Chapter 855

Being Played

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

She wanted Savannah's current position reinforced. She could only see things going from bad to worse. 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 now was the time, if either one of the girls were to move now, they would be noticed by the two men.

"It 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, 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 it would take additional time for Dan or Sheila to get to where Savannah was at. It was obvious 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 CamNet wouldn't turn off the power to an entire city. She was aware Young Allison said 'NOW'. Hopefully CamNet would use a little more discretion. She hoped CamNet already isolated the tram's power source. It would be even better if CamNet was actually already in the system.

It was clear to Anna 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. They might not realize the tram was inoperable.

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, it 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 the 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 she did 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 such a level of support. More than likely Young Allison would want to be there herself. It was a bad idea, which could only get worse.

Savannah was unsure what the man was going to do. The actual fact he hadn't done anything other than get out of the tram car was highly unusual. By waiting as long as he did, it forced her hand to remain in the tram car at this point or it would be clear she was a tail. If she were to get out now, he could simply step back in as the door went to close. She would need to rush to do the same thing. The man might trip the door safety and step back out again.

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 who were on the tram car. It was clear everyone wondered what just happened.

Savannah thought it was good thinking to allow the rest of the team to get closer. She figured John Henry or CamNet did it 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 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 anticipated following one of the two men if they actually left the tram station. Since there were two of them, they could follow both of them in if they needed to.

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. I still need to go up the stairway or the escalator."

Sheila didn't mention she didn't want to create the same fiasco Cameron did when she made it on the tram earlier. She really couldn't complain because Cameron made it and she didn't. She was glad she would be able to rectify her earlier shortcoming.

Savannah watched the man who stood on the platform. It appeared his conversation with the man who was still inside the tram car took on a more tense tone. It was clear they didn't know what happened, but it appeared they knew something was up. She didn't think it was going to help them at all. If anything it might make the men even more cautious than they already were.

The events which currently played out were unlike any 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 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 on foot."

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 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. The escalator would give them an additional chance to look around the area as they came down. The elevator was much more confining in its field of view.

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 who came out of the various tram cars.

"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 and her would be able to play with the other man if he did the same thing at the next stop. At least one of them would need to get off if he got off. More than likely he would get back on. One of them would be off the tram, the other one would still be on one way or the other.

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 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 was 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 the nightly 'conditioning' of the three girls remained clandestine. She didn't think Claire would appreciate what was being done to her daughters as they slept. Everything which 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."

Savannah was a little worried about the man Sheila and Dan would follow. He already showed a high level of deception with his departure from the tram earlier.

"I want everyone to remember we want to find out where the man with the brown hair goes and what he's up to." Savannah said. "I don't want him terminated unless it's absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, I don't want anyone to hesitate. It's clear these two individuals are up to something, and probably part of something bigger. We want to find out what it is."

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 CamNet wanted to make up the time. It would be better if it arrived at the next station on time. It wouldn't alert anyone there to any discrepancy which occurred earlier. The delay was only a few minutes.

Cameron thought the use of the ruse when 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. If it was obvious there was no electricity, it explained why it didn't go anywhere.

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. She thought it was probably a good thing neither Savannah nor her was in the same tram car as the remaining man. There was always the possibility the man might switch to a different tram car as well. They would have to see what he did at the next tram stop.

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. They certainly hope they didn't trigger any negative ones.

If either of the men proved to be a clear and present danger, or a threat to the Resistance team, they were to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

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, especially if she made a u-turn and left in a hurry. It would definitely put the Grays on a high state of alert if they thought they were being watched. Gail reported the two men were concerned about the two men who were in the truck which attempted to cross the trestle earlier. She didn't want her actions to trigger some type of a lock down of the building.

She wanted to come up with a plausible reason as to why the SUV may have been there in the first place. They took 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 they 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. They collected everything of 'value' before they departed the location.

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 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'. Her speed was never fast at all. It looked just like a person driving away from any other location.

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 a 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 it didn't mean he didn't have them.

Ally stopped and waited. She created the reaction she wanted with the Gray who looked around and was almost at Gail's position. She wasn't sure if she would start to feel bullet impacts after all or not.

Moments ago:

Gail was currently concealed. She 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. It was probably bad news for Ally. She already informed her of the impending situation, so she wouldn't be taken by surprise. If anyone would get a surprise, it would be the Grays.

She needed to make a decision. John hadn't wanted her to conduct any terminations yet. She wasn't sure if it was still going to be possible not to do it. 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 who 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 her way. 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 it were to happen, it 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 if she were to run and evade either of the two groups of Grays at this point, they would most likely know 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. What would be different from a few minutes ago?

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. Well, it would only be until the trash truck arrived, emptied the contents of the dumpster into the back of the truck, and headed for the city dump. It wouldn't really matter in the end. The Gray would end up where he belonged with the rest of the garbage.

Sheila saw the man with the brown hair 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. There was no way he was going to be able to outrun them, or avoid them. Frank was nearby in the SUV and would be able to lend support, or trade off with Dan if it became necessary.

Much to their surprise the man didn't head for either obvious exit. He headed into the area with the largest number of people. It seemed as if he wanted to get lost in a crowd. It would also probably afford him the opportunity to search around him as he moved among the other people in the area. Whoever the two men were, they were very cautious about everything they did.

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

He was unaware 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.

She didn't want to provoke the man into doing something, but she was more than willing to respond if he did. More than likely he knew what a Terminator was. She was more than willing to give him a refresher course in exactly what they could do.

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 who were with her the same thing.

"If anything happens…." Claire said. "I want Bob and Hanna to protect Summer, not me. Allison comes before me as well."

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. She heard the same routine numerous times. It always seemed like there was unnecessary worry for no reason. All it would do is set everyone on edge.

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

Claire was worried whenever they went out. The incident the other day at the mall was fresh in her mind. The incident when she was pregnant with Summer was never very far in the back of her mind. She was with Isabel-Cameron and Young Allison at the time they faced an HK drone attack. The thought of 'Isabel' pleased her. She really liked the appearance of 'Isabel'. She never liked what happened to her in the end. She wanted to give Allison a reminder about what she knew personally.

"You don't know what will happen." Claire said. "We don't know what's going to happen one second from now. I've been in a few situations myself. I know you've been in a lot more. There's no guarantee on anything."

Allison knew it was true. She knew there was a guarantee on one thing. It was death. Every other situation could be avoided or dealt with. Death was something no one could escape in the end. She was about to comment when Hanna beat her to it.

Hanna wanted to reassure Claire everything was under control. It was something she needed to do every time they went out. It wasn't something she liked to do, but she felt she needed to do it anyway.

"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 which held the other two Terminators. They were from the protection Detail. It followed behind them. They were actually the ones who 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. It was her main concern. Claire carried a very precious cargo within her.

Summer felt the need to reassure her mother as well. She hoped if she felt confident, she could make her mother feel the same 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. What Summer said pleased him immensely. He would do his best to protect all of them. He would personally watch over Summer. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

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 by 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 who ever made him or any of the other Terminators feel the same way was River.

Bob took another moment to look Summer over. He made facial comparison scans to her and River. There was an age difference, but they were almost identical. He too wondered exactly who Summer was. He was a little surprised when Summer took his hand.

"I'm your friend." Summer said quietly. "There's no need to worry about anything else."

Holly and Hanna both heard what Summer said as well. Claire and Allison were unable to hear it. It seemed like they should stick to the license plate game for now, and not worry about other things.

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?" The first Gray asked.

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

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

"The Hell with selling them. Let's use them." The second Gray said. "I can use them to get us some fresh 'skirt'."

"I can say it's the best idea I've heard so far." The first Gray said. "You shouldn't have killed the last one so soon."

Gail could hear laughter and the sound as the two Grays 'high five' each other. It was clear they were overly proud about their latest 'accomplishment' with another deceased female victim. It showed how little the terminated female mattered to them. It was clear she didn't matter at all. She was just something for the Grays to use until they got tired of 'it' and threw 'it' away, after they killed 'it'.

"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 the air headed bimbo really thought we were going to let her go. It's amazing how ignorant people are in the past."

"They still have hope, even if they're losers." The first Gray said. "They don't have a clue of what's coming."

"They all learn the hard way there is no hope." The second Gray said.

"Are we going to report this 'incident' to the Man?" The first 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. We'll end up as dead as the bimbo in our room. It's actually another thing we don't want him to find either."

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

"No. The sooner they leave the better." The second Gray said. "We still need to find out about Pat and Sam. I've got a bad feeling about it."

"I really don't care." The first 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." The first Gray said.

"Take what you can get." The second Gray said. "The last one was fine. They all got the same thing for what we need."

"I know." The first Gray said. "The ones I dealt with in the future were all used up. I don't want any homeless trash either. They always remind me of those broads in the future."

"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. It works pretty well. It's hard to believe how they always fall for it."

Both of the Grays laughed about it.

Gail decided she was going to personally terminate both of the Grays. She wanted to do it right now too. She was sure 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 figured she could be to them within a second or two. By the time they realized what was happening, it would be too late for them. She needed to remember there were still two other ones in the vicinity or in the building.

She wanted them to move away from the dumpster so she could converse with the casino Control 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 it. Maybe it was just because she wanted to act and terminate the Grays. If they turned the HK Track on and it became some type of a sentry, it would present a much bigger threat to them.

With the earlier talk about the 'Man', it was clear they referred to a Terminator. They suspected there was one involved with this operation anyway. They would need to remain extra vigilant. It would apply to the other operation as well. If the Grays they currently tracked were aware someone routinely spied on them, they would certainly send the Terminator after those individuals. It was probably the reason the other two men who were there earlier at the rail yard used such caution when they left the area and continued to do so.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

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