After reporting to the captain, Tasha begged off dinner with the bridge crew. She wanted nothing more than to rest in her quarters and get the nightmare landscape out of her head. Even after a thorough sonic shower with verbena and eucalyptus oils, the scent of the static-charged dust of Delphi Ardu VI still clung to her nostrils.
The sound of the door chime jarred her. "Come in." There were only two or three people whose company she thought she could tolerate, but Worf was supposed to go back to sickbay, and Cdr. Riker had a report to complete. She was relieved when the doors opened to the first person she hoped to see.
"Am I disturbing you?"
"Of course not, Data."
He surprised her by embracing her without preamble. It was what she needed – she hugged him back hard, hiding her face in his neck. She pulled away after a long minute. "That was a close one. Did you read the medical report?"
"Affirmative. Air quality and temperature critical on decks one through nine. They were minutes from death."
"Too close." Data hadn't fully released her, and Tasha buried her face in him again, holding him tight once more. She tightened her embrace, squeezed him tighter, tighter, with all her strength, knowing he could take it, needing to feel the solidity of his frame. He let her. She finally let go and wearily flopped down on the couch. "If I weren't so exhausted, I could go for a few rounds in the holodeck. Those lying, thieving ingrates!" She held her head in her hands. Data sat down beside her. "We save their lives and their ship, and get no thank you, no apology. We could've left them there, could've let Portal destroy them." He fixed her with a look. "I know, I know, of course we wouldn't, we couldn't, but it was tempting."
"Cdr. Riker showed dispassionate fortitude throughout the ordeal. It is the reason we were spared."
"Scary, right? If I were in charge, I would've failed the test and we'd all be dead, annihilated by a people that died out 600,000 years ago."
As she talked, Data pulled a Chinese finger puzzle from an inner pocket and began to play with it.
"It's kind of ironic – Portal was the last guardian of his dead civilization, a relic of a people gone extinct before humans walked upright on Earth. All that power, that incredible technology, and they couldn't save themselves."
Data had both index fingers in either end of the parti-colored toy. Tasha made a sound of annoyance. "Why are you still playing with that thing? You know you could break free if you wanted to."
Data fixed his neutral gaze on her, and with a quick, violent motion, tore the little plastic tube in two, scattering shiny fragments over his lap and making Tasha jump. He almost never made displays of his inhuman strength. "Of course. But that would defeat the purpose, would it not?" Data pushed and pulled off the remnants of the finger puzzle and fished another from his pocket. "I did not have a childhood, and so never played with toys. I am intrigued by the concept of play and its role in human development. If I am to play with a child's toy, I must approach the puzzle as a child would."
Tasha watched him fiddle with the pink and green cylinder. "I didn't have much of a childhood, either. There was no time for toys or play. Only for survival."
Data's look was sympathetic, though not pitying. He handed her the toy with the tiniest of half-smiles.
She popped it on one finger and began to stretch and worry it. "You could wind up like Portal, Data. You'll still be alive long after we're all gone. You might outlive the Federation. Or the whole human race."
"If a strategically located star went supernova as happened to the Tkon Empire, I would not survive."
"But that might not happen for a million years. All of us will be long gone. Do you ever think about that?"
Data's expression of loneliness was so genuine; Tasha's heart ached for him. "Yes. But that is an unknown variable in an unforeseeable future. We have this moment in time. There is this night. That is certain."
Tasha squashed the puzzle down, took it off her finger and threw it on the floor. "That's what I think. Life is short. Best to live in the moment. I had some bad moments on Delphi Ardu VI. Thought I'd lost you all."
"Your timely intervention saved us."
"And you had my back. Those bigoted half-pint clowns . . ."
"They seemed to have a problem with your gender. Their thinking was quite archaic."
"Undress me. I wish they would've tried. I'd've made them wish they were never born."
Data showed no surprise at her ferocity. "They would not have touched you. I would not have let them. I will protect you, even from indignity."
Tasha gave him a tight smile. "I know. God, I don't want to think about it. I can still hear the thunder in my ears. Honestly, I'm still on edge."
He gave her a speculative look, a familiar one. "Is there any way I can help you relax?"
Her eyes crinkled with humor. "Who's trying to undress me now?"
"It has helped you relax in the past."
She still had a lot of fight in her. She felt like fighting him. "I'm too tense. It was too much today. I'd rather hit something."
Data looked torn between offering himself as a punching bag and appearing wounded.
"No offense. I'm just tired. And angry. Don't…" She put up her hands as he moved to touch her. "Don't treat me like I don't know what I want."
That was exactly how she felt, but she hated that he perceived it so readily. A few minutes before, she couldn't hold him close enough. Now she wanted to push him away. If she could just get the sound of thunder out of her mind…
"Computer, play some music."
"Specify type of music."
"Something soothing. Trance-y. With a singer."
They both listened to the selection that came over the speakers at a low volume. It gave Tasha something to focus on besides the ringing in her ears. When the singer entered after a long electronic instrumental introduction, the voice seemed to speak directly to the two silent officers.
This girl I know needs some shelter, she don't believe anyone can help her…"Do you think the computer listens in on our conversation?" Tasha asked quietly.
Data waited to see if her question was rhetorical; she didn't seem to expect an answer. "If it is best to live in the moment, perhaps you could decide how you wish this moment to be. I will leave if you ask."
Despite the too-personal words, the music was soothing. Tasha listened and considered.
You can't change the way she feels, but you could put your arms around her…"I don't want you to go."
"Then I will stay."
She nodded, a knot of tension still coiled in her stomach. Data waited, watching her for a sign that she might lower her defenses. He had a clear image in his memory cells: the Ferengi stalking close to Tasha, evoking a defensive response in him as strong and irresistible as his self-preservation routine.
I stand in front of you, I'll take the force of the blow…protection…"I mean, it's plausible – the computer responds to voice commands and has to interpret orders. Maybe she's listening to us all the time."
Data raised an eyebrow. "She?"
"She has a woman's voice," Tasha said sheepishly. "Anyway, I think I like this song. It has a nice feel. It's . . ." She broke off and gave Data a look he recognized. "It's kinda sexy." She crept closer to him, the knot unraveling as a different feeling took its place. "Like you said, tonight's the only thing that's certain. Tomorrow we could be risking our lives again. Tomorrow might never come – we could warp to the edge of a black hole and disappear forever."
"Tomorrow we will be traveling to Danula II for shore leave," Data said simply.
Tasha smiled at him. "Computer, dim lights."
"Tonight, we are returning the stolen T-9 converter to Gamma Tauri IV."
"Anything else?"
In the low light, Tasha's blue eyes looked almost black. Data tried something less prosaic. "Tonight, we are here together."
"You and me?" She took his hand and twined their fingers together.
He leaned close and kissed her – he thought it safe to try – and she responded, sighing against him, relaxing and kissing him back. She was warm and her lips felt soft. The moment was a good one, better than seeing Portal come to life from an amorphous cloud of energy, better than witnessing firsthand the might of a planet that could act as an immense generator. A smaller moment, insignificant to the grand scheme of the universe perhaps, but the fact that he could evoke real feeling from her was always a marvel. She sighed and opened to him – he could taste her; if he wanted, he could analyze the chemical composition of her saliva, but he did not. It was far more interesting to feel her arms go around him, the brush of her lashes on his cheek, the push of her tongue against his. She ran her hands over him, just as she would a human, as if there were muscle and sinew under his skin, not positronic systems and fluidic matrices anchored to a duranium chassis. If she felt the difference, she never seemed to care.
She broke away and nuzzled his smooth cheek. "Don't listen, computer."
"Restate your request."
"Data, I . . ." She stopped and looked in his eyes, yellow with bits of blue and beige, searching hers in the dark. She wanted to tell him, but the words were stuck like a plug in a drain. "You know I . . . you know I do, don't you?"
He looked baffled. "I know you do what?"
Her brows contracted. She'd faced a mountain climb with no equipment and three armed Ferengi with less fear. "I . . ." It was too hard. She still couldn't break down the walls she'd built for protection. "Don't make me say it. I'd rather just show you." She rose and took his hand.
Comprehension struck him. He could no more say the disquieting phrase than she could. He followed her to the bedroom, the music still lazily spooling out from the speakers.
You're a girl and I'm a boy…sometimes you look so small, need some shelter…She clutched at him as the doors whooshed shut behind them. "You know I do, don't you?"
He held her close and she wrapped her arms around him as if she never meant to let go. "I suppose I do."
"You suppose?" she said into his shoulder.
He rested his head on hers. "Yes. I know."
A/N: Protection – lyrics/music by Massive Attack. Satisfactory explanation for Data's being confounded by the Chinese finger puzzle? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reviews need not have constructive criticism. Any response to what you've read is welcome, and discussion helps me add depth to the story. I've got plenty of ideas of my own, but fan fiction is so much fun when there's a little collaboration. Go on, push the Review button! Do it, and I just might write another missing scene for all of you (us) prurient Data-philes.