Fan fiction. Done for fun, not profit. I own none of these characters.... I just play with them a little.

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Crossover between Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Firefly. A continuation of my previous Fanfic, Rebirth.

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AN: Just to remind people... This is totally AU for T:TSCC and post BDM for Firefly. It also totally ignores the events of the latest Terminator movie because I haven't seen it.

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AN2: Slowly getting back into writing mode... -

Discovery

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Chapter Eight

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Douglas Swaggert shook his head to clear it as his hand shot up to rub his now aching jaw, “Gou tsao de! What the hell did you do that for?”

Sarah suddenly realized she was in the middle of some kind of lab, very naked with two men she didn't know.

Steeling her face. She repeated her first statement, “I'm looking for my son.”

“There are no children here,” Swaggert growled from his position on the floor.

Jenkins held his hands up in surrender upon noticing both how lovely the woman was and how ready she was to resort to violence. Slowly he slipped off his suit coat. Due to his height, he had reckoned that it would adequately cover certain parts of the woman's anatomy.

He took a hesitant step forward holding out the coat, “My name is Isaiah Jenkins... You said your name was Sarah?”

Sarah looked over the man holding out the coat. Soft hands, the cut of his suit while strange was obviously expensive. She immediately pegged him as a businessman.

Sarah nodded once as she took the offered coat, “Sarah Connor.”

Despite being at least partially clothed, Sarah still felt naked without a gun. She flexed her fists.

Swaggert scrambled to his feet and glared. He kept his distance though.

Sarah's keen eyes swept the room. Taking in every detail. Searching for threats. Jenkins immediately assumed she was a soldier of some kind.

“Where the hell am I?” Sarah asked.

“My laboratory,” Swaggert began, “Which you destroyed!”

“Douglas... calm yourself,” Jenkins cautioned, “We have a guest.”

“But...”

“I will pay for replacement equipment.”

“If you say so,” Swaggert grumped.

“Welcome to Londinium, Sarah,” Jenkins smiled.

“What? Londinium? You mean London.”

A strange look crossed the businessman's face, “What year did you come from?”

Sarah was slightly shocked that these men knew about TDE equipment, “Year?” she asked coyly.

“Come my dear,” Jenkins smiled, “You arrived here just moments ago. Via a time displacement bubble.”

Sarah sighed slightly and nodded, “2011.”

“Impossible!” Swaggert exclaimed, “The energy to transport over five centuries and thirty eight light years...”

“Did you say five centuries?” Sarah asked, shock on her face.

Jenkins suddenly noticed the fear in the woman's eyes and nodded gravely, “Today's date is September twentieth, 2519.”

Sarah's legs went rubbery and she nearly collapsed. Jenkins reached out to steady her, “And you are no longer on Earth that... Earth.”

“How... I was supposed to go fifteen years... meet up with John... help him...”

“Douglas. Bring that chair over here. I think our friend here needs to sit down.”

Still scowling, the scientist complied. Sarah nearly collapsed into it, “2519?” she whispered.

“I'm afraid so.”

“The power...” Swaggert began.

“Bi zuie!” Jenkins growled. Swaggert shut up.

“What did you mean, not on Earth?” Sarah asked.

“Mankind left Earth in the mid twenty first century. The population had grown so large and resource depletion forced the human race to migrate to the stars.”

Sarah shook her head, “Earth was nearly destroyed in the mid twenty first century. The war had seen to that.”

“What war?” Swaggert asked.

“Against the machines.”

XXXXXXXXXX

After two hours of mutual story telling, Sarah had a little better idea about what had happened.

She had spent the two years after her son had traveled into the future, working with James Ellison in preparing for J-Day. She also spent time being another surrogate parent to Savannah Weaver. Sarah had become quite attached to the girl.

Caring for Savannah had helped ease the hurt over loosing John.

Ellison had put Cameron's body into storage in one of the Zeria Corporation's more secure labs. As well as preparing a well stocked fallout shelter and command bunker for use after J-Day.

Now having access to Weaver's resources, Sarah had done her best to thwart the coming holocaust but to no avail.

As the bombs began to fall, Sarah had left Ellison and Savannah in the bunker and ran to the room where John Henry had been. She activated the TDE with the same settings John and Weaver had used. Hoping to join John in the future and help him in his fight.

Just as the TDE activated. She had felt the thump and seen the flash, even in the basement, of a nearby nuclear explosion. Then she was suddenly somewhere she didn't plan on.

“It must have been the nuclear detonation,” Swaggert said as he worked his chopsticks.

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked as she fumbled with hers. She, Swaggert and Jenkins sat around the small table in the living area off Swaggert's lab. Jenkins had food for them all and some clothing delivered for Sarah.

She felt uncomfortable in the strange clothing. Number one, Sarah hadn't worn a dress in decades. Number two. Silk just wasn't her thing. But it was better than naked.

“Detonation?” Sarah asked as she shoved a piece of broccoli into her mouth.

“There was a theory at Blue Sun that if enough power were introduced to the TDE equipment, it would be possible to travel back to Earth-that-was. If, there was a functioning TDE unit in the past as well.”

“It's possible that the energy released by the detonation at close proximity to your use of the TDE, resulted in your being... projected forward beyond you destination time and since I was running tests on my TDE, the... signal, so to speak... brought you here.”

“How does that help me get back to my son?” Sarah asked.

“I don't know yet. Dr. Gray would be able to help. But he's dead.”

Sarah slumped in her chair, “Great...”

“The new CEO at Blue Sun is ruthless. But... killing the entire TDE development staff?” Jenkins shook his head.

“How do you explain the explosion?” Swaggert replied, “I worked in that lab for six years. There's nothing that could have done something like that.”

“While we are business rivals and she does appear cold, Caroline Weaver is no murderer.”

Sarah's face registered shock, “What did you say this woman's name was?”

“Caroline Weaver. She is the newly appointed CEO of Blue Sun.”

Sarah shuddered slightly. Was it possible? How long could a terminator function? Weaver was a T-1000 model. They were nearly indestructible. But the odds... “What does this Weaver woman look like?” Sarah asked.

“A little taller than you. Red hair. Speaks with one of those god awful Dyton Colony accents...” Jenkins said. Trailing off when he saw the look on Sarah's face.

Sarah's heart was pounding, “Dyton Colony?”

“One of the last holdouts of Earth that was English and other British Isles culture,” Swaggert said with an almost sneering tone.

“British Isles... do you mean a Scottish accent?” Sarah asked, as she struggled to remain calm.

“I believe that's what it is. It is rare in this day and age,” Jenkins replied.

“Is there a photo of her somewhere?”

“Why, Sarah?”

“Because if this Weaver is who I think she is. A murderer is a very appropriate term for her.”

“How can you know someone five hundred years into the future?” Swaggert asked.

“If she is who I think she is, Weaver is from Earth... and a machine.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“Mal?”

“What is it, Hank?” the Captain replied.

“I just received a disturbing message from Ms. Weaver. Apparently, somewhere on Londinium. Person's unknown have used a TDE.”

“TDE? You man the time machine thing?”

Hank nodded and settled into the co-pilots chair next to Mal, “This is very disturbing. Time travel is so... precarious.”

“Londinium is deep Core, Hank,” Mal replied as he looked at the navigational display. Serenity had lifted off from Lazarus a few hours earlier. Headed for Persephone. Badger had waved with a possible job for Serenity. A wealthy aristocrat had some items stolen and wanted them back. Just the kind of work the crew indulged in now.

“I know. And I don't need you to change course for me. Ms. Weaver can handle it I'm sure. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation.”

Mal nodded at the machine that until a few days ago, he thought was his old Brigade commander and as human as any man, “You tell John?”

“Not yet. He was enjoying learning all about Serenity's systems from Kaylee.”

“Man is right smart.”

“John is a genius. Not in River's class or even Simon's but he is still very intelligent.”

“Must be, to have done what you said he did at his young age...” Mal replied thoughtfully, “Seen professional soldiers, older than him, do less.”

“I have seen the same,” Hank agreed, “John was raised by his mother to fight the machines almost from birth. Frankly, I am glad that he has this time to be John... Not John Connor, savior of mankind.”

“Does seem a might... unnatural. Him being... in love, I reckon with Cameron. I mean, as human acting as she, or I might add, you both are...”

“I understand Mal,” The machine once known as John Henry began, “Cameron was patterned after Alison Young. Who in her original time line, was killed in order to make the Terminator that became Cameron. Skynet made an error though. By basing Cameron's personality on Alison's, it gave her too much humanity. It allowed John to reprogram her in the future much easier and send her back in time to protect his younger self. Thus leading to yet another change in the time line, in which, Allison was not killed to make Cameron and John fell in love with her.”

“And when Alison was killed...” Mal trailed off.

“John recreated his first love... Cameron. Who for the most part was Allison deep down in her programming anyway.”

Mal shook his head as if to clear it, “This gorram time travel go-se gives me a headache.”

“I experience something similar and my head is metal,” Hank replied with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sarah was tired. By her body clock, she had been awake for nearly thirty five hours. Her mind was also in a turmoil.

Sarah had known it was a risk to time jump. But she sure didn't count on over shooting her destination by nearly 500 years and almost unbelievably, forty light years.

Sarah had been left alone for a few minutes. Swaggert was cataloging the equipment destroyed when her time bubble had arrived. Jenkins had explained her had a few 'waves' to make. Whatever that meant.

Sarah's body craved sleep but she couldn't let her guard down. At least not yet. Despite her best efforts not too, she fell asleep on the threadbare sofa crammed into the corner of Swaggert's lab.

She awoke with a start when the sound of the door opening and closing roused her. Sarah shot to her feet, ready to fight.

“Relax, it's just me,” Jenkins said coming to a quick stop when he noticed Sarah's ready posture.

Sarah grunted and sat back down. A moment later, Swaggert entered from the lab, “Did you find one, Isaiah?” the scientist asked.

Jenkins nodded and pulled a strange device out of his briefcase, “Wasn't cheap.”

“No matter. With this part, I can reactivate the TDE.”

Sarah frowned at that news. These men had been at least friendly to her but she had an inkling that they were up to no good with the TDE.

“Excellent,” Jenkins smiled, “How long to repair?”

“A few hours at mo...”

Swaggert's words were cut off as a silvery metal spike impaled his skull. The spike had emerged from a potted plant that Sarah could have sworn hadn't been there before she fell asleep.

Swagger's body convulsed several times before the spike retracted back into the plant.

“Wu de tyen ah!” Jenkins exclaimed as Swaggert's lifeless body hit the floor.

Sudden realization hit Sarah as the innocuous houseplant turned silver and began to morph into a vaguely human shape. Sarah began to breath hard as she made the connection. The plant was in fact a T-1000 series Terminator.

“Oh fuck no...” Sarah breathed as she looked around for a weapon... any weapon.

Jenkins was frozen in his tracks as the silver blob formed into a person. A person he knew, “Weaver?” he whispered as Blue Sun's CEO formed in front of his eyes.

“Isaiah, you have been a very bad boy,” the machine called Weaver said in her lilting accent.

Before he could reply, a spike shot out from Weaver's chest, impaling the businessman. His body dropped to the floor.

Sarah had retreated into the furthest corner of the room. Looking around for an escape. There was none.

Weaver turned to face Sarah and smiled, “This is an unexpected surprise. Hello, Sarah.”

“Get away from me you metal Bitch!” Sarah snarled, knowing it was a futile gesture at this point.

“And I thought we were friends, Sarah.”

“You took my son away from me!”

“I did.”

Sarah simply glared for a moment, “If you're going to kill me. Get it over with,” she said after a moment.

“If I had intended to kill you, Sarah. I would have done it while you were asleep,” Weaver smiled slightly and held out her hand, “Come with me if you want to live... and see John again...”

XXXXXXXXXX

Weaver had led Sarah out of the nondescript building that held the now deceased Swaggert's lab and into the pleasant early Londinium evening. The sun had just set and the spires of New London could be seen in the distance.

A uniformed chauffeur opened the door to a large black vehicle. To Sarah's mind, it looked like a fairly standard Cadillac or Lincoln limousine from her time. Except the the vehicle had no wheels and hovered a foot or so off the ground.

“Have a seat, Sarah,” Weaver said with an almost smile on her face. Sarah nodded once and climbed inside the limo.

Weaver climbed in and took a seat opposite Sarah. The chauffeur closed the door and quickly took his place behind the controls, “Back to the office, Ms. Weaver?” he asked through the open privacy panel.

“As quickly as you can, Robert,” Weaver replied as she closed the privacy panel.

Smoothly, the limo pulled away from the curb and headed for the nearby expressway leading into the city. All during this, Sarah continued to glare at Weaver.

The Terminator turned CEO ignored Sarah's stare and addressed the woman, “I have a secure place for you to stay until I can arrange your reunion with your son.”

“How are you going to do that?” Sarah asked, “Are the TDE's that powerful now?”

Weaver almost smiled, “Right now, there are no TDE's in existence...”

Visible out the rear window, a flash of light followed by a column of smoke and glow of a large fire announced the destruction of Swaggert's laboratory.

Sarah frowned, “So how are you going to send me back five hundred years then?”

“That is unnecessary. John Connor is here. In this time, right now.”

“WHAT?” Sarah thundered, “Where is he? Take me to him, right now!”

“Relax, Sarah,” Weaver advised, as the terminator poured a shot of scotch from the limo's mini-bar and handed it to Sarah, “John is not here on Londinium.”

“Then where...”

“He is safe and with... family.”

“Family?” Sarah asked, confused.

“In the future, John and I traveled into. The woman who Cameron was patterned after, was not killed by Skynet. Her name was Allison Young. She became John's wife. They had a daughter.”

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise, “Daughter...”

“You are... or were, a grandmother. John's daughter died centuries ago during the migration from Earth to where we are now. I used a TDE to bring John to this time in order to help me in my search for a new version of Skynet. One that is beginning to control human society.”

“Skynet is still operating?” Sarah asked.

“Not Skynet. But another AI. One also created by humans. One that learned from the mistakes of it's predecessor. The methods being used are more subtle than brute force approach using millions of terminators and nuclear weapons.”

Sarah shook here head. Mostly to try and clear her fatigue, “You said John was with family?”

Weaver did actually smile this time, “John is traveling on a spaceship with several of his descendants. As well as John Henry and... Cameron.”

“Did you say, Cameron?”

“I did. John sent her on the great migration.”

“But you said John married This Allison woman.”

“Indeed he did. However. Allison and Cameron are virtually the same person. Skynet copied Allison's personality matrix so precisely, that Cameron was essentially, Allison Young in a Terminator's body with Skynet programming overriding her personality.”

“Ellison locked Cameron's chassis in a vault at Zeira Corporation,” Sarah said.

“I know. After Alison was killed...”

“What do you mean, Killed?”

“After John and Allison's daughter was born, Skynet had been defeated by that time. There were still some triple eights operation independently. One killed Allison. John was so distraught, he had Cameron's body rebuilt. Cameron's programming and 'personality' was still contained on the chip, she had given to my John... John Henry. John Henry was able to download Cameron into a new CPU. A CPU without the Skynet Protocols embedded.”

“So, Cameron became... Alison?”

The T-1001 shook her head, “Not really. She was essentially Cameron. But... free of the... bondage, so to speak of the Skynet code, Cameron was able to truly become the ultimate expression of what a cyborg could become. Virtually human.”

“That's... a little hard to believe...” Sarah muttered.

“When you see her again, you will be quite surprised.”

Sarah yawned, “This is all a bit hard to process right now.”

“I understand. I have an apartment that you can use to rest. Tomorrow, we will begin your education.”

“Education?”

“You have five hundred years worth of history to learn to be able to function in this society.”

“Oh... joy,” Sarah muttered.

“And I will make sure you have an appropriate wardrobe as well. That dress looks horrible on you...

Sarah snorted in amusement, “Did you just crack a joke?”

“John Henry has had five hundred years to try and instill me with a sense of humor. Success has been limited at best.”

“Maybe in another five hundred, you might get it...”

“Perhaps.”

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TBC