A/N: Thank you who have read, liked/kudos/voted, subscribed/followed, and reviewed. Getting lost in this story had been a labour of love and I'm so grateful for all of you who have joined on that journey.
Part Two of the Edo/Justice storyline. This is mostly flashback. This chapter is a bit of a rollercoaster. There are some ups and downs, but I assure you it ends with a fluffy, domestic scene with our favourite protagonists.
Content warning: There are flashbacks regarding Data's early days after being discovered on Omicron Theta. It's not all happy. This flashback contains scenes of abuse.
The flashback scenes are written in the present tense. It's not typically something I do but it just came out that way and felt right. This is in part to give the reader understanding of Data's mindset during the flashbacks.
There are a number of moments where Data falls back on literary characters for guidance. I have based this on the fact that we've seen him reference this in the show (In Theory, for example). My intention is to demonstrate that he uses this to understand human interaction, but also (on a grander scale) that fiction can teach us all to be better people.
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"Who did this to you?" Tasha asked, her blue eyes wide with fear.
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Flashback
Stardate 18050.55 | USS Tripoli
Data has been aboard the USS Tripoli for five weeks. Most of the crewmembers are nervous around him. Their initial study of his physiology leaves them leery as his strength output registers off the scale.
He's a machine with superhuman intelligence and strength.
His first few hours are a struggle. In a way, he's like an infant learning how much pressure he can safely apply without hurting people or objects aboard the ship, struggling with depth perception, and adjusting to the world around him.
When they offer him a ball to squeeze that will measure his strength, he breaks it.
When he's instructed to run on a treadmill, his speed exceeds the parameters of the device and the belt is stripped.
He is unable to explain his thoughts concisely.
He doesn't have enough experience to understand the emotions he is feeling.
They run tests during the day - and there are many tests. Once they are complete, he is returned to a holding cell in the brig where he is guarded by a security team.
Data feels an emptiness that he cannot explain.
He wants to connect and understand.
The guards call him 'the robot.' They do not speak with him - they speak at him.
And he learns quickly that they do not laugh with him - they laugh at him.
But Captain Mindy Long is a patient woman.
She talks with Data at length (from outside his holding cell) and she comes each day. After the first day, she offers him a book and watches with awe as he manages to read it in a matter of a minutes, his android strength flipping the pages so rapidly they become a blur.
Data is overcome with a sensation of gratitude. He feels seen.
He thanks Captain Long for providing mental stimulation and soon she opens up access for him to the ship's literary and musical libraries.
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The Complication
Fanfiction"Am I the 'complication'?" Data asked. Following the events on Ligon II, Data struggles to reconcile the discrepancies between Tasha's verbal and nonverbal communication. Furthermore, his attempts to better understand what's happening lead to him fr...
