Stardate: 58508.8

Lore lay on the chaise lounge, staring at the ceiling of the holodeck, then groused. "Why are you helping me?"

T'Mera glanced to her left, "Lore, is there a problem with your memory engrams?"

"My memory engrams are fine." Lore answered in a choleric tone.

T'Mera put the chip reader on the surface of her workstation, "Then why are we starting the "why are you helping me" routine again?"

Lore pushed himself up off the chaise, "I keep thinking about how, if you weren't you, I might have killed you."

"Then it's a good thing I'm me." T'Mera answered while slotting the emotion chip into the reader. "The next time you ask, though, I'm going to say "Who's on first." Maybe you need a hobby, so you won't think so much?"

"I can do sixty trillion operations per second." Lore began to circle around the punching bag, "A hobby might take up a few of those." He poked the bag with an index finger, "Veluna shook my hand, yesterday."

"Do you prefer a different greeting?" T'Mera flipped a toggle on the chip reader, then looked at Lore. "She'll be coming for your session in a couple of hours, so I can let her know what you'd like."

"It's not that." Lore stopped moving, "I've never been greeted, before. It was unexpected."

"Ah." T'Mera bit her lower lip, "I didn't really greet you, either, did I?"

With a snort, Lore resumed his circular pacing around the bag, "I barged into your quarters and pretended to be Data. I didn't expect a handshake from you." The whooshing sound of the doors drew his attention. "It must be alpha shift. The security guard is changing." The melancholy expression on Lore's face changed to enticement as a 1.62 meter tall blonde woman exchanged posts with the 1.8 meter male that had been standing guard through the gamma shift.

T'Mera glanced up from her work, "Good morning, Lieutenant D'Sora."

"Good morning, Doctor Chipman." Lieutenant D'Sora greeted the holographer, then turned her blue eyes towards Lore. "Hello." She took up her position near the two holographic guards.

"Hello." Lore echoed the lieutenant's greeting and tone of voice as he sauntered towards her. "You're in security? You're tiny… a full head shorter than I am."

Lieutenant D'Sora stood at full attention, looking back up into Lore's face, "I'm the Assistant Chief of Security."

Lore glanced from side to side at each guard, then back at D'Sora. "What do you do when you don't have holograms to protect you?"

"I protect myself." D'Sora answered the android with an intense stare.

Lore chuckled as he stared back at the lieutenant, "Spitfire." He stuck his tongue against the inside of his right cheek and casually strolled back to the punching bag.

Lieutenant D'Sora exhaled with relief after Lore turned and walked away, then relaxed into guard duty.

Lore reached up to gingerly touch one of the monitors on his head, "How long do I have to wear these, T'Mera?"

"I'd like them to be on you during this whole process, Lore." T'Mera turned to face the android, "I know it's inconvenient for you, but I need to see your responses to stimuli in real-time. In addition to my search for the malfunctions in your programming, I'm attempting… well, for the lack of a better term, robopsychology."

Lore raised an eyebrow, regarding T'Mera, "Won't that overlap with Counselor Veluna's therapy?"

T'Mera adjusted one of the displays, "It's my hope that it works in conjunction with the therapy. She's going to help you deal with the pain of your past and your goals for the future, while all I'm doing is seeing exactly which stimuli causes which emotions in you, and to what degree. It also gives me a baseline for comparison, once I've finished reprogramming you."

Lore spun to kick the bag as he kept up the conversation, "So, you'll give me the same subroutines as my brother and force me to be a good, little android, and then use all these logs to make sure everything works?"

"I'm going to give you Data's ethical and moral subroutines, and then some of the ones I wrote for intrusion detection and emotion control." T'Mera responded evenly, "However, nothing is going to force you to be a good, little android. I happen to believe that any compulsion, no matter how noble the intent, leads to evil."

"Explain." Lore ceased attacking the bag, turning his full attention to T'Mera.

T'Mera stopped her work and leaned her right elbow on the workstation as she faced Lore, "I believe that good and evil are based upon the choices made. If the choice is removed, then there can't be any 'good'. If I force you into compliance with the laws of the Federation, I haven't made you be good. All I've done is removed your ability to make your own decisions, and in doing so, I become inherently evil. The purpose of my reprogramming is to give you a broader range of choices and reactions than you currently have. Of course, if you still wish to eradicate all biological life after everything's said and done, the consequences will still be what they've always been. Imprisonment of some sort."

"You're going to give me better decision-making programming." Lore pushed at the punching bag.

"Exactly." T'Mera turned back to the workstation. "What you do with that programming will be up to you."

Lore groaned and leaned his back against the punching bag, then looked at the security detail. He stormed across the detention area towards Lieutenant D'Sora, "All right, blondie, what is it? You're looking at me, and not in the same way all the other security guards do."

"I'm sorry…" Lieutenant D'Sora moved back one step and stammered, "It's just… well, I'm not used to it… Seeing you is like seeing a very angry, emotional Data."

Lore smirked and leaned forward over the lieutenant, "Or maybe you've just known someone who's like a namby-pamby Lore all these years?"

Lieutenant D'Sora opened her mouth to reply, but the audible whoosh of the holodeck doors distracted her. She smiled in relief as Commander Data entered the detention area. "Hello, Commander."

Data dipped his head to the lieutenant, "Greetings, Lieutenant. Hello, Lore. Why are you standing over the lieutenant that way?"

"I was getting to know her." Lore shrugged, "Hello, dear brother. Coming to check on the progress?"

Data pointed to the table and chairs, "I came to talk to you. I know that Doctor Chipman will inform me of whatever progress she has made." He walked over to T'Mera and bent to give her the customary kiss, "Greetings, my love."

T'Mera returned the kiss with a smile, "Greetings, Bright Eyes." She lifted her left hand, closed her eyes and waited.

Data reached out with his right hand and pressed it against T'Mera's left hand, then closed his eyes.

Lore walked to the table, pulled out a chair, then turned it around to sit with his arms resting on the top of the chair back. He watched Data and T'Mera, then muttered, "She calls him Bright Eyes, when the three of us have the exact same optical units…" He stopped speaking and studied the wistful facial expression on Lieutenant D'Sora.

T'Mera's eyes opened and she pulled her hand away from Data's and turned back to her work.

Data opened his eyes, smiled, and joined his brother at the table. "How are you doing, Lore?"

With a snort and sneer, Lore answered, "I'm doing fine. This is much better than the two years you left me drifting in space."

"It is also preferable to you putting fine grind quadratanium in my sparkling wine." Data shot back.

"Touché." Lore sighed and slouched his shoulders to rest on the chair back.

Data tilted his head to the right and his voice returned to its usual soft-spoken tone, "I am still uncertain as to what initiated your actions when we first reactivated you on the Enterprise. You could have had a fresh start. No one knew about the Crystalline Entity and what took place on Omicron Theta. Why disable me, impersonate me and try to kill a thousand people that you did not know?"

"I didn't realize you'd been wiped, and that you didn't stay on Omicron Theta. I was sure you were covering up your knowledge and acting like an innocent android. Then, I asked you about uniforms, and you started babbling about how it would be four years at an academy and so forth, and I realized that you had let yourself be a puppet of the humans. Then, when you told me you were duty-bound to report everything to Picard…" Lore frowned as he spoke, then trailed off.

Data interlaced his fingers together on the table surface, "That is how Starfleet works, Lore, no matter what species one is or what abilities one has. I am not a puppet. I made the decision to be a Starfleet officer. Starfleet appeals to me, even with all the rules and the reality that they do not factor my capabilities into shortcuts. You could have chosen to do anything else. You need not have followed my career path. It just seemed so abrupt to me that you chose the actions you did."

"Maybe your lover is right." Lore closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to meet Data's eyes, "I haven't been making the best decisions in life. I just act according to my first emotional impulse."

Data's combadge bleeped, followed by Deni Hagan's voice, "Commander Data, incoming signal for you from Daystrom Institute on Galor IV." Data tapped the insignia on his chest as he rose from the chair and walked to T'Mera's workstation, "Please reroute the signal to T'Mera's communications display in Holodeck Four, Commander Hagan."

T'Mera pushed the side of the holographic display towards Data, then gestured with her hands to increase the size of the floating screen. "I guess Daystrom found the jamming device."

A frantic B-4 appeared on the monitor, wearing a Daystrom Security uniform and missing his usual red hat. Behind him, the dent in the wall was visible. "Data! Data! I have to warn you! The bad brother is gone and he's trying to find you. I couldn't call earlier because communications were down!"

"Please calm down, B-4." Data spoke to the monitor, "Are you all right?"

"I did a bad thing, Data." B-4 ran a hand through his unkempt chestnut hair, "I hit Lore first. I'm not supposed to throw the first punch, but I did."

Lore rolled his eyes and swung his leg over the chair to stand. He traipsed across the area to place himself at Data's side, "I was about to grab your woman by the throat. You were justified in what you did, B-4. Why are you wearing that uniform? I thought you were a custodian?"

B-4's yellow eyes widened in alarm, "Lore!" He frowned for a moment, then answered his brother's question. "I am wearing this uniform because you killed Lieutenant Emery and he was the first shift security. Since you did that, I figured it would be fair for me to do his job so that Kelsik and Terry do not have to do extra work until the new first shift person arrives." He lifted his hand to waggle an index finger at the screen, "Lore, you're giving our series a bad name!"

"Series?" Lore glanced at Data, then back at B-4, "What series?"

T'Mera interjected an aside, "The Andromedan androids at Galor IV have several series. Within each series, the androids are identical in appearance, function and behavior."

Data smiled at T'Mera, "Ah, thank you, t'hy'la."

Lore scowled at the monitor, "We're not a series, B-4. Often Wrong only wanted one android. One. He chose Data for that. You and I aren't even supposed to be functioning anymore."

"Oh." B-4's eyes oscillated slowly as he processed the new information. His focus returned to the screen. "But we do function. Even if Wrong didn't want us, we are now a series." His eyes glanced to Data, "I see you found Data. Did you kill more people, Lore?"

Lore threw his hands in the air, looking up at the ceiling, then looked at the screen, "Once I left Galor IV, I didn't kill anyone else. Are you satisfied now?"

Data narrowed his eyes, "B-4, what is wrong with the wall behind you?"

B-4 turned to look behind him, then back at Data, "That's where I pushed Lore into it."

T'Mera leaned to look at the display, then whistled, "Wow. Lore, you made quite an impression at the Annex, I see."

Lore groaned, but the anger in his eyes faded to amusement. "All right, that was a good one."

Data's lips quirked into a smile, "B-4, we seem to have the situation well in hand, so you do not have to worry. If you wish, we will keep you updated."

"I would like that." B-4 replied, then waved at the screen. "I have to go back to the security office now. Goodbye, Data, Lore and T'Mera."

T'Mera smiled at the display, "Goodbye, B-4."

Data returned the wave, "Goodbye, B-4. Data out." The display returned to the Starfleet insignia. Data turned to speak to T'Mera, "He has made remarkable progress in such a short time."

Lore stared aghast at his younger brother, "Remarkable? He's basic. His computational speed is about the same as an average human."

"You should have seen him when I first got him." T'Mera gestured with her hand to return the communications display back to a smaller size and place it on the workstation surface. "The fact that he decided to take over the job of the person you killed is a gigantic cognitive leap for him."

Lore scowled, creating creases in his forehead, "My two brothers get to wear a uniform, and I'm still in this stupid gold jumpsuit."

"I don't have a uniform either, Lore." T'Mera pointed to her own teal jumpsuit. "Would you prefer the science one to engineering?"

"The color of the jumpsuit isn't the point!" Lore grabbed his jumpsuit at the front fastener and tore it open. "Even the idiot prototype is getting more respect than I am! Data commands respect!" He kicked off his shoes, then stepped out of the pile of gold fabric at his feet. "I'm superior to both of them and what do I get? Suspicion, revulsion, hate and fear!" He folded his arms across his chest, now clad in just the black short-sleeve shirt and black midway briefs.

T'Mera spoke in a calm manner, "A direct consequence of actions, Lore."

Lieutenant D'Sora moved her hand to the modified tricorder at her side, then widened her eyes in shock at Lore's display and subsequent stripping. She relaxed her arm, but kept her hand draped over her holster.

Data blinked in surprise at Lore's outburst, then responded in a placid voice, "Lore, I did not start out with this much respect. It took me several years to attain it, and that was after spending three years undergoing testing to prove that I was a living, sentient being. I believe that the same is true of B-4. If he had not behaved in a manner that earned him some esteem and trust during the past months at the Daystrom Institute, I am certain they would not have him performing in a security position. While you claim to be superior, you do not seem to have the superior patience it takes to merit the kind of respect you wish to experience."

"No, I suppose not." Lore started to pace around the workstation and chaise. "With everything I've done, it's going to be impossible to earn respect." He made his way back to the punching bag, extended his left arm and placed his hand flat on the bag, using it to lean on. "I'm not even sure I had the Borgs' true admiration, when I was trying to create the new world of artificial lifeforms."

"How come you wanted to make a new world of artificial lifeforms, Lore?" T'Mera canted her head, studying the irate android.

Lore's mouth opened to answer, but he hesitated in speaking. His eyes oscillated, then he shook his head, "I'm not sure. I just had the desire for it. It felt like my calling… my purpose."

"Odd." T'Mera turned back to the small displays with text on her workstation, "Data had a similar desire, but it took the form of wanting to build his own family. A biological wife and adopted child wouldn't do."

Lore drummed his fingers on the punching bag, "But he's with you. You're biological."

"I used to be." T'Mera bit her lower lip, "But I was dying, and I agreed to Data's proposal to put my katra in an android body." She tapped behind her left ear, opening a panel to show the sequential blinking lights and wires.

"You did to her what Father did to Juliana?" Lore fixed his gaze on his brother.

Data nodded, then explained, "The same synaptic scan technique was used. However, unlike Father, I asked for T'Mera's permission and I did not hide the truth of her existence from her."

Lore walked over to T'Mera's side and peered at the open panel, "How long have you been able to build androids, Data?" He quickly added, "Approximate time is fine."

"Fifteen years." Data replied. "Although my first attempt was unsuccessful. My daughter, Lal, suffered cascade failure shortly after activation."

"Was that before or after Often Wrong commandeered us and had us go to Terlina?" Lore resumed his circular pacing, this time around his brother.

"Lal was created before then." Data remained still while Lore orbited him.

"Wouldn't he have known that, if he kept up on your activities? He seemed to know you were a celebrity in cybernetics circles." Lore furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Yet, he didn't seem to think of you as a cyberneticist."

T'Mera closed the panel in her head, "Data might have run away if Soong had said "I often hoped you might become a mad scientist." I also noticed when the two of you were relating the entirety of the family reunion that Soong's personality and answers change drastically from when he's alone with Data to when Lore arrives."

Lore halted mid-pace, "I noticed that, as well."

Data turned to face in Lore's direction, "I am not that surprised, as he tended to change personality and identity when it suited him. However, in both cases, he was still circuitous in answering questions. I am not a counselor, Lore, but you may need to give up on the idea of gaining Doctor Soong's approval in order to advance in your own life."

"Did you give up on it?" Lore narrowed his eyes as he studied his brother.

"I never sought it." Data reached out to place a hand on Lore's shoulder, "I was already in my twenty-ninth year after activation, when Doctor Soong summoned me. We had no previous contact, nor had I found any of his hidden messages prior to that. I chose to do what I wished, and even after he related to me his disappointment in my lifestyle, I continued with it, rather than become what he wanted me to be. Since our father seemed to have forsaken you, I believe you are under no obligation to consider his wishes to be paramount."

The deep-seated pain and anger welled up behind Lore's yellow eyes, "And you're going to help me, even after everything that's happened?"

Data pressed his lips together in a pale, thin line, "Despite all that has transpired between us, the fact remains… You are still my brother."

A poignant silence followed, immediately broken by a string of expletives uttered by T'Mera.

Lore burst into laughter, "I'm very impressed at your mastery of colorful language. You balance out my goody two shoes brother very well, T'Mera."

Data removed his hand from Lore's shoulder, "T'Mera only gets that colorful when something is very wrong. What is it, t'hy'la?"

"I ruined the moment, didn't I? Sorry." T'Mera swiveled in her chair to face the android brothers, "I think I found the answers as to what's wrong with Lore."