Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders (FO*) are entirely my own.

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

Part Two:

AU/Multiple Star Trek Shows/Carrie: Having become part of 24th century, Carrie White is enlisted in the clandestine organization Section 31 to help protect the Federation from a looming threat that has the power to change Starfleet's future forever.

Chapter 12

Carrie hurried down the corridor hoping to see the light in the end of the tunnel. She wondered about the professor and considered going back but the man had a point. No one knew about her but then again what did she know. It was not much either. Only the flash drives could shed some light into it now.

The long tunnel reminded her of the long road she had to walk before gaining anyone's trust and attention. The first breakthrough she had was the most peculiar one too. It was the android Data.

This was the most unusual for her being on the ship. He was a machine that not only emulated human behavior but yearned to become one. She found out that this was something she envied him for. While sometimes she hoped she could simply turn off her feelings and not feel them she could not.

Her education had been virtually nonexistent. Her crazed mother kept her indoors and even when she started going to school she could not have been more alone. People were simply not nice and took every opportunity to mock her. She often wondered was it her clothes or her face that induced such hatred in them.

Ella had gone to talk to her parents and Carrie wondered aimlessly around the ship. Somehow she found a pair of doors and without even looking entered. It took her a moment or two to realize that something was off.

She had entered into a holographic chamber. There were trees and small creeks joyfully going up and about the uneven terrain. There were times she forgot she was in the future and onboard a space ship. But it had its advantages.

The first time she saw this type of entertainment she thought she was going crazier. It took Ella some effort to convince her that the environment while looking very real was in fact an illusion. This illusion was created by something called "photons". They were tiny particles of energy that when combined could create and recreate any environment.

The crew used it to go to places without actually leaving the ship. It was a concept that took her some time to get used to. Ella had to virtually point and touch the walls of the chamber before she believed her they were not teleported to another world in a blink of an eye. Understanding the concept of how this was possible took much more effort (but for that later).

Ella wondered around this even terrain until she heard an uneven whistling sound. She stopped. The sound was coming from around the hill. She moved in that direction driven by curiosity. And there she found the android sitting on a branch. He was attempting to whistle some tune but rather unsuccessfully, which was surprising for her given that he was a machine and therefore should be able to do anything.

When she first learnt that Commander Data was built she found that ridiculous. I mean how does one build life out of spare parts? It took Ella some time to explain to her the concept. Seeing that it did not register with her she basically started educating from scratch. Every subject from school Carrie learnt anew.

Ella had started with the simplest of things using the educational system of Carrie's time. While many found that a waste of time Ella thought it best as that was something to which Carrie could connect to. And then slowly Ella included subjects that pertained to the centuries that followed.

While Carrie did not understand many aspects of it she tried her best to assimilate everything thrown at her. Finding examples of her old environment had helped enormously as it cut the distance between the centuries and at some point Carrie had become more comfortable with the weirdness of the 24th century.

But of course the most shocking thing remained Commander – a synthetic person. In her times, it would have been some kind of robot, a robot that can think and act independent of what he's programmed to do. That was also something difficult to assimilate but with time it got easier.

So Data was perfect and probably superior in almost every aspect to humans and yet he could not grasp simple things such as laughter or hatred, a smile or a tear, dancing or apparently whistling in tune.

"Ms. White,"

Apparently he had noticed her. He jumped effortlessly from the branch on which he was and landed next to her.

She still had to get used to being called 'Ms. White'. Her mother and the others only ever called Carrie or other unpleasant names but never by surname alone.

"Mr. Data," She replied in kind. "What was that tune you were…um…trying to emulate?"

"It is an Earth melody called…" Data stopped and pondered the name. It was another peculiar thing about him. There were times he could not recall anything which should be impossible. How can a machine forget? It was weird contradiction. His brain was one of the most sophisticated computers ever created and yet it was forgetful. It was strange.

"Why are you here?"

"My shift had ended seventy minutes ago. I had given nutrients to my cat, Spot and tried to take him for a walk, something I have yet to master. Then I ran a system diagnostics on my systems and once everything checked out I was free to execute more human tasks."

"Such as whistling?"

"Yes," Data replied stoically. "I have created this environment as I have read it has calming effect and with no other distractions I came to practice."

"I am sorry to have disturbed you then."

"On the contrary I welcome your presence here. Perhaps you can assist me."

"In what way?"

"I will whistle it and you can grade it. Be certain to provide any feedback. It will help me improve it."

"And once you master whistling you are going to showcase it to someone?"

"Yes, I was thinking the captain or Commander Riker as they are both rather musical."

Carry stood amazed of this being and his aspirations. She blinked twice and then sat on the ground. "Go ahead. Whistle away!"

Data nodded and reprised his whistling. It sounded like the agony of a dying animal. It reminded her of Klingon opera. The first time she heard it she wanted to kill Ella. It was the most antagonizing experience. She had heard music before and even her mother's gospel sounded like a blissful harmonic music but Klingon music that was torture.

She herself was not the best of whistlers but even she could make a more harmonically sounding tune.

"How was it?" Data had asked.

Carrie had not realized that he had stopped making that sound. She turned to him and was uncertain what to say.

"Your words will not harm me in anyway. I do not feel offensive or otherwise emotions." Data clarified seeing her expression of caution.

"I can say that I genuinely envy you."

"You envy me?" Data asked surprised. He tilted his head to the left and then back. It was his signature move as Carrie had come to notice.

"Yes, you have no emotion. You do not get offended by anything. I wish I could turn off any feelings. It would have spared me so much."

Data may not have feelings but he certainly understood there was some trauma she had endured that she wished her absence of feeling might have made better.

"I see." He said. Carrie expected he would inquire the reason but he said nothing and they stood in blissful silence.

"Why do you try to be like us? We are a messy race."

"I want to experience every joy of life. And if I can't grasp a single concept such as whistling or laughter I feel that I am incomplete."

"Every aspect of our lives is a painful one. Why would you want that? I mean you are practically immortal. You will get to see everything that is or will be."

"That is an interesting point of view." Data said. "But I believe that the reason the living attract me so much is because their lives are finite. How do you experience life through joy or pain if you could live forever? How would you come to appreciate it if it has no end?"

Carrie stood surprised if the android's logic. Yes, how does one appreciate life if it never ends? How does one understand its mistakes if accountability is meaningless? It reminded her of her last act in her previous life. Her so-called friend had betrayed her and she projected all the betrayal in her head as punishment. She doubted she would have a normal life after that.

She did feel a smidgen of remorse but at the time she was so hurt and so angry. It had been the final stroke, the final pin in her coffin. She was unable to take it anymore. She needed to hurt someone so she wouldn't be the only one that hurt.

"Data, if you could feel and someone hurt you, betrayed you, and you had the power to hurt them back, would you?"

"An interesting question," Data pondered. He had not really given it a thought as he had no feelings and therefore no one could hurt him. But what if he could? "That depends on the someone…"

"If it were your best friend, the only friend you ever had, the only one you ever trusted with anything?"

"I believe I find myself unable to answer your query since I have never experienced feelings or emotions, or the circumstances that would drive him to act against our friendship."

"Ha, you see that's why I envy your lack of emotions."

"I see. Why did your best friend betray you?"

"If she ever was my friend,"

"Explain,"

Carrie was grateful to Data for not interrupting anywhere. She had the impression of standing before a recording machine. But it was the first step of making a friend, like a real friend, as Ella did not count. She was family.

Truthfully Carrie had not confided in anyone enough to tell the entire story. It felt somewhat relieving to do so with Data, though technically he was not a real person. And if he was a recording machine then she just did a full confession. But it felt good to pour out the hatred as it beat doing so on a bulkhead or something else.

Data remained silent for many minutes. He processed this sad and dreadful life their new member of society had. It seemed she carried more luggage (as the Captain would have put it) then the entire crew combined. He wondered how humans can be so cruel to their own kind or how can they endure so much pain and yet remain somewhat hopeful for better days. It was something he was not capable of that.

Carrie however in Data's opinion had lost all hope. She had only pain and hatred. He doubted even Councilor Troi would be able to help as she had never before dealt with such things. People in the 24th century had also worries and anxieties but in general the populace was happy and friendly.

The 20th century however was a different world all together. Some of things Carrie had shared Data did not understand as he had not the proper time to study these aspects of mankind, perhaps mostly because they did not survive their time. The stories that have reached the 24th century did not make justice to everyday life of a citizen.

Data understood enough to know that right now Carrie needed friends. She needed to believe again in the goodness of all things. The human race had changed a lot since Carrie's time. As he was not a councilor nor did he understand enough to comfort her, he decided to take a different approach.

"Would you be willing to teach me of your time however limited it may have been so I can better understand your query in order to provide a more accurate answer?"

Data's question had actually surprised her a lot. She kind of expected some dry interpretation of her life or some vague advice. But this was unexpected. She found new respect for this being, yes, being. She could no longer classify him as a machine even though he most certainly had recorded every word and could recite it verbatim.

"Yeah, sure," She said. "This may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Data looked at her weirdly. He did have friends in the face of Commander LaForge but this one could be different. He also had many teachers of humanity but none quite like the one he could have.

"I am not quite certain about many aspects of humans' interactions as friendship activities as I cannot emote or express feelings but I shall try my best."

"I shall teach what I can. My life has not been one of joy."

"I believe one human had said that 'everything is a matter of perspective'. Perhaps you have had joyful moments without even being to recognize them at the time but with the help of friends you might be able to."

"Mr. Data, this is the most beautiful thing someone has ever told me."

"Oh, and Data will be more than sufficient to call me."

"Sure, Mr.., " Carrie chuckled stopping herself. "Data, it is. See you around the stars."

"Around the stars?" Data did not quite understand this expression.

Carrie did not answer him but smiled. She stood up and left the holo chamber leaving the android to figure it out.

Back in the corridor, Carrie continued forward hoping to see something that will signify the end of the tunnel…

To be continued…

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Lordheaven