Author's Note: A belated thank you to so kiss me goodbye for the wonderful review! I'm glad someone else is enjoying the ride.


Chapter Sixteen

When Herman 37 arrived some time later, Maya was engrossed in a technical manual, while Data seemed equally content to sit with her and simply watch her study. Herman's appearance jolted him from his reverie and he stood at once, frowning. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Yes," Herman said at once, his voice surprisingly tense. ""Norman is malfunctioning. We – are in difficulty. Can you assist us?"

"Of course." He turned back to Maya, who had set aside the manual and stood as well. "Maya, could you wake Arzin, please?"

She nodded and hurried over to the Trill, while Data continued to question the new arrival. "Can you tell me precisely what happened, Herman?"

"There was – nothing unusual," he replied, unhappily. "Norman – was running a check of the network to ensure it had not been tampered with. Then everything – stopped. Our network is – non-functional."

Maya, newly gifted with highly sensitive hearing, caught most of this as she and Arzin approached. "If the network is down, how are you still functioning?" she asked Herman, who shrugged, still a surprisingly smooth gesture.

"I do not know. But – several of us are still operating within acceptable parameters even though we cannot communicate as we normally do. It is – most strange," he added, looking very lost.

"Don't worry, we'll find out what's wrong," Maya said, in a sudden burst of sympathy for his plight.

He didn't seem to know how to react to this, saying only, "Norman – is in the auxiliary reactor control room," and turning to lead the way.

The walk was not long, but it was disconcerting. At least every few meters there was another deactivated android – standing frozen in place, head down, each looking as though they were sleeping standing up. Entire labs were filled with androids in the same state. None of the four spoke as they walked, their footsteps echoing in the utter silence. Apparently without realizing it, Maya edged closer to Data. He reached out to touch her hand, startling her, and she then offered a faint, apologetic smile, squeezing his hand for a moment.

Only when they neared the auxiliary reactor did they hear anything beyond their own movements: the sounds of conversation growing gradually louder. When they entered the room, they found a group of about fifteen active androids, including Alice 322, huddled together in a corner. All talking ceased as they became aware of the newcomers, and fifteen pairs of eyes turned towards them, both hopeful and uneasy.

Norman was in the center of the room, near the main control panel, . Unlike the others, he stood at though at attention, seemingly ready to speak at any moment. Only a closer look revealed an absolute, unsettling blankness in his face.

Trudy 271 spoke up from the group. "Can – you repair him?"

"We – cannot function properly without Norman," Annabel 174 chimed in, while the rest shifted anxiously.

"We will do our best," Data promised, though he was as uneasy as any of them.

Again feeling out of his depth, Arzin pulled his tricorder from his pocket and offered it to Maya. "Here, you can probably do more good with this than I can," he said, and she smiled.

"Thanks," she replied, looking instantly more comfortable as she took the instrument. Then she paused, shifting her grasp gingerly as she remembered her new strength. With great care she pressed a few buttons, then slowly relaxed, realizing she was not causing any damage to the tricorder as she began a scan of the motionless Norman.

With a mental apology to his new friend, Data found and opened a panel on the side of Norman's head, studying the neural pathways for signs of overload or other damage.

"It wasn't a complete shutdown," Maya reported after a few moments, sounding calm and assured. "I'm getting minimal power readings, core functions only." Pausing, she made a minute adjustment to the tricorder and scanned again, frowning. "This looks like some kind of a feedback loop. It's difficult to pinpoint, but -"

"So this is where everyone is hiding," a new voice interrupted – except it wasn't entirely new, but rather an echo of a very familiar one. All heads turned to the main door, seeing an android identical to Data, down to the same coverall. "Brother!" the newcomer exclaimed, smiling broadly as he caught sight of Data and walked towards him. "I knew you'd find this place sooner or later. Though if you came to rescue me, you're a little late."

"Lore," Data said, astonished. Arzin, already tense, grew more so when he heard the name, and even Maya seemed to react to it, some fractured memory stirring. After a glance at Data, she turned back to Lore, watching him warily. Instinctively, Data shifted subtly to put himself between Lore and Maya. "And I should have realized that you would be here – though I would not have expected to find you in one piece." He could not entirely hide the bitterness in his voice, and Lore caught it immediately.

"You have the emotion chip," he guessed at once. "Good for you, brother. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure you'd have the nerve to install it. Emotions are... quite a leap, aren't they? But you know, if anyone has reason to be upset, it's me. I'm the one who was left in pieces to rot – again." His face contorted with anger as he spoke, and Arzin, unwilling to wait any longer, took out his phaser. Lore only laughed mockingly. "What's this, a bodyguard? Are you afraid of me, brother, is that why you left me for dead just like old Soong did?"

"It was my recommendation to have you disassembled, Lore, though not entirely my decision. But no, I am not afraid of you."

The statement was partly bravado – Data was in fact terrified of what Lore might do to his friends – and Lore seemed to know this, but he only laughed, entirely at ease again. "All this verbal sparring is pointless this time, anyway, brother. I'm not the villain of this piece. Maddox brought my head here and has been experimenting on me ever since. I'm not even sure where I am." From clear anger at Maddox, he suddenly sounded genuinely troubled as he spoke this last sentence. "So I suppose I do still need a little rescuing, after all. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" he added, beginning to return to his usual brash confidence.

"Commander Maddox did not tell me you were here," Data began, but Lore quickly interrupted.

"Why would he? I was his special, top secret project. Just between us, I think I made him feel important."

"I do not believe even Maddox would be foolhardy enough to reassemble you," Data pointed out.

Lore sighed theatrically. "He didn't, not really. He lopped the head off some other poor android and attached my head to that body – not very long ago, as a matter of fact." He looked down at himself, frowning. "Mass-produced, but it could be worse, I suppose. At least everything works. And you are?" he abruptly asked Maya, turning to look at her. When she only continued to watch him cautiously, he sighed again. "I don't know where you find such dull humans, brother. At least Maddox was interesting. He's gone for good, I take it?"

"I believe so, yes," Data replied, stiffly.

"Wonderful! Then you and I must be in charge."

Data ignored this. "Why would Maddox have given you a body and left you unrestrained?"

"He didn't," Lore snapped, annoyed again. "He left me in a specially modified containment field he created to keep me under control – and he always had me under guard. But the humans all left a while ago and I began to hope that Maddox wouldn't be a problem anymore. My sensors registered two separate explosions, and after that I started to work my way free. He was clever for a human, I must admit. It was no easy task. Then I just started walking the halls. Quite a few dead androids around, it seems. You know, I can show you the room where I was kept, brother. Or are you done trying to find holes in my story?"

Data paused, considering his options. Lore would be difficult to subdue physically – the few Midian androids still functioning might be too confused to be of much help, and Arzin or even Maya might be injured in a struggle. And truthfully, angry as Data was, he was reluctant to launch an all-out attack without any immediate provocation. It even seemed as though Lore was telling the truth about Maddox's treatment of him – the inner lab that the androids had not been able to examine physically must have been the room where Lore was kept. Yet he had proven himself fundamentally untrustworthy again and again, thinking of no one but himself, and Data could not allow him to gain any influence over the rightful inhabitants of this planet.

"I do not trust you, Lore," he finally said. "However, for the moment I will accept that you were here against your will and not a party to any action against the Midian androids."

"I would never hurt a fellow android. Not unless they hurt me first," Lore smirked, then made a show of frowning. "You're the one who's brought more humans here," he added, glancing from Arzin to Maya. "Why is that?"

"I'm a Trill," Arzin pointed out, still with his phaser in hand, but Lore only made a face.

"You say that as if there's a difference," he said, dismissively, and Arzin sighed.

"They are my friends," Data put in. "We have been assisting the androids here."

"They do seem in need of help," Lore mused, studying one of the still forms. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"There's a feedback loop," Maya said, watching Lore's reaction. "It looks like a deliberate attack on the androids' network."

"Oh, you can talk," Lore said, mockingly. "Is this Norman, then? I've heard about him. Maddox didn't seem to trust him, so I suppose that means he's on our side. You know about cybernetics, do you?" he asked Maya pointedly.

"Of course," she replied, without hesitation – or any of the elaboration Lore had clearly hoped for – and returned to her scan of Norman's systems.

"Let me help," Lore persisted. "I'll bet I know cybernetics better than you do."

"You should not be too certain of that," Data put in.

"You've lived among humans too long, brother. Do you really believe any of them could be as intelligent as we are?"

"In some ways, most certainly."

"Most certainly, most certainly." Lore exploded into mockery, making Maya twitch and Arzin raise his phaser. "Why do you defend them, brother? What Maddox did to me he would have happily done to you, given the chance. That's how humans are, and yet you still want to be like them."

"You cannot judge an entire race by the actions of an individual," Data replied calmly. "In the same way, I would certainly not wish to be judged by your behavior."

Lore seemed more amused by this than anything else. "I could say the same about you, brother. So you chase after humanity simply to annoy me, is that it? Or is that emotion chip having more effect on you than you anticipated?" he added, casting a quick, significant glance at Maya.

"You were right, Data. He really does think he knows everything," Arzin put in.

"Not everything. Just a great deal more than you do," Lore said with a smirk.

"Enough!" To Data's surprise, this came from Maya, who turned to glare at Lore. "If you really want to help, the best thing you could do would be to stop causing trouble so the rest of us can get some work done."

Lore cackled delightedly. "Feisty, isn't she? Is that why you like her, brother?"

"I suggest that you take her advice, Lore," Data replied, as calmly as he could manage. "As I have said, however innocent you may be in regards to Maddox's schemes, I do not trust you. For the moment you will be placed under guard, and I strongly suggest that you remain quiet and allow us to work."

"Why don't you just put me back into that containment field?" Lore groused.

"Because you have already escaped from it once," Data replied, reasonably.

Lore made several further protests, but eventually he allowed himself to be put into a chair, with two of the androids who seemed in better shape, Herman 37 and Maisie 418, standing on either side of him with orders not to let him move. Lore didn't seem to think much of them as wardens, but he made a show of folding his arms and settling in. "Look, see? I'm behaving myself, brother. You'll be sorry later that you were so suspicious of me."

Tilting his head, Data considered this statement, apparently in all seriousness. "No," he finally said. "I do not believe I will." He moved to help Maya, while Arzin, hiding a smile, divided his attention between assisting with the work and helping to keep an eye on Lore.

After studying the tricorder readout, Data frowned. "The feedback loop is in his primary processing unit," he said. "It will be difficult to eliminate without damage to his systems."

"So what exactly is this feedback loop?" Arzin asked. "Is he trying to calculate pi to the last digit?"

"Basically, yes," Maya explained. "Someone created an insoluble problem and added it to his primary functions. It was probably dormant for a while, but now something's activated it and his systems haven't been able to override it. My guess would be that this Maddox added it to his programming so there would be a quick way to shut him down – and the rest of the androids with him, or at least most of them."

"Is it possible Maddox is still here?" Arzin asked, uneasily.

Data shook his head. "I do not see how. We performed a full sensor sweep, and the entire facility was searched while attempting to determine if there were any other explosive devices. It would have been extraordinarily difficult for any humanoid to evade such a search.

"This feedback loop could have been on a timer of some kind, then?" Arzin asked Maya.

"Definitely. There's no sign of that now, but any virtual timer could have been programmed to delete itself after the loop was activated. That's what I would have done if I was trying to cover my tracks. But this was otherwise pretty obvious sabotage, largely because Norman wasn't originally programmed by humans. This sequence was clearly written by someone with a different approach. It just feels different from all the rest of Norman's programming. I know, that isn't very scientific..." she added, suddenly nervous.

"You have always had a certain intuition in regards to engineering matters," Data assured her. "It is not strictly scientific, but it is generally accurate. It is simply the way you work."

"Oh," was all she said, sounding both relieved and unhappy. "Anyway, the real problem is that I'm not sure how to stop it. It's completely integrated into his base functions and it looks like it's designed to defend itself. It won't be easy to remove. One wrong move and all of Norman's programming would be wiped out. His processors are already working well beyond tolerance levels. Data would have the best chance of getting the program out, I'm not sure I could be precise enough..." Here she trailed off, fully realizing what she had just said. "Except I suppose I would be, now," she added, wonderingly.

"Yes," Data said, relieved to be delivering better news for a change. "I imagine many things will continue to seem strange to you for some time, but you will also find there are many advantages to an android body."

"I hadn't quite... gotten that far yet," she admitted.

"There's been a lot going on," Arzin said wryly. "Once Norman's fixed, maybe we'll have some time to start sorting everything out."

"That would be useful," Data said ,with something suspiciously like a sigh. It had alarmed him, how quickly Lore had seen the truth of Data's feelings for Maya, even though he still did not believe he had done anything to give them away. Perhaps Lore had simply made a lucky guess, but Data would have much preferred his brother to be ignorant of all his feelings, even of the emotion chip itself.

It was too late to do anything about that now, however, and he focused his attention on the most immediate problem. "I agree with your assessment of the risks, Maya," he said. "I suggest that I begin by attempting to isolate the feedback loop. The program will resist by sending out extensions of itself into other programs. You must watch for these and isolate them as well. With Norman's processors working at such high speeds, the program will likely be as fast as I am." He hesitated, looking at Maya worriedly. "Do you feel up to this?"

Maya laughed a little, again surprising him. "I feel fine. Apparently what I really need is a problem to solve."

"Well, then you've come to the right place," Arzin put in, and her smile widened. She handed the tricorder back to him, then moved around behind the main console, which partly hid her from the rest of the room, and prepared to work.

"Arzin, I would like you to monitor Norman's vital functions," Data continued. "The program will draw on him for energy, and it is possible that this alone may cause some damage to his systems. If any changes register, let us know."

"Yes, sir," the Trill replied, slipping back into old habits now that it was safer to do so. Lore, he noted, was watching the proceedings with great interest, perhaps too much so, but it was probably best to keep him close by. As long as Lore could watch them, they could also watch him.

"Once we begin this process, we will not be able to stop," Data added, gravely. "Ready?" Seeing both Arzin and Maya nod, he nodded as well. "Now."

The first few moments, though tense, went fairly smoothly, and Data relaxed a fraction. The program was aggressive but basic, and he was able to match its speed without much difficulty. Then something altered in the program, a hidden subroutine unfolding, and Data found himself forced to near his own maximum speed.

"CPU just spiked to 450% of tolerance," Arzin reported. "Core temperature rising."

Norman shuddered and Maya glanced at him in alarm. "The program's mutating," she warned, and Data nodded distractedly.

"It is attempting to counterattack."

"Got it," she replied, sounding almost casual, though her movements were tense. This was her old self, unlike the moments when she had displayed more emotion than Data was used to. There had been little time to consider the possible meanings of this, but now he felt a pang of worry that this seemingly innocuous difference – wouldn't any human be emotional after literally coming back to life? – was actually a sign of some deeper problem.

There was still no time to consider this more closely, however, and for a time he and Maya worked without speaking, the silence broken only by Arzin's increasingly grim reports on Norman's condition. "CPU is nearly 600% over capacity," he finally said. "If you can finish any faster, you'd better do it."

Lore chimed in gleefully. "If you had let me help, brother, we would have solved this by now."

Everyone ignored this, much to his disappointment, though in a very few minutes Arzin finally had something better to report. "Temperature falling. So is CPU usage. Down to 500%."

"I think we've got it all," Maya added.

Data allowed himself a smile, though this quickly faded as Norman, still standing stiffly at attention, began to topple. Instinctively, both Data and Arzin moved to catch him, while Maya continued to monitor the program as a precaution. Several of the other androids approached as well, hopeful of at least having their leader back now that their network was gone. And Norman was recovering, awareness coming back into his gaze as Arzin and Data got him back to his feet.

Lore laughed at all this activity. "Did you think he'd hurt himself if you let him fall, brother?"

"We didn't want him to dent the floor," Arzin said, not bothering to look in Lore's direction. Still holding the tricorder, he ran a quick scan of the android's systems. "All the readings are nearly where they should be," he reported. "Welcome back."

Norman blinked once, turned his head briefly to the side, then focused on Arzin. "I – am operating within acceptable parameters," he said, seeming faintly surprised by that fact.

"He sounds just like you, brother," Lore called out. "No wonder Maddox didn't like him."

Norman turned to face him, glanced back at Data, then turned to Lore again. "You – are the other android that Commander Maddox was working with."

"Good, you aren't quite as dull as you look," Lore said. "But you mean experimenting on, torturing. He treated me at least as badly as he treated all of you."

But Norman did not seem to hear any of this. "What – is wrong?" he asked Data. "The network is not – restoring itself as it should."

"It would most likely have shut itself down automatically upon realizing that you were in danger. But I am not certain why it would not restore itself now, if that is how the network is designed."

"My systems are sending the proper signal," Norman said, bewildered. "But there is – no response."

Maya moved at once to check the monitors. Whatever else was different about her now, this was another thing that hadn't changed: she seemed to have an instinct for even the most unfamiliar equipment, working with the computers here as though she had done so for years. "There's something blocking the signal, some kind of interference," she said after a moment. "The signal is there, just like Norman said, but it's being altered before it reaches the others. Their systems don't recognize it."

After studying the readouts for a moment longer, she frowned and shook her head. "The first sabotage attempt was good, but whoever did this really knew what they were doing." Data and Arzin had joined her at the console and she glanced over at them before pointing out some of the readings. "See, here and here. The signal's being randomized just enough to keep the network from stabilizing. Subtle and difficult to track." Her frown deepened. "Would Maddox know enough to do this, do you think?"

"Yes, it is possible," Data said. "As he admitted himself, his work is not of Dr. Soong's caliber, but he is intelligent and has worked with cybernetic systems for most of his career. This could be his doing."

Slowly, Maya again shook her head. "I don't know, this one feels different, too. I'm not sure the same person did both." She shot a glance at Lore, then sighed. "Not that that matters, anyway. What we need is a solution."

Data nodded at this, looking over at Norman. The other androids had all gathered around him and he was reassuring them as best he could, though all of them still seemed uneasy.

Arzin, following Data's gaze, frowned thoughtfully. "That's a good place to start. What lets those few androids operate without the network when none of the others can?"

"That is an excellent question," Data replied. "If we knew that, there would not be such a pressing need to reactivate the network. Though I believe they must have it back at some point in any case," he added, watching with some concern as they crowded around Norman.

"Well, we can split up – one of you can work on getting the network back and the other on figuring out how they're managing without the network. I'll help out wherever you think I can do the most good," he suggested.

"Agreed," Data said. "Maya, perhaps you can attempt to stop the interference. Arzin, if you would assist me?" He felt a sudden, foolish pang of worry, reluctant to let Maya out of his sight for too long. Though they would be working in the same area, it was a vast space and Lore's mere presence made it feel dangerous. "Are you still feeling all right?" he asked her, quietly.

"I'm fine, don't worry. As long as I remember how to fix things, I don't need to remember anything else right now. We'll – we'll work on the rest later." Data suspected she was trying to be brave, and as though to give further reassurance she smiled – a full, bright smile such as he had seldom seen from her, one that would have taken his breath away if he'd had any.

"Yes," he replied, feeling himself smile foolishly. "We will work on the rest later." He turned and walked over to Norman and the others while Arzin followed, doing his best not to smile himself.

Moving towards Norman also brought them closer to Lore, and now he spoke up. "I really hope you're coming to ask for my help at last, brother. If you really want to help these children, then you need to use all your available resources. I'll be good, I promise. Haven't I been on my best behavior so far?"

Data paused, turning to look fully at the other android. "Let me make my position clear to you, Lore. I do not trust you. You have continually placed yourself in direct opposition to my friends and I, usually while simultaneously protesting your innocence of any such thing. You have lied and manipulated, placed others in harm's way to suit your own agenda, and generally done whatever you believe will get you your way without thought for the consequences. And now, with no more evidence than a vague promise to 'be good,' you expect me to trust you?" He shook his head sadly. "I have often wondered if you thought me to be a fool. Now I know that you do."

As Data turned and walked away, Lore was, surprisingly, speechless. Then he laughed and clapped his hands together. "Bravo! Of course, you still don't understand me at all, but good for you to speak your mind. Perhaps living among humans hasn't been entirely bad for you after all."

Ignoring this, Data joined Arzin with the other androids, the two of them explaining that they wished to scan the androids' systems thoroughly in hopes of solving one part of the current puzzle. Norman agreed at once along with most of the others, and though a few seemed reluctant, they were also still demoralized enough to have agreed to nearly any proposed solution. Using Trudy 271 and one of her incapacitated sisters, 390, android and Trill set to work on a full comparison of the two.

After a few moments, Data ventured a remark not related to the task at hand. "I am glad you were able to meet Maya," he began, tentatively, "though I wish it had been under calmer circumstances. How does she seem to you?"

"Well, we haven't exactly had much chance to talk," Arzin replied. "She doesn't seem quite as I expected, but of course after everything she's been through... it wouldn't exactly be a surprise that she would be a little different."

"Yes, she is different... yet at times she is precisely how I remember her. She will use a particular phrase, or move in a certain way, and she seems so very much – herself – that it is as though nothing had happened. But there have also been occasions when she shown a sudden flash of emotion – when she laughs, or when she spoke to Lore – and at those times she seems almost a stranger. I suppose I am being selfish. I am expecting too much, too soon."

Arzin smiled wryly. "You probably are, but that's no surprise, either. And it isn't entirely selfish. You want her to feel better for both your sakes. But she's going to need time to – well, to get used to herself again. That's the first thing that needs to happen, and there's no way to know how long that will take." After a pause, he went on more carefully. "You know she might never remember... and if she doesn't, she might never be quite the way you knew her again. But different isn't necessarily bad."

Data nodded thoughtfully. "People do always change in any case. Even I have changed over the years, since I was programmed to learn and adapt. And of course the emotion chip has changed me far more. There have been very few occasions when I have had to face any real memory loss, however. It is difficult for me to imagine near-total amnesia such as Maya is facing. I must try to be more sympathetic," he added, sadly.

"Data, you're not doing anything wrong," Arzin hastened to say. "From what I've seen, you're doing everything you can. Just – listen to her. Be patient, like you always are. And for what it's worth... there's obviously still some sort of connection between the two of you. However things turn out, I don't think that's ever going to go away."

Data considered this, then nodded. "Thank you, Arzin. You are very good at 'pep talks'."

Arzin laughed. "Well, I never thought of it quite like that, but thank you. And you're welcome."

Again they worked in silence for a time, before Arzin frowned, carefully studying the tricorder readout. "Sir, I think you'd better look at this," he said, turning the device so Data could see it. "If these androids are supposed to be equivalent to a ship's computer, then this... shouldn't be there."

"No, indeed," Data replied, wonderingly. "It should not."

"There is – something wrong with my systems?" Trudy 271 asked, faintly alarmed.

"No, not wrong," Arzin said, quickly. "Just unexpected."

Then Maya approached, with Annabel 31 following her. "Did you find something?"

"It looks like the matrices of some of the androids have – well, evolved, for lack of a better word. They've become more complex," Arzin replied, and Data nodded his agreement.

"Though it is not evolution in the strict sense of the word, their neural pathways do seem to have expanded. All cybernetic systems are designed with the capability for learning, to one extent or another, but in some cases the learning algorithm simply does more than expected, and no one knows why. It is one of the factors in my own construction that cannot yet be successfully duplicated."

Fascinated, Maya leaned closer to study the pathways. "What's that old saying? The ghost in the machine?"

Data nodded again. "Yes. In the mid-20th century, the writer Isaac Asimov first used the phrase in reference to a robot that had moved beyond its programmed capabilities for no discernible reason. That may be the case here as well. There is no obvious catalyst that would have resulted in this autonomy. The potential might easily have been there for some time, but until the network collapsed, it remained hidden."

"And when the crisis came, they were able to keep functioning," Arzin said. "Impressive."

Trudy seemed puzzled by this. "But – whatever has occurred, I was not an active participant."

"That makes it even more impressive," Arzin replied. "Without even trying, you were able to move beyond the network."

But Trudy only frowned more deeply. "I do not believe that I wish to be – beyond the network."

"Hopefully you won't have to be," Maya said. "I still haven't been able to get through the interference, but Annabel tells me there's an old relay center that we might be able to use instead of having to go through Norman's systems. It used to be an emergency backup. It's been deactivated for about a century, but it's still there. We're going to go see if we can get it working again."

As relieved as Data was to see her so calm and capable, he again felt that same reluctance to be separated from her even briefly. But she had never cared for anyone assuming that she was in need of protecting, and in any case she was infinitely more difficult to injure now. Lore was beginning to look mutinous but was otherwise behaving himself, and the station was unlikely to hold any further dangers. So he hid his fear as best he could and nodded. "A good idea. But – be careful."

At first she seemed ready to dismiss his concern, but quickly grew serious. "I'll be fine," she promised, resting her hand on his arm for a moment. For that brief time, he forgot any nervousness and had to fight the urge to grin. "Annabel and I will look out for each other," Maya added, giving Data's arm a squeeze before she turned to go, Annabel following along behind obediently.

Deciding the best thing that he could do was to offer a distraction, Arzin spoke up. "Data, I've been working on mapping the new neural pathways. Maybe we can start running a comparison?"

Quickly refocusing himself, Data nodded. "Yes. With one system non-functional, it will not give the best results, but it may give us a place to start. And if we can find a way to replicate this phenomenon, it may be of significant value. It may even be a clue to aid in the replication of a stable positronic system like my own."

"Well, then let's see if we can make some history."