Stardate 58528.7

Lore escorted Counselor Veluna to the area in the room where the holographic guards stood, "Have a good day, Counselor. I assume tomorrow, same time?"

Veluna smiled back at Lore, "Of course. See you tomorrow." She nodded to the Bolian security guard, then exited the holodeck.

Lore sauntered back towards the punching bag, then altered his route to stand near T'Mera. "I like her. She's patient."

"Being patient is a fine virtue." T'Mera responded, "You're still making progress, even if you haven't talked about the big things, yet. At least you're coming to terms with your sibling rivalry with Data."

Lore scowled, "Dealing with Data is the most immediate concern. Talking about Omicron Theta won't be easy." He peered over T'Mera's shoulder to the display screen. "That's not my programming. What are you working on?"

"I have everything I need, where you're concerned, so I'm just running some background tests on your programming. We still need the Legal Beagles to give us the go ahead on you, so I figured to make some progress on my projects." T'Mera stopped typing as she spoke, "This is something I've been asked to work on by Starfleet Communications. It's long-distance tactile protocols for holo-communicators. I have my misgivings about it, but the positive uses of it are as numerous as any misuses." She smiled up at Lore, "I can also make certain the safety protocols are solid, this way."

Lore's eyes focused on the writing on the screen, "Someone in one holodeck will be able to touch and interact with someone in an entirely different holodeck. Interesting."

"I know." T'Mera bit her lip with apprehension, "The ability to have an expert surgeon do emergency surgery from across the sector is a decent toss-up for the ability to also have remote assassinations. If I do my job well enough, I'll make it possible to trace remote holographic interactions."

"Well…" Lore walked away from T'Mera's workstation, "Don't let me interrupt your work." After several minutes of pacing, he asked, "So, some legal expert is coming here?"

"That's correct. They might even be here, already." T'Mera replied as she worked, "And Juliana Tainer's on her way. She should arrive in a day or so."

"She's actually coming? I'm amazed." Lore slapped his left hand into his chest and staggered backwards in a mock heart attack.

"Well, they need her for the deposition, too." T'Mera smirked at Lore's melodramatic move, "That's pretty good. You might have a future in acting."

Lore's derisive smirk dropped and he sat in the chair next to T'Mera's workstation, "The way Data speaks about Juliana, one would think she was a lovely, sweet flower of a woman."

T'Mera replied while continuing her typing at the console, "Data, at times, perceives people as better than they are. He assumes they'll be trustworthy and noble, until he's proven wrong. Ironically, you're the only one who ever busted his rose-colored optics."

Lore studied the holographer's face, "I would say that he sees me as worse than I am, but to be honest with myself… I probably am as bad as he makes me out to be. Have you met Juliana?"

"No." T'Mera shook her head, "I'm not even sure she knows about me. After he returned to the Enterprise, Data sent her a subspace message, letting her know he's alive, but I don't think he had a conversation with her. Come to think of it, I don't think he got to speak to her this time, either. Just a quick subspace message to her, telling her that you were reactivated and looking to be repaired."

Lore snorted, "She's probably coming here to see him, then, not me."

"She could see both of you." T'Mera winked at the grumpy android, "That's always an option."

Lore remained silent for a moment, studying the holographer, "T'Mera, do you feel like the same person you were? I'm wondering whether Juliana changed when Father turned her into an android."

T'Mera rubbed her chin in thought, "I seem to have the exact same personality I had when I was biological. The main difference for me seems to be in the way I perceive and the sensory inputs. I also still get prompts to eat and sleep. Even though I have the same subprocessors as Data, I don't have the speed he has. I'm pretty much the same as I used to be, as far as thought processing, dreaming, and the like. If Juliana's synaptic transfer succeeded, then she should be the exact person she was as a human, no matter what hardware Soong used. If it wasn't a full success, then she'd have her memories, skills and knowledge but not her personality. I doubt she'd fool people into thinking she's human if she had no personality." She regarded Lore for a minute, "If you think she sounds different, it could be the same issue as there was with Doctor Soong… That they just speak to you in a disparate way. People do that to their biological children, too, even though they shouldn't."

Lore leaned forward to look at T'Mera's display, "I'll find out, if she comes to see me."

T'Mera glanced to her left, "Did you want to discuss possible options for clothing? Or do you plan to continue your underwear strike?"

Lore straightened, then folded his arms across his chest, "What difference does it make what I'm wearing? I can't have a uniform."

"There are plenty of people who don't wear uniforms." T'Mera pointed to herself, then tapped on her console. The display brought up some images of male fashions. "You could choose something unique and individual to you. Or we can just put you in black trousers and a pair of black shoes."

"Fine." Lore leaned back in the chair, "That should make me presentable to the all the people coming to stand in judgement over the monster."

T'Mera offered a smile to Lore, "We could give you a black tweed blazer and complete the Frankenstein look."

"Very funny." The left side of Lore's mouth twitched upwards with amusement. "Black trousers and shoes will suffice for my time interred here at the holographic prison."

T'Mera tapped her console again, and black trousers and a pair of black ankle boots appeared on the chaise. "Your attire, Mister Monster."

Lore raised an eyebrow as he stood up and walked to the chaise, "That better not be my new nickname." He grabbed the pants and pulled them on over his legs, then slipped the boots over his feet.

"I hadn't planned on giving you a diminutive. I didn't give one to B-4." T'Mera replied as she brought up a new display with a quickly scrolling wall of text.

Lore walked back towards T'Mera, then stood behind her and watched the text scrolling on a different display. "What is all that, now?"

T'Mera turned her head to obliquely gaze at Lore, "This is a simulation of your neural net. I'm running it to see how your pathways will function after I remove your Momentary Lapse of Reason and remote access, and add the Amygdala, the self-correcting mechanism, security system and the Moral and Ethical subroutines. No conflicts, so far." She then added, "This is straight code, mind you. I'm not sure how your emotional reactions will be."

"So, in other words…" Lore's eyes remained open as he absorbed the information, "If I cascade, it won't be due to errors in your programming. It'll be to my own feelings."

"Most likely, although an isolinear simulation of positronic activity isn't going to be a hundred percent accurate." T'Mera returned her focus to the console and displays. "Try to remember to keep logic, Lore. Your actions, no matter how horrible, are still in the past. You might feel crushing guilt, but nothing will change what happened. Logic would suggest that you accept that you did such things, that you atone, and that you concentrate on the present and immediate future."

"I'm an android." Lore stated evenly. "I'm all about logic." At T'Mera's wordless stare, he amended, "Fine, fine. At least I don't go into a shutdown mode if someone offers to lead an android revolt against the galaxy."

"So, in other words, you're revolting?" T'Mera smirked.

Lore narrowed his eyes at the holographer, "I walked right into that one." He returned to the rolling chair and sat with a heavy thud. "I read all about the Dominion War. I don't know why Doctor Soong wanted me to eradicate biological lifeforms. They seem to do a great job of it, all on their own."

T'Mera paused for a moment, then answered, "It does seem that way. I guess it's easier to destroy than it is to create."

Lore's golden eyes widened for a moment, then he watched in silence as T'Mera continued the simulations.

"Computer, mute speaker." Captain Picard ordered from his seat in the viewing room of Holodeck Four. He turned to the red-haired woman seated to his right. "If he follows pattern, Lore will be silent for an hour or so."

Phillipa Louvois took a sip from her teacup, "It's amazing how much physical resemblance there is between the three of them, yet their personalities are all so different. When I first met Commander Data, he was so quiet and emotionless that it was difficult to make the ruling about whether he was property or not. I recently met B-4, and he was warm, friendly and so adorable that I wish I could have kept him for my own. Now, I have to interview this one. He's so animated and angry."

From her seat on the left side of Captain Picard, Veluna offered Louvois a soft smile, "A vast difference in their upbringings, as well as some of the underlying code. I wouldn't be able to explain the programming differences, but Doctor Chipman will. I haven't met B-4, so I can't give an opinion there, but his formative time occurred with Doctor Chipman and then he was given to the Daystrom Institute. Data was raised by Starfleet. Lore was not so lucky."

Louvois gave a nod of acknowledgement to Veluna, "I'd like to hear your report on Lore."

"I've managed to get a bit out of him about his time with the Pakleds and a small amount about Omicron Theta has emerged when Lore speaks with Data." Veluna glanced through the viewing window at Lore, then looked back at Louvois and Captain Picard, "The good news is that, even before this, Lore was not quite to the level of psychopathy. He's still worried about the expectations of others, about approval and about how he's perceived by others. There's a pattern of Lore trying to be accepted into a group, but if there's a problem, his anger and impatience surfaces."

Louvois frowned very slightly, "Can you explain further?"

Veluna nodded to Louvois, "When Lore tried to fit in with the colonists, they rejected him and he responded with anger. He wanted duties and a uniform on the Enterprise, to do what Data was doing, but became upset when told it would take years, including attending the academy, and that Data's first duty was to Starfleet. To Lore, that was a rejection. He managed to find some success with the Pakleds. They took him in, immediately accepted him and gave him the same clothing items they wore. They treated him with respect and valued him, and so Lore was content during that time period. When he found the Borg, it was the same thing. He donned an outfit to give himself an appearance similar to theirs, and again, they needed him, to the point of making him a cult leader."

Veluna took a sip of water from the cup by her chair, "Lore still exhibits something like sympathy, empathy and compassion, although his rage overshadows every other emotion. A psychopath usually has trouble forming bonds with others, but Lore does have an emotional attachment to Data and to Doctor Soong, and has expressed some interest in B-4. This is a good sign and means he stands a better chance of rehabilitation than a psychopath would." She waited for their silent acknowledgement and continued, "I've also noticed that he avoided eye contact with Doctor Crusher and Commander La Forge at the meeting. This suggests that he has some remorse for what he's done, or at least is aware that what he did was wrong. The way he describes himself… as evil and a monster… suggests to me that he's acting out and, through his anger, playing the role that he feels trapped in."

Louvois looked through the viewing window, "He seems very calm around Doctor Chipman."

Veluna gave a quick nod, then followed the other woman's gaze, "He has his moments of panic around her, but she manages to pacify him. That's another bond he might be forming. When you go to interview him, he might first attempt to intimidate or frighten you. If you want, I'll go with you. He tends to be calm around me, as well."

Phillipa Louvois rubbed her chin for a moment, then responded, "I think I'd like to continue to observe him with others, and get a better feel for his behavior."

Captain Picard's normally dispassionate expression lifted for a moment, and he smiled, "Very well, Phillipa. It will be nice to have you aboard the Enterprise. I hope you will join me for dinner, later."

Louvois smiled broadly and nodded to Picard. "Of course."

Picard rose to his feet, then tugged at the top of his uniform, "If you will excuse me, I need to attend to other matters. I'll see you at nineteen-hundred hours, my quarters." At her acknowledging nod, he exited the holodeck.

Stardate 58534.1

Beta shift brought Commander Worf to Holodeck Four. He returned the greeting from the security personnel, then made his way to T'Mera's workstation, "Commander Data is occupied with helping the terraformers on the surface, and has asked that you greet Doctor Tainer in his absence."

T'Mera held up her right hand in the Vulcan salute, "I can do that. When is she due here?"

Worf replied in his deep voice, "She should be arriving within minutes. We will have her beamed to Transporter Room One. I will watch Lore in the interim."

Lore glanced up from reading on his own personal display, then smirked.

T'Mera tapped on her console, then stood. "Lore, I'll be back in a bit." She walked to the exit of the holodeck and out through the sliding doors.

Lore canted his head to study Worf, "I meant to tell you, I like the long ponytail. Very Klingon. Far better than the Starfleet short bob you had when we first met."

Worf answered with a guttural growl, "I am not here to discuss my hair."

Lore inclined his head back to look up at the Klingon, "Are you going to attempt to exact revenge for the incident in the turbolift? Your people say "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Well, I imagine it's frozen solid, by now."

"I am here to keep watch on you." Worf answered. "Nothing more. Nothing less."

"Hmm." Lore glanced to the security guard between the two photonic guards, "That's not Ensign Murphy over there. You do realize you still can't win in a fight against me, right? I could try to escape. I'm surprised everyone's being so lax. I'm dangerous."

"Yes, you are." Worf replied to the android, "This will either be a test of your honor, or a test of Doctor Chipman's holograms. I am expecting the latter. You have no comprehension of honor and duty."

The sardonic smirk vanished from Lore's lips, "I know what the words mean, Worf. I just can't fathom the ideas, any more than I could understand what it feels like to lay eggs." He began to pace in the small area near the rolling chair, "I remember Data's adherence to the idea of duty. I couldn't understand it."

"Perhaps you will, once you are repaired." Worf offered while resting his hand on the modified tricorder at his hip, "Data understands both, which is one of the reasons I call him friend."

Lore threw both his arms in the air as he paced in a circle around Worf, "What could a fierce Klingon warrior and my timid, unambitious brother have in common enough to become friends?"

"He and I have many things in common." Worf followed the pacing android with his eyes, "When we met, we were both orphans that had been rescued by Starfleet. We are also the only ones of our kind in Starfleet. Commander Data is selfless in his duty to his captain and to his ship. Another similarity is that he and I both found out much later in life that we had a brother we had never known before. I have been friends with Data for many years, and have come to know him extremely well." He continued pivoting to keep Lore in front of him, "Data may seem timid and gentle, and perhaps he is, but his heart is loyal and strong, and he has faced death with his eyes open and put himself in the path of danger to save others. He has earned his place among the Honored Dead many times over."

A light chuckle emitted from Lore, "Data was supposed to have been female, did you know that? I should have had a sister, or perhaps Data would have been my female companion and counterpart. Father and Juliana argued constantly while designing him, and father gave in to many of her demands as far as Data's programming. Hobbies, creativity and the like."

"That would explain much about Data's personality." Despite his misgivings, Worf relaxed his guard slightly and continued the conversation, "What made him change from that plan?"

A shadow of anger passed over Lore's face, "My guess is that since he planned to deactivate me when Data was finished, he couldn't bear the thought of his single remaining android not resembling him. So he built the head and kept it secret from Juliana until the day of physical construction. Instead of a sister or mate, now I was faced with my duplicate… my replacement. A lesser model of myself."

"Would you have been less upset if Data had been a superior model?" Worf kept his hand in a casual drape over the tricorder.

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Lore answered, taking no notice of Worf's hand placement. "If Data could do more, instead of less, then replacement might have made sense to me."

"Everything you speak of is external." Worf's heavy brows knitted to the bridge of his nose, "The true test of a warrior is not without - it is within. Perhaps you are not a warrior, but the solution will be the same. The answers you seek must come from inside you. You must find your own sense of honor. Only then can you seek redemption."

"Even if I fail, it should be an interesting show." Lore pressed his lips together, with an upturn to the left side. "I'm truly surprised. I thought you'd come in here and punch me in the face."

Worf smirked at the android, "I do not fear you. However, had I punched you, I would incur Doctor Chipman's wrath, and that is something I do not want."

T'Mera waited in Transporter Room one as the blue shimmering energy coalesced into a short woman with bright blue eyes, high cheekbones and silvery hair. "Live long and prosper, Doctor Tainer." T'Mera stepped forward to help Juliana down the steps if needed, "Welcome to the Enterprise. Data sends his regrets, but his duties on the planet have him busy. He'll join us when he can."

Juliana easily managed the stairs, then beamed at T'Mera, "Thank you. You must be Deanna Troi. I've wanted to meet you for so long."

"Ah, no. I'm Doctor T'Mera Chipman. You can call me T'Mera." T'Mera smiled back, then gestured to the door, "Deanna Troi is currently stationed on the USS Titan with her husband, Captain Riker."

Juliana's smile faded and she blinked in surprise, "Her husband? Data never told me. The poor dear… he must have been devastated that she married someone else."

"He misses her on a personal level, I'm sure, but he wasn't devastated." T'Mera stated as she and Doctor Tainer walked into the corridor. "He finds her replacement to be quite satisfactory."

"That's horrible." Juliana frowned to the point of creating creases in her forehead, "We didn't program him to be capable of meaningless flings."

T'Mera went silent for a minute, then spoke, "I now suspect that we're having two entirely different conversations, Doctor Tainer. Deanna Troi was the head Counselor on board the Enterprise until the end of Earth year 2379."

"I thought she and Data were romantically involved?" Juliana kept her voice quiet as they passed some other crewmembers in the corridor.

T'Mera managed to suppress a smile, "No. She and Data were friends, and she was his therapist."

"Oh!" Juliana put her right hand to her lips, "That's a shame. I know Noonian was hoping Data's sexuality programming would work."

"It works. You don't need to worry about it." T'Mera reassured the geologist as they stepped into the turbolift. "Deck eight." The turbolift doors shut and the display on the wall indicated their transitory progress.

Juliana spoke hesitantly, "So, you and Data…?"

"Yes. Data and I are together." T'Mera replied, "I know he had sent a couple of subspace messages to you, but I wasn't sure if he mentioned me. Since you were under the impression that he was seeing someone else, I'm guessing he didn't."

"The messages Data sent me were very short." Juliana clapped her hands together, then interlaced her fingers. "The first one informed me that he was alive, which I took as a relief. The second one…" She separated her hands and dropped them to her sides as the cheer in her voice faded. "Was to inform me that someone had reactivated Lore by accident. That was followed by my being contacted by Starfleet, about Lore's possible repair and that I might be needed to give a deposition about the colony on Omicron Theta."

"I don't know what's going to happen with the legal proceedings, but I intend to try to repair the errors in Lore's programming. Counselor Veluna is also working with Lore on behavioral therapy." T'Mera walked through the turbolift doors as they opened onto deck eight. "I'm taking you to see Lore, now, although I should have made certain that you want to see him."

"I do want to see Lore." Juliana's voice was quiet enough to be a whisper. "Despite how he turned out, I still care about each android that Noonian and I created."

T'Mera stopped at the panel to Holodeck Four. "Detention area, please." She gestured to the sliding doors, "This way, Doctor."

The two women walked through the automatic doors and into the holographic brig.