Work Text:
Title: Escape
Author: Poodle
Rating PG-13
Pairing: Data/Tasha
Summary: What really happened during the *encounter* between the android and the security chief when they were under the influence of the Tsiolkovksy infection?
~*The strong always escape.~*
Author's Notes: This story is over fifteen years old, but I uncovered in my dusty old files so thought that I would archive it for old time's sake.
Escape
By Poodle~
His lips were pressed against hers. His fingers brushed the fine locks of hair plastered against her forehead in an unfamiliar style. Smoothly, he loosened the strands. She sighed, closing her eyes. "Gentleness, Data," she mumbled for the second time, her breath rustling across a pale, golden cheek.
The android responded with accomplished programming. His hands, played across her nude body as a virtuoso played a cherished instrument, arousing sensations Tasha Yar had never before experienced. Her mind whirled. *Where has my clothing disappeared to?* The wisps of powder blue fabric lay crushed beneath them. His hands had managed to slip the garment from her without her awareness. A giggle rose to her throat.
"Kiss me, Data."
His response was automatic, yet more natural than she'd imagined. The lips soft. Inquisitive. Like their possessor. Her mouth parted, welcoming a deepening of the kiss. *Gentleness. Yes.* His reaction was almost...Human. Dare she tell him? Her mind drifted, summoned away by the touch of his hands. Her thoughts dissipated before forming into words...
His face was above hers. Reaching up, she traced its aesthetic contours; the metallic sheen of cheekbones, the thin, sensitive lips, the aquiline nose. A timid smile touched the corner of his mouth. Vaguely she recalled pushing him onto her bed, compelling him into the sheets with the weight of her body. Now he was above her. How had he managed that? She remembered anxiously awaiting his arrival to her quarters, speculating what his reaction would be to her feminine persuasions. His initial response was incredulity. It swiftly gave way to a cocky self-assurance as he followed eagerly without resistance. Somehow, she expected he might hold back. Why? She couldn't quite recall. Tasha blinked, her thoughts floating. Where was she? Vaguely she remembered something about an infection.
Catching her bewildered expression, the android paused. Opalescent golden eyes sought hers. A frown knitted his forehead. "Query, Lieutenant, is something amiss? If my performance is unacceptable, I--"
Her laughter cut him short. "Your performance is *more* than acceptable, Data."
He blinked. His face, above the dark broad-shouldered mantel of his uniform, held a perplexed expression. "Then what is wrong? Are my actions inappropriate? Have I committed an offense, a transgression, a--"
"Data! Please. It's all right. Really." Her hands traced the line of his collar, locating the zipper at its base. "You're still clothed, that's all." Laughter rippled from her throat as she pulled the zipper down. "And don't call me Lieutenant." Her hands teased the warmth of exposed flesh.
"Ah, a minor offense." He slipped the uniform from his lean, precisely designed form. Abdominal muscles rippled as he moved.
"God, you're gorgeous." She'd never seen him nude before. It was impossible to believe he was...a machine? As her eyes traced over him, a smile touched her lips. "You *are* fully functional."
He looked uncertain as to the proper response. "Lieutenant..."He paused, then corrected himself, "Yar. If I have misconstrued..."
She giggled at his continued formality. "Tasha. Don't call me Yar." Her arms wrapped around him, drawing him near, relishing the smooth, surprisingly hairless texture of synthetic skin. Synthetic? Biomechanical circuits and fibers animated by a positronic brain? It didn't seem possible. She could feel the rhythm of a heart, the rise and fall of a broad chest. She could see the insatiable curiosity in the depths of his eyes, the life that glowed beyond. Synthetic? Impossible. "Make love to me, Data. With gentleness."
"I was endeavoring to accomplish your request. Is it not apparent? I--"
Her lips stole his words. His skin felt alive beneath her mouth. The luminescence of his face above her own appeared even paler in the subtle light of the enclosure of her bedchamber. The glow of his eyes appeared fiery in the dim. She sighed, arching toward him. She'd never before requested that a man make love to her with tenderness. She'd always taken, or been taken, with reckless abandon. Never had she displayed vulnerability by telling a partner about the loneliness of her past before taking him to her bed...
She shook her head. Her thoughts were murky. What had prompted her actions? Tasha could not recall...
Who? Hands traced the contours of her body. Skilled hands. Data? *Lieutenant Commander Data?* The android!
She gasped...
His touch lulled her into complacency. Her mind drifted. She gazed from beneath half-closed lids at the golden form inclined over her, his lips pressing kisses against the hollow of her throat. A smile played across her mouth. "Data," his name escaped her lips.
"Yes?" He paused, as if her uttering required reply.
"Nothing. I was simply whispering your name."
"Why? Is there something more you desire? Something I fail to perceive? Something--"
"Data!"
"You are aware, of course, that I am programmed in multiple techniques and--"
"Data! Stop rattling." She sat up.
Bewildered eyes met her gaze. "I am certain I do not rattle. My construction is such that..."
Her laughter rippled across his words.
He blinked. Then a lopsided grin formed. "A euphemism. Sorry."
"That's all right." He was *so* damned adorable. A jewel! Her arms encircled him, relishing the sensation of naked flesh as he pressed against her in response. She moaned when his hands found the sensitive small of her back. Stroking. "More...please..." She began to drift in the gentle current of caresses flowing over her. No man had ever touched her with such tenderness. No man... Her past had known only blind desire. And violence.
The caresses ceased abruptly.
"Data?"
"There is a fine scar, indistinct of course, but perceptible to me, running across your lower dorsal region. I am most curious as to its origin."
She stiffened in his embrace.
"Tasha?"
A chill swept through her. She pulled free.
"Lieutenant, I--" He swallowed, catching her expression. "I have offended you. I apologize--"
"Forget it!" She crossed her arms over her breasts, feeling suddenly naked, exposed.
His puzzlement grew. "I do not understand the basis of your distress. Please explain."
Anger surged, then caught in her throat as a sob. *Damn his eyes.* Tasha dropped her head, the fine strands of her exotic, boyishly cut hair in disarray across her forehead. She felt his innocuous stare burning through her. *Damn him.*
The touch of his fingers, tracing a line over the creamy smoothness of her cheek, gave her a start. She seized his hand. "Just leave me alone!"
His eyes widened; hurt.
She caught her breath.
"Forgive me. I will leave." He bent to retrieve his uniform.
"No." Her hand caught his arm. "Don't go...please."
He paused, his look uncertain. "To utilize an adage, I have overstayed my welcome."
"No..." Her voice broke. She dropped her head. "Data, could you hold me?" her words rose muffled to his ears.
"Of course I am capable of such an action. It would not be difficult to execute, I--"
The security chief burst into tears.
"Tasha?" The word fell from his lips. She crushed against him, burying her face in his chest. He froze in utter amazement as tears flowed from her eyes, dampening his bare skin. "Tasha?" An uncertain arm encompassed the trembling Human.
*I'm crying,* her mind called. *I'm actually crying in the arms of a man.* She felt infuriatingly weak, yet somehow secure in his embrace. She allowed the torrent to take her. *What's wrong with me? How did we get here? Wasn't I on duty?* Her mind whirled...
"Tasha, if I understood the origin of your distress, perhaps I could render appropriate assistance."
Silence suspended the moment.
The draw of her breath cut the lull. "Have you ever witnessed a gang rape?"
It was his turn for silence. She heard him swallow. "No. The term was not originally installed in my vocabulary. But the concept is not unknown to me." He paused. "Although, the motivations for such a violent act elude me."
"They elude me as well." Her face remained pressed against his chest. "Can you imagine learning the facts of life by witnessing a gang rape?"
"Facts of life?"
"Sorry. An old Earth phrase used to indicate Human reproduction."
"My programming is replete with detailed information on Human sexuality. So such a lesson would have been a redundancy. It is my understanding that most Human children learn of reproduction from their parents, or institutions equipped with a systematic program of studies in such an area."
"Data!" She met his eyes. "I had not parents. At least not during the formative years. Just how was I to attend these institutions? Don't you realize, when I finally escaped, I was totally illiterate? Everything I learned, I learned from the streets." A tremor passed through her. "I learned about sex in the streets." She felt the cool touch of his hand against the lower part of her back where she knew the scar remained. The scars of a former life. Another her. A frightened, wretched girl-child with eyes hardened by distrust, hunger, and hatred. Not the confident, skilled, security chief of the U.S.S. Enterprise that years of hard training and determination had produced. A woman with healthy limbs and finely toned muscles the Academy taught her to develop and use in self-defense. No. That ragged, vulnerable waif was another creature altogether. Someone she longed to forget.
"You stated you witness such an assault?" His voice came softly.
She nodded, dropping her face to his chest. "When I was very young. I didn't understand it. It horrified me. I hid, wedged in a concrete sewage duct, while six men attacked a young woman. I was terrified that I would be discovered. The air was stifling, foul. I was trapped there for hours, listening to the sound of her screams. They were like a pack of wild dogs. I tried not to watch, not to *know* what they were doing to her. But I did watch, and I did *know.* I thought it was an obscene form of torture. I had no idea they were desecrating a natural act. I was mortified. I realized that I would be next if they found me.
"The sewage drains were filled with rats. Bold, loathsome creatures with beady red eyes that feared no one. Several scurried past as I hid, daring me to cry out. One even bit my leg. But I never uttered a sound. I preferred their company to that of the men outside piled on top of that poor girl. I vowed no man would ever get me down like that," the words rasped from her throat. "After that, I hated en. They were the enemy on my world." She released a dry laugh. "All the while I hoped I'd grow up to be one."
"Query. You anticipated maturing into a Human male?"
"How was I to know what I would grow into? In any event, I could hope, couldn't I? Men were big, heavy, and strong. I cried for days when I realized the fallacy of my wishes. That I was not only never going to become a man but, in act, was destined to grow into a woman. Can you imagine my panic when my body began to develop, knowing what men's bodies were capable of doing to a female?" Tasha shuddered. "I've kept my hair cropped short ever since. Even now, years later, I cringe at the thought of allowing it to grow. As if to do so would deplete my stamina."
"Intriguing. An antithesis of the biblical Samson."
"What?" Her mind again felt foggy. Data's voice seemed far away. What were they talking about? Oh, yes, the girl, the girl who'd been wedged in the drainage pipe, the concrete digging into her back. Or was it the other girl, the ones the animals were attacking? Not animals. Men. They had been men. And they weren't simply attacking; they were raping, defiling her. Destroying her from the inside out. Tasha shivered. What their violence left intact, if the woman had survived, would slowly rot away from the reality of what had been done to her. Their mission completed, the men slunk away into the shadows. Dwelling there, even now, in the nightmares of a young child huddled deep within an adult Natasha. A Tasha that pushed the reality away, and refused to remember. She trembled.
A man was holding her now. Not a man, she reminded herself. An android. A machine. But the touch was warm, accepting of her, even if he was unable to comprehend her pain. She met the yellow eyes. They recalled to her mind the golden tomcat who'd befriended her when she was young and alone. The cat remained her closest companion for years. A smile touched her lips at the memory of that friend. The android returned the smile almost shyly.
"And the scars?" he inquired softly.
"Were caused by the hours spent in that concrete duct."
"Otherwise you escaped unharmed? The men did not detect your presence?"
She nodded, then looked aside, avoiding his gaze. "I escaped." Her voice hardened. "I'm strong. The strong always escape. Nice way to learn the facts of life, huh?"
The android was momentarily speechless. "I am sorry," she told her softly. "To learn of Human reproduction in such a manner must have been most...disturbing."
"Disturbing," she repeated beneath her breath, glancing aside. "Yes. I guess you could call it...disturbing."
Silence surrounded them.
Data broke the hush. "I have never before seen you hair arranged in quite this manner." His fingers touched the yellow wisps of hair loosened across her brow.
The smile returned to her face. "I fixed my hair for you, Data."
His brows met in a frown. "But why?"
"Because I like you." Tasha's smile widened at the look of innocent bewilderment that crossed his face. She held out her arms to her companion. "Make love to me. Teach me the true facts of life."
The lopsided grin returned. "Would you not prefer to be alone with...you thoughts?"
"No. That's the last thing I want. The past is gone. Irrelevant. I have only my future before me." Her eyes traced over his lean, attractive form. "And my friends. You are my friend, aren't you, Data?"
"If you wish," he told her softly, gathering her near. His hands stroked across her lower back with the gentleness she'd requested.
She noted where his touch had gone. To the faint scar. *Ever inquisitive aren't you, Data?* "Do you like me?" she asked softly. "Can you -like'? Tell the truth. Friends don't lie to one another."
He pulled away to regard her with a bird-like tilt to his head, his thoughts turned inward to the vast resources of his brain. "I believe that I like you, Tasha. Is that acceptable? There are many things about myself I do not yet understand. But prevarication goes against my original programming. I would never intentionally lie," he gave her a timid smile, "to a friend." He pulled her close. "Thank you." The words floated, barely audible, to her ears.
"What for?" she puzzled.
"For your friendship."
Moisture sprang to her eyes at the trusting tone. "Data." She kissed his cheek softly. "Maybe prevarication goes against your programming, but I'm afraid it doesn't go against mine."
"Explain. I do not understand."
She swallowed. "I lied to you." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "But would you still make love to me if I told you the truth, I wonder?"
"Please explain. Of course I would still make love to you."
"You know the girl in the drainage pipe?"
He nodded. "Yourself?"
"That little girl wasn't always strong." Tasha squeezed her eyes shut. "And she didn't always escape."
~*~*~*~*
Tasha Yar strode onto the bridge of the Enterprise, her usual no-nonsense manner firmly intact. She positioned herself rigidly before her tactical station. All remaining traces of the Tsiolkovksy infection were gone from the crew, which operated smoothly around her. She drew a sigh of relief. It had been a long day.
The fluid motion of her toned form reestablished itself as she moved to check her panel. Thank goodness it was over. Everything was back to normal...
She froze.
Lieutenant Commander Data.
Tasha caught Data's uncertain look out of the corner of her eye and stiffened. His face held perplexity, and beneath that, the childlike innocence that only hours ago had captivated her into compelling he android into her bed.
Heat rushed over her cheeks...
Questions beckoned within the golden eyes. Data could easily be swayed into continuing this relationship. A relationship with definite possibilities. Even now, she could feel the touch of his hands upon her naked flesh. Could hear the whispered, constant inquiries, spawned from endless depths of curiosity. Questions pressed against her ear even as they'd made love... Tingles rushed over her.
The eyes.
She swallowed. *You were almost...Human.* It would make him proud if she uttered those words. *Perhaps we could learn together, Data, my friend, what it's like to be Human. What it's like to love. We're more alike than I care to admit. Both of us vulnerable, innocent, when it comes to the hidden recesses of the soul. Perhaps...*
He blinked.
*You're a machine. Have I gone insane?*
Only a split second passed since she turned to meet his gaze. The memory rushed across her mind in that instant. The memory of his touch. His lips. Warm, pliable. No the cold, hard touch one might expect. Responses motivated by something much deeper than mere programming. Responses almost...Human.
The word sprang to her lips.
*Tell him.*
She moved toward the android.
Then her thoughts faltered.
Her confession slammed to the front of her mind. She's told Data everything. The blood drained from her face as embarrassment rushed over her. Her expression hardened. She stormed toward him.
"Data, I'm only going to tell you this just once." The voice she heard was harsh. Cold. It was her own. "It never happened!"
The android looked as if he were about to speak. To question the illogic of her statement. His innocuous expression demanded explanation. Did she not owe him one...?
She hesitated for the breath of a second.
His head tilted inquiringly, his expression almost Human.
*Tell him!*
No!
Tasha whirled away and marched back to her station. Her eyes burned into the main viewscreen. Captain Picard was speaking. She allowed herself to drift into the deep resonance of her captain's tone. But Tasha Yar never heard the words. She donned her cloak of invincibility as her mind burned the phrase, over and over again. *The strong always escape.*
~*End