Chapter 622

Darkness

Cameron and Tom rushed forward to where they observed Savannah and a Terminator in a struggle seconds ago.

Savannah took up a defensive position behind the Terminator she just deactivated.

Cameron didn't want Savannah to shoot at them.

"Savannah!" Cameron shouted. "Orange…."

Savannah recognized the challenge word and gave the appropriate response. There were several and they changed everyday.

"Goat…." Savannah said. "I'm OK, Cameron. I have four down in your direction. I think they're all Grays. I have one Terminator deactivated for now. I don't know what else is behind me. I don't know where they came from specifically. It was one of the other side tunnels into the main chamber. I saw their light and heard them talking. The Terminator used them as bait. It was like you described."

Savannah held her M4 ready until she saw Cameron. Cameron carried the electric lantern one of the Grays previously held. He didn't need it any longer. She quickly switched sides of the sitting Terminator. She still used his chassis as a shield. She turned her attention back to the direction she came from. It's where the last two threats originated from.

Cameron moved up and saw the Terminator was deactivated. His chip was destroyed. She pried it out from his shattered skull anyway. It took a fair amount of effort due to the damage. It was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't want a partial reboot later on with the chassis bypass system.

The area went dark as Cameron turned off the light.

Cameron touched Savannah and made sure she was undamaged. She was worried there may have been some buckshot ricochets off of the Terminator's Coltan skull. She could see the weapon was fired at very close range.

Savannah didn't want Cameron to worry. She knew it was part of the drill.

"I'm good." Savannah said. "I don't know what else is behind me. The shooting is bound to attract some attention. I'm sure it could be heard over a wide area. I needed to act while they were together before they could ambush your team. They were headed in your direction. They didn't openly carry weapons until after they found the deactivated Terminators in the cavern where I was."

Cameron looked in the direction Savannah pointed her M4.

"Wait here. Don't move." Cameron said. "Let me check. Tom will be here in a few seconds. He needed to collect a few things. Some of them will be beneficial to you."

Cameron took off into the darkness. She went the way Savannah came from. She went all the way back into the area where they were in before. Back into the area which still seemed to produce Grays and Terminators.

She used caution. She didn't know where they came from. She hadn't inspected any of the tunnels which weren't steel reinforced. She didn't think they were used because they weren't strengthened. She didn't have a clue as to the size or layout of the mine's interior. She was sure there must be more of the enemy in there still because of the latest encounter. She was sure there were levels above them as well as below them which they didn't know about. Based on Cammy's description of what happened on the lower level, it seemed highly unstable.

Savannah needed to adjust her night vision equipment. It got knocked around some in her scuffled with the Terminator. She put it on before she left the confines of the control booth to follow the Grays. She felt it gave her a distinct advantage over them in the darkness. There was no way she could have used her light to follow them and not been spotted. It also would have prevented her from seeing the Terminator moving up behind her when she looked back the way she came from, just in case, well, it was just in case.

Tom searched the Grays for anything useful for Savannah.

"I'm coming up behind you, Savannah." Tom said. "I have some breathing gear."

The 'hissing' where the fallen Grays were at soon stopped.

Tom arrived. He was concerned about his earlier instructions from Savannah. He didn't want to seem derelict in his duties. He understood what she wanted and why.

"Do you still want me to go with Cameron?" Tom asked.

Savannah looked in the direction Cameron went. It's what she wanted. She could remain where she was as she continued to use the Terminator's chassis as cover from either direction if she needed to move. She could even push it over onto its side and use it from the prone position to present an even smaller target. She wanted to see what Tom brought.

"Show me what you have first." Savannah said.

Tom helped her get the breathing gear on and functioning. The gear included a face mask which prevented her from using her night vision. The fresh air was a welcome relief. Her eyes weren't as irritated now either. She was a little concerned she would need to rely on the light to see without the use of her night vision equipment. She was worried it would make her a target. She turned off the light.

Savannah felt everything clear up more in her head. It was obvious the bandanna could only do so much.

Tom could see Savannah was 'blind' right now. She couldn't use her night vision with the breathing apparatus. They were in total darkness.

"I'll remain with you." Tom said. "I have extra oxygen tanks. We shouldn't need them for a while."

Savannah couldn't see a thing. She was worried about Cameron.

"Cameron's alone." Savannah whispered. "You should go with her. There can be more of the enemy coming. The gunfire is bound to attract others. I'm not worried about more Grays."

Tom understood the implication. There could be additional Terminators coming. He still had discretion in his 'orders'. It wasn't a 'hard order' Savannah gave to him earlier. He felt he was needed there with her more.

"I won't leave you 'blind' and alone." Tom said. "You're totally unprotected right now. You can't even see to defend yourself."

Tom looked at the deactivated Terminator in front of Savannah. He glanced back at the four dead Grays. Those are things Savannah just did on her own. If she couldn't see, she needed someone to see for her.

Savannah knew she could 'order' him to go after Cameron. She also knew they cared about her. What was irritating about the operation was it seemed to get worse, not better as it progressed.

She debated removing her breathing gear and return to using the bandanna so she could use her night vision. She was worried about Cameron.

Earlier:

The other Terminators which were headed for Cammy heard the gunfire from behind them. There were the two bursts and the eight shots in four pairs. Then there was another louder shot. It was the M79. They all saw Cameron left it with Savannah.

They knew Savannah was in a fight.

"You two go on and find Cammy." Ed said. "I'm going back."

Ed took off. He knew Cameron and Tom were between him and the firing somewhere. He was worried. Savannah appeared to have engaged an unknown force alone. He took off at full speed.

Cammy followed the tiny narrow gauge railroad tracks. There were small boulders on the tracks in places but the tracks looked intact. No rails were missing. The wooden ties didn't look to be in good condition and the wooden tunnel supports were as equally deteriorated as all the others made out of wood were. Time appeared to have taken its toll. They all held for now. She wasn't sure how they would hold up if there were any more blasts.

She didn't know why the lower level suffered so much destruction compared to the main level. She wondered if there was something else going on down there she didn't know about. She didn't have time to investigate. She knew where there were levels above them as well. She spotted the upward shaft openings, even if she hadn't spotted any means to go up them. She didn't doubt for a moment they were there somewhere. She saw the hoist to go down to a further lower level before she needed to retreat. There was no way to know how extensive Skynet's presence was inside of the mountain.

She could tell she was headed to the opposite side of the hill. She continued down the tracks over a shaky wooden trestle at one point. She wasn't sure why it was even there. There could have been a natural cavern in the rock or the area under it was rich with ore and mined out. She hadn't heard or spotted any running water. She knew it wasn't uncommon to come across a natural spring when tunneling through a hillside. She was actually more worried about coming across a pocket of gas. The hills and the surrounding area were all once pumped for oil which was very close to the surface. Usually where there was oil, there was natural gas.

The tracks were soon buried in smooth dirt. It looked like mud flowed inside the mine and hardened. The tunnel abruptly ended in an inward sloping wall of dirt. She didn't know if it was the end of the line because of an internal cave-in, or a mudslide from the outside. The dirt she observed was clearly influenced by liquid water at one point to get to the consistency of the dried mud it was now. There was no way to go further. There was no way out.

It was a dead end.

It seemed to give Cammy an ominous feeling.

Cammy looked around. She inspected everything at the end of the line.

The dirt which blocked the path was all soft earth. She picked up a rock and used the sharp edge to see if how hard it actually was. Everything she checked was soft. There were only scattered rocks in it. The now blocked path they originally entered from was all rock. It was clear which one would be easier to dig in. The biggest problem was she didn't know how far they would have to dig. There could be hard rock in front of the mud from some type of cave-in. Everything was an unknown.

She decided to head back. She wasn't sure if it was good news or not. Either way, it was still news.

Tom was with Savannah. He could hear someone running towards them from behind them.

"Someone's coming." Tom whispered.

Tom quickly guided Savannah to move back around to the other side of the deactivated Terminator. She still used his deactivated chassis as a shield.

Savannah quietly removed the breathing mask and put her night vision on. She pulled her scarf up over her mouth and nose again.

Savannah's act wasn't lost on Tom. She chose to back him up and fight if necessary.

"It's Ed." Tom said. "I can see him."

Ed took in the scene with the four downed Grays. He looked at the deactivated Terminator Savannah was behind with her M4.

Savannah was satisfied the area where the Resistance Terminators all came from was clear. The threat was where Cameron went.

"I want both of you to go after Cameron." Savannah said. "The path behind us is clear."

Savannah moved back around the deactivated Terminator and faced in the direction Cameron went. She left her night vision on and used the crude scarf. She needed to be able to see to free up Tom and Ed. Cameron's safety came before her comfort.

Tom was impressed even more with Savannah. He wanted to create a lower profile tactical position for her.

"Let me give you a better firing angle and better cover." Tom said.

Tom bent the Terminator into a lying position on his side and placed him cross ways on the tunnel floor next to a blind tunnel. If Savannah started to take heavy fire, she could retreat into it

Savannah previously considered doing what Tom just did for her.

"Thank you." Savannah said.

She gave Tom's hand a gentle squeeze.

Tom could feel the invisible power of the 'Chosen One'.

Savannah loaded another 'Buckshot' round into the Thumper. She changed her M4 magazine for a fresh one. The current one loaded in her M4 was nine rounds short. There were the eight rounds she fired, as well as the fresh round in the chamber of the M4 currently. She took up a prone position behind the deactivated Terminator. She faced in the direction Cameron went.

Ed silently exchanged his unfired Taser for Savannah's fired one. She used her Taser two times already.

Savannah appreciated their care and concern. It was almost 'loving care'. The thought of not dying a virgin again crossed her mind. She could be with all the male Terminators before she ran out of oxygen. She didn't know when it would be. She did know the event was still to come.

"I'll remain here." Savannah said. "Please, go assist Cameron."

Ed, like Tom, noted Savannah chose to keep her night vision on rather than the breathing apparatus. He saw she put their safety before her comfort and safety.

"We'll be back." Tom said as they moved off into the darkness.

Savannah watched in front of her as well as checked behind her at random intervals.

It was back to the waiting game. This was worse. It wasn't just waiting. They were still fighting for their lives. There was no way to know what would present itself next. She felt the path behind her was secure but she checked it at irregular times anyway, just to make sure. They hadn't found night vision equipment on any of the Grays terminated so far. She hoped they would all need to have some type of light so they could see. It would give them away long before they could ever see her position. Her biggest concern was still enemy Terminators.

Savannah kept her Taser handy. The Thumper was next to her as well.

Cameron moved through the darkness. She passed the places where she already was earlier. She wondered where the Grays came from. They must have been doing something. The Terminator who stalked Savannah also came from someplace. She knew there were levels above and below her. The whole mountain could be a maze. She hadn't found an easy way up, or another way down other than the collapsed chamber Cammy was in. Cammy said there was a hoist to a lower level down there as well. She checked the main level area again to see if the cage was moved from where they left it. It was in the same exact spot. Dust still seemed to come up along the sides of it.

She was aware the gunfire would've alerted anyone still underground with them there was an altercation of some type. Anyone she encountered now would be armed. They were going to be concerned because of the uncertainty of everything and most likely shoot at anything they thought might be out of the ordinary. She wouldn't put it past two different groups of Grays to get into a shooting fight with each other.

There was no light anywhere. There was only darkness.

Cammy started back from the 'dead end'. The prospect of the soft earth intrigued her. She wasn't sure if it was the exit to the outside, or a block in the tunnel from a cave-in. She heard the boulders, both big and small, being pushed off the narrow gauge tracks in front of her. It must be more of her team, she hoped so anyway.

"Turquoise…." Cammy said.

Her M4 was ready to fire.

"Zebra…." Was the response from Al.

Cammy moved closer and saw Al and Frank. She filled them in on what she saw.

They started back the way they came. They followed the narrow tracks.

Cammy asked them to help her clear more of the tracks of all the debris as they went. She wanted to keep one option open if they attempted to exit from the area. She wanted to be able to move as quickly as possible if they needed to. She knew Savannah would be at a disadvantage with rocks littering the way.

She didn't have a good look around the lower level she was in earlier. Maybe she would give it another try. The fact there was a partial cave-in worried her.

Cammy heard the earlier gunfire. She knew whatever happened didn't matter. If Cameron or Savannah were terminated, she was going to use the TDE and prevent them from ever entering the mine. Any versions of them who survived from this current mine encounter would be 're-chipped' or reprogrammed, including her. It would be done to avoid an alternate timeline and another set of Duplicates.

She knew there were already too many of 'Cameron'. She briefly reflected one of them was her. She knew now she was one too many. It is a mistake for Cameron to create her in the first place. Cameron should have done what she needed to do. She should have been with Savannah herself. She knew Cameron would have received a lot less damage if she would have been with Savannah. Cameron would have thought twice about some of her rash actions.

John couldn't take the uncertainty of not knowing what happened to the team. Cameron and Savannah were unaccounted for. So was the rest of the team. He felt the need to do more. He needed to be personally involved in the rescue. He didn't even want to think it would only be a 'recovery'. It was very important to him.

"I want to go out there." John said. "I need to be where they're digging."

John Henry didn't see how John at the location would benefit anything. He was sure it would further complicate things.

"I must advise against it." John Henry said. "It's a bad idea."

John didn't care. The fact they didn't know anything was what bothered him.

"You know I'm still going to do it anyway." John said.

John Henry thought of the danger which still could erupt. There hadn't been a Skynet response yet to what they did, other than to seal the entrance to the mine.

"Wait until we know more." John Henry said. "The area could still turn into a battle zone. We also don't know the extent of the explosion and cave-in…."

They both knew their team could all be dead. They might all be terminated.

The thought of Cameron and Savannah crushed under tons of rock was unacceptable to John.

John Henry knew what John thought. He'd tried to do what he could from the Command Center. He wanted John to know he was a part of the effort too.

"It's dark now. I have four drones up. They're doing recon of the entire area. The two in the gravel pit are still on standby. I'm holding them in reserve." John Henry said. "The Blackhawk has lifted a small 'skip-loader' to the site of the collapsed portal on the far side. It's removing material as we speak. The Blackhawk is making additional trips. It brought in hand tools, power tools and shoring up material, both timber and steel."

John didn't want to commit all of the Resistance forces. He still needed to think about the 'Day of Loss'. It wasn't something he wanted repeated.

"I only want ten of our Terminators there." John said. "I know they've all volunteered."

John Henry hoped he took sufficient precautions to prevent too many of their forces from being clustered together. There still needed to be a certain percentage of Terminators working at the site to get the job done.

"Other than at the LP locations, all our personnel have been moved to the backside of the hill." John Henry said. "They're all working in total darkness."

John only knew of the darkness which would form in his heart if Cameron and Savannah were both terminated. He was very worried about the other Terminators with them as well. They all mattered.

He was aware it left the youngest player alone on the field. He knew Young Allison would be there for him. He didn't want it as much as he did want it in a different way. He wanted Cameron and Savannah back. He wasn't willing to trade some of his desires, for what he desired most. It was Cameron.

Bob went to supervise the digging and excavation effort. He knew they would tear away the entire hill if they needed to. The dirt was moved away quickly since the 'skip-loader' was there.

They soon encountered large charred and rotted timbers in their path. They were lying in all directions. It wasn't a good sign. It was most likely the remains of the tunnel portal. It showed evidence of a major collapse at the time of the mudslide. Maybe it was before the mudslide from one of the earthquakes over the years. Maybe the opening was actually blasted closed at some point. There were no accurate records as to what happened. They didn't know how much 'mountain' was in front of them. Maybe there was no opening of any type after all these years. A massive cave-in of rock would present a major obstacle.

The 'skip-loader' now dug inside the hill. It started to create its own unsupported tunnel. It would fail soon from all the activity.

"This is unsafe." Bob said. "The overhang will collapse without any support. I don't want the front end loader damaged."

John Henry located some more heavy equipment for them to use which was close by.

The Blackhawk returned with a small bulldozer.

The front end loader could tear away at the side of the mountain while the bulldozer assisted with the removal of what was scooped out. It actually sped up the process, even with the additional earth removal required.

"Tear down the overhang and the bulldozer will shove the material away." Bob said.

Bob received a call from John Henry.

"I have a three foot diameter auger ready for the Blackhawk to pick up." John Henry said. "I also have steel tubing located. It will fit inside the hole once it is bored."

Bob hoped it would speed their entry into the interior. It was if there still was an interior. It could be solid rock for all they knew at this point.

"Bring it." Bob said. "We'll keep excavating until it is set up. The more material we can remove before its arrival, will be less work for it to do."

John Henry made several logical deductions. They all deepened on what was still there if anything at all was.

"Watch for any small tracks, or even the ties as you're removing material." John Henry said. "There was a railroad spur which was loaded there at one time from inside the mine. There should be narrow gauge mining tracks there. If the rails are gone the ties should still be there. If you can find the tracks or ties, you know the direction to send the auger."

Bob, along with every Terminator, wouldn't give up until they found the team or it was clear they were crushed flat in the interior of the mine somewhere.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "We'll dig with our hands if we have to."

Bob remembered back to the 'Day Of Loss' and how they were all willing to sacrifice their power cells to try to blast Cameron - Duplicate Cameron, out of her 'tomb' before she detonated the backpack nuke….

This was even worse. It was Cameron and Savannah who were both trapped inside.

Everyone continued to work in the darkness of the darkness.

CamNet directed the Metal girls to a secluded location. It was one she could observe all the approaches to by road. If anyone came near them, she could warn them. She also dispatched a drone to support them now since it was dark. It wasn't something Cameron wouldn't want her to do on her own accord. She thought about asking Young Allison for approval. She didn't want to have to explain what Sheila and Ally were up to. She just did what needed to be done.

Ally and Sheila drug the two Grays into the empty building. There were still some items left inside from the previous owner.

There were a number of work benches. The two Grays were both tied to two of the benches.

Sheila stripped off her clothes again so she was naked. She anticipated a bloody session. She didn't like what Grays did to females and she was upset they only gave the homeless female four dollars for her 'services'. It was little more than a submissive abuse. She also knew they could have terminated the homeless female and threw her in a dumpster somewhere. She still didn't like the exploitation, or their attitude as to how things were done.

Ally suggested they move one of the Grays to a different room so they could be questioned independently. They carried one work bench away.

The Gray woke up as they moved the table.

"What's going on?" The Gray asked.

He was blindfolded.

Sheila recognized the voice as the Gray who told the homeless female to, 'Look alive next time.' She knew the homeless female just wanted some money for food. It was the only way she could earn some.

Sheila used the homeless female's voice.

"This is the next time." Sheila emulated. "I'm back and I'm alive this time. So are you, for now."

The Gray knew he was in deep trouble now. He knew he was being held by the 'Metal Bitch' they were warned about. They never said she was Asian. He heard what conditions the bodies were often found in. They were beaten to death and broken up real bad. It was done a little bit at a time. Some of the bodies were carved up. There was speculation a human female might be involved. It didn't seem like anything a cyborg would do under normal conditions. It didn't really matter. He knew he was a dead man.

Sheila went to work for answers. They needed to know where the Terminators who were with them went. They needed to know what the Terminators were up to.

Ally moved back to the other room. She decided she would start in on the other Gray. She removed his blindfold.

The Gray's eyes widened as he looked at her. It wasn't the slut they picked up with the nipple rings. Even though there was no smile on her face, he could see the beauty of it. It was just like they said.

"You're real." The Gray said. "You really exist."

Ally's eyes turned red.

The Gray cringed and tried to move further into the surface of the bench. There was nowhere to go.

"You know how this ends." Ally said. "I don't want to make it any more painful than it needs to be. I have compassion for humans. Once I get what I need, the end comes swiftly."

The Gray was ready to issue a smart remark.

There was a shrill scream from the other room.

Ally looked in the direction where Sheila was at and frowned slightly.

"My associate is questioning the other man." Ally said. "She is very unstable and vindictive. Your friend is going to suffer. You don't need to die the same way. Bones can be broken a quarter of an inch at a time…. It's very painful. They can actually be crushed into dust along their entire length."

There was another sobbing shrill scream.

Ally placed her hand under the back of his neck.

"I'll know when you lie." Ally said. "You don't need to go through what he's going through. The other cyborg is invigorated by violence. You already saw part of her non conventional appearance. Once she gets started, she can't be stopped. Most likely she'll need to be deactivated. She's more of a liability than anything else currently. She does get the job done though."

There was a scream of intense agony.

"I'll be merciful." Ally said. "Tell me everything before she comes over to assist me. Peace awaits you."

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Darkness

Darkness, empty, cold, hopeless
Creep into your tender soul
Things that now seem a mountain
Were once only a small knoll

On your ragged journey through life
Before you is the intersection of
Nowhere, Dead End, and No Outlet
Depriving you of affection and protection

Out of the cold fog and blinding darkness
There is a gentle guiding helping hand
To softly wipe away the tears of life
Without command, remand, or demand

We all try to make our own path
Wanting but trying not to remember
A blazing inferno can erupt
From a single smoldering ember

You still have life and beauty
Raging fires can grow cold
Each day is soon gone forever
Live and share before you grow old

Nobody