Chapter 1358
Cold And Calculating
Sarah made her way towards the far end of the north building. It was where Derek and Kyle went in at. She carried the Barrett Light Fifty Cammy left behind. She put the M82A1 into battery when she decided to take it with her. It weighed just under thirty pounds and was approximately four feet long. If she was going to carry it, she was going to use it.
She could see there was a lot of destruction outside the building as she approached. What she found there was the smoldering remains of some type of vehicle and what looked like four shredded human bodies. It gave her a first hand look at what a drone strike looked like. She knew both Derek and Kyle survived attacks from HK drones when others didn't.
She heard some gunfire earlier as she approached and then two loud shots as she neared where she was now. There was one explosion soon afterwards. She was unable to hear any of the suppressed and silenced rounds fired earlier. All she heard were the weapons without any sound moderation.
Sarah almost tripped on something on the ground. It disgusted her a little to see what it actually was. It was part of an arm with a hand. There was a wrist watch on it. She was glad to see it. None of her team wore a wrist watch. It appeared there was still a pistol clutched in the hand. She passed other damaged weapons among the mangled human remains near what looked like a vehicle.
She carefully approached the open doorway. There was some kind of vapor drifting out of it. It hung low to the ground. She wasn't sure what it was. She knew smoke would usually rise. She moved into the doorway and saw four figures illuminated from behind, moving towards her.
It should have only been three. It should be Derek, Kyle, and Savannah. Maybe they took a prisoner. Maybe it was the enemy.
She held the Barrett ready to fire from the hip. She knew the recoil was going to be a Bitch. She only fired it from the prone position before. It didn't matter. The magazine held ten rounds and she would fire all of them if necessary. She knew whoever was on the other end of the muzzle was going to have a really bad day. She carried two spare magazines if she needed them.
She decided to issue a challenge before they got too close to her.
"White." Sarah called out as she moved to the side to get some cover from the door frame.
She didn't think the big .50 caliber rounds would have any trouble punching through the door frame at all. She would fire off three rounds at waist height and then fire six more at ground level. It would leave one round in the chamber. She would then change the magazine. She would have eleven more rounds ready to go.
"Rabbit." came back the muffled reply from several people.
Sarah still held the Barrett ready. She hoped to get some visual recognition as well.
She was surprised to see the four figures wearing gas masks of some type. They motioned for her to get back. She backed up. She ended up stepping on the wrist of the severed arm on the ground. She heard the wrist watch break. The handgun popped out of the hand at the same time. She was glad it didn't fire.
Sarah still held the Barrett ready.
She could make out red hair on one of the people. It sent a wave of relief through her.
As soon as they exited the building, they threw off the gas masks.
"Hello, Sarah." Savannah said. "We need to move."
In the gloom Sarah spotted 'Cameron' with them. It didn't make sense. Cameron was on the ship. Maybe it was Cammy. No. Cammy needed to crawl away. Wait. She also wore a gas mask. Then it hit her. It was Allison - Young Allison.
"Allison?" Sarah asked.
Young Allison flashed Sarah a smile.
"Hi, Sarah." Young Allison said.
Kyle came up and traded Sarah his M4 for the M82A1.
It was a relief to Sarah. She gave him the two extra magazines as well. They were quite heavy. She remembered watching one of Kyle's aircraft videos about the P-47 Thunderbolt. She was impressed about the amount of ammunition the big fighter could carry. It was more than any of the other fighters of the time period. The P-47 Thunderbolt carried eight .50-caliber Browning M2 machine guns, with each gun holding 425 rounds, totaling 3,400 rounds of ammunition. She imagined the plane could fly faster with the more fuel it burnt and the more ammunition it fired.
Savannah was glad to be out of the building. She looked at the destruction of the vehicle and the mangled bodies. She knew it was the result of a drone strike. She viewed them before.
"We need to get away from here." Savannah said. "Follow me."
Young Allison fell in line behind Savannah, Sarah was behind her. Derek brought up the rear with Kyle in front of him, behind Sarah.
Savannah looked back towards the south building. There was a glow. It seemed to flicker as it pulsated. It was much more intense than she thought it would be. She picked up the pace a little.
Sarah looked back to where she saw Savannah look. It was something she viewed earlier when she watched the space between the two buildings.
"It can't be good." Sarah said. "It wasn't as bright just a few minutes ago."
Savannah was concerned even more. She remembered all the alarms going off in the control room after the explosion of the Thermite grenade. She quickened the pace a little more. She didn't know what was going to happen. The energy ball was small when they first viewed it. It grew in intensity, rather than in size as it became noisier. She didn't have any idea what was happening with it now. It could still be the same size, or it could be the size of a car for all she knew. The fact it was so much brighter indicated it must be more intense whatever size it was.
"It's not good." Savannah said. "We need to put distance between it and us."
Savannah looked back at Young Allison.
"Allison, take point." Savannah said.
Young Allison moved in front of her.
"I got it." Young Allison said.
Savannah was around things like this before. It never was good. She quickly slung her M4 and looked up into the dark sky as they moved. She knew there should be a drone or two looking down on them from off to the side.
She looked up and lifted both of her arms up to shoulder height and extended them out in front of her. She pointed in the direction of the pulsating glow and repeated the gesture again. She wanted to indicate the direction they were headed. She wanted everyone to be as far away as possible when it exploded. It included all the machines as well.
Would it explode? She didn't doubt it for a minute. Something was going to happen with it.
She unslung her M4 and moved back in front of Young Allison as she retook the point.
"I got it." Savannah said.
Savannah quickened the pace even more.
John Henry observed and understood what Savannah indicated. She signaled for all the machines to fall back. It was probable there was going to be a massive explosion or an EMP blast. He sent out emergency instructions to all of the Terminators and drones to withdraw. He let all of the machines know the team made it out of the building safely for now.
He was concerned as to how severe the blast would be. He didn't even know if there would be a blast. It seemed most likely based upon all the other incident reports of similar type activity. Even if there wasn't an EMP blast, there would be something similar which would affect all of the machines. There was always the worry some type of electronic blast would be so severe, it would damage the machines anyway before their systems shut down automatically to protect them. For a drone in the sky, it would most likely mean a trip directly down to the ground with a hard landing, a really hard landing.
Mel, Cammy, and Anna received the news to fall back. They were the closest team of Terminators to where the group which left the building was at.
Cammy didn't want to leave the team unprotected.
"What about Savannah and the others?" Cammy asked.
Mel thought they should follow instructions. John Henry warned them of the danger of becoming incapacitated still.
"We need to fall back." Mel said. "If we're damaged or disabled, we'll be useless to everyone. Savannah and the others will come to try to rescue us. It will put them in even more danger."
Anna didn't like it either but they needed to be functional.
"He's right." Anna said. "We know all five of the humans are out and away from the buildings. None of them appear to be injured physically. I think it's safe to assume they were the victors in whatever altercation occurred inside of the building. They need to put as much distance as possible between them and the south building.
Cammy was dissatisfied. She intended to do more. She wouldn't endanger anyone else.
"I'm letting you two off and I'm going after them." Cammy said.
Cammy started the SUV after much difficulty. They drove away from their position. They all were afflicted again. They didn't realize it until they drove away.
Anna wanted to point out what was going to happen.
"We were all affected again and didn't know it." Anna said. "I think there will be an explosion of some type soon. It's going to be a lot worse than whatever we just felt. Cammy, you're not going to be down on your knees like you were earlier. You're going to be deactivated. Savannah is going to come after you no matter what. Don't endanger her needlessly."
Mel recounted a past experience. He wanted to remind them of what was most likely going to occur.
"There is going to be an EMP blast." Mel said. "We all know it, even if we don't want to say it. It will be something similar if it's not exactly an EMP blast. You've experienced some of those before Cammy. Look what almost happened to Savannah then. She's not going to leave any of us behind, neither will the rest of them."
Cammy thought maybe they should take preemptive action. They used a similar procedure on several different occasions when entering a danger zone.
"You two can shut down." Cammy said.
Anna didn't like the idea. It seemed to leave too much up to chance.
"How do we know when to reboot?" Anna asked. "We don't want to be in the middle of a reboot when the EMP goes off do we?"
It was a tactic Cameron experimented with once. It was all done 'off the books' and was devastating to the enemy. CamNet helped her cover it up. She never wanted the tactic used against their team. She hadn't used it since then either. She didn't want Skynet to discover what they uncovered.
Cammy was very agitated because she couldn't do more to help.
"I don't know." Cammy said.
Cammy was highly frustrated. There was a lot she didn't know. Leaving Savannah behind in the building still bothered her. Savannah was out now, but the danger of a massive explosion still loomed. She was there when it happened several times before. Those catastrophic failures, and explosions, all occurred underground or inside of a mountain. The surrounding earth contained most of the damaging blast. They all produced the same effect as an earthquake of medium magnitude.
From what she saw there, everything was above ground. There was probably going to be a giant smoking hole in the ground and nothing but rubble for ten city blocks. How were they going to spin it? Maybe she should wonder how they were going to survive any of it first.
All they faced right now was the unknown.
"I believe the best course of action is to follow Savannah's directions." Mel said. "She knows what is best for all of us."
Cammy was still very upset.
"All right, break off." Cammy said. "Fall back."
A short time ago:
Steve and Tom made entry into the building they knocked the roll up door off of. They worried the Fanatics were part of it. There was no massive explosion afterwards so it was a good thing. It was empty of personnel. It looked like there were people living there based on what they found. There were beds, clothes and food. It seemed doubtful many, if any, of them would return there. There was no movement away from either building other than the Resistance team.
Richard and Michael entered with them. They checked for booby traps and explosives. None were found.
They collected the computer hard drives and anything else which looked like it might have relevance. They set up some explosives of their own and some surveillance. They hoped to find anyone if they returned. There could be people out on other missions not related to the two buildings where Savannah and the rest of the team was at earlier.
There was one bed with rope at each of the four corners. No one was in it. It was heavily strained in the center section. There were blood splatters on the wall, floor and bed. It was most probable someone was killed there, if not a few people. There were several different blood types.
They received the order to withdraw and did. All the Terminators were to fall back away from the area.
It was an indicated directive from Savannah.
There was a chance something akin to a small atomic explosion might happen soon. Not only would there be an EMP, there would be a giant explosion to go along with it. There would most likely be a shock wave and a heat wave. Maybe it would just be a big dud.
They didn't know what would happen. They didn't even know what it was. The drone images seemed to indicate whatever it was, was becoming more intense by the second.
John Henry noted most of the drones were away from the area. It was all but two of them.
They remained to record where the group of five was at. They were in as close as they could get. They were there to provide whatever fire support they could if it was necessary.
Maybe there was more of the enemy group waiting to come out of the woodwork like bugs. There were other buildings around the area.
They already found two other nearby locations. There was always the possibility there could be others. They didn't know. There were a lot of unknowns associated with the operation.
Savannah dropped back and let Young Allison take point again. She briefly spoke with Derek and Kyle. She planned to cover up as much of Young Allison's involvement in what happened at the two buildings as she could. She asked them to take 'responsibility' for what happened in the north building. She would do the same for the south building.
Sarah caught up to Young Allison. She saw Young Allison looked a little troubled.
"Was it rough in there?" Sarah asked.
Young Allison thought it was a little tense at times. It wasn't what troubled her.
"No." Young Allison said. "It's what I expected and trained for. I did what I was supposed to do, when I was supposed to do it."
Sarah thought there was something else.
"You still seem a little upset." Sarah said.
There was a problem Young Allison thought she couldn't avoid.
"I'm worried about my mom." Young Allison said. "She's going to be mad at me if she finds out I was here. I know she doesn't like me to do Resistance things. If she finds out what went on in there, she's going to be very upset at me."
Savannah, Derek, and Kyle all heard the exchange. It surprised all of them it was the only thing which bothered Young Allison. After everything Young Allison did to help, she was worried about taking flak from her mother. It was almost absurd. She killed about twenty people by herself.
Young Allison wasn't bothered by killing over a dozen and a half people. She was worried her mother would be angry at her just for being there. They wondered how it would go over if Claire knew about everything Young Allison actually participated in.
What Derek saw and witnessed first hand was the real life version of the 'Legend of Allison Young'. He was still amazed. The way things were headed; Kyle and him would have been killed or captured at some point. Young Allison prevented it. He knew heroism when he saw it. Savannah told him it was Young Allison who shot the man behind them in the head from across the building with her silenced M9. Almost everyone in the north building was killed by Young Allison. So we're most of those in the south building.
"I think everything should be reported as it happened." Derek said. "There's recognition due here where it justly belongs. Your participation should be celebrated, not hidden or concealed."
Kyle needed to agree. He was still impressed to know everything he saw on the way out of the building was all Young Allison's handiwork. Savannah indicated it was the same type of action in the other building. It said a lot.
"There was action and bravery. It went beyond what anyone would be expected to deliver." Kyle said. "This is how legends are born. This is how leaders emerge. Some things should be commended when warranted. Everything I witnessed warrants it. There isn't anyone in a war zone who wouldn't follow her into battle."
Derek doubted anyone else could have pulled off what Young Allison did. He would have trouble believing it if he didn't observed it himself. He knew there was more he didn't witness.
"Your mother should be proud of you, Allison. I am." Derek said. "You made sure we didn't end up in a worse situation. We were pinned down. You got us out of a jam. You took the fight to the enemy and emerged the victor. You did it all by yourself."
Sarah looked back at Kyle. She wondered what actually happened at this point.
Young Allison disliked all the attention. It made her feel very uncomfortable. She didn't feel she did any more than anyone else would have done under similar circumstances. She repeated what she mentioned to Sarah.
"I only did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done." Young Allison said. "If not me, who? If not then, when? Everything happened the way it needed to happen."
Savannah knew it was more than just duty. She wanted the real report out there as well. She believed it should be on how it was presented to the others, who weren't directly involved in Resistance operations, where certain 'liberties' could be taken. There was some information she planned to leave out of the official report as well concerning her.
There was one death she was responsible for which still troubled her greatly. It was the second time in a few days where a Fanatic killed themselves when they looked at her and believed she was 'The Redheaded Witch'. She would only tell Cameron about it after she returned. Maybe she wouldn't even mention it. Cammy covered up what happened at the old newspaper plant. Maybe she would just mention it to Cammy.
"We can make the report to John Henry how things happened." Savannah said. "We don't need to be too descriptive to her mother unless she asks specifically. I don't want anyone to need to lie if a direct question comes up. This was her first combat. It happened under conditions which none of us envisioned it would. She acted on her own when she saw it was necessary."
Derek and Kyle wondered what type of fighter Young Allison would evolve into. If this was her first combat of any type. It was beyond amazing. There weren't any Terminators to back her up either. It was all on her own accord. They all saw how she made sure the enemy stayed down too. It was cold and calculating.
Savannah decided to make the reports as the events occurred. She decided to leave out the part as to why the female Fanatic killed herself. It was something which bothered her to no end. It seemed to be her specifically the Fanatic's feared. Who was it really they feared? Was it her? Did she end up with a temporal error at some point? Did she lead a mission into a further future? Did she go bad? Did she become a cold and calculating killer? What did she do to people to make them fear her more than death? If the enemy feared 'The Redheaded Witch', shouldn't it be a good thing for the Resistance? Maybe it was something rogue which everyone feared. Young Allison's words brought her back to 'now'.
"I'm starting to get some com traffic." Young Allison said.
Everyone else started to get it too. It was broken up and sketchy. There was a vehicle approaching their position from in front of them. They were aware of the sudden appearance of the delivery van earlier.
"Everyone spread out." Young Allison said. "There is a target inbound. It's coming fast."
Kyle prepared to deploy the Barrett. It would be nearly as effective against engine blocks or Terminators, as it was against people.
Cameron smiled.
"You can have anything you want if you do this." Cameron whispered. "It will be for the rest of your life. It will be three times a week."
Allison smiled. Maybe her greatest wish was about to come true.
"I want to be with you one time a week." Allison whispered. "It will be just you and me for a few hours once a week. We will share everything."
Cameron smiled and kissed Allison on the cheek.
"It's a deal." Cameron whispered. "It was the same thing your mother asked for. You two will share together."
It took a moment for what Cameron said to sink into Allison's mind.
Did Cameron want her and her mother to share with each other?
It was a wild thought. It actually crossed her mind more than a few times. It was too much to think about. She tried to push the thought from her mind.
Her eyes shot open.
Allison sat bolt upright in bed. Her heart was pounding. She gasped for air slightly.
There was some faint light from the main part of the suite. It was enough to see by, even if it wasn't in detail.
She looked around.
Vanna was asleep next to her in the bed.
There was no one else in the room.
Allison felt her heart racing.
It seemed like more than a dream.
Allison saw Vanna stir some and look at her.
"Is everything alright?" Vanna asked.
Allison looked next to her side of the bed on the floor. There was nothing there.
"I think so." Allison said. "I'm sorry if I woke you."
Vanna reached over and touched her.
"Relax and sleep." Vanna said. "I'm tired. If you need to talk about something let me know. If not, it's late. "
Allison touched Vanna's hand back. She remembered what Sheila wanted to do for them in the morning. It seemed like a good idea to run it by Vanna now before it happened.
"I know." Allison said. "Would you like to watch the sunrise from our balcony tomorrow? Well, I guess it's actually in a couple of hours."
It sounded beautiful to Vanna. She could picture what it would be like on the high seas.
"I think I'd like to see it." Vanna said. "It will be just the two of us right?"
Allison wasn't sure. She thought it would be. Maybe some of the Metal girls would be there with them. It shouldn't be a problem if they were. They would most likely hang back. There was more than one balcony associated with their suite.
"I think so." Allison said. "Sheila will bring coffee and hot cocoa with some pastries and fruit. She wanted to let me know ahead of time."
Vanna thought it sounded nice but unnecessary.
"I hate for them to need to wait on us." Vanna said.
Allison felt the same way.
"I told her the same thing." Allison said. "She said it was part of her 'job'. She would bring it anyway, even if we slept in."
Vanna wondered about the time.
"Is there some alarm we can set?" Vanna asked. "I don't even know when sunrise is."
Allison asked Sheila to alert her. It would be their alarm.
"Sheila will wake us up ten minutes before sunrise." Allison said.
Vanna was tired but it was a rare opportunity.
"Let's see what happens." Vanna said. "We can always go back to bed, to sleep, if we're tired after we watch it."
The two long time lovers softly kissed and both of them went back to sleep.
Allison looked next to the bed one more time before she did. There was still nothing there. She was sure there was someone in the room with them earlier.
Earlier:
Cameron was frustrated by the lack of information about the operation. She returned to the Owner's Suite after she checked on Allison and Vanna. They were both asleep. She briefly 'conditioned' them with a few suggestions before she departed.
John was asleep now too.
She looked at him in the darkness and smiled.
"Thank you, John." Cameron softly said as she touched his cheek while he slept. "I love you."
Cameron was very pleased John allowed her to be 'someone different' for a few days. She was pleased he made love to her as herself in the various chassis. She was sure Holly and Gail were true virgins since they were Restorators by construction and never under Skynet control. As far as the other Metal girls went, she really didn't know. She did know since their sheaths took their present appearance after Resequencing, they were all virgins too.
She gave John another soft kiss.
She lay next to John in the bed and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. She listened to him snore every now and then. She appreciated the closeness, but it was very boring for her. She tried to think of other things. One thing for sure was, she wasn't going back into standby. Those images still haunted her. There were thousands of them.
She was sure the more she thought about it, they were images from her various 'lives' she experienced if she really lived her life over and over. There was no proof she actually did. It was all speculation on her part. She didn't know what actually happened. She did believe it was more of everything. It was very frustrating to think about.
She looked over at John snoring and then stared back up at the ceiling….
She wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.
Sheila 'worked' on Ally in the spare bedroom of the Honeymoon suite. She finished up with what she wanted to do.
"There you go." Sheila said. "You're as right as the rain."
They both talked about the experience Cameron provided them with. They hoped the policy of Cameron 'borrowing' their chassis would continue when they returned to the base.
Ally believed there was a reason to want more of the same.
"I don't think Cameron will ever allow us to try it on our own." Ally said. "She already got what she wanted."
Sheila thought it was more than just to benefit Cameron.
"It was what we all wanted and the way we wanted it." Sheila said. "Even though it was 'us', it wasn't really 'us'. I don't think it would have happened any other way."
Ally was sure it was something Cameron put into their programming.
"I think we can attribute it to Cameron too." Ally said.
Sheila knew of their original directive related to John.
"She did put it in our programming. If John ever asked us to have sex with him, we literally couldn't say 'no' to him." Sheila said. "Maybe we were programmed to do exactly what we just did."
Ally knew it. The only thing he asked them, was if it's what they wanted to do on their own accord. They all knew he wouldn't have gone through with it otherwise. It was something to respect him for. The General was a good man. The greed wasn't on his part, even if he was the beneficiary.
"He never asked for sex." Ally said. "He always treated us with respect and honor."
Sheila knew he got a 'little more' now too.
"He also took our virginity through Cameron." Sheila said. "I think it was beautiful too."
The Metal girls all shared what happened with Cameron in control with the file transfer in real time.
"Cameron was very worried about sharing with John on her 'first time'." Ally said.
Sheila knew why.
"It was because of Future Riley." Sheila said. "She was afraid she wasn't going to be what John wanted."
Ally nodded. Cameron felt lacking by John's choice of Future Riley over her. It made her feel 'not good enough'.
"I felt the same thing too." Ally said. "Let's find a tether and share our experiences."
Sheila thought it was more personal.
"I think it was private." Sheila said. "We can do it if you want, but it should remain special to all of us."
The thought made Ally think of something else.
"You're special to me." Ally said.
Sheila gave her a small kiss.
"You're special to me." Sheila said.
Ally wanted to ask about Cammy but didn't. She was there now with Sheila, and Cammy wasn't. Cameron wasn't the only one worried about how she would measure up to others. She was sure it was a concern, worry, or fear everyone felt about someone who they cared about.
She looked over at Sheila as she held up a tether.
"Now we can really share." Sheila said.
Ally wondered about what Sheila said earlier.
"I'd like too." Ally said.
They both plugged the other one in….
It indicated it was what they both wanted to do.
Cam-Gail, Gail-Cam, Hanna and Holly were all in the main part of the Honeymoon Suite. They all shared with each other and now were going to tether as well. Jim brought the connectors and cables over to them.
Hanna thought they could be a little more inclusive.
"You can stay and tether with us." Hanna said.
Jim really didn't want to have anything to do with what was going on.
"I think I'll pass." Jim said. "There are some things I don't think I can relate to. I don't believe I should try either."
Gail-Cam wanted to mess with him a little.
"It will get you prepared for what comes next for you." Gail-Cam said.
Holly didn't like Gail-Cam to tease Jim.
"I'll take your place if Cameron wants to use your chassis." Holly said. "She'll give you a choice in front of John."
It worried Jim still. He witnessed John 'check out' males before. He knew there was an interest. There might even be a desire.
"What happens if it's what John wants?" Jim asked.
Hanna thought it was an easy one.
"It's up to you." Hanna said. "You'll still have a choice."
Jim wanted to leave.
"I'll think about it." Jim said.
The four Metal girls looked at him.
"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." They all said at the same time.
Jim quickly exited. He could have done without a reminder. He returned to the Control Center. He was somewhat surprised to see Cameron there and plugged in. She didn't seem to notice he was there. She was naked. He hung back and watched her. He could see all the screens as they flashed by. It appeared she tried to find out directly from CamNet about the operation.
He could tell she was getting frustrated.
"It was all I could find myself." Jim said. "I told you everything I know. I apologize it wasn't very much."
Cameron quickly turned around to look at him.
"I'm sorry." Cameron said. "You can have your spot back."
Jim was in no hurry.
"It's fine." Jim said. "There's not much happening. You can stay there."
Cameron smiled at him.
She was actually very worried. She couldn't find anything out about Savannah. To make even worse, Young Allison wasn't anywhere to be found. She suspected it was why CamNet suppressed everything. She was sure there were other things occurring as well. There was a lot of fringe activity reported throughout the city, and surrounding area, which was all quickly suppressed. It was all blamed on gang activity.
She planned to stay plugged in until she got some answers.
Cameron glanced back at Jim.
"If you hear John stir, let me know." Cameron said. "I may be too involved here to notice. I know I get a little sidetracked sometimes. It just happens."
Jim nodded.
"Affirmative…." Jim said.
He was afraid Cameron was going to take him in there if John awoke. He wondered if he would tell her if he did hear anything. What worried him some, was if Cameron put a directive in the male Terminators, which was the same as she did to the female Terminators. If John asked them for sex, they couldn't say 'no'. Maybe he was over thinking all of it.
Maybe it was something he didn't want to think about at all.
Just the thought of it all bothered him. There were some images he viewed on the internet. He didn't like them very much. He didn't know why some things needed to be done a certain way. It seemed males were disrespected as much as females for what was done on their face. He believed it was very degrading in every way.
Samantha checked on Precious, Jan, and Summer.
She assisted Jesse in pumping some breast milk into a bottle for Precious. She still couldn't help but picture Jesse with four breasts since Jesse told her to think of her as a 'cow'.
Jesse was glad when she finished. It was sort of a hassle to do it on her own. She didn't mind if someone else did it for her. She looked for any excuse she could get to show off her body to another female. To have them touch it was even better. It didn't even matter if it was sexual or not.
"What's the latest on the operation?" Jesse asked. "I see you check on it about every thirty seconds."
Samantha did get an update.
"I should know more in a few minutes." Samantha said. "Information has been hard to come by because of the effects of the energy field."
Jesse wondered why there was a delay. She was sure there was always a little more behind the scenes going on. It really wasn't anything new. It was just the way things were done.
"I think there's more going on than we know." Jesse said.
Samantha knew John Henry hadn't released it.
"John Henry and CamNet are playing this one very tight." Samantha said.
Jesse thought of a plan.
"Get me another bottle and I'll take the breast pump to John Henry and ask him to use it on me." Jesse said. "It will get him off focus. Maybe you can plug in at the lab and find out more."
Samantha thought about it. It was a good plan in concept, but there was more going on in the background.
"It's not so easy." Samantha said. "His server won't be distracted and neither will CamNet."
Jesse shrugged her shoulders. She was willing to bet they would both be distracted a little. She could always ask John Henry to take a closer look at some other things. She was sure it would distract everyone. She actually liked the idea of everyone getting a close up.
"It was a thought anyway." Jesse said. "Maybe I'll rest for a while."
Samantha wanted to help.
"I can carry Claire to the nursery for you." Samantha said.
Jesse knew it was occupied by Jan and Summer.
"It's fine." Jesse said. "I'll sit in the easy chair and watch Claire and Riley sleep against each other."
Samantha wondered why.
"Will something happen?" Samantha asked.
Jesse liked the idea. She pictured them kissing until they realized who they were kissing.
"I don't know." Jesse said. "We can always hope."
Jesse knew Claire didn't have the same hang-ups or emotional baggage they all needed to deal with in regards to Riley. Claire never needed to see what Future Riley's involvement did to Cameron and how it affected her in the most negative ways. It wasn't anything pleasant to think about.
Samantha watched Jesse as she watched Riley and Claire. Jesse was soon asleep herself.
She made her rounds and checked on everyone again. Everyone was still the same.
She tried for an update one more time.
Cammy decided she was going to pick up the team since they were on their way out. If there was going to be a problem, they needed to be as far away from there as possible.
Anna elected to stay with her.
Randy and Brian picked up Mel. They followed along behind them. They were Young Allison's protection Detail and they wanted to do their jobs. They couldn't go with Young Allison earlier, but they could be there for her now.
Anna was more than a little worried about what could possibly happen any moment. She wanted to plan ahead.
"I think one of them should drive when we pick them up." Anna said.
Cammy thought about it. More than one thing would happen.
"If the EMP goes off, it won't matter if I shut down. The SUV will shut down as well." Cammy said.
Anna took it one step further. The thought of being wrapped around a telephone pole didn't appeal to her.
"It may be true. At least the SUV won't crash if one of them is driving." Anna said. "They'll still be able to steer it. It is still going to be rolling, probably at an elevated rate of speed."
Cammy told the Detail to wait where they were in a more shielded location. Anna and her continued along.
"I see them." They both said at the same time.
Anna could see the building in the background from where they all hurried away.
"I think you should hang back some." Anna said.
Cammy crawled back on her hands and knees a short time ago when she was too close to the energy field. She went as far as she possibly could then.
"Did you see me hang back before?" Cammy asked. "We need to push everything. Savannah always told me I needed to use restraint when something wasn't absolutely necessary. I believe it's absolutely necessary right now."
Anna saw Cammy near total collapse and shut down earlier. She literally went as far as she could before, and still come back. She didn't want to bring it up and 'embarrass' Cammy. It was very hard to watch. She believed it was something Cammy should be commended for. It was something they all would have done, but it was Cammy who did it.
"No. You did all you possibly could do." Anna said. "Let's go get them."
She figured if they went this far, they might as well go a little further.
CamNet's Terminators decided to move the vehicles parked where they were inside of the mine opening as they waited. It wouldn't take them long. They were assured several drones were on their way. It would really like to know as much as they could about what was happening around them. They would like to know where the female Fanatic was at as well. She was as dangerous as she was destructive.
They loaded the two men Tina terminated into one of the vehicles' trunks before it was driven inside of the mine. They didn't want to leave any clues behind as to what actually occurred up on the mountain side.
Lena stayed to monitor the progress of the two vans as Tina parked the last vehicle. Tina soon rejoined her. She carried a plastic cooler she took out of the last vehicle.
"They'll be up here in a few minutes." Lena said.
Tina wanted the men to assist with their own termination.
"I have both communication devices." Tina said. "We can leave one of the communication devices on top of this container right out here in the open. They should find it very easily. Once they do. I can use the terminated Gray's voice and give them instructions on what we want them to do."
Lena looked around in the sky.
"We should have drone support any time." Lena said. "We know the female Fanatic is out there."
Lena took up a place of concealment on the hillside the road led up on.
Tina concealed herself near the stamp mill.
The three men decided to go up to the mine and see what was happening there. They felt a little more confident being together. The two vans continued up the hillside.
They both made the turn and paused with their headlights shining towards the mine entrance.
The three men got out and looked around.
"Where is everyone?" The first man asked.
The second man expected to see a little more activity.
"I don't like the way this looks." The second man said.
The third man knew what he saw earlier.
"There were vehicles parked here a short time ago." The third man said. "I saw them. I spoke with Omega."
The second man spotted the cooler.
"Hey, look over there." The second man said as he pointed.
The three men walked over towards it. They spotted something on it. They could see it was a communication device.
"They must've left this here for us". The first man said.
The second man eyeballed the cooler.
"What's inside the cooler?" The second man asked.
The third man reached down and picked it up.
"Omega, do you read?" The third man asked.
Tina could see where the three men were at. She spoke in the dead Gray's voice known as 'Omega'.
"We've been waiting for you." Tina said. "Park the vehicles inside and hurry to the cavern. The wooden barrier is open. Make sure you lock it behind you. We just uncovered some remarkable things."
The three men looked at each other. They heard rumors about what was inside of the mine. Maybe they were true.
"What is it?" The third man asked.
Tina didn't want to get too explicit.
"You won't believe it until you see it." Tina said. "You need to hurry. I need to get back to work, Omega out."
The three men were at a loss as to what was going on.
The second man picked up the cooler and tossed it into the van. He never did look inside.
The first man and the third man each drove a van inside and parked it next to the other vehicles. They were right up against the wooden barrier.
The second man watched them drive inside. He still had a few reservations. He paused for a moment to look around the area. He knew what a battle zone looked like. It was what he looked for now. He didn't see any blood trails, drag marks, or shell casings. He didn't know the two Terminators already policed the area.
He took one more look at the terrain below. He looked down at as much of the dirt road as he could see. There was nothing on it. There was nothing on the main highway in the distance either. He looked at the dirt road which ran along the high tension power lines. There was nothing. He hurried inside of the mine. He didn't know it was his tomb.
Earlier:
The female Fanatic slowed her pace. She wanted to make it up to the location in one piece. She also didn't want to be detected before she arrived.
She watched both of the vans disappear from view. She continued up the hillside. She continued to check around her and the terrain below her. So far there was nothing else spotted.
The female Fanatic continued her upward trek along the hillside. It was very tiring. It was more than just the lack of sleep catching up with her. She was driving herself to the point of exhaustion. She desperately needed water, food, and rest.
The two men waited for the second man to join them. He arrived about a minute later. They stood in front of the wooden barrier.
"What do you think is going on?" The first man asked.
The third man figured it must be something important.
"I guess we'll find out when we get there." Third man said. "I'm not sure why they want all the vehicles inside of the mine."
The second man wondered as well.
"They're probably going to be tied up until morning." The second man said. "They don't want anyone to spot the vehicles and come up to see what's going on. If someone gets too nosy, we'll need to snuff them."
The three men entered the wooden barrier and secured the door behind them. They use their phones to light the way. After a short time, they could see light ahead. They soon saw it was an electric lantern.
They reached the point where the passageway branched into two halves.
"Which side do we take?" The first man asked.
The second man picked up the lantern.
"It must be the right side." The second man said. "It's why they left the lantern here for us."
They were able to see everything much more clearly now. In a short time, they were able to spot the shaft which went down. They saw the equipment and tools the other men used.
"It's clear they were working here." The second man said.
They didn't know there was another Gray at the bottom of the shaft.
The first man wondered if they were at the cavern.
"Is this where we're supposed to wait?" The first man asked. "Where is everyone?"
The second man didn't know either.
"Let me try to call Omega again." The second man said.
CamNet's Terminators waited to detonate the explosives. They wanted to await the arrival of the drones. They were told one would arrive before the other.
"How far do you think they've gone?" Tina asked.
Lena calculated their speed. She figured it at a slow rate.
"I think they're at the shaft." Lena said. "I'm surprised they haven't tried to call again."
She already needed to delay the detonation of the two satchel charges since she was out of the mine. She would need to 'command detonate' them now.
"Omega, do you copy?" The second man asked.
Tina waited a moment. She spoke in the dead Gray's voice.
"I read you." Tina said. "What's taking so long?"
"We're at the work site by the shaft." The second man said.
Lena already explained to Tina the layout of the mine she explored.
"It's a little further ahead." Tina said. "Call again before you enter the cavern. I need to make sure it's clear before you enter, Omega out."
Tina ended the call before they could ask any more questions.
The three men hurried along.
"I see the opening up ahead." The third man said.
The second man continued along.
"Let's take a look." The second man said.
The third man didn't want any trouble.
"You need to call Omega first." The third man said. "He said it needed to be clear."
The second man wasn't impressed
"I'm not even sure what it's in reference to." The second man said.
The second man didn't think it was necessary. He did as he was instructed. He knew if he didn't follow the protocol Omega set down, there would be a problem.
"Omega, do you copy?" The second man asked. "We're almost there."
There was a slight pause.
"Go ahead and continue." Tina said. "You'll find a surprise waiting for you. Go in all at once. You'll see the secret passage past the crates."
The three men entered the cavern. They saw the stockpile of old explosives. They saw the opening past where the crates were. They all hurried towards it.
Everything went white, before it went black, forever.
Moments ago:
Lena waited fifteen more seconds. She then detonated the first satchel charge. It was the one in the cavern. She figured the men got a surprise all right. She immediately detonated the second satchel charge.
They could both detect the sound of the two explosions one after the other. They could feel the ground rumble beneath their feet. Soon dust began to drift out of the opening.
"I guess this wraps up stage one." Tina said.
Lena checked her phone.
"The first drone will arrive soon." Lena said. "Stage two will follow shortly."
The female Fanatic paused as she went up the hillside every now and then. She could hear some sound from the side of the hill above her. She could feel the ground shake beneath her.
Her first thought was it was an earthquake. It was a very short duration and not very strong. She quickly searched the area above her. She was worried about any stones rolling down and hitting her. There were two large rocks off to her left side. She quickly moved to them. There was enough room for her body. She squeezed between them. She figured they would deflect any falling rocks. If there was a landslide, she didn't think it would matter. She would end up buried and at the bottom of the hill.
She didn't know exactly what happened. Either they experienced some type of massive cave in with whatever they were doing, or they suffered an accident with the explosives.
Wait.
Maybe it was what they were doing. It could have been a controlled blast as part of the work they needed to do.
She waited for a while longer. She remained between the two large rocks. It was a very narrow space. She was just about to move out from between the two rocks when she heard something. It was a high pitched whine. She knew exactly what it was. It was an HK drone. It meant death.
It seemed like a good idea to remain where she was at. She didn't know if she was spotted by the HK drone or not. She figured if she was, she was as good as dead right now.
She observed the group of Grays she currently stalked working on HK equipment previously. She didn't know if it was part of their operation or not. Maybe they stored the finished products inside of the mine. She was sure if it was an attack, it would have happened from altitude. The HK drone was very low. It didn't seem like an attack.
She decided to take a peek. She could see the HK drone pointed at the hillside. She was a little surprised when she watched it fire a missile. A second missile immediately trailed it.
"Damn." The female Fanatic said.
She instantly realized it was an attack. She quickly crouched down between the two large rocks as low as she could go. HK drones normally operated in pairs. She didn't want to take any chances. There was most likely a second one close by.
The female Fanatic quickly began to cover her body with as much loose dirt as there was around her. She didn't know if it would help any. She did know if the HK drone spotted her, she was a target. She tried to lie perfectly still. It appeared Ascension was near. She was a little disappointed she wouldn't be able to die fighting.
A short time ago:
CamNet's Terminators waited for the drone to arrive. It would be there in a few minutes.
They wanted it to look for the female Fanatic as it arrived. It spotted her vehicle. It didn't spot her.
Lena and Tina moved behind the foundation of the stamp mill. The drone came in low, right above the ground. It faced the opening of the mine. It fired an air to surface missile directly into the opening. It fired a heat seeking missile after the first missile to add to the impact. It was decided to keep one of each type of missile in reserve. It lifted back off. It went into the air higher to search for the female Fanatic.
There was a much larger explosion. A lot of dust began to come out of the opening.
The second drone arrived a few minutes later. It used the same procedure as the first drone and collapsed the opening to the mine. It lifted off to a higher altitude and began to search for the female Fanatic as well.
Lena and Tina moved out from behind the foundation of the stamp mill and looked at the opening to the mine. The air was heavy with dust.
"It looks like things here are wrapped up." Lena said.
Tina felt there was one loose end.
"We still need to terminate the female Fanatic." Tina said. "As soon as one of the drones finds her, I'll personally terminate her."
CamNet's Terminators started back down the hill. They expected to receive the location of the female Fanatic as they worked their way down.
The female Fanatic hoped she was concealed enough not to be detected. She doubted it.
She thought about taking another look but didn't. She heard the HK drone return. She was sure she was spotted. She quickly realized it was a second one. She could hear the other one off in the distance on the other side of her. They were looking for her.
She heard and felt a second missile strike. She was sure it was a repeat of the first. She wasn't going to look. She figured whatever was there was thoroughly destroyed. The HK drones only would have come in that low for a specific reason. They clearly wanted to make sure the target was destroyed. She figured she was next.
The female Fanatic closed her eyes and waited. She hoped her service to SkyMaster was rewarded as promised. She was ready for Ascension. It appeared it was time.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Cold And Calculating
Everyone wants to be treated
Like a queen or king
The results are usually
A lot more humbling
They will fall very short
They'll be less than stunning
They will more than likely
Leave one's head spinning
The heart, mind and soul
Are soon left charred and burning
They warp one's perspective
The leave one's gut churning
When one is given a ring
It's more about giving than taking
It can also make one feel
They are led around by a string
Something worse than nothing
Is to have less than nothing
Everyone takes a brutal beating
It will leave one cold and calculating
Nobody