Chapter 626

I'm OK

Savannah knew she needed to find Cameron. Tom made an opening large enough for her to pass. She barely fit through. She needed to leave all her gear behind to fit. It included her breathing apparatus. He boosted her up and she squeezed through the small opening. She was in darkness. The only light was from the flashlight she carried. It was taken from a dead Gray earlier. It was still on the side with Tom.

She coughed. The air was difficult to breathe. She didn't know where her 'scarf 'went. It must have snagged on a rock as she squeezed through the tiny gap.

Tom held the flashlight for her to see and handed it to her after she passed through. He reached down and was about to hand her the breathing mask and oxygen bottle.

Savannah felt the rocks start to move as she reached for her breathing gear. She quickly pulled her hand away and jumped back as a new pile of rocks closed up the opening. They just missed crushing her arm. She saw the end of her scarf but it was buried in the rocks now. She left it.

She coughed again. The air was terrible where she was. She ripped a four inch wide section of material off the bottom circumference of her shirt and tied it around her face as well. It was already filthy with dirt and soot. It didn't seem to do much. The air was full of dust and smoke.

The flashlight was on but it was all but useless. It was like a heavy fog all around her with all the smoke and dust. The flashlight beam reflected back off of the thick haze which surrounded her. She could barely breathe, and was all but blind.

She heard Tom call to her. His voice was very muffled.

"Are you alright, Savannah?" Tom asked.

She coughed when she went to speak. She tried it again with success.

"I'm OK." Savannah shouted. "I'll be back."

She hoped Tom would hear her.

There was a loud 'crack' noise and a rock landed next to her. It splintered when it impacted the floor. A section of it rolled onto her foot. It was heavy. She knew it would have smashed her foot if the impact would have been direct. She knew it would have killed her if it hit her head. She could only imagine what Cameron needed to endure wherever she was at. There were 'crack' noises and impact 'thuds' in both directions.

Savannah moved forward toward where Cameron should have gone. It was as much by touch as it was by her limited vision. There were rocks all over the ground. It was hard to walk and not trip over things she couldn't see. There seemed to be new ones which fell at random times and locations. She was sure she would be hit by one sooner or later. It was hard enough not to trip on the ones already on the ground. It was going to be slow going and it was harder and harder to breathe….

Her eyes stung and she could barely keep them open. Her eyes watered and somehow it seemed to make it all worse. Her hands were filthy so she couldn't touch them. There was nothing clean to wipe them with either. She could take off her underwear and try. Wait. She wondered if her underwear was even clean with all the fine dust, she doubted it. It probably would become instantly filthy when she touched it with her grimy hands, or from all the soot and particles in the air. She really didn't want to take her pants off under the current conditions and because of where she was located. It gave new meaning to the old saying she heard before about, 'getting caught with your pants down'. It really could be a negative experience. It would be a bad time to run into a Gray still in the system.

She forced herself forward. Failure wasn't an option. She needed to find Cameron. Cameron would come for her. She was there for Cameron. She didn't plan to stop until she located her. She would search for Cameron until she dropped and couldn't get back up.

Earlier:

Once Al and Bob linked up, they rushed to clear the pipe of earth and rocks. It happened quickly.

They waited for Cameron, Savannah, and Tom to return. It never happened.

They sent out the deactivated Terminators. They waited but the others never returned. It was clear they needed to do something.

"We need to go find them." Ed said.

Cammy thought otherwise. She felt it was her job. It was clear the mine was close to a total failure. She knew one by one the Terminators there, and then from outside, would try to find them. More and more of them would be drawn into the mine. Soon all of them would be in there. She knew this was about to be a repeat of the 'Day Of Loss'.

"I'll do it alone." Cammy said. "This is the way it must be."

Cammy spoke with Al, Frank, and Ed. She told them she would now assume the role of 'Cameron'. She felt it was justified under the conditions and the failure of Cameron to return. As much as she despised Cameron at times, or Cameron's actions, her base program was still Cameron's program. Savannah often referred to her as 'Cameron' during their private moments, especially when a finish was achieved.

They all nodded. It seemed as if Cameron was terminated at this point. Neither Tom nor Savannah returned either.

Cammy needed to do something she didn't want to do. She understood Savannah's reluctance to do the same thing. She needed to prevent anyone else from entering the mine. She needed everyone else out. She looked at the three male Terminators with her.

"I'm sorry I need to do this." Cammy said. "I need to make it official for everyone so it's respected. I know the Terminators will respect it. I don't know if the humans will. It will be even worse if any of them come and try to enter the mine. It must not be allowed under any conditions."

As 'Cameron', Cammy ordered Al, Frank, and Ed out. She ordered no one else to enter. She was going after Cameron and Savannah herself. No one was to risk themselves under any circumstances. She knew it wasn't going to go over well with the Terminators who were with her, and those outside who conducted the rescue.

She made sure John knew and repeated the order back. She issued the order as 'Cameron'. She knew if she got out, it would be her new role anyway as 'Cameron Prime'. It was IF Cameron and Savannah were unrecoverable. They should have returned by now. Tom didn't make it either. She left instructions for Cam to become 'Cameron', if she didn't make it out of the mine with Cameron, Savannah, and Tom. Everyone understood the implications.

She took a moment to look around the area. She looked through the interior of the steel pipe to the outside. She hadn't gone out of the mine herself. With all of the smoke still in the air, and going outside of the pipe like a chimney, she really couldn't see anything there. She didn't think it really mattered. There was a good chance she wouldn't see it again anyway. It was time to see what she could find.

Cammy headed back the way they came. She saw the trestle was tilted a little to one side now. It creaked and cracked as she ran across it. It sounded as if pieces fell off of it. It seemed to tilt a little more. It was about to fall into the small canyon next to it. She wondered why the cavern was there again, but didn't know.

She took Savannah's lantern with her. She figured they would need it for Savannah to see better in the dust and smoke. The air was thick and heavy with both. She needed to dodge the new rocks which fell onto the tracks. She used a different vision spectrum in each eye to better see what was in front of her, or what might fall on her if she didn't spot it quick enough.

Cammy heard the rhythmic sound of rocks falling and knew someone was moving them. It was probably Tom, but it might be Cameron. They were crashing down at a rapid pace. She knew it was a pace Savannah wouldn't be able to sustain. She also knew it wouldn't stop Savannah from trying.

She got closer and saw the entrance to the main tunnel was now completely blocked. Her lantern lit up the area and she saw Savannah's vest, equipment and breathing gear on the ground. She feared the worst.

"Where the HELL is Savannah?" Cammy screamed.

Cammy feared Savannah was under the pile of rocks Tom was moving. She would be dead with all the weight on her. She wouldn't be able to breathe. There'd be no room for her lungs to expand and contract to force air to her bloodstream. There would probably be multiple broken bones. Her smooth soft flesh would be torn and crushed.

Tom could tell what Cammy thought happened. He saw her eyes glowed red. He needed to calm her down. He didn't want her to lose control. It wasn't the right time, if there ever even was a right time.

"Savannah's on the other side." Tom said. "She said she was OK. She needed to remove all her gear to squeeze through. When she was on the other side I would hand it to her. The opening closed up before I could hand anything to her. All she has is a flashlight. She doesn't have her protective breathing gear, she doesn't have anything. I'm working as fast as I can to open something up."

Cammy looked at the thick haze they were in. She could see any length of exposure was going to be fatal. She knew the air in the main tunnel was probably even worse than where they were at now.

"The air in here is terrible." Cammy said. "She's not going to make it if I don't get to her soon. The smoke will kill her."

Cammy knew it wouldn't be the smoke which killed Savannah. It would be love which killed her. Her love for Cameron is what was going to cause her termination in reality. She saw it almost happen before. Savannah stayed in Skynet's bunker with Cameron as an atomic bomb was about to go off. She could have saved herself and entered the energy bubble, but she didn't. She didn't even look back at it. Savannah was willing to face off with a nuclear explosion, she knew the smoke and dust wasn't going to stop her until she dropped.

Tom didn't tell her the air was even worse on the other side of the blockage. There was nothing either one of them could do about it. She would find out soon enough if they could open up another gap. So far it didn't happen again. He wasn't going to give up. He would keep working until it did.

Cammy planned to order Tom out when she found him. Now she needed him to help her move the rocks.

Tom could tell Cammy wanted to send him away. He wanted to make his position clear.

"I'm not leaving until I get Savannah out." Tom said. "I hope Cameron is with her."

Cammy calmed down.

"Thank you, Tom." Cammy said. "I can't ask you to stay. I do appreciate it. You're still free to leave at anytime and exit out through the pipe."

Tom was determined to get Savannah out.

"I will continue to work until my power cell fails, or I am terminated." Tom said. "This is something I have to do. I need to do it for Savannah."

She wanted to tell Tom why and what the reason he wouldn't go was. It was because he loved Savannah. She knew the male Terminators didn't understand what they felt towards the females, especially Savannah. It was what she felt too, but she knew what it was. It was very painful at times. It was also very rewarding at times. It was something she would never give up.

They both worked at a frantic pace….

Every time Cammy caught sight of Savannah gear on the ground, she tried to work faster. The sight of Savannah's breathing gear laying there made her worry more. She pictured Savannah gasping for her final breath somewhere alone in the darkness.

She wanted to blame Cameron. It wasn't Cameron's fault. The fault rested squarely with Skynet and every evil and illegitimate offshoot it spawned. If Savannah didn't survive, and Cameron was terminated as well, she would go after every version of Skynet, in every time line, and personally destroy it.

There was a sigh of relief at the Command Center when it was learned they all survived. The trouble was, Cameron and Savannah were missing. Cammy ordered everyone out and no one was to enter the mine. The mine was too unstable. Cammy also reported Tom was still inside waiting for Cameron.

The three Terminators who came out told their stories of all that happened, and what each of them witnessed.

When it came to Savannah, none of them seemed to have anything to say.

They all heard about what everyone else, including Cammy and Cameron, did. It seemed a lot happened. There were other things they spoke of, but not how they happened.

John was worried and confused. There should be more to the story.

"What about Savannah?" John asked.

The three dirt and soot covered Terminators all looked at each other. They didn't want to violate Savannah's trust.

"Savannah asked we not report about her." Al said.

John was irritated. He needed to know more.

"Asked or ordered?" John asked.

Al didn't want to play a word game. Savannah's request, or even desire, was good enough as an order for any of the Terminators. They wouldn't allow anyone to supersede it. The only other person who could change what Savannah desired was the 'Chosen One', the other one.

"Savannah asked us to respect her wishes." Al said. "Everyone else should do the same."

John felt he was the General. Everyone should answer to him and obey him.

"I've ASKED you to tell me." John said.

The three Terminators looked at each other but said nothing.

John's phone rang, he looked at it. He stared at it as it rang a few more times.

John Henry was sure he knew who it was and why. John was overly harsh on the three Terminators.

"Is it the future calling?" John Henry asked.

John nodded as he answered the phone. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was rude and abrasive to Savannah a few times. He deeply regretted it. He was used to dealing with Cameron. Savannah wasn't Cameron. Young Allison wasn't either. He needed to show them some respect and courtesy.

"Hello, Allison." John said.

John expected a rebuke, but he received assistance instead. It was clear he couldn't predict Young Allison.

"Hi, John, let me talk to them." Young Allison said. "There are other ways to deal with these issues. I'm here to help you. Remember I'm not you. I need to find out about Savannah. WE need to find out."

John could see the importance of both Savannah and Young Allison. He understood how Future Savannah and Future Allison would be able to assist Future John. It was the same thing Savannah and Young Allison did for him, in a completely unofficial capacity, with only limited involvement.

Young Allison spoke to them. They all spoke of what Savannah did in the mine. It was everything, including her take down of the Grays and two Terminators. They told of how Savannah put their safety before hers, and volunteered to do a dangerous mission. They also told how she returned to go after Cameron and it was the last they saw of her….

Nobody said anything….

Savannah needed to move from side to side to avoid the obstacles on the ground. She needed to make sure she didn't get turned around. If it happened, she knew she would die in there. The ground was littered with rocks and boulders everywhere. She was worried if she tripped and fell, she might lose the direction she was going depending upon how she landed. The flashlight might be damaged. If she ended up in total darkness, it was over. The darkness would claim her.

As she moved along in the gloom, she spotted something up ahead.

Savannah rushed forward. She thought it was Cameron.

It was the four Grays she killed earlier. It was a sobering thought.

Savannah saw three of the four Grays wore breathing masks, but there were no air bottles. They were all back in the area where she was earlier. She needed a mask to protect her eyes. It would allow her to see better.

The first mask contained a bloody hole in it. The next one was intact, but full of blood. The last one was undamaged and unbloodied. It would help protect her eyes if nothing else. There was a lantern with them. She armed herself with a pistol and two extra magazines from one of them. She didn't know what else she would come across.

The lantern lit both sides of the tunnel as Savannah moved down it. It made a world of breathing mask helped her to see better as well. Her eyes no longer watered and stung. She was ready to take her underwear off and wipe them earlier. She was glad she could leave her pants on. Onward through the gloom she moved.

She didn't think she would get turned around now with the lantern and mask. She at least knew she was still headed in the right direction. The four Grays she killed served as a 'landmark'.

Cammy and Tom tore away at the rocks which blocked their path.

The progress was frustrating and slow. There was always more to move. Finally there was an opening. They worked to keep it open and enlarge it.

Cammy could see the opening they made get bigger and bigger even as it continued to try and close up. They stayed ahead of the closure. The size of the opening continued to grow. She needed to make her move.

"It's almost big enough for me to go through." Cammy said.

Tom was still worried about what happened with Savannah. The hole closed up almost immediately and nearly crushed her arm.

"Let's make it a little bigger so you can take all your gear with you." Tom said. "In case it closes up again. There's no way to know what else is out there."

Cammy glanced back at Savannah's gear and breathing equipment on the ground, she understood his reasoning.

She quickly reached down and grabbed Savannah's breathing mask. She dropped Savannah's equipment, breathing gear, and extra oxygen through the gap first. She hoped even if the opening closed again, Savannah would have some supplies.

"I'll give it one more minute and then I'm going through." Cammy said.

She called to Savannah earlier but there was no response. It was possible Savannah was down from lack of air or falling rocks. She was sure Savannah was dying as they worked. She didn't want Savannah to die alone in the darkness. She deserved better than such a lonely death.

Cammy needed to make a hard choice. She needed to think of Tom as well as Savannah and Cameron.

"You can keep working on this." Cammy said. "If we're not back in fifteen minutes, you're to follow the tracks and go out. No one is to enter to look for us. Anyone else who enters this mine will end up terminated. It is a 'termination trap'. I don't want you terminated as well."

Tom continued to work. He didn't plan to leave until they all did. He wasn't going to argue the point.

"Affirmative…." Tom said.

Cammy took off her gear and dropped it through to the other side. She then scrambled through the gap. She put her gear back on and picked up Savannah's things. She didn't know if she would run into any Grays or Terminators. She watched the gap to see if it would close back up. It didn't. Not yet anyway. Tom stayed with it to enlarge it. She knew he wouldn't leave until they returned.

Cammy started to run to look for Savannah and Cameron.

There was debris everywhere. She needed to be careful not to trip and fall. She carried Savannah's lantern. She hoped if Savannah was down she would see it and call to her. She couldn't help but think about how Savannah called to her when she was about to die in the electrical conduit when she went to destroy the power supply for Skynet in Cameron's future.

Savannah moved through the thick haze. She was worried Cameron may have stayed and exploded her power cell with the spare one she took with her. There was no sign of her anywhere. She wondered if she missed her before she found the lantern. She thought about going back. No. She would continue on until she found the tunnel blocked. She wouldn't turn back before then. She was aware she probably wouldn't be able to get back at this point anyway.

She struggled to go on. It was almost impossible to breathe at this time. She willed herself forward. She saw a shape. It gave her hope. With new hope, it gave her strength. There was a figure lying on the ground. There were rocks all around her. It was Cameron!

"Cameron!" Savannah said.

Savannah rushed to her.

Cameron was offline. Savannah was unsure why. Cameron didn't appear to have too much damage. She rapidly checked her for any bullet wounds. She wanted to make sure her power cell wasn't damaged. She also made sure Cameron's chip port hadn't been opened. It wasn't. Cameron appeared intact and relatively undamaged. She didn't know why she was inoperable.

Savannah found the oxygen tank Cameron carried when she checked her for wounds earlier. She wondered where it came from. She figured Cameron must have encountered some more of the enemy. She took a quick look around, but didn't spot any movement. She quickly hooked it up and took in a few breaths before her next feat. The fresh air helped clear her mind and her vision. Her gasping slowed and stabilized. She thought she may have been close to blacking out. She realized she was very close to death.

She needed to move Cameron. It would be easiest to drag her by her foot, but there was too much debris. Cameron would be torn up as she was drug over them. She needed to make a choice.

Savannah moved Cameron into a sitting position against the wall. She was going to try to lift Cameron over her shoulder. She only trained doing it with the other females, never a cyborg. There was going to be a big weight difference. Her other choice was to drag Cameron over the rough floor littered with rocks of all sizes. She needed to do it.

She stripped off all of Cameron's gear and weapons. She tied the lantern to hang in front of her. She wouldn't be able to pick it up once she stood with Cameron on her shoulder. She needed to see. If she tripped and fell it would be hard to pick Cameron up a second time.

Savannah knew she needed to do this. She bent down and leaned Cameron over her shoulder and back. She used all her strength and stood up with Cameron. She almost fell over, but regained her balance. There was something metallic which fell to the ground. She didn't know what it was. She kept moving.

She started back the way she came. The weight was very difficult. The terrain was rough to navigate. She staggered several times but continued along. She wasn't going to leave without Cameron. She knew this might be where it all ended. No. She was going to make it. She willed herself to continue. She promised Cameron she would never abandon her. She didn't intend to, no matter what.

Cammy ran through the scattered rocks and boulders. She spotted a bright light up ahead. She was about to call out when she remembered Savannah left her lantern between the two mine cars. She carried it now. It must be Grays. They carried lanterns. She turned off Savannah's lantern she carried. She slowed her pace and pulled out her Taser and Glock as she advanced.

She advanced quietly until she could see a large shape. It was what Savannah described to her earlier when Cameron carried the 'Metal Bitch' back with her.

Cammy threw caution to the wind.

Cameron must have found Savannah passed out and needed to carry her back.

She looked closer and could not believe her eyes.

It was Savannah who carried Cameron.

Cammy turned the light back on.

Moments ago:

Savannah knew she was nearly finished. She wasn't going to stop until she dropped. She was going to make it no matter what it took. She thought she spotted a light ahead for a brief moment. It was gone now. She always heard talk about the 'light at the end of the tunnel'. It was what some people referred to about death. She figured she was pretty close to seeing it for real.

"Savannah." A voice called in the distance.

Now she just heard an angel call her name. She saw the light come on again. Maybe it was true.

No.

She was in a mine with Cameron over her shoulder. They were going out together. It looked like help was on the way. A wave of relief flooded her. It seemed to give her more strength. She knew help was coming. She felt rejuvenated.

Savannah knew it was Cammy. She could see Cammy carried a light as well.

"I'm up ahead. Cameron's incapacitated." Savannah said through her mask.

She couldn't move her hand up for fear of dropping Cameron. Cammy should be able to see her light moving as she walked.

Seconds later Cammy ran into view.

"I saw your light." Cammy said.

Savannah could feel Cameron move. A wave of relief rushed over her. Cameron wasn't terminated.

Cammy reached to take Cameron from Savannah.

Cameron rebooted a few seconds ago. She saw Savannah was carrying her as Cammy took her and set her down.

Savannah was very pleased with the turn of events. She knew they were still in the danger zone.

Cameron looked at Savannah. She was as surprised as she was impressed, especially under the current conditions.

"You came for me." Cameron said. "You picked me up and carried me."

Savannah didn't want to make a big deal about it. She never would have left Cameron there alone. She would have stayed with her. They would have been together forever….

"And Cammy came for both of us." Savannah said. "We all help each other."

Cameron and Savannah both knew it was the second time Cammy came for both of them. They both knew she actually came for Savannah.

They went back and quickly retrieved all of Cameron's gear and weapons. Cammy changed the oxygen tank for Savannah and gave her all of her gear.

As they started back, Cameron reached down and picked up something. It all made sense to her now what happened and why. She actually incapacitated herself inadvertently.

"This shocker was activated when I was hit by rocks." Cameron said. "I'll have to modify the activation system. It prevented me from rebooting. It did what it was supposed to do. It just wasn't supposed to do it to me."

Cammy led the trio.

As they walked, Cameron moved up and took Savannah's hand. She gave it a squeeze. She wanted to make her thanks personal to Savannah.

"Thank You, Savannah…." Cameron said.

In the gloom of the smoke and dust, Cameron could see Savannah was covered in soot and dirt. Through all of it, she saw Savannah smile at her through the grimy face mask.

Just to see her smile under these conditions was beautiful. Cameron knew she was going to get Savannah out of there no matter what it took.

Where was the opening at?

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I'm Good

I know how things work
I know what is real
I also know now
That I can feel

I am what I am
I can't change a lot
I know what I am
I know what I am not

You do know
I am more than I was
Is it from what happened
Or is it just because

Each day I continue to grow
My progress may seem slow
At least who I am you know
Who don't think so

Everything has changed
I think it is understood
If I'm not bad
Then maybe I'm good

Nobody