Chapter 1159

Lifeboat Drill

John Henry was updated by CamNet. He wondered why CamNet hadn't contacted Cam herself. He called Cam and spoke with her. He wanted to give her some discretion as to how she would actually deploy herself.

Cam went over the options available to her. She decided to call Savannah and tell her she was going to return to where they were at.

Savannah's phone rang. She looked at it and saw it was Cam.

"Hello, Cam." Savannah said.

Cam figured she should get straight to the point.

"I'll be back to your location in eight minutes." Cam said. "Do you want me to join your team or stay separate?"

Savannah looked over at Cammy.

Cammy could hear the conversation. She wanted Savannah to make a decision on her own. Dan and Frank's team was currently backed up by four other Terminators.

"It is up to you, Savannah." Cammy said. "If you feel something is off, it may be better to reinforce our team. I don't think you want Cam alone either."

Savannah didn't want anyone alone. Even though everything currently seemed cut and dried, she didn't believe it was the case. There were still a lot of unknowns. She was actually worried Cam might decide to become 'Cameron'. She knew it was something both Cam and Cammy would do in an instant if they felt it was necessary. She didn't want them to be alone as 'Cameron' any more than she wanted Cameron to be alone.

"You can join us, Cam." Savannah said. "You have our position. The other part of the operation currently involves six Terminators. I think it would strengthen our position to have one more. So far we don't know what we're dealing with yet. It may be nothing, but it doesn't feel like it to me."

Cam believed it was the best choice as well. She knew Savannah sent their back up team of Terminators to back up the other two teams of Terminators who surveilled the two men currently in the homeless camp. She knew to trust Savannah's judgment if she thought more was involved than the facts supported.

"I'll do it." Cam said. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Cam ended the call.

Savannah was pleased Cammy suggested the same thing she wanted as well. She didn't want anyone to start out with hard feelings.

"Thanks, Cammy." Savannah said. "I didn't want Cam to be all alone."

Cammy usually got along with Cam. It was the Bitch, Cameron, who irritated her at times. She often wondered why Cameron wasn't deactivated yet. It would save everyone a lot of trouble, especially her.

"I want you protected too." Cammy said. "Cam and I can work very well together. There's no rudeness or unnecessary friction between us."

Savannah smiled at Cammy. She knew her reference was to Cameron. It was a subject she hoped to stay away from. Right now they all needed to watch each other's backs until they could learn more about what was actually going on.

"I know I will be." Savannah said. "We'll all protect each other."

Savannah hoped it didn't come down to it, but it sure felt like it was going to. She checked the drone reports and nothing suspicious was picked up. There didn't seem to be anyone tracking them. It also could mean the opposing force was already in place and waiting for them to identify themselves to the force. They were slowly doing it, one by one.

It really made her wonder about the timing of the drone arriving over the location, just when one of the homeless men was outside relieving himself against the wall. Cammy indicated the plumbing was functioning inside of the building when she inspected the sleeping quarters. Why was the man outside when the drone arrived? Did he just return from some place and didn't want to wait an extra few minutes until he was inside of the building? Maybe she should have let Cammy inspect the drainage system a little more before they pulled out.

She knew it was something they were going to need to do. She didn't doubt for a moment Cammy would return there on her own as soon as she went to bed to do it. It was possible Cammy would ask another Terminator to do it, but highly unlikely.

Cameron quickly dressed. She assured John she was fine. They headed for their suite door and opened it to leave.

John was just about to exit the suite when it happened. It was a very unnerving sound. It was the ship's alarm and horn. Because the balcony doors were open, the sound was even louder for them. It blasted out seven short jolts of 'warning' followed by a long blast. He thought it would be a really terrible way to wake up at night. It seemed it's when the terror of an emergency situation would be at its worst. No one would be dressed. No one would be ready to go anywhere. There would be a lot of confusion. They would need to quickly dress without knowing what the actual problem was. Maybe the lights would go out and they would be in total darkness. Maybe there was some emergency lighting which would make everything seem eerie.

"I can say it's a sound you sure don't want to hear." John said.

Cameron knew they were still tied up to the dock. It was only a drill.

"The alarm is designed to get everyone's attention." Cameron said. "Remember, the whole purpose of the drill is to acclimate passengers as to what an actual emergency would be like. I believe it's very good planning on the part of the cruise line and a valid Coast Guard rule to make sure everyone is ready."

John thought it worked quite well to do it. He was certainly ready right now.

"It does." John said.

Cameron didn't want to dally. She wanted to play Everything out as if it was real. She didn't want any joking around. She wanted everyone to know exactly what to do if an emergency situation arose. Maybe she shouldn't be too stern if the others were in a lighter mood.

"Follow me." Cameron said. "We'll make sure the others get to safety."

John didn't necessarily think they needed to get to safety currently. They just needed to practice the drill in the event of a real emergency. He could see Cameron took the drill very seriously. He didn't want to do anything to upset her. The earlier episode with her lack of clothing still troubled him. He figured Savannah either was, or might have been, in some type of danger. He was sure if the danger was extreme, Cameron would have stayed in the Control Center in the spare bedroom of their suite.

Gail, Holly, Ally, and Hanna were all there with life jackets in hand. They were ready to assist their charges.

Cameron smiled to know there was a Terminator for each of them. In a real emergency, the team would be protected. The Terminators would move any obstacles out of the way for each of the humans they protected. If those obstacles included other humans, so be it. The Resistance team came first. Without the Resistance, there was no future.

Sheila ushered Derek and Riley out of their room.

Jim waited for Sarah and Kyle. They could be seen inside about ready to come out.

Sheila moved forward and held the door open from the private area to the main corridor.

John could see everyone was ready and carried their life jacket. It was everyone except Sheila and Jim. It didn't appear they were going to attend the lifeboat drill. It bothered him some. It didn't sit well with him. He didn't want any of their team excluded.

"What about Jim and Sheila?" John asked.

Cameron wanted their gear and weapons to remain under their control. No one should be able to breach their secured perimeter. She didn't want to take any chances of there being a problem.

"There are duty stations the normal attendants would report to." Cameron said. "Bob has covered for them and removed them from any duty assignments. They won't be going anywhere. They'll stay here and watch our gear."

John wanted the security too, but he also didn't want to leave anyone behind. He didn't know of Cameron's earlier proclamation about how she would remain behind to assist with the evacuation of the ship in a real emergency. It was the one she made in front of the other Terminators in the Control Center. He wanted a better answer.

"What if it's a real emergency?" John asked. "What happens then?"

Cameron would make sure all their team was off the ship in a real emergency. The ship was never far from the coast. She felt they made enough contingency plans so it wouldn't be a problem.

"They'll change clothes and go where we're going. When they do, they'll appear to be passengers, just like us." Cameron said. "Bob already told them where to go when they boarded."

John followed Cameron down the stairs. They exited the stairwell on the Promenade deck.

There were a lot of people milling about. A lot of them looked confused. Some wore their life vests and others didn't have theirs. There were groups of people going in both directions. Some of them were going back and forth. Crew members tried to direct them to their muster stations.

John figured in a real emergency it would be total panic. He was glad for the extra Terminators on board at this point. He realized they might have to physically move people out of the way. He wasn't sure why everything seemed so chaotic.

"Where are all the other passengers going?" John asked.

Cameron knew there were multiple muster stations on the Promenade deck. The other passengers needed to get to the proper designated area.

"The passengers on this deck are headed to the main theater or the smaller rear theater." Cameron said. "Others are headed for the two big lounges on this deck."

Cameron looked back to make sure the rest of the group was still behind them, they were.

John was a little confused as to where their muster station was located. It seemed different from everyone else's location.

"Why is our muster station in a specialty restaurant then?" John asked. "It seems like a rather small location compared to all the other ones."

Cameron knew they received special treatment. Their muster station would be the one located closest to the lifeboat they would actually board. It wasn't a coincidence. It was done by design.

"It's for the high end suite passengers." Cameron said. "Many of those passengers don't wish to associate with masses of commoners."

Cameron also knew it meant they were assured a position in a lifeboat first before any of the others. Because they paid premium prices, they felt they should get premium treatment in the advent of an emergency. They would still need to get into the lifeboats with everyone else, but they felt they should get on first.

John was sure he was a commoner. Maybe he was even less than a commoner. It appeared money played a part in the treatment the passengers would receive in the event of an emergency. He couldn't help but feel a little sarcastic. He knew it was actually the way things worked.

"I guess you get what you pay for." John said.

Cameron reached the entrance of the specialty restaurant. She looked around in both directions to see what else was happening. She made sure the rest of the team was behind them. They didn't want to all enter at the same time. They didn't want to appear to be all from the same group. They entered the specialty restaurant and took up seats in one corner at the rear.

Derek and Riley took seats in the front corner and Sarah and Kyle took seats in the rear on the other side. The Metal girls sat in pairs off to each side in the center section. They could clear a path in any direction for the others to follow.

It took about seven minutes for everyone to show up and filter in.

One of the officers explained what was happening and how to properly put a life jacket on. Each life vest contained two other items. There was a small whistle to signal for someone's attention in the darkness or rough seas. There was a light which would blink on each vest when it was wet. The life vest needed to be put on properly to ensure it would stay on the user, as well as keep their head above water.

Two other crew members went through the group of passengers in the specialty restaurant and made sure the life vests were all secure and properly put on. If anyone had any questions they were answered.

The officer then instructed everyone to follow him to the outside open deck. They walked right across the main hallway to a door normally covered with a curtain. He told them it was where their lifeboat would be lowered down for boarding. At this point, they were the only group outside on the open deck.

The lifeboats were stowed in davits above them. There were crew members by each one, ready to lower them down. In fact one lifeboat was lowered into position for boarding as part of the drill. A different lifeboat and crew associated with it was scheduled with every departure for live testing.

John looked around and noticed their entire group from the specialty restaurant was the first one out onto the open deck. It appeared they would be the first to board a lifeboat as well. The other groups would need to travel a longer distance to reach the lifeboats. Because they were bigger groups, it took longer to take attendance and make sure everyone was checked in. He could see in the event of a real emergency their group would have a significant advantage in boarding.

It wasn't so sure everything would be quite so orderly if the ship was listing heavily to one side or one end, and actually sinking. He was sure it would be total chaos and come down to the 'every man for themselves' doctrine.

Soon other groups led by officers began to appear until all the lifeboat stations were filled. There were head counts and their card keys were scanned by other crew members.

If it was the real deal, Cameron and the Metal girls originally planned to make sure their group would be the first ones to board a lifeboat by any means necessary.

John, Kyle, and Derek didn't agree with her policy. They wanted to assist any others who needed help first. They all agreed Sarah and Riley would be on the lifeboat first. They could assist mothers with children in an attempt to help keep them calm, or at least from experiencing total panic.

Cameron reminded them they needed to think about Precious and Jan too. They also needed to think about the future and what was necessary to combat Skynet. Not everything was played in the short game. They needed to remember the overall big picture. It was a grim reminder of the reality they all lived.

The Resistance group hung to the back of the loading area so they could be first back inside the ship when the drill was over.

After a short wait, there was a very long blast by the ship's horn and alarm. It signaled the 'all clear'. There was a somewhat festive mood in the air which mainly seemed to mask the real feelings everyone actually felt. It wasn't too long ago when a cruise ship almost sank in the Mediterranean. If the ship wouldn't have been so close to shore when it was damaged and ended up against some rocks, it would have capsized with a major loss of life in a very short amount of time.

The officer announced the 'all clear' and the group headed inside. Most of the other passengers headed for the elevators.

Riley saw where everyone was headed.

"Can we take the elevator back?" Riley asked.

Derek could see how there were quite a few passengers waiting at each one.

"I think it's best if we use the stairs and avoid the crowd." Derek said.

Riley was still in a playful mood.

"Will you carry me up if I get tired?" Riley asked.

Before he could respond three Terminators spoke up.

"I will." Cameron, Holly, and Gail all said at the same time.

It brought a round of laughter from everyone.

"We can do the stairs." Riley said. "I need the exercise."

Their group headed for the stairs. They were soon back in the private area in front of their rooms. Jim and Sheila were there to greet them.

Cameron turned to address the group.

"It will be time for the sail away party soon." Cameron said. "You're free to attend any of the festivities on the upper decks. If you want a little more privacy, you can simply watch from your balcony."

Derek wanted to know when they would need to wear to the dining room. He was still a little worried about what type of clothing he would need to wear. He hadn't seen it yet, but he heard the main dining room was very fancy.

"What about dinner time?" Derek asked. "How will it work? What exactly are we all supposed to do?"

Cameron would like John's family to all attend but they were free to go elsewhere. There were many dining choices available with a wide selection of times. She wanted everyone to have a good time and feel comfortable with whatever they did. They were on vacation after all.

"John and I have reserved a large table in a semi secluded area in the main dining room." Cameron said. "You're free to join us, or go to any one of the specialty restaurants on the ship. The buffet will also have a large selection. There's room service too if you want to try it. Remember you can do any of those other options after our dinner In the main dining room. You can also do some of them before as well. John already visited four separate venues for lunch time. He was very pleased with all of them."

John looked a little embarrassed with Cameron's revelation. He didn't think it was too big of a deal. He wanted to offer some type of explanation to the others so he didn't sound like he was a total hog.

"I tried a slice of freshly baked pizza, a bison burger, one plate from the buffet, and a few items in the main dining room. Two of them opened a half hour after each other. I can tell you from first hand experience they were all excellent."

Derek still wondered how they would need to dress.

"We don't have to dress up fancy for the main dining room do we?" Derek asked.

Cameron smiled. She really wanted all of them together. She didn't care if it was only for one meal a day. She still thought the best meal for it would be dinner. They could hit the main theater afterwards together as a group.

"Any way you dress won't be a problem tonight. A lot of people won't even have unpacked their luggage yet." Cameron said. "It is my recommendation you try the main dining room tonight and watch the production stage show afterwards in the main theater. We can do it as an extended family unit if it's what everyone would agree to. It's a rare opportunity to have John's family, MY family, all together at one time and in one place. Once the stage show is over, you can then check out the buffet for a late night snack or dessert."

Everyone looked at each other when Cameron mentioned HER family. It made all of them feel a sense of pride to be included in Cameron's family. She was the most loved, admired, and respected member of the Resistance. She made whatever anyone wanted, happen in some way. If there was a challenge, she was the first one to step up and face it herself.

John wanted everyone to have a good time and do what they wanted. He would like to share dinner with his family but didn't want them to feel obligated to attend. He could see Cameron's speech seemed to touch all of them. He wanted them to know there were still other options available to them. They were on vacation. They should be able to do what they wanted, when they wanted to do it.

"It's what we are going to do." John said. "I want to make it clear you all can do whatever you want. This is vacation time and I want everyone to have a good time. Feel free to do anything or do nothing. I do recommend you try new things or different things since we so rarely have an opportunity to do so. It's just something to think about."

Cameron wanted to make sure there was a Terminator for each person if they got off the ship. There would be other Terminators to watch over them at each port. They were to remain in the background unless there was an issue. The Metal girls, Jim, or Bob would make sure each member was accompanied personally. She was more than a little worried about the first port. It was in Mexico.

Mexico was a drug lord run country at this point in time. If a Mexican politician wasn't in bed with one of the drug lords, they were simply executed. There were no exceptions. The police were corrupt on the local, state, and federal level. They enforced some of the laws against the commoners. They didn't enforce any of the laws against the drug lords. If they did, they were executed. She didn't want to get too specific with her announcement and scare anyone more than she needed to.

"If any of you get off the ship in Ensenada tomorrow, or in San Diego the day after it, there needs to be one Terminator for each of you." Cameron said. "There are no exceptions to the rule. They can be with you or hover in the background. I want them to be nearby so they can act immediately if a situation develops. You all know I like to err on the side of caution. I can't be everywhere at the same time myself. There is a trained group of professionals to assist all of us."

It sounded like a good idea to everyone.

They all returned to their suites and stowed their life jackets. It was time for the sail away celebrations to start.

John and Cameron were back in their suite.

"I'm glad we were able to get ahead of the crowd." John said. "Did we see the entire ship's complement of passengers?"

Cameron wasn't sure how detailed she wanted to get.

"We only saw the passengers on our side of the ship." Cameron said. "There were just as many people on the other side."

John noticed something very obvious.

"There weren't too many of the crew members out other than the ones who gave directions and prevented people from using the elevators." John said. "Where are all the rest of them at?"

Cameron didn't see it as a big deal.

"They all go through their own training procedure." Cameron said. "It's nothing for you to worry about. A lot of the people you didn't see will need to sweep the interior of the ship to make sure no one gets left behind in an actual emergency. I think most of them are volunteers to do it."

John thought it was a wise choice to immediately go up the stairs instead of waiting for an elevator. He knew it's what the majority of people would do. He went over to the balcony of the main room and looked out.

"So what happens next?" John asked.

Cameron wanted John to have a good time. She didn't think John would like to be in any of the big crowds, but it was more of an experience than anything.

"Do you at least want to check out the sail away party?" Cameron asked.

John didn't want to be in the midst of a bunch of people with a party atmosphere. It was bad enough how they were normally. He remembered there was one deck above where the main party would be. They would still be able to watch and listen to everything but not necessarily need to be a part of it.

"We can do it from the upper deck can't we?" John asked.

Cameron wanted John to feel relaxed and secure.

"We can go anywhere you feel comfortable at, or we can return here and watch from our balcony." Cameron said. "We should be clear of the breakwater twenty minutes after we enter the main channel from this berth. Once we do, you will have fresh ocean air until we enter the breakwater in Ensenada. You may want to close the balcony doors then."

John didn't have a problem with the balcony door being open now. He wasn't sure what would be different.

"Why?" John asked.

Cameron knew it was hit and miss, but she wanted to play it safe for John.

"Their sewage treatment system isn't as refined as the one here." Cameron said. "Sometimes they have a bad day. The reports indicate they seem to have a lot of them."

Cameron didn't want to point out it cost money to treat the sewage before it was sent to the sea. Most of the municipalities in Mexico were short on funds to meet all of the city services all of the time. Sometimes shortcuts were taken. It was easy for them to revert to what was done in the past.

John looked at the open balcony door. The thought of raw sewage didn't appeal to him.

"Oh." John said.

Cameron wanted John to give it a try, at least for a short time.

"Are you ready?" Cameron asked.

John didn't really want to go, but it looked to him like Cameron might want to check it out. He wanted the vacation to be about her as well. He didn't want everything to be about him. He did want to have a way out if he felt it was necessary.

"I'm ready." John said. "If I feel uncomfortable…."

Cameron wanted to offer John some alternatives and some incentives.

"We'll go elsewhere or come back here and use our balcony." Cameron said. "We can always use the bedroom again…."

John liked the last idea. He also felt he was exerting himself quite a bit. He wanted to clue Cameron in so she wouldn't take it personal. His main worry was he might have a 'failure'. It was about the last thing he wanted to have happen. There were times in the past when Cameron wanted more than he was able to provide her with.

"I think maybe after the show later on would be a better time for me. I still need to recharge a little." John said. "I've been pushing it quite a bit, even if you've done most of the work."

Cameron smiled. She didn't want John to fail. It would give him a complex. She did it before when they were first together. She'd observed human females could go on without stopping for hours and experience multiple finishes. Human males were physically unable to do the same things due to the nature of their 'apparatus'. It seemed very limited in its ability to perform. She would allow him a few hours rest.

"We'll try the sail away party or come back here. We'll attend dinner and the show afterwards. We'll hit the buffet for a late night snack or some dessert." Cameron said. "When we're done with everything else, we'll have the real dessert in our suite bedroom."

John liked those ideas. He looked down at 'himself'. He would be good and ready everything. He was pretty sure he would be able to knock off a couple of more before it was bedtime. He would be able to do at least one more. Even if he fell asleep and woke up later on, Cameron would be there shortly to be with him. It all sounded very enticing to him

"It sounds like a plan." John said.

Cameron hoped so. There were other things she planned too. She figured with a chassis swap, John would be good to go at any time with the prospect of 'someone new', even if it was still really her. She might look different, but it was still her program in control.

She really wondered what it was going to be like to be 'someone different'. She would reset all of her files so it really would be like her first time. What made it more than special was it would be like her first time to her and she would be in a virgin chassis. She felt a rush of excitement just to think about it.

She was going to get back what Future John stole from her and then erased. How could he do it to someone? Well, she didn't know for sure since everything was deleted. She didn't want to think about it right now. It was party time. There was no need to spoil the mood.

"Follow me." Cameron said.

Jesse led Allison back to her room. They'd left Vanna in Riley's quarters with Precious. She looked forward to some alone time with Allison. It actually excited her more than normal since she was with Claire earlier. She would really love to be with both of them at the same time. It would be a real treat. She was pretty sure Claire would go through with it. She wasn't so sure Allison would.

She took a long look at Allison.

"Is everything OK?" Jesse asked.

Allison appeared to be lost deep in thought. She blinked twice and looked at Jesse.

"I think so." Allison said.

Jesse already started to strip. She was naked in seconds.

Allison was only topless.

Jesse went to help Allison. She wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem of some type.

"You seem a little off." Jesse said.

Jesse slid Allison's underwear down and off with her pants. She wanted to go straight for the 'gold'. She knew how to refocus Allison. She was very excited with the thought of it.

Allison frowned slightly. There was something on her mind. She wasn't really sure how to address it. She wasn't really sure it should be addressed. Regardless, it still bothered her.

"I'm worried about Vanna." Allison said.

Jesse wondered why. Everything seemed normal to her.

"She looked like she was in control." Jesse said. "I didn't see any problems."

Jesse moved Allison to her bed and lay down next to her.

Allison looked over at Jesse.

Jesse was up on one elbow.

Allison wasn't sure how to explain it. She spent over half of her life with Vanna. She thought she understood her and knew her very well. She was worried about the path the Vanna was currently on.

"That's just it." Allison said. "She's going to act like and then feel like Precious is her own baby."

Jesse liked the connection but she didn't feel Precious was her own child when she nursed her. She felt it was a rare opportunity, even a gift, to be able to help a mother that needed help. She did understand what Allison described wouldn't be good for Vanna if it happened.

"Do you really think so?" Jesse asked.

Jesse's hand was on Allison's cheek. She leaned over and kissed her.

Allison kissed her back. The kiss ended after a long minute.

"I think so." Allison said.

Jesse felt she could give Allison a 'cure' for her current concern, even if it was only temporary. She would loosen her up some and get her off at least twice. At that point the real love making would start with a defined intensity.

"You're really wound up." Jesse said. "Let me ring your bell a couple of times first and then we'll get started."

Jesse kissed Allison again as she touched her.

Allison wanted it. Jesse always made her feel nice and she always delivered.

"OK." Allison said. "You know how to make me feel good."

It was all Jesse needed to hear.

"Lay back and relax." Jesse said as she scooted down. "The first two are on me."

Allison swallowed hard as Jesse started. She closed her eyes and followed the feeling…. All her troubles soon vanished. Jesse took her there twice and then two more times. It was always heaven on earth.

Life was good in Paradise.

Vanna didn't know if she should invite Samantha back into Riley's room or not. She wanted to be the one to do everything for Precious.

She quietly closed the door. She left Samantha where she was.

It made her feel a little guilty. She didn't want to feel guilty or selfish. She would see how things went for a little while first before she returned.

Vanna went in and checked on Precious. She was still sleeping soundly.

The door closed and Samantha opened her eyes. She wasn't in standby. She only simulated it. She hoped Vanna would have asked her to join her. Vanna didn't ask her.

She wondered what would be best to do. Cameron gave her the option to do 'other things'. She was free to experiment with the girls if she wanted. They'd all made it clear to her that they were open to do more whenever she was available. She also got the same vibe from Riley.

She was actually more concerned about Precious. She was used to being there for Precious at all hours when Riley was a little slow or tired. Sometimes Derek and Riley were busy with each other.

Samantha thought about everything for a few more seconds. It was a suggestion from Sarah to Cameron, for all of their Terminators in standby to close their eyes when they were in standby mode.

She decided she would be there for Precious if she was needed. She would need to hold her carnal lust in check for now. Sometimes love was about sacrifice. She was willing to sacrifice her new sexual freedom to be there in case she was needed by Precious. She closed her eyes and went into standby.

Dan and Frank watched the two homeless men who were previously at the port compound. They were in a homeless encampment now. It appeared they were about to leave. They made their report to John Henry. They knew they were additional teams of Terminators to back them up. Depending upon what the men did would determine if they would need to switch out anyone who followed them closely. The drone could do most of the surveillance but the men might choose to go into a building, or even underground.

"The two homeless men are on the move." Dan said.

John Henry was worried they would split up at some point. He hoped this wasn't the point.

"Are they staying together?" John Henry asked.

Frank understood John Henry's question. It was something he worried about as well. He worried about it from the moment he started tracking them when he was alone. He was no longer alone. Dan was with him. There were two backup teams of Terminators available to them as well. Cammy and Savannah would also respond if necessary. Cam was on her way to the location as well.

"For now they are." Frank said. "We don't know their plans or what will happen."

John Henry had a few more options available to him now. There were four groups of Terminators and four drones. Since three of the groups of Terminators operated in conjunction with each other, he would be able to make better use of the drones covering them.

"Stay with them." John Henry said. "I'll have a drone follow each one if they separate."

"What happens if they go into a mall?" A voice asked.

John Henry was a little startled, again. He looked over and saw Summer was back. It was a surprise. She arrived unannounced again. He wasn't sure how long she was there even. Nonetheless, she offered a valid question

"Hello, Summer." John Henry said. "I didn't see you return."

She was aware he didn't know she was behind him until she spoke.

"Hi, John Henry." Summer said. "I've only been back for a few minutes."

John Henry thought she was very silent. He didn't think any of the other humans could move as quietly and stealthy as she could.

"You're very quiet." John Henry said.

Summer smiled at him.

"I'm like a leaf in the wind." Summer said.

John Henry heard her say the same thing before.

Summer wanted an answer to her question. She currently looked at a satellite image of the surrounding area near the homeless camp.

"What happens if they go into a mall?" Summer asked again.

John Henry felt there were enough personnel to deal with it.

"Dan and Frank will have to follow them on foot." John Henry said. "There are two teams of Terminators backing them up."

Summer looked at the monitors.

"Cammy, Savannah, and Cam are still close by." Summer said.

John Henry wanted to see more interaction from Summer.

"Sit down and we can observe together what happens." John Henry said.

Summer didn't want to be a problem.

"My mother suggested to me not to get in the way." Summer said. "It's why I try to move around quietly. I like to come and go and remain unobserved when I do it. It doesn't hurt for me to check on what's occurring from time to time. It was something I did at home anyway."

John Henry wondered how many other times she may have visited him without his knowledge and left without him ever knowing she was there. Currently he wanted her to stay.

"I'd like you to join me." John Henry said. "You can assist me."

John Henry was sure she would be able to offer a perspective different from what John offered. He was sure it might even be more dynamic than what Young Allison was able to offer. He believed Summer was the most gifted of all of the humans. He was sure if there was a problem, she would be able to make a valuable contribution. She also might prevent him from making a mistake.

It wasn't so much it would be a mistake, as it would be not being able to recognize something about the situation or scenario. Human insight could always play a factor. It wasn't applicable in every situation, but it did produce results in others.

Summer smiled at him. She quickly looked at all the monitors and knew the scope of what was happening.

"OK." Summer said. "I like to help. I can do all of those things for you."

John Henry tilted his head slightly. He'd clearly 'heard' Summer's words but he wasn't sure she actually spoken them. Somehow they were just in his head. He quickly looked over at her.

Summer looked away from her monitors and smiled at him. She then resumed what she was doing.

John Henry believed it was going to be an interesting evening.

Anna didn't like the new development. All of their troops near the port facility were strung out without any good defensible positions.

"I think Savannah was correct." Anna said.

Young Allison felt they were being strung along. She sure hoped they weren't being set up.

"This all seems a little fishy." Young Allison said. "I don't mean it just because they're by the port either."

Anna understood how the statement could be a joke. She wanted their troops to make the first move.

"Dan was right to want to terminate them." Anna said. "The problem would be over."

Young Allison felt things were still headed somewhere. If the men were terminated, it might also initiate another problem. Maybe if they missed some type of a check-in, something else would be triggered.

"It may come to it." Young Allison said. "Right now we need to see if a lead develops."

Anna was unsure where it would go, if it even went at all.

"It may be nothing." Anna said.

It seemed like a lot more than nothing to Young Allison.

"Based on everything so far, do you think two homeless people knew how to use the drainage system to gain unobserved access to the compound and stay off all of the security cameras?" Young Allison asked.

Anna used Young Allison's earlier reference.

"It does seem fishy." Anna said.

Young Allison smiled a little.

"What seems even fishier is they also knew how to gain access to the interior of the building unobserved to remain unobserved." Young Allison said. "The chances of it seem zero to none to me."

Anna could see the questions raised by Young Allison were legitimate.

"I'll have John Henry inform everyone of your specific concerns." Anna said. "The more I think about them, the more concerned I become."

Young Allison wanted the information relayed to Savannah.

"This is what's eating at Savannah." Young Allison said. "She knows this too, even if she doesn't know she knows it."

Young Allison always worried when Savannah was in the field. Operations like this made her worry more. None of them ever remained simple. The fact there were two, if not three, groups involved at the port before only compounded the problem. Any of those groups, if not all of them, may have set some type of trap. Maybe they were there for the entire week waiting for someone to trip it. Maybe Savannah and Cammy are the ones who tripped it when they forced the men to flee the structure. There was no way to know.

As to what action would be taken against any of their team if they were identified was currently unknown. There was a better than even chance there would be some type of battle before the evening was done. If there was going to be a battle, their team needed to be the one who initiated it. If any of the threats could be identified, the Resistance team needed to strike first.

Young Allison relayed a new series of requests to Anna. Anna was to forward them to CamNet. John Henry would be notified as appropriate.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Please, Listen To Me

There are various and different ways
That two can communicate
On many things they can relate
As they slowly together gravitate

One can move faster
One may want to wait
Events collide that will frustrate
Causing the relationship to suffocate

One can become dominate
They soon begin to stipulate
Feelings begin to accelerate
Along the way even vacillate

Feelings can drift towards another
They may soon begin to migrate
When our bond should culminate
As our love we demonstrate

Please, listen to me
Before we separate
We must try to relate
Or one may soon terminate

Nobody