Chapter Three
As it turned out, no planning on their part was required for Data to keep that promise. It was almost 2300 before Data contacted Director Wellers to inform her he had made his decision. A tired sounding director acknowledged him, asking Data to come to her office.
Data asked Lessa to join him.
When they arrived, Data walked in first. Maddox was there and standing up to hear the announcement. But the sight of Lessa Barrows following just on Data's heels brought home his worst fear.
While the Director was giving the android a knowing smile, Bruce Maddox looked ready to take on a Klingon in battle.
"Does this mean what it looks like, Data?" Maddox asked, between grinding teeth.
"I did heed your words of advice, Commander. I found I could not agree with them. Of all of the candidates, Dr. Barrows was the most qualified." Data was interested to see that Maddox could not find the voice to argue. He just stared accusingly at Dr. Barrows.
"You should be pleased, Bruce. You always did want me to work with you again. Now I will be. And you will have Commander Soong's complete attention. All your dreams are coming true at long last."
Data could not help but notice that while Lessa Barrows was smiling, sarcasm with thick entwined in all of her words. Maybe Maddox's warning had been too mild.
Maddox left soon after that. Informing both of them and the Director that he would be leaving for the Enterprise. He expected to meet them both first thing in the morning to discuss their plans.
Before Maddox left, Director Wellers reminded him that while his rank was higher than that of Data or Lessa, whose rank was full lieutenant, Data was still the lead on this team. Data Soong was to be giving the orders.
Data agreed that 0700 in the morning would be acceptable, but with his duty shift beginning 0800, he would not have time to stay. Maddox was forced to realize that most of their work would be done during the evening shift, ship's time.
When Data returned to the Enterprise that night, he was excited. Oddly a feeling of peace settled over him as he entered the lab. He wanted to check to see that everything was in perfect working order and followed the agreed upon specs to the micron.
He recalled the sensations he experienced with the arm Lessa Barrows had made for him, and his hoped for kin. He was looking forward to using these upgrades on a more permanent basis. Sighing again with contentment, Data left the lab, pleased with his choice. And eager to begin!
When Data got to his quarters he found a message waiting for him from the Captain, instructing him to come to Picard's quarters as soon as he got in. From the phrasing, Data knew the Captain was expecting to be awakened.
Since it was 0043 before Data arrived at the Captain's door, Picard had been proven correct.
With bare feet and a simple robe wrapped around him, the Captain of the Enterprise and her second officer sat talking over the events of Data's last two days. Picard was eager to hear it all. When Data noticed the Captain trying to stifle his third yawn, the android sped up his recitation and did some mental editing for time. The Captain needed his rest.
Back in his quarters, Data began a new personal log that he intended to be a detailed summary of this project. Then he wrote a letter to his mother. She would want to know.
Reopening his new log, he made a supplementary notation.
"While I am hopeful that we will be successful in creating a new child. I find my thought almost obsessively return to Lore. It is my desire to one day see my brother's emotional instabilities identified and corrected. Lore had at one time pleaded with my father to fix him. Father did not live long enough to do so. I feel little guilt over past actions my brother forced me to make against him. But events of my past have caused me to wonder what my relationship with him could be if he were made whole and properly functioning. While I see no logical reason for me to feel compelled this way, I nonetheless feel I must try. It would be wonderful to have the sons of Soong united, for the first time, on the side of good."
Lessa Barrows could not sleep. This was not a huge shock. She rarely could, but the reasons for it this time made it much more understandable.
Sitting by the small brook that flowed beside the institute, Lessa dipped her bare feet into the water. Her mind was racing a kilometer a minute.
Commander Data Soong had chosen her for the project of her dreams!
The news had spread through the complex like a virulent strain of the flu. Some had congratulated her, which had been a delightful surprise. Others had gone for the more traditional glare of irritation that Lessa was more accustomed to. One did not get to her level of achievement by kissing bruised egos. One got there by...truthfully, she had no idea how she had gotten here. All Lessa knew was the work. Glory, accolades, prestige...she had no understanding of the point to any of that. It was only the work that moved her. And speaking with Commander Soong...Data...it was like talking to a long lost friend.
She had been nervous, almost to the point of scared panic, but Commander...Geordi had helped with that. He was, without a doubt, the nicest man she had ever had the pleasure to meet! Data had excellent taste in friends.
The obvious affection the two had for each other had been such an interesting change from the odd fronts she'd seen so many other men put up with regards to their feelings for others of the same gender.
Lessa shook her head, willing the thought away. Men and their odd behaviors were not something she had ever understood.
She let the excitement in again. Letting herself fall back onto the grass, Lessa threw out her arms and laughed out loud.
Her combadge signal broke her moment of peaceful joy.
Wrinkling her nose at the odd message she was just given, Lessa raced back inside to receive the transmission being sent...from Command.
Hours later, properly attired in her science blue uniform, Lessa supervised the loading of her belongings heading to the Enterprise. She would beam over to the ship with them soon. But before that was attended to, she went to Andaria Wellers' quarters to say goodbye. Neither had any idea how long this project would take. It could be a long while before the two saw each other again. Lessa had a lump in her throat just thinking about it.
"Do your best to see that Bruce does not get it in his head to corrupt this child, slanting them to his point of view." Andaria warned the young woman, beginning this meeting with a stern attitude.
"I'm going to have to dig out what his game plan is to begin with. That should be fun," Lessa noted, sarcastically.
Andaria took Lessa's hands in hers. "There may come a time when you are the only protection either Data or the child has. Be strong. And try to pay attention to details. The ones that are not on a computer."
Lessa wrinkled her nose at the thought, but nodded. She embraced Andaria, exchanging some heartfelt, private words with her, before heading to the transporter. The Enterprise was due to leave orbit in ten minutes. It was time to go.
When Lessa and her belongings materialized on board the Enterprise, she was surprised to see Data and another man waiting. The other man had the rank of full commander on his collar, making her certain this must be Commander Riker. He was even bigger than she'd expected!
Once he opened his mouth, that was the first thing he said, verifying this supposition.
"Have you already built a new android and your hiding them in your bags, Lieutenant?" Riker asked, after the formal greeting was out of the way. He lifted a hand to indicate the rather large amount of baggage she had brought along. The Commander then leaned over to Data, intoning: "Woman, they never pack light."
Lessa heard this, as she was meant to, but also knew the Commander was joking.
"Well, there is an android arm in there, but most of it is...food."
Both men looked astonished at this admission. "I assure you, Lieutenant Barrows, the replicators aboard the Enterprise are kept in perfect working order by our maintenance team," Data told her.
Opening one of the containers, she pulled out two of the same fruits her and Data had eaten just the other night. She handed one to Riker and offered the other to Data, who declined with a wave of his hand.
"This will never be perfectly replicated, Data. Enjoy it for your dessert this evening, Commander. Commander Soong will no doubt warn you that they are very juicy and rather messy, but they are fun and delicious."
Riker looked at Data, wanting to ask how the android would know, or if he did...but Will Riker was a keen observer of humanoid nature, particularly when a woman was involved. He made a note to ask Commander Soong later. Now, he would follow the directive his instincts were telling him. Winking at Lieutenant Barrows, he tossed the piece of fruit lightly in the air, before catching it again.
"I'll keep that in mind, Lieutenant. I wish you two and Commander Maddox success on your collaboration. I should get back to the bridge. Take your time in helping her get settled, Commander Soong." Riker patted Data's shoulder before taking Lessa's hand for a quick welcome shake. "Again, welcome aboard."
Having given the transporter chief her new room assignment, Data ordered the man to transport Lessa things there, while he led her away.
"We have to walk there, huh?" Lessa asked, suspected that was not the case.
"I must escort you to Sickbay. It is standard procedure." Data looked confused that she would not have expected this.
"This will be a waste of time," she grumbled, softly.
Data stopped in his tracks, brow furrowed. Lessa sighed, lifted her hands, palms up and shrugged. "Lead the way, Commander, I am at your command."
Somehow sensing there was something he was missing, but unable to determine what it was just now, Data held out his hand, indicating the direction...again. This time she went with him, silently.
"There is nothing prohibiting us from speaking this time, Lieutenant," Data said, after they entered the lift in silence.
"No, that's true. Sorry. I don't really like doctors...medical doctors, that is." Her voice sounded even smaller than she was.
"Why? Our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Beverly Crusher is not only an excellent doctor, but a kind and warm person."
"I'm sure she is," was all the young lady said in reply.
Giving up for now, Data allowed the silence to reign again. He led her to Sickbay, getting the attention of Dr. Crusher once they arrived.
Curious about her reaction, Data waited out of the way while the doctor did the standard check up of his new colleague. Undressing was not required, so he could see and hear all that transpired, even from across the room. The doctor announced Barrows fit as a fiddle, Lessa did not look pleased, nor did she look surprised. The young woman nodded at the doctor, thanked her for her time and slipped off the exam table.
By now, even the doctor had picked up that something was out of sorts, but had no idea what. As Lieutenant Barrows made her way to Data's side, Crusher threw the android a questioning glance, but he had no answers either.
Data took Lieutenant Barrows to her new quarters, and brought her inside. Lessa checked over all her goods, verifying that they all made it safely. Finally, looking over the accommodations, Lessa gave a little gasp and sighed.
"I wish I was an android right now. I would not be here remembering what I now see I forgot. Starship quarters don't come standard with kitchens."
Data assimilated this. Combined with her preference of non-replicated food, it made sense.
"I believe we can accommodate you. There are many humanoids that prefer to do their own cooking. Captain Sisko of Deep Space Nine and at times, Commander Riker, to name a few."
Now Lessa looked intrigued. "Riker? Really? I may have to invite him over sometime. Few seem to appreciate real food these days. I imagine it's not something you would really care about." Now she turned to look at him, yet her attitude seemed flippant, almost hostile.
Data was not sure he should answer. Her reactions were still different from the way she had been on Britta III. He looked down at the young woman as she looked firmly at him. There was something there in her eyes that Data suddenly realized he feared. He brought a hand to his left temple access port, but was unsure as to why, until the errors began to register. Data found he wanted to leave, but was not sure he could at this moment.
Sidestepping the subject of his food preferences, Data told Barrows he would speak with Lieutenant Chance regarding her request for a cooking burner, before he excused himself. Once outside her quarters, Data took a moment to run a self diagnostic. The errors that had registered only in that moment were gone. But during that moment, Data had wondered if he had made a critical error in his choice.
The morning brought the brief meeting in the lab, with Maddox and Barrows. Both were pleased by the design and understood that they would have to work with him after his time on the bridge. Data was relieved but confused at Barrows apparent return to a sunnier disposition.
Agreeing to see them once his time on the bridge was complete, Data headed for his normal duty shift. Not that it was ever really what one could call normal anymore.
The Dominion War was at an impasse at the moment, but projections did not look good. This had made the morale of this ship, and every other in the fleet, lower than normal at this time. Skirmishes with the Jem'Hadar were frequent and often deadly for far too many so far in this war.
The latest rumors of an undisclosed think tank's devastating projection of losses only served to shatter the already crippled spirits of the Federation and their Klingon allies.
But Starfleet Command was sending the Enterprise on a critical mission to negotiate with the Romulans.
If the Romulan Star Empire could be persuaded to nullify their non-aggression pact with the Dominion, their assistance could turn the tide in this hopeless war.
The route the Enterprise had to take to make it into the Neutral Zone border had to be as stealthy as they could manage. The Dominion always seemed to be a step ahead of them. This time it was vital no Jem'Hadar ships see their progress. But if they did, they must not survive long enough to report their findings.
Two smaller, but heavily armed Starfleet ships shadowed the Enterprise, but took paths meant to look more random. The course the Enterprise took was also one designed to not be straightforward. They even had humanitarian stops to make along the way.
In three days, there would be a delivery of three colony size replicators and certain medical supplies that were not easily replicated.
The meeting in the Captain's ready room was a spin off of the meeting in the observation room about this mission.
Commander Maddox and Lieutenant Barrows along with Commander Soong were seated before the Captain's desk.
"While we understand that this project is intended to see that Commander Soong's family line does not come to an end due to this war, the war is still this ship's priority. As such, I must make you, Maddox, and you, Barrows, aware that your work here on this ship will not be limited to your work in the Cybernetics lab."
The captain went on to detail his plan that should the need arise, Maddox would be sent to Engineering, and Barrows would be sent to help in Medical. Neither looked thrilled with this, but they were not really surprised.
This was war time.
The captain concluded the meeting by welcoming them both and wishing all three success.
"Just remember...no Lore's!" the Captain warned. "But we sure could use more Soong's in Starfleet! If they decide to join. Dismissed!" Picard shook hands with the two newest additions to his crew, and watched them go. Data remained behind.
"Out with it, Data. You're sighing. I don't need Counselor Troi to tell me that's a bad sign. Which one of them is giving you trouble?" Picard asked once the other two were gone.
Data looked reluctant to answer. He shook his head as though arguing with an inner voice. "I am not certain anything is wrong, as of yet. We will not have our first official meeting in the lab until this evening. I am experiencing some trepidation regarding my choice in the final team member."
The captain sat back in his chair, studying his second officer's face. "Why, Data? You showed Will, Geordi and myself the girl's qualifications after your first interview with her. I know you were told not to rush to judgment with this, but looking over the other candidates, we all agreed with you. Is this a personality conflict?"
"It may be. At first I enjoyed our encounters. I am not even certain I can explain my sudden uneasiness. Perhaps it is an aberration. Thank you for indulging me and allowing me to 'bend your ear', Captain. I am sure it is nothing." With a quick nod to his commanding officer, Data stood and left the Captain's ready room, returning to his post.
Picard considered his officer and long time friend, but concluded that only time would tell.
Data was able to leave his duty shift on time today, but they were still days from their first humanitarian relief effort stop on their way to the Neutral Zone.
When Data arrived at the new lab, both Maddox and Barrows were reading from data PADDs. Barrows was sitting, bent over her PADD, while Maddox was absently pacing while studying his. They both looked up when they noticed Data enter.
"We each met with our team leaders for when we are called to duty. Your friends with mine, I'm told." Maddox lowered his PADD, looking at Data almost as though he was accusing him of something.
"Lieutenant Commander LaForge is Lieutenant Commander Soong's friend. What's the big issue, Bruce? It is really so hard to conceive of an android with friends? I'm sure if we dig long enough, we can even find one of yours!" Scoffing, Barrows turned back to Data, completely dismissing Maddox. "In some ways, coming to the Enterprise has been eye opening. Being scientific researchers, we both have been rather insulated, even sheltered from much of the war. Starfleet gives us great latitude in what they want us to study, at times. Sometimes it's a whole field, sometimes it's just one part of it."
Coming over towards her, Bruce Maddox nodded. "But Starfleet doesn't always tell you exactly why your asked to do anything."
Lessa Barrows stood, not that it increased her size much. She came over to look deeply into Data's eyes. Data had noticed her eyes were a very pale shade of lavender before. Now it caused Data to wonder at her records stating that she was human.
"You've had emotions for just over two years now, correct, Commander?" she asked. Her gaze was so penetrating, Data once again felt uncomfortable in her presence.
"Two years, three months, seven days, fifteen hours and ten seconds." During Data's recitation, Maddox had been about to interrupt, but Barrows had waved him back.
Interesting.
"You know more about what's really going on, with your position. Second officer of the fleet's flagship. You're very brave, Commander Soong. I don't think any other two year old could handle what you do on a daily basis, with such poise and confidence." Her tone was not mocking.
"You are referring to emotional maturity?" Data still wondered when the mocking would begin, if it had not already.
She looked very thoughtful. Her eyes were moving in a way not dissimilar to his own when analyzing information.
"All of it on the go. Dealing with Soren, the Borg, the Dominion."
Maddox made an impatient noise. She whirled on him.
"Could you have done better?" she challenged. "Really? You are so vain to suppose that you could handle all of this better than...that's it!" Now she grew even more introspective. She turned away from both men, moving to the computer and began pulling up information.
"They accepted him, but they still can't go that route. So this was the only avenue open to them." She was mumbling all of this. Not making any sense.
Both men came to stand behind her, looking at the records she was accessing. Advances in human genetics that so often coincided with great wars. Attempts to make soldiers stronger, faster, require less sleep or food. The research and developments that were attempts to give an edge in a war that instead led to another one...the eugenics wars. Later there were drugs used, but this was also unsuccessful. She showed the evolution of genetic engineering, coupled with the advancements in robotics and cybernetics. Lastly, she brought up a picture of Dr. Julian Bashir, beside a picture of Commander Soong.
"They have decided not to dismiss Dr. Bashir from his post, but since they can't openly support his creation in general, or genetic resequencing specifically, they are pushing us in the direction that does have the public's support." Turning her swiveling chair to face him, she pointed up at Data. "Your children are to be the next super soldiers."
Lessa's assessment of the goal – the possible hidden goal – of their mission was unsettling, to say the least. Maddox quickly tried to dismiss her supposition, but even Data could see the discomfort in the man's eyes.
"Even if it's only one of the admirals sitting at that meeting that made the decision, don't you think one is enough to have an effect?" Lessa challenged.
Thinking of the admirals he had spoken with even before this project had begun, Data could not dismiss her suspicions.
Maddox had wanted to build an army of Data's in the past, to protect and serve man. But he had not wanted Data to be Starfleet's answer to the Jem'Hadar. Even Maddox did not want to see a group of Data's used as front line fodder. And with the losses they were suffering, this small group had no doubt that was where they would be sent. Having played this forward in his mind's eye, Maddox shook his head.
"It can't be allowed. I'll not have my work blown to bits only to gain a sector. What do we do?"
Data, having gone over thirty eight possible reactions, narrowed the best down to one.
"We progress slowly. Very slowly." Data was pleased when the other two nodded their complete agreement.
On thinking over their options, the trio realized that Starfleet would still expect regular updates on their progress, so they would have to make progress. So the debates revolving around where to start began.
Barrows touched a control on the wall and revealed a whiteboard with writing instruments. Picking the purple one, she wrote out what both of the men instantly recognized as the Prexin Compilation. The arguing began seconds later.