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When the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701-D docked at Deep Space Nine, Julian Bashir thought it appropriate to take advantage of his time with the crew by inviting their second officer, Lieutenant Commander Data, to be subject to a few tests regarding his functions and design. The doctor had been fascinated with the nuances of Data’s creation ever since he first saw his name mentioned in a textbook—an android with a working cardiovascular system?—and was eager to learn as much as possible about him before the Enterprise had to undock. Data had cordially agreed, and they planned to start the exam at 1900 hours: Bashir’s quarters.
At the beginning of the evening, Julian started out by running reflex tests. Upon tapping his knee with a rubber mallet, the doctor found that Data had no patellar reflex at all. He shined a light around the borders of Data’s vision, noting how, like humans, his pupils dilated and constricted. Upon further assessment, Julian learned that Data’s eyes functioned very closely to human eyes—almost perfectly so, in fact; he had a bio-lubrication system that protected them from debris, and he even had tear ducts. Noticing his excitement, Data told him about the equation his father wrote in order to make his blinking pattern appear random. Intrigued, Julian wrote it down.
Julian pressed his fingertips against the pulse points beside Data’s Adam's apple and below his thumbs. He recorded the delay between the pulses, as well as the nuances that set his pulse apart from a human’s. The biolubricant flowing through his artificial veins and arteries was considerably thicker than human blood, and thus caused his pulse to run slower, yet stronger. When Julian pressed his ear against Data’s wrist, he could even hear the biolubricant being pumped into the mechanisms in his fingers.
Julian counted Data’s eyelashes. One-hundred thirty-six on each of the top lids, seventy-three on the bottoms. As he counted, Data explained how Dr. Crusher had taught him to make a wish every time he found one astray on his face. Upon being asked what he could possibly wish for, Data responded “According to the human custom, it is advised that you should not tell others the wish you make, otherwise it will not ’come true’.” Julian didn’t argue with that, as he was fairly certain he knew what Data had wished for, anyway.
The tests continued until well after 2100 hours. Julian ran his fingertips through the synthetic hairs along Data’s arms. He whispered in Data’s ear to see if the hair on the back of his neck would stand up on end, and was surprised to find out it did. It was a part of his sympathetic nervous system subprogram, Data explained. The same thing occurred when his skin was exposed to temperatures below zero degrees. So Bashir tested that, too. He listened to Data’s breathing, noting how his chest would rise and fall, the time that elapsed during each breath—5.3 seconds. He pressed his ear against Data’s chest and listened to his heartbeat, and noted how similar it sounded to the Enterprise’s warp core. Julian ran his thumb along some of the veins that were raised under Data’s skin, up and down his forearm. He observed the pores on Data’s face and traced his features with his fingertips.
It was 2400 hours. Julian’s head was swimming with the beauty of Data’s design. Data looked at him with a sort of golden curiosity, and the doctor went just about crazy trying to imagine all the things that could possibly be going through his head. Thousands of different processes, running parallel to one other; how many of these processes were thoughts about Julian? Was Julian taking up as much of Data’s thoughts as Data was his?
Julian couldn’t resist reaching out and touching him again. He traced over paths he took countless times that night, brushing over his forehead, down his cheek, across his jaw, over his lips, down the bridge of his nose—eventually, he decided to rest his hand on the side of Data’s face, not wanting to let him go just yet.
Data looked thoughtful for a moment before reaching up, too, resting his hand on top of Julian’s. It was such a warm, human gesture that Bashir was almost startled. Data had the strength to bend steel and crush bone with ease, but he regarded Julian so gently that the doctor almost believed he was worried he would hurt him. He was about to disregard the idea, but considered that it might not be as far off as he first thought. That would need further analysis, too, Julian noted.
It occurred to him that it was getting rather late, and the both of them had many responsibilities to tend to the next day, but all Julian wanted to do was study Data. How would Data’s skin feel against his lips? What did the arch of his back look like? What did steel bone feel like under bioplastic? He still had so much to learn, so much he was curious to examine. His lungs set on fire at the thought; there was so much more of Data Julian had not yet seen, and it forced him to imagine how beautiful the rest of him was, too. He felt his face start to grow warm.
Bashir continued his experiments. He tested how it felt to leave kisses on Data’s cheeks, his jaw, the tip of his nose, his eyelids. He tested if he could make bruises blossom on Data’s neck (and he learned that Data was far more successful in doing so to him). He learned that Data’s saliva (though it was more accurate to call it a silicon-based biochemical lubricant, Data explained) tasted earthy and sweet, and his lips were nearly identical to a human’s. Julian learned that, unlike humans, Data was unburdened by the need to pull back for air.
When they laid down, Julian tested what it felt like to lace his fingers with Data’s, and what it felt like to run his thumb over steel knuckles. He learned that Data made him laugh, just with the stories he would tell; the way he would deliver certain phrases. He learned that Data could adjust his body temperature, but often kept it at an even and steady thirty-seven degrees because it made him feel more human. Julian learned that Data talked just as much as he did, and he learned that when he put his ear against Data’s sternum, he could feel the vibration of his artificial vocal chords resonating in his chest. He learned about Data’s father, his brother, his friends. Julian learned about Data’s cat, Spot, and the time he took her to the holodeck to chase mice. He learned how it felt to have Data run his fingers through his hair, and Bashir found that he would repeat this action in a rhythm of 5.7 seconds per cycle. He learned what it was like to feel safe and warm, and eventually, he learned how it felt to doze off to the calm and methodical ”ba-dum… ba-dum…” of Data’s heartbeat.