Chapter 630

Is She Dead

Savannah was - quiet.

Cameron still held Savannah in her arms.

"NO." Cameron said. "Nooooooo!"

Tom was at the far end of the pipe they were all inside of. It didn't look good from where he was at. He was very disturbed about Savannah's condition. He didn't want to ask the question, but he needed to. It mattered to him.

"Is she dead?" Tom asked.

Cammy's hands were all over Savannah.

"No, her heart's still beating." Cammy said.

Cameron knew something else was wrong.

"It's her air!" Cameron said. "She needs oxygen."

Cameron turned on the light.

They quickly checked Savannah's air tank. It was still partially full.

Cammy changed it for a new one. It wasn't the problem. Something else was wrong.

Cameron looked over the entire system. She found the problem.

"The air line was kinked." Cameron said.

There was still air inside of the steel pipe.

Cammy felt the air quality inside of the steel tube was much better now. It wasn't perfect. She took the mask off of Savannah.

"We can take it off for now. It seems most of the dust and smoke has settled." Cammy said. "None of us are moving around to stir anything up. The CO2 level isn't too high yet."

Cameron rubbed Savannah's arms and torso.

Cammy rubbed her legs.

Cameron moved on top of Savannah but didn't rest on top of her. She straddled her.

The light was behind Savannah's head so it illuminated Cameron's face.

Savannah slowly opened her eyes. She felt confused at first. She thought she was about to 'cross over'. There was an angel in front of her. She must have made it! The angel was beautiful. She blinked her eyes several times. She needed to think.

"Allison?" Savannah asked. "You're a big teenager now. I knew you'd come for me. I knew it."

Cameron gently touched Savannah's face. She was so relieved Savannah was back. She was really worried they might have lost her. It was a very traumatic and unsettling experience. It was one she hoped to never repeat under any conditions.

"Your air was cut off." Cameron said. "You experienced some low levels of oxygen for a few minutes. Everything is fine now. There's nothing to worry about. We're all here for you. Cammy is here for you now. Tom is too."

Cammy's face appeared next to Cameron's face.

Savannah blinked her eyes a few more times. She could see clearly now without the grimy mask on. Everything was suddenly clear. It all came back now.

"Cameron?" Savannah asked. "Cammy?"

Cammy still rubbed Savannah's extremities. She didn't want Savannah to worry. Maybe she didn't want herself to worry. It was very traumatic a few moments ago.

"You're OK, Savannah." Cammy said. "You're fine."

Savannah began to understand what happened. She didn't want to be a bother to anyone earlier. It seemed like it was time to 'go'.

"I felt so cold, tired, and sleepy." Savannah said. "There was no air. I didn't want to bother you when I 'left'. I didn't want to be a burden or a problem."

Cameron wished Savannah would have said something. She almost died and she never said a word. She wanted Savannah to speak up when things were wrong. She knew she didn't think about Savannah's needs when they were out together. She was always concerned about the goal. Savannah needed to eat. She needed to take care of her personal business. Savannah wasn't a cyborg, even if sometimes she treated her like one.

"You didn't tell us." Cameron said. "You never complain. You need to tell me things. It won't bother me. I understand. Don't ever do this again, not like this."

Savannah thought Cameron needed to deal with enough problems. She never wanted to be one of them.

"I didn't want to make you worry." Savannah said. "I thought…."

Cameron didn't want to hear it. She didn't want Savannah to say it. They all thought the same thing a short time ago.

"No." Cameron said. "NOT on my watch."

Tom was there with her now too. He reached out to touch her but stopped short. He didn't want to seem too forward or inappropriate. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

"Hi, Savannah." Tom said. "I was worried about you, we all were."

Savannah saw Tom reach out but stop. She knew he wanted to connect. It was a natural response for a human. She knew their Terminators were all mechanical humans at this point in time, even if they didn't know it.

She reached out and took his hand. She held it for a moment and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, Tom." Savannah said. "I didn't mean to upset everyone."

Tom felt a wave of relief wash over him when Savannah took his hand. It seemed to unlock something inside of him. It sent a charge through him of some type, even if it was unseen. He didn't know what it was. He just knew he wanted more. He knew it was something very beautiful. She then gave his hand a little squeeze. It seemed to say so much without a word even needing to be spoken.

"The only thing that matters is you, Savannah." Tom said.

Tom needed to find some way to get Savannah out of the pipe. He didn't know how they could do it. What was going to happen when the air really ran out? He didn't know how he was going to react. What happened now was bad enough. He never felt such an amount of stress, uneasiness, and grief. There were many feelings which were stirred inside of him. None of them used to be there. There were a lot of different ones now.

Savannah could see the tear streaks down all of their grimy, dirt and smoke covered faces. She figured she looked the same way too.

"I'm sorry, I made you worry." Savannah said. "I thought of my girls before I - didn't remember."

Cameron was very worried as she massaged Savannah's torso.

"We're here with you." Cameron said.

Cammy continued to rub Savannah all over.

"We're all leaving here together." Cammy said.

Cameron and Cammy still worked to warm Savannah. They wanted to make sure there was good circulation through all of her extremities.

Tom could see the way Cameron and Cammy reacted. They were clearly much more affected than he was. He didn't feel good at all. He figured it must be ten times worse for the female Terminators. He felt things he never felt before. He felt a lot of things right now. He was overwhelmed by feelings he didn't know how to deal with. Somehow they were more intense because they involved Savannah. He needed to refocus. He needed to do a job right now. It was his function to try to communicate with the outside world. It didn't seem as if there was one anymore.

"Excuse me. It's time for another signal." Tom said.

Savannah held her hands to her ears. Cameron placed her hands over Savannah's hands. Savannah opened her mouth slightly to lessen the concussive effect in the closed quarters.

Boom - - Boom - - - - - Boom - Boom - Boom

The light went out.

Savannah still looked up at Cameron's face as it went off.

They were all back in total darkness now.

A smooth soft hand gently touched Savannah's cheek in the darkness.

Savannah felt lips softly touch hers. Her lips gently pressed back.

It was what she wanted more than anything.

Savannah reached up to pull her closer. She was afraid this was it. She wanted a real kiss one time. Just one real kiss before she 'went'.

'CLANG.'

The invasive noise stole the silence and the moment. The loud noise echoed and reverberated.

What the Hell?

Earlier:

Bob and his crew used the skip-loader and new bulldozer at a furious pace. They tried to move as much earth away as fast as possible. They needed to be mindful of more sliding dirt and rocks as they worked. The earth continued to move.

At last there was a bit of good news.

"I found it." Mel said. "It's the other bulldozer."

The skip-loader moved the dirt from the sides of the buried bulldozer as the second bulldozer shoved the dirt away.

They dug out in short order.

Bob quickly moved to the front of it. There was nothing but dirt in front of the lifted blade. He was worried it would be what they would find.

"It's been pushed back." Bob said. "There's no sign of the steel tubing. It could still be buried. If the bulldozer was only pushed back, maybe the steel tubing is still there."

No one wanted to think it could be crushed or scattered by the landslide. They knew it took a lot of force to move the bulldozer backwards. It showed the power of the landslide. It could tear up anything in its path.

Several Terminators worked to clear some of the dirt off of the bulldozer. They wanted to see if it was still operational. Bob climbed up on the bulldozer and tried to see if it would fire up. It started.

Bob motioned for another Terminator to come over and take over its operation.

Once the bulldozer was out of the way, the skip-loader moved up and started removing earth in front of where the pipe was. Where it should be.

The crew working up on top where the pipe was supposed to be was ready to start probing with the length of rebar.

Cam picked up the rebar.

They called for silence.

Ally and Sheila both grasped it with Cam. It was as if they were about to pull Excalibur out of the stone. Maybe it was more like they would put Excalibur into the stone.

The three Metal girls looked at each other and sent the rebar down. Their six hands and arms forced it through the earth.

They were about to stop as they were nearly out of any bar to hold on to.

The bar abruptly stopped with a faint 'CLANG'.

Ally felt new hope.

"We hit something." Ally said.

Cam felt a rush of exhilaration. She knew it could be a stone. It didn't sound like it.

"It sounds metallic." Cam said.

Bob didn't think they could get so lucky on the first try. Then again, they were Terminators. He didn't want everyone to get their hopes up too soon. He knew there were other possibilities.

"Maybe it was a rock." Bob called up.

Sheila was sure it was metal on metal.

"It sounded like metal." Sheila said.

The three Metal girls pulled it out and moved it over a foot and tried again.

Nothing.

A wave of despair hung over the silent Terminators.

They lifted it again. They moved it over six inches and sent it down with more force.

'CLANG'.

Three more times it was repeated in different spots.

'CLANG'.

'CLANG'.

'CLANG'.

Everyone waited in silence.

Then very faintly they heard it.

Boom - - Boom - - - - - Boom - Boom - Boom

A cheer went up.

Someone was still functional.

Bob felt a rush of relief. He remembered the Skynet attack in Cameron's future. He also knew there were some files missing from around the same time. They didn't matter right now. He knew it was a positive contact.

"It's Cameron's 'pattern'." Bob said. "I've heard it before."

Bob took a moment to reflect on some past events. He didn't usually dwell on them. For some reason they were in the forefront of his mind right now. He heard Cameron use the same pattern of shots in her future. There was a lot he didn't remember about the temporal mission. He wasn't sure why. He asked Cameron about it one time. She asked him to not worry about it. She told him it was for personal reasons for her. He respected it. Cameron didn't ever ask anyone for much. He knew personal issues were very important to humans. They seem to be just as important for Cameron and all of the Metal girls.

The three Metal girls answered back with the rebar.

CLANG - - CLANG - - - - - CLANG - CLANG - CLANG

Boom - - - - - Boom - Boom - Boom- - - - - Boom - Boom

CLANG - - - - - CLANG - CLANG - CLANG - - - - - CLANG - CLANG

There was one final volley of shots.

Boom - four seconds - Boom - four seconds - Boom - four seconds - Boom

Bob hoped the signal indicated all four of them were there. He didn't really see any other way to interpret it.

"It seems all four of them are there." Bob said. "We will find out soon enough. Let's get to work."

Bob didn't know if miracles were real or not. He thought they were more of a set of favorable circumstances playing out. It didn't matter. If all four of them survived, it was a miracle.

The skip-loader and both bulldozers fired back up. Everyone worked at an even more frantic pace. Their fellow Resistance members were still there. At least one of them anyway. The last volley of shots may have been to indicate there were all four of them. It's what all of them chose to believe anyway.

John Henry received word of possible contact with the team. He suppressed it until they verified it was a positive contact. He didn't want to falsely get the hopes up of everyone gathered around the Command Center.

John Henry cleared Bob to make the announcement.

"John, we've made contact with Cameron's team." Bob said.

A cheer went up outside the Command Center as the word was relayed.

John didn't want to ask the next question but he needed to. There were actually a couple of questions.

"Do we know who or how many?" John asked. "How do we know they aren't Grays or Skynet Terminators?"

Bob could only speculate as to what was indicated.

"No." Bob said. "Someone signaled and we answered back as did they. It was a pattern I heard Cameron use before. After the signal there were four shots fired exactly four seconds apart."

John Henry could only draw one conclusion from the signal.

"I think it means there are four of them." John Henry said. "It should be all of them."

John really hoped so. It seemed to be it was. He knew there were a lot of unanswered questions. They didn't know the condition of anyone. Any of them could be damaged. Savannah could be in bad shape but still alive. He didn't want the 'sick feeling' to get a hold of him. He wanted to put as positive of a spin on it as possible. They could dial it back later.

"I think so too." John said. "It looks like all of them made it."

John Henry still didn't know what the new move by the Grays indicated. He wanted Bob's team to be on alert. They might be less than vigilant with the hope of pulling the rest of the team out. The Grays were up to something.

"Bob, we have a developing situation on the road leading in from the north." John Henry said. "We have teams on it. We needed to pull personnel off an LP to investigate, so be advised."

Bob understood the warning for what it was. The level of danger was still there and just as intense.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

John was worried the mine was a target. Skynet knew they were there. It was obvious they attempted to rescue someone. The longer they were there, the more likely was the threat they would be targeted again. He didn't want them to cut corners and rush things. They still needed to clear out as quickly as possible.

"We need our people off and away from the mine ASAP." John said. "It's a big Target right now for Skynet."

Bob thought they could handle the Grays again. It seemed John indicated there was another issue. He wondered why he was reluctant to say what it was. Maybe there were others close by he didn't want them to hear what it was.

"Is there an additional problem?" Bob asked.

John knew it was only speculation but it was a real threat. He doubted anyone would leave the rescue zone once they heard it.

"Yes." John said. "Will it matter?"

Bob didn't even need to think about it. They weren't about to leave anyone behind, especially at this point. Even though there was a lot invested of a physical nature to get to the point where they were, somehow there was even more invested of an emotional nature.

"No." Bob said. "We all go home together, or 'go' together…."

John was pleased to know they would all come home together. He figured he would let Bob know what he knew. There were no facts.

"I thought so." John said. "We think Skynet is up to something. We don't know what. We observed a few things but are unable to determine what exactly is going on. We sent a team to investigate. There is a chance the entire mountain will explode. It could be nuclear or some unknown energy source, like a giant power cell. We don't know at all. I'll keep you posted."

John and John Henry went back to trying to figure out what the Grays were up to.

Their Terminators were on the way to investigate. The drone stayed overhead to see if anyone exited the tunnel the Grays entered, or anyone else arrived. So far nothing changed.

Moments ago inside the steel tubing:

'CLANG'.

What the Hell?

There was another faint noise and then a very loud one.

'CLANG'.

'CLANG'.

'CLANG'.

Tom and the team signaled back and forth. They hoped to indicate all four of them were there. The message was sent.

Cameron thought of the time she used a piece of rebar to look for Cromartie's chassis in Mr. Ellison's yard. The rebar varied in eight foot or ten foot lengths. It meant they were close and knew right where to look.

"They must be less than ten feet away." Cameron said.

Cameron knew there were still tons of soil and rocks on top of them. It would be all around them. It would still take time. It was most likely loose and unstable.

Cammy didn't know the size of the crew working to get them out now. She figured it was more than there were before.

"We should be out within the hour." Cammy said.

Savannah was soon her smiling and cheerful self again. It lifted the spirits of the Terminators. Savannah radiated hope and joy. Her presence was a stabilizing force for the Terminators trapped there with her.

"As long as we get out, I don't care." Savannah said.

Savannah coughed a few times. The air was fouled again.

The gunfire and 'clanging' stirred up the dust inside the pipe.

Cammy wanted Savannah to put her breathing gear on again. She double checked everything to make sure it worked properly.

Cameron checked it herself.

Cammy noticed but didn't say anything. Savannah's safety came first. The more who looked at it, the better it would be.

In the darkness, Cammy watched Savannah's eyes blink and Cameron watched her chest rise and fall to make sure she was breathing. This close to getting out, they weren't going to take any chances.

Now it was a waiting game.

To Savannah, each second seemed like a minute and every minute seemed like an hour. Cameron and Cammy each held one of her hands. It added a level of pleasantry to something which wasn't pleasant at all. There could be worse company to be with right now.

Tom watched the two female Terminators interact with Savannah. They all seemed like human females to him. He wondered what it was like to touch someone else and have them touch you back. He reached over with his left hand and touched his right hand where Savannah touched it. It wasn't the same when he touched himself. He could understand the physical aspect for two individuals interacting. It seemed like it would be very pleasant. He would very much like for Savannah to hold his hand again.

Earlier:

Young Allison watched the reports as they were made. She listened to the coms of the Metal girls as they worked. She was surprised at the level of concern they all shared for Savannah and Cameron. It was clear they all loved Savannah and Cameron too.

Anna watched Young Allison eavesdrop. She was going to call her out on it. She didn't. It seemed to keep Young Allison's mind off of things it didn't need to dwell on.

She didn't want Young Allison to 'order' a temporal mission on her own. She knew she would for something she believed in. She believed in Cameron and Savannah. It was the kind of devotion and love she should have on her own accord.

Anna received an update. It appeared to be very positive.

"Contact." Anna said. "It looks like they've found all four of them. It's still going to take some time to reach them for a safe extraction."

A wave of relief flooded over the Young residence bunker.

"I knew they were alive." Young Allison said. "I knew it."

Anna was pleased. They also needed to focus on the other threats at the same time. Everything was far from over, even if it picked up a positive note.

"It's one aspect." Anna said. "We need to remain focused."

Young Allison was elated but she was also still aware of the other events. There was more than one issue to deal with. All of them were very serious. Some of them seemed more serious than others.

"We have to worry about the Grays in the flame suits in two locations, and the hill exploding where they're conducting the rescue." Young Allison said. "I'm aware of the other troubles. I haven't lost track of anything."

Anna thought it was a good start.

"And?" Anna prompted.

Young Allison was aware the biggest outside threat were HK drones. The unseen threat was the mountain blowing up. They still didn't have their people out. They were still in danger. They would probably remain in danger for quite some time.

"And, any further Skynet or hostile HK drone attacks or assaults." Young Allison said. "The rescue operation is the prime target. They know exactly where our team is at. We don't know where any of them were sent from. We don't know yet."

Anna thought those conclusions should point out something else to think about.

"Since our forces are tied up at multiple locations, what else do we need to worry about?" Anna asked.

Young Allison could see there was 'target fixation'. It was a condition which usually didn't produce good results.

"We need to worry about Skynet attacking elsewhere." Young Allison said. "Everyone should go on alert now, at least until the rescue is finished and our troops are off the mountain. If Skynet knows more about us then we know, we don't want to find out the hard way."

Anna looked at the monitors. She wanted Young Allison to think about it more.

"Do you see it happening?" Anna asked. "Is anyone dealing with it? It's your future job to assist and watch over John as the General. Always use tact."

Young Allison knew it wasn't happening. Anna indicated she needed to rectify it.

"CamNet knows." Young Allison said. "I need to speak with John Henry please."

The connection was almost instant.

John Henry was a little surprised Young Allison called him instead of John. It seemed all of the calls John received from the 'future', Young Allison, were all of great merit. He wondered if he was amiss in his duties.

"Yes, Allison?" John Henry asked.

Young Allison went over what she discussed with Anna. She felt a little awkward, but she thought it was the point. She needed to be able to communicate with any of their troops at any time. They were all supposed to work together and be equal. If some type of warning needed to be issued, she wanted it to be done in a controlled manner, by those who would normally do it.

John Henry was surprised. He knew she was correct. They were all focused on the rescue right now. He took appropriate action.

"I've discussed it with John. We've upped the status of our alert system wide." John Henry said. "John thanks you for reminding us. He is always pleased to hear your advice."

Hanna and Holly both appeared seconds later.

It was their function to keep Allison and Claire calm. It was also their function to protect them.

Anna filled them in on all the details.

Holly reported two of the Detail were on patrol.

Anna knew the threat would come from the outside.

Holly and Hanna went back upstairs to add extra eyes and ears to the security. They were ready to move their charges if anything changed or seemed out of place.

Young Allison wanted to take some preemptive action. She knew the Metal girls could move anyone without waking them. She looked at Anna.

"I'd like you to get Summer." Young Allison said. "You can do it without waking her. Tell Hanna and Holly what you're doing. It will put us one step ahead."

Young Allison knew Allison would be able to adapt to a change in the situation very quickly if it became necessary. Her mother would too, it would just take her a little longer.

Anna left. She soon returned with Summer asleep. She placed her in one of the rooms in the bunker and covered her over with a blanket. She knew there was still one person who needed to rest.

"As soon as Savannah and Cameron are out, you must sleep." Anna said. "You've experienced an eventful and busy two days."

Young Allison was aware of the time. It was well into the early hours of the next day. The team wasn't out and she needed to do her job.

"I'll stop and rest when Savannah does." Young Allison said. "I'll remain at my post until Savannah is out of danger. Don't ask me to do otherwise. I won't."

Anna smiled to herself. She didn't like Young Allison to miss meals or sleep, but she did respect her concern and devotion. The events weren't over yet and there was still danger. They needed to stay vigilant and pay attention until everyone was home.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I Am Sorry For Your Loss

There are many things we have done
That might cause regret
Some would be best
If we were to simply forget

Life is about choice
Everything we do matters
Some of our actions
Leave other lives in tatters

Many things if we could
We say we would do different
But we already had a choice
Hindsight can not be indifferent

Every choice has a consequence
There is some future price to pay
Not everything broken can be fixed
Seldom did we have much leeway

To those we have devastated
Through time we have had to cross
Everything would be done again the same
I am sorry for your loss

Nobody