Chapter 896

Dirty For Sure

John Henry viewed the Escalade emerge from the alley. It exited on the side where Cameron went in on foot. He saw the headlights flash three times. He assumed it meant the three thugs were down. It appeared the girls were victorious. With five of them, there was really no other option. Cameron was with them. Everything which occurred with them and in the alley, he was unable to witness. Something told him it was probably just as well. There were probably things done he didn't need to know about or view. It would give him plausible deniability if any issues developed later on.

Technically it was still an 'off the books' operation until Skynet involvement was actually confirmed. There were some clues and a lot of speculation at this point as to what was actually going on. Everyone would need to dig a little deeper to see what they could come up with which was actually factual. There were still a lot of indications something Skynet related would turn up sooner rather than later.

He kept an eye out for 'The Enforcer'. If they were a Terminator, it posed their biggest threat. He decided to leave the jamming field in effect. Maybe he would stop it for a short time and see what calls came out of the casino. It seemed the casino was infiltrated by Skynet operatives. It would be nice to know for sure.

John Henry noted the Escalade was headed back to the casino which targeted them. He expected to see the girls return back to their hotel. It looked like they were doing a recon of the other casino. Evidently the Metal girls wanted to go back and 'thank' the casino management for the 'escort' they were provided with when they left the casino earlier. He was unsure exactly what they planned. He felt they wanted to make a 'statement'. He hoped they didn't get carried away and burn the place to the ground.

Depending on how upset they were, it's exactly what they might do. All they would need to do was disable the giant water valves which led into the facility which could provide some type of fire suppression through the sprinkler system. A few Thermite grenades, probably along with some C-4 would really do a number. He quickly pushed the thought from his head. Even though it was a real possibility, he didn't think they would do anything quite so extreme.

Maybe they could knock out the jamming field which seemed to emanate from the casino. He was still very uneasy there seemed to be a Skynet jamming field which came from the casino in the first place. If it wasn't a Skynet jamming field, it was something very similar in every regard.

He wasn't operating out of a very secure location. He tried to channel everything through his server. He didn't want to leave any traces of where he was at specifically. If there was some form of Skynet involvement, it would only lead to more trouble.

John Henry needed to worry about John and Savannah. They were two rooms over in the Honeymoon Suite. He wanted to give himself a little bit more insurance as to what occurred on the floor they were on. He turned off their floor from the elevator's program. It would no longer reach the top floor unless he allowed it to. He made sure the service elevator was disabled in the same way. There was a stairwell on one end of the building. It was next to the express elevator shaft. There was a lock on the stairwell door which prevented anyone from entering their floor from the stairwell. Someone could only open the door from their floor to enter into the stairwell and go down.

He also requested his server pay extra attention to all the security cameras in the casino hotel where they were at. If anything out of the ordinary or suspicious was detected, he was to be alerted immediately.

It was to include anyone who spent a little too much time looking around when they didn't need to and there was nothing to see. Any individuals who looked around and appeared to talk to 'themselves' should be viewed as highly suspicious. They were most likely in communication with someone else. They would probably attempt to set up some kind of a plan. He might be alerted to common thieves or even professional ones. Both groups were rather prevalent in Vegas. Lots of cash, along with many different types of valuables, acted like a magnet for those who chose to prey off of others. If they were detected, they would be dealt with. The only sure cure for criminal behavior was termination.

Moments ago:

Cameron drove out of the alley. She flashed her lights three times to indicate success. She checked her rear view mirror as she made the turn. There was nothing behind them but emptiness and the terminated. She was glad they made a clean getaway and no one was damaged. She glanced back at Sheila and could tell she wasn't very happy.

"Sheila, what's wrong?" Cameron asked. "You look like you want some blood."

Sheila did want some blood. She wanted some payback too. She was pretty sure Cammy and her experienced trouble in the past from some of the casinos in Las Vegas when they were there. She glanced over at Cammy before she spoke. Cammy nodded her head slightly. It was clear they were on the same page.

"I want to go back to the casino and 'thank' them for our personal 'chaperons'." Sheila said. "It's the least we can do. I really didn't care for the way the manager ogled me either."

Ally was angry about what happened too. She wanted some payback as well, and maybe a little more.

"Damn straight." Ally said. "I want the weasel looking creep of a manager to answer a few questions. It was clear he was lying all along. The stunt he pulled with the thugs is proof of it. He's the one who set us up. He needs to atone for it. If they didn't have the cash on hand to pay us like he first claimed, how can we have the cash with us right now? It was clear they possessed it all along. I bet you there's a lot more where it came from too."

Cammy tilted her head slightly. She experienced some thoughts along those same lines. She wanted to send a message when they got some payback and drew some blood. Sheila and her dealt with the Syndicate before in the past. They knew where to hit them and make it hurt. It wasn't just eliminating the thugs who work for them. The Syndicate could care less about them. Thugs came a dime a dozen. They were expendable to the Syndicate bosses. The Syndicate only cared about money and wealth. She thought it was time to send a message which would be heard all the way to the top Families of the Syndicate.

"I want to hit them hard and where it hurts. We're cleaning out their vault too." Cammy said. "I want just the paper money, no coins. I want it all. There will be a lot of Syndicate goons left trying to answer a lot of questions they won't be able to. We don't even have to terminate them ourselves. All of their heads will be on the chopping block to those above them for the loss of cash. They will all turn on each other. It's what they always do. They're like a bunch of Piranha fish in a fish tank. When there's no other food, the food becomes each other."

The Metal girls all looked at one another after Cammy finished her statement. It was evident she wasn't joking. She wanted to rob a casino. There were various movies about such endeavors over the years. Some of them proved to be a little more successful than others in their attempts to take on the Syndicate. They needed to keep in mind every branch of law enforcement in the area was full of operatives who needed to answer to the Syndicate for one or more various reasons. The Syndicate knew how to get its claws into someone and keep them there. It was time the snake met the mongoose.

Sheila already knew what it was going to be from her silent communication with Cammy. It was fairly certain it wouldn't be the first time they did something so extreme to the Syndicate. She didn't have any files as to exactly what they may have done. She did know they did something. She was charged up and primed to do it again, whatever it was. She was sure she could take it a few steps further.

"I'm pretty sure it won't be a first for Cammy and I." Sheila said. "The Syndicate thinks it's untouchable and can do whatever it wants to anyone. With the legal system in their back pocket they get away with a lot. It's time to remind them the Sheriff is back in town. There are a lot of Deputies with the Sheriff as well."

Ally was thrilled at the prospect of taking down a professional operation. She was involved in plenty of operations where they took down the local drug and sex traffic operations. It was all small time stuff compared to a casino. Some of the operations they took down were related to the Syndicate and the Cartel. None of them were direct connections. The casino would be a direct connection. It would send a message. It wouldn't be the loss of thugs and goons either.

"Cool, a robbery." Ally said. "It will be just like taking down a drug or sex trafficking operation, but with more money. I wonder how many million we'll score."

Gail put it all in perspective. The Syndicate was nothing but a larger version of the operations they took down throughout the Southland already.

"There are probably going to be quite a few terminations." Gail said. "There most likely will be cash from their drug and sex trafficking operations there as well. Everyone knows it's how the money is laundered into the system to make it seem legitimate."

The prospect of bringing down future Scavengers didn't seem to bother anyone.

Cammy wanted to make sure everyone understood it was going to be a little bit more sophisticated than the local punks they took down. There would be tighter security measures and more armed personnel.

"There will be some more security too." Cammy said. "It won't be a 'cake walk'."

Cameron didn't agree with the robbery aspect until Ally pointed out it was like a sex trafficking operation. She listened to the brief interrogation with the last thug. What caught her attention about it was the men were involved with runaways being trafficked as sex slaves. It was something she personally planned to put an end to. The fact the casino may be associated with Skynet, made it even a bigger target. She figured if they were going to hit them, she wanted to hit them hard.

"I want to stash this SUV for now. I don't want it compromised." Cameron said. "There were a few delivery vans at our casino and at other casinos as well. I want to 'borrow' one of those. We'll take a 'uniform service' van. There should be sacks for clothing inside of it. We can use those for the cash. We'll drive right up to the service entrance of the casino we want to hit. We'll move inside from there."

Ally thought the delivery van would make a great Trojan Horse. She hoped it would work out a little bit better than the last Trojan Horse they used at the desert warehouse. It was a little too close.

"I like it." Ally said. "They expect those vehicles to come everyday. It won't raise any red flags. Whatever security measures are in place for a vehicle approaching the loading dock area will simply be waived as we make our way into the belly of the beast."

Gail didn't want everyone to get ahead of themselves. The real threat would be the armed security at the casino. She didn't normally go on Cameron's 'off the books' operations, even if she did from time to time.

"What about casino security?" Gail asked. "I think they're going to be a little more professional than what we normally deal with."

Ally looked at the items taken from the three dead men as they drove. She found something of interest.

"It's what those three thugs were." Ally said. "They all carried badges making them official."

Ally held up the thugs wallets. They all contained a 'security badge' in them.

Sheila liked the look of the badges. She decided she wanted one for herself. She briefly thought about where she could put the badge, but figured it would upset the others too much. There weren't many of them who could take a joke. She figured only Ally would think it was funny. She definitely knew Cameron and Gail wouldn't think so. Cammy was a toss up. She wanted one anyway.

"I want a badge." Sheila said. "It will make me feel important."

Ally wanted Sheila to know she cared about her.

"You're always important." Ally said.

Sheila and Ally held each other's glance for a long moment. No further words were necessary to the message sent, received, and returned.

Ally handed her the badge from one of the wallets.

Sheila took it and pinned it on her vest.

Cameron liked the idea. Anyone who saw a badge of any kind would cause them some momentary hesitation. Every second counted when things went hot. They only needed a fraction of a second head start to bring down any opponent. There would be less damage to any of them. She wanted as many of them protected as possible. She glanced back at Cammy. Cammy nodded slightly.

"It's a good idea." Cameron said. "Gail and Ally can put on the other two. It will cause confusion if we encounter armed guards. It will give us the edge. This casino is run by the Syndicate and staffed by thugs, goons, punks, and probably some Grays who have infiltrated their operation."

Cammy was most worried about the individual Cameron didn't mention.

"Don't forget 'The Enforcer'." Cammy said. "It's definitely someone we're going to need to deal with at some point. It would be better if we could find out his appearance as soon as we can, if it's possible."

Cameron hoped John Henry would come up with an image of him at some point so they knew exactly who they were looking for. They were bound to make his acquaintance sooner or later.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him." Cameron said.

If there was a Skynet Terminator there, Cameron wanted to take them down. The risk of Skynet becoming established there was unacceptable, especially if they were going to join with the Syndicate. The Syndicate would have no idea what they were getting mixed up with.

The real worry would be if Skynet began to replace 'Family bosses' with Terminators to take total control of the Syndicate. It would give them a lot of influence, control, and an army of de facto Grays who would continue to serve their master, the Syndicate, without knowing their master was now a slave to Skynet.

It was Skynet's long term goal to use on members of all governments as well. The Terminators who replaced the top officials and heads of state would make sure Skynet's bidding was done when it was time for Judgment Day.

Cameron drove to another nearby casino and let Cammy out. They parked the Escalade on a side street and waited for Cammy to arrive with a new set of wheels.

Whichever vehicle she snagged, would become their new Trojan Horse.

John Henry was able to speak with Cammy once she was out of the immediate area of the Syndicate casino. He would try something to bring down the targeted casino's jamming field. He initiated the process. They should know soon if it worked.

He didn't think robbing the casino was a good idea. He also knew the Metal girls wanted payback for being threatened. If the Grays were mixed up with the Syndicate, it would cause distrust on both sides. He would do what he could to make them blame each other.

He looked up the construction records on the vault and found several ways to defeat it, even if it was closed.

John Henry still wondered if John should know what was about to happen. Cammy reminded him Cameron didn't want him to disturb John. She also indicated it was still an 'off the books' operation until they came up with some conclusive proof Skynet was in bed with the Syndicate. She said there was no need to involve him since he wasn't normally involved in any of the off the books operations because they were done outside the scope of the Resistance. He still thought John should know.

There weren't any hostile Terminators spotted. They didn't know what they looked like, if there even were any. There was a good chance they were way ahead of themselves on what they expected to find. Maybe everything they saw is what they wanted to see.

He continued to closely monitor everything which occurred in the hotel and casino they were in, and the area around it. The problem casino was across the street and somewhat catawampus to their location. Many of them seemed to be staggered in such a fashion. Maybe it was to give someone driving down the Strip an opportunity to see each one without having to quickly turn their head from one side to the other. Every casino tried to catch the mark's eye. They did everything from fancy lighting, to different types of themes of famous locations. It was all paid for by the donations of the imbeciles who all believed they were going to hit the big one and go home rich.

John Henry was sure 'there was one born every minute'. The reference was to a 'sucker'.

Cameron watched the rear view mirror. She could see the vehicle coming.

"Get ready to move." Cameron said.

Cammy pulled up in a medium sized delivery van. It was the one Cameron wanted. She quickly filled them in on her communication with John Henry. All of the group's equipment should be able to work again at this point. Hers just started.

"I was outside the jamming zone. John Henry wanted to cut the casino's power for two minutes. The lack of electricity would necessitate the casino's generators to kick in. The jamming field should have ended." Cammy said. "Check your coms, they should all work again."

The girls checked and everything seemed to work again, for now.

Cameron was pleased most things were back to normal. She thought they would need John Henry's help with the local law enforcement once they acted at the target casino. Some type of alarm was bound to be raised at some point.

"It was good work." Cameron said. "Did you inform John Henry of our plan to say 'hello' to our new friends and make a 'withdrawal'?"

Cammy wanted John Henry to run some interference for them if it became necessary. His attitude towards their new endeavor was what she thought it was going to be.

"I did." Cammy said. "He didn't like it."

Ally thought it was John Henry's hang up. It wasn't theirs. They were the ones who needed to go through the ordeal. She wondered if John Henry's attitude would be a little bit different if it would have been Jesse, Allison, and Vanna, instead of Sheila, Cammy, and her. She decided not to be specific with any names when she spoke her mind.

"He would've liked it a lot less if he was the one being stalked." Ally said. "Think what would have happened if we were human females."

Cammy suppressed a glitch impulse. She wouldn't want it to happen to any females in their group. In fact, she wouldn't want it to happen to any females, even if they were the enemy.

"We would have been robbed, beaten, and each of us abused at least three times in a dark alley." Cammy said. "There needs to be some retribution for it. We obviously weren't the first ones targeted for the same treatment."

The Metal girls did think about it. It made the next part of their task easier. Now they were given even more motivation. Everyone involved with The Syndicate was dirty. Everyone involved with Skynet was beyond dirty, they were filthy. All of those individuals served those organizations by choice. Because they were all there voluntarily, it made them all fair game. They all thought it was a free ride at the expense of others who didn't matter to them.

Cameron wanted to lay down some rules before they made their move.

"I want everyone to put the silencer on their pistol." Cameron said. "We're each taking a suppressed M4, silenced pistol, and a Taser. We want to keep things as quiet as possible for as long as we can. I'm sure at some point we won't be able to and will receive hostile fire in return. I want to get in and out of there as quickly as possible with what we came for."

The girls transferred to the medium sized delivery van along with their hardware.

Cammy stayed behind the wheel.

Cameron approached Cammy.

Cammy wanted to make it clear.

"This is personal." Cammy said.

Cameron turned away and went over the plan. She understood when things were personal, sometimes a statement needed to be made. She needed to make quite a few of them herself over the years.

Ally, Gail, and Sheila would lead. They would wear the security badges they took from the three dead thugs. John Henry was in the targeted casino's security system and would deactivate it or loop what was necessary. He gave them detailed instructions on where the vault was and the counting room. The counting room should be full of cash from the day before.

Cammy and Cameron would cover their rear and handle any other problems which arose. They were certain there would be more than a few terminations.

The Metal girls in the 'borrowed' van pulled into the back of the casino's service area.

Cammy backed the delivery van up to the dock. So far there was no challenge or any form of opposition.

"John Henry, loop their security cameras." Cameron said. "We're about to enter."

John Henry was on top of everything. He was ready to go.

"Everything is all set." John Henry said. "I'm searching for anyone who looks like a Terminator."

Cameron was a little worried about something the last thug spoke about. He indicated there was also a female who seemed to be in tight with 'The Enforcer'. He mentioned she was a 'real looker'. It was possible the Terminator might have a 'play thing', or he might be the 'play thing' of a female Terminator. They could be colleagues as well. They really didn't know anything yet.

"Watch out for a 'Metal Bitch' too." Cameron said and then added. "I mean other than us five."

Her statement brought a round of approval from the Metal girls.

"Payback is a Bitch." Cammy said.

Sheila knew it wasn't the first time in Vegas for them.

"Payback time…." Sheila said.

Sheila and Ally led the group. Gail was behind them. Cameron and Cammy brought up the rear.

The girls all held their silenced pistol in their hand. Each of them carried their suppressed M4 slung in front of them, but ready to go. If they needed the firepower it was right there. It just wasn't nearly as quiet as the silenced pistols were. It would definitely draw more attention if they needed to use any of them.

They headed to the first checkpoint.

Sheila and Ally each fired a silenced shot unto the head of the security personnel as they approached the checkpoint. John Henry opened the door for them and they entered.

They all saw the Skynet bar code on the arm of one of the 'guards'.

It confirmed their suspicions and angered Cameron even more. Skynet was involved there. She wanted to make a full sweep and 'clean house'. It was obvious the infestation was deep already.

"This operation is dirty for sure." Cameron said. "Everyone dies. I want it done fast and quick. There won't be any prisoners or interrogations. I want to get in and out fast. I want to leave as many bodies behind as possible. I want to send a message to 'The Enforcer' and whoever else he's associated with."

There was one person in particular Ally wanted to deal with herself. She knew it might not be possible, but if it was, it was who she wanted.

"I want the manager." Ally said. "I want him to know who's responsible for what happened, even if he only knows for a few seconds."

Sheila was concerned for anyone who may be held captive inside.

"There may be females held here somewhere as well." Sheila said. "I heard them say they collect 'runaways' and hop them up on drugs. We also have the one location to visit after we're done here. The place the last thug indicated."

Cameron wanted to stick to the scope of the operation they were there for. They were there to clean the casino out. If they came across any individuals who were held against their will, they would deal with it at the time. It wasn't their main focus on this operation.

"If we find them, we free them." Cameron said. "Keep moving and stick to our original plan. We want the money to send a message. It's the only thing which actually matters to any of them."

Cameron wasn't sure the main 'stable' would be in the casino. If it was and they found it, those girls were getting out. They would bring them with them when they left. She didn't care how many individuals they needed to terminate to do it.

The team of Metal girls passed two more checkpoints with the same results as the first one. They left two terminated individuals behind it each one. They were now at the counting room. They all carried gunny sacks from the delivery van which normally were used to collect dirty uniforms for the hotel and casino workers.

The three people there were checked to see if any of them were Grays or if they were common thugs. One sported a barcode. Ally shot him immediately. Sheila thought he got off lucky.

Ally pointed her pistol at the next thug. He just watched her shoot the man next to him in the face. It was clear he was dead.

"You, what's your name?" Ally asked another thug. She wanted to hear his voice. "Call the night manager."

The person spoke a few words.

"I'm Sergio." The man said. "I'm just a counter."

He dialed the phone number.

Ally took it from him.

Sheila moved behind him and held his throat so he couldn't make any sounds. She wanted him to hear what was going to happen and how it would be done.

Ally used the thug's voice and name. She asked the manager to come down. She told him it looked like someone passed them tens of thousands of dollars in counterfeit money. She thought it would get his attention. It did.

Ally and Sheila snapped the necks of both of the flunkies in the counting room and waited. The rest of the girls cleaned out the vault.

It didn't take long for the manager to enter the area with two big thugs.

"Here he comes." Ally said. "He has two heavies with him."

Cameron couldn't see them from her place of concealment. She wanted to know what they were about to face.

"Do either of them look like Terminators?" Cameron asked.

Ally didn't see them as a serious threat. They were the type of goons who found it hard to believe when they were overpowered by a young looking female as they were terminated.

"They both look like East Coast muscle types." Cammy said. "They're just 'knuckle draggers'. We've met their kind before on some of the drug operations we cleaned out. We all have our Tasers ready if we need them."

Cameron didn't want any prisoners, but maybe the manager could give them some information. She also kept careful track of the time. She knew they needed to get in and out as soon as possible to avoid some type of firefight or bloodbath.

"Drop the muscle and grab the manager." Cameron said. "We need to go. We've been in here for seventy three seconds so far."

Gail returned from a scouting mission around the area.

"We have over twenty million in cash." Gail said. "I think they received a shipment of drug money earlier. I was unable to locate the females or any drugs."

Cameron was sure both of those operations were conducted off site. The casino wouldn't want to get caught red handed with the drugs or girls by the Feds. Those seemed to be things which would be delivered individually to the proper rooms of someone they wanted to control.

"The manager will help us with it." Cameron said. "Let's wrap it up and go."

The manager burst into the counting room. The two muscled thugs were behind him.

"I'm not answering to the 'BITCH' about this." The manager said.

He quickly realized the three 'workers' were dead. There were two 'metallic cough sounds'. He looked back and both of his bodyguards were dead and fell to the ground. Each of them now sported a third red, unblinking eye in their forehead.

He saw Cammy, Ally, and Sheila.

"You three again…." The manager said.

Cammy wanted the manager to know it was them.

"We're back." Cammy said.

Ally always liked to play things up a little.

"We have a complaint to make." Ally said. "All of the help is dead."

Sheila wanted to mess with him as well. She blew him a kiss.

"Need a date, love?" Sheila asked. "Don't think I missed the way you looked at us, especially me. I'm here to fulfill your fantasies, well, I'll fulfill mine anyway."

Ally wanted to take him and leave.

"It's time to go, weasel." Ally said.

Gail wanted a few answers before he went anywhere.

"Where are the girls?" Gail asked.

The manager feigned ignorance. It was clear he was lying.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The manager said as he spotted the sacks of what he thought was money. "Is this a robbery?"

Ally figured it would turn more into 'a redistribution' later on. Right now it was personal.

"It's retribution." Ally said. "It's about the disrespect you showed for us and the way we were treated. You lost fair and square. We beat you and we took what was ours. Now we're here to take what's yours. Only an imbecile doesn't know when they've been beaten."

Gail was dissatisfied with the manager's answer.

"I'll ask once more." Gail said.

Gail put her foot on one of the dead bodyguard's backs. She leaned down and crushed his head. She stood up and walked towards him.

"Where are the girls?" Gail asked again. "I won't ask again."

She moved towards him as she reached for his head.

It made him start talking. He said they were off site and told them where. It correlated with the information the third thug in the alley told them before his demise.

They ushered him away, along with the cash. They encountered no one else on the way out, other than the dead.

Ally and Cammy held the manager up against the inside of the van as Gail drove it away.

Cameron spoke for the first time.

"Where's 'The Enforcer?" Cameron asked.

The manager looked Cameron over as well as at Cammy and Ally. It was a little hard for him to take in.

"There are THREE of you?" The manager asked.

The expression on Cameron's face never changed.

"Tell us - NOW." Cameron said. "We will tear your body apart one joint at a time if you don't."

The manager talked and talked and told them everything they wanted to know. He told them more about the runaway girls and how they were doped up and abused. He admitted to abusing hundreds of them himself over the years.

When the latest information was revealed, Cameron looked at Sheila and nodded slightly. It was clear it was time for a reckoning.

Sheila smiled with Cameron's approval.

"Payback time…." Sheila said.

Payback was a Bitch.

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 now touching, John rolled over and his arm touched Savannah.

Their future and their destiny were about to come to fruition when they both awoke. The new day drew closer.

The sun was about to appear over the tops of the mountains to the east.

The future was coming….

It was only a matter of time….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

You Lied To Me Once Before

I may be here
It wasn't my choice
I wanted to stay elsewhere
Nobody heard my voice

I do what I'm supposed to do
I guess it's my job
But all else that happens
My dignity it does rob

I may have faltered
Was it my fault
Now for the one mishap
In my face you rub the result

I still remain
We both know why
To keep pretending otherwise
Is just another lie

I'm still here
I don't know what for
It will probably happen again
You lied to me once before

Nobody