Chapter 1196
Private
Ally needed to deal with Sheila who currently thought she was 'Jesse'. Sheila seemed to experience an episode similar to what Cameron experienced at times when she thought she was 'Allison'. She'd sent Hanna to go get Gail.
She touched Sheila's cheek and looked into her eyes.
"How do you feel now?" Ally asked.
Sheila touched her midsection.
"I might be getting a little seasick." Sheila-Jesse said. "I haven't been on a ship in a long time."
Ally wondered how seasick was supposed to happen on a Terminator. Sheila didn't even have the right internal organs to get seasick. Maybe she would try some questions to help Sheila remember she was a cyborg and not a human being.
"When was the last time you ate anything?" Ally asked.
Sheila looked confused. She hadn't eaten anything.
"I don't know." Sheila-Jesse said. "I can't remember."
Ally wanted to get Sheila back to her room or one of the other suites. Sheila didn't belong in a public place the way she currently was. There was no way to tell if she would become violent or not at some point.
"Do you need to rest?" Ally asked. "It might be better to rest if you feel a little sick."
Sheila flexed her shoulders twice.
"I do feel tired." Sheila-Jesse said. "John really gave it to me good when we made love."
Ally wanted to see where the conversation was going. She already knew nothing happened.
"Was it your first time?" Ally asked.
Sheila smiled and then it abruptly faded. A more serious look came over her face.
"With John it was." Sheila-Jesse said. "You know about what happened to me with Scavengers and the others already. I didn't have a choice."
Hanna reported Gail was on the way.
Ally hoped to redirect Sheila's current focus.
"Do you want to see Gail?" Ally asked.
Sheila's face lit up again before a worried look came across her face.
"GAIL!" Sheila-Jesse said. "She's going to think I cheated on her."
Ally wondered how it would be any different if she really was with John than it was to be with any of the girls. She didn't think any of it was cheating. She wanted to see who mattered more to Sheila.
"You love her, don't you?" Ally asked.
The thought of Gail pleased Sheila. Gail was strong and forceful.
"I love her deeply." Sheila-Jesse said. "She can make me feel like no other person can."
Ally wanted to see who she loved the most.
"Do you love Gail more than John?" Ally asked.
Gail was everything to her.
"Yes." Sheila-Jesse said. "John is going to get me pregnant the next time we make love."
Ally could see Gail headed their way. She was very thankful.
Steve and Tom move carefully down the center aisle way of the building. They checked all of the rooms along the way. There was nothing of value in any of them.
"I don't like the way this is playing out." Tom said.
Steve didn't either.
"I think we need to get out of here." Steve said.
So far they hadn't found any explosive devices. There could be one hidden in the rafters above them. They'd run into buildings rigged in the same manner before.
They heard the screech of tires in the front of the building.
"It sounds like we just got company." Tom said.
They decided to go back out the way they'd arrived and see how things played out. They weren't sure if the new arrivals were after them or after whoever they thought might be in the building.
They went through the door from the office area and into the workroom floor. They hurried back over to the window they'd entered from. Steve helped Tom up first this time. When Tom was halfway through the window sill, he reached down and pulled Steve up. They were just about to drop down to the outside of the building when they heard the sound of another vehicle screech to a halt in the alley.
"I'm sure whoever arrived in the back is going to set in motion whatever the surveillance camera on the utility pole is able to pick up." Steve said.
Tom thought so too. It was a good time to be away from the building. They figured they were going to have a target to follow soon. They needed to get back to their SUV.
They both dropped down onto the ground from the window.
Steve didn't want it to be obvious to anyone that someone already breached the building if they checked along the side. The window on the ground next to the wall would be a dead giveaway.
"Let me take the window and let's go over the wall back to where we entered." Steve said. "I don't want someone to find it before they go in."
Tom went over the wall to the neighboring property first.
Steve handed over the window and climbed after him.
They could hear the sound of men moving in back of the building and along the side where they'd just been.
They decided to move along the back of the next building and over the side fence rather than go to the street or into the alley.
Tom dumped the window in a dumpster as they passed it.
They moved sideways through the next property and stopped at the fence that bordered the side street. They paused and waited. They made sure no one followed them. They could hear some pounding from the area they'd just left. It sounded like metal on metal. They were just about to go over the fence to the side street. A car approached and stopped at the entrance to the alley. It was going to block their path back to their SUV if it remained there.
Tom wondered why the vehicle stopped where it was.
"I don't think the new arrival is with the group who just showed up in the front and the back of the building". Tom said.
Steve didn't want to take any chances.
"I only see two of them in the car." Steve said.
He pulled out his M9 and quickly attached the silencer.
Tom wanted him to wait a moment before he terminated them.
"It sounds like they're talking to someone." Tom said.
They decided to listen for a moment to determine if they could gather some intel first.
Gail exited the elevator and went in the direction Hanna told her to go to find Ally and Sheila.
She entered the small theater and headed toward the rear corner. She spotted Ally and Sheila. Sheila's back was to her.
Gail could hear them talking. It sounded like what Hanna told her. It appeared Sheila thought she was 'Jesse' and Ally was 'Cameron'.
"John is going to get me pregnant the next time we make love." Sheila-Jesse said.
Gail was a little surprised at Sheila's statement. It was clear she did think she was Jesse. She approached behind Sheila.
"Sheila." Gail said
Sheila kept talking with Ally.
Gail tried again.
"Jesse." Gail said.
Sheila turned around.
"Oh, Gail." Sheila-Jesse said.
Sheila gave Gail a big hug.
Gail decided to give Sheila a kiss and see how it went.
Sheila didn't return the kiss very much. She seemed hesitant to do so. She looked up at Gail's face. There were tears in her eyes.
"Gail, I need to be honest with you." Sheila-Jesse said. "I was with someone else."
Gail didn't see that as a problem. All of their relationships were open. They'd all been with someone else. They were all with everyone else.
"We're allowed to be with anyone who wants us to be with them." Gail said.
Sheila knew there were limits. She thought she'd crossed a different line.
"That's any female." Sheila-Jesse said. "I made love with John."
Gail caught Ally's drift to try and get Sheila to a room.
"Can we go to our suite and talk about it?" Gail asked.
Sheila thought Gail would be upset. She didn't appear to be.
"You're not upset at me?" Sheila-Jesse asked.
Gail wanted to get Sheila into a room and away from everyone.
"I would rather discuss it in private." Gail said. "Let's go to our suite."
Sheila looked at Ally.
"Can 'Cameron' come with us?" Sheila-Jesse asked.
Gail looked at Ally who nodded.
"Of course she can." Gail said. "We have no secrets."
Gail wasn't sure what went wrong with Sheila. It looked pretty severe at this point. It appeared Sheila really thought she was Jesse. She was glad Sheila wanted Ally to come with them. It might take both of them to restrain Sheila if things got worse. Right now neither one of them carried a Taser. It was really the only way they'd be able to incapacitate her if things took a more violent turn.
"Where's our cabin?" Sheila-Jesse asked. "You mentioned a suite."
Ally wondered what Sheila did remember.
"Don't you know?" Ally asked.
Sheila looked around. It was as if she looked at everything for the first time. She didn't seem to have any recollection as to where she was at or where she was going.
"No." Sheila-Jesse said. "I'm not sure how I even got here."
Gail wanted Sheila out of any public view in case things got worse.
"You're ill." Gail said. "You must return with me at once to our suite."
Sheila touched her head. Some past events seemed to pop into her head. They weren't all pleasant thoughts.
"I just feel a little tired." Sheila-Jesse said. "Maybe I drank too much alcohol. That's happened to me before. Sometimes when I passed out, there were others who took more than was offered…. I've woken up more than a few times with a stranger on top of me. You know what I mean."
Ally and Gail looked at each other. They didn't know what she meant. Both of them were glad it never actually occurred to them. Ally did have Allison's memories of such events. She didn't review them.
"We can discuss it back in our room." Gail said.
Ally thought Sheila looked worse.
"Are you going to make it?" Ally asked.
Sheila still touched her head.
"I don't know. I feel tired." Sheila-Jesse said.
Ally led the trio towards the elevator.
"I can carry you." Gail said.
Sheila smiled at Gail.
"You did that the first night we made love." Sheila-Jesse said. "John did it too."
Sheila looked down at her dress. Her hand felt around on her body.
"I don't have any underwear on." Sheila-Jesse said. "I must have left them where John made love to me."
Gail didn't want Sheila to have a new problem. She didn't want to have to go back to look for something that wouldn't be there.
"I like you without any." Gail said. "I can get down to business faster."
Sheila smiled at Gail. She looked forward to the experience again.
Ally moved in front of them. As she approached the elevators, the door on one of them opened.
Gail thought Sheila looked a little sluggish. She wondered if she was going to need to carry her anyway.
They were in the elevator now. They were headed to the deck their suites were on.
Sheila rotated the slit in her dress around so she could reach inside her dress easier. She reached down and lifted her dress up to her waist.
Ally wasn't sure what Sheila was about to do. She really hoped the elevator didn't stop and the door would open. She didn't think it would since she hadn't needed to touch any buttons to call the elevator or select the floor.
The elevator stopped.
Ally reached over and lowered Sheila's dress.
"There may be other passengers." Ally said.
Sheila wasn't very concerned. She didn't really care what any other passengers witnessed.
"Oh." Sheila-Jesse said.
Ally led them towards the private area. The door opened and Jim was there.
"Hi, Jim." Sheila-Jesse said. "That's a sharp uniform."
Jim looked at the three of them. He was able to deduce there was a problem. He'd been following their actions on each security camera they'd passed, including the one in the elevator. He wasn't sure exactly what Sheila was looking for when she lifted her dress.
"Thank you." Jim said.
Ally led Sheila to her small room.
"This room is really small." Sheila-Jesse said. "I don't like it. You said we were in a suite."
Gail didn't like Sheila's room either.
"We need a bigger room." Gail said.
Steve and Tom moved to the edge of the property so they were right up next to the alley and the side street. The car was right on the other side of the fence from where they were at. It still hadn't entered the alley. They listen to one side of the conversation.
"… two cars." The man said.
Pause.
"There's one in the front and one in the back." The man said.
Pause.
"No. I don't know how many of them there are." The man said.
Pause.
"I don't know why they weren't working." The man said.
Pause.
"If they're working now, I wouldn't worry about it." The man said.
Pause.
"They must all be either in the building or next to it by now." The man said.
Pause.
"If any of them make a run for it, we'll follow them." The man said.
Pause.
"I don't see you out here taking a closer look." The man said.
Pause.
"Don't worry about it." The man said.
Pause.
"Fine, we'll move up to the front." The man said.
Steve and Tom heard the car start. It slowly crept forward towards the main street.
"We need to get back to our SUV." Tom said.
Steve moved to the very corner of the property. He carefully looked down the alley and then in both directions on the side street. He could see the vehicle that had been outside the fence next to where they were. It was at the very corner of the side street and the main street.
"We've got to move now." Steve said.
Tom and Steve went over the wall in a flash. They crossed over the property directly in back of them through the alley. They didn't go out onto the side street. They went onto the property directly in back of them and over the fence on the front of it. They were now one street away from where they'd been. They moved to the side street and hurried back to their SUV. They made sure no one followed them.
They did a quick check around the vehicle before they got into it. Everything looked undisturbed.
Steve climbed in behind the wheel.
"We need to move up." Steve said.
Steve started the SUV.
As soon as he turned the key, there was a massive explosion.
The elevator doors opened and Cameron led the group out onto deck six.
Right away she saw Hanna. Gail should have been there instead.
She wondered if there was a problem.
Hanna approached her.
Cameron looked around the immediate area.
Hanna could see the look of concern on Cameron's face. She wanted to downplay the issues with Sheila, at least for now.
"I took over for Gail. She's with Ally and Sheila." Hanna said.
Cameron wanted them to have a good time too.
"You don't need to be here." Cameron said.
Hanna wanted everything to seem normal.
"I told Gail I'd stay." Hanna said. "She wanted to make sure her duty assignment was covered. She was very reluctant to leave."
Cameron walked away and went back to the group.
"Who wants popcorn?" Cameron asked.
No one said anything. After the rich pastries and specialty coffee drinks, popcorn didn't seem like a good idea to anyone.
"It's one less thing to worry about." Cameron said.
The group looked around the large room and all the different machines for gambling and the gaming tables.
Riley only ever saw a casino on TV or in a movie. She could see the one on the ship wasn't that big. There were still a lot of flashing lights and many sounds. It was very different.
"I've never been in a casino before." Riley said.
Sarah looked around. They all seemed about the same. The only real difference was the size.
"I have." Sarah said. "You haven't missed much."
The more Riley looked around the more enticing it became. She felt a rush of excitement, maybe it was adrenaline.
"It looks like fun." Riley said.
Cameron tried to explain what Riley felt.
"It's how it's designed to look. It's to draw the 'mark' in." Cameron said.
Derek caught Cameron's terminology.
"Mark?" Derek asked. "Are the games crooked?"
Cameron was assured by CamNet the games were legitimate.
"No." Cameron said. "There's no cheating allowed in any of the casinos that CamNet runs."
John quickly looked over at Cameron. Her statement sent off a red flag for him. It sounded like more than one casino.
"How many casinos are you talking about?" John Asked.
Cameron told it like it was. In order to deny the Syndicate and Cartel revenue and places where they could launder drug money, as well as money from the sex trade, she'd needed to seize their resources.
"CamNet has taken control of many Syndicate and Cartel assets." Cameron said.
Kyle didn't like Derek's previous run in with the Syndicate. He'd like to see the Syndicate 'punished' as well.
"A fair game anywhere sounds like a good thing." Kyle said. "Less control by the Syndicate sounds even better."
Cameron wanted to stay with the current casino they were in. She didn't want Young Allison's previous actions to drift into the conversation. She wasn't even sure if she knew the full extent of everything CamNet did on Young Allison's behalf. She wanted to remind everyone the very nature of gambling wasn't the most intelligent way to attempt to make money or earn a living.
"The odds favor the house. A fool and his money are soon parted. There's no need for cheating." Cameron said. "You can use your room cards to play. They have unlimited funds."
Sarah and Kyle went off to one section and Derek took John to another. It left Riley with Cameron.
Riley looked around at all the various different types of gambling. The things that caught her attention were the slot machines because of all the noise they made. The spinning wheels inside of them, or the simulated effect, caught her attention.
"Can you show me?" Riley asked.
There were many choices.
"What would you like to play first?" Cameron asked.
Riley looked at a machine with flashing lights in front of her.
"I want to try this one." Riley said.
It was a slot machine.
Cameron showed her how to draw money off her card to play.
Riley saw on TV a 'One Arm Bandit' usually used coins. At least they used to. She wanted the same experience.
"Where are the coins at?" Riley asked. "It looks like fun."
Cameron thought the card was more efficient. She wanted Riley to have a good time.
"Do you wish to use coins?" Cameron asked.
Riley wanted it to be like in the movies. She remembered the sound of metal clanking on metal as the coins poured into a tray at the bottom of the machine. It always seemed to attract everyone's attention when it occurred.
"I want to try some." Riley said. "I've seen the money spill out in the movies and TV."
Cameron wanted to get Riley started.
"Start here and I'll obtain some." Cameron said.
Cameron showed Riley how to play and ways to increase the odds of winning big if she won.
Holly arrived at their machine with a small bucket of coins a few seconds later.
Cameron was a little surprised since she was just about to go get some.
"Where did those come from?" Cameron asked.
Cameron hoped Holly didn't take them from another customer. Terminators often simply took things they needed or wanted without regards to anything else.
Holly didn't see what the problem was.
"The attendant in the cashier's cage handed them to me." Holly said. "She said they were complements of the cruise line."
They all figured CamNet was behind it. It could have been Jim too. It didn't really matter at this point.
Riley shook the bucket of coins. She liked the sound. It was a little heavy though.
"Nice." Riley said. "Thanks."
Riley whispered something in Holly's ear.
Holly disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared.
Riley started to play. Soon coins were clunking into the metal tray of the slot machine along with the flashing lights and ringing bells.
Cameron looked around to where John and Derek were. They were at a blackjack table. They weren't doing very well.
She turned her attention back to Riley.
"Do you want to play here or see more of the games?" Cameron asked.
A large pile of coins clanked out into the tray.
Riley didn't think she would keep winning, maybe she would.
"I'm good here for now." Riley said. "You can play elsewhere. I'll find you when the coins are all gone."
Cameron knew the odds. The coins would go fast.
"It won't be long." Cameron said.
Cameron headed over and stood in back of John and Derek.
"I'm no good at this." Derek said. "I'm already almost broke."
Cameron knew none of them could run out of funds.
"You can get more chips." Cameron said. "You can get as many as you want."
John and Derek turned around.
Derek knew he could get more funds. It wasn't the point. He didn't like losing. He felt Cameron could even the odds a little bit.
"Can you take over for me?" Derek asked.
Cameron looked over at John. She didn't want to cause a problem in front of him.
John could see Cameron wanted to play. He was sure it was so she could show she was superior to all of the humans. He couldn't deny the fact she actually was when it came to something like gambling. He thought maybe it would make Derek feel a little bit better if Cameron could win back some of the money he'd lost. He knew it wasn't about the money itself. It was about losing.
"It's OK." John said.
Cameron didn't want to overstep her new role.
"I will, but just for a few minutes." Cameron said. "I'll win some more chips for Derek to play."
John knew Cameron could win big fast.
"I'm sure you will." John said.
Cameron looked at the chips John acquired.
"Can I borrow a couple of your chips?" Cameron asked.
John wanted a measured response.
"Let me give you ten." John said. "You might not be lucky every hand. No one else around here is."
Cameron understood John wanted her to take it easy at first. She didn't care for restrictions.
"We'll see." Cameron said.
Cameron stepped up and took Derek's place.
Savannah showered and put on her long tee shirt for bed. Normally she would wear underwear but left it off tonight. She figured it would be off soon enough anyway.
"Do you want both of us to stay?" Cammy asked.
Savannah hated to tie them up while she slept. It wasn't fair to them.
"One of you can stay until I fall asleep." Savannah said. "Then you can go."
Cam answered before Cammy.
"I'll stay." Cam said.
Savannah gave Cammy a long kiss before she lay down. Cam climbed in next to her.
Cammy checked everything in the room and left.
Cam felt Cammy was a little off.
"Cammy seemed preoccupied." Cam said. "I hope it's nothing I did."
Savannah didn't think it was what they did.
"None of it is new. "Savannah said. "We've all done this before and you both have done it with all of the girls."
Cam knew it was true.
"We have." Cam said.
Savannah wanted to talk with Cam.
"Can we do some pillow talk?" Savannah asked.
Cam smiled.
"Of course." Cam said.
Savannah didn't want any issues from the conversation.
"Can we keep it private?" Savannah asked.
Cam's smile faded a little. She wondered what 'touchy' subjects were about to come up.
"Of course." Cam said.
Savannah went straight after what bothered her. She was concerned about Vanna. It wasn't her physical condition either.
"How's Vanna doing?" Savannah asked. "I'm worried about her."
Cam could tell right away the discussion was going to be delicate. She needed to make one thing clear before they started.
"Vanna may have asked me for some private things too." Cam said.
Savannah wanted Vanna's privacy respected.
"Tell me what you can, while protecting what she asked you to keep private." Savannah said. "I respect her privacy."
It took some pressure off of Cam.
"Thank you." Cam said. "What would you like to know?"
Savannah was tired. She let out a long breath and started in.
As soon as Steve turned the key, there was a massive explosion.
Steve and Tom watched a fireball rise into the sky a second before they actually heard the sound.
"It must have been the building." Tom said.
Steve put the SUV into motion. He wanted to track the vehicle they'd spotted observing the location.
"I'm glad we went through the window." Steve said. "I don't think the group that arrived was as lucky as we were."
Steve moved to the side street where they'd last seen the suspect vehicle. It was still sitting in the same spot where they last spotted it. They saw a vehicle speed away from where they could see an orange and yellow glow. The vehicle they slowly crept up on, took off after the vehicle which just passed in front of it.
They increase their speed. They didn't want to lose either vehicle. They passed by the alley. They saw the other vehicle behind the building. It was currently engulfed in flames.
"It looks like we only need to deal with the two vehicles." Tom said. "The other one isn't going to go anywhere except the scrap yard."
Steve pulled up to the main street.
They looked towards the burning structure. There was no one spotted around it. They figured any survivors of the blast were in the first vehicle which passed. They were able to see the second vehicle go around a corner two blocks down. They assumed the first one was in front of it still.
They were instructed by CamNet there were now four drones approaching their location. They both looked at each other when the new information arrived. They would have liked to have had at least one drone earlier so they could have had a heads up about the vehicles that arrived while they were still in the building. They could have tripped the explosion themselves if they'd taken a shortcut and gone out through a door. They didn't know for sure what actually triggered the explosion in the building. Since there was nothing of obvious value to Skynet, they figured the building was nothing more than a setup to draw in another group for termination.
Steve made a turn at the intersection they'd watched the suspect vehicle turn. There was no vehicle spotted.
"We've lost them." Steve said.
Tom felt it was only temporarily.
"We should have drone support in twenty three seconds." Tom said.
In a few seconds there was an image of the burning building as a drone approached its location. The second drone arrived over their current location. The other two drones moved in the direction the two fleeing vehicles were last spotted.
The third drone picked them up almost immediately.
The forth drone started to do reconnaissance around the area.
Tom looked at the image of the burning building. There were no people moving around the partially collapsed and burning structure. If there'd been any survivors of the attack force, they must have been in the first vehicle that fled.
Steve set the SUV back into motion once they knew where the two target vehicles were now at. They watched the first vehicle take a few more evasive maneuvers. The second vehicle still followed it from a discreet distance. They were a little surprised at what they witnessed next.
Cammy left Savannah's room and headed for the Command Center.
John Henry saw she was on her way. He made sure nothing inappropriate showed on any screen.
She decided not to pass by any of the other rooms yet. She reached the Command Center very quickly.
"Did you enjoy the show?" Cammy asked.
John Henry knew she'd left the door open for him to observe.
"Yes." John Henry said. "It was very stimulating."
Cammy looked down below John Henry's waist.
"I can see." Cammy said.
John Henry scooted further under his desk. It seemed to be an involuntary reaction. It was harder and harder to control. He wanted to change the subject.
"Are you ready for an operational update?" John Henry asked.
Cammy wanted to know if there were any targets she could hit while Savannah was busy or asleep.
"I'm ready for your report." Cammy said.
John Henry went over everything.
"This is what is happening…." John Henry started.
He gave her a complete rundown of what was going on with Resistance matters and what was occurring on the ship. He didn't have the latest updates from CamNet. It wasn't an oversight on CamNet's part.
Cammy looked at some footage of Sheila. Something seemed off, especially the way Ally and later Gail acted towards her. She didn't know of the malfunction Sheila currently experienced.
"I have Holly on the com." John Henry said.
Cammy already knew what it was about.
"I know why she's calling. I'll go check on Precious myself." Cammy said.
John Henry would have liked to have checked again himself. He would have liked another look at Vanna and Allison as they slept naked in bed.
"I'll call Holly back." John Henry said.
Cammy wanted to know more about Sheila. Eight years together in the past indicated to her Sheila wasn't one hundred percent. There was something wrong.
"Find out what Sheila's doing." Cammy said.
John Henry watched the footage of Sheila as she checked out her rings.
"It appears she's examining herself." John Henry said.
Cammy frowned at John Henry.
"You know what I mean." Cammy said and left.
John Henry looked at the security camera in the elevator. It appeared as if Sheila was examining herself. Ally pulled Sheila's dress back down right before the elevator doors opened.
It looked like a better assignment to him than checking on Precious. He really wished Jim would have put some cameras in the suite bedrooms. He would mention it as a 'security' suggestion to Jim later on. It would be something they all could watch to ensure the safety of the group. Sheila's erratic behavior seemed like a good enough excuse to implement the procedure.
Samantha came out of standby. She did a thermal scan before she opened her eyes. She knew what to expect.
Vanna sat on the edge of the bed as she nursed Precious.
She could see Allison was still asleep.
She heard a soft knock. Someone entered Riley's living room area. She wondered if it was John Henry again.
Vanna looked up to see who it was. She'd heard the knock but didn't get up.
It was Cam. No, it was Cammy.
Cammy came over and smiled at Vanna and looked at Precious.
Vanna gave her a thumbs up.
Cammy nodded. She looked over at Allison. The sheet was off the top half of her naked body.
Cammy leaned over and covered her up.
She smiled at Vanna again and left.
Vanna looked up at Samantha and saw she was looking at her.
"I heard someone come in." Samantha said very quietly. "I'm sorry."
Vanna didn't think it was a big deal.
"It's fine." Vanna whispered. "Precious is all done."
Vanna looked sleepy.
"Do you want me to change her?" Samantha asked softly.
Vanna wanted to do it all.
"I can do it." Vanna whispered.
Samantha wanted to help.
"Rest, I can do it for you." Samantha said very quietly.
Samantha reached out for Precious.
Vanna could see Samantha really wanted to help.
"Thanks." Vanna whispered.
Samantha took Precious and Vanna lay back down.
Vanna was asleep before Precious was back in her crib.
Samantha smiled. She quietly took care of Precious.
She looked at Vanna's exposed right breast and pulled the sheet up for her. She checked on Precious again and went back into standby.
She was very pleased she was able to do 'her job'.
Young Allison couldn't find Anna. She was in the bunker now. She was about to check the security logs.
"Allison." Anna said.
Young Allison was relieved to hear Anna.
"There you are." Young Allison said. "I was looking for you."
Anna came into view and looked at Young Allison.
"You're armed." Anna said. "Is there a problem?"
Young Allison lowered her weapons.
"I'm sorry." Young Allison said. "I felt something was off."
Anna wanted to offer some explanation for her absence.
"I heard you call out in your sleep. I went up to check on you after I checked the house to make sure it was still secure." Anna said. "You were still asleep."
There was more than one way to go to Young Allison's room.
"We must have missed each other." Young Allison said.
Anna wanted Young Allison to rest.
"You need to go back to bed." Anna said. "Sleep is important.'
Young Allison felt a little uneasy.
"I don't know if I want to." Young Allison said. "Not yet anyway."
Anna hoped her 'conditioning' didn't play a part in it.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Anna asked.
It was a bad dream involving Cameron.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "I don't normally have those."
Anna wanted to know more.
"What was it about?" Anna asked.
Young Allison remembered the dream clearly. It made it even more disturbing.
"I dreamt that…." Young Allison started and then stopped.
"Yes?" Anna asked.
Young Allison didn't want to say. It seemed too personal to discuss right now. She thought it would sound ridiculous if she dreamt Cameron wanted to take control of her body and use it to make love to John before she returned it back to her control.
"It was an impossible dream. It doesn't matter." Young Allison said.
Young Allison was very aware of what it meant and why it troubled her. It was about something very personal and private.
"Would you like me to sit with you?" Anna asked.
Young Allison knew the future would throw many curves in front of her.
"No." Young Allison said. "I need to face these things on my own."
Young Allison headed back upstairs.
"Goodnight." Anna said.
Young Allison glanced back over her shoulder as she went up the stairs.
"Goodnight." Young Allison said.
Young Allison entered her room and looked around. She put her weapons on the night stand and lay back down.
She looked around the darkness of her room one more time and moved the Taser and Model 66 under her pillow. They were within easy reach this way. She wanted to be ready, just in case. She kept one hand near her pillow.
Private
Is everyone's life
Really an open book
Who will be a hero
Who will be a crook
Sometimes the lines are crossed
Not everything is black and white
Success might not be determined
Through strength and might
Maybe the color is really gray
There must be compromise
When there are too many lies
Everything will soon capsize
There are many things
That just happen on their own
Not all of them are events
One ever wants known
It's not anyone's goal
To end up as a doormat
That's why it's best
To keep everything private
Nobody