Chapter 1535

Spare Arm

The four Grays that were left from the rescue party needed to proceed with extreme caution. They'd lost a couple of men down shafts where the rotted wood covering them collapsed under their feet. The earlier cave-ins took out the rest. They headed for Level Three. There was no going back the way they'd come from because of the cave-ins. The sloped shaft up to Level One was also caved-in. It was a dead end. It seemed everything was a dead end.

"All we know is we're following four sets of boot tracks." The first Gray said. "Most of those are all but obliterated at this point because of the debris that keeps falling from the top and sides of the passageway."

"Not to mention we've already lost over half of our rescue force." The second Gray said.

No one wanted to take the 'blame' for the decision to leave the stuck elevator. It seemed more like a 'group decision'.

The four Grays finally reached the sloped shaft that went down to Level Three. It was filled with a lot of rock. One of the men shined his powerful flashlight down that way.

"I think we can get over the top of that." The third Gray said.

The first and second Gray looked at each other. It seemed risky to them. They decided to send the 'new guys'. There weren't many other options left either.

"You and Kowalski can give it a shot, Nelson." The first Gray said. "Be careful."

Nelson and Kowalski started over the debris. They took a shovel and a large pry bar with them. They made it past the half way point. Kowalski waited there while Nelson went down further. There was a small cave-in between them but it didn't block the path. The narrow passage through the sloped shaft was filled with choking dust right now.

The first and second Gray watched what they could.

"I think there was an air shaft back a little way." The first Gray said.

"We lost a few men in those unknown shafts." The second Gray said. "We don't know where any of them go."

There was a rumble from the sloped shaft. They could hear two different screams. Dust billowed out of the sloped shaft. It was completely blocked at this point.

"It sounded to me like Kowalski and Nelson bought it." The first Gray said. "We're out of options."

The two Grays carried a hundred feet of thin nylon rope between them.

They headed back to the last downward shaft they'd passed earlier.

"This is some rescue operation." The second Gray said.

"Yeah, we're the ones who need to be rescued." The first Gray said.

They secured the rope and started down hand over hand through the narrow air shaft.

"We're all gonna die." The second Gray said.

"Shut up, Billy." The first Gray said. "Now you sound like Hudson."

Hudson was on top of elevator between Level Three and Level Four. He'd tossed the two headless bodies over the side to try and determine how far down he needed to go. He tied the rope he took from the dead man to the main cable support on the top of the elevator.

Much to his surprise the elevator started to go down very slow. He decided to go back inside of it. He didn't pay attention and placed his foot in a pool of blood on the one side of the hatch. It was thick and slick. He slipped and started to slide off the top of the elevator. He made a desperate grab for anything to hang onto. He lost his phone. It was his only light.

One of his hands found the rope in the darkness but his feet were already over the side. He didn't know which side of the elevator he was on at this point. He only knew there was more room on the side with the door. He wrapped his wrist around the rope so it wouldn't slip from his grip. More of his body went over the side as he tried to pull himself up.

Panic set in as he went over the side. The rope bit deep into his flesh but he didn't fall. The wind was knocked out of him a second later as his body contacted a slightly protruding rock on the side of the Main Shaft. He didn't think anything was broken. He tried to pull himself up again. The impact did knock him closer to the corner. He wanted to get to a different side. He might be able to do so. The only trouble was he didn't know which side it was. There could be more or less room. He was in total darkness. His body impacted with another protruding rock. He heard his clothing rip and felt a shark stab of pain. He went around the corner. As the pain in his shoulder increased, his world went black.

John Henry needed to worry about the two helicopters that seemed headed for the mine location. He also needed to see if he could backtrack them to where they came from. They were low to the ground and were only spotted by the drone furthest out on patrol. They weren't on any radar.

Summer monitored the feed from Toto when it went blank. She checked and everything was blank from inside the mine.

"We've lost them." John Henry said.

Summer feared an underground explosion.

"Was there any ground vibrations or tremors detected?" Summer asked.

John Henry monitored a few different seismometers. There was no indication of that. He checked with Al's team at the mine head. They didn't notice anything different.

"No." John Henry said. "The team on the ground didn't feel or hear anything either."

They needed to get the team out. The clock was running down.

"It looks like there is only a handful of Grays left." Summer said. "I think you should send the elevator all the way down to level Four. The Grays should go over to look at it to see about additional assistance or for them to leave. It should concentrate them further into one area."

John Henry liked that idea. He decided to give it a slow decent so if the Grays heard it they would be distracted while they waited for it to arrive. It should draw all of them over.

"That's a good idea." John Henry said.

Summer looked at the drone images as the drone on patrol closed up on the two helicopters. There was no offensive armament spotted on them. They were slicks.

"I think the plan from the Young bunker is the way to go." Summer said. "Let the helicopters land and they can be destroyed there or at least disabled. They shouldn't expect the mine to be in hostile hands even if they can't communicate with it."

John Henry hoped that was true. He moved a second drone in behind the first at a higher altitude. Both of the helicopters were 'locked up'. He continued to search the surrounding area.

Jim and Cam lost communications with the surface but not with Bob and Gail. They didn't have contact with the surface either.

"Look, all the Grays have gone over to the Main Shaft." Jim said.

"The elevator must be on its way down." Cam said. "John Henry knows where we were and that we need to get out soon."

Bob was about to enter the area where the four Grays were at when he lost surface communications. The rest of the team was still connected.

"The four targets are all concentrated in front of the elevator doors." Bob said. "I have a clear shot."

Cam was worried about any other Grays they couldn't see yet. Toto checked around the area but hadn't located anyone else additional.

Gail sat back a few hundred yards on the electric tram. She'd stopped so the Grays didn't come to see why the tram that left was already on its way back. They might think there were injured in it. Sitting around waiting didn't appeal to her. There was a scream off to her left side and an impact noise. She hopped off of the tram and readied her weapons.

"I have contact." Gail said. "There is at least one Gray. He may be injured."

Cam didn't want to hear that. There were Grays in front of them and in back of them now. That sounded like bad news. They needed to get out.

Jim thought about what Gail reported. That was the sector he'd checked.

"Gail, there were some ventilation shafts near where you're parked." Jim said. "Someone may have tried to use one to either escape or reach this level. There could have been a Gray hiding somewhere to avoid a work detail."

Cam thought it was worse than that.

"It could be the rescue part that was sent down too." Cam said.

They all knew it was almost a dozen men. That would be trouble.

Gail was already on foot and almost to the location where she'd heard the noise. Her silenced M9 searched for a target. Her Taser was in her other hand. She didn't know the nature of the threat.

She spotted a body lying on the ground. The Gray looked hurt. He was still moving and groaning now. She looked around the area for anyone else. She moved up to him and snapped his neck. She drug him off to the side. Some debris fell out of the ventilation shaft. There was at least one more person inside.

She put her M9 and Taser away. She brought her M4 up in front of her. She flipped the selector from 'Safe' to 'Auto'. She would fire the entire magazine upward into the shaft in a figure eight pattern. There should be Coltan projectiles every few inches apart as they searched for targets in the narrow shaft. She pulled the trigger and fired the pattern. She moved back from the opening and pulled out a Thermite grenade. She started to rig it as a booby trap from the only way out from that spot.

Cam, Jim and Bob all heard Gail say what she was about to do and then the suppressed rounds from her M4.

At that monument there was a metallic clang and one of the Grays opened the outer door for the elevator.

Cam was afraid they were about to face more Grays from inside the elevator.

"Take them down." Cam said.

Both Bob and her opened fire.

Jim already went back to assist Gail in case they encountered a larger force of Grays behind them. Whatever it was seemed like trouble.

Moments ago:

The two Grays were in the air shaft. They'd planned to get out of it at Level Three. The one Gray still hoped to 'tap' the female hostage. She was held on Level Three. Everyone said she was real tight. That was good because he was real small.

"I think we're almost there." The second Gray said.

Some debris fell from above them. The first Gray was hit in the head and slipped on the rope. He slammed into the second Gray below him. The second Gray lost his grip and fell past Level Three on down to Level Four. He was busted up bad. The only thing that slowed his decent was when his body would twist and slow down from friction against the sides of the narrow shaft. Much of his skin was abraded off.

The first Gray turned on his light when he recovered somewhat. He didn't see the second Gray. All he'd heard was the scream that faded away.

He made it down to Level Three and looked down into the shaft.

He saw a flickering light at the bottom move in a figure eight pattern. Maybe it was a lighter.

"Thank goodness." The first Gray said to himself. "He's just singled me he's OK."

A fraction of a second later six bullets slammed into his face and neck as he leaned down into the shaft to look. His body slipped into the air shaft and fell silently. He was also heavily abraded from the friction.

Seconds ago:

The four Grays at the Main Shaft went to open the outer doors for the elevator.

They all took a step back once the outer doors opened. There was a severed arm hanging in front of the elevator door suspended by a rope wrapped around its wrist. The four of them silently fell before their brains could process what they'd actually looked at. Bob and Cam found their targets.

Gail almost had the Thermite grenade booby trap in place. When there was another 'thud' impact. She knew whoever was in the air shaft would have been hit. She'd expected to see more bodies.

"Scratch four." Cam said through their coms. "The elevator is empty, almost."

Jim covered the area around Gail in case someone already slipped out.

"Let's go." Jim said.

Gail wanted to wait a few seconds longer.

"Take the tram and go." Gail said. "I'll catch up."

Jim handed her another Thermite grenade and ran to the tram. He took off in it. The three deactivated Terminators were in the back.

Gail rigged a second Thermite grenade as a booby trap. She figured anyone else about to come down would rethink that choice. She headed for the main passageway and ran after the tram tractor and one ore car that Jim drove.

Bob and Cam closed in on the fallen targets. The four Gray were dead. They'd both scored head shots on all four.

"These Grays could all use a new head." Cam said.

They saw the severed arm hanging in front of the elevator door.

"There's a spare arm." Bob said as he yanked it down and tossed it off to the side.

Bob and Cam both switched to their M4. There were most likely more Grays inside the elevator.

Bob opened the inner elevator door with Cam at his side. Both of them searched for targets. The elevator was empty. That was except for two severed heads in bad condition.

"Scratch four." Cam said. "The elevator is empty, almost."

They could hear the tram approach their location at high speed a few seconds later.

Toto entered the elevator and pushed both severed heads out.

As soon as Toto was inside the elevator communications were restored to the surface. There was still a drone over the top of the Main Shaft for a communications link. The repeater they'd rigged on Toto earlier completed the link.

Jim arrived thirty seconds later. Gail was in the car behind the tractor. She handed Bob one deactivated Terminator. She handed Jim another one. She hopped out and carried the female Terminator.

They headed for the elevator. Toto was outside with Cam. She still covered the area with her M4. Once everyone was inside she made sure Toto was in and closed the outer door and then the inner door.

"We're in." Cam said. "Bring us up."

There was a big jolt and the elevator rapidly began to ascend.

John Henry filled them in on some potential surface activity with the arrival of the two helicopters.

Al was at the Mine Head. He activated the lift controls to bring the elevator up. He'd disconnected the winch governor to increase the ascent speed. The electric motor ran at a high RPM. It began to build up heat. They were eleven minutes away until detonation.

He could hear they two helicopters approach from the south. There was plenty of room for both of them to land at the same time.

Ed, Ken and Lou all took up defensive positions.

There were four drones to back them up plus two that shadowed the two helicopters. There were other drones out on patrol.

Young Allison and Anna were glad the team was on its way up. They watched the helicopters approach.

The two helicopters spread out.

"They're taking an offensive poster." Anna said.

Young Allison was afraid of this.

"There is probably a recognition signal in place if they don't have communications." Young Allison said. "Did any of the Grays carry a colored smoke grenade?"

Anna quickly checked.

The team on the ground reported back negative.

They watched as the side doors on the helicopters were slid open. An M60 appeared on the side of one helicopter and an M249 was on the side of the other one.

"They're armed now." Anna said.

Samantha and Young Jesse knew the two enemy helicopters were on the way. There were four miles out now and at five thousand feet. They'd moved back a little further.

"I knew that was going to happen." Young Jesse said. "Let me take it. Arm us."

Samantha knew there were weapons in the helicopter.

"You got it?" Samantha asked.

"I got it." Young Jesse said.

Samantha climbed over the seat into the back.

Young Jesse heard the side doors open one after another. She glanced back and Samantha rigged a M60 in each door.

"You have friendly company." John Henry said. "The drone will stay off your port side and make every maneuver with you. It will give you forward firing offensive armament. You call the shots. It wall also act defensively if it needs to."

"Hot damn!" Young Jesse said. "I'm in a gunship, almost. Now all I need is God as my copilot."

A female voice spoke in her com only.

"You have the next best thing. I'm your copilot." CamNet said. "You're covered in every direction on all six sides."

Samantha stood ready to man the 'pig' on either side.

Young Jesse headed back towards the mine head.

Cammy hurried John towards Fisherman's Wharf. She wanted him away from the trouble brewing behind them. Leticia was by his side. Ally moved Mary and Laura up together with her and Hanna fell back a little. She motioned for Steve and Tom to drop back and assist Sheila and Camille.

Mary looked around. She sensed a change in the atmosphere of the special girls.

"Is something happening?" Mary whispered to Ally.

Ally glanced back.

"Yes." Ally whispered. "We picked up a tail. It's probably an Oakland street gang. I guess they vacation too or find the tourists richer on this side of the Bay Bridge."

Laura saw Mary's concern. She heard what Ally said.

"Do you need our help?" Laura asked. "We haven't killed anyone in just over an hour."

Mary thought that was almost funny. The sad part about it was that it was true.

Hanna didn't want them to slow down. That was what they'd done.

"They have it covered." Hanna said. "Stay with Tony."

"Are you sure?" Mary asked.

"Look up at the moon in two seconds." Hanna said.

Mary and Laura both looked up. They saw something pass in front of the moon for a second. It was one of the drones.

"I saw it." Mary said. "It was some kind of flying saucer thing."

"There are several of those around us right now." Hanna said. "They can level a whole city block in a few seconds if they need to."

"I like the way you roll." Laura said.

John sensed the tension in the air. He started to slow. Leticia took his arm and pulled him close. She hurried him along.

"Keep going." Leticia said. "We only have one block to go. I need to use the powder room."

Leticia kept John from looking back.

Cammy noticed everything that the three girls did. They were all assisting them right now. Leticia smiled at her. She brushed her hair back for a second and she saw there was a com in her ear. Sheila must have given it to her….

Sheila and Camille slowed. John and the girls moved away from them. There were four men behind them. The men closed up on them.

"I'm telling you, bro, that's the chick that shoved Leroy and Jamal off of the cable car." The first punk said.

"OK, Tyrone, I'll believe you." The second punk said. "They're busted up pretty bad."

"What are we going to do with them?" The third punk asked. "Can we 'do' them? They're both hot. I want that Asian slut."

"Easy, Trevon…. We'll jump them and we'll all 'do' both of them." The second punk said. "We'll bust up the pretty one and we'll take the other one with us. She can be Trevon's plaything for a few days. We'll get her strung out and put her to work on the east side."

The four punks laughed.

"Anything goes in Oakland." The third punk said.

The four punks laughed again.

They watched as the two girls cut across the street and went into a parking lot. They would grab them the girls there and teach them a lesson about who to fool with.

Steve and Tom saw that John and the girls were clear. They watched Camille and Sheila lead the four punks into a parking lot. They fell in behind them. Dan and Frank were each in an SUV on either side of the parking lot. The punks were cornered.

Steve didn't like what he heard the punks say they wanted to do to Sheila and Camille. He figured the punks were going to like what happened to them a lot less.

Holly and Vanna finished up. Holly went into Precious room after she put her robe on and went into standby.

Vanna grabbed her robe and headed for her room.

She listened outside the door for a few seconds before she peeked it.

Sarah and Allison were sharing hungrily with each other. She wanted to join in but just watching them was hot. There was no jealousy on her part. She was more than willing to 'share' Allison if it brought Sarah closer to them and added her to the mix going forward.

Vanna slipped her hand inside her robe and touched herself as she watched Allison and Sarah share. She made it every time one of them did.

Life was good in Paradise.