Chapter 620
Air
Cameron arrived with Savannah in the chamber where everyone waited, except Cammy and Tom.
Everyone was aware something happened. It was clear there was an explosion which may have caused a cave-in.
Cameron needed to know what their status was. She wanted to take a further look around. It currently seemed like a bad idea without knowing what happened. She wanted Savannah out of the mine. She didn't want her trapped inside the mine. She didn't want herself trapped in there either.
"Ed, check the way out." Cameron said.
Savannah was very concerned about Cammy.
"I need to know where Cammy is at." Savannah said.
Cameron knew it was important to Savannah. It was important to her too. She and Savannah continued on to where Cammy was at.
"We're going there right now." Cameron said. "The force of the explosion didn't come from the direction she went."
Savannah wasn't sure if the direction Cammy went mattered.
"She might have gone elsewhere in the lower level." Savannah said. "You were in a pretty tight spot when I found you just a short time ago. If she found something similar, she would have done the same thing. We don't know how anything is wired around here. There are a whole bunch of things which could have gone wrong. We don't even know how many of the enemy are in here with us. We don't know how many levels there are. It's probably there are levels above us and most certainly more below us. We really don't know anything other than what's in these two caverns. We passed numerous side passageways on our way here. We don't even know if we can get out."
Cameron was well aware of everything Savannah just pointed out. They were the same thoughts which coursed through her mind when she first felt, and then heard the explosion when she was in the electrical conduit passageway.
"We're going to find Cammy." Cameron said. "We'll know shortly if we're able to get out. I'll find Cammy. I will make sure we can all get out."
Savannah didn't want to leave Cameron behind after the explosion.
"We're all going out together." Savannah said. "We know this place needs to be destroyed. We don't need to know anything else. You were able to look over the electrical equipment in the other cavern. It all needs to be destroyed."
It was exactly what Cameron planned to do. She already saw enough to know she was going to use one of her Nike warheads at the location.
"It will be so." Cameron said.
Cameron and Savannah entered the other cavern with the vertical shaft which went down to a lower level.
Tom peered down the shaft Cammy was in. Dust drifted up from the shaft in the ground. It didn't look promising.
Savannah feared the worst because she didn't see Cammy.
"Where is Cammy?" Savannah asked. "Is she OK?"
Tom could feel there was movement on the cable attached to the hoist.
"She's on her way up." Tom said. "I can feel her climbing even if I can't see her. I have her thermal image."
It didn't sound good to Savannah. She wasn't sure how far Cammy needed to climb. As far as she knew it could be a couple of hundred feet. It was a long way to climb. Maybe the cable was greasy. What if she slid back a foot for every two feet she climbed?
"How can we help her?" Savannah asked.
Cameron went over and looked at the shaft. She wanted to speed things up.
"Help me." Cameron said to Tom.
They lifted and moved the cage up and off to the side. More dust started to come up. There was a lot of it.
Tom held the cage there as Cameron moved forward.
Cameron bent over and extended her hand down. She straightened and Cammy came up with her out of the shaft.
Savannah looked at Cammy's dust covered form. She could tell it must have been a close one for Cammy.
"Cammy!" Savannah said.
There were more rumbling sounds from the shaft and even more dust began to billow out.
Cammy was pleased to see Savannah. She wasn't pleased at what seemed to continue to happen from the chamber she just was in. It continued to collapse.
"Savannah." Cammy said. "Get out of this cavern. There are a series of cave-ins below us. I thought they would stop. They haven't."
Tom let the cage move back over the shaft. It would stop some of the rising dust, but not all of it.
Savannah moved away and out of the chamber. Cammy, Cameron, and Tom all followed behind her.
Cammy took one last look back. She expected to see the chamber they just left began to break up or collapse. It held for now.
Cameron was just as concerned. She was worried once the caverns on the level they were on started to cave-in, they probably wouldn't stop until all of them collapsed. She wanted to know more about what Cammy observed on the lower level. She hoped to find out how many lower levels there were.
"What happened and what did you see?" Cameron asked.
It seemed pretty straightforward to Cammy.
"The area below 'caved in'." Cammy said. "A lot of it collapsed. They were in the process of constructing a supercomputer version of Skynet. Nothing was completed yet. I didn't have time to check everything. I saw there were several horizontal shafts. I believe there are more lower levels. There were more vertical shafts too. At least one of them contained a hoist. After the initial explosion, everything began to crack around me. It's why I decided to come up. I could hear things collapsing in every direction below me and around me. There was so much dust I couldn't see anything."
It meant the area they were in could be compromised as well.
They met Ed on the way back. He knew he was the bearer of bad news.
"The way we came in is blocked. It's completely 'caved in'." Ed said. "It appears to be extensive. It was a controlled detonation to seal the passageway. It is at least several hundred feet long. I attempted to move some of the debris. It seemed very unstable. We need another way out."
Cameron and Cammy looked at each other. Their biggest concern was Savannah.
The other Terminators heard the news. They found food and water for the Grays in their searches. They hadn't located the sleeping quarters yet. There were probably more supplies located there.
"There's food and water here. There are enough provisions to last for months." Al said.
The bound Grays began to look nervous with the latest news.
"Not for all of us." One Gray spoke.
Frank reached down and snapped his neck.
"You were told not to talk." Frank said.
Savannah realized he completed his statement after he terminated the Gray. Maybe he made it for the benefit of the others so they wouldn't say anything else.
Cameron and Cammy looked at each other again. They thought about what the Gray indicated. They took it one step further.
"He's right." Cameron said.
They both moved in back of the four remaining Gray prisoners. They reached down and snapped the necks of all four of them.
Savannah watched with a little shock on her face but she understood.
Cammy was very concerned.
"It's not the food or water." Cammy said. "They aren't the problem."
Savannah looked around her. It was something she needed the most every second.
"It's the air." Savannah said.
Cameron was unsure of the actual size of the mine. It would all come down to the cubic feet of air inside the mine. It's what would determine Savannah's survival.
"There's enough air for you for a few weeks at least now." Cameron said. "There will possibly be more if we can determine the exact size of what remains of the interior of the complex."
Savannah looked at the five terminated Grays. She looked at the Terminators there. She wanted them to know she appreciated everything they did for her, and everything they would do for her.
"Thank you…." Savannah said.
They all noticed the heat build up increased.
Cammy pointed out a possible threat.
"There may be a natural gas leak or fire somewhere in here." Cammy said. "Something is generating a lot of heat. I haven't detected smoke yet."
Savannah could have done without the news, but she already factored it in. Since her last adventure with Cameron in her future, she did extensive research on mines. She figured with Cameron's past experiences, and hers as well, they'd end up in more of them at some point. She hadn't expected it to be quite this soon.
She learned mines made the perfect hiding place for Skynet. They were all deep underground and already excavated out. Skynet only needed to show up and find a power source. She was aware of the self sustaining power source in Cameron's future. She didn't know if one could be constructed in the present or not. She didn't see any reason why it couldn't be if all the materials could be collected.
She was also aware in the area where the mine was located, there could be natural gas, fresh water springs, as well as deposits of oil, which would become exposed during the excavation process. There was a long railroad tunnel near Newhall which was built from 1875 into 1876. It was over a mile long. They ran into both water and oil as they dug. The tunnel was actually excavated from eight faces. Three shafts were dug down through the length of it and worked from each direction. Somehow they lined everything up in 1876 using only hand tools to work with. She thought it said something about the engineering of the time.
Cameron retrieved her vest. She ripped the lining out of it and made a bandanna type mask for Savannah to wear. The dust increased. It seemed to come from everywhere.
"The dust will settle in a few hours." Cameron said. "This material will filter out most of the larger particles. The heavy dust is starting to make its way into this area."
Cammy looked at Savannah. She knew every Terminator would do what they could to get her out.
"They'll come for us." Cammy said.
Cameron thought of the 'Day Of Loss'. They all came for her, well, Duplicate Cameron. There was a steep price to pay for the failed attempt. She fixed it, but it still happened, even if it didn't. There were some solutions available to the Terminators. They didn't apply to Savannah.
"They will but they shouldn't." Cameron said. "It's Savannah they will come for. We are as expendable as we are replaceable, Savannah is neither."
The other Terminators began to search the crates which were there. They wanted to find anything to help them escape, or help Savannah. They needed to find out what tools and supplies were available for them to use. They would probably find more in other locations.
"Cameron, you'd better take a look at this." Mel said.
Cammy and Cameron went over.
There was a large crate. The Terminators all worked together to open it up. It was a small control booth.
It reminded Cammy of the one she was inside of in Cameron's future when she sabotaged the Skynet TDE with River's encryption. It looked like a good spot to place Savannah until some of the ever increasing dust settled. The booth wasn't completely airtight, but would greatly restrict the dust which reached Savannah.
Cameron looked at Savannah. She didn't want it to cause a problem but she wanted to help protect Savannah some.
"Savannah, you can wait in here for a few hours." Cameron said. "It will stop the majority of dust from reaching you. It won't stop all of it."
Savannah didn't want special consideration. She wanted to assist them in their search.
"I need to help you look for a way out." Savannah said.
Cammy moved up. She wanted Savannah exposed to the least amount of dust, and whatever toxins were in it, as possible.
"It's just until some of the dust settles." Cammy said.
The four male Terminators talked quietly among themselves.
Tom approached Cameron, Cammy, and Savannah after conferring with male Terminators.
"Please, Savannah." Tom said. "It's just for a few hours. It would make all of us feel better about the current situation. We don't need to breathe, you do. A lot of the area is in darkness."
Savannah could see all the Terminators were worried about her. By the way they reacted, she was sure the conditions were worse than she knew or anyone was going to say. She knew she would tie up at least one of them to stay with her. She would slow them down. She didn't want to be a problem.
"It will be just for two hours." Savannah said. "Then I'm going to help all of you."
Cameron looked at the male Terminators.
"One of you will remain with Savannah." Cameron said.
All four of them stepped forward.
Savannah could see she was indirectly hindering everything right now. She hoped to set a few safety rules for them.
"No. They're all needed to search." Savannah said. "Everyone works in a pair as well. I don't want anyone to go off alone anywhere. I don't want anyone getting trapped somewhere alone. One should be able to return for help this way. It means both of you as well. You should work together…."
Savannah looked at Cameron and Cammy. They both nodded.
The three teams departed. The bodies of the Grays disappeared with them. Savannah stood in the booth and watched them go. She also saw the air thicken with dust. She finally sat down on the floor and waited. It didn't look good. She turned off her light. She was in total darkness. She figured she better get used to the darkness. She was sure she would experience a lot of it. She didn't know how long it was going to last. She knew they could be in there for months. She was also aware she could be in there forever.
Savannah knew forever was a long time….
John still wondered if there was another way into the mine, or actually a way out at this point.
"There has to be another entrance into the mine." John said.
John Henry hoped he came across something.
"Perhaps…." John Henry said.
John felt a twinge of hope, it was a small one.
"What do you know?" John asked.
John Henry thought about all the information he looked at so far about the mine.
"You asked me to review old satellite photos, vintage aerial photos, and maps of the area." John Henry said. "I've included old county maps and topographical surveys."
John was desperate. It was probably a lot of information.
"Get to the point." John said.
John Henry called up a current satellite map. He pointed out some observations to John.
"This trail here goes from the backside of the hill and runs to this area." John Henry said.
John looked. It was different from the other trails on the images.
"I see it." John said. "It leads to a larger trail. It looks like a dirt road with gravel on it."
John Henry indicated a few things as he looked at the images.
"These objects here are stacked up neatly in groups. All of them are roughly the same size." John Henry said as he pointed out his observations. "They're old railroad ties. They're the wooden cross sections which hold the rails. They were once set in a bed of gravel known as ballast. It was standard railroad construction for over a century. It's still how it's done today, even if the ties are constructed of concrete or even steel."
It all began to click for John. All the pieces came together.
"It's an abandoned rail line." John said.
John wasn't sure where the observation was headed.
John Henry continued his briefing.
"Yes it was. The other smaller 'trail' is a much older one which was abandoned long ago." John Henry said.
John felt some hope but there was nothing else in the images. He backed out of the satellite image for a broader view of the area.
"Was it a siding constructed for the mine? Does it mean it once served the mine from a second entrance?" John asked. "I don't see any opening."
John Henry pointed out some historic satellite images.
"Not anymore, but there was." John Henry said. "There was a 'wild fire' thirty five years ago which burnt through the canyon. The wooden portal supports burnt and collapsed. 'El Niño' rains the next year saturated the soil. A mud slide from the now barren slopes devoid of vegetation covered the opening with. You can see the scar in the hillside from the collapse of the earth and resulting mud flow."
John hoped a mud slide would be easier to penetrate than a controlled demolition to seal the mine's entrance.
"It's our best way in." John said. "It was good work. We'll make a 'gum shoe' of you yet"
John Henry tilted his head slightly.
John laughed a little.
"It's another term for a detective." John said.
John Henry only followed up on John's suggestion.
"It was your idea." John Henry said.
John was just glad there was some hope now.
"We make a great team." John said.
John Henry didn't want anyone to get their hopes up too high yet. There were a lot of unknowns. They were a long way off from a rescue attempt. He still continued to pick up faint vibrations from the area of the mine. They were very sporadic.
"We still don't know where they are or what their condition is." John Henry said.
The unspoken message was they didn't know if anyone on the team was still alive and still functional.
John tried to put a positive spin on events.
"There haven't been any energy bubbles to stop them from going in, so we know they mustn't have perished, yet." John said.
John briefly wondered if it was really because they ALL perished too, before the method could be used. Maybe this was the first shot by Skynet and they just triggered what would be Judgment Day. Maybe none of them made it. He wasn't ready to give up yet.
John Henry knew they needed some resources beyond what they normally would have access to.
"We're going to need supplies." John Henry said.
John understood they would need to act soon.
"We need some construction equipment." John said.
John Henry was assisted by CamNet.
"I've just procured some heavy equipment." John Henry said.
John could see John Henry was serious. He knew how Cameron operated at times. He didn't doubt for a moment John Henry would do the same thing under the current circumstances.
"It was fast. Do I want to know from where or how?" John asked.
John Henry would 'borrow' whatever was needed right now any way he could. He would try to avoid any terminations. He didn't think CamNet would hesitate to use some. He did know Savannah wanted Cameron, and all the Terminators, to compensate individuals for things which needed to be 'borrowed'.
"It's doubtful." John Henry said. "It will be returned if possible. If not, new equipment will be purchased and sent in its place at a later date."
John Henry learned from Cameron, when you need something NOW, you 'borrow' it. You could always make it 'right' later.
To make it 'right' later on was a 'firm suggestion' from Savannah.
Savannah pointed out there were millions of dollars in cash stacked up in rooms at both bases. She wanted people compensated for what they needed to 'borrow'. It applied to everything they appropriated including vehicles. They might as well put the drug money to a productive use.
Savannah waited in total darkness for what seemed like weeks. She felt cooped up in the control booth. She stood up and looked but there was only blackness. She felt bad she wasn't doing her fair share of the work. When she checked the time, she saw it was only an hour and a half. She knew if they were trapped in the mine for weeks or months, she was going to go stir crazy.
She would give it another half hour like she said she would, then she would head out. She knew the Terminators all looked out for her. She also knew each one would work non stop to get her out no matter how long it took. There were the extra power cells from the captured Terminators. She knew if they needed to use those, she would have been dead for a long time. She also knew if only one of them ever made it out, there would be an energy bubble sent for her before she actually terminated. There was no guarantee even one of them would make it out.
Savannah sat back down and waited. It seemed like forever. It gave her too much time to think about all the bad things which happened in her life. It seemed like there were a lot of them. She tried to think about the good things instead. She couldn't help but wonder what Young Allison was up to right now. If she would have stayed in Palmdale like Cameron and Cammy wanted her to, she wouldn't be afflicted by the current situation.
She checked the time again. It felt like it was another hour. It was only ten more minutes. The short amount of time was a heart breaker. If she were stuck down here for weeks or months it really would drive her insane for sure. What if the dust never settled? What if the passageways continue to collapse as the mine became weaker and weaker?
She needed to focus. She needed to hold it together. She appreciated what the Terminators all did and would do for her. She didn't want to die down in the darkness alone. Cammy and Cameron would be with her. She wondered if she neared death if Cameron would be with her before she perished. She might even ask one of the male Terminators to be with her so she didn't die a virgin. She also knew there were several captured male Terminator chassis. Cammy or Cameron could switch chips with one of them and they could be with her as a 'male'. They both could. She just wanted to try it at least once.
Savannah shook her head. What was she thinking? What was wrong with her? The sense of doom was very strong and getting stronger.
She checked the time again. She wondered if she was running low on oxygen already. Maybe the control booth was airtight and she was breathing carbon monoxide at an elevated level. She started to stand.
She saw a faint glow from one of the tunnels which led into the cavern she was in. The glow grew brighter and brighter. There were lights moving. There was talking….
Wait….
It was all wrong.
Young Allison looked at Anna.
They both received the same information.
"This isn't good." Anna said.
Anna expected to see Young Allison more emotional but she wasn't. She did things enough to know it was never over until Cameron prevailed.
"There's nothing we can do, is there?" Young Allison asked.
Young Allison knew there was. It was a TDE rescue mission. She wanted to prompt Anna. She was aware there was the possibility of creating another divergent timeline.
There was a long pause before Anna answered. It was clear she didn't want to 'go there' yet.
"There is." Anna said. "I'm not ready to call for such an option yet."
Young Allison was. She wanted to bring the others in first for some support.
"You will confer with John, John Henry, and me." Young Allison said. "We will also involve CamNet. It's what I want."
Anna wanted to help too. She just didn't want to jump the gun.
"I will." Anna said. "It's an option. If we use it too early without knowing, we may create an alternate timeline. We must be careful."
Young Allison would do it on her own if she needed to. She thought maybe she should make it known now. She was sure CamNet would back her play. She was pretty sure every Terminator would too.
"I want to make it clear. They won't stay stuck in the mine." Young Allison said. "It isn't an option."
Anna didn't like to be the bearer of bad news but there were other things to consider.
"You must also accept the possibility they've already perished…." Anna said.
Young Allison felt her anger rise.
"THAT is not an option." Young Allison said.
Young Allison looked at the security monitor.
"WE are going to get them out no matter what is necessary to do it." Young Allison said. "Failure isn't an option here. This isn't over until they're out safe, ALL of them. Whatever needs to be done to make it happen, is what's going to happen."
Young Allison knew CamNet would assist her, even if everyone else was reluctant to.
The light on the security monitor quickly flashed twice.
Young Allison nodded.
If she learned anything from her Terminator upbringing, it was to act and act decisively. It's exactly what she planned to do.
Sheila and Ally met up with CamNet's Terminator and handed off the hard drives and phones. He left with them. They left too. They all needed to make sure none of them were tailed.
The Metal girls needed to rethink their options. They were completely armored up now. They were concerned about an attack from the Terminator.
"We still need to get some answers and those Grays are the best bet." Sheila said.
Ally didn't think it was as simple anymore.
"What about the Terminator associated with them?" Ally asked. "He'll blow them up to get to us."
Sheila used herself as 'bait' many times for the sex traffickers. She headed back towards the homeless camp with the SUV.
"It's all a matter of perception." Sheila said.
Ally could tell it was a bad idea without even hearing it.
"What are you doing?" Ally asked.
Sheila stripped off her vest and adjusted her top. Her right breast was clearly visible. The nipple ring was prominent.
"I'm going to have the Grays pick me up." Sheila said. "I'll 'pass out' as they pass by. I bet they'll stop and put the grab on me."
Ally was sure it was a bad idea. They needed some answers. They needed to know where the Terminator went. It just might work.
"Let's switch." Ally said.
Ally moved over and lifted up. Sheila moved under her. She copped a feel on her way by.
"I guess some things never change." Ally said.
Ally pulled into a gas station a few minutes later.
Sheila slipped out and headed for the homeless camp on foot. She moved swiftly but with caution.
Ally took her time filling up the gas tank. It was almost full anyway. She went inside and bought some snacks to kill time and not make it look like she was stalling. She could give them away later on to someone else.
Sheila was in the middle of the homeless camp but on the sidewalk. She picked up a dirty blanket from somewhere.
"I see the van." Sheila said.
The side door opened and a half dressed female was pushed out. Her pants landed on the ground in front of her.
"What about my money?" The homeless female asked. "You said I'd get ten bucks if I did all of you."
Some bills were thrown out of the side door before it closed. The female quickly picked them up and looked at them.
"Hey, it's only four dollars." The homeless female said.
A Gray leaned out of the passenger's window.
"Next time work a little harder." A Gray said.
The van moved along the curb before it started to pull out. Sheila 'staggered' and 'fell' half way into the street. Both of her breasts were exposed as the dirty blanket slid off. The van stopped with a screech.
The side door opened and two Grays went to pick her up. She rose to her feet. They ushered her into the van. They pushed her inside. They closed the side door. They burnt rubber to leave.
Sheila appeared to black out again.
"Hot Damn…." The first Gray said. "I think she's stoned."
"Look at her." The second Gray said. "She's beautiful."
"Let's get started." The first Gray said. "This is like a gift from Heaven."
"I don't see any sores or scars on her." The second Gray said. "Just look at her."
Ally could see the van approach her. She pulled out in front of the van. She would let it pass her. She looked for a tail vehicle on the van to see if the Terminators followed it. She hadn't spotted one yet. She hoped the Terminators weren't still in the van. She hoped the Grays didn't have a Taser.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Communicate
I miss you
I miss your touch
Everything about you
I miss so much
The pleasure
The pain
The love
Almost insane
I have never forgotten
I will never let go
In times of darkness
How your heart did glow
Please free your mind
The pain is past
Can you see now
My love will forever last
I do not ask much
No demands to dictate
Just something as simple
With me to communicate
Nobody