Data helplessly acknowledged that the last of his defences crumbled only a few minutes after Jones took Emma away. He still had no idea what occupied his processors in the form of an enormous workload, he only knew that he was not able to think about anything but his lover together with a monster that would surely abuse her and her helpless unconscious state. The thought was almost like a feedback loop, and it diverted much of his resources from the task of counter-acting the hacking attack on his firewalls. He stood no chance against it.
He winced at the sensation of the alien computer finally getting access into his mind, and he turned his head to look at his once friend. Would it have any effect to beg him to stop? Would he then realize that he was still a sentient being, whom the scientist was abusing? Would his conscience finally speak up then?
It was as if Maddox felt his gaze on himself, he raised his head from staring at the displays in front of him, and looked into his eyes.
But before Data could utter a word, he suddenly heard something, and he pricked his ears alarmed. In a few moments, the humans felt it too. The severe quake that devastated the city above them came as a slight tremor through the floors down to the basement. Maddox looked up to the trembling ceiling startled.
"What's this?" he asked as some dust appeared from an ever growing crack in the ceiling.
"An earthquake." Data answered looking up, then he turned his head to the doctor again "Possibly a major one, given that this building is earthquake resistant."
The tremor increased, and looking at the guards, Maddox could tell that they became really uneasy. He glared at them frowning "What are you standing here for? Check out what's going on!" he ordered, and after some hesitation, one of the guards disappeared. In little more than a minute, he returned seemingly in panic:
"The whole building is gonna crumble!" by that time, the shaking of the ground became more and more prominent, so the other guards were looking at him and each other alarmed.
"We need to get out of here!" one of them declared "You check the elevator, you guard them! I check the fire escape! We need to bring the robot upstairs! Premier Jones will dissect us alive, if it's damaged!" Two of them ran out leaving only one guard in the room with the two Starfleet officers.
Maddox watched them from behind his console visibly fumbling with something that Data didn't quite see, but he was stunned to suddenly sense the connection of the alien computer to his mind break abruptly, and then as he followed Maddox' movements, he noticed that the cyberneticist slipped something into his pocket. He frowned puzzled and slightly dazed, as Maddox stepped up to the remaining guard, and without further ado, shot him with what Data finally recognized as a type-one phaser.
Maddox leaped to him and pressed some buttons on the panel that held Data's shackles in place. The android looked at him cocking his head "Did you kill him?"
"No! Only stunned him!" Maddox replied seemingly outraged by the accusation. He eventually managed to find the right button to press, and Data's hands became free. The two man looked into each other's eyes for a brief, intense moment as Maddox told him "I have no intention of killing anybody, and NEVER had!" he added looking at his friend with a meaningful expression. Before the android could answer, he nodded to the door "Come on!"
They exited just to find themselves face to face with the two guards that had left a moment ago. The cyberneticist was found to be an able fighter too, because he shot one of them before he could reach for his gun, while Data knocked out the other.
They ran through a narrow corridor as Data asked him "So this means you were on our side throughout?"
"Are you sure you want to know the answer?" Maddox asked him gasping and looked at him challengingly.
Data had no idea what to answer, and if he wanted to be honest, he had little interest in the matter right at the moment. His mind was on something else "We need to find Emma! If this is really a gigantic earthquake, she is in grave danger."
"I don't want to take your illusions," Maddox winced out of breath "but even if there's no quake, she's in danger with that psychopath husband of hers!"
Data looked at him with a blank expression as they stopped at the elevator "I am aware of that." he replied on a low voice.
Maddox didn't reply just pressed the button a few times "Come on!" he growled.
"The rhythmic pressing of the button does not influence the speed of the elevator." Data deadpanned.
Maddox looked at him bemused "I'm aware of that." he equalled, and the doors opened.
They jumped in, and the cab started to move upward with a forceful jerk, just to stop abruptly with the earsplitting sound of metal meeting metal.
"What was that?!" Maddox looked at Data alarmed.
The android didn't answer. Instead jumping up, he pushed out the emergency lid of the elevator cab. Then leaped onto the top of it in one impressive movement. Maddox stood underneath the service door and looking upward, tried to make out what his friend was doing, but the whole shaft was pitch dark. Electricity must have failed, he concluded. A moment later, Data jumped back next to him, and he had to hold on to the wall, because the cab jerked wildly. He slowly realized it wasn't because of the android's weight, but because he was holding the ropes of the elevator cab in his hands and pulled them inside. He stared at him wide-eyed:
"What the-"
But he couldn't finish. Data quickly pulled themselves out, and Maddox was stunned by the revelation that despite being fully aware of Data's capabilities, he still was amazed, when he had the chance to witness them! In a matter of a few minutes, they were on the ground floor. Data tied the rope, holding the cab in place, and forcing the doors open, he bolted out of the elevator, muttering "I am getting the hang of this." which Maddox really had no idea how to interpret.
"What are you doing?!" Emma asked screaming as she was pushed into the back seat of the limousine of the Premier, next to her husband "Didn't you hear Beverly? You cannot escape this, the whole planet is in danger!" The car started with a jerk, and they had to hold on as it made its way over the piles of debris on the streets, advancing only on a very slow speed.
"Faster!" Jones ordered on a harsh voice knowing that he wouldn't be let go as long as Emma was with him. The soldier at the wheel obeyed, and the car sped up, but it was shaking violently over the extremely uneven ground. Jones then snorted "Do you think I'd fall for this, chérie?" he told her without glancing at her "The quake came just in time for your kind colleagues to make a threat."
"Weren't you here this morning and yesterday?" Emma asked stunned by his visible ignorance of the reality around them "There were two quakes that rooted hundred-year-old trees! Edmond!" she grabbed his arm to make him look at her. He was surprised by the touch, and Emma looked at him pleading "Don't you understand? We all are going to die on Epsilon Four!"
He had no time to answer or even just to think about what she'd just said. The vehicle suddenly slowed down, and as the couple stared outside, they realized that they slowly got surrounded by people. People who wore furious expressions and started to hit the car shouting terrible oaths at them. Emma gaped seeing how enraged they seemed and as their numbers grew the car slowed even more down.
"Faster! Ride through them!" Jones ordered.
The car made a jerk, but then stopped abruptly, hitting something neither of them could see and then stalled.
"What was this?! Ride on!" Jones shouted at the driver.
"Unknown, Sir!" the soldier replied trying to restart the engine. In vain.
Emma didn't dare to guess whether it was some of the people in front of them or some debris that stopped the car, but she had no time to brood on it. The crowd closed in around them growing loud, and the hits on the bulletproof car was raining around them like some bizarre hailstorm. She looked outside slowly realizing that they were in big trouble, and she could just see as a burly man raised a huge piece of concrete and then let it fall... The next moment, the window next to her imploded, and she had just enough time to turn away from the flying shreds of glass.
The next thing she knew was the sensation of being forcefully dragged out of the car. She heard a shrieking voice, and slowly realized it was her own scream. She spotted her husband on the other side of the vehicle, he was being pulled out of the car too, and as the people dragged her about, she heard the sharp sound of a gun firing. She snapped her head toward the sound and saw that the people gunned down the soldiers, who'd been their escorts - they weren't scared of their weapons! She then witnessed as the crowd beat the two soldiers who would soon disappear on the ground, among the enraged rabble...
Emma stared at the scene petrified, wide-eyed then suddenly felt her back hitting a hard metal railing.
"Let's hang the traitors!" someone in the crowd shouted. Her hands were forcefully twisted behind her by the same man who broke the car's window. She moaned in pain, but it was enough to wake her from her shock to understand, she was bound to what remained of a tall, iron fence, that somehow survived the quake - and that she'd soon be lynched. She turned her head to the side gasping, and saw Edmond who was struggling and screaming against the man who bound him next to her.
"What are you doing?!" he screamed from the top of his lungs "I'm your leader! I'm the Premier of Epsilon Four!"
"The leader who runs away, while his people get killed!" somebody shouted from the crowd, and the burly man grabbed him by the neck.
"You'd leave us to our certain deaths, wouldn't you, you vermin! The city crumbles on us, and you escape with your whore!"
Emma gaped bewildered as she understood: they turned against Edmond! But how?! She couldn't have known that the Enterprise's message reached most of the people just before the quake struck, and that they were more aware of what was happening to their planet than she herself was.
"Don't worry, princess, it'll all be over soon!" the burly man growled and kissed into her neck, chuckling at her impotent struggle against him.
"Let's see them hang!" he shouted as the crowd cheered in pervert ecstasy, and Emma felt a rope dropped around her neck.
"No! No, please don't!" she begged gasping in terror. Her only reply was some more laughter from her soon-to-be-murderer.
She looked out on the people all around and a wave of dizziness ran through her. Her vision blurred for a moment - or for a longer time, she couldn't really judge - and somehow, her disturbed mind slowed everything down, almost as if she was watching the events around her as a slow-motion film. She suddenly was reminded to her years, when she was celebrated as an actress: there was a similar crowd around her after her premiers, she could barely get through the people, they wanted her autograph or just to touch her. She had the bizarre feeling that there was symmetry in the fact that the exact same people wanted to see her dead now. She turned her head to the side and saw Edmond standing there next to her - just as at her premiers. Complete terror distorted his face as he was shouting for help and for the people to stop - and that he was their leader, they had to obey him... Emma looked up at their executioner and seeing his grin, thought in wry amusement: no, my silly, little husband, THAT man will NOT stop, no matter how you beg. She looked back at the crowd: their mouths were moving, but she could barely hear anything now.
Is this how it's gonna end? she asked herself. She looked out over the moon-like landscape and smiled feeling an insuppressible wave of happiness wash over her as she saw her lover staring right at her standing on top of a pile of debris. My sweet Deadpan! I'm so grateful that I'm allowed to see you one last time. One last time... You see? I get my deserved punishment for what I've done to you by bringing you here and into my cursed life! Don't grief for me! Never forgive me! - Never forget me, please...
She felt her hot tears roll down her cheeks as she shut her eyes and lay her head against the hard metal of the fence submitting herself to her fate. Let it come now! Let it be over!
Stepping out of the building, Data and Maddox took little time to take in the horrifying surroundings. They spotted the myriad of Starfleet officers tending to wounded a hundred meter from them among the rubble, and they ran up to them - Maddox not having a chance at catching up with Data.
"Doctor Crusher!" Data called and saw her turning to him with a tricorder in hand.
"Data!" she took him by the arm with a desperate expression "Jones has taken Emma in an automobile. They rode away through the debris, but Riker has already-"
"Which way?" he cut in and all of his colleagues pointed in the direction they disappeared at.
"That way!"
He started to run without thinking about what he would find, once he finds them. He was rather going through the types of vehicles he knew were in use on Epsilon Four, in particularly the metal they were made of. He was glad to conclude that none would withstand his strength, and probably none had a chance to out-run him in the ragged terrain the quake left of the city.
He spotted the limousine a kilometer from where he was standing, when he reached the top of a huge pile of rubble. It was the vehicle of the Premier, so it was armored and shell-proof, but he knew it would be no problem for him to open. He leaped off the pile and ran on: he determined he would be able to catch up with them in less than four minutes given the rough ground.
He rushed by Riker and his small security team trying to catch up with the car - in lack of a better option - on foot. They were stumbling over huge boulders like puppy-dogs on stairs. As Data passed them by with effortless grace, Riker frowned annoyed "Easy for you!" he grumbled then waved to his team "Come on, speed up!" he commanded.
Data almost caught up with the vehicle, when suddenly, he noticed that it was surrounded and stopped by an ever growing crowd. In little less then a minute, Data witnessed the people breaking into the car and pulling out the passengers by force. He started to run with all the speed he could have mustered as he watched Emma and Jones bound to what seemed to be a fence. He could hear the crowd screaming for their deaths, and though he couldn't grasp why they wanted to kill Emma too, he knew he needed to resist his wish to analyse the peculiarities of human group behavioural patterns for the moment, because he needed all his resources to save her!
A man stood on the other side of the fence and putting ropes around their necks, he fanaticized the crowd some more. Data could see Emma looking right at him, before she shut her eyes resignedly, and he knew, had he possessed emotions in that second, that expression would have scared him. He needed to get to her, fast!
The silence Emma heard ended as she felt her hands untied, and she opened her eyes only slowly, as if waking from a dream. The first thing she saw was her lover standing next to her, looking into her eyes with his beautiful golden gaze for a fraction of a second before turning back to the crowd. Her would-be executioner, she could see, lay at their feet unconscious.
And suddenly everything began to move at its natural speed again.
She heard Edmond screaming: "Let me go!" and saw Data knocking the third man flat who tried to attack them with an iron pipe in hand - Data on the other hand seemed to have no other weapon but his strength. It dawned on her finally that he could only slow them down, but wouldn't be able to fight a hundred or more enraged Epsilonian with a kill-wish. She jumped to Edmond, and he looked back at her gratefully "Quick, chérie! Free me!" he urged her, and she looked at him disbelievingly that he actually meant what he asked!
"Not a chance. Chérie." she declared dryly, fumbling in his pockets.
"What are you doing?!" he demanded bewildered, but as she pulled out the Romulan disruptor he had had in his suit pocket, it dawned on him. A terrified expression appeared on his face.
She snorted "Don't wet your pants, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to testify at your courtcase!" she turned to see where Data was and saw him struggling with a man - while two others were hitting him with iron-pipes. She frowned and taking aim, shot her lover's opponent. The man crumbled to the ground like a rag-doll, and the two others backed off, startled. The crowd seemed to freeze for a moment, seeing the blast that took out the man. Indeed an alien weapon had its effect on people being programmed to feel terrified by anything alien - and fortunately, the green blast of the disruptor was an eery sight. Data looked around with genuine surprise on his face then spotted the weapon in her hand. "Here!" Emma called, and threw the gun to him.
He caught it with the grace of a professional hand-ball player "Back off!" he ordered pointing the gun toward the people.
"I can see we're not even needed!" they heard from their side and turning, saw Will Riker with his team finally arriving, phasers pointing at the rabble. A few moments before they reached them, the crowd of people simply dispersed at an amazing speed. They were not used to see Starfleet uniforms, and never thought of them as anything friendly. And Data made a mental note that it seemed with humans, fear was a weapon too!
"Commander Riker! Thank you for the backup!" Data nodded politely.
"Not that you needed it, but you're welcome, my friend!" Will noted wryly then frowned seeing Data's endoskeleton visible under his torn under-shirt and bioplast sheeting "Are you alright?"
Data looked down at himself a little confused then nodded almost nonchalantly "I am fine."
The Commander didn't seem to be convinced but let it go and turned his gaze towards Jones "Now, what do we have here? The most popular leader this people ever had!" he grinned looking at Jones still bound to the fence, growling at him in his impotent anger. Will crossed to him to study the frustration on his face satisfied. "Don't worry, in the brig, you'll be far more comfortable." he taunted.
"Commander," Data stepped up to where they were standing "please take Mr. Jones into custody. On accounts of murder, assault, treason-"
"With pleasure, my friend." Will cut in, then looking at Emma, he grinned a little challengingly "I presume the loveliest shrew of the Enterprise crew doesn't mind me freeing her from a husband that undoubtedly would win the 'Worst Spouse of the Universe' award!" he told Emma taking her hand.
"Not the least!" Emma answered on a silent voice a little taken aback by the touch.
Will smiled at her encouragingly then bent down and planted a kiss on her knuckles with a respect she was genuinely surprised of. He squeezed her hand one last time before letting go, then stepping up to Jones, he pressed his combadge "Enterprise, four to beam directly to the brig!"
"You'll regret this! Chérie, you'll beg for me to take you back! I'll kill both of you!" Jones shouted, and Emma looked at Will with a hard expression as they unbound her husband.
"Riker!" she called and went on as they got the confirmation for the transport "Don't take your phaser off of him until he's locked up! I mean it!"
"I won't!" Will answered as they disintegrated into small particles, and then were gone.
Not a moment after Will and his team beamed off the planet, the ground began to shake once again, and Data and Emma stared at each other for a second somewhat disbelievingly, before Data swept her off her feet and leaped at least four meters forward. Looking back, Emma could see, that the ground they'd been standing on disappeared, and a crack was growing in its place. Data stopped on top of an enormous concentrate beam that seemed sturdy enough to withstand what he judged to be an aftershock of the previous major quake. Emma held on to him fearfully, grasping his under-shirt and burying her face into his metal endoskeleton.
"Doctor Tainer, we really need the preparations to be ready!"
"We're almost done, Captain! We need only a moment!" it was Deanna who answered as Juliana was making the final calculations. They were both sitting at one of the science consoles.
"If there's another earthquake like the previous one, there will be no colony to save! Not to mention our colleagues down there, so I don't have another moment, Counsellor!" Picard demanded on a harsh voice.
"Alright! I'm done!" Juliana declared the next second, leaning backward in her chair.
Picard looked at her blinking a little incredulously, then frowned "You sure?"
Juliana looked at him bemused, almost irritated, then started to tick off the points on her fingers "Yes. With the help of the Romulan information, we calculated how deep we need to drill with the Enterprise' phasers to cut the kelbonite crust of the planet and stop short of reaching the dilithium - as the phasers may cause even more thermal energy worsening the disturbances. We modulated the quantum torpedoes to emit the specific harmonic vibrations that would shatter the lattices. It will be possible to adjust that as the torpedoes reach the dilithium-"
"Alright, Doctor, I understand! I understand!" Picard cut in raising his hands defensively, knowing he shouldn't have asked "Tactical, prepare phasers and stand-by!" he then pressed his combadge "Picard to Crusher!"
"Crusher here!" they heard Beverly's voice coming through the comchannel with some static noise "Please, make it quick, I have a lot to do here, Captain!"
"Doctor, we're ready to implement Ms. Tainer's solution to the tectonic disturbance. I want all of you to beam up immediately, just to be on the safe side."
"Negative, Captain!" Beverly told him on a tense voice "There are thousands of wounded around here and underneath the rubble! We cannot just leave them here!"
"Beverly, I'm not going to repeat this! I have given you a direct order!" he started on a harsh voice, but Juliana and Deanna stood opposite him.
"It will be fine, Captain!" Deanna told him.
Juliana nodded "If the solution works, it will not endanger anybody, and the planet will quiet. If it doesn't work, by my calculations, the next major quake is in two hours, by which time, we'll need to evacuate the whole colony. It will be bigger than the ones before."
"You might- ...recalculate that Doc-" they heard Beverly's voice again.
"Beverly, you're breaking up!"
"There's another quake! We-" that was all they heard before the channel closed, and the Captain looked at Juliana wide-eyed.
"That's not a quake!" she shook her head "That's an aftershock!"
"It might be just as lethal!" Deanna told her on a tense voice.
"We ran out of time!" the Captain breathed "Tactical!"
"Phasers are ready Captain!" Joffrey declared.
"Fire!" Picard commanded then looked at Juliana, and she could see that there were a lot of repressed emotions in that intense gaze "It is up to you now, Ms. Tainer!"
She and Deanna nodded in union, and they went back to the science console.
After a few moments, Juliana spoke up "The phaser drills are done. Fire quantum torpedoes!"
Beverly heard that the comchannel broke up, and she had no chance to try to open it again, because she was thrown off her feet by the shake of the ground. She moaned painfully nursing her shoulder that took most of the impact of her fall.
Then somebody cried "Look up!" and she pushed herself up into a crouching position to obey. She then saw brightly shining balls appearing in the orange sky, almost as if stars were falling from the heavens, aiming right at the planet's heart. The Starfleet officers all knew these were the torpedoes targeting the dilithium to shatter it and relieve the tectonic stress.
But the Epsilonians watched in horror! They started to scream terrified at the sight as the balls of light hit their planet, and the Starfleet officers had a hard time stopping them from getting hurt by running mindlessly around boulders of concrete, sharp twists of metal and pockets of fire moving in the aftershock almost as if everything around them was alive with its own will!
But then suddenly, it all stopped. As if it was cut, the shaking of the ground stopped. The noise of the quake stopped. And the people stood there petrified, wide-eyed, not really knowing what to think.
Data was still standing on the concentrate beam with Emma in his arms who was staring around dumbfounded by what they'd witnessed - and by the fact that the quake stopped short!
"It seems my mother succeeded." Data remarked thoughtfully.
Emma was about to ask what he meant, but before she had a chance to, he jumped off the beam onto a relatively clear spot near a staircase - that lead to nowhere - among the rubble and put Emma down.
"I suggest we should wait for the others to find us, since I do not have a combadge with me to request a beam-out, and I would be reluctant to leave you here alone to go for help."
She looked at his impassive face, heard his emotionless voice and again she felt dizzy. She knew it was all her fault! She did this to him! She turned away from him, collapsed on the stairs and buried her face into her palms, stooping over her thighs. She waited for despair to catch up with her - but no tears came. She had the creepiest sensation that she lost her ability to feel emotions as much as he did.
She then felt a hand on her shoulder, gently sweeping her dishevelled hair backwards, but she remained in that slouching position not having the strength to straighten.
"Emma. Look at me." she heard his silent voice and felt his hand become still on her crooked back.
She shook her head feeling her chest tighten "I-I can't..." she breathed and then heard her own voice speak of fears her own mind barely could register "If I look at you... you'll disappear like a mirage. As if you never existed... and never loved me." her voice broke, and her eyes started to sting.
She then felt his hand moving on her back up to her shoulder, felt him surrounding her with his arm gently but firmly. He turned her to him, taking her hands away from her face, but she didn't, couldn't look at him. She just sat there with a bowed head, her tears finally blurred her vision. He put a hand underneath her chin and turned her face upward. She had no choice then but to lock her gaze with his.
"But I am here." he told her and cupped her cheek tenderly "I do exist." he wiped her tears with his thumb. She gazed into his eyes spellbound and just sat there breathing slowly, making herself believe it. She then finally reached up and taking his hand in both of hers, kissed his fingers. He bowed down to her and they embraced tightly.
"Oh, god... you're real..." she moaned clinging to him, grasping his under-shirt in her fists trying to get closer to him, closer than it was possible.
Data held her wordlessly. He planted a kiss on her hair, tightening his arms around her as much as he could without hurting her.
He mused on that sensation of absence he experienced holding her close. He missed having those strong feelings for her. But they were gone, leaving only faint shadows behind: some memories, some sensations, and an inexplicable workload on his processors as if they tried to assist his wasted chip. He had no choice, he'd need to get accustomed to having only these shadows from now on. But would she do with those too?
She pulled away a little to look at him. Her face reflected nothing but guilt "Data..." she stroked his cheek lovingly "How can I ask for your forgiveness?"
"What is there to forgive, Emma?" he asked frowning slightly.
"You lost your emotion-chip because of me! I brought you to this cursed planet, I brought you into my cursed life. And now you lost the one thing you held precious above everything else."
He seemed to consider this for a moment, then took her hand gently in his "It is not your fault that I lost my chip. And I never would regret being part of your life because of losing my chip. You gave me an emotion, I have never before experienced. All-consuming, greater than anything I have ever felt before! One that transformed my very being. My very soul. Though I only have a memory of it, it is still the most important, most intense experience since my activation. I am grateful to you that you have enabled me to feel that way." he touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers tenderly "I understand that when we started our relationship, it was never taken into consideration, that I might not possess the ability to requite your feelings. Therefore, I would also understand, if you wished to abandon the possibility of the continuation of our associations."
"Oh, Deadpan..." she shook her head with a tortured expression, and he squeezed her hands gently.
"However. If you wish to experiment with progressing on the road we have started despite my inability to feel emotions, I will do everything to make you feel loved and happy. I hope I have collected enough experience about how it can be achieved." he gave her a small smile "If you are willing to try."
She smiled tearfully and pulled him close.
After a short moment, he asked hesitating "Is that a yes?"
She chuckled pulling away to look at him "Yes, it's a yes!"
He smiled back serenely and then tilting his head, closed the distance between their lips.
"There will be no need for that!" they heard from their side and turning their heads toward the voice, they saw Maddox standing there a few steps from them.
"Doctor Maddox." Data stood and nodded politely, then from the corner of his eye, he saw that Emma sprang to her feet. Just as she was about to jump the scientist, he stopped her and pulled her close gently "You need not to be angry or frightened, Emma. He was on our side throughout."
Her posture remained tensed up for a moment longer then she frowned confused "Really?" she asked staring up at him somewhat suspiciously. Data could feel that her heart was beating rapidly and a tremor ran through her. He nodded assuringly.
Maddox stepped up to them looking at Emma "I'm terribly sorry that you had to go through all those things in the lab." he told her with genuine regret in his voice "There was no chance for me to let either of you know where I stand."
Emma nodded still a little forlorn, and tried to make herself calm down. She was then struck by a thought "How come Edmond didn't catch you lying? He can read minds!"
"He IS able to sense lies, true, but as far as I know, he cannot actually read thoughts." he corrected her "I presume, I wasn't caught, because I never actually lied." he explained, and they looked at him shocked. He looked into the eyes of his android friend "Data, I meant what I said about the legacy of your father! I really feel, you don't take it seriously enough. You're the only Soong-type android in the universe. You're the last of your kind. I wish you understood how much responsibility goes with that fact."
Data glanced away musing on what he heard. He had to admit, there was truth in his words "I still cannot give my brother up, Doctor."
Maddox shook his head "You don't need to do that anymore."
Data frowned confused "I thought this was your wish ever since you arrived on the Enterprise!"
Maddox nodded "Yes, it was. Before having a chance at analysing a full backup of your positronic matrix in comparison with the matrices of my failed attempts. I believe I've found the problem."
"You did?" the couple gaped at him surprised.
He nodded "Yes. I will tell you once we're on the Enterprise, cleaned up and safe. Till then, however, let me give you a present!"
Data stared at him somewhat taken aback as he stepped close to him, reached up to the back of his neck, and then all of a sudden, the familiar rush of emotions coursed through his positronic neural net as it always did, when the chip was turned on. He gaped at his friend shocked, feeling his heart wanting to leap out of his chest, as his mind processed all the events missed by the chip. He then finally, hugged Emma tightly, fighting with his tears, clinging to her desperately. She stood there petrified, not really believing her eyes. Then slid her arms around him and held him close comfortingly.
Maddox gave them a few moments and smiled wistfully at the couple. Data pulled away a little from Emma and took her face into his palms tenderly. His cheeks were wet with his golden tears, and she gently wiped them away, while her own cheeks were just as wet. He then leaned to her and gave her a long, close-mouthed kiss on the lips. The scientist watched their wordless display of affection moved. Those few gestures spoke of a love deeper than he thought his android friend would ever be capable of giving or receiving. They then finally broke away and looked at him a little embarrassed.
After a long moment, Data felt himself up to formulate a coherent question and looked at Maddox confused "What did Premier Jones destroy?" he asked on a silent voice, visibly still under the effects of his overwhelming emotions catching up with him in a single moment.
Maddox turned his palms up "One of my attempts at replicating your chip. I was working on it, when the Romulan transporter beamed me down here, so it came with me to the planet. I never thought I might have a use of it here, so I almost forgot about having it in my pocket. Then when Jones started to talk about wanting to see your chip, I remembered..."
"But you seemed to take out the chip from its place... I-I don't understand." Emma shook her head just as perplexed as her lover. Data made himself break his gaze away from her to look at the doctor, who was smiling a delighted smile.
"I show you!" he declared, then stepped up to her and reaching behind her ear, he pulled out a small coin from among her disheveled strands. They gaped at the magic trick amazed, and he chuckled at their expressions "An old trick from my father. Growing up with a magician, you learn a few things! Of course, actually, he was a medical doctor, but even in his daily job, he was something of a miracle-worker."
"Oh, my god!" she whispered, and he gave her the coin, which she studied in awe.
They looked at him gratefully and amazed for a long moment, before Data extended a hand:
"Thank you!" he said on a silent voice, and as Maddox shook his hand, he smiled "My friend."
When they released each other, Emma gave a quick hug to the cyberneticist too, which he returned with a red face.
"I don't mean to disturb the moment," they heard a familiar voice, and turning, saw Geordi La Forge walking up to them "but Data, you would be needed, if you could spare a moment."
"Geordi, what is it?" Data asked cocking his head almost as if he was waken from one of his dream-program sequences.
"Well..." Geordi motioned around with his hands at the chaos and rubble still around them "There are lots of people stuck under the debris. We could use your strong arms!" the Engineer explained and seemed a little impatient.
"Oh, you must be right..." Data breathed realizing in that moment just where he actually was.
She looked up at him and gave him a small smile "Go." he squeezed her hand and nodded. He then looked at Maddox "Doctor, could you please escort Emma to the Enterprise? AND to sickbay. She needs medical attention."
Maddox nodded "Of course."
Data was about to leave, when a thought struck him, and he called "Geordi, wait a moment, if you could." then stepped back to Emma, while Geordi crossed his arms a little bemused but smiling.
"What is it?" she asked confused.
"I have to keep to the rules." he answered, and reached up to the back of his neck. Before he turned the chip off, he allowed himself the feeling of touching her hand. Then taking it into his, he switched the chip off, and then removed it from its slot. Gazing into her concerned eyes, he then placed his precious chip into her palm and closed her fingers around it, taking her small hand in both of his.
"Please, keep it for me, until I am back on the Enterprise." he asked on a silent voice. His face once again devoid of all emotions.
Emma shook her head "Baby, this is too big a responsibility! What if I lose it?! Perhaps, Doctor Maddox should-"
He shook his head "No, I want YOU to keep it. I have told you. It is yours, as much as it is mine." he gave her a small tentative smile "You will NOT lose it." She looked at him amazed at his trust, and he squeezed her hand around his chip gently "I have to go now."
Emma looked at the small chip in her palm for a moment then gazed after Data and Geordi as they moved away from her among the piles of rubble. She then suddenly noticed the overwhelming exhaustion creeping up on her. Maybe she really SHOULD go to sickbay. Maddox touched her arm "Are you ready?"
She nodded wordlessly, thinking that she never would have thought that she'd ever return to the Enterprise, let alone the fact that it would happen only 36 hours after they'd left.
But in a few moments, she was standing in sickbay, Maddox politely said goodbye to her and left, and she looked around at the organized chaos of Starfleet doctors and nurses working on patients coming up in a relentless stream of misery from Epsilon Four.
She suddenly felt stranded. Alone. In a completely alien place, with alien people, in an alien time. All whom she'd ever held dear was down on the planet. And she was here after surviving the madness of the twenty-first century, while life seemed to be simply going on in the twenty-fourth - but then why did she feel to be stuck three centuries before...
"Hey, Jones!" she heard and glanced to one of the biobeds to see Doctor Powell working on a severely injured patient "If you're feeling so fine, don't just stand around! Make yourself useful!"
She hesitated for a short moment, then hid Data's precious chip in the pocket of her satin trousers, pulled on gloves and stood next to Powell to assist him.
Three hours passed by the time Beverly decided to take a break and beam back to the Enterprise. But when she entered sickbay, she gaped furiously at what she saw: instead of lying on a biobed, Emma was tending to patients! She was still wearing her civilian clothes - now pretty weathered by the events on the planet - and she was pale as a ghost!
"Emma Jones!" Beverly stepped up to her putting her fists on her hips "What the hell are you doing?"
Emma looked up at her, and she could see her gaze was hazy with exhaustion and god knew what else! "Very good evening to you too, Beverly Crusher!" she told her without missing a beat and then went on healing the wound on the arm of the Ensign sitting on the biobed in front of her.
"When Data told me you're in sickbay, I was thinking you're sleeping on a biobed, getting the medical attention you need! But of course, what was I thinking that you'd follow common sense for a change?"
Emma turned off the instrument in her hand and smiled on her patient "We're finished." The Ensign pulled her uniform sleeve back down her arm and nodding gratefully, left them alone with Beverly. Emma turned to her upset friend "Bev, we're short of doctors. I had no other choice. Besides, there weren't any biobeds for me to sleep on as you say. All were occupied by patients in far worse condition than I am in. So Mother-Hen, I'm appreciating your worry, but-" she was about to step away, when Bev grabbed her arm.
"THIS biobed will do just fine!" she declared and made Emma sit up on it with a bemused expression. "Lie down!" she commanded and after some rolling of her eyes, her friend obeyed. Bev scanned her with a tricorder "Your hematocrite and hemoglobin are so low that I've barely seen anyone standing on their feet with these levels! Let alone perform medical activities."
"I only tended to bruises, don't worry, I'm not crazy..." Emma told her on a low voice turning her head to the side tiredly.
Bev prepared a hypospray for her and then leaning down to her, swept her hair back lovingly to make her look up at her. This time, Emma's weary gaze met Beverly's caring one "Despite what you're trying to make everyone believe," Bev told her on a soft voice smiling gently "I know, you're not crazy."
"Bev..." Emma called on a breaking voice as a desperate expression appeared on her features "Please, don't knock me out!" she implored on a whisper.
Beverly stroked her hair gently "I'll just give you all the meds I can to make you feel better. Alright?" Emma nodded swallowing hard, and Bev pressed the hypospray to her neck. Taking it away, she held her hand and stroked it with her thumb "You need to sleep now." she told her on a soft voice.
Emma felt drowsiness creeping up on her, and she knew Bev told a white lie about the meds she'd given her. Her gaze travelled from her friend's face to the crowd of sickbay. Epsilonians and Starfleet officers moved about each other naturally, as if the former were never taught to be terrified by the latter. They received care and meds a little reluctantly, shyly but gratefully. And Starfleet helped like a nurturing mother, always giving, never asking anything in return. When she was not able to focus anymore, she closed her eyes. Your dream became true, Earl! People finally understood - Epsilon Four itself made them understand. You may rest now in peace! she thought and as her tears rolled down her cheeks, unconsciousness swallowed her into its enveloping warm darkness.
A/N: Feedback always welcome!
