The night had settled over the Tibetan desert by the time the
fourth temporal displacement occurred. Several hours had passed since the
disturbance that had appeared elsewhere in the desert, but this new disturbance
formed far from any settlement, closer to the lands of the Zaru-Kahn. An
electromagnetic field formed above the sand, and within the center of the field
a humanoid figure materialized on one knee with one hand pressed into the sand.
It remained motionless for several seconds before slowly lifting its head.
The electromagnetic field disappeared, leaving the T-800 alone
beneath the night sky. Its red eyes activated as its internal systems completed
their diagnostic sequence, scanning the unfamiliar landscape while the
remaining electrical discharge faded from the surrounding air. There were no
buildings, roads, lights, or signs of civilization nearby, only dunes,
scattered rocks, and distant mountains. After determining that there were no
immediate threats, the machine rose from the sand and began walking across the
desert in search of human activity.
Its movements were steady and deliberate, each step carrying it
across the uneven ground without hesitation. The T-800 did not appear affected
by the cold night air or the difficult terrain, and its internal systems
continued processing the surrounding environment as it moved farther from the
place where it had arrived. The desert remained quiet, with only the sound of
wind passing over the dunes and the occasional shifting of loose sand beneath
its boots. In the distance, the mountains formed dark silhouettes, but there
was still no indication of where the nearest settlement might be.
The weather changed before it had traveled very far. Loose sand
began moving across the ground as the wind increased, and within minutes the
air became thick with dust. The T-800 continued walking despite the worsening
conditions, maintaining its course while the wind pushed against its body and
sand struck its exposed skin and clothing. The storm intensified until the
surrounding landscape disappeared behind clouds of blowing sand, reducing
visibility to almost nothing as the machine continued forward through the
darkness.
The force of the storm eventually became strong enough to shift the
dunes around it. Sand accumulated against the T-800's legs as it continued
walking, gradually rising from its boots toward its knees. The machine
attempted to maintain its forward movement, but the ground beneath it continued
changing as the wind drove more sand across the desert. Its lower body
disappeared beneath the shifting surface, followed by its waist and torso, yet
the machine continued trying to move until the desert finally swallowed its
head beneath several feet of sand.
The storm continued through the night, covering the area with
several feet of sand and completely erasing every trace of the machine's
arrival. The electromagnetic disturbance had already vanished, and the wind
carried sand across the surrounding ground until even the marks left by the
machine's footsteps disappeared beneath the newly formed dunes. By morning, the
landscape looked untouched except for the changes created by the storm, and
there was nothing on the surface to indicate that anything unusual had happened
there.
Morning brought the first signs of activity to the Zaru-Kahn lands
as families began tending to their animals and repairing the damage caused by
the storm. The settlement was still beginning its day when Nyima and her older
brother, Lhamo, rode away from the main group on horseback, following a narrow
trail toward the eastern edge of their territory. The storm had altered parts
of the landscape during the night, covering familiar paths with sand and
knocking loose stones from the surrounding slopes, so their morning patrol
required more attention than usual. Their father, General Wangmo, had taught
them to remain alert whenever they traveled away from the settlement, and while
Lhamo followed those lessons carefully, Nyima had developed a habit of
examining anything that appeared out of place.
Nyima rode slightly ahead of her brother, her eyes moving
constantly between the trail and the surrounding slopes. Lhamo kept his horse
at a steady pace behind her, watching the ground and the distant ridges while
occasionally looking toward his sister to make sure she was not wandering too
far from the trail. They had traveled together often enough that neither needed
to explain what the other was doing, and their different approaches had become
familiar over the years. Nyima was quick to investigate anything unusual, while
Lhamo preferred to understand a situation before getting involved, a difference
that had caused countless small arguments between them.
When Nyima slowed her horse near a patch of exposed ground, Lhamo
immediately noticed. Several hoofprints crossed the trail, partially covered by
the sand that had blown across the area during the night. Nyima leaned forward
slightly in her saddle and studied them while Lhamo brought his horse alongside
hers, already expecting that she had found something she wanted to investigate.
"Those are goat tracks," Lhamo said.
Nyima looked down at them. "I know."
"Then why did you stop?"
"I was checking."
Lhamo glanced toward the surrounding slopes. "For what?"
"Anything that doesn't belong."
"You check everything."
Nyima looked at him with a small smile. "Father told us to pay
attention."
"He also told us not to waste time."
"Maybe I'll find something worth the time."
Lhamo shook his head, but there was no real annoyance in his
expression. "You always say that."
"And sometimes I'm right."
"Sometimes."
Nyima gave him a satisfied look before nudging her horse forward
again. Lhamo followed, keeping pace as they continued along the trail. Their
conversation ended naturally as the landscape became more difficult to cross,
and both concentrated on navigating the altered terrain.
They continued through the desert, passing sections where the storm
had moved large amounts of sand across the trail and forced them to take longer
routes around several dunes. In some places, rocks that had previously been
exposed were now almost completely buried, while other areas had been cleared
by the wind and revealed stretches of hard ground beneath them. Nyima
repeatedly looked toward the surrounding slopes while Lhamo concentrated on the
path ahead, and the two riders gradually moved farther from the settlement
without encountering anything unusual.
The morning sun had begun rising higher when Nyima suddenly slowed
her horse again. Lhamo noticed the change and brought his horse to a stop
beside her, but this time Nyima was not looking at the ground directly in front
of them. Her attention was fixed on a low rocky rise several dozen yards away
where the storm had piled a large amount of sand against the base.
"What is it?" Lhamo asked.
Nyima did not answer immediately. She narrowed her eyes and studied
the slope, then pointed toward a dark shape partially exposed beneath the sand.
"Over there."
Lhamo followed her gaze. At first he saw only another section of
rock, but after looking more carefully, he noticed that the shape was too
smooth and regular to be natural.
"Could be a rock."
"It doesn't look like one."
"You can't tell from here."
"Then I'll get closer."
Lhamo sighed as Nyima began dismounting.
"Nyima."
"I'm only looking."
"You always say that."
She ignored him and walked toward the rocky rise. Lhamo remained
beside the horses for a moment before securing the reins and following her,
knowing from experience that trying to stop her from investigating would only
result in her continuing without him.
The sand shifted beneath their boots as they approached the exposed
object. From closer range, the dark surface became more visible, and Nyima
crouched beside it while brushing away loose sand with her hand. The surface
beneath it was smooth and cold, unlike the rough stone surrounding it, and when
she cleared a larger section, a faint reflection from the morning light
appeared across the dark material.
"That's not stone," Lhamo said as he knelt beside her.
"I know."
He placed his hand near the exposed surface without touching it.
"Metal."
Nyima brushed away more sand. "What kind?"
"I don't know."
"Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"No."
She continued digging.
"Don't dig any farther."
Nyima looked at him. "Why?"
"Because we don't know what it is."
"That's why we should find out."
"Finding out doesn't mean touching everything."
"I'm not touching it."
"You're digging it out."
"That's different."
Lhamo stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "You know
Father is going to blame me for this."
Nyima smiled. "Only if you let him."
Before he could stop her, she cleared another section of sand.
Lhamo watched for several seconds, then began helping her because leaving Nyima
to investigate alone would have been more dangerous than staying beside her.
Together they removed the sand piece by piece, gradually revealing more of the
strange object beneath the surface.
A shoulder appeared first, followed by a chest and one arm. The
shape beneath the sand was unmistakably human, but the material covering it was
nothing either sibling recognized. Nyima continued clearing the area around the
head while Lhamo brushed sand away from the torso, and the more they uncovered,
the more unusual the discovery became.
Eventually, the outline of a human-shaped head emerged from beneath
the sand. The face resembled that of a man, but every exposed surface was
clearly constructed from metal. There was no sign of breathing, movement, or
any natural feature that would indicate the figure was alive.
Nyima stared at it.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
"Is it dead?"
Lhamo examined the motionless figure. "It's made of metal."
"That doesn't answer me."
"I know."
He looked at the strange face again. "I don't know if something
like that can even be dead."
Nyima reached toward it, but Lhamo caught her wrist before her
fingers could touch the machine.
"We should go back and get the others."
Nyima frowned. "And leave it here?"
"Yes."
"What if someone else finds it?"
"That's better than us finding out what it does."
Nyima looked from Lhamo to the machine. "You really think I'm going
to leave it here?"
"I was hoping."
She gave him a look that made it clear she had already made her
decision.
Lhamo released her wrist but kept his attention fixed on the
machine. "If it moves, we leave."
Nyima nodded, though her attention remained on the metallic figure.
"Fine."
The machine's eyes opened.
Two red lights appeared beneath its eyelids, illuminating the
otherwise motionless face. Nyima immediately pulled away, while Lhamo moved in
front of her and reached for the knife at his belt. The machine's fingers moved
beneath the sand, followed by its arms as it pushed itself upward.
Sand fell from its shoulders and chest as it rose.
Lhamo tightened his grip on the knife but did not draw it. Nyima
remained behind him, staring at the machine as it continued standing. The
metallic figure pushed the remaining sand away and eventually rose to its full
height, towering over both siblings as loose grains fell from its clothing and
body.
The T-800 looked directly at them.
"Where am I?"
Lhamo kept his hand near his knife. "Who are you?"
The machine repeated its question.
"Where am I?"
Nyima answered cautiously, "The Tibetan desert."
The T-800 turned its head slightly and scanned the surrounding
landscape. Its systems processed the terrain, the settlement in the distance,
the two humans standing before it, and the horses nearby. It already knew the
temporal coordinates of its arrival and had no reason to seek confirmation from
either of them.
Lhamo studied the machine carefully.
"What are you?"
"I am a Terminator. Cyberdyne systems Model 103 to be exact."
Neither sibling understood the answer. Nyima looked at the
machine's metallic body, then at its face, trying to determine whether the
strange words were a name, a description, or something else entirely. Lhamo
remained more cautious, keeping himself between the machine and his sister
while watching every movement.
Nyima finally took a cautious step closer.
"What's your name?"
The T-800 looked directly at her.
"Uncle Brad."
Nyima stared at him for several seconds before turning toward
Lhamo. The answer was so unexpected that the tension between them briefly gave
way to amusement. Lhamo let out a short laugh, and Nyima soon followed,
covering her mouth as she tried to contain herself.
"That's your name?" she asked.
"Yes."
Lhamo shook his head with a faint smile. "Uncle Brad."
The T-800 remained completely serious, apparently unaffected by
their reaction.
Nyima looked at the machine again, then toward the distant
settlement. Her curiosity had already begun overcoming the fear that had
initially kept her behind Lhamo, particularly because the machine had not
attacked them despite having every opportunity to do so.
"Well, Uncle Brad, you're coming with us."
Lhamo turned toward her. "You're serious?"
"We can't leave him here."
"We don't know what he is."
"He hasn't hurt us."
"That doesn't mean he won't."
Nyima looked at the T-800. "Then stay close and make sure he
doesn't."
Lhamo stared at the machine for several moments. The T-800 stood
completely still, watching them without displaying any sign of aggression.
There was no obvious explanation for its presence, no indication of where it
had come from, and nothing about its strange metallic body made sense to either
sibling.
"We can't take him into the settlement without telling Father."
Nyima nodded. "I know."
"He'll want to know everything."
"Then we'll tell him."
Lhamo looked toward the settlement again. Their father, General
Wangmo, was responsible for the safety of their people, and bringing an unknown
stranger into the settlement without warning would certainly raise questions.
At the same time, leaving the machine alone in the desert after discovering
that it was capable of moving seemed even more dangerous, especially now that
it was standing directly in front of them.
"Our father is going to have questions."
Nyima mounted her horse. "Then we'll tell him exactly what
happened."
Lhamo gathered the reins of his own horse and mounted as well. He
glanced back toward the T-800, then toward Nyima, making certain she was ready
before they started moving.
"You can explain what you found."
Nyima looked at him. "You can help."
Lhamo gave a small shake of his head. "I knew you were going to say
that."
Nyima smiled. "Because you know me."
"I know you too well."
Both siblings prepared to leave the area. Nyima settled into her
saddle and looked toward the settlement while Lhamo remained slightly behind
her, his attention still fixed on the machine.
The T-800 began walking after them.
Nyima glanced over her shoulder as the machine followed. Its stride
was steady, and despite the rough terrain it moved without difficulty, keeping
a consistent distance from the horses. Lhamo watched it carefully as they
crossed the desert, occasionally looking toward the machine's face and hands as
though expecting some indication of what it intended to do.
The three continued toward the Zaru-Kahn settlement.
The morning had grown brighter by then, revealing more of the
surrounding desert and the damage caused by the storm. Sand covered parts of
the trail, and several sections had to be crossed slowly because the horses
struggled against the uneven ground. Nyima continued watching the T-800 from
time to time, while Lhamo maintained a cautious distance and made sure the
machine remained behind them.
Neither sibling spoke much during the first part of the journey.
The discovery had left both of them with more questions than answers, and
neither could explain the metallic man walking silently behind their horses.
Nyima was clearly fascinated by what they had found, while Lhamo remained
uncertain about whether bringing the machine home was the right decision, but
he knew that allowing Nyima to return alone would have been impossible.
As the settlement gradually became visible in the distance, Nyima
sat straighter in her saddle. The familiar shelters and animal pens appeared
beyond the dunes, and smoke from morning fires rose into the clear air. People
moved between the structures as the community continued recovering from the
previous night's storm.
Nyima looked back once more.
The T-800 was still following.
Lhamo noticed her looking and kept his eyes on the machine.
"Stay close," he said.
Nyima nodded.
The T-800 continued walking behind them as the siblings led the way
toward their home. Neither of them knew where the strange machine had come
from, why it had appeared beneath the sand, or what the words it had given them
truly meant, but they both understood that their ordinary morning patrol had
become something their father would never have expected. By the time they
reached the first structures of the Zaru-Kahn settlement, Nyima had already
begun thinking about the questions she would ask the machine, while Lhamo was
thinking about the questions their father would ask all three of them.