Title: Back to the Uncharted Territories
Author: Paradox761
Email: Paradox761@mail.com
Website: members.tripod.com/~Paradox761
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Buffy; SFC, Jim Henson Productions, and Rockne S. O’Bannon own Farscape; and Universal Pictures owns Back to the Future. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don’t sue. I don’t have any money anyway.
Summary: Sequel to “A Sympathetic Ear”, John Crichton finally makes it home only to discover that the life he left behind is no longer there. His father, DK, and Xander Harris are all dead. Then he meets an extraordinary man in a bar, a time traveler, with an extraordinary proposition. Will John risk it all to go back in time to save his father’s life? And what happens when the consequences are much worse than he ever could have imagined?
Author’s note: Takes place directly after the third season of Farscape, after that it’s an AU. Also, for the sake of this story, Farscape takes place in the near future (2017), and some of the modifications made to the DeLorean in the second movie, namely Mr. Fusion, came from further into the future then when the movie took place (2015). Also, some dialogue has been lifted directly from the Buffy episode “Grave”, no plagiarism intended.
Dedication: To Jordan and Jessica, my angels. May they rest in peace.
Special thanks to A. Grandt, greywizard, Wayne, Rob Clark, Danielle, Goblin, Calen, DaBear, Obi, Gareth, Troy, David, and Lafe for the feedback and support.
(Farscape/BtVS/BttF, Xander/Chiana, John/Aeryn)
Rated R for language and violence
Guest Cast:
Guy Pearce as Dr. Julian Martin Brown, PhD.
James Remar as Lakas

(2/6)

The DeLorean drew a few odd stares as it pulled into the small parking lot behind the docks, overlooking the ocean. Jules sat in the passenger seat, a clean hospital issue bandage wrapped around his head, and one around his bicep. John’s jacket was draped over his shoulders, and his sunglasses sat on his face. John pulled into a spot and put the DeLorean in park.

“How does your head feel?” John asked.

“Better,” Jules answered. “As long as I don’t move it too much. How long was I out?”

“Not long,” John said. “A concussion, two broken ribs, malnutrition, dehydration, and more cuts, bruises and scrapes than I could count. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Believe me, I know. Thanks for getting me out of there before they started asking difficult questions.”

John nodded. “How long were you there?” he asked after a few seconds.

Jules took the sunglasses off, testing his eyes in the sunlight. He blinked a few times, letting them adjust. “I’m not really sure. Five, maybe six months.”

John just shook his head with disbelief. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around what he was being told. Scarrens, overrunning the Earth. His voice seemed almost frightened as he asked his next question. “What happened?”

“From what I was able to put together, it happened the day after Christmas, 2016. One minute, everything was normal, and the next, they were everywhere. First they attacked any military installations, securing any kind of weapons of mass destruction. Then they attacked the governments. They killed everyone they came across, except for the scientists.”

“Wormhole tech,” John said.

“I was lucky enough to find a human resistance cell. At least that’s what they called themselves. The Scarrens didn’t leave enough people alive to resist, they were basically just survivors. From what they were able to piece together, the Scarrens seemed most interested in an IASA installation in Australia.” Jules, unsure if he should continue.

“How…how many were killed?”

Jules shook his head. “The only people alive were the scientists, a few people they kept for slave labor, and those who managed to hide. Nobody really bothered to count. Two, three billion. It’s hard to say.”

John just stared at Jules for a few seconds, unsure what to say. Jules just looked down and rubbed his head. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, John spoke. “I think I’m going to be sick,” he said, opening the car door and stepping outside.

Jules followed him out, wincing a little as his head spun. He followed John to a dock overlooking the ocean, where he sat down on a bench, letting his head hand down between his legs. Jules looked around to see that there was no one else around, and sat down next to him.

After a minute or two John picked his head up. “You said…you said that it was my father. How?”

“I met a man among the survivors, in a torn IASA jacket. He told me that he was there the day they attacked. I don’t know how he wasn’t captured. I don’t think he really remembered either. But he did remember the Scarrens asked about wormholes. And he remembered seeing your father. He said that they were taking him away, alive. He told me that your father was in charge of some top-secret research project, and that they had made some test flights the week before.”

“That’s all?” John asked after a moment.

“That’s all he knew.”

“Well that doesn’t prove anything,” John said, standing up from the bench. “He could have been researching anything! And you said that they were taking all the scientists. The Scarrens could have followed me here, that’s why they were looking for wormhole tech.”

“The attack happened ten months before you came back,” Jules said, shaking his head. “It’s too much of a coincidence that they attacked a week after the test flights, and that they were focused on that base. We changed history, John. The invasion must have happened as a result of what we did. And since all we did was save your father’s and your friend’s lives…”

“No!” John insisted. “He wouldn’t do that! Maybe it was me, maybe I did it.”

Jules shook his head again. “I don’t think so, John. You knew what the risks were, you wouldn’t have opened anymore wormholes.”

“Then what makes you think my father did it! Even if I did tell him the truth about what happened to me, and about the wormhole tech in my head, I would have told him how dangerous it was.”

“Your father is a scientist,” Jules answered simply. “Maybe he thought the scientific discovery was worth the risk.”

“He would never be so careless.”

“John…”

“No! Listen to me!” John yelled, pointing his finger at Jules.

Jules stood up and swatted John’s hand away. “No, you listen to me! I was there, I know what happened! The bottom line is, we caused it. And we have to fix it. I told you when we started this, sometimes things just can’t be changed.”

John shook his head. “But I know now. I can stop it. I won’t tell him about any of it.”

“And how long before his scientific curiosity starts demanding answers. If he doesn’t get them from you, he’ll get them from your ship once they find it.”

“I’ll tell him not to do it.”

“And what reason will you give him? If you’re not going to tell him what happened to you, what makes you think he’ll believe anything you say?”

“Because I’m his son!” John shouted. The statement seemed to hang in the air for a moment.

“Do you really think that will be enough? How long before they put you in that cell and start studying you, before they find your translator microbes? What are they going to think then?” John didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry John. I truly am.”

John sat down on the bench and let his head fall into his hands. Jules was right. Right now, his father was just happy to have him back. But how long would it be before he wanted answers? John knew his father. He knew that he wouldn’t stop until he got them.

John wanted to blame Jules. He wanted to yell and scream at the man. Ask him why he had given him this second chance at life, just to take it away again. But he had warned him. And he had paid a high price for the mistake. Whether or not they fixed the timeline, Jules would never forget the death and destruction he had seen.

“What can we do?” John finally said.

“All we have to do is leave. Your father will wake up this morning, and when he doesn’t find you, he’ll eventually convince himself that he had imagined the whole thing. That it was some kind of dream.”

“And next week he’ll launch the Farscape-2, and he and DK will be killed!” John said.

Jules nodded. “And billions of lives will be saved.”

John let his head fall into his hands again. After a few minutes he stood again and straightened his shirt. “Can I at least say goodbye?”

*

John walked up to his father’s house slowly. Walking in the front door, he put his father’s car keys back on the hook by the door and stepped into the living room. His father and DK weren’t there asleep anymore. And as the door clicked shut behind him, his Dad called out from the other room.

“John, is that you?” He walked into the living room and saw John standing there. “Oh, thank god. DK is out looking for you right now, you had us worried there.”

“Sorry,” John said simply.

“What’s wrong, John?” Jack asked.

“I have to go, Dad.”

“I…I don’t understand. You just got here.”

“I can’t explain it, Dad. You’re just going to have to trust me. I can’t stay.”

Jack seemed to understand that he meant he was leaving for good. He walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “You can’t leave, John. I just got you back, I can’t lose you again.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.” John pulled his father into a hug. “I just came back to say goodbye.”

“It’s not fair. I just got you back.”

“I know,” John said. They broke the hug. “Take care of yourself, Dad. Okay? And don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Tell DK…tell him I’m sorry. Tell him I said goodbye.” He paused. “I have to go.”

He turned to go but Jack’s voice stopped him. “John, wait.” He turned. “I want you to know…that I’m proud of you, son. I always have been. And…I love you.”

John smiled a little. “I love you too, Dad.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“I hope so,” John answered. “Bye, Dad.” And with that, John Crichton walked out of his father’s house, and his life. Never to return.

*

John walked down the steps and toward the DeLorean double parked on the street with a determination in his step. He was determined not to look back at the life he was leaving behind. He kept telling himself that at least he had gotten to say goodbye this time, but somehow that didn’t help. He got into the passenger side of the time machine and shut the door. Jules shifted the car into gear, and drove away.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, but really it was only a few minutes. “So, where to now?” Jules finally asked.

John seemed to think for a moment before turning to Jules. “Was the DeLorean damaged at all?”

“I was hit by energy weapon fire from a Scarren ground patrol when I first time shifted. The deflector shield absorbed most of the blast, but the electrics overloaded. It’s only a deflector shield, it isn’t meant to take energy fire like that. Thanks to the people I met I was able to scrounge up the parts I needed to replace the burnt circuits and repair the shield generator. But it took a while.” Jules paused. “That’s why I was there so long.”

“So it’s in complete working order now?” Jules just nodded. “Good. Then as soon as I drop you off in 2017, I’m going back to save a friend. If the fates won’t let me save my father, than at least I can save someone who will make this world a better place.”

*

Sunnydale, CA
March 31, 2006

Xander took a swipe with his sword at the demon in front of him, slicing a shallow gash in its throat. The creature stood at least eight feet tall, with brown, leathery skin, and spikes coming out of its back. Its head resembled that of a dog, with a long snout filled with dozens of sharp teeth. Its hands were each bigger than Xander’s head, each finger tipped with a razor sharp claw. They had made their nest in this cave near the beach nearly a week ago, that’s when the bodies started turning up on the beach. So when Xander increased his patrols in the area, he spotted a few heading into the cave. After researching what he was up against, he chose to attack on the night of the full moon, when they were supposed to be in a state of regenerative sleep. What he didn’t know, was that it was a fairly light sleep.

The hulking beast made a few clumsy swings with it’s claws, but Xander dodged them all and lunged forward with his sword, burying in the demon’s midsection. It let out a pained roar, which Xander had observed over the last fifteen minutes grappling with it and its friends, seemed to be the extent of its vocabulary. Xander pulled his sword free and prepared to strike the deathblow as the crippled demon staggered away.

“Can’t you guys think of something else to say?” he asked. “It hardly feels like slaying without the pithy banter.” The demon didn’t respond. Not that it had a chance. As soon as it looked up again, Xander swung his sword and beheaded it.

With his back turned, one of the other demons saw the opportunity to attack Xander without him seeing. He flexed his claws, preparing to turn Xander’s skull into dust, and charged at him just as the other demon’s head was hitting the ground.

Xander stood slowly, still looking at the demon he had just killed, seemingly unaware of the charging beast behind him. Then when the creature was mere feet away, he flipped his sword up under his arm, with the blade jutting out in back of him. The demon’s charge carried him right onto the blade, impaling him through the chest. It cried out in pain.

Xander allowed himself a smile as he went to pull the sword out. But his smile fell when the sword wouldn’t budge. The demon’s momentum must have pushed the blade in further than Xander had anticipated, and stuck in a piece of bone or something. Xander looked around and saw six more of the creatures gathering around him. He tugged a few more times on his sword, gaining nothing but a few more roars of pain from the beast. He rolled his eyes. “How come this never happens in the movies,” he muttered to himself.

He quickly calculated the odds in his head. Zarkella demons were slow, stupid, and not very good fighters. And Xander had a working knowledge of their anatomy. Advantage, him. But they were also big, strong, and they outnumbered him six to one. Advantage, them. That’s when Xander felt a very large claw closing around his shoulder. Make that seven to one. “I guess we’ll just have to do this the hard way then,” he said to himself.

Delivering a fierce backhand to the demon behind him he slipped out of its grip and launched himself at the nearest demon. He knew that as long as he kept them from circling around behind him, he’d only have to face them one at a time. Zarkella demons weren’t pack hunters. They couldn’t coordinate their attacks with each other, they’d just end up getting in each other’s way.

Xander took a boxer’s stance, using his speed to his advantage. He easily dodged the slow swipes of the first demon’s claws, and gave it a couple good shots to the face. He knew that his only shot at disabling these creatures without his sword was to go for the eyes. That, or one other weak spot that he had discovered in his research. But he was reluctant to do that, even to a demon.

The demon made two quick slices with his claws. Xander dodged the first, but the second caught him in the shoulder, sending him crashing into the nearby cave wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and for a vital second, he couldn’t breath. By the time he got his bearings again, he was still on the ground and the creature was towering over him, bellowing triumphantly. Xander closed his fist around a handful of sand and waited until the creature bent over him, then he threw it into its face. He lunged forward at the demon’s right leg, using all his strength to pull it forward, knocking the demon off balance. Xander got to his feet as quick as he could, looking over the fallen demon. That’s when he saw it, his last resort, on the back of the creature’s right calf. He pulled his foot back and kicked the spot as hard as he could. The entire cave filled with the sound of the beast’s high-pitched howl of pain. For a split second, Xander even felt sorry for the creature. He silently thanked the fact that not everyone keeps their sex organs in the same place, and Tobin’s Demon and Spirit Guide for imparting him with said knowledge. But Xander’s satisfaction was short lived, as he looked up and saw the cave wall. He hadn’t realized until then, but he had gotten turned around in the fight, foolishly turning his back on five snarling Zarkella demons. The thought barely had time to register before Xander could feel the hot breath on the back of his neck. There was no time to react. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the blow, but it never came. A familiar sound that Xander couldn’t quite place echoed through the cave, followed by another high-pitched howl. When Xander turned around, he saw the demon that had been directly behind him staggering to the ground, with a smoking hole in its back. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly reached up and grabbed the creature’s head. Twisting it sharply, he snapped its neck.

When he turned his attention to the other demons, he saw them converging on the mouth of the cave, where a shadowy figure stood, holding what looked like a gun. The figure fired the weapon again, sending red energy bolts through the air, striking two more of the demons. One in the chest, and the other in the shoulder.

“Aim for their heads!” Xander called out, running toward the demons. He jumped on the back of the closest one, wrapping his arms around its neck. The demon thrashed around, trying to throw Xander off, but he held on tight.

The figure at the mouth of the cave fired his weapon again, this time catching one of the demons in the face. The demon fell to the ground, half of its head gone. He fired at the other two demons, scoring similar hits.

The last demon was still spinning around, trying to throw Xander from his back. He worked his way over to one of the walls of the cave, hoping to use it to crush him. But as soon as they were close enough, Xander lashed out with his feet and pushed against the cave wall, knocking the demon off balance and sending them both crashing to the ground. Once there he wrapped his hands around the beast’s head and snapped its neck.

Xander just sat there for a moment, on the creature’s back, catching his breath as he looked around to see all the demons were down. He reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm. Looking down at himself, he checked his injuries. Mostly just battered and bruised, the worst seemed to be a shallow gash across his chest, which wasn’t bleeding very much. Xander was more upset about the tear in his shirt. His knuckles were also bleeding, but he hardly noticed that anymore. “Note to self,” he mumbled. “Always bring more than one weapon.”

He stood up and brushed the sand off of himself, heading over to the demon that was lying there with his sword still sticking out of it. He pulled on the sword, wiggling it back and forth until it came free. “You need to make sure their heads are off all the way, it’s the only way to make sure their dead,” he said, lifting the sword up and hacking the head off of the demon he had just pulled it from. The man nodded, walking over to the other demons. He fired at their neck and heads at close range, obliterating them.

“Don’t think I’m not grateful for the save, cause I am,” Xander said to the man. “But I really hope for your sake that you guys aren’t looking to start up the Initiative again. Because that would be a colossally bad idea,” he said, slicing the head off another demon.

“The Initiative?” the man repeated. It took a second for him to realize what Xander was talking about. “No, I’m not with the Initiative, Xander.”

Xander stopped what he was doing and looked up. “How do you know my name?”

The man walked further into the cave until Xander could see him more clearly. He slipped his weapon into a holster on his leg. “It’s me, Xander. John Crichton.”

Xander looked at John in shock. “John?” John just nodded. “Holy shit, it is you,” Xander said, breaking out in a big grin. He walked over and shook the John’s hand. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I’m here to see you actually.”

“But this isn’t your time, what are you doing here now? Did you get sucked into another wormhole?”

“Not exactly. Well, yes, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Why don’t I explain it over that beer you promised me.”

“Sure thing, I know just the place.” Xander cut the head off of the last demon, and they both headed for the mouth of the cave. “How did you find me here, anyway?”

“Well, I knew the general vicinity where to look. But I pinpointed you from the comms I gave you.”

Xander looked puzzled for a second until he realized what John was talking about. He took the small pin off of his belt where he always kept it and looked at it. “I forget I’m even wearing it sometimes,” he said. “It’s kind of like a good luck charm.” Xander trailed off and got a sad look in his eyes. “A reminder of better times,” he said.

John was about to ask him what he meant by that as they exited the cave, when a shrill voice cut through the crisp California night.

“Damn it, Harris!”

When they looked up ahead, they saw a young woman walking across the beach with a crossbow in her hand. Followed closely by and older gentleman wearing glasses. “Shit!” Xander mumbled. “This is the last thing I fucking need tonight.”

“Who’s that?” John asked.

“The slayer.”

John opened his mouth again but before he could speak the slayer was standing in front of them and talking again.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here!” she hissed, glaring at Xander.

“I’m having a picnic Ronnie, what does it look like!” Xander bit back in an equally angered tone.

“I told you to stay out of my way!” She said, wagging her finger at him.

Xander’s fists clenched. He looked at her finger and then back to her. “You want to get your finger out of my face?” he said, his voice cold, betraying the fury that was bubbling just under the surface. John looked at his friend. This was definitely not the same man he had met a year before. The slayer actually looked a little scared for a second. She dropped her hand, her expression shifting back to irritation. She opened her mouth to speak again but Xander beat her to it. “First of all, you don’t get to tell me what to do. And secondly, I’m not quite sure you showing up to kill something that I’ve already killed qualifies as me getting in your way.”

John smiled at that, earning a glare from the angry slayer. “And who the hell are you?”

“Excuse me?” John asked in a dangerous tone. Slayer or no, John wasn’t accustomed to getting attitude from sixteen-year-old girls.

“You’ll have to excuse Ronnie’s manners,” Xander said. “She has none.”

“My name is Veronica!” she hissed. Xander smiled slightly, knowing how much the nickname got under her skin. “Listen, I’m the slayer now. This is my job, not yours. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Now you listen to me little girl, I was stopping apocalypses when you were still playing with your Barbies!” Xander growled. “So why don’t you show some God damn respect! I don’t need your concern.”

“And I don’t need your help.”

“Who said I was doing this to help you?” Xander asked. Veronica looked like she was about to answer, but nothing came out. “You’re a slayer, you’re not invincible. If you don’t mind a little free advice, take all the help you can get. Because someday you will need it.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” she said. She took a step closer, standing less than a foot away from him now. “But I’m warning you for the last time.”

Xander’s eyes widened a little and he smirked, in a way that made Veronica nervous. “Are you threatening me?” he asked around a smile, like he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

Veronica reached out and poked her finger into Xander’s chest. “We both know I can take yo…”

She didn’t get to finish the sentence before Xander grabbed her outstretched arm and twisted it. His other hand drove into her shoulder, sending her to the ground. The crossbow in her other hand fell to the ground. The whole thing took less than a second. One moment she was sticking her finger in his chest, and the next she was on the ground looking up at him, with his boot on her neck, along with the tip of his sword.

John jumped back, surprised by the attack. Veronica’s watcher, who had hung back during the conversation, ran up next to Xander.

“You sure about that?” Xander said coldly, no sign of the smile that he had worn a moment before.

“I believe you’ve proved your point Mr. Harris,” the watcher said in a very crisp British tone.

Veronica looked scared. Xander stared at her a moment longer before letting her up. Her fear quickly changed to anger. “You son of a…”

“Veronica!” her watcher interrupted sharply. “Why don’t you go check the cave for stragglers.”

Veronica looked at her watcher incredulously. “Carson! He just…”

“Please, Veronica. Do as I ask,” he said calmly.

Veronica picked up her fallen crossbow, cast a glare at Xander, and stalked off in the direction of the cave that Xander and John had just come from. Xander watched her as she went, waiting until he was sure she was out of earshot.

“She has potential, but that ego of hers is going to get her killed,” Xander commented.

“She is undisciplined, true,” Carson replied. “But she’s young yet.”

“Sorry if I was too rough on her, but someone needs to knock her down a peg.”

“I may not agree with your methods Mr. Harris, but the sentiment rings true. I trust that you aren’t too badly hurt.”

Xander looked down at the rip in his tee shirt. “Nah, it’s just a scratch. This is a friend of mine, John Crichton. John, this is one of the few members of the Watchers’ Council who doesn’t have his head completely up his ass, Robert Carson.”

“You’re too kind, Mr. Harris,” Carson said, shaking John’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” John said.

“And you as well,” Carson said. He turned back to Xander. “As impetuous as Veronica can be, she does make a valid point. Now that the Council has finally saw fit to dispatch a slayer to Sunnydale, you don’t have to continue to fight. We can pick up the slack, I assure you.”

“I’m sure you could, and I appreciate the offer, but I can’t. I’ve been fighting too long, I wouldn’t know how to stop. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I can’t live in this world, knowing what goes on, and not do something about it.”

Carson smiled sadly and nodded. “I know exactly what you mean,” he said. “That’s the very reason I joined the Council, so many years ago. It’s easy to get caught up in it all, to forget what’s really important. They really do have the best of intentions.”

“Yeah, well, you know what they say about the road to hell,” Xander said.

“Indeed,” Carson replied. “Well, I best find Veronica. You take care of yourself Mr. Harris,” he said, offering Xander his hand.

“You too, Carson. Keep an eye on that slayer of yours,” Xander said, shaking it. Carson just nodded and headed off for the cave.

“Things sure have changed around here,” John commented.

Xander found himself looking up at the stars as he thought about that, remembering the way things were. “Yeah,” he said absently. “They sure have.” Snapping himself out of his daze, he motioned toward the parking lot where he was parked. “Let’s go get that beer and I’ll catch you up. My Caddy is parked up there. You can even ride in the front this time,” he said, smiling.

John smiled, remembering the bumpy ride in the trunk with Aeryn the night they raided McHenry Air Force Base. “Actually, I’ve got my own ride now.”




Next Chapter