The BLTS Archive- Page of Cups
First in The Cups Quartet
by DataToy (DataToy711@aol.com)

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September 1999

Heartfelt thanks to my friend Laur for all her advice,
comments and hours of merriment!

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"Page of Cups: Your emotions, positive or negative, show up
immediately in your body."

- Trish MacGregor and Phyllis Vega, Power Tarot
---

"Despite Captain Picard's emotional testimony on Lieutenant
Commander Data's behalf, his arguments do not conclusively
prove that Data is a sentient being," Captain Louvois said.
"All of Data's reactions and preferences are traceable to
software. Though he appears to make choices, they are
confined within the parameters of Dr. Soong's programming."

Picard's normally inscrutable face flushed with outrage,
while Riker's jaw clenched. Maddox raised his head in
triumph and glanced at Data, the only one in the room who
remained composed, and Maddox thought again how right he'd
been all along. If Data had been truly self-aware, he would
not have reacted to the verdict with what seemed to be such
equanimity.

Picard was about to voice his protest when a bright light
momentarily blinded all concerned.

"Humanity, or should I say Inhumanity, strikes again," Q
said with pursed lips.

"Q!" Picard exclaimed, rising from his seat. However, there
was no anger in his tone -he was stunned and relieved that
the omniscient being had chosen this moment to make an
appearance, though he observed him cautiously.

"Are you happy to see me, mon Capitaine?" Q said half
mischievously, half sarcastically. "And I thought you didn't
like me."

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" Captain Louvois
demanded.

Q faced her for an instant, eying her with distaste.
Turning his back, he walked towards Data and answered,
"To prevent you from destroying one of the very few
admirable things produced by your wretched and pathetic
race." Then he shrugged. "Call it a whim. Or perhaps, a
reward for a favor in another timeline."

Data tilted his head slightly, an inquiring look upon his
face.

"Q-" Louvois interjected, unsuccessfully.

"Be silent, woman," Q said with exasperation. "And that
goes for the rest of you. I'd temporarily misplace you, but
I want you to see what I am about to do."

Once again, he focused his attention upon Data. A chair
materialized next to the android's, and Q sat down, looking
at Data attentively.

"All right, Data," Q said. "Let's have a little chat, shall
we?"

"If you wish," Data replied. "What is it that you would
like to discuss?"

Q sighed, like an impatient father.

"If I wish, what is it I would like," he said, imitating
Data. "I'm here to talk to you about your situation on the
Enterprise, and what is happening to you now," Q said. "It's
about you, not about me."

Data shook his head slightly, as if trying to grasp Q's
statement. Amidst the myriad of thoughts and commands that
constantly flowed through his mind, 16 trillion operations
per second coursing across his pathways, he felt something
like a spark -a short, sharp jolt, which he summarily
dismissed.

A simple malfunction, that is what it was. Androids have no
feelings. That is what they said. Processing. "Why are you
interested in me?" he asked.

Q laughed. Picard raised one eyebrow and glanced at Riker,
who was frowning and leaning forward, not wanting to miss a
single second of the exchange that was taking place.

"I like you, dear, sweet boy," Q said. "I liked you from
the first moment I saw you. So vastly superior to your
creators in every respect, and ironically the object of
their condescension, the target of their mistreatment;
misunderstood, misjudged, underestimated. How typically
human."

He stared at Maddox. "Imagine my reaction when I heard that
you were to be dismantled by Mister Butterfingers over
there. A posturing buffoon with more ego than common sense,"
Q said, sneering. "What did you expect to find in Data's
nuts and bolts? A set of instructions to help you out of
the positronic dead end that's been plaguing you for... How
many years has it been now?"

While Maddox simmered in his seat, Riker struggled to
maintain a straight face.

Q returned his gaze to Data. "Dear boy," he said with a
softness in his voice that no one had ever before heard,
"tell me, what do you think of human beings?"

Data seemed nonplused by Q's question. "I... I find them
intriguing," he said, his tone rising slightly at the end.

"Why is that?" Q asked.

Data lowered his eyes for a second, and said, "I find it
difficult to predict what they will do or say next. I am
curious about them. I wish to understand."

Q nodded slowly. "Do you think they understand you?"

Data was even more surprised by this question than by the
previous one. "I am not certain," he finally replied. His
golden eyes were guileless.

"Do they try to, in your opinion?" Q went on.

Data looked at Captain Picard, and Riker. "Those who feel
affection for me do," he said.

Q changed his approach. Moving closer to Data, he said,
"Have humans ever harmed you?"

Data's brow furrowed ever so slightly. "No," he answered.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Q asked, his eyes boring
right through Data. "I don't need to take you apart to see
what others firmly believe isn't there... and what you won't
admit is there."

Data's chest fell, as if he had sighed, the movement barely
detectable, and his eyes wandered across the room...
wearily? Picard thought with astonishment, unable to believe
what he surely must have imagined seeing.

Q showed no signs of surprise, and followed his agenda.
"Tell me what happened in the first few years after you were
activated," he said.

"My components were analyzed, my computational speed was
calculated, my physical strength was tested, my positronic-"
Data enumerated, obviously more in his element when spewing
information, but Q stopped him.

"Yes," he said, "that much I can imagine. I apologize for
interrupting you, Data."

If Picard wasn't bowled over by now, he was then.

The look on Data's face was almost one of wonderment,
similar to his usual childlike expression, but more
profound.

Q smiled. "You're welcome," he said. Then he became more
serious. "I want to help you, Data." He paused. "Did they
ask you about your feelings?"

Once again, Data seemed caught off guard. "Yes, they did,"
he replied.

"Did they want to know how you felt about, say, a painting,
or did they want to know if you felt anything about it?" he
asked.

Data's mouth opened slightly, closed, and opened again.
"They asked if I felt anything at all," he finally said.

"How many times did they ask you such a question?" Q
prodded.

"Many times," Data replied matter of factly.

"And were they pleased by your answer?"

This time, Data blinked, and he quickly looked away. "Tell
me what you told them when they asked that question," Q
said.

"I said that I did not understand," Data said, his voice
small and low.

"Were they pleased?" Q pressed.

"I... I do not know," Data said, staring at his lap.

Riker's hands turned into tense fists.

"Is that what you answered the first time they asked that
question?"

Data gripped his seat.

Picard gasped quietly.

Then suddenly Data's face went completely blank. "I do not
understand why you are asking me these questions, Q," he
said, folding his hands smoothly, his voice calm and
detached, as it always was. "What they wished to know about
my feelings is irrelevant. I am an android. I have no
feelings of any kind."

Q moved closer to Data, until his lips practically touched
the android's golden ones. "Sweet, innocent Data," Q
whispered. "How well that mechanical body of yours serves
you. Reroute a neural pathway here, block a memory file
there, and no one can touch you, can they? No part of
yourself that isn't under your control. Except for that
ridiculous switch hidden in your back..." he said, his
palm grazing Data there.

Data struggled not to flinch. For a nanosecond, he reminded
himself, show nothing, and processed the command.

"You kept that thing a secret for as long as possible, from
as many people as possible, didn't you," Q finished. "But
it's something else entirely that I'm after."

Data was like a statue.

"I wish I didn't have to do this," Q said, stroking Data's
pale cheek. "To spoil such perfection. But we must
demonstrate to those dim witted humans what lies deep within
you, embedded in your microprocessors and tightly enmeshed
in your circuitry. I must deprive you of your iron shield to
get at it. You won't be able to fight me then."

He kissed Data on the cheek. There was another brilliant
flash, and everyone drew their breaths.

Data was sitting on the chair, just as he was previously,
but Q had done what he'd once merely offered in an attempt
to win a bet.

Data's synthetic skin was now human flesh, slightly pink,
soft, unlined. His eyes were closed, but when he opened
them, they were of the same familiar golden hue. A few dark
brown locks fell in front of them. Q was standing before
him, holding a mirror in his hands. Data's eyes widened, and
his breath was quick and shallow as he stared at his
reflection.

"Yes, your eyes, I left them alone," Q said. "I didn't want
to take everything away from you."

The mirror disappeared. Data seemed oblivious to the fact.
"Accessing, accessing, accessing," he repeated again and
again, shaking all over. It was the only sound in the room.

No one will be able to dismantle him now, Riker thought
grimly as Data's unnerving, plaintive words echoed in his
ears.

"Accessing, accessing, accessing!" Data continued to
recite, as if praying, his face stretched in despair, his
voice rising in terror, his eyes darting from side to side,
but in vain.

Q bent down, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him
slightly. "Stop it, Data," he said, trying to reach him,
speaking clearly and loudly. "Your mind won't obey your
commands now, do you see? Your mind will only listen to your
body -the messages that course through it can no longer be
discarded or blocked. If you attempt to do so as before,
your body will react. Your body will betray you. That's what
it's doing now. You can't prevent it from processing your
emotions anymore."

Data's breathing was so rapid that he was beginning to
hyperventilate. A hypospray appeared in Q's hand, and he
pressed it against Data's neck.

"Q!" Picard exclaimed. "You are not to harm him-"

"Oh, pipe down, Jean-Luc," Q said irritably. "It's a mild
relaxant. As I said before, I am here to help him, unlike
them."

Data had already begun to breathe more slowly, though he
was still trembling.

"That's it," Q said reassuringly. "That's good... Don't
worry. It's all right now. Do you understand? No one can
hurt you."

Data looked up at him, his eyes filling with water for the
first time. The water quickly overflowed and large drops
spilled from his eyelashes, running down his cheeks and
landing on his chest; the beads pooled where his uniform
creased.

Q kneeled in front of him, and said softly, "Data, what did
you answer the first time they asked you if you felt
anything?"

Data tried to reply, and choking on his own words,
faltered, "They... they showed me a picture... a picture of
-of a lake, and... and it was so blue. I -I said... I
said..."

"Yes?" Q said encouragingly.

"I said, it is... like Dr. Soong's eyes..." Data stammered,

"I said -I said, father's eyes... I am so glad to see
father's blue eyes..." He started to weep so much he
couldn't speak.

Q placed a hand at the back of his head and lowered it onto
his shoulder, stroking Data's hair, which was now more
lustrous and slightly lighter in shade than it had been
before. "What did they do then?" Q asked.

Data sobbed.

"Tell me," Q said, "and it will be better."

Data grasped him by the shoulders, crumpling the Starfleet
issue captain's uniform Q loved to wear. "They... they
narrowed their eyes... They said, machines cannot have
feelings, Data... and, and they looked at me strangely... I
did not understand... I thought... that I had -I had done
something wrong," he blurted through his tears.

Q rocked Data back and forth slightly. "You hadn't," Q said
quietly.

"That was when I knew... I knew I was expected to act -to
act a certain way, and... and if I did, I would... would be
safe." As the tormented words poured from him, Data started
to grow quieter, his weeping not as heartwrenching as it
had been in the beginning -his eyes were closing, his grip
on Q's shirt loosening. Less and less, his chest hitched
with painful gasps until he had calmed almost entirely in
Q's arms.

"It's exhausting, I know, to remember those things," Q
whispered into his ear, his hand going in soothing circles
on Data's upper back. "Go to sleep," he said, and Data's
breathing deepened as he fell into merciful slumber.
Q picked him up, calling, "mon Capitaine!"

Captain Picard rushed over to him, and Q lowered Data into
his outstretched arms. "Your arguments were almost flawless,
Jean-Luc," Q conceded. "It was a valiant effort, though
thwarted by people who should have known better."

Picard knelt down, and Riker watched as Data's hands
touched the floor, his fingers curling slightly, his wrists
bending gracefully, fluidly.

"Why?" Picard asked, cradling Data's head. "Why did you do
this?"

"Contrary to what you believe, my dear Captain, I am just,"
Q said. "I like to interfere when I fancy it, when it is
evident that things are hopelessly muddled unless I
graciously provide assistance."

Picard stared at him, stone faced. "How very generous of
you, Q," he said evenly.

Q smirked. "Even omnipotent beings like to be entertained.
I was in the mood for amusement."

"I will not allow you to use Data as your latest plaything,"
Picard said, his voice like steel.

Q rolled his eyes. "You can back off, Jean-Luc." Gazing at
Data, his features softened. "I like this one, simply put. I
could not allow him to be harmed... by that imbecile," he
continued with a snarl, marching to where Maddox cowered,
ashen, his face covered by a film of sweat.

"In case you are still wondering, yes, you are a complete
asshole," Q said. "How tempting it would be to turn you into
a toad, you sniveling, miserable, pompous piece of filth."
He smiled menacingly. "To have you dissected by some first
year med student in a crisp lab somewhere."

Maddox quaked and swallowed.

Q sighed melodramatically. "Alas, were I to do so, I would
deprive myself of the pleasure of observing you wincing
every time Data crosses your mind. For you see," he said,
his hand closing around Maddox's neck and pulling him
sharply forward, "that man, over there, is what was hiding
underneath the golden skin. You would have murdered him, all
because you were too narrow minded to see beyond his
circuitry." He yanked Maddox even closer, and Maddox's lips
quivered.

"Even as a machine, he was a better human than you." Maddox
blanched. "And more lifelike," Q added.

"All right Q, that's enough," Picard interjected.

Q shoved Maddox back, letting him go with disgust. Maddox
collapsed in his chair, fixing Q with wild eyes.

"Don't make me notice you exist," Q warned him.

He then turned to Captain Louvois, who was clearly shaken
by all that had occurred. "Perhaps you will think more
carefully, next time you make a judgment," Q said with a
sarcastic bow. Not waiting for a response, he was about
to speak to Captain Picard when Riker said, "Q... Will Data
be able to adjust? Will you help him?"

Q studied Riker for a moment before answering, "I know you
all doubt my motives, but I have taken a personal interest
in Data's well being. I know all he would have done..."
There was a malicious glint in his eye. "But that would be
telling. Suffice it to say, I wish you all a heartfelt good
luck! You'll be seeing a lot more of me in the years to
come. My reasons to gloat have just increased by seven times
seventy-seven."

Data stirred in Picard's arms, he sighed, and he was still
once more.

"Take him to sickbay, mon Capitaine," Q said. He surveyed
the room. "Remember, I will be watching." His eyes rested
upon Picard. "Data is my creature now."

With that, Q vanished.

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The End