Chapter 627
Cave In
Cameron, Savannah and Cammy were all reunited.
Savannah did another check on Cameron.
Cameron already rebooted and was back online. She felt that she didn't need to be checked again.
"I'm fine." Cameron said.
Savannah could see that Cameron was a little irritated about the extra concern for her.
"Now you know how we feel." Savannah said.
Savannah referred to the human females always being scanned by Terminators. It was almost like part of saying 'Hello'. It seemed to cause the Metal girls distress if the humans didn't want to be scanned. Maybe it would be better if they weren't scanned so often. It was a little invasive at times.
Cammy wanted to get moving. The instability of the opening into the area were the mine tracks were located worried her. She quickly led them back to where she hoped the opening was still at. Savannah followed her and Cameron brought up the rear.
Cameron and Cammy could both hear rocks being moved as they approached. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. It could mean that the opening closed up again.
They were pleased to see that Tom was able to make an opening large enough for them to fit through with all of their gear on.
Cammy went through first. Cameron helped Savannah up the pile of rocks and Cammy helped Savannah down the other side.
Cameron followed them through last. She took one last look at the passageway. Earlier she'd wondered if that was going to be her tomb. It wasn't. She came down the rocks and joined Cammy, Savannah and Tom.
Tom gathered his gear and joined them. As they moved away, they heard the area behind them cave in again. They could feel the ground vibrate and there was a dull 'rumble' sound. There was a larger cloud of dust as well. It sounded like the biggest cave in of them all. They quickly moved down the tracks. This time the cave in was clearly more massive and the new dust cloud pursued them.
They headed down the tracks. There were many more rocks and boulders on the tracks now as well. It was clear the entire mine was destabilized. A giant rock crashed down between Cameron and Tom. The rail line was smashed flat at the impact site. He quickly climbed over it.
They soon reached the trestle. In the light of the two lanterns it showed a noticeable sag in it now and the tilt seemed to have increased even further.
Savannah urged them ahead. She knew the Terminators would be more agile on the rocking structure. She hoped they could give it more stability at the other side.
"Keep going, Cammy." Savannah said. "Tom, you follow her and help Cammy stabilize the far end. That's where most of the tilt is at. It looks like it's going to break off there. Maybe you can hold it or push it back some when we cross."
Cammy made it across and Tom followed her. There was another loud 'crack' sound and a large timber fell from the trestle and shattered into splinters as it hit the other wooden supports. More timbers fell from the aged trestle as they crossed. At the far side they both stabilized the trestle. They hoped to keep it from tipping over sideways. It seemed it may collapse in on itself first with the additional sag that developed.
Cameron moved up behind Savannah.
"Go, Savannah." Cameron said.
Savannah went across. She could feel the trestle rock and sway. She didn't even want to turn her head to make sure Cameron was behind her. She made it across and looked back. She was a little worried that Cameron hadn't followed her.
"Come on, Cameron." Savannah said.
Cameron waited until Savannah was off and followed her. More wood fell as she ran across. From the bottom of the trestle there were loud 'crack' sounds. She almost fell over the side of the leaning trestle as it dropped down two feet. She kept her balance and footing and made it to the other side.
As soon as Tom and Cammy released the end of the trestle a section fell out of it in a shower of rotted splinters. The sagging rails hung unsupported in the air for a twenty foot section. It was an eerie sight. The rusted bolts holding the rails together would probably snap soon.
Cammy led the team down the tracks to where the steel tubing was at that protruded into the tunnel. They were almost out. They should be able to scramble through and be out the other side in just seconds. She looked down pipe and couldn't see through it. She held the light up to look again. The far end was blocked by dirt….
What the Hell?
Earlier:
The bulldozer and 'skip loader' turned on their lights to make things easier to see for those in the Command Center. One thing that the extra illumination seemed to highlight was the instability of the hillside.
Bob noticed small rivulets of dirt coming down both sides of the hill around the pipe. They seemed to get bigger. He motioned for the 'skip-loader' to pull back. He didn't want it buried. He took one last look through the steel pipe and saw or heard nothing. He did see and feel that the rivulets of dirt were much wider and seemed to move faster now.
"This section of the hill is going to come down." Bob said.
Rocks started to roll past those on the ground. The deactivated Terminators were quickly removed.
Bob called for the bulldozer to lift its blade and touch it against the end of the pipe to hold it in place. He hoped it would also keep it from being filled with dirt. Maybe everything would be swept away. Landslides could generate a lot of force as tons of earth and rocks moved.
No sooner than the operator did that with the bulldozer than there was a rumble of the ground and everything shook some. A large section of earth broke free. It cascaded down over the area where they'd been working. Terminators scrambled in all directions. The exit was now blocked with unstable dirt. The bulldozer was about two thirds buried. It appeared to have been pushed backwards as well by about ten feet. It didn't look promising. The entire landscape around them was now different.
In the Command Center they all saw the frantic scrambling of Terminators in the gloom of the lights from the skip-loader and bulldozer. There was some confusion as to what happened. Then there was only a large cloud of dust and the image was obscured.
John wasn't sure what was going on.
"What just happened?" John asked.
John Henry received an update from Bob.
"There's been a small landslide." John Henry said.
John was on his feet again. The team needed a way out and that was the only way.
"We need to get that pipe opened up." John said. "It's their only way out."
John Henry didn't want John to get worked up.
"Perhaps they've found another way." John Henry said.
They both knew that they hadn't.
John paced back and forth.
"I need to go there." John said.
John Henry knew that would only slow and delay the rescue effort. John's presence would actually endanger the people inside.
"You being there will change nothing." John Henry said. "It will only endanger you and endanger those around you who will protect you. You'll draw off the help the girls need."
John felt frustrated and powerless.
"I just feel that I need to…." John started.
John Henry received a disturbing report. It was their worst fear.
"We have enemy contact." John Henry interrupted.
John felt his heart sink even lower. He didn't think that was possible. Evidently it was.
"Not now." John said. "What is it and how many?"
John Henry was pleased that the listening post or LP technique that Cameron suggested to protect the Connor camp in the future played out here as it was intended there.
"The northern LP has detected two HK drones flying at tree top level." John Henry said. "They didn't have time to fire on them. They were low and fast. They only heard them and calculated the direction."
John was glad there were two drones near the mine.
"Scramble the two drones in the gravel pit." John said.
John Henry checked the current flight path the HK drones were on. They might draw a big break.
"The current path of the hostile HK drones will take them almost over the top of the gravel pit." John Henry said. "I suggest we leave ours there and they can fire on the HK drones without being detected first. They are both hot and ready to fire. The hostile HK drones won't have time for evasive maneuvers."
That sounded like the only 'plus' to John. He doubted there were only two HK drones headed to the mine.
"There has to be more." John said. "There must be other things too."
John Henry received new information. It wasn't good news either.
"There are…." John Henry said.
John looked at the monitors.
"Beautiful." John said.
John Henry was prepared for what their drones on patrol just found. He wasn't sure about the two that appeared from nowhere right on the deck.
"The drones on patrol have made contact as well." John Henry said. "This is what was expected."
John looked at the satellite overlay. Everything looked confusing.
"Which ones have made contact?" John asked. "Everything is lit up."
John Henry was very worried. It was worse than he'd imagined.
"It's ALL of them." John Henry said. "It looks like a full on assault."
They all knew this would effectively end the rescue efforts as the Resistance Terminators now prepared to defend themselves. Where this new threat would lead was unknown. It looked even worse for the girls and Tom now.
At the rescue scene they received the bad news.
Bob was dismayed that things just went from bad to worse. He needed to get his troops ready to fight.
"We have incoming HK drones." Bob said.
They'd all heard the reports.
The Terminators traded their digging equipment for weapons and dispersed. They were ready for an HK drone attack. Everyone moved away from the nearly buried bulldozer and skip-loader. They were sure to be targets.
They waited in the darkness as they searched for the enemy. The only sound in the quite dark night was the sound of dirt and rocks still sliding down at the rescue site.
They all knew if that site was attacked. Half the hill could cover the escape route, Tom, Savannah, Cameron and Cammy would be doomed….
Things in the Command Center seemed to take a note for the worse.
"Drone Three has detected a UH-1 Iroquois. The 'Huey' is on an approach course for the mine." John Henry said.
John figured there was a force of Grays about to arrive.
"That means troops." John said. "What else do you have?"
It looked like the Grays planned more than one approach.
"There are two vehicles headed for the mine from the north entrance on the road." John Henry said. "It's most likely more troops."
John still saw the HK drones as the biggest threat for his troops on the ground.
"Have there been any more HK drones spotted?" John asked.
John Henry just confirmed a radar hit.
"There is one coming in at high altitude from the south." John Henry said. "It may be doing reconnaissance."
John knew that missiles could travel for miles.
"It's still a threat." John said.
"The security detail that's covering the drones in the gravel pit just reported our drones have taken down the two low flying HK drones." John Henry said. "They have both crashed into the gravel pit and our drones have scrambled."
John believed their drones were their biggest asset right now. They were very close to the mine. It was a good idea to stage them in the gravel pit earlier. It served as a forward tactical base. He needed his ground troops to be ready.
"Has anything slipped by on the ground?" John asked.
John Henry still showed only the two vehicles on the northern approach to the mine.
"Nothing else has been detected." John Henry said.
John wanted to continue to strike first. They'd already scored first blood with the two HK drones that were shot down over the gravel pit.
"Bring down the chopper and the remaining HK drone now." John said.
More assets already were scrambled from the Resistance base.
"The remaining HK drone has been neutralized." A female voice said. "I'm searching for more targets."
John was a little surprised to hear the pilot's voice.
"Gail?" John asked.
Gail wanted to go to where Savannah was at earlier. She would have dug with her hands if she needed to. John was strict on only ten of their troops at the rescue site. She'd thought of a way around that restriction where she could still offer direct support.
"Affirmative…." Gail said. "I took the manned drone up. I asked John Henry. Savannah needs my help. The others do too."
Everyone knew Gail was 'sweet' on Savannah. It seemed to be even more so than the rest of them were.
That left the two vehicles on the ground and the UH-1 for John to deal with. He needed to think about the clean up that would be needed later on. They needed to recover the HK drone that Gail just flamed. She gave instructions as to where it was shot down at. She'd made sure it would go down in a secluded spot.
"Take the hostile vehicles with miniguns." John said.
They watched the drone footage of one drone as it stalked each vehicle. The vehicles were both 'lit up' at the same time. The two vehicles both went out of control and crashed. The drones waited for any targets to emerge from the shot up wreckage. None appeared.
John wanted to make sure.
"Hit them again." John said. "It's the only way to be sure."
Both vehicles received additional minigun fire.
John Henry noted a new development
"The hostile helicopter has turned to run." John Henry said.
Gail already closed on the target she was high over its six.
"I have it locked." Gail reported. "I'm going to flame it."
John hoped to come up with a location from where the Grays came from. They needed to have a base or staging area. He was made aware earlier that Sheila and Ally took down several Gray locations and a crew sent out to attack them. They'd been busy.
"Let it go for now." John said. "Follow it from altitude."
John hoped it may lead them back to where it came from. That would give them additional targets. If they found a base, he was would call in a full drone strike. He asked John Henry to have the drones in storage at the outlying areas be readied to participate. It would be a maximum effort response. They were to hold until a target area was identified.
John Henry wasn't surprised to see that there were twenty that were ready to go. CamNet anticipated the strike. He wanted to give Gail some 'protection' as well.
"Gail, I'm sending a drone to accompany you." John Henry said. "I'll have the drone fly two thousand feet directly below you. If this is a trap, they should target the drone first. You should look like a radar echo if they're using any."
Things seemed to be wrapped up in just a few minutes. That almost seemed too easy to John.
"Have all the threats been neutralized?" John asked.
There was no way to know for sure what Skynet would pull. John Henry could only go by what they knew and speculate some.
"All that I can detect have been." John Henry said. "There should be hostile Metal involved in this. Ally and Sheila reported that at least two Terminators have eluded them and their efforts to tract them. They were reported to have a RPG launcher and maybe a LAW rocket."
John checked all the monitors.
"I agree with that assessment." John said. "We're missing something. They weren't in the two vehicles that were 'lit up'."
They were sure there were Skynet Terminators out there waiting to strike. It was possible they were on the UH-1 that ran but there was no way to know.
Bob and his team were ready for an HK drone attack and a helicopter assault. Both were stopped along with the vehicle attack. None of the assault force made it to where they were at. The Skynet HK drone that was doing recon probably tracked them before Gail flamed it. Somebody knew where they were.
Something streaked across the sky toward them and then two more followed.
"Incoming." Bob shouted.
Three RPG type rounds were fired. They weren't fired at the Terminators on the ground but at the hillside.
Someone attempted to cause a bigger landslide.
"We're under attack." Bob reported.
Earlier:
Cammy thought about the massive collapse when they'd entered the section of the mine with the tracks. It all added up now.
"There's been a landslide on the outside." Cammy said.
She looked down the length of the steel pipe.
Tom moved forward.
"I'll dig us out." Tom said.
Cammy could see that would be a lot of work in a confined space. The blockage appeared to be all at the far end.
"I think we should wait." Cammy said. "They know we're in here and where we're at. They will have better equipment and tools than we have."
Savannah didn't have a very good feeling about any of this. Maybe it was more than just a landslide. They'd been pretty deep in the center of mine earlier. They were basically on the other side of the hill. There were rocks falling all around them when they tried to get Cameron out of the passageway. The opening that Tom made kept collapsing. Maybe it was something else.
"Have they been attacked?" Savannah asked.
The Terminators all thought the same thing. No one wanted to 'say it'.
Cameron put it all together too. There was no actual proof of that. The hillside may have been destabilized with all the digging.
"That's unknown." Cameron said.
Savannah looked around the small chamber they were in. She saw a lot of trickles of dirt falling from many places. It was much worse than it was earlier.
"This area's going to cave in soon." Savannah said. "We need to get out from here."
Cameron looked around. Their options seemed limited.
"It appears that way." Cameron said. "We can withdraw."
Savannah thought their best bet was where they were at. Even if there was a hostile force out there it was still the closest way out. It was probably the easiest too. She wanted to point out their grim prospects to go elsewhere.
"The trestle's down." Savannah said. "The way out to the main passageway is blocked by more rocks. Even if we did reach that other tunnel it's blocked by tons of earth and rock in both directions. Every direction is a 'dead end'."
There was a loud 'crack'. A giant boulder fell from the ceiling. It landed on the furthest mine car. It was crushed almost flat.
Everyone looked at the rock and smashed mine car. They all knew if that would have been any of them, they would've been terminated.
The ground shook and then shook again two more times in rapid succession.
Cameron recognized what just occurred for it was. Those were explosions.
"They're under attack." Cameron said.
Another large boulder crashed down. It struck the section of earth filled pipe that they'd roll off to the side. It dented it but did not crush it.
The ground and walls around them began to rumble and vibrate.
"Cave in." Cammy shouted.
Their world began to fall apart and there was nowhere to go.
The end was upon them….
Conundrum Of Chaos
Many think they have all the answers
Before they have all of the questions
They are prone to error and failure
They don't listen to suggestions
Which way is up
Which way is down
Does any fool's actions
Show they are more than a clown
Everyone wants the power
They think they are in control
No matter how much they gather
It never makes them whole
Confusion is more than a state of mind
It propagates illusions and delusions
Leaving a mind full of contusions
Forward progress faces an occlusion
Such is the jumble of existence
It befalls each and every one of us
Indecision breeds contempt
In life's conundrum of chaos
Nobody