Chapter Four; Deprendo
Deprendo. Verb. 1. Detect. 2. Discover. 3. Embarrass. 4. Reveal.
Geordi came to slowly, with a luxurious stretch. He wondered idly what time it was, and then realized he didn't care as a knee caressed the back of his thigh.
"Good morning, Geordi."
The engineer smiled to himself and arched his back into his lover, who responded with a hum of approval as his pale arm snaked up the chocolate brown chest of the man pressed against him.
"Good morning indeed. Pretty nice way to wake up." Murmured Geordi as Data began peppering his neck with kisses. He turned to face him and rolled the android onto his back to cover him with his body as Data grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down, his mouth teasing the man's lips with soft promises of things to come.
Data purred with pleased surprise as he felt Geordi's arousal pressed naked against his own, and he reached between their bodies to grasp both of their sexes in one firm white-gold hand. Geordi moaned appreciatively as the android began to massage them both to fullness, his thumb sweeping over the tip of the man's lust to collect the bead of precum and smear it across the sensitive flesh.
"All senior staff to the briefing room in fifteen minutes. Repeat, all senior staff to the briefing room, fifteen minutes."
Geordi groaned aloud with frustration, and Data rested his forehead on the man's dark brow, gazing into his white sightless eyes. His hand slowed, but didn't stop.
"Data, stop, we haven't got time." Geordi pushed gently at the android's arm to try to still that torturous friction.
"Challenge accepted." Data replied.
Crusher and Troi were already seated in the briefing room when Data arrived, and he seated himself gracefully in his usual chair and greeted them both cordially. Geordi came in a moment later, slightly frazzled looking, with a coffee clutched in one hand. He flopped into his seat with a poorly disguised yawn, and Doctor Crusher quirked an eyebrow at him and smiled.
"Late night last night? I hope you haven't been overindulging again?"
"Uh, no, not... no, just couldn't sleep, got up early, that kind of thing." The engineer ran his fingers through his hair and Troi frowned slightly. She was getting some curious impressions of Geordi's emotional state.
"Morning!" Riker strode into the room and deposited a tray of pastries in the middle of the table. Troi, Geordi and Crusher immediately pounced, and Riker chuckled as he took one himself.
"Yeah, figured I wouldn't be the only one who didn't have time to stop for breakfast." He took a bite of his Danish and looked at Data. "You want to try one?"
"No thank you, sir, I have already eaten."
Geordi coughed violently as a fragment of croissant found its way down his windpipe, and Troi looked at him sharply. Well, that was an interesting reaction she felt from him...
"Good morning." Picard entered the room, business-like and official, a PADD in one hand. "Everything all right, La Forge?"
Geordi gasped and took a swig of coffee. "Yes, sir, just... a bit of... in my throat..." He coughed again, drank again.
Picard seated himself and looked around the table at his officers.
"I apologise for the lack of notice for this meeting, but we've received a distress call, and time is very much of the essence."
Around the table the senior staff glanced at each other, the atmosphere suddenly tense. Picard lifted the PADD to check his notes.
"The planet is Elba II, and the distress call is about a mine. It seems that they have been digging for Bakrinium, and they still extract the ore by hand. They report that one of the shafts has collapsed, and twenty-three miners are trapped."
"With respect, sir," Riker leaned forward, "what does this have to do with us? I don't see why they'd need a starship for a rescue operation like that."
"The call is from the local authorities. Apparently, the mining operation was unauthorized, and they have no extraction procedures in place for this eventuality, as they weren't expecting the miners to continue to work illegally. Somewhat short-sighted of them, in my opinion."
"So they want us to come and beam them all out?" Geordi queried. Picard shook his head.
"The mine is too deep for them to be beamed out without pattern enhancers, we'd have to get to them first."
Riker leaned back. "Any other complications we need to take into account sir?"
"I'm afraid so, number one." Picard sighed. "The atmosphere."
"What about it?" Crusher's brows came together in consternation.
"Elba II has an atmosphere that is fatally toxic to most humanoids. I have a list here of the various poisonous compounds found in the air on the surface, and it makes for particularly unpleasant reading."
Picard passed the PADD to Riker, who began pouring over it for additional details as the captain leant back in his chair and steepled his fingers to continue the briefing.
"We're already on course, estimated arrival in one hour and twenty minutes. Number one, I need you to get a team together and outfitted with appropriate clothing and gear. Geordi, get to work on a shuttle, make sure that it's set up to run in that soup they call air, just in case we need it. Doctor, set up triage with everything you need to neutralise those toxic compounds in case of casualties."
"Sir?" Riker looked up from the PADD, concern creasing his brow. "I'm not sure we can get together enough equipment in the time we have. We're going to need some pretty specialised stuff here."
"We can't afford much of a delay." Put in Troi. "If there are problems with the miner's equipment they'll need us as soon as we can get there."
"There is one person who could go down there." Riker raised his eyebrow and looked across at the android second officer.
Data frowned as he accessed his memory banks, searching for details on the planet. He looked up at Riker.
"You are correct, although the atmosphere is toxic enough that even I may suffer from prolonged exposure, as my bio-functions will eventually become contaminated. However, I would estimate that I could operate for several hours on the surface and still remain within tolerable parameters for toxicity, although I would require thorough decontamination before coming into contact with any biological organisms upon return to the ship."
"Now, hang on a minute." Geordi leaned forward. "What are you suggesting here? A one-man rescue?"
"Not necessarily." Data looked across at the engineer. "My recommendation would be that I act as an advance scout for a more substantial team. I can assess the situation and advise the team as to what equipment they will need. I would also be able to begin the rescue attempt myself, under the correct circumstances."
Picard was frowning deeply. "I won't order you to do this, Data. It seems risky to go down without a full team."
"But," interjected Riker, "we could have a small team ready to go if the conditions are right. They could use the store of gear we already have, and a larger team can be making ready, in case they're needed."
Picard thought deeply for a moment, before looking at his android officer. "Data, are you willing to do this?"
"I am, sir. I believe the proposed plan is a viable way to ensure swift retrieval of those trapped."
Geordi suddenly snapped his fingers. "Hey, this would be the perfect time to test the modified visual acuity transmitter!"
"Sorry, Geordi." Riker held up his hand. "You're not going down, we'll need you up here."
"No, when I say we've modified it, I mean it doesn't fit my visor anymore. It attaches to Data's visual input."
Picard sat up straight. "The transmitter as I remember it was only viable over short distances, and the output was, no offence meant, somewhat confusing to those of us unused to it. Are you saying that you've managed to get it to transmit what Data is seeing?"
"Yes sir." Data answered. "It is not a permanent modification, but it is small enough to be integrated into my neural circuitry. I prefer not to use it for extended periods of time, as the transmitting of the information via subspace is quite a drain on my power reserves."
"If you can fit it before we get there, we could use it to get a first hand view of the mine collapse. That would save us a hell of a lot of time." Riker put in.
Picard nodded thoughtfully. "Very well, do it. Dismissed."
Half an hour later, Geordi was seated behind the controls of the shuttlecraft he was preparing. He had already made several modifications, and his team were scuttling about the bay with the specialised equipment needed for the hazardous mission.
The shuttlecraft door hummed open and Data entered, his head swinging from side to side as he examined the interior of the vehicle. He stepped towards the seated engineer, and the door murmured closed behind him.
"Your work appears to be progressing well." He remarked. Geordi half-turned in his seat to smile over his shoulder at the android, before turning back to the screen.
"Yeah, it's not as difficult as I thought it might be. These type eleven shuttles are turning out to be pretty tough."
Data moved to stand behind the engineer and placed a hand on his shoulder as he leant over to look at the display. Geordi shrugged the android's hand away.
"Come on, now." He muttered. "Not when we're on duty." Data frowned.
"There was nothing inappropriate about my gesture. Indeed, it was not even particularly intimate. There is no reason to think that anyone would extrapolate..."
"Oh, give it a rest, Data!" Snapped Geordi. "I told you I want to keep this thing private, what's your problem with that?"
"I have no problem maintaining secrecy with regard to our relationship, but you seem to be overreacting to an innocent expression of companionship."
"Look, I know what people are like, they read into little things like that. Before you know it there're rumours all over the place, people talking behind our backs... Just keep your hands to yourself while we're on duty, is that so hard?"
Data scowled. "You are manufacturing a hypothetical worst-case scenario where there is no evidence to suggest that such a negative outcome is likely. I believe that you are projecting your own insecurities onto our fellow..."
"My insecurities?" Geordi swivelled round to stare at the android. "I'm not insecure, there's nothing insecure about wanting to keep my private life and my professional life separate!" He folded his arms defiantly as the android frowned down at him. Data jutted his chin forward, his brows drawn together over his golden eyes.
"I believe that the reason that you are so anxious to keep our liaisons covert is that you are ashamed of your romantic association with me."
Geordi barked a harsh laugh and turned back to the control panel. "I'm done with this conversation, I have work to do."
Data grabbed the engineer's shoulder and spun him round to glare at him, his eyes blazing.
"I am not done with this conversation. I believe that you do not want it to be known that we are engaged in intimacies because you are ashamed. What I have not been able to ascertain is why you are ashamed, but from the various statements that you have made over the period since we commenced our sexual relations, I can hypothesise that it is either because I am male, or because I am an android. Now enlighten me, Geordi, is it one, or both?"
Geordi stared at Data, his mouth hanging open. "Are you seriously suggesting that I don't want to tell people we're sleeping together because I'm prejudiced?" He laughed disbelievingly. "You gotta be kidding! It's everyone else I'm worried about. D'you know how long I've had to put up with people talking behind my back about how I can't keep a woman? Do you have any idea how bad it'll get if they find out about us? 'Oh, he can't get a girl so he's switched to men! And not even a real man! Geordi's so bad at relationships he's dating a robot!'"
A deafening silence fell over them as Geordi stared at Data defiantly. The android's jaw clenched.
"These are your own insecurities, Geordi, not the known opinions of our colleagues. You have created this speculative scenario through your own paranoia, and are using it as an excuse to avoid becoming emotionally vulnerable." His voice was quiet and lethal. Geordi sneered.
"Don't lecture me about emotion, you've got the depth of a puddle. I don't understand why you're so eager for everyone to know anyway. All we do is share a bed! We're not dating, we're not even officially a couple!"
"The only reason that we are not engaged in a deeper romantic relationship is because you keep denying me the chance to express the depth of my feelings! Even when we are alone you seem fixated on maintaining an emotional distance between us." Data snapped. Geordi shook his head and threw his hands in the air.
"You can't talk about the 'depth of your feelings'! You have no idea how deep your feelings are, you're not emotionally developed enough to know what you're feeling!"
"I know enough about myself and my own emotions to know that I want to call what I feel for you love!" Data's hands were clenched into fists by his sides. Geordi threw his head back with a derisive snort.
"You don't know the first thing about love!" He retorted. Data's jaw worked rhythmically as he leant down to put himself face to face with the engineer.
"I know that you are the first thing I think about in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I engage my dream program. I know that you distract me from my duties in a way that nothing and nobody has ever been able to in the past. I know that if the choice were mine I would stand in the middle of the lounge bar and shout my love for you to the entire crew, because you made me so happy, Geordi, in ways that I had never even imagined were possible. But..." He took a deep breath and straightened up. "If you are incapable of returning those affections in any meaningful way, then I think perhaps it would be better for both of us if we cease to be intimate. I have realised that it is no longer enough for me to share your bed. I want to share your life. If my desires are incompatible with your own, then I will respect that, but I cannot continue to engage in sexual contact with you."
"Wait... you're breaking up with me? Right now?" Geordi almost laughed, but the expression on Data's face left no room for doubt, the android was totally serious.
"Geordi, I cannot break up with you." The android turned to leave and the shuttle door opened. He looked back over his shoulder at the engineer.
"There is nothing substantial enough between us to break."