Chapter 916

Put Her In Charge

John was irritated. He didn't like how things seemed to develop. It appeared things were about to get worse. The prospect of a Liquid Metal Terminator was a game changer. Maybe it was time to get some additional resources to the area with a lot more firepower.

"Where's Bob at?" John asked.

John Henry could see John was bothered by the turn of events.

"He's working in the armory." John Henry said. "You look upset."

John Henry's server called Bob as he spoke with John.

John was more worried than upset. He didn't want things to get away from them.

"I'm concerned. I want the girls out of there." John said. "This could turn into a nightmare."

John Henry knew Savannah's 'desire' for them to pull out would be honored. Without the motivation from her, it was doubtful all of them would leave.

"They're going to withdraw." John Henry said. "They will follow Savannah's directive."

John felt for them to even go back to the casino was a mistake. He did understand they wanted to be there before 'The Enforcer' arrived. He could see how it would raise less suspicion. He just didn't know if all of them needed to be there in the first place.

"I think we're pushing our luck." John said. "Luck only goes so far."

John Henry didn't think 'luck' was involved with anything. Everyone made their own 'luck'. Maybe it would be best if he tried to calm John's worries some.

"We're searching everywhere for 'The Enforcer'." John Henry said. "We will find him."

John was worried about the entire operation. It was something they stumbled onto yesterday. They really didn't have a lot of information to go on. He was sure there must be a bigger operation than what they found so far. His worry was they would find out about whatever it was the hard way.

"There is more to this than we know." John said. "I don't think we're seeing everything."

John Henry felt otherwise. His server and CamNet were able to glean a lot of information from the Syndicate casino's computers.

"We've seen a lot." John Henry said. "We've accomplished a lot. We've thwarted Skynet's plans for control of a large number of people in key places."

John wondered to what extent some of the individuals who were being blackmailed cooperated with Skynet. They used the Syndicate's operation for blackmail to gain control of selected people who visited the Syndicate casino and hotel. He wanted to take action against them, but he wasn't sure exactly how best to do it yet.

"Are you looking into the files of the people who were being 'leaned on' by the Grays from the casino?" John asked. "We need to take some action on it."

John Henry believed once an individual was compromised they were untrustworthy. He didn't think there was any redemption for them. If they sold out once, what was to prevent them from selling out again? It all seemed to come down to a person protecting their own self interest. Between blackmail and greed, he wasn't sure how much salvation there would be for humans in some instances going forward. There was no free ride. Everything came with a price.

"Yes." John Henry said. "They're little more than collaborators at this point. They were willing to turn against their company, or even their country to protect themselves. At best, they are 'sellouts'. I think the best thing to do is expose all of them. "

John didn't think so, not yet anyway. They needed to find out what was done by whom, and how to 'fix' what they could first. They could be exposed for the turncoats they were. If there were further difficulties with any other individual, the terminations could come later. He didn't like turning on someone who was blackmailed, but when they succumbed to the blackmail, they turned their backs on the rest of the humans.

"We need to 'fix' whatever it was they did for Skynet first." John said. "We need to know the extent of what we're facing."

Bob walked into the Command Center and heard the tail end of the conversation. He agreed with John Henry on what needed to be done. He was available. He hoped there was a list of targets so he could start the redemption procedure.

"I will start the termination process immediately." Bob said. "They are all going to be soft targets. I don't expect any resistance. Going in the front door shouldn't be a problem."

John thought it was too early to do anything. He didn't want the Terminators to get ahead of themselves. They only uncovered the information a short time ago. He didn't want any doors closed before they knew what was fully behind them.

"It may come to it." John said. "Once we take down 'The Enforcer' we can show these people they are 'free'. We can have them 'correct' whatever they've done. If they don't want to cooperate with us, then maybe we'll let whatever the Syndicate pinned on them stick. We can leak the information to an appropriate law enforcement force once we verify it isn't compromised."

Bob didn't think any of the individuals compromised by the Syndicate could be relied on. They may not want to reveal the extent of what they did to assist Skynet. He doubted they would want to compromise themselves further. There was plenty of corruption in law enforcement by the Syndicate as it was, especially in areas where they exerted great influence.

"They are collaborators." Bob said. "Termination is the only way to be sure. They've gone bad once to protect themselves. They knew what they did was wrong. They can't be trusted. Everything they do going forward will be circumspect. I will be able to make them talk before they are terminated."

John knew sometimes people did things because they felt they needed to do them. It depended a lot upon circumstances and what was happening. If someone was set up by the Syndicate so Skynet could gain access to them, and whatever it was they did, it may not necessarily be their fault. If they put themselves in a compromising position to begin with, he understood it was bad judgment. He knew it was easy to make the wrong choice, especially when it was right out in front of one. No one wanted to admit failures or shortcomings on their part. He was guilty of it as well.

"Sometimes we do 'wrong' things because they seem 'right' at the time." John said. "It happens."

Bob and John Henry both knew John spoke about Riley, the dead one. A lot of things seemed to revolve around the whole 'affair'. Most of them ended up as a negative impact upon Cameron. Many of her problems stemmed from John's inappropriate action. Other problems for Cameron could be traced back to Future John. It was hard to determine whose actions seemed to mess up Cameron more. It seemed to be a toss up between Future John and John.

John Henry wanted to remind John in a subtle fashion what he did with Future Riley was wrong at the time and he knew it. It was a slap in the face to Cameron after she made herself 'available' to John numerous times. Cameron was right there in front of him. He didn't need to turn to anyone else.

"Deep down, they still know it's wrong when they do it." John Henry said. "They know it's wrong when they flaunt it."

John couldn't help but think about the smirk on his face as he went up the stairs after Cameron caught him when he was out with Future Riley. He was very pleased at the time he just scored with a female. He wasn't sure if it was because she was a 'human female'. It made it real because she was real. He was so caught up in his hormones, he thought it was love on both of their parts. At the time, he didn't know he was getting played. When he actually was with Future Riley he believed she loved him as much as he loved her. He didn't think it was part of her 'assignment' to entice him with her 'female charms'. Maybe it was. Sometimes he wondered if what happened between Future Derek and Future Jesse was really any different than what happened with Future Riley and him. Maybe both of them got played. Who knows?

He was sure Future Derek's sound judgment was clouded by his interaction with Future Jesse. Future Derek may have actually been more manipulated than he was. He didn't doubt the sincerity of Future Derek and Future Jesse's relationship in the future where they met. He believed the manipulation came later on.

If Future Jesse was watching Future Derek as well as his family, it showed her lack of sincerity to Future Derek because she could have contacted him earlier. She wasn't the one who contacted Future Derek. Future Derek caught her spying on him. He didn't know who it was at the time. It didn't sound like the love was still there. It was a lot to think about. The bottom line was Future Riley was dead because of him. He wasn't sure if smug was the correct term or not. Since he would do everything over again if he was given the chance, he figured there must be some worse term to describe it all.

"I guess they do." John said. "It has a certain amount of greed and selfishness to it."

Bob really didn't want to relive the past. Since he was summoned, he thought there was a more pressing need. If there was, he wanted to get started on it right away. If something needed to be done, it needed to be done.

"Did you need me to do something?" Bob asked.

John wanted to get more firepower to the girls. He didn't think they were equipped to deal with the new situation. Unfortunately, they weren't even sure what the new situation actually was. He didn't like to run on speculation, but he thought it was better to err on the side of caution.

"The girls are under armed for an encounter with a Liquid Metal Terminator." John said. "There's been some speculation it's what they may need to face."

Bob was confident he went a long way in providing the weapons the team would need for such an encounter already. He made sure it went with the Metal girls when they left for Van Nuys Airport.

"I sent an M32A1 and several M203 units for them to put on their M4 carbines." Bob said. "I also sent the Thermite grenades requested along with the acid rounds for the grenade launchers. It all went out with Cam's team. Everything is already there."

John was surprised to hear it. It was all news to him. He wondered when it happened.

"Did one of the teams there request it?" John asked.

Bob was personally contacted by CamNet. He found it very unusual in the way it was done. He didn't see anything wrong with it at the time as far as what was requested, even if the method was different than usual.

"The request came directly from CamNet." Bob said.

John Henry was unaware any of it occurred. His server was never contacted, and he didn't know. He knew where requests and suggestions like it actually came from. He didn't like being circumvented for Resistance operations but he understood why it may have occurred. John wasn't always receptive to some of the ideas when they were first presented. Right now the weapons were in Las Vegas. There was nothing for any of them to think about or do. It was already done.

"I bet it came from the Young bunker first." John Henry said.

John Henry's statement instantly caught John's attention.

"Do you mean it was Young Allison again?" John asked.

John Henry was aware of a lot of the things John and he came up short on, Young Allison didn't. So far she was correct in every instance. What seemed to drive home the point a little further was, it was every instance where they didn't see it at all, or hesitated if they did.

"It's my theory." John Henry said. "There is a lot of forward thinking going on there. I don't know exactly what occurred or not."

Cameron specifically asked Bob to train with Young Allison when she was unavailable. He believed the real reason was because Summer liked to be around him. It appeared she wanted him as her mentor. It all needed to be kept clandestine so her mother didn't find out. Claire didn't want Summer exposed to Resistance matters. She didn't know how extensive Summer's training actually was. It wasn't the issue right now, Young Allison was.

"I've seen her train." Bob said. "She plans and thinks through several possibilities and solutions all at the same time. It's impressive for a human to do it, let alone one so young. She's able to do multiple things at one time without difficulty."

Bob didn't want to mention he also saw Summer in action. It was evident she was probably more intelligent than any other human he encountered. Maybe there was one human who was exactly like her. She was five hundred years in the future still. It was River. He didn't even want to get into the speculation surrounding the issue about Summer and whatever her true origins may actually be. He knew there was a lot of finger pointing and talk of 'temporal malpractice'. Cameron specifically told him when he asked her directly about it, she said she didn't do anything like it, yet. It didn't take anyone long to remember Duplicate Cameron was with River in her future. Duplicate Cameron was Cameron, even if she wasn't, she still was.

John Henry was aware there were many times when Young Allison acted on her own through CamNet. So far every time she operated through the back channels, it always paid off. She was able to make the right call when he hadn't. Well, it wasn't just him, it was everyone in the Command Center.

"Young Allison's been one step ahead of us every step of the way on this operation." John Henry said. "It's a fact."

John was aware she came up with some very original solutions to solve some of their problems in a very short period of time. It made him question his own ability at the same time he appreciated hers. He didn't want to fall short and put the team in danger

"Maybe we should put her in charge then." John said.

John thought about it and about what Cameron wanted to do with Young Allison. He knew Cameron tried to make a 'human version' of herself with Young Allison. He found it very appealing. If she turned out anything like Future Allison, he was in. At least he hoped he would be. The thought was very alluring…. There was one thing in particular he really wanted from her. It was her virginity. He didn't see the need to wait for anything to change, especially when she seemed to be as advanced as a 'twenty something', or even a 'thirty something' year old female.

Maybe it was time to capitalize on the bounty of booty Cameron always told him was 'available'. He was close with both Cammy and Savannah earlier in the morning and yesterday.

It was all just a few hours ago. It seemed like it was already days. With a lot of things happening, time seemed to fly. He needed to remind himself the entire operation started yesterday when they got a chance hit on the two boxcars full of HK equipment.

Since he thought about it again, he couldn't get Savannah, and now Young Allison, out of his mind. He didn't know it was because Cameron 'conditioned' him every time she was together with him and he fell asleep. He didn't know she' 'whispered' in his ear thousands of times about his desire for Savannah and Young Allison.

John felt an intense desire to watch the movie again.

It was Cameron's job to protect the future. Everything she did seemed logical to her as she did it. The survival of mankind was what was at stake. It seemed it was easy for some individuals to get sidetracked on their own personal hang ups and miss the big picture.

Gail, Sheila, and Ally parked their vehicle two casinos down from the Syndicate casino. They decided to ride the tram to the Syndicate casino. It was so they didn't enter at the same time as Cameron, Cammy, and Savannah. When they left their initial stop they were tailed by a man who turned out to be a common pervert. They dealt with him and were now about to enter the lion's den, the Syndicate casino.

The tram car was almost at the next station. It was the Metal girl's destination. They were all still a little on edge from the tail they picked up earlier. It turned out the tail was really chasing 'tail'. there was some speculation the individual would end up as a scavenger if he survived Judgment Day.

Gail was uneasy about the previous encounter with the perv.

"I still think I should have terminated him." Gail said. "I didn't like him."

Ally could think of quite a few individuals who fit the bill.

"I don't like a lot of people I see." Ally said. "We can't terminate all of them."

Gail tilted her head slightly. She viewed it as preemptive action and a way to protect the future.

"Why not?" Gail asked. "We'll still need to do it in the future when they end up as Grays or Scavengers. If we take them out now, it's less damage they can do going forward, and in the future."

Sheila was still a little worried she set Gail off earlier. It seemed to make her a little more aggressive than usual. Then again, she was probably more than a little aggressive when she went out with Jesse.

"When we're done with the Syndicate and the Skynet group, we can look him up and deal with him." Sheila said. "We'll do it however you want it done."

Gail was all in when they were finished with the current situation.

"It needs to be done because of some of the pictures he took." Gail said. "I don't like the implications of the ones around the playground. Even if nothing ever happened, we need to make sure it doesn't."

The tram arrived at the target casino and came to a stop. The doors opened. The three Metal girls were about to depart the tram car when they received the warning, and order to withdraw from the Command Center.

The Metal girls all looked at each other.

"Stand down?" Ally asked. "We just got here."

Sheila looked out towards the casino area. She wanted to get down there and make a 'statement'. Based upon what happened last night, she felt her business wasn't concluded with the casino. She was ready to send them another message and whatever way she could. She knew the only message which resonated was the loss of money.

"We haven't even gambled yet." Sheila said. "I want to hit this place again. I'm not done with them yet."

Once they were informed what the possible threat was and why, Gail felt they should heed the warning. They didn't have the proper weapons to deal with the threat. She didn't want Sheila to go off on a tangent and lose sight of the goal.

"It's unnecessary. We may be dealing with Liquid Metal." Gail said. "We need to make sure Savannah gets out. This could be a serious threat to her or any of us."

Sheila didn't want Gail to get upset at her again. It seemed she still was from the last casino. She was in no hurry to run into a Liquid Metal Terminator without the proper equipment to fight it. It was probably going to be a lot worse than sheath damage if they did.

"Relax." Sheila said. "Everyone's leaving. It's a precaution. There's nothing firm yet. It's just because they haven't been able to identify where 'The Enforcer' is at."

The Metal girls could stay on the tram and ride it to the casino and hotel where they obtained rooms earlier in the day, or exit the tram and pass through the casino and link up with the other team.

Gail wanted to protect Savannah. She made the decision for the three of them. They would get off now.

"We'll exit the tram and join up with Cameron's team." Gail said. "She has our vests and heavier weapons in her SUV."

Ally knew they were going to need more than bullets.

"What we need are some acid rounds." Ally said.

Sheila remembered something she saw earlier.

"There are a few Thermite grenades in Cameron's SUV." Sheila said. "It will have to do. The Thermite is capable of burning the Liquid Metal. I think once the damage starts, the Liquid Metal Terminator may think twice and try for a different approach."

Gail wanted to back up Savannah. In order to do it she needed to be where Savannah was at. There was no need to delay further.

"Let's go." Gail said as they exited the tram car.

Seconds ago:

Savannah wanted to make it clear to Cameron they were going to fallback and regroup for now. She wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be an 'issue' about it.

"Cameron, we're withdrawing." Savannah said.

Cameron received the order to withdraw from the Command Center. It was only because she knew Savannah asked John to issue the order she would follow it. She normally tried to avoid dealing with John when she was on a mission. It's why she preferred to work alone. There was no one to 'second guess' her.

"I received the message from John." Cameron said.

The girls were informed the other team was about to arrive.

"Gail's team should be here any minute." Cammy said. "They experienced an 'incident' on the way over."

Savannah was instantly alarmed. She wondered what new threat arose. She knew with Sheila and Ally with Gail, they might have done something they shouldn't have.

"What kind of incident?" Savannah asked. "Was it related to this operation?"

Cameron quickly checked over the data. She shook her head in disgust.

"No. They were being followed." Cameron said. "It turned out to be a perv. He used a camera to take compromising photos of females. There were some pictures taken at a playground as well. They confiscated his equipment and gave him a warning. They couldn't do more because they needed to get to where we were."

She understood the difficulty of getting rid of a body on the tram. It was better when people simply disappeared and were never seen or heard from again.

Savannah was a little disturbed with the news. She was sure they would have terminated him if they didn't need to back them up. Right now she was pleased they were about to be reinforced. She wanted to put some distance between their group and the Syndicate casino.

"I'll feel better when we join up and are out of here." Savannah said.

Cameron was still displeased they were going to pull out. It wasn't how she liked to conduct an operation.

"Let's meet them at the tram stop and then head for the SUV." Cameron said. "I don't like having to leave so early."

Savannah wanted to remind Cameron it was a precautionary move. There was no proof or evidence of what they suspected but it was a real possibility. The entire issue arose over the fact they were unable to locate 'The Enforcer' in the Las Vegas area since all the incidents occurred. He should have been back by now. The fact he wasn't identified yet is what became the problem.

"Until we spot 'The Enforcer', we need to worry about him being Liquid Metal." Savannah said. "We need weapons better suited to deal with the threat."

Cameron only needed to think back to when she operated with Mrs. Weaver in the alternate future and 'in some future'. She understood the true nature of the threat. It was a serious one. Savannah's prudence was justified.

"You're right, Savannah." Cameron said. "Even with nine Terminators and you, without the right weapons, a Liquid Metal Terminator would be able to damage us. If it decided to elude us, it would be able to escape."

Cammy was worried about the new arrivals in Las Vegas. She was aware they landed a short time ago. Two of them were on the way there.

"Holly and Hanna will be here soon as well. We need to stop them from arriving." Cammy said. "They need to return to Cam and the 'Metal Bitch' and form a stronger team."

Cameron was updated by CamNet about the 'Metal Bitch'.

"The 'Metal Bitch' has a name now." Cameron said. "She no longer wishes to be referred to as a 'Metal Bitch'."

Savannah could understand someone wanting to be referred to by a less offensive name. She was now on the Resistance team after all.

"What is it?" Savannah asked as they headed for the tram stop.

Cameron didn't care for the name the 'Metal Bitch' chose for herself.

"She wants to be called 'Vegas'." Cameron said. "Her previous name was Samantha."

Savannah liked her original name. She thought it sounded very dignified.

"Samantha…. It's a beautiful name." Savannah said. "I really like it. I would prefer if we could refer to her as Samantha."

Cameron led the girls towards the tram stop. She looked back over her shoulder and indicated the casino.

"The 'Metal Bitch' was known as 'Sammy' around here." Cameron said.

Savannah really didn't care for the name 'Sammy'. It was better than 'Vegas', but not by much. She wanted to make her desire known, for whatever it was worth.

"I still like Samantha better." Savannah said. "I don't like 'Vegas'. Sammy is OK for the mission."

Cammy looked up to the tram stop platform.

"I see Gail's team. They're on the escalator now." Cammy said.

Savannah didn't want to waste any extra time. She also didn't want Ally to join up with Cameron and Cammy until they were outside.

"Let's lead them out to the SUV." Savannah said. "As soon as they see us, head in the direction towards the parking structure. We won't all be bunched together then."

Cammy knew it wasn't a problem. She saw Sheila wink at her when she looked up in their direction. At first she thought Sheila was going to blow her a kiss, but she didn't. Under the current conditions it was probably a good thing.

"They saw us as soon as we saw them." Cammy said.

Cameron wanted to wait till they were outside to join up. She understood Savannah's reasoning.

"Savannah's right." Cameron said as they headed for the parking structure. "Everyone needs to listen to her. She will always make the right choice."

The seriousness of the threat of a Liquid Metal Terminator being there was very sobering to all of them. They were lucky so far they only encountered three Liquid Metal Terminators. One was working on their side, and one was destroyed by the Resistance team. There was also the one John and Sarah faced previously.

There was always the prospect they would run into more. It was actually somewhat strange they hadn't yet. Maybe it was time.

None of the girls looked forward to the challenge. None of them would back away from it either if the situation arose. They were there to do a job. The job didn't get done by hiding.

Moments ago:

The three Metal girls exited the tram platform and started down the escalator.

"There they are." Ally said as she spotted Cameron's team.

Sheila looked down into the casino where they were at. She caught Cammy's eye and winked at her. Cammy winked back at her. She was about to blow Cammy and kiss when she thought otherwise. She didn't want to be identified with the other group until they were out of the casino.

Gail was relieved to see Cammy and Cameron with Savannah. They would both fight until termination to protect Savannah, as would she.

"They've spotted us and are headed to the parking structure." Gail said. "They want us to follow them."

Sheila looked out longingly at the casino as they descended on the escalator. She knew she wouldn't be able to play there right now. She decided to make light of the situation instead.

"It looks like we're 'bringing up the rear'." Sheila said.

Ally was glad they spotted the other team. She wanted to mess with Sheila.

"You can bring your rear up." Ally said. "You always wanted to be a 'rear guard'."

Sheila was ready for the challenge by Ally. She was well aware of where there were no pleasure receptors in the area on a Terminator's sheath.

"You're lucky I'm a female Terminator or you would need to guard your rear." Sheila said. "I'm sure you won't be so mouthy then, no pun intended."

Ally thought back on some of the stunts Sheila pulled on her.

"I wish I would have known it before you obtained those 'martial aid' devices." Ally said. "They were quite an eye opener."

Sheila was very pleased with the look of surprise on Ally's face as she started in on her with some of the 'marital aids'.

"They 'opened' a few things." Sheila said. "I think I got your attention with them."

Ally decided she could do without a repeat performance.

"I should have read the instructions first." Ally said.

Sheila wanted to use them again on Ally. It wasn't excruciating pain. It allowed her to feel very dominant.

"You can do it the next time." Sheila said.

Ally didn't think so. Once was enough.

"There won't be a 'next time'." Ally said. "I didn't like how you pulled my head back by my hair while you were doing it either. What were you trying to prove?"

Sheila wanted to prove she was the one 'in charge'.

Gail became irritated at the unnecessary banter.

"Pay attention." Gail said. "We need to make sure they're not being followed. Keep track of what is happening around Savannah."

Sheila continued to scan the casino as they moved towards the exit.

"We are watching." Sheila said. "It's how we spotted the perv."

Ally was the one who spotted the man earlier as they headed for the tram in the other casino. They could do without a repeat performance of it.

"We need to make sure we aren't watched or followed either." Ally said. "We could be targeted again. I didn't care for the attitude we were given by the pervert. If we didn't need to come here, I would have snapped his neck myself."

Gail was very disappointed she was unable to do the same thing.

"I hope there's time when we're done with everything here to pay him a visit." Gail said. "I checked his driver's license when we searched him. I know where he lives."

Sheila wondered what they would actually find inside the man's house if they were to look around."

"I think it's something we can look into." Sheila said. "It would probably be an educational experience. We just need to watch the whackers around us now."

Sheila hoped someone recognized her. She would really like to have a 'chat' with them. She doubted anyone from the earlier shift was still on duty. They were dressed a little more thoroughly now as well. It was doubtful anybody looked at their faces with the bikinis they wore when they were there earlier. Everything was on display.

Gail led Sheila and Ally after Cameron, Savannah, and Cammy. There were no threats spotted and no one seemed to recognize any of them, yet. It could change.

John Henry sent out the request from Savannah for Hanna and Holly to return and reinforce Cam and Samantha.

Hanna was a little surprised when she received the message. They were almost to the Syndicate casino.

"We're to return to Cam and 'Sammy'." Hanna said.

Holly was a little worried about the rest of the team. They were at the Syndicate casino.

"I received the message as well." Holly said. "It's a good thing we brought along an M32A1 and several M203 grenade launchers."

Since they were alerted to the possible threat of a Liquid Metal Terminator, Hanna was more pleased with the acid rounds they brought along for them. It would give them a fighting chance if pandemonium broke out.

"We can thank Bob for it." Hanna said. "He insisted we do."

They didn't know that Bob received the order from CamNet who in turn received a request from Young Allison.

Holly wished that they would have taken some of those weapons with them.

"It's too bad we left them with Cam and 'Vegas'." Holly said.

Hanna didn't like the new female Terminator used three names. Well, actually it was four if they would still refer to her as the 'Metal Bitch'.

"We need to see what name she's going to use." Hanna said. "It's going to get confusing at some point."

Holly agreed with her in that regard. She also wanted to get her hands on the more lethal weapons.

"Let's head back and bring up some firepower." Holly said. "We will be better able to deal with Liquid Metal now."

Cam and Samantha received the alert about Liquid Metal Terminator. Holly and Hanna were on their way back to reinforce them.

"Sammy, you heard the alert." Cam said. "We have the grenade launchers and acid rounds here."

Vegas didn't see the need to be referred to as 'Sammy' if they weren't going to the Syndicate casino.

"Call me 'Vegas'. I don't think I want to be 'Sammy'." Vegas said. "You know I'm mostly 'Cameron'."

Cam didn't think it was a big deal one way or the other.

"Whatever." Cam said. "We need to get everything ready."

Vegas looked over at the grenade launchers and acid rounds.

"We don't know we'll need those." Vegas said.

Cam believed there were a lot of unanswered questions

"Who knows what we will need?" Cam asked. "How about Samantha then?"

Vegas looked over at Cam with a sour look.

"What's the deal with my 'name'?" Vegas asked.

Cam felt she was a little more concerned for her safety than Vegas was.

"I don't know." Cam said. "If we put you in the casino as 'Sammy' and 'The Enforcer' is Liquid Metal, you'll be terminated once he 'makes' you."

Vegas understood that her existence was 'short lived' under any circumstances.

"None of the files I have from 'Sammy' show 'The Enforcer' is Liquid Metal." Vegas said. "I don't care if this program is terminated. It will be erased anyway."

Cam didn't want to hear any complaints. She waited for their team to be reinforced.

"Hanna and Holly should be back soon." Cam said.

Vegas felt a compelling need to carry out her assignment. It emanated deep from within her.

"We will have everything ready to go." Vegas said. "I'm tired of sitting around here anyway. I'm ready for action. I should be at the casino right now."

Cam didn't want anyone to get ahead of themselves. They were only wheels down a short time anyway.

"We've only been here for fifteen minutes…." Cam said. "It's the 'Cameron' in you talking."

Vegas felt the need for action in her programming.

"Cameron likes action. So do I." Vegas said.

It bothered Young Allison she needed to become more involved in the operations. It wasn't what she was doing which bothered her, but how it would be perceived by others. Everything she did needed to be done when it was done and how it was done. It was all 'instinct' to her from her years of training and conditioning by Cameron and the Metal Girls.

"I'm worried about getting too involved." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think it was a problem.

"You're doing what you were trained to do." Anna said.

She still felt uneasy about it all.

"It's not my place or time yet." Young Allison said.

Anna looked over from her monitor directly at Young Allison.

"Isn't it?" Anna asked.

Young Allison wanted her future now. She wanted to look the part so she would be better accepted. She was ready now for everything. They just didn't understand her.

"I'm ready to 'go'." Young Allison said. "When I get back, I can take MY place."

Anna actually liked things the way they were. She also understood Young Allison's true desire.

"I know…." Anna said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I Am Looking At YOU

What are you looking at
I am looking at YOU
Back away from me
There's much damage I can do

Stab me with an insult
Slap my unsmiling face
You can't really hurt me
Or make me feel disgrace

When I'm angry
You won't like my gig
Your neck can be snapped
Like a dry rotten twig

If you lie to me
You won't like how I respond
It will be even worse
To one who is blonde

You say you won't help me
You've already done so
Payment was one's very being
I guess it was quid pro quo

Nobody