Chapter 977
She Is Not Dead
Based on traffic camera footage and surveillance footage from around the area, they were able to determine what the truck they searched for looked like. With the information, John Henry was able to track other locations it passed. It often took the same route.
He knew everyone was a creature of habit, even Terminators. To repeat the same task over and over became routine. Maybe it was easier to do the same thing. Maybe it was more logical to do something a certain way. If someone tried to take evasive action to break up their trail, it soon became a mundane task, especially when nothing ever happened. It just became routine to do things a certain way. The route the truck took was no exception.
John wanted some answers and the truck was part of the equation. Wherever it was going to, or coming from, represented other Skynet related targets. It represented danger of some type. It represented a threat to the future. Everything associated with Skynet was a threat of some type.
"Have you come up with anything additional on the truck?" John asked. "It should give us some answers."
John Henry was a little less than satisfied with the end result of his search. There were only so many ways in, and ways out, of where he was able to track it to.
"I have a general area around the port as its point of origin." John Henry said. "I've spotted it in the area multiple times. I was unable to pinpoint a location."
He would like to place a tracker on the truck. They would be able to know every place it went and stopped and for how long. They wouldn't have to tail it with a vehicle, or use a drone to do the same thing. A tracker was generally a more clandestine approach to determine where something went. He needed to remember they were burned before with the trackers they put in the two boxcars when they left the old newspaper factory. Skynet played them and even attempted to ambush them in a remote location. They didn't take the bait once they realized it was a trap.
John thought about what else was around the port area. There was more than one thing they might need to deal with. The first operation he undertook on his own, against the wishes of his mother and Cameron, started at the port. Strangely enough it ended up in the high desert. They eventually made their way back to a cliff on the side of a hill overlooking the ocean. He wasn't sure what exactly they were about to run into. More than likely it wouldn't be anything simple.
"I know there are rail yards around the port. There's a lot of truck traffic as well." John said. "Are we dealing with ships and warehouses? Is there anything arriving or departing on ships? Will Coltan figure in at some point?"
John Henry was concerned about the last part of John's statement. They very much wanted to find out the source of the Coltan Skynet was able to use. Cameron through CamNet controlled most of the known sources of Coltan. He was sure it would be something she would look into further, even if it wasn't related to the current operation specifically. He would like to have some answers ready for John. He didn't.
"I haven't been able to determine anything yet." John Henry said.
John didn't have good memories of being around the port. In fact the ocean in general seemed to be bad luck for him. There was the trouble at the pier In Santa Monica, and the events from the lighthouse where Charlie died to protect him. it was one death which didn't need to happen on his behalf. None of them did. The loss of Charlie and Future Derek always bothered him. The loss of Future Riley bothered him in a different way. He felt he was responsible for all of their deaths.
It didn't take him long to remember Future Kyle, his father, died as well protecting him before he was even born. They didn't just die. They were all killed in a violent fashion. How many more deaths would he be responsible for? It seemed like Future John was responsible for hundreds of deaths, maybe it was even thousands. Would he do the same thing?
The overall nature of the area troubled him greatly. He thought maybe they should take some preemptive action and try to get ahead of something for once instead of trying to play 'catch up' like they normally did.
"I want a team of Terminators headed in the direction of the port." John said.
John Henry already reached the same conclusion. He hoped to have a team of Terminators in place at the port so they didn't appear to be new arrivals after the truck arrived. If they couldn't get a tracker on it, it would need to be followed to make sure they didn't lose it. They would want to know any other stops it made as well.
"I've sent one already." John Henry said. "We'll need to have one set of the Metal girls follow the truck when it leaves."
John didn't think about it much when he chose one of the teams who could go.
"We can send Sheila and Ally." John said.
John Henry was aware Cameron would want Sheila around after they made entry into the structure and sought answers. He also received a specific notification from CamNet. It was a little surprising as to why.
"It will need to be Holly and Hanna." John Henry said.
John wasn't sure what difference it actually made. He wondered what was up.
"Why?" John asked.
John Henry was aware the reason was going to be sensitive for more reasons than one.
"I was informed by CamNet that Sheila will be needed at the old supermarket by Savannah's request." John Henry said. "I don't think it's open to discussion. I think it would be unwise to question it either."
John needed to think about it for a few seconds. He could only come to one conclusion based upon Savannah's request.
"Oh." John said. "I get it."
John didn't like the implications of what it meant. He didn't condone the type of behavior if it involved the Resistance. What Cameron did outside the scope of the Resistance on her personal vendettas against drug dealers and sex traffickers was one thing. When it involved the Resistance it was another thing. It was how he saw it anyway.
John Henry could tell John still thought about sending Sheila and Ally anyway to prevent a further 'enhanced interrogation'. He wanted to point out things could be a lot worse by not having Sheila involved. He was aware of what the reason was why Savannah made the request.
"It's better it's Sheila rather than Savannah." John Henry said.
John liked the idea even less of Savannah doing anything like it herself. He figured she would need to be really upset about it first.
"I don't know." John said. "There must be more I don't know. There's probably a reason I don't know it."
John figured there was a lot he didn't know. He was sure many things were kept from him. Cameron told him before she lied to him, even about important things. When she did things behind his back, she lied to him by omission. When she purposely kept him from knowing something, it was the same as lying to him for all practical purposes. It was just an end run around the wording, even if the results were the same.
John Henry received an update from CamNet. He was to provide John with the information he lacked. It was clear CamNet felt it was important for John to know.
"This is the information Savannah was provided with when she made her decision." John Henry said.
John looked at his screen. He understood there may be a petite female, or a teenager, inside. It definitely seemed as if it was someone who wouldn't be there by choice.
In more than one instance they ran into Grays taking females captive and abusing them. It often led to some very bad things occurring before the Grays killed the female, or she expired due to her injuries. It always seemed counterproductive to him. If they killed someone, then they would need to go find someone else. He was pretty sure it was the blood lust of several individuals which led to the detainees demise rather than it was a selection for some variety. It all went back to the things wrong inside someone's head. He was fairly certain it applied to everything.
He could understand Savannah's anger and frustration about what may have happened inside of the old Supermarket already to a female captive. He was the one who needed to make a choice now. He wanted Savannah away from there.
"Sheila and Ally will stay if Savannah does not." John said.
John Henry understood the possibility of a conflict of interest between John and Savannah. He didn't think this was the proper time to test the dynamic of the relationship. He wanted everyone to think things through a little further before any final decisions were made.
"I doubt she'll leave." John Henry said. "The girls take all these things personal, cyborg or otherwise."
It was a fact they all understood. Cameron wanted retribution for crimes against all females.
John wasn't sure what he should do, or how much he should intervene on Savannah's part. He felt he needed to do something. Maybe he would have to contact her personally. He didn't want it to turn into a big issue on its own.
It did make him wonder why CamNet cleared the information when he inquired about it. Was it an indication he was supposed to do something? He really didn't know all what was going on in everyone's mind whether they were a human or a machine. He thought it was actually probably a good thing. There was enough going on inside of his mind. He didn't need to know what was going on inside other people's minds.
Hanna and Holly were informed of their new task. They didn't like their new assignment. It sidelined them and took them out of the immediate action. John Henry made them confirm the reassignment since they were hesitant to do so.
"We need to go to the port?" Hanna asked. "It's a long way from here."
Holly was more inclined to follow the orders from the Command Center without questioning them. She went over them again with Hanna because she didn't see there was a problem. There was a job which needed to be done. Someone needed to do it.
"We're to follow the truck and the port is the probable destination area. It's our assignment when the truck leaves." Holly said. "It may go elsewhere. It's important we know where it goes and what it does when it gets there. We need to know if they load or unload anything."
Hanna didn't want to argue the issue. It wasn't Holly's decision. They checked on the other team's periodically for any updates. They were also able to review drone footage of the location as the two drones continued their high altitude surveillance of the area.
"Cammy looks like she is dressed for the beach without her top." Hanna said. "All she's wearing is a pink bra."
Holly felt there was a solution to the problem.
"You could always switch with her." Holly said.
Hanna looked down the front of her sheath. She wasn't sure if she wanted to sit in the SUV only wearing her bra for a top. She looked over at Holly.
"So could you." Hanna said.
Holly raised her hands and cupped both of breasts as she jiggled them up and down slightly through her top.
"I don't have a bra on. Cammy's bra is too small for me." Holly said. "If I give her my top, I would need to be topless."
Holly figured it would be an even bigger distraction for everyone. Everyone liked to see her topless. She thought it was a little more so than just looking at other topless females.
Hanna wondered what was up with the change in normal procedure. She was with Holly everyday at the Young residence. She knew how things normally were. She wondered why today was different.
"I'd like to see you topless." Hanna said. "You always wear a bra. Why don't you have one on today?"
Holly was uncomfortable with the question.
"I don't know." Holly said as she looked away.
Hanna figured Holly was trying to get Allison to pay more attention to her and was 'advertising' herself. She understood the reason why. It was because Allison was back at the Resistance base.
"I do. You were trying to get Allison to notice you." Hanna said. "You're worried about her spending more time with Jesse and Vanna."
It was the exact issue Holly was worried about. She didn't think she was the only one to feel the same way.
"Are you going to tell me you're not worried about Claire doing the same thing?" Holly asked.
It actually was a concern for Hanna. She also understood it was something she didn't have any control over. She knew how things worked.
"You know they have total freedom in who their partners are." Hanna said. "It's how it is."
Holly understood and accepted it as the reality they needed to endure to be with the girls. Perhaps Hanna needed to be reminded Claire was no different from the others.
"Maybe you need to see who's attracted to the new girl, Samantha." Holly said.
Hanna didn't believe the girls would reject them. It was more than likely it would be just the frequency of their visits which would be curtailed. They wouldn't be cut out all together.
"I already know about it." Hanna said. "They will still come back to us, even if it is only one day a week."
Holly wanted more than a few hours a week. She was normally with Allison everyday of the week. Even when she switched with Hanna to be with Claire several nights a week, she was still with Allison before and afterwards. It reaffirmed one thing with the scenario. Claire was definitely more exciting and rewarding to be with than Allison was. Her love for Allison was What mattered to her, not the sex. It was being able to share with the one she loved in a meaningful manner. She didn't like change.
"I'm not happy with it." Holly said.
Hanna felt it was an issue Holly needed to learn to deal with. If she didn't, Cameron would side with what she wanted for Allison. It would be Vanna and Jesse.
"You better be, or you'll end up in some remote location stuck in standby, guarding some of the captured HK equipment." Hanna said. "You knew this day would come."
It took Holly a long time to understand it, but she did know. Her hopes of marrying Allison were long gone. Allison belonged to Vanna. It really made her wonder what she was thinking at the time when she asked Allison to marry her.
"I did know this day would come." Holly said. "I do know Vanna and Allison need each other. I can see it is a love like no other. Cameron never should have introduced cyborgs into their lives as lovers. Maybe she should have used male Terminators instead."
Hanna was sure things were going to get more complicated before they saw any light at the end of the tunnel. She did see other opportunities would be available. They needed to be able to take advantage of those when they occurred.
"I'm pretty sure Jesse and Claire are going to need each other too." Hanna said. "When Vanna and Jesse are together, it should leave Claire and Allison free. They will see us then."
Holly tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Let's hope Jesse and Vanna are together often." Holly said.
Hanna wanted to point out there were other possibilities available for both of them.
"We can always hang out together. Sheila and Ally should be available." Hanna said. "Gail and Cam should be available as well as Cammy and Savannah."
Holly hoped she would be able to spend more time with the other human females. She didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with Vanna, Jesse, or Savannah in Palmdale. When any of those three were in Palmdale, they wanted to spend time with Allison and Claire.
"Maybe it's not so bad." Holly said. "There's a lot of variety for all of us."
Holly knew there was always a lot of touching whenever she was with someone. It seemed there were just some areas of her sheath they couldn't get enough of.
Gail couldn't help but look at Cammy wearing only her bra. To see Cameron, or any Cameron clone, partially clothed or naked, was something everyone liked to see. It didn't matter if they were human or cyborg. She wanted to provide Cammy with an option.
"Do you want my top?" Gail asked.
Cammy looked down at the front of her sheath. She liked what she saw. She was aware everyone else did as well.
"It's hot out." Cammy said. "I'm fine."
Gail was afraid Cammy might have it in for her because of her involvement with Savannah. She believed what Savannah and her shared was no different physically than what Savannah shared with all the other females. The difference was she loved Savannah dearly and intensely. She was aware of the trouble which often erupted between Cammy and Cameron over Savannah. She didn't want any trouble with Cammy.
"Are you dissatisfied with me?" Gail asked.
Cammy tilted her head slightly. She knew exactly where the conversation was headed.
"No." Cammy said. "We've been over this before."
Gail still felt some need to justify herself. She wanted to make everything perfectly clear. She didn't want it to seem like she was going behind Cammy's back.
"I love her, Cammy." Gail said.
Cammy had her own feelings as well. She also had a painful understanding of what the future held. It was something if anyone, including her, got in the way of, Cameron would make sure they were moved out of the way, one way or another.
"So do I, but I know she belongs to Cameron, Young Allison, and John." Cammy said. "It's the 'Natural Order'. Do yourself a favor and don't get in the way of it. It won't end well for you."
Gail understood Cammy's predicament. It wasn't a good one.
"Are you still going to seek reintegration with Cameron when they finally are together?" Gail asked.
Cammy long ago made her plans and decided her own fate. Nothing changed in what she believed would happen. She already knew her fate, one way or the other.
"Yes." Cammy said. "If not, I will choose self termination."
Gail felt a slight glitch impulse to hear Cammy say it. She went down the same road before. She was going to self terminate when Duplicate Jesse was believed to have been killed. The human girls argued she should be deactivated before she could self terminate. It's what happened. She knew Savannah prevented her from carrying out her original desire. She was very thankful for it. Savannah actually saved her more than one time.
When Cameron was no longer stuck in time with a temporal error, she returned to the base and reactivated her. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Cameron. She believed Cameron was terminated and there must be a machine 'after life' and it's why she saw Cameron. Cameron explained the situation and what actually occurred. She told her there was another version of Jesse with her. She agreed to start her life over again. She was very glad she did.
"I've thought of it before." Gail said. "It was when Duplicate Jesse died for me. "
Cammy tilted her head slightly to the side.
"She is not dead." Cammy said.
Gail suppressed a glitch impulse with Cammy's comment. She saw it differently.
"She's not here. What's the difference?" Gail asked. "I can't see her or be with her. It's like she's dead. How is it any different than being dead and buried?"
Cammy felt there was some truth to it. What good was it to be alive if they were gone forever? Then it hit her. The time differential was what was different in this case. There was still a workable solution for Gail.
"The difference is, Duplicate Jesse is still alive a half a millennium in the future. You can change your power cell." Cammy said. "Think about it. You can experience everything twice from start to finish. There's also another Duplicate Jesse 'in some future'. You can do the same thing there as well. Those three are all the same individual."
The implication was Gail could live a life with Jesse now and then live another life with Duplicate Jesse in the distant future. It was actually a good thing. There were actually two sets of Duplicate girls.
Gail wanted to point out Cammy could do it as well. Duplicate Vanna was Savannah Weaver too.
"Vanna is there with Jesse and Allison." Gail said as she referred to the one set of 'Duplicate girls'. "Vanna was Savannah…."
Cammy didn't want to really think about it. She thought about it enough.
"I don't know what will happen." Cammy said. "If Savannah wants to share with you or anyone else, I'll never interfere. I don't like it, but I know my place. Savannah's happiness comes before mine. Just like Jesse's comes before yours. You must always remember there's a certain amount of sacrifice if you truly love someone. The person always comes before you do."
Gail often visited her past experiences. It was something they could do. When it actually occurred, it was as if the event happened again at that moment.
"I know." Gail said. "At least we have our files to replay."
Cammy was aware it was one option. It wasn't the option of her choice.
"Let's hope it's not all we have." Cammy said.
Gail thought of some other options available as well.
"There are two sets of Duplicate girls…." Gail said. "There's Cameron's future. There's also a pretty good bet there are other timelines out there. They all offer possibilities."
Cammy didn't know what would happen going forward. She understood Cameron's desire for self-termination in the past. Maybe it was better if it just ended. It seemed like one way to get away from it all.
"I hope it never comes to it." Cammy said.
Cammy would like to know if there was another Savannah or two out there. Maybe she wouldn't need to 'pull the plug'.
She figured if nothing else she could always pull a Cameron like stunts and go to one of the other futures and put the grab on a Young Savannah and begin her 'protection' there. She was sure the relationship would eventually evolve into what it was now with Savannah. She was pretty sure it would mess the timeline up, but she didn't really care. She would still have 'Savannah'. They were all the same Savannah Weaver anyway. She wondered if Cameron would interfere with her. She still thought Cameron was a Bitch. She was glad she wasn't anything like her. Just the thought of Cameron irritated her immensely, what a Bitch.
Based on the information they obtained from a homeless female named Susan, the girls waited for a truck to arrive at the old supermarket.
They didn't know if it would pick anything up, or leave something off. They actually didn't know if it would show up at all.
Savannah was a little concerned about the wait.
"How much longer will it be until the truck arrives?" Savannah asked.
Susan indicated to Cam even though it was every three days, the time of the day varied as to when the truck would actually arrive.
"It's unknown." Cam said. "All we know is it should be sometime today."
Cameron was informed of the current drone activity. She felt they gave them good overall protection.
"Both drones have switched to wide recon at fifty thousand feet." Cameron said. "They're searching for all Skynet related activity around us."
Savannah wasn't worried about their drones, it was the Skynet drones that worried her.
"Let's make sure no HK drones show up to attack us." Savannah said. "Even though we haven't detected any surveillance from the old supermarket, we don't know for sure if we're not being surveilled as we sit here.
Savannah remembered her encounter with HK drones in both futures she went to with Cameron and what she saw in the present timeline. They could show up fast and do a lot of damage in a short time.
One of the drones on wide recon picked something up. The information was sent to the Command Center as well as to Cameron's base.
"I've detected the truck." John Henry said over their coms. "It's ten miles out."
Cameron thought about what Savannah just indicated. She wanted to set up some parameters for their drones.
"I want one drone to stay with it." Cameron said. "The other will stay with us."
Cameron wanted the extra protection for Savannah, just in case.
"I want to strike this target as soon as the truck leaves." Cameron said.
Savannah didn't want Cameron to act too quickly.
"We should wait a little while in case the truck tries to communicate back with the location." Savannah said. "It could cause some type of alert. We want to know where the truck goes to. Wherever it goes to, or came from, are also targets."
Cameron didn't want to wait for the truck to reach its destination. She wanted to get into the building and free the female captive they suspected was in there. It was if she was even still alive at this point. There was no way for them to know. There was no body in the dumpster so it seemed like a good thing. It could have been something they dumped somewhere else. She asked CamNet to look into it. So far there weren't any reports of a body matching the description they were looking for found around the city or its neighboring communities.
Since the truck frequented the port area, she could have been dumped in the ocean as well. She might end up on a beach somewhere or twenty miles out to sea. If she, 'slept with the fishes', no one would ever find her. The thought of the other possibilities only seemed to make her more anxious.
"I want to check on the female." Cameron said.
Savannah understood what Cameron wanted. There was a higher priority, the mission. She hoped she didn't come off as too cold. Whatever was done to the female already happened. It couldn't be undone at this point. She wanted to make sure Cameron and all the Metal girls understood their priorities.
"The mission comes first." Savannah said. "We need to find out what they're up to here and wherever the truck comes from or goes to. What's done is done."
Cameron and Cam both looked at Savannah but neither one of them commented further. They knew what was required to make the missions successful, even if it didn't coincide with their personal desires. They knew it was Savannah's desire as well.
John Henry reported the truck went elsewhere before it returned to the port area. It was based on his review of past traffic cam footage. He didn't know where. His report seemed to indicate there were two more potential targets. There was the intermediate stop and there was the destination at the port.
Cam was aware Cameron and Savannah were going to enter the building along with at least Sheila, if not Ally as well. It would free her up with the SUV to back up the team which needed to go after the truck.
"I think Holly and Hanna should have more back up." Cam said. "I'll follow them."
Cameron thought she could spare one more team of Metal girls to assist them.
"If we see a Skynet Terminator, and he goes with the truck. Gail and Cammy are going as well." Cameron said. "I want to make sure there aren't any problems if we need to deal with a hostile Terminator. If there's one, there's more than likely to be more."
Savannah wanted everyone to be protected, but she didn't want to send away too much help. They would still need to enter the building and they had no idea what was inside of it.
"We still don't know what is inside here." Savannah said. "There could be Terminators here too."
Cameron checked her phone and watched the truck approach from the drone video.
"They're about to arrive." Cameron said.
Sheila and Ally moved earlier to cover the back of the old supermarket.
"We're in position in the back and down the east side of the alley." Sheila said. "We'll see what they have in the way of a Terminator or not."
Cammy and Gail were ready from their location.
"We're in position on the west side of the alley." Cammy said.
Cameron, Cam, and Savannah were in the front.
Holly and Hanna moved out across the street so their vehicle wasn't spotted. If there was a Terminator with the truck, he might spot the vehicle when it began to tail them and recognize it as being in the vicinity of the old supermarket previously. They didn't want to tip their hand too early.
The truck rumbled into view. It was a dual rear axle bobtail refrigerator truck. It appeared to be a more heavy duty version of the type of truck it actually was. It didn't really mean anything. It was probably acquired under false pretenses anyway.
John Henry used one of the drones to zoom in on the cab of the truck. The results were inconclusive.
"The drone footage hasn't picked up if either of the two men in the cab are Terminators." John Henry said. "It's still a possibility."
Gail was able to get a good look at the truck.
"The refrigeration unit is running on the truck." Gail said.
Savannah was concerned with what was in the trunk.
"What do they have they need to keep refrigerated?" Savannah asked.
Cameron wanted a whole slew of answers. There were a lot of questions about the current operation they were on. There were also the other two locations they would need to uncover. As far as they knew now there could be even more.
"We're going to find out." Cameron said.
Sheila and Ally were able to watch the truck as it moved into the back.
"The truck stopped. It's backed up to the dock. The two men who were in it are out and have opened the back." Ally said. "I don't think either one of them looks like a Terminator."
Sheila soon issued the alert none of them wanted to hear.
"There's a Terminator." Sheila said. "They were riding in the back of the truck."
Everyone received photos of what Sheila viewed.
Savannah looked at the image on her phone. She was a little shocked to see what this Terminator looked like. She actually saw the image before.
"He looks a lot like 'The Enforcer'." Savannah said.
Cameron knew 'The Enforcer' should have been inside of the mine when the H-bomb detonated. They saw him enter the back of the armored car. They never saw anyone leave the armored car once the rear door was closed and it drove away from the Syndicate casino.
"It is impossible. He was terminated." Cameron said. "It must be the same model. It's not uncommon to have several versions with the same appearance."
Savannah was worried there could be several other possibilities as well.
"Was any temporal activity detected where we were in the desert?" Savannah asked. "When we were there?"
John Henry previously looked into the possibility. He also checked with CamNet. He did both things again. If there was any temporal activity, everyone who was in the mine could have been able to 'escape' before the H-bomb went off.
"Negative." John Henry said. "CamNet didn't detect anything either. I checked with her again, now and previously. There was no TDE activity."
Savannah saw it a little differently. There was no TDE activity detected by them. It didn't mean there wasn't some they didn't know about. It was beside the point. She was more than a little confused as to what was actually going on and who was involved.
"Are these Grays associated with the Skynet activity from the casino?" Savannah asked. "It seems like a different group of Grays, except for the Terminator being the same model as 'The Enforcer'."
Cameron was tired of waiting. She wanted some firm answers.
"I'm going to get some answers." Cameron said. "Instead of finding answers, we keep getting more questions."
She was very dissatisfied with everything associated with the old supermarket. The possibility there could be female captives inside only irritated her further. She really wanted to make a move now when they opened up the door into the building. There were several ways they could appear to put a few females into the alley where everything was at. All they would need to do was look homeless. They would fit right in and not seem out of place.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
She Is Not Dead
How does one know
If they're dead or alive
Maybe it's all about
Just trying to survive
One can feel pleasure
Or they can feel pain
Maybe the signals get crossed
When they reach the brain
When one reaches out
Does anyone reach back
Or do they only see it
As some kind of an attack
What should be simple
Is actually quite confusing
Does anyone escape
Without a real bruising
Things always happen
They don't work out in bed
Always try to remember
She is not dead
Nobody