Chapter Text
Stardate: 41432.3
The sun cast its light upon a field of tall, rolling grass and wild flowers that stretched for miles throughout the Spanish countryside. A couple of trees dotted the landscape. Birds chirped as they flew overhead. Stretching towards the sky were numerous windmills, at least thirty to forty of them.
Hoofbeats approached from the distance. The hoofbeats of a workhorse beyond its prime and a stout donkey, with the latter trailing behind. Atop them were two figures.
The figure atop the donkey was wearing the clothes of a simple farmer. A long-sleeved shirt, a roughspun vest, plain trousers, and leather shoes. Atop his head of synthetic brown hair was a wide-brimmed hat. His face was devoid of expression as he looked ahead.
On the workhorse was a man with a face with identical features, but wore an unimpressed scowl. He wore shoddy, rust-eaten armor. His head was covered by a morion with a piece of pasteboard fastened to it with a ribbon. He pursed his lips as the horse he was riding came to a stop twenty meters from the closest windmill.
Lore squinted his eyes at the windmills before him. He crossed his arms against his chest. He looked over his shoulder at Data.
“Fortune is arranging matters for us,” Lore began half-heartedly. “Much better than what we could’ve shaped ourselves. Look there, friend Sancho, where thirty or more,” a grimace crossed his face, “monstrous… giants… present themselves, all of whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with whose spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes; for this is righteous warfare, and it’s God’s good service to sweep so evil a breed from off the earth.”
“What giants?” Data asked, his delivery completely inflectionless.
Birds continued to chirp in the background. Lore’s left hand began to raise towards his face, but he resisted the out-of-character act.
“Those you see there,” Lore mumbled as he dismissively pointed a finger at the windmills. “With the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long.”
“Look, your worship,” Data replied matter-of-factly, “what we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go.”
Lore rolled his eyes. “It’s easy to see. You’re not used to the business of adventures. Those are giants, and if you’re afraid, go away and go pray while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat.”
A breeze passed over the duo. Lore turned his attention to the windmills. The sails on the windmills gently turned slightly by forty-seven degrees.
“Fly not…” Words got caught in his mouth. He shook his head and looked at Data. A sarcastic laugh escaped his lips. ”This is ridiculous.” He then glared at his brother. “Only a fool would mistaken windmills for something like giants! Do I look like a fool to you?!”
Data tilted his head. “Correction, Alonso Quijano was afflicted with fantastical delusions that were influenced by the literature that he was reading. As for your concern about how I perceive you, no. I do not think that of you. You are just as intellectually capable as I am.”
Lore scoffed. “It doesn’t make a difference for me! I’m still the one playing the idiot who thinks he’s a knight-errant!” He took off the morion. With both hands he crumpled the protective headgear into a lump of metal and pasteboard. The ribbon stuck out like a sore thumb. He dismounted from the horse and threw the lump on the ground with a resounding metallic thud. “I’m done with this farce. I should have a more tolerable role than this buffoon.”
As Data’s mouth opened, his commbadge chirped. He tapped it. “Lieutenant Commander Data here.”
“Mr. Data, is Lore with you?” It was the captain’s voice.
“Yes, Captain.” Data lightly furrowed his eyebrows. “Is something the matter?”
“You're needed on the bridge. Picard out.”
Data dismounted from the donkey and looked at Lore. “The captain has requested my presence.”
“At least that ends this insulting performance,” Lore groaned. He then made his way to the holodeck arch. A sneer tinged his face. “I'll be in your quarters.”
The concealed arch opened its door for the irritable android. Lore left without a further word.
“Computer, end program,” Data spoke up.
The Spanish countryside vanished. It was replaced with the yellow-lined black grid of the holodeck. The only sign of the holodeck's previous program that remained was the lump that was once the morion that Lore had replicated for the holonovel. Data approached the damaged morion and gingerly picked it up with both hands before exiting the holodeck.
.
Data stepped onto the bridge as soon as the turbolift door opened. At the conn station was a man in his early twenties with brown hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in the yellow Starfleet uniform.
“Data, there’s something that you need to see.” Picard then spoke up. “Ensign Smith, bring up a visual of the spatial anomaly.”
“Aye, Sir.”
The ensign brought up a visual on the viewscreen. The anomaly was one hundred kilometers across and gave off a mixture of dark violet, purple, and cyan hues. It gently shifted around a dark center.
“Zoom in, Ensign. Two hundred kilometers away from the anomaly near the port bow.”
The zoom on the viewscreen increased in the area two hundred kilometers away from the anomaly, near the Enterprise’s port bow. Floating in the vacuum of space, heading away from the anomaly, was a humanoid figure. Data furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Despite the figure being very small even with the display being zoomed in, he instantly recognized the appearance.
“Captain, is this why you inquired if Lore was with me?”
Picard nodded. “Yes. The ship’s sensors have detected Lore, or in this case, another version of him, in the anomaly and our Lore in the holodeck.” He paused for a moment. “Deanna, do you sense anything from this second Lore?”
Deanna nodded. “There's much anger and resentment coming from him. It's intensely focused on someone. Most likely whoever left him drifting in space.”
“I see…” Picard's eyebrows thoughtfully knitted together.
“Do you want him to be beamed aboard, sir?” Riker asked.
Picard nodded. “We would need to proceed carefully.” He then rose from the captain's chair. “Number One, Counselor Troi, go to the observation lounge. We'll meet you there.”
“Aye, Sir. We'll meet you there.”
Riker and Deanna left the bridge.
The captain then shifted his focus to Data. “Data, go retrieve our Lore. While there's no telling how this second Lore may respond to seeing his alternate self and an alternate version of his brother, or how our Lore may respond to seeing him, the presence of both of you is necessary.”
Data nodded. “I shall go retrieve him.”
Picard then looked at Tasha as Data left the bridge. “Lieutenant Yar, you're with me.”
.
O’Brien’s attention was fully on the transporter console as a figure began to take shape on the forwardmost transporter pad. The silhouette struggled to form more complex details. And then the definition that the figure had achieved began to disappear.
“We're losing him," Picard said.
"Compensating," O’Brien said as he made a couple of adjustments.
The figure began gaining definition. The proportions were one-to-one with Data and Lore’s proportions. Arms and legs, angled as if he had been trying to swim within the vacuum of space, became defined. His molecules fell into place. The shimmering light faded, leaving behind the second Lore. He was dressed in the exact same uniform as Data, albeit obviously worn. The black and yellow were faded. From head to toe, he had patches where a thin layer of ice had formed. There was a faint smell of ozone that emanated from him.
Upon fully becoming solid, he easily fixed his footing. He stomped a couple of times, causing bits of ice to fall off of his body. His yellow eyes squinted as he looked around the transporter room slowly. The corners of his lips tugged down and his eyebrows narrowed.
“What kind of game is this?”
Tasha furrowed her eyebrows.
Before the second Lore could say anything else, Picard stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. “I assure you that this isn't a game. Follow us; we have important matters to discuss.”
The second Lore raised an eyebrow sharply as he watched the captain and Tasha began making their way to the door. He pursed his lips as he followed.
.
The senior crew, their Lore, and the second Lore sat at the long table in the observation lounge. Stars twinkled outside the massive window as the ship comfortably drifted at a safe distance from the spatial anomaly. The two Lores, who sat on either side of the table, eyed each other. The first one, dressed in the yellow operations coveralls once again, furrowed his eyebrows while the second flashed a smile at his counterpart. Data, once more dressed in his uniform, sat next to his brother, his arms on the armrests as he observed the two Lores.
Picard regarded the second Lore. “Can you tell us how you came to be drifting in space?”
The second Lore’s eyes darkened slightly. “It was quite the betrayal. I had been serving on my Enterprise for several months when we discovered my brother on Omicron Theta in a storage unit in Father’s lab.” He slightly leaned forward onto the table. “He was inferior, lacked emotions, and was quite dangerous, but we didn’t know that last part at the time.” A pause. “He played us all like a fiddle.” A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. “After he summoned the Crystalline Entity to come and devour the crew, he managed to trick my crewmates into thinking that he was me and had them beam me into space.” He then wiped a hand across his lower left eyelid. Tears of yellow coolant dotted his fingertips. “I have been drifting through space ever since, not knowing if they survived. However, the odds of them surviving are pretty much nonexistent. Data, my Data, managed to learn quite a bit about how the ship operated in a short period of time.”
The room fell silent for a moment. The members of the senior crew looked at each other and then at the second Lore. Unease crossed Deanna’s face. The gaze of Picard’s eyes softened. Data tilted his head sharply. The first Lore rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. The rest sported troubled and disturbed expressions.
“You have my deepest condolences, Mr. Lore,” Picard said slowly, folding his hands on the table. He took in a breath. “You have a burden that no one should have to endure. If there’s anything that we can do to help, please let us know.”
“I need to get back,” the second Lore said. “While my crew is most likely dead, Starfleet needs to know that there is a highly dangerous android out there who is in league with an entity capable of wiping out entire worlds in an extremely short period of time.”
Picard looked at Data. “Mr. Data, what do you think? Could it be done?”
“Depending on the nature of the spatial anomaly, it might be possible to return him to his continuum. However, I would need time to study the anomaly to determine a viable course of action.”
“Get on it as soon as possible.”
“Captain, if I may,” Tasha said, “I would like to address a concern.”
“You may, Lieutenant Yar.”
“We have two Lores on this ship, and one of them is dressed identically to Lieutenant Commander Data.” She gestured to the second Lore. “Also, his commission is with his own Starfleet, not ours. Beyond that, all three of them seem to be constructed identically. There's a chance that people will address the wrong Lore should something happen, or worse, confuse Data and this alternate Lore.”
“I agree,” Riker said. “That's the last thing we need in an emergency.”
“I see your point,” Picard said, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. Just as he began to open his mouth—
“Just take a marker, draw a number two on his forehead, and be done with it,” the first Lore apathetically grumbled.
Deanna grimaced. Riker shook his head. Picard narrowed his eyes firmly at the first Lore. The second Lore pursed his lips, slight bemusement barely concealed.
“That was highly uncalled for. Apologize.”
The first Lore glanced at the captain. He then slowly turned to his counterpart and glared. The second one chuckled slightly.
“Oh, don't worry about it.” He dismissively waved. “I'm not offended. In fact, I remember being like him, but I ‘grew out of it’ as you would say. I'd be willing to help him out if that's alright with you.” He flashed a grin at the captain. “Be a positive role model for him.”
Picard turned his attention to Deanna. “Do you think him mentoring our Lore could help him be his best possible self?”
Deanna mulled silently for a moment. “It's hard to say given how our Lore is, but it’s possible, Captain. It could give him an idea of what he could potentially be if he applies himself.”
“Very well, I'll permit it so long it remains beneficial.”
The first Lore crossed his arms and let out a scoff.
The second Lore's grin grew as he continued. “As for his… suggestion, in a way, it wasn't without some merit. Though, I'd prefer a less messy method.” He paused. “Perhaps I could put something else on. I'm also willing to take a nickname to make everything," he then playfully raised his eyebrows, “simpler for everyone.”
Picard slowly nodded. “It would be much appreciated. Do you have anything in particular that you want to be called in mind?”
The second Lore pursed his lips for a few seconds. “How does ‘Patho’ sound?”
“If that's the nickname you wish to go by, I see no problem with it,” Picard said. “Mr. Data, show Patho to his quarters. Bring Lore with you.”
Data gave a curt nod. “Aye, Sir.”
“And Patho, I’m certain you’ll find something suitable to help distinguish you from Mr. Data in the ship’s store.”
Patho slowly nodded with a smile. “I have no doubts about it.”
Picard regarded the room. “Everyone is dismissed.”
The room began to empty. Lore dragged his feet behind the other two androids with a bored scowl on his face. Soon it was just Picard and Deanna left in the room. As Picard began to make his way to the door, Deanna approached him. The look of unease had not abated.
“Captain, I advise caution. I sense there’s something not quite right with Patho.”
Picard raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“There's much emotional instability in him, but unlike with our Lore there's a chilling quality to it. While the emotions I sensed when he was drifting in space were genuine, I'm now sensing that there's something he's not telling us. Something that was giving him satisfaction.”
“Counsellor, if we were to address this right now, how do you think he would respond?”
“Based on my work with our Lore, very badly.”
“I want you to keep a good eye on our Lore during your sessions with him. At the first sign that Patho is having a bad influence on him, I want you to let me know immediately. I’ll assign personnel to periodically check in on Patho for the duration of his stay.”
Deanna nodded. “Aye, Captain.”
.
The trio of androids made their way down the corridors of Deck 8. While Patho and Data walked side by side, Lore hung back. His lips were tightly pressed into a frown, and his eyebrows were lowered. His gaze would shift between the walls on either side, the ceiling, and the back of the other two androids’ heads. He would idly count the hairs that he could see.
“How long have you been serving in Starfleet for?” Patho asked. “Your rank suggests you have been an officer for quite a while. Nineteen years?”
“Yes,” Data replied with a nod. “Three of them were spent as an ensign, twelve were within the lieutenant grades, and four as lieutenant commander.”
A grin appeared on Patho’s face. “Same here.” He lightly pursed his lips. “Was it Starfleet that found you as well?”
Another nod. “Indeed. The crew of the USS Tripoli.”
"I noticed that the senior staff, aside from you and me, on our respective ships are identical. Tell me, is your Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher or someone else?"
"Doctor Crusher is our Chief Medical Officer."
"Is her son, Wesley, an acting ensign?"
"Yes. I am finding the identical personnel between this Enterprise and your own intriguing." Data then furrowed his eyebrows. “I do wonder if our missions have a similar parallel. During your first mission aboard your Enterprise on stardate 41153.7, did your crew happen to encounter an omnipotent lifeform that goes by the name of Q?”
Patho let out a small laugh. Lore rolled his eyes as his counterpart then said, “My, what a coincidence. Yes. Q was a lifeform that was unlike anything I had ever encountered before. Truly remarkable and so much power. I thought we would die.”
Lore let out a small, quiet yawn. An action that barely served a biomechanical purpose in the moment, but nonetheless said more than a handful of words.
“Peculiar,” Data mused. “On stardate 41209.2, did you and your crew locate the SS Triolkovsky near a red supergiant only to find them in a state of intoxication induced by complex strings of water molecules known as polywater?”
“Impossible to forget.” Patho shook his head. “The whole crew had no idea what they were in for. The whole ship was a frat party.”
Lore rolled his eyes as he gave a snarky, “What'd you expect from the word ‘intoxication'?”
“Inquiry, what is a frat party?” Data asked.
“Oh, it's something that the humans do,” Patho said with a dismissive wave. “More specifically, a social event hosted by a college fraternity. They get black-out drunk and do some of the most idiotic things you’ll ever see, like run around au naturel or jump off whatever they can still climb — for fun.” There was a brief pause before the grin reappeared on his face. “Fascinating, isn’t it? What are the odds of us having the same service history and crewmates?”
“The probability of two individuals experiencing an identical service record between two different continuums alone is infinitesimally small by several orders of magnitude. One in three-hundred-and-forty-seven billion if accounting for minor deviations.” Data furrowed his eyebrows again as he cocked his head. “How do you not know how to calculate it?”
Patho chuckled. “I was being rhetorical, Data.”
Lore groaned. “Yeah, we know that. No need to calculate it out loud for everyone. It’s not like there are any humans around.”
Patho looked over his shoulder. His grin widened slightly as his eyes caught some of the light. “Oh, we're going to have so much fun together.”
Lore scoffed as he looked off to the side. Data remained focused on the corridor before the trio. Patho slowly shifted his gaze forward as the left side of his mouth tugged upwards and his eyes squinted slightly.