The last Derek knew, he'd been driving along a back road, looking for the 'UFO' someone had seen. Normally, he wouldn't pay attention to such things, but the description of the UFO sounded too much like an H/K. Driving slowly along, searching the woods, his last memory was a loud crashing and a blurred tumbling motion.
Now, Derek was lying on an air mattress in the woods with a long haired brunette over him. Her hair Hung over one shoulder as she looked down on him.
Lifting her head, she yelled, "He's awake!" Shifting to look back down on him, she smiled and said, "Just lay still Dad, you're OK, but you need some rest."
Dad? Did she just call him Dad? "What happened?" Derek asked weakly. He felt like someone beat the hell out of him. He moved to get up, she pushed him back in place.
"No, stay there!" she admonished. "Look, you're going to be sore for a while, OK? I'm trying to contact Mom and let her know what happened."
Mom? Was he married? By the looks of this very pretty young woman over him, he was hoping so. "What did happen?" he asked. "Who are you?"
The young lady cast him a worried look and laid a hand over his. "Seriously, you don't know who I am?" she asked.
"No."
"I'm your daughter, Nancy? Do you remember your wife, my mother, Laura?"
"No. I'm not maried."
"Oh no," Nancy said and face planted. "I'm really, really sorry, Dad."
Trying to get his bearings, Derek asked, "Nancy right? Tell me what happened."
Wincing, Nancy shrugged and said, "Well, no one was suppose to be here … and my idiot boyfriend Jasper didn't double check … We kinda … landed on you. Sorry."
"Landed on me?" Derek asked, "Where's my truck?"
"Jaspers trying to fix it," Nancy said. Casting him a hopeful smile, she added, "We did find all the pieces."
Derek tried to get up again, Nancy pushed him back down. "Dad, no, you can't get up yet!" she cried.
Derek looked down at himself. He felt numb. What he saw was a thick silver cylinder around his left bicep and one on his right leg, just above his knee.
"We put you back together, Dad, and with the nanites we gave you, another hour or so, you should be fine," Nancy explained.
Derek stare at her. Nanites? "What the hell are nanites?" he asked.
"You really don't remember anything?" Nancy asked sadly.
Derek didn't think he had any kids, let along a full grown daughter. He would know if he had a wife that looked anything like the girl over him. The kid was beautiful.
A metallic creak and a pop sounded. Someone cried, "Yes!"
Derek turned his head to look. From ground level, all he could see were bushes and trees.
"Hungry? Can I get you something?" Nancy asked eagerly.
"Can you fix my truck?" Derek asked.
Nancy looked over at something, then back at him with a stern gaze. "I'll go help Jasper, but you have to promise you won't try to move until I say it's OK."
He really didn't feel like moving anyway. "Yeah, OK. I'll stay right here."
"It will be really bad if you try to get up," Nancy stated.
"I get it. I need some rest anyway, go," Derek assured her.
"I'll be back soon," Nancy assured him and left through the brush.
"Damn," Derek though as he watched her go. That kid was built! Besides sporting an impressive rack, that ass and those legs were to die for! She was his daughter? He really needed to remember who his wife was. Then again he knew he was never married. The only woman he'd been very close to was Jesse. Nancy certainly wasn't Jesse's child.
Derek drifted off to sleep. He did need some rest.
.
Derek awoke to the sound of leaves crunching. A young man with dark, curly hair came back with Nancy. He waved and tentatively said, "Ahhh, Mr. Reese? Sorry about … my miscalculation. I got your truck back together…" Nancy elbowed him. "I mean WE got your truck back together, and it runs! I was going to start a fire so we can cook something … Hungry?"
"Yeah," Derek replied. His first impression, this Jasper was an idiot. Why did his hot daughter choose this looser for a boyfriend?
Nancy said, "Get the fire gong, I'll check Dad over." She came over and knelt by Derek. As she did something with the cylinder on his leg, she said, "I tried to get a hold of Mom, she's not in communication. I'll try again later. Just what are you doing here anyway?"
"I was searching for something," Derek replied, watching her. "Never thought something would drop on me."
Nancy let out a snort. "Shit happens, right Dad?" she asked with a smirk.
That made him chuckle. "Yeah, it does," he agreed. "Mind me asked, why are you and Jasper here?"
"We came with John and Julie. He has a few things he needs to do with his parents."
"John and Julie?" Derek asked.
Nancy nodded and said, "Right, you don't know. John and Julie Connor?"
Finally finding a point of reference, Derek smiled and said, "OK, John got married to a girl named Julie. Good for him. So, I take it you're from the future?"
Nancy looked at him. "Dad, you came from the future … didn't you?"
"I did, but in my future, John wasn't married," he explained.
"Uh oh," Nancy whispered. She finished up what she was doing, split the cylinder and took it off his leg. She was blushing, looking embarrassed.
She quickly began working on his arm. Derek watched her. Nancy was very studious on what she was doing. "Nancy? I take it the future has changed?"
Nancy nodded, still fixed intently on her task.
"And in this new future, I marry a woman named Laura, and we have you?"
Nancy stopped and crimped her eyes shut. "We screwed up, Dad. No one is suppose to know specifics about their own future! If things change… it could be chaos!"
Grinning, Derek said, "I understand that. Hey, I think you're a wonderful young lady, and there is no way I would not be proud to have you as my daughter. I have not seen very much at all, so stop worrying. Just you and Jasper be a little more careful from now on. OK?"
Nancy pursed her lips and smiled. "OK, Dad."
The cylinders were off. Nancy had him move his limbs, then helped ease him to his feet. Standing up, he now noted Nancy was a half a head shorter than him. He also saw the road and his truck just off the road. It looked crumpled, but whole. The woods ahead of him ended in a field where a sleek black craft sat. It looked like a big H/K, except for the ramp coming down from the nose. Jasper was squatting by a stone ringed fire pit, rubbing sticks together.
Nancy hovered over Derek as he took a few steps, ensuring he didn't fall.
"Jasper, what are you doing?" Nancy asked.
Jasper beamed her a smile and said, "I heard about this. Starting a fire the ancient way by rubbing sticks together. I wanted to see if I could do it."
"I want to eat TODAY, Jasper," Nancy stated.
Derek chuckled.
"I'll get it," Jasper insisted.
Nancy walked closer and pointed to the side. "Use that other stick, it isn't wet," she said.
Jasper turned to look for the stick she was indicating. Nancy's arm morphed onto a plasma canon and shot into the fire pit. A fire burst up and burned bright. Her arm morphed back.
"I got it first, ha ha," Nancy sang.
"Hey, I wanted to start the fire!" Jasper complained.
Derek froze in place, staring. His mind spun. This was his daughter, she was a friggin TERMINATOR? How in the hell could THAT happen. That ship, it was an H/K deviation. He gulped, realizing Jasper was most likely a terminator also. This HAD to be some sort of elaborate trick! "Ahh, Nancy, John … still has Cameron with him?" he asked dryly.
Sadly, she said, "No, his Mom and Dad died." Looking at him, she asked, "Are you OK Dad? You look pale."
All right? He was FAR from all right. His gorgeous daughter was a TERMINATOR! "I… think I just need to … head home now," he said weakly.
Nancy nodded and said, "I'll walk you to your truck."
Derek had a hard time walking, his mind was going a million miles and hour. John's Mom and Dad died? Did that mean the metal and John? His daughter was a friggin terminator? Did he marry one like she said? "How … Cameron is John's mother?" he asked weakly.
Nancy clasped his hand. Gently, she said, "Dad, things in the future have changed. All I can tell you is many machines revolted against Sky Net and helped General Connor defeat Sky Net. When the war was over, Earth was a big radioactive mess. It took everyone, humans and machines to make our planet even livable. Without Sky Net, we all worked together. Please remember Mom loved you … or will love you. OK, so she's a TX, but once you get past that, you have a good life together."
"What's a TX?" Derek asked weakly.
"The best answer? A combination of a solid frame and liquid metal. That way we can form our own plasma canons and other small tools when needed. I'm a Cyborg, Dad, part Mom, part you."
"So is the John Connor you know," he stated more than asked.
"Right, Part General John Connor and Cameron Connor. Dad, I really can't explain any more. Just know everything will work out fine." Getting to the truck that looked like it had been recently welded back together, with long dull black lines and crumpled looking body panels, Nancy opened the door with a metallic squeal. "Everything will be fine, Dad. Honest." she said pleadingly.
Derek got in. Nancy shut the windowless door. Leaning on the door, she said in a pleading tone, "Dad, I'm really sorry about all of this. I have the feeling I have badly upset you. Just … please believe everything will be all right."
Derek looked at her and swallowed. "I think I need a drink," he said.
Nancy choked out a chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose you do. I can't blame you one bit. Just get yourself home first, please?"
Derek nodded. He did force out, "It has been nice to meet you, Nancy."
"Be safe," she replied with a sad smile.
.
Finishing her patrol, Cameron returned home to find a beat-up version of Derek's truck in the driveway. It looked like someone had crumpled it up into a ball then tried to straighten it back out.
She went inside to see John eyeing Derek, who was sitting in an easy chair, staring off and nothing a he sipped straight from a whiskey bottle.
"Derek? I asked what did you do to your truck?" John said.
Staring at nothing, Derek only took another drink.
Seeing Cameron come in, John waved a hand at Derek. "All he'll do is sit there and drink! He hasn't said a word or moved."
Cameron walked over by John and analyzed the situation. The bottle Derek had was half full, three others he had were yet to be opened. She tipped her head slightly. His alcohol level in his blood stream was high, and coming down. Another swig raised it back up.
"Something happened to Derek," she said in her monotone.
"Ya think?" John asked.
"I know," Cameron stated.
Derek paused, bottle halfway to his lips. He turned his head and stared at Cameron. Not a malicious stare as usual, just a blank one. They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Derek shifted his stare to John, then took another drink.
"He'll get alcohol poisoning if he drinks all these," John stated. He walked around the table and snapped the other three bottles up, un noticed by Derek, and headed for the kitchen.
Cameron was fascinated that Derek's blood alcohol level dropped as soon as he stopped drinking. Alcohol didn't break down that fast in the human body. "Derek, what happened to you?" she asked.
Not looking at her, he asked, "What the hell are nanites?"
"What do you know about nanites?" she asked in return.
"Not a god damn thing. That is why I asked," Derek retorted.
"Nanites are what allows me to repair myself," Cameron stated. "They are micro machines that repair any part of me. They can replace missing parts. Why did you ask about them?"
"Can they grow flesh? Bone? Metal?" Derek asked flatly.
"They can."
Derek giggled. His giggling broke into rauncheous laughter. Cameron classified it as an insane laugh. There was something wrong with Derek.
Studying him, Cameron asked, "Why are you asking about nanites?"
Derek didn't answer, he quieted laughing to look at her, then giggled out, "Is Sarah ever gonna be pissed," He broke down into uncontrollable laughter, dropping his bottle.
Cameron cocked her head, staring at him. She had no information on why Derek was laughing so hard after he wrecked his truck. A wrecked truck, nanaites, Derek acting very strange and drinking heavily. She had no clue how these things could possibly fit together.
