Immortal Coil - Jeffrey Lang [21]
The computer chimed in acknowledgment and brought up a new holo, presumably taken by one of the DIT’s security people inside Maddox’s lab. It was a close-up of the dust-littered lab floor. The edge of a dark red puddle that could only be blood was visible, but most of the holo was dominated by the four ragged red letters someone had scrawled onto the floor, spelling a word:
DATA
And then everyone in the meeting room turned and looked at the android, who was still staring intently at the holo when he finally spoke.
“Intriguing,” he said.
Chapter Seven
THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN cast long shadows as Haftel and the Enterprise officers wended their way across the campus’s main quad, toward Maddox’s lab. Few of the tall, straight trees that lined the main walkway had more than a leaf or two clinging to their branches, and the damp, chill wind rustled the bare limbs. Riker was surprised to find himself thinking back to his boyhood home in Alaska.
When that wind came whistling down out of the mountains, he remembered, it was time to put away your fishing gear and get out the snowshoes. A gust cut through the insulation of his uniform jacket and he shivered. My blood has gotten thin and it’s been too long since I’ve been home. Back in the days before the EnterpriseD had been destroyed, he and Worf had discussed taking some shore leave together in the Alaskan backlands. Riker had wanted to show Worf that some Terrans had lived in conditions as harsh as anything a Klingon had ever faced.
But now, with Worf’s transfer to DS9, it seemed unlikely that there would be time for a trip to Earth and Riker deeply regretted it. Growing up an only child, he did not understand exactly what it meant to have a brother, but Riker suspected that his bond with Worf—a bond based as much on competitiveness as affection—was as close as he was likely to get. What was the first thing he had done to Worf when he had been beamed aboard the Enterprise from the disabled Defiant during their last encounter with the Borg? Tweaked him, teased him.
Tough little ship.
Riker smiled at the memory. The Klingon had almost snarled out loud, but had understood Riker’s real message: You’re the captain now. Good job. There were still days Riker regretted not having gone that route—captaining a vessel that he could actually feel move under his feet, a little ship. Well, perhaps someday …
“… But didn’t you feel a little—peculiar—getting involved in a project like this?” Riker’s eyes darted to La Forge, who was speaking quietly to Barclay as they walked. It seemed that Riker, walking nearest the pair, was the only one who could overhear them. And Barclay, to Riker’s surprise, didn’t seem at all disconcerted by the question.
“You mean, because of what happened when Bruce wanted to disassemble Data?”
“Well, yeah,” La Forge said.
“I thought of that,” Barclay admitted. “And I wrestled with the question, but, in the end, I realized that this time harming Data wasn’t even an issue. And what Commander Maddox was ultimately attempting to do was something that would benefit Data.”
“What do you mean?” La Forge asked.
Reg sounded confused, as if Geordi was overlooking something that struck Barclay as elementary. “Just that, well, if it worked, Data wouldn’t be alone anymore, would he?” He shook his head and flipped his hair back over the top of his head. “It’s not a good thing, feeling alone.”
La Forge became thoughtful as he considered Barclay’s reply, and slipped into silence as they walked on.
Maddox’s lab complex was in a building near the edge of the campus. Perched atop a gentle slope, the five-story structure overlooked a wide, well-tended lawn that ran down into a stand