Chapter 630
Is She Dead
Savannah was - quiet.
Cameron still held Savannah in her arms.
"NO." Cameron said. "Nooooooo!"
Tom was at the far end of the pipe they were all inside of. It didn't look good from where he was at.
"Is she dead?" Tom asked.
Cammy's hands were all over Savannah.
"No, her heart's still beating." Cammy said.
Cameron knew something else was wrong.
"It's her air!" Cameron said. "She needs oxygen."
Cameron turned on the light.
They quickly checked Savannah's air tank. It was still partially full.
Cammy changed it for a new one.
Cameron looked over the entire system. She found the problem.
"The air line was kinked." Cameron said.
Cammy felt the air quality was good now. She took the mask off of Savannah.
"We can take it off for now. It seems that most of the dust and smoke has settled." Cammy said. "The CO2 level isn't too high yet."
Cameron rubbed Savannah's arms and torso.
Cammy rubbed her legs.
Cameron moved on top of Savannah but didn't rest on top of her. She straddled her.
The light was behind Savannah's head so it illuminated Cameron's face.
Savannah slowly opened her eyes. She felt confused at first. She thought she was about to 'cross over'. There was an angel in front of her. She must have made it! The angel was beautiful. She blinked her eyes several times. She needed to think.
"Allison?" Savannah asked. "You're a teenager now. I knew you'd come for me."
Cameron gently touched Savannah's face. She was so relieved that Savannah was back.
"Your air was cut off." Cameron said. "You experienced some low levels of oxygen for a few minutes."
Cammy's face appeared next to Cameron's face.
Savannah blinked her eyes a few more times. She could see clearly now without the grimy mask on.
"Cameron?" Savannah asked. "Cammy?"
Cammy still rubbed Savannah's extremities.
"You're OK, Savannah." Cammy said. "You're fine."
Savannah began to understand what happened. She didn't want to be a bother to anyone earlier. It seemed like it was time to 'go'.
"I felt so cold, tired and sleepy." Savannah said. "There was no air. I didn't want to bother you when I 'left'."
Cameron wished Savannah would have said something. She almost died and she never said a word.
"You didn't tell us." Cameron said. "You never complain."
Savannah thought Cameron needed to deal with enough problems. She never wanted to be one of them.
"I didn't want to make you worry." Savannah said. "I thought…."
Cameron didn't want to hear it. She didn't want Savannah to say it. They'd all thought the same thing for a few seconds.
"No." Cameron said. "NOT on my watch."
Tom was there with her now too.
"Hi, Savannah." Tom said. "I was worried about you, we all were."
Savannah could see the tear streaks down all of their grimy, dirt and smoke covered faces. She figured she looked like that too.
"I'm sorry, I made you worry." Savannah said. "I thought of my girls before I - didn't remember."
Cameron was very worried as she massaged Savannah's torso.
"We're here with you." Cameron said.
Cammy continued to rub Savannah all over.
"We're all leaving here together." Cammy said.
Cameron and Cammy still worked to warm Savannah.
Tom felt things he'd never felt before. He felt a lot of things right now. He was overwhelmed by feelings he didn't know how to deal with. Somehow they were more intense because they involved Savannah. He needed to refocus.
"Excuse me. It's time for another signal." Tom said.
Savannah held her hands to her ears and Cameron place her hands over Savannah's hands. Savannah opened her mouth to lessen the concussive effect of the closed quarters.
Boom - - Boom - - - - - Boom – Boom – Boom
The light went out.
Savannah still looked up at Cameron's face as it went off.
They were all back in total darkness now.
A smooth soft hand gently touched Savannah's cheek in the darkness.
Savannah felt lips softly touch hers. Her lips gently pressed back.
This was what she wanted more than anything.
Savannah reached up to pull her closer. She was afraid this was it. She wanted a real kiss one time. Just one real kiss before she 'went'.
'CLANG.'
The invasive noise stole the silence and the moment. The loud noise echoed and reverberated.
What the Hell?
Earlier:
Bob and his crew used the skip-loader and new bulldozer at a furious pace. They tried to move as much earth away as fast as possible. They needed to be mindful of more sliding dirt and rocks as they worked. The earth continued to move.
At last there was a bit of good news.
"I found it." Mel said. "It's the other bulldozer."
The skip-loader moved the dirt from the sides of the buried bulldozer as the second bulldozer shoved the dirt away.
They dug out in short order.
Bob quickly move to the front of it. There was nothing but dirt in front of the lifted blade. He'd been worried it would be like that.
"It's been pushed back." Bob said. "There's no sign of the steel tubing. It must still be buried."
No one wanted to think it could be crushed or scattered by the landslide.
Several Terminators worked to clear some of the dirt off of the bulldozer. They wanted to see if it was still operational. Bob climbed up on the bulldozer and tried to see if it would fire up. It started.
Bob motioned for another Terminator to come over and take over its operation.
Once the bulldozer was out of the way, the skip-loader moved up and started removing earth in front of where the pipe was. Where it should be.
The crew working up on top where the pipe was supposed to be was ready to start probing with the length of rebar.
Cam picked up the rebar.
They called for silence.
Ally and Sheila both grasped it with Cam. It was as if the were about to pull Excalibur out of the stone. Maybe it was more like they would put Excalibur into the stone.
The three Metal girls looked at each other and sent the rebar down. Their six hands and arms forced it through the earth.
They were about to stop as they were nearly out of any bar to hold on to.
The bar abruptly stopped with a faint 'CLANG'.
"We hit something." Ally said.
"It sounds metallic." Cam said.
Bob didn't think they could get that lucky on the first try. Then again, they were Terminators.
"Maybe it was a rock." Bob called up.
Sheila was sure it was metal on metal.
"It sounded like metal." Sheila said.
The three Metal girls pulled it out and moved it over a foot and tried again.
Nothing.
A wave of despair hung over the silent Terminators.
They lifted it again. They moved it over six inches and sent it down with more force.
'CLANG'.
Three more times it was repeated in different spots.
'CLANG'.
'CLANG'.
'CLANG'.
Everyone waited in silence.
Then very faintly they heard it.
Boom - - Boom - - - - - Boom – Boom – Boom
A cheer went up.
Someone was still functional.
"That is Cameron's 'pattern'." Bob said. "I've heard it before."
Bob heard Cameron use that same pattern of shots in her future. There was a lot he didn't remember about that temporal mission. He wasn't sure why. He asked Cameron about it one time. She asked him to not worry about it. She told him it was for personal reasons for her. He respected that. Cameron didn't ever ask anyone for much.
The three Metal girls answered back with the rebar.
CLANG - - CLANG - - - - - CLANG – CLANG – CLANG
Boom - - - - - Boom - Boom - Boom- - - - - Boom - Boom
CLANG - - - - - CLANG - CLANG - CLANG - - - - - CLANG - CLANG
There was one final volley of shots.
Boom - four seconds - Boom - four seconds - Boom - four seconds – Boom
Bob hoped that signal indicated that all four of them were there.
The skip-loader and both bulldozers fired back up. Everyone worked at an even more frantic pace. Their fellow Resistance members were still there. At least one of them anyway. The last volley of shots may have been to indicate there were all four of them. That's what all of them chose to believe anyway.
John Henry received word of possible contact with the team. He suppressed it until they verified it was a positive contact. He didn't want to falsely get the hopes up of everyone gathered around the Command Center.
John Henry cleared Bob to make the announcement.
"John, we've made contact with Cameron's team." Bob said.
A cheer went up outside the Command Center as the word was relayed.
John didn't want to ask the next question but he needed to.
"Do we know who or how many?" John asked.
Bob could only speculate as to what was indicated.
"No." Bob said. "Someone signaled and we answered back as did they. After the signal there were four shots fired exactly four seconds apart."
John Henry could only draw one conclusion from the signal.
"I think that means that there are four of them." John Henry said. "It should be all of them."
John really hoped so. It seemed to be that way.
"I think so too." John said.
John Henry still didn't know what the new move by the Grays indicated. He wanted Bob's team to be on alert. They might be less than vigilant with the hope of pulling the rest of the team out. The Grays were up to something.
"Bob, we have a developing situation on the road leading in from the north." John Henry said. "We have teams on it. We needed to pull personnel off an LP to investigate, so be advised."
Bob understood the warning for what it was.
"Affirmative…." Bob said.
John was worried the mine was a target. Skynet knew they were there. It was obvious they'd attempted to rescue someone. The longer they were there, the more likely was the threat that they would be targeted again.
"We need our people off and away from the mine ASAP." John said.
Bob thought they could handle the Grays again. It seemed that John indicated there was another issue.
"Is there an additional problem?" Bob asked.
John knew it was only speculation but it was a real threat. He doubted anyone would leave the rescue zone once they heard it.
"Yes." John said. "Will it matter?"
Bob didn't even need to think about it. They weren't about to leave anyone behind, especially at this point.
"No." Bob said. "We all go home together or 'go' together…."
John was pleased to know they would all come home together. He figured he would let Bob know what he knew. There were no facts.
"I thought so." John said. "There is a chance the entire mountain will explode. It could be nuclear or some unknown energy source, like a giant power cell. We don't know at all. I'll keep you posted."
John and John Henry went back to trying to figure out what the Grays were up to.
Their Terminators were on the way to investigate. The drone stayed overhead to see if anyone exited the tunnel or anyone else arrived. So far nothing changed.
Moments ago:
'CLANG'.
What the Hell?
There was another faint noise and then very loud one.
'CLANG'.
'CLANG'.
'CLANG'.
Tom and the team signaled back and fourth. They hoped to indicate that all four of them were there.
Cameron thought of the time she'd used a piece of rebar to look for Cromartie's chassis in Mr. Ellison's yard. They varied in eight foot or ten foot lengths. That meant they were close and knew right where to look.
"They must be less than ten feet away." Cameron said.
Cammy didn't know the size of the crew working to get them out now. She figured it was more than there were before.
"We should be out within the hour." Cammy said.
Savannah was soon her smiling and cheerful self again. It lifted the spirits of the Terminators. Savannah radiated hope and joy. Her presence was a stabilizing force for the Terminators trapped there with her.
"As long as we get out, I don't care." Savannah said.
Savannah coughed a few times. The air was fouled again.
The gunfire and 'clanging' stirred up the dust inside the pipe.
Cammy wanted Savannah to put her breathing gear on again. She double checked everything to make sure it worked properly.
Cameron checked it herself.
Cammy noticed but didn't say anything. Savannah's safety came first.
In the darkness, Cammy watched Savannah's eyes blink and Cameron watched her chest rise and fall to make sure she was breathing. This close to getting out, they weren't going to take any chances.
Now it was a waiting game.
To Savannah, each second seemed like a minute and every minute seemed like an hour. Cameron and Cammy each held one of her hands. It added a level of pleasantry to something that wasn't pleasant at all. There could be worse company to be with right now.
Earlier:
Young Allison watched the reports as they were made. She listened to the coms of the Metal girls as they worked. She was surprised at the level of concern they all shared for Savannah and Cameron. It was clear they all loved Savannah and Cameron too.
Anna watched Young Allison eavesdrop. She was going to call her out on it. She didn't. It seemed to keep Young Allison's mind off of things it didn't need to dwell on.
She didn't want Young Allison to 'order' a temporal mission on her own. She knew that she would for something she believed in. She believed in Cameron and Savannah That was the kind of devotion and love that she should have on her own accord.
Anna received an update.
"Contact." Anna said. "It looks like they've found all four of them."
A wave of relief flooded over the Young residence bunker.
"I knew they were alive." Young Allison said. "I knew it."
Anna was pleased. They also needed to focus on the other threats at the same time. Everything was far from over even if it picked up a positive note.
"That's one aspect." Anna said. "We need to remain focused."
Young Allison was elated but she was also still aware of the other events. There was more than one issue to deal with.
"We have to worry about the Grays in the flame suits in two locations and the hill exploding where they're conducting the rescue." Young Allison said. "I'm aware of the other troubles. I haven't lost track of anything."
Anna thought that was a good start.
"And?" Anna prompted.
Young Allison was aware the biggest outside threat were HK drones. The unseen threat was the mountain blowing up. They still didn't have their people out.
"And any further Skynet or hostile drone attacks or assaults." Young Allison said. "The rescue operation is the prime target."
Anna thought those conclusions should point out something else to think about.
"Since our forces are tied up at multiple locations, what else do we need to worry about?" Anna asked.
Young Allison could see there was 'target fixation'. That was a condition that usually didn't produce good results.
"Skynet attacking elsewhere." Young Allison said. "Everyone should go on alert now, at least until the rescue is finished and our troops are off the mountain."
Anna looked at the monitors.
"Do you see that happening?" Anna asked.
Young Allison knew it wasn't happening. Anna indicated she needed to rectify it.
"CamNet knows." Young Allison said. "I need to speak with John Henry please."
The connection was almost instant.
John Henry was a little surprised that Young Allison called him instead of John.
"Yes, Allison?" John Henry asked.
Young Allison went over what she'd discussed with Anna. She felt a little awkward but she thought that was the point. She needed to be able to communicate with any of their troops at any time. They were all supposed to work together and be equal.
John Henry was surprised. He knew that she was correct. They were all focused on the rescue right now. He took appropriate action.
"I've discussed this with John and we've upped the status of our alert system wide." John Henry said. "John thanks you for reminding us."
Hanna and Holly both appeared seconds later.
It was their function to keep Allison and Claire calm. It was also their function to protect them.
Anna filled them in on all the details.
Holly reported two of the Detail were on patrol.
Holly and Hanna went back upstairs to add extra eyes and ears to the security. They were ready to move their charges if anything changed or seemed out of place.
Young Allison wanted to take some preemptive action. She knew that the Metal girls could move anyone without waking them. She looked at Anna.
"I'd like you to get Summer." Young Allison said. "You can do it without waking her. Tell Hanna and Holly what you're doing. It will put us one step ahead."
Anna left and returned with Summer asleep. She placed her on one of the rooms in the bunker and covered her over with a blanket. There was still one person who needed to rest.
"As soon as Savannah and Cameron are out, you must sleep." Anna said. "You've experienced an eventful and busy two days."
Young Allison was aware of the time. It was well into the early hours of the next day. The team wasn't out and she needed to do her job.
"I'll stop and rest when Savannah does." Young Allison said. "I'll remain at my post until Savannah is out of danger."
Anna smiled to herself. She didn't like Young Allison to miss meals or sleep but she did respect her concern and devotion. The events weren't over yet and there was still danger. They needed to stay vigilant and pay attention until everyone was home.
I Am Sorry For Your Loss
There are many things we have done
That might cause regret
Some would be best
If we were to simply forget
Life is about choice
Everything we do matters
Some of our actions
Leave other lives in tatters
Many things if we could
We say we would do different
But we already had a choice
Hindsight can not be indifferent
Every choice has a consequence
There is some future price to pay
Not everything broken can be fixed
Seldom did we have much leeway
To those we have devastated
Through time we have had to cross
Everything would be done again the same
I am sorry for your loss
Nobody