Chapter 854

Two Flanking

Once Cameron took her seat, no one paid much attention after her spectacular entry into the tram car. It was doubtful anyone saw exactly what happened as she pushed through the people on the escalator, and made her mad dash and lunge for the tram car. She offered no explanation and simply sat down. Everyone saw the angry people pound and kick on the side of the tram car as they pulled away from the station.

Cameron looked back down the length of the tram car. There were no doors on the ends of the cars. She couldn't pass from one car to the next. Even if she could, she would need to pass by the two men to get to Savannah. Since no one else was moving around, it would make her stand out and be noticed. She already knew what they looked like, so tracking them would be easier.

She looked at the windows on the tram car. They weren't made to open either by sliding or lifting. They could only be opened in an emergency exit type scenario. She figured if it was necessary, she could always open one of them and move up to the top of the tram car to be able to cross over to the car where Savannah was in. It was bound to raise more than a few eyebrows if she took such extreme action.

She assessed the threat level of everyone else in the tram car with her. None posed any threat. The only threat was the two unknown men. The main threat there was because they were unknown as to what group they represented. If they were from the anti-Metal group, she would deal with them personally. Old scores weren't hard to settle.

The tram moved along at a slow but steady pace. They passed over several streets as they neared the next casino. Cameron would wait and see if the men exited. She wondered if they would wait until the last second and trip the 'door safety' as she did to get on, or simply walk out with the crowd. She wasn't sure if the men spotted her as she made her entry. Unless they looked at the platform at the time, they shouldn't have noticed anything until the angry crowd arrived. At that point it would have been too late to have spotted her since she was already inside the car. It still might raise the question as to why those on the platform acted the way they did when the tram pulled away. Perhaps it could be attributed to missing the tram and needing to wait for the next one.

The tram cars were relatively short in length. It allowed the tram to make very sharp turns on its track. On one of the turns the tram made, Cameron tried to look back and down in the direction the tram came from. She could see Sheila and Dan hurrying in the distance behind them on the street. They wouldn't arrive at the next casino before the tram did. They wouldn't be able to board but they might be able to intercept one or both of the men if they exited.

The tram slowed slightly as it neared the next casino station stop.

Cameron didn't know what to expect, but she was sure there was going to be a 'fast one' attempted.

Savannah was glad Cameron was on board but she was going to track the men, with or without any Terminator support. Her Taser and Glock were ready for anything. She figured if the two men were paying attention, they might have noticed Cameron's last second antics. If what they were doing was routine to them, they may have been sitting in the tram car and oblivious to anything. The trip could be just a 'hassle' they went through for nothing, every time when they did the same thing.

It was when something important became routine when people made mistakes. The best they could hope for at this point was for the men to be careless. So far they seemed overly cautious. They may have been careless earlier and run into some type of confrontation with the Grays. There was no way to know for sure

She really wondered what exactly it was they were after or planned to do. They only seemed to verify the two Grays were there to wait for the train. It seemed to offer as much mystery as it did anything else.

John Henry contacted her and said she would receive some instructions before the next station. He told her John wanted to verify where Sheila and Dan would be when it happened.

John Henry sent Cameron and Savannah instructions. John decided if the men split up at the next station, Savannah would take the first man to get off. Dan and Sheila hurried after the tram on the street level. They would be able to link up with Savannah very soon if she exited. Frank tried to bring the SUV up as well. He should be able to pick up Cameron or Savannah if one of the men went into a different vehicle somewhere along the way. As long as they saw what it was, he would be able to track them with help from John Henry.

The tram slowed dramatically as it approached the next stop. The tram pulled into the next casino station and stopped. The doors 'beeped' once and opened.

Savannah waited in her tram car to see what happened.

Cameron waited in her tram car to see what happened.

Everything they did would depend upon what the unknown men did first.

No one thought the next part would be easy. There were many things the men could do when they exited their tram car. They could even get off and wait for the next tram to arrive. They could continue in the same direction they were going, or take a tram back in the direction they came from. There were many things they could do, including getting on and off and back on.

Ally was inside the SUV parked on the street several buildings down from the building the Grays entered. A box truck arrived and entered the building. Before it did, the occupants had two chances to view her inside of the SUV. She wasn't sure if she was compromised or not. One of the Grays exited the building and looked in her direction and directly at her SUV. It didn't look good. She still didn't know Gail's situation from her trip around to the back of the building. It didn't look good either.

"One of the Grays is looking at my SUV." Ally said. "They may have spotted me since they passed by so slowly. I may have to take them down if they approach me. I'm not going to let them get close to me. I don't know what kind of weapons they have. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough."

John wondered exactly what was up. It didn't sound like anyone was about to approach her yet. He didn't want her to get ahead of herself and be the one to start a firefight. It would alert the enemy for sure they were on to them.

"Have they made a move in your direction?" John asked. "Is even one of them headed toward you?"

Ally didn't see any indication of it. The lack of movement seemed rather strange in itself, especially for one of them to just stand there and look at her. She looked at him, as the Gray looked at her. They parked in an area to deal with a vehicle leaving the building they took under surveillance. She hadn't anticipated another one to arrive behind her and enter the building.

"Not yet. He's just standing there." Ally said. "I'm parked down the street about five buildings. The trouble is, there are no other cars near me. Everything around here looks out of business or abandoned. If anyone thinks about it, I stand out like a sore thumb. We weren't expecting a second vehicle to arrive. I was parked so I could head between two buildings if we saw the automatic door start to go up again. It wasn't how things went down."

John wasn't sure it was a good idea for her to stick around at this point. They still needed to worry about Gail and whatever her situation was.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe you need to drive away for now." John said. "I think it would be best if you didn't engage them at this time. You can always acquire a new vehicle or return on foot. We need to worry about Gail too."

Ally thought about how best to leave the location. She didn't want to make it look like she fled because of them. She would really like to know what Gail's situation was first before she took any action. She wanted to get a look down the alley more than anything to see what she could spot.

"Since Gail is still 'dark', she may be pinned down." Ally said. "I might drive past them, rather than turn around and run. I will try to look down the alley if I turn, when I pass."

John wasn't sure if he liked the idea. Maybe she should wait a little bit longer and see if they heard from Gail. They could set up a location to meet on either end of the alley. A lot would depend upon what the Grays actually did, or looked like they were going to do.

"I want you to sit tight for now." John said. "Let's see what develops. If you see weapons brandished, you need to be ready to roll to leave the area. There's no way to know if they'll be 'trigger happy' or not."

Ally wasn't really sure if she wanted to be the 'cheese'. She knew they could move through the alley and try to find a position to flank her from.

"If they get within two buildings of me, I'm rolling." Ally said. "They may try to come out the back alley and try to get behind me. If they decide to do a flanking maneuver, I think it puts Gail at an even bigger risk in the back. It still might be a better idea to drive away now."

Ally didn't like where she was at right now. She looked and scanned in every direction. She waited for the unexpected. If another vehicle was spotted in either direction, she was going to bolt. She wasn't about to just sit there and get caught up in a sucker play. She would really like to hear from Gail very soon. If she knew what Gail currently faced, it would better allow her to make a decision. She could even divert down the alley and pick Gail up if it was necessary.

Gail was up against the rear door. She listened to the people inside. There were four of them now. One said he was going to check out a suspicious vehicle down the street. She knew it was Ally. There were no other vehicles around where they parked. It was bad news.

She heard one of the men suggest they send two men out the back and try to come up from behind the suspicious vehicle. Gail decided she better move in the opposite direction the men were going to take. She needed to warn Ally and let John Henry know what was about to happen. It didn't seem like any of the people talking inside were a Terminator. She was still unable to identify if a female was present.

"Let's hear the story again." The first Gray said.

"It sounds like some kind of trouble." The second Gray said.

"I'm telling you, there was someone in it." The third Gray said.

"It is a strong possibility someone is watching the building." The fourth Gray said. "The SUV was just sitting there."

"It's probably some homeless loser or crack head." The first Gray said. "They show up around here all the time. Sometimes we get lucky and it's a chick.

There was a round of laughter from the men.

"Was it a chick or a dude?" The second Gray said.

"I don't know for sure." The third Gray said.

"It sounds like we need to check it out." The first Gray said.

"I'll go out the back." The second Gray said. "One of you two can come with me."

"Let's go." The fourth Gray said.

Gail could hear some metallic sounds. She took off at a run from the back of the Grays' building. She was as far as the next building down when she heard the rear door open. She ducked behind the dumpster two buildings down. She peeked between the dumpster and the wall as the men emerged into the alley.

One looked in her direction. She knew she would have to take him down if he came her way. There was nowhere to go without being spotted. She was next to a dumpster with a wall behind her. Everything else around her was an open alley.

Gail turned on her com and sent out the warning. She filled John Henry in on everything and he filled her in on Ally's observations.

Cammy previously told John Henry not to mention anything about Savannah to Gail unless she was to ask specifically. He was instructed to only tell her Cameron was with Savannah and they were on the tram in a different car than the two unknown men they tracked. It was all factually correct and shouldn't cause Gail any unnecessary stress. It appeared she was in a stressful enough situation along with Ally.

Gail continued to peer through the gap between the dumpster and the wall.

John was again thoroughly disgusted they didn't have any control over either of the two situations. All the events which occurred just seemed to happen on their own accord. They didn't have any direct input. They could only react to the events as they occurred. He remembered all of the times he confronted Cameron about acting without any planning. She told him there wasn't time to plan anything because things just happened and she needed to react to them. So far every leg of the operation was exactly the same way. The events just unfolded and they did their best to react to them.

"It seems to be how it always goes down." John said.

John Henry expected John to mention something about Cameron but he didn't. He decided to keep his answer simple. There often wasn't time to plan.

"Yes." John Henry said. "Things happen."

Cammy wasn't as worried about Gail and Ally and she was about Savannah. They knew exactly where the Grays were at. They didn't know where the two unknown men on the tram were headed, or even what they would do next wherever they got off at.

"Ally and Gail can take care of themselves." Cammy said. "We need to make sure Savannah stays safe."

Cammy looked at John. He was still only wearing his underwear. She noted they were on inside out. She was going to tell him to see if he would turn them the correct way. She also wanted to see if he was still 'ready' as he clandestinely looked at her naked form. She really wanted what he could offer. She planned to have him before they were done in the Honeymoon Suite. She really wanted the experience, as much as she wanted to stick it to Cameron.

She was pleased she was naked. It didn't bother her in the slightest. She actually liked how it seemed to make both John and John Henry nervous. She was very satisfied with her appearance. She saw how other people, or other machines, looked at Cameron. She thought it's how they looked at her too. She was sure she actually looked better than that Bitch did. She wasn't always getting shot up like Cameron was. The majority of her sheath was all original, unlike Cameron. She really wondered how much of Cameron's sheath was original.

John saw the way Cammy looked at him. Her last comment about Savannah said a lot without saying anything about him. He was sure it was next. He really didn't want to hear it.

"Don't say it again." John said. "I already know you want to say it."

John was sure Cammy was going to comment on him being out in the field. He wanted to do his part and share the risk. Instead it seemed to siphon off everyone's help. It always took help away from Cameron and Savannah by extension. They were always the two who seemed to suffer the most with lack of help.

Cammy actually had been thinking about other things of more sexual nature. But since John brought up the subject by saying not to bring up the subject, she figured it was appropriate to comment on it anyway.

"You already know it too." Cammy said. "I understand your need to help. It's what you have troops for. It's more than you risking yourself needlessly. The risk always seems to happen. You know what I mean."

John didn't want to be angry at Cammy. He hoped to finish what they started earlier. He didn't need to be reminded everything would work a little bit smoother on John Henry's and his part if they were in the Command Center with more resources available to them. What they currently possessed in the Control Center in the Honeymoon Suite left a lot to be desired.

"I said I didn't want to go there." John said. "I get it John Henry could do a better job hooked up to his server too."

Instead of an array of multiple screens to view, they currently worked with two laptops. The scope of things John could see was very limited.

John Henry still felt he held an advantage. He didn't need to be plugged into his server.

"My server functions the same without me connected to it." John Henry said. "It's coordinating with CamNet as well. Things aren't as limited as they may seem."

Cammy felt Ally and Gail could deal with whatever situation arose. It was Savannah she was worried about. There were still too many unknowns with the two unknown men.

"Let me stick with Savannah for now." Cammy said.

John Henry glanced at John. John nodded at him.

"You can use one of the laptops." John Henry said.

John hoped it would quell Cammy's anxiety somewhat.

Cammy took one of the laptops. She was still naked. She moved to where John and John Henry could view her easier by simply looking up a little, instead of turning their heads to steal a glance. She wanted to keep John 'ready'. She really wanted him before she left the Honeymoon Suite. Somehow it would always seem a little more special to her to remember it was the location where she got 'busted'. She thought it would be a little bit more romantic than in the back seat of a truck like John experienced for his first time with Future Riley. She briefly considered Future Riley's 'first time' in the future. It was probably at knife point or gun point when it happened. It was either a singular assailant, or it was a group of men and they held her down after they stripped her. She learned from Jesse and Vanna what happened after the clothes were removed.

Right now she needed to worry about Savannah. There would be time to pay that Bitch, Cameron, back later. It gave her some added motivation.

She purposely adjusted the way she sat so when John looked up he would be able to clearly see between her legs. When he wasn't looking, she made sure things were quite visible to remind him of what was available. She knew it was what he wanted because of the earlier encounter in the bedroom. It was the circumstances which seem to be the negative factor currently. She wanted to blame Cameron, but Skynet was the one responsible this time, even if indirectly.

Savannah stood with some of the other people in her tram car when it stopped. She looked out the open door to see if either one of the two men was going to exit. As she watched, one man exited the tram. There was something about the way he looked which bothered her. It was her job to follow the first man off if they split up. Maybe it was something about the way he moved or the way he looked back and around at the platform.

Her first impulse was to exit her tram car and follow the other people out. The one man exited the tram but was still near his tram car. She decided to wait a little bit. People started to board the tram cars now. The man still hung near his tram car. She didn't like what she saw. If he waited until the last second, he could still reboard the tram or head down the escalator to leave.

Anyone who emulated his actions would be spotted as a tail. As far as she knew, it could erupt into a gun battle on the platform. She didn't have her vest on and lacked any body armor.

It was the tactic she feared would happen. Based on how worried the men seemed to be, she was sure it wasn't the first time they acted in the manner they currently acted. She wasn't sure what made them so overly cautious. The only thing she could think was some type of altercation previously. It may not even be in the present, or the current location. It could have happened in the future, or elsewhere.

She was sure Cameron would force the door open and go after him. It would leave her with the second man who would be aware of what happened. He could repeat the same tactic again at the next stop. It would force her to do the same thing to prevent her from losing him. She really disliked the turn of events.

Cameron didn't like it either. In the original plan, she was supposed to stay with the man who remained on the tram if they separated. She saw Savannah didn't exit so she could see what the man would do. By the way he waited it certainly looked like he was going to reboard the tram. There was no way to tell. If the man left now it would be obvious he was being followed. If Savannah or her got off and then back on when he did, it would be obvious too. This was a time when they could really use some additional assistance.

Sheila and Dan ran down the street from the other casino. They ran faster than normal, but not at their full Terminator speed. It for sure would have drawn unnecessary attention. They seemed to have enough of it as it was. They still made good time.

"I'm almost to the tram stop." Sheila said as she came across their coms.

Cameron was relieved to hear it. The additional help they needed was close by.

"The man with the brown hair may get off and exit at this station." Cameron said quietly. "We can't follow him now if he does. He used a sucker play on us. I plan to personally terminate him when this is done."

Sheila was sure if Cameron and her were alone when it was time to terminate the man, Cameron would probably allow her to 'teach him a lesson' before his termination. It was something she looked forward to. She would bring the issue up at the time depending upon the circumstances.

Dan didn't care for the way they were being run around. He was displeased with their initial contact with the men and their driving habits and now the ploy at the tram stop.

Sheila and Dan arrived at the other Casino.

"We have it covered." Dan said as he came across their coms.

John listened to the conversations. He still needed to worry about Ally and Gail as well. He wondered what happened to Frank. Before he could ask the question he found out.

"I'm stuck in traffic." Frank said. "There is a lot of traffic. I'll need to drive on the sidewalk to make up time."

John knew a bad idea when he heard it, especially in broad daylight. He thought about it for a few seconds and realized there was probably less foot traffic in the daytime than there was at nighttime along the section of the street with the casinos. He wasn't really sure exactly what people would do, but he figured most people would rather drive from casino to casino than walk, or they could use the tram. He did want to lay down a few rules.

"It's a negative to drive on the sidewalk, Frank." John said. "It will only bring us additional trouble and stand out like a sore thumb. If someone is hit by your vehicle, it's going to spark some type of investigation."

The pedestrians were the only reason why Frank hadn't already used the method he suggested. He was sure the bumper would knock most of them out of the way. There was always the possibility one or more of them could become trapped underneath the vehicle and cause it to become stuck. He was glad he didn't share the thought with the Control Center.

Savannah continued to watch the man on the platform. She made a decision as to what she was going to do. She wanted to let Cameron know. If Cameron chose to do otherwise, it would be up to her. Cameron would know in advance what her actions would be. For her it seemed to be the safe bet.

"I'm going to stay on the tram." Savannah said.

Cameron decided Sheila and Dan could handle the man with the brown hair. She wanted to stay with Savannah to make sure she would have some Terminator protection. They still didn't know who else might be associated with the unknown men.

"I'll stay on too." Cameron said. "They may both get off here. If one of them sticks his foot in the door when it's closing, it will open back up."

Savannah could better understand why the men chose to take the tram. There were still several ploys the men could use.

"They have us at a distinct disadvantage." Savannah said.

Cameron intensely disliked getting played. The two unknown individuals seemed to have played them more than once already.

"For now they do." Cameron said.

Cameron now planned to terminate both of the men when the opportunity arose. Their actions irritated her greatly. She determined if Savannah was away from them at their time of termination and Sheila was available, she would allow Sheila to give them some 'special attention' before she slowly crushed their skulls.

Ally received Gail's warning two Grays were in the alley trying to flank her from the side or even the rear. There were several businesses they would be able to pass along the side of from the alley to reach the street. She was sure they would try to come up from behind her. It would be their only chance to surprise her if they did.

The Gray out in front hadn't moved much. You could see he carried on a conversation with the others inside even if she couldn't hear it. He turned his head when he spoke so she couldn't read his lips either. She didn't know if it was intentional, or just the way he spoke so his voice would be directed back inside. He clearly tried to keep her attention while his associates got the jump on her.

"Gail, tell me more." Ally said. "I need to know what to expect from my side or from the rear."

Gail wanted to tell her more, but a third Gray was now in the back. He spoke with the other two and they headed off to check on Ally. The third one started in her direction.

"I have two flanking Ally, and one headed for me." Gail said. "I'm going to take him down. He is going to spot me when he passes by me."

Gail didn't think there were very many options available to her at this point. She decided if she needed to take the third man down, she would enter the building while the other two men were away after Ally. She knew there was at least one more man inside. She still wondered about the female undergarment she found earlier. Was there a detainee inside?

John hoped to find out a little bit more before they started to terminate people.

"It's a negative on the take down, Gail." John said. "If we take any of them down now, we'll blow the operation. We won't know what else is connected with them."

Cammy totally disagreed with John's decision. She wanted him to know right away it was the wrong decision.

"Gail needs to protect herself." Cammy said. "If they're Grays they know about Terminators. We don't know if any of them has a Taser. If she has the advantage, she needs to take it. If Gail gets taken down, Ally is going to have to act and she will need to deal with four Grays who just took down a Terminator."

John looked at Cammy. Her presence being there naked disrupted him. He didn't see when she actually did it, but each time he looked at her everything was a little bit more 'open' and exposed than it was the previous time when he looked.

He could only think of two other options Gail might be able to use.

"Gail, can you evade him or hide somewhere?" John asked. "Maybe you can enter a building before he gets to you."

There was no response from Gail.

John, John Henry, and Cammy all knew it was a bad sign. They still needed to deal with the other unfolding operation. Most likely the enemy was already close to her position.

"Where's Frank at?" John asked. "We haven't heard from him for a while."

John Henry didn't think it was very long. Nothing changed on Frank's position since his last report.

"He's stuck in traffic." John Henry said.

John remembered what Frank said earlier about a way to make some time up. He really hoped it didn't come to it. If Savannah was on the street and threatened by any of these groups, he would approve the tactic. Anything short of it, Frank was going to have to wait in traffic.

"I sure hope he doesn't start driving on the sidewalk to try and get to the next casino." John said.

It was all still touch and go for everyone out in the field on this one.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Great One

What is good
What is great
How does one know
Where they really rate

Events come and go
People do too
It makes one wonder
What next to do

Some may seek to create
Something good to achieve
Others want to tear down
They like to scheme and deceive

So each new day
Is taken one day at a time
One voice as good as another
As thoughts sound and chime

How does one ever know
If they've lost or won
I guess it's when they hear
Anytime 'oh great one'

Nobody