Descent Parts I & II written by René Echevarria (Part II) Ronald D. Moore (Part I) and Jeri Taylor are © of Paramount Pictures.
Chapter 11
Part II
Data stood, pacing on the black marble floors next to Crosis whose systems gave off a faint pulsing hum.
"Who is 'the One'?" he asked quietly, hesitant to make any sound above a whisper.
"You will find out soon enough." It was strange; a sensation was growing in his chest. He wanted to say it was apprehension, but it spiraled into something more. He was fearful.
"Data." He turned to find his identical counterpart watching him.
"Lore."
Lore's face cracked into a smile, clearing the space between them in a few long strides but Data could only watch, completely stunned.
"My brother."
"But where… how have you come to-?" Data broke off and Lore's grin widened, he could not help it. His brother's confusion was simply too amusing.
"It's… a bit of a long story."
Data turned sharply, completely reanalyzing his settings. Borg weaving in and out of the open hallway, occasionally conversing with one another. "Is this what you have been doing, Lore?"
Lore followed Data's gaze around the room. "More or less." Lore took another step closer to his brother, discreetly activating his emotion chip and placing a hand on his Data's shoulder. He recognized it as a familiar gesture and he felt a surge of emotion but when he looked into his Lore's eyes, he felt nothing.
"I've missed you, Brother." Data only nodded in response. "Tell me, Data, how are you feeling?"
"I am not." Lore eyed him stonily but then his mouth twisted into a smile.
"We're going to change that. Walk with me..." They continued in silence until, outside, the buzzing of insects filled their ears with a slow overture.
"Data, I understand that it's been a long time since we've met. But I had hoped that with this encounter you and I will come to have a better understanding of each other." Lore paused momentarily. "I kept the gift our father made for you, and I intend to return it. You wish to feel emotion, Data?"
"Yes." Desperation plain on his face.
"I want you to understand that there is more to this emotion chip than just feelings. It will establish a stronger connection between you and I... It will bring everything around you to life." He paused and continued gravely. "But not all of it is joy, Data, some of these emotions will be distasteful. You will have to learn to cope with them as well."
"I will."
"Good." Lore smiled wickedly. "I am sorry it has taken me this long to seek you out. But… I don't believe I am entirely to blame. Those humans you spend your time with… do you realize what they mean?"
Data shook his head returning Lore's steady gaze with a puzzled expression. "They represent friendship, do they not?"
"…No. They don't… Always keeping you at arm's length, Data? I don't think so. No, you're more like… a pet, or a prisoner. A valued prisoner perhaps… but a prisoner, no less."
Data dropped his gaze to feet. "I… I do not think so."
"Really? Are you sure?" Lore took a menacing step closer to his brother. "Think about it, Data. How many times has Starfleet second guessed your abilities because you're an android? How many times have you been treated differently because of it? If I remember correctly you were put on trial just to defend your rights as a sentient being…"
"I did win that trial." Data noted.
"Yes but it seems redundant that you had to go through it in the first place." Lore increased the intensity of the emotion chip, and grasped his brother by the shoulders, looking him in his golden eyes with a softened expression.
"I would never treat you that way, Data. We're family. I know I have made mistakes in the past and they still haunt me. But it is my wish to change. Stand by my side, Data… and we will create a world worth living in."
.
"Our currently theory, is that the Borg have established several transwarp conduits through subspace. The ship when entering the conduit is immediately accelerated into an extremely high warp velocity. It's like falling into a fast moving river and being swept away by the current." Geordi LaForge bent over the navigation system station on the bridge, giving his scarce report to the Captain.
"How fast will a ship travel through one of these conduits?"
"Normal subspace limitations don't apply to transwarp variables… but I would say based on the distance we covered during our trip through the conduit the speed would have to be at least twenty times our maximum warp output."
"How do they open the conduits?
"The Borg ship emitted some kind of high energy tachyon pulse just before we saw the subspace distortion. It seems as though the conduits are keyed to respond to tachyon emissions of a specific frequency."
"Sir, long range sensors are picking up the shuttle's energy signature to this point on the surface. But there's too much interference to scan for the exact location."
"Are they intentionally jamming our sensors?"
Geordi shook his head. "It looks more like a natural phenomenon. Unusually high amounts of EM interference on the planet's magnetosphere.
"Can we transport through the interference?"
"We could… but there could be fifty Borg down there waiting for us and we would never even know it."
"We may have to take the risk."
"Agreed. Take a well armed away team down to the surface and have Mr. O'Brian keep a lock on you at all times so we can pull you out of there at the first sign of trouble."
"Aye, sir."
"Commander LaForge, all available personal including you and I will begin to put together four man away teams. I'll leave a skeleton crew aboard the ship."
"Who will be in command of the Enterprise?"
Captain Picard thought for a moment then tapped his comm badge. "Dr. Crusher, please report to the bridge." Beverly Crusher's fitted blue uniform complemented her stunning strawberry hair, but the most notable of her features, were her eyes. They graced her high cheekbones, giving her a natural appearance of nobility.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I'm leaving you in charge of the Enterprise while we send out search parties on the planet."
"If the Borg should attack, don't wait for me or anyone else to return to the ship, but take the Enterprise back through the warp conduit and return to Federation space."
"Got it." She whispered gravely. "Good luck, Jean-Luc." And with that, she gave him her signature melancholy smile.
.
"Sir we're picking up a Federation class vessel dropping out of high warp in the system."
"Raise the dampening field." Lore watched, emotionless as they carried out his commands.
"Brother." He called for Data who was already there, standing behind him watching with curiosity. "Are you ready? Do you think you can handle seeing your friends again?" Lore significantly decreased the feedback that Data would receive from his emotion chip.
"I am."
Lore nodded. "Good." Lore stood from the chair he was lounging in. "They have begun to beam down in teams. I expect they should be here within the next few hours. Come with me. There are a few last minute modifications I would like to make before they arrive."
Lore descended down into the lower levels of the complex where his own personal cybernetics lab was waiting. Data followed him in, looking around him apprehensively.
"What kind of modifications are you planning, Lore?"
"Nothing that will harm you. I wish to integrate a receiver into your brain which will react more efficiently with your neural net. I've been feeding you emotions remotely from your own emotion chip."
Data nodded, he understood his reaction at the Ohniaka III outpost. He had not been able to explain the emotion, nor the absence of emotion which followed.
"But could you not simply remove the emotion chip and implant it into my brain?" Lore had seen this question coming and already had a response prepared.
"Your emotion chip has been within me for so long that it has become a part of my systems. To remove it could be detrimental to my own brain. It is possible that my own positronic matrix would be compromised." He lied through his teeth, giving his brother a small smile. "But I have found a solution."
To give his brother access to his emotion chip would give him full control over all emotions. If he allowed this to happen there was a distinct chance his brother would turn from him and return to his colleagues. Not only did he find this risk too great but Lore was also sentimental about the chip; it had been his only link to his brother for years.
Implanting the receiver was exceedingly simple and once his ethical sub-programming was overwritten, the flow of emotions took complete control over Data as he was practically child-like in the area of self-discipline.
Lore watched, fascinated, as his brother's fists clenched slightly along with his jaw. Data smiled a sickening smile which Lore returned.
.
Picard sat down against a steep rise with a huff. The heat came up from the ground in warm waves, giving the fields a shimmering effect and the tall green grass that mixed with the amber reeds was alive with a symphony of buzzing insects. It almost reminded him of the summers at his home in southern France.
"Anything Mr. LaForge?"
"Well… no, nothing sir."
'What if we modified the phasers to send out a lometric pulse? It might create a resonance fluxuation in Data's power cells."
"Yeah… I thought about that. The only problem is that the pulse would have to be so powerful it would probably overload his positronic net in the process."
"Captain," Deanna Troi interrupted their brainstorm. "I think I've found something."
Above the ridge where they were resting, a tall, white building rose impressively against the pearly clouds.
The inside of the fortress was embellished in black marble, tapestries, titanium paneling... It had a spartan, war-like front. Picard observed with fascination the savage hangings of black marks slashed down blood-red fabric. Their shoes clapped against the marble floors.
"This seems to be some kind of meeting place."
"Sir I… I'm having a difficult time scanning the interior."
The captain sighed. "Can you tell if it was built by the Borg?"
"I don't think so… there's no Borg energy signatures. But there is a door or hatch about twenty meters this way."
"It certainly hasn't been abandoned."
"Something's wrong." The tone of Geordi's voice put Picard on edge. "I can't get any kind of energy signatures from these lights sources.
"It's a dampened field. This entire structure could be shielded from our sensors. Let's go." Picard ordered urgently, but before they were given the chance to escape, Borg drones began to pour into the complex. Shouts echoed off the walls and Picard and his team were jostled into a tight circle.
"Stop!" The face of Dr. Noonian Soong's creation stood on a platform, his body covered in traditional Borg clothing.
"Data?"
"That's not Data." Deanna's voice was anxious, reserved. Picard did a double take on the android.
"…Lore."