Chapter 983
Fried Chicken
Cammy decided it was time to shake something loose. She didn't have a set plan, but would see what happened on the fly. It all depended upon what the two men would do. The main goal was to try and get both of the men to follow her on foot, and leave their car unattended for just a short time. Ally would then try to slip a tracker on it.
She looked at the drone images of the buildings surrounding the cryogenics lab. She saw there were two alleys which ran in opposite directions off the street that led into the cryogenics lab proper. She looked at which buildings had fences across the back, and which ones didn't. She thought she came up with a good route to take once she led the men on a wild goose chase.
Cammy was pretty sure she could get at least one of them to follow her. She was aware neither one of them would be able to catch her on foot because she could run faster than both of them. She would need to keep her speed down a little bit so the men thought they could overtake her. She knew she needed to stay out of Taser range in case any of the men were from the future. They may not recognize her as a Terminator, but a Taser could bring down a human just as easily as it brought down a Terminator.
She contained the files from Cameron where she witnessed one used on Future Derek before. Cameron went out of her way to rescue him at where she believed he was taken. She was ambushed and almost deactivated herself. The Skynet operative who attempted to bring her down didn't know what he was doing and was very unsure how to proceed properly. He waited too long and she rebooted. He was terminated instantly.
Cammy knew Cameron always felt Future Derek was a little indignant and unappreciative of her efforts to free him. She at least expected him to thank her but he didn't. It was her belief Derek from the alternate future was a little more tolerant and appreciative of the Resistance Terminators. Maybe the difference was Derek fought alongside of Resistance Terminators and Restorators in the alternate future. Future Derek despised Resistance Terminators in Cameron's future. He brought the same belief with him to the past.
She knew she could stay out of Taser range. She wouldn't be able to stay out of a firearm's range. The goal was to make the men chase her, not shoot her. It was possible one of them could become frustrated because he couldn't catch her and attempt to use more drastic means.
She exited the SUV. It was parked around the block from where the brown sedan waited. She would pass by the brown sedan and head towards where the truck was parked at the cryogenics lab. She wanted to make sure the occupants saw her pass by their car, but not get a good look at her specifically. She wanted to be noticed, but not identifiable.
Ally would work her way around the far side of the brown sedan and be ready to place a tracker. The goal was to have Cammy draw both of the occupants off, while Ally tagged the vehicle. They didn't want to have to terminate one or both of the men, or even get into a physical altercation with them. The trick would be to have both of them get away clean and undamaged.
Cammy was away from the SUV. She approached the corner she would need to turn. The brown sedan was just around the corner. She looked back once at the SUV and checked the surrounding area. She took a quick look at the drone image. Everything looked clear. There was nothing out of place, or caught her eye. There were no warnings from the Command Center or anywhere else. She turned the corner and prepared to pass the brown sedan.
She tried to keep her face so it looked straight ahead or turned slightly off to the side. She didn't want them to get a good look at her. She wondered if the car doors would open and one or both men would step out and block her path. She didn't know if they would try to put the grab on her, or let her pass since they didn't know who she was. She needed to be aware they could use a Taser on her as well. They might even shoot at her.
Cammy walked by the brown sedan without looking at the two occupants. She could hear them converse and she neared and passed. She didn't really care for their discussion, especially about her.
"We've got some movement." One man said.
"Where?" The other man asked.
"Coming up along your side." One man said. "It looks like a broad."
"What would some broad be doing around here?" The other man asked.
"Here she comes, play it cool." One man said. "Maybe she won't notice we're in the car."
Both men only turned their heads to look. They tried not to move their arms or their bodies while the individual passed by them.
"It's a broad all right." The other man said. "Check out her rear end."
"Don't worry about the goods." One man said. "Make sure there's no one else."
Both men looked around their vehicle. No one else was spotted.
"I don't see anyone." The other man said. "Let's keep an eye on her."
Cammy knew she got their attention. She intended to keep it. She headed toward the cryogenics lab in plain view of them. She was satisfied no one opened the car doors as she passed. When she got close to the cryogenics lab, she started to look for 'cover' as she moved forward. The men in the brown sedan could see her. She wanted to draw their attention. She wanted it to appear she was trying to sneak up on the lab. She wanted to look suspicious to them. She hoped it would be the 'catch' to get them to leave the vehicle and follow her.
She looked back and forth and disappeared inside the walled compound of the cryogenics lab on the far side. The gate was open. Once she was inside she spied what looked like a small bucket in the trash can. It was right on the top. It was white with red stripes on it. There was a picture of an old man with a goatee on it. She believed it was a fried chicken container from a local fast food establishment. She looked in the bucket and saw it was nothing but bones with some meat and a little crust on them. She looked back to make sure the two men in the sedan couldn't see her. She couldn't see them and she hadn't heard the car door open yet. She hoped it meant they were both still sitting in it.
She took a quick look at the drone image on her phone. Everything was unchanged. She decided what she was going to do. She picked up the bucket of chicken bones and ran out of the facility compound. She kept her speed slow and headed back the way she came. She wanted to make it look like she took or stole something from the lab. She kept what she held covered by her arms. She didn't want the two men in the brown sedan to know exactly what she held. Not yet anyway.
The men in the sedan saw her 'sneak' in and exit a few minutes later. They could see she held something, but they couldn't tell what it was. It was medium size and she blocked the view of most of it with her body.
She definitely got their attention.
The two men looked at each other and touched their weapons.
Seconds ago:
There were two men in the brown sedan. They were parked near the cryogenic facility. It was the direction their attention was focused. Someone passed by their car on the sidewalk. The two men looked over as the figure passed by. They carried on a brief conversation about what they viewed. there were a few extra thoughts thrown in for good measure. The female was away from the car. They continued their discussion.
"Where's she headed now?" One man asked.
"You can see as much as I can." The other man said.
"Is she going where I think?" One man asked.
"I don't know. She looks kind of fishy." The other man said.
"Hey, she's going to pull something." One man said.
"She's looking around." The other man said.
The female which just passed by them appeared to sneak into the cryogenic labs compound.
"Did you see what she did, man?" One man asked.
"I told you she was fishy." The other man said. "I'm not talking about her 'money maker' either."
The mention of the female's private parts caught the one man's attention. It made him think about some of the possibilities if they were to capture her for further interrogation.
"Maybe I should go take a look." One man said.
The other man looked over at him when he said it. He was sure what his associate's plans were for the female if she was captured. He wasn't sure it was such a good idea on their current mission. They were to tail the truck and document the stops it made along the way. So far the truck made all of its previous scheduled stops. There hadn't been any deviation. It was a standard 'run'.
"We don't want to get spotted." The other man said. "We have to worry about the 'Bozos' in the truck. We don't want to spook them or tip them off."
The one man looked a little disappointed.
"If she comes back by the car we can do it." One man said. "We'll block her in on each side of the car."
The other man was intrigued with the idea. If they put the grab on her, one of them could 'interrogate' her in the backseat as they continue to follow the truck. They could dump her body out anywhere along the way when they were done. There were still a lot of complications involved.
"What happens if she screams?" The other man asked. "The guys with the truck might hear it. Maybe somebody else is in one of these buildings. They might look out. We don't want a report made to the police with the description of our car with a potential kidnap victim in it."
The one man looked very disappointed.
"It was just a thought." One man said.
The men debated what action to take.
"I think one of us needs to see what she's up to." The other man said.
One man glanced at his watch.
"She hasn't even been in there a minute yet." One man said.
The other man was about to respond.
The female reemerged before he could.
"She's coming back out." One man said.
It appeared she was trying to hide something.
"She stole something." The other man said. "I'm going after her. You stay here. If she tries to scream, I'll point my pistol at her."
One man got his hopes up. His hopes weren't the only thing which was 'up' right now. He was ready for things to play out a little further.
"Don't shoot her unless she tries to fight you." One man said. "I want to capture her and interrogate her."
The other man was sure of his physical ability. There were chicks who tried to run away from him before. They didn't get far. He usually body slammed them into the ground when he caught them. None of them got back up on their own. They were always much more compliant when he told them there was plenty more of the same if they didn't do what he told them, when he told them, and how he told them.
"She's a chick, man. Give me a break." The other man said. "I can run her down. We'll see what happens afterwards. I might need to get a little rough with her."
One of the men from the brown sedan exited to intercept her.
Cammy wanted to get the men's attention. It appeared she did so. She saw him and ran back the opposite way she was headed and cut across the street. The man started to run now. Cammy poured on the speed as she entered an alley and was out of his line of sight. She came out on the other side of the building she passed as she went through the alley.
The man who followed Cammy lost sight of her. He entered the alley and she was nowhere to be seen. He didn't understand where she could have gone. He was right behind her. There weren't many places she could have gone or hidden. If he was going to need to look for her, he was going to show her his displeasure when he got his hands on her. Who did these broads think they were anyway? If they didn't know their place in life by now, they obviously couldn't be very intelligent.
Cammy came around the building. She could see the other man was still in the vehicle. She was going to have to take a little bit of a chance. Ally was there to back her up in case she got into a scrape. The drone was overhead and could drop down to gun range at any point. She felt confident enough to risk it a little. She headed towards the brown sedan. The other man stepped out of it to grab her. She dodged him and headed back toward where the first man was at. He just emerged from where she came out on the far side of the building.
She headed back down the alley with both men now behind her. She only stayed far enough ahead of them to make sure they both followed her. She allowed them to close up on her so they would continue to chase her. She was out of Taser range so she didn't feel too threatened. They could still shoot at her, but it wouldn't do much other than damage her sheath. She didn't know how much attention they wanted to attract. If there was gunfire, there was bound to be someone to pay attention. The men with the truck in the lab would hear it. It would put them on alert.
If she was actually hit by any gunfire, there would be a stiff price to be paid by both of them when she turned around and confronted them. Sheath damage always came with a price.
Ally watched the little charade go down. She was able to slip out of her place of concealment and put a tracker on the sedan. She quickly disappeared unseen. She headed back to the SUV and started it up. She would meet Cammy at a prearranged point.
Cammy received the 'all clear' signal from Ally. It was time to end the game. She glanced back over her shoulder. She dropped the bucket of half eaten chicken bones on the ground as the men closed on her. One stopped to look at what she dropped. The other man was still after her.
"What the Hell?" One man asked.
The other man looked back over his shoulder.
"I almost have her." The other man said.
"Solly!" One man called out. "Forget it. Let her go."
Solly watched the female continue down the alley. He was sure he would have been able to catch her just a few more steps. It wasn't to be the case. He was recalled. He returned to see what the female dropped.
"What did she steal?" Solly asked.
The one man held out the bucket of bones.
"It's just some half eaten food, chicken bones really." One man said. "I think this was her dinner."
Solly looked. He was a little more than surprised.
"Do you mean it was some homeless person?" Solly asked.
"I guess so." One man said. "Who else would take something like this to eat? I'd rather go hungry."
"It was a pretty ragged shirt she was wearing." Solly said. "I never got a good look at her. All I saw was her slim shapely figure. She was a fast runner."
"The homeless females need to be or they get abused." One man said. "It happens all the time to them. It's part of the lifestyle. The Cops don't do anything about it. Most of it goes unreported. If it does get reported, there's never any follow up. The chicks eventually get used up. They end up looking ten years older than they are in about a year's time. It only gets worse from there."
"She probably thought it's what we were going to do." Solly said. "She won't call the cops will she?"
"No way. She probably thought we were the Cops." One man said. "They're usually all wanted for something, a petty crime or solicitation. They all have to do something to get money, or food. Let's go back to the car. We got a job to do. We never know when someone will check on us."
Solly kicked the bucket lying on the ground with his foot. His needless act sent the contents flying in all directions as the bucket rolled off to the side of the alley. There was some scurrying noise from the darkness. Several rats appeared and began to look at the scattered bones. Two of them fought over one of the bones. They eventually each took one and ran off. Seconds after they scurried away, a cat arrived. It looked around for the rats. It took a chicken bone instead and left with it. It would wait nearby for the rats to reappear.
The two men went back to the sedan.
Solly was still upset he couldn't grab the bimbo. He felt it was unfinished business at this point.
"If we see her again, I want to 'jump' her." Solly said.
"If we can catch her…." One man said. "She was fast."
Solly thought he might come back later and look for her anyway. He figured she must be relatively young to be able to run like she did. It probably meant she hadn't been on the street for too long. She probably wasn't 'used up' yet like most of the other homeless females were.
Maybe he wouldn't have to jump her. He didn't know if she would 'smoke' or not. He might be able to offer her a hamburger or something for a little 'one on one' time. She might even be pliable for a little more if he slipped her a ten or even a twenty. If she was good, he might even let her live after he was done.
Ally picked Cammy up three streets over. It was their prearranged meeting point. There were two backup locations if they were necessary. They weren't. She looked at the ragged shirt Cammy wore.
Cammy slipped the shirt off right before she got into the SUV. She tossed it into the backseat.
"It's a good thing the homeless guy gave me one of his shirts." Cammy said. "I really didn't expect him to do it."
Ally was touched by what the homeless man did for Cammy. She thought it was a very selfless act. He didn't just leave it. He took it off and gave it to Cammy. He didn't really say anything when he did.
"You were only wearing your bra." Ally said. "I think he was trying to help you. It was an act of decency from someone who didn't have very much to give."
Cammy did appreciate the gesture. She realized the man literally gave her the shirt off of his back. He wore several, so he wasn't compromised himself. Savannah taught her sometimes it was the little things people did which could say or mean the most. She wanted to return the favor. Sometimes it's nice to have help.
"When Cameron takes care of Susan, I'll make sure they are all taken care of too." Cammy said. "We'll try to jump start their lives, the rest will be up to them."
Cammy hoped they could help at least one of them to find themselves. Maybe they could get some of their life back and get off the street. She knew it was very hard to help most of the homeless people because many of them suffered from mental illness, or were addicted to drugs. She really hoped they could help at least one of the four escape from the lifestyle to nowhere. Maybe Susan and the one man who seemed to have a very personal interest in her could crawl back into society.
She looked back at the shirt. The fact someone who didn't have anything, tried to do something nice for her, touched her inside. She wanted more than one of them to get back on their feet.
Maybe all four of them could.
John Henry and John viewed the incident with Cammy from the drone footage. They saw Ally place the tracker on the sedan. It looked like the mission was accomplished without too much difficulty.
John thought it was almost funny to watch. He needed to remind himself it wouldn't have been humorous if the men would have shot at her. They still didn't know who the two men were or which group they represented. Based on the type of their vehicle, they suspected they were associated with the Syndicate. He wasn't sure he would have given a green light to the mission if they would have suspected they were Fanatics.
"It was quite a stunt show." John said. "I think it was a little over dramatic."
John Henry thought it was pulled off quite nicely. He knew Cammy or Ally could have just as easily terminated both men while they sat in their vehicle. They could have done it in the alley as well.
"They placed the tracker on the sedan." John Henry said. "It was the objective. It worked perfectly and it doesn't appear the men suspect anything."
They watched the various feeds from all the drones.
John noticed there was some activity around the truck parked at the cryogenic facility.
"It looks like the truck is about to leave." John said.
John Henry could see they weren't the only ones who were ready to move on.
"The men are back in the sedan." John Henry said.
They watched as the truck pulled out. A minute later the brown sedan began to follow it from quite a distance back. They weren't in a direct line of sight with the truck. It furthered their suspicions the occupants of the brown sedan had some type of tracker on the truck.
John Henry was able to locate the frequency the men in the brown sedan used to track the truck. He was also able to pick up the signal from the device Ally placed on the brown sedan.
"I have the frequency from the truck and the sedan. We're tracking both of them." John Henry said.
There was a drone following each of them from altitude. CamNet placed a team of Terminators to follow the truck, and one on the sedan. They would follow at a discrete distance so they weren't spotted. Their main objective would be to move up and intercept either vehicle if it appeared the occupants were about to flee into a crowd or a building. They would be apprehended quickly if they tried. Depending upon the circumstances, the men would either be terminated or taken into custody for questioning.
John watched where they were headed on the satellite map. It was in the direction of the location they suspected.
"It looks like they're going to the port." John said.
John Henry was sure of it the moment the truck entered the freeway. There was still the possibility they could get off the freeway at some point and go to additional locations. So far there was no indication it would be the case.
"I think so." John Henry said. "Cameron has her report."
Cameron reported her team was ready to strike. She left out some of the details as to exactly what they planned to do. She doubted they would approve of her method in the Command Center. It was one of the reasons why she liked to operate off of the grid a lot of the time anyway. Sometimes a little more extreme measures were necessary to accomplish a task.
Hanna and Holly said they were ready for their assault on the cryogenics lab. Cammy and Ally were there to back them up. They returned to the area when the brown sedan drove away after the truck.
"As soon as Cameron's team enters the building, I want the communications cut to those two areas." John said. "Hanna and Cammy's teams can move into the cryogenics lab at the same time. All the teams are ready."
The truck remained on the freeway. The brown sedan continued to follow it. There was no doubt they were headed towards the port.
John Henry checked the drone footage of the Metal girls.
"Everyone's in position." John Henry said.
John was satisfied everyone was as ready as they were going to be. He wanted their troops to be the ones who dictated what happened and when.
"It's a go." John said. "Cameron, start the show."
Cameron looked over at Sheila and nodded. They moved out of their place of concealment and headed for the large dumpster behind the old supermarket.
"We are on our way." Cameron said.
Savannah heard the order to send Cameron's team in.
It was dark now. There were no street lights where they were parked. There was no light in any of the buildings. The area was totally dark. She put her night vision on.
Savannah exited the SUV with her gear and M4. She headed toward the front of the old supermarket. She planned to make her entry in the same spot Gail used previously. She moved along the store fronts of the closed strip mall. Most were run down with broken windows and knocked down doors. It was clear vandals and looters went through all of the buildings at some point.
She was almost to where she wanted to enter the supermarket when she caught some movement off to her side. She went inside the broken door of the closest shop she was about to pass. There was a hole in the wall. It went into the vacant shop next to it. It was the shop she just passed. She quickly went into the shop. She saw some movement pass by the broken window of the shop she was now in.
Savannah quickly moved up to the front and looked out as the two figures entered the first shop she went into. She came out to follow them. She looked in both directions and across the empty parking lot. She wanted to make sure there were no additional surprises waiting. She was satisfied there wasn't. She held her Taser below the front hand guard of her suppressed M4. She soundless entered the first shop again. She was ready for action. Their backs were to her as her finger closed on the trigger. It was clear the two figures were stalking her. She was the one who now stalked them.
Sheila and Cameron moved to the dumpster in back of the old supermarket.
Cameron hopped inside and started digging through the trash. She began to dump stuff out onto the ground. The thought crossed her mind she might find a body in the bottom of the dumpster. She hoped it wasn't the case, but it was a strong possibility.
Sheila went through the trash as it landed on the ground. She separated the trash to create a pile of flammable materials. They tried to make a lot of noise.
Cameron looked for any female clothes in the trash as well, but found none, or any body parts, or bodies. There were glass beer bottles in the dumpster. She considered tossing those out onto the asphalt in the alley to shatter them. She thought it would make quite a mess with broken glass everywhere. She decided to use another tactic. She started to stomp on them to break them. The broken glass was contained within the dumpster. She gave the sides of the dumpsters an occasional kick every few seconds as she did it. It created a loud metallic sound each time it happened. There was a lot of noise at this point. It's what they tried to accomplish.
Sheila gathered the pile of flammable rubbish and started a small fire near the side of the dumpster not too far from the building. It seemed to be what set the next chain of events into motion. Their other activity hadn't so far. It was the fire which did. It was doubtful it would set the building on fire the way she set things up, but the occupants inside didn't know.
They could hear the bolts being thrown on the metal door. Someone was about to open it up. There was going to be a challenge or confrontation of some kind.
Cam and Gail readied their Tasers and rifles.
Cameron and Sheila readied their Tasers and pistols.
The metal door was flung open. Someone could be heard to exit the building.
A very angry looking man exited out the back of the old supermarket.
"That's IT." Someone yelled at them. "Put the fire out. You freaks clean up this mess now, and get out of here. How many times do we have to tell you losers? You should all be in jail or locked back up in the mental institutions you were let out of. Next time you shoot up, why don't you overdose yourself? The sooner you all die, the better off the world will be. You're all nothing but a waste of resources."
Sheila pushed the pile of rubbish she started to burn towards some real flammable material. The fire spread to three times its original size in an instant. It was what they planned on. She scurried away from the fire to the back side of the dumpster as Cameron climbed out of it and joined her behind it. They wanted to have a little cover in case they were shot at. They also wanted to have a killing zone which was more secluded than if they were in the middle of the alley. It depended how close the man would be to them.
"FIRE." The belligerent man yelled. "Help. They've started a fire against the building."
Two more men came out of the back of the building. One stopped and reached back inside to grab a fire extinguisher.
The two new men tried to put out the fire as the first man went after Sheila and Cameron behind the dumpster.
"You freaks are going to pay for this." The belligerent man yelled. "I'm going to kill you myself now. I'm going to kill you and put you in the dumpster where you belong. It's where trash goes."
A fourth figure appeared in the doorway and looked around. He scanned the area for threats.
He then headed toward the fire which was spreading. The fire lapped against the side of the building now.
It was 'The Enforcer', or his twin anyway.
Cam and Gail watched and waited from their places of concealment. They both spotted the fourth figure for what he was. It was a Terminator. The door was open and four figures were out of the building. So far everything played out pretty much as they planned it would.
John Henry cut the communications at both locations.
Because there were now four clear targets out of the building, the Metal girls would move to engage them to end the altercation as quickly as possible.
The four Metal girls all made their move simultaneously.
Sheila and Cameron came out from each side of the dumpster as Cam and Gail sprang into action from their place of concealment.
It was Showtime.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Foresee
A time will come
When you put another before me
I believe it will not go well
This I can foresee
Only when I'm damaged
Will you truly know
That all along from the first day
You have loved me so
I'm so very afraid
That it's love's price
To finally share our love
I must make this sacrifice
Then to yourself
You will know I didn't lie
I love you and you love me
As I must surely die
I will say I'm sorry
With my last breath
Know that I'll love you
Even in death
Nobody