She watched as he picked up a piece of heavy machinery and slung it under his arm, before throwing it on the pile of Borg junk ready for transport. Geordie watched him too, and the two of them exchanged glances. Data had been working tirelessly all day and night for weeks to clear out every remnant of alien technology, and had yet to volunteer any information except to inform someone when something was finished or ready for transport. Certainly nothing to do with the Borg. Geordie knew something was terribly wrong with his best friend, but his attempts to find it out had all gone to waste. Now he wondered if Charlotte could possibly bring him out of his shell, despite her previous efforts.

"Hey," he said quietly, nudging her as he went past. He inclined his head towards Data. "He said anything yet?"

"No," she whispered back. "To you?"

"Nope." He was called away by a crewman, but returned a moment later. "He know we're worried about him. He knows we talk about him- heck, he can probably hear us right now. But he's not going to budge."

Charlotte handed him her PADD and crossed her arms. "I don't know what else to do. He won't even talk to Deanna."

"If he did, it wouldn't be much good to us. Although, she does talk to you…"

She shook her head. "She doesn't tell me everything, only the things she deems fit- which is sometimes nothing at all."

Geordie looked at the PADD and gave it to a passing Ensign. "It looks like everything's going well here; it seems that this is the last of the stuff to be taken down." He leaned in. "Give it another week, and we'll have everything operating the way it should. Hopefully we'll get back into our regular routines and maybe, just maybe, we'll schedule a game of poker?"

Charlotte grinned. "Sounds good. Is that pile ready for transport?"

"Yep." He raised his voice to the crewman at the transport controls. "Hey Lieutenant, I think the pile is ready for transport. Lock on and energise."

"Do you still need me, Commander?"

He looked around. "No, I think all that's left is to clear out the last of this stuff. I'll do that last wipe for you."

Charlotte stepped away as Geordie took over her console and began hauling the last random bits and pieces to the last pile. Once all the light stuff was gone, all that was left was some heavy stuff still clinging to the walls. She sidled up beside Data and began to yank half-heartedly at a stubborn cable that had embedded itself in the doorframe. A moment later, a hand reached out and pulled it out for her.

"I believe I am able to remove the rest by myself," Data said, handing her the cable.

His face and voice were completely expressionless, but his eyes were troubled. Charlotte took the cable and threw it onto the pile, nodding in agreement. "Ok." She watched as he turned back and continued working, and approached him from behind. "A few of us are going for drinks later on. Would you like to join us when you're finished?"

"At the present time," Data answered, pausing in his work, "I do not wish to engage in social activities."

"I understand." She sighed as he went back to work. "I know you don't want to talk at the moment," she said softly, touching his shoulder, "but I want you to know that I'll always be here for you if you need me, and also if you don't. Don't hesitate to call me when you're ready."

To anyone else, he would've seemed to be ignoring her, but Charlotte caught his almost imperceptible nod and moved off, satisfied.

"Is there anything else, Commander?" she asked Geordie, walking over.

"Not that I can see. Just take this report up to Captain Picard and you're finished, ok?"

"Thanks, Geordie." She took the PADD offered, and with a last look at Data, left Main Engineering.