Chapter Text
"Come with me if you want to live."
Sand flows in rivulets across the sandy ground, the hot wind pelting her skin as she stands. Her mind is dazed for a moment, because while yes, Elizabeth Weir has seen odd things before, this is much... weirder.
Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she takes the outstretched hand offered to her, and stands. Regarding a nearby pistol with trepidation, she reasons that if Sarah Connor intended to kill her, then she would already be dead.
And she is pretty sure that something has just tried to kill her.
“Get in the car!” Sarah barks, pushing her headfirst into the passenger’s seat. Leaping onto and over the hood, she nearly swings into the driver’s seat and guns the engine, never bothering to shut either door.
Pulling herself onto her knees, Elizabeth watches as the silvery, reflective mass chases them on foot. It’s quickly losing ground, soon left far behind, indistinguishable from the sand that stretches on to the horizon. She turns back around in the seat, wiping her forehead again as she surveys the long, straight road. There’s a little blood on her hand, but it doesn't feel serious.
She’d ask what the thing was, except that there are all too many possible answers to that question.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she says instead, looking over to her savior. “You put yourself in harm’s way for me.”
Sarah doesn't say anything for a long while, staring ahead with eyes as black as the sand is white. After what seems like hours, her index finger begins to tap rapidly on the steering wheel, and she seems to grow a bit agitated.
“Everyone always asks me the same question,” she exhales, her eyes glancing in the rear view mirror quickly. “Or do you already know the answer?”
Elizabeth considers this carefully. “Do you?”
Sarah huffs softly, perhaps in exasperation, perhaps to some joke that Elizabeth’s not privy to. Either way, there are hints of a bitter smile on her lips.
It could be a replicator, Elizabeth thinks. Somehow, even with a destroyed Stargate and the end of the world looming nigh, the Asura may have found their way to Earth.
“It’s a machine,” Sarah finally concedes, her eyes never leaving the road before her. “A terminator.”
Elizabeth should probably act surprised, but she’s way too exhausted to feign anything. Sarah Connor, while a name she’s never heard before, seems to know what’s going on. With the world in disarray, she decides honesty is probably the best option. “I've encountered similar machines before, but these… terminators… seem single-minded in purpose.”
Sarah looks away from the road to stare at Elizabeth a moment, the lines of her face betraying surprise. Quickly turning back, she taps her index finger against the steering wheel again, falling silent once more.
“Why was it trying to kill me?”
“There’s a lot of reasons. You might interfere with its mission somehow, or it might be trying to take your place.”
Elizabeth frowns. “Take my place?”
“It can take the form of anything it touches. Are you anyone important?”
She almost flinches at how casually the question is posed, and at how close to home it hits. “I have certain connections.”
“That’s it then,” Sarah hisses, shaking her head. “What are you doing out in the desert, anyway?”
“That’s classified.” It’s out of Elizabeth’s mouth before she has time to consider how ridiculous it sounds, considering most of the world’s governments have collapsed.
This time Sarah does laugh, although briefly, before shaking her head. “Classified? You've got to be kidding me. Do you have any idea what we’re dealing with, here?” Her voice turns bitter. “Do you have any idea?”
Elizabeth frowns. “Machines bent on the destruction of the entire human race?”
Sarah’s smile dies immediately. “You know about Skynet?”
“Skynet?” Elizabeth’s heard of Area 51’s darling little project, but she doesn't know many details and isn't sure how it applies. “I’m thinking about Replicators.”
“Replicators?” Her eyes turn darker than before. “What model number?”
Elizabeth stares over at her, confusion marring her face. “Model number?”
“Cyberdyne systems model number,” Sarah hisses. “Do you know it?”
Elizabeth sighs. “I don’t think we’re on the same page at all. I’m speaking of Replicators, as in nanite-based machines native to the Pegasus Galaxy who do not like humans. Who are you talking about?”
Sarah gives her a look, and Elizabeth just about knows the woman is considering her sanity (or lack thereof). After a few seconds, she looks back to the road, the astonished look still plastered on her face. In the most calm, respectful voice Elizabeth’s ever heard, Sarah begins to inquire.
“How did you get to the Pegasus Galaxy?”
“I went through the Stargate. I've lived in the city of Atlantis for the last three years.”
Sarah says nothing in response. No scoffs of disbelief, no signs of acceptance, just nothing.
“I’m well aware how crazy I sound,” Elizabeth begins, but Sarah interrupts.
“I never call anyone crazy.” She tilts her head slightly, her features softening ever so slightly. "Long story," and it's the only elaboration she offers.
Elizabeth figures she has nothing to lose at this point. “For the last ten years, the United States government has been operating a secret project underneath Cheyenne Mountain called the Stargate program. It’s a device that allows for instantaneous travel between planets, and even galaxies.”
Sarah takes a deep breath, holding it in for a moment before exhaling. “Have you ever heard of Skynet? Cyberdyne systems?”
Elizabeth closes her eyes, trying to pull details from her hazy mind. “It’s a military project,” she finally says, looking over at Sarah. “They used patents that Cyberdyne filed a decade ago to try and build a multi-nation defense system. From what I understand, progress completely halted on the Skynet Project last month.”
“Halted?” Sarah’s voice is skeptical.
“It simply stopped working.”
Elizabeth remembers Rodney talking about the military endeavor, remembers his trip to Washington with Colonel Carter to denounce using nanite-gleaned programming code for the Skynet project. They’d cited the mountains of mysteries concerning the Asuran base code, and the potential for “unpredictable circumstances.” The IOA had overruled them and ordered them to continue with the experiment (all except for General O’Neill, but one voice against the wind hadn't been enough). However, the experiment had ground to an unexpected halt as the system had fallen victim to a mysterious virus.
“In the future, there will be a war,” Sarah begins to explain, her voice breaking Elizabeth from her thoughts. “Skynet will become self-aware, and will determine that all humans are enemies. It will attack with every weapon at its disposal. Billions will die.”
Elizabeth turns to face Sarah, a deep pit growing in her stomach. She is fairly certain she’s heard a similar doomsday scenario spun from Rodney’s paranoid mind.
“The survivors called it Judgment Day, but those survivors linger on to fight a war against the machines Skynet creates. Eventually, Skynet builds a time displacement machine.”
The woman is making a lot of sense, and considering the circumstances Elizabeth is inclined to believe her.
“The machine that attempted to kill me is from the future, then?” she asks, not waiting for an answer before drawing her own conclusions. “Skynet must be trying to infiltrate the remaining military infrastructure and gain access to Ancient-based technology before making it’s move.”
Sarah huffs in exasperation. “So, just like that, you believe me?” Her voice is colored with suspicion.
“I've heard warnings about the Skynet Project before meeting you,” Elizabeth tells her. “And I know some of the technologies incorporated in its design. I believe you.”
Sarah frowns. “Do you know where Skynet is?”
Shaking her head, Elizabeth frowns as well. “No, but I do know someone who does.”
After a moment, Sarah looks over at Elizabeth again, her features considerably softer than before. "What old technology would Skynet be interested in, anyway?" She sounds genuinely curious.
Elizabeth smiles a tiny bit. "A long time ago, there was a race of people that we call the Ancients...."