Disclaimers: Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry and
is owned by Paramount Pictures.
I make no monetary
profits from my fanfic.
Summary: An
alternate universe Data discovers himself – an AU.
Rating PG
~~~~~~~~~
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOOKING GLASS
Data materialised on the transporter
platform. "Transport to sickbay," it said, voice devoid of urgency.
Riker who had been manning the transporter, smiled inwardly as he saw Data holding the
mortally wounded Captain Picard in its arms.
"The
Data, holding the wounded captain rematerialised in sickbay, lay him on the nearest biobed.
A nurse rushed to the scene.
"Where
is Doctor Pulaski?" Data ordered.
"C...o...mm...and...er..."
Data looked down. "Captain?"
Picard swallowed, all the muscles in his throat aching. He wished Dr. Crusher hadn't opted to remain
at StarFleet medical, but he knew why. She was petrified of him and loathed very the
sight of him. She had felt this way ever
since he murdered her husband, Jack. But
there was a bright side. At least she'd
taken that annoying brat, Wesley with her.
"Da...ta..."
he rasped.
"Doctor Pulaski will attend to you."
The nurse wondered how Data could be so cold at
a man dying.
Dr. Pulaski came to Data and the wounded
Captain.
"You are to repair the captain's injuries."
Pulaski nodded.
Data clasped its hand on her shoulder so tightly, it hurt.
"And if you do not do it correctly, Doctor, you will die."
The emotionless threat sent shivers up Kate
Pulaski's spine and deepened her hatred for the Data machine.
Data let her go. She rubbed her shoulder, then took a tricorder and began scanning Picard,
silently wishing he had been killed on the mission.
"You have multiple internal injuries" she said, "but you
will live."
Picard sighed mentally as Pulaski began treating him, under the close
supervision of Lieutenant Commander Data.
Just over an hour later, Dr. Pulaski had
finished.
Picard sat up slowly, then climbed off the bed and left Sickbay with Data.
Pulaski threw the tricorder
down in annoyance. She'd saved the man's
life and not even a smile or a thank you.
She felt like an old rag. Used.
*
* *
Captain's Log, Stardate 48908.7
StarFleet
has ordered us to Aloria 4. A planet which is rumoured
to be rich in dilithium. It is a Priority One mission and the Alorians must not know of its the
nature.
Data and Dr. Pulaski
have beamed down to the surface investigate.
This is also our first contact with the Alorians. We must know if the rumours are true, and if
they are, StarFleet's orders are to take everything.
Data and Pulaski materialised on the surface
and were greeted by a group of four Alorians. A Tall Race, with long faces and chins that
came to a sharp point.
Be polite and courteous. They knew their mission and were warned not
to give away anything. And they knew
they would die if they failed. Data,
having no emotions, was not concerned, but it did concern Kate Pulaski. She composed herself as well as she could.
"Greetings, Off Worlders," the
largest of the Alorians said, cheerfully, holding out
his hands, "and welcome to Aloria 4. I am Vorath."
Data and Pulaski held out their hands in tradition
of the Alorian custom.
"You are here to explore our planet?"
"That is correct" Data stated.
"You are most welcome, Strangers."
He smiled at them. Pulaski smiled back and shuddered to think
what StarFleet would do to these peaceful people if
they were reluctant to hand over the dilithium, if
the rumours proved true. The Alorians lead them to the main hall.
"You must be well fed before you begin your journey," Vorath said, leading them to the food hall. "Sit down here, please."
The two sat, watching Vorath
and the three other Alorians shuffle to the kitchen.
Dr. Pulaski then turned her attention to Data.
"What are you going to do?" she asked. "You don't need to eat. You're an android."
"That is correct, Doctor," Data replied, but I am capable of
digestive functions, although I cannot taste."
A few minutes later, the Alorians
returned with their food and placed it in front of them. Pulaski looked down and almost vomited, but
kept a straight face.
"What is it?" she managed to ask, looking down at the small
live octopus-like creatures squirming in her bowl.
"Veloni" replied the Alorian
chef. "Small sea
creatures, in cold spicy sauce. A delicacy. Try
it. You will like," and then he
left.
Data began swallowing its portion without a second thought.
Kate had no desire to try it. The very sight made quite nauseous. She gingerly played with hers. The live veloni
squirmed around in the sticky sauce.
"Doctor, you must eat it" Data said. "We do cannot risk offending our Alorian
hosts."
She nodded and slowly put one into her
mouth. Surprisingly, it tasted
exquisite. She forgot her initial
disgust and began to eat a few more.
Although she had not realised it she was quite hungry. She looked at Data and did a double
take. Was it smiling? Pulaski looked again and Data was
smiling, as it was eating the veloni.
"Data..." she said.
Data swallowed a mouthful of veloni, then, "yes, Doctor?"
"You ... you were smiling ..."
Data looked at her. "I know ... this food ... these Veloni creatures. I
can taste them ..."
"How's that possible?"
"I
do not know. Perhaps ... I do not know,
but they taste good."
Pulaski was confused. She decided to dismiss it and looked down at
her bowl. A few more veloni
remained, but she was quite full, and inwardly, she felt sorry for the little
creatures.
Data, however, did not and began swallowing the
remaining ones in its bowl. It would not
let anyone take this sensation away and if a few small creatures had to be
sacrificed to get it, then so be it. Data
then looked at Dr. Pulaski. It saw in
her eyes that she felt pity for the creatures it was eating. Data looked down and saw four more Veloni in the bowl.
It wanted to eat them, but in respect for the Doctor's feelings, it did
not. Concern? That wasn't possible, was it?
"Perhaps there is a stimulant in the food which is affecting
me," Data reasoned.
"Perhaps," the Doctor said.
Vorath came to them. "I trust you
enjoyed you meal. Come, I will show you
routes to explore."
Pulaski and Data stood, following Vorath out of the complex and began showing them the routes
of exploration.
"But if none of these routes are to your liking, you may choose one
of your own, but take these, and be careful of the mud pits." Vorath gave them a small electronic device. "If you
get lost, this device will guide you back to this complex."
"Thank you," Data said, and they set off.
The minute Vorath and
the Alorians were out of sight,
Data took out a tricorder and began scanning. "I detect no dilithium. Perhaps it is buried deeper." Data adjusted the tricorder. "Still no
traces."
Dr. Pulaski took out her tricorder. "I'm getting the same readings. Perhaps the rumours were false."
"Perhaps, but let us go further North. Captain Picard will
not be pleased if we return empty handed."
Dr. Pulaski shuddered at the thought. "But if there is no dilithium
here, we can't return without hands full if there is nothing to fill our hands
with."
"Agreed, but if dilithium is here and we
fail to find it..."
Data didn't have to complete the sentence.
They began to search further North.
No matter how far they scanned, the readings
were the same.
"It's no use, Data" Pulaski said. "There's no dilithium
here. I can only hope Captain Picard will see reason
in this."
Data nodded.
"Agreed."
She stepped forward, and screamed as she
slipped down a muddy hole.
"Doctor!" Data exclaimed.
She had stopped falling. Her fall was broken by some twigs that
blocked the rest of the way down. She
tried to scramble up, but that only weakened the support.
Data knelt down and stretched out an arm. Pulaski reached upwards and strained. She could almost touch Data's fingers. Data knelt and stretched its hand
further. It could almost touch the
Doctor's fingers.
The supports began to give way.
"Doctor! Jump
up!" Data said urgently.
Kate looked down for a moment, then closed her
eyes and jumped up. Relief overcame her
when she felt Data's strong fingers grasp around her wrist and pull her
up. It hurt a little, but she ignored
the slight pain.
"Thank you, Data," she breathed, covered in mud.
"Are you all right, Doctor?"
"I'm fine, Data," she said, after a second. "A little shaken, but
fine."
She tried to compose herself and stepped away
from the hole.
Data saved my life ... and not
because I'm a Doctor and useful to StarFleet but
because it ... wanted to ...
She looked at Data. "We'd better get back to the beam up
point. It's almost time to return."
Data nodded.
Pulaski and Data stood, unaware, the hole
expanded slowly.
Data slipped into it. It grabbed for support, a small protruding
rock.
"Data!" Kate screamed.
She looked down and saw Data resting
uncomfortably on the supports below.
They had barely held her. She
wondered how long they would hold under the android's weight.
Her answer came a second later. The supports snapped and fell to whatever was
below. Data found a small rocky ledge to
support its feet.
"Data!"
"I
am all right for the moment, Doctor. The
support will hold for a short while.
"How far down is it?"
"Not far. Five
point three meters."
"You won't be damaged if you fall.
Why don't you let go? I'll give the
"That will not be possible.
Below me is a large acid pool. If
I fall into it, I will not survive."
Kate strained her ears. Was there a trace of fear in the android's
voice?
Data tried to climb up, but kept slipping back
down. Pulaski reached in as far as she
could, almost touching Data's fingers. Data stretched out its arm and brushed
against the Doctor's fingers.
"Brace yourself, Doctor," it
said. "Be prepared to grab my hand
as I leap up. You may not be able to
stand my weight."
"I'll try."
She readied herself. Data took the leap. Pulaski clasped her fingers around Data's
wrist as hard as she could and pulled with all her might. The ledge Data was on tumbled and hissed as
it dissolved in the acid. Data looked
down for a second, seeming grateful about being pulled up just in time.
Pulaski almost let go. It felt as though her arm was being wrenched
out of its socket.
She pulled Data up, with all her strength, and
just as she was about to let go, Data leapt out of the hole, grasping for
support, then sat on the ground, covered in mud, looking quite relieved. Data had seemed frightened, for it's life, but it was supposed to be emotionless.
"Are you all right, Data?" Kate asked.
There was a moment, then, "Yes,
Doctor. I am fine ... and dirty."
Then they both laughed.
She had never heard Data laugh before. It was a nice sound.
In fact, they were both covered in mud from
head to toe.
"We had better return to the beam up co ordinates."
Data stood and helped the Doctor up.
Smiling, they both began to walk back the way
they came.
Vorath met them.
"Hello,
"Yes," replied Dr. Pulaski.
"We helped each other to escape.
We'll be returning to our ship now."
"Do you wish to tidy yourselves up first?"
"We haven't time. We're due
back in ..."
"Twenty-one seconds," Data said.
Vorath nodded, surprised at the android's preciseness. The transporter
then gripped both
"What the hell!?..."
"I
can explain, Captain," Pulaski began quickly, then paused.
"We fell into a mud pit," Data completed.
Picard glared at them.
"What were your findings?"
"The rumours were false, Captain," Data said. "Aloria 4 has
no dilithium."
Picard bashed the transporter console in anger, then gave himself a moment to calm down. Rumours often proved untrue.
"StarFleet will not be pleased, but it cannot be
helped. We followed their orders ...
Now," the captain's voice became snappy as he addressed his two filthy
officers. "Get yourselves cleaned
up."
"Yes, Captain."
Picard turned to the Transporter Chief.
"Beam them to their quarters.
I don't want that filth all over my ship."
"Aye, sir."
Data materialised in the bathroom, then looked at itself, covered in mud. It could step into a sonic shower, and be
instantly clean and dry, but for some reason, it didn't want that. It found itself desiring a traditional water
shower. Data frowned at its sudden
desire, then dismissed it and began removing its uniform. The mud had seeped right through the material
and onto Data's skin. Data put the
uniform in the cleaning processor, then stepped into the shower and began
washing the mud off. It felt the warm
water beating against its body and smiled slightly. It began to wash the mud out of its
hair. The mud had seeped deep into
Data's scalp and had begun to cake. Data
washed its hair and its body and when it was satisfied, it stepped out of the
shower and began to dry itself.
When dry, Data looked down at its masculine
body. It was tall and slender. An ideal body, which might even be considered
desirable and sexy by the opposite sex, but because Data was an android, its
body was not considered.
Naked, Data walked out of the bathroom.
It sat on the sofa, contemplating what had
happened down on Aloria 4. It had felt something. It happened after Data ate the small octopus
like creatures Vorath served them. Were they the
cause of it? Data enjoyed the time it
spent on the planet with the Doctor.
Why? How? As hard as Data tried, it couldn't seem to
feel that sensation anymore. It wanted
to. It wanted to feel alive, instead of
a mindless unemotional automaton.
*
* *
There was one other time when Data did feel
something, but it was not pleasure.
Twenty-six
years before, Lore, Data's prototype had been disassembled, and now his parts
had been found and reassembled aboard the
"Hello," he said politely.
"You may call me Lore."
He put his feet on the floor and climbed off
the bed.
"Data," he said, with a smile.
This puzzled everyone. They had expected Lore to be as cold and
emotionless as Data, after all, Lore was an android, wasn't he? Physically identical to Data, but with Personality. Data had none whatsoever.
"Come with me," Picard said, then
proceeded to give Lore a tour of the
He allowed Lore to sit at OPS, Data's
post. As expected, Lore knew the controls
like the back of his hand. In fact he
knew everything to do with Starship operations, just
as an android should.
"Sir!" Tasha exclaimed
suddenly. "Detecting
an unknown vessel on an intercept course."
"Are you sure this time, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir. This
time it is definitely not a false alarm."
"It better not be. Shields up. Arm phasers and photon torpedoes."
"Armed, sir."
"Time to intercept?"
"Thirty-seven seconds, sir."
The seconds passed and the vessel never
arrived. Another thirty-seven seconds
went by.
"Lieutenant, I want an explanation."
Tasha swallowed and looked worried.
"I'm checking the systems now, sir ... Dammit! Another false alarm ... sir
..." she said, almost trembling.
"I
warned you about making a mistake, Lieutenant."
"Y... Yes ... sir..."
Picard uttered the two dreaded words.
"Torture chamber."
Those words always sent shivers running up Tasha's spine.
"No, sir ... please not that ... It's not my fault. The systems fouled up. I'll check it next time..."
"That's enough, Yar. I said torture chamber and I mean it."
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
was not known for patience or compassion.
He was known for his mercilessness and ruthlessness, which is why he was
Captain of the
Lore, sitting at OPS frowned and turned to the
captain. Picard
looked at him.
"It's StarFleet's policy to torture crew
members for failures, insubordination and misgivings."
"Torture?"
Data nodded.
"Obviously you are not aware of all ships procedures."
Picard looked at Data for a second, confused.
If he didn't know better, he'd suspect the android of being snooty.
Data began to escort a reluctant Tasha Yar to the turbolift.
"Wait," Picard said.
Tasha sighed inwardly, then Picard
continued.
"I
think we should give Lore the privilege of torturing Lieutenant Yar."
Lore's eyes widened, then stood and walked to Tasha.
"Take her to the torture chambers," Picard
ordered. "Use the Machine for ...
well, whatever time you think is suitable."
Lore nodded, then
looked at Data.
"Are you coming, Brother?"
"Brother?" Data and Picard repeated,
confused.
Lore nodded.
"We have the same creators and the same schematics. Therefore, we're Brothers. Well, Data, are you coming?"
"No," it said, and glared after Lore and Tasha
as they left the Bridge. Torturing crew
members was its job and it didn't enjoy its privileges being taken away, even
if Lore was its 'Brother.' It
particularly remembered the time when Tasha had
begged it in tears to stop. It did not.
Data decided to follow Lore. It was interested in its 'Brother,' having
emotions and what effects they would have.
Lore arrived in the torture chambers with Tasha and saw the Machine.
"How long do you usually do this for?" Lore asked.
Tasha wanted to say a few minutes, or never, but she knew she would only hurt
herself if she lied.
"Between half an hour and an hour," she said, reluctantly
stepping into the Machine.
"What do I do?" Lore asked.
"What? Tasha
asked? You mean you've never done this
before?"
Lore shook his head.
"Press the green button to turn it on and the yellow one to turn it
off."
Lore nodded.
"Start now?"
Tasha nodded and shut her eyes. Lore
pressed the green button.
Tasha screamed in agony, feeling the torturous pain throughout her entire
body. Lore instantly pressed the yellow
button.
Tasha gasped and caught her breath.
"What did you do that for?" She asked, puzzled. "I'm to be punished."
"What? For
making a stupid little mistake?
You don't deserve to be tortured like this."
"But Captain Picard ..."
Lore smiled.
"I won't tell if you won't.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
Lore helped a very grateful Tasha
out of the Machine.
"Why are you doing this?"
Lore gave a small innocent smile.
"I
... I'm not used to hurting people."
"You're not going to torture me?"
"No ... well not unless you want to be tortured."
Tasha laughed. "No thanks. If I ever see this blasted thing again, it'll
be too soon." She viciously kicked
the Machine.
Lore smiled, and then he kissed her.
Data's eyes widened. It had been monitoring then with the security
recorders plastered around the ship.
It wondered, if it
should tell Captain Picard that Lore did not torture
her. What would be the use of that?
We do not have a machine capable of torturing an android.
Data continued to watch them, interested. Interested in Lore's emotions and how the
crew had taken a liking to him.
Tasha smiled and kissed him back.
"Let's go to your quarters," Lore smiled.
"All right," Tasha replied with a equally mischievous smile.
They left the torture chambers, leaving Data
frowning, wondering.
The next day, at tactical, Tasha
looked very pleased.
"Where were you last night, Lieutenant?" Picard
inquired.
"In the torture chambers."
"She took the pain well," Lore added.
"After that?" Picard
asked. "You did not return to the
Bridge and the crew sensors couldn't locate you."
"The Machine damaged my communicator," she lied. "Lore took me to his quarters and showed
me some of his ... functions."
Data looked at Lore, then at Tasha. It hadn't
seen what went on in that room, but had a pretty good idea.
*
* *
Later in Ten-Forward, most of the crew members
were off duty, sitting with Lore and chatting with him.
Data watched them, sitting alone near a
window.
They never talked with me like
that it thought, but then Lore was more personable. Was it part of its programming? It seemed unwise to construct an android so
... human. Lore would be limited in his
operations as a result of his emotions, therefore Data
concluded that it was a better model. It
wondered why they even bothered to give it off duty time since it required no
rest or leisure.
Data turned at the sound of its name.
"Come and sit with us, Data," Lore offered.
In a way, Data wanted to go. It wondered what it would be like to be
accepted, like its 'Brother' had been, but it felt out of place here.
"I
must return to duty it said," then left without another word.
*
* *
Later, Data was alone in its quarters. It stirred only when it heard the door chime.
"Enter," it said, automatically.
The doors slid apart to reveal Lore. He walked into the room.
"It's not your fault, you know."
"What is not my fault?"
"The way you are."
Data frowned a tad.
Lore continued.
"So cold and impersonal. You can't help the way you were
created."
Data took this in. "I was created to operate as an
efficient machine officer. I perform all
my duties perfectly, without error."
"So? What's so perfect about
that?"
Data frowned.
"I do not understand."
"You see, humans relate better to me because I have emotions. I can feel and understand them. I'm more like them."
"That limits you in your duties," Data stated.
"True, in some ways, but humans prefer
someone they can relate to, rather than an unfeeling machine. No offence."
"None taken, Lore," Data said.
"I cannot be offended."
A pause, then, "why were you
disassembled?"
Data saw the anger and regret in Lore's face
now.
"StarFleet ..." he began with contempt,
"disassembled me and you were made as my replacement. They considered me a failure, because I had
emotions. They wanted a machine to obey
their every order to the letter, without question. Not an android with a mind of its own and
definitely not one with a conscience."
"That would seem to be reasonable," Data said.
"Reasonable?!" Lore spat, then softened his
tone. "I'm sorry, Data. I don't expect you to understand. If you could feel, maybe you'd understand what
I went through - and, Data, I don't blame you.
It's not your fault for what happened to me."
"You do not like StarFleet."
"That's an understatement.
They used me in ways that ..." Lore stopped, almost in tears. "To them I was just a tool ... a thing
to be utilised. They ignored my personal
feelings. I was expendable. They made me feel like trash ... a used rag
... like a bunch of substandard parts..."
Lore wiped a tear from his cheek, then looked
at Data. "Perhaps it's better that you don't have emotions. No feelings to be hurt..."
"Your parts were found and reassembled by the
Lore nodded.
"Well, if they want me they'll use me again -just like they did
before ... Data, how can you stand it? ... Being used as a tool? You might not have feelings, but..."
Lore sighed. "Just forget it."
"I
am incapable of forgetting, I cannot feel what you are feeling and I am
obligated to report all of this to the ship's Captain."
"Go ahead. Can you blame me
for feeling the way I do?"
"Perhaps if I had feelings myself, I would better understand."
"Perhaps ... I just hate StarFleet."
"It is unwise to express misgivings about StarFleet,
Lore. They do not take kindly to
it."
"And I don't take kindly to them," Lore growled. "They killed the only woman I ever
loved."
"You fell in love?"
"Yes. With
a StarFleet officer.
They asked her to discontinue her relationship
with me, or they'd throw her out of StarFleet. She threw in her badge and resigned. We were going to run away together. I had plans to steal a ship, but they
..."
"They killed her before you could escape?"
Lore nodded sadly.
"Do you know how they killed her, Data?"
Data shook its head. "The report stated only that she was
killed for a major disservice to StarFleet."
Lore scoffed at that. "Since when was love a
disservice or a crime?"
"It is not against StarFleet rules."
"Exactly. It's
because I was their property."
Lore spat out the last word through his teeth. "They ... they tortured her right in
front of me ... slowly ... painfully, that Machine thing you've got here is
nothing compared to what they did to her.
They put me behind a forcefield. I couldn't help her..." Tears flowed
down Lore's cheeks.
"How did they torture her?" Data asked.
Lore shook his head. "I can't ... I won't ... I don't want to
talk about it ... All I can say is it made me sick. I overpowered the forcefield
and in a blind rage, I killed them all.
I didn't listen to their pleas for mercy. They didn't deserve any and I didn't want to
listen. I was too angry ... In a way, I
regret killing them. I know it was wrong
and I wish I hadn't, what they did to her wasn't right either."
Data seemed startled. "How many were there?"
"Four, but it was too late to save
"And that is why they disassembled you, because you killed
..."
Lore nodded.
"Yes. Some officers burst in
with phasers.
They fired and that was the last thing I remembered until I was
reassembled here."
"They had a reason for disassembling you."
Lore nodded.
"I suppose, but it was not reasonable to kill
Lore then left, without another word. Data watched him go, and began wondering what
it would be like to have emotions. For
the first time in its existence, Data found itself wanting to feel.
*
* *
Later Data was in its lab, accessing the ships
reports. The android took the in the
information with ease, but then it froze as it stared at the screen.
Captain's log, Stardate 41252.4
The ships android unit,
Data is to be replaced by its prototype Lore.
The crew relate better to Lore and therefore function more efficiently
when working with him. Data is to be
deactivated and disassembled.
Data glared at the screen. It was better than Lore. It could perform more efficiently. It wondered if it should tell Captain Picard why Lore had been disassembled and his feelings
towards StarFleet.
Would it matter? Probably not. Data
bashed the console with its fist, smashing the screen. Then it blinked. Anger? ... For the
first time in its existence it felt something.
An emotion.
Data was also feeling something else, but couldn't quite put its finger
on it. It bashed its communicator, for
reasons it did not know.
"Lore. Report to my lab, immediately."
Then it realised what it was feeling. Jealousy.
The doors parted to reveal Lore, dressed in a
loose brown shirt and pants.
Data waited until the doors had closed and Lore
was inside.
"Lock doors to my signal."
Before Lore could question that, Data said, "that is not the StarFleet attire you were assigned."
"So, I'm not a StarFleet officer and that
utility suit made me feel like I was wearing pyjamas. Brown's my colour, y'know."
"It is true that you are not a StarFleet
officer," Data said, "and you will never be one."
"You can say that again. I
despise StarFleet."
"That is not what I meant."
Data pulled its arm out from behind its back
and pointed a weapon at Lore. Lore
stared.
"A phaser?"
"No. Not a phaser. An electron
gun and as you well know, electrons and positrons do not mix."
Lore shook his head. "But why?..."
Data fired.
Lore darted out of the way.
"YOU
WILL NOT REPLACE ME!"
Lore frowned.
"Replace you, but...?"
"They want you to take my place.
I read it in the Captain's log. I
will not allow that to happen."
Data fired again. Lore moved and grabbed Data's arm. Data violently jerked free, then grabbed Lore
and hurled him across the lab. Lore crashed
into a pile of equipment. As he began to
stand, Data blasted his legs. Lore
howled in pain as the blast hit, feeling every link being torn apart. His legs were still functioning, but
barely. He scrambled away from Data's
next blast. He didn't know where he was
going, and didn't care, as long as he got away from Data, but how? He couldn't get out of the lab. Terrified, Lore scrambled between two large
pieces of machinery. He stayed there,
shivering, but didn't make a sound. He
wondered why Data hadn't come after him yet.
Maybe he doesn't know where I
am, Lore thought, although he knew that was wishful
thinking. Data was going to find him and
he knew it. It was only a matter of
time. He knows where I am, Lore
thought. He's playing with me...
Then Lore saw a human like shadow moving closer
and closer. He quietly backed up against
the wall as far as he could go. Data
slowly approached. Each
moment growing more agonising for Lore.
He couldn't get away. His legs
were dysfunctional now, and in pain. Data was in front of him now, aiming the
gun at him. It walked closer. Lore tried unsuccessfully to back further
into the wall.
"Don't do it, Data, please ..."
"You will not replace me."
Data pointed the gun closer. Lore shook his head in fear.
"Data, I didn't want it this way.
I wish it were different. I don't want to replace you. You don't have to kill me."
"Yes I do. I want to."
Lore swallowed at the coldness of that
statement.
"Data..."
Data readied itself to fire.
"Data,
don't!..."
Data pressed the fire button, blasting the
wall, making Lore jump. It smiled,
seeming to enjoy Lore's pain and fear.
"You cannot escape."
"Data, don't do this ... You're only going to hurt yourself in the
end."
Data frowned a fraction, then
said, "I intend to dispose of you. I hate you."
Lore looked at his Brother, concerned. "You're feeling an emotion."
Data considered this for a moment.
"You are correct."
"You weren't programmed for emotions ... StarFleet
installed a... failsafe mechanism in your brain, to give you cascade failure if
you displayed any emotions. You're
killing yourself, Data. You'll die if
you keep this up."
Data didn't want to listen.
"You are the only one who is going to die, Lore."
Data stepped closer and saw exactly how much
fear was in Lore's eyes and how helpless he was, his eyes pleading like a
frightened puppy and smiled.
"Good bye Dear Brother..."
"NO!"
Data fired, betraying its Brother's pleading
eyes, the pleading changing to shock and betrayal just before the final moment.
Lore's body lay there motionless. Dead. And Data smiled gain. It had enjoyed that.
Tasha Yar rushed in, being
alerted by the blasting.
"What happened?!" she exclaimed.
"Lore suddenly attacked me.
He discovered I was using sensors to follow what he does. It was self defence."
One look into Tasha's
eyes told Data she could see straight through the android's lie. And one look from the android's cold eyes
told Tasha it would kill her too if she told anyone
otherwise.
Data looked down at Lore's body.
"It might be useful if we need it."
He shoved Lore's body in storage and didn't
give it another thought.
*
* *
Until now. Now, sitting alone, naked on its
sofa, Data remembered. Remembered Lore's fear.
Remembered betraying Lore and ending his life. Data hated itself for doing that.
Data had checked up on what Lore had said. It found evidence of the failsafe mechanism
he had mentioned. In effect, Lore had
saved its life, and Data remembered how it had repaid him.
Data found itself, bursting uncontrollably into
tears.
"I'm sorry, Lore ... Brother..." it wailed.
Data sat like that on the sofa for over an hour
before it began to compose itself.
It walked to the replicator
and asked it to replicate a set of clothing its size.
It only had one uniform. Being an android, it didn't need to change
clothes and for some reason, it didn't feel like wearing its uniform.
"Input style," the replicator said.
"Style..." Data repeated, confused.
Being an android, it had absolutely no fashion
sense. Then it remembered Lore wore a
loose brown shirt and pants and he had mentioned that brown was his
colour. Data was identical in appearance
to Lore, so it had the replicator produce an
identical set. Data looked at itself in
the mirror. For some reason, if felt
better in these loose clothes, rather than the tight fitting StarFleet uniform.
Data sat back on the sofa, thinking about
something. It looked at the floor, then frowned. It was
thinking about Dr. Pulaski. Not as a
Doctor, but as a woman. As Catherine Pulaski. It wanted to feel pleasure again. It wanted her.
*
* *
Kate Pulaski, dressed in a loose dress put away
her uniform, and wondered what to do while she was off duty. She frowned, thinking about something. Something she wanted, but for the life of
her, she couldn't think what.
The door chime sounded.
"Come in," she said.
The doors slid apart, revealing Data.
Pulaski did a double take when she saw what the
android was wearing.
"Data?"
"Yes, Doctor..."
Doctor. Data had called her that so many
times before, but never the way he did now.
She looked at the android and realised what she had been wanting. Data. They walked closer to each other, and when
the doors closed, they kissed passionately.
Data, for the first time felt desire.
Desire for the woman it was holding in its arms.
Data wondered how could I be feeling this? How could
it be feeling at all? Was it a result of
the food on Aloria 4?
But surely that had worn off by now. Maybe it was Data, overriding its
programming.
*
* *
Data led Kate into the bedroom and pushed her
onto the bed, then the kissing resumed.
As the night progressed, it became more and
more intimate.
It gave in to its feelings, its desire,
totally, helplessly losing control.
After a while, it sat up.
"I
am sorry, Doctor," it said. "I
am not used to this."
She smiled.
Data looked at her. "Excuse me," it said, almost
sexily.
It stood up, then
walked briskly to its quarters.
"Second Officer's
Personal Log, Stardate 48999.7
Data paused, then
continued.
This will be my final
log, personal or otherwise. I am
experiencing an emotion for the second time, but not a negative one. I felt extremely jealous when my Brother Lore
was aboard the
I will never forget the
pleading in his eyes, the shock, and betrayal just before I ... pulled the trigger ...
Data stopped, its voice breaking up.
"I wish I had died
instead. There is no way to repair
Lore. Perhaps it is better that
way. He hated StarFleet
and all they stand for. They killed his
beloved wife,
Lieutenant
Commander Data signing off - for the last time.
Data returned to Kate's quarters where she
eagerly waited.
"I
am sorry," the android said.
"There was something very important I had to do."
"That's all right," she said.
Once again, the intimacy progressed. Kate
followed the android's lead. Thinking
this once cold, heartless unemotional thing was now passionate and gentle, more
than any man she had ever known, and she gave herself to Data. She had been married three times, each
husband brutal and cruel. She bore many
scars, both physical and mental. They
had forced her to perform sexual acts and abused her and all other men she had
a relationship with were the same. They
had used her for sex and abuse, and even though Data was an android, it was
more a man than any of them. This
android, this machine cherished her. To
her Data had always been a bunch of circuits and sub-processors, but she
discovered Data was more. Much more.
Would she regret this in the morning? She didn't regret it now. If this is a dream, Kate, please don't wake
up.
Data gently caressed her, for the first time in
its life, it felt the emotion flow through its body,
uncontrolled and free. It was the most
wonderful sensation the android had ever felt.
Data realised for the first time, it felt love. Love for Catherine Pulaski and the sensation
of being able to show it.
Data suddenly sat up in shock, checking its
systems. It had come that close to a
total cascade failure, it wasn't funny.
Data remembered what Lore had said: "You weren't programmed for
emotions ... StarFleet installed a ... failsafe
mechanism in your brain, to give you cascade failure if you displayed any
emotions. You're killing yourself,
Data. You'll die if you keep this
up."
I
don't care, it thought after a moment.
"Just one night ... a few hours of emotion are worth more than a
lifetime of nothing."
And Data let itself love, knowing it would be
fatal.
I'm
sorry, Catherine, Data thought, sadly.
Sorry I have to hurt you like this ...
"What is it, Data?" Kate asked, concerned.
Data shook its head and smiled.
"Nothing, darling.
This night is wonderful ...
beautiful and I never want it to end."
She smiled.
"Neither do I."
They turned at each other.
Fear began slowly taking over Data. It didn't want to die, but would rather die
than return to the cold emotionless thing it once was.
Let
death come... it thought and heard Lore's voice. Don't fear it. Embrace it.
Feel only the gentleness, the desire and the love ... Give into it...
And so he did.
*