Chapter 624

Vibrations

There was a fire inside the mine somewhere. It would use all the oxygen at some point. It would also fill the air with smoke. The main tunnel needed to be sealed. There was a better than even chance whoever did the task might be terminated.

Savannah didn't want anyone, a human or a Terminator, to ever take a risk for her. Where she was now it was all Terminators around her, but it didn't matter. She didn't feel it was fair to all of them. She wanted to treat everyone equally. She was willing to take the chance along with everyone else.

"We'll draw lots." Savannah said. "We'll all share the risk. I'll take the risk as well."

Cammy didn't want Savannah to risk herself.

"NO, Savannah." Cammy said.

Cameron felt a Terminator would have a better chance of survival.

"Please, Savannah, don't." Cameron said.

The four male Terminators conducted a brief discussion among themselves. They were all in agreement.

"Savannah, if you go, we'll all go as well." Al said. "I speak for my brethren."

The Terminators weren't about to risk Savannah being terminated in their place. Everything Savannah did made the Terminators respect and love her more.

Cameron wanted to know more about the area Cammy recently discovered. It would get them away from their current location if nothing else. She could always go back later to collapse the tunnel when everyone else was preoccupied. She carried the Terminator's power cell with her.

"Let's check out the narrow gauge mining tracks in the sloping shaft Cammy found first." Cameron said. "We should do it before we close any doors prematurely and permanently. We may still need to seek a different way out."

Cameron knew they may have to go in the direction the fire was located in to search for another location to exit. The lower level area where Cammy was at earlier may also need to be checked, even with the massive cave-in which occurred.

She was aware there was a power tap from the giant electric transmission lines located nearby. She knew those wires needed to come in somehow. Depending upon their size, they may be able to find a way out through the conduit. She knew Savannah nearly terminated following a giant electrical conduit in her future when they attempted to bring Skynet down. The space became too small, and the heat became too excessive.

The six Terminators all hoisted a deactivated Terminator, along with the oxygen tanks for Savannah.

Cammy led the way.

Savannah followed her. She now held a bright lantern to guide her.

Cameron looked around the boarded up entrance Cammy tore open. The wood was heavily rotted. It was evident it wasn't recently boarded up. The section was closed off a long time ago. There was probably a good reason why. Boulders and rocks covered the ground. It was clear the area was unstable.

They went down the sloped shaft and reached the spot with the narrow gauge mine tracks. There were a half dozen old mine cars on a separate track. They were all battered and rusted. They probably sat in the same place for fifty to a hundred years. There was no way to tell.

Cameron dumped the 'Metal Bitch' on the ground and went to one of the rusted cars. She pushed it. A loud squealing noise came from the wheels as it rolled. She checked a few others. She wanted to place the deactivated Terminators in three of the cars and push them along. It would free up three Terminators to clear debris and assist as necessary. They still needed to be on the lookout for any Grays or hostile Terminators. They seemed to run into them from time to time.

The male Terminators went over and helped her lift three of the best rolling mine cars she chose onto the main track. The switch there broke when they tried to throw it earlier. The moveable point snapped when it was forced. It hadn't moved on its own when the lever was actuated. There was some concern it might be an indication of the state of the rest of the track.

They dumped two deactivated Terminators in each of the small ore cars. It was time to head out.

Cameron went back to the opening and looked out. She called Tom over. He was the closest.

"Remain here for now." Cameron said. "I don't want any surprises behind us. It seems a Gray or Terminator can randomly appear from time to time. I don't know where they come from."

Cameron wanted Tom to stay at the junction with the main tunnel. Since there were Grays and Terminators earlier who tried to go the same way, there could be more. She would like to search the entire complex. It didn't appear it was going to happen. If there wouldn't be a fire burning somewhere, it was something she would have liked to do. It would be the only way she would know the extent of what exactly Skynet was up to. She was sure there was more going on there than just the construction of a Skynet mainframe.

Tom wanted to make sure everyone was protected. He was especially concerned about Savannah. He knew the need to block the tunnel to prevent more oxygen from being used up.

"Affirmative…." Tom said.

Tom thought Cameron wanted him to seal the tunnel. He reached for the M79.

Cameron was surprised. She didn't want any 'doors' closed yet. She needed to check out what Cammy indicated firsthand. From everything she saw already, Cammy's discovery seemed like the best bet. If it wasn't, she didn't want to be trapped in one area with no other way to move around.

"Not yet." Cameron said. "I need to find out more."

Tom nodded.

"I was thinking of Savannah." Tom said. "She needs to be protected."

Cameron wanted to make sure he didn't take matters into his own hands. She realized all of the Terminators would try to block the tunnel to help Savannah, even if it meant their own termination.

"I want you to make sure no one gets in behind us. I don't want to collapse the tunnel yet." Cameron said. "I'll be back."

Cameron walked away.

Tom watched her go. He looked over to where Savannah was at with Cammy. He would never allow Savannah to be the one who sealed the tunnel. He watched her in action before. He didn't doubt for a moment she would take the risk and do it herself. There was a 'feeling' deep inside him. He was sure it would override any 'order' he was given to the contrary.

Like all of the male Terminators, he was in 'love' with Savannah. They just didn't know how to deal with and express the 'feeling'. It was as uncomfortable as it was overpowering. It was much more than some type of fleeting sexual attraction. It wasn't even a consideration to them. It was pure love, not sexual desire, they all felt.

Savannah held the bright lantern. It allowed her to look around at their surroundings. It was the first time she could really see everything in detail. She wasn't so sure it was a good thing based upon what she witnessed. She could see the section they were in now was the worst looking of any she was in yet. She was sure it was more than just to the better lighting which indicated the condition.

Cameron and Cammy could see it too. The light only made what Cammy observed earlier look worse. It was time to move out.

Cammy led the way. Savannah was behind her. Cameron was behind Savannah.

Al, Ed, and Frank each pushed a small mine car with two deactivated Terminators in it down the tracks behind them.

Savannah noticed Tom wasn't with them. It caused her a little concern. She wanted some information before they went too far.

"Where's Tom?" Savannah asked. "I want to know right now."

Cameron could see Savannah was afraid he was sent off to his doom.

"He's at the entrance to this section to make sure we can get back out if we need to. We don't end up with anyone behind us." Cameron said. "We still need to consider this might not be a way out. I haven't even looked at it yet."

Savannah looked back. She hoped Cameron told her the truth.

"OK." Savannah said.

Cameron was still worried more Grays or Terminators might show up from some unknown connector tunnel. They still didn't have a clue as to the layout of the mine or any additional work Skynet may have done. She issued a general warning to everyone.

"Watch your backs." Cameron said. "There have been too many unknowns here."

"Affirmative…." All three male Terminators said.

The small procession creaked and squeaked along.

There was a loud 'crack' and a large rock fell and hit the center of the track in front of them. It splintered the wooden tie it impacted, but didn't damage the rails.

Cammy and Cameron moved forward to move it out of the way. It was lifted over the rails and shoved off to the side. They didn't want to cause any further damage themselves.

Cameron motioned for Savannah and the rest of the team to move forward.

Cammy stood with one foot resting on top of a rail. She was sure she felt something again. It might be another falling rock. She didn't think so.

"Wait." Cammy called.

She knelt down and touched a rail. She put her ear to the rail and listened. She wanted the others to check it out.

"Listen." Cammy said. "I thought I detected this earlier as falling rocks. I'm sure it's more than rocks."

Cameron bent down and touched the rail as she listened.

"It's machinery." Cameron said.

Cammy reaffirmed her earlier belief.

"They're coming for us." Cammy said.

Savannah felt the same caution Cameron did earlier. She knew they weren't the only players in town. The enemy needed to be considered.

"The question is who?" Savannah asked.

What if there was some battle on the outside, and it was the Skynet forces coming for their people and what would be 'Skynet' in the future?

It was unlikely but a possibility.

It was something they all felt.

Cammy led the procession along. Cameron and her cleared newly fallen rocks as necessary.

John grew antsy the longer they waited. He hated to keep interrupting the workers, but he needed to know more.

"What's the status, Bob?" John asked.

Bob felt they made good progress.

"We've started with the auger." Bob said. "We should be able to get a ten foot long pipe in if the hole holds."

John Henry didn't want anyone to get ahead of themselves. They were a long way from any real progress. He didn't want John to rush them and cause some type of unfortunate accident.

"Remember, they don't know how much material they have to go through." John Henry said. "It could be solid material for a long way if the opening was blown closed before the mudslide."

Bob was ready to check his progress.

"We're removing the auger now." Bob said.

There were several Terminators ready with the pipe as soon as the auger was out. They shoved it into the hole. It went half way in and jammed. There was probably a rock which dropped down from inside the opening.

Bob motioned for the bulldozer to move forward and push on the pipe. The blade came up and made contact. The pipe was shoved into the hole. Some dirt filled the pipe as it was shoved.

John Henry wanted them to see if they could shove another pipe in back of the first one. If it was only dirt from the mudslide rather than rock, they might be able to make some progress.

"Bob, flare the back end of the pipe out so the next one can be put against it and shoved again." John Henry said. "I know the first pipe is going to become filled with dirt as the second pipe is shoved in."

Bob moved forward with several Terminators, and they flared the end of the pipe by hand. It only took them a few minutes.

John wanted to see if there was any contact from inside yet. He didn't know if anyone inside could detect what they were doing. He knew the metal of the rails would conduct vibrations. They might be very minute, but they should still be detectable to a Terminator.

"Stop everything for a minute and listen for any signal." John said. "Maybe they can hear or even feel the work occurring."

He wanted to say maybe they could detect a signal being sent out from the inside but didn't. It was wishful thinking on his part.

The work was paused. The equipment was shut down. There was nothing. There was only silence. Work resumed as if they never stopped. No one said anything. What was there to say?

Bob helped his team lift the next pipe up. The bulldozer started to shove on it as they held it in place. Both of the pipes began to move forward.

Cammy led the team to the rickety wooden trestle. They needed to clear a few rocks off of the tracks but it wasn't too many.

Savannah stood next to Cammy.

"You went across the trestle twice?" Savannah asked.

Cammy nodded.

"I did." Cammy said. "This will be my third time. Wait thirty seconds and follow me. Watch your step."

Cammy went across.

Savannah looked at the old wooden structure. It looked incredibly unsafe to her. It obviously wasn't designed for foot traffic. There were gaps between all of the ties. There was nothing in between them. She wasn't worried so much about stepping between the ties and falling, as she was about one of the old ties breaking from rot and fatigue. She figured if Cammy could make it, she could too. She started after Cammy.

Cameron stopped and looked at the trestle. She didn't know if the weight of the small mine car with two Terminators in it would collapse the rickety structure. It seemed about a fifty-fifty chance at this point.

"I'm going across." Cameron said. "I want you three to shove the first car across. Cammy and I will stop it."

Al understood the need for caution. He also looked down into the area where the trestle would collapse. He didn't want Savannah to be trapped on the other side.

"Go on ahead first and see if it will be necessary." Al said. "If we lose the trestle, Savannah will have a harder time to come back."

Cameron could see it was a good idea. She was fairly certain once the trestle started to fall apart, it wouldn't stop until all of it was at the bottom of the chasm.

"Watch our six." Cameron said. "We'll be back."

Cammy, Savannah, and Cameron continued forward. They reached as far as Cammy was before. It still looked like a dead end.

The light Savannah carried showed the extent of the tunnel blockage. It was complete. There was still no way to tell if they were at the end of the line or somewhere in the middle.

Savannah thought things were going to look a little more promising than they did. She knew Cammy didn't try to oversell it earlier. She could see why. The tracks disappeared into a solid dirt wall. She hoped it was dirt anyway. It could be rock mixed in, or in front of it.

Cameron could tell extensive digging would be necessary. She figured they could fill the mine cars with dirt and dump them where the trestle was at. If it was done in a controlled fashion, they could fill the trestle in. It was actually how some early railroad construction was done before the use of power tools. It was done in numerous spots where the Transcontinental Railroad was constructed before its completion in 1869.

Savannah felt something land on her. It was dust, no, it was dirt. She held the lantern up above her head and looked around. In the glow of her light, little streams of dirt could be seen as they drifted down in places above and around them. She was more than a little worried.

"What's happening above us?" Savannah asked. "Is the ceiling going to come down?"

Cammy motioned for everyone to remain still.

"Wait." Cammy said. "Check for any vibrations or movement."

They all touched one of the rails.

They could feel vibrations on the rails.

It seemed obvious there really was someone on the other side of the blockage. Even if it was the enemy, they could fight their way out. Six Terminators was a lethal fighting force anywhere. Unless the enemy possessed heavy weapons, they wouldn't be able to stop the Terminators. Since the enemy dealt with Terminators, there was a good chance they might.

They hadn't found any digging tools in their earlier search.

Cameron looked around them. She knew they could improvise some tools.

"I want a mine car." Cameron said. "We can remove the wheels from the axles. We can punch into the dirt with the axles to loosen it, and use the wheels to scoop the dirt away."

Cameron and Cammy went back. Savannah followed them. She really didn't want to get separated at this point. She figured if there was a cave-in, it would be better to 'go out' with Cammy and Cameron at her side. She didn't want to be trapped alone.

Cammy told the male Terminators it was a 'go'.

The three male Terminators sent the first car across. They gave it a good solid shove, but didn't overdo it. It slowed dramatically, but made it across the trestle. Cammy and Cameron moved it further down towards the blockage. They went back to receive the other two cars. Savannah tried to push the first car which came across further along, but she could barely move it.

Cameron noticed and asked her to leave it as she would use more oxygen if she exerted herself.

The male Terminators sent the other two cars across as the trestle swayed and creaked. There were 'splintering' sounds. The trestle seemed to have developed a slight sag in one spot.

The three male Terminators came across, one at a time.

Cameron told them her plan. They tipped one ore car onto its side after the two Terminators in it were put in the other two ore cars. They removed the axles with the wheels. They broke the two axles in half on one of the mine cars. Cammy and the three male Terminators started using the four wheels to scoop out earth.

Cameron looked around. She saw Savannah was distracted. She didn't know how long the excavation would take. It looked like it was going to be quite a while. She wanted to cover all of the bases. She slipped away to go get Tom. She took the power cell with her. She would have liked to have a satchel charge to detonate it with a timer. It wasn't the case.

She went across the rickety trestle which seemed to sway even more now. There were additional splintering wood sounds. It was topped off with a loud 'crack' sound. It was clear one of the supports broke into two.

The smoke was thicker as she closed on Tom's location. There was a lot more than she expected to find. She knew the fire must be burning out of control. It was going to start consuming all of the oxygen at a much accelerated pace. She filled him in on the activity on the outside. She reminded him they didn't know who it was.

"I need to block the tunnel." Cameron said.

Tom looked at the area they were currently in. It looked like it could collapse on its own.

"We can block it here." Tom said.

Cameron didn't know how long what they worked on was going to take. There was no way to know the length of the blockage. It might take days to dig through with the crude hand tools they fashioned. She also wanted the explosion as far away from where the team was now.

"No, I want it blocked back further." Cameron said. "I want more air for Savannah."

The air was already heavily laden with smoke.

Cameron figured if she blocked the tunnel at the first cavern, Savannah would have at least enough air for a few days. They should be out by then. The dust and smoke should settle in a day or so. The oxygen bottles were only going to last for so long. She took the M79 from Tom.

Savannah started to help them. She could see they were more efficient, but she could move some of the smaller rocks out of the dirt pile which began to grow.

Cammy knew it was a bad idea. It wasn't the right time for physical exertion on Savannah's part. She already mentioned it to Savannah once. She understood Savannah's desire to help.

"Savannah, I need you to stop." Cammy said. "You'll use more air. We don't know how long this will take…."

Savannah looked around and saw the air was laden with smoke now. She hadn't noticed it before. She also noticed Cameron wasn't there anymore.

"Cameron's gone." Savannah said. "Where is she?"

Cammy noticed what happened earlier. She kept Savannah distracted when Cameron slipped away.

"She'll be back." Cammy said.

The vibrations increased. More dirt fell from the ceiling and walls. There was a loud 'crack' followed by a very loud 'clang' as a large rock crashed onto the mine car they removed the wheels from. It was now severely dented. It would have killed Savannah if it fell on her, or severely damaged a Terminator.

Cammy came over and checked Savannah's air supply and changed the tank.

Savannah watched the air thicken with smoke. She saw there were seven more tanks of air. She wondered if it was how much time she would have left….

The Terminators dug at a frantic pace. They all knew how much time was left too.

Cameron moved down the tunnel. She headed for the chamber. She passed the four Grays who Savannah terminated. She quickly checked them over again for anything useful. There was nothing. She moved on.

She was almost to the chamber. There was a body lying on the ground. It hadn't been there before. It was a Gray. There was still a threat from the area she was in. Cameron transferred the M79 to her left hand and drew her Glock.

Cameron carefully looked around and moved to the Gray, he was still alive. It looked like he was hit by a falling rock. There was a pistol which slipped from his grasp as he blacked out. He wore breathing gear. Cameron checked his air tank, it was a third full. She took it. She snapped his neck and moved on. Savannah needed the air more than he would.

She reached the chamber. The heat was intense. The air was thick with smoke. She went to the area where Cammy went down to a lower level. There was nothing new there. She could see smoke billowing up from around the cage which sat over the shaft in the floor. There was a lot of it. It was very thick and dark. It was doubtful anyone could survive down there, unless they were a Terminator.

Cameron went back to the chamber and into the tunnel she came from. She replaced the 'buckshot' round with an HE round. She pointed the M79 at the top of the entrance and fired.

There was an explosion and some rock fell. Cameron reloaded and fired again. The same result was repeated with less rock. She reloaded and fired a third time. Even less rock fell the last time. It seemed there was more falling from the direction she came from and would need to return by.

The opening was only a third of the way blocked. The HE rounds from the M79 weren't going to do the job. She figured it would come down to what was necessary. She took out the power cell. She knew it would do a lot damage. She moved back up to the pile of rubble she just created. A large rock fell behind her. She didn't want to get trapped in there.

Cameron damaged the power cell so it would rupture and explode. It began to smoke. It was compromised. She set it on the pile of rubble and ran at full speed down the tunnel back towards where Tom was at.

The explosion was massive. Cameron pressed herself into a small depression in the tunnel wall as the shock wave came. There was a fireball with it, but it didn't reach her.

There were rocks which fell all around Cameron. They fell both in front and in back of her. They continued to fall. She may have started a collapse which couldn't be stopped.

Cameron doubted she would make it back….

Sheila and Ally left the two deceased Grays behind. They tossed them in a dumpster for disposal. CamNet would make sure a rubbish truck arrived to take the 'trash' away. They headed out for the location where the two Terminators were let off.

"We really don't know any more than we did." Ally said.

Sheila thought it was because Ally didn't question the Gray aggressively enough.

"You were too easy on him." Sheila said. "I don't like sissies."

Ally scanned the Gray as she questioned him. She believed she got all of the information out of him. She thought she actually got more the way she did it, than if she would have allowed Sheila to resort to her personal techniques.

"He told me what he knew." Ally said.

The Metal girls checked in with the operation at the mine.

"Maybe we should just go there and help out." Ally said.

Sheila thought it may come to it.

"If they don't make progress there soon we can." Sheila said. "We can dig ourselves."

They arrived at the location the Terminators were let off at.

It looked abandoned to Ally.

"This looks like a bust." Ally said.

Sheila pulled her top off to the side and exposed a breast.

"So does this." Sheila said.

Ally found it somewhat amusing.

"I like the look of yours. I don't like the look around where we are now." Ally said.

It was a boarded up video rental store.

"This place has been vacant for a decade." Sheila said. "I wonder what's really going on."

The girls passed by without slowing.

"I don't get a good feeling about it." Ally said.

Sheila looked over.

"It's the 'Allison' in you talking." Sheila said.

Ally was very pleased with her 'Neural Interface' files from Allison.

"She has some good things to 'say'." Ally said.

Sheila tried to lighten the mood some. She was concerned as well.

"As long as she says, 'How far', when I say, 'Spread', it's all I care about." Sheila said.

Ally was somewhat miffed at Sheila's suggestion.

"Up yours…." Ally said.

Sheila laughed.

"You wish." Sheila said.

They drove over two blocks and parked.

CamNet sent a drone with them.

"We could use a low level drone scan." Ally said. "I think it's a sucker play."

CamNet reminded them a Terminator would be able to hear the drone if it scanned low.

They hoped to spook the Terminators if they were inside. They didn't think anyone was.

"I think the building is a booby trap." Ally said. "They knew we were on to them. They sacrificed the Grays to draw us in."

The drone scan came back negative.

"I don't like it either." Sheila said. "Let's toss a few Thermite grenades on it."

They readied three of them. Sheila drove back in front. Ally tossed two up on the roof and one through the only intact window in the front. They drove off. The drone went back up to altitude and watched. No one came out of the building as flames consumed it.

CamNet suppressed all emergency response.

The girls watched from the next intersection as the building burnt.

"Like I said…." Ally said. "The place looks like a bust."

Sheila lifted her top up. She exposed both of her breasts this time.

"This looks like a bust." Sheila said. "You can touch this one."

At that moment, the burning building exploded in a massive fireball.

"It was a booby trap." Ally said.

Sheila still held her top up.

"So are these." Sheila said.

The Metal girls were at a dead end.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Hurts

What HURTS is to see you feel:

Hurt
Alone
Lonely
Lost
Want
Need
Sad
Depressed
Used
Abused
Disrespected
Punished
Exploited
Confused
Forgotten
Helpless
Hopeless
Victimized
Suffering
Nothing
Morbid
Suicidal

What HURTS More
Is what or when you do it to yourself
Things you KNOW are bad
It makes me feel helpless and sad

It HURTS the most
To not be THERE
To physically take away the poison
To replace the need with emotion

I see someone so beautiful inside
So special, fragile and unique
The damage done by others or you
HURTS me because it HURTS Y O U

Nobody