Chapter 631

Nobody Looked Back

With the recent developments, John currently needed to worry about more than one thing. He checked to see when one of their teams would arrive at the location the Grays disappeared at. The fact they wore protective suits was very concerning. He wanted them to approach the area with extreme caution.

"What's the ETA on our team?" John asked.

John Henry wanted everything checked, but he also needed to be very attentive. Whatever the Grays were up to was highly questionable. The first team to approach the area neared the location.

"Dan and Ken left the LP earlier. They are about to arrive at the site the two Grays went into." John Henry said.

John hoped it was another way into the mine earlier. Now he hoped it wasn't, at least until they got their troops out since they now located them. He didn't want the Grays to find some new way to attack them. Maybe the best way was to attempt to stop the two Grays from doing whatever they were going to do. He wasn't sure how they knew to wear the protective suits unless they were in communication with someone, or something inside of the mine. The report from the three male terminators who were able to exit indicated there was a lot they didn't know about it. Cammy only partially explored one lower level. She indicated there were other levels below it. They were sure there was something above the level they were on as well, but hadn't found the access point.

"I wonder what the new development will yield." John said. "It seems as bizarre as it does mysterious."

John Henry was sure Skynet was as unpredictable as it was predictable it's actions. Anything could happen.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." John Henry said.

They both knew it would be more trouble.

Dan and Ken checked everything around them as they moved forward. They needed to look for trip wires, booby traps, and any detection sensors. They didn't want to end up damaged before they even approached the entry point. So far it seemed they avoided everything.

"We're about to arrive." Dan said.

John was worried it was a trap to draw some of them out. If the Grays left some type of booby trap behind, Dan and Ken were sure to trip it.

"I want both of you to use extreme caution." John said. "Do you see anything?"

Dan and Ken made a preliminary check of the area.

"Negative." Dan said. "There's nothing here."

John Henry knew something needed to be there. The two Grays didn't dematerialize. There was no sign of an energy bubble detected either.

"We watched two Grays in protective gear disappear there." John Henry said. "I sent you the footage."

John watched two men arrive there and never leave.

"There's been a drone overhead continuously since the footage was taken." John said. "They've never reappeared. Something needs to be there."

Dan and Ken now started a detailed search of the area. They were even more cautious for trip wires and booby traps. They saw the footage as well. The entrance was evidently well hidden. It seemed to signify its importance.

"We're searching." Ken said. "We'll find where they went."

John was worried about the rest of the team from the mine. It was the primary target of any Skynet activity. It was where the biggest threat would happen.

"Bob, do you have any updates?" John asked.

Bob looked over at the location. They were close to the area the pipe should be in. He was sure they would locate it soon.

"We should reach the pipe in a very short time." Bob said. "We only have a few more feet. We need to work carefully."

John Henry could see progress seemed slower than it should be. It most likely meant additional trouble from a landslide threat.

"What's the status of the hillside?" John Henry asked.

They still needed to deal with dirt and rocks which continued to slide down as they worked. There wasn't much they could do about it.

"It isn't good." Bob said. "There's a lot of unstable earth now. Two bulldozers and a skip-loader moving around aren't helping. We need to work fast, but not too fast."

John looked at the drone images of everything happening on the backside of the hill. He wanted it to happen sooner. He knew they needed to use caution to prevent additional movement of the hillside. Another landslide wasn't his only concern. They still needed to think about the enemy. The enemy knew their location. They knew what they were up to.

"We need to get our people out and get off the hill." John said. "I don't want to get caught out in the open if there's another attack."

Bob wasn't sure they could do anything any faster without causing additional problems.

"Affirmative…." Bob said. "You have our body cam footage and the feed from the drones."

John hoped to get the equipment returned back to where they were borrowed before morning. He viewed the images available to him from the location.

"We're watching." John said. "We have a few other things to take care of as well. Do you still need both bulldozers?"

Bob looked over at where the pipe was located. They were almost to it.

"One is sufficient for what we're doing now." Bob said.

John wanted to tie up all the loose ends. He wanted to deal with the bodies of the Grays. They moved all the wrecked vehicles and bodies into the gravel pit for disposal. He thought one bulldozer would be able to help out.

"I want to move one to the gravel pit to cover over the Grays and their vehicles. The Blackhawk will come for it." John said. "Keep us posted."

Tom was in the first pipe section. He was ready to shove dirt out when the end was unearthed.

Cammy was in the second section where it joined the third section.

Savannah and Cameron were in the third section where it joined the second section.

There was nothing to do but wait.

Cammy and Cameron tried to engage Savannah with small talk, but the mood was somber.

They all believed they were close to getting out, but were all worried there would be another attack on the team on the outside. They could be buried deep again or even be swept off the hillside into the canyon below. Cammy gave them a rundown of what the backside of the hill looked like and what else was there. Being swept into the canyon and covered with tons of dirt and rock seemed like a very grim possibility.

There was a lot of anticipation about getting out of the pipe soon. There was also the worry something else would happen to prevent it. There was one fact which hung over all of them, even if no one spoke of it. Savannah was nearly out of air to breathe.

The waiting game was no game at all.

Bob watched the skip-loader move up to pull out another scoop of dirt. His calculations were they were within one foot of the end of the pipe. The exact distance was hard to gauge because of the change in the landscape above and around them. He was sure they were close.

"We're almost there." Bob said.

The skip-loader moved closer to carefully take out another section of dirt.

'CLANG'.

The skip-loader backed away from the area.

Bob moved in with several Terminators. They were the three Metal girls, and the three Terminators who were in the mine with Cameron's team. They wanted to make sure the rest of their team was OK. It was possible some of them were damaged or Savannah was hurt.

The end of the earth filled pipe was uncovered.

Shovels started pulling dirt out.

There was dirt from the hillside cascading all around them. The hillside was loose and unstable. It seemed as if it was about to collapse and cause another landslide.

Everyone worked at a frantic pace. They were all aware the hillside could come down again at any moment. They knew Savannah must be running out of air. They didn't know what the situation was on the other side of the pipe. If it was still exposed to the passageway, it would mean more smoke and dust was being introduced into it. Before the initial collapse, the pipe looked like a chimney at an old coal fired power plant with all of the black smoke pouring out of it.

Maybe they all threw caution to the wind. It wasn't their intent. They didn't know when the next Skynet attack would come, the mountain would blow up, or the side of the hill would collapse down on them. They didn't know what the Grays were up to inside.

Seconds ago:

Cameron's team all felt some heavy vibrations. There was nothing they could do but wait. They hoped all of the vibrations were from the machinery and not from the hillside itself.

"They're getting close." Cammy said.

Cameron was ready to move. She wanted to get away from the area. She figured it was unstable after the attack. She wasn't even sure if there was more than one attack. They didn't know yet what caused the original landslide. It happened when they were still by the main passageway and the connection to the one with the mining car tracks on it.

"I want Tom and Cammy to shove some of the dirt out of the end of the pipe as they exit. Savannah and I will follow you out." Cameron said. "I want everyone out and away from this immediate area. Things should happen very soon."

There were some more vibrations. The team must be close.

'CLANG'.

Tom was ready to go.

"They're here." Tom said.

There was a flurry of noises and sounds.

An opening appeared where Tom was at. Some light entered the cylinder.

"Is everyone OK?" Bob's voice could be heard.

Tom was relieved to hear Bob. They could get Savannah out now. He was very concerned about her.

"Everyone is operational, there is only superficial damage." Tom responded. "Savannah is OK."

Bob scooped dirt out from the pipe onto the ground, as Tom shoved some forward.

Tom and Cammy shoved more dirt out as Savannah and Cameron moved up behind them.

There was an opening large enough they could all get out of now.

Tom exited with Cammy behind him. Cammy stopped to help Savannah out. Savannah removed her face mask as she exited. Cameron was right behind her.

A cheer rang out from the workers.

Cameron looked around the area. It looked like a disaster area. Then again, it's exactly what it was. A rock rolled down the hill past her foot. There was another one a few seconds later behind her.

"Everyone will need to move away." Cameron reminded them. "I want to move Savannah away from this area immediately."

Cameron could see the entire area was on the verge of collapsing. There were rivulets of dirt and small rocks which cascaded all around them. She was surprised the entire hillside hadn't given way. She didn't think it would hold much longer.

Moments ago:

They followed Bob's running commentary in the Command Center as the pipe was located and cleared. They knew all four of them were OK. It still took some time to clear the pipe so the team could get out. They could see activity at the end of the pipe.

"They're about to come out." Bob reported.

A cheer went up around the Command Center. They were monitoring all the activity.

They saw Tom and Cammy come out. They could only tell it was them because Bob announced it as they exited. They followed out behind the dirt they shoved out with them. They were covered from head to toe in grime, soot and dirt.

Cammy turned and helped Savannah out. Cameron followed behind her. They were both as filthy as the first two. They all looked terrible. It was clear they went through a lot, just by their appearance.

John watched Savannah and Cameron emerge. He felt his heart skip a beat. Even as dirty as they were, they both looked beautiful to him. The area was dimly lit and there was a lot of activity. To see both Cameron and Savannah out and alive was an immense relief.

It needed to be remembered the area was still ripe for an attack and the entire mountain could blow up. The team just freed from the pipe was in less danger than when they were trapped, but they were still far from not being in danger. He wanted them away from the hillside and away from the mine completely.

"Is there any possible threat detected, other than what we know so far?" John asked.

John Henry monitored all the information as well as what the drones could detect.

"Nothing has changed since the last time you asked." John Henry said. "It was only fifty-five seconds ago. I will let you know if something significant develops."

Cameron told Bob they should start to move away from the area. Another rock rolled past her.

"Everyone needs to get away from here." Cameron said. "I want everyone to move now.

Bob confirmed Cameron's suspicions about the peril of their location.

"The hillside is unstable." Bob said. "More than once we thought it was going to let loose again. It delayed our progress. I'm sorry it took so long. We didn't want to lose any of the progress we made."

Cameron didn't think having any more Resistance Terminators buried would serve anyone other than Skynet.

"You and your team did fine, Bob." Cameron said. "Everything worked out fine."

The bulldozer and skip-loader both backed away. The Blackhawk retrieved one of the bulldozers earlier.

There were small rivers of dirt sliding down in half a dozen places on the hillside.

The ground began to shake and vibrate slightly. All the Terminators and Savannah already moved away from the excavation site. With a loud rumble, another section of the hill broke free and covered the area they all were thirty seconds earlier. It was now buried under another fifteen feet of loose dirt and rock. Small rocks still tumbled down the hillside.

Hugs and greetings went all around. The three Metal girls offered to trade their less dirty clothing for Cameron's, Savannah's and Cammy's filthy clothing.

Sheila even offered to take it one step further.

"I'll just go naked for a while." Sheila said. "I'd like it better anyway. I think everyone else would too."

Her statement brought a round of laughter.

Everyone knew she wasn't joking either.

Cameron was updated as to all the developments since she entered the mine.

John wanted to fly Cameron and her team back as soon as the Blackhawk returned from dropping off the bulldozer at the gravel pit.

Savannah spoke with Cameron as she heard all the news. She wanted the Terminators better deployed based on the current conditions. She wanted Cameron to speak with John. She was very concerned about their Terminators who were after the Grays in the special suits.

Cameron liked the idea. She was still upset because Skynet sent forces to attack them while they were in the process of being rescued. It made it personal to her. It meant some personal retribution was in order. She planned to deliver it herself if the opportunity arose. She would need to get together with Ally and Sheila and find out everything they knew about the group.

"John, I've spoken with Savannah. She wants a team sent to reinforce Dan and Ken immediately, as well as reestablish the LP." Cameron said. "My entire team will remain here with the Metal girls and Bob."

The Blackhawk came and took the members of the rescue team away to reinforce Dan and Ken. They would also set up a new LP. No one thought Skynet was done with them or this area yet.

Savannah was informed Gail was in the manned drone escorting the helicopter. Savannah looked up and waved. She knew Gail could see her. She could also see there were some construction vehicles the team obviously 'borrowed' from somewhere. She didn't like loose ends with other people's property.

"What about the equipment?" Savannah asked. "It belongs to someone."

Bob was aware Savannah liked people compensated if the items they needed to use couldn't be returned. He knew sometimes it was better if they weren't returned based upon their condition after they were through with them. It was best as if those items simply disappeared forever and the owners received more than adequate compensation to replace them with something new.

"We'll return it if we have time." Bob said. "We may still need to use some mobility."

He was very pleased to see Savannah think of the rest of their troops. It was clear she wasn't going on a helicopter ride anytime soon.

Cameron took stock of the Resistance vehicles which were there. She looked over to the eastern horizon. There was a faint glow to the area.

"The sun will be up soon." Cameron said. "We have three SUVs here, let's drive them out. The Blackhawk can return some of this equipment."

Savannah looked around where the vehicles were parked. She felt they were far enough away to avoid the direct effects of another landslide. There was no way to know for sure. She wanted to do something. She quietly spoke with Cameron.

Cameron took one more look around the area where they were at. She didn't think it would hurt to spend an extra minute before they entered the vehicles. She nodded slightly at Savannah.

Savannah took a moment to personally thank the rest of her team who was in the mine with her. She gave each one of them a meaningful hug. She then turned her attention to Bob for leading the rescue effort. She finished up with the three Metal girls who came there to assist.

The Metal girls each whispered to Savannah when she hugged them about what they would like to do with her when the time was right.

When the last hug was given, Savannah turned to the group.

"I want to thank everyone again for everything." Savannah said. "Let's go."

Savannah and the five Metal girls all got into one SUV. Cameron looked down at herself and suggested someone else drive. Normally she would always drive. Cam and Cammy both always drove too. Ally usually rode with Sheila. Sheila was very dominant with Ally, especially in the bedroom. It was the same when they were out in the field. Ally didn't let Sheila take things too far in either arena.

Bob, Al, and Tom pulled out in front. Savannah and the Metal girls followed them, Frank and Ed followed them. Even in their departure from the area, everyone wanted to make sure Savannah was protected.

They headed down the old railroad 'right of way'.

Bob thought about the way the girls looked. He was sure they experienced a very tough time. He wondered if he would ever find out exactly how rough it was for them. He knew they would try to downplay everything. It didn't matter right now. They were on their way out of the danger zone, well, one danger zone anyway.

Nobody looked back.

Dan and Ken found the entrance the Grays disappeared into. They were about to breach it when they received word reinforcements were on the way. They were told it was a request from Savannah. They were pleased the team was out and Savannah looked out for them. They were very unsure about what the Grays were up to.

The Blackhawk arrived a few minutes later and let off a crew. It then flew off to reestablish an LP. Those two team members would hike in and take up position away from the drop off point. The helicopter would touch down three times in different spots. The two team members would exit on the first drop off point. The other two drop off points were decoys in case anyone was watching the helicopter. They wouldn't know which drop off point was the correct one. As far as anyone watching knew, there could be three drop off points, and three teams on the ground.

John wanted the team to use extreme caution once the entrance was identified. They found a hidden electronic lock mechanism. After a few tries, they were able to activate it.

Dan and Ken made their entry. All but two of the Terminators followed them in. The two who stayed out would make sure the exit stayed open. They didn't want anyone else to show up behind them either. They would make sure only their team left the location alive.

Earlier:

Young Allison watched the monitor as the team began to emerge from the pipe. She also continued to watch all of the other monitors for any activity. She knew her heart was pounding as they came out one by one. She saw Savannah was the third one out. She could feel her heart beat a little faster. Cameron came out right behind her. They quickly moved away from the area. She knew she shouldn't become directly involved at the moment.

Anna was able to verify Savannah was uninjured. The three Terminators were all fully functional with only minor damage from falling rocks.

The atmosphere was very upbeat in the Young bunker.

Young Allison felt the need to celebrate some, but with moderation. What was a death sentence for the team trapped was now over. It was over for the location they were in. They still weren't out of the danger zone yet. It in itself was a little disheartening.

"I knew they would make it." Young Allison said.

Anna wanted Young Allison to show some restraint and tact. She wanted to wrap things up.

"They did." Anna said. "You need to rest now."

Young Allison was tired, even if she was still amped up. Savannah was still out there with the Metal girls. It didn't look like they were in a hurry to go elsewhere. It seemed to indicate further action was possible. She didn't want to cause Anna any additional stress. She wanted to remain close to the action.

"I'll lie next to Summer for a while in the other room." Young Allison said. "The heightened alert hasn't been rescinded."

Holly looked in and checked on them. Hanna and her received the good news as well.

Hanna waited until Holly returned. She was upset the girls, mainly Savannah, weren't headed back to the base.

"Cameron's going to get Savannah terminated." Hanna said.

Holly pointed out the obvious.

"The 'Natural Order' hasn't been established yet." Holly said. "At least it hasn't yet in this timeline."

Hanna looked at the bunker entrance.

"How can it be?" Hanna asked. "Young Allison won't be accepted yet. John and Savannah don't understand how advanced she is and what she is ready for."

Holly didn't see it as an issue like some did. She felt Hanna's statement reflected her human lover's belief. Claire was Young Allison's mother. Of course she wouldn't want her daughter exposed to danger. She wouldn't want any of them exposed to danger.

"How much longer does anyone need to wait?" Holly asked. "We all know what Cameron is going to do. It is just a matter of time until Cameron takes her away and brings back as an older teenager. There's no practical reason why it all can't happen now. Two hundred years ago she already would have been married at her age."

Hanna didn't like Claire stressed out over it. She understood the reason why marriage happened sooner until the last few hundred years.

"Two hundred years ago she would've needed to do it because many people died at thirty or thirty five years old. It was how things were in the past."

Holly saw it differently.

"How's it any different than a Skynet future?" Holly asked. "There were few 'older' people there. I was there. I saw it and so did you. Danger and termination lurked around every corner. It's all a matter of perspective."

Holly felt Young Allison was ready for everything. The human body wouldn't do the things it did unless it was what nature intended it to do. It was how it worked for all the rest of the creatures on the planet. There weren't artificial barriers put up in front of them by anyone. Nature dictated what would happen and when. She wouldn't be sorry to see Savannah and Young Allison step up and take their place. She would rather see Young Allison in John's bed than Allison. It would take the pressure off Allison. It would take some of the worry away from her. She knew Allison already faced enough problems. Young Allison was more than ready to try it all. She made sure of it when she 'conditioned' her at night too.

Holly and Hanna turned to leave.

Anna was there. She listened to them. She didn't care for the discussion.

"Is there a problem?" Anna asked.

Hanna and Holly knew they were 'busted'. Anna ran Cameron's program. It meant she pushed Cameron's agenda. The only moderating factor with her was she ran the 'Neural Interface' from Savannah. It actually provided quite a bit of needed moderation.

"No." Holly and Hanna answered at the same time.

Anna's presence issued an unspoken 'challenge'.

"I didn't think so." Anna said.

Anna remained there until Hanna and Holly left.

Holly and Hanna both knew Anna was a 'Cameron' program clone. Everything they said or did was reported back to Cameron. There would most likely be some kind of 'punishment' to follow. They could be given assignments away from Allison and Claire. If they were assigned a temporal mission, it could be for years, even if they were only gone from the present for a few minutes. Ally and Sheila were always more than willing to spend time with their human lovers while they were assigned elsewhere. The worst part about it was, it was something Claire and Allison enjoyed and always wanted more of. They were always open to a little variety. It was something they needed to allow, even if they didn't agree with it. It also allowed them to have a little variety on their own.

Cameron gave her report to John Henry as they drove. Each of the team members who were in the mine did the same thing with John Henry's server. It all happened at the same time. A complete report came in all at once. Savannah's full report would come later.

John listened to everything and was now really worried about one thing.

"Do you think the mine will have some kind of internal explosion?" John asked.

Cameron never got to explore the entire mine. She didn't even know how big it was.

"It's unknown." Cameron said. "I went back to look one last time to see if I could find the source of the heat. I was unable to do so. I sealed the tunnel so no more Grays or Terminators could come out."

It would only be later when they would see the files and body cam footage from Cammy when they would learn Savannah carried Cameron away from the danger.

John knew from carrying Cameron himself her appearance was deceptive. She was much heavier than she looked.

In her report, Savannah would only mention she helped move Cameron away from danger and back toward the entry to the escape route. She believed it was a sufficient enough description of what occurred. It was factually correct.

John wondered if Cameron knew more than she said.

"It was good thinking." John said. "Based on the experience of your future with the power source there, how big will the explosion be?"

Cameron didn't know the size, or if there was even a giant power cell there. If it was similar to what she observed, she could only give an estimate. It could be smaller or larger. It might not exist at all.

"It may create a four to five point earthquake on the Richter Scale." Cameron said. "It will get everyone's attention near ground zero. Damage should be minimal. Maybe nothing will happen."

John was more worried about radiation which could contaminate the area and atmosphere.

"Will there be a radiation threat?" John asked.

Cameron used a Nike warhead in her future which produced radiation itself. They were deep enough down where the effects of the blast were contained within the mountain, even as it collapsed down upon itself.

"It's unknown what will happen." Cameron said.

John would have hoped for a better answer. It was clear there wasn't enough information to work with. It would turn into a waiting game now to see what happened. They didn't even know when it would happen, or if it would happen.

"Beautiful…." John said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Nobody Around

The battle rages around them
The others all have retreated
Nobody is still around
Nobody prevents them from being defeated

They look and wish for others
They are untrustworthy to be around
Nobody is there to help them
Nobody keeps them from the ground

They have suffered much damage
To body, mind and heart
Nobody is there to care
Nobody has been there from the start

Their mind says slay her
But their heart will not
Nobody is here to feel and listen
Nobody to share their battles fought

Their face covered in tears
Their heart torn apart
Nobody gathers the pieces
Nobody their eternal sweetheart

Nobody