A/N: Thank you all! You are wonderful.
C/W: Contains abusive behaviour, smut, and dub con/rape. Will contain Data/Tasha fluff and eventual smut. Lore is a master of manipulation. Lore/Beverly (but it's not what it seems).
This is a fic in which Lore (still his lovably flawed, chaotic self) plays the long con before showing his true colours. Also, Lore and Data have significantly greater capacity to feel than canon suggests.
"What happened?" Picard demanded.
Data was sitting in front of the desk in Captain Picard's ready room.
He had barely said a word since entering.
Despite the reports of Data's seemingly uncontrollable rage, he was now the calm, patient android that Picard was familiar to serving with on the bridge.
It was also evident that Data was grappling with his grief and guilt over Geordi's injury.
"Data," Picard pressed.
"I apologise, sir. I find myself preoccupied," Data said in a faraway voice.
"Doctor Crusher will see to Geordi," Picard assured him. "But I need to know what happened down there. I'm getting reports from a number of personnel about your behaviour."
Data wasn't sure where to start.
"Data, I can't help you if you lose your temper," Picard sighed.
He flopped down in the chair behind his desk. Jean-Luc folded his arms and glanced out the window.
"I would like nothing more than to toss your brother into the brig, but I don't have any evidence to do so. And when you lash out at him, it only serves to reinforce the idea that he's been made a victim," Picard grumbled.
His heart went out to Data.
It couldn't be easy dealing with a nefarious brother whose charming personality had so easily fleeced the rest of the crew.
"When you react with these outbursts you only serve to play into his machinations," Picard warned.
"He threatened her," Data said suddenly.
"What?" Picard asked.
Data didn't want to think about the things Lore had said.
He had no desire to repeat them.
But he feared the Captain didn't understand what kind of pressure Data had been under.
"He threatened her, sir," Data repeated.
Data lifted his head to meet the Captain's eyes.
"He said would assault Lieutenant Yar," Data explained. "That he could do it right there on the beach and no one would even hear her."
Captain Picard sat motionless.
"He was excited about it. It was as if he could barely contain himself at the prospect of hurting her," Data went on. "He said that-"
Data's voice broke as he averted his gaze away from Captain Picard.
"They get this look of terror in their eyes right before-" Data trailed off as he recounted his brother's sick thrill.
"Data," Picard said softly.
"He knew things, sir," Data said, turning back to the captain. "Things about Lieutenant Yar. Things about us."
Data still didn't know how Lore could know the intimate details of their night at the resort. But somehow, some way, he did.
"Data, you have my deepest sympathies. But my hands are tied as long as Tasha refuses to press charges," Picard explained.
Data hated that the captain was right.
"What has she said about this latest development?" Picard inquired.
He was curious if the ongoing threat was enough to compel Tasha to take action.
"I have not yet told her," Data replied. "Nor did I share the threats Lore made in sickbay."
Sickbay too? Picard thought with alarm.
"It was not my intention to withhold information, but rather to present it at the right time," Data admitted.
Jean-Luc could understand that.
He had waited for the right moment to inform Beverly of Wesley's injuries and had yet to notify Tasha as to the break in.
"Data, I regret what I must do in this situation," Picard began.
Down on deck 9, Tasha was surprised to find a security officer posted outside of her door.
"Ensign," Tasha said uneasily.
"Sir," the Ensign nodded.
"Is there something wrong?" Tasha asked, fishing for information.
"Not that I'm aware of," the Ensign replied.
"Then why are you here?" Tasha asked with a tight smile.
"Captain's orders, sir," the Ensign answered without further elaboration.
Tasha frowned.
He didn't know if this was because of the incident at the beach, overprotection, or something else.
"Why?" Tasha inquired.
"Captain Picard didn't specify, sir. Only that I am to remain posted outside your quarters until Franklin comes to relieve me at 04:00 hours," the Ensign said.
It was an unsettling feeling to know there was an armed security guard watching her quarters.
Usually, Tasha was the one guarding something.
"Can I get you anything?" Tasha offered. "Glass of water? Magazine?"
The Ensign looked confused.
"Sorry," Tasha apologised. "Bad joke."
Without another word, she stepped into her quarters.
Tasha immediately eyed the pottery shards on her table. Dropping her bag, she stepped over to inspect the damage.
There was no note or anything left to explain why the piece was broken.
Tasha considered maybe Wesley had bumped it while watering the plant.
Still, it was unusual that Wesley wouldn't mention what happened.
Tasha wasn't terribly bothered by it. She had never been overly attached to material things. Data could easily fix it, or they could make a new one together at the sculpting workshop.
Tasha picked up her luggage and carried it into the bedroom. She tossed the bag onto the bed and set to work putting it all away.
Her eyes fell on the pair of untouched knickers that sat in the corner of her bag.
It had to have been Lore. Tasha told herself.
Tasha was determined that she wasn't going to let him get under her skin. She picked them up and tossed them into the garment reprocessor. Tasha set it to destroy and didn't think twice about it.
The sooner they were gone, the sooner she could move forward.
Tasha was hanging up her unused jumpsuit when she heard the door chime.
"Captain Picard?" she said in surprise as the door slid aside to reveal the forlorn looking Captain.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Picard said.
"No, not at all. Please, come in," Tasha said as she stepped aside to usher him in.
Captain Picard stepped inside and took a shaky breath.
He didn't want to have this conversation. Delivering this kind of news had never been his strong suit. Nonetheless, he understood that he had a responsibility to do so.
With an even tone, Captain Picard calmly explained that there had been an incident in her quarters involving Wesley Crusher. He chose his words carefully. He didn't want to cause unnecessary alarm. At the same time, he wanted Tasha to know that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.
Technically, Captain Picard was not supposed to be privy to the knowledge that she had been assaulted by Lore.
He had to tread with caution lest she feel Data had betrayed her confidence.
"I want to be clear that I don't think Mr Crusher would ever willingly engage in reckless behaviour or intentionally damage your quarters," Picard explained. "We aren't sure what happened. He suffered a physical injury."
Tasha did not react but was listening to every word with rapt attention.
"The nature of his medical incident remains unknown," Picard went on. "One possible theory is that there was an intruder in your quarters. Someone I suspect may have been responsible for the injury to Mr Crusher and for the damage to this room."
He had come into her home.
And now, worst of all, another crew member had been injured because of this feud with Data.
Captain Picard followed Tasha's line of sight as she shifted her eyes to her bedroom door.
"Your bedroom was untouched," Picard assured her.
He hoped that fact would bring her some relief – although he recognised it was only a small comfort.
"There's no record of anyone being in here between the time you left and when Mr Crusher arrived," Captain Picard shared.
He had checked and rechecked logged – even assigning two engineers to comb through the system looking for any possible evidence of tampering.
"And let me guess. You can't find any record of someone erasing or resetting the system," Tasha said with a bitter smile.
It was just like down on the planet.
Tasha didn't know how Lore was doing it – only that he had clearly been successful in covering his tracks.
"How could you know that?" Picard inquired.
Tasha didn't respond.
"Tasha?" Picard pressed.
"Thank you for notifying me, sir," Tasha replied.
Captain Picard could sense she was shutting down, closing herself off from the world as a way to cope.
"Tasha, has this happened before? Was there something that occurred on your holiday?" Picard pressed.
Tasha wanted to say yes.
She wanted to tell him all about her suspicions and the incident that had left her feeling unsafe even within her own room on leave.
But you just destroyed the only evidence. A sneaky voice reminded her.
Tasha felt like a fool.
She reasoned that maybe she should have come forward right away. If she hadn't been so afraid, none of this would have happened.
Lore would be in the brig.
Geordi and Wesley would never have been hurt.
And Data wouldn't be a pariah.
Tasha felt like it was all too late now. She couldn't push away the voice in her head that was screaming this was all her fault, that she had let her own cowardice and shame prevent her from confronting Lore.
"Tasha?" Picard asked softly.
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
"If there's something you wish to come forward with, I'm here to listen," Captain Picard said.
He wanted to add that he would believe her, that he would be behind her every step of the way.
But Jean-Luc feared that would make it obvious that he knew she had been assaulted.
And Captain Picard had no desire to make her feel like wasn't in control of the situation.
As she considered the Captain's offer, Tasha entertained the idea that perhaps it was time to officially report her assault.
Jean-Luc could see she was thinking hard about it, and he prayed to any deity that would listen that Tasha would open up to him.
Mentally, Tasha walked herself through the steps that she knew would follow an official report. It was a gruelling process that lasted anywhere from four to six hours.
As was procedure, she would have to meet with Deanna and would be required to undergo a physical examination by the Chief Medical Officer.
That would mean Beverly.
And there was no way Tasha wanted to be anywhere near Beverly at the moment.
It mattered not that it had been weeks. Procedure was mandatory.
Tasha had loathed the process when she had been forced to undergo it at age 15. After being rescued by Starfleet, she didn't have a choice.
The whole process had been invasive and humiliating – and as Tasha had insisted from the get-go, unnecessary. It wasn't like the crew of the USS Renegade was going to beam down and start rounding up Turkanan mercenaries.
She had been in no position to protest such treatment.
In her years of service to Starfleet, Tasha was grateful that sexual assault was such a rare crime that she had only been forced to assist in a handful of investigations. Tasha had done everything in her power to make the process as smooth and supportive as she could for those victims – maintaining their privacy, giving them control, and reassuring them with the things Tasha had wished someone had said to her.
"Tasha, if there's anything you can share to help me with this then-" Captain Picard began.
"How's Geordi?" Tasha asked, changing the subject.
A pained look crossed Captain Picard's face.
Tasha could tell she had disappointed him.
Jean-Luc explained that Geordi was in sickbay. He was stable, but they wouldn't know the full extent of the damage for at least another twelve to fourteen hours.
"Doctor Crusher is doing everything she can to ease the pressure on his brain," Captain Picard informed her. "We're hoping that once they can get that under control, then it will be safe to start testing the impact to his neural implants."
There was a lump in Tasha's throat.
She felt wholly responsible for Geordi's condition.
"This was not your fault," Captain Picard assured her.
They had served together long enough that he was seemingly able to read where her thoughts lay.
"There are evil people in this universe. They exist to hurt others. They take joy in creating pain and suffering. And it is never anyone's fault when they victimise someone else," Picard declared.
Someone else.
Tasha was struck by his choice of words. It hinted that he knew the true nature of the incident on the holodeck.
Jean-Luc felt he had finally broken through, and he decided to ask the question.
"Tasha, if you have any information that Lore is a danger to this ship or the crew then I need your help," Picard said, imploring her to disclose what she knew.
Tasha glanced down at the floor and then out the window.
"Tell me, would it free Data from the brig?" Tasha asked.
"No," Picard answered honestly.
Not only had Lore pressed charges against Data, but Captain Picard was also obligated to detain him given the severity of Geordi's injury. It was standard procedure for such an incident.
"Will it heal Geordi or undo the trauma Wesley's had to endure?" Tasha asked sadly.
She clenched her fists and locked eyes with Captain Picard.
"Or will be it seen as nothing more than an attempt to discredit Lore? A convenient allegation," Tasha said, her voice dripping with disdain.
She could just imagine the endless stream of questions – why now? Why did she wait? What was she hiding?
Even if they did believe her, it wouldn't stop them wondering how a security chief could be so foolish not to see the differences between the two. It would have to mean admitting what Tasha saw as her own failure, her own naivety.
"I can help you," Picard promised.
Tasha shook her head.
"Beverly was right," Tasha said. "This was all my fault."
"I don't know," Tasha answered honestly.
She hated that it was the truth, but there was really no telling how long it would take for Data to be released.
Tasha shrugged sadly.
"Unless he drops the charges, Captain Picard is obligated to keep you detained until Geordi can conduct a thorough examination and declare you fit for duty," Tasha explained.
"And as we do not know the extent of Geordi's injuries at this time-" Data began.
"We don't know," Tasha concluded.
She rested her head against the wall in the brig.
Tasha and Data were sitting on the ground opposite one another divided by the forcefield that lined the wall of his cell.
"I think it would be wise if you were to stay with someone for a while," Data suggested. "Perhaps Counsellor Troi or-"
Tasha shook her head.
"I'm tired of running away. I'm tired of being afraid," she admitted. "And I'm tired of him dictating every aspect of our lives. Our happiness."
She sighed and folded her hands in her lap.
"I'm done running," Tasha declared.
As thrilled as Data was to hear of Tasha's newfound confidence, he was still concerned about Lore's threat.
With great reluctance, Data knew that it was time to inform Tasha of the details that precipitated the fight on the beach.
"He threatened to assault you again," Data said. "And he implied that he will continue to do so simply because you are special to me."
Data's chest felt tight, and he found himself struggling to get out the words that he knew needed to be said.
"Tasha, perhaps in the interest of your safety it would be best if we were to maintain a distance," Data said before quickly adding. "For now."
Tasha's brow wrinkled.
"No," she said defiantly.
She straightened her back and shook her head.
"No," she resolved. "He doesn't get to decide how this relationship plays out. Not anymore."
"Sir, I would really prefer to remain in the lower decks," Wesley protested politely.
He was on the lift with Captain Picard.
To everyone's surprise, the Captain had shown up on the lower decks fifteen minutes earlier. Ensigns had quickly shut their sleep pod privacy screens, thrown on trousers, or did their best to cover any contraband paraphernalia as the captain marched down the corridor that served as their living space.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Picard had asked, stopping an Ensign that was part way through dumping a bottle of Romulan ale down a public sink.
The Ensign had immediately stopped, frozen in place as he stammered.
"Don't waste good ale," Picard instructed.
He didn't care about such petty matters.
Jean-Luc was well versed with life below decks.
Jean-Luc had found Wesley in his bunk, quietly studying amongst the noise and music. He had requested Wesley accompany him back to the Crusher family quarters.
Now they were on their way there – a thought that made both of them uncomfortable.
Captain Picard was concerned about Wesley being unprotected in the lower decks. Despite all of the people and the crowded conditions, there was actually a great deal of things that went unnoticed in such an atmosphere. The need to dissociate and ignore was a fact of life in such conditions.
There would be nothing to stop Lore from targeting him there – and it was unlikely anyone would even see it happen.
No, Jean-Luc needed to keep Wesley somewhere safe.
Captain Picard was also hoping that bringing Wesley into contact with Lore might provide important clues in their interaction.
"Sir, I would really prefer to stay elsewhere," Wesley insisted.
"I think that it's important for you to be with your mother right now. Someone that can look after you," Picard responded.
He pressed the door chime and they waited in silence for a few moments.
The door slid open to reveal Beverly.
She was about to make a smart remark to Captain Picard when she spied Wesley – his jaw still bruised from his assault.
"Wes," she said as she pulled him into a tight embrace.
Beverly felt more than a little rebuffed when her son did not return the embrace.
"Until we know more about Wesley's medical incident, I think it would be wise for him to be in place where someone can keep an eye on him," Picard lied.
"Then I should probably stay somewhere else," Wes commented.
He shot his mother a cold look.
"I don't want to be a nuisance," Wes sneered.
"Wesley," Beverly chastised him.
"It's alright, Doctor," Lore said.
He had been sitting on the sofa. The wounds from his beating at the hands of Data were still evident on his body. Data had done quite a number on him – cracking his cheek, smashing in a part of his torso unit, and causing a series of stress fractures throughout his upper body.
It would take considerable time for all of the damage to heal.
"I need to see to this damage, and you should be with your son at a time like this," Lore said as he rose to his feet.
Beverly turned back to look at Lore.
The moment she stepped aside, Wesley got his first look at Lore since the incident.
Fear flashed in Wesley's face. It did not go unnoticed by Lore – a fact he relished in.
Captain Picard had also observed the visible change in Wesley's expression and posture.
"Wesley?" Picard prompted.
Wes said nothing. He eyed Lore with scepticism as he took a step back. He was terrified by something that he couldn't place.
"I'm convinced," Picard announced aloud.
"Convinced?" Beverly inquired.
Captain Picard tapped his combadge and ordered a security team to Beverly's quarters.
"To escort Mr Lore to the brig," Picard finished.
Beverly was appalled.
"That is not necessary, Captain. I will willingly go," Lore said as he put his hands up.
"You'll have to forgive me if I insist on an armed escort," Picard responded.
He wasn't taking any chances.
Worf arrived a moment later with a team of officers to take Lore into custody.
"It is alright. It will all get sorted out. The captain is merely doing his job," Lore said in an infuriatingly calm voice.
To Jean-Luc's aggravation, Beverly was buying into every word.
He had to fight the urge to scoff.
"On what charge?" Beverly demanded.
"There are unanswered questions surrounding the incident on the beach," Captain Picard said. "I previously gave Mr Lore an order to avoid contact with Data. He's violated that order now on two occasions."
Beverly put her hands on her hips and stared down at the captain, challenging him to back up his claims.
"As Mr Lore has said, I am merely doing my job," Picard added.
Data and Tasha were still sitting on the floor chatting quietly when Worf and the security team arrived to put Lore in the cell next to Data.
For the first time, Data felt a welcome flood of relief in knowing that Lore was locked up. As long as he remained in custody in the brig, then he couldn't hurt anyone else.
"It is growing late," Data advised. "Perhaps you should rest?"
It was nearly midnight.
Tasha couldn't deny that the thought of Lore behind a forcefield brought her a sense of satisfaction. But her heart went out to Data who would be forced to remain in the brig as well.
"Don't let me interrupt," Lore said as he sat down against the wall near them.
From his position, Lore couldn't see Data, but he could see Tasha – and he was doing everything in his power to intimidate her.
Neither Data nor Tasha wanted Lore listening in on their conversation.
Tasha was suddenly struck by an idea. She grinned and held up her tablet.
Data nodded in understanding.
Data motioned to the wall that separated his cell from Lore and shrugged, silently asking Tasha what Lore was doing.
Tasha typed away at her tablet and then held up her message for Data to read.
Nothing. Staring.
It was rather unnerving – Lore sitting just a metre away from her on the floor grinning like a mad cat.
Tasha recognised it was an attempt to rattle them and she wasn't going to give Lore the satisfaction.
Through a combination of improvised sign language, lip reading, and the tablet, Data and Tasha were able to carry on their conversation.
It was infuriating for Lore as he sat there watching them carry on. It was bad enough not being able to see Data, but watching her react, knowing that he was being left out filled Lore with fury.
Shortly after midnight, Data insisted Tasha get some sleep.
I love you. He mouthed to her.
Data raised his hand, holding it just a few centimetres shy of the forcefield.
I love you too. Tasha mouthed back.
She smiled and raised her hand up as well, hovering above the shield to meet his.
As soon as Tasha was gone, Lore laughed.
Data did not respond.
"It's so perfect!" Lore exclaimed. "The ideal relationship for the two of you. You stuck behind bars. She never has to worry about your hands on her body again."
Lore laughed, wiping a tear from his eye for good measure.
Tasha was almost back to her quarters when she stopped in the middle of the corridor.
Beverly Crusher was waiting outside her door. Her arms were crossed, and she was leaning against the wall looking thoroughly irritated.
She was spoiling for a fight.
It was the last thing Tasha wanted to deal with at the moment, but Tasha Yar was tired of running and hiding.
Tasha had requested Captain Picard remove the guard from her door after Lore's arrest. Captain Picard had readily agreed – but Tasha now found herself wishing she weren't alone.
Steeling her nerves, Tasha approached the door.
"We won't know the extent of Geordi's injuries until the morning," Beverly said.
"How is he?" Tasha asked.
"I just told you," Beverly replied.
"Right," Tasha said with a small nod.
She turned the keypad on the wall and typed in the access code to unlock her door.
"That's all you have to say?" Beverly demanded.
Tasha stopped but she did not turn around.
"What do you want to hear from me?" Tasha asked directly.
She had a feeling that no matter what she said or did, it would do little to calm Beverly's nerves. So she was going to put it in Beverly's hands.
For her part, Beverly was temporarily stunned by the question. It wasn't what she had expected.
Tasha seemed so annoyingly unbothered by the situation that Beverly interpreted her attitude as callous rather than exhausted.
When Beverly didn't respond, Tasha unlocked her door.
"Goodnight," Tasha said before stepping through.
"We're not done!" Beverly said, chasing after her.
Without an invitation, she followed Tasha through the door and into her quarters.
"This is all your fault, and you need to fix this. Make things right!" Beverly asserted.
Tasha turned around and frowned.
"Fix what?" Tasha asked desperately.
"Lore is in the brig. He's done nothing wrong! You started all of this by asking Lore for help with Data," Beverly fumed. "And when it didn't work out you pitted them against one another."
Tasha looked like she had been slapped.
She was growing tired of this false narrative.
"I get it. Believe me, I understand," Beverly said. "But I implore you. Now look, I'm sorry for what I said about you not closing your legs. It was way out of line. No one is going to judge you for your sex life. Just own up to it with Data."
Beverly sighed in exasperation.
"Just tell him. Be honest with him about your feelings for Lore," Beverly said. "Lore can help Data explore his own sexuality and I'm sure that in time you two can enjoy a normal, fulfilling sex life."
Tasha's face soured. Her mouth grew thin.
"We were enjoying ourselves fine before Lore decided to involve himself," Tasha spat.
Beverly decided to soften her approach.
"I'm sorry. I truly am. I know this is embarrassing," Beverly said in a soothing voice. "But Data's jealousy is out of control. You caused this fight, and you need to stop blaming Lore just because you've now got morning-after regrets."
Tasha could feel her skin grow warm.
She wasn't going to listen to this.
"That's not what happened," Tasha said through clenched teeth.
Beverly closed her eyes and prayed for patience.
"Tasha, I really just want us all to get past this. Talk with the captain. I've known Jean-Luc for a long time. If you explain what happened then I'm sure he'll release Lore," Beverly pleaded. "We both know he doesn't deserve this."
Tasha didn't want to believe that someone so strong and clever as Beverly could be brought into Lore's web of deceit.
But there it was.
And Tasha knew that clever or not, anyone could be manipulated.
She didn't blame Beverly. In Tasha's eyes, she was as much a victim as anyone. But it still stung to be berated by a friend.
"But he does," Tasha shrugged.
Her resolve was starting to fail. Her hands were shaking.
"You can drop the act," Beverly said, shifting gears.
She'd had enough of this.
"What?" Tasha asked in disbelief.
Beverly crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
"You're jealous of what I have with Lore. But your resentment is misplaced," Beverly said.
She had been waiting to get that one off her chest.
"It's not Lore's fault that Data's programming isn't as advanced. Lore's not responsible for Data's coding errors," Beverly asserted.
"Coding errors?" Tasha asked slowly.
Beverly could sympathise with Tasha's position. Based on what Lore had shared, she could only imagine how difficult it would be to talk about something so personal during the heart of an argument.
But Beverly was tired of seeing Lore suffer because of Data's envy – envy that she felt was fuelled by Tasha.
"And there's nothing Lore can do if Data's going to react poorly to his advice," Beverly concluded.
Tasha scrunched up her face and shook her head.
"Advice?" she questioned. "What precisely did he tell you?"
Beverly dropped her hands in exasperation.
"I know all about it," Beverly said.
Tasha said nothing for a moment, averting her eyes to the wall as she contemplated her next steps carefully.
"Beverly, with all due respect, you don't know anything about what happened," Tasha said.
She turned back to her friend, wordlessly pleading with Beverly to trust her.
Beverly was a smart woman.
And she was a good friend. At least, they had always been good friends up until recently. Tasha wanted to believe they were close enough to be honest with each other.
Tasha also trusted that if she opened up to Beverly that it would go no further. After all, she was a doctor. And a woman.
For the first time in weeks, Tasha found the courage to say what she had avoided acknowledging.
"He raped me," Tasha confessed.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Tasha felt like she had just jumped off a diving board and was in freefall, waiting to hit the water.
Waiting to see the impact.
When Beverly didn't respond, Tasha blinked a few times before continuing.
"He attacked Data. Lore lied. He pretended to be Data and, and he took advantage of me," Tasha shared.
She was shockingly composed as she said her piece.
"And ever since it happened, he's taken every opportunity he can to remind me of that night. He taunts Data with it. That's why they've been fighting," Tasha's went on.
She was suddenly acutely aware of how heavy her head felt, how tense her shoulders were, and how tight her jaw had been clenched for the last few weeks.
"Why do you think I felt I couldn't go to sickbay?" Tasha said.
She sniffled and wiped her face with the sleeve of her jumpsuit.
"This wasn't supposed to happen again. Not here," Tasha said sadly. "And I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I know I should have said something sooner. But I'm so tired of being afraid."
She took a shaky breath and then glanced back at Beverly who was staring dumbstruck at Tasha.
Beverly was horrified.
"Tasha-" she trailed off as she grappled to process it.
"So you're right," Tasha said. "It is my fault but…but not in the way you think I just-"
"I can't believe you," Beverly said in astonishment.
She scoffed and shook her head in disbelief.
"I really can't believe you. Justifying what you did by twisting your mistake into this sick fiction," Beverly said, finding her voice.
"What?" Tasha asked, shocked.
She had just bared her soul, shared the deep, heavy burden of her trauma and Beverly thought it was untrue.
"The Tasha Yar I know would never make a false accusation to cover her own mistakes. And if what you say is really true, Tasha Yar never would have let me carry on my relationship – for weeks mind you – with such a person!" Beverly said hotly.
They were friends. Tasha never would have stood by and let Beverly associate with someone that was a predator.
"The Tasha Yar that I knew, the woman that was my friend, would have come to me. She would have come to me and warned me," Beverly insisted.
Her tone indicated that she was feeling both anger and betrayal.
"She wouldn't have waited weeks to make this accusation when it became a convenient narrative to explain Data's erratic behaviour," Beverly sneered. "You could have told me in sickbay. You didn't say a word about it on the boat."
Tasha's worst fears about coming forward were now playing themselves out before her very eyes. It was confirmation that her concerns about coming forward now were justified.
If Beverly didn't believe her, who would?
"You know that's not,-" Tasha trailed off as her voice broke. "You know that just because someone doesn't feel safe or right coming forward immediately doesn't mean their story is any less valid. Beverly, you know that."
Wordlessly, Tasha pleaded with the infuriated Doctor to believe her.
"Lore has never been like that with me. In my experience, he's been nothing but a consummate professional. Trustworthy. Helpful," Beverly countered.
"He's coercive. And manipulative. Devious. Perverted," Tasha argued softly. "There's something wrong with him. Data thinks it's a kind of error and he's using you to-"
"Lore isn't the one with an error," Beverly said in a cold voice.
Tasha stopped.
For a moment the two women eyed one another.
Their conversation had grown more personal and hurtful than either of them had anticipated. Beverly wasn't sure if she wanted to take it any further.
At the same time, she felt that Tasha had escalated things by falsely accusing Lore through crying rape. Lore had warned Beverly that Tasha and Data would attempt to discredit him.
In any case, Beverly had come to the conclusion her friendship with Tasha was now over.
And if it was going to end, Beverly felt she had one last thing she needed to say to her friend – something that she thought was a hard, necessary truth even if it wouldn't be well received.
"Data is the one with the error. I'm not saying it's his fault," Beverly said. "But he's like an adolescent. Underdeveloped emotionally. Unstable."
Tasha rolled her eyes.
It couldn't be further from the truth.
"There's so much you don't know about him. So much that Lore could teach him," Beverly continued. "I'm sorry, but as your former friend, I think it's my duty to say this."
Tasha frowned.
Former friend, indeed.
"I don't blame Data. And I can only imagine how hard it must be for you. He just needs help. I know that he struggles. I can't begin to imagine how confusing and scary it must be to navigate sexuality as an android. Hell, it's hard enough for humans," Beverly said with a sympathetic laugh. "I know that he steals knickers and ejaculates into them and that-"
"Data would never do that," Tasha snapped.
Her quick, defensive reaction implied to Beverly that Tasha had found such clues in her dresser before.
"Please go," Tasha requested.
"Tasha-" Beverly said softly.
"Go," Tasha shouted.
As soon as Beverly was gone Tasha sank to the floor.
I can't believe you.
The words were stuck on a loop in her mind.
It hurt worse than Tasha could have expected.
Before she could let her mind spiral, Tasha's door chimed.
She glanced at the LCARs screen for the time and realised that she had been on the floor for nearly twenty minutes.
The door chimed again.
Tasha pulled herself into an upright sitting position on the floor, but ignored it.
"Lieutenant. Please. It's me. And I don't know where else I can go," said the voice of Wesley Crusher.
Tasha scrambled up from the floor and opened the door.
Wesley was on the other side sporting an overnight bag. His eyes were red, and it was obvious he'd been crying.
Wordlessly, Tasha pulled him inside. She threw her arm around Wes and gave him a warm hug.
"Captain Picard ordered me off the lower decks," Wes explained. "And I just, I just can't-"
"You don't have to explain," Tasha assured him. "You're always welcome here."
Wesley dropped his bag on the table. Tasha emerged from the bedroom a moment later with a blanket and pillow. She made up a bed for Wesley on the sofa.
"Get some sleep," Tasha said as she tousled his hair.
They had always maintained a friendly relationship. In a way, Tasha was like the older sibling Wesley had never had.
She was glad to have him there. And after the events of the last few days, Wesley was happy to be somewhere he was wanted.
Down in the brig, Lore was growing increasingly stir crazy.
For nearly an hour he had done everything he could think of to get Data to react. He'd used all of his tricks and techniques to get under his brother's skin.
Lore had taunted him, dangling information about the memories Data couldn't access in an effort to make Data feel inferior.
He had asserted his dominance by recounting his version of events in which Data was deactivated by the colonists for being emotionally unstable and flawed.
It was all for naught.
Lore had been hesitant to include statements about Lieutenant Yar – but Lore was growing desperate. His usual line of vague threats was going nowhere. And he was starved for attention.
When that failed, Lore resorted to open intimidation.
"She'll be pissing blood for a week," Lore said in a menacing voice.
Data did not respond.
Lore kicked the wall in frustration.
On the other side, Data smirked.
"What is wrong with you?" Lore screeched.
"You seem to be struggling, brother," Data responded.
Lore's eyes lit up.
He was talking!
"Is the idea of captivity or being in a small space that causes you distress?" Data inquired.
Lore's celebration stopped.
When he did not answer, Data felt a rush of power in knowing that he had touched a nerve.
"Perhaps it is a fear of being subjected to human laws?" Data surmised aloud.
"Shut up," Lore growled.
"It is possible to turn out the lights with audio commands," Data advised. "In fact, given that our audio patterns are identical, I could turn your's off for you."
"Don't!" Lore pleaded, his domineering façade fading fast when threatened with darkness.
He couldn't stand the idea of being alone and caged in the dark.
"Are you certain?" Data asked.
A part of Data didn't feel right about exploiting such a weakness. It was evident that Lore was panicked. Data had reached such a conclusion based on his behaviour. Additionally, he knew that it put Lore on edge when he didn't respond.
But Data was counting that an unpleasant evening in the brig might be just the leverage he needed in order to get Lore to drop the charges against him.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Lore snarled.
"I asked Lieutenant Yar to marry me," Data shared.
"Whoop dee fucking doo," Lore scoffed as he rolled his eyes, his attitude getting the better of him.
"She said yes," Data replied simply.
There was absolutely nothing that could detract him from that high.
"Computer, disengage illumination until 07:00 hours," Data ordered.
"No!" Lore said, alarmed.
He looked around wildly as he tried to memorise the room before the light was gone.
"Do not accept future audio commands from cell A2 in accordance with sleep programme J57-201," Data said.
The lights in Lore's cell shut off.
"Very funny," Lore said after a few seconds.
Data said nothing.
Lore had been hoping that the light from the corridor would at least illuminate the area near the edge of his cell.
Unfortunately, the forcefield prevented any light from penetrating the area.
Lore was completely alone.
In the dark.
"Brother?" Lore asked.
He closed his eyes and tried to stop the terrifying thought of the walls closing in around him.
Only Data couldn't hear his brother's plea for mercy.
Data had shut off his audio receptors.
Omicron Theta Colony | 2336
"And there we go," Noonian said.
He stood back and chuckled.
Noonian bent over and flipped the switch to reactive Lore.
Lore twitched violently as his neural net came back online.
The last thing he had remembered was feeling suffocated.
Noonian and Juliana were leaving for three days to meet up with a supply ship that was bringing in a series of new equipment. Noonian wanted to be on hand to receive the material personally, but he had a distaste for flying alone.
Normally he would have taken Data along as a pilot.
But the supplier was a Romulan, and they had an aversion to Data's synthetic nature. Data's presence could jeopardise years of work to secure this supplier.
Noonian and Juliana had agreed that they couldn't very well leave Lore unsupervised. They also couldn't bring him along – it was far too big a risk.
His behaviour had been erratic and unpredictable since his return.
While the Soongs had grown accustomed to leaving B-4 in the care of Data, Lore was unwilling to accept Data being in charge.
There had been an argument.
Then everything had gone black.
Lore stared down in horror where a restraint was clasped around his wrist. The restraint was also secured a second wrist – a wrist that belonged to the brother that was sitting next to him smiling like an idiot.
"We'll be back before you know it," Juliana promised.
Lore jumped up in protest, stumbling as the momentum of being latched to B-4 pulled him backward.
"This is cruel. Inhuman!" Lore argued.
"It's for your own protection," Noonian replied.
Lore had been struggling with night terrors ever since his return. He would thrash violently, mumbling and crying in his sleep about places and people that he refused to share with the rest of his family.
"It will be just like when you two were young," Juliana said with a warm smile.
Lore was aghast.
"Humans often use such tactics with their offspring to foster a closer relationship and teach the skills of compromise and communication," Data advised.
"Shut your fucking mouth," Lore snapped.
The Caliban | 2335
Lore curled up on the floor in the bottom of his holding cell.
He could hear the hum of the Caliban's life support system as the little ship chugged along deeper into Klingon territory.
It was completely dark save for a dim light at the end of the cargo bay.
Lore was sure that Setek would return shortly.
Half-Klingon, Half-Romulan, Setek embodied everything Lore aspired to be – powerful, confident, and always in control.
But Lore knew that he was none of those things.
Hell, he wasn't even considered a person.
They called him 'it.'
His position on the ship was unclear. Somewhere between a pet, a toy, and a slave, they kept him stowed away in a dark cell until such time as Setek had a use for him.
Sometimes he would be forced to salvage materials from wrecks that were unsafe for the humanoids. They also used Lore to conduct repairs, disable traps, or whenever they needed something heavy moved around.
And then there were the times in which Setek simply wanted entertainment.
Lore curled in closer to himself, drawing his knees up toward his chest.
It was so cold.
It was always so cold.
While he didn't require warmth like humanoids, Lore still appreciated being warm.
He still liked soft things. He missed being clean and feeling safe.
He missed feeling wanted.
Most of all, he longed for home.
Present
Not everyone had returned to the ship.
Deanna and Commander Riker had stayed behind on Tauphi VI. Commander Riker had needed to clean up and oversee the return party and Deanna had wanted to stay around to be on hand in case any of the crew needed a counsellor.
Fear of Data and his capabilities was running high.
Deanna knew part of this was simply the natural fear of artificial life that all humanoids shared on some level. But there was more to it.
The notion that the ever-composed, polite Commander Data could suddenly snap and turn into this violent, uncontrollable entity was unsettling.
"I thought I might find you here," Commander Riker said as he approached Deanna.
She was standing on the beach, staring at the ruins of the sandcastles as the sun came up.
There was an immeasurable sense of misery that radiated out from them.
Deanna surmised it had something to do with the idea that castles were considered a symbol of strength and power – and that building them from sand was both sad and beautiful.
They could easily crumble.
One rogue wave or careless step and the walls would come tumbling down.
"We have to find a way to help them," Deanna remarked.
She didn't need to speak their names aloud. They both understood.
"We have to, Will," Deanna insisted.