Chapter 628

Recovery

Savannah, Cameron, Cammy and Tom were in a 'fix'. Their world was about to collapse and crush them. They were inside a tunnel in a mine. The way out was blocked and there was nowhere to go.

It was clear that area around them was about to collapse or cave in. There was no other place they could go to at this point. The trestle was down and they were trapped where they were. There was no way out.

Cameron quickly assessed the situation. She made thousands of calculations in a fraction of a second. She played out every scenario. She determined there was only one survivable option available to them. It stood a less than forty percent chance of success. There was no other choice.

"Tom, Cammy, grab some oxygen tanks and get inside the tube. Get inside of the pipe NOW." Cameron shouted.

Cameron grabbed a couple of air tanks too as she ushered Savannah in front of her. Tom and Cammy were already inside. Cammy pulled Savannah in. Cameron was right behind her.

Dirt and rocks fell all around the area. The rocks could be heard to hit the steel tube with ringing and clanging sounds. Savannah needed to hold her ears. It was like being inside of a drum that someone beat on.

There was a terrible rumbling and crashing sound around them. The tube shook like an earthquake. The external noises changed. That probably meant they were completely buried now.

The tube was thirty feet long. It consisted of three sections. Tom and Cammy moved up to the two joints and tried to stabilize the sections. There was nothing but smooth steel to hang on to. The sections of pipe were only forced together with a press fit. It wasn't a permanent bond. They could split apart at any second which would allow dirt to fill the tube. They would be encased in dirt inside of the tube at that point. They would be unable to move.

After about thirty seconds the shaking and noise stopped.

Cameron used her body which was about three feet inside of the tube to keep any more dirt from entering from that side. The tube was filled with dust and smoke. There was dirt that was now packed at both ends. They were trapped and buried.

Savannah still carried her lantern. The dust and smoke hung heavy in the air inside the tube. They'd managed to grab six oxygen bottles for her plus the one she currently used. Cammy changed it not long ago for her. She knew that is how long her life would last…. It would be seven small tanks of air long.

All of them knew they were in a perilous place.

In the gloom of the circular tomb they all knew that is how long Savannah's life would last. Then again, if there was additional movement, the tubes could separate and hasten the end. The dirt and rocks could rush in and separate them.

Bob and his team searched for the attackers. One of their drones was able to get them zeroed. It fired a missile and two bodies could be seen to fly into the air from the explosion. One got back up. It was a Terminator.

A second one of their drones opened up with the minigun and the Terminator fell. The drone fired a sustained burst into him. He no longer moved.

Bob looked back at the area where they'd been at. The bulldozer was gone. It must be buried. There were now tons of earth and rock many feet deep where they'd been working.

The 'skip-loader' was on its side but not completely buried. The avalanche of earth made its own path and moved things out of its way or buried them.

Bob called for four Terminators to help him. They got the 'skip-loader' back on its wheels. Mel climbed up and started it. It was still functional. He immediately started moving earth where the bulldozer was last seen. It looked like it was going to take awhile. They needed more equipment now.

The fact that the Grays knew their position was going to add to the urgency. They were under constant threat of HK drone attacks now. They knew that the HK drone that was at altitude would have transmitted what it spotted and found before Gail flamed it.

The Terminators all went back to work. Their weapons were always next to them.

John and John Henry coordinated all their forces and drones. Gail was still in pursuit of the chopper with one of their drones. The drone was there to act as a sacrificial lamb if any type of missile like a SAM or AAM was fired at the closest target.

Gail stayed on the six of the Iroquois. She didn't like the terrain where they were headed. It seemed like a set up to her. It was most likely a prearranged defensive measure that the Grays put into play.

"The helicopter is flying up a narrow canyon. I have a clear shot." Gail said. "I don't want to wait. They may be leading me into an ambush."

John didn't want to lose anyone else today. The newest attack on Cameron and Savannah angered him. He was done waiting. He wanted someone to 'pay' for what was just done.

"Flame it." John said.

The manned drone fired an air to air missile.

"One missile is away." Gail reported. "The target's been hit, scratch one."

Gail watched as the Iroquois was struck with the missile. The main rotor sheared off. The burning fuselage impacted the ground and turned into a fireball.

John wanted blood. He also wanted to make sure there were no survivors.

"Hit it again and return to the rescue area." John said. "Thank you, Gail."

The manned drone fired an air to surface missile at the burning wreckage of the UH-1.

Gail watched the second missile track and explode on target.

"The target's been struck a second time." Gail reported. "There is nothing but burning debris."

The Command Center received 'night vision' images and thermal images of the rescue area. It appeared to be obliterated. Everything that was there before was gone or different now.

"Bob, what's your report. Is anything left? From what we're can see from the drone footage, it looks like a total disaster." John said.

Bob looked at the area where they just had everything cleared out and set up. There were tons of dirt and rock there now.

"It is a disaster. A large amount of dirt has covered our excavation area." Bob said. "It will take a long time to get back to where we were."

John could only see the front end loader moving. He couldn't make out where the bulldozer was at.

"Where's the bulldozer?" John asked.

Bob looked over at the mass of dirt and rocks.

"It's gone." Bob said.

"Where did it go?" John asked.

"It's just gone." Bob said.

John wondered if it was pushed off into the gully and buried. Now he questioned his limit of only ten Terminators in the rescue zone. They would need additional security. Al, Ed and Frank were there now. They could take up security duty. He was unsure of their condition.

"If they're all still functional, you have three more Terminators for security." John Henry said.

Al, Ed and Frank already told Bob that they were now part of the rescue effort and were already digging with hand tools in the area that the metal pipe should be in.

"They are all operational. They've asked to be part of the recov… rescue operation instead of security." Bob said. "I understand their concern."

John noted that Bob almost said recovery operation instead of rescue operation. Maybe he needed to think about that concept some. The entire inside of the mine could be collapsed now. There may only be crushed and buried bodies inside. He didn't want to address that possibility yet. He could see that Al, Ed and Frank wanted to get their teammates out.

"That's fine." John said. "I do understand."

John knew how they must feel. They were out and free and the girls and Tom were trapped with their fate unknown. He wished he was there with them. He knew now if he was that the rescue operation would stop to make sure he was protected from the new Skynet related threat.

John Henry didn't waste any time to search for replacement equipment. CamNet provided him with a list of equipment for twenty miles around in every direction.

"The Blackhawk has been sent to acquire more equipment." John Henry said.

Bob stood and looked at the area where the steel pipe was at. The new dirt and rocks all slid down from the side of the mountain. They might catch a lucky break. He wanted John to know there was hope.

"We need to be careful not to disrupt the steel pipes we have in place. They were in solid dirt." Bob said. "They may only be buried and not have moved around…."

Everyone knew if the tubes were moved or crushed. This was no longer a rescue mission but a recovery mission.

Young Allison watched as everything fell apart. Her heart broke and sank. She needed to do more. She needed to go there. She needed to be there.

She was aware that the pipe could be smashed or crushed. It may still have an opening. She was smaller than the Terminators that were there. She might be able to move through close quarters and tight places easier.

"They may need a smaller body to get into the mine." Young Allison said. "I want you to take me there. I volunteer. I'll do it."

Unbeknownst to Young Allison and Anna, CamNet immediately notified John Henry of this latest development. It was an option to help Cameron and Savannah. John Henry acknowledged the information and indicated that option shouldn't be used yet.

Anna could only picture Young Allison entering the mine and never returning. They could lose Cameron, Savannah and Young Allison. It was an unacceptable risk. What if she found Cameron and Savannah mangled or terminated?

"I can't allow that." Anna said. "You're not prepared for this."

Young Allison wanted a better answer than that. What was all of her training for if she couldn't use it? If they wanted to play hard ball she was in. They could take her to the past for five or ten years and return her back to now. How much training did she need to have to help?

"I was pretty prepared earlier today. THIS is what you ALL have trained me for my entire known life." Young Allison said. "Then let's go to Cameron's TDE and get me READY. I can be 'ready' and at the site in two hours."

Anna saw that as a workable solution. She didn't want to risk Young Allison's life.

"No." Anna said. "I need Cameron's permission to do that."

Young Allison was angry. What kind of an answer was that?

"How's that going to happen?" Young Allison asked. "She's trapped. I've got to get her out. I need to help them. Can't you see this?"

Anna was out of excuses. She figured one person could stop Young Allison, maybe.

"I must ask your mother." Anna said.

Young Allison slammed her hand down on the table. What was wrong with these people? They needed to act and act NOW.

"YOU are 'Cameron' AND 'Savannah'." Young Allison said. "What do THEY want? RIGHT NOW, what do they want?"

Young Allison became more and more infuriated.

She was supposed to have the ability to 'order' the machines. Is that what it was going to take? Maybe it was time to push her agenda instead of following the one laid out by everyone else. She mattered too but Cameron and Savannah mattered more.

Frank, Ed and Al were all on top of where the tube previously was. There was fifteen feet of loose dirt on top of the area now. It was tons of dirt and rock.

They frantically tried to dig a hole straight down. The loose earth would collapse into the hole almost as fast as they moved it. They'd made some headway but they'd managed to clear a depth of only one foot down. They wanted to see if the tube was still there and in the same place. They just wanted to know if the tube was even still there.

Cammy climbed back over Savannah and braced her body against the tube. Cameron put her back to Cammy's back and used her feet to push and compact the earth that spilled inside that end of the tube during the cave-in.

Cameron was able to compact the dirt to the end of the tube but no further. She hoped to prevent any more from entering the tube.

Tom worked at the other end to see what was there. Dirt spilled in and was half way down the first pipe. It sloped up to a solid mass at the end.

Cameron came up to Savannah's face mask. She needed to say something. She needed to make Savannah know it wasn't over.

"We're all getting out of here, Savannah." Cameron said. "I promise."

Savannah knew that Cameron, Cammy and Tom were all going to stress out over her. It was what it was. There was nothing anyone could do right now. She would try to put her best face on it. She would need to help them more than they would need to help her.

"I know we will, Cameron." Savannah said. "You're invincible. You're eternal."

Savannah knew that Cameron was. She also knew she herself wasn't.

Cameron smiled at Savannah and moved foreword.

She climbed past Tom to the end of dirt in the pipe.

Cameron knew they could start moving the dirt to the other end of the tube but more would collapse inside in its place. She didn't know how deep they were buried but she figured it was extensive. There was no way to support anything they tried to dig out from collapsing. She needed to communicate with the outside. She needed to let them know that Savannah's life was on a timer.

"Savannah, open your mouth and plug your ears." Cameron shouted from the far end of the tube.

Cameron pulled her Glock and fired five rounds into the dirt.

Boom - - Boom - - - - - Boom – Boom – Boom

The noise was deafening and reverberated through the confined space.

Cameron hoped that someone would hear it at some point. She hoped it was soon. Based on the fact that they didn't feel any vibrations or hear anything, it wasn't a good sign.

Tom was instructed to repeat the pattern every twenty minutes.

Cameron and Cammy both came back to where Savannah was.

Cammy recently hooked Savannah up with a new air bottle. She checked to make sure everything was good.

Savannah held out her arms. Cameron and Cammy came close and the three girls huddled together in the cramped space.

She looked Cammy and Cameron in the face. She didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Her love for them said it all. She then turned out the light. They were in absolute darkness and silence.

The two women Savannah loved both held her.

Savannah wondered how long was left for her….

It gave her a lot to think about. Was this really how she would go out? Was she going to die from the thing that there was the most of on earth? What could be simpler than air? She faced all types of danger. She'd been seconds away from being vaporized by a nuclear bomb. She battled scary robots from the future. It all came down to this. She was going to run out of air to breathe, air of all things. Who dies like that?

Anna wanted to talk Young Allison down. She knew where the conversation was headed. Young Allison would start to issue 'orders' to try and 'fix' things. Maybe some things were unfixable.

"The TDE mission is unnecessary at this time." Anna said. "You'd be the same size as Cameron in a few years. There are Terminators that size now. It would serve no purpose."

Young Allison wanted to make her point. She felt she'd just done that. It was what she'd said all along. She was needed there now, just like she was.

"Then I'll go now." Young Allison said.

CamNet didn't want Young Allison to be terminated along with Cameron and Savannah if there was another attack. Ally and Sheila both offered to go to the rescue zone several times. She took Young Allison's request as a suggestion. She wanted Anna to make Young Allison understand.

"Cam and Sheila are on the way." Anna said. "Sheila is the smallest of the Terminators we have. She's already volunteered to go and assist."

Young Allison wanted to go there. She wanted to help. She was aware that all the Terminators could do a much better job than she could. That wasn't the point.

"I don't like it." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted Young Allison to think about everything. John wanted to be there too. That would only tie up more resources. If Young Allison went it would do the same thing. Nothing is life was easy. Everything was in a state of flux.

"There will be many things you won't like dealing with in the future." Anna said. "Not all of them will be fixable. When Judgment Day comes there'll be no power. Radiation levels will be high. There won't be any clean water, let alone running water."

Young Allison frowned. She knew what Anna meant but what she wanted was different. None of this was her fault. She was the one who was supposed to stop it.

"Then we have to work harder to prevent that." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't want Young Allison to act on impulse or emotion. She'd already called John several times to 'talk him down'. Now she was caught up in it all.

"You must learn to conduct an operation with a level head and sound mind. Sometimes there will be losses." Anna said. "It's inevitable."

Young Allison returned to the monitors.

She wanted to make things clear. It was all a matter of perspective.

"If we're not part of the solution, we're part of the problem." Young Allison said.

Young Allison kept it to herself. If Savannah and Cameron were terminated, she was going back for them herself. She would do it as soon as she was able to have the opportunity and access to a TDE. It didn't matter if it was ten hours or ten years from now. It was going to happen. Nobody was going to take her future from her – NOBODY.

Anna looked over at Young Allison. She knew Young Allison wasn't going to drop it. It was clear to her that Young Allison calculated on what she could do and when to 'fix' it.

Young Allison wasn't going to let this stand. Not like this.

Remain

My mind has failed
Nothing can protect me
Shattered I have wailed
For any who care to see

Time splits a giant rock
Into tiny grains of sand
Thoughts from my mind to yours
I want you to understand

Much is being said
Without specifically being said
I have much to say
I am afraid where to tread

I have always been afraid
I don't know if you understood
That should be a good thing
Things everyone should

You can feel my emotions
I paint them in your brain
When all else has crumbled
As always, I still remain

Nobody