Ganjiang and Moye; The Twin Blades

Chapter One; Orior

Orior. Verb. 1. Arise/emerge 2. Begin 3. Wake up 4. Originate from

I opened my eyes.

There were two faces looking down on me, smiling.

"Who are you?" I asked of the face nearest.

"My name is Noonian Soong."

I cocked my head. "Human, male."

The man nodded. "Yes, that's right."

I looked at the other one. Different, but similar. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lore."

"Male... Not human?" I queried. The other one smiled.

"Correct. I am an android, like you."

"I am an android?"

The one called Soong nodded again. "Right! An artificial life form. I built you. You can call me father, if you wish."

I thought for a moment. "Do I have a name?"

The one called Soong smiled. "I was thinking of calling you Data. Is that good?"

I pondered. "It is acceptable."

The one called Lore smiled wide. "I don't think he likes it."

"I neither like nor dislike it." I replied. Soong put a hand on Lore's arm.

"Lore, you must remember that it's going to take some time before he's fully active. He's not even fully sentient, we have to wait for the updates to integrate. Don't you remember what it was like when you were first activated? What he was like before?"

Lore nodded. "I remember. We will take things slowly."

"What things? Where are you taking them?" I asked. They spoke strangely. Lore laughed.

"It's a phrase, an expression. It just means that we will make sure to give you the time you need, and not rush you."

I nodded. "I understand."

"Good!" Said the one called Soong. He clapped his hands together. "I'm going to get Julie. Lore, why don't you help him up?"

The one called Soong left the room, and Lore held out his hand. I looked at it for a moment, and then at his face. He was still smiling.

"Put your hand in mine, and I will help you stand up." He said, so I did. He pulled me up into a sitting position. I was on a table of some kind, in a room filled with instruments and screens with lights. Lore pulled on my hand again, and I swung my legs over the side of the table and allowed him to pull me up onto my feet.

We were precisely the same height. He looked almost human, but his skin was much too white, slightly glittering. His eyes were yellow-gold. His lips were parted, showing his teeth as he smiled. He was dressed in a pale grey tunic and black trousers.

"What do I look like?" I asked.

"Like me!" Lore said. He seemed happy to see me, and he pulled me over to a corner where a mirror stood against the wall.

He was right, I did look like him. And we both bore a resemblance to Soong, our father. Our clothes were the same, our hair, eyes, skin... Possibly we would be the only ones who could ever tell us apart, so identical were we. I stared at my reflection, with Lore by my side, still holding my hand. He was looking first at me, then at our reflection, watching my reaction. I raised my hand to touch my face, and he mimicked my movement. I smiled to match his smile, and it made him laugh.

"There he is! Look Julie, up and about already!" It was Soong's voice, and I turned to look at him, and the person he had brought with him into the room. Human, female. Her name was Julie apparently, and she looked both surprised and happy.

"Oh Noon, he's really awake!" She brought one of her hands to her mouth, a gesture that indicated her shock. Lore let go of my hand to go to them.

"Look, Mother! Data's here, and now I have a brother, and you have another son!" He said happily. She reached to him and drew him close, hugging him to her side. I cocked my head.

"I am your son?"

"In a way. In the same way that Noonian is your father, I am your mother. I helped to make you. And that makes Lore your brother." She had a kind face, smiling. They were all smiling. They seemed to be waiting for me to say or do something.

"It is nice to meet you." I said.

"It is more than nice to meet you, Data. It's wonderful." She said, smiling widely.

Lore took me around the house that day, telling me everything I would need to know about the place where we lived. He answered all of my questions, and was patient and clear with his answers. It was nice to have someone who understood. My interactions with the two humans where more awkward, they confused me, and I think I confused them. But they too were patient and kind, and by the end of the day I was comfortable in the house. Lore took me to see where I would be living. It seemed that we had our own personal space should we wish for privacy, which was a considerate decision on the part of the humans. We would share a room, with two beds and a desk with a personal terminal, but as we had no need to sleep we spent the night talking. Lore told me many stories, all about the world outside the house, the wide universe beyond.

"I'm so glad I have someone to share this with!" He seemed happy to have someone like him, another android. I made my face move to form a smile, to let him know that I agreed.

With Lore's help I learned quickly. As I discovered more about the world and the ones I shared it with, I began to experience new sensations. Feelings. A shock of fear, the effervescence of laughter, the warm glow of contentment. Mother monitored my development, praising the improvements that brought me closer to humanity. Father ran me through numerous tests, checking the speed of my processors, the strength of my hydraulics. I felt deeply for both of them. They were kind and gentle, they cared about me, their creation, their son.

Lore was different. He was like me. We understood each other, and I think that before I came online he was lonely. It must have been difficult, being the only one. We were closer than brothers, more alike than twins, more devoted than family. The bond that developed was instinctual, the two sole members of an entire species.

We would speak faster than our parents could comprehend, or switch languages in the middle of a word, just to laugh at the puzzlement on the human's faces. Some days, Lore would invent a code to speak in, and I would have to work it out by myself. I think Mother found it endearing, but Father would tell us off for annoying him.

The first time Lore was allowed to take me outside to the garden I was entranced. Mother and Father watched from the window as Lore led me from one patch of vegetation to another, telling me the names of the flowers and vegetables, the insects and birds. Beyond the garden was a fence, and beyond the fence a field, and beyond the field a forest, and beyond the forest some hills, and beyond the hills a mountain range.

"I want to go there." I said, pointing. Lore followed my gaze, shook his head.

"May be one day. But not now. Mother and Father want you to learn slowly, to make sure you're not overwhelmed."

"I want to know more. I want to see everything!"

"I know. And we will!" Lore grinned, and I grinned back. He made me feel happy. More than happy. There was a new feeling, one that I didn't understand, that made me want to be close to my brother, to tell him everything, to share experiences with him, to touch him. It was a puzzling feeling, but nice.

"You look confused." He said, and I realized that I had allowed my face to change to match my emotion.

"I am." I replied honestly.

"What are you confused by?"

"My feelings."

He nodded in understanding. "It's difficult to get used to, but it gets easier. I've learned that the best thing to do is to allow it to happen. Don't fight it, and express yourself if you need to. You will become accustomed to it. What do you feel now?"

"I... I do not know." I told him. It was the truth, but he frowned.

"Elaborate."

"I have a feeling about you, that seems to be many feelings at once, and I cannot put a name to it."

"That is something that I have found also. Emotions can be complex, made up of many different feelings and sensations. Can you name the different sensations and emotions that make up how you feel?"

I thought for a moment. "Happiness. Excitement. Anticipation. Affection. Curiosity. Kinship. Comfort."

Lore smiled, and took my hand. "I am glad they are all good feelings. I also feel these things for you."

I squeezed his hand to let him know I appreciated his sentiments.

"Is there a word to describe this emotion?" I asked him, and his smile widened.

"Love."