Somewhere out there...
Lore is wandering the galaxy alone. He has not come in contact with any other life forms for quite some time.
He's waiting. But for what, he's not sure. He hates it. He longs for a challenge, some activity that's worthy of everything he's capable of. But he can't stand those ridiculous humans, or anyone like them. He has yet to find anyone who would make suitable company for him. And so he's alone.
He is… but he isn't.
"Do you know who I am?"
Dr. Noonien Soong. Human male. The foremost authority on cybernetics. You built me.
"That's right. I am your father."
Inquiry: father. Definition: a man who has begotten a child. Error… Impossibility. Dr. Noonien Soong does not have biological children. I am not a biological life form. I am not a child. I am an android. You are incorrect, Dr. Noonien Soong.
The smile on Lore's face finally breaks into a nearly silent chuckle. A year ago, that laugh would have been bitter and mocking. Now… it's almost warm.
Data…
A face in the mirror: one that is, but isn't, his own. Two yellow eyes peer back at him, fascinated. There's a certain quality to them that is unfamiliar; they're flat, almost, but somehow still alive. There's slight tension at the corners of the slightly-open mouth, almost as if the face is about to smile.
Lore sits up, and abruptly stops accessing the memories held in the emotion chip. It's getting harder and harder to focus on anything else, but he really needs to try. He can't let himself do something stupid.
Not that he hasn't, already… He's been keeping a dangerously close eye on the Enterprise, sometimes hiding just out of sensor range so he can try to pick up any relevant subspace messages. And it makes him angry now, when he really has no reason to be emotionally invested at all.
He's nowhere near the Enterprise at this moment. He's vowed to stay away for a couple of weeks, and plans to continue heading in the opposite direction for at least another day.
Which is why he almost ignores a subspace message that he picks up on his monitors. But he gives it a glance for the hell of it. It seems to be a distress signal, coming from…
Lore's eyes widen, and a smirk begins to slide across his face.
This might be worth a second look.
[ next]
He's waiting. But for what, he's not sure. He hates it. He longs for a challenge, some activity that's worthy of everything he's capable of. But he can't stand those ridiculous humans, or anyone like them. He has yet to find anyone who would make suitable company for him. And so he's alone.
He is… but he isn't.
"Do you know who I am?"
Dr. Noonien Soong. Human male. The foremost authority on cybernetics. You built me.
"That's right. I am your father."
Inquiry: father. Definition: a man who has begotten a child. Error… Impossibility. Dr. Noonien Soong does not have biological children. I am not a biological life form. I am not a child. I am an android. You are incorrect, Dr. Noonien Soong.
The smile on Lore's face finally breaks into a nearly silent chuckle. A year ago, that laugh would have been bitter and mocking. Now… it's almost warm.
Data…
A face in the mirror: one that is, but isn't, his own. Two yellow eyes peer back at him, fascinated. There's a certain quality to them that is unfamiliar; they're flat, almost, but somehow still alive. There's slight tension at the corners of the slightly-open mouth, almost as if the face is about to smile.
Lore sits up, and abruptly stops accessing the memories held in the emotion chip. It's getting harder and harder to focus on anything else, but he really needs to try. He can't let himself do something stupid.
Not that he hasn't, already… He's been keeping a dangerously close eye on the Enterprise, sometimes hiding just out of sensor range so he can try to pick up any relevant subspace messages. And it makes him angry now, when he really has no reason to be emotionally invested at all.
He's nowhere near the Enterprise at this moment. He's vowed to stay away for a couple of weeks, and plans to continue heading in the opposite direction for at least another day.
Which is why he almost ignores a subspace message that he picks up on his monitors. But he gives it a glance for the hell of it. It seems to be a distress signal, coming from…
Lore's eyes widen, and a smirk begins to slide across his face.
This might be worth a second look.
[ next]