Crescendo

Stardate 45307.26

(Monday, 22 April 2368, 11:03 hours, ship's time)

U.S.S. Ontario runabout

"Okay, Zo', it's time you took a turn at the controls," Geordi said from the left seat of the runabout we were taking to Terlina III. Data had chosen the Ontario as our vehicle. It was the same runabout we'd used a year and a half before for our math tutorial's trip to Serenity Five, and I was beginning to wonder if he was partial to it.

"So not funny!" I sang back to him from the passenger compartment where I'd been finishing an essay on the seeds of feminism in nineteenth-century Terran literature for Ed's class. "Data, your friend is toying with me!"

"Actually," Data said, leaving the cockpit so he could speak with me directly, "he is not. We discussed it while you were working and based on your performance in the simulator on the holodeck, I agree with Geordi's assessment that you are ready for 'real world' experience."

"You're not worried I'll get us all killed?"

Data sat next to me at the table that took up a good portion of the middle compartment, angling his chair so he was facing me. "We are currently in a safe region of space with little chance of impact or the need for any but minor course corrections," he explained. "As well, I have entrusted my life to your piloting skills before and had no cause for concern."

I still hesitated. Data had let me ferry him around Centaurus in my flitter when he'd visited me at my father's home over the winter holidays, only taking over the controls when I'd asked him to, but a cloud-to-ground flitter was a lot smaller and easier to maneuver than a full-sized runabout, let alone the fact that if you crashed a flitter you were, at least, surrounded by atmosphere.

"Look at it this way, Zoe," Geordi added, projecting his voice from the front section of our ship, "You'll have two of Starfleet's finest ready to take over the controls if anything goes wrong."

"Do you anticipate something going wrong?" I directed the question to Data but pitched my voice so Geordi could hear as well.

"I do not," Data assured me. "However, I do anticipate that the longer you are relegated to passenger status, the less likely you are to enjoy this voyage. You are here as my partner, and a participant in our agenda, not an observer."

I knew he could see me starting to agree, and the truth is: I don't know why I was nervous. Geordi had never been anything but a patient teacher, and when Data had been a passenger in my flitter, he'd never criticized, merely given me a few pointers to make the ride smoother. "I am about done with this essay," I said. "Could whichever of you isn't going to be babysitting me proof it?"

"The computer can do that, you know, Zo'," Geordi said, joining us. "We're on autopilot," he informed Data. "I could use something to eat, so why don't we have lunch and then you can let Zoe show off what I've taught her."

"If your suggestion is acceptable to Zoe, it is acceptable to me," Data said.

"Sure," I said forcing a tone that was much more relaxed and breezier than I felt. "Why not?"

(=A=)

Roughly an hour later, I was sitting in the left seat of the runabout, listening as Data's calm voice as he oriented me to the runabout's controls. "It is not significantly different from the flight deck of the utility shuttle you have been practicing on in the simulation," he assured me. "The controls are all in the same configuration, but there is a greater distance between them, and the displays are slightly larger."

"So, I confirm our course and heading," I said. "Tell the computer to save it, then disengage the autopilot and execute manual direction?"

"Exactly."

I followed the steps I'd just outlined, and tried not to let my nervousness show, but Data had been correct: the only adjustments I had to make were minor; mostly, I was just monitoring. I had to ask though, "That first night on the trip to Serenity Five, you told me only Starfleet officers and licensed operators were allowed to helm 'fleet-owned vessels. So, why are you letting me do this now?"

"Student pilots must have real-world experience, Zoe. You are logged in as Geordi's student."

"But you allowed it."

"More than 'allowed,'" he said. "I suggested it."

I shook my head, laughing. "You sneaky, conniving, sweet, wonderful… god, I love you."

"And I am devoted to you, Zoe, but must I continually remind you that I am not god, only Data?"

If you've never heard smugness coloring an android's tone of voice, trust me; it's a delicious sound.

(=A=)

Stardate 45311.55

(Wednesday, 24 April 2368, 00:41 hours, ship's time)

Under both officers' supervision, I logged a combined total of twelve hours of flight time in the two days it took to make our journey. Late at night on the second day, after Geordi had retreated to one of the sleeping alcoves, I replicated a mug of tarragon-mint tea and joined Data in the cockpit.

"Mind company?" I asked.

"You are always welcome, Zoe," he reminded me. I saw him glance at the controls, ensuring that the autopilot hadn't deviated from its programmed course, before turning his full attention to me. Well, the bulk of his attention, anyway. "But it is late; is something troubling you?"

"Not exactly," I said. "I'm just… nervous, I guess. I mean. I want to be here with you. I need answers as badly as you do, at this point. But I'm also facing the reality that I'm mostly going to be in the way. I'm already messing with the working dynamic you and Geordi have."

"Your presence is altering the way we work together, yes," he corrected. "But if by 'messing with' you mean 'disrupting,' you are mistaken. Similarly, I reject your assertion that you will be in the way. As we discussed last week, you are often able to perceive things that I cannot." He paused, tapped a control, and the cabin lights dimmed by about sixty percent. "While it is true that we both require answers, there is another reason I asked you to accompany me to Terlina III; your presence is reassuring to me."

"You're anxious about what we're going to find on that chip," I stated.

"You know that I cannot experience anxiety, Zoe," he evaded.

"And yet, you want your girlfriend at your side when you return to your father's house."

"If it were you," he challenged, "returning to the place where you last saw your father alive, in order to discover the contents of a chip that your brother inserted into the tongue of the woman you had already begun to care for, the one who would eventually become your lover – the same brother who has been using her as a pawn in an unspecified game - would you wish to face it alone?"

Well, when you put it that way. "No," I said. "Of course, I wouldn't." I reached across the gap between the seats and slipped my hand into his, squeezing gently, and smiling when his fingers flexed softly against mine. "You said it yourself; we're in this together. My rape, your father's legacy, Lore's secrets. It's all one big tangle. But if I have to be tangled in something, I'm glad it's with you."

"As am I," he said quietly.

I glanced through the open doorway to the main compartment and the bunkroom beyond. The lights were all dimmed. Smiling, I turned back to the man I loved. "You know," I said. "The last time we were on a road trip together, I sat on your lap and we shared some lovely kisses."

Two taps to the console, and then he turned his chair to face me again. "You are requesting a 'repeat performance.'" It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Come here."

'Just kissing' wasn't any less thrilling after becoming lovers than it had been months before when we were first defining our relationship.

(=A=)

Stardate 45313.35

(Wednesday, 24 April 2368, 4:28 PM, local time)

Terlina III

I'm not quite certain what I expected Dr. Soong's Jungle Hideaway to be. Certainly, to use ancient Earth vids as a reference, I hadn't expected a cross between The Blue Lagoon and Jurassic Park. Nevertheless, those are the two settings that came to mind when we did a flyover, and then landed in front of, the low-slung bungalow nestled into a clearing in the thick greenery, just at the edge of a natural lagoon.

At least I think it was a lagoon. It might have been a lake. In any case a thunderstorm had arrived at the same moment we had, and between the thickening cloud cover, the torrential rain, and the sense of urgency we all seemed to feel about getting inside and out of the wet, there hadn't been time or opportunity to really explore.

If I hadn't expected to be in a jungle, I also hadn't expected to run into a T-Rex in Dr. Soong's living room. Okay, it wasn't exactly his living room; we'd obviously entered the house through his lab. But still...

"Data, no offense to Dr. Soong, but, when exactly did Early Natural History Museum become a valid decorating choice?" I waited a beat, then added, before he could address my initial question. "Is it real?"

"I am uncertain as to why my father chose to keep the skeleton here," Data informed me. "But it is real. In fact, I have reason to believe it is the tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as 'Sue.'"

"I thought she'd been lost sometime in the twenty-first century," Geordi put in, joining us. He'd been slightly behind us, closing up the runabout while Data was opening the house. "She's bigger than I remember."

There was a soft click from behind us as the door closed, and then a soft beep, but since neither of the officers reacted to it, I didn't either.

"Apparently," Data said. "She was found. She has not grown, though."

"Are you going to keep her?" I wanted to know.

"I have not yet determined which of my father's belongings I will retain, and which I will discard. It is my hope that, in addition to discovering the rest of the data on Lore's chip, I can also begin to sort through… everything."

I was hungry and damp, but I took a few minutes to goggle at said 'everything.' The main floor of the oval space was sunken about a meter below the balcony where the doors were. Both levels were lined with shelves and cabinets and books were piled everywhere. Most of them were cybernetics texts, but they jostled up against a lot of classic science fiction (especially the works of Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and Arthur C. Clarke) including a copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Aside from the books, there was a nearly full-scale display panel that was already powered up, and displaying android schematics – I'd have to ask Data for a guided tour, later – tapestries of flying birds, an angel statue that was both soothing and menacing at once (don't ask how), and an old-school chalkboard, with mathematical formulae scrawled across it in a script that bore a marked resemblance to Data's own handwriting.

Intriguing, I thought, and chuckled at the notion that spending so much time with Data had begun to affect my inner voice.

My interest flickered somewhat as I scanned the various work surfaces. All were cluttered, some with devices I couldn't identify, let alone discern what their purposes might be, others with electronic components and tools and a pair of android feet.

Oh.

I turned away from that table abruptly, hoping Data wouldn't see my reaction, but he was right behind me. "It is alright, Zoe," he murmured into my ear. "They do not belong to anyone we know."

I turned to face him. "I'm sorry."

"Do not be. When I saw them the first time, I was also… disconcerted."

"What about people we do know?" I asked. "Can Lore get back here."

"There are no detectable ships anywhere in this solar system," he said. "The runabout has been set to make periodic passive scans just to ensure that, and the house has a security system which was enabled as soon as we entered. Even if he managed to arrive here without our knowledge, he would not be able to enter."

I shivered, but it wasn't just because of the prospect of facing Lore again, however remote that might be. It was because the ventilation system had cooled the air, and it was chilly standing around in damp clothes.

"Neither of us is going to let anything happen to you, Zoe," Geordi added.

"Thank you – both of you." I said. "Data, there's more to the house then this workroom isn't there? Maybe somewhere where we could make tea, and I could change?"

The android's demeanor brightened, "Of course," he said. "I have neglected my duties as host. While it would be possible to stay in the runabout, I believe the caretakers have made the house 'suitable for living.' This way."

He led Geordi and me up another set of stairs, and through a set of doors at the back of the room, passing an open bathroom door, and small alcove with a recliner before we emerged into a large, open kitchen, one that sported an up-to-date food replicator, as well as high-end appliances.

"Someone was kind of a foodie," I observed wryly. "Wait… caretakers?"

"Representatives of a discrete firm, who come here once a month to clean and ensure that all of the major systems are functioning adequately. Once Nick and I had time to go through my father's will, we discovered that had a dedicated account, from which payments were made automatically by 'sweeping' the interest it was earning."

"Who's Nick?" Geordi asked.

"My attorney," said Data, at the same time that I answered, "My stepmother's brother."

I saw dark brows arch behind the gold VISOR the engineer wore. "Wow, Data, I had no idea."

"Now you know the truth, Geordi," I teased. "I'm only into him for his wealth and power."

Geordi burst out laughing. "Of course, you are," he teased back. "That explains a lot."

Data ended the conversation with his perfect deadpan. "I thought you were 'into me' because of my 'good looks and charm.'"

(=A=)

The house itself was basic, but well appointed. The kitchen had a dining area attached, and that blended into a living room – all facing the lagoon. Two bedrooms, one of which had been turned into a study, with a bathroom between them, plus a master suite.

"We will be staying here," Data informed me, leading me into the master bedroom. "Geordi will take the guest room."

I turned in a slow circle, surveying the space. The room was airy and spacious, decorated mainly in shades of blue. The bed was larger than the one in Data's quarters and boasted a collection of pillows that rivalled my bed at my father's house on Centaurus.

"You had this room redone for me," I accused, turning back to Data, who was waiting expectantly. "When did you have time to have this done?"

"The caretakers were here while we were in transit," he said, "and they redecorated the room for us. If you look, you will see that there are ports for optical cable near 'my side' of the bed. There is something for you, however, in the bathroom."

Immediately I went to look, confused for a moment because it seemed like an ordinary residential bathroom, and then I realized it had a proper bathtub as well as the dual-fitted shower. Returning to the larger room, I asked, "Why do I get the feeling that these 'caretakers' of yours are much more than just interstellar Molly Maids?"

"Because they are," Data answered, telling me everything and nothing in three little words.

"There's a story there," I teased.

"Yes, there is a 'story,'" he confirmed, "but now is not the time to tell it. Geordi is waiting for us."

"Go find him," I urged. "I promise not to indulge in a bath until after dinner, at least. I just want to change into dryer, more comfortable clothes." I glanced at him. "I suppose it wouldn't do me any good to remind you that this isn't a Starfleet mission, but a personal one, and therefore you don't have to wear your uniform twenty-four-seven…" Something flickered in his expression, and I trailed off. "I'm sorry," I said, redirecting our conversation. "Your uniform is your armor, isn't it?"

This wasn't a new line of conversation. I'd mentioned his choice of attire before. Since then, we'd gone shopping, and he'd been wearing civilian clothing off-duty more and more often, but we'd talked about what this trip meant to him, and I should have been more sensitive.

"In a manner of speaking," he agreed slowly, as if he'd taken a second or two to think over what I'd said. "But you are also correct that we are on a personal investigation, if not the vacation I know you would prefer it to be."

I had the decency to look mildly guilty. With the countdown to my departure from the ship ticking ever louder in my head, I'd hoped we'd be able to steal some quality personal time while we were there. I took a moment to formulate my answer.

"When we get home, I'm going to be caught up in finals, and the play, and packing for Idyllwild. I have to find an apartment to sublet, and a gazillion other things, and running through all of it is the knowledge that I'm going away from you. And I know – I know – that you believe we can make it work, that it's just another etude in a lifetime of them – but I'm scared, Data."

I sat on the edge of the bed, and he sat next to me, and pulled me close, nuzzling my hair. "What do you wish me to say?"

"Just listen? I'm not done."

"Continue," he encouraged, but his left arm stayed fully around me, and he covered my right hand with his own.

"I know why we're here. I know it's not a vacation. I know how important it is that we both learn what's on that chip. I can't lie to you, though, I'm hoping that the time we have here will include some time just for us."

"It will," he promised. "I had already built some 'us time' into the agenda."

"You have an agenda – no, wait, of course you have an agenda. Care to share?"

"Certainly. However, as Geordi is also involved in the primary purpose of our time here, and is likely waiting for us to return, I believe it would be more efficient if I present it to both of you at once."

I favored him with a soft smile. "Have I mentioned lately how annoying it is when you're right?" I asked and kissed him.

He didn't answer, but he moved the hand that was covering mine to tangle it in my hair and held the kiss until I almost couldn't breathe. When we finally broke apart, the corners of his mouth curved into his tiny, trademark smile. "This trip is an etude, and your time away will be a series of them, Zoe, but I am certain we will master all of them."

I chose not to argue.

I chose to believe him.

I chose to claim a few more kisses before I actually changed to fresh clothes and joined him in the living room, where Geordi had been waiting.

Stardate 45321.31

(Saturday, 27 April 2368, 2:26 PM, local time)

For the first two and a half days of our time on Terlina III, I'd mostly stayed out of the workroom, as I'd begun to think of it, since it didn't really look anything like my idea of a laboratory. I would poke my head in from time to time, reporting on my own activities (I'd brought a massive amount of homework along, and was also learning my lines for Little Women), and checking to see how the boys (as I'd begun to think of them) were doing.

The first night, after a replicated dinner of eggplant parmesan and a mixed green salad, Data had laid out his agenda: inventory the workroom, pick apart Soong's computer files, find whatever he'd used to test the emotion chip, and decrypt the remaining content of Lore's data-solid.

So far, Data and Geordi had organized and catalogued everything in the room, putting things in their allocated (but apparently largely unused) spots. All the spare body parts had been quietly and efficiently hidden away before I'd even had a chance to ask about their purpose. Had Dr. Soong been building another android? I had a lot of theories, and a few mad ideas, but I hadn't yet found a way to ask.

My reaction, on that first day, hadn't fazed Data – we'd talked before about why stray parts bothered me - but Geordi was basically the brother Data should have had, and he didn't know everything. It didn't surprise me, then, when he poked his head around the frame of the door to the study I'd claimed as my workspace.

"Hey, Zo', got a minute?" he greeted. "I'm not pulling you away from anything am I?"

"I think this essay on 'Five Positive Benefits of the Khitomer Accords' can wait a bit. Is there a problem? Is Data okay?"

"He's fine. He's isolated one of the test programs and cobbled together a basic matrix from Dr. Soong's notes and components. He'll be ready to test the chip tomorrow. I actually wanted to ask about you."

"About me?"

"Yeah… mind if I sit?" He gestured to the club chair across from the love seat where I was sprawled with my padd.

"Feel free." I put the device away and sat up properly. "What's up?"

"Are you avoiding the lab because I'm here, or because of the feet that were on the table when we got here?"

"Well, the feet did kind of weird me out, but I've been staying out of the workroom because there's nothing I can do there but get in the way."

"You sure that's all?"

"What do you mean?"

I hadn't seen Geordi's expression that serious since the time we thought Data had perished in a shuttle accident. "I mean… you're not staying out of the room because seeing all of Dr. Soong's work reminds you that Data's a machine, are you?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yeah, Zo', I think I am."

Ordinarily, I would have made a joke, but Geordi was as protective of Data as I was, and I could tell he wanted a real answer. "I know he's a machine," I said quietly. "I've tinkered with the inside of his head. I had to deactivate him, remember?"

"I remember," he said, his tone as soft and intense as mine. "But…"

I didn't let him add to that sentence. Instead, I explained, "The first time I saw Data's machine-y insides, it was before I went to Earth last summer, and it was because he'd done something to his arm to approximate tendonitis."

"That sounds like him," Geordi chuckled.

"I know, right? Anyway, I reacted… he thought I was put off by the fact of what he was, but the reality was that I was crushing on him really hard, and I felt like I hadn't earned the right to see something so intimate. I was embarrassed and I got a little shy, and when I asked to see more, he patiently explained what every servo-mechanism and actuator did, and when he sealed his arm, and I touched it… it was like electric sparks… and I was sure he could tell that I was… my pulse was racing so fast."

I could see Geordi's face softening, his posture relaxing.

I continued. "Now… now I can see his circuits and diodes and everything, and I don't feel like I'm seeing things I haven't earned. I just feel so lucky that this amazing person chose me."

"Then why did seeing the feet make you so uncomfortable?"

It was a fair question, I guess. "It's… having spare bits of android lying around. It makes me feel like people see him as a thing when he's so obviously not. It's… disrespectful."

"Disrespectful?"

"Wrong? Profane? Invasive? None of those are really the right word. But I don't have the right word, so… yeah… Disrespectful."

Geordi was quiet for a full minute, and then, when he did speak, it was a slowly drawled, "Yeeeeah. Okay. I get it."

I gave him my best wry smile. "For the record, if it were human body parts lying around, I'd have screamed bloody murder, so…" I shrugged.

Geordi chuckled. "Okay."

But I felt like I hadn't really eased his mind about whatever it was he wanted to know, so I added, in a quiet tone, "You know I'd never hurt him, don't you?"

"He'd say he can't be hurt."

"And we both know that's not true." I stared out at the lagoon for a long moment, adding softly. "I love him, Geordi. I mean… I'm in love with him, but also, I just… love him."

The VISORed man stared at me for a long moment as if he could read my emotions the same way he could read my temperature. "You should consider bringing your schoolwork into the lab. He's… well, he denies it, but he's really anxious about the contents of that chip. I think having you there helps him."

"He told me my presence was 'reassuring.'"

Geordi laughed. "Wow. That's big."

"Do you mind it? Us, I mean?"

"Would it matter if I did?"

"Geordi…" I began, with teasing exasperation. "I answered your question."

My boyfriend's best friend hesitated, as if choosing his words. "I was a little worried about your age."

"I'm legal," I said. "We didn't… He would never have let things…"

"I know. Zoe, I know. I was worried. But I saw what you've done for him. Civilian clothes… not working double shifts as if he has to please everyone by doing twice as much work…. The captain's been trying to get Data to reduce his workload for ages."

"I didn't… I keep feeling like I'm keeping him from doing the things that matter." I laughed. "He tells me I matter."

"He's right. And not for nothing, but ever since you started playing music together, he's been developing new neural pathways so much faster."

I could feel my face going pale. Data had told me that an exponential increase in neural pathways was one of the causes of Lal's cascade failure. "He won't… what happened to his daughter won't happen to him, will it?"

"No. His net is growing faster, but not too fast, and we know what to watch for now." He stood up, then, evidently finished with what he came to say… and hear. "I'm off to raid the kitchen. You want anything?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm good. But… you think there's room for me at one of the tables in there?"

"Pretty sure Data has room set aside for you already. He was just waiting for you to be ready to be there."

I smiled. "He can be pretty perceptive sometimes."

"Yeah. Yeah, he can." The engineer turned to leave but I called him back. "Zoe?"

"Could you wait, like, half an hour before you go back to work? There's something I need to do."

Geordi's smile was the radiant one he shared with his closest friends. "Sure, Zo'."

I waited for about a minute before I saved the essay I'd been working on, gathered my things and moved through the house to the lab. Geordi was at the kitchen table with a plate, a mug, and a padd that he seemed absorbed with, and I smiled to myself as I stepped into the room I'd come to think of as Data's domain.

As Geordi had said, a chair and an expanse of desktop were waiting for me when I entered, and I quietly set my padd and readers down, along with the glass of lemon-water I'd been sipping inside. It had a lid, of course, and a straw, so spillage wouldn't be an issue.

Data didn't react to my presence, but I knew he'd heard me come in. I walked up behind him, waited for him to lift his hands from the console he was using, and hugged him from behind, leaning forward to rest my chin on his shoulder.

He glanced at my hands where they rested, crossed just below the collar of the forest-green tee he was wearing, then covered them with his own. The green wasn't his best color… but it was far from his worst. We stayed like that for a long moment, before I pulled away so he could swivel his chair to face me.

"You and Geordi have been having way too much fun in here without me," I teased lightly. "Sorry I'm late."

He seemed to understand what I wasn't actually saying, because his response was quiet, but warm. "No, Zoe. You are 'right on time.'"

"Can you take a break?" I asked. "I need you to do something for me."

"I will be happy to," he said. "What is it that you require?"

"A guided tour of the lab, for a start, and then I'd like you to walk me through the schematic display on the wall over there, if you don't mind."

"No, Zoe," Data said. "I do not mind at all."

(=A=)

Stardate 45325.51

(Monday, 29 April 2368, 3:18 AM, local time)

Lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the lab as if all the lights were on, instead of the twin task lights over Data's chosen workstation, and the adjacent space that I had claimed. While rain had been a near-constant presence since our arrival, lightning storms had hit in the wee hours of only one other morning since we'd been there, and I found the sounds of wind and rain and thunder oddly comforting.

Well, most of the time, I found comfort in the storm-sounds. That night, the weather seemed to have a purpose. The thunder was louder and more malevolent than ever. The lightning flashes were like something out of a Dracula video.

On the table, or rather, suspended above it in something vaguely reminiscent of the kind of anti-grav shock-mounts used for high-end microphones, was something that looked a little like the framework of an android head. Well, it was slightly more than just a framework. In fact, with no skin and the duranium alloy skull exposed, if it had been gold instead of silver, it would have looked uncannily like the character of C-3P0 from the ancient Star Wars movies.

Data assured me, however, that it was just "…a cranial unit with a basic neurologic matrix. It is just a test model, not yet anything close to a person. There is no there there. If it disturbs you, please remember that I cannot be offended if you choose not to participate."

"I never said I wasn't going to participate," I countered. "I just… It does disturb me a little, but only because my imagination goes to bad places where something happens to you, something irreversible."

"It is highly unlikely that I will ever be injured in such a fashion," he had pointed out.

"I hope that's true, Data." I took a breath. "Okay, let's do this."

He checked the connections on the test unit and entered the activation sequence into the computer.

According to Data, the intended outcome was that the computer was supposed to give us the output from the decryption circuits in the test unit's head. Instead, just as he was powering up another arc of lightning split the sky, and the room was filled with an electrical sting-pzzt, and the house was plunged into blackness.

"Data?" I called out while my eyes adjusted. Unlike the Enterprise, Dr. Soong's lab was not equipped with emergency lighting.

"I am here," he said. "Are you o-kay?" Somehow, his slight stumble over that work always made me feel better. It was just so… him."

"Spooked, but fine. I can't remember the last time I was somewhere where a storm could knock out power." I took a deep breath and coughed from the smell of singed plastic. "Are you alright?"

"I am… fine," came his answer. "I believe we can restart the generator in the basement."

"There's a basement?"

Another flash of lightning caused the room to brighten then fade into darkness again, as Data answered me. "It is accessed via a door behind the display panels. One moment. Fortunately, I can see in the dark. However, an extra pair of hands may be required."

"Should I wake Geordi?"

"If the storm did not already rouse him, I see no reason to do so, unless you object to accompanying me?" He made it a question.

I shook my head, realized he probably couldn't see it, and responded aloud. "Not at all, but… you don't happen to know where there's a flashlight or palm torch, do you? Some of us can't see in the dark."

"I am afraid I do not."

"Mm. Oh, wait. Never mind."

"You have located a source of illumination?"

"In a manner of speaking," I said. What I had found was my padd. I switched it on, turning the backlighting to maximum. Soft white light filled the space around me.

"You are using your padd as torch," Data observed. "That would not have occurred to me."

"That's because you were never a child who liked to stay up late reading under the covers so she wouldn't get caught awake past bedtime." I stood up, and so did he.

"The basement is this way," he said.

(=A=)

Stardate 45329.67

(Tuesday, 30 April 2368, 3:52 PM, local time)

The lightning strike had sent enough power into the computer systems that the cranial test unit could no longer function. Data and Geordi spent the better part of a day trying to salvage it, but so many connections had been melted that there was just no way.

"Alas, poor Yorick; I knew him well," I intoned, holding what remained of the silvery spheroid object for a moment before I sent it into the recycling machine.

My admittedly in-poor-taste joke netted me a wry chuckle from Geordi, but Data only tilted his head at me reproachfully. I think some part of him understood that I was using questionable humor as a sort of coping mechanism, but he couldn't let it pass.

"Is there another test unit?" Geordi asked, even though he and I were fairly certain that the answer would be no.

"No, 'Yorick' was the only one," Data answered. I was about to make a joke about not having a lot more names for disembodied heads, but I sobered instantly when he said, "I am afraid we have no more options. We are left with what Lore originally wanted. We must insert the data-solid into my head."

"Because that went oh so well before," I snarked. "Data… I can't… if you put that thing in your head and Lore's personality oozes out of you… if you call me Pigeon, like last time… I don't think I can separate it from you. It was… it was hard enough the first time, but now we're… us."

"We were already 'us,'" he said. "Zoe, I realize you are concerned about what may happen, but I told you before we left the Enterprise: I have isolated the personality overlay, and it is unlikely to become active. Have you forgotten?"

"How unlikely is 'unlikely?'" I wanted to know.

"Seventy-five point four three two percent."

I shook my head. "No. It's not good enough. Have you forgotten? Lore kidnapped me. He tossed me across his damned bridge. He broke my arm. He raped me. And then he left me there alone."

I heard Geordi gasp at that. Hadn't he known what really happened to me on Lore's ship? He had to have known. But Data would never have told him without my permission.

"I have not forgotten," Data said quietly.

Something about the way he said it caused me to turn sharply and look at him. "Data?"

His face betrayed nothing, but his body language… it was as if he was a turtle, pulling himself back inside his protective shell. "I cannot forget." He met my eyes, held my gaze with his. "I cannot forget breaking down your hotel room door on Starbase 12, and having you collapse in my arms. I cannot forget the nightmares you had for weeks afterward."

His voice remained quiet, but it was also intense as he recounted every Lore-related incident of the last year. At some point Geordi set his padd down and left the room. I think he realized before I did that the conversation demanded privacy.

"I cannot forget materializing on Lore's ship and finding you on the deck, bruised and broken, and then realizing before you said the words that he had violated you, nor can I forget that you wished it were possible for me to make it not be true."

"Data…"

"I cannot forget your tears, and your frustration with your healing process."

I left my chair, closing the half a meter that separated us, and moving to hug him from behind, but he surprised me, and gathered me into his lap. Difficult to do in a rolling chair, even though it was hardly a small chair. Android strength at work.

"I can never forget those things, Zoe, but equally indelibly encoded onto my memory engrams are other memories: the scent and texture of your hair, the warmth of your body, the pitch and timber of your voice, and the expressiveness of your face."

I draped one of my arms around his neck, and the other across his mid-section. "Why are you telling me all this.?"

"Because, Zoe, while I will remember everything with the same intensity, forever, I cannot feel it."

"Oh, Data… "

"I could not feel relieved when you were not injured in the starbase bombing, and I cannot feel flattered when you compliment my physical appearance. I could not feel horrified at what you endured or enraged at what my brother had done. I could not feel happy when you began to find your footing again, and I cannot feel love for you, the woman who… matters… to me in a way that no other person has."

"You know I don't feel a lack of anything in our relationship. You show me every day how much I mean to you, and you may not be able to feel love, but I promise I don't feel anything but loved and cherished."

"That is gratifying to hear, but I have not finished what I wish to say."

"I'm sorry. Go on?"

"Thank you." When he continued, his voice was even softer… more intimate. "Whether or not you perceive a 'lack of anything,' I wish to be able to experience your feelings with you, and have my own, as well."

"I know this," I confirmed. "This I know; what does that have to do with Lore's data solid?"

"I understand that learning the reason for everything he has done will be a form of closure for you. But it is important to me for another reason. While I am quite certain that Lore's data solid does not include the programming from the emotion chip he stole, I believe that learning what it does contain, and subsequently discovering what his 'game plan' is – or was – may be the key to retrieving it someday."

"And you truly believe sticking it back in your head is the only way to accomplish that?"

"We have exhausted all other options," he reminded me patiently.

"Okay."

His eyebrows lifted and he made the slight quivering nod he sometimes did when confirming a piece of personal information. The one where he was looking up at me, even though his chin was lowered. "O-kay?"

I reached out to tease his hair and trace his brow with my fingers. "I have some conditions."

"Tell me."

"The first condition is that we're done for the day. We're going to go into the house, and have a lovely dinner with Geordi, and maybe play a game or watch a vid. Then you're going to take me to bed and remind me just how 'devoted' to me you truly are, and in the morning, after breakfast, we will come in here, and I'll tell you the rest of my conditions."

"Your terms are acceptable."

"Good," I said. I was deadly serious.

"If you wish to go into the house for a meal, you will have to get up."

"I know."

"Zoe?"

I ran my hand through his thick, brown hair, reveling in the softness. Then I touched my lips to his in the gentlest of kisses. "As much as I wish Lore had never done those things to me, I wish just as much that I could make you forget them. I love you, and I know you'll feel it – feel everything – one day, and I hate the thought that you'll have to experience it all over again once that happens."

He lifted his hand to play with my hair but didn't say anything else. He didn't have to. He just pressed a kiss to the top of my head and held me for another few minutes.

(=A=)

While Dr. Soong's Jungle Hideaway was fitted with state-of-the-art replicators, it also had a proper kitchen, and a pantry that included stasis units full of obviously homemade dishes that just needed to be heated and served. After declaring a moratorium on work-talk until morning, I went rooting through one of the stasis units, coming up with a vegetable frittata and another salad.

Dinner was subdued at first. Data and I had moved past our earlier disagreement before we'd even left the lab, but Geordi was clearly uneasy with what he'd seen… or heard. Eventually, even the polite conversation fell apart, and our meal became a weird combination of uncomfortable silence punctuated by awkward bursts of speech.

Data was watching both Geordi and me, trying to figure out what was wrong, and I was waiting for Geordi to explode, as the usually affable man seemed likely to do.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, G-man, you're driving me crazy," I said to my boyfriend's best friend. "Are you upset because Data and I actually had something approaching an argument, or was it the subject matter that freaked you out?"

"Zoe, perhaps now is not the best time… " Data began.

"It's the only time," I answered him. "Do you want this weird tension going on while Geordi's got his fingers stuck in your head tomorrow?" I turned back to the engineer. "Couples disagree," I reminded him. "I'm pretty sure you're aware of that."

"It's not that," Geordi admitted, though the words came reluctantly. "It's… " He pushed his plate away. "Damn it, Zo', I didn't know he'd raped you. I mean, I knew you had a cast, and I knew he'd hurt you, but…"

"I just assumed Data had told you," I said. "I'm sorry if it was a shock."

"Nothing compared to what you must've gone through. How you're this well-adjusted, this soon…" He shook his head.

"But I'm not," I said softly. I glanced at Data, and then turned back to his – our? – friend. "It's only been a couple weeks since I stopped having nightmares every night. I still have them, but they're more random now. I still flinch when people I don't know really well try to touch me. You saw me have a flashback that night in sickbay when Data was all scorched and headless."

"I thought it was because of when he'd put the chip in his head… before."

"Well, that wasn't exactly a super-fun experience either," I snarked. "Honestly, if it wasn't for Data, I'm not sure I would be even this much better. He's been… he's been amazing."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Geordi said. "I guess I understand now why you were so adamant that we not put the chip back inside Data's head."

"Zoe and I discussed it further after you left," Data said. "She has agreed to allow us to proceed." He said it as if it was completely normal for one's romantic partner to have veto power over such things.

"With conditions," I amended for him. "Which I will share in the morning. Now, we really need to do something to lighten the mood, so if you two handle the dishes, and make coffee to go with dessert, I'm going to browse the game menu on the replicator."

Geordi laughed, but he also began stacking plates. The two of them made efficient work of cleaning up the remains of our meal, and then returned to the table, where I presented Data with a deck of cards.

"You wish to play poker?" he asked.

"I hate poker," I reminded him. "Texas Hold 'em with you, that time, was a special situation. You two may be serious card players, but I am not; I prefer board games. So, we're splitting the difference with Warp Ten."

"Warp Ten is not actually possible," Data said. "The exponential progression of warping space is such that –"

"Not the point!" I cut him off. "Besides, in this case, Warp Ten is just the name of a card game. It's actually based on Liverpool Rummy, but designed as a family game, so instead of remembering that Jokers are wild, there are actual wild cards. There are also special cards that allow you to skip other players' turns, buy extra cards, and steal a card from another player. Trust me, you'll have fun."

"But I cannot have fun," Data objected, though he used the tone that meant he was teasing me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine. You'll learn more about interpersonal dynamics, and Geordi and I will have fun."

Geordi was laughing again. "She's got you there, Data," he said.

The game was a rousing success, and by the time Geordi excused himself to get some sleep, he and I really had begun forming a friendship that was independent of me being 'Data's girlfriend.'

(=A=)

Stardate 45331.68

(Wednesday, 1 May 2368, 9:31 AM, local time)

"Data, are you sure you want to do this?" The question came from Geordi, not from me, but I can't deny I was also thinking it.

I had listed my conditions over coffee earlier in the morning: Geordi and I would be in the room the entire time. Geordi would be monitoring everything on the computer readouts, but Data would, as much as he was able, provide a running commentary about everything he was experiencing, and if, at any moment, one of us thought there was a problem, we would stop.

"I am certain, Geordi. Please proceed." An operating chair, like something from a dental office, had been moved from one of the storage rooms at the back of the lab to the center of the work-space – from the right angle it almost looked like Sue the T-Rex was guarding the chair – and Data took his position on the seat.

This time, it was the engineer's deft hands which opened the panel on Data's head, and his sure touch that inserted the chip into the specified port.

This time, I wasn't alone watching the man I loved take on another person's aspect, but with the one person I trusted most to take care of him in ways I couldn't. The conditions I'd set were mostly for my benefit – and both men were aware of that – but they were for Data's benefit, as well.

"Isolating personality overlay. Deactivating personality interface. Accessing first encrypted layer…"

"Zoe, look over here for a minute," Geordi invited. I pulled my eyes away from Data's face – the rapidly moving eyes and slightly twitching facial muscles – and turned toward the monitor displaying his functions. "This green line is baseline power consumption," Geordi explained. "It's usually pretty even, but you can see bursts of more activity when Data's tackling a difficult problem." There was a spike on that line, just as Data announced that he was executing decryption protocols.

"Analyzing data. Sending output to terminal three. Accessing second encrypted layer."

"The blue line," Geordi said, "shows the outgoing data-flow. See how he's sending information to the terminal?" looked over at the other terminal displaying the information that an optical cable attached to Data's head was feeding information to one of the computers.

"It looks like a map," I observed, watching as the images flickered on the screen. Most scrolled by faster than I could really parse them.

"Navigational chart," Data corrected. "Accessing third encrypted layer."

The entire process lasted about three hours. There were no outbursts of Lore-ish-ness, no smoking terminals, and Data seemed to be aware, if not exactly chatty, for the entire time. It seemed like an oddly welcome anti-climax, save for two events.

The first came as a spike of red on one of the monitors.

"Data are you sending a burst to the comm array?" Geordi asked in alarm, just as the last encrypted layer was being analyzed.

"I am not, Geordi. Why?"

The engineer shook his head. "Just for… not even a second… there was a spike on the communications grid."

"I am not aware of having sent anything to the communications array," Data said. "I will initiate a self-diagnostic when we have completed this task."

The second event came when the last layer of information had been lifted from the solid, after Geordi had already removed the optical cable. "There is an executable protocol designated aperitif. I am uncertain whether or not to run it."

"He's teasing you," I said.

"That is likely," Data agreed, "but I believe we must take this to completion. One moment."

For several seconds, it seemed as though nothing had happened, but then Data left his chair, and crossed the workroom. "Data, you okay?" His friend's voice was heavy with concern.

"I am… fine… Geordi."

But he didn't sound fine. I ducked under the skeleton he had gone around and stood in front of him, peering up into his face. "Data?" I asked softly.

Something passed over him, and his face, which usually showed only the merest hints of expression, the tiniest nuances of real emotion, was transformed – suffused, really – with something that looked a lot like the way love was depicted in cheesy romances.

"My Zoe," he said softly, and reached for my face. He cupped my chin in his hand and lowered his lips to mine.

I was trembling. I was afraid Lore had overshadowed him somehow, but at the same time, I knew that wasn't the case.

Cashews. The taste of cashews flooded my mouth, as he teased my tongue with his. The hand that wasn't cupping my chin was at my waist. A hint of pressure was all he needed to bring our bodies closer together. We'd shared a lot of kisses, but that one… it was deeper, our connection felt stronger than any other.

I was nearly breathless.

I was really wishing Geordi wasn't in the room.

When we separated, his eyes were doing their birdlike flickering again, and his expression implied a sort of surprised wonder. "I think…" he said. "I believe… " His head turned from left to right, as if he was seeking the source of some distant song. "I love y – " The words were broken, incomplete, and he didn't - couldn't finish the sentence.

And then it was gone. His demeanor was the mild and placid one that was his usual default, except that his face was somehow more blank than I'd ever seen it. "Data?"

"It is as you said, Zoe; Lore was teasing us."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"For a fraction of a second," he said softly. "I felt." He blinked rapidly several times, and then focused on me. "I believe it was lo-lo-lo-lo…" Data's speech devolved into a mechanical buzz, and then he toppled to the floor with a hollow thud.

"GEORDI!" I screamed, but the engineer was already there, already kneeling. "Is he... dead?"

"Just overloaded his processor," Geordi said, as if it happened every day. "And the chip is fused into the socket, but it's dormant now, so it won't hurt him to leave it there."

"Are you sure?"

His dark skin was etched with worry, but he remained calm. "As sure as I can be. I'm going to close the panel on his head, and then we're going to give him a few minutes and see if he comes back on his own."

"He can do that?"

"Sometimes, yeah."

Twelve incredibly long minutes elapsed before Data's eyes popped open. "Geordi," he greeted his friend first, but then his gaze settled on me, and he breathed my name like a sigh. "Zoe."

"Hey," I smiled. "You know, there are better ways to get us to kneel before you."

"Indubitably," he agreed. He sat up, wiggling his fingers and then moving his hands as if checking to make sure all of his basic functions still worked. Then he rose to his feet. "I am sorry if I frightened you."

"Not with that kiss," I said. "As to the rest...I'll survive," I said softly, "As long as you're okay – are you?"

"I am functioning normally," he assured me, "however, it is now imperative that I undergo a self-diagnostic. Geordi, will you monitor? I wish… I wish to have another pair of eyes."

"Happy to help, my friend."

"Do you mind if I don't stick around for this one?" I asked. "I'm a little overwhelmed, and… I think I need some alone-time." I glanced outside. "The rain finally stopped," I observed. "I'm going to walk down to the water. Find me when you're done?"

"I will do so."

I gave him a wry grin followed by a chaste kiss. Turning to Geordi I said, "Take care of him?"

"He's in good hands, Zo', I promise."

(=A=)

Stardate 45332.65

(Wednesday, 1 May 2368, 6:03 PM, local time)

The sun was just setting in a rare, clear evening sky when I heard the heavy crunch of Data's footsteps behind me. I'd brought a towel outside with me, and was sitting on it, staring at the water.

"Zoe?"

"You're done?"

"With the diagnostic, yes. It will take another two days, four hours, thirty-seven minutes –"

"Data!"

He left off the seconds. " - to finish parsing the information that was on the chip, but I understand the basic 'gist' of it."

"Can you tell me?"

"There was a chart showing the locations of several 'alpha' and 'beta' sites. I believe my father had other bolt-holes where he engaged in some of his work. Some of the locations are in… less than savory locations."

"Makes sense," I said.

"There is evidence that my father may have been working on another android, relatively recently. As well, there may be earlier prototypes in existence. It will be several years before all of the sites can be investigated."

"I don't get it," I said. "Why just hand you all that info?"

"I believe there are two reasons."

"Only two?"

"Two significant reasons," he amended. "May I sit?"

I looked at the towel, and the wet ground, and then I looked back up at him. "How 'bout I stand? We could take a walk, enjoy the evening while you explain?"

"That would be acc – I would be happy to."

"You don't have to do that," I said. "I mean, vaguing up the time is one thing, but… you don't have to change the way you talk for me. I know what you mean, and I know where it's okay to nudge you a little, and where it's not." I hesitated. "You don't have to stay in bed with me, either. I don't expect it."

"So, you have said. And I have also said that I prefer to spend my time with you."

He offered his hand to help me up, and I took it, saying, "And that's fine when all we have are weekends, but… but when I get back from Idyllwild in December, it won't just be weekends."

"No, it will not."

"We're getting off track," I said. I turned my hand in his so we could walk together, but still have contact.

Data explained, as we began a slow stroll along the rocky beach, "I believe Lore gave me the information he did because, unlike him, I exist within the law. I was our father's named inheritor. I have a position of authority and legal status, whereas he is a fugitive who exists largely 'off the grid.'"

"So, you do all the legal stuff, claim the property, and then…what? He swoops in and takes it away?"

"I believe that was his original plan, yes."

"I don't think he's much of a swooper these days… although… maybe he wasn't as broken as he seemed. I don't know. I wish… I wish there was a way to know."

"As do I, if only to ease your worries."

"I don't think he'll be coming after me again, Data."

"No," he agreed. "When Lore does make another appearance, I am certain I will be the target. It is, after all, the other reason for the data-solid, and speaks to the 'gift' we experienced at the end."

"We?" I turned my head to meet his eyes.

"Did you not experience it with me, Zoe?" I ducked my head briefly, agreeing, and he continued, "The second significant reason is that the information Lore provided is… bait."

I stopped walking. "Just be careful," I asked, the tone in my voice making it perilously close to begging. "Please? I know you crave family, but… be careful that he doesn't sink his hook so deeply that you can't get free. I don't think… I don't think I could survive losing you."

The tears that I'd held at bay during our heavy conversation the day before, the same tears that had threatened when I'd seen his face transformed by Lore's little gift, spilled out of me.

Data pulled me close, letting me sob all the worry and stress of the past few days onto his shirt, while he whispered into my hair, "You are my family, as well, Zoe. You will not lose me."

(=A=)

Stardate 45341.20

(Saturday, 4 May 2368, 21:08 hours, ship's time)

Aboard the U.S.S. Ontario runabout.

The last two and half days of our time on Terlina III were spent cataloging the contents of the lab and packing the items Data had chosen to take with him. Without the specter of what might be on the chip hanging over our heads, the three of us fell into a fairly comfortable routine.

Some of the time, Data and I ran lines for Little Women as we worked. Other times, we engaged the entertainment system and listened to the audio streams for different news nets or played music.

We tried a lot of the foods that had been put in stasis, and played cards after dinner, moving from Warp Ten to actual Rummy, and eventually Blackjack. It became usual for one of them to attempt to get me to play poker, and then capitulate, and that 'bit' continued when we were back aboard the shuttle on the way back to the ship Saturday evening.

"Zoe… it is your deal," Data prompted me."

"Oh, sorry."

"You okay, Zo?'" Geordi asked.

I shook my head to clear it. "Yeah. But I was wondering… Data, did your father have a wife or a girlfriend or anything?"

"I do not know, Zoe; why do you ask?"

"Because," I said, "I got the sense that the house on Terlina III wasn't meant to be the bolt-hole it became. I got the impression it was meant to be a retirement home. I mean… it's obvious it was meant for two people and the occasional guest, and… I don't know… I'm basically psi-null, but I felt very strongly that someone made the food that was in stasis. Someone with intent. I guess… from everything you've told me about your father, it sounds like his last few years were spent alone, and that's sort of sad."

"I do not believe he was discontent," Data offered after a moment.

I stared at the blackness beyond the runabout's window. "I hope not," I said. "But I still think it's sad to have put so much work into a house meant for two and ended up without anyone to share it with."

Geordi got up to check the autopilot, and then returned, asking, "Have you decided what you're doing with the house, Data?"

"I am uncertain," Data answered.

"You should keep it," I said. "I think it'd be good for you to have a place of your own, even if you don't use it that often. Maybe use it as a vacation getaway." I turned back to the two men at the table and reached out to touch Data's arm. "I'd like to spend more time there."

"We will 'plan on it,' then," he agreed. "Do you wish to discontinue our game?"

"Nope. But I do want you to teach me that riffle you do. Can you slow it down?"

While Geordi smirked at both of us, Data guided me through his fancy shuffling technique, and then I dealt the cards. We kept the game going, pausing when Geordi or I needed to rest, until we got back to the Enterprise, late on Sunday night.

(=A=)

Stardate 45344.25

(Sunday, 5 May 2368, 23:56 hours, ship's time)

U.S.S. Enterprise

"I am not on duty until tomorrow morning," Data told me as we walked back toward his quarters, having parted ways with Geordi in the turbo-lift. "Will your mother object if you come home with me tonight?"

I shook my head. "You heard her before we left. She doesn't get to make those calls anymore. I just need to let her know we're back." I waited a beat. "It's been an intense couple of weeks. If you need time to process, I won't be hurt. Do you want me to stay?"

His answer was an echo of the way I typically responded when he asked me similar questions. "Always, Zoe. Always."

Notes: Revised 24 August 2019.

Runabouts in DS9 and after were named after rivers. As the runabouts from the Enterprise-D are earlier models, I've chosen to name them after lakes. I'm aware that canon has only a t-rex skull in Soong's lab. I chose to put a whole skeleton there because I thought it was funnier. This is technically AU, after all. Similarly, we never saw the whole house, but since Julianna was with Noonian, I believe it makes sense that he would provide her with comfortable, if somewhat simple, surroundings. Warp Ten, is, of course, a re-dress of Phase 10 with some added twists. Phase 10 really is based on Liverpool Rummy, and is also great fun. (In my circle of friends and family Phase 10 and Cards Against Humanity are our go-to games. What are yours?)

For Data's POV of Lore's little 'gift,' see the one-shot 2 point 5 Words. For an explanation of what that little comm surge was, see the one-shot Broken Things.