I do not think the summary for this fits to well. I'll probably wound up changing it if I have to.

Chapter One: The Father

"Noah!" The voice caught him by surprise and made him turn around. The person that had been running towards had been the last person he expected to see coming after him.

"Rex? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" He said, "Come on you don't have to do this."

"I know I don't have to." He said, they had gone over this before he left. "It's something I want to do."

"But I don't understand. Why?" Rex asked and Noah found himself shaking his head.

"You know why Rex…"

4 years before the Nanite Event

Rylander wasn't around as much as he wanted to be, working outside of the country made it difficult to be with your family. He did the best he could; he made sure he called every night, to talk to his wife and son and when he got time off the first thing he did was buy a ticket for the next plane back into the United States to spend time with them, even if it was for a week.

It had been six months since Rylander's last break. He was supposed to have gotten the current month off, but there had been an accident in one of facilities and one of the researcher's children was in critical condition. They had to inject there latest batch of prototype Nanites into the boy to save his life, and were currently waiting to see if he would get better or slowly get worse. Rylander had been praying he would get better.

They had done tests on injured animals and there had been promising results, but then the Nanites would attack the animal's immune systems. They had no way of knowing if this latest batch would do the same thing to the young boy, so they had to constantly monitor his condition. He was still amazed that the boy's parents even allowed them to inject the Nanites into their son. Granted his father was his co-worker, but the request had been something he never thought he would hear, especially since at the rate they were going, human testing wasn't even being considered. He only did it because the man had begged him to, and now the only thing they could do now was sit and wait.

Rylander had been watching the sleeping boy for over three hours monitoring his condition before another researcher came in to take over for him. That gave Rylander the break he needed and he made his way into the lounge to use the phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed the large string of numbers he had memorized years ago and waited as the phone rang. And waited. And waited.

"Hello?" A female voice finally said and Rylander looked relieved.

"Sandra, it's me." He said and he heard his wife let out a small gasp from the other end.

"Gabriel? Where are you?" The woman said, her tone telling him that she sounded either very stressed out or very frustrated. Or a combination of the two. "You said you would be home this month."

"I'm sorry. There was…" He paused; if he told her about the accident then he would never hear the end of it. Best keep that quiet until they knew if they were going to save the young lads life or not. "Something came up and I needed to put off my vacation." He told her instead and she heard her make a small 'huff', telling him that he would be in a lot of trouble when he eventually got him. His back was already starting to hurt at the realization he might be stuck on the couch when he could finally go on break.

"You've been over there for over sixth months Gabe. I miss you, and I'm not the only one. Noah's been asking when you'll be coming home for weeks."

"Is Noah still up?" He asked at the mention of his sons name.

"What do you think?" There was a small giggle in her voice, if anything it meant that she was smiling, and he was probably not in as much trouble as he thought he was. "I'll put him on, but don't be long, he has school tomorrow."

"I know." He said and waited as he heard his wife shout something and then the rustling noise of his son being given the phone.

"Hi daddy!" Another voice, one that made Gabriel smile. It sounded like a young boy of about seven, lively, energetic, and ready to run around the house a few times before going to bed for the night.

"Hey, how you doing kid?" He asked giving his son the keys to open the floodgates and tell him everything that had happened that day. Noah always had a story to tell, either about how he made the elementary schools basketball team, about the fish that got away while he was playing at the docks, or that he got a B on his math test.

Today was how he managed to outrun some kids picking on them. "And when I jumped over the fences they couldn't follow after me because the big one of them got stuck." He said and Rylander found himself smiling, glad that Noah was now doing something about those kids instead of just letting them have their way. "But they weren't very happy the next day so they beat me up when I got to school and took my CD player." That made Rylander lose his smile.

"Noah, you can't let those kids keep beating you up like that." He told him.

"I know…" A sad voice, one that made Rylander wish that he could be home more often for his boy. If he was around more, his boy would probably have more confidence, maybe even be able to fight back when those kids picked on him. "When are you coming back home dad?" He asked and Rylander could feel his chest tighten. He took a deep breath, he had no idea when he would be home now that his break had been delayed.

"Soon." He said trying to keep his voice steady. Soon seemed to be the best answer he could give his wife and son nowadays. "And when I get back, we'll go to a basketball game."

"Really?" Rylander heard the nine year olds voice perk up, which brought a smile to his face.

"Yes, of course." He said and he heard Noah tell the good news to his mother. He heard her say that it was nice before telling him to say goodnight, it was time for bed. Rylander smiled as he heard Noah complain about the early bed time, claiming that he wasn't tired and then yawning, contradicting himself.

"I gotta go dad. Night." The boy said sleepily and his mom took the phone from him.

"Please, come home soon dear." Was what she said and he gave a sad smile that he.

"I will. I promise." He told her, "Love you Sandy."

"Of course you do." They said their good-byes and Rylander hung up. He sighed; he could tell his long term absences combined with the problems Noah was having were beginning to stress her out. His constant schedule changes weren't helping much either.

However with a little luck that could soon change. If the nanites that were inside that kid didn't eat away at him then there was a chance they would be on the right track and get there lifelong project completed in a few years. No more pain, no more disease, no more being away for his family for six to eight months on end. Once they're work was completed he could finally be able to go home.

2 Years before the Nanite Event

"Daddy look!"

Gabriel Rylander watched, a smile on his face as his nine year old song - in his oversized blue jacket and fishing boots - tried effortless to keep the fish they had just caught in his hands. The moment he squeezed to get a good grip on it, the fish went flying out of his hands and into the air. "I got it!" He said as the fish flopped in his hands. Again he tried to grab it and it flew up this time falling onto the deck before flopping around and landing back into the water.

"It got away…" Noah said his shoulders sagging as he stared at the water, his oversized jacket sliding down his back. Rylander knelt down next to his son putting a hand on his head.

"Hey, there's always more." He said, rubbing the boy's overlong hair, but Noah continued to stare at the water.

"Why did he want to leave?" He asked.

"Well maybe he missed his friends." He said and his son stared at him. Rylander figured his son didn't believe him; after all he was nine, well past the age for believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, so telling him a fish missed his friends was something of a lie to him. "Come on let's get out of here. The game is going to start in twenty minutes."

The blonde boys face brightened up and he gave a squeal that Rylander was sure had 'okay' or 'yes' somewhere in it. They packed the fishing equipment and made their way to the truck putting the fishing poles and lures in the back.

"Daddy?" Noah asked as he sat on the side kicking his legs around , "Who's that boy you mentioned?"

Rylander paused, confused for a second and looked up at his son. "What boy? And get down from there, you're going to fall and hurt yourself."

Noah frowned but got off sitting against it instead. "The one that you were telling mom about. He lives where you work, right?" He asked, "Why can't mom and I live where you work?"

Rylander chuckled, his son had apparently decided to sneak downstairs and listen to them the other night instead of going to bed when he was supposed to. No wonder he couldn't wake up this morning. "He doesn't live where I work. His father is a co-worker and they live in the general area, so his family comes to visit."

"Can we visit you dad?" Noah asked and Rylander helped his son off the back of the truck.

"You could, but I'm out of the country, so you're mom would need to take a lot of time off to visit." He told him, "And my job doesn't allow me to take breaks in the middle of the day, we're working almost all the time."

"So I wouldn't see you even if we went anyway." Noah said looking down at the ground. "Dad, when are you going to come home and stay home?"

The question was the most painful one that Rylander had ever heard and he knelt down to Noah's level placing both of his hands onto the boy.

"Soon." He started, "The work me and my co-workers have been doing has made great progress, within a few years I'll be able to come back home permanently. I'll be able to go to all of your basketball games to cheer you on."

"Promise?" Noah asked staring at his father, his bright big blue eyes making Rylander's chest tighten.

"I promise." He told him and as he told Noah to get in the car, and close the back door, he felt like he was lying.

Hours Before the Nanite Event

Noah woke up one day feeling horrible. His mom, upon seeing he had a bad fever and was having trouble keeping any food down, let the eleven year old boy stay home. She would have stayed home with him, but her boss wouldn't let her take a sudden day off.

The boy lay on the couch most of the day shivering under a cold blanket. The tv was one, some cartoons airing, but he was asleep and the only thing the noise did was making him have strange dreams which he did not remember when he woke up. He woke up to the sound of the phone ringing and groaned before getting up and hobbling over to the kitchen.

He answered the phone, "Hewwo?" He said sleepily and rubbed an eye with his free hand.

"Hey kid, how you feeling?" The familiar voice made him perk up.

"Dad?" He asked.

"You mom left me a message saying you were sick. I thought I'd call see how you're doing."

"I'm fine… Mom isn't 'appy that she 'ad go to work." He said sniffling, "I'd tell you what she said her boss was but she told me not to repeat it." He heard his dad laugh and Noah smiled taking the phone back to the couch.

"Well kid, I have some good news." His father said piquing the eleven year old boy's curiosity.

"What is it?"

"Well, we think we might have a clear date on when we'll be finished our work."

Noah frowned and rubbed his eyes. "What does that mean?" He asked letting out a loud yawn. "Sorry…" He muttered hugging the phone closer to his ear. He heard his father give a laugh for some reason.

"It means is that in about six months I'm going to able to come home…and stay home." The news made any sleepiness Noah felt go away in that instant.

"Really?" He asked sitting up and slapping himself in the face to make sure that he was not dreaming. The slap hurt but he bit his lip to keep from whimpering. He was not dreaming, his dad would really be coming home.

"Yup. I'll be home to see you basketball games and to drive you to school."

"Can we go fishing at the docks again?" Noah asked.

"Of course. Oh, I'd better go, they need me back down in the labs." Hearing that, Noah lay back down on the couch. "Make sure you tell your mom the good news and I'll see you soon kid."

"Bye-bye dad." Noah pressed the button that ended the call and put the phone next to him. If this really wasn't a dream, it would be next to him when his mom woke him up when she got home. Then she could tell her the good news. Dad was coming home… he promised he would be home and they would be a family again. He closed his eyes smiling at the thought of his dad being able to go to all of his basketball games or even being able to pick him up from practice. That never happened before.

He felt someone's arm on his shoulder and stirred when the person shook him. He opened his eyes to see a blurry figure over him. "Mom?" He said blinking a few times as his mom's face came into focus. "What are you doing home?" He asked letting out another yawn.

"Got off early. I was worried about you all day." She said moving her hand through his hair before resting it on his forehead. "Looks like your fevers down. Why don't I make you something to eat."

Hearing that reminded Noah that he hadn't eaten anything all day. He nodded muttering a thank you before looking down and noticing his mom take the phone off the couch. "Someone call dear?" She asked and Noah stared at her mind blank. He frowned before his eyes widened and he remembered that someone did call.

"Yeah, dad did!" Noah said sitting up. He grinned, "Dad said he's going to be coming home." He said and his mom stared at him. "He said that he is almost done with that thing he's doing and that when he comes home he'll be home forever!"

He watched as his mom stared at him before smiling. "That's wonderful dear." She said and got up from the couch to put the phone back on its receiver. Noah frowned and turned to watch his mom from the couch resting his arms on the back.

"You don't believe him." He said.

"Well you're father has said this before and then he gets delayed." She said looking at him, "I'm happy he could be coming home, but, well there's always the chance something will happen to make him have to go out there."

"But he promised, this time." Noah said. His mom looked at him and gave off a small giggle.

"Well if he promised, we'll have to tie him down the next time he tries to leave." She said and Noah laughed.

It was getting dark. Noah was starting to feel better which meant that he needed to do his homework. He had complained about it until his mom told him he wouldn't be able to have any desert if he didn't finish it by the time she was done dinner. He fell silent and only complained once when he had to work on his math homework.

The news was playing in on the television and Noah really really wanted to change the channel because of how boring it was, but new that the moment he reached for the remote his mom would no and tell him to go back to his homework. How she would know even when her back was turned to him he had no idea; she had to have some kind of psychic power or something.

The news was mostly just sports and about a man's dog who saved a family from a fire. However as Noah worked on his math homework, a loud alarm like noise blared getting both his and his mothers attention. Soon the screen flashed a red sign that said something Noah couldn't make out and the scene changed. The story of the dog being replaced by a newswoman just on the outskirts of an area covered in rubble and dust. She looked like she was trying to keep calm, but at the same time uneasy.

"We interrupt our current broadcast for this important Bulletin. Just minutes ago, an explosion occurred in the middle east taking a small town and the Abis research facility with it." The woman said. Noah's eyes widened as he recognized the name and he jumped when he heard something that sounded like glass breaking.

He looked behind him to see his mother looking at the television from the kitchen. "The Abis research was being used to conduct experiments on Nano technology. The exact reason for this research was believed to be for medical purposes. An investigation on what caused the explosion is currently underway- what?"

The newscaster stopped talking listening to information that someone was giving them. Her eyes widened and she spoke again sounding completely unprepared for the information she just heard.

"Uh, this just in, but it appears that strange animals have been appearing in the area. They look like the regular animals and fauna from the area, however… larger, more monstrous. We will keep you posted on the latest update in events." A loud cry was heard from the television and the news woman turned around before the scene changed, this time to back to the news station.

The woman in the station continued to speak, but at that point Noah wasn't paying attention. He was watching as his mother picked up the phone and tried dialing a number.

"Mom." Noah said trying to get her attention. Instead she looked away from him muttering into the phone.

"Come on Gabe, pick up." She didn't move, waiting for her husband to pick up. Even from the couch, Noah could hear the busy signal and watched as his mom hung up and then dialed again.

"Mom." He said a bit louder getting her attention. She stared at him wide eyed before covering the speaker with her hand.

"Go up to your room sweetie." She said.

"Is Dad okay?" He asked not listening.

"I'm trying to find that out." She said, loud, and Noah shrunk back almost hiding behind the couch. His mother took a deep breath and spoke again, this time trying to sound more calm. "Go upstairs and wait in your room. I'll let you know when I reach him." She said. Noah nodded and quiet left the family room, wrapping himself in his green blanket. He climbed the stairs as slowly as he could so he could try and hear anything his mother said. When he didn't hear her say anything he moved faster and made his way to his room.

He lay down on his bed and rolled onto his side. His window was open and it was dark outside. No moon was out and he couldn't see any stars either. He coughed, and rolled over so his back was facing the window. His throat felt dry but he didn't want to go downstairs and get some water while his mom was trying to reach his dad. He shook as he thought of his dad; that had been the name of the place he had been working. He would be okay right?

He shook his head; of course his dad would be okay. He probably left the facility for a little while to get something. He wasn't there when the explosion happened. Noah was sure of it, his dad would call back and his mom would tell him that he was fine. Yes, that would be exactly what happened.

Noah coughed again before closing his eyes. He opened them to find his clock showing 10:30PM. He blinked and rubbed his eyes and looked at it again. It still read10:30PM. He hadn't even realized he fell asleep. Had his mom already gone to bed? No she said she would tell him when she heard from dad.

The hallway light was still on, if anything that told him his mom was still up because she always turned it off when she went to bed. He climbed his way out of bed and walked down the hall stopping at his mom's room. The door was open and the light was off, but no one was in the bed. Mom was probably still up, did she not get into contact with dad yet? He climbed down the stairs stopping when he saw his mom talking with two people in the doorway.

"I'm sorry ma'am. It's not safe here." One of them said and they reminded Noah of those suited men in the movies his dad liked to watch when he was home. The movies always scared him.

"But Gabriel? Where's my husband?"

"We're looking, but we haven't been able to find anything. At best he's one of them, at worst he's." The man trailed off and Noah realized that he was looking at him. The blonde shrunk back under the man's gaze stumbling into the wall. "Ugh, poor kid."

Noah looked away, then back up when he saw his kneel down next to him. "Noah, you should be asleep by now."

"Who are they?" The eleven year old said looking back at them then his mom, "Do they know dad?"

His mother didn't answer right away instead playing with her son's overly long hair musing for a second that he needed a haircut. She took a small breath, after that promise his father made him she hated to have to tell him this, but she knew she had to.

"Noah, I have some bad news..."

Author's Note:

The idea for this fanfic is playing under the assumption that Noah is Rylander's son, and overall is something I've been wondering for awhile especially after the episodes Basic. I have an idea of how this is going to end, but I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get to that ending. Also since I started working on this BEFORE Badlands and Pyaback aired I don't think I'm going to reference anything from them.

This image was inspiration to the fish scene. She's a great artist and I just LOVE this picture: http :/ / wanlingnic . deviantart . com / gallery / # / d31xzoj.

Also I suck at math so I think the dates are a bit off.