M for violence
The ground under their feet shook dangerously as the senior staff reached the bridge just when the first disruptor blast of the bird-of-prey touched the shields of the Enterprise.
Anderson tried to stumble to her workstation from the command chair where she'd been sitting, but had to grip the back of the Ops chair for balance. She pressed some buttons on her console "Shields on 72 percent! No damage to the hull, Sir! But they're targeting us again!"
The shaking became less intense for a second as the inertia dampeners compensated, and finally everybody managed to reach their posts. Picard called out "Evasive action!" and at that, he was slumped into his command chair rather unceremoniously, because the Enterprise took a sharp turn. "Open a channel!" he groaned.
"Frequency open, Sir!" Joffrey reported from the tactical console, holding tightly onto it. They all grabbed whatever they could reach as the Enterprise took another steep curve to avoid the next disruptor blast of the Romulan ship.
"They missed again!" Anderson reported.
"Only by a margin!" Riker growled tapping his console.
"Romulan ship!" the Captain addressed their opponents on a raised voice. "You're committing a severe breach of the Treaty of Algeron! Cease fire immediately, or we'll return it!"
"No answer, Sir!" Anderson told him on a tense voice turning her head back to look at her Captain scared.
"The Romulan ship is on an attack vector again!" Joffrey reported on a high pitched voice.
"Prepare quantum torpedoes!" Picard ordered.
The Enterprise ducked from the Romulan disruptor blast with an agility the other ship lacked. But what the bird-of-prey was missing in flexibility, it made up on fire power. Another high energy blast hit the flag ship on the starboard nacelle. The Enterprise shook violently, making the crew again hold on tight to their consoles and chairs.
"Shields down to 36 percent, no damage to the hull, but one more shot like that, and the shields collapse!" Anderson warned them.
"Torpedoes ready!" Joffrey reported cutting in.
"Bring us around, Lieutenant, on an attack vector. Target their disruptors! Fire!" the Captain commanded. The Enterprise made a sudden ducking manoeuvre, flying underneath the enemy ship. The warbird couldn't follow the stunt immediately, and it gave the Enterprise enough time to fire on its weapon systems. The blasts hit the Romulan ship furiously, but the moment of advantage was gone, and the Romulan ship was ready to return the assault making the Enterprise run for her life once again.
"Their shields hold, Captain!" Anderson declared with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Fire at will!" Picard ordered, and Joffrey did his best to synchronize his shots with the evasive manoeuvres they were performing.
"Should we consider a saucer sep, Captain?" Riker asked "It would give them two targets to worry about. It might give us just enough space to out-manoeuvre them!"
Picard shook his head looking only at the main viewer "No! The saucer section then would become an easy target for the Romulans! I don't want to risk that! What's the closest Federation ship? We need backup!"
"The USS Hood, Sir!" Anderson answered "But still three parsecs away!"
The Enterprise meanwhile took a quick circle around the Romulan ship to get behind it once again and avoided another potentially lethal blast. But the turn also made all of their shots miss the Romulans.
"Send them a sub-space message! Tell them we need all the help we can get!"
"Aye, Sir!" Anderson complied and tapped her console. The next moment, she fell out of her chair, hitting her head on the floor hard. The next thing she knew was that the lights blacked out for a second, coming back only partially. Some of the consoles were spitting sparkles and went blank. She turned her head and saw that the Captain and Riker were trying to get up from the floor too - they must have got a direct hit!
Riker, sitting back into his chair and wiping the blood off his temple, where it was seeping from a wound on his head, tapped his console "Direct hit to the port nacelle." he growled on a low voice. The Captain sat back into his chair too next to him, nursing his shoulder painfully. He looked at his second in command, and Riker went on on a grave voice "Shields are down. And we're crippled."
They all stared at the bird-of-prey on the viewscreen scared to death as it flared up its disruptors for one last blast to wipe them out of the sky.
Jones watched his wife and her android boytoy looking at the new-comer petrified, as if they saw a ghost, and he smirked "Surprise, surprise, machine! I suppose I don't need to introduce you." he chuckled at their dumbstruck expressions "Let me help out. You're asking how do I even know our kind guest here? Well, Doctor Maddox and I met by accident after the meeting when I had you jailed." he told Data, then turned to Emma smiling proudly "Oh, chérie, you should have been there to see me! It was one of the biggest performance of your husband to this date to get HIS colleagues confine HIM after I was the one who tried to kill him! Twenty-fourth century..." he chuckled again looking back at Data "Anyways, to cut a long story short, it only took a look in the good Doctor Maddox' eyes to know that he could be talked into anything as long as he got what he wanted above all else! After learning that he's a cyberneticist, it was plain that all he wanted was YOU!" he pointed at Data "The rest as you say, was history. And a little help from my late Romulan friends, their gods may rest them in peace." he added with a pious expression on his features.
Emma felt a new wave of desperation wash over her seeing Maddox starting to work at the consoles as if he was just doing a routine diagnostic at his Institute. She stepped up to him "No! You cannot do this! You're a Starfleet officer! How can you stoop so low?!" she asked openly sobbing.
He looked at her with cold eyes "I offered Data the best compromise that would help him and me mutually. He declined. What other choice did I have?"
"Selling my brother out to be your guinea pig was not a compromise that I would ever have accepted. You knew that, even when you asked me." Data told him on a low voice "However, I was always convinced that whatever you would do, it would always be for the purpose of preserving my father's dream. And now you are ready to destroy it?"
Maddox stood opposite him frowning, seemingly upset about the accusation "Don't you understand that what I'm trying to do is exactly the preservation of his dream, his legacy?! What the Premier is asking from me to do to you is only some small adjustment in your software. Nothing major. But in exchange, I'd finally get the guide I've been missing all these years to successfully copy Doctor Soong's creation of genius! I'm not the one about to destroy his work! You have been! All along! For over all these years! By not cooperating, not taking his dream seriously! You never fully understood just what a perfect creature you are! That it is the duty of humanity to be able to replicate and use your abilities to our advantage! You never understood that being the first of many involves a certain need for sacrifice!" he shrugged disappointed "What was important to you..." he motioned to Emma "This? To fall in love? To have friends? To be a another button-pusher on a starship, one out of millions? To live the life that any human being could live?" he stepped up to him staring right into Data's golden gaze "You never took the responsibility of being the only manifestation of your father's dream. Now, you'll have no choice but to face it!"
"I should never have trusted someone who was ready to dissect me once." Data replied seeing that no argument would use against Maddox' blind belief in his just cause.
Maddox just snorted and went back behind the console.
Emma looked up at Data in complete terror and desperation. He could see, she was trembling and couldn't stop crying, and she was white as a wall. He knew she should have been resting with her being as weak as she was, and instead, she was under severe mental stress and emotional distress. He needed to try to calm her at least a little. "Emma." he started on a silent voice, and she looked at him sniffling, hugging herself as if she was cold. He tried to give her the most reassuring smile he could manage "Please, do not cry. He might be the foremost cyberneticist of the Daystrom Institute, but THIS is my system! I am capable of protecting myself, do not worry!" he saw that she was trying to get a grip on her emotions "Please, calm down!" he soothed - then winced uncomfortably as he sensed that Maddox was trying to break into his systems using a wireless connection. He quickly set all his sub-processors to work on a counter-measure.
Jones watched them silently brooding, standing in a dark corner a few paces from them with crossed arms. Maddox was tapping the console quickly and efficiently having already familiarized himself with the instruments after he'd been beamed over by the Romulans. Jones lazily walked up to him and putting his forearm on one of the tall consoles, he asked as he glared only at Data "Is he... able to fall in love?"
Maddox barely noticed his presence, just nodded absently "Yes, he is."
A peculiar expression appeared on Jones' face then. Close to being shocked, but there was more disgust in it than anything else. "So he's not simply programmed to be attached to her or to protect her. Or to satisfy her sexually. He CAN actually love her?" he asked on a voice suggesting that only THEN did he actually begin to comprehend the depth of his wife's little affair.
Maddox sighed impatiently not even looking up "Of course. He's sentient. The only sentient android in the Federation. This is exactly why I want to understand just how he could be replicated!" he explained almost casually then frowned determined "I established the wireless connection to his systems, now I'm starting to crack his firewalls. After that, I will be able to reprogram the positronic matrix. But this may take a while." he shook his head frustrated "Especially that he's trying everything to keep me out." he went on tapping the console again.
When Data felt the wireless connection established to his systems, he quickly realized, he was in big trouble. Whatever the source of that computer was, Federation or Romulan, it certainly had cutting-edge technology: when he avoided one attack, the system adapted and tried something new. He needed all his processing capacity to calculate a counter-move for all the moves the attacking machine was making. He only vaguely could pay attention to whatever was going on outside of his head.
"How?" Jones asked, and Maddox glanced at him absently.
"How what?" he growled.
"How can you achieve that a machine, made up by a pile of wires and integrated circuitry is in effect able to fall in love?" Jones asked disbelievingly as if this was the very first time he faced the fact that his wife did not cheat on him simply for sexual gratification or security. She WAS in a relationship! With a machine, who could actually love her!
He looked at Data "And you do love her, don't you?" he stepped up to him pushing Emma away from his way "Answer me, machine!" he shouted with blazing eyes.
Data stared at him with an unreadable expression "To you... I have nothing to say." he told him slowly, not having enough processing capacity for more.
Jones turned to Emma watching him with growing dread - she knew this expression. Every time he wore it, he'd find the one thing that would hurt her the most, and he'd not back off until she was begging for mercy.
"And you?" he asked stepping up to her "Do you love him?"
"Edmond, please stop this..." she breathed, and he grabbed her arm pulling her close "Answer me, you whore!"
"Jones!" Data called out, and Jones turned to him surprised. Data looked into his eyes for a long moment before finding a free processing thread to answer "I do love her." he told the man on a low voice "Although I have serious doubts that you have even the vaguest idea about the meaning of that word."
Maddox watched them taken aback, frozen in his movements with wide eyes, giving Data at least a few moments of pause in his cracking attack. Maddox was scared for a moment as Jones turned back to him, and he looked into his deranged eyes "How? How is it possible?" the man asked again demandingly.
The cyberneticist shook his head not really knowing what to answer to that. He shrugged slightly seeing that he would not be able to simply avoid replying "To understand the processes would involve at least a basic understanding of cybernetic principles and-"
Jones pulled out a disruptor from his pocket and pushed it to Data's head "Just answer me, or I swear, you'll never get a chance to look into his head."
Maddox' eyes widened in terror, and he answered without thinking "He possesses an emotion-chip, that generates basic feelings."
Jones stood there petrified for a long moment, before his face lit up with a strange kind of delight "An emotion generating chip! How original!" he laughed taking the gun from Data's head and stepping back to the terrified Emma "How do you like this thought, chérie? A chip. You are loved by a small box of circuitry. Without it, he's just like any other computer. Take a look over there!" he pointed to the consoles "Do you find THEM sexy?" he asked and laughed again, this time at her expression.
Emma shook her head then gazed at her lover "You understand nothing, Edmond..." she breathed. Some more laughter was her reply.
Data still struggled against the attack on the firewalls protecting his positronic brain and calculated that he'd lose the war in little more than an hour even if he kept on fending it off with all his processing capacity. He sensed a measure of indecisiveness. He had the possibility to deactivate himself without using his off-switch, just by taking all his systems and services off-line and then protecting all of it with a password. Knowing that his abilities in the wrong hands would actually turn into dangerous weapons, this would have been the most logical step to take, given that he wasn't able to help Emma anyways... But something kept him from doing it! He just couldn't leave the woman he knew he loved alone that way! It was a stunning realization that the memories of his feelings for her were actually stronger than his rationality! Even if presently he felt nothing of them.
"Edmond, please..." she begged again on a whisper. Jones pulled his mouth into a satisfied grin.
"How nice it is to hear that!" he chuckled and pulled her into his arms. He then put the disruptor underneath her chin. She gave a soft moan, but didn't dare to move.
Jones turned to Data "How does this feel, machine?" he hissed.
Data took another moment to reply "You will not..." he whispered slowly, but with a wince, sensed his focus switch from his defence to Emma.
Jones smiled "I will not! No. How about this?" he pressed the gun under her chin harder, making her lean her head back. He then tilted his head and kissed a trail on her neck from her throat to her ear. Emma shut her eyes feeling the gun tightly pressed into her skin and sobbed silently at the sensation of his lips travelling on her skin. The next moment, he took his mouth away and let her go. She buried her face in her palms for a short desperate moment but hearing her husband hiss "How did that feel?" made her head shot up, and she watched in terror as Jones stepped to Data and looked into his eyes. Data didn't - couldn't - answer, and he went on "Because I will do this every singular day right in front of your eyes!" But the android remained stubbornly silent, and his expression was as deadpan as ever. Jones squinted as he understood that whatever he tried, he'd not draw any reaction out of his opponent "I want to see it." he declared, and it took them a little while to understand just WHAT he actually meant by that.
"What?" Maddox gaped "No, it's not possible!" he shook his head in bewilderment.
"Oh, yes it is!" Jones shouted "You'll show it to me, or I'll find it for myself!" but Maddox didn't move, and suddenly Jones stepped to one of the guards and pulled out a short-bladed military-knife from his belt. He looked at Emma who stood there frozen to the spot "I'll show you what he's like! I'll show you his feelings are just illusions! I'll show you, he's as empty inside as he FEELS!" with that, he lunged toward Data.
"Edmond!" Emma screamed horrified as he pushed the knife into Data's chest with all of his might.
Jones let the weapon go as low voltage electric arcs surrounded the knife stinging his hand, while the wound spat sparkles for a long moment.
Data's monitoring systems told him that his second sub-processor went blank, shortening the time before his defences would crumble at the attack still wildly raging against his systems. But apart from that, nothing major was hit - of course he could see that Emma didn't realize that and was sobbing hysterically.
Jones pulled out the contorted blade, when the sparkles went out and throwing it away, he tore Data's under-shirt aside to examine the wound "It's here, isn't it? Right where his heart should be!" he breathed on a manic whisper. But all he could see was a few centimeters of Data's metal endo-skeleton underneath the bioplast, and nothing else.
Suddenly, Emma grabbed Jones' suit and pushed him away from Data with a force that stunned her husband "Enough!" she screamed. Jones looked into her eyes disbelievingly for a long moment. "Don't you dare touch him again!" she shouted gasping through her tears.
"You're threatening me?" Jones asked incredulously and chuckled pulling his lips into a smirk.
"I won't let you hurt him!" Emma sobbed shaking her head "You took everybody from me. You won't take him, you'll have to kill me first!" she moaned.
Jones took a small step toward her, and she pressed her back against Data's body. He could hear her drumming heart, and felt her trembling against him. He could not allow her to do this for him! "Emma, please..." he whispered to her "You must not do this!" he begged "You must not!"
Emma just stared into her husband's eyes with unbreakable resolve as he stood opposite her watching his wife protecting that piece of junk! And he could feel that her words were true. And he needed to break her! Break both of them! "Do you know why I never hit you, ma chérie?" he asked on a low voice "Why I never used any kind of physical violence with you?" She swallowed hard, and her hand found Data's, bound to the wall by the wrist. She slipped her hand into his, and he grasped it tightly, not knowing how else to give her some strength. Jones stared into her eyes as he went on "I never needed to! I could find ways to hurt you far more than a simple slap on the face." his expression became dark and cruel "But don't think I will refrain from it, if you make me." he hissed.
She shut her eyes resting her head on Data's chest gasping with terror - but still stubbornly unmoving.
"Alright!" they heard Maddox suddenly from the side, and they all looked at him almost as if waken from a dream. He stepped to Data "Alright, I'll show it to you!" he declared, and reaching behind Data's neck, he opened the service-door and removed the chip. Emma watched on helplessly, knowing she could do nothing to stop their traitor colleague.
Maddox held the chip out in his palm for Jones to see. It sparkled against the lights of the console. "This is it, you see? But now, let this be enough! I cannot concentrate on my work amidst this distraction, and I will not allow you to damage him any further! I won't be able to use him in my research, if he's not intact!"
Jones looked at the tiny shining chip mesmerized "So this is his heart?" he asked on a trembling whisper.
Maddox grimaced "Yes. If you need to use a metaphor, then essentially, this is his heart." Jones reached out and took the chip from Maddox' hand. "But let it be enough, alright? I had enough of this hysteria, when I should be concentrating."
"Don't be afraid, Doctor, there will be no more distraction." Jones declared putting the chip down on the console.
Just as they felt a measure of relief, he pointed the disruptor to it, and wordlessly fired on the small chip.
"What are you doing?!" Maddox shouted wide-eyed as he had to watch the chip dissipating into dust in less than a second. Jones turned off the disruptor and put it back into his pocket. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Maddox went on screaming from the top of his lungs "This was the achievement of Doctor Soong's lifetime! An integral part of my research!"
"But it was not part of my plans, my dear Doctor." Jones pointed out to the outraged scientist, then turning to his wife, he grabbed her by the arm - tearing her grip on Data's hand - and made her look at the pile of black dust that once was Data's precious chip. "You see? It's over. He cannot love you anymore." he hissed triumphant into her ear "You're mine again, chérie!"
She stared at the char-black remains and felt the room spin around her before darkness engulfed her, and she collapsed on the floor not knowing about the world any longer. Data watched her unmoving body helpless - and his processors screamed with the sudden load, the source of which was just impossible to identify. He attempted to rearrange his processes to concentrate only on defending himself, but with Emma at his feet, unconscious, unable to protect herself, he had the impression of being in a feedback loop - even with his emotion-chip gone...
Maddox gaped, seeing her faint and crouched next to her, feeling the pulse on her neck "Her pulse is irregular." he stood and fetched a tricorder he'd brought from the Enterprise, then squatted back to her and scanned her "She's severely anemic, malnourished and dehydrated. It's a miracle she was able to stand on her two feet so far." he pressed some buttons "She has traces of L-Cordrazine in her blood."
"What's that?" Jones asked standing above them, watching with an impassive expression.
"A very strong medication, probably the only thing that kept her going as weak as she is."
"Then give her something! There're a lot of drugs in the drawers over there." Jones pointed to the far end of the lab, where tall cabinets stood "We received them from your ever-helpful Federation during the course of years... There should be some of this stuff too." he ordered on a cold voice.
Maddox shook his head "I'm not a medical doctor, I don't administer drugs. But even if I did, she cannot take any more Cordrazine. Her body is completely drained, it would just put more strain on her already weak system." he looked up at Jones with a serious expression "She should get medical attention. Promptly!"
Jones looked at his unconscious wife coldly for a moment longer, then crouching next to her, he picked her up and stood "I'll take care of her. You take care of him." he nodded toward Data "I want him to be ready by the time I get back here!" he declared then turned and left with Emma in his arms.
Data watched them feeling the utilization of his sub-processors spike as an overpowering sense of NEED to go after his lover filled his neural net. Then the door shut behind them, and he turned his head towards his traitor friend. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before he uttered on his usual emotionless voice.
"If she gets hurt, Doctor Maddox, I swear to you, I will find a way to make you pay for it!"
