Chapter 895

Behind You

Cameron exited the SUV. She watched Gail drive away. The extra vest she carried covered her M4. She didn't want to chance anyone to spot it. She ran to the alley entrance and stopped. She didn't want any gunfire unless they needed to use it. Las Vegas was a city which didn't seem to truly sleep. There were always people out somewhere. With communications down with what could be a Skynet jamming field, she didn't want to take any chances.

She carefully peered around the corner to see what was happening and where all the players were at. No bullets impacted into her face, or the wall around her head. She felt she was off to a good start.

Cameron carefully moved around the corner into the alley. She hugged the wall and moved up to the side of a dumpster. She peered around it and spotted figures moving down the alley ahead of her.

John Henry watched the three Metal girls head down the alley. The three men soon followed. He saw the Escalade with Gail and Cameron arrive a few seconds after the men rounded the corner to enter the alley. Cameron exited the SUV and Gail drove off. She most likely went to block the alley from the other side. He was now blind and deaf as to what was happening. The Metal girls were on their own.

He wondered at what point he should alert John. If they were at the Resistance base, he would have already done it. It wasn't something which happened very often. The current situation seemed as if it should be one of those times. With the speculation about Skynet involvement with the Syndicate casino, it seemed prudent. If he waited until 'The Enforcer' showed up, it could be too late for Cameron and the others….

If he disrupted Cameron's 'plans' for John and Savannah, she would 'punish' him.

He knew what Cameron wanted to do with John and Savannah was very important to her. He thought time should take care of everything. Everything should happen in due course. There was no need to force the issue, or make anyone feel obligated to do something they didn't really want to do, even if they did. Cameron didn't need to rush things. He didn't think it was very fair to Savannah. He actually listened to most of the 'discussion' between Gail and Cameron when they were in the Master Suite. He could tell Gail thought the same way he did. He was sure all the other Terminators would too. He didn't doubt all the humans would as well.

It was Cameron who was wrong and the one who wanted to rush everything. There was simply no need to do it. There was no impending threat Skynet was about to launch its plans and attempted to take over. Regardless of what Cameron wanted, if the situation took a negative turn and there was any threat to John or Savannah, he would disregard Cameron's instructions and inform both of them. Their safety came before Cameron's desires. He also understood there was a strong possibility they could both be in the middle of a shared desire when he needed to warn them. He really didn't want to spoil Savannah's 'first experience' with a male, but it may come down to it.

John Henry tried to monitor the situation in the Honeymoon Suite. He didn't want to pry or eavesdrop. He felt it was prudent he knew what was going on at any point in time so if he needed to warn them, he could try to make his intrusion a little less traumatic than it might be depending upon what was occurring at the actual moment. So far there was no indication either one of them were awake. There was certainly no indication any physical activity was occurring.

Sheila stayed hunkered down in the darkest shadows as she waited for the new arrival. If it was a Skynet Terminator, she would need to engage it. Right now she held an advantage. Even if the men who passed by earlier looked back, she was still concealed in the shadows of the dumpster.

She needed to hold her position until she acquired the new target. She hoped to acquire it before it acquired her. Cammy and Ally would need to deal with the three thugs for now. She didn't think it would be a problem for them.

Sheila heard the running footsteps slow and then abruptly stop. She figured they must be peeking around the corner. She resisted the urge to look. If she could see the enemy Terminator, the enemy Terminator could see her.

She needed to play it cool and wait a few more seconds. She knew if it was a Terminator she was in for a battle. She would need to meet the thread head on.

Sheila heard them cautiously approach. They were now on the other side of the dumpster from her.

They paused and started to move forward.

She expected to see them in the center of the alley. It's not what happened. They were stalking her.

Sheila saw the Taser, the same instant she saw the person's eye peek around the corner of the dumpster. There was no time to act. She waited too long. It was apparent she was about to get 'zapped'.

Ally and Cammy were now faced with a new threat in front of them. They still needed to deal with the threat in back of them. The three men continued to close up on them from behind them. They weren't sure if the men spotted the SUV, yet. If they did, they didn't slow down any. It was also a bad sign if they did spot it and saw no need to use caution. They may already know who it was. It could be 'The Enforcer'. There may have been someone who waited for them to 'trap themselves' before they decided to act and become part of the operation.

There was also the possibility the SUV was there to take them away for the sex trade after the three thugs were 'done' with them. Most likely the individuals in the SUV would do the same thing. They would be more thugs in reality, whatever their rank was. It would be a very real possibility if they were human females. They weren't. Someone was in for a big surprise and it wasn't them.

There was still no sign of Sheila behind the three men.

It wasn't good either. Maybe 'The Enforcer' already took her down.

The idea crossed both of their minds there may be more than one Skynet Terminator after them. Based on Sheila's non-appearance, there could be two hostile Terminators who stalked them.

None of them wanted to be taken down and reprogrammed as a Metal Whore either. The Syndicate would be able to make a lot of money off of them since they could 'work' twenty-four seven, and perform every known sex act there was. They would be reprogrammed to do it with a smile on their face. Nothing requested of them would be two perverse since they would simply follow the commands they were given. More than likely for laughs, when they were first reprogrammed they would need to 'service' five individuals at one time.

They still needed to worry the three thugs, or whoever was in the blacked out SUV, might carry some type of 'energy weapon' which could disable them. There were several other options available other than a Taser. All of them would work as efficiently on a human female as they would a Terminator.

Seconds ago:

Cameron peeked around the corner down the alley. She could see the three men in pursuit of two figures. She cautiously moved around the corner and along the wall to the side of an overflowing dumpster. She paused there and waited.

She heard a faint noise on the other side of the dumpster. It could be a rat or a Terminator. She didn't want to get stuck in a waiting game. Time seemed to be very critical to prevent damage to any of the Metal girls, including herself.

Cameron pulled her Taser and advanced. She silently moved forward and reached the end of the dumpster. She peered around the side of it. Her Taser was ready to fire.

It was Sheila about to pounce.

"Red." Cameron said quietly.

Sheila felt a sense of immense relief.

"Badger." Sheila said quietly.

Sheila was sure she was about to be in a fight with another Terminator. The appearance of the Taser and the eyeball didn't help any. It was Cameron's spoken words which did.

Cameron felt a little less tense.

"Sheila, is everyone undamaged?" Cameron asked quietly.

Sheila didn't hear any shooting so far.

"Not yet. I'm glad it's you, love." Sheila said. "I was ready for a Terminator fight."

Cameron handed Sheila the other vest she brought with her.

Once Sheila put it on, Cameron handed her the M4 and two extra magazines.

Sheila quickly checked the load and placed the two extra magazines in her vest.

Cameron affixed the silencer to her M9. She moved over to the far wall and advanced with her M9 in one hand and the Taser in the other.

Sheila felt she needed to get the warning of the biggest threat out there.

"They talked about what sounded like a Terminator who might assist them." Sheila said.

Cameron was already given the scuttlebutt by John Henry. There was a pretty good indication as to what title the Terminator used.

"We know they attempted to contact somebody known as 'The Enforcer'." Cameron said. "There was no location given as to where they were. There was a pretty good indication what they are. It seems we've stumbled into some type of joint Syndicate and Skynet operation. It's most likely been perpetrated by Skynet in some unknown manner to gain a lot of influence, if not control."

Sheila tried to use her com again. It was still nonfunctional.

"There's some kind of jamming field in effect too." Sheila said. "We haven't been able to communicate since we started to win big. It caused a lot of problems inside the casino. We could tell John Henry, or CamNet, intervened on our behalf to clear our funds.

Cameron was a little concerned as to the chain of events. Strangely enough, the first disruption of communications came from the casino. It was quickly followed by a much more broad and thorough one from John Henry.

"It may be because John Henry jammed all their communications." Cameron said. "Their reaction was more like Grays than thugs. We suspect Skynet has infiltrated the casino and maybe the Syndicate. There's no way to know how extensive any of it is. It seems highly doubtful it's contained in one casino. There may be less outright intrusion at other casinos, but the foot is probably in the door. Once Skynet gets a foothold, it's not going to back out."

Sheila thought about some of the trouble Cammy and her experienced when they were there in the past. All of it was going to seem like child's play If Skynet was currently involved with the Syndicate and any casinos.

"It sounds like a whole lot of trouble." Sheila said. "It's bad enough to mix it up with the Syndicate. They seem to have quite a few 'soldiers' who do their bidding. No matter what their losses are, there's always more of them to fill the void."

Cameron knew it was all still speculation. Either way, there were several facts they were certain of. Usually those facts lead to some version of Skynet. It was all coincidental and speculation at this point. It did seem history seemed to find a way to repeat itself.

"We don't know yet." Cameron said.

Cameron and Sheila picked up the pace. They moved quickly along each side of the alley walls as they closed on the three men from behind. They didn't want to be easy silhouettes to spot in the middle of the alley.

If 'The Enforcer' did show up, his targets were spread out some. They were aware if they were able to track the Metal girls and the three thugs who pursued them, some version of Skynet would be able to do the same thing for 'The Enforcer'. Hopefully the jamming procedure initiated by John Henry would prevent any type of communication with anyone. 'The Enforcer' could still be given a description and a direction everyone went.

Sheila noticed the vehicle turn into the far end of the alley.

"Who's in the SUV?" Sheila asked. "I take it, it is ours. Is it Gail or John Henry?"

Sheila hoped Savannah or John worked with whoever it was. There was a strong possibility they may be if they knew the nature of the current situation.

"It's Gail." Cameron said. "She has this and weapons available for Cammy and Ally." Cameron said. "I specifically told John Henry not to notify John or Savannah until it was absolutely necessary. I don't think it's necessary yet. He can't see where we're at right now so he's going to become very concerned until he sees us again."

Sheila didn't think there was much they could do about it.

"I think right now everything is in our favor." Sheila said. "Those three whackers are in for a different experience than they anticipated."

Cameron wondered what kind of 'heat' they would face from the thugs.

"What type of weapons are they packing?" Cameron asked. "Did you see? Did any of them seem to be affiliated with Skynet? Did any of them have Tasers?"

When the three thugs went by Sheila's place of concealment, she noticed they each carried a snub nose revolver in their right hand. Strangely enough, it appeared to be the same type of weapons used when they were in Las Vegas in the past.

"I saw they carried revolvers." Sheila said. "I don't think they carried anything else. Maybe a blackjack or brass knuckles. They would be typical thug weapons. They were going to rob us, and then abuse all three of us. They looked like 'old school' Syndicate operatives to me. I don't think any of them were Grays. They didn't openly carry any electronic weapons."

Cameron knew the night was going to end a little differently than the three thugs anticipated. None of them may be a Gray from the future, but by working for Skynet, even on the fringes, they became a de facto Gray. If Skynet's bidding was able to be accomplished, there was no practical difference in those who accomplished it. She could understand the Syndicate wanted to get its money back. Anything else the three thugs did, or attempted to do, was on them personally.

"I guess they're in for a surprise." Cameron said.

Sheila was aware how Cameron felt about surprises.

"I know you don't like surprises." Sheila said.

Cameron glanced over at Sheila on the other side of the alley.

"I'm pretty sure they won't either." Cameron said.

Sheila wanted Cameron to know about the other intelligence she gathered in regards to other females. She figured Cameron would allow her a little more 'flexibility' if she was able to deal with any of the thugs on a 'personal basis'. Based on what they said they were going to do was enough for her to make a point before they were terminated.

"They talked about how they abused all the runaways they picked up for one of their other operations. It's before they strung them out on drugs." Sheila said. "It deserves some payback before termination."

Cameron felt a glitch impulse. Any time females were forcibly abused bothered her.

"They will be dealt with." Cameron said. "You know the punishment for such behavior."

Sheila was pleased to hear Cameron's response. She felt a new rush of excitement and anticipation of what she would be able to do to the men. They needed to pay for their crimes. The justice system never took care of the proper punishment for the abuse of females.

"OK, love." Sheila said. "I'll take care of them. I'll let them know exactly what they're being punished for as it occurs. I can't wait to show them the results of their punishment as it occurs. It always seems to drive home the point about what's not going to happen anymore, even if somehow they were able to escape."

Cameron didn't want any surprises on their part either.

"Keep an eye on our six." Cameron said. "I don't want 'The Enforcer' to show up for real, behind us."

Sheila flipped the selector to full auto on the M4.

"I'll make sure I say 'hello' to him first." Sheila said. "A magazine full of Coltan rounds is really going to put a damper in his day."

Sheila planned to take him down one way or another. Depending upon what type of weapon he visibly carried would determine where she put the rounds. She might need to go for a head shot to completely take him out of commission. She could damage his legs so he couldn't move and they could deactivate him and hopefully glean the information on his chip. She might also need to fire into his chest. There was always the possibility his power cell could rupture and a massive explosion would follow. They were in Vegas. The cards would land where they fell. She would let the Coltan rounds do the dealing.

Earlier:

Gail hurried away in the Escalade after she let Cameron off. She wanted to get around corner and block the alley. She wanted to do it as covertly as possible. She turned the lights off on the SUV on the turn before the turn into the alley. She arrived quicker than she thought she would. She needed to watch her speed.

She turned the dark SUV into the alley. She saw Ally and Cammy approaching. The three men were behind them. Her headlights were off. She put the Escalade into 'Neutral' and stopped it with the parking brake. It kept the brake lights from illuminating the rear of the SUV. The engine was still running. She could drop it into gear at any second to go into 'Drive' or 'Reverse'.

It didn't look like Cammy and Ally recognized her at first. She previously lowered the sun visor to shield her face from direct view. She now lifted it. If she was face to face with the 'enemy', she wanted to cause them a fraction of a second of hesitation. She was ready to slam the shift selector into 'First' and floor it. She could scream down the alley with a five thousand pound battering ram.

The big bumper on the front of it wasn't just for looks. She was ready to use it. It wouldn't matter if it was a human or a Terminator. They would either be knocked out of the way, or run over.

Cammy and Ally were now able to identify the SUV wasn't a threat but reinforcements. Their weapons and vests were in the Escalade along with their clothes.

"It's Gail and the Escalade." Cammy said.

Ally looked behind them.

"I see Cameron and Sheila moving up from the other end. They will be here in no time." Ally said. "Sheila has a vest and an M4."

Gail wanted to make sure the girls were armored up and armed.

"Ally, come here." Gail said.

Ally ran up to the SUV. Gail handed her two vests and her M9 and Taser.

Ally slipped one vest on and handed the other one to Cammy. Cammy took the Taser as well. Ally kept the M9. The silencer was already on it. We would be able to deal with any type of threat now, even if they ran into a Terminator.

Cammy looked back and saw the men were closer. She thought it was time to act and turn the tables a little on the men.

"When we turn around and walk ten steps back, turn the lights on with the high beams." Cammy said.

It was spoken only loud enough for only Gail to hear.

Ally was glad to have her vest on. She figured she must look ridiculous wearing a combat vest with a bikini on underneath it. She didn't want to take any chances and she didn't want any cosmetic damage either. They were still in Las Vegas after all. Right now Gail packed their most lethal weapon. It was the SUV.

"Be ready to run them down." Ally said. "If we move off to the sides, punch it. They are expecting a Terminator to reinforce them so be alert."

Gail's right hand rested on the shift selector lever. Her right foot was ready to press the accelerator.

"I'm ready to roll." Gail said.

With the reminder of the Skynet Terminator, Gail checked her six and moved her M4 closer. Wanted to make sure no one moved up behind her. She kept one eye on the rear view mirror, and the other eye on what was happening in front of her.

The three thugs started to get an uneasy feeling. They still only saw two of the females ahead of them. They didn't have any idea where the third one went. It seems like a problem in itself. What if she was the one who carried the money? Even when they stopped the other two sluts, they may no longer have the money. It was going to be a problem. The money was what their bosses wanted. If they couldn't find the money, they would need to take them as hostages in an attempt to get the money back.

All of their earlier plans for repeated abuse on the three of them looked like they were off. Somehow those troublesome Bitches pulled one over on them. The missing Bitch might even go to the police if they nabbed the other two sluts. There were plenty of people within the different law enforcement agencies on their payroll, but one of those girls could still turn it into an issue. If the media were to get a hold of anything, it would raise way too much attention. It most likely looked like it was going to come back on them at this point.

"What are those crazy Bitches doing now?" The first man asked.

It was hard for any of the men to tell exactly what was going on up in front of them because of the darkness.

"I don't know, it looks like a car pulled in at the far end." The leader said. "It's really dark."

"Let's just grab them before they get away." The second man said. "I don't want to have to explain to 'The Enforcer' how they got away."

"Yeah, we never see anyone again who makes a mistake." The leader said.

"I think they've stopped." The second man said.

The three thugs peered at the girls in the darkness.

"No, they are coming back toward us." The leader said. "The car must have spooked them. This will make our job easier now."

The third man was a little concerned about the vehicle.

"Why are the lights off on the car?" The third man asked. "Is it more of our guys from the casino?"

The leader looked into the darkness.

"I don't know what it is." The leader said. "We've got guns if some issue develops with them."

"I still only see two of them. Where's the third Bitch at?" The first man asked.

"I'm right behind you, love." Sheila said. "I'm here to party."

The three men were blinded by high beam headlights before they could even turn around to see the threat right behind them.

Moments ago:

Cammy and Ally moved ten steps toward the men. The headlights blinded the men with the high beams. All three raised a hand to shield their eyes from the sudden and intense brightness.

Cameron was behind them with Sheila. Cameron grabbed two of the men and flung them like rag dolls to the opposite side walls of the alley. They both hit hard and went down.

Sheila grabbed the third man and crushed his wrist which held the gun. His revolver clattered to the ground as his scream filled the quiet night air. She reached up and grabbed his throat and squeezed it to stifle the scream. Not only did the scream end abruptly, so did the supply of air to the injured man's lungs.

Cammy and Ally were there in seconds. They each picked up one of the men Cameron tossed against the brick walls.

Sheila wanted the man who was said he was going to abuse her first. She planned to give him some extra special 'attention'.

"Which one of you wanted to 'do' me first?" Sheila asked. "I'm here."

The men let loose some threats and insults. It seemed to be the way it always played out. It made them wonder how the men thought they were going to get away to do the things they threatened to do.

Sheila wanted each of them to speak. She didn't care for what they said, but it was beside the point right now. She was able to place the voice with the man.

"It was YOU." Sheila said to the man she already held.

It appeared things were going to be easier for her than she anticipated. She did want to get things started however. The threat of 'The Enforcer' was on her mind. She needed to get things moving.

Sheila reached down with her hand. He quickly passed out. Her hand was now bloody as she approached the other two men Cammy and Ally held.

The men let loose more threats and insults.

Cameron moved over to the fallen man. He regained consciousness and began to whimper and make sounds of agony. She didn't care if he suffered, but she didn't want to attract any additional attention. She stepped on his neck. She crushed it and his spine. His lifeless body lay in the alley.

Gail shut off the lights. They were all in total darkness. Only the Metal girls could see anything at this point. The two thugs were almost blind in the darkness.

The two remaining thugs were very confused about everything which just happened in the last few seconds. Most of it didn't make any sense to them. They didn't understand how the young women were so strong. None of them looked like they were much older than teenagers. They certainly weren't bodybuilders with their shapely bodies.

"Who are you?" The leader asked.

The Metal girls knew the real question should have been, 'what are you?'

Ally thought of a line she heard in a movie one time.

"We're your worst nightmare." Ally said.

Cammy wanted some answers about what was going on. She wanted the thugs to know their continued existence depended upon them.

"We're the people who determine if you live or die." Cammy said. "Don't forget it."

Sheila looked at the corpse of the fallen thug in the alley.

"We also determine how you will die if it's your choice to not cooperate." Sheila said. "The bloke on the ground 'paid' for his crimes before his termination. He went the hard way. You have a choice to do something different."

Cameron wanted to know about what she thought was the immediate threat to them. If it was a threat to them, it was a threat to John and Savannah as well.

"We want 'The Enforcer'." Cameron said. "Tell us how to find him."

The two men let loose more threats and insults. The warnings about what would happen never seemed to take effect. It didn't matter who the individuals were or what group they were associated with. They seem to all suffer the same delusion somehow.

Gail hit the high beams again for a few seconds. The next scene unfolded before she shut them off.

Ally and Cammy slammed them both of the men against opposite walls.

They were both very upset about what the men said they were going to do to them earlier.

"Oops." Ally said. "I crushed his skull."

Sheila could see Ally slammed the man so hard into the wall that part of his skull actually cracked open.

"So the mark on the wall where his head hit isn't strawberry jam?" Sheila asked.

Ally wished she would have let Sheila get 'a hold' of the man before she crushed his skull. She was actually a little more upset with the entire episode than she thought. She didn't like the casino attempting to cheat them, refusing to pay them, attempting to get their money back which they won fair and square against the casino is cheating, and the abuse the thugs sent after them planned to do to them once they were robbed of their hard earned cash.

"His head actually started to come apart." Ally said.

In a few seconds they were in total darkness again, as Gail cut the lights.

Cameron only went so far with the theatrics. She wanted answers.

"I'll ask once more." Cameron said. "Then I'll turn you over to those two. They didn't care for what you said about them."

Ally and Sheila waited for an answer from the man.

Cammy kept track of what was happening at the end of the alley they entered from.

Cameron waited for some answers.

The leader saw both of his companions dead on the ground before the lights went out again. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but somehow the girls were like 'Amazon women' or something. They possessed incredible strength and could toss them around like rag dolls. He remembered the Asian girl's bloody hand the last time the lights were on. At this point, he only hoped his life would be spared. He wasn't about to go back to the casino. He was done with the Syndicate. He had some cash stashed away. He was going to take it and run. He didn't know if they would be able to track him down or not, but he needed to try to get away. He suddenly became talkative and gave them all the information they asked for.

Gail exited the SUV and tossed the two dead men in a dumpster after she searched them. She collected phones, wallets, and retrieved their firearms. She thought the alley looked much cleaner now. The 'trash' was gone. She knew the blood stains on the wall would dry rapidly and soon not be recognized for what they actually were. The rats would carry away anything no longer attached to the men. They would even take the skull fragments.

"I wanted to throw the 'trash' away." Gail said.

Cammy, Ally and Sheila all headed back to the SUV and put their clothes on.

Cameron listened to the man and everything he wanted to say. It didn't seem he knew what Skynet was.

When it appeared there was no further information, Cameron turned and started to walk away.

Gail handed her the phones of the two deceased men. She took the phone and wallet from the last man as well.

Cameron got behind the wheel of the Escalade.

Cammy, Ally, and Sheila all climbed inside.

The last thug looked around in amazement. Maybe they weren't going to kill him after all.

"Are you going to let me go?" The leader asked.

Gail moved behind him after she collected his personal items. She remained in the darkness. He must have forgotten she was there.

"No." Gail said. "I didn't care for the words which came out of your mouth. Next time learn some manners and show a little respect in front of females."

Gail snapped his neck and tossed him in the dumpster with the other two dead men. She returned to the SUV and sat in the front passenger's seat.

"It looks like we have some new targets." Cameron said as she drove away.

The thug revealed all of the Syndicate operations he was a part of. There were several of those locations which were of great interest to them. What was done at those locations was very personal to all of them. It was a reminder to all of them what the girls from the alternate future needed to endure. They would see what they could do to change the current trajectory of the Syndicate in Las Vegas. They all felt they needed to settle a score, especially Cammy and Sheila.

John and Savannah were still both fast asleep. They were unaware they were even in the same room, let alone the same bed. Both of them were naked and only inches apart.

Their future and their destiny were about to come to fruition when they both awoke.

The new day drew closer.

The future was coming….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Behind You

Is it more important to lead
Or easier to follow
What's easy to take
What's hard to swallow

What's there one second
Can be gone the next
Things that should be easy
Turn out to be quite complex

When one wants to attack
It's easier from behind
No one can see
If their already blind

So always pay attention
Everything is fleeting
It's not about excreting
It's about competing

What's is more important
Is it what's in front of you
Maybe it's alongside of you
Or is it what's behind you

Nobody