Chapter 480

Temporal Tyrant

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Cameron went to search for Skynet. She found a shaft which appeared to lead to a lower level. It was in a sealed off passageway. Someone wanted the area hidden. It was. The electrical hum was strong as she stood at the rim of the shaft. She reached over to the braided steel cable and began to lower herself down, hand over hand. She kept accurate calculations as she descended down the shaft on the cable. It was fast going.

She needed to keep track of what was below her as she approached. She didn't want to lose any situational awareness as she made her descent. She saw the open top 'elevator' at the bottom. She slowed her descent. In the open top elevator was a Terminator. He appeared inactive. He was in standby. She figured if anyone called the 'elevator' up, they would have been met by the Terminator. He was the 'gate keeper'.

She noted there were several different types of long guns in the open top elevator with him. It made her wonder why. Her best guess was there might be additional Terminators in the area below. It could also be so the Terminator would be well armed if he needed to get into a prolonged firefight. The longer he could delay any aggressors, the more time there would be for additional Skynet personnel to arrive and repel whatever the attack was.

Cameron entered a larger cavern as she neared the bottom. She jumped off to the side to avoid him for now. She tried to land as silently as possible. She made a little more noise than she would have liked. The Terminator still appeared to be in standby. She hadn't disturbed his slumber. She considered her options. She could rip his head off before he activated. She decided she may do it anyway. She didn't have a knife to cut his scalp open. She must have lost her knife during the fight with the Terminator whose power cell overloaded. She could rip the sheath material away with her hands if she needed to. It wouldn't be a Terminator which would join the Resistance, so it didn't really matter the damage she did to him.

She looked around the area before she moved away from the spot where she landed. She came across two different paths to follow at the base of the shaft. She didn't care for what she observed. It was more trouble for her.

There was a Terminator in standby at the opening for each one. Both of them appeared to be in standby. She figured they would reactivate when the elevator was called up, or there was some other calamity near them. She could hear the electrical hum was much louder. It was the path she would investigate first. She moved silently past the Terminator and went down the path. The hum increased in intensity. It would be the power source. She approached the cavern it was in. It was unlike anything she saw before in size or scale. She looked at it carefully. It appeared to be some type of self sustaining energy source.

She liked the concept of what she viewed immensely. It was something which would prove very advantageous in the future, especially a Skynet future. It would be good to have at her base, or even the Resistance base. It reminded her of a giant power cell. She was unsure how it worked. With the amount of energy surging through it, she knew it would blow up like a volcano erupting. If she couldn't get the 'package' down to where she was at right now, the giant power cell should do the trick as it exploded. It generated a lot of heat. It seemed to be functioning at a very high output level. It made her wonder what else was going on around there. She left the power source behind. There was one other avenue to explore.

Cameron returned to the second divergent path. She moved around the Terminator and followed it to what appeared to be the 'Clean Room'. She slowed as she neared the room. She stayed outside. She knew Skynet was active. She didn't want to tip her hand yet. She barely peeked around the corner. It was 'Skynet' all right, but was it the parent one? It was a very large computer setup. She didn't want to chance looking all the way around the corner to see exactly how large it really was. She would find out soon enough. She would enter when she brought the 'package'.

She knew it wouldn't really matter. When the Nike warhead exploded, it would vaporize everything there. The nuclear blast would actually create a cavity in the rock from the explosion itself. It should be big enough to reach the power cell at the same time. It should explode in a sympathetic detonation nearly at the same instant. She was sure the extent of the double simultaneous blast would create quite a cavity. Most of the Skynet facility would literally fall into it, along with all of the rest of the Hill above it on top of it.

She would have to communicate with the supercomputer to see if it actually was the parent Skynet or not. She needed to find out if there were any other satellite versions of Skynet associated with it. if she didn't terminate all of them, it would remain a problem which would continue to come back and haunt them. She wanted the 'package' first. She was going to level the place. She took one more peek to make her calculations. She couldn't view all of the 'Clean Room' to see what else was in there. She didn't want to be detected until she was able to have the 'package' ready for detonation. No one was going to stop her. It would be the 'grand finally', one way or another, when it happened.

She thought of the best way to deal with the three Terminators who were present. She could attempt to disable each one of them now, but risked alerting one or both of the other two when she attempted to disable the first one. There was only fifteen second window to operate in when a Terminator was in standby.

Cameron removed the fuses from both of her grenades, and shortened them to explode as soon as the spoon was released. She carefully tied them to the boots of the Terminators on the two paths. When they moved, they would blow themselves up. One would blow up with a plasma grenade, the other one with a Thermite grenade.

She would've liked to have one more grenade for the Terminator in the 'elevator'. She saw something else before she started down the shaft she could use on him. There were several large boulders. She would push those down the shaft. They should crush him, or damage him enough, so he wouldn't be able to fight. She needed to carefully move around him to be able to reach the cable to pull herself back up and not disturb anything.

Cameron checked her calculations for distance and depth on the way back up the cable to the top of the shaft. Everything double checked out the same. She really didn't know how things would play out. Time would tell. She was on a strict timetable.

She checked her time. The 'package' should arrive in one hour and three minutes. She needed to get back up to the top and find Cammy and Savannah.

Cameron knew once the 'package' arrived, there would be a battle as soon as she started to move it through the Skynet complex and down the blind corridor.

It was going to turn into a combat zone, with plenty of gunfire, in a very short while. She knew she needed to get Savannah out of there. Between the giant power cell and the 'package', she was going to bring the place down. The resulting 'earthquake' should collapse everything there.

If she knew Savannah was out right now, she would've stayed down there and used the Thermite and plasma grenades on the giant power cell when she was there. She didn't know where Savannah was at. Savannah was there to make sure she got out. It did make her rethink a few things. She doubted in the end it would make a difference. The success of her mission appeared to be a one way ticket.

Savannah found it even more difficult to move in the cramped space. The heat was more oppressive as well. She knew she wasn't going to be able to go much farther. It wasn't just because of the heat. The access passageway continued to narrow as she went along. There wasn't enough room. She could see the advantage her 'mother' would have in a situation like this. She could assume the shape of a serpent and slither down the narrow passageway to its source.

She was sluggish and it was hard to think. She was at the end of the line. She could not physically fit any more. She was actually afraid she may have gotten stuck where she was at. Everything was a little confusing, but she managed to back up a little bit and free herself. She decided to turn around and go back to the power junction where the electrical lines split. She would use the Thermite grenade there. It would damage more of the infrastructure. She would have a chance to get away from the intense heat there. If she blew the electrical line where she was at right now, she knew she would die there. The heat was so oppressive now she even questioned her ability to get back to the junction.

After what she previously said to Cameron and Cammy, she saw how sometimes when the choice needed to be made, there is no choice. There's only what needs to be done right then. She knew Cameron always made the hard choice when it was necessary. Her love for Cameron grew to know Cameron made those choices with little to no hope of surviving. Cameron did what she needed to do, when she needed to do it. The cards would land, where they fell.

The heat seemed to intensify. It drained her of all her reserves. She still pushed on. She moved back up the direction she came from. It was even harder than it was going down. It became even more oppressive. With every step back up, the heat seemed worse. She wished she still carried her canteen with her. She hadn't expected to face such severe heat. She reached the conclusion if she couldn't get out before she passed out, she would use the Thermite grenade anyway. She wasn't sure she would know at what point she would actually pass out. She would need to play it safe and detonate the Thermite grenade when she thought she was about to pass out. She actually didn't think it would be much longer. She still pushed on.

Her vision blurred as she staggered back up. Her entire body felt like it weighed a ton. She fell down several times, even as the size of the passageway widened and gave her more room to move. She made peace with the fact she was finished. She would continue until she dropped. She would do her duty and hurt Skynet as much as she could. Her goal was the junction. It was what kept her going.

She fell to the ground again. She didn't trip on anything either. She was very weak and depleted. She touched the Thermite grenade.

"You will be what kills me." Savannah said out loud to herself.

She would make sure her head was next to it when it exploded….

It wouldn't be much longer. If she fell again, that was it. She knew she couldn't get back up. She staggered along. It was only her hope to get Cameron out which allowed her body to even move.

Love was what propelled her.

"When you fall, pull the pin." Savannah softly said out loud to herself.

She repeated it with each step.

Step….

"When you fall, pull the pin."

Step….

"When you fall, pull the pin."

Step….

"When you fall, pull the pin."

Step….

"When you fall, pull the pin."

She needed to make her death count.

After Cammy rigged the booby trap with the plasma grenade, she moved rapidly along the ever increasingly hot cables after Savannah.

She waited for the explosion to come from her plasma grenade booby trap. She was surprised it hadn't been triggered yet. She wondered if it would send a surge of energy through the giant electrical cable. The surge might shut her down. There was nowhere to go right now. She needed to follow the cable through the crawl way. She needed to use a little more caution when she moved since the access passageway continued to narrow.

Cammy focused on one goal. It was to find Savannah. She noted the temperature would be very hot for Savannah. It seemed since the TDE stopped working, the power cables were hotter, not colder. Skynet must be trying to force enough energy through them in a failed attempt to make the TDE work. It wouldn't fix the problem. Energy was irrelevant under the current conditions. The encryption was the problem.

She possessed all the files from when Cameron tried everything herself to get around the problem. She knew more power wasn't going to make it work. None of it worked for Cameron. She knew Skynet would do no better. River always told Cameron it would unlock, when it was time. Nobody knew what it meant. Not even River knew. Somehow it was all done in the past when Cameron arrived in 1999. It was probably at least her second time around. None of them knew. Everything was blocked.

Cammy spotted a movement of a light up ahead.

Maybe it was the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel'.

She also needed to consider it could be a Skynet maintenance crew. She did hear someone call for one.

She would need to take them down if it was. Unless Skynet was able to recognize the nature of the threat as sabotage by an intruder, it was doubtful the maintenance crew would be armed. If one of them possessed a weapon, she would go for that one first. There could be Terminators with them. If there was more than one Terminator, she would be outmatched.

Cammy really wished she hadn't needed to ditch her plasma rifle. Savannah needed her. She would continue on and face any obstacle in her path. She didn't need a weapon. She was a weapon.

Savannah felt drained. The heat was so intense. She dropped her light. She was down on her knees. She was done. She fumbled for the Thermite grenade. She knew she needed to do it now. She knew she was about to blackout. Her vision began to fade to black. She held the Thermite grenade in her hand now. She grasped the pin. She was finished. Somehow nothing else mattered anymore.

"When you fall, pull the pin." Savannah said one last time.

Cammy was worried about Savannah. The light was gone. She didn't see anyone in front of her as she hurried. There was no work crew. There were no Terminators. She passed a power junction. One set of cables ran in the direction the hangar was. There was a line which ran off to the other side. The heat was very intense once she passed the junction. She realized now the cable contained the full amount of energy Skynet could pump through it. Savannah would be at a serious disadvantage because of it. She decided to call out.

"Savannah." Cammy called out. "Savannah, wait for me. I'm coming. I'm coming for you."

It seemed even hotter now. She knew the heat was literally killing Savannah. She wondered if the power cable was going to rupture any second. It could terminate her. She figured her sheath would be incinerated in an instant when the mass of energy passed through her. It would fry all of her electrical systems simultaneously so she wouldn't know the extent of the damage. All she would know was nothingness.

Savannah started to pull the pin all the way out on the Thermite grenade. She was ready to release the spoon.

An 'angel' called to her.

"Savannah." A voice drifted down to her. "Savannah, wait for me. I'm coming. I'm coming for you."

Savannah felt a surge of strength. It wasn't an angel. It was Cammy. It was her lover. It was 'her Cameron'. She wanted Cammy to know the seriousness of her situation. She didn't know if her voice was even verbal when she tried to speak.

"Cammy." Savannah gasped. "Hurry, I need you."

Savannah let go of the pin. She decided not to pull it. She might hurt Cammy if she did. The darkness gripped her. It was so hot.

Cammy moved at full speed when she heard Savannah call for her.

"Cammy." Savannah gasped. "Hurry, I need you."

Cammy knew Savannah must be in a bad way to say it. She knew Savannah would take the punishment and pain for as long as she could and never ask for help. It worried her even more as to Savannah's condition. She needed to let Savannah know she would be there soon, wherever Savannah was actually at.

"I'm almost there, Savannah." Cammy said. "Hang on. I have your water."

Savannah felt a slight surge in strength. To know help was on the way provided her with it. She made sure the pin was secure on the Thermite grenade and made her way back up to her knees. She managed to stagger back onto her feet.

In seconds Cammy reached her.

"I'm here." Cammy said.

Savannah was still standing somehow. She looked terrible and very shaky.

"Cammy…." Savannah gasped. "It's too narrow. I couldn't make it. I tried. I tried real hard, Cammy. There was no way forward."

Cammy didn't need to scan Savannah to see she was in a bad way. She was surprised she was still standing. She dumped some of the water from the canteen on Savannah's face to cool it.

Savannah felt slightly rejuvenated. It wasn't from the water. It was because Cammy was there. Cammy came for her to save her. She picked up her light and checked the Thermite grenade. She didn't want to end up with an accidental discharge if it wasn't secured properly.

Cammy went back up at full speed. She carried Savannah in her arms. She rapidly moved Savannah away from where she was. As soon as she got to the electrical junction, she headed down the branch toward the hangar. It was much cooler in that direction. She dumped some more water on Savannah's face and made her drink a few sips. She didn't want her to drink too much at once. It didn't appear she could, even if she wanted to. She needed to make sure none of the water was wasted.

Savannah began to feel better every second. She knew Cammy saved her life.

"Thanks, Cammy." Savannah said. "I was finished. I was about to die."

Cammy understood what Savannah meant. It wasn't from the heat. She saw the Thermite grenade with the pin half way out. It was clear what Savannah was about to do. She didn't want to mention it. She wouldn't tell anyone about it. There was no doubt how far Savannah would go if she needed to. It was all the way.

"It didn't look good." Cammy said as she scanned Savannah. "You should be alright soon. You were overheating. Everything is fine."

Savannah wasn't sure 'fine' was the word she wanted to hear. She knew whenever Cameron said she was 'fine', she was usually anything but fine. She wanted Cammy to know the truth. She understood everything better. Her mind was clear now.

"Cammy, I almost used the Thermite grenade…." Savannah said. "I understand Cameron now. I understand. I can't ever be upset at her for what she NEEDS to do."

Cammy didn't like it, but sometimes someone needed to make a 'hard call'.

"Sometimes there's no choice." Cammy said.

Savannah felt guilty for some of her past actions or mean comments. She looked Cammy in the face.

"I understand." Savannah said. "I'm sorry for the times I got mad at you, Cameron - Cammy."

Cammy was deeply touched. She was 'Cameron', but modified for Savannah instead of John.

"It's just, Cammy, honey." Cammy said. "You know it's all I can be for you. Let me carry you for a while.

Savannah straightened up and took a step.

"I can hack it." Savannah said. "Let's go."

Cammy felt such love for Savannah. She was so close to losing her.

"Sure you can, Savannah. You're invincible." Cammy said and scooped Savannah up in her arms again. She figured once she had her in her arms, it wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't.

Savannah didn't protest. She liked being so close to Cammy in a non sexual way. She gave Cammy a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Savannah whispered in Cammy's ear.

Cammy smiled. Savannah was the greatest. She was ready to do her duty right to the end.

She headed toward what she calculated should be the hangar area as they followed the power line in the darkness. She knew there must be another way down to the power source. Maybe Cameron found it. She knew Cameron wouldn't blow it up until she knew Savannah was safe. Savannah was there to keep Cameron alive. So far it seemed to be working.

Cameron went up the cable for the elevator swiftly. She rechecked all of her calculations as to the exact depth. As she neared the top of the cable, she slowed to make sure there was no one else present or waiting for her. There wasn't. She looked over at what she saw next to the shaft and was satisfied it would work for her intended purpose when she returned with the 'package'. She headed back the way she came. When she reached the sealed wall she checked its construction again. A missile or two should open the 'corridor' back up fast. It was a straight shot to the shaft once the wall was breached.

She typed instructions as fast as she could to send out in another burst transmission. She gave specific instructions and maneuvers which were to be performed. The armed drone would also make an entrance, this time it would lead. It was her program in an HK drone instead of a Terminator chassis. She was a formidable weapon in any form she possessed.

Everything was ready to go. She just needed to get the final signal out.

Cammy and Savannah followed the power cable to the hangar deck.

"This should be the hangar." Cammy said. "I think it's right up ahead."

Savannah didn't want to turn on her light. She was in total darkness.

"I can't see." Savannah said. "I don't want to give away our position with my light."

Cammy didn't detect anyone around them.

"There's nothing around us but rock." Cammy said.

Savannah turned the light back on. She could see a hatch much like the one she entered into the crawl way space by the TDE.

"There's our way out." Savannah said. "Listen first to make sure it's clear."

She turned the light off.

Cammy listened for thirty seconds. All she could hear was Savannah's heartbeat behind her. It was a beautiful sound. She made sure Savannah was behind her and slowly opened the hatch enough to look out. The area was clear. They exited into the hangar through an access panel.

Savannah noticed something right away.

"It looks like trouble." Savannah said.

Cammy looked around. There was a red light flashing. Everyone was gone from the area. It should be related to the TDE. Maybe Cameron ran into trouble somewhere. She hadn't heard any shooting or detected any explosions yet.

"It's not for us." Cammy said.

Savannah hoped to find Cameron there. She didn't see her.

"Will Cameron meet us here?" Savannah asked.

Savannah was on her feet now. Her clothes were soaked with sweat. Since she was away from the oppressive heat, everything was back to normal. At least as normal as it could be under the circumstances.

Cammy really didn't know. She did know they needed some firepower. She wanted to get some real muscle on their side.

"I hope so." Cammy said. "I need to reprogram some of the HK drones here. I think we'll need all the help we can get."

Savannah looked at all the HK drones. She could tell right away it was an effective strategy. They would use Skynets own weapons against it.

"Tell me what to do…." Savannah said. "I can help…."

Cammy sure hoped Cameron knew what she was doing. She knew Savannah wouldn't back down if push came to shove. She already witnessed Savannah's resolve to get the job done. It was doubtful if any of them would be able to survive. There were still a lot of unknowns they needed to face.

Savannah knew they were in deep trouble. They lost contact with Cameron and didn't know her whereabouts. She knew they needed to stop Skynet any way they could. She was pretty sure at this point none of them would get out of there alive.

The more HK drones they could reprogram, the more damage they could do to the enemy. She was sure the HK drones in close quarters would be very effective against any Grays or Terminators who opposed them. It was time to crash the party.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Tyrant

There are those who think
That might makes right
They could be surprised
When someone puts up a fight

Not everyone will roll over
Some will always stand up
Not everyone is willing
To drink from the same cup

No one likes a bully
They're actually shallow and small
The bigger the bluster
The longer will be the fall

When it all hits the fan
Push will come to shove
It all falls on one's back
There's no help from above

No one takes it seriously
When they hear someone rant
But make no mistake
Everyone hates a tyrant

Nobody