Chapter 855

Being Played

Young Allison was very unhappy at the way both operations developed. It was clear that Cammy should reinforce Savannah and that John shouldn't be there in the first place. CamNet kept the 'interaction' between John and Cammy blocked from Young Allison. She was unaware of what almost transpired.

She wanted Savannah's current position reinforced. The only one there available to do it was Cameron.

"If one of the men enters Savannah's tram car, she'll be in danger." Young Allison said. "Cameron needs to go into her tram car."

Anna didn't think that now was the time. If either one of the girls were to move now, they would be noticed by the two men.

"That may give them away." Anna said. "I don't think we want to blow their cover yet or end up in a shooting match on the tram platform. Remember that neither Cameron nor Savannah is wearing body armor or have their vests on."

Young Allison didn't want to hear excuses. She wanted action. The two unknown men were a threat and their behavior was highly erratic. She was aware that it would take additional time for Dan or Sheila to get to where Savannah was at. It was obvious that the tram wasn't going to wait that long on its automatic schedule for one of them to arrive. It was time to take some decisive action and control of the situation.

"I want another Terminator with Savannah right NOW." Young Allison said as she faced the security monitor. "CamNet, hold the tram until Sheila gets there. If you can't stop the tram through its control system, I want more drastic action taken. Turn off the power to the tram. Turn off all the power to Las Vegas if you have to. Do it – NOW. There will be no hesitation to accomplish this task immediately."

Anna hoped that CamNet wouldn't turn off the power to an entire city. She was aware that Young Allison said 'NOW'. Hopefully CamNet would use a little more discretion. She hoped CamNet already isolated the tram's power source.

It was clear to Anna that Young Allison's idea was a good one for getting more help to Savannah and Cameron without raising more suspicion. If the tram cars weren't moving because the power was out, it wouldn't seem strange if others approached the loading area and got on at this point.

Young Alison didn't think her actions were overly bold when it came to Savannah's safety. If it took the power going down to an entire city, so be it. There was more than one way to make things happen and happen fast when they needed to happen. If other people didn't like it, that was too bad. They were going to have to get up to speed on their own because she wasn't about to slow down. While others may be paralyzed with indecision, she wasn't about to suffer from that same self-imposed affliction. Life was about choices and she wasn't afraid to make them.

Anna was aware Young Allison was able to make a decision like that because the most powerful computer on the planet would back her play. She wasn't so sure what Young Allison's actions would be without that level of support.

Savannah was unsure what the man was going to do. The actual fact that he hadn't done anything other than get out of the tram car was highly unusual. By waiting as long as he had, it forced her hand to remain in the tram car at this point or it would be clear that she was a tail.

The lights in the tram car flickered once and went out. There was a series of clicking noises and some dim emergency lights came on. There was an increased murmur in the other patrons that were on the tram car. It was clear that everyone wondered what just happened.

Savannah thought that was good thinking to allow the rest of the team to get closer. She figured John Henry or CamNet did that on their own. She didn't know Young Allison did it and was willing to shut all the power off to Las Vegas to do it.

She watched the man who stood by the outside of the tram car talk to the man still inside. She couldn't hear what they discussed.

Sheila was informed that she should have time to reach the tram. She was a little surprised at the change in plans. Dan and her only arrived at the casino just moments ago. She still needed to make her way to the tram stop. They'd anticipated following one of the two men if they actually left the tram station.

As she passed through the casino she looked around at all the flashing lights and listened to all the sounds. There were a multitude of people moving about and gambling. The urge to want to hit one of the tables and 'make a statement' was very strong with her. Right now she needed to get to where Savannah was at. She could see the tram stop up ahead.

"I'm almost there, Savannah." Sheila said. "It's going to take me about one minute."

Savannah watched the man that stood on the platform. It appeared that his conversation with the man that was still inside the tram car took on a more tense tone. It was clear that they didn't know what happened but it appeared that they knew something was up.

The events that currently played out were unlike any that most people experienced before. It was fairly uncommon for there to be any power interruptions in Las Vegas. All of the casinos were equipped with multiple backup generators. The tram operated from casino to casino and technically wasn't attached to one casino. The power interruption could be anything from an overloaded circuit to an individual who'd slammed into a power pole with their vehicle.

"I think one man is going to leave now." Savannah said. "Sheila, I want you and Dan to take him. Frank can pick you up if the man gets a new ride. Dan can switch off with Frank and drive so you have a fresh face to follow him."

Savannah watched the man for another thirty seconds.

Other people started to get off the stopped tram cars. More people arrived to board the tram and then turned back once they noticed the power was off. They didn't know that only this tram was affected.

Sheila and Dan were now in position to either board the tram car or wait for someone to exit and come down the escalator or elevator for that matter.

Sheila was ready to make her move. She needed to know what Savannah's decision was.

"I'm at the main escalator. Dan is headed for the other one." Sheila said. "What's your call, Savannah?"

Savannah watched the man say one more thing to the man inside the tram car and then he headed for the escalator with another group of people.

"The man with the brown hair is headed for the central escalator." Savannah said. "I'm staying on the tram with Cameron and the other man."

Savannah didn't want to blow her cover with Dan and Sheila there to assist them already.

Cameron listened and waited. She wanted Savannah to make the decision. She listened to Savannah make the calls. They were all the right calls. She was even more pleased at Young Allison's call. The move to shut off the power to an entire city if necessary was a bold call. She'd trained Young Allison to think big and not be afraid to act. She taught her if she needed to hit, to hit hard and then hit even harder once the enemy was on its knees. There was to be no mercy for Skynet, Grays or Scavengers. Their chosen lifestyles already predetermined their fate. There was nothing to think about, except the method of termination.

Young Allison was Cameron's special project. She'd been able to work with her since Young Allison could first remember. There was always a Terminator around her and with her, even after she went to bed. She tried to make sure that the nightly 'conditioning' of the three girls remained clandestine. She didn't think that Claire would appreciate what was being done to her daughters as they slept. Everything that happened to Young Allison or around her was all part of her training.

Cameron needed to think about the current operation. She wanted to make it clear to everyone what was happening with all the confusion.

"Savannah and I will remain on the tram and take the last man." Cameron said. "Frank, Dan and Sheila have the man with the brown hair."

The power came back on, the doors 'beeped' and the lights flashed, as the doors rapidly shut. There was a bigger jolt as the tram started to move. It moved at a much faster speed this time. It was clear the tram would attempt to make up the lost time. It was obvious that CamNet wanted to make up the time.

Cameron thought the use of the ruse that the tram's power was off for a short duration, seemed plausible, rather than the tram just sitting there and not moving for any apparent reason.

She smiled. The tram would arrive at the next station on time. It remained to be seen what the unknown man would do next. Cameron even began to wonder if he would stay on the tram until its terminus and then ride it back to see if anyone actually followed him. She didn't want to get played again.

More than likely the two men might be able to rely on a number of different contingency plans. They didn't know if they would actually trigger some of those themselves or not.

With the last update from Gail, Ally was aware she was being played. She needed to think fast and come up with a reason for the SUV being where it was. She didn't want to just drive away because it would most certainly look like they did have the building under observation. She wanted to come up with a plausible reason as to why it may have been there in the first place. They'd taken down a drug and sex trafficking operation before they linked up with John. She reached in the back of the SUV and pulled something out of the duffel bag with blood stains. She was glad that they'd brought the duffel bag full of money along on the trip instead of leaving it at Van Nuys airport. The duffel bag contained more than money.

She quickly opened her door, and dropped something on the ground. She started the SUV and slowly drove forward past the Gray who stood out in front of the building. She flipped the sun visors down and made sure the tinted windows were up. The Gray wouldn't be able to get a good look at her at all. Unless the men in the bobtail had been able to identify her as a female, she didn't believe that the man who stood in front of the building would be able to do so as she passed by. She didn't want to make it look like she 'ran'.

Ally waited for the bullets to impact the SUV but nothing happened. She continued down the street and at the next side street she made a right. She wanted to look down the alley in the back to see if she spotted Gail. Maybe she could create a diversion and allow Gail to get to a better hiding place.

She stopped sideways at the alley entrance and saw where Gail was at. Gail was crouched next to a dumpster as the Gray approached her position. She could see why Gail indicated she would need to take the Gray down when he passed her position. All he would need to do is look over and spot her. She didn't see any weapons in his hands but that didn't mean he didn't have them.

Ally stopped and waited. She'd created the reaction she wanted with the Gray who looked around and was almost at Gail's position.

Moments ago:

Gail was currently concealed but was aware her cover wasn't going to last much longer. She would more than likely be spotted in the next few seconds.

She watched the Gray get closer to her position from the gap between the dumpster and the wall. He looked in the dumpster of the building next to theirs as he continued towards her.

Gail saw the two Grays at the far end of the alley disappear around the corner at a run. They'd been walking before but now they ran. That was probably bad news for Ally.

She needed to make a decision. John hadn't wanted her to conduct any terminations yet. She wasn't sure if that was still going to be possible not to do. She looked at the other end of the alley. She could make a run for it or take the Gray down. As she watched, Ally pulled up and stopped at the end of the alley. The Gray that was almost to her position saw the SUV sitting there and started to run towards it. He ran right past her where she was hidden, without ever looking. It was clear he experienced 'target fixation'.

Gail quickly moved around to the other side of the dumpster. Now she needed to worry about the other Grays returning from the other end of the alley and spot her. If that were to happen that would put her between two forces of Grays. She would definitely need to terminate one of the two groups at that point. She didn't want to get shot up. She knew that if she were to run and evade either of the two groups of Grays at this point, they would most likely know that she was a Terminator. She decided to hop into the dumpster the Gray already checked when he passed by it earlier. It was doubtful he would check it again.

She made it into the dumpster and didn't see the men from the other end of the alley return. She peeked over the other side and saw the man who passed by her stop running as Ally drove off. She ducked back down out of sight. She tried to cover herself with some cardboard. She would know very shortly if she was going to be discovered. If she was noticed, the Gray and her would soon trade positions and he would never get out of the dumpster. That was until the trash truck arrived and emptied the contents of the dumpster into the back of the truck and headed for the city dump.

Sheila saw the man come down the escalator. He didn't look around much. She was off to one side of him and Dan was on the other side of him. Any direction he went and they would be on him.

Much to their surprise the man didn't head for either obvious exit. He headed into the area with the largest amount of people.

The man headed into the casino, amongst the flashing lights and ringing bells.

He was unaware that death stalked him.

Sheila smiled and followed him. Dan would hang back since he may have been spotted before. She was up to the challenge to go one on one with the unknown man. She didn't believe she would be made as a Terminator unless she were shot at or needed to give a display of some of her Terminator abilities. Those would most likely be in the form of a physical display of force or strength if someone was thrown across the room or their neck was snapped like a rotten twig. She was up to either one if the need arose.

Bob and the rest of the females from the Young residence were on their way to the Resistance base.

Hanna drove, Claire was in the front with her. Allison and Holly climbed into the very back. Bob sat with Summer in the middle.

Claire was always worried about their safety. She always told the Terminators that were with her the same thing.

"If anything happens…." Claire said. "I want Bob and Hanna to protect Summer, not me."

Allison broke off a kiss with Holly from the rear seat. She rolled her eyes as she looked forward to where her mother was at.

"Mom, we always go through this." Allison said. "Everything will be fine."

Claire was always worried whenever they went out. The incident the other day at the mall was fresh in her mind. The incident that happened when she was pregnant with Summer was never very far in the back of her mind. She'd been with Isabel-Cameron and Young Allison at the time they faced an HK drone attack. The thought of 'Isabel' pleased her. She'd really liked the appearance of 'Isabel'.

"You don't know that." Claire said. "We don't know what's going to happen one second from now."

Allison knew that that was true. She was about to comment when Hanna beat her to it.

Hanna wanted to reassure Claire that everything was under control. It was something she needed to do every time that they went out.

"There are five Terminators with you." Hanna said. "There are two for Allison, two for Summer and I'm for you…."

There was an SUV that held the other two Terminators. They were from the protection Detail that followed behind them. They were actually the ones that would take the 'heat' if anything went down. They would engage the threat first. Either way, there were five Terminators there for the three humans.

Hanna reached over and squeezed Claire's hand. She scanned her as she did. Everything with Allison's baby inside her was as it should be.

Summer felt the need to reassure her mother as well. She hoped that if she felt confident that she could make her mother feel that way as well. She would try and 'give' her a little help. She reached forward and touched her mother.

"Mom, Bob will protect all of us, Hanna and Holly too." Summer said. "He's the biggest Terminator of them all."

Summer looked up at Bob and smiled.

Bob looked at her for a moment and smiled back.

Allison leaned forward and kissed Summer on the top of her head.

Summer suggested they play some car or license plate spotting games. The mood in the SUV was much happier now. They continued along toward the Resistance base.

Bob helped spot things for Summer so she could 'win'.

He was always captivated with Summer's smiling face. There was just something about her. He was aware the other Terminators experienced it also. He always felt 'touched' inside when he was around Summer. The only other person that ever made him or any of the other Terminators feel that way was River.

Gail heard the Gray approach. He was very close now. She was ready to reach out and grab him if he stopped and looked again. He passed by the dumpster.

She didn't chance it to look over the rim of the dumpster yet. She decided to turn her com on so John and John Henry could hear everything. In fact, everyone heard it.

Gail heard another Gray return to the area.

"What was it?" One Gray asked.

"I think it was a drug deal we interrupted. You know this neighborhood is pretty shady." A Second Gray said. "When the SUV drove off, I found this on the ground."

"Those do look like some kind of drugs." One Gray said. "Maybe we can sell them."

"The Hell with that, let's use them." A Second Gray said. "I can use them to get us some fresh 'skirt'."

"That's the best idea I've heard so far." One Gray said. "You shouldn't have killed the last one so soon."

Gail could hear laughter and the sound the two Grays 'high five' each other. It was clear that they were overly proud about their latest 'accomplishment' with another deceased female victim.

"We still need to dump her body, especially if we're going to grab another one." The Second Gray said. "If the new Bitch knows we're going to 'snuff' her, she won't try as hard to please us as the last one did. She did everything we asked. It seemed that air headed bimbo really thought we were going to let her go. It's amazing how ignorant people are in the past."

"Are we going to report this 'incident' to the Man?" One Gray asked.

There was a moment of silence as the one Gray contemplated their options. He didn't want any repercussions.

"Nope…." The Second Gray said. "I hate when that freak is even around. If we tell him about this, he'll show up. He looks like he wants to kill us as it is. I don't want to give him a real reason."

"Are we going to tell the new guys about this?" One Gray asked.

"No. The sooner they leave the better." The Second Gray said. "We still need to find out about Pat and Sam."

"I really don't care." One Gray said. "I just want some new 'tail' around here. If we keep her strung out on drugs, maybe we won't need to kill her as soon. If we don't beat on her so often, she should live a little bit longer."

"I'm more than ready for some fresh 'trim'. I'll head out after we unload the HK Track." The Second Gray said.

"Try for one less ripe this time." One Gray said.

"Take what you can get.?" The Second Gray asked. "The last one fine."

"I know." One Gray said. "The ones I 'used' in the future were all used up. I don't want any homeless trash either."

"OK, I'll drive around and see who I can lure away." The second Gray said. "I'll use the line about looking for my puppy. That works pretty well. It's hard to believe how they always fall for that one."

Both of the Grays laughed about that.

Gail decided she was going to personally terminate both of those Grays. She wanted to do it right now too. She was sure that both of her eyes glowed bright red currently. It took a lot of willpower for her to remain inside the dumpster and not confront both of the Grays right now where they stood.

She wanted them to move away from the dumpster so she could converse with the casino Command Center and Ally. She wanted to formulate their next course of action. She wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to wait until after they'd unloaded an HK Track. Maybe the time to act was before they did that. Maybe that was just because she wanted to act and terminate the Grays.

With the earlier talk about the 'Man' it was clear that they referred to a Terminator. They'd suspected there was one involved with this operation anyway. They would need to remain extra vigilant. That would apply to the other operation as well. If the Grays that they currently tracked were aware that someone routinely spied on them, they would certainly send the Terminator after those individuals.

Being Played

Time takes its toll on life
There are many who've strayed
Some hang on a little longer
Those are the ones who stayed

Two people in close proximity
With each other soon abrade
Some will take the abuse
Others fear and feel afraid

Things devolve as they fail
It soon becomes a charade
It's only a matter of time
Until one is soon betrayed

One may like to dominate
As the other they degrade
They think they can do better
The next one will be an upgrade

As one begins to invade
It may be time to evade
Few are seldom swayed
No one likes being played

Nobody