Chapter 1228
Hear Me
Anna and Young Allison followed the developing operation from the Young bunker. There were actually two situations. One involved Cam and the rogue trucker. The other involved the individual walking along the railroad tracks who appeared to leave the vicinity of the old newspaper plant.
A small recreational type drone was detected tracking the suspected Gray or Fanatic who walked along the railroad tracks. They didn't know if it belonged to the group he was with, or to another group who was tracking him.
Young Allison wanted action. She didn't like the outside interference.
"Bring it down." Young Allison said.
Anna was a little surprised at the immediate response.
"CamNet is confirming a missile launch." Anna said.
Young Allison was caught off guard. She quickly looked over at Anna.
"What?" Young Allison asked.
Young Allison was worried about what she may have just done.
Anna needed clarification.
"CamNet wants to confirm you want a missile launch." Anna said.
It wasn't what Young Allison wanted. She was glad there wasn't an immediate response. She knew, only a short time ago, Savannah asked for all missile launches to receive confirmation unless it was an emergency. She wanted to make herself clear as to what she wanted to happen. She didn't want the operation to get ahead of itself.
"NO! Belay a missile launch." Young Allison said. "This will be our chance to test our theory about fired projectiles falling at terminal velocity when they are fired from fifty thousand feet. The target is moving at a set speed and all the other factors need to be accounted for."
Young Allison knew the Coriolis effect needed to be considered. It was the rotation of the earth itself from the time the projectiles were fired until they would strike their target. The projectiles would also lose velocity from the time they were fired until gravity took over for the remainder of their journey. They would be traveling much slower when they found the target than when they left the weapon.
The fire mission would need to have all of the variables figured from different altitudes in order to get an accurate shot. Right now the drone was at fifty thousand feet. It was nearly ten miles high in altitude.
Anna received immediate confirmation. CamNet acted and the target was engaged.
"CamNet has fired at the drone." Anna said. "It will take a few seconds. The projectiles need to travel nearly ten miles. The final part of their journey will be a terminal velocity."
Young Allison liked the quick response.
"How many rounds were fired?" Young Allison asked.
They watched a zoomed in image of the small drone.
"Twenty five rounds were fired." Anna said. "It was a quarter of a second burst from the minigun."
The small drone suddenly all but disappeared as it was hit with multiple projectiles.
Young Allison was thrilled to see her theory worked.
"I bet it was very quiet." Young Allison said.
Anna did the calculations.
"The only sound would have been the projectiles striking the target and then the ground. It was almost completely silent." Anna said. "They were simply 'falling' from the sky at this point."
Young Allison was pleased they could test the theory on something non organic. She wouldn't have wanted an animal to be selected for the test. She still needed to wonder what its effects would be on the deadliest animal of them all, a human.
"Well, at least we know it's feasible to hit a moving target from high altitude with some accuracy. It's basically 'falling' projectiles." Young Allison said. "I think it will give some meaning to the term the 'sky is falling'."
Anna confirmed the impact pattern on the ground.
"The dispersal pattern was about the size anticipated." Anna said.
Young Allison wondered if the projectiles falling at 'terminal velocity' could actually kill someone. It seemed most likely to her some of the projectiles wouldn't be pointed downward. She didn't think the direction the projectile was pointed would make too much difference when they begin to impact an individual.
"I think a longer burst or two bursts, one after another, would be needed to at least incapacitate a human." Young Allison said. "It would also stand a good chance of killing them if they were struck enough times, even with the projectiles slowed to 'terminal velocity'."
Anna was unsure as to what would happen since there was no guaranteed accuracy with the unorthodox method of projectile delivery. The rounds could 'keyhole' or be backwards at the moment of impact since they were only 'falling' by then. She figured there was one way to find out. They might as well test the theory now.
"They would most likely be injured in some way." Anna said. "Do you want CamNet to fire on the Gray about to leave the railroad tracks? We will be able to test the effects. We would still be close enough to intercept them if they were only injured. I'm sure Cammy would make sure they weren't just injured for very long."
Young Allison wanted more input from Savannah and Cammy about it. She also wanted to prevent a missile strike at this time. What she thought was about to happen a short time ago, still bothered her.
"Not yet." Young Allison said. "I don't want a missile strike right now either unless there's an immediate threat to any of the team."
Anna pointed out there was a possible second 'threat'. Two drones were initially detected.
"What about the second small drone?" Anna asked.
Young Allison doubted it was related.
"Where's it at specifically?" Young Allison asked.
Anna indicated the position on a satellite map.
"It is near some houses outside of the immediate target area." Anna said. "It's a few miles away."
Young Allison wanted to know what it was transmitting, if anything.
"Can CamNet tap into the imagery feed?" Young Allison asked.
Anna received confirmation of what was being transmitted. It came with a warning from CamNet.
"It may not be appropriate for your viewing." Anna said.
Young Allison figured she saw just about everything already on the internet. She thought she was well acclimated to every type of sex act and perversion there was. It included every type of relationship, including multiple partners simultaneously.
"I'm a big girl now. You know what I look at on the internet. I'm sure everyone does." Young Allison said. "Is it worse than any of it?"
Anna thought it was actually less revealing.
"No." Anna said. "It's two people involved in a live sex act."
Young Allison was still curious. She wondered where they were at and why they were out in the open somewhere. Maybe they were by a pool in a backyard. What she witnessed online, and read about on multiple forms, she knew it wasn't going to last very long if it was a traditional relationship.
"Let me see it." Young Allison said. "Who are they?"
Anna warned her it was different from what was usual for her to view. She was aware ninety six percent of everything Young Allison looked at involved only females.
"It's a male and female." Anna said. "It's not what you normally view."
Young Allison watched for a few seconds. It made her think of the stories from Vanna and Allison. It was something she knew she would need to try, even if it wasn't her desire. It was her duty to help protect John Connor. She would do what was required to protect him from assassination by the anti-Metal faction.
She still wanted to try and at least once just to see what it was like. She hoped to be with Savannah before she did. She wanted to have something to compare it to. She knew people did it all the time. It really didn't seem like it would be a big deal. She did wonder if all of the females understood exactly how they got pregnant with all the debate over the abortion issue. It really made her wonder what they taught in schools anymore.
"I don't care for it." Young Allison said. "It looks like an 'attack' on the female body more than it does pleasure. I know for a fact the majority of the time there is not a successful finish for the female. I've read thousands of accounts of other females. Some of them even go as far as to 'fake it' for the benefit of the individual who just derived pleasure from their body. If something of such a nature isn't considered unfair, I don't know what is."
Anna believed Young Allison would need to try it voluntarily before she formulated an opinion. She didn't want to get into the discussion now. She wanted to move the operation along.
"Do you want it brought down too?" Anna asked.
Young Allison would allow CamNet to do what she wanted with the other small done.
"It seems like a low priority. Have CamNet use it for target practice once it's over a big empty area." Young Allison said. "Have her watch out for pets. Try and use fewer rounds this time, maybe half as many or less. She can try it with one or two rounds at a time and work up to see what will be effective. She can do it when the target is actually moving. I want to stick with Cammy and Savannah for now."
Young Allison didn't care for the distraction with the small drones. She wanted to stick to protecting the team.
John and Cameron were alone in Ensenada at this point. The rest of the team was elsewhere. Dan and Frank were sent ahead of them because John wanted to be alone with Cameron. He didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation based upon the nature of it. Part of it revolved around Cameron's intended use of the other Metal girls' chassis. He didn't have a problem with it as long as everyone else was on board with it without any coercion. The thought of fun and games quickly came to an end.
Cameron noticed they picked up a tail when they went down one of the smaller side streets. It appeared the tail was closing and a confrontation was about to occur. It would most likely start out as a robbery. Once the attackers got a good look at Cameron, it could turn into abuse. It's probably how things would go down if they were a standard couple and one of them wasn't a cyborg designed to terminate humans.
John didn't think it was as big of a threat since the attackers didn't have a clue they were about to encounter a Terminator. He really didn't want any witnesses if Cameron needed to bust them up. It was what he wanted her to stop with and not terminate them.
"We need to lead them to a more secluded place." John said. "Maybe you only need to teach them a lesson."
Cameron was displeased she was out of communication with the others.
"I've lost communication with everyone." Cameron said.
John could see the sudden layer of complexity added to everything. Perhaps things just took a more serious note. He hoped it wasn't a Skynet jamming field. He knew he made a mistake to send Dan and Frank ahead.
John didn't want Cameron to feel shackled or restrained in her actions. He previously asked her not to use lethal force when he thought it was just a robbery. Now they lost communication with everyone else. What were the chances of it occurring right now? It could be something Skynet related after all. Maybe they were detected getting on the ship after all and a reception committee was sent to their first port of call to terminate them. It was time for the gloves to come off.
"We're armed." John said. "Use whatever force you think is necessary."
Cameron planned to use her chassis as armor for John.
"When I face them, I need you to stay behind me." Cameron said. "Do you hear me?"
John didn't want to cause a bigger problem for Cameron. He didn't want to use Cameron for cover, but he understood what she wanted.
"I hear you." John said.
Cameron wanted a more secluded location. She spotted one off to the side. It would get them off of the street anyway.
"They're closing." Cameron said. "Get ready."
Cameron led them down a dirt alley. It was strewn with debris and puddles of murky water. A rat scurried away from a bag of something previously discarded.
John was in front of Cameron. He didn't want to look behind him.
"Are they still following us?" John asked.
Cameron stole a quick glance.
"I don't see them yet." Cameron said.
John wondered if they overreacted. He was glad he hadn't taken any aggressive action.
"Maybe it was nothing." John said.
Cameron thought otherwise.
"It was something." Cameron said.
John looked at his phone. It look like more bad news
"What about your phone?" John asked. "Mine doesn't have a signal."
Cameron checked her phone again. She already looked at it several times. She knew in quasi third world countries cell signals were few and far between. It wasn't her biggest worry.
"Neither does mine." Cameron said. "My com should work. I'm not receiving anything on it."
John wondered if it was malfunctioning. It was possible there was still some limited function.
"Maybe it's broadcasting but not receiving." John said. "Send out a call for assistance. Dan and Frank have to be around here. They're most likely looking for us. I shouldn't have sent them ahead."
Cameron planned to send an audio signal if necessary. She used it before several times. It proved beneficial on several different occasions when it was used.
"I'll fire my M9 in my pattern of shots if I need to." Cameron said. "I'll do it into the perpetrators if I need to use it. The rest of the team can help with the clean up."
It wasn't what John wanted to hear. He knew his security was all Cameron would consider. She was going to protect him and end the threat her way.
Cameron sent out a detailed description of where they were at. She hoped it was picked up, even if she couldn't hear anything in return. There was still no signal on her phone either.
She stole another glance behind her. There was no sign of the perpetrators. She wasn't going to take any chances. She wanted to find better protection for John if the threat resurfaced. It would all happen in the next few seconds. She spotted what looked like potential cover just up ahead of them. It would give John some protection from bullets.
Cameron moved John between the rusted hulk of a car and a dilapidated shed type building. It appeared it would collapse soon.
"You'll remain here while I engage the threat." Cameron said. "If you hear gunfire, I need you to lay flat on the ground. Don't try to look or move forward."
John looked at the ground between the old vehicle and the collapsing shed. The ground looked soft and muddy in a few places. He didn't think it rained much in Ensenada. He really didn't know. He also considered the prospect it could be waste products from animals or other humans as well. It was a secluded spot. He needed to push those thoughts from his mind right now.
He wondered if Cameron would attempt to communicate with the perpetrators.
"How's your Spanish?" John asked.
Cameron used her linguistic skills on several operations. The last time she needed to communicate with perpetrators from south of the border was when she wore her blue dress and was followed from a nightclub. She also needed to pull John out of a scrape later on after she dealt with the potential abusers. She smiled to herself as she remembered how the leader of the thugs referred to her as 'Diablo con un vestido azul puesto' - 'Devil With A Blue Dress On.'
"I can speak perfect Castilian." Cameron said.
The terminology was confusing to John.
"What's that?" John asked.
Cameron quickly explained.
"Castilian is the unadulterated version of what you know as 'Spanish'." Cameron said. "North American 'Spanish' is a little different from South American or European 'Spanish'. I learned it from dealing with the Cartel."
Cameron's statement made John wonder about those operations. They were CamNet based endeavors outside the scope of the Resistance's field of operations. He knew it was done along with the operations against the Syndicate.
"I'm sure it's worked out better for you than it has for them." John said.
Cameron glanced quickly at John. She didn't want to get into it right now. Young Allison was the one who proposed and pushed the operation repeatedly. It appeared it wasn't something she was going to let go of either. She knew Young Allison was responsible for thousands of deaths associated with it. If it ever became an issue, she would take the heat for it. In the meantime, CamNet was able to take billions of dollars from both the Cartel and the Syndicate. She decided to keep her answer simple.
"It has." Cameron said.
John wanted to peek out from his place of seclusion. He started to move so he could look around the rusted car.
"Do you see them yet?" John asked.
Cameron didn't want John to expose himself. She motioned for John to get down.
"No. I don't see them." Cameron said. "Stay where you are."
Cameron thought drone support would be nice now. Without any way for her to communicate with them, they would be useless for her to control.
John felt Cameron overreacted earlier. She saw a couple of guys walking down the street and blew everything out of proportion. He was glad she hadn't shot at them or killed them.
"Maybe it was nothing." John said.
Cameron thought it was worse than what it may have actually first appeared. There might be others coming, or they may try a flanking maneuver. If the perpetrators contacted others to assist them, to abuse her was the most likely scenario. She would have liked John to be a little more supportive. She dealt with plenty of future Scavengers in the present.
"You already said that." Cameron said. "They may have gone for reinforcements."
John was worried about the total loss of all communications. He tried to put it all together. Since nothing happened, none of it made any sense.
"This can't possibly be Skynet related." John said.
Cameron figured the assailants for street punks. The extent of their criminal intent would determine their fate.
"It most likely isn't." Cameron said. "I have plenty of experience dealing with these types of people in our area. It seems those involved in criminal activity tend to follow the same type of behavior and actions."
Ally and Sheila were usually with Cameron on those missions. They mainly concentrated on drug operations and human trafficking. Sex trafficking operations had priority when it came to cleaning them out.
John would have preferred for Cameron to stick with Resistance related operations. He understood the problems Scavengers posed in the future, especially the alternate future. He shook his head in disgust when he remembered he 'created' the alternate future. Now he thought about Vanna, Allison, and Jesse. It also made him think about the Terminator versions of all three of them. Two of them usually accompanied Cameron.
"You normally have help." John said.
It was often not the case. Cameron didn't want to get into it now either. There were plenty of operations she conducted on her own. Those included operations for the Resistance and her 'off the books' adventures.
"Sometimes I do." Cameron said. "Not always."
John never liked Cameron to operate alone.
"You should always have help." John said. "I can go with you."
Cameron thought John going with her was about the last thing she needed when she was on an operation. She would need to worry about his safety and not be able to do her job. She thought she heard something. She tilted her head slightly. She did.
"I hear a vehicle circling the area." Cameron said.
It didn't sound like good news to John. He wanted to face the enemy, not hide.
"Maybe they don't know where we are." John said. "I think we should go back out. If we see them again, we can deal with them. I don't like hiding."
Cameron tried to put it in a better perspective for John.
"Think of where you're at right now as setting up an ambush." Cameron said. "In reality, it's exactly how it works. We're here now and we're waiting for the enemy to walk right up to us. Whatever they think is going to happen, is not what is going to happen."
John saw it differently. Hiding was hiding to him. If he wasn't there, he would bet Cameron would have taken down the perpetrators already. He was sure she wouldn't hesitate to do it on a main street either. He was sure she would probably start to select other targets, even if they hadn't done anything yet.
"It still seems like hiding." John said. "If I wasn't here, you would have already acted."
Cameron would have ended the threat if she was alone. The only reason she hadn't acted was because she needed to think of John's safety. Whenever John was out in the field during an operation, she needed to divert most of the help to watch over him to make sure he was protected. Right now she was alone with him. It did change how she operated.
"No. You're not hiding." Cameron said. "I would have confronted the targets as soon as they were identified and taken them down. Non Skynet related targets are very easy to take down. They don't know what a Terminator is. They're unable to comprehend what is happening, even as it is happening."
John contemplated how isolated they actually were. He wondered if the team could even track them. It didn't seem any of their electronics currently functioned.
"Will our GPS locations still show up on Jim or John Henry's satellite overlay maps?" John asked.
Cameron didn't know the root of the problem. It still didn't seem like Skynet activity. Nothing could be ruled out until they learned more.
"I don't know." Cameron said. "They should, they may be blocked. Maybe it is just my com which isn't functioning properly. I don't know."
John knew it was their phones too. It still made him wonder about a Skynet jamming field. He could hear an engine running. He doubted it was a good development. He wasn't exactly sure where it was at.
"I can hear the vehicle now." John said.
Cameron issued a warning. The vehicle sounded like it was directly across from them on the next street over.
"It would appear things may go hot soon." Cameron said.
John worried about Cameron.
"Cameron, be careful." John said.
Cameron made a decision. She didn't want their vacation to be ruined. She didn't plan to stay out of sight for the remainder of the cruise if anything happened to her sheath. She wanted John to know ahead of time what was going to happen.
"I may be damaged." Cameron said. "I'll ask Sheila to allow me the use of her chassis for the rest of the cruise if I am."
John didn't want Cameron damaged, if she was, he was open to the swap.
"Do you mean with just your chip in her chassis?" John asked.
Cameron didn't think the transition would be hard for John. He already 'broke in' Sheila's chassis earlier with her in control of it.
"Yes." Cameron said. "It will still be me. Nothing will be different other than the sheath appearance. You'll still be able to make love to me. It will be like before, without the tether. You can examine everything in detail like you did multiple times earlier."
John didn't want Cameron to worry about it. He understood how everything worked. He really didn't know why he was hesitant in the past to accept it. He wondered if he may have looked at certain things a few more times and he should have. He just wanted to see them close up.
"I know, I know." John said. "You're your program, not your chassis or sheath. I was able to experience it."
Cameron and John spoke of it earlier. She wanted to refresh his thoughts. She also wanted to deflect his mind away from the current situation. She could see he was very nervous about what might occur. It was time to guide his mind elsewhere.
"Was it much different for you?" Cameron asked.
John knew there wasn't any doubt the experience was different. He wondered if Sheila was in control at times because the experience was different from when Cameron normally reset her program for her 'first time'. She always wanted her 'wedding night' again and to be able to relive the experience as if it was for the 'first time'. She told him she was always in control. He still wondered if maybe Sheila was able to give some feedback since she could experience everything Cameron did in real time.
"Yes." John said. "Everything was a little different."
Cameron reviewed John's extreme excitement. It was much more than when he was with her on their 'wedding night'.
"I could tell you were very excited." Cameron said.
John thought Cameron was too. He thought she was excited enough to have an influence on what she did as she relived her 'wedding night'.
"You seemed to be as well." John said.
Cameron was pleased she was a virgin in Sheila's chassis. She wanted to be for John. She didn't think she was with her chassis. She was sure Future John claimed it from her. There were worse thoughts too….
"I was." Cameron said. "It was a superior experience for me. I was finally able to be a virgin on my 'wedding night'."
John didn't want to dwell on the issue. He felt everything was basically a technical term.
"Was it really different?" John asked. "Was there much of a difference?"
It was just different for Cameron. Even the sensations were slightly different. She thought it also was in the way John touched her. He seemed to concentrate a lot on the rings on her sheath, as well as what they were attached to.
"It was different." Cameron said. "Was it different for you?"
John thought everything was different in detail. Nothing was the same between Cameron's sheath and Sheila's sheath as far as feel, texture, pigmentation, and size went. He'd looked at plenty of pictures on the internet over the years. He looked forward to Cameron borrowing some of the other Metal girls' chassis. He knew everything would be just as different on all of them. Well, Ally would be identical. It was something he would like to confirm. He would especially like to compare it to the real thing with Allison or Young Allison.
"It was." John said. "It was a very beautiful experience."
Cameron thought John possessed some additional insight.
"You have several 'experiences' to compare now." Cameron said.
Cameron didn't mean it as a dig. It sounded like one.
John didn't want to go there. He didn't want Cameron to start fixating on events which were long done. Future Riley was dead. He thought they should let sleeping dogs lie.
"I'd rather not get into old news." John said.
Cameron pointed out not everyone was a machine.
"She was 'real'." Cameron said. "Nothing could have been the same. Everything would have been different."
John thought Cameron was trying to get his mind off what was happening right now.
"I guess it was." John said. "Why are you trying to distract me now?"
Cameron came right to the point.
"I wanted to ease your mind before the shooting starts." Cameron said.
John tried to look around but was blocked by the old car and collapsing shed.
"Do you see them?" John asked.
Cameron spotted the original assailants. She didn't think they were her only problem.
"Yes." Cameron said.
There was a noise behind them now.
John jumped a little.
"Did you hear that?" John asked.
John looked behind him past the rusted car and collapsing shed.
Cameron was pretty sure she would end up using Sheila's chassis at this point. There were clearly multiple targets now.
"Yes." Cameron whispered. "It sounds like we're being surrounded."
John felt the time for being a spectator was over. He was going to need to join the fight whether Cameron liked it or not. He pulled out his M9.
"I'll cover the backside." John whispered.
Cameron was ready.
"I'll cover everything else." Cameron whispered. "Get ready."
There was some more rustling noise.
"They're almost here." John whispered.
There was more noise from several directions. They were clearly surrounded at this point.
"Here they come…." Cameron whispered.
Maybe this was something more elaborate than a couple of 'local boys'. It sure seemed like it. She quickly checked her equipment none of her communications gear functioned either.
Cammy informed Savannah what CamNet did regarding the small drone. It was a new tactic as well as a novel approach.
"There was a small drone tracking the Gray." Cammy said. "Young Allison asked CamNet to bring it down with a new technique."
Cammy explained the process.
The procedure sounded complicated and risky to Savannah. She wanted to verify some of the details.
"So even the rotation of the earth needed to be calculated?" Savannah asked.
Cammy wondered if it would work with any accuracy herself.
"Yes." Cammy said. "There was also a change in velocity of the projectiles. I wasn't sure how effective it would be."
Savannah reviewed the image of the small drone being hit.
"It seemed pretty effective to me." Savannah said. "I could see the drone was hit multiple times. It was a moving target. The drone which fired its minigun is up ten miles in the air. I think it may have potential going forward. It was silent as well."
Cammy was willing to take it one step further. Since it was established the technique could work, maybe it was time to up the game. She didn't want to let the Gray walking along the railroad tracks get away from them.
"Do you want this tactic used on the Gray?" Cammy asked. "I know he's going to go over the fence as soon as he is across from it. He could end up in a location where we may need to use a missile. The new technique can be employed now and end the problem as well as the threat."
Savannah was sure the man was a Gray at this point. There was also the possibility he was a Fanatic. She knew he might blow himself up if they approached him to take him into custody. It would be a threat to any Terminator who was assigned the task. She knew Cammy would volunteer.
"As soon as he goes over the fence, hit him." Savannah said. "It will be easier for us to collect him later on. He'll be out of sight from the tracks. The Coast Starlight will be along soon. There may be some local rail traffic before then."
Cammy verified the fire mission and location.
"CamNet has accepted the fire mission." Cammy said.
Savannah didn't want anyone to take any chances with the unknown group. She wanted to prevent any of their Terminators from coming into direct contact with the Fanatics.
"If this guy blows up when he is hit, it means he's a Fanatic." Savannah said. "I want the building he conversed with hit with a missile the same way we did before."
Cammy could see Savannah was tired of fooling with the group. She would actually like to question some of them and get some answers. She decided not to mention it to Savannah. She went over the fire control mission with CamNet.
"CamNet will do a short burn on the missile and let it drop like a bomb." Cammy said. "CamNet has already reported a 'natural gas leak' in the area. The first reports have been made to appear to have started several hours ago."
Savannah felt there were still a few loose ends. It left the question as to where the small drone came from and who was controlling it. It was most likely a second group from the future.
"Did John Henry or CamNet come up with a triangulation on who was operating the drone?" Savannah asked.
CamNet identified a target. It was about to be dealt with.
"Yes they did. There's a probable target." Cammy said. "Steve and Tom are moving to the location now."
Savannah was worried by not knowing which group was actually the Fanatics.
"Tell them to hold until we see what happens with the Gray." Savannah said. "The people with the drone may be the Fanatics. Steve and Tom will be in danger if they approach them."
Cammy was given a more specific location.
"They've been identified as being in a van parked in the next industrial tract over from where we are." Cammy said. "Most of those businesses are closed."
Savannah wanted to know how all these groups were tied together other than what happened at the old newspaper plant.
"They have to have some link to know what happened at the old newspaper plant." Savannah said. "They needed to know something to watch it and each other in the first place."
Cammy received a request from CamNet.
"CamNet has requested permission to strike the van." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to wait, but she also didn't want to take chances.
"Let's see what happens with the Gray." Savannah said. "If he blows up, he's a Fanatic, and the other group is most likely Grays. If the van poses any kind of a threat it can be engaged at any point."
Cammy delivered more bad news. Not only were there three separate groups they needed to deal with, there were also various groups of Grays. The same thing could apply to the Fanatics and the anti-Metal faction. They didn't know how many futures they were dealing with.
"There could be more than one group of Fanatics at this point." Cammy said.
There was no way to know who the players were.
"I don't know." Savannah said. "We don't have enough information on any of it."
Cammy saw the man was about to make his move.
"Get ready." Cammy said. "He is looking over towards the fence."
Cammy and Savannah both intently looked at their phones. They were about to see what happened to a human when they were hit by multiple projectiles falling at terminal velocity. Maybe they would live up to their name and be terminal. Maybe it would only be like 'metal hail'. Maybe the 'metal hail' would be terminal.
Young Allison could see the area was about to become critical. There were a few things she wanted to change.
"Cammy and Savannah have been sitting too long." Young Allison said. "They're getting target fixation."
Anna thought things were about to be resolved.
"Everything is about to happen." Anna said.
Young Allison just didn't like it. When people thought they knew what was going to happen, they became less aware. The reason was because they thought they knew what was going to happen. They became careless.
"That's when they need to be most aware." Young Allison said.
Young Allison and Anna checked all the drone feeds. CamNet or John Henry hadn't detected anything unusual.
"Nothing stands out as a threat." Anna said.
Young Allison saw the move as pointless by the man walking along the tracks.
"There's nothing on the other side of the fence." Young Allison said. "It serves no purpose to go that way. Is there a hidden motorcycle or something?"
Anna went over the drone images. Nothing was conclusive.
"It can't be identified visually if there's anything hidden in the bushes." Anna said. "The drones are beyond other imagery spectrums at their current altitude."
Everything still seemed off to Young Allison.
"I don't like it." Young Allison said.
Anna figured Young Allison was going to like the new report even less.
"John Henry has reported there is a train approaching." Anna said.
Young Allison wondered why it wasn't stopped earlier.
"Give it a red light." Young Allison said. "Which direction is it coming from?"
Anna knew it was close.
"It's coming from behind the Gray." Anna said. "It will pass by Cammy and Savannah."
Young Allison wanted to know the type of train. It could be either a passenger train or a freight train. She hoped it was one over the other.
"Is it the local freight train?" Young Allison asked.
Anna knew a passenger train could stop in a much shorter distance than a freight train could. Not only were they much shorter, they also had better braking capabilities. She quickly verified all of the data.
"CamNet informed me it is the 'Surfliner'." Anna said. "It's a local passenger train. It makes all of the station stops. They would end up stopping next to the old newspaper plant at this point if they're given a 'hard' red light."
Young Allison wanted the train out of the danger zone.
"Let it pass." Young Allison said. "We don't want a bunch of passengers sitting next to any of this stuff. We don't know what the Gray or Fanatic did there yet."
Anna wondered if there was a new ploy about to be sprung. There was another possibility as to what the individual could actually be.
"What if the Gray tries to board the train while it is moving?" Anna asked. "They could be a Terminator."
Young Allison wanted the passengers out of there.
"Can CamNet speed the train up?" Young Allison asked.
CamNet pointed out a problem. Anna quickly understood there were multiple things to take into account.
"The crew may put it into emergency braking if they think it's a runaway." Anna said. "They have manual override capability. It is a physical act which can't be undone once the 'air is dumped'. The train will have no choice but to stop if it goes into emergency braking. It's how the brakes are designed as a fail safe."
Young Allison didn't like all the variables. It was time to act. She was going to take some action.
"Get ready to fire a 'metal hail' burst at the Gray." Young Allison said.
Anna knew Savannah wanted to wait.
"You don't want to wait for them to go over the wall?" Anna asked.
Young Allison wanted some decisive action before the train was by the man. The possibility the man was a Terminator added a new negative dimension. She didn't want a Terminator on a train full of passengers.
"We don't know what they're going to do." Young Allison said. "How far off is the train?"
Anna could see it was going to be close.
"It's rapidly closing." Anna said.
They were out of time and options.
The female Fanatic wanted to get out of the room. She ran towards the door. As she started to reach for the door handle, the door began to open. She was trapped. She looked back towards the bed with the rope on the ends of it. She didn't want to end up there. She quickly moved behind the door.
A Gray walked into the room.
"Do this. Do that." The Gray muttered. "What we need around here is some fresh meat. I could knock one off right now."
The female Fanatic felt the bile rise in her throat. It wasn't going to be her. She sprang into action. Even before the door could close, she made her move. She lunged at the Gray from behind with her knife. She stabbed him in the back. She hoped to hit his kidney or liver. She knew it would take him down faster if she did.
The man let out a scream as the knife sunk into his back. He reflexively tried to move away from where the pain came from. He fell to his knees as his left hand came around to touch his back. His right hand supported him from collapsing all of the way to the floor.
She lifted her right foot and slammed it into his rear end.
The man collapsed completely to the floor. He rolled over onto his back. He was hurt severely but he wasn't dead yet. He reached for something in his belt.
The female Fanatic thought he was reaching for a gun. She knew she needed to act quickly or she was going to be shot. She jumped on top of the man and both of her knees landed on his chest. It pinned his arm and knocked the breath out of him. She plunged the knife into his neck.
There was a clattering metallic sound as both of the man's hands came up to his neck. A gurgling red froth soon came out of his mouth. She stood and kicked him hard in the side of the head. He moaned slightly. She lifted her foot and kicked even harder. The man stopped moving. The blood continued to flow and spray from his neck. She looked around next to his body to see what the metallic sound was. She hoped it was a gun. What she feared earlier is what she desired now.
Hank and Larry could tell the voices ahead of them weren't coming any closer. They decided to investigate what the machinery was to their right. They would do the same entry method. Larry would take everything on the left side. Hank would take everything on the right side.
As they moved into the room, they could see it was a machine shop. There were five Gray's inside. This time most of them were on Hank's side. There was only one on Larry's side.
The men looked surprised as the two Terminators entered their room with a silenced pistol in one hand and a Taser in the other.
Larry took down his one man. He turned to assist Hank.
Hank opened fire on the other four men. Before he could get to the fourth one, Larry already shot him. The third man he shot fell back against a lathe that was running. His arm dropped down between the object being worked on. His body was pulled against the spinning material. There was a wet 'meat chopping' sound as his arm was torn off. The body dropped to the floor. The arm spun through several revolutions of the turning lathe before it was thrown clear. It landed against the wall with a loud 'thunk'.
They quickly check for anyone else who was hidden in the room. There was no one.
"Let's go." Hank said. "There were more voices down the hall."
Larry and Hank moved away from the machine shop. They went back into the passageway. There were two choices available to them. They could either continue down the passageway in the direction they were going towards the voices, or they could take the left branch and follow the female Fanatic. It was their assumption she would avoid an encounter with the enemy, at least until she obtained better weapons
"Let's try to make sure there are no threats left behind." Larry said.
Hank and Larry went past the left branch and continued down the passageway towards the voices.
The female Fanatic looked on the ground next to the fallen Gray. Blood still sprayed from his neck every time his heart beat.
It wasn't a gun. It was another knife. She realized if he was able to pull it out and use it earlier, she would be down on the floor next to him, probably in the same condition. She glanced over at the bunk with the rope on it. She knew it wouldn't matter if she was hurt or even dead. She would end up on the 'comfort bunk' one way or the other. She wanted to get out of the room.
The female Fanatic stood up with a knife in each hand. She started for the door. She wanted to find a way out from where she was at. She wanted to get back outside. She was about to put her knife back in her pocket. The one she took from the Gray was twice the size of hers. She briefly reflected on the thought 'size mattered'. When it came to a knife she needed to agree it did.
She saw the door handle turn as she approached.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Hear Me
Is anything in life
Actually ever free
There's always a price
To a varying degree
One may feel so small
Like a tiny flea
All they want to do
Is to escape and flee
There aren't many things
On which both will always agree
The best route will be
To agree to disagree
To move things forward
That's the key
They both must be ready
To give an apology
Those filled with glee
Who live carefree
They're often out of touch
With life's reality
Hear my cry
Hear my plea
It's not so hard
To hear me
Nobody