1. Chapter 1

**I've decided to try my hand at writing a multi-chaptered story. I've planned out the basic structure of each chapter, and this should be around 8 chapters in length. Updates will be sporadic while I finish my thesis. The story takes place a few months after the_ Enterprise-E_ launched in 2372, before _First Contact_ and the Dominion War.**

* * *

Pale fingers flew rapidly over the console, inputting commands at impossible speeds. Around him, the bridge crew were quietly going about their duties; the only audible noise was the soft beeping of consoles around the room. The Captain was reclining in his chair, staring out the viewscreen, his stern face thoughtful. Commander Riker, to the right of the Captain, was preoccupied with his own console.

They were on route to a small planetary cluster for a scientific survey mission, and so far, the journey had been uneventful. The _Enterprise-E_ had only been released from drydock a few months ago (two months, six days, four hours, two minutes, Data effortlessly calculated), so they were currently on a shakedown mission to test the starship's capabilities. Up to this point, the ship seemed to be operating well within normal parameters. Although its design differed in some ways from the old _Enterprise_, he had noticed that his fellow crew seemed relatively well settled in their new environment.

He continued to work in his usual calm, precise way as his shift continued; the fact that he was running several programs at once never manifested in the smooth, efficient movement of his hands across the console. 38.45% of his processes _were_ focused on his work (a more than adequate percentage), but he had other things 'on his mind', as the human saying went.

One of these processes was focused on the task he was intending to complete with Geordi down in Engineering after his shift. Ever since they had set out in the new _Enterprise, _he had been spending several hours with the chief engineer in an effort to analyse his emotion chip and determine if it could be switched off or even removed. This was proving quite difficult, as it was currently fused to his neural net - the result of an overload of his positronic relay.

After years of keeping the chip in storage, after an unfortunate incident on the holodeck with Dr. Crusher, Data had decided that his development as an artificial lifeform could not continue without it. He had convinced Geordi to help him install it. And at first it had been wonderful – he could now comprehend his friends' jokes, where previously the basic concept of humour had escaped him. He could make actual subjective judgements about things based on emotional reactions.

Unfortunately, he had become so caught up in these new sensations that he had failed to adequately consider the downside to having emotions. On a mission to the Amargosa Observatory with Geordi, he had initially enjoyed himself immensely, exercising his new capabilities to laugh and make jokes to the fullest. And he was examining a solar probe with Geordi when he suddenly felt this wild, uncontrollable urge to laugh.

Up until that point, Data had kept up a constant stream of jokes and laughter, but it had never felt anything like _this. _He was staring down at the probe, still chuckling quietly at his most recent witticism, when he had felt this utterly inexplicable impulse take hold. And for the first time he didn't know _why_ he wanted to laugh; there had always been a reason before. Without warning, the chuckling suddenly escalated to uncontrollable laughter, exploding from his vocal modulator, racking his deceptively slender frame. He was vaguely aware of Geordi staring at him with what he believed was an expression of annoyance, mixed with alarm. A dizzying tide of emotion swept from the emotion chip and surged through his neural net. Warnings began to trigger in various processes, and his neural net was scrambling to contain the immense load being placed on his systems, but he just _could not stop laughing. _

When he awoke a few moments later, it was with a stunned numbness that he ran a quick diagnostic and discovered that the chip had overloaded his positronic relay. Geordi was saying something about contacting the _Enterprise_, but he just couldn't focus. And then, later, with a gun in his face at point-blank range, listening to Soran cocking the trigger, he just couldn't control the intense, agonising fear that seeped through every component in his body. And when Riker had told him to get to Geordi, he just _couldn't move. _Just watched as Soran beamed away with Geordi in tow.

After that, he had struggled to contain the feelings of regret and overwhelming guilt at failing to rescue Geordi; felt a pang every time he recalled that terrible moment where he was too afraid to help his best friend. And the sickening thing was that if he hadn't installed the chip in the first place, he would have been fully capable and in control, and Geordi would be safe.

He had worked with Dr. Crusher in sickbay, trying to figure out exactly what had gone wrong with the chip, only to discover that it had fused, possibly irreversibly, to his neural net. After that Dr. Crusher had refused to look into it further; she felt she didn't have enough expertise to interfere with his circuitry at such an advanced level. As all his systems seemed to be functioning normally, she had declared him fit for duty – a statement that Data severely disagreed with.

With limited options left to him, he had demanded to be deactivated until they could find a way to remove or switch off the chip, but Picard had refused; their mission was too important. The captain's words in Stellar Cartography _had_ helped to bolster his resolve, and thankfully Geordi had subsequently been returned to them safely, but the memory of how the chip had completely overtaken and controlled his actions still made him... uncomfortable.

After being evacuated from Viridian III, while the _Enterprise-E _was being constructed, Data had spent considerable time learning to better control and understand his emotions. Now, aboard the new starship, he had determined that he was able to operate effectively under stress. So far only a small amount of progress had been made in terms of how to switch the chip off, but the sessions with Geordi were proving to be beneficial.

He was in the process of running a viability test on a series of potential methods Geordi could use to improve the control pathway when a voice, directly behind him, broke into his focused reverie.

"_Open your eyes, Data. That's it." _

Data froze. Even his hands stopped typing commands into the console. Every single nonessential process dropped the tasks they were completing and focused entirely on what had just been uttered behind him.

In a swift, inhumanly fast movement, he spun around. Pale eyes stared wildly at the source of the voice, but all that met his gaze was Picard, standing behind him and looking extremely puzzled.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Data?"

"I..." Data trailed off, his brain working furiously. He glanced around the bridge, but nothing presented itself to him that could explain what had just occurred. Certainly none of the crew seemed to have heard anything out of the ordinary – although most of them were looking at him oddly. "Sorry, sir. Did you request something?"

Picard was still looking at him a little strangely. "I asked you if the long-range scanners show any unusual subspace activity."

Data rapidly consulted his console. "No, sir. All sensors read normal."

"Thank you, Mr. Data." Picard turned, then changed his mind mid-step and looked back at his second officer. "Are you sure you're all right?" It was very rare to see the usually implacable android so startled. The expression on Data's face alone, even without seeing the way he had reacted to Picard's question, was enough for him to think that something was very wrong.

Quickly, Data considered whether he should tell the captain exactly what had occurred. A conclusion was reached in a matter of milliseconds. "Yes, captain. I believe there may be an issue with my auditory receptors. I will investigate it in further detail with Geordi when my shift is complete in thirty-nine minutes, five seconds. In the meantime, it will not interfere with my duties."

Picard nodded, still frowning slightly. "See that it gets resolved, Mr. Data." He returned to his chair.

Data turned back to his console and continued to work in the same calm, precise way as before. Internally, he was still attempting to process what had occurred, as well as running a detailed diagnostic on his auditory receptors and interpretation programs. Only a faint line between his brows conveyed the bemusement he felt about what he had just experienced.

It wasn't really the _words_ that so perplexed him; that was only a small part of his confusion. It was the voice itself that troubled him.

For Picard hadn't spoken in his own voice. It was the voice of his father, Doctor Noonian Soong.


	2. Chapter 2

"Everything checks out, Data – auditory receptors, higher functions – all working just fine."

"I wish to run another level two diagnostic." Data's voice was polite, but firm.

"Data..." Geordi sighed and shook his head, still scanning the display. "That'll be the fourth time. I'm sure we would've found something by now." He glanced over at his friend. A thick rope of wiring connected Data directly to the computer, coiling around and terminating in the open access panel in his head. From his seat next to the console, Data turned slightly to regard the engineer with a serious expression.

"Do you not believe me, Geordi?"

"It's not that – we've run every possible diagnostic on every part of your system and I just can't find any physical reason for what happened."

The coil of wiring dipped and swayed as Data nodded. "My internal scans show similar results. Neither my programming nor my circuitry show any sign of a malfunction. But I am certain I heard my father's voice."

The chief engineer scratched his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, he straightened and snapped his fingers. "Can you play the memory record back to me?"

"I believe so." Data's eyes flicked rapidly as he accessed the record. After a moment, his mouth opened and Noonian Soong's voice issued forth. "_Open your eyes, Data. That's it._"

The chief engineer froze for a moment. Cybernetic eyes met Data's serious yellow gaze. "And no one else heard this?"

"No."

Geordi tapped his fingers against the console, thinking. "When did you last activate your dream program?"

"Last night, at 1800 hours." Data tilted his head slightly, a faint frown crossing his face. "But, Geordi... what I experienced on the bridge was distinctly different from the... waking dreams I have had."

"How was it different?"

"The waking dreams felt... very strange. Very... surreal. But this felt completely real. I am sure of it."

"I really don't know how this one can be explained, Data. No one else heard it, but you definitely did. And that tells me it's an internal malfunction. But if neither of us can find anything wrong, then..." Geordi shook his head. "I still think it's something to do with your dream program. Listen, just come straight to me if it happens again, and we'll get to the bottom of it."

He pushed away from the console and moved a few paces to stand next to the android. "Do you still want to work on the emotion chip? I've got a few more ideas about improving that control pathway."

"Yes. I believe that we made some progress in our previous session."

The engineer nodded and reached to open another access port in Data's head. "Then let's get started."

–

Two hours later, Geordi was still immersed in the minutiae of Data's highly complex wiring. Over several previous sessions, he had finally managed to construct a very rudimentary pathway that could possibly act as a switch for the chip, but all of Data's attempts to access the chip had been unsuccessful. Hopefully, his efforts to improve the connection would yield better results.

After a few more small adjustments, he straightened and stretched his back, grimacing at the stiffness. "There. Try that."

Data cocked his head; his eyes shifted distractedly as he attempted to establish a basic connection. A long, tense moment passed.

At last, the android's eyes refocused, and he looked back up at Geordi. "My attempts to establish a connection have failed."

The engineer frowned and rubbed his temples. "I guess we need to keep trying. Sorry, Data."

"You do not need to be sorry. I appreciate the effort you are putting into this task."

Geordi smiled and clapped the android on the shoulder. "Anytime, my friend." He picked up a tool and bent over the access panel again. "I'm going to have to try something else..."

They worked in a companionable silence for some time, punctuated only by the odd technical question from Geordi, and Data's quiet responses.

"Hey, Data..." Geordi suddenly spoke up, "...why exactly do you want to be able to switch the emotion chip on and off? I thought you had learned to control your emotions."

An expression of surprise flitted across the android's face. "I believe I have already explained this to you, Geordi. I do not want to become a liability to this starship, in case the chip overloads my systems again - like it did on the Amargosa Observatory."

Geordi stopped working for a moment, then lowered his hands and sighed. "I remember. And I know you told me this before. But..." he hesitated. "I just get the feeling you're not telling me the whole story – the real reason."

From what little of Data's face he could see from his position at the back of his head, he saw his friend's expression stiffen slightly.

"I have told you what I can," the android finally answered, after a long pause.

Geordi hesitated, unsure whether he should press the point. _Data sure can be stubborn when he wants to._

He had noticed when asked why he wanted to build a control switch for the chip, Data had become evasive in his responses, his face and voice strangely flat. He found it somewhat worrying that his friend wouldn't – or couldn't – confide in him, but he decided to let it go, for the moment. This was the first time he had brought up the fact that Data hadn't been telling him the full truth. Perhaps the android just needed more time.

"...if you say so, Data." With a shrug, he resumed his work on the intricate circuitry.

Data remained silent. While the chief engineer continued to poke and prod, he found that he couldn't redirect his thoughts from the cause of his inner turmoil. He had buried it deep within his memory banks, in a place he rarely, if ever, accessed. He usually told Geordi everything – sometimes in more detail than his friend wanted - but he just couldn't bring himself to reveal this. To voice it aloud meant that he would have to admit it to himself. And something deep within his behavioural programming violently rejected the thought. _I cannot. I cannot tell him._

As Data struggled with the problem – trying to weigh the value he placed on his friendship with Geordi against the implications of revealing the source of his indecision – he felt a myriad of emotions begin to flood his systems. A memory flashed to the front of his mind (odd, he had _not _run that command): scattered debris littering the floor. A doomed star casting sickly yellow light into the room. The sensation of his systems going into overload. Glinting blue eyes staring down at him. And then, the overpowering wave of guilt -

He had not run the command that prompted memory recall, nor could he halt the process in its tracks – each attempt he made to override was ineffective. And as much as he struggled to keep his emotions under control, he could not stop the panic beginning to overwhelm his processes.

He did not know why he could not control his reactions – why he couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he fought down a desperate urge to lash out at something in panic. The last time he had lost control, he had also lost his best friend. _I cannot let this happen again._

Digging into his diagnostics files, he located and initiated the program he had written specifically to control the effects of the emotion chip. It had withstood all previous tests, but this was the first time his emotions had spiralled this far out of control since the Observatory incident. If he could just keep control long enough to return to his quarters -

"I think I've managed to improve the connection with – hey, what's wrong?"

Data had suddenly stood up, cutting Geordi off mid-sentence. Calmly, he reached behind his head and disconnected the cabling, neatly placing it on the console. A deft tap of his fingers closed the access port with a soft click.

"I believe we have made adequate progress for today. I will see you tomorrow." Before Geordi could utter another word, the android was already at the turbolift. He caught a brief glimpse of Data's set shoulders and impassive face before the doors slid closed with a smooth hiss.

_If I didn't know better, I'd say that Data just walked out on me, _thought Geordi, scratching his head in confusion.

–

Alone in the turbolift, Data felt the control program begin to fail. He braced himself, preparing for a renewed onslaught of emotion, but when the program terminated he was met only with a feeling of drained emptiness. His face lost the deliberate stiffness, creasing in concern as he raised an unsteady hand to his head.

Slowly, his hand found its way to the spot where the emotion chip was installed, coming to rest on the access panel concealed by fine, dark hair. Underneath his fingers, the panel felt unusually, intensely hot.

"What is happening to me...?" he murmured softly.

* * *

**Sorry about the wait – I finished my thesis, then had to churn out another paper for a conference. Thankfully I then got a week off to go overseas, but that meant that I've only just been able to sit down and keep writing. In any case, thanks for the reviews and alerts!**


End file.
