Chapter 1379

It Was Over Fast

Vanna and Allison were in the Control Center. They wanted to see all the past footage of Mary, Laura and Leticia. They wanted to know exactly what was going on. They were worried they'd been set up to lure them into John's bed. They didn't want anyone to take cuts in front of them if it was going to happen. They didn't want Cameron to know what they were up to. They hurried to their room as they saw Cameron and John approach on one of the security monitors. They entered the spare bedroom of the Master Suite from the Control Center. Holly and Gail-Cam followed them in.

Allison wanted to make up some time. They'd lost quite a bit by going into the Control Center.

"I'll use the restroom here." Allison said. "You can use the one in the main suite."

The girls took care of business while Holly and Gail-Cam got everything else ready for them.

There were four identical leather coats hanging in their closet. None of them were surprised.

They finished up and put on their leather coats.

Vanna looked at herself in the mirror.

"These are really nice coats." Vanna said.

Allison wouldn't have been surprised to see purple coats like Cameron gave them before. They weren't. She looked at Vanna and the Metal girls. She thought they all looked Hot.

"I'll say." Allison said.

They quickly exited out of the main door of the Master Suite as John and Cameron were about to enter the Owner's Suite. They'd already entered and passed through the private area.

Cameron watched them exit the Master Suite. She knew where they'd been earlier. It was all part of her plan.

"Come on in." Cameron said. "There's room for everyone."

Vanna and Allison looked at each other. The statement seemed to have a lot of meaning.

Allison looked at Holly and Gail-Cam.

"You two don't have much to say." Allison said.

Cameron smiled as she held the door open for them.

Vanna thought Holly and Gail-Cam were upset because they were with Mary and Laura. She wanted to point out the obvious.

"It's not like we all haven't tried a few new things on the ship." Vanna said as she looked at the bedroom of the Owner's Suite.

Cameron looked at Vanna and Allison.

"It's been wonderful." Cameron said. "It can be wonderful for everyone too."

Vanna and Allison exchanged quick glances.

John headed for the restroom. He looked like he wanted to be elsewhere right now anyway.

"I'll just be a minute." John said.

Allison wondered if Jim could go with them when they went out. He'd looked lonely in the Control Center a few minutes ago. She didn't think it could hurt to ask.

"Can Jim go with us?" Allison asked.

Vanna thought Bob should go too.

"Bob should have some free time while we're in port." Vanna said. "He can go too. The Blackhawk can hold everyone."

Cameron looked a little nervous. She felt the need to keep control of security.

"We have a lot of gear and weapons in the Control Center." Cameron said.

Allison thought there was a solution for it.

"CamNet can watch everything on the ship." Allison said. "She's everywhere."

Cameron knew it was true. She could see Allison and Vanna wanted Jim and Bob to go as much as John did.

"Let me find out." Cameron said.

Cameron already planned for this. She just needed to set things into motion. She'd actually planned a lot of things. She smiled to herself as she thought about it. She liked it when a plan came together.

Earlier:

CamNet informed Jim what Vanna and Allison wanted to see while they were in the elevator. He was to have everything ready when they arrived. She also told him to make sure everything was in order in the Control Center. He understood what she meant.

He was able to hide all the camera views in the various rooms before the girls arrived. He was glad he did. The Metal girls knew they were on camera earlier. Vanna and Allison didn't know their room was now wired.

He was able to get several installed in Mary and Laura's room. He hadn't been able to put one in Leticia's room yet. He planned to do it tonight. She seemed to be in there very little of the time anyway. Her roommate was there even less.

Cameron entered the Control Center.

"I take it you heard the request." Cameron said. "They'd like you to accompany us."

Jim heard John, Allison and Vanna all say they wanted Bob and him to go with them.

"Yes." Jim said. "They're all very thoughtful. I appreciate their concern and inclusiveness."

Cameron thought about it.

"They're a wonderful group of people." Cameron said. "All of them are."

Jim was worried about leaving his post.

"I have responsibilities here." Jim said.

Cameron thought they could be circumvented some.

"Cam-Gail or Hanna said they would fill in for you." Cameron said. "You know they volunteered."

The door from the private area opened and Bob walked in.

"I was instructed to report here and bring these." Bob said.

He was dressed in civilian clothes and carried two leather jackets. One was for him and the other was obviously for Jim. It was a very large coat.

Cameron was about to say she hadn't notified him yet. She figured CamNet was the one behind it. The next question was, did someone prompt CamNet, like Young Allison, or did CamNet act on her own? It seemed CamNet was a little more willing to get involved in personal affairs now more than she used to be. She thought about it for a moment. She figured she was too. She'd stripped the Metal girl's chassis of their virginity with John earlier. She didn't think it could get much more personal than that.

Jim looked at the leather coat and deduced the same thing Cameron did. When CamNet acted, everyone listened.

"I guess I'll go." Jim said.

Just as he was about to unplug, he received another message.

"Cam-Gail is on her way back." Jim said. "She'll be here shortly."

Cameron figured as much. She wondered what the other Metal girls were up to. She figured Cam-Gail would have been the moderating force with them earlier. Now they didn't have one.

"Where are Sheila, Ally and Hanna?" Cameron asked.

Jim brought up some screens. He didn't mention CamNet provided tracking information to 'The Three Musketeers' as to the location of the three girls from the ship.

"They've acquired a vehicle and are driving around the city on the tour bus route." Jim said.

Cameron looked at an image of Sheila driving a black convertible with Ally seated next to her. Hanna was in the back seat. She was sure they were headed to where the three girls from the ship were. She turned her attention back to Jim and Bob.

"We'll meet both of you off the ship." Cameron said. "Use the crew exit. Have Dan and Frank bring the van up. Make sure Lou and Ken have the helicopter ready."

"Affirmative…." Jim and Bob both said at the same time.

Cameron smiled and went back into the Owner's Suite. It seemed a few more of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Everything occurred as she'd planned and anticipated. She really did like it when a plan came together.

A short time ago:

Hanna and Cam-Gail hurried to catch up to Sheila and Ally. They looked at the near accident Sheila and Ally caused but kept going. Sheila already had the convertible started and the top down. It appeared she'd selected a less sporty model which contained a back seat.

Cam-Gail received a message from CamNet. She could continue with the Metal girls, or return and take over for Jim. Without Jesse or Savannah there, she would just as soon 'work'. She figured she could 'observe' Jesse and Savannah better if she was plugged in. She agreed to return to the ship.

When the Metal girls found out what needed to be done, they all volunteered to go in her place. They all figured Cam-Gail needed to be out more than they did. Cam-Gail thanked them and declined. She said she would handle it.

There were several motorcycles on the lot where they'd boosted the convertible. Cam-Gail started one and rode away on it.

Sheila drove the convertible, Ally sat in the front and Hanna climbed in the back.

Hanna was a little worried she didn't make the right choice. She wanted to be with Sheila and Ally so they could be 'The Three Musketeer'. She also didn't want someone else to get shortchanged.

"I should have gone instead of Gail." Hanna said. "She needs to be out more than I do."

Sheila thought it was for the best. Gail's chip was currently in Cam's chassis.

"Don't worry about it, love." Sheila said. "Cam probably doesn't want her chassis abused anyway."

Hanna was confused. What Sheila just said, didn't make any sense.

"Why would Cam's chassis be abused?" Hanna asked.

Ally figured Sheila would drive recklessly. She certainly would look for a confrontation somewhere along the way. She just didn't know what the nature of it would be. She knew crime was pretty high in San Francisco because the criminals weren't prosecuted. They were simply released from the police station without bail, if they were even arrested. She didn't want Hanna to encourage Sheila to act more extreme.

"Don't ask her that." Ally said.

Ally and Sheila recently watched the movie 'Bullitt'. It was filmed in San Francisco. There was an elaborate chase scene in it. Sheila said she wanted to drive the same way on the same city streets.

Sheila accelerated away from the lot as the tires squealed. She slid sideways onto the street. She narrowly missed a small car.

Hanna quickly understood what Ally meant about being abused. She didn't think it would just be some type of minor abuse. It sounded like it could be very dangerous. It felt like it too after Sheila's latest traffic maneuver.

"Watch it." Hanna said. "I don't want to be damaged."

Sheila looked back as she ran a red light.

"It will probably happen when I roll this thing." Sheila said.

Hanna looked alarmed.

"What?" Hanna asked.

Ally wished they would have taken an SUV. At least it had a roof when they rolled.

"Great." Ally said. "I told you not to ask her."

Sheila wanted to make everything clear.

"I'm here to teach these people how to skill drive." Sheila said. "Traffic laws are for sissies. I like to make a statement when I'm around and about. Besides, I don't plan on returning here anytime soon once we leave."

Hanna didn't want any unnecessary damage.

"Slow down and use caution." Hanna said.

Sheila looked back at Hanna and frowned.

"I'll think about it." Sheila said.

The convertible roared down the crowded streets. She only went on the sidewalk once to pass. The other times were on the wrong side of the road. She didn't need to contend with the curb if she stayed in the street.

Hanna and Ally both wished they'd gone with Cam-Gail at this point.

Mary, Laura and Leticia didn't like the homeless people around them. There seemed to be a lot of them. They leered at them and whispered amongst themselves.

"Watch out." Mary said.

Leticia almost stepped in a pile of human waste on the sidewalk.

"Is that what it looks like?" Leticia asked.

Laura looked disgusted. She saw something else but didn't want to point.

"It is." Laura said as she indicated with her head. "There's someone making another pile over there."

Mary looked around.

"Gross." Mary said. "It's all around here."

Leticia checked the ground around her further. She spotted a few needles too.

"When does the next bus come?" Leticia asked.

Laura checked the time.

"I thought it would have been here by now." Laura said.

Mary, Laura and Leticia all felt uncomfortable. The skimpy outfits on Laura and Leticia didn't help any. They seemed to draw a lot of looks from some very questionable people.

Maybe it was because they hadn't left the location of the bus stop.

Mary looked at the tourist map. Things weren't always drawn to scale and could be misleading if one was unfamiliar with the area.

"If we cut through the big park, we can get to the next stop." Mary said. "I think more people will get off there."

The thought of passing through a park at night bothered Laura.

"Is it safe?" Laura asked. "Bad things happen in parks when it's dark."

Laura remembered back to her first sexual 'experience' with a male. She'd stayed out too late with her high school girlfriend and hurried to get back home. They had sex and didn't stop when they should have. It was their fifth time together. The time got away from them. Her girlfriend's brother came home and caught them. It seemed to cause a problem. She'd quickly left.

She cut through the park to save time. It was dark. The lights didn't work in the back part of the park. It was where she was at. A dark figure came out of the bushes and grabbed her from behind. She went to scream but he held his hand tight over her mouth. He held a knife up in front of her face. He'd been behind her the whole time and she hadn't seen his face yet.

He said if she looked at him or made any noise he would kill her. He pushed her to the ground and pulled her skirt up and her underwear down. She knew what was coming. She was glad her girlfriend took her cherry two weeks ago with a vibrator. At least he wouldn't get that. Her girlfriend said she took her own cherry with it three months ago. The vibrator belonged to her mother.

It hurt a little less than she thought it would. It was probably because she'd been with her girlfriend only a short while ago. It was still very rough and violent but it was over fast. When she realized he was done she looked back and he was gone. She reached back and touched herself. She wiped her hand on the grass. She pulled up her underpants and ran home. She never told anyone what happened. She was relieved a week later to see she wasn't pregnant. She never went to a park again in the dark.

"…out of here, Laura." Leticia said.

Laura had been lost in thought.

"What?" Laura asked.

Leticia looked very worried.

"We need to get out of here." Leticia said. "We're going to get jumped. I've had it happen before. It isn't pretty when there's a group of them. It becomes violent fast."

Mary didn't want to find out.

"Let's move." Mary said.

Mary and Leticia started off for the park. Laura looked around at the homeless men who stared at her. She hurried after the girls. She knew it was going to happen to all three of them in the near future if they didn't get moving. She was sure going through the park was a bad idea. To stay where they were at right now looked like an even worse idea. She looked back once and it looked like some of the men were following them.

John Henry brought a drone down as low as it could go without human detection to scan the interior of the building.

Cammy and Savannah looked at the images on a laptop in the back of the delivery van.

"I don't see anything." Savannah said. "There's no movement or any heat signatures."

Cammy didn't like it. It was possible the men eluded them when they'd left the building. She wasn't quite sure how they managed to do it. There was no indication anyone was inside of the building at all. She saw it as a missed opportunity. She could have terminated all three of them inside of the clean room along with the representative. No one would have known what happened when they left.

"I knew I should have taken them down when I was there." Cammy said.

Savannah felt it was her doing. She'd wanted to prevent any collateral damage.

"It's my fault." Savannah said. "I didn't want any of the employees hurt."

They hadn't picked up anything from the building on the bug Cammy left behind since the Grays tried to call the 'Boss'.

"I think they escaped." Cammy said.

Savannah wasn't so sure.

"Was the 'clean room' shielded?" Savannah asked. "It was insulated. There may be shielding there as well."

Cammy knew it was a possibility. She didn't want to give the Grays any more time to prepare.

"Maybe we should cut the power." Cammy said. "It might provoke a reaction. It's a pretty good bet they already know they're being watched and probably will be 'hit' before the night is over."

Savannah figured it was true. Maybe they could spook someone. She knew what happened last night when the power was cut. She figured it was better to see if anything would happen before Cammy entered the building. If there was some type of energy field, they would know soon enough. It would have time to manifest itself.

"Let's do it." Savannah said. "We will sit tight for a little longer."

John Henry cut the power and the building went completely dark.

The drone stayed over the building in a double figure eight or a close cloverleaf orbit. It could scan every side of the building.

Cammy and Savannah were armored up as were Richard and Michael. They went back into surveillance mode. The building wasn't going anywhere. They could afford to wait a little longer.

Savannah constantly checked to see if any of the Terminators appeared affected by anything. So far they hadn't shown any symptoms. If any of them did, she was going to order them to drive away while they still could. She knew it would affect the vehicle as well.

Earlier:

Young Allison didn't like the scan results on the building.

"They should cut the power now." Young Allison said.

Anna thought it should be up to Savannah and Cammy.

"They'll make the call when they think it's necessary." Anna said.

It was only a minute later when Cammy made the request.

Young Allison looked at Anna when Cammy made the call but didn't say anything. She checked on Larry and Hank. There was nothing happening where they conducted their surveillance.

"I want Hank and Larry there now." Young Allison said. "They can cover the back side."

Anna checked. CamNet had them ready to move. They took off as soon as Young Allison spoke. They were already headed there.

"They're on the way." Anna said.

Young Allison didn't like the prospect the three Grays were able to slip away.

"I know John Henry and CamNet are rechecking the scans of everyone who left the building." Young Allison said. "There are still four vehicles in the employee parking lot. Find out who they belong to."

Anna came back with the information within a few seconds.

"Two of them are company cars. One is an employee who has been on vacation for a week and the last one is registered to 'John Smith'." Anna said.

Young Allison thought the name sounded bogus.

"Where is John Smith's vehicle registered at?" Young Allison asked.

Anna didn't like what she'd found out.

"It comes back to one of the satellite buildings from the operation last night." Anna said.

Young Allison nodded.

"It makes sense." Young Allison said. "The raid showed there were people living in those buildings. None of them were there when our teams moved in."

Anna knew there was some speculation as to where all the individuals were at.

"We were under the impression they all went to the two buildings you took down with Savannah." Anna said.

Young Allison brushed it off. She didn't want her involvement overplayed.

"It was a joint operation." Young Allison said. "We only played a small part in the effort. I want the Terminators to be on the lookout if they feel any type of energy field starting to develop. Since the power is off now, it appeared to be how it started yesterday. There's no indication there's an 'energy ball' located in the building. Everyone still needs to be mindful of it."

Anna checked. She found out Savannah also issued the same directive. She was worried about the same thing.

"Savannah is concerned as well." Anna said.

Young Allison could see there was going to be a lull in the operation while everyone waited to see what developed. She didn't have any trouble multitasking. She decided to check up on a few other things.

Anna noted Young Allison seemed to look at some other screens. Several landmarks were evident.

"Is that San Francisco you're viewing?" Anna asked.

Young Allison followed a lot of things right now. It was what she did.

"It is." Young Allison said. "There seems to be a situation developing."

Anna looked a little alarmed. She quickly checked all of her information.

"I'm not detecting anything amiss." Anna said.

Young Allison downplayed the situation.

"It's not our team." Young Allison said. "It's probably nothing."

Anna checked the drone availability in San Francisco. She noted they were all active. They were supposed to be held in reserve for an emergency.

"The drone usage would seem to indicate otherwise." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to cover all the bases. She was the one who'd suggested to CamNet the drones become active. It was dark now.

"It's nothing to worry about." Young Allison said. "Our teams there are separated into several different groups right now. I want to make sure they're all covered."

She didn't like what CamNet showed her. There was an obvious issue. It was clearly escalating.

Holly and Allison went off the ship first. Bob was waiting for them outside the cruise terminal. Gail-Cam and Vanna were off next. Jim showed up behind them. Cameron and John went off last.

Dan and Frank arrived with the van as soon as John and Cameron joined the group. They heard a motorcycle in the near distance. By the time they were all in the van, they spotted Cam-Gail pass by them and head for the cruise terminal. She didn't look at them as she passed. They knew it was intentional. They never knew who was watching. There was no need to give anyone a clue.

Allison was worried about her getting on the ship.

"Will she have trouble at the metal detector?" Allison asked.

The Terminators would all pass through the Metal detectors without any problem.

"No." Bob and Cameron said at the same time.

Cameron wanted to be more specific. She didn't want Allison or Vanna to worry.

"CamNet has it covered." Cameron said.

Dan drove the van away from the cruise terminal. They passed a 'meter maid' who checked a motorcycle. It was parked in a red zone. It was the motorcycle Cam-Gail used. It was only there for a minute.

John Henry showed it was stolen. It would be returned to the owner faster this way. The owner didn't even know it was gone yet. He would get a call from the impound yard in the morning. It would show there was no fee to pick it up. He'd covered the cost. Savannah told them she wanted them to act 'responsibly'. She knew sometimes they needed to act. There was plenty of Syndicate money to 'make things right' for the innocent people later on.

Cam-Gail boarded the ship without incident and made her way to the private area. She checked everything in the Control Center and plugged in. When she got a chance, she would check the rooms to make sure everything was in order.

Right now she concentrated on the operation Savannah was on and what Sheila's team and the van were up to. She hadn't expected to see there was drone coverage already. She checked into it a little further. She could see she'd been tracked on her motorcycle ride back to the ship. She was pleased to see someone was watching over her. She noted the drone which accompanied her, was now headed back to Golden Gate Park. It was there in no time. San Francisco was a small place. Its entire land area was approximately fifty square miles.

Dan maneuvered the van through traffic towards the rendezvous point with the helicopter. As soon as he pulled up, they could hear the helicopter approach. They were all out of the van by the time the Blackhawk set down. Ken got out of the pilot's seat and Cameron climbed in. The group boarded it and they were off in forty three seconds. Everyone put their headphones on so they could converse.

John noted the last minute arrival and quick departure of the helicopter from where it landed.

"It seems we just used something which wasn't a standard helipad." John said. "Is it going to cause some type of a problem?"

Cameron looked back and smiled at him.

"It's covered by a special movie filming permit." Cameron said. "If anyone checks, it will show it's been on file and approved for over a month. CamNet backdated and took care of everything. All the fees were paid. Everyone is happy."

John smiled and shook his head. He was aware they'd used a similar ploy when Young Allison flew under the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. They'd also used it in multiple instances elsewhere. If anyone were to spot any of the HK equipment, it would be explained as being a movie prop. No one would believe what it really was anyway.

They were headed out over the bay right now. They could see the city on one side and across the bay on the other side. The bay was huge and went for miles in all directions. It was hard to believe almost half of the bay was filled in. All the mudflats were covered with earth and built upon. It was one of the reasons everything along the shore did poorly in an earthquake. The soil under the buildings would liquefy and cause catastrophic structure failure.

Vanna and Allison were plastered to the window on one side with Holly and Gail-Cam in back of them. John looked out the front next to Cameron as she flew.

Lou offered the copilot's seat to John. John offered it to Vanna and Allison first. They declined and said they could take turns. Cameron suggested they could take turns sitting on John's lap.

John decided not to wait there and find out. He moved up and changed places with Lou. On his way up, he noticed Vanna as she touched Gail-Cam's large breasts through her clothes. He could see her giant breasts were hard to resist for anyone. He'd done the same thing when Cameron used her chassis. As he thought back on it, it produced a 'reaction' in his pants. If Vanna or Allison sat on his lap now, he would have to tell them it wasn't the cyclic or collective they felt. He made sure he didn't bump the actual cyclic or collective as he traded places with Lou.

John took in the view from the front. There was an excellent view of the cruise ship at its berth and the waterfront. Alcatraz was on his right side as they flew towards the Golden Gate Bridge. He noted they were still relatively low in altitude as the bridge loomed closer. He wondered what Cameron was up to. He realized they were going to fly underneath it.

John looked over at Cameron.

"Don't tell me." John said. "It's another 'filming permit'."

Cameron looked at him and said nothing. She shrugged her shoulders. Money had a way of 'talking'. Everyone was willing to look the other way or change the rules if the money was 'right'. It still troubled her how humans were so infatuated with something which was actually meaningless and worthless. The value of anything was in their head. Rocks, minerals, paper and electrons were only just those things. Value was a belief. When someone believed something, it became true to them, whether it was true or not. A Skynet future would prove it. She hoped to prevent it from happening. She simply stated a fact.

"Money changes everything." Cameron said.

John smiled and shook his head.

He noted the giant Ghirardelli sign on his left side among the buildings and lights. The taller buildings in the city were in the background. They arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge in less than a minute. It loomed up and towered on both sides of the helicopter. They passed underneath it.

"That was awesome." John said.

He could hear Vanna and Allison comment on it as well.

Cameron continued out some distance. There was a giant container ship ahead of them. It was clearly headed for the Bay Area. The moonlight lit it up. She banked off to the side and gained altitude but not a whole lot. She turned around and flew over the Golden Gate Bridge. She stayed low between the towers this time. John thought the second pass was a more impressive view to see a giant towers of the bridge on each side of them. The towers were huge.

"That was even more awesome." John said.

Cameron looked over John and smiled.

She flew directly over Alcatraz this time.

Cameron gained some altitude and flew over the Bay Bridge. John saw it was lit up even more visually impressive than the Golden Gate Bridge was. She pointed out the landmarks and buildings of significance as they flew.

John, Vanna and Allison were all impressed. It was definitely a grand tour of the Bay Area. They wondered if it would look as impressive in the daytime or just look like another city. It was very picturesque as they flew over everything at night.

Sheila previously received specific instructions from Cameron about what she wanted done. Sheila was pleased Cameron selected her to make sure it happened.

She was worried now about what she heard over her com. CamNet gave her a run down on what she'd observed from the drone footage. She drove the convertible on an intercept course.

Sheila hoped CamNet wouldn't use the drones to prevent anything from happening in the city. She really hoped Young Allison was on this as well. Only Young Allison or Savannah could rein CamNet in. It was evident Cameron couldn't anymore.

Mary, Laura and Leticia were sure they were being followed at this point. They'd waited at the bus stop too long and were noticed by too many of the homeless people. The skimpy attire of Laura, and especially Leticia, only heightened the 'problem'.

"Quickly, let's go this way." Mary said.

Laura and Leticia followed her.

"There are at least three people following us." Leticia said. "They're gaining on us."

They were in the park now.

Laura tried to use her phone to call 911. She was surprised by the response.

"The 911 lines are jammed." Laura said. "I'm on hold."

Leticia thought it was ridiculous.

"What good is 911 if they put you on hold?" Leticia asked. "It's supposed to be for people who need immediate help."

They noticed a small group of people spray painting some benches.

"Great." Mary said. "I think that's a street gang. They must be claiming some more turf."

Laura and Leticia looked at them and were even more worried now.

"They spotted us." Leticia said. "They're coming this way."

Laura felt the fear rise up in her. She knew it was going to happen again. It wasn't just going to be one person this time either. She looked at her phone on hold to 911.

"Why won't they pick up the phone?" Laura asked.

Mary didn't want to provoke an incident.

"Shut up." Mary said. "Try and act calm. You're going to make them come after us."

Leticia saw the gang look at her. She knew they were going to come after her. She'd been through things of this nature before when she was younger. It happened about two times a month in her old neighborhood. She thought she'd gotten away from it. It looked like she was wrong. No one ever escaped from their past.

"I think we'd better go back." Laura said.

Mary stopped and looked back.

"I don't think we can." Mary said.

There were about five or six homeless figures following them.

Laura looked at her phone again. Her 911 call was still on hold. She felt extremely frustrated.

"I think we're screwed." Laura said.

Mary would have preferred she'd used a different word for their predicament.

Leticia would play along with whatever happened. It's how she got by in life anyway.

"We're all going to be." Leticia said.

Laura felt her fear and anxiety level rise dramatically.

"We're all going to be what?" Laura asked.

Leticia looked at her.

"Screwed…." Leticia said. "We're all going to get abused by five or more guys in each group. The gang will go first and then the homeless men will take over. Just do what they say and you won't be hurt too bad. Let them have what they want and don't fight back. You can't stop it and they'll hurt you worse if you try."

Mary and Laura were near panic at this point. Leticia was resigned to the inevitable.

There was one last direction to turn where they might get away still and back to a street.

Mary headed in that direction. They were almost a run at this point. The two different groups sped up as well making sure there was no retreat.

Laura looked ahead of them. The landscape was different.

"What's in front of us?" Laura asked.

There was a flat darkness directly in their path.

Mary remembered the map she'd looked at earlier. Not only was the park giant. There were also several bodies of water.

"It's water. It's a pond or a lake or something." Mary said.

They were trapped.

The three girls were careful with their sexual partners and remained disease free so far. They were all sure it was about to change tonight. If they weren't given a disease by the gang, they surely would be by the homeless. The homeless group looked like it had swelled to ten or more at this point.

Leticia looked at the gang. They were almost up to them. She knew they were in for some real trouble now.

"Oh no…." Leticia said. "It's going to be worse."

Mary wondered how at this point.

"What is it now?" Mary asked.

Leticia witnessed incidents before. Luckily they hadn't involved her.

"There's a female gang member with them." Leticia said.

Laura hoped it was a good thing.

"Maybe she will show us mercy." Laura said.

Leticia knew otherwise.

"It's just the opposite." Leticia said. "Once she sees we're prettier than she is, she'll have the gang 'mark us'."

Mary remembered the spray cans they'd used on the bench.

"Do you mean with spray paint?" Mary asked.

Leticia knew it was worse than paint.

"No." Leticia said. "They'll use knives and cigarettes."

The girls were at a full on run now as they skirted the water.

They were faced with a new threat. There was another group in front of them. They were near the water. Where did they come from? They were surrounded and cut off.

This was it.

CamNet's Terminators watched as the two homeless men made their approach to the building. It may be they weren't homeless at all. They may have had the building under observation from their vantage point on the other side of the tracks. The slow moving vehicle was now parked at the burnt out building at the end of the cul-de-sac. They could hear some movement in the office area of the building they were in as well. Someone was back out on the workroom floor.

Their immediate concern was whoever came out of the office area. They didn't know if it was one or all three of the men. They hadn't detected any internal security. It didn't mean there wasn't any.

The timing of the homeless men's approach was also of concern. If they'd had the building under observation from their vantage point across the tracks They may have acted because they'd witnessed them make their approach and enter the building. They were aware they had brief interaction with the female Fanatic earlier. They didn't know what was said or discussed.

They were also concerned about an external attack from the slow moving vehicle which was now stopped at the burnt out building at the end of the cul-de-sac. Everything seemed to happen at one time.

The Metal girls hope to have been able to learn some more information from the men inside the building. The fact there were only three of them seemed light to them anyway. Their best bet may be to terminate them immediately and deal with each new threat as it arose.

"I think it's all three of them." Lena said.

Tina agreed. It didn't sound like they were after them.

"We need to know why they're back out here." Lena said.

They agreed to separate for now. They wanted to better be able to track what the men were doing depending upon the direction they went. If the men were moving up and down the aisles to look for something, it would make it harder for them to conceal themselves. If the men were on each side of the crates or containers they hid between, they might get spotted at some point. They each carried an M9 and a Taser. They hoped to be able to take any threat 'Terminator style' if possible. There was usually the least amount of blood to deal with afterwards. Any bleeding from a snapped neck was usually internal. It didn't last long once the heart stopped.

"I think they're over in this direction." The first man said.

"How can anyone find anything in this mess?" The second man asked.

"You Bozos probably couldn't find your rear end with both hands." The third man said.

"I don't want him to find my rear end with any hand." The first man said.

"Don't knock it until you try it." The second man said.

"That's enough, just look for the number." The third man said.

"If the 'tin can' were here, he would know right where it was at." The first man said.

"I'd watch it with the derogatory remarks." The third man said. "Simpson was pretty mouthy about it a few times too many."

"I think he got a one way ride to the cornfield." The first man said.

"When are the others supposed to be back anyway?" The second man asked.

"I thought they should have been back yesterday." The third man said. "I can't get any of the calls to go through."

"You know it means they're wasted." The first man said. "I think 'Bucket Head' got it as well."

"Don't even think it." The second man said. "It means we're next if it is."

"When it comes, it comes." The first man said. "You can't stop fate. It's like everyone who tries to stop what we're doing. They might slow it down or delay it a little bit, but they can't stop it. Judgment Day is coming."

"Those nut jobs think it should be under the control of SkyMaster." The second man said.

"Maybe they should have sent us into the future instead of the past." The first man said.

"I think maybe they should have left both of you clowns where you were." The third man said.

"I wouldn't seem too bossy if I were you." The first man said. "Unless those others show back up, you're fresh out of friends."

"You seem to be in a hurry to join Simpson." The third man said.

"You never know, you might join him first." The first man said.

"That's enough." The third man said. "It's not where we thought it was. I want each of you morons to take an aisle and look for it."

Lena and Tina knew they were going to need to retreat to avoid detection. They thought it was best to retreat back to the location of the two box cars and see how things played out. They also needed to keep track of the two homeless men who were now directly in back of the building. There was also the other vehicle parked at the end of the cul-de-sac. The men who'd been in it, were out of it now. They'd gone into the burnt out building.

The Metal girls reached the rail siding. They went down off of the dock. They moved around the backside of the boxcars. They decided to move to the north end of them. It would put them closer to the HK Track in case one of the men tried to enable it. It would also put some distance between them and the doors over the rail siding which led to the outside. It was currently where the two homeless men were headed.

"I don't think they're going to blow the doors open." Tina said.

Lena didn't know what to expect.

"We don't know what anyone's going to do until they do it." Lena said. "Humans are very irrational."

They waited and listened as the men went up and down the aisles. They didn't know what they were searching for or why they were searching for it. They hadn't been informed of any calls being made to or from the location. They'd viewed the room with the computer equipment in it. They figured it was still active. One of them must have come across something or received a message to look for something.

"I think we should take the Grays down now." Tina said.

Lena wanted to know what they were searching for.

"Let's see if they find what they're looking for." Lena said. "It will save us the trouble of beating the information out of them."

Tina looked forward to beating the information out of them. She thought about the 'comfort bunk' she'd spied in one of the sleeping quarters. She looked at the images on her phone of the other two groups. She also monitored the progress of the female Fanatic and the big rig.

The two homeless men outside of the building were now at the door over the rail siding. The drone image showed them trying to open it.

She turned her attention to them as they spoke quietly. She needed to filter out the complaining and muttering of the other three men as they searched for whatever it was they wanted to find.

"I think we can get in through this way." The first homeless man said.

"Don't make any noise." The second homeless man said. "You'll bring those goons over to where we're at."

"I don't even know if any of them are in right now." The first homeless man said.

"There are still three cars in the parking lot outside of the office area." The second homeless man said. "Someone is in."

The drone image showed one of the men bent down at the bottom of where the two doors came together when they were closed.

"Look, I can bend this enough for us to squeeze through." The first homeless man said.

"If we go inside, what are we going to do?" The second homeless man asked.

"We're going to look for Marissa and Linda." The first homeless man said.

"Marissa disappeared over a month ago." The second homeless man said. "Linda has been gone for two weeks. Do you really think they've been inside this building the entire time?"

"I think this group is responsible." The first homeless man said.

The Metal girls could hear the men talking. They seemed rather careless to them. They didn't think it was a hit. It appeared to be two homeless men looking for some females who'd disappeared. They both thought about the 'comfort bunk. They were sure both of the females probably spent a few days on it before they were terminated.

"What about the other chick we saw earlier?" The second homeless man asked. "I think you're worried about her."

"She looked like she was down on her luck." The first homeless man said.

"We're all down on our luck." The second homeless man said.

There was a screech of metal from the doors over the rail siding.

The noise caught the attention of the three Grays.

"What was that?" The first man asked.

"It sounded like it was over by the rail cars." The second man said.

"I sure hope the HK Track didn't turn itself on." The first man said. "It'll come looking for us if it did. I think we should have put it in the back of the box truck anyway."

"I want you two imbeciles to shut up." The third man said. "We might be being probed right now."

The Metal girls were sure the two groups were about to encounter each other.

The drone image still showed the two homeless men in the center of the tracks at the doors which closed over the rail siding into the building. They could hear the three men inside of the building headed in their direction.

CamNet's Terminators anticipated a confrontation of some type very soon. There was no sign of the men at the end of the cul-de-sac who'd entered the burnt out building. The drone conducted a low level scan to try to see where they were at one point. They didn't show up.

The female Fanatic continued her loose pursuit towards her next destination. She didn't know where it would be. She currently had two bombs. She doubted it was going to be enough.

At one point in time she thought she'd picked up a tail. She watched the vehicle slowly move up from behind her. The truck had made several turns. She made them too. The vehicle behind her made them as well.

It didn't close up on her. It hung back, the same way she hung back on the truck. She realized they could have passed through one or more checkpoints along the way. Someone could have watched to see what vehicles remained behind the big rig.

There wasn't a whole lot she could do right now. She checked the street map on the satellite image as she drove. She looked for a spot where she could pull over and see if the other vehicle would pass. It might stop to see why she stopped as well. It needed to be on a section of the road where the big truck would be able to turn off.

The female Fanatic touched her Beretta and her knife. She had the two bombs. She could try to take out the occupants of the vehicle or blow it up if she couldn't. She didn't want to lose the big rig if possible. She looked at the street map on the overlay of the satellite image. She was going to have to gamble.

It Was Over Fast

The sky is wide and limitless
Space is deep and vast
What's in a heart and mind
May not always last

Many are often haunted
By the future and the past
What's said and what's done
Are often quite a contrast

One always must worry
About being the same and typecast
It radiates from within
It's the aurora they broadcast

Everyone wants to be unique
Not preordained into a caste
It leaves a heart and mind broke
They are in need of a cast

Throw caution to the wind
Life can be a blast
Think back and remember
It was over fast

Nobody