Chapter 976

Harder Not Easier

The Metal girls and Savannah just took down the three street punks minutes ago. Two of them were terminated instantly. The third one was given a little more 'special attention' for his crimes against females. It ended violently and brutally for the Ogre.

Cameron looked at Savannah. They were away from the site of the earlier confrontation. The three bodies were stashed in a nearby building to get them out of the alley. They didn't want the authorities to investigate the area around the old supermarket. They were worried the Grays may take it as a threat and become involved in a confrontation with the police.

She noticed a 'change' in Savannah, it bothered her some.

"You don't seem as disturbed by the violence anymore." Cameron said.

Savannah shrugged her shoulders slightly. She felt the violence was justified based upon the crimes committed by the perpetrator. She picked the knife up off of the ground and was going to use it on the Ogre herself. Sheila dropped the pipe she used to smash the Ogre's face. Sheila took the knife from her. The circumstances and the admitted offenses of the Ogre are what sealed his doom.

"I'm not." Savannah said. "I was ready to administer some justice myself."

Cameron didn't want to see the 'dark side' of Savannah emerge. She knew the 'dark side' existed within everyone. It included humans and machines. It didn't seem to take too much to tap into it. Some seemed to embrace it more than others once they did. It could lead them down a very dark path.

"It's not you." Cameron said. "I don't like to see it in you. You're a better person inside than all of us."

Savannah was sure if she was a better person inside than the rest of them, then the rest of them must all have a pretty dark side waiting to emerge. Hers seemed to be just below the surface. She thought there were a lot of things which once 'weren't her', now actually were. It seemed time and circumstances changed everything.

She was a little more hardened now than she was at the beginning. She was more acclimated to the violence on the battlefield as well as off of the battlefield proper. Either way, the battles still needed to be fought. The enemy needed to be confronted and dealt with. The enemy came in various forms, some of them were veiled. She wasn't proud of her track record, but she was proud she survived and continued to fight for the Resistance and for females in general.

"It may be a matter of perspective, but I've killed and murdered." Savannah said. "I did what was necessary. I dealt with the enemy when I needed to. I may have gotten the jump on them. It may have changed a 'combat death' into a murder since I acted first. I've gotten my hands dirty."

Savannah knew if the enemy wasn't killed first, they would kill her instead. They would probably try to do a whole lot of things if they got the jump on her. She saw the 'eyes' less in her dreams of the female Gray she strangled. She was unsure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It didn't really matter either way. The female Gray tried to strangle her, but she strangled the female Gray instead. She won and the enemy lost. What else was there to know?

Cameron wanted to keep things in perspective for Savannah. She felt it was something important which needed to be done. She wanted Savannah to remember who she was. She decided to let Savannah think about the issue herself.

"If Young Allison was here, would you have done what you wanted?" Cameron asked.

Savannah felt herself cringe a little. She wouldn't have wanted Young Allison to watch her use the knife on the Ogre. She was angry enough she could have. She didn't want Young Allison to think of her in such a way.

"No." Savannah said. "It's not what I would have wanted. Thanks for reminding me. I think I was angry they wanted to hurt you for no reason. I don't like what was done to Susan by them either. I wanted them to suffer. Things like it shouldn't happen to females or males. They didn't do anything wrong to deserve such abusive behavior."

Cameron could only do so much. Once things happened to someone in the timeline, it was impossible to fix as long as they remained in the timeline.

"It's done. There's no undoing it." Cameron said. "You know I try to help these people."

Savannah was out with Cameron many times when she attempted to help some of the homeless. Her main concentration was on homeless females.

"I do." Savannah said. "I respect the level of caring for strangers. It isn't something you need to do. The fact you do it anyway says a lot about your character."

Cameron was certain her character left a lot to be desired. She was sure if people were to be judged by the 'content of their character', she would come up short. She figured it was probably why the term was no longer used more than a half century after it was coined. People tended to judge on everything else other than the content of one's character. She tried to preemptively reduce the Scavenger burden on the future. It was a tall task because there were so many potential future Scavengers already.

"I know what awaits me in the future." Cameron said. "I'm trying to lessen the impact on those who survive."

Savannah was able to see the contemporary issues were bad enough. A Skynet future would only compound and magnify them. She didn't know what they would be able to stop in the long run. She did know everything they did currently slowed down the inevitable.

"If we can prevent Judgment Day, it will have the biggest impact." Savannah said. "Since we know some of the individuals involved in the abuse are rather extreme, it benefits society to have them removed from it. Think of how many people going forward you have protected by your actions. It makes a difference. I'm proud of you and everyone who assists you. It's more than just the Metal girls at times.

Cameron may question herself and her actions at times. She tried to do the things which mattered. She knew they didn't always like the way she did things. She still did them anyway. She looked off into the distance. She could hear and then see their ride was about to arrive.

"Cam is coming." Cameron said. "She should have some more information for us."

Savannah looked forward to seeing the homeless female again. She hoped they could do something for her.

"I want to provide some assistance to help her." Savannah said.

Cameron wasn't opposed to the idea.

"We'll see." Cameron said.

Cam pulled up.

Savannah expected to see the homeless female. Her name was Susan. She wasn't in the SUV. She became a little alarmed. Her first thought was Susan may have been terminated. Since Susan experienced close contact with the Metal girls, her termination would ensure her silence. She hoped it wasn't the case.

"Where's Susan?" Savannah asked. "Is she all right?"

Cam tilted her head slightly at the nature of Savannah's question.

"Susan is fine. I dropped her off at the homeless shelter." Cam said. "I felt she would be better protected there than out on the street. I made sure she was taken care of. I found out what she knows."

Cameron doubted they would be able to get much useful information from her about what was happening inside the old supermarket. She should know more about what happened on the outside of the building.

"It must not have been much." Cameron said.

Cam was disappointed with what she was able to learn.

"It wasn't." Cam said.

Savannah felt a little defensive about Susan.

"She's trying to survive, not be a spy." Savannah said. "She doesn't know what Skynet is, or what Grays are. If she would have become too curious about what was inside of the building they might have either put the grab on her, or terminated her. Her main concern is when her next meal will be, and what kind of garbage it will consist of."

She knew Susan faced the same issues as the girls from the alternate future did as well. She needed to worry when her next form of sexual abuse would be forced on her. It usually wasn't so much by whom, as it was by how many.

Cam quickly found it out during the interrogation. It was why she left her off at the homeless center after she was given a good meal. There was no need for her to learn more about the Resistance or Skynet. There was one thing Cam discovered which bothered her. She wanted the others to know, even if it wasn't.

"Do you know how old she is?" Cam asked.

Savannah wondered the same question herself. She was aware life on the street was very hard for those who lived it. She tried to factor it into her estimate.

"I know some of these cases are hard to tell. She looked to be in her late thirties, maybe early forties." Savannah said. "It appears like she was down on her luck for some time. I don't like what happened to her."

Cam was a little shocked when she learned Susan's age. She even verified it twice during the conversation through several different methods.

"She's twenty three." Cam said. "The Ogre always beat her face when he abused her. He told her he did it to help keep her 'fresh' for him. He wanted to keep other men away from her. She was a heavy drug user too."

Savannah felt a knot in her throat. She was shocked to hear it. Susan was only a few years younger than Allison and looked twice her age. It wasn't how a human life was supposed to be. It was true sometimes people made bad choices in life which led them down a bumpy road. They didn't need others to prey upon them and hurt them because of it. No one needed to have their life made worse on purpose by others.

She wanted to help Susan. There was just something about her story which touched her. Cameron tried to help some of the homeless to keep them from ending up as Scavengers. She would ask Cameron for her help to attempt to give Susan another chance at life. There were plenty of financial resources to be able to assist. The ultimate deciding factor would be what Susan wanted to do with her own life. There was only so much they could do. She needed to want to help herself most of all to make it work.

"When we're done here, I want to follow up on her." Savannah said. "I want her in rehab."

Cameron saw the genuine concern from Savannah. It was always touching. She wanted to know what else Cam uncovered.

"I'll take care of it." Cameron said. "What about the old supermarket?"

Cam was able to establish a timeline for the Grays. It was a start.

"Susan said there started to be activity a little over a month ago." Cam said. "At first it was only a couple of people, then a few weeks later there were a few more. The other homeless people tried to stay away from them. The Grays were very unfriendly and threatened them with violence if they came around their building. The other females and her didn't like the way the men looked at them either. They tried to pass by the location in the daylight with at least one other person with them."

Savannah felt it was probably a good thing the Grays hadn't been in the building for too long. A lot could still happen in a month's time. The abusive nature of the Grays seemed universal.

"Does she know what happens inside?" Savannah asked.

Cam was sure the next part of her report was going to be disturbing for everyone.

"She only went through the trash at night to look for food they threw away." Cam said. "She found a few women's undergarments in the trash. She said they looked almost new. They were too small for her."

They all knew what it meant. They came across similar behavior before from some Grays.

Savannah noticed Cameron stiffen a little. She wanted to hold things in check.

"We don't know very much." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted to do something about it.

"I'm going in there and check." Cameron said. "They may have one or more captive females. We know what they do to them. We know what will happen to them sooner or later."

Cam didn't want to tip their hand too early.

"I'm all for it." Cam said. "We need to wait, unfortunately."

There was a look of disgust on Cameron's face.

"Wait for what?" Cameron asked.

Cam still needed to deliver all the information she was able to obtain from Susan.

"There's a truck which comes every third day and delivers things, or picks things up." Cam said. "She didn't know what. She said there was a real mean looking guy who came with the truck. She thought he made the Ogre look like a sissy."

They all knew what it meant. There was only one thing which made a brute look like a sissy.

"A Terminator…." Savannah said.

Cameron was sure they hit 'pay dirt' with this one. She wanted to go in and get any females out. She didn't see the need to wait any longer.

"We're at the right place." Cameron said. "I need to see if there's a female captive still inside."

Savannah saw they needed to make a choice. She needed to weigh all the information they obtained so far. It was actually much more than she expected to hear. There was more at stake there than a female or two being abused further. If they were already inside, there was nothing they could do to prevent what already happened. She made the hard choice.

"NO." Savannah said. "We need to wait for the truck to arrive so we can see where it goes. After it leaves we can move in and take down the operation."

Cameron didn't want to wait. She wanted to help the female being abused.

"But what about…." Cameron started.

Savannah was aware not all choices were easy. She needed to keep the overall picture in focus. The damage was already done to the female. They may not even still be alive.

"Protecting our people comes first." Savannah interrupted. "We need to hurt Skynet. After we do, you can hurt the Grays. When is the truck due?"

Savannah knew they could have just missed it. She wanted their people protected first. They needed to know more about the target. They still ran the risk of unleashing whatever was happening in there themselves.

Cam verified the date with Susan twice.

"It should be later today." Cam said.

Savannah didn't like it, but the situation dictated it. The mission came before a single individual.

"We need to wait, Cameron." Savannah said. "I don't like it either. Without knowing more about what's inside, we could do even more damage if we act too soon. The truck does something. It either brings something, or picks something up. We need to know where it came from, or where it's going. They may not be the same location. There are definitely more targets associated with the old supermarket."

Cameron saw the hardness in Savannah. It was how Savannah needed to think. It was when to wait for the best time to strike a target. She knew Savannah made the right call too. It was the call she wanted Savannah to make. It was why she prompted Savannah in the manner she did.

"You're absolutely correct." Cameron said. "We will defeat all of our enemies in due time. Some things are more important."

Either way, she was still concerned there may be female captives inside. Because of what was found in the trash, it was now personal to her. Retribution would be administered to the Grays inside of the building before she was done. She felt the Ogre got off too easy.

Anna watched Savannah stand up to Cameron with a different decision than what Cameron wanted. She wasn't sure if it was Cameron's actual decision, or if she wanted Savannah to make the 'hard choice'. Savannah made the hard choice. She wanted to get Young Allison's take on it.

"Was it a cold decision by Savannah?" Anna asked. "She overruled Cameron about going in now."

Young Allison could see there were two distinct choices. One helped the overall mission, the other one didn't. It was possible there was a human life at stake, but they didn't know. Maybe if they possessed some hard intelligence there was a captive, Savannah would have made a different decision. It would be better if they knew how fresh the information actually was about what was found in the trash. It would make a difference too.

"For the captive it was cold. It's if there is one and they're still alive." Young Allison said. "For hurting Skynet it wasn't."

Anna casually looked over at Young Allison. She wanted to see if there was a little more behind her explanation.

"What would you do?" Anna asked.

Young Allison understood the question was a test. She knew the decision needed to be based on training, rather than on emotion. It was a hard call, but there was only one actual choice which could be made.

"I would want to help someone first, but I know what our duty is." Young Allison said. "I hope I could make the same call Savannah just did. If it was one of our group, I would have them hit the building immediately and not delay one more second. It's not."

Anna wanted to reinforce positive action Savannah previously took.

"You saw Savannah's concern for the homeless female." Anna said.

Young Allison understood under different conditions the homeless female could have simply been terminated after being interrogated. It would tie up any loose ends.

"I did." Young Allison said. "Savannah knows we can't help everyone, but we can try to help some of the people."

Anna wanted to point out some of the other events which already occurred.

"You've seen Savannah and the Metal girls try to help some of the homeless females before." Anna said. "Every time they approach one of those homeless encampments they put themselves at risk. It's not so much of a risk for the Metal girls, but it is for Savannah. The homeless camps are rife with mental illness, disease, and violence."

Young Allison was aware of much of the danger Savannah faced.

"I've seen it." Young Allison said. "I'm sure it won't be long until I experience it as well."

Anna could see Young Allison was bothered about something. She wasn't sure what. It appeared Young Allison saw something they all missed. It seemed to happen often.

"You still look troubled." Anna said.

Young Allison made a deduction based on what Susan said about something. She wanted to confirm her suspicion first. There was a way to visually verify what she wanted to know.

"Bring up an image of Susan, the homeless woman." Young Allison said. "Something she reported bothered me."

There were several past images from the drone zeroed in on Susan.

Young Allison sucked in her breath a little as she looked at Susan.

"What do you make her physical dimensions at?" Young Allison asked.

Anna didn't believe she could make an accurate assessment based on the drone photos.

"It is hard to tell with all the clothing. She's wearing quite a bit." Anna said. "I would need to guess."

Young Allison felt the answer was important. There were other ways it could be double checked.

"Call Cam and ask her." Young Allison said. "She may have a better idea. She may have seen Susan with less clothing when she ate, or was let off at the shelter."

Anna could tell there was a deeper issue.

"What are you getting at?" Anna asked. "You have a point to all of this."

Young Allison verified her personal observation from earlier. She thought there was probably a combination of two things which affected Susan's appearance. She was probably malnourished and was a drug user.

"She looks small and thin to me." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't need to look at the drone image again.

"It's a fair assessment." Anna said. "I concur with it."

Young Allison repeated what the homeless female said.

"Susan said the undergarments she found were too small for her." Young Allison said. "There aren't many reasons why the undergarments would be smaller."

It was clear to Anna now what they faced. It was nothing good. It would affect both Cameron and Savannah when they were given the news.

"I understand now." Anna said. "It must be an even more petite individual. There could be a few explanations as to why."

Young Allison wanted the information out there. The decision makers on the ground should have as many facts available to them as possible.

"I'm going to call Savannah." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think the intervention was a good idea.

"She's made her decision." Anna said. "It should stand unchallenged. The issue is Skynet, not the size of an unknown individual who may or may not even be in there."

Young Allison already gave her plan careful consideration. She believed it was about knowledge of the situation more than anything.

"I'm not going to ask her to change it, but I want her to have all the information." Young Allison said. "It might affect the timing later on once the truck comes and goes."

Anna could see a potential problem with the transfer of the information. It wouldn't be an operational problem, but more of a personal problem.

"If YOU or CamNet provide Savannah with the information, she will change her mind." Anna said. "She will do it for you."

Young Allison knew there was truth in it. She didn't want to be an influencing factor. She already stepped on enough toes earlier when the drone dropped down. She would need a 'workaround'.

"Have John Henry relay it to her. I want him to bypass John and Cameron." Young Allison said. "I don't want to make a big deal about it. I just want to add some input. I know our people come first. Without us, there is no future."

Anna saw there was some coldness to Young Allison's decision. It was also laced with concern and caring, both for a stranger, and their group. Decisions needed to be made regarding the overall picture, not just a snapshot.

Earlier:

If there was a regular truck run of some type, it clearly indicated a second or possibly more locations. It wasn't good news, but an indication of a larger threat. They needed to find out more so they could respond appropriately.

John hoped enough time passed so they were able to review any surveillance cameras or traffic cams in the area. They were given a time and a schedule as to when the truck would come to the rear of the old supermarket.

"What can you find out about those trucks?" John asked. "There's a more concise time frame to search."

John Henry didn't have enough detailed information.

"I've reviewed the footage." John Henry said. "I haven't been able to make a conclusive determination as to any of the repeat vehicles which might go to the old supermarket. There are hundreds of vehicles which have repeatedly traversed the area multiple times.

John and John Henry heard everything Susan told Cam as she got her something to eat and took her to the homeless shelter. The description of the man who made the Ogre look like a sissy stuck in his mind.

"It sure sounds like a Terminator is involved." John said.

John Henry hadn't received a single hit on the surveillance equipment they left behind. It hadn't been there very long.

"The surveillance equipment we left has shown us nothing yet." John Henry said. "None of the Grays has shown themselves."

John didn't like the way things added up. It was because they didn't add up.

"We're missing something here." John said.

John Henry was aware both of the humans involved in the operation came to the same conclusion.

"Those were Savannah's feelings as well." John Henry said.

John Henry received a report from Anna. He understood everything about it and the way it was to be relayed. He sent Savannah a text from his server.

It was clear Young Allison tried to use restraint and not influence the decisions made at the target location. John Henry knew it took some coldness laced with caring to make the call. She wanted the information out there without influencing anyone's decision.

Savannah felt her phone buzz. She looked at her phone.

Cameron noticed what happened. She quickly looked at her phone and it showed nothing.

"What is it?" Cameron asked.

She saw the look of disgust on Savannah's face.

Savannah decided to let her decision stand to wait, and gather more intel. She also made a personal decision to go along with it. The more she dealt with related issues around the same subject, the more it disgusted her to deal with them. The mission came first.

"It's some collateral damage." Savannah said. "After we track the truck, I want Sheila to go with you when you go inside."

Cameron sensed a new level of danger. She didn't understand why she wasn't given the same information. It was somewhat disturbing Savannah didn't share the information with her. She didn't want to have to ask, but she thought she needed to.

"Is there some other information I need?" Cameron asked. "Did something happen I don't know about?"

Cameron was sure there was.

Savannah wanted Cameron on the same page as her. She controlled the information and decided to pass it along. She already made her decision and reaffirmed it. She wanted Cameron to know where they stood. She showed Cameron the text message.

Cameron felt a glitch impulse but was able to suppress it.

"I understand." Cameron said.

Savannah knew the objective but still wanted some additional justice if there was the time and the opportunity. She knew what she wanted done was wrong, but she felt the circumstances justified it. Someone needed to be held accountable and atone for their crimes against females.

"If Sheila has the time…." Savannah said.

Cameron was pleased with Savannah's decision.

"I understand." Cameron said.

Savannah put her phone away. They still needed to wait. Now she would have even more things to run through her mind with even more images to haunt her. She didn't understand why some individuals needed to prey on those who were vulnerable. It sickened her to know females were the target of much of the abuse simply because of how they were born. How was it fair to anyone?

It seemed throughout history, time always put females at a disadvantage when it came to many things. She was sure much of it was due to physical stature from the beginning of time. Someone who was more powerful could always take what they wanted. It didn't seem as if things were any different in the future than they were in caveman days. In other words, how far has mankind actually progressed since its inception?

CamNet provided the interaction between Cameron and Savannah to the Young bunker.

Young Allison wanted to see how Savannah dealt with the situation.

"You heard the conversation between them." Anna said.

Young Allison was aware of past incidents which could have been handled differently and should have been.

"I did." Young Allison said. "Some of the Metal girls acted prematurely under similar circumstances previously. They endangered the operation by rushing things. They forced a play with no planning. It endangers all of our team."

Anna thought there was more at play here with Young Allison and Savannah.

"Were you testing Savannah?" Anna asked.

Young Allison thought it was more a 'test' of herself than it was of Savannah. She wasn't sure when it came to the hard choices if she would be able to make them.

"Yes." Young Allison said. "I wanted to see if she was stronger than me."

Anna wasn't really sure what Young Allison was after.

"She stood by her decision." Anna said.

Young Allison questioned her ability to be able to do the same thing, under the same circumstances, with the same knowledge.

"Savannah is an oak." Young Allison said. "I may have buckled."

Anna felt it came down to experience. She understood knowledge was one thing, and experience was another. They could both play out very differently under the same circumstances.

"She's done this for a while now and been in two futures." Anna said. "It may make the decisions easier."

Young Allison didn't see it the same way at all. To choose what to act on or not act on and knowing the end result made the decision more difficult. It required discipline to hold firm to the overall objective. It was about being strategic and not tactical in this case.

"I don't think it makes it easier." Young Allison said. "I think it makes it harder since you know the outcome. That makes it harder not to do something, not easier."

Anna tilted her head slightly.

She understood it to mean someone would do something they knew was detrimental to some, to stay focused on the main objective which would help the many. She wondered if the individual didn't matter. Was it always the many who mattered? She really wondered how the girls would play it, if it was each other, or Cameron, or maybe even John who was the one. Would the many still matter over the one depending upon who the one was? She believed it would matter. She believed everyone would do things differently. They would take more chances. They would risk everything.

John wanted more information. He wanted it now. It took some time to find the answers, if there were any.

"Have the traffic cams come up with anything?" John asked.

John Henry was able to refine his search better based upon the information from the homeless female, Susan. She said that the truck always came around every three days. Since they knew the truck would be there today, he went back every three days to look for the same recurring vehicles.

"I think so." John Henry said.

John Henry tried to understand Savannah's decision. He was even more surprised when CamNet played him Young Allison's assessment of the decision process Savannah needed to face.

He realized he didn't understand Savannah and Young Allison as well as he thought he did. He wondered if this was where some of the 'problems' Cameron faced came from. The girls needed to deal with conflicts in what was 'right', and what needed to be done for the mission. Everything in life was a 'trade off', and everything came with a 'price'. The 'price' always needed to be paid at some point, even if it was in one's own mind. Sometimes the 'price' was physical.

Logic wasn't always the answer, and every event could turn in more than one direction. The current issue was the truck. He was sure he knew what it looked like.

"This is what I've found so far." John Henry said. "This is what the truck looks like. I'm tracking it as far back to its origination, or destination, as I can."

John was pleased they just made some headway. He wanted to know what he could about the operation and get it buttoned up as quickly as possible.

"You've done a great job." John said. "Now we have something to work with. We have a target vehicle. We know part of its route. We have a good idea when it will come. I want you to inform everyone."

John felt it gave them a big advantage about what would happen next. They knew what to look for and would be ready for it when it actually arrived. They knew the door to the interior of the building would be opened whenever the transfer of materials occurred between the truck and the old supermarket. They would need to wait before they acted so the truck would leave the area first. Wherever it went was their next target.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Harder Not Easier

Everyone wants a shortcut
They're willing to cut a corner
Maybe those unwise actions
Send others to the coroner

People need to think
Before they unwisely act
They never seem to add
Their actions only subtract

One only really cares
About themselves in the end
Everything else in between
Is just make believe and pretend

People are selfish by nature
They promise others the world
When reality catches up
It leaves the mind whirled

To be involved with others
Doesn't make things cozier
Everything is soon complicated
It makes it harder not easier

Nobody