Chapter 631

Nobody Looked Back

With the recent developments, John needed to worry about more than one thing currently. He checked to see when one of their teams would arrive at the location the Grays disappeared at.

"What's the ETA on our team?" John asked.

John Henry wanted everything checked but he also needed caution. Whatever the Grays were up to was highly questionable.

"Dan and Ken left the LP earlier and are about to arrive at the site the two Grays went into." John Henry said.

John hoped earlier it was another way into the mine. Now he hoped it wasn't until they got their troops out since they'd located them. He didn't want the Grays to find some new way to attack them.

"I wonder what this new development will yield." John said.

They both knew it would be more trouble.

Dan and Ken checked everything around them as they moved forward. They needed to look for trip wires, booby traps and any detection sensors.

"We're about to arrive." Dan said.

John was worried it was a trap to draw some of them out.

"I want both of you to use extreme caution." John said. "Do you see anything?"

Dan and Ken made a preliminary check of the area.

"Negative." Dan said. "There's nothing here."

John Henry knew that something needed to be there.

"We watched two Grays in protective gear disappear there." John Henry said. "I sent you the footage."

John watched two men arrive there and never leave.

"There's been a drone overhead continuously since the footage was taken." John said. "They've never reappeared."

Dan and Ken now started a detailed search of the area.

"We're searching." Ken said. "We'll find where they went."

John was worried about the rest of the team from the mine. That was the primary target of any Skynet activity. That was where the biggest threat would happen.

"Bob, do you have any updates?" John asked.

Bob looked over at the area. They were close to the area the pipe should be in.

"We should reach the pipe soon." Bob said. "We only have a few more feet."

John Henry could see that progress seemed slower than it should have been. That most likely meant additional trouble from a landslide threat.

"What's the status of the hillside?" John Henry asked.

They still needed to deal with dirt and rocks that continued to slide down as they worked.

"It isn't good." Bob said. "There's a lot of unstable earth now. Two bulldozers and a skip-loader moving around aren't helping."

John looked at the drone images of everything that was happening on the backside of the hill. He wanted it to happen sooner but he knew that needed to use caution to prevent another landslide.

"We need to get our people out and get off that hill." John said.

Bob wasn't sure they could do anything any faster.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "You have our body cam footage and the feed from the drones."

John hoped to get things returned back to where they were borrowed before morning.

"We're watching." John said. "We have a few other things to take care of as well. Do you need both bulldozers still?"

Bob looked over at where the pipe was located. They were almost to it.

"One is sufficient for what we're doing now." Bob said.

John wanted to deal with the bodies of the Grays. They'd move all the wrecked vehicle and bodies into the gravel pit for disposal.

"I want to move one to the gravel pit to cover over the Grays and their vehicles. The Blackhawk will come for it." John said. "Keep us posted."

Tom was in the first pipe section He was ready to shove dirt out when the end was unearthed.

Cammy was in the second section where it joined the third section.

Savannah and Cameron were in the third section where it joined the second section.

There was nothing to do but wait.

Cammy and Cameron tried to engage Savannah with small talk but the mood was somber.

They all believed they were close to getting out but were all worried there would be another attack on the team on the outside. They could be buried deep again or even be swept off the hillside into the canyon below.

The waiting game was no game at all.

Bob watched the skip-loader move up to pull out another scoop of dirt. His calculations were that they were within one foot of the end of the pipe.

"We're almost there." Bob said.

The skip-loader moved closer and carefully took out another section of dirt.

'CLANG'.

Bob moved in with several Terminators. They were the three Metal girls and the three Terminators who'd been in the mine with Cameron.

The end of the earth filled pipe was uncovered.

Shovels started pulling dirt out.

There was dirt from the hillside cascading all around them. The hillside was loose and unstable.

Everyone worked at a frantic pace. They were all aware the hillside could come down again at any moment. They knew Savannah must be running out of air.

Maybe they'd all thrown caution to the wind some. That wasn't their intent. They didn't know when the next Skynet attack would come, the mountain would blow up or the side of the hill would collapse down on them.

Seconds ago:

Cameron's team all felt some heavy vibrations. There was nothing they could do but wait.

"They're getting close." Cammy said.

Cameron was ready to move. She wanted to get away from the area. She figured it was unstable after the attack.

"I want Tom and Cammy to shove some of the dirt out of the end of the pipe as they exit. Savannah and I will follow you out." Cameron said. "I want everyone out and away from this immediate area."

There were some more vibrations. The team must be close.

'CLANG'.

Tom was ready to go.

"They're here." Tom said.

There was a flurry of noises and sounds.

An opening appeared where Tom was at. Some light entered the cylinder.

"Is everyone OK?" Bob's voice could be heard.

Tom was relieved to hear Bob. They could get Savannah out now.

"Everyone is operational." Tom responded. "Savannah is OK."

Bob scooped dirt out from the pipe onto the ground as Tom shoved some forward.

Tom and Cammy shoved more dirt out as Savannah and Cameron moved up behind them.

There was an opening that was large enough that they could all get out of now.

Tom exited with Cammy behind him. Cammy stopped to help Savannah out. Savannah removed her face mask as she exited. Cameron was right behind her.

A cheer rang out from the workers.

Cameron looked around the area. It looked like a disaster area. Then again, that's exactly what it was.

"Everyone will need to move away." Cameron reminded them.

Cameron could see this entire area was on the verge of collapsing. There were rivulets of dirt and small rocks that cascaded all around them. She was surprised the entire hillside hadn't given way.

They followed Bob's running commentary in the Command Center as the pipe was located and cleared. They knew all four of them were OK. It still took some time to clear the pipe so the team could get out.

"They're out." Bob reported.

A cheer went up around the Command Center. They'd been monitoring all the activity.

They saw Tom and Cammy come out. They followed out behind the dirt they shoved out with them. They were covered from head to toe in grime, soot and dirt.

Cammy turned and helped Savannah out. Cameron followed behind her. They were both as filthy as the first two. They all looked terrible. It was clear they went through a lot just by their appearance.

John watched Savannah and Cameron emerge. He felt his heart skip a beat. Even as dirty as they were, they both looked beautiful to him. The area was dimly lit and there was a lot of activity but to see both Cameron and Savannah out and alive was an immense relief.

It needed to be remembered that the area was still ripe for an attack and that the entire mountain could blow up. The team that was freed from the pipe was in less danger than when they were trapped but they were still far from not being in danger.

Cameron told Bob they should start to move away from the area.

Bob confirmed Cameron's suspicions about the peril of their location.

"This hillside is unstable." Bob said. "More than once we thought it was going to let loose again. It delayed our progress. I'm sorry about that."

Cameron didn't think having any more Resistance Terminator buried would serve anyone other than Skynet.

"You and your team did fine, Bob." Cameron said. "Everything worked out fine."

The bulldozer and skip-loader both backed away. The Blackhawk retrieved one of the bulldozers earlier.

There were small rivers of dirt sliding down in half a dozen places on the hillside.

The ground began to shake and vibrate slightly. All the Terminators and Savannah already moved away from the excavation site. With a loud rumble, another section of the hill broke free and covered the area they'd all been, thirty seconds earlier. It was now buried under another fifteen feet of loose dirt and rock.

Hugs and greetings went all around. The three Metal girls offered to trade their less dirty clothing for Cameron's, Savannah's and Cammy's filthy clothing.

Sheila even offered to take it one step further.

"I'll just go naked for awhile." Sheila said. "I'd like that better anyway. I think everyone else would too."

That statement brought a round of laughter.

Everyone knew she wasn't joking either.

Cameron was updated as to all the developments since she'd entered the mine.

They were going to fly Cameron and her team back as soon as the Blackhawk returned from dropping off the bulldozer at the gravel pit.

Savannah spoke with Cameron as she heard all the news. She wanted the Terminators better deployed based on the current conditions. She wanted Cameron to speak with John.

Cameron liked the idea. She was still upset that Skynet sent forces to attack them while they were in the process of being rescued. That made it personal to her. That meant some personal retribution was in order. She planned to deliver it herself if the opportunity arose.

"John, I've spoken with Savannah. She wants a team sent to reinforce Dan and Ken immediately as well as reestablish the LP." Cameron said. "My entire team will remain here with the Metal girls and Bob."

The Blackhawk came and took the members of the rescue team away to reinforce Dan and Ken. They would also set up a new LP. No one thought that Skynet was done with them or this area yet.

Savannah was informed Gail was in the manned drone escorting the helicopter. Savannah looked up and waved. She knew Gail could see her. She could also see there were some construction vehicles that the team obviously 'borrowed' from somewhere. She didn't like loose ends like that.

"What about this equipment?" Savannah asked. "It belongs to someone."

Bob was aware that Savannah liked people compensated if the items they needed to use couldn't be returned.

"We'll return it if we have time." Bob said.

Cameron took stock of the Resistance vehicles that were there. She looked over to the eastern horizon.

"The sun will be up soon." Cameron said. "We have three SUVs here, let's drive them out. The Blackhawk can return some of this equipment."

Savannah and the five Metal girls all got into one SUV. Cameron looked down at herself and suggested someone else drive. Normally she would always drive. Cam and Cammy both always drove too. Ally usual rode with Sheila. Sheila was very dominant with Ally, especially in the bedroom.

Bob, Al and Tom pulled out in front. Ally and the girls followed them, Frank and Ed followed them.

They headed down the old railroad 'right of way'.

Nobody looked back.

Dan and Ken found the entrance that the Grays disappeared into. They were about to breach it when they received word reinforcements were on the way. They were told that it was a request from Savannah. They were pleased the team was out and that Savannah looked out for them.

The Blackhawk arrived a few minutes later and let off a crew. It then flew off to reestablish an LP. Those two team members would hike in and take up position away from the drop off point.

Dan and Ken made their entry. All but two of the Terminators followed them in. The two that stayed out would make sure the exit stayed open. They didn't want anyone else to show up behind them either. They would make sure only their team left that location alive.

The atmosphere was very upbeat in the Young bunker.

Young Allison felt the need to celebrate some but with moderation. What was a death sentence for the team trapped was now over. They still weren't out of the danger zone yet. That itself was a little disheartening.

"I knew they would make it." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted Young Allison to show some restraint and moderation.

"They did." Anna said. "You need to rest now."

Young Allison was tired even if she was still amped up. Savannah was still out there with the Metal girls. It didn't look like they were in a hurry to go elsewhere. That seemed to indicate that further action was possible.

"I'll lie next to Summer for awhile in the other room." Young Allison said. "The heightened alert hasn't been rescinded."

Holly looked in and checked on them. Hanna and her received the good news as well.

Hanna waited until Holly returned. She was upset the girls, mainly Savannah, weren't headed back to the base.

"Cameron's going to get Savannah killed." Hanna said.

Holly pointed out the obvious.

"The 'Natural Order' hasn't been established yet." Holly said. "At least it hasn't yet in this timeline."

Hanna looked at the bunker entrance.

"How can it be?" Hanna asked. "Young Allison is still developing."

Holly didn't see that as an issue like some did. She felt Hanna's statement reflected her human lover's belief. Claire was Young Allison's mother. Of course she wouldn't want her daughters exposed to danger.

"How much longer does anyone need to wait?" Holly asked. "We all know what Cameron is going to do. It is just a matter of time until Cameron takes her away and brings back as an older teenager or a woman. There is no practical reason why it all can't happen now. Two hundred years ago she already would have been married at her age."

Hanna didn't like Claire stressed out over it.

"Two hundred years ago she would've needed to do that because everyone died at thirty or thirty five years old."

Holly saw it differently.

"How's that any different than a Skynet future?" Holly asked. "There were few 'older' people there. I was there. I saw it and so did you."

Holly felt Young Allison body was ready for everything. It wouldn't do the things it did unless that was what nature intended it to do. She wouldn't be sorry to see that happen. She would rather see Young Allison in John's bed than Allison. That would take the pressure off Allison. She knew Allison already faced enough problems. Young Allison was more than ready to try it all. She made sure of that when she 'conditioned' her at night too.

Holly and Hanna turned to leave.

Anna was there. She'd stood there and listened to them.

"Is there a problem?" Anna asked.

Hanna and Holly knew they were 'busted'. Anna ran Cameron's program. That meant she pushed Cameron's agenda. The only moderating factor with her was that she ran the 'Neural Interface' from Savannah.

"No." Holly and Hanna answered at the same time.

Anna's presence issued an unspoken 'challenge'.

"I didn't think so." Anna said.

Anna remained there until Hanna and Holly left.

Holly and Hanna both knew Anna was a 'Cameron' program clone. Everything they said or did was reported back to Cameron. There would most likely be some kind of 'punishment' to follow. They could be given assignments away from Allison and Claire. If they were assigned a temporal mission it could be for years even if they were only gone from the present for a few minutes. Ally and Sheila were always more than willing to spend time with their human lovers while they were assigned elsewhere. The worst part about that was, it was something that Claire and Allison enjoyed and always wanted more of.

Cameron gave her report to John Henry as she drove. Each of the team members who were in the mine did the same thing with John Henry's server. It all happened the same time. A complete report came in all at once. Savannah's full report would come later.

John listened to everything and was now really worried about one thing.

"Do you think the mine will have some kind of explosion?" John asked.

Cameron never got to explore the entire mine. She didn't even know how big it was.

"That's unknown." Cameron said. "I went back to look one last time to see if I could find the source of the heat. I was unable to do so. I sealed the tunnel so no more Grays or Terminators could come out."

It would only be later when they would see the files and body cam footage from Cammy that they would learn that Savannah carried Cameron away from the danger.

John knew from carrying Cameron himself that she was much heavier than she looked.

In her report Savannah would only mention that she'd helped move Cameron away from danger and back toward the entry to the escape route.

John wondered if Cameron knew more than she said.

"That was good thinking." John said. "Based on the experience of your future with the power source there, how big will the explosion be?"

Cameron didn't know the size or if there was even a giant power cell there.

"It may create a four to five point earthquake on the Richter Scale." Cameron said. "Maybe nothing will happen."

John was more worried about radiation that could contaminate the area and atmosphere.

"Will there be a radiation threat?" John asked.

Cameron used a Nike warhead in her future which produced radiation itself.

"That's unknown." Cameron said.

"Beautiful." John said.

Nobody Around

The battle rages around them
The others all have retreated
Nobody is still around
Nobody prevents them from being defeated

They look and wish for others
They are untrustworthy to be around
Nobody is there to help them
Nobody keeps them from the ground

They have suffered much damage
To body, mind and heart
Nobody is there to care
Nobody has been there from the start

Their mind says slay her
But their heart will not
Nobody here to feel and listen
Nobody to share their battles fought

Their face covered in tears
Their heart torn apart
Nobody gathers the pieces
Nobody their eternal sweetheart

Nobody