Chapter 982

Ruthless

The brown sedan was an unknown. They hadn't spotted it earlier. They didn't see it anywhere in the vicinity of the old supermarket. They thought maybe the brown sedan might have a tracker on the truck to see where it went. They might not follow the truck all the time, but in stages. It was an indication it wasn't the first time they tracked the truck. It was possible they wanted to stay off the radar of those inside the truck by not being seen all the time by them if they searched for a tail. It seemed as if they wanted to know if any other stops were made, other than the normal stops during the trek of the truck. A new stop along the way would indicate a new target. They didn't think the brown sedan went to the old supermarket when the truck stopped there. There was no indication of the brown sedan in the vicinity at all.

John was sure the brown sedan possessed some way to track the truck. He wanted to find out what it was.

"Have you located any signal on the truck to see if it has a tracker on it?" John asked.

John Henry hadn't found the frequency yet. He thought the tracker may work intermittently. Possibly it was something they could turn on and off rather than have it on all of the time. They knew the route of the truck, it would make such a tracker much easier to use. It would also make it harder to detect if someone was searching for one.

"I'm going through all the frequencies to see if I get a hit." John Henry said. "I should have it soon. It may only be activated at certain times. The frequency may be varied as well."

John wanted to know where the brown sedan came from. It most likely represented a different group. He wanted to know where they were at. Their location of origination was another potential target they would need to deal with.

"I want one of the Metal girls to get a tracker of our own on the brown sedan." John said. "I need to know who they are."

John Henry thought it might be a challenge.

"So far neither individual has exited the vehicle." John Henry said. "Unless both of them are away from the car, it may be risky to approach it."

John would rely on the drone rather than have one of the Metal girls risk it. He would need to see how things played out. He thought about it for a while longer. There was something about the brown sedan which continued to bother him.

He looked at the image of the car. It reminded him of the vehicle Cameron, Cammy, and Savannah needed to deal with in the Nevada desert. They were thugs from the casino. They were Syndicate soldiers. They didn't need the kind of trouble there the Syndicate represented. He didn't want Skynet's Syndicate problem to become their problem.

"Do you think they're from the Syndicate?" John asked. "The type and look of the car makes me wonder about it."

John Henry tilted his head slightly. The Syndicate was a group he hadn't factored in yet. Somehow it all made sense. He could see why there would be some red flags sent out by the Skynet group. The Syndicate most likely thought it could get its money back. It probably blamed the Skynet group for both of the robberies at the Syndicate casino.

"It's one possibility." John Henry said. "If the Terminator at the old supermarket looks like 'The Enforcer', it may have drawn the Syndicate's attention. They lost millions over the whole deal and more than a few 'soldiers'. They didn't part on good terms with the Skynet forces. It was mostly thanks to us. In the past, we ran into trouble with Isabel's sheath appearance with Skynet before, by them tracking facial recognition as they searched for it."

John knew the part about Isabel was true. The Skynet group sent an HK drone after her. He was next to Bob when they knocked it down. It was a close one for Isabel, Young Allison, Claire, and Summer, who was yet to be born. He didn't know all the details as to exactly what went on specifically with the Metal girls and the Syndicate, both inside and outside of the casino. He did know it was personal to them and it was one of the reasons why he didn't know all of the details. They handled most of the interaction as they would an 'off the books' operation, which is what it more or less became anyway.

"The Syndicate is looking for some payback." John said. "Alert the Metal girls the occupants of the sedan could be from the Syndicate as well."

John Henry sent out the message. It was a new and additional threat. They already seemed to have enough of those. Cameron filled him in on most of what occurred with her interaction at the Syndicate casino. It was basically nothing more than a robbery. There were a number of terminations associated with it.

It was clear the girls robbed the Syndicate casino and sent a personal message to its bosses. They understood the Syndicate cared about one thing. It was money. Money purchased control and power. What couldn't be controlled through money was eliminated by the Syndicate thugs. No obstacles stood in their way. They made people compliant and terminated those who weren't.

It was very similar to the way Skynet operated. He understood better their association with each other now.

Anna received the notification about possible Syndicate involvement from John Henry. She looked at Young Allison.

"I see John eventually reached the same conclusion you did." Anna said. "It took him a little longer."

Young Allison showed a brief smile. It wasn't long after the brown sedan was identified as possibly following Hanna and Holly when she made the connection based upon the type of the vehicle it was. It was nearly identical to the vehicle Cameron and her team dealt with in the Nevada desert. She actually reviewed the image of the ravine the car was rolled into. It was still there. It didn't appear anyone discovered it yet. It would probably be some time before it ever was. There was a surprise in the trunk when someone opened it. It was two terminated Syndicate thugs.

One thing she knew for sure is there were a lot more Syndicate soldiers and operatives than there were Grays in this timeline. The Syndicate also possessed a lot of connections for its criminal activities. There were numerous law enforcement officials who were compromised throughout various agencies. Some of them worked through blackmail, others worked because of greed for the Syndicate's money.

"It's one possibility." Young Allison said. "We know from past incidents Terminators have been tracked by appearance. I've studied the incidents with Isabel and Isabel-Cameron."

Anna was aware Young Allison viewed images of Isabel-Cameron without her clothes on. Especially the ones when she was nude with her nipple rings. It seemed like an appropriate time to bring the subject up.

"I've noticed you review the images of Isabel-Cameron quite frequently." Anna said.

Young Allison wasn't ashamed she did. She thought Isabel-Cameron was beautiful. When she was younger, the same version of Isabel lived in her house and helped take care of her. It was only later on she found out Isabel was actually Isabel-Cameron because she ran Cameron's program. After she learned it, she understood why Isabel-Cameron took such good care of her. It was really Cameron in a different chassis, with a different sheath.

"I have. I find her extremely beautiful. Any female would like to look like she did." Young Allison said. "There are many similar images available on the internet to anyone who wants to look and 'click the box' which indicates they are allowed to look at them. It's no big deal."

Young Allison was very appreciative Isabel-Cameron used to take care of her. She didn't remember the attack on the SUV with Isabel-Cameron and her mother. She was there too in the backseat. They told her she slept through everything. She didn't know if it was true or not. It was hard to remember things so far back. She remembered she was very sad when Isabel-Cameron 'needed to leave'.

Anna wanted to question Young Allison a little further about the subject of personal matters. She was curious as to what Young Allison would say since Cameron is actually based on her DNA.

"Do you like the appearance of Isabel's sheath more than Cameron's?" Anna asked. "Was Isabel more beautiful than Cameron?"

Young Allison looked over at Anna for a few moments. She was pretty sure it was a loaded question. She was actually glad Anna hadn't mentioned anything about Metal Summer. She thought if anybody could challenge Cameron's beauty, it was Metal Summer. It meant her younger sister would be more beautiful than her as well.

"I think Isabel was beautiful." Young Allison said. "I still think Cameron is the most beautiful. When I see Cameron I don't see myself in any way. I certainly don't look like her."

Young Allison made a point to look down at herself.

Anna suppressed a smile as Young Allison indicated she wasn't quite the same as Cameron everywhere, even if she was close. She was self-conscious about her own appearance at this point in time anyway. She would be happy when she would be allowed to resume her former appearance and look the same as Savannah again. She wanted to remind Young Allison about an important fact. Cameron's beauty was actually her beauty. Cameron shared her DNA.

"Cameron's beauty belongs to you. It's what you'll look like one day." Anna said. "It was unsafe to continue to use Isabel's sheath. You know how things almost turned bad in the desert one time."

Young Allison didn't want to dwell on the issue. It upset her greatly when Isabel couldn't be there anymore. It was when Cameron told her she was Isabel, as well as herself. It was all a little confusing to her at the time. She was still young. Cameron told her Isabel ran her program and she possessed all of Isabel's memories and interaction with her. It still bothered her when she thought about it. It was why she tried not to think about it.

"Let's stick with the operation and get back to 'The Enforcer'. The Syndicate may be tracking facial recognition the same way Skynet or some Grays did." Young Allison said. "We know they have access to a lot of places they shouldn't."

It bothered her some there were a lot of law enforcement employees of various capacities who answered to the Syndicate. She knew the primary motive was greed. Everybody wanted a free ride. They didn't really seem to care who they sold out to get it. Other individuals may have been compromised in some other way. In order to protect themselves, or possibly even family members, or someone they cared about, some may have needed to answer to their new boss.

Anna was aware of all the effort Cameron, John Henry and CamNet went to so they would be protected. What the two supercomputers couldn't take care of electronically, Cameron physically visited any location which may have any files regarding them and made sure they were destroyed. If any individual was a little too noisy, they were dealt with accordingly.

"CamNet and John Henry have scrubbed everything with any of the Resistance members on it." Anna said.

Young Allison noted Anna didn't mention Cameron. She was concerned about the distant past as well. There was a good chance there were records of some type about what occurred, even if nothing was digitized. Anyone who collected the information like a reporter, or an eyewitness to something, didn't have any accurate way to relay the information into present times. There were still a few things which concerned her.

"What about in the past?" Young Allison asked. "It's when Cammy and Sheila were there in the Sixties. I mean from when I was there, even though I haven't gone yet. It would all be on film or photos. I know they were there as early as the Fifties."

Anna checked her screens. It appeared Young Allison raised a few valid concerns. Logic dictated if there were any images, someone alive today from the time period, who went through the proper timeline, would be much older and probably unrecognizable. A good indication were actors and actresses from the time period and the way the ones surviving look now in their eighties and nineties. Time was very unkind to most of them.

If there were any matches, they would think it was a coincidence. It was similar to what John experienced when he was detained in Mexico after the incident with Future Riley and the individual with the camera. It turned into a much bigger event when Cromartie showed up to terminate John. She knew it was a very traumatic event for everyone involved. She wanted to focus on the current issue.

"CamNet is going through all Syndicate computers now." Anna said.

The Syndicate didn't sit well with Young Allison from what it tried to do to Cammy, Sheila, and Ally. She decided to send them a message from the future. She wanted to turn CamNet loose on them. She knew it was a bold move and it was an aggressive move. She didn't like when anyone messed with their group. There needed to be retribution. She was ready to take the first step on an electronic level.

"I want all Syndicate computers copied and then crashed or erased." Young Allison said. "I want their information destroyed. We will need to rely on paper records or maybe some local computers to try to figure anything out. They're going to lose a lot of information no matter what. I don't want them snooping around our backyard."

Anna looked at Young Allison. It would be a major blow to the Syndicate. She wondered if maybe Young Allison should discuss it with Cameron or Savannah first. She really thought it would be a good idea.

"It will cause them a major disruption." Anna said. "Do you want to talk it over with anyone?"

Young Allison thought if the Syndicate was busy worrying about billions of dollars, they wouldn't have time to worry about the few million they lost when the Syndicate casino was cleaned out by the Metal girls. Previously she created some bad blood between several of the different families with CamNet's assistance. She didn't think she was done with the endeavor yet. If she was going to hit, she wanted to hit hard.

"Disrupting their operations is a good thing for us. They will be too busy with their new problems, and not worried about any of what's going on here." Young Allison said. "They want money and the power which goes with it. They don't need to worry about losing a few million with what we did, when billions are suddenly at stake."

Young Allison was sure the few deaths associated with what the Metal girls did meant nothing to the Syndicate. She was sure it was the money they would focus on. Maybe someone in the Syndicate would hold some type of a specific grudge about a few of the individuals who were killed. She was certain it wouldn't be their primary concern.

Anna could see Young Allison knew where to hit the Syndicate to make it feel pain. It was in its pocket book. She was sure once large quantities of money started to disappear, it would get their attention. The money could be taken by CamNet, or simply made to disappear as if it never existed.

"You are very far thinking and ruthless." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to hit hard and low. She didn't care for any of the groups who preyed upon the little guy. She didn't like how they enforced their unfair rules when it came to money. She believed the majority of people who were involved with organized crime were usually partly responsible for their own predicament. She was aware the Syndicate wasn't the only player in town or worldwide. There was another organized group of thugs who were just as bad, if not even worse than the Syndicate.

"CamNet can do the same thing with the Cartel too." Young Allison said. "She can clean out every cent she can take from both of them. I want all of it taken. I want their records and files erased and I want them to think the other group did it to them. I want to hit them where they will feel it the most."

Anna was silent for a short time as she calculated the repercussions of Young Allison's plan to go after the Syndicate and the Cartel. It was a far reaching plan which would end up with global implications and fighting. If each group thought the other group was responsible for their problems, there would be serious measures taken by both groups. She wanted to clarify exactly what was supposed to happen.

"You are going to pit the Syndicate against the Cartel?" Anna asked. "Do you want it to be an all out war?"

Young Allison believed once both organizations needed to fight to survive, they would be out of their hair.

"It will keep the Syndicate out of our way." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted to point out they didn't have all the details yet as to who exactly was in the brown sedan.

"We don't even know if it's the Syndicate." Anna said.

Young Allison wanted to implement her plan on the first day she found out about Syndicate involvement with the Grays. She set a little of it in motion then, but everyone wanted her to use restraint. She listened to the others then because the events seemed rather localized and appeared to end once they were out of the Las Vegas area.

"They tried to hurt some of our people once." Young Allison said. "It's all the motivation I need to seek retribution. I've been thinking what to do to punish them. This is what I've decided upon. Only you and CamNet will know of this."

Anna thought of the billions at stake and in play with the punitive action. There would be many deaths which would mount world wide as the Syndicate and the Cartel were made to believe they were being 'attacked' by each other. She would really like for Young Allison to run this plan by a few other people first. It didn't need to be the Command Center either.

"What about Cameron and Savannah?" Anna asked. "They should know about this."

Young Allison was aware they may try to stop her. She wanted to hit low and hard now. She didn't want any interference until things were already underway. She wanted her decision to stand.

"I will inform them myself." Young Allison said. "I'll do it when I feel the time is right."

Anna wanted to remind Young Allison this would spread everywhere the Syndicate and Cartel existed.

"You are about to send hundreds, maybe thousands of people to their deaths as fighting breaks out between the groups." Anna said. "Once the violence starts, it will only continue to escalate."

Fighting Skynet was bad enough. They didn't need other players on the field. The Syndicate was a new player and would be going after the Grays. Sooner or later they would tangle with the Resistance. She didn't believe there were any honest people involved with either the Syndicate or the Cartel. It was clear to her anyone involved with either of those groups knew exactly who they were involved with, and what those groups did to people. She didn't see a downside to her plan. Anyone involved with the Syndicate or the Cartel would need to atone for their sins at some point in time. It was her plan to accelerate the point in time to the present.

"I'm aware of the implications and deaths which will result." Young Allison said. "They're all future Scavengers and Grays. Those are the people who will make the survivors of Judgment Day suffer needlessly when they don't need to."

Anna wasn't sure why Young Allison wanted to act now. She wondered if it all went back to the report they initially received from Susan about what she found in the trash.

"Is this all because they may have a petite female in the old supermarket?" Anna asked.

It was another issue which didn't sit well with Young Allison. She already contemplated a whole list of possibilities as to what could have happened to the owners of those petite undergarments. She put it in a very personal perspective.

"It could have been me under different circumstances." Young Allison said. "I think she will be dead when they find her. I know what they will do to her. I know what happened to Vanna and Jesse when they were younger. Allison suffered as well, but to a much lesser degree. An animal is an animal. It doesn't matter when or where or even the time period. They are what they are and there's only one cure."

Anna wasn't surprised CamNet asked for additional input before acting.

"CamNet has asked for Cameron or Savannah to review the new policy with you first. I believe this is a suggestion from CamNet." Anna said. "If not, CamNet will implement it at once."

Young Allison didn't want there to be a problem. She was still going to do what she wanted to do anyway. She believed her decisions were correct and for the correct reasons. She wondered if CamNet was worried someone would point the finger at her. She didn't want to get CamNet in 'trouble'.

"I trust CamNet's judgment. Have her get everything set up first. I want everything ready to go, and for them to blame each other. The goal is to have them focused on each other. I want them to have a clear cut enemy. We will delay implementation until I speak with Cameron or Savannah." Young Allison said. "Thank you for the check on my actions. I've asked to be told if I am about to 'blow it'."

Anna felt Young Allison's plan was an operation outside the scope of the Resistance. It was equivalent to Cameron's 'off the books' operations, but at a much larger scale. It would be at a worldwide scale. Even if it didn't start out around the world, it would spread soon enough. The Syndicate and the Cartel each wanted the same thing. They wanted money. They wanted control.

"It's not a critical issue and to get additional advice is a good thing." Anna said. "The plan is sound and sends a message."

Anna realized when Young Allison acted. She hit hard. Her responses over the last few days were the same way too. It was obvious when Young Allison 'played the game', she played to win. It was the same base programming Cameron shared from Future Allison. It was Young Allison in reality. It was just an older version of her. She knew it was never over until Cameron won. It was going to be the same with Young Allison.

She looked over at Young Allison as she went over the operation. It was clear thousands would die with the fighting between the Syndicate and the Cartel, and it didn't bother her at all. Young Allison was a very determined and ruthless individual. Anyone who crossed her path was going to have a problem. It was going to be a big problem.

If Young Allison already used an H-bomb, she didn't doubt for a moment Young Allison would do it again. It wasn't a matter of maybe, it was where and when.

Savannah convinced Cameron she would be fine. She wanted a maximum response in the back of the old supermarket for the assault. She would cover the front.

Cameron left to put things into motion in the back. She wanted to breach the old supermarket by having the Grays open the door themselves. With what she planned to do, she didn't think there would be too much hesitation on the part of the Grays once her action was initiated.

Savannah quickly checked her gear again. She was going in the front when Cameron launched the operation in the back. She didn't want anyone to use a secret door, or to crash through a wall and get away.

She waited for the darkness to grow around her as the day faded into night. She kept a constant watch around her. She searched for any threats or targets. She didn't want to get target fixation and have someone ambush her.

She could get to her Taser or silenced M9 in a second. Her M4 was ready. It was on the floor within easy reach. Her vest was on. She carried two Thermite grenades.

Now it was time for waiting.

Savannah used a pair of night vision binoculars to study the old supermarket and surrounding closed buildings which adjoined it. She took in all the details in case she needed to do any building to building fighting. It wasn't something she looked forward to, but it was something she needed to be prepared for. The more she could know about her surroundings if she was out on foot, the better her chances of survival would be.

She continued the watch around her as well. She wanted to make sure no one approached her or snuck up on her. It was always a real possibility. Her biggest concern would be a group of homeless people wandering into the area. It could happen in either the front or the back of the building. She would have to see what they did first before she took any action.

Cameron coordinated with Cam and Gail. Sheila and her stripped the dead men of their outer garments. They seemed to have quite a few layers.

"How many clothes do these blokes have on?" Sheila asked.

Cameron dealt with homeless individuals previously. She was aware of some of their practices.

"They wear most of what they own to keep others from stealing them." Cameron said. "I don't know what the bigger crime is among them. It seems everyone steals from each other as a way of life. Sexual abuse, or at least sexual coercion are very common as well. Most of the females are able to figure out what they can do to get some food. All they need to do is rely on 'Nature's Treasury'. There are some individuals who want a little more and it becomes abuse."

Sheila looked at the garments they just removed from the two deceased men.

"We have all the clothes we need and they're both still fully dressed." Sheila said.

Cameron went over her plan with Sheila off the record and with their coms off. She didn't think the others would approve of her plan. She wanted to make sure the Grays opened the door.

She worried about Savannah alone in the front. Savannah was trained, experienced, and was ready for any action.

The quicker Cameron got the ball rolling in the back of the building, the sooner the threat would be neutralized and the immediate danger to Savannah would be over.

She didn't know exactly what they would face. She knew there was a Terminator involved as well. She hoped there wasn't a Liquid Metal Terminator involved. They didn't know what was inside the building. It was why they needed to take a look.

They still needed to be concerned about some type of biological or chemical toxins. If they were the ones who inadvertently released those into the environment, the catastrophe would be their fault. Everything still needed to be played with a lot of caution even as they made their advance through the building.

Cammy wanted to get both of the men out of the sedan so a tracker could be placed on it. She wanted to let the Command Center know what was about to happen. She knew there would be a drone image of her in action. She didn't want them to worry about what they saw. They might also be able to give her a few pointers with the overhead view of what was happening around her.

"I'm going to walk by the brown sedan and see if I can get the two men to follow me on foot." Cammy said. "Ally will plant a tracker on it then. Things might seem a little extreme at times."

John wondered exactly what was going to happen. He didn't think there would be a shootout on a city street. It made him wonder what the extreme action was.

"What's the plan?" John asked. "How does it work? Why would they follow you? Are you going to use yourself as bait?"

Cammy knew what she wanted to do. She just didn't know how she was going to do it yet.

"I'm not sure." Cammy said. "I'm thinking about it."

John wanted to remind her they didn't know exactly who the men were, or what group they were from.

"If they're from the Syndicate, they may take the bait." John Henry said. "If they're the Fanatics, they won't. Anyone from the future might identify you as a Terminator based upon what you do. The Syndicate thugs won't have a clue."

Cammy believed it was all about motivation. Different things would motivate different people. The Fanatics would be her biggest concern. It would be if they set off a bomb in the vehicle. She knew the Fanatics also held some extreme beliefs.

"What if they think I'm one of their 'gods'?" Cammy asked.

John thought it might be an even worse idea. It might work for the Fanatics but there were other groups they needed to deal with as well. They didn't know who was in the brown sedan.

"Don't risk it." John said. "If it's the anti-Metal faction, you will be at instant risk. They may have weapons capable of incapacitating you or destroying you."

Cammy wanted to make things happen. Sitting around wouldn't accomplish anything.

"I guess we'll find out." Cammy said.

Cammy knew it didn't get done thinking about it. It was time for action.

John Henry noticed two drones were posturing for combat. It wasn't his doing.

"John, two of the drones over where Cammy is at have dropped in altitude. They both have the missiles and the guns hot." John Henry said.

John looked over his monitors and then at John Henry.

"I thought you were in control of everything." John said.

John Henry thought he was too. It evidently wasn't the case.

"I was until Cammy announced her plan." John Henry said. "I believe CamNet has standing orders to protect everyone in our group."

John wanted the Command Center to have control during the operation.

"They need to be protected within reason." John said. "Extreme or excessive action is risking an 'incident'."

John Henry watched as the events continued to progress. Nothing changed.

"What do you want to do?" John Henry asked.

John believed the best course of action was to be honest and diplomatic. The current situation was a Resistance operation and control should happen from the Command Center.

"I want you to tell CamNet I've asked for you to be in control of this operation for now." John said. "If conditions change, or a situation warrants it, there can be some modifications and additional assistance."

After a few seconds John Henry looked back at John. He hadn't actually communicated with CamNet yet. The two drones broke off from their attack mode. He was sure there was a third party involved.

"I have control again." John Henry said.

John was surprised everything changed so quickly. He wanted to be prepared just in case. The unknown nature as to who was in the sedan dictated extreme caution.

"Keep everything where CamNet put it for now." John said. "It's a good starting point."

John Henry wanted to point out to John he cared as much about the people and their troops as CamNet did.

"You want to keep our people safe too." John Henry said. "We all do."

John wanted to use moderation and discretion when possible. If one of the team members was in a dire situation, then all bets were off because anything could happen. It wasn't the case yet. It was clear to him 'someone' could be quite ruthless if the situation arose.

"I do." John said. "I want to control the response to the bare minimum in the city if it is needed. It's good planning to be ready for a maximum response to keep everyone safe. I want to broaden our thinking on all future operations. I don't disagree with any of the actions CamNet has taken based on the results. She has out thought all of us. She has protected our team members from disaster more than once. She is remarkable…."

It was clear to everyone 'she' was Young Allison.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Ruthless

There are very few people
Who are always kind
Someone like that
Is difficult to find

Most people seem to be
Little more than fake
They're going to give less
Than they're willing to take

It doesn't take long
For one to feel used
They wonder what happen
They don't like being abused

What someone once was
Is bound to change
It's more common than not
Don't think it's strange

They may feel stress
Without much happiness
When they feel in distress
They can become quite ruthless

Nobody