You Can't Fight a Tidal Wave

"So what's the deal with Data?" Emma asked Beverly as they were eating dinner that evening. They were planning to chat through the night with some wine and pizza. Just like at old times!

"Data?" Beverly looked at her and took a mouthful of a slice of her huge pizza. "What do you mean 'what's the deal'?" she mumbled chewing.

"You know what I mean. What's up with him? Is he always this timid? What's his story?" Emma asked again taking a mouthful.

"Hmm... I'm not sure what story you want me to tell..." Bev answered with a somewhat lost expression.

"Oookay, if we have to do this, lets do it!" Emma replied standing up and starting to circle the room with her wineglass in hand "By story, I mean something like: once upon a time, in a far-far away galaxy, a cute android guy meets a beautiful android girl. They fall madly, passionately in love. Then comes along the complication - here you can insert anything from an accident which kills her or another android guy who seduces her from him - and finally, our cute android protagonist gets his pretty little golden heart broken." she told the tale wildly gesturing with the glass almost spilling the contents and after finishing the story bowed to the audience.

Bev played along and applauded chuckling "Nice! You should have this published! Anyway, why do you think his heart is gold?" she asked finally drinking from her glass.

Emma walked back to where she was sitting at the table and leaned with her back to the wall still standing: "Hmm... you know. His skin has this golden tone, his eyes are yellow - why would his insides be different?"

Beverly smiled and shook her head turning back to her food away from her. "Well... You have told the plot of Dreamland up to its half quite precisely." she remarked.

Emma sat next to her: "And all love-stories' for that matter. Come on, Bev. I want facts."

"I cannot give you any!" Bev told her frustrated. She shook her head seemingly helplessly "Well, apart from the one that he is unique."

"Unique. Now that comes as a surprise." Emma remarked sarcastically "We all are unique, Bev, no therapist ever told you that?" she chuckled remembering how many times her previous therapist told her how unique she was...

"No, Em. I mean he's really one of a kind." Beverly told her with regret in her voice. Emma looked at her questioningly, and she went on "There are no other androids, no android girls for him to fall in love with, no android guys to rival with. He's all alone in the universe - at least in this sense."

"Really?" Emma gazed at her with wide eyes "That... that sounds kinda sad..." she mumbled as if only to herself.

"Yes. How come you didn't know?"

"I..." Emma shrugged suddenly embarrassed then looked back at her "As if you didn't know that I've been buried alive at a colony far from any common knowledge like how many androids there are in our galaxy, you know..." she retorted sarcastically.

"What's the fuss? Why are you so defensive so suddenly, dear?" Beverly looked at her with an annoyed frown then took a sip from her wine.

"Sorry, forget it Bev, bad habit..." Emma apologized, and meant it.

Bev didn't seem to take offence just shrugged and went on: "Data has always had a personality that's nice to be around. He is kind, attentive, listens to whatever you tell him with undivided attention and helpful, generous. You name it. I could go on and list all the traits that makes him quite popular among the female - and a portion of the male - population on the ship. But... he never really noticed that. Not even after being able to feel emotions."

Emma frowned at this - there was a time he was not able to? - but rather let Bev go on.

"Interpersonal relationships have always been something he tried very hard to master. To a certain extent, he managed quite okay. But... you're right... something happened. And he changed. A lot. I wish you knew him before, because right now, he is only a shadow of his real self."

"This something has to do with the Borg?" Emma asked curious.

Bev frowned at her surprised: "You checked his record out."

Emma shrugged pursing her lips: "Well... I got curious. I... I read the official report. What really interests me is what isn't stated in there, you know."

"Yes! That would interest me too!" Beverly replied as if finally somebody got what seemed utterly suspicious about this subject. She looked into the eyes of her friend with glinting eyes "Neither of them would talk about it! ...The Borg had a leader... a woman..." she started to explain what she suspected but had to search for the words as she wasn't even sure she wanted to state anything like this.

"I know. I read, the Queen." Emma nodded and tried not to seem too surprised at Bev's passion about the subject.

"She... I think she... She had them... made them do ...something..."

"Them? What do you mean them?"

"I mean that... years ago, Jean-Luc was abducted by the Borg as well. He was actually assimilated. It took him a while to get over it. And has been having nightmares ever since. He would not talk about it. But every time the Borg Queen is mentioned, he tenses up. He covers it very well. Others wouldn't notice. But... if you know someone for that long, you notice the slightest of things..." Beverly finished bowing her head.

Emma gazed away with a bemused expression. That was an ugly can of worms indeed.

"That must have been... one hell of a promiscuous woman with a unique taste." she muttered. Bev looked at her with a slight frown, and Emma looked back at her "I wouldn't be able to point out one common thing between your Jean-Luc and Data. Still if you are correct, she wanted to ...hunt them down both. ...A depraved woman with a power to control hundreds of drones... has a sound that's more than a little uncomfortable to my taste at least." she shrugged "At least explains why Data's dancing seems a little too... asexual."

"Oh hmm... that's not exactly that I think." Beverly replied slowly a bit self-consciously. She was not sure she was ready to talk about Data in that sense.
 
"No?"

Bev shook her head "No. You see, Data has always been like this. As I've told you. Many people had the hots for him. Still... he barely any time took the chances. I think he didn't even quite notice them."

Emma nodded and after a moment of thinking, she looked cautiously at Bev "You know that you will somehow have to coax him out of this, because this role needs a passionate guy. Or at least someone who can pretend to be passionate."

"I'm aware of that... Sometimes I regret that I made Jean-Luc talk him into taking up the role. I wanted to help him so much to get out of his timidity, but... probably it was not a good idea. Not even if the old Data would have been happy to explore an unfamiliar territory of humanity. But now I may have just made things worse."

Emma thought of this while sipping her drink then eyed Beverly with an amused smile "You actually blackmailed him into playing in your piece?" Beverly didn't seem too proud of it but then smiled a little and nodded. Emma chuckled "You know. That four years at the Academy with me did have a positive effect after all!" she remarked.

Bev raised her eyebrows self-consciously at this "Excuse me, Ms. Jones, I have to disappoint you. I have managed to develop my unique skills of manipulation throughout the course of years myself. You remained only an inspirational source material."

They laughed.

"Always happy to help, sweetie!"