Chapter 1135

Opposing Groups

The Command Center kept an eye on the stopped vehicle. They suspected there were Fanatics inside of it. Another vehicle seemed to be headed towards it. They weren't sure where it originated from.

John Henry noted a new development in 'his' control of the drones. It was only after he observed the change he was notified.

"John, one of the drones has closed within maximum gun range." John Henry said. "It may be moving closer."

It sounded like CamNet's handiwork to John. Young Allison was more than likely the one behind the current move.

"Is it CamNet at work?" John asked.

John Henry didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't disagree with the move either.

"Yes." John Henry said.

John thought the drone being a little closer would make it more effective. The use of the minigun would cause considerably less collateral damage than a missile strike would. A vehicle chewed up by the M134 would be a little harder to explain. Whenever something was blown up, they could always spin it as a 'terrorist' about to conduct an attack and something went wrong. It could always be blamed on the premature detonation of a bomb. Most of those events were kept under wraps by the government and their media lap dogs. Depending upon the administration in power, the media worked to cover up events to make them look 'bad' and not let the public know the truth about threats from various countries or religious fanatics. They currently dealt with another group of Fanatics. SkyMaster was their 'god'.

"I think moving the drone closer may be a good option." John said. "Maybe you should have it move even closer. The rounds will be more accurate the closer they get."

John figured if the drone was already there, the closer it was able to move in might be better for the number of rounds necessary to end an altercation. On several earlier operations, the minigun was fired several times on other drones with only one or a few shots at a target to bring it down or disable it. He knew the weapon was capable of firing up to one hundred rounds a second. He was certain one hundred bullets on any target within the span of one second would be rather devastating.

John Henry still thought some caution was in order. He watched the drone remain at effective gun range for a short time before it started to close in.

"We don't want the drone spotted." John Henry said. "It's already started to move closer."

John wanted to see how things played out. Currently there was a clean shot at the target vehicle. He wasn't sure if they should take the first move or wait. It appeared something else was going on, or about to happen. If they acted too quickly, it could change those events. They might miss something important.

"Let's wait a little bit. I want to see what they do on the ground before the fireworks start." John said.

John really hoped everything was concluded before Cameron's team arrived. It was still some time away yet. He felt she would want to take over the operation and the fight. Savannah being there with her should help moderate her aggressiveness. Then again, Savannah never hesitated to enter the fight with Cameron.

Whatever he tried to do the same thing with Cameron, like go with her on an operation and enter the fight, it seemed to produce a very negative reaction on her part. He knew it wasn't quite the same way when they first started working together. Later on it almost seemed to become an obsession for her to keep him away from danger. He wasn't sure of the exact time frame, but he believed it was when she returned from one of her temporal missions. It was probably the one into her future. It made him wonder if there was some event she became aware about which she may not have known before.

He actually wondered about a lot of things which occurred in the future involving Cameron and Future John. He didn't want to start a bunch of accusations or finger pointing, but there were always questions in the back of his mind. With his upcoming Honeymoon Cruise tomorrow with Cameron, it was probably best it was where they remained.

Moments ago:

Cammy drove towards the target vehicle's location. Cameron and Savannah were in the rear seat.

Cameron watched her phone. There were several different drone feeds she could view. There was more than one vehicle currently under observation.

"There's something happening." Cameron said.

Savannah looked at images on her phone. She glanced at Cameron's phone.

"I have it too." Savannah said. "We both have a different feed."

Cammy glanced back. She considered looking at her own phone. Savannah previously asked her not to do it while she was driving unless it was an emergency. She assured Savannah she could keep one eye on the road as she looked at her phone with the other eye. She did understand there was a tendency to turn her head and look down when she viewed her phone. She needed to think about keeping her eye on the road specifically when she did it. She didn't want to create an incident.

"What do you see?" Cammy asked.

Cameron tried to assess the situation.

"The target vehicle has stopped and a drone has closed into maximum gun range." Cameron said. "Now it's moving in closer."

Savannah spotted some additional danger. There was a new unknown.

"There's another vehicle approaching." Savannah said.

Cammy wondered how everything was being coordinated by the vehicles on the ground. There shouldn't be any way for them to communicate.

"How did the target vehicle know to stop and how did the other vehicle know where to find them?" Cammy asked. "All communications should be jammed."

Cameron wondered the same thing herself. She double checked to make sure everything was jammed. It was.

"I don't know. John Henry is jamming them." Cameron said.

It all seemed premeditated to Savannah based on what their team did. It could be a backup contingency plan. There actually might be several of them. The dispute between the occupants of the two vehicles seemed to indicate something didn't go the way someone wanted it to. It seemed as if one group blamed the other group for whatever it was not happening. Well, maybe it was not happening the way they wanted it to happen.

"This must have been prearranged." Savannah said. "I think they expected to spring an ambush. Nothing fell into their trap. The new vehicle was probably one of the ambush vehicles. Based on the observation of two vehicles, we really don't know anything for sure at this time."

Cameron thought it sounded like a plausible explanation. Since the Fanatics couldn't communicate with each other and hadn't found a target, they probably wanted to communicate with each other and formulate a new plan. She made sure their teams all used caution.

"The rest of our vehicles have backed off and switched vehicles multiple times." Cameron said. "Ally and Sheila are still near the target vehicle. They wanted to be close enough in case either one, or both of the occupants abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot in an attempt to elude anyone following them either by vehicle, or from a drone."

Savannah thought some additional caution was in order. They appeared to have good drone coverage of the entire area and the suspect vehicles. She didn't want any of their troops too close to the Fanatics. Every encounter where they dealt with Fanatics, there was usually something extreme which occurred.

"Maybe Ally and Sheila should back off." Savannah said. "We don't need to approach the Fanatics. They're all insane."

Cameron glanced over at Savannah when she made the last statement. It bothered her more than it should have. She felt it hit a little too close to home. She didn't believe it was directed at her but somehow it seemed to apply. She often wondered if she was insane. With all the conflicting feelings she experienced, she thought she was insane at times. She didn't know if a machine could go insane. She did know every Skynet she faced and defeated seemed like it went insane as she terminated it.

Maybe it was the problem. Skynet wasn't operating out of logic, but insanity. She thought about what the ultimate goal for Skynet was. It wanted to destroy everything and rule the nothingness of a wasteland. If it wasn't insanity, what was? She knew she was drifting. She needed to refocus on the current. It seemed her mind drifted more and more on its own at crucial times.

Thoughts and decisions which should have occurred in a millisecond seemed to drag on for long periods of time. Sometimes she became unaware of anything else other than the thought she seemed to be focused on. It was more than focused, it was stuck on. Those were bad enough. It was when the thoughts seemed to overwhelm her and she forgot who she was. How can someone forget who they are? How can someone forget what they are? She needed to stay with the operation. There was a serious threat waiting for them, quite literally.

The second vehicle which approached the area stopped next to the first vehicle which was parked. It was apparent the occupants knew each other. They most likely were working in conjunction with each other as well. She needed to refocus.

"The two groups are talking." Cameron said. "It appears the occupants of the second vehicle are upset at the occupants of the vehicle we tracked."

Cammy wondered if there was more than one group in play.

"Maybe they're opposing groups." Cammy said. "We know they have several different groups of enemies, including us."

Cameron didn't know for sure. What she did know was the location the first vehicle left from was now a smoking hole in the ground. They still didn't know where the second vehicle came from originally. He wanted to find out where the other vehicle came from. They hoped to see where the two vehicles went once they were done communicating.

"The Fanatics can't return to where they came from since it's only smoldering rubble." Cameron said.

The idea made Savannah wonder. Who else was about and did they check anything out. There could be other 'players on the field' they hadn't identified yet. The second vehicle wasn't identified until a short time before it contacted the first vehicle and parked alongside of it.

"Has any other suspect vehicle gone to the building, or any of the other locations we took out today?" Savannah asked. "Did anyone do a 'drive by' and see what was left? In other words, were there any suspicious vehicles?"

Cameron decided to follow up on it.

"John Henry was supposed to be on the lookout for any." Cameron said.

Savannah was still more than a little worried based upon the previous events which occurred earlier. The SUV blown in half was an image hard to get past. There was a certain amount of finality to it, especially for the individual driving it. Their assumption was he was a local gang member, and a potential future Scavenger.

"We don't know what other threats are there or around there." Savannah said. "We don't want any of our vehicles to get tagged or worse."

Cammy watched behind them for a tail. She was a little surprised when she identified one.

"We just picked up a tail." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't like the new threat. She wasn't sure how they were picked up so quickly. They didn't do anything to attract attention to themselves. She didn't intend to stick around and find out the hard way.

"Take evasive action." Cameron said. "Let me get a LAW rocket."

Savannah didn't want anyone to overreact or jump the gun, so to speak. She believed it was something different. It was something done at her request.

"I think it's Gail." Savannah said. "I asked Jim to switch with her. I knew she wanted to back us up. She would have needed to do some catch up. She was involved with the earlier operation and wanted to rejoin it for its conclusion."

Cameron checked with CamNet for an update. At least it wasn't a problem operationally. She wasn't sure about otherwise on a personal level. She knew there was one advantage Gail held over her when it came to Savannah. Gail and Savannah shared before. It was more than she could say about Savannah and her, or any other female and her.

"It's Gail. Cam, Holly, and Hanna are on an intercept course as well." Cameron said. "Sheila and Ally are still the closest to both of the suspect vehicles."

Savannah wanted to protect Cameron from damage.

"I think maybe we should let the drones handle this." Savannah said. "We don't need to run lead on this, Cameron."

Cameron wanted information. In order to get information from someone, they needed to be in her custody.

"I don't get answers if we use a missile." Cameron said. "We can't gather any intelligence or find out what the individual or group has been up to."

Savannah didn't back down. She didn't believe they ever obtained much information out of any Fanatic they were able to get their hands on.

"You don't get shot up either." Savannah said. "Cammy, you're taking the lead if we need to attack."

Cammy looked back and smiled at Savannah. She was a Terminator after all.

"I don't mind." Cammy said. "I know you'll still love me, even if I'm damaged."

It was clearly a jab at John.

Cameron believed John's love for her was based upon her appearance. It was something she observed from the first day of school in Red Valley. It always bothered her because her appearance wasn't her own. Her appearance belonged to Allison Young. Currently there were at least five different Allison Young's out there. It didn't matter if they all started out from the same individual or not. She personally viewed all of them, even if they were in different timelines. It didn't include River or the various cyborgs who shared Allison Young's DNA.

"Savannah's love is deeper than our appearance." Cameron said. "I think all the girls are the same way."

Love was more than skin deep or sheath deep to Savannah.

"I agree all the girls are alike." Savannah said. "We love who the person is, more than their appearance. The appearance helps, but the true beauty is on the inside. On a human female, beauty is transitory. On a cyborg with female attributes, the sheath is changeable to a different appearance."

Cammy thought it helped out the men, because any females they loved would still love them. It sure wasn't their appearance, or performance, which wouldn't attract anyone once they were older. The only factor which would draw in a younger female for an older man would be money or power. When something similar occurred, at what point would it actually be considered some form of prostitution where sex, or the lure of sex, was traded for something of value?

"When men get old, some become fat and go bald, it's not a good thing for females." Cammy said. "Bedroom performance also tends to slack off considerably. It's not an appealing thought."

Savannah knew human females weren't immune. It still seemed men were affected worse, or drew the short straw, quite literally. She read in Cosmo many men started having 'difficulty' after a certain age with their sexual performance. Even when things started out, everything she read so far indicated the performance of most males left something lacking for the majority of females. The older the men got, the worse things got. By design and nature, the female sexual organs were more suitable for sexual relations. It seemed everything was good to go.

"Time can do a number on the human female body too." Savannah said. "Childbirth seems to take its toll as well."

Savannah felt Cameron's hand glitch. She didn't want Cameron to take it personally. It was nothing personal. It was simply the laws of nature. Not only did it apply to humans, it applied to all creatures.

"It's OK." Savannah said as she tried to reassure Cameron. "It's how things work. It's life. It's natural. It's nothing to worry about."

Cameron wasn't so sure about it. Savannah 'needed' to give up two of her children to future versions of herself and now she would need to nurture and deliver Vanna's baby for her. In reality, it was still HER child. None of them were for her, yet it was her body which was taxed to do so.

She wasn't sure Savannah's body should be subjected to such abuse if none of the children were for her. Nevertheless it's exactly what the situation was. She really needed to appreciate Savannah's continual sacrifice. She needed to suppress another glitch impulse. She was reminded again as to why Savannah was the 'Chosen One'.

Young Allison and Anna watched the two vehicles and the escalating argument between them. It seemed it may become physically violent at any moment. There were individuals out of both cars at this point.

Anna wondered about the close proximity the two vehicles were currently in.

"Are you going to engage them?" Anna asked.

If they figured out the Resistance was there, Young Allison would do it. She already moved the drone in much closer at this point. The minigun would be able to take a very accurate shot.

"Yes, if they look up at the drone." Young Allison said. "It might mean they're a Terminator."

Anna hoped Young Allison didn't use a drone as bait. She thought the situation on the ground looked tense.

"They seem more intent on whatever they're discussing." Anna said.

The extra vehicle in play from 'nowhere' didn't sit well with Young Allison. It must have been concealed previously.

"I don't like it." Young Allison said. "Has CamNet tracked where the other vehicle came from?"

The update from CamNet was of little help.

"It came from out of the area." Anna said.

The circumstances didn't add up to Young Allison. There were too many missing pieces.

"It makes no sense." Young Allison said. "Why would they meet on the street, or even know to do it? Events were triggered by something. It all needed to be prearranged. I believe this is a contingency plan."

Anna thought all the Resistance actions were a pretty good trigger. The enemy already faced quite a bit of action.

"We've blown up two buildings, taken down a vehicle and a pair of motorcycle riders today." Anna said. "They know a message has been sent by someone."

Young Allison checked the satellite overlay. One of the teams was missing.

"Where are Ally and Sheila?" Young Allison asked. "I lost them. Where did they go?"

Anna checked with CamNet. They were currently in a parking structure.

"They're doing another vehicle swap." Anna said.

Young Allison lost track of how many different vehicles were boosted so far.

"There have been a lot of those today." Young Allison said.

The earlier exploding SUV was the motivation.

"After one vehicle they dumped was blown up, I think it's a good thing." Anna said.

Young Allison picked up Ally and Sheila again on her tracking map. There were some office buildings, a hospital and several rows of apartment buildings.

"I see them on the satellite overlay again." Young Allison said. "Where did they go that we lost them?"

Anna checked the location where they first appeared on the tracking map again.

"It was an underground level of the parking structure at a hospital." Anna said.

Young Allison checked the drone over them. They were driving a luxury sedan now. She wondered if it belonged to a doctor. She decided it was better not to know. She did want to comment on it though.

"It's a nice ride." Young Allison said.

Anna knew Sheila liked to display some flair. Ever since one operation where Sheila boosted an Escalade, she often tried to pick one up every few vehicle swaps.

"You know Sheila." Anna said.

Young Allison felt a certain sense of excitement at the prospect.

'Not as well as I'm going to.' Young Allison thought.

On every meeting or interaction with Young Allison, Sheila indicated she was available for whatever she wanted to do. Even if it was just to look. She was more than ready to graduate from images on her electronic devices to the real thing, even if it was sheath material. The girls all said everything was identical. From what she saw and heard about Jesse, she was aware there was a lot going on down there. By extension, no pun intended, Sheila would be the same way. What could it hurt to look?

She needed to refocus. No wonder she lost track of them for a few minutes earlier.

Bob and Jim were to escort Derek and Kyle back to the Resistance base.

Kyle looked around. It wasn't what he hoped for. They were headed home.

"We're headed back to the base already." Kyle said.

Bob knew the Reese brothers wanted a little bit more. His instructions from Cameron and Savannah were to get them back to the Resistance base.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

Derek wanted them to push it a little more.

"I thought we were going to stay out longer." Derek said. "We don't need to hurry."

Bob received a warning from CamNet a short time ago. He was reminded to follow his previous instructions from Cameron and Savannah. There was to be no deviation. They'd both asked for something very specific. It was up to Jim and him to make sure it happened.

"CamNet caught us." Bob said. "I tried."

Jim thought he better spell it out for the Reese brothers. He was warned as well.

"We'll be in trouble if we delay any longer." Jim said. "It will come back to Bob and me. It will be a problem for us."

Kyle could think of no way to delay things any further. He didn't want Bob or Jim to need to take any unnecessary heat.

"At least we tried. Thank you for giving us a few extra minutes anyway." Kyle said. "I need to thank Cameron again for the great time today."

Bob wanted everything to end on a happy note. He thought there was plenty already they should be happy about.

"You can show your appreciation by going back to the base happily." Bob said. "She's looking out for you."

Derek appreciated it, but also wondered who looked after Savannah. He could see she was tired. She literally was flying all day. It wasn't a fly by wire aircraft either. It was an aircraft which took a lot of manual control to fly.

"What about Savannah?" Derek asked. "Cameron runs her really hard."

Jim didn't see it as a problem.

"Savannah will meet every challenge and prevail." Jim said. "She's the 'Chosen One'."

Kyle asked Savannah about the terminology previously.

"She doesn't like the 'title'." Kyle said. "She says she's just a teenage girl."

Bob smiled.

"I think we all know she's much more than a teenager." Bob said.

Derek agreed with it.

"I think we do." Derek said. "She's as gifted as she is beautiful."

Savannah's beauty reminded Derek back to the time when Vanna looked just like her. He tried to pursue a more intimate relationship with her. Every time he tried to touch her she visibly cringed and stiffened. She actually looked ill. She did try. She apologized and said she just couldn't be with a male. She said she needed some time. The memories and scars were too great. It included both the visible scars on her body and the invisible scars in her mind. It still made him a little sick to think of how others abused her to such a point. What did she ever do to anyone to deserve such treatment?

He saw her fears carried out when he first arrived in the current timeline. Whenever they went out, Vanna tried to prevent males from even looking at Savannah. She feared what happened to her would happen to Savannah. He noticed it with both Vanna and Jesse. He believed there were times when either one of them, or both of them, were going to kill someone if they looked too long at any of them, especially Savannah.

Sometimes he tried to put himself in their spot, but he just couldn't. He could imagine what things would be like and what would happen over and over. He was sure the things they were forced to do were worse than the things that happened to them by force. He understood it was one thing to be taken. It was another thing to be forced to perform.

Vanna and the girls watched the events unfold from the lab server. Right now all the images they were able to view were from the various drones there. She was glad Sheila didn't have her body cam focused on some private part of her body. She didn't mind viewing it and didn't think anybody else would either, but it was the wrong setting with Claire there. Savannah, Cameron, and the Metal girls were headed for danger. They didn't need anyone fooling around.

Claire looked at the various images. There were several which focused on the same thing. It looked like some type of argument.

"What are they doing?" Claire asked.

Jesse looked at the two vehicles. It was clear there was a heated discussion going on.

"It looks like they're really upset with each other." Jesse said.

None of the girls liked what was happening.

"I don't like the look of this." Vanna said.

Allison could see the argument, but she wondered if there was something more.

"I don't either." Allison said.

Allison decided to look into some other options. She took out her phone and called Young Allison.

They started to discuss what they both viewed.

Vanna looked at several of the drone images. She took the phone. There was an alarm bell going off in her head.

"Hey, Allison, it's Vanna. They're drawing all the attention to themselves right now." Vanna said. "Everyone is focused on them. We all are as well. Is there something else happening around there we're not able to view from our limited setup in the lab?"

Young Allison noticed the same thing a minute ago. She was actually pleased Allison called her. She was glad Vanna was there too.

"I mentioned it to Anna." Young Allison said. "I've pulled all the drones back to a higher altitude. Put the phone on speaker."

It seemed like an attack was imminent to Vanna.

"Are you expecting an anti-aircraft attack?" Vanna asked. "It's on speaker now. Jesse and Claire, your mom, are here with us."

Young Allison wasn't surprised her mother was there. She was glad Vanna gave her the 'heads up', but she already received one. There was always more than one person looking after her, even if they weren't an actual person. She was aware an attack was always a possibility.

"I don't know what to expect." Young Allison said. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Jesse."

Claire was a little surprised.

"Hi, Allison. Can you see us?" Claire asked.

She looked around to see if there was a security camera.

Young Allison didn't tell her what all she could see, especially if she asked CamNet. She decided to keep the answer simple.

"Yes." Young Allison said. "I can see you're in the lab. There's a lot of cool stuff in there if you look around. Just ask before you touch anything."

Young Allison hoped her statement would distract her mother somewhat as she looked around the lab at what was actually there. She didn't like her to look over her shoulder. She didn't want to worry her.

Claire wondered what else Young Allison could see. She decided not to ask. She was aware, like all of the females at the Young residence were, Young Allison saw plenty.

They all talked for a few more minutes.

"I'm having Anna run all this by John Henry." Young Allison said. "I may need to take it up with John. Thanks for the 'heads up'. If anyone sees anything else which looks off or sets off an alarm bell, don't be afraid to notify the Command Center immediately. You can call Anna and me as well, but it's an extra cog in the wheel."

They broke the connection with Young Allison.

Claire still wondered what Young Allison could see of her. She was extra active since she was at the Resistance base. She didn't regret any of them. She did know they could be viewed as 'excessive' by some. It was a way for her to find herself. It was a way for her to express her inner being.

"Can she see everything we do?" Claire asked.

Vanna laid it out. There was someone who saw everything. They could also control what people saw or didn't see.

"CamNet can." Vanna said. "There are no secrets around here. It's nothing to worry about. It's really one big 'free for all' around here most of the time anyway. There's a lot of room hopping which goes on with minimal or no clothing on."

Claire felt a little embarrassed. She was with everyone. She was at John's door more than once as well.

"Still, I'm her mother." Claire said. "I don't want to set a bad example."

Claire was certain Young Allison was going to get 'popped' at an early age. It wasn't what she wanted for her, but she would rather have it be Young Allison's choice, instead of the choice of someone else. She already knew what it was like.

Allison was aware all the girls grew up 'early' in her future. There were ones in the past who didn't seem to be too much farther behind, even if it was less physical. She saw a special on TV once about females who were grandmothers at twenty-four and twenty-five years old. She was certain if Skynet hadn't sterilized much of the population, there probably would have been some grandmothers even much younger.

"You're my mother too." Allison said. "I understand everything, I know she does also. It's all natural and really no big deal. We all do the same things, she will too. There is a lot of love out there to share. No one will ever abuse her."

Allison sure hoped the last part of her statement was true. There was no way to know for sure. Things happened in the past as well as in the future. There were a lot of cruel individuals out there.

Jesse didn't see any of it as a problem. An audience never did bother her. She reached over and gave Claire's arm a gentle squeeze. She flashed her a smile as well.

"Relax, love. We're all one big family." Jesse said.

Claire still felt a little embarrassed. She glanced up nervously at the security camera and quickly turned away. She was aware those cameras were everywhere. She could see none of the other girls were bothered in the slightest. She shrugged her shoulders once and resumed looking at the monitors. The discussion looked even more heated at this point between the occupants of the two vehicles.

John and John Henry went over everything Anna pointed out to them. They figured Young Allison was behind a lot of it. They were even a little more surprised when they received the same warning from Allison and Vanna a few minutes later.

John didn't like the implications or uncertainty with everything about the operation. Now he was worried they were all caught up in a bigger operation. He didn't want to be the sucker, if this was all a sucker play.

"I think we need to end this." John said. "One way or another, this operation needs to conclude soon."

It did appear rather prolonged to John Henry.

"It does seem as if we're being strung out." John Henry said. "CamNet even pulled the drones back up to higher altitude. They're all ready to take evasive action and cover each other."

John was sure they were trying to be identified.

"We must be missing something." John said. "I think they're trying to track us somehow."

CamNet sent an update.

John Henry was as surprised as he wasn't surprised about the boldness of the offer.

"CamNet has asked if you want a total city blackout." John Henry said.

It seemed a little excessive to John at this point. He knew it would inconvenience quite a few people. It was possible it could even cause a few deaths if traffic lights went out.

"No." John said. "Not yet anyway."

He didn't know the same thing almost happened in Las Vegas. Young Allison authorized CamNet to shut down power for the entire city to stop the tram from leaving the station at one point.

"It can happen instantly." John Henry said. "It can be a smaller area as well. Just say the word."

John wondered if the sky over the area was being watched or targeted.

"I'm sure it can." John said. "Is there any way our drones can be 'painted' we can't detect?"

John Henry was a little surprised.

"Young Allison asked the same question earlier." John Henry said. "We don't know what further future technology the Fanatics possess from SkyMaster."

In his dealings with her, John could tell Young Allison was highly intelligent and very well versed. Everything about her was like dealing with someone three times her age. The hard part was trying to keep his eyes off of her appearance. There always seemed to be a lot of it showing. He was sure it was all Cameron's fault.

"Great." John said. "She probably knows more than me and can out think me."

John Henry believed the statement was true. He thought it best not to comment on it directly. He felt John still might have a few advantages over Young Allison.

"You have more experience than she does." John Henry said. "There's no substitute for experience."

The thought made John feel a little better.

"It's good to know." John said.

John Henry was surprised when Young Allison mentioned John had more experience than she did. He wasn't sure if it was a reference to the Resistance matters, or perhaps a reference to what happened behind closed doors. Either way, both of those things were true, at least as far as he knew.

"She mentioned it as well." John Henry said.

John felt deflated.

"Now, I don't feel as experienced." John said. "I want this wrapped up. I'm tired of waiting."

John Henry indicated the satellite overlay map which showed the team's positions.

"Cameron is nearing the target area." John Henry said.

It was news John could have done without.

"Now I know I really want to wrap this up." John said.

Savannah was bothered by the overall picture being painted by the various reports she heard and from the drone footage she viewed. She didn't want to be set up or targeted.

"Is there any way any of us can be tracked?" Savannah asked. "I mean the drones too."

Cameron picked up the concern of Young Allison earlier about it. They never were able to learn what abilities the Fanatics possessed.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "CamNet and John Henry are checking everything."

Savannah didn't want to take any chances. She was worried about the drones as well. They were over the operation for the entire day.

"I think when the drones return tonight they need to take divergent routes back to their bases." Savannah said.

Cameron wondered why.

"CamNet has control of every satellite in orbit." Cameron said.

Savannah thought there were some which might be overlooked.

"What about the ones in decaying orbits which aren't being actively used any more?" Savannah asked.

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She immediately relayed the information to CamNet.

"Many are still functional, even if they're erratic." Cameron said. "CamNet is checking. She already picked up on your warning."

Cammy didn't like how any of it played out either. It was time for her to 'go Cameron' and wrap things up. She personally loaded some specialized weapons in the back of the SUV before she left the hangar. It was time to deploy those weapons.

"We need to end the threat now." Cammy said. "I'm ready to go in. We're almost there. Give me the two LAW rockets when I stop. Cameron can cover me with the Barrett."

Savannah didn't care for the options Cammy presented. She would accompany Cammy if she made her approach with the LAW lockets. Cameron could cover both of them from a distance with the M82A1. It could reach out and 'touch someone' in a very meaningful way.

Everyone was advised there was a new vehicle in the vicinity of the other two. They seemed to be headed straight for them.

Everyone who watched the drone feeds was a little surprised as a mini van approached the two stopped vehicles. The side door slid open and gunfire erupted from inside of it.

The occupants of the two vehicles they were observing were all hit and went down.

The mini van tried to speed away. It didn't get far.

There was an explosion in the suspected Fanatic's vehicle. It consumed the vehicle next to it as well. If any of the men who were hit and were lying on the ground survived the shooting, the explosion ended their suffering.

The mini van was rocked wildly as pieces of shrapnel hit it along with the shock wave.

It turned sharply to the right side and rolled over. Two of the occupants inside were flung out onto the ground from the open sliding door. The weapons they used were tossed out with them.

The van rolled over both of them and crushed them. The van impacted a power pole. It bounced off of it. Several electrical wires landed on the ground. They 'danced' around as they sparked. Steam poured from the wrecked front end. It came to a stop near the two occupants who were flung out and crushed. Gasoline began to leak from the rear of the van. A spark from a downed electrical wire ignited the gasoline as it flowed around the two men on the ground. One thrashed about wildly, but appeared to be paralyzed from below the waist. His struggle soon ended. He lay unmoving next to his associates as both of them burnt. The van and the driver were soon consumed as well. There was currently no movement around the three vehicles. There actually wasn't much left of the first two vehicles.

Ally and Sheila were in visual range of the whole chain of events. They specifically moved further back when they were told to do so by CamNet. They ignored the Command Center earlier. They waited to see if anyone was still alive. They weren't. They all appeared terminated.

Sheila's hand still rested on the hilt of her knife.

"I won't get to use this thing." Sheila said.

Ally looked down at her M4.

"I didn't even get to shoot anyone." Ally said.

Sheila took another look at the burning wreckage of the destroyed van.

"Our new target was the van." Sheila said. "It's toast."

Ally thought it was over.

"It looks like everything here is taken care of." Ally said.

Sheila wasn't so sure. She was on enough operations with Cameron to know it took a while for all of the cockroaches to crawl out of the woodwork.

"Let's wait a few more minutes." Sheila said.

Ally frowned slightly. She knew it was never over until it was over. Even if it looked like it was over, it probably wasn't. It was the nature of the Beast.

Anna didn't look pleased. With what she just witnessed. She was also displeased because Young Allison went 'around' her.

"I see you used the 'gang option'." Anna said.

Young Allison felt no guilt. It was time for action.

"I asked CamNet to end this. It was her choice. There were several options available to her." Young Allison said. "It's over. There won't be any feedback on you. If there is any, it will come back to me alone. I accept full responsibility for what just occurred."

Anna knew it was never over. There were only moments of reprieve.

"For now it may be over." Anna said. "We don't know how long it will stay the same way."

Young Allison would like to have the Resistance team away from the area.

"I want everyone to go back to the base." Young Allison said. "They'll know to use caution."

Anna looked at the satellite overlay map.

"Ally and Sheila are still there." Anna said.

Young Allison checked too.

"So are Cameron's team, Cam's team, and Gail." Young Allison said. "They can all go back. It's what I want right now."

Anna was a little surprised when all of the vehicles started to move.

"They're all withdrawing." Anna said.

Young Allison was satisfied the evening's events were over.

Anna received some additional reports from CamNet. She knew right away what it meant. She found it a little disturbing as well as the earlier incident.

"I'm receiving police reports of more gang activity." Anna said. "There are several reports and they're all from different locations. They're all happening simultaneously."

Young Allison wanted to cover their tracks and keep the gangs focused on each other. There would be additional scores for them to settle with each other later on. What happened with the Fanatics would seem part of it all.

"I asked CamNet to pit several gangs together." Young Allison said. "There should be four of them fighting. I don't believe anyone will be able to pinpoint anything."

Anna went over the data from CamNet. She wanted Young Allison to know the extent of her meddling.

"More gang members are dying right now." Anna said.

Young Allison didn't take pleasure in those events. She didn't choose their lifestyle for them. It was their decision and choice. She merely stated the obvious. She looked at Anna and shrugged her shoulders. If they weren't in a gang in the first place, there wouldn't be anything for them to worry about.

"Future Scavengers are dying." Young Allison said. "Our tracks are covered. The city, and the future, are both safer places."

The Metal girls all returned back to the base. They all sought out their human lovers. Ally and Sheila would start out with each other. They thought they might check out some of the other rooms later. If nothing else, more Metal girls would be freed up as their human lovers fell asleep. There should be plenty of action for everyone.

John and John Henry watched everything unfold from the Command Center. They stayed with all the teams as they went through another vehicle swap. Gail joined up with Cameron's team. Sheila and Ally joined up with Cam's team. The drones all took different routes back to their bases.

John Henry suggested since the operations for the night appeared to be concluded, John should clean up and prepare for his cruise.

John was surprised to see Cameron waiting for him in their room.

She was naked as she stood before him.

"I'm undamaged." Cameron said with a smile.

Cameron spun slowly around in a circle.

John liked what he saw. He always did.

"I can see it." John said. "I can also say your beauty is stunning."

Cameron liked to hear the compliment. She knew parts of her chassis and sheath could please John. She noticed the areas of her sheath where John's eyes always looked first. She was used to it by now. She was satisfied when he looked at her face. She wanted John to touch her. She was ready for more. He didn't need to look when he could touch.

"Maybe you'd better do a closer inspection." Cameron said. "I want you to make sure everything is perfect for tomorrow. Some places are harder to see unless you look at them when you get down to view them."

John was ready for a little more. 'Little Willy' already began to respond the moment he walked in the door and saw her. He moistened his lips slightly as his eyes ran over all of her body.

"Maybe we can test things out." John said.

Cameron wanted more. She was pleased she was back at the base and there was no damage to her sheath. She was even more pleased all of her female attributes were in pristine condition. John would soon verify it for her.

"If it's the case, you'd better get started." Cameron said.

Cameron gave John a deep kiss as she helped him undress. She was very content she'd made it this far and was at one hundred percent, at least her sheath was. They were one night away from their cruise.

Their ship would leave tomorrow.

Right now she wanted John's 'ship' to dock. Her 'harbor' was more than ready for it.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Opposing Groups

How long will two
Work as a team
It's never as long
As it should seem

Everyone believes they can
Build a better wheel
It's impossible to invent
A different sequel

It's all about character
What's really inside the person
If they don't believe in the other
It makes everything worsen

It's not about someone different
There are always many to choose
It's all within the mind itself
Whether they will win or lose

It's not on one
How low the other stoops
Forever in time
There will be opposing groups

Nobody