Repairs to the Enterprise were nearly complete as Picard, Geordi, Worf and the newly reborn Data were sitting in the bridge's conference room.
"I am still having difficulty determining if I am Data with B-4's body," said Data, "or if I am B-4 with Data's mind. Even though both are correct and we were once the same android, yet I am still uncertain."
"Could it be compatibility problems with your 2 neural nets?" Geordi asked as he was beside Data facing away from the observation viewports. Picard is seated at the end of the table with Worf on the other side of Data and Geordi.
"It is possible," said Data. "My memories as Data prior to Veridian 3, the best description I can utilize, are the defining moments of me as both Data and B-4 as one. However my memories as B-4, they are me, but I cannot tell if they are me as I am or as I was after I was taken from Veridian 3. It is the same with my memories as Data after Veridian 3."
"And you said you were 'Data' when you reactivated," Geordi said.
"Yes I did," said Data. "I was in error to not allow myself to be called 'Data' since that is who I was up to Veridian 3."
"Data, you didn't know," said Geordi trying to comfort his friend. "None of us knew that the other Data was also you. Hell, none of us expected this."
Data grew silent as he examined and re-examined his friend's words. "That is true, Geordi. But as I said after Veridian 3, I am still having difficulty as to which Data I am."
"Sounds to me you are having what we call an identity crisis," said Picard.
Data nodded in acknowledgement. "I believe you are correct, sir."
"Perhaps you should contact the Aventine," said Worf, "and talk with Captain Ezri Dax. She had the same problem as you do now and perhaps allow you to see yourself as both Data and B-4. She is a trained counsellor."
"Thank you, Mr. Worf," said Data. "I believe I will."
"Data, any idea who put that transporter beacon on you?" asked Picard.
"I am afraid not," Data said. "In fact, I am curious as to why that particular memory file remained intact. I cannot say why, but I had the impression it was saved deliberately.
"When I was running my self-diagnostic, I had found another memory file that was badly garbled. I had spent the last 22 hours, 44 minutes trying to reconstruct it; however I was only able to partially recover it."
"What was it?" Geordi asked.
"It was an audio file," said Data. "What I had recovered was..."
"Are you sure you want to do this sir?" Data said in a garbled voice.
"I am afraid so," said Data in a slightly different garbled voice. "Because this is how I remembered it."
"All attempts to recover further information on that file were unsuccessful," Data said in his regular voice. The whole room grew silent over that ominous message, wondering who it was that rescued Data from the other time line, and more importantly, why?
"Perhaps in time, Mr. Data, you will be able to discover the source of those voices and their reasoning behind them rescuing you," said Picard. "But in the mean time, should I have your Starfleet status reactivated under unusual circumstances?"
Data took a moment to think about it and said, "Not just yet, sir."
"Oh?" said a surprised Picard.
"I still require time to understand what has happened to me," Data said, "as well as to accept the conditions and circumstances that lead me to this event. But most importantly to understand who I am now."
"I understand," said Picard. "Take all the time you need. Self-discovery is another part of being human."
2387
"Captain," said an Andorian woman at the tactical station on the Enterprise, "I am receiving a distress signal near the Romulan border."
"Can you be more specific, Lt. S'Tal?" asked Data who is now the captain of the Enterprise as he approached the tactical station.
"It appears to be coming from a Romulan mining ship," said S'Tal. "It identifies itself as the Narada, and I am also picking up Reman warp signatures. Sir, I'm also picking up a Federation ambassadorial beacon. Sir, it's registered to Ambassador Spock!"
"Mr. Chen, are there any other Federation starships in range of the Narada?" asked the Captain?
"Two, sir," said Chen seated at the helm, "the Exeter and the Kelvin. But we can intercept the distress signal before they can."
"In that case, Mr. Chen, lay in a course for the Narada, maximum warp," said Data. "Mr. Balogun?"
"Yes, sir," said Data's first officer in his strong African accent. "Red alert, all hands battle stations!"
"Course laid in, sir," said Ensign Chen.
The klaxons roared throughout the ship as Data returned to his captain's chair. "Engage."
The end.