possible danger.

"Maybe she did but didn't know she was blocked until she was too far inside to come back out." Cameron said. "She may have needed to find cover to avoid detection. Sometimes when you're in the enemy stronghold, you need to lay low and move very carefully when they're all around you. One wrong move and the shooting starts. So far there's no indication there's been any shooting. We don't know if there's been any type of Taser fire. No one is in a position to hear it if there was."

Cammy, Gail, and Sheila all waited for what they would do next. They were all ready to go in with Cameron's original plan. It was a 'very Terminator' plan. Now Ally was inside the 'lion's den' and they lost all communication with her. Her fate was unknown.

Cammy was aware they were still on the clock. It was decision time.

"What do you want to do, Savannah?" Cammy asked.

Savannah felt they rushed things too fast. She thought they were headed for a trap. Now Ally was in the 'lion's den'. It was time to make a decision. It wasn't the one she wanted to make, but the one which seemed necessary now.

"We'll do what we have to do." Savannah said. "We need to back Ally's play. She's in danger. We need a better plan. We don't really have one."

Cameron remembered Savannah's earlier concerns. They were very valid concerns.

"Are you still worried it may be a trap?" Cameron asked.

Savannah couldn't get the long pauses in the conversation earlier out of her head. It just didn't seem right. It was almost as if one individual was conferring with another one, or possibly more, during the conversation.

"Yes, I am." Savannah said. "It's my belief they know the truck has been compromised. I'm actually surprised they haven't called again to speak with the two Grays who were in it. It may indicate they know they were terminated."

Sheila was very worried about Ally.

"The time for caution is over. If Ally is discovered, she'll be terminated." Sheila said. "Let's roll."

Cameron felt they needed to take action as well. They couldn't delay the arrival of the truck much longer without raising even bigger suspicion. She wanted to have Savannah a little bit better protected when they used the 'Trojan Horse' play.

"Savannah, I want you back in the truck cab." Cameron said.

Savannah didn't want any special consideration. If they needed to fight, then everyone was needed.

"I don't have a good feeling about this. We'll all fight together." Savannah said. "Ally may need our help."

The Terminators all gained additional respect for Savannah. They would all fight together, side by side.

Gail and Sheila were both aware of the things Savannah did for them personally, to protect them or help them. They looked at each other, then at Savannah and silently nodded to each other. They would both make sure Savannah was protected, even at their own expense.

Cameron and Cammy both felt the same way about Savannah.

The Metal girls all loved Savannah and would do what was necessary to protect her.

Right now they needed to worry about one of their own. They didn't know Ally's situation.

Dan and Frank were ready to roll. They waited for Cameron to tell them to resume the journey. They listened to the conversation going on in the back of the truck as they waited.

Dan was worried about Ally as well. They still could use some better information.

"I like Cameron's plan but Savannah is correct for saying we need more intel." Dan said. "Savannah was right when she said this whole thing 'stinks'."

Frank was worried about Ally too.

"Losing contact with Ally changes everything." Frank said.

They knew there were several other Terminators close by.

"Al and Steve will go in to assist her." Dan said. "We will too, all of us."

Dan and Frank were ready to roll.

"Are you ready 'Smitty'?" Frank asked.

Dan tilted his head slightly to the side.

"I'm 'Tito'." Dan said as he touched his red cap. "You're 'Smitty'."

There was a glum look on Frank's face.

"I know." Frank said. "I just don't like the name."

Dan didn't think it should matter.

"It's a designation." Dan said.

Frank I felt it was more about a correlation with something else.

"I don't like what 'Smitty' rhymes with." Frank said.

Dan tilted his head slightly in the other direction. He quickly understood Frank's concern.

"I see what you mean. If you replace the 'M' with an 'H'." Dan said. "The name really 'stinks'."

Young Allison viewed her monitors and listened to everything discussed or what occurred. She didn't like what was happening with so little information. There were too many unknowns for the rapidly developing situation. Now Ally was inside the 'hornet's nest'.

She wanted a better solution. Multiple thoughts begin to cascade through her mind. She wanted some better answers and she wanted more help. There was only one entity she could turn to for additional assistance. She was ready to do it immediately.

She believed most of the decisions which occurred in the Command Center, or in the current situation, the Control Center, happened much too slowly. She understood the need for caution as well as discretion. Based upon the current situation she didn't think either one of those were as important as they might normally be. There weren't any witnesses where they were at, nor would there be any type of collateral damage. There were several thoughts in her mind about what could be done. It was time to find out what her contribution could be.

"What can CamNet do to help them more right now?" Young Allison asked. "Other than cut the power and control the drones, I don't see a lot of choices."

With so little information available to them, Anna didn't see very many choices either.

"The choices seem limited right now." Anna said. "Do you have some ideas or thoughts you want to share? Now is the time to get them out. The clock is running down fast."

Young Allison did think of a few things. She didn't know how practical any of them would be. It was time to think hard and fast. It is what she was trained for. Now it was real. She needed her brain to work and come up with some real options fast. The time for training and drills was over. This was it. It was the moment of truth. It was time she did her job. What was the immediate thing they could do to help the girls before they went into the enemy's building?

"Do we know what the current Skynet transponder codes on the HK Tracks we've confiscated on this mission are?" Young Allison asked. "I'm talking about the two in the back of the truck, and the other one we captured earlier. The ones which were taken from the boxcars earlier might matter as well."

Anna was aware there were three separate sources to verify the information from. It seemed like a very good starting point.

"Let me check. Yes, the ones we took from the boxcars are the same as the one Tom just brought in." Anna said. "The ones in the back of the box truck with Cameron's team is the third source. It should also be the most accurate since it just left the warehouse."

Young Allison was pleased to hear the information. Now she just needed to know if she could work it into her plan. More ideas began to pop into her head on how to aid the team.

"Can one of our drones squawk more than one code at the same time?" Young Allison asked. "What about the transponders on our team's vests? Do they have the same ability?"

Anna tilted her head slightly. She was intrigued by the idea. She began to understand what Young Allison was after. She sought assistance from CamNet.

"I think it's possible." Anna said. "CamNet is showing me some plans for a drone transponder, and a vest transponder. It's possible."

Young Allison looked at drone footage of the outside of the building. A plan came to her as she looked. She was worried the next part of her plan might be a little controversial with some individuals. It would depend upon its success whether she was looked down upon, or possibly even punished, for the actions she was about to take. She was going to take them on her own authority and by her own action. It was all going to be on her. It wouldn't be on Anna or CamNet. The Control Center, as well as the Command Center, wouldn't be involved either. They would only be notified. It would be done at the time she believed was appropriate to prevent interference.

"I calculate the roll up door on the north side of the building is twenty feet high." Young Allison said. "There is an additional twelve feet until the roof runoff drains exit the side of the wall. Twenty four feet is the approximate height of the ceiling inside the building minus a foot or two. The dock area is lower, but the building is level. The doors on the other side are fifteen feet high. It's the same as the sliding doors for the railroad siding. Both of those aren't as tall because the truck parking area and rail siding are lower. There is solid space for the height below where the doors are at on the trucks and boxcars."

Anna was able to follow Young Allison and verify her calculation as she went along. They were very accurate. A few inches didn't matter here or there for what she thought Young Allison was after. She liked the quick thinking.

"Yes." Anna said. "It's very observant. You have my attention."

Young Allison visualized the interior layout of the building based upon normal construction techniques.

"There will be roof support beams which hold the roof up with columns inside to support the beams." Young Allison said. "I've studied plans my father and Allison have made. There will be some ducting for air conditioning as well. I believe there should be at least twenty feet of clearance from the interior floor to the first obstructions, the actual cross supports for the roof."

Anna was very impressed so far.

"You study everything." Anna said.

Young Allison knew they were running out of time to initiate her plans. The next part of her plan could be crucial for the second stage of what she wanted to do.

"Are there any plans of the structure they are about to enter on file?" Young Allison asked. "There should be some type of construction plans if nothing else. They would need to get approval to build the building and have 'blueprints' or the equivalent to work from. The building was obviously constructed well before any Skynet group took control of it. Standard planning should have been used."

CamNet was on it in an instant. The building's plans began to appear on several screens.

Young Allison quickly looked over them. She was sure her plan would work.

"I want to know what you think about this idea." Young Allison said. "Don't hold back. I know something like I'm thinking happened before with some of our group. It was more of a threat to them than anything. It certainly did nothing to help them, but it established a precedent of what could be done and was possible."

Anna looked over all the information Young Allison did. She ran through all the information Young Allison spoke about as well. There were a lot of pieces to put together. She just didn't know what they were yet.

"Go on." Anna said. "You really have my interest up."

Young Allison didn't like John Henry's earlier plan about using two missiles in the far corner of the building. She didn't think it was a good idea if they didn't know exactly where all of the Resistance members were at any given point in time. Right now they didn't know where Ally was. As far as they knew she could be playing 'hide and seek' throughout the building to avoid detection, or be after something specific.

"I don't think blowing up part of the building is a good idea, since they've lost contact with Ally. We don't know where she's at, or if she is being forced to hide or fight. If shooting starts, or is about to, this is what I propose…." Young Allison said as she laid out a daring plan.

The plan was very bold. It was a first for the Resistance.

Anna believed the plan was so original it would work. She didn't believe anyone would be prepared to stop it from happening once it was enacted. It was bound to intimidate everyone inside.

"I think you really have something here." Anna said.

Young Allison was still more than a little concerned about how it would unfold.

"We'll see." Young Allison said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

You Study Everything

What's really ever known
About another individual
What actually makes them happy
What makes them miserable

Maybe all one sees is what
The other one wants to show
It probably determines
If things will go fast or slow

Most are very reluctant
To let another one in
Some worry about sin
Others about what's within

Few want to examine
The mirror into their mind
There are always things there
They don't want another to find

If one wants to be more
Than a passing fling
Then they'd better remember
You study everything

Nobody