"All results of our tests proved negative." Geordi reported. "His reaction timing is slow. His processing power is virtually non-existent. He seems to have difficulty remembering even simple facts. I had to remind him three times what my name was, and he can't remember what ship he's on."

"Is he perhaps damaged, or do you believe he was designed to be this way?" Picard asked, slowly.

"I do not believe he was designed to be this way, Captain." Data said. "His memory systems are very similar to mine, as are his processing systems. However, aside from some damaged memory engrams that could not cause such problems, we cannot find any damage. I do not know why he is unable to process information as I do. However, I believe he has memories stored inside his memory engrams. He simply cannot access them."

"Hmm." The captain considered this. "What do you propose?"

"I propose that we connect him to my positronic network and transfer his memory storage into mine." Data suggested, carefully. "I would be able to see his memories and learn more about his time with the colonists. Perhaps he remembers something about what happened to them. It may give us valuable insight."

"What would this memory transfer entail, Geordi?" Riker asked.

"It would be simple enough." Geordi said. "The only thing I see that could be a problem is that considering the nature of Data's brain and that of B4, the transfer would likely be two way. Some of Data's memories might leak over into B4's processors, and we wouldn't be able to change that."

"I am not deterred by that fact." Data said. "I would be able to shield my more sensitive memories, such as Starfleet protocol and classified information. The added memories to his neural network may prove to aid him as he learns to function as an individual."

"Do you feel... comfortable with that, Data?" Doctor Crusher asked, a frown on her face.

Data turned to her. "I do not feel anything. Any memories that get transferred will lose their personal qualities, and they will seem similar to him as the colonists' memories in my positronic net seem to me. I am not disturbed."

"And there's no risk to you or to starfleet security?" Worf asked.

"No. However, there is a chance the transfer will be incomplete. I cannot guarantee I will be able to integrate all his memories immediately. It may take time."

"It would give us an inside look at what happened to them," Riker said. "It might even uncover the events completely. As long as Data is in no danger, I don't see why we shouldn't go through with it."

"I agree." The Captain said. "If that is all..." He moved to stand.

"Captain," Data said, making his superior officer pause. "There is something else."

"What is it?"

"Request permission to return to the planet's surface."

"Is there any particular reason, Mr. Data?" The captain asked, curiously.

"A conversation I had with B4 has led me to believe there was another android on Omicron Theta."

"Another android?" Picard's face twisted in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Data explained to the captain what he had discovered, carefully recounting each detail. He told the captain of the things B4 had said and the evidence he had collected.

"If this is true, it could be another major discovery." Picard said, looking thoughtful. "When would you intend to go?"

"As soon as the memory transfer is complete, I will hopefully have more information about this other android." Data explained. "I believe it best to gather what information I can before attempting a search."

"Or you could be searching for days and find nothing." Commander Riker finished. "At least with this you'll have some idea of where to look."

"Permission granted. I suggest you attempt a memory transfer as soon as possible, Mr. Data." The captain smiled slightly. "Finding another Soong-type android would be a major event, and I'm sure none of us is as eager to learn about your past as yourself."

Data nodded. "Aye, sir."

"Dismissed." Picard stood, straightening his uniform as he did so. The other senior officers stood.

Data and Geordi left quickly, talking to each other.

"If I didn't know better," Deanna said, a slight smile on her face, "I would think Data is excited."

Riker mirrored her smile, and Picard's mouth twitched up slightly.

"Who wouldn't be a little eager to find out more about their family, especially if they hadn't previously known they existed?" The Captain said.

"I am happy for him," Worf said, gruffly.

"I think we can all agree with you, Lieutenant," Riker said, before turning and leaving the room. The others followed, leaving the Captain standing alone near the table. His smile slowly faded into a frown. He couldn't help feeling a vague unsettling feeling that something was terribly wrong.

He is sitting.

He is waiting.

The door to the room opens. His brother enters. His brother comes to him.

"B4," He says. "I would like to ̶̊ͅb̴͙̆r̴̗͗i̴͎̚ṅ̵̪g̶̹͠ you to e̸͇͆ǹ̸͕g̴̥̿î̴̢n̸͇̊e̵͍̓ë̸̟́r̴͖̔i̶̦͌n̶͚͋g̴̳̓ again."

"Why?"

His brother's expression changes slightly. "I wish to help you. To do so, I must bring you to ê̸̝̪̟̲͔̓ǹ̵̰͔͖̙͔͇̈́ͅǧ̴̝̞͇̘͓̝̞̉̊i̴͚̜̙̪̼̋n̴̖̹̮̄̋̉̓ë̵̛̖̩̲̣͈͑̌͂̍̓e̴̛̪̮̓̉̉ŗ̷̠̜̝̮͇͚̏i̵̻̋̎͋n̵͇̺̤̆̏͝͝g̴̛̯̙̼͕̼͒̾̀̍̐͒."

B4 feels h̶i̸s̷ ̷f̵a̶c̸i̸a̶l̴ ̴p̴r̶o̸c̸e̶s̷s̸o̴r̸s̵ ̴make his mouth twitch upward. "Okay."

He stands.

Something sharp grips his legs as he does so. He looks down to see a small furry creature falling to the floor from his lap. It lands on its feet, and runs under the table, it's fur sticking up.

His facial processors pull his mouth down at the corners and his brow furrows. "What is that?" He asks. He does not remember it sitting on his lap.

His brother looks at the creature. "That is Spot. Do y̸o̸u̷ ̶n̵o̴t̵ remember?"

The Spot creature sits under the table, licking its foot. B4 stares. It is fa̴͕̙̋͋̂m̴̪͇̓̇́ị̸͆͆l̴̢̘̤̄̓̈́i̶̱͚͆ä̴̋͜r, but he does not… remember.

"I... do not."

His brother's expression changes slightly again. "It is alright, B4. I will help you remember. Come." His brother leaves.

He follows his brother from the room. He wants to remember. He wants to understand. He wants to tell them something... but he cannot remember.

"B4?"

He had not realized he had stopped. He continues walking. "Where is the one who smiles?" He asks. He m̷̛̬ū̶̫s̵̱̚ṭ̵̓ ̷̳͝ť̴͇e̷̦̚ḷ̵́l̵̜̾ ̶̲͗ his brother ̸͓̎s̶̛͎ỏ̷͕m̷̄͜e̶͔̾ṯ̷̈h̵͈̾i̶͈̅n̶̰̏g̶̬͑ ̴͇̀ important.

His brother looks at him. "He is not here. We hope to find him soon."

B4 feels his facial processors pull his mouth down again. A memory engram activates, bringing images into his mind.

S̶h̸o̴u̶t̶i̵n̵g̸.̴ ̸,̸,̴,̷

F̸̡̖͆̊͘į̶͇̼̓g̶̨̧͇̯̐h̵̛̜͉̺͔̬́̎̇͂̅ṭ̷̯̻͋̃̾̉͗i̴̜͚̖͓̪̕͜n̵͔̥̣̿̍̕͝ͅg̶͔̝͊.

S̵̳̜̒̎c̴̮͇̄͝r̴͓̃̑e̸̱̳͛å̷͖̲m̴̨̩̅i̴͇͌͘ṋ̴̞̇g̶̠̥̀̀.̶̳̏͒.̶͖̎.̵͖̭͘

D̶̩͉͕͈͚͍̤͉̒́͛́͒̿̄͐ͅỳ̶͇̍i̴̢̥̤̅̆ͅn̴̡͓͎̝̭̼̭̥̋͋̑̇̎̕͠g̷̛̜̰̯̉͗̔̋͊̾́̽̅.̷̳͇̠̭͚̂͒͌͆͐̈͘̚.̵̬̀̎͜͜.̵̨͇̜̳̯͕̼̈́̂͐

L̶̖̹͈̻̟̱̰͈͓̈́̿̑-̶̨̭̗̾̚L̸̢͓̪̉̂͂͋̽̿̽͜-̴̛͔̞̺̫̺͔͎̀͂L̵̝̻̆͑̍̄̌̿̆͋͝͝o̷̧̰͉͔̬̥̬̻͛̒͂̽͠ṙ̸̥̫̺̲̙̝͌́̽e̷̛̠͈̩̰̮̅́͝.̸̢̯̪̒̍̌̌͂̔̊͠ ̵̹̠͚͕̥̤̈

̶͖͉͈̑̽̑͑̍̾̇̕

"I must... I must tell you..."

"What must you tell me?" His brother is in front of him, ̶̬̔͝l̶̮̟̀ơ̶̢̠̱̅̓́ò̴͉k̶͉̋̀i̷͖͈͐͐̈ņ̴̟̩͊̑̽̚ġ̸̖͍ ̴̼̙̎̌h̶̺͆͘i̶̝̫̬͙̓͛͐̕m̴̘̪̩̥̒͗̕ in the face.

B4 opens his mouth. He must warn them. But the memory engram is inactive again. "I... I do not understand." He says, confusion in his voice.

"It is alright, B4." His brother continues walking. "I w̷̳͠ì̴̘l̷͙͝l h̷̙͇͋͑̅͝e̵̼̦͔͝l̵̪̬͖͑p̵̧̟̣̂ ̶̘̣̤̳͋̎̕ŷ̸̢͉͈ṑ̵̻̾̌u̴̫̠͇͆̽̄ͅ to understand."

They continue. B4 smiles. He does not understand, but he is with his brother. He is s̴̪̄à̵̬f̵̢͝e̵͇̾. He is safe from the one who smiles.

Geordi carefully connected the wires to Data's memory port. "There. That should do it." He checked the connection to B4's memory port. "We're all set. Whenever you're ready, Data."

"You may begin, Geordi." Data said. He sat, his hands gently folded on his lap.

Geordi worked the controls of the computer console. "Memory transfer has started."

Almost immediately, Data's face turned to an expression of awe. "Fascinating..."

"What is it, Data?" Geordi asked, eagerly.

"Though the memories are confused and disorganized, and the transfer has only just begun, I can already see he was active long before I was. From what I am able to access, I believe he lived among the colonists, and worked among them for several months at least. He..."

Data's face changed to surprise and wonder. "He... Interacted with my creator quite frequently, Geordi. Doctor Soong seemed quite fond of B4, almost as if he were… a son."

Data's face turned to a frown, as if he were confused. "Based on the complex interactions in these memories, it seems B4's capabilities were much greater then. Perhaps he has been damaged since."

"Does he remember anything about another android?" Geordie asked, almost excitedly.

"... Yes. He..." Data blinked, as if processing. "He… it is difficult to make sense of the fragmented memories. I am not entirely certain, but I believe his name is… Lore. "

"That's a great start." Geordi smiled excitedly, though he still watched the monitor carefully. "Anything else?"

Data paused with a frown. "The memory engrams are damaged or blocked. I cannot extrapolate much more. From the small amount I can see, it seems... something attacked the colony. Something they had no hope against. Lore... All memories including him seem to be damaged. I am only able to extract small portions of it, in the form of brief flashes and images. I will attempt to extrapolate some of the damaged mem-..."

Data cut off suddenly, his body spasming. His eyelids fluttered and his limbs jerked. Energy sizzled up the wire connecting to his head, and the computer sparked, smoke and alarms coming from it.

Geordi practically ripped the wires from Data's memory port. The android slumped forward, unresponsive.

He grasped Data by the shoulders, catching him before he could fall.

"Data!" Geordi said, frantically, shaking his shoulder. He moved in front of the android. "Data, speak to me!"

Data blinked, sitting back up suddenly. His eyes seemed to take a moment to adjust before he really saw the engineer in front of him. "Geordi... What happened?"

"There was an energy pulse of some sort." Geordi explained, sighing in relief. "It must have overloaded your positronic matrix."

"That makes sense." Data stood, apparently none the worse for his system shock. It was almost disconcerting to see the change from unresponsive to perfectly normal again. "The safeguards protecting my positronic net from energy overload have been activated. I detect no damage to my systems. Is B4 alright?"

"Brother?"

The two of them looked at B4, who was still sitting obediently, the memory port on his head still connected to the wire. His face showed mild confusion.

"He looks alright." Geordi carefully inspected the other android, removing the connection to the computer. "Strange. I can't see anything that indicates damage, or that he was affected at all by the surge."

"Depending on what caused it, the chances of a surge of that magnitude not damaging him as well is highly unlikely." Data frowned. "B4, can you run a self diagnosis?"

"I… do not understand." B4 seemed for a moment almost frustrated by this. His brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptible to the human eye, though Data was well aware of it. "Are you… damaged?" He asked, innocently.

"I am not damaged, B4," Data assured his brother. He turned to his friend. "Geordi, the memory transfer was disrupted. I was not able to complete it."

"How much did you get?" Geordi asked.

"I estimate 38 percent. I was unable to process any information on the fate of the colony. I simply know they were attacked. And Lore… I must attempt another transfer." He reached for the connector.

"No, you don't!" Geordi snatched the connector away before Data could touch it. "We have no idea what caused that energy surge. Whatever it was, it might happen again. Until we know, we can't risk another attempt. We can't risk damaging you."

Data seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, of course." He paused. "Geordi, why did the surge not affect B4?"

Geordie frowned. "I don't know. I don't even know where to start. Maybe… Maybe it has something to do with the direction of the transfer, or the nature of the transfer."

"That is an interesting theory, but one that is impossible. Some of my memories have been transferred into his mind as well." Data reminded Geordi. "It was not a one way transfer."

B4 sat, looking up at the two of them, innocently.

"I'll look into it," Geordi promised. "I'm as puzzled about it as you."

"I must inform the Captain of what we have found." Data looked thoughtful. "I believe this is sufficient proof to prove my theory."

"Do you mind if I keep B4 here for a little while to make sure his systems weren't damaged by the surge?"

"No, I do not mind." Data looked at B4. "You must stay here, brother. Geordi will help you."

B4 looked up at him, puzzled. "Where... Where are you going?"

"I must speak with the Captain. I will return soon." Data turned to leave but paused as his brother spoke again.

"Soon is 16.45 minutes." He stated, slowly, as if unsure.

Data's eyebrows raised, and Geordi looked at him, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It is a reference to a conversation we had earlier in my quarters." Data explained. He turned his attention back to the other android. "'Soon' is relative, B4. Because 'soon' was once 16.45 minutes does not mean it will always be 16.45 minutes."

B4 blinked, his brow furrowing slightly again. "Oh... How long is soon now?"

"I cannot say, B4. There are many things that can affect the time it will take me to return." Data looked at Geordi again. "This is a significant improvement." He said, slight surprise showing on his face. "He did not understand this before."

"Maybe he's beginning to learn?" Geordi said.

"Perhaps." Data looked at his brother. "Perhaps he received enough of my memories to help him function more completely."

B4 was observing the room, a blank look on his face.

"B4, do you know where you are?" Data asked him.

B4 blinked and looked at him. "I... I am in a room... called en... engineering... There are people, and...you. You are my brother."

Geordi looked at Data. "That's definitely an improvement."

Data looked thoughtful again. "Yes. B4, do you know the name of the ship you are on?"

"I… do not."

"It is called Enterprise."

"Enterprise." B4 echoed, thoughtfully. "It is a ship called Enterprise."

"Fascinating."

Data's face, though at first glance would appear emotionless to most people, was covered with the faintest smile, and Geordi recognized it for what it was. He smiled widely.

"I must speak with the Captain." Data said, after a moment of silence. He turned to leave.

"You will be back 'soon'?" B4 said, looking at Data.

Data paused. "Yes." He walked briskly away.

"Good...bye..." B4 said, softly watching his brother disappear.

"The colony was attacked? By what?" Picard looked at Data, standing on the other side of his ready room table.

"That much is uncertain. B4's memories of the attack are damaged. I was unable to process them. However, I am certain there is another android. B4 has clear memories of his creation, and several of their early interactions are very clear. Unfortunately, his later memories are severely damaged. There is very little left of them."

"You're absolutely certain there is another?" Picard clarified.

"Yes, Captain." Data said, confidently. "B4's memory gave him the name 'Lore'."

"This is a fantastic discovery." Picard said, a smile on his face. "I see no reason to delay the return to the planet."

"It would be a worthy endevour, Captain," Data responded.

"I'll let Commander Riker know. In the meantime, I want you to work on the restoration of B4's memories. If you are able to restore anything about the attack, it would be invaluable to the Federation. It may make it preventable in the future, should such an attack be repeated. "

"I understand, Sir."

"Dismissed."

Data turned and left the room. The new images and scenes flashed through his matrix, almost as vivid as if he had lived them himself. He entered the turbo lift, and as it moved, he studied the new memories.

"He's just about perfect," Noonian Soong… Father said, his eyes bright, looking down at the completed android.

The other android looked at his father. "He will be my new brother?" He asked.

"Yes, B4. He's your brother."

Father gently pressed the switch on the Android's back. The Android's eyes fluttered open. "Hello. I am Data."

The snippet of memory ended. Data contemplated it. He had no memory before his rescue by the Federation. The possibility that he had had a life before was intriguing. Another quickly came to the forefront.

"Why?" A different android shouted, anger twisting his features. "What did I do to deserve this?" He made wide motions with his arms.

Ḑ̸̛̮̠ö̸͈́̓ͅc̵̡̙̗͋͌͊t̸̬̔͜o̷̦̽̀̀r̷̝̗̎́ ̸̭̍S̸͈̲̱̈ö̷̫̬́o̶̥͒͆n̷͉͠g̵̹̭̊̊͜ stood opposite the other android. "You didn't do anything, Ĺ̶̛̝̋͛̀o̶̢̯̰̹̐͗̈̎̀͜͝r̸̻̮̟͚̮̠̺̉̿ͅe̸̡͚͖̲̳̒̈̓̈́̅͗̚ It's not your fault. It's only to help me iron out the difficulties in your programing."

"Then why did you create h̸̨́i̴̼͠ḿ̶̟?̷͇̄ ̸͕̌T̵̩͝ȯ̵̞ ̶̺̔r̸̮̊é̷̜p̵̗͋l̷̡̔a̷̙͂c̸͕̅ë̷͉ me?" The android, Ĺ̶̛̝̋͛̀o̶̢̯̰̹̐͗̈̎̀͜͝r̸̻̮̟͚̮̠̺̉̿ͅe̸̡͚͖̲̳̒̈̓̈́̅͗̚, stepped forward angrily.

The image began breaking up. Static Interfered with it.

"If I-... make m̸̡͙̻͍̏̃̄̀͘e̸̩͒̊.̸͔̬̏͒̎̏ͅ.̶̱̖͈̜̦̮͕̼̦̜͐̍͒̋̌͐.̷̩͚̠̰̼̩̲̏͐̆̆͘ repla̶̘͝c̵̰͓̬̭̽̓̆e̷̻̤̗͂̆͐̔... ẗ̴̗́̄͝h̸̢͔͌a̸̟̓ţ̴̫͖̈́̅͂ ̶̨̻̺͛̌ẗ̶͍͔͂h̸̬͔͑í̴̡̘́͗n̸̜͖̓ͅg̶̗͓̦̾͋̎..."

The memory broke up, another taking it's place.

"Why is Ĺ̶̛̝̋͛̀o̶̢̯̰̹̐͗̈̎̀͜͝r̸̻̮̟͚̮̠̺̉̿ͅe̸̡͚͖̲̳̒̈̓̈́̅͗̚ angry?" B4 asked.

Doctor Soong smiled gently. "He's just a little touchy today. That's all."

"He does not like me, father."

"What ever gave you that idea?" Father asked with concern on his face. He gently pressed a hand to B4's cheek.

"He... was angry with me."

Ḑ̸̛̮̠ö̸͈́̓ͅc̵̡̙̗͋͌͊t̸̬̔͜o̷̦̽̀̀r̷̝̗̎́ ̸̭̍S̸͈̲̱̈ö̷̫̬́o̶̥͒͆n̷͉͠g̵̹̭̊̊͜ smiled, warmly. "It's normal for siblings to be angry sometimes, B4."

Someone else entered the room. It was a woman. Her face was striking, and her eyes bright, though they were filled with concern. "Noonian," She said. "L̷͖̼̃̌̀ỏ̵̲̝̺̂ṙ̴̤̗͝e̴̳͝ has gone out into ̴̣͍̚t̸̹̘̰́̏͗h̷͖͌̆̽e̷͍͋̀͜ ̸̍́̉ͅf̵̙̔͝͝ỉ̸̛̪̝̩e̴̛͔̞̻l̸̫̭͒ḍ̷͌̃s̵̺͈͎̓́ ̸͈̣̲̒ạ̶̢̅ǵ̸̪̝̓a̷̙͍̬͂i̸͓̯͠n̶̝͌͗."

"Just a little argument. He just needs a little time to blow off some steam." Doctor Soong moved to her side.

B4 looked at her. "H̵̢̫̮͓͕̘̤͕̖͂͒̚ȩ̷̱̤̫̫̞̙͉͎̕l̷̨͈͓͌͛̌̈́̀͝l̸̫͓̦̥͈̥͔̤͓̓̈́͊̄͆͒̀͜o̸̡͉̠̥̩͇̲͊͗́̅̆͠-̶̬̙̗̙̻̕ͅ.̷̭̫͎̠̬̱̺͙̣̯̅̊.̵̥̈́̾̊̄̽́͘͠.̷̥̱̺̖͗̽͗̀͝"

Data could tell she was familiar to B4. Unfortunately, the memory ended there, dissolving into fragmented broken parts.

The turbo lift door opened, and he walked forward toward engineering. These memories were fascinating, yet something about them troubled him.