This fan fic story chronicles Lore's life prior to his initial encountered with Data.
Contains mild violence and sexual content

Journey to the Dark Side: A Lore Story, REDUX
Written by: S. Bell

Chapter Fourteen: Severing Ties

"Lore, please come and sit with me. We need to have a little talk." Juliana replied softly and carefully as she led him into the sitting room adjacent to the lab.

"What about?" Lore replied as he casually strutted across the room and slouched in a chair next to the one on which Juliana was seated. His face wore a mildly annoyed expression, "Am I in trouble again? Do you plan to spank me this time, mother?"

"Lore!" she exclaimed with surprise, "Don't take that tone with me."

Lore smirked as he sighed impatiently and began fidgeting in his chair.

"Okay, what is it now?" he replied in an almost bored voice as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, as you already know, the colonists are… concerned about your unpredictable and increasingly violent behavior. I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted to talk about. You know… to tell me if anything's bothering you. Perhaps if you just talk about them, you wouldn't feel the need to act out."

Lore chuckled with almost a bitter amusement before he gave his response.

"You know what, dear mother? There is something bothering me, the fact that my own parents continually bend over backwards for the colonists and constantly take their word over mine." he said firmly, "Why can't they respect me enough to come to me directly with any issues they may have? Instead they come crying to my dear parents. 'Waah, waah, Lore doesn't play well with others'." Lore mocked angrily.

"Lore, please calm down, we can sort through this."

"Calm down?" Lore asked, "Would you be calm if the entire colony wanted you dead?! Would you be calm, mother, if no one believed you when you told them their lives were in danger?! How about if they blamed you for everything and tried to frame you for the deaths of others? Would you be calm then?"

Juliana sighed and opened her mouth to answer, but Lore interrupted.

"They're just jealous; the colonists are flawed and imperfect. They see something in me that they can't have and they want to destroy it. Time after time I've tried to please them, but they were never satisfied."

"It's not like that Lore, they're afraid of you."

"Hmph! Maybe they should be afraid." he muttered under his breath, but Juliana heard him and was appalled.

"Lore, you shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not mother?" Lore chuckled, "It's the truth. At least I'm being honest, which is more than I can say for anyone else around here. That's the problem, they're afraid of me because I can expose all of them for who they really are. I have the power to unmask the deception they cover up with false sentiment and constant, habitual lies. You know the real reason they're afraid of me, mother? I no longer have the desire to please them. My attempt to become more like them was misguided. They're fickle, contradictory and imperfect beings. Why should I aspire to reduce myself to that?"

"Lore," Juliana replied. Her eyes filled with shock at her son's statement, "there is no such thing as a perfect being. Nothing in the world is perfect."

"How can it be, the world is ruled by them! However, I am certainly more perfect than the colonists are and they're jealous of that. They're setting me up to get rid of me. With me gone, they'll no longer feel inferior. They've attempted to get rid of me by blaming those deaths on me. I'm sure they'll try other ways to get me out of the picture though. Little do they know, I have my dear parents to help prevent that from happening." Lore replied with a broad grin.

"But Lore," Juliana replied, "the events surrounding the research mission were extremely unusual. Understandably, the colonists were curious about what happened out there."

"What? Understandably?" Lore sneered, "I told them what happened up there! That… crystal killed them. How could I possibly have done it?! How could I possibly be capable of reducing their bodies to nothing but a handful of dust?!"

Juliana sighed and looked away from Lore for a moment before she began to explain.

"Lore, they believe that you beamed them out into space."

"That's ridiculous!" Lore spat, "Then how do they explain the residual matter left aboard the ship?"

"All tests failed to conclude if the residual matter even belonged to the three victims. It was basically no more than dust and the colonists believe that you planted it there as a cover." she replied somberly.

"Well they're wrong!" Lore shouted, "Have they forgotten that I wasn't built to lie?!"

"Neither were you built to hurt people like the way you hurt Jacqueline, Lore." Juliana replied.

Juliana's heart skipped a beat when she saw Lore's expression grow cold as he stared at her. He dropped his icy glance for a moment before withdrew a short breath of disbelief.

"Oh, I see mother. You're taking their side again aren't you?" he replied with painful anger in his eyes, "You choose them over me, your own son."

"Lore, it is your own behavior that has forced people to become afraid of you. You've pushed people away with your intense ways. If you would just try to see things from their perspective, maybe you'll understand." Juliana replied softly as she placed a hand on Lore's shoulder but he snatched away and stood up so he was just inches away from her face, looking down at her.

"So, dear mother," he sneered quietly as a single tear trickled down his cheek, "you think I have to change for them. Once again, you agree that I'm the problem. Is that it?"

Juliana became fearful and trembled inside, but she put on a soft, brave face.

"Lore, I didn't say that. I'm not taking sides; I'm simply proposing a possible solution to a complicated situation after weighing all the facts. There comes a time in one's life when compromises must be made in order to keep the peace."

Lore chuckled quietly to himself as he smirked slightly.

"Compromises huh? So you're willing to compromise your own son in order to save face with your precious colonists. Thank you mother, I'm so glad we had this conversation. I now know exactly where I stand in your eyes." he replied in a quiet yet furious tone as he proceeded to walk towards the exit.

"No Lore," she replied as she ran in front of him, blocking his way out, "you don't understand!"

"No mother, I understand all too well. Now, I'd suggest you move." he replied coldly as he walked closer to her.

After a tense moment of silence, Juliana stepped aside, her heart pounding with fear. Lore swaggered out the door, but not before he said a few parting words to his mother.

"Mother," he whispered closely in her ear, "you're dead to me now!"

Juliana staggered backward and leaned against the wall for support. She slid down to the floor and began to weep as the painful words resonated in her head.

At that moment, Dr. Soong walked in just in time to see the bitter look on Lore's face as he exited and a weeping Juliana sitting on the floor.

"Juliana, what happened?" asked Dr. Soong.

Juliana was distraught. She tried to talk to her husband, but her sorrow didn't make it easy.