. . . March 1st . . . 2011. . .

. . . Alaska forest. . .7:28 PM .. .

The two Data's were relatively silent for most of the day after being brought back together. They used some of the discarded tree branches to make a shelter for Riker and sat around the fire almost seemingly thinking the same thing. How was there a fluke in time? Two of the same person could not just randomly appear under controlled conditions.

Riker fell asleep.

"What did my Riker say?" Soong asked, softly.

Data repeated what he had been told.

Soong broke out into tears.

"I should have stopped," Soong said, his hands in fists. "I should have put the shuttle in idle."

"Regretfully, we cannot alter the past to our desire," Data said. "If I were in your position, I would have done the same."

"My Riker left behind a wife and two children," Soong said. "It is my fault."

"What was the message?" Data asked.

"To tell Deanna he loves her and . . ." Soong choked up. "Not to blame myself," He looked over to the Lieutenant Commander. "Are you a Security officer?"

"No," Data said. "Lieutenant Commander. I take it that our occupations are different."

Soong raised a brow.

"Stationed on the Enterprise-D?" Soong asked.

"Enterprise-E." Data said.

"Interesting," Soong said. "We are two different time tracks. To me it is 2370."

"2372." Data said.

Soong looked down toward his hands.

"All my life I wanted to be a android, flawless, perfected," Soong said, looking away from his bare rough hands. "I chose to upload my conscious into this body." He looked up toward the stars. "I was a nobody, really, just offered my conscious for Noonien Soong for the hell of it. We were really good friends. He needed a template of a conscious and so I gave him mind. I learned . . after being found . . . that I originally died two years later in a Romulan attack. I chose the name 'Data' because in my old body I could only learn so much and retain it."

Soong tapped on the side of his forehead.

"Interesting," Data said. "How long did it take you to achieve sentience?"

"Three years, with all the memories and thoughts inside this infinite memory bank," Soong said, in a tone that indicated it was not that easy to do. "Though seeing a woman naked nursing a baby is something that I wish I could forget."

"What if you could?" Data asked.

Soong looked over toward Data.

"There's a way?" Soong asked.

Data nodded.

"I have a program designed for this very purpose," Data said. "Entire purpose is to hide them from my memory."

"You should share it with me when we get to civilization." Soong said.

"I will." Data said.

"Have you met Loki?" Soong asked.

"Yes." Data asked.

"Are you aware of a trial?" Soong asked.

"Why yes, I am." Data said.

"For whom?" Soong asked.

Data stared at his counterpart for two minutes.

"Q." Data said.

Soong smiled, reassured.

"Ah, your time track is similar to mine," Soong said. "I envy you, Mr Data."

"Why?" Data asked.

"You are a original person and there is no replacing that. You are the original Data far as I am concerned." Soong said.

"Why thank you, Soong." Data said.

"I believe there is a chance the Q are the reason why we are together," Soong said. "To get back home with teamwork? To cause a death among the crew?" He moved the long wooden stick into the sand in front of the flickering flames. "I highly doubt our Q could be the reason behind it."

"In theory this could be a larger part of a game," Data said. "One that can possibly be aimed on someone in this universe."

"Is it possible that Loki is the subject?" Soong said.

"We have no evidence to back up that theory." Data said.

"You are right." Soong said.

"Though if we are in Loki's universe then we have to find a nearby town or city and discover if there is any sort of Stark Industries," Data said. "Cross off our list by searching for the prominent fictional geniuses who are heroes."

"If a Q were to have knocked our shuttles together. . . What was the point?" Soong asked.

"Possibly that two is better than one." Data said.

"For what though?" Soong asked.

"In this time frame making a time machine can take weeks, months, and years." Data said.

"Your Riker doesn't have that time." Soong said.

"He does." Data said.

"If you don't tell what kind of problem he has, then I will," Soong said. "Tony Stark does not have our technology to repair such extensive damage."

"He is a inventor," Data said. "Inventors come up with life saving devices. We don't have the brains a human genius has. If Tony can't do it then . . ." Data stopped abruptly. He looked down toward his hands seemingly coming to sad choice. "Then I won't leave his body to decompose in this era."

Soong put one hand on Data's shoulder.

"If we can't save him, Riker must know," Soong said. "And he has to be in the hospital until then."

"Or something like it." Data said.

Soong took his hand off Data's shoulder.

"Something like that." Soong said, as he stared at the fire.