Chapter 619
Dust Cloud
Cammy waited and listened. She was sure there was only one Terminator. She heard the double clang of metal on metal and the sound of the hoist moving.
She pressed with her back and pushed with her foot. The front and top came off the crate as she stood. The sides fell off outwards at almost the same time. Only the back stayed upright because it rested against another crate.
Cammy figured she must look like some crazy armed 'Jack In The Box' popping out of the crate like that. That should surprise anyone, even a Terminator. Those few precious milliseconds would give her the advantage.
The Terminator worked the hoist and turned to look at the sound of a crate coming apart. He was unsure as to what happened or why. He was slow to react when he saw a 'Metal Bitch' standing there. She seemed to appear from nowhere. He barely had any time to reflect that this must be the 'Metal Bitch' that hunted Skynet throughout time.
Cammy fired her Taser and struck him. He went down. The sound of the metal cage now in free fall drew closer. It hit the bottom with a loud crash. The crate that was on it splintered and flew off to the side.
She already searched around her for more targets. None were apparent. Once she determined it was clear, she moved forward and pulled the Terminators chip. There could be more Terminators elsewhere or Grays somewhere else. The noise of the cage impacting the ground was bound to draw some attention if anyone was around.
Trouble came soon enough. There was a light bouncing around.
"It was over here." The first Gray said.
There was the sound of running footsteps.
"Where's the big guy?" The second Gray asked.
The Grays looked at the metal cage and the splintered crate. They saw the Terminator on the ground.
"I think the cage fell on him." The first Gray said.
They stooped down to look at him.
"Is he dead?" The second Gray asked.
"He was never alive." The first Gray said.
"Too bad it wasn't that 'Metal Bitch'." The second Gray said. "We could have copped a feel."
The first Gray laughed.
"You would think that." The first Gray said.
They looked at the Terminator further.
They both noticed his chip port was open.
The two Grays looked at each other and went to stand.
They turned around and saw two red eyes in the gloom.
Cammy slammed their heads together. Both of their skulls fractured. She tossed the lifeless forms off to the side.
She made a quick circle of the area to see what else was happening around there. She didn't spot anyone else. There were a number of crates. Most of them weren't opened yet. The set up of the main-frame seemed to have already begun but nothing was hooked up yet. That was a good thing, she hoped.
This was 'a Skynet' in the making for sure. Nothing was ready yet for it to be activated. Now with the power cut it never would be. She knew this location was headed for nuclear destruction.
Cammy thought there should be more Terminators around there and certainly more Grays. She checked a second time and still came up empty.
She looked up the shaft that the cage crashed down in and called up to Al.
"I'm OK." Cammy said. "There was only one Terminator and two Grays. I'm sending the Terminator up. Have Frank take him to where Ed is at and have Tom retrieve the Terminator that Cameron took down earlier. Start questioning the prisoners. I'll look around further and climb back up."
Al was glad that Cammy was OK. He'd begun to wonder if he needed to go down there himself. It sounded like things were under control.
"Affirmative…." Al said.
Cammy shoved the rest of shattered crate with its smashed contents out of the cage. She loaded the Terminator in the cage and sent it back up.
Now it was time for her to explore and determine what else was down there. She especially wanted to see where the power cables came in at. This place reminded her a lot of the last Skynet facility that she'd encountered with Cameron and Savannah in Cameron's future.
Cammy looked for the best location for Cameron to place one of her Nike warheads at. She knew this place was going to need one. She wasn't going to tell Savannah unless she asked specifically. She knew Savannah wouldn't approve of the use of nuclear weapons this close to the city. There was enough of the mountain above her at her current depth to contain the blast and most of the radiation. The nuclear blast would create a cavity and the mountain would collapse in on itself. Everything would be buried under thousands of tons of rock and earth.
She knew the real trick was not to be around there when that happened.
Savannah watched as Ed returned the Gray he'd taken away for interrogation. He dumped his unmoving bound form on the floor next to the other four Grays.
Ed reached down and grabbed the next one by the neck and stood him on his feet.
"Walk or die." Ed said as he prepared lead him away.
"You three…." Ed said. 'You move - you die. You look around – you die. You talk - you die. You lie – you die."
Not long after Ed left, Al returned and dumped another Terminator with the three already there. He took away another prisoner.
Al reached down and picked one up by the neck and stood him on his feet.
"Walk or die." Al said as he prepared lead him away.
"You two…." Al said. "You move - you die. You look around – you die. You talk - you die. You lie – you die."
Savannah wasn't sure if the first man was still alive. She didn't bother to check. She knew they would all be terminated anyway. It didn't really matter. She wondered if Cameron would ask her to do it. If Cameron asked her, she would. She wouldn't volunteer to do it otherwise.
She'd killed more than a few times. It was usually combat related. She'd also killed in cold blood before. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Tom and Frank appeared with another deactivated Terminator and dumped it with the other four Terminators. Frank looked at the two unquestioned Grays.
Frank reached down and picked one up by the neck and stood him on his feet.
"Walk or die." Frank said as he prepared lead him away.
There was only one unquestioned Gray left. Frank looked at him.
"You…." Frank said. 'You move - you die. You look around – you die. You talk - you die. You lie – you die."
Savannah didn't like that Cameron was still away and alone. She wanted to go to her herself. She was also worried about Cammy being down in a shaft somewhere. She still needed to guard one prisoner. Tom would better be able to help Cammy in a fight. Most of the areas were still in total darkness. She was in one of the few that possessed some emergency lighting.
"Tom, go to where Cammy's at." Savannah said. "I don't want her to wander off wherever she's at."
He looked at the bound prisoners and at Savannah holding her Glock and Taser. He nodded and left.
The remaining unquestioned Gray looked at his fallen comrade. He was still breathing but unconscious.
Savannah moved close to the Gray. She released his gag and moved away from him.
"I guess that leaves you and me." Savannah said.
The Gray knew he was in a jam.
"You're nothing but another bed warmer to me." The Gray said. "I have nothing to say to you."
Savannah pulled her knife out.
"Then you don't need a tongue." Savannah said as she moved closer to him. "Or anything else…."
Savannah was angry now. If there wasn't the possibility of getting any information, she would kill him herself. She was tired of fooling around.
Ed returned and dumped the body of the second Gray next to the first. He reached for the remaining Gray.
Savannah looked at the Gray with fire in her eyes.
Ed reached down and picked him up by the neck and stood him on his feet.
"Talk or die." Ed said.
Ed looked at the knife in Savannah's hand. He could see she was angry. He didn't know what occurred a short time ago.
"If he doesn't want to talk, make him." Savannah said. "Get the information. I don't care how."
Savannah walked back to the cavern that Cameron returned to. It seemed even hotter going that way than it did before.
She waited to hear the last Gray scream as she walked away but he didn't. He must have decided it was better to have a tongue….
Savannah reflected on the surge of anger that flooded through her. She wanted to do the things that Jesse had done before and now Sheila did and enjoyed doing. She didn't feel troubled or guilty about it either. She knew how female prisoners were treated in the future. She'd seen the beds where females in the present were abducted and abused by the Grays in this time period.
She knew that she could 'order' that all Grays receive 'enhanced interrogation' upon capture. She was still angry. It was an interesting prospect.
Savannah decided she would volunteer to kill all the Grays herself when Cameron came back. They served an evil master and needed to pay the price. She would collect it.
Cameron looked for the source of the heat. She'd started to make detailed scans of the equipment she found in the cavern as she searched. She documented everything. If they could build a better TDE that could send 'anything' that would be a big breakthrough.
She felt the heat sensation increase. She found one area where most of it came from.
The heat came out of the conduit the power cables emerged from in the rock. She thought about ripping the heavy wires out to make space. There still wouldn't be enough room for her to squeeze through to follow them.
Cameron decided she'd seen enough in this room. She wanted to check on what the two Grays were doing when they arrived.
Savannah moved through the dimly lit tunnel from the one cavern to the one that Cameron went to.
"Cameron." Savannah called ahead.
Savannah didn't want to spook Cameron and get Tasered or shot.
Cameron didn't like Savannah by herself.
"I'm in here." Cameron said.
Savannah entered the cavern and looked around but didn't see her at first.
"I'm down here." Cameron said.
Savannah looked to the area where the Gray that was working on the floor was at. There was a small tunnel. Cameron was inside of it.
Cameron heard something from that small tunnel area. She thought it was constructed for larger power cables. She didn't know for sure.
"I think there was another Gray or a Terminator inside of this small passageway. I'm going after them." Cameron said. "I can hear them in the distance."
Savannah knew Cammy was in another cavern and went down a shaft to a lower level. She didn't want any 'friendly fire'.
"Is there any chance that it can be Cammy?" Savannah asked.
Cameron remembered the direction that Cammy went. It wasn't her.
"No." Cameron said. "This goes the other direction. It goes back the way we came. It's full of wires and electrical cables."
Savannah didn't want Cameron to go off alone. If she'd known Cameron was Tasered earlier, she wouldn't allow her to go at all. She wanted to support Cameron.
"I'll follow you." Savannah said.
Cameron frowned. She space was tight and cramped. It could get narrower the further it moved away from the cavern they were in.
"No, you'll have to take off your vest and gear." Cameron said.
Savannah noted Cameron already did that herself. It reminded her of her recent encounter with the HK Track where she'd sought refuge in a maintenance access trench in the floor.
There was a slight vibration. It seemed everything shook some.
Cameron quickly scrambled out of the small tunnel she'd started to go into.
She grabbed her vest and Savannah. She physically lifted her away from where she was standing. She ran back into the tunnel that led to the cavern where they left the prisoners.
There was the sound of an explosion and a cloud of dust and smoke came out of the small tunnel. There was a small earthquake sensation.
Savannah was unsure of all that just occurred.
"What happened?" Savannah asked.
It all went down so quickly.
Cameron didn't know for sure but she thought she might know.
"I think someone just blew up that tunnel and maybe the way out too." Cameron said.
Savannah knew that was bad news but something more immediate concerned her.
"Cammy…." Savannah said.
Cammy felt and heard the muffled explosion. There was a small earthquake feeling. Her first concern was for Savannah.
She quickly abandoned her search and started climbing up the cable for the hoist to get back to the main level.
As she started going up she heard rock crack and snap. Soon there was a cloud of dust around her. She increased the speed of her climb.
There was a cave-in occurring below her as she climbed. She wasn't sure how this was about to end. It looked pretty 'iffy' right now. She went up the cable as fast as she could move.
John Henry was alerted by his server of a new anomaly. It wasn't a good sign based on the area it originated from.
"John, there's been some kind of explosion in the mine." John Henry said.
John hoped it wasn't nuclear. He needed to clam himself some.
"Are any of our people out yet?" John asked.
There was no indication of that occurrence or any additional communications.
"Negative." John Henry said.
John knew he needed to ask it. He feared the worst.
"How big of an explosion and what type was it?" John asked.
John Henry could understand the seriousness of the report from Dan.
"Dan's reported the tunnel entrance that the teams went in at has collapsed. The route is blocked." John Henry said. "No one made it out. They appear to be trapped inside."
John Henry saw the look of worry on John's face. He knew that John was hesitant to ask.
"It wasn't nuclear." John Henry said. "I don't believe it was done by Cameron or any of our teams. There were most likely Grays and Terminators inside the mine too."
John was relived it wasn't a nuclear explosion. They team would be terminated if it was. That didn't lessen the impact of what else may have occurred.
"They could be buried under tons of rock and earth." John said.
John Henry already came to a different conclusion. It seemed to be more of a defensive measure as opposed to an offensive one.
"It may have been a controlled blast to seal the entrance. It would be done to protect those inside." John Henry said. "It was something done for the Skynet forces and Grays it was intended to protect."
John Henry figured that once Skynet was up and running and everything was established that the closure of the entrance would have occurred then. Skynet would've been buried deep and sealed in it's own bunker where no one could get to it or even find it.
John weighed the options. There were several Terminator strike forces in the area. That was a lot of manpower or machine power in this case.
"I want all our people to start an excavation project now." John said.
John Henry could see this for what it was.
"No." John Henry said.
John was already irritated. John Henry's answer made him more so.
"What?" John asked.
John Henry didn't want to make the same mistake they'd made before.
"We'll repeat the 'Day Of Loss' again if we do." John Henry said.
John understood the warning. There weren't many choices.
"So what do we do?" John asked. "Pull out?"
John Henry didn't have a definitive answer.
"That's one option." John Henry said.
John needed a better answer. He looked at the images of the mine area that were on his monitors.
"Do you have any better ones?" John asked. "There was no other way in or out of there."
John Henry could think of one right away.
"There is the conduit the power cable runs through." John Henry said.
John thought about that. It might be a more stable route. It might be a 'back door'.
"That may be our quickest route." John said. "We can remove the power lines and enlarge it as we go along."
John Henry mulled over another idea.
"That's another option." John Henry said.
John was confused. What else was there?
"Is there any other option?" John asked.
John Henry wasn't sure.
"Perhaps…." John Henry said.
Ally and Sheila were after the white van. They needed to stop it and question the Grays. They suspected that there was at least one Terminator that left the building with the Grays in the white van. They needed to know where that Terminator went and what they were up to.
CamNet sent one Terminator to assist them and retrieve the hard drives that were taken from the other buildings.
Ally began to think about what they were doing.
"Wait." Ally said. "This is a set up."
Sheila was on an intercept course.
"What are you talking about?" Sheila asked. "We'll be there in four minutes."
Ally was worried.
"The Terminator is going to sacrifice the Grays to draw us out." Ally said.
That didn't make sense to Sheila.
"Then why didn't he or them take us at the building?" Sheila asked.
Ally looked in the back at all the things they'd confiscated.
"He wants everything we have back or destroyed." Ally said.
Sheila thought about it for a few seconds. She left off of the gas. She made a power turn and went down an alley. She checked her rear view mirror.
"I hope there are no HK drones around here." Sheila said.
Ally conveyed her suspicions to CamNet and told her to have her Terminator take evasive action. CamNet told them the sky was clear of any HK drones. She also filled them in on the bad news from the mine.
"Can we dig them out?" Sheila asked.
CamNet informed them that John and John Henry started work on a few things.
"None of this sounds promising." Ally said.
Sheila really wanted some answers now.
"We need to hand off what we have to CamNet." Sheila said.
Ally knew what was next but she wanted to hear Sheila say it.
"Then what will happen." Ally asked.
"We still need to get some answers and those Grays are the best bet." Sheila said.
Ally didn't think it was that simple anymore.
"What about the Terminator associated with them?" Ally asked. "He'll blow them up to get to us."
The Metal girls needed to rethink their options.
I Am
I AM the Owner
Am I in control
How was I so ignorant
To allow my life to be stole
I AM the Master
To my mind but a slave
How is it possible
This power to them I gave
I AM the Captain
I should be renown
Everyone else to the lifeboats
With my ship MUST I go down
I AM the Boss
My heart and mind without power
How do I NOT just quit
From life I cringe and cower
I AM the Queen
Yet have no realm
How time destroys the mind
Life crushes and can overwhelm
Nobody