Stardate: 58504.6

The beeping signal alerted Lore to the arrival of the Enterprise. He waited for the large starship to achieve orbit around Omicron Theta, then stepped over to the transporter controls. Lore fed the coordinates into the computer, matched the Enterprise's transporter frequency, then pressed the activator. Shimmering energy surrounded the android and his environment changed from the interior of the stolen vessel to the grey walls of the Enterprise. Lore listened for footsteps and headed for the nearest wall panel. He quickly typed into the black panel, choosing text interface instead of voice, and queried the location of Data's quarters. The answer returned instantly. Lore gritted his teeth; He'd have to take a turbolift to Deck Four.

Lore hugged the interior wall as he traversed the distance in the corridor. He managed to make it to the turbolift without meeting anyone, and as the doors closed, he ordered, "Deck Four." The ride was short, and Lore slipped out as the doors opened. He continued to hug the walls as he made his way down the corridor and checked the door markings. Footsteps approached, and Lore altered his stride to a more casual pace, keeping his facial expression as blank as possible. As the crewmembers passed him, they dipped their head in acknowledgement, and Lore did the same. He fought the urge to sigh in relief as the passersby seemed to accept him as Data. His enhanced auditory sensors picked up faint, unfamiliar music playing from a nearby room.

I can understand you're living in a prison

I know you can only see me as a vision

I might fade away with the coming of a new dawn

And your heart is breaking… What are you gonna do now?

Lore slowed down as he approached the door. The nameplate on the door indicated that it was the quarters of Commander Data, but he could hear the music more clearly from just outside the door. A female voice sang harmony along with the words of the song, which made Lore hesitate and listen to the next verse.

If you come close enough to see I am inhuman

I will tell you why you're feeling so uncertain

Every word I say has a way of turning evil in you

And your heart is breaking… What are you gonna do now?

The doors opened as Lore stepped across the sensor line and into the room, where he turned left, towards the sound. It took a split second to gather visual information on the woman sitting at the black desk. Straight brown hair hung just past her shoulders, with the points of her ears poking through the tresses. Deep brown eyes beneath slanted eyebrows and straight bangs focused on him as she swiveled her chair to face him. A black satin choker with a dangling gold infinity symbol around her neck seemed an overly fancy accessory for the teal coverall and black boots she wore. Her right hand moved to press on the surface of the black desk a couple of times, stopping the music.

"Did you forget something?" The Vulcan woman tilted her head to the right and one slanted eyebrow raised as if adding to the inquiry.

"I am incapable of forgetting anything." Lore answered, while he walked towards her. His eyes scanned the room and stopped on a stylized watercolor painting of what was obviously Data naked with a naked brown-haired woman in his lap, facing him.

T'Mera rose from the chair, keeping her face stoic. "That's true. Do you need help with something?"

Lore stopped walking, studied her for a moment, then frowned, "You know I'm not him, don't you?"

T'Mera nodded in reply, "I knew the minute you walked in."

Lore turned to place his back to the wall in a position where the door was visible. "Who are you?"

"My name is Doctor T'Mera Chipman." T'Mera leaned back against her desk, her eyes following him.

"You may call me Lore." Lore pointed to the watercolor, "That's you in the painting, having sex with my brother?"

T'Mera pressed her lips together, then sighed, "That's me."

Lore studied the holographer for a minute, "So, if I kill you, it'll cause Data pain."

"Most likely, but if you kill me…" T'Mera folded her arms across her chest, "Then I won't be able to try to fix you. Assuming you want to be fixed, of course." She unfolded her arms as she shrugged, "For all I know, you're happy with your life and pleased to be dismantled all the time."

Lore threw back his head in a mocking laugh, "Often Wrong couldn't fix me. What makes you think you can?"

T'Mera narrowed her eyes at Lore, "Because I'm a far better programmer than Soong ever was, and over the past year, I've gotten to be good at positronic neural programming. I fixed some errors in Data and got B-4 up a few steps in development. This is also assuming that Soong told the truth and couldn't fix you, as opposed to the alternative; That he wouldn't fix you."

Lore frowned and his yellow eyes fixed on her for a few minutes of silence, then he spoke in a menacing tone, "I could grab you and take you back to my ship and keep you for myself."

T'Mera leveled her gaze on Lore, "And then what? For that matter, "and then what?" applies to right now, as well. Why are you here and what are you doing, Lore?"

"I told you." Lore's anger mixed with confusion, "I'm here to cause Data pain. I'm going to have revenge."

"Why?" T'Mera remained by her desk. "Is there a reason?"

"He took me apart!" Lore shouted and kicked the leg of a nearby chair.

T'Mera set her eyes on the android, watching him, "Just like that, he dismantled you? Out of the blue?"

"Don't try to confuse me." Lore scowled at the holographer.

"As an android, you should be governed by a certain amount of logic and rational thought processes." T'Mera kept her vocal tone informational as she spoke, "Your confusion might be stemming from the incongruity of what you feel versus the logic of events and consequences. Yes, your rights as a sentient being have been violated, but would you want to stand trial? Would you have accepted being put in a penal colony, assuming one could hold you? Or do you think you hold no culpability?"

"Here we go, again. I'm the evil monster." Lore stalked over to stand in front of T'Mera, "I should kill you, and then, after my brother finds your broken body, I should take him apart."

"And then what?" T'Mera kept still and looked up into the angry yellow eyes.

"What?" The anger in Lore's eyes began to dissipate.

"You heard me." T'Mera reiterated, as her dark eyes fixed on his. "And then what? You kill me, you kill Data, and then... Happily ever after?" After waiting a few moments with no reply from Lore, she continued, "You kill, you get disassembled, you get reassembled, you kill, you get disassembled, and so forth. So, here you are, ready to kill for revenge, and… then what?"

Lore stared into T'Mera's dark eyes for a moment, then seemed to deflate, "Then I get shut down and disassembled."

"This is your crossroads, Lore." T'Mera remained still as she spoke. "It's a chance to finally get off the circular path you've been on, if you really want to. I can tell you with all certainty that there were definite errors in Soong's base programming for both B-4 and Data. It's logical to assume you contain the same errors, since you were the intervening android."

"How do I know you won't just deactivate and disassemble me?" Lore eyed T'Mera with suspicion.

T'Mera replied calmly, "It would serve no logical purpose for me to dismantle you, unless you're being unreasonably violent. I've often argued with Data over your fate, and it's one of the few unresolved issues he and I have. It's my contention that you can be repaired. Therefore, it is in my interest to prove myself correct. If all I do is shut you down, then I prove that my hypothesis was incorrect."

The vestiges of anger drained from Lore's eyes, replaced with a hint of sadness, "You argue over me? I figured that Data would have forgotten about me, by now. Relegated me to a nested memory file."

"He didn't forget about you." T'Mera shook her head. "I also realize the magnitude of what I'm offering. In order to avail yourself of the possibility of being fixed, you're going to have to entrust me with your life. Even if everything works, your life is going to radically change."

Lore's eyes moved around the room as he deliberated, registering the display case with the Starfleet medals and decorations, the briar pipe and varied personal items. Other shelves nearby held a violin and oboe, and several finished paintings leaned against the wall. An orange tabby cat slept peacefully on a hammock in an elaborate cat tree. Once again, his eyes settled on the watercolor painting that seemed to celebrate Data finding love. His mind replayed the short exchange with B-4, who also seemed happy with his lot in life. Lore returned his focus to T'Mera. "What will it entail?"

T'Mera reached up with her right hand, fiddling with the dangling infinity charm, "There's three ways we can go. The easiest would be a complete wipe and reinstall, with me fixing the base programming. A total clean slate. Of course, you wouldn't be the same person you are now, but neither would you be haunted by your past or accountable for it. Another way would be for me to fix the base programming, and then do a partial wipe that removes the memories and experiences that caused you to malfunction in the first place. You'd be a slightly different person, but there could be complications with your past. The most difficult one, but in which you'd be mostly preserved, is for me to fix the base programs and leave your memories and experiences intact. It could wind up being extremely painful for you, and I would recommend psychological therapy to deal with the issues that arise from it."

Lore lowered his head, staring at the floor, "If I'm fixed, what will be done with me?"

"I'd have to call a lawyer that I know." T'Mera replied softly, "She's a specialist in artificial lifeform legalities. I'm not actually sure of your legal status, Lore. I don't know if you're considered Data's property or the property of Daystrom Institute or someone else entirely, or if you're considered a sentient. If you agree to the repair, I'll be recording the entire process, so that if there's proof of faulty programming that caused you to behave erratically, it could help your case. I'm thinking that it might be possible to have you remanded to my custody. That's what we did with B-4. If it's decided that you're sentient, you may have to stand trial for your crimes."

Lore studied T'Mera closely, then one side of his mouth raised in a sardonic smirk, "I'd have to give up my goal of ruling the galaxy, wouldn't I?"

"Probably." T'Mera deadpanned without missing a beat. "However, ruling the galaxy is overrated, since, once the initial conquering is done, you would spend the rest of your time as an administrator, which is most likely less than satisfying."

Lore's smirk faded into a genuine smile, "I didn't think of that. You're right. I don't want to administrate over everyone." The smile faded to an expression of worry. "How do we proceed with this?"

T'Mera took a few steps, "First, we get you out of that uniform and into a jumpsuit. Aside from the crime of impersonating a Starfleet officer, you're missing his ranks and combadge. It might also be in your best interest if I immobilize you, so that no accidents happen." She left the living room area and walked into the bedroom. "Do you require undergarments?"

Lore remained with his back to the wall, but could hear her rummaging around in drawers. "I suppose so, but do I have to be immobilized?" With a heavy sigh, he unfastened the Starfleet uniform, let it fall to the ground, then stepped out of it.

T'Mera returned with a mustard yellow jumpsuit, black undershirt and black undershorts, "These are exactly Soong-type size." She walked close enough to hand him the clothing.

Lore grabbed the clothing and pulled each piece on, "I'm still not sure I want to be immobilized. That leaves me at everyone's mercy."

"I'm mostly worried about reflex actions." T'Mera walked back to her desk, then tapped something on the surface, "For example, if Data walks in and sees you, and the two of you start to fight before you speak."

Lore fastened the front of the jumpsuit. "You don't think we'd talk to each other before punching? Data would never strike first. Our father's beloved favorite son..." He grumbled, "Nobody would take Data apart and leave him, that's for certain. Everything is perfect for Data."

T'Mera reached up to fiddle with her dangling charm, "At any point, did you and Data ever just sit and talk? It seems like you've got a lot of misconceived notions about what his life's been like."

"No, we never really did." Lore stepped over to look at the watercolor more closely, "Maybe you'll tell me about it?"

T'Mera shook her head, then moved to stand next to him. "It's not my place to tell his story to you without giving him a chance to do so, first."

Lore backed away from T'Mera, "I'm still not sure I want to be immobilized. I'll be helpless."

"I'll be protecting you." T'Mera stopped moving. "I just don't want any incidents or accidents. Lore, if you want any chance at your life improving, you're going to have to take a leap of faith." She paused for a moment, "You can sit in a chair and I'll deactivate everything but cognitive and communications. Then, I can call the captain and get permission to have you aboard and fix you. I'll have to call the Daystrom Institute, as well, since that's where you were supposed to be."

Lore's head lowered, as he turned his eyes to the floor, "I don't know if they have their subspace channels working, yet. Before you blame me, it was the men who put me back together that jammed them, not me. I may as well not be blamed for the one thing I didn't do." He moved to one of the chairs at the hexagonal table and sat down in it, then tilted his head to the right.

T'Mera opened a drawer in her desk and produced a jeweler's screwdriver. "I'd rather fix you than fix blame, right now." She walked to the left side of the chair, then opened the small panel in Lore's neck and turned the screw that enabled the connection between the cranial and body units. "There we go."

Lore's eyes moved back and forth, as he checked his systems, "Well, you seem to know what you're doing. I can't move my body. I'm at your mercy."

"I'll keep you safe." T'Mera slipped the screwdriver into one of her pockets. "Thank you for your faith in me."

Lore directed his gaze to the floor, "I've always known, since the days on Omicron Theta, that I wasn't functioning in the way father intended. Since my most recent activation, I've been able to actually detect some malfunctions, which I hadn't before. I can't figure out how to fix myself, and Often Wrong just ignored me and concentrated on Data."

T'Mera gave Lore a reassuring smile, "I'll do my best to figure it out and fix you." She tapped her combadge, "Doctor Chipman to Captain Picard."

"Picard here. How can I help you, Doctor?"

T'Mera bit her lower lip, then replied to the captain, "I was wondering if you were terribly busy?"

"Not at the moment, Doctor."

"Would you be able to come to our quarters?" T'Mera kept her voice steady and calm.

"I'm on my way. Picard out."

Lore frowned, "You seem nervous."

T'Mera nodded to the android, "I am nervous. When it comes to you, everyone else's emotions run high. I'm hoping some logic will prevail. If it doesn't, I'll have to take you back to Galor IV to do the work, instead of fixing you here."

"Is there a difference?" Lore raised his right eyebrow for the inquiry.

T'Mera walked back to the desk and leaned against the edge, "I would be separated from Data for an extended period of time, if I have to leave. I can manage, of course, but it would be difficult."

"For a Vulcan, you show emotion pretty easily." Lore observed.

T'Mera smiled with a quick nod, "I'm only a quarter Vulcan. The rest is human, but it seems the Vulcan physical attributes really came out in me." She lifted her head as the door chime sounded, "Come in."

Captain Picard strode through the automatic doors and into the living area, then stopped short. Several seconds went by before he spoke. "Data is still down on the planet's surface. Is that…?"

Lore smiled weakly, "Hello, Picard. I'd stand to greet you, but I'm immobilized. It's been what… eleven years?"

Captain Picard's jaw dropped, aghast, and he fixed his eyes on T'Mera, "How the hell did Lore get aboard this ship?"

T'Mera shrugged at the captain, "I assume he has his ways, and that the ship and crew recognized him as Data, so didn't think about calling security. I know this is going to be difficult for everyone, but I'd like permission to try to fix the errors in his programming."

Captain Picard turned to face Lore once more, "Is that even possible?"

Lore lowered his eyes to avoid Captain Picard's gaze, "She says it's possible, so I'm giving everything up for the chance to be repaired."

T'Mera leaned against her desk, "I'll still have to get clearance through Galor IV and Bruce to work on him here, if you'll allow it, Captain."

Captain Picard sat down in one of the chairs by the hexagonal table, "What if this is one of Lore's tricks? I don't think the brig would hold him."

"The holodeck would." T'Mera raised both eyebrows and pressed her lips together, "In fact, if people are willing to give up the smallest one… Holodeck Four… I can make that into a workstation and detention cell. I've immobilized Lore for now, to help avoid accidents. If it's a trick, I'm not sure what he'd gain from it."

"Before I say yes to this undertaking, I will want Commander Data's input on it, as it impacts his life the most." Captain Picard studied Lore's face again.

"Of course, Captain." T'Mera replied. "I'll get in touch with Bruce, though, and at least get the ball rolling." She turned back to Lore, "Do they know you're gone, at Daystrom?"

"Oh, yes. They know." Lore averted his gaze from hers, "I didn't leave very quietly."

T'Mera winced and bit her lower lip, "Great." She turned her focus on Captain Picard, "When does the away team return?"

Captain Picard stood, then tugged at the waist of his uniform, "Within the hour, I would think. Once Data has approved of your proposal, and Doctor Maddox agrees, you will then have Holodeck Four at your disposal." He added, "However, if he winds up being a danger to this ship or its crew, I expect him to be deactivated and returned to Galor IV."

Lore's eyes went wide with astonishment, "I realize that I haven't done much to earn this chance, Picard, but… thank you."

Captain Picard regarded Lore coldly, "You're welcome." He returned attention to T'Mera, "I'm going back to the bridge. Do you think I should call Data back from the away team, or can you handle Lore?"

T'Mera nodded to the captain, "There's no reason to rush the away team. I can definitely handle Lore. Thank you, Captain."

Captain Picard gave an acknowledging nod of his head, then stepped out through the automatic doors.

T'Mera exhaled with relief, "One hurdle down, many to go." She turned back to address Lore, "Just how "not quietly" are we talking, with leaving Galor IV?"

"I might have killed up to a dozen people." Lore answered, averting his gaze from her, once more. "I didn't stay to check. I spared B-4 and the woman with him. Emily."

"That's a slight relief. Not that I wanted the dozen people dead, but I worked very hard to save B-4." T'Mera sighed, then walked over to the replicator, "Do you need to eat or drink anything?"

"I don't need to eat or drink, but thank you for the offer." Lore responded, "If you have to attend to biological needs, feel free."

T'Mera nodded, then spoke to the replicator, "Vulcan spice tea, ninety degrees." and picked up the cup. "I just hope you haven't killed Bruce Maddox." She took a sip of the tea, then walked back to her desk and sat in the chair by the console.

Lore spoke in Zome Rylan's voice, verbatim, "This still doesn't feel right. Doctor Maddox is away for the week. Are you sure you two have his permission for this?" then continued in his normal voice, "It's safe to say he's not dead by my hand. Also, the men that put me together had set up some kind of subspace communications jammer. I didn't bother to find out where they placed it."

T'Mera angled the communications display to get herself and Lore in the view, then typed in the cyberneticist's personal frequency. After five minutes, a man with salt-and-pepper hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen. "T'Mera? This is unexpected. Is something wrong? I'm on Pacifica this week."

T'Mera took another sip of tea, then stuck her tongue in her cheek for a moment, "Bruce, have you had any contact from Galor IV, yet?"

"No." Bruce Maddox replied, "I've tried to get through, but something must be down on their end."

"It's way down. There's something jamming subspace frequencies there." T'Mera pushed the hair on the right side of her head over her ear, "I'm calling to find out about the Soong android named Lore, and his legal status. Whose property is he considered to be, or is he considered a person?"

"I don't think the legal status was ever determined, beyond him belonging to Data and then Data asking us to keep him deactivated." Bruce frowned, looking past T'Mera to the brown-haired, pale-skinned, yellow-eyed android in the background. "I'm confused. Why not ask Data about all this?"

"Data's on an away mission, at the moment." T'Mera explained, then noticed Maddox's confusion, "The one sitting behind me is Lore. Apparently, some men reassembled him at your lab." She turned to look back at Lore, "Is that what happened?"

"Two men." Lore corrected the holographer, "I didn't ask their names. They were arguing with a Mister Rylan and telling him they were with Starfleet Intelligence. I think someone accidentally activated me before they meant to. They were talking about not giving me a choice in serving them and something about silencing Mister Rylan permanently. I decided I'd rather kill both of them and leave. Sorry about the mess. I didn't want to kill anyone else, but they all got in my way of leaving."

Bruce Maddox's face drained of color, "Oh my God…" He rubbed his eyes, "I have to get back there, right away." He returned to staring into the screen, "Where are you, now? Is Lore secured?"

"I'm on the Enterprise. I've secured Lore." T'Mera took another sip of tea, then leaned her elbow on the desk, "Bruce, I want to keep Lore and try to repair him. You read my report on B-4, and there's a high degree of probability that the same logic errors that were in him are also in Lore. If he's Data's property or ward, that'll make it easier." She bit her lower lip, "I hope."

Bruce grimaced, then replied, "Whatever Data wishes to do with Lore, I'll support him in that. You're the best bet in reprogramming Soong androids. It's just the level of danger in having him around and active that's the worry."

T'Mera nodded in reply, "I realize that, but I'll be programming a holodeck to hold him. It should keep the danger minimal. Once Data comes back and makes his decision, I'll know if I'll be working on Lore here or on Galor IV."

"All right." Bruce sighed, "I'd better pack and get back there. Thank you for apprising me of the situation. Maddox out."

The display screen returned to the Starfleet insignia, and T'Mera swiveled in her chair to face Lore. "Two down. Now we just need Data's okay on this."

Lore frowned at the statement, "What if he refuses?"

"He's going to have to out-argue me, to have that happen." T'Mera took another sip of tea, "However, Data's not programmed to hold grudges, so perhaps logic will win the day." She let out a sigh, "But, in the meantime, it's like waiting for both shoes of Damocles to drop."

Lore blinked, then burst into genuine laughter.