Chapter 635

P-Waves

Earlier:

Anna checked on Young Allison, she was lying next to Summer. She finally drifted off to sleep. Young Allison wanted to remain near the monitors until Savannah was back. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to lie down at all. She promised to wake Young Allison if there were any changes or new developments.

She thought the operation Cameron and Savannah was on took more than a few negative turns. It seemed to play out in the end in their favor. It was touch and go. She understood the main issue with Savannah was oxygen when she found out some more of the details. Lack of oxygen wasn't something any human could survive. It wasn't just the smoke or the dust of the interior of the mine. It was a very serious situation. If there would have been an additional landslide which covered the area of the pipe even deeper, Savannah survival would have been an extreme jeopardy.

Anna was proud of the way Young Allison asserted herself. She knew as she 'seasoned' she would become more dominant, like Cameron. Her 'Terminator upbringing' really showed. Young Allison didn't want to do more 'girl things'. She wanted to do more 'Terminator things'. It was the exact opposite of what all the humans wanted Young Allison to do.

She wanted the operation to end so Savannah could get back home. She knew Savannah needed to rest and eat some decent food. It in turn would allow Young Allison to do the same.

Anna picked up on the trouble right away. Both CamNet and John Henry sent out an alert. There was a massive underground explosion and a resulting earthquake caused by it. There were only seconds to act.

"Allison, get Summer NOW." Anna said. "There's going to be an earthquake. You have ten seconds tops. This isn't a drill."

Young Allison was instantly awake and moving. She quickly rolled over and picked Summer up. She moved her to the entrance of the hardened bunker. She previously asked Anna to drill her like this. She wanted to be able to act with a quick response without knowing what was actually happening. Here she did know what was happening. Maybe it was Judgment Day.

"I need to get my mom and Allison." Young Allison said as she carried Summer.

Anna left the monitors and headed for Young Allison and Summer. Things needed to happen by priority. The younger girls were the priority. Claire and Allison weren't.

"Hanna and Holly will assist them. They will have the same warning." Anna said. "Here it comes, hang on."

The earthquake hit just as Anna embraced the two girls. Young Allison shielded Summer with her body as Anna shielded both of them.

Summer was upset from being woken up and not sure what happened. Young Allison tried to soothe her and calm her. The earthquake didn't help any. There was the shaking and the low frequency rumble as the air vibrated around the walls.

The shaking stopped.

Young Allison, Summer, and Anna looked around.

Anna wasn't sure what would happen next.

"Remain where you are." Anna said. "There's usually an aftershock."

Young Allison was more concerned with something else.

"It could be a pre-shock to a bigger one." Young Allison said.

Anna knew it was true. She also knew what caused this one.

"Yes, but it seems unlikely. It does happen." Anna said. "This one was 'man made'."

It all 'clicked' in an instant for Young Allison.

"This is related to Cameron and Savannah isn't it, they caused this." Young Allison said. "I dreamt about it. How are they?"

Anna was updated by CamNet.

"They've survived the underground explosion and earthquake." Anna said. "The magnitude was only moderate. They're driving away from it all."

Young Allison knew proximity mattered in an earthquake.

"It may have been moderate where we are." Young Allison said. "They were right on top of it, or close to it. It will be much worse. The depth of the quake is a factor as well."

Anna knew the explosion was inside the mine. It didn't appear to be a deep mine.

"It was technically underground." Anna said. "The depth would be very shallow for an earthquake."

Young Allison wasn't sure what the nature of the explosion was. There could be bigger threats unleashed. Savannah was still close to 'ground zero'. Some of the worst thoughts popped into her head.

"Was it nuclear?" Young Allison asked. "Is there any radiation?"

Young Allison read the reports of Cameron and her two nuclear 'adventures'.

Anna hadn't received any indication of it.

"No warnings have gone off about radiation." Anna said. "It wasn't Cameron's doing, not intentionally anyway. It seems to be a further development of whatever else happened inside of the mine."

Anna knew it was probably the result of Savannah having the power cut off to the mine area. It is when the heat build up was first reported as increasing by the Terminators who were inside. It was possible it was unrelated, but very unlikely.

Young Allison was worried about the girls. There was a certain amount of protocol which needed to be followed.

"My instinct and impulse is to try and call them." Young Allison said. "I know we should rely on John Henry and CamNet for information. We don't want to distract anyone or tie up communications."

Anna liked the show of restraint. It was the right choice.

"Yes." Anna said. "Keep Summer here for now. We need to be concerned about another earthquake. If there's any, it should only be a much smaller aftershock."

Young Allison needed to be a team player. She also worried about the others in her home. She didn't want them to worry about Summer or her.

"Go up and tell my mother we're OK." Young Allison said. "She'll be worried."

Anna nodded.

"I'll be back." Anna said.

Anna went up to see how everyone else was doing.

Young Allison explained to Summer what happened and there was nothing to be afraid of. Summer was soon calm and awaited further instructions. She smiled knowing her sister was going to be trained as she was.

Maybe her mother didn't want it to happen. She took it upon herself to make sure it did. She was unaware the Metal girls also 'worked' on Summer clandestinely at night. She was unaware they 'conditioned' her nightly as well.

It was probably something which wouldn't go over very big if everyone knew what was happening, especially Claire. Claire was unaware she was 'conditioned' nightly as well.

Moments ago:

Holly received the explosion alert, along with what was to follow. She immediately woke Allison.

"Allison, you need to get up now." Holly said. "There's going to be an earthquake."

Holly was naked.

Allison opened her eyes and sat up. The sheet slid off of her and exposed her bare breasts. Her nipples were semi erect. She must have been dreaming. Sexual arousal was part of REM sleep.

Some studies showed females experience episodes of nocturnal arousal when the sympathetic nervous system is a rest. Approximately four or five times a night, or during each period of REM, females experience arousal and engorgement with their sexual organs. Some episodes may be generated entirely by the spinal cord.

"What?" Allison asked. "When?"

Holly all but lifted her from the bed.

Allison was naked.

"It will be here in seconds." Holly said. "It's coming now."

Holly helped her to the doorway before the earthquake hit. She faced Allison and pulled her close to her to protect her midsection.

The house began to shake along with the low frequency rumble. It didn't last long or feel too severe.

The shaking stopped.

Allison looked at Holly with wide eyes.

"Is that it?" Allison asked.

Holly was aware several things could happen.

"Probably not." Holly said. "Remain here. There are often aftershocks."

Minutes ago:

Hanna was naked. She checked her internal time. Claire would wake soon and want to check on the girls. She pulled down the sheet and opened Claire's nightgown. She was ready to 'service' Claire when she woke. It would keep her in bed as she was pleasured.

She would normally kiss Claire first and work her way down. With Young Allison and Summer in the bunker, she was sure Claire would want to check on them anyway. She decided to go straight for the 'gold'. She moved down and carefully positioned herself. She was about to lower her head.

Hanna received the massive explosion alert. It was clear what would follow.

"Claire, there's going to be an earthquake." Hanna said.

Claire's eyes shot open. She didn't see Hanna at first.

"Now?" Claire asked as she sat up.

Claire looked a little confused.

Hanna moved up next to her.

"Any second." Hanna said. "We need to move."

Hanna helped Claire get up.

Claire wasn't worried about her safety.

"The girls!" Claire said.

Claire's open night gown slipped off. She didn't seem to notice.

Hanna didn't want her to worry. She could feel all of Claire's vital signs spike.

"Anna has them in the bunker." Hanna said. "They'll be protected."

Hanna moved Claire to the doorway. She used her body to protect Claire's reproductive tract. She faced her as she pulled her in close.

The shaking stopped.

Claire looked around. She thought it would be longer.

"Is that it?" Claire asked. "I want to go to my girls."

Anna appeared several seconds later. She wanted to quell any fears before they got started.

"They're fine and well protected. Young Allison sent me up to check on you and Allison." Anna said.

Anna noticed both Claire and Allison needed some additional clothing, so did Holly and Hanna.

"I recommend we all move to the bunker before another one hits." Anna said. "It's unlikely, but it's a possibility. It's better to be prepared."

Anna moved over to help Allison and Holly.

Holly grabbed a top for Allison and herself.

Hanna retrieved Claire's fallen nightgown and grabbed a shirt on the floor for herself.

Anna got everyone down the stairs. They dressed as they descended.

Young Allison watched them come down. She looked at Allison's breasts as she pulled the top over her head. She wondered how much longer it would be before she was the same size. She reached up and touched her left breast. She didn't think it wasn't going to be very long.

Anna saw what Young Allison just did. She would report to Cameron about Young Allison's desire to be 'older'. It was something she thought was unnecessary, but it was part of her 'job'.

Claire closed her nightgown and rushed over to Young Allison and Summer.

The Metal girls all received another warning.

"John Henry just issued another alert." Anna said. "Here comes another one."

The three Metal girls shielded the four human ones with their bodies.

Moments ago:

They rode out the shaking in the Command Center.

John looked a little relieved. It wasn't as bad as he anticipated. He felt less worried. He wondered how everyone else fared.

"It was enough to scare someone, but didn't seem too serious." John said. "Do you have any damage reports? I know sometimes the direction the force of the quake goes can be very specific. I don't know how it applies to an explosion."

John Henry knew 'earthquake' wasn't a big one.

"There will be minor to moderate damage only." John Henry said. "It wasn't strong enough to bring any structures down or even cause structural damage. There will probably be a few broken dishes, and books on the floor at the most. There were probably also be a number of terrified pets. They can sense the P-Waves before they arrive."

John saw proof of pets sensing the P-Waves before. He watched on TV some footage of pets reacting to an earthquake before it could actually be felt. He remembered one specifically with a dog in a newspaper office. It was lying on the ground watching those inside work. It instantly jumped up and ran past everyone to go outside. They all seemed a little startled at the dog's action. The earthquake hit a couple of seconds later. They all understood why the dog wanted to get away.

John Henry detected more P-Waves. He sent out the alert again.

"There's another one coming." John Henry said.

John moved to the doorway. He hoped it wasn't the 'big one'.

The shaking was brief this time with a much lower magnitude.

The shaking stopped.

John moved away from the doorway. He looked at the monitors.

"What about Cameron's team?" John asked.

John Henry checked the drone feed.

"Gail still shows them moving rapidly away from the area." John Henry said. "It doesn't appear their vehicle was incapacitated."

John didn't see any damage at the Resistance base. He was worried about the others too.

"What about the rest of our people and locations?" John asked. "How's CamNet?"

John Henry received reports from the rest of the locations.

"No damage has been reported." John Henry said.

John didn't think things were too bad. He wanted a better look around the area. He wanted to make sure the blast was contained and there was no radiation buildup or escape.

"Gail, when you feel safe enough to leave Bob's team and Cameron's team, can you fly around the hill and surrounding area?" John asked. "I want a better look at everything."

John was a little worried at what they might have to try to cover up. He didn't doubt John Henry and CamNet could do it. He just hoped there wouldn't be any innocent people affected by what occurred.

Gail was glad to see Cameron's team made it away without getting stuck. There were a few times when it appeared the SUV would get stuck. The arcing on the big power transmission lines might generate some overloads, or power spikes further down the system. All of the giant transmission towers were still standing. There was currently no more arcing as the power lines stabilized.

"Yes. I'll check things out." Gail said. "There was a lot of movement on the large electrical transmission lines. I think power will be lost in some locations for a while. There doesn't appear to be any physical damage."

John thought things were sort of out of their hands at this point.

"Keep us posted." John said.

Moments ago:

Cameron looked behind them as the SUV rocked and swayed. She was extremely concerned about what just happened.

"Keep moving, Sheila." Cameron said. "I don't know what blew up."

Cammy was very worried about the radiation levels. She hoped it wasn't a 'Doom's Day' device.

"I haven't detected any increase in radiation." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't want to take any chances.

"Savannah, I want you protected." Cameron said.

She reached in the back. She retrieved two sealed packets. Each contained a 'Space Blanket'. She handed one to Cammy to open while she opened the other one up.

The silver metallic 'Space Blankets' were wrapped around Savannah.

Savannah didn't like all the attention. She was sure if she protested it would cause Cameron and Cammy grief. She didn't know if it would actually do anything or not.

"Will this actually help?" Savannah asked.

Sheila stayed on the gas and hurried away from the mountain. She started to feel the 'flat tire effect' again.

"There's another earthquake." Sheila said. "It's much milder. I don't feel anything now."

They could all feel the SUV sway a little bit more for a few seconds.

Cameron was relieved it wasn't a much larger earthquake. Some type of an aftershock could be expected. She continued to make sure Savannah was as covered as possible. Would it work or not? It would do something. It was better than nothing until they knew more.

"It will keep some contamination off of you if there is any, until I can clean you up." Cameron said. "This is just a precaution. If we have the materials to protect you, we should use them."

Savannah knew it could be very serious. So far the indications weren't so. She knew it could change. There was one thing she wanted to avoid. She hoped she didn't need a 'scrub down' like Sarah received. She read the report. It was called being 'crapped up'. Then again, it's probably what it would take to get all the grime and soot off. She really wondered how much scrubbing it was going to take.

Cammy wanted Savannah as far away as possible from where they were. She hoped there wouldn't be a problem with Cameron over it.

"Sheila, link up with Bob and Frank, we're going home." Cammy said. "This operation is over for now. Our team is done here. There are others who can do further investigation. We need to put distance between us and the mountain."

Cammy looked at Cameron. She hoped it wasn't going to be a problem.

Cameron nodded. She wanted Savannah away from there too. She knew they couldn't go back to the base directly. It was possible the vehicle, and all of them, could be 'crapped up'. They didn't want to bring any contamination back to the base. There were some safeguards which were already in place. It was going to disrupt Savannah a little longer.

"We'll go to a safe house first and make sure no one is contaminated." Cameron said. "I have a few of them set up. I'm really sorry about this, Savannah. Everything which has occurred has been unforeseen in the way it would play out. I apologize for everything."

Savannah didn't think the 'blame' should land on Cameron's shoulders. She was pretty sure the blame belonged to one person alone. It was her. It was the result of her actions which seemed to set everything into motion which led from one tense situation, to another, to another. It is where they were now.

"Cameron, you're not responsible for any of this. I gave the order to cut the power." Savannah said. "Everything which followed is my fault. I didn't want the Skynet forces to be able to do anything once we entered the mine. I didn't foresee what would happen once the power was cut."

Cameron wanted the blame where it belonged.

"No. It's Skynet's fault. It's not your fault, Savannah." Cameron said. "Everything related to what's happening is the fault of Skynet. Skynet is from where all the problems emanate. It's not just the current situation either. It's everything they've done in the past, and in the future. All of the suffering and misery lands on Skynet's doorstep, not ours. Our goal is to prevent Skynet from doing it again in our current timeline. So far we have been able to do so."

They all knew what Cameron said was true. They all wondered if they would be able to hold Skynet back and keep it on a leash. There were times when it seemed doubtful. There were other times when it seemed they made progress.

No one said it, but they all knew if Savannah hadn't done what she did, Cameron would have returned and used a Nike warhead on the installation…. There was a better than even chance there would have been some radiation contamination. They didn't know, but it was most likely.

Cameron thought about what she wanted for Savannah right now. She would add lightweight protective suits to all their vehicles. It would add some protection if they were ever needed. She didn't think the space blankets would be very effective against microscopic particles of contamination.

Sheila was glad to be back on a paved road. There were a few small rock slides here and there along the way. There were some cracks, but no fishers in the road. She was a little concerned about some of the fishers in the dirt road as they fled the scene. She spotted a welcome sight ahead. There were some additional reinforcements. If the vehicle became disabled now, they wouldn't need to worry about transportation for Savannah. She was really concerned they could have gotten stuck earlier.

"There's Bob's team." Sheila said. "They're headed toward us."

Bob spotted the girls. He made a U-turn in front of them. He took the lead.

Frank's team made a U-turn and dropped in behind the girls.

The Metal girls all felt a little more relieved to have the extra 'muscle' in front and in back of them.

Savannah sat wrapped in the 'Space Blankets'. She knew her body was going to be wrecked like Vanna's was doing the type of 'work' she needed to do. It was time to act again while she still could. She knew being in the Wastelands of two futures hadn't helped any. She really hoped her virginity wouldn't be stripped from her like it was in Vanna's future. In Vanna's future, and in Cameron's future, her virginity was taken by abuse. Then again, it's what happened to all the females. She hoped to prevent another future like any of those. She needed to keep doing what she was doing to prevent it from happening again. The cards would land where they fell. She still felt the need to take care of some pre-emptive action on her part.

Cameron didn't like the distressed look on Savannah's face right now. She wanted Savannah in a better location. She contacted Bob since he was the lead SUV.

"Bob, head for 'Safe House Thirty Six'." Cameron said. "We need to make sure there's no contamination. We're not going back to the base yet."

Bob looked back in his rear view mirror. He hoped the girl's weren't compromised.

"Affirmative…." Bob replied.

He led the mini caravan off. He knew exactly where to lead the group.

Savannah wanted to ask how many 'safe houses' Cameron set up. It seemed like a lot. Maybe she would save it for another time. There were probably a few stories to go along with it. She wondered how many terminations were involved to obtain the safe houses where Cameron wanted them. She didn't think for a moment they were in random locations. Each one was probably specifically selected by Cameron for a reason. It could be because they were in proximity with other things. It sounded like it should be a more private conversation. Maybe it would be better to ask Cammy instead. There was no need to create any unnecessary stress for Cameron about what she felt was necessary to occur.

Gail was pleased the two groups hooked up. She observed everything from altitude. She was ready to give her report to the Command Center.

"Cameron's team linked up with Bob's two teams." Gail said. "They're all headed away from the area. The roads look clear. They are away from the rocks and small slides. None of them blocked any of the roads out of the area."

John wanted them clear from the entire area. He wanted Gail to continue to watch over them.

"Stay with them." John said.

Gail wanted to give John a look around the mountain. He'd asked for it earlier.

"I'll make one quick pass around the hill first." Gail said. "There's a lot of dust in the air. Some of it dissipated slightly."

John Henry hoped it was only dust. He wasn't so sure. He needed to know one way or the other.

"Is there any smoke?" John Henry asked. "It could be radioactive."

Gail scanned the area as she flew around it.

"No, it's just dust." Gail said. "The radiation level is unchanged. There's no smoke or particulate matter in the atmosphere. Nothing appears to have been ejected from the hill itself."

John looked at the drone footage. He wasn't sure what he looked at. Nothing was recognizable. During the operation he looked at numerous satellite photos of the location. They were both historic and current. He needed to confirm what he viewed.

"Is it the backside of the hill where the rescue operation took place?" John asked. "It looks different now."

Gail could see right away there was a massive landslide. It was much more extensive than the previous two.

"Yes." Gail said. "More earth and rocks have slid down and covered over the entire area where they worked. There's no trace anyone was ever there. Both the bulldozer and skip-loader are buried. The trail leading to the area is gone as well."

John Henry hoped it would hide from Skynet what was actually done there. He wanted a view of the front side as well. He wondered about the old buildings which were located there. They could still draw attention from others. He didn't want anyone to look around the area for any reason.

"Check the side the mine entrance was on." John Henry said. "Let's see what's left."

Gail was over the top of the mountain in seconds. It looked like the other side.

"All the buildings are buried under dirt and rock." Gail said. "It is like nothing ever happened at this location. Everything is covered with dirt and rocks now."

John liked the report. He hoped it would prevent Skynet from ever going back there. There were a couple more spots.

"What about the two auxiliary tunnels the Grays went in?" John asked. "Is there any fire or smoke coming from them?"

"Both were blown closed, one by Dan's team and one by Cameron's team. The earthquake finished them off. There's no indication anything was ever there." Gail said. "I'm resuming escort duties."

John felt the area was neutralized.

"Thank you, Gail." John said.

John heard some talking and looked up. The crowd gathered again at the entrance to the Command Center. It was clear the earthquakes got everyone's attention.

"I take it everyone got the alert and is OK?" John asked. "How are Jan and Riley?"

Sarah entered the Command Center.

"Both of them are fine. They've been in the 'safe room' since last night." Sarah said. "I just checked on them. Kyle and Derek 'camped out' there as well all night."

John knew they did it to make it more 'fun' for Jan. Savannah told them later on she felt like she was in jail by being in the 'safe room' when she was younger. She didn't like being trapped in a small room.

He didn't like some of the places he needed to stay at over the years either. Some of those were pretty restrictive too. It's just the way things were sometimes. Safety seemed to come with a price for everyone. The alternative of the things which could go wrong were what they needed to prevent.

John couldn't help but notice Vanna and Jesse seemed to have next to nothing on. It was obvious they were with each other before they arrived there. He hoped Cameron would 'push' them a little. Sleeping alone sucked. Then again - it could….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Rocky

Once there was nothing
Then there was
What made it happen
Or was it just because

Sometimes the tears will flow
Something causes pain
But it is really only happening
Within the confines of our brain

There are things that cause trauma
Making us feel sad
We all like a storybook ending
So we can feel glad

Many bad things can happen
Challenging our will to survive
If we can still bleed
It means we are still alive

When the road turns rocky
We can be overwhelmed with emotion
So we must be very careful
Where we send our devotion

Nobody