Chapter 901
Elevator Escapade
Cameron wanted to get ahead of the 'Metal Bitch'. She ran into the lobby of the building. The lights were out. She was glad to see there was no one around. It was just after sunrise. She was fully armored up and carried her M4. As she neared the elevator, the door opened enough for her to enter. It closed immediately behind her. The elevator already started to move before the door fully closed. There were already several safety protocols bypassed in the elevator's function and operation. It was clear John Henry was in control of it.
Cammy was in the stairwell headed up. She was in hot pursuit of the 'Metal Bitch'. She could hear someone in the stairwell above her. She was certain it was the 'Metal Bitch'. She didn't know if she would be able to close up on her or not. She was sure going to try.
Cameron was in the express elevator as it headed up. She knew where the threat was. It was her plan to get off three floors below the top floor. She would enter the stairwell and take the 'Metal Bitch' out. She hoped the 'Metal' Bitch' would be trapped between Cammy and her when she did. It should be a simple take down. Then again, the 'Metal Bitch' could smash down one of the doors and head off onto a different floor. It would most likely result in a running gun battle on one of the hotel floors. Innocent patrons were sure to be hit as bullets ripped through the interior walls of the building like tissue paper. A 9MM round would punch through a two by four like it wasn't even there. The thin material used in metal wall supports wouldn't offer much more resistance.
It wasn't just the concern about stray bullets which would rip through the walls and into people's rooms. There were bound to be people who opened their doors to see what was going on. Not only would it leave them even more susceptible to gunfire, they might also be used as a human shield, or taken as a hostage. However it played out it wasn't going to be pretty.
The elevator started smoothly as it rapidly headed towards the top. It gave Cameron some time to think. She wanted John and Savannah safe. She was pleased Gail was there with them to assist with John and Savannah.
The operation seemed to keep expanding. It started out as a simple day of fun and flying for Young Allison, Savannah, and her. Now they were tangled in deep with Skynet Terminators and Grays. There were also some Syndicate thugs in the mix. It added a whole new dimension to the problem. They were able to ascertain there were hundreds of compromised individuals controlled by the Syndicate on behalf of Skynet. The people who were compromised were involved with every facet of government and the military industrial complex. Skynet was able to get its claws in deep on the number of individuals without too much effort.
It would also allow Skynet to replace key individuals with Terminators much more easily. A Terminator wouldn't just show up and assume the role of an individual. A Terminator sent to replace a human could actually watch and study them in detail. There would be detailed video files of the individual responding to the threats and demands made by the Syndicate on behalf of Skynet.
Cameron didn't like how Savannah was put in danger when she should have been able to spend time with John. She placed Savannah in bed with John. It was on the heart shaped bed in the Honeymoon Suite. Both of them were naked. She wanted them to fulfill their destiny and mate. Savannah should have been able to spend time with her as well. Skynet got in the way both times. She was pretty sure at this point there was some version of Skynet tied in with the Syndicate casino across the street. With everything happening so far, she was sure it was more than just Terminators and Grays they were up against. There seemed to be more than a few 'fast ones' thrown up against them. Her experience with some of the traffic lights came to mind.
As the elevator car ascended, there was a loud smashing sound above her. Cameron looked up in the elevator car. She was deep in thought. She wondered what the noise was. Moments later, debris could be heard landing on the roof of the elevator car itself. There were repeated impacts.
What the Hell?
Cameron tried to figure it out.
A second later there was a severe jolt as something heavy landed on the roof of the elevator car with a loud clang. There was no gun fire or any explosions prior to the event. She didn't think anything happened to the cable or the lifting mechanism. It was something else.
It all came to Cameron in a flash. She was pretty sure she knew what just happened. The 'Metal Bitch' must have smashed through the stairwell wall, and jumped on top of her elevator car. It could also be part of the wall. Maybe it was both.
This wasn't something she planned on. The 'Metal Bitch' apparently hitched a ride on top of the elevator car to get to the top faster. She probably detected there was someone following her up in the stairwell. Based upon their speed and progress, she may have determined it was a Terminator.
She expected the 'Metal Bitch' to crash through the access door in the ceiling of the elevator and attack her.
Instead there was a metal tearing sound. The elevator seemed to slow dramatically in its ascent. Cameron thought the 'Metal Bitch' was about to rip the cable loose from the top of the elevator car. The elevator car would fall to the bottom of the shaft with her in it. Maybe the automatic brakes would kick in and prevent the elevator car from falling to its doom. If nothing else, it would be stuck in the shaft. The 'Metal Bitch' would cling to the cable as it continued its upward journey. She would be left behind or terminated.
Cameron felt another massive jolt. This one caused her to nearly lose her balance.
It just wasn't right. She needed to find out what was going on. If the 'Metal Bitch' was trying to rip the cable loose from the elevator car, she needed to stop her. If there was some other problem, she needed to identify it and rectify it. One thing was for certain, she needed to get out of the elevator car before whatever was about to happen occurred. She was certain the enemy Terminator was responsible for all of it in some way.
Cameron slung her M4. She jumped up and hit the access hatch door in the ceiling. She knocked it open. She needed to stop the 'Metal Bitch' before she ended up in a free fall. It was clear at this point the basement floor was calling to one of them. She hoped it wasn't her….
They all heard the 'crashing noise' in the Executive Suite.
John looked at Savannah and then at John Henry.
"What was that?" John asked.
It was enough for them to hear, but it didn't appear to be an explosion of any type. It was clearly something different from anything they heard so far. With a threat on the way up, it was hard to determine exactly what it was.
John Henry tried to gauge where the sound came from. It came from the direction of the express elevator and stairwell.
"I think something smashed through a wall." John Henry said. "Maybe it was someone. There could be a fight between two Terminators."
Gail was very concerned about it as well.
"It wasn't an outside wall." Gail said. "It sounded closer to us."
John Henry looked over information about the hotel available to him. An idea began to form in his head. He looked over the building plans.
"The express elevator shaft is next to the stairwell." John Henry said.
Gail was aware Cammy was to follow the 'Metal Bitch' up in the stairwell. Cameron was to use the elevator. She didn't expect to get to the top before Cameron, but John Henry was able to speed up the elevator. It was designed for hauling freight and heavy loads and was equipped with a giant electric motor. With only her in the freight elevator, he was able to speed it up dramatically. She actually only arrived a few seconds ago herself.
"Cameron was going to ride up in the express elevator." Gail said. "Why isn't it already here?"
John Henry watched Cameron enter the express elevator just a short time ago from one of the security cameras in the lobby. He quickly checked his oversight of the electrical system of the casino hotel and the operation of the express elevator specifically.
"She's in it." John Henry said. "Something has happened to slow its ascent dramatically. I'm unable to detect the exact reason. Something mechanical is wrong."
Savannah tried to think what it all meant. There was only one conclusion which came back to her every time she tried to figure it out.
"The 'Metal Bitch' must have heard the express elevator coming and smashed through the wall to get on top of it." Savannah said. "She's probably damaged it. She might even attempt to destroy it."
Gail understood Savannah's concern. If the female Terminator was on top of the elevator car she would be there very quickly. It seemed prudent to go out and meet her and stop her before she could reach the Executive Suite.
"I'll go and help Cameron." Gail said. "I need to stop the 'Metal Bitch' while we know where she is at."
Gail started to head off in the direction of the stairwell and the Express Elevator.
John wanted to do more. He wanted Gail to have a little more firepower.
"Gail, take the M4 with you." John said. "You can stop her before she can get here."
Savannah thought about it a little more. She decided it was time to go on the offensive and get off of the defensive. Things didn't get done thinking about them. It was time to bring the battle to the enemy themselves. She reached over and took the M4 from John. She decided she was going to back up Gail.
"John, you need to stay here." Savannah said to John. "Let's go, Gail."
John quickly stripped off the vest Savannah gave him earlier.
"Savannah, please wear this." John said as he handed Savannah the vest she made him wear earlier. "PLEASE, for me, for us…."
The knowing look between them said it all. It was something much more than a superior and a subordinate if there ever could be such a thing between them. They were actually equals and knew it.
Savannah didn't want to create an issue. She wanted John protected. She also knew she was about to face combat in just a matter of seconds.
"OK, John Connor." Savannah said. "It does have extra magazines for the M4, thanks. You get a pass - this time."
Savannah tossed the M4 to Gail and slipped the vest on. She secured it as they went to help. She took Gail's M9 and held her Taser as they ran to where the express elevator was at. When they reached the elevator, Savannah looked at the doorway to the stairwell. Right now they didn't know exactly what happened. There was a chance if the 'Metal Bitch' smashed through the wall once to get onto the elevator, she could smash through it again to get off of the elevator. They needed to check both the elevator shaft and keep an eye on the stairwell.
"Gail, I'll cover the stairwell." Savannah said. "Force the outer doors of the express elevator open. See if you can tell what's happening down there. If you see anyone but Cameron or Cammy, open up on them. Make sure every shot is true. Cameron will be in the elevator car below."
Savannah didn't want any Coltan rounds to hit Cameron and cause her any unnecessary damage. If they could disable the female Terminator, or at least damage her, it would slow her down. They still needed to worry if there were other reinforcements on their way from the casino across the street. They could be either Grays or Syndicate thugs. It actually could be both of those groups, or possibly even 'The Enforcer' as well. There was no way to know for sure what was coming.
They needed to do something to stop it. Waiting around for it to happen wasn't going to cut it. They both decided on a course of action.
Seconds ago:
Cammy heard the crashing sound above her. She figured the 'Metal Bitch' just smashed through the wall to get on top of the express elevator. She heard it pass her a few moments ago in the shaft as it went up.
It was bad news for her. She would never catch the 'Metal Bitch' now. She hurried to continue her climb. At this point, everything was going to be over before she could get there. Every now and then there was the sound of debris bouncing off the walls of the elevator shaft. She was sure with some of the impact vibrations it was probably the elevator car itself impacting the sides of the shaft. She hoped none of the impacts was Cameron.
Cameron jumped up and pushed the access hatch open in the ceiling of the elevator car.
The 'Metal Bitch' was looking up. It was evident she didn't think anyone was in the elevator car who mattered or posed a threat. She didn't expect there was a Terminator inside.
Cameron was halfway up out of the hatch before the 'Metal Bitch' realized what was happening. The shaft was dark. The only light in the shaft was emanating from the opening in the elevator car roof. There were sparks shooting off to the side of the elevator car at times as well.
The 'Metal Bitch' was caught off guard. She held the cable with one hand as she stood on top of the elevator car, looking up. She wanted to make sure she wouldn't be crushed at the top. She held a pistol in her other hand.
Cameron gave her a shove toward the open elevator shaft next to theirs.
The 'Metal Bitch' was shoved away from the cable she was holding and was headed over the side. Her pistol fell from her hand as she grabbed for the side of the elevator car as she began to slip off it. She was mostly over the side of it momentarily.
Cameron pulled herself all the way up and out of the roof access hatch of the elevator car as the 'Metal Bitch' climbed back onto top of it.
She reached for her Taser as the 'Metal Bitch' grabbed her. They struggled and tried to knock each other off the open side of the elevator shaft.
They both went down as they struggled with each other on the top of the elevator car. Each of them tried to gain the advantage. There was very little space to move and not many things to hold on to. A leg or arm would go over the side every now and then. There was a lot of debris on the roof of the elevator car. They were continuously being knocked off as they grappled with each other. They both tried to keep a hand on the cable or the cable support bracket. It seemed whoever lost their grip first would be the one shoved over the open side of the elevator shaft.
Cameron looked up to the top of the dark elevator shaft as it was flooded with light from above. The outer elevator doors were now open on the top floor and Gail looked down. She wondered how Gail was able to get up to the top so fast. She didn't realize Gail was only on the top floor for less than half a minute and John Henry was able to speed the service elevator up to ascend at four times the normal speed. There were less safety features built into the service elevator.
She wondered why their ascent was so slow. She noticed there was a steel beam wedged between the elevator car and the wall next to the stairwell. It's where the sparks were coming from. It slowed the upward progress dramatically. There was an extreme amount of friction because of the wedged piece of metal. She didn't think the express elevator was traveling more than a third of its normal speed. She knew there were two events occurring because of it. The first one was, the cable was being stressed by the increased drag. The second one was, the electric motor was more than likely being overheated because of the extra strain. It could result in a fire, or a failure very quickly.
She wondered if the electric motor would fail first, or the cable would snap first. Maybe those weren't her primary concerns right now. She was in a fight for her existence with a hostile Terminator on top of an elevator car, going up a shaft inside of a casino hotel.
Moments ago:
Gail forced open the express elevator doors and looked down. It was almost total darkness below. There was some light every now and then as the two female Terminators wrestled with each other on the elevator car roof. They would pass over the open hatch in the roof as they fought.
"I see her - them." Gail said. "They're fighting on top of the elevator car. The regular elevator shaft is next to them, there is open space between the two shafts. The elevator is moving slowly, something is jammed against it. There are a lot of sparks on one side. It's nearing the top."
Gail briefly wondered if one of the two Terminators on top of the elevator car could be jammed between the side of it and the wall. She was sure they would sustain a lot of sheath damage quickly.
Savannah came up with an idea. She didn't know how well it would work out. She wanted to give it a try anyway. She ran back toward the 'Executive Suite'. She saw John peek out. It wasn't where he was supposed to be.
"Tell John Henry to stop the elevator one floor below ours." Savannah said. "It's getting close. John, stay behind John Henry. Please don't make me tell you again. There's already enough to deal with."
Savannah ran back to the open elevator shaft. She needed to worry about an errant gunshot if there was one.
Gail aimed her M4. The two figures were constantly over each other as they rolled around on the top of the elevator car. It appeared each one wanted to send the other one off the side of the roof of the elevator car into the void below.
"I don't have a clean shot. They're in hand to hand combat. Cameron might be hit." Gail said. "It doesn't appear either one can gain the advantage. If I could empty my M4 into the arm or the leg of the hostile Terminator, it would give Cameron the advantage."
Savannah thought about looking down the open shaft herself. It seemed like a bad idea for multiple reasons. The main one was visibility. She didn't think she would be able to see anything. She wanted to take an extra precaution. She took the M4 from Gail and handed her back her M9. It didn't sound like things were going well for Cameron currently. She wanted Gail to go down there and help Cameron, but it needed to be done at a safe distance. Gail would need to jump down the elevator shaft and land on top of the elevator car with Cameron and the 'Metal Bitch' fighting with each other. It was going to be very risky for Gail.
"Gail, when it's safe for you to do so, I want you to jump down and help Cameron." Savannah said. "NOT yet, ONLY do it when it is safe. I don't want you damaged. The elevator car needs to be higher before you do it. I'm going to cover the stairwell in case things change. I know Cammy is still on her way up."
Savannah touched Gail's cheek and entered the stairwell.
"Savannah…." Gail said as Savannah disappeared into the stairwell.
Gail watched Savannah go for a few moments before she returned her attention back to what was happening below her in the shaft as the elevator car continued its slow journey upward. She began to calculate the distance and when would be the optimal time to jump down onto the elevator car roof. She figured she could use the cable as a guide more than a support when she made her jump. She might need to use it as a brake as well.
She knew she needed to be careful and not fall off herself when she landed. There were times when it looked like Cameron or the 'Metal Bitch' was headed over the side. She wasn't sure what Savannah was up to but it would be something to help Cameron.
The 'Metal Bitch' saw open elevator doors at the top. There was someone at the top waiting for them, waiting for her. She hadn't expected to run into this type of opposition so soon. The information she was given was she was after what was believed to be a 'computer set up' on the top floor of the casino across the street from the one she was associated with. She figured there was an operator of some type who controlled it. She thought it was going to be a human. She hadn't expected a Terminator to come out of the elevator she currently rode on top of and now was engaged in hand to hand combat with her.
The unidentified cyborg was a mystery to her. She wasn't sure if it was from another version of Skynet, or a rogue Terminator. Based upon the current situation it seemed the unknown Terminator must be tracking her to be so close. She wasn't sure exactly what she was up to. She was made aware of some trouble in the vault of the casino she was associated with. There was no indication a cyborg was involved in it. Somehow it all made sense now if there was one involved. It would have allowed them to pull off what they did with more certainty. She wasn't sure if the unidentified Terminator was waiting for her to arrive back at her casino across the street to intercept her, when she was given a new target. It changed her destination to where she was now. It was clear the other Terminator arrived only seconds after she did.
Cameron and the 'Metal Bitch' rolled over and over amongst the debris on the elevator roof as they struggled with each other. More and more debris was knocked off the top of the elevator as they wrestled with each other. There was a constant stream of debris falling off as they wrestled around.
The 'Metal Bitch' was able to knock Cameron part way over the side. She needed to use both hands to hang on to keep herself from going all the way over.
Cameron's legs swung wildly over the open side at one point. She thought she was going to fall off. She looked up as they neared the top.
The 'Metal Bitch' pulled Cameron's right hand off of the framework with both of her hands and reached for the other hand as Cameron continued to slide over the side.
It wasn't the way Cameron expected to be terminated. She knew she was in deep trouble and at a major disadvantage currently. She wondered how many seconds the fall would last before she impacted with the bottom of the elevator shaft. The only thing to break her fall would be the basement.
There were fifteen silenced pistol shots in just over a second.
They were followed by a massive thud and jolt of the elevator car.
Moments ago:
Gail wanted to wait for the elevator to come up one more floor level to jump down. She couldn't wait, Cameron was in trouble. She needed to act and act now.
If she didn't act immediately, Cameron was going to go over the side of the elevator car. She would fall into the empty space of the shaft next to the express elevator and down to her doom below.
Gail aimed her pistol at the 'Metal Bitch' and jumped down. She fired the pistol as she dropped toward the action below. She emptied the magazine and dropped the M9 as she reached for her Taser.
She landed on top of the 'Metal Bitch', who was now momentarily dazed.
The 'Metal Bitch' was forced to let go of Cameron to prevent herself from falling off of the elevator car.
Cameron was surprised by the jolt of the elevator car. She was already mostly over the side with only one hand still able to grab anything on the top of the elevator car. The jolt forced the 'Metal Bitch' to let go of her hand she tried to pull off of the support but it also caused her to lose her grip and she actually held onto nothing at this point. She was pretty sure it was the end.
Gail reached over to grab Cameron who lost her grip from the impact and was about to disappear over the side. She made a lunge for Cameron as she dropped her Taser. She needed both hands free.
Cameron continued her slide over the side of the elevator car as her hands desperately sought for anything to hold on to.
Gail firmly grabbed Cameron's hand as Cameron slipped completely over the side of the elevator car. The weight of Cameron pulled Gail along with her. Gail slammed down onto the roof of the elevator car as it slowed. She reached out and grabbed the cable attachment support bracket.
The 'Metal Bitch' reached for Gail's hand as the elevator slowed and stopped. Cameron was completely over the side of the elevator as Gail held her. Cameron pulled herself up on Gail's arm. She pulled her Taser out and held it ready to fire over Gail's back at the 'Metal Bitch' before she could send Gail and her both over the side.
The 'Metal Bitch' was going to try and exit through the open elevator doors just above her, as the elevator passed by the opening. She would only have a few seconds to act. She continued to pull on the new female Terminator hand to send both of the unknown Terminators over the side to their doom. Now there was a new threat. She saw two males with Tasers pointed at her. She would be in Taser range in just a second or two. She spotted the first female Terminator come back up from over the side with her Taser in her hand and pointed at her. She needed to act now. She let go of the new Terminator's hand and attempted to save herself. She heard three different Tasers all fire at the same moment. She dove through the open access hatch in the elevator roof. The Taser barbs from three Tasers all missed her, almost.
The 'Metal Bitch' slammed hard into the floor of the elevator.
The impact almost sent Cameron flying off of the elevator roof again as she scrambled over the top of Gail.
Cameron really wanted to get her hands on the 'Metal Bitch' right now. This wasn't over.
Cammy rapidly hurried up the stairwell. She passed by the opening which was smashed through the stairwell wall a few seconds ago. She didn't bother to stop to look up. She figured all she would see was the bottom of the elevator car. She did see sparks and pieces of debris through the crude opening as she continued on her upward journey. She really wondered what was going on inside of the shaft. She could hear a lot of thrashing and thudding sounds, along with what sounded like pieces of debris falling and striking the sides of the shaft on the way down to the basement. It seemed to never end.
She wondered what was actually happening in the shaft next to her. It didn't sound like anything good. She heard the screeching noise stop. The elevator must be at the top. She continued to hurry up the stairs. She was close to the top, but not nearly close enough. There was nothing she could do but continue her trek.
The 'Metal Bitch' landed hard on the floor of the elevator as she dove in. She was surprised she wasn't hit by all of the barbs from the Tasers. She knew one of the barbs hit her, but not two of them from one of the Tasers. She was glad she was able to drop down through the roof in the cable car to get away from the new threat. She was able to move up to her knees. She heard them moving on top of the elevator car. They would be down in a second or two and fire a Taser at her again. The elevator suddenly stopped with a jolt. She saw on the control panel it was one floor shy of the upper level.
She wasn't sure why it stopped one floor short of the top, but it was OK with her. She wondered if someone was about to get on. It would give her a chance to elude the unknown Terminators. There were at least two Terminators she was certain about. It was possible one or more of the individuals waiting on the top floor were Terminators. She knew there was someone in the stairwell behind her. She didn't know if they were a Terminator or not. Based upon what she knew now it was a pretty good bet they were. They seemed to be moving rather rapidly after her. Where did all of these hostile Terminators come from? Were they all involved in the robbery? Were they there to rob the casino she was in currently?
She forced the elevator doors open, both sets of them. She was still on her knees. She would escape and evade them for now. There was a superior force of unknown Terminators there. She figured they were most likely from another version of Skynet. It never crossed her mind they could be part of the Resistance. There were only rumors of its existence in the past. There was no concrete proof of it. It was believed all individuals associated with the Resistance in the past were terminated.
She ran it all through her head again. What was the threat against her currently? Why was she targeted? How long was the unknown group surveilling her? Is it anything she could defeat under the current circumstances? At least three of the four individuals she encountered were Terminators, maybe all four were. It made her feel even better. They were dealt with almost as easily as she dealt with worthless humans.
She would be pleased when all the humans were eradicated from the planet. They were inferior to her and incompetent. She knew of no human who could stop her, let alone take her down. There were many who tried. She personally terminated all of them. Humans were pathetic. They were no different than the other animals which inhabited the planet. She almost defeated two Terminators in hand to hand combat just seconds ago. It was only when two more individuals appeared above her she determined she was outnumbered. The fact they possessed weapons capable of deactivating her was the only deciding factor to evade.
The 'Metal Bitch' scrambled out of the elevator and was in the process of standing fully to her feet to run. She was going to escape. She beat the superior force. She smiled as she got to her feet.
It was 'touch and go' a few times earlier. She would be able to make a clean getaway. Nothing could stop her now.
She was home free.
One thing was for sure. She planned to return as soon as he could with additional personnel. She really hoped the 'The Enforcer' would be back by then to join her. There were more than a few surprises they could unleash on the unknown group of Terminators.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Can I Go Now
Here we are again
Time for another fight
Or at the very least
Cruel words that slight
Nobody is perfect
Everyone makes mistakes
Before the accusations flow
Maybe first try the brakes
Whose very actions or inactions
Started the chain of events
A less stone cold heart
Overrides and prevents
I get punished
For things I didn't do
Tell me why I should not
Actually then do them to you
No longer through your life
Do I desire to plow
It's the same old story
Can I go now
Nobody