Geordi’s voice crackled through her badge. Key looked up from the set of synthetic Klingon lungs she’d been designing and tinkering with. The prototype was complicated and required fine magnification, an amusing enough situation considering Klingon lungs were much larger than a human’s and were controlled with a diaphragm much more similar to human skeletal muscle meaning Klingons could train breath control with much better results than humans. She absently wondered if Worf was a good singer as she tapped her com badge. “Aye, on my way Sir.”
As Key entered the bridge it was like entering a standoff. Geordi was on one side and Chief Engineer Logan stood fuming on the other. Geordi's hand was resting on the back of the captain's chair and the energy in the room was rancid. Key couldn’t help but flick her eyes over to Deanna who gave a slight nod and widened her eyes. “Now Mr. Logan.” Geordi’s tone was firm and his steady confidence was a delicacy in the air. Key approached as Logan turned tail.
“Lieutenant I’d like to bring you up to date quickly.”
Key nodded, sliding into attention.
“The Captain, First Officer, Chief of Security, Chief Medical Officer, and Commander Data are all on the planet's surface. The planet is equipped with immense weapons systems and was holding First Officer Riker in a stasis field. The status of Commander Data and CSO Yar are unknown as are the location and status of Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher. As you may not have felt from your part of the ship, our shields have been taking a beating. We’re under some sort of threat from the planet and I’m about to raise a code. I need your help formulating a plan. I just sent Mr. Logan back to engineering to try to get us a bit more power to divert towards the shields”
“Sir.” Key said, “I assume you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
~~~
“He may have been out of line but Logan was speaking the truth,” Deanna began, locking eyes with Geordi, “If the weapons system on the planet is as strong as we think, the remaining crew and their families are at risk.”
“I know counselor, but it’s a risk to hope that the probe that’s been firing on us won’t go after the passenger section if we split. And I won’t leave the away team down there with this type of threat.” Geordi raised a hand to his forehead, leaning slightly onto the desk.
“Do we know what type of sensors the probe is using to evaluate?” Key jumped in.
“Given the sophistication of the weapons system and how it has been tracking the team on the planet I think heat sensors are the most likely main driver.” Worf added, “sound doesn’t work well on both the surface and in orbit.”
“Geordi, we could mask the heat signatures on the passenger section when we disconnect the saucer, keep them low, let the passenger section drift. And if we time it right we can simulate an accidental detachment.” Key said quickly.
“That could work but once the targeting system is engaged we’d need to get the passenger section out.”
“You would need someone in command of that section,” Deanna began gently. Key was always in awe of her tact.
“It could be an opportunity,” Geordi mused, “and help smooth over earlier. And he’s invested in keeping that part of the ship safe.”
Geordi tapped his com badge, asking Logan to join them. They spelled out the plan, and as the passengers began to migrate towards the center of the passenger section, Key worked on the environmental controls with other members of the engineering team. As she did, Key couldn’t help her mind drifting towards the team on the planet. Yes the Captain, but also Data and Tasha. There was something there. Something had happened. The two of them weren’t quite friends but certainly weren’t lovers. Key liked Tasha. She was certain but unlike Geordi, Tasha’s emotions were volatile. It wasn’t a negative but it did make spending time with Tasha a bit exhausting sometimes and on top of it all, she bottled it all up. Tasha carried something dark with her, that much was clear, but Key wasn’t close enough to ask and she rather preferred keeping her Betazoid-ness under wraps. So she’d watched as Tasha and Data built trust and friendship and then that day with the virus on the ship, something had shifted. Tasha seemed almost guilty feeling. Key shook her head trying to clear it, it wasn’t her business but she did worry about their safety. Tasha ran headfirst into danger and though he wouldn’t say it, for the only being of his kind, Data had a bit of a self sacrificial streak.
She was a little relieved when Geordi asked her to join the team in the saucer. She dragged herself out of engineering after a final parameter shift. She looked around confused, glancing at Ensign T’su who shrugged, eyes wide and worried. Key quickly dropped into the seat at the science station, eyes flicking between the monitors in front of her and the view screen, flashing Ensign T’su as reassuring a smile as she could muster. She filled the role as best as she could, flying through readouts of whatever Geordi called for. There was something wonderful about being a Jack of all trades on a starship, the puzzles were unending and in this particular fight, needlessly complex. The stupid probes just wouldn’t appear.
Key leaned over to Worf as Geordi laid down the flight orders with the navigators, giving his best rousing speech. “Any luck with reconnecting the coms?” Key could see the glitter of rage under Worf’s steady calm like the flickering wings of a beetle.
“The atmosphere and weapons system seem to be interrupting it quite successfully.”
“Could we lock onto an approximate location using the repetitive signal pulse controlling the Captain’s heart?”
Key held back a bring as Worf’s eyes brightened slightly, “like a beacon or a signaling tower. You’re right. It shouldn’t change, especially with the sensitivity of the instruments, nothing else should be that repetitive and consistent.”
Key leaned back to her own station as Worf’s fingers flew across the screens. “Sir,” Worf began as Geordi finally started to settle into the chair, “I think we can get a lock on the Captain."
Geordi grinned, turning back to him and Key. “And did you think about -“
“Using the lock on from the synthetic cardiac signaling pattern to try to get a read on what the life form signatures appear as with the unusual atmosphere.” Key finished, “just getting to it.”
Geordi smiled, “make it so.”
Key grinned back to Worf, starting to evaluate and filter the data using her own station.
After a few minutes of evaluation and a check or two from the computer, they had them, “locked on Sir,” Worf announced.
“Hang onto them until we’ve cleared the threat here. I just hope they figured out the system on the surface.”
Geordi turned back to his navigators, “we’re looking for an after burst… There. We’ll catch it on the next go around, Worf can you lock our weapons systems?”
Key didn’t think she’d seen Worf so animated, “Passing the teleportation lock to O’Brien, locking weapons systems.”
“The hull temperature is increasing Sir,” T’su reported.
On the next flare there was a flurry of action, the saucer fired and suddenly the glimmer of transportation dropped the entire away team, Key looked over at all of them, silently.
The doctor was in rough shape, and everyone else was dirty and covered in scrapes. Data even seemed to have tiny glittering spots of metal showing through small tears in his bioplast. He was checking over Tasha who looked confident even though Key could sense a tiny bit of underlying shakiness. She turned back to the Captain.
He appeared fine if a bit worried. Thankfully Deanna was talking with him and Geordi. The Captain gave a slight smile and left the helm with Geordi to reconnect the ship. The second they had, Key slipped away again, back to her lab and its cold, empty scatter of projects that hadn't really seemed that cold or empty before.
Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.
Data came back to himself slowly and with disorientation. As one by one his systems came online, he became aware of the sounds around him: two voices having a conversation, though he was unable to distinguish exact words at first. There was pain throughout his body and occasionally his limbs twitched involuntarily, the aftershocks of some kind of electrical weapon, powerful enough to render him unconscious for a time.
“When…back…?”
“…hours.”
“…what of the others?”
“They were…not the delegates. No telling where they were... We have to keep moving if we want to stay ahead of the Federation.”
His processes started to catch up and bit by bit he caught more of the conversations and put the pieces together.
“Only sentient android in existence in our hands. Didn’t think he could pull it off.”
“Yeah, me neither. I know we’re supposed to wait but I want to get in there and see how this thing is constructed.”
“What about—”
“Nothing he can do about it once it happens. Hand me that toolkit.”
Data heard all he needed to hear. The moment he felt someone move in close, he reacted. Eyes flying open, he had enough time to take in two Cardassians leaning over him before he lashed out. One man went flying into the wall as Data punched him as hard as possible which, even without his usual strength, was enough to do significant damage. Certainly enough to knock him out.
The other proved more of a struggle. He seized Data from behind, locking his arms around his chest. Data threw his head back, satisfied with the sickening crack of the man’s nose breaking. He released his hold in an attempt to reach for a com panel but Data seized the back of his head and smashed it into his knee until the man lay limp on the ground.
While still somewhat disoriented, Data had processed enough to know that he was on his own. The room they had him in was small, meant for nothing other than storage and it was not until he stood still that he could feel the subtle sway of a ship, a small transport one if he had to guess. His uniform was gone, leaving him nude which only served to increase the vulnerability he felt. A quick look around produced a spare jumpsuit from a cache of emergency supplies.
Once dressed, he turned to the door, which unfortunately would not open when he tried the panel. It seemed to require a handprint so Data grabbed the arm of the nearest unconscious Cardassian and lifted it high enough to press his hand to the pad. There was a click and then the door slid open.
He found himself at the end of a short hallway, which made him pause, ears straining to hear something, anything that could give him more information.
With nowhere to go but forward, Data pressed on. Through another door lay a semi-open area that narrowed again several feet ahead. To the right, a table and chairs beside a replicator and, to the left, one more door. Hesitation tossed aside, Data went through it and came face to face with one more Cardassian.
The room, if it could be called such, held a desk with a terminal and chair, and nothing else. Data’s abductor jumped to his feet.
“What are you doing loose? And what have you done with my men?” he demanded.
“It is I who will be asking the questions.” Data reached across the terminal and yanked the man over it even as he struggled to get away. “Where are you taking me?”
“It’s no use fighting,” the man told him with a wild grin. “Whoever delivered you is long gone and they have no idea where you are. The Cardassian empire will be most pleased to have such an exquisite piece of technology in their possession.”
Data understood him to be correct. He did not have his communicator and if they were no longer on the same planet, as was clear by the ship, it would be difficult for the Enterprise to find him without assistance. However, he also knew they would not stop until they did.
“I will not cooperate,” he said. “And when the Federation learns what you have done, they will react accordingly.”
The man yanked himself out of Data’s grasp, straightening his clothes as he did. “If they learn,” he said. “Obara is far from Federation space. By the time they figure it out, it will be too late.”
“Who are you?”
“Konro. Vorbos Konro.”
Data could not imagine the person in front of him was the imposing figurehead they had thought him to be. Though his words were strong, his posture was anything but and his eyes kept darting to the door behind Data, as if waiting for someone or attempting to find a means of escape.
He would imagine someone with such extensive reach as Konro would not be flying in a small transport vessel with only, as far as Data could tell, two crewmen. Nor would he have been caught unaware.
On a hunch, he asked, “Are you the only Vorbos Konro?”
The man tilted his chin up as if attempting to make himself seem bigger than he was. “I am the current one,” he said.
“What happened to the last?”
“Vorbos Konro is a moniker, not a single person. When one leaves, someone else comes in to take their place, to use the name for whatever they need. It helps maintain the reputation and connections.”
That was what Data was afraid of. Another seemingly dead end. Another path in the wrong direction.
“I see,” he said, slowly moving around the desk. The man tried to back up but the wall was already behind him. “I have another question and I want you to think hard before you speak because my reaction will depend on your answer. Why were you highly focused on Faith? What did you want with her?”
His abductor blinked, looking confused. “Who?”
Data had a sinking sensation he associated with dread. “Faith. The young woman whose picture was in your files thousands of times, the one who was photographed with me and then alone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Data concluded there was no reason for him to lie. “I believe you,” he said, then he lunged.
It was not much of a struggle. Konro was clearly not used to physical combat and Data overpowered him quickly, knocking him out as he had done the other two. Once the man was in a heal on the floor, Data sat at the terminal, however, it quickly became apparent he would need to find the main computer to have full access to the ship’s systems.
After storing all three Cardassians in the room he had woken in, and breaking the panel to prevent them from leaving, he went in search of the cockpit. The ship was indeed small and he found what he was looking for just beyond the small sitting area.
It was on autopilot, which suited him fine for the moment, but provided an additional dilemma. The main console was locked and Data was unfamiliar with Cardassian ships. If he had his processing power and full android technical skills he could infiltrate learn in a matter of seconds.
But he did not.
Frustration welled within and Data felt tears streaming down his cheeks. A moment later, his breathing became erratic and when it dawned on him that he was experiencing an oncoming anxiety attack, he forced himself to remember the breathing techniques he had instructed Faith in numerous times. It was infinitely harder than he imagined it to be and took several long moments to help.
You can do this, he told himself. You have to do this. There is no other option. Breathe and then think.
Data made several attempts to gain access, though they were unsuccessful. He was moments away from using some particularly colorful language he had learned from Faith when one of the buttons in front of him started to flash and beep. Not knowing what else to do, he pressed it.
The view screen lit up as Data opened the message, he found himself looking at, well, himself. Almost himself. The visage had several deep scratches across his face which showed the barest hint of flashing lights.
“Hello, brother,” Lore said with a smile. “I thought you’d be waking soon.”
Hands clenched into fists, Data’s body tightened with tension as he gazed at the image of his nefarious brother. “Lore, what have you done?” he demanded.
Lore chuckled, his grin widening. “Me? What makes you say that?”
It all made sense. Data was finally starting to see the full picture. “You were behind everything,” he accused. “Fajo’s escape and our kidnapping, the information and photos taken from the Enterprise, Konro…”
“How quickly you catch on.”
“Why?”
“Many reasons. Care to guess a few? You’re gonna be there a while, might as well get comfortable.”
His lack of a proper answer got under Data’s skin and he felt his anger grow. “Whatever your plan is, I have stopped you before and I will stop you again. The Enterprise—”
“The Enterprise isn’t even looking for you,” Lore cut him off. “Well, that’s not true. They are but in the wrong direction and for the wrong reasons.”
“You took my place.”
“Now you’re getting it. You disappoint me, brother. I thought you were smarter than this. I thought you would have already figured everything out by now. Perhaps screwing around with that human has been a distraction.”
Hearing his brother so easily diminish Data’s relationship with Faith only added fuel to the raging fire.
“Lore, whatever you are planning will not work.”
“You don’t even know what my plan is so how do you know it won’t work?”
“Faith. She will know you are not me.”
Lore’s face changed and his arrogant smirk melted into a look of annoyance. “Yes, your little girlfriend. She did put up quite the fight. She’s a lot smarter than I thought she would be. And she’s scrappy. I’ll admit, I underestimated her.”
“Unsurprising and an incredibly stupid thing for you to do.”
“Listen to you. You’re all snippy now.”
“I have learned a lot since we last saw each other. And, you should know, there is not anything I would not do for Faith. Brother or not, I will disassemble you and send the pieces into the nearest sun.”
“Wow, this relationship has changed you, brother,” Lore said, impressed. “You know, even though humans are so beneath us, I can see why you are drawn to this one. She does have a certain irresistible charm.”
Data slowly stood, leaning on the console to bring himself closer to the view screen and, by default, Lore. He caught Lore’s use of “this”. He understood what that meant.
“Where is Faith? What have you done to her?” he demanded.
Lore grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about Ms. Diaz. I am taking very good care of her. We’re going to get to know each other.”
Vision tinted red, it took every ounce of Data’s willpower to refrain from punching the view screen. “Lore, if you hurt her—”
Lore rolled his eyes and lifted his hand. “I won’t harm a curly hair on her pretty head. Scout’s honor.”
“I do not believe you.”
“Good because I’m lying.” Lore glanced off to the side for a second before looking back at Data. “Oh, it seems our sleeping beauty is waking up. I’ll tell her you said, ‘hi’. Goodbye, brother. As always, I enjoyed our little reunion.”
“Lore! LORE!” Data yelled but it did not change anything. The message ended and he was left alone in the cockpit of a ship he could not fly in a section of space he did not know.
Data was unfamiliar with the sensation of hopelessness until that moment. With all his training and knowledge, the overwhelming combination of emotions he could not control, in a situation he could not get out of, nearly sent him into another spiral. The only thing holding him together was the fact that he needed to get to Faith.
But he knew that would not be enough.
It was in that desperation that he realized what he must do.
Looking up at the ceiling, or rather towards what some would call the heavens, Data took a deep breath and said, “Q? Q, I know you are watching. You have proved your point. Please respond.”
There was a moment of silence before a voice sounded behind him, “Now, who could have predicted this would happen?”
Data turned to find Q leaning against the wall behind him, his arms crossed the typical smug expression on his ageless face.
“You knew from the beginning that it was Lore who was after us,” Data said.
“Not from the very beginning. I do have a life outside of you humans, you know. But yes, eventually I became aware.”
“Then it is your fault Lore has kidnapped Faith.”
Q looked bemused. “Come now, Data, I thought you had evolved passed the blame game. I didn’t help him. He did it all on his own.”
“But you did not stop him either. You could have told us so we would have been prepared. Instead, you decided to test me. If anything happens to Faith, it is on your conscience.”
“How dare you accuse me of having such a human thing as a conscience? You take that back!”
“I will not.”
“Really, Data, I did you a favor. I let you experience what it would be like to be mortal and how things would change if you didn’t have those android capabilities you rely so heavily on.”
“I am under no illusions that this was for my benefit.”
“Alright fine, a little bit was for my amusement but I was honestly trying to help.”
Data supposed in Q’s twisted mind, it made sense. Of course, he would think he was helping. Never mind that Data has staunchly refused, to Q, he was all-knowing and therefore was always right.
“I believe you think that you were,” he said.
“See? I knew you’d see it my way. I’ll take that apology whenever you’re ready.”
“Not until you reverse what you have done to me.”
Q raised his eyebrow and stood up straight at that. “Finally come to the realization you are better off as you are?”
“I would not say I am better or worse,” Data clarified. “Both have their advantages and disadvantages. While I will cherish the time I had with Faith living as a human, it is my android capabilities that will require me to save her. And her safety is worth more than any emotion. I will also remind you of what I said to you before: she fell in love with me as I was, therefore there is no reason to change.”
“Yes, yes, that’s all well and good and noble. But, until I hear you say that I was right—”
Data bit back a heavy sigh. “You were right.”
Q’s face lit up and he snapped his fingers. “Done.”
Everything around Data brightened and the noise of the ship increased to such a degree that he would have become overwhelmed if he had not anticipated the change. That storm of emotion diminished significantly though did not fade away. It lingered just on the precipice without overtaking him. His mind was brought back into focus and before he could lament any loss, he turned his attention back to the console.
“Thank you, Q.”
His hands and mind went to work, resulting in gaining access to the main computer within seconds.
Q patted Data on the shoulder and leaned in. “Good luck. Let’s hope your realization of your talents doesn’t come too late.”
Data paused for a fraction of a second to contemplate what he meant, however, when he turned his head to ask, Q was gone. He could not bring himself to care about the being. There were other more pressing matters to attend to.
Once in the system, Data was able to find out what sector he was in. He quickly engaged warp drive and headed back in the direction they came. Unaware of what the Enterprise’s heading was, he could only hope that they would be within range to receive subspace communication quickly.
“Enterprise, this is a message from Lieutenant Commander Data,” he recorded in a message. “I was taken from the planet by Konro and his men, while Lore was sent in my place. I have commandeered a Cardassian transport vessel and am on my way back to Obara. Please respond.”
The message was sent, and all Data could do was wait for a response.
Meanwhile, he downloaded the ship’s logs and monitored sensors to ensure he was not being tracked or followed. It was nearly two hours later when that red light started flashing again. Except this time, Data already knew who it was from.
“Captain,” he said with relief as the Enterprise appeared on the view screen. “I am grateful you were still in this system.”
“And we are grateful for some answers to your odd behavior,” Picard said. “Though, Mr. Crusher had put the pieces together right before receiving your transmission. The Enterprise is on its way to intercept. We’ll have you back within the hour.”
“Sir, Lore has Faith.”
The grave expression on the captain’s face spoke volumes. “We’re aware, Data. We are doing everything to track them. Sit tight. Picard out.”
Data was left alone with his racing thoughts. He did everything in his power to increase the speed of the ship which shaved off several minutes of travel time. Meanwhile, he mentally ran through numerous scenarios and computations, trying to think of where Lore could be headed. In an infinite universe, how can he catch an android who thought and anticipated as he did?
By the time he was beamed aboard the Enterprise, his list was astronomical.
“You will find three Cardassians in the store room of the ship,” he told Lieutenant Worf who stood by the transporter, waiting. “One is Konro, though I have learned that name is a moniker.”
“They will be taken care of,” Worf assured him, motioning for his waiting security team to handle it. “Commander Data, I must once again apologize.”
“For what, Lieutenant?”
Worf huffed, signaling his displeasure. “Yet again, I failed to take care of Lieutenant Diaz. She was taken literally from my grasp! If had been more vigilant—”
“Lieutenant,” Data interrupted. “Lore posed as me and has been planning this switch and abduction for months, possibly years. There was nothing you could do. If anything, I should have figured it out sooner.”
Worf motioned to the door and the two of them left the transporter room. “It looks like she put up quite the fight,” he explained. “From what I saw, she did not go willingly.”
“I must see our quarters,” Data said as he moved passed the lift to the Bridge. “There may be a clue as to where he has taken her.”
“We haven’t found any.”
“I may have better luck.”
Data was aware that he was supposed to report to the captain but, for once, he ignored regulation. His protective program had taken control and nothing could override it. Worf kept pace, using his com to let Picard know where they were headed.
The first thing Data noticed when they reached his floor was the wall panel across from his door had been broken, glass littering the floor. His keen eye picked up small drops of blood amount the rubble.
Lore did not bleed, but Faith did.
Geordi and Beverly were already in Data’s quarters. The former was scanning every inch with his tricorder while the latter had Spot in her arms, giving her a full examination.
“Data!” Geordi exclaimed when he saw him. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t know it was Lore.”
“As I told Lieutenant Worf, there is no need to apologize.” Data crossed towards Beverly with concern. “Is Spot injured?”
“No, she’s okay. Just a little ruffled,” Beverly said, handing the feline over to her owner. “She was a little dazed when I got here but quickly came around. I found some synthetic material on her nails. Looks like she knew what we didn’t.”
Data cradled his cat, grateful she was unharmed. “Thank you for trying to stop Lore,” he said, earning a light head-butt from Spot. After which she jumped out of his arms and made a beeline for the closet. He let her hide as he turned to his crew mates. “Have you found anything?”
“Traces of Faith’s blood in the hall on that panel and floor,” Beverly said, putting her tricorder into her pocket. “But it’s small. She’s injured, most likely with a concussion judging by what Worf saw. I don’t know if Lore hurt her in another way.”
“I do not believe he has,” Data said. “He spoke to me while I was on the ship and made a comment about getting to know her. I do not think injuring her on purpose is his goal.”
“Otherwise he would have done so as soon as they were alone,” Geordi supplied as he examined the remains of Data’s coffee table. “None of her blood is here so not sure what happened to the table.”
Worf spoke up. “When I saw them, she was a few seconds ahead of him out the door, meaning she broke free of his hold,” he said. “I have been training Faith over the last few days. She must have used his weight against him, thrown herself backward to knock him off balance. It was a technique we had tried once or twice.”
“Backwards, onto the coffee table,” Geordi said, mostly to himself as he constructed the fight in his mind. “He lets go so she scrambles away, manages to call for security, but he’s too fast.”
“Not fast enough,” Beverly picked up. “He wasn’t anticipating Spot. She attacks and scratches him, giving Faith a few seconds head start.”
“She gets into the hall but he grabs her again, they smash into the panel,” Worf finished. “And he transports them away.”
“Which must mean he had a ship nearby,” Data pointed out. “One that could avoid the sensors. He is familiar enough with our systems to know how to surpass them and given the cloaking technology Fajo had, Lore may have it as well.”
“We might still be able to track it now that I have all the spec information on that type of cloaking, but none of that means anything if we can’t even figure out what direction they’re going,” Geordi said.
“And, we also have to assume he has Faith sedated somehow,” Beverly suggested. “So she won’t be able to break free and try to get away again.”
Data felt a nudge on his leg and he looked down to find Spot head-butting him. He found her behavior strange considering her affinity for hiding when other people were in the room. She wound her way through his legs, looking up at him with her wide eyes.
“Now is not the time to play, Spot,” Data said, gently shooing her away. He turned back to his friends. “As well as I know Lore, I do not know the reach of his deceptions or resources. He has had much time to—”
A loud drawn-out meow interrupted him, followed by a nip at Geordi’s ankle.
“Ah! Goddamn cat, I swear to God, Data…” Geordi swore, shaking his foot. “What’s her problem?”
Frowning, Data looked down, confused about Spot’s overt behavior. Seeing she had their attention, she meowed louder and trotted over to the closet. It was not until she began pawing at the clothes on the ground that he realized she was trying to show them something.
“What did you find, kitty?” Beverly asked. As she was the closest, she knelt to rummage through the cloth. When she stood back up, she extended her hand to show Faith’s communicator.
“Lore must have thrown it in the struggle,” Worf said. “He would have known she could use it to reach out to us.”
Data’s heart sank and took the device from Beverly.
Geordi closed his tricorder and swore. “Shit,” he said. “There goes tracking her badge.”
Data’s fingers closed around the cool metal as he stood rooted in place. He touched the place where his own badge normally would be, only to remember it wasn’t there. At first, he assumed Lore would have taken it along with his uniform until he remembered something extremely important.
Which gave him an idea. “Computer,” he said. “Where is Lieutenant Commander Data?”
“Lieutenant Commander Data is not aboard the Enterprise.”
Data swung around to face the others. “Faith took my communicator before I left, which means if it is not registering that I am on the Enterprise—”
“Then Faith still has it on her!” Beverly exclaimed.
“Which means we can still track her,” Worf said.
“Again, only if we have a direction,” Geordi reminded them.
Data had to think. Even with the massive list of places he had compiled he needed something, anything, that could narrow it down.
“Let us go to the Bridge and tell Captain Picard our findings,” he suggested. “At the very least we can scan for my badge in this system. Lore may have had a head start but he is limited to his ship’s speed.”
“Agreed,” Worf said.
“I’ll head to Engineering and make sure Lore didn’t do anything that would slow us down. I don’t think he had time but I don’t want to take any chances,” Geordi said.
“I’ll do a final sweep here and make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Beverly offered.
The group separated, with Data and Worf heading for the Bridge with quiet determination. The captain, Commander Riker, and Counselor Troi were there, as well as Wesley, who was running Ops.
Picard turned to them the moment they step off the turbo-lift. “Good to have you back, Commander,” he greeted Data.
“Sir, we have discovered that Faith does not have her communicator, however, she does have mine which means we can still track her with our sensors,” Data explained, skipping the pleasantries.
Picard nodded towards Worf, who was already inputting the information at his station. “Lieutenant, anything?”
A moment later, Worf sighed. “Nothing. She is no longer in his system.”
“Where would Lore take her?” Wesley asked. “What does he want with Faith in the first place?”
“That is what I have been trying to deduce for the last hour,” Data answered. “There are too many variables to consider.”
“Maybe not,” Deanna spoke up. “Data, Lore has been obsessed with you and now that obsession has transferred to Faith. We all know how insanely jealous he is of what you have, to the point of stealing the emotion chip meant for you. Finding out where he is going may lie in those emotions rather than logic.”
“You know him and Faith better than anyone else, Data,” Riker said. “Where is somewhere significant to you and Faith? You met on the Enterprise, yes, but—”
Data already had the answer before Riker could finish.
“Tridas 6S,” he said. “The Sunterre Isles, where Faith and I had our first shore leave together. It is a special place, one where we truly cemented our relationship and intimacy. Faith had been quite paranoid when we arrived and was questioning if we were truly alone. At the time, we assumed it was her anxiety and I assured her that we were but—”
“But maybe you weren’t,” Deanna said. “Lore could have easily spied on you without you knowing.”
“Ensign Ro, set a course for Tridas 6S,” Picard ordered.
“Already on it, Captain,” Ro said, her hands dancing wildly as she inputted the coordinates. “At maximum warp, we can make it there in two days. However, they do have a five-hour head start. We might be able to catch up.”
“Engage!”
Data made a move to relieve Wesley but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
Picard was stern though there was a gentleness to his gaze. “Mr. Data, I understand your determination and concern,” he said. “But I’m also aware of how exhausted you must be. You need to rest.”
“I no longer feel exhaustion,” Data told him. “Q has returned me to the way I was, at my insistence.”
He could sense a change in his crew mates at his announcement, particularly those he was close to. Deanna and Riker both had expressions of sympathy which Data understood, yet felt was unnecessary. He was more concerned about Faith’s safety rather than his own personal situation.
“Data,” Wesley said. “I’m sorry you had to give that up.”
“I did not give anything up, only regained what I needed to help Faith.”
“Well then, take your station, Mr. Data,” Picard ordered. “Let’s get our Lieutenant back.”
“Aye, sir.”
Wesley moved, allowing Data to sit at his console. He was filled with determination. Determination to catch up to Lore and not leave or even move from his station until they reached Tridas.
