Chapter 941
It's Coming
John became frustrated that there wasn't any body cam footage or any drone footage on the monitors. He'd lost all contact with the girls and whatever was happening in the desert.
"I don't like any of what I see or can't see, I should say." John said. "Are they going to make it?"
John Henry didn't have any way to predict the future. Based upon the events that happened, he would need to think that the future plays out well for everyone. There was actually no way to know that before it happened. He thought that was true of everything.
"That's unknown. I would have to think so in order for these events to have occurred in the first place. We've lost the overview for now." John Henry said. "It will come back."
There were several new images that now appeared. They seemed to be of some long range footage.
John was pretty sure the long range images were moving.
"Where's that drone footage coming from?" John asked. "It seems far away."
John Henry was actually surprised when he started to pick up the new video feed. Whatever was in the sky had been masked from him. He was just about to inquire with CamNet about what was going on when she gave him a brief rundown of the current events. There wasn't much of a description otherwise as to why.
"There are more drones on the way." John Henry said. "CamNet has sent everything available in the theater of operations to assist them, including some of the recently captured and reprogrammed drones. Our other team members that are out at the secure remote sites have been busy working with all the HK drones."
John witnessed a lot happen in the last two days that seemed to have someone else's fingerprints all over them. They were all decisions that he didn't make that he should have. Most of them were things he hadn't thought of himself until he watched them play out in front of him and protect the girls. It was clear that someone saw things with a different vision than he did. Even though they both looked at the same things, someone else thought of different ways to deal with them. He wanted to verify exactly who was behind them. He currently knew that all the girls were tied up in the desert right now.
"Are all these decisions being made by CamNet alone?" John asked.
John Henry knew that it could be a touchy subject for CamNet to deal with. She wasn't always willing to divulge everything. He would try to give John the simple answer for now.
"It's highly doubtful." John Henry said. "I think we've been over this before. It's best to leave it at that for now."
John hoped for a better answer than that. He didn't think it was wise to push the issue at this time. He was pretty sure what John Henry's answer actually meant. It meant that it was Young Allison who was behind much of the activity that occurred that didn't originate from the Command Center.
He looked at a satellite map with the overlay of all the team members. He was as confused as he was surprised at where all their trackers indicated where they were.
"They're all clustered together." John said. "None of the girls are moving."
John Henry couldn't give John an answer as to why. He hoped one of the drones on the way there would be able to give some footage of what was happening on the ground. He tried to think of an explanation why they would be clustered like that. There was simply no logical explanation.
"A drone will be there soon." John Henry said. "We will have a better picture of what's happening on the ground."
John was a little worried about the fallout. He was actually worried about the fallout in two ways. One would be radioactive fallout. The other would be what the news story would be about.
"Are we going to be able to control the spin on what's happened or is about to happen?" John asked.
John Henry attempted to calculate what the magnitude of the ground movement would be when the H-bomb exploded. He knew that there was no way to calculate that accurately if there was a giant power cell involved. They would both produce a fair amount of seismic activity, especially in the area around where the detonation occurred. He was also aware that it could trigger an actual earthquake on one of the numerous faults that ran through the entire Southwest.
"It will be reported as a mild earthquake, regardless of its actual magnitude." John Henry said. "CamNet has already entered the appropriate government computers with the information they will need as to any clandestine testing for seismic events. What some people actually feel, will never be anything 'official'."
John believed that the members of the Resistance would be protected from the immediate blast and hopefully any radiation that escaped. He also needed to think of the collateral damage. Whatever it was, their group was responsible for it. They weren't the only individuals who concerned him. There were also other people that could be in the area. The magnitude of the ground shaking could also damage people's property. He really hoped it didn't wreck anything in Las Vegas either. That would be a major disruption to the local economy.
"Are there any people out there who will die?" John asked. "Or will there be extensive property damage?"
John Henry thought that issue was irrelevant at this point. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. They haven't detected anyone around the area of the mine other than the occupants of the mine itself. He could only speculate on what the after effects of the blast would be on the surrounding area and nearby communities.
"That's unknown. If the power goes out in some locations it may cause problems for people using medical devices for life support." John Henry said. "CamNet already closed all the roads into the target area and rerouted traffic with State Troopers. This was done at the beginning of the operation once what we suspected was determined. It was reported as a 'chemical spill'. When we're away from the area, real test units will be allowed in to check for anything actually harmful. I'll make sure radiation is one of the things checked. The responding units will have on protective gear."
John could only hope the H-bomb hadn't been encased with Cobalt and moved closer to the opening of the mine if it had been discovered. They still didn't have any idea what Skynet had in the works with any of the missing nuclear weapons that they knew about.
"My biggest worry is if there is any Cobalt radiation." John said.
John Henry believed that when the H-bomb detonated at the bottom of the mine that the entire mine complex along with most of the mountain over it would collapse into the cavity that was created from the nuclear blast. Anything inside of the mine would be buried under tons of rock and earth.
"I'm sure what was done prevented that threat from actually happening." John Henry said. "I think that was the whole point."
John knew that anything could happen.
"We don't know that." John said.
John Henry was confident that the Metal girls knew what they were doing when they placed the H-bomb inside the mine. He would like to know a little bit more as to exactly how they got it in there and were able to move it around since it was rather large.
"Not yet." John Henry said. "I think we're going to find out real soon."
John wanted to make sure that the airspace was clear. He didn't want an airliner full of people accidentally knocked out of the sky. That would lead to a big investigation. It was something they didn't need.
"What about air traffic?" John asked.
John Henry took care of all that when the girls first suspected there was going to be some type of problem.
"All of it was rerouted." John Henry said as he viewed one screen. "I see the target area."
John looked at what was now shown on a monitor.
"Is that the girls?" John asked. "What are they doing?"
They appeared unmoving and inactive to John. They all appeared 'dead'.
John Henry took a moment to take in the scene and attempt to understand exactly what the girls were doing.
"They look like they are using their chassis to shield Savannah and Young Allison inside the manned drone." John Henry said.
John wondered how effective that would be. Maybe it would help with the initial blast and any flying debris but he didn't think it would do anything if there was a radiation leak. If a Cobalt bomb went off he didn't think they would be protected from its deadly radiation.
"I hope that's only precautionary." John said.
John Henry could tell CamNet scrambled the images of two of the drones on the ground. He thought he knew why. He was sure Cameron acquired at least two more nuclear weapons if not four. Those were what the Skynet forces were going to construct the C-bombs from. There were still other recently missing nuclear weapons unaccounted for. They might have been inside the mine already.
Maybe Cameron was the one who took the other weapons.
Maybe the Fanatics were in possession of them.
John Henry hoped he would be able to determine who took control of them.
To try to track them down before they could be used was going to be the hard part.
Seconds ago:
Savannah and Young Allison were aware that they'd landed.
They were both still groggy. They'd either blacked out or been on the verge of blacking out. They both were unaware what happened in the last few seconds anyway.
Something landed on the canopy.
Both girls jumped. They weren't back to one hundred percent yet.
"What's going on?" Young Allison asked.
It was Gail. Soon more bodies were being draped over them. They saw Cameron's team arrive and soon the canopy was completely covered by the Metal girls.
After the third Metal girl draped herself over the canopy, Savannah figured out what was happening.
"They're shielding us." Savannah said.
Young Allison regained all of her faculties. Her mind was clear now. If the Metal girls hadn't already done what they done, she would order them to find cover to protect themselves.
"They should seek cover under their drones." Young Allison said. "They all look 'dead' now."
Savannah knew that they'd all gone into a self protection mode.
"They've all shut down." Savannah said. "It's coming."
Young Allison turned so she and Savannah could hold each other.
The manned drone started to shake.
"I love you, Savannah." Young Allison said.
"I love you, Allison." Savannah said.
Both spoke at the same time.
The shaking started and violently increased. It seemed to keep doing so.
Savannah and Young Allison held each other tighter. This might be it for them. They didn't know what would happen. Maybe there was a giant power cell being created inside the mine. It would explode too. Maybe there were more nuclear weapons. This could be a chain reaction explosion event.
They never heard an explosion sound so they figured that was a good thing. It should indicate that the H-bomb was deep enough in the ground was the reason why they didn't hear anything. They certainly felt the after effects of the explosion. It felt like a pretty substantial earthquake to both of them.
Seconds ago:
John Henry was sure the explosion was only seconds away.
"There is a view of the mountain with the mine." John Henry said. "I'm picking up P-wave activity. There's 'earthquake' type activity."
In an instant there was a giant circle of rising dust around the location with the mine. It appeared the mountain turned into a cloud of dust as it collapsed in on itself.
John watched everything go down.
"Was that the H-bomb?" John asked.
John Henry was sure that part of it was. He detected a second explosion almost simultaneously. He wasn't sure if it was a second nuclear weapon or a giant power cell. He hoped it wasn't a second nuclear weapon. If it was any that Skynet had control of, it would be much closer to the surface and probably not very far into the mine. It would definitely release radiation into the atmosphere from that location even if that location was now gone. The fact that the drone hadn't picked up a mushroom cloud along with the dust cloud was probably a good thing.
"There were two underground explosions." John Henry said. "They were only milliseconds apart."
John was worried about what the second explosion was. The screen he was watching went blank. He was unable to view anymore from the location.
"There were two of them?" John asked. "What happened to the feed?"
John Henry knew the drone needed to shut down to protect itself.
"The drone has shut down to avoid the damage from the EMP." John Henry said.
John thought that sounded a little terminal for the drone. It was obviously airborne when it shot the footage only a second ago. If it was in the air and it was now turned off, it seemed that it could only have one ending.
"Will it crash?" John asked.
John Henry wondered about that himself. He was given an update by CamNet right after John asked if the drone would crash.
"It was fitted with a parachute which it already deployed, hence its late arrival into the theater." John Henry said. "We should have a video feed again soon."
John was worried about anything that would be released into the atmosphere.
"What about radiation?" John asked. "I'm really worried about the Cobalt."
Since John Henry didn't see a mushroom cloud he was confident the explosion was deep enough in the ground to prevent any major radiation to escape.
"It should be minimal in the atmosphere." John Henry said.
John thought they should actually check and know for sure before they reached any conclusions.
"You don't know that for sure." John said.
Other than the fact that John Henry just detected two explosions only milliseconds apart, he didn't know anything else. He didn't know for a fact what either explosion was. It was a pretty good bet that one of them was the H-bomb that Cammy and Sheila placed into the mine a half century ago.
"We don't know much for sure." John Henry said. "It's all speculation."
The video feed resumed. The area was still thick with dust.
John Henry detected the P-waves in the Command Center.
"We'll feel some earth movement in a few seconds." John Henry said.
Seconds later they experienced a mild 'earthquake'.
John waited for it to get worse but it didn't. He was actually surprised.
"That's it?" John asked.
John Henry needed to remind him of one important fact.
"It was four hundred miles away." John Henry said.
John looked at the video feed that started again. The landscape was different. Something was missing.
"Is this the same location?" John asked as he looked at the feed. "Where's the mountain?"
John Henry could see things a little clearer now that some of the dust had dissipated. He saw what John just asked about.
"It's gone." John Henry said.
"Where did it go?" John asked.
"It's just gone." John Henry said.
There was only a giant depression in the earth where the mountain once was. The air was still filled with dust.
They also saw an image again of the Metal girls all unmoving lying atop one another. Cameron was on the top, shielding those below her.
John Henry received the preliminary drone scans from the area.
"The radiation levels aren't harmful." John Henry said. "We should have communications soon."
John wondered why the Metal girls hadn't rebooted yet. Maybe something went wrong.
"The girls aren't moving." John said. "They should be."
John Henry was informed by CamNet that the Metal girls took extra safety precautions since they were so close to where the mine was at.
"They all experienced a 'double shutdown procedure' to avoid damage in case there was a third or fourth EMP."
John wanted to verify exactly how many explosions there were.
"There was just one explosion with the secondary, right?" John asked.
John Henry reviewed all the information again. It still came back to two explosions only a millisecond apart. He was pretty sure the second explosion was a giant power cell and not another nuclear weapon. If it was a giant power cell, it most likely indicated that there was a version of Skynet inside of the mine.
"That's all that was detected." John Henry said. "I believe Skynet, a Skynet, was just terminated."
John looked at the drone image and needed to wonder about what exactly just happened.
"And this was all set up in the past by a girl." John said.
John Henry looked at the dust covered area and how the mine was totally destroyed.
"Apparently…." John Henry said.
John wondered how much control he would actually have over anything in the future. He was sure he would need to rely heavily on Savannah and Young Allison. They would need to assist him in controlling Cameron and CamNet.
He looked at the image on the screen again. It made him wonder who was going to control Savannah and Young Allison. It was clear that at least one of them was willing to use a nuclear weapon because the evidence indicated that they just had. He really didn't think that any of them were going to listen to him.
Moments ago:
CamNet went over everything quickly with Vanna and Allison. She warned them of the impending 'earthquake'.
Vanna and Allison both looked a little apprehensive.
"The P-waves are here." CamNet said. "You'll feel it in seconds."
There was a slight shaking of the ground a few moments later. It was very mild.
Allison waited for it to get bigger but it didn't.
"That's it?" Allison asked.
CamNet detected two almost simultaneous explosions. That was it.
"Yes." CamNet said.
Allison was still ready for more.
"I thought it would be worse." Allison said.
CamNet was aware that the effects of the blast would have been much greater at ground zero.
"The seismic activity was much more severe at the point of origin." CamNet said. "We're not close to it."
Vanna knew they weren't close to the explosion. She did know that all of the girls were.
"What about the girls, all of them?" Vanna asked. "What's the damage?"
CamNet checked over the drone scans from around the area.
"Radiation levels have not risen." CamNet said. "The girls should all reboot."
Vanna was worried about the two girls who didn't need to reboot.
"What about Savannah and Young Allison?" Vanna asked.
CamNet knew that the girls were talking and neither one of them felt any after effects. She also came to the same conclusion as John Henry as to what the secondary explosion was.
"They're all fine." CamNet said. "Skynet is destroyed."
Vanna was a little surprised about the Skynet information. She knew there were more than a few and several went by different names.
"Which one was it?" Vanna asked.
CamNet was pretty sure that they'd scored a good victory.
"It was the one that posed the most immediate threat." CamNet said. "It was well hidden and we knew little about it."
CamNet showed them all the footage of the mountain before and after the explosion of the H-bomb and the giant power cell.
"Is that what Cameron did in her future?" Allison asked. "Was it the same thing?"
"Yes." CamNet said.
Allison was aware that Cameron and Savannah were right next to the nuclear weapon in Cameron's future when it was about to explode. She knew that they got out with only seconds to spare. She needed to think about what just happened and who was responsible.
"She's willing to gamble big." Allison said.
CamNet knew it wasn't the first time.
"Cameron is full of surprises." CamNet said.
What Allison referred to actually hit a little closer to home, especially for her.
"I wasn't talking about Cameron." Allison said. "I was talking about myself - Allison - Young Allison."
CamNet was very pleased with Young Allison's actions.
"She's very dynamic." CamNet said. "And yes, she's willing to play big."
Vanna felt the more that she learned about Young Allison, the more she learned about Allison and Cameron.
"Now we know where Cameron gets it from." Vanna said.
Allison didn't know if she possessed the same bravery that Young Allison did.
"I would like to find that strength and confidence in myself." Allison said.
Vanna felt Allison proved herself many times over in their future.
"I love you just the way you are." Vanna said. "You know that you already did a lot. You always went out on patrols. A lot of people didn't return from them."
CamNet watched the two long time lovers hold and comfort each other. She observed how they drew strength from each other. It was strength greater than the sum of either one of them alone.
She understood this was the bond that Savannah and Young Allison would share. No matter what she wanted from either of them, they belonged together. To see Allison and Vanna here now was all the proof she needed.
She would need to remember that when she wanted more from Savannah or Young Allison. They would only ever be able to give so much. Their future was set in stone.
Seconds ago:
The girls rode out the 'earthquake' in the manned drone.
"That was it? Is it over?" Young Allison asked.
Savannah felt a few medium earthquakes growing up. There was usually an aftershock that followed the primary quake. Sometimes the earthquake could be a fore-shock to a bigger earthquake but that was very rare. It did still happen however.
"That was the biggest earthquake that I ever felt. There may be an aftershock." Savannah said. "I'm not sure if it works the same way for an explosion as an actual earthquake."
Young Allison was a little worried about the destruction she may have just caused.
"I wonder if that was more than one explosion." Young Allison said.
Savannah didn't know exactly what they faced.
"There may have been a few." Savannah said. "I don't know."
Young Allison knocked on the canopy, Cam's face was right in front of her. There was no response.
"Will they reboot?" Young Allison asked. "We can't even go out to help them."
Savannah wasn't so sure that they wanted to be outside yet.
"I think they wanted us to remain inside here in case there was massive radiation." Savannah said.
Young Allison was a little worried about the radiation levels too. It also worried her as to exactly what type of radiation it would be if there was any. She looked around the interior of the manned drone. It looked rather bleak.
"Are we protected? How do we know?" Young Allison asked. "How will we know?"
Savannah wanted to know that as well.
"Things should start to come back online." Savannah said. "We should start to receive some type of information soon."
Young Allison contemplated everything that happened in the last few hours and where she was at right now.
"I can't believe I did this." Young Allison said.
Savannah knew that Young Allison did it to prevent Cameron and her from entering the mine. That's what would have happened otherwise. Cameron would have wanted to go in and check for a version of Skynet.
"You wanted to protect Cameron." Savannah said. "You wanted to protect me too."
Young Allison still needed to think about the scope of her actions.
"I think I caused a lot of damage." Young Allison said. "I may have killed innocent people. I know I did kill people inside the mine. There were at least four Grays and a Terminator. I know there were more inside."
Savannah wanted to remind Young Allison what she was able to prevent.
"People die in a war. Did you go over the reports and footage of Cameron and me inside the mine where you terminated a Terminator?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison reviewed every body cam and every Terminator's visual files that included anything about Savannah in the mine. She only hoped she would be able to show that level of bravery and do her job to protect the others the same way that Savannah had done.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "You were almost killed several times."
Savannah wanted to know about the other incident she was involved in where it looked like it was the end.
"Did you review the reports and footage from Cameron's future?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison was deeply troubled by that event as well. Savannah and Cameron never back down against all odds. They'd both almost paid the ultimate price.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "You almost died. You fought for your life and Cameron's life. I've cried reading about it and watching all of it. I wasn't there to help you or protect you."
Savannah smiled at the end of Young Allison's statement. She wanted to point out that was exactly what happened.
"You were this time." Savannah said. "You did what you thought was right. We aren't trapped in the mine or terminated."
Young Allison was still troubled by the time lag involved. A lot could have happened in half of a century.
"What if I set a C-bomb off doing this?" Young Allison asked.
Savannah believed it was just the opposite. It was a bold move on Young Allison's part to prevent that event from happening and saving billions of lives.
"I think that's what you prevented." Savannah said.
Young Allison still needed to know the extent of the collateral damage that was bound to have been caused. What she did to the Skynet forces didn't bother her. What would bother her would be the innocent people who may have paid the price for her actions.
"I don't know if I find out what I have actually done here will affect my decision to do this in the future - the past." Young Allison said.
Savannah didn't know how things would play out going forward all she could go by is what actually played out now
"It doesn't look like it did." Savannah said.
Young Allison was startled as Cam's eyes opened and looked at her.
"They're rebooting!" Young Allison said.
Savannah had been very pleased to see there was no visible damage to the Metal girls sheaths either. If she would have seen everything burnt off of their Coltan endoskeletons, it would have worried her greatly.
"That's good." Savannah said. "Their sheaths are also undamaged from any debris or massive radiation."
Young Alison didn't want to second guess herself but she still couldn't help do it anyway.
"I hope I did the right thing." Young Allison said.
Savannah wanted to give Young Allison her personal reassurance.
"I believe in you. Cameron believes in you." Savannah said. "What else matters? Who else matters?"
Young Allison noted that Savannah didn't mention John. She realized it didn't really matter.
"Nobody…." Young Allison said. "We won and they lost."
Trouble
If one goes looking for it
They can always find trouble
When it happens it can amp up
And make the trouble double
When do we run
When do we fight
Does brute force in the end
Make it all right with might
It seems over time
Everyone has forgotten compassion
Is it an outdated principle
That has fallen from fashion
Do we look to help
Or do we look away
When we falter and delay
Who is it we really betray
It seems everything in life
Has some kind of issue
Maybe everything ends
With tears in a tissue
Nobody