Immortal Coil - Jeffrey Lang [27]
To La Forge’s surprise, Data didn’t hesitate to answer. “The knowledge to repair a positronic brain after cascade failure does not yet exist. When a neural net succumbs to such anomalies, the structure of the matrix is not recoverable.”
“That explains Lal, but what about Dr. Tainer and Lore?”
“My father programmed Juliana to undergo cascade failure when she reached a certain point in her life. Lore posed too great a danger to others while he lived, and I took steps to ensure that his positronic brain can never be reactivated.”
McAdams seemed to consider all of that. “Then, if you don’t mind my asking … If there’s no way any of these six can be reactivated … then why not give them to Commander Maddox to study?”
La Forge froze. He couldn’t help himself. McAdams had just asked a question that never occurred to him. He found himself holding his breath, the diagnostic wand he held poised over an interface node on the surface of Data’s skull as he waited for his friend’s answer.
Finally, in a quiet voice, Data said, “It just seemed wrong, Lieutenant.”
La Forge allowed himself a small smile as he started breathing again and went back to work.
McAdams let silence fall again, still studying Dr. Tainer’s face. “I agree with you, Commander,” she said after a few moments.
Turning away from the case, she continued, “I also agree with you about Maddox’s lab.”
La Forge and Data both looked up and answered as one: “You do?”
McAdams frowned. “Yes. Why is that so surprising?”
Data opened his mouth to reply, then seemed to reconsider what he was going to say, and started over. “Does it not trouble you that the physical evidence does not support my conclusions?”
“But that’s exactly it,” McAdams said. “Everything about it strikes me as too convenient. The failure of the weather grid, the lightning strike, the overloaded power conduit—all on the night that the android was to be activated? And the only surviving witness is in a coma that no one’s been able to coax him out of? I’m with you, Commander: nothing about this feels right.”
“Wait a minute,” La Forge said. “Are you suggesting the storm was engineered? That the lightning was timed and aimed at the power grid?”
“Of course not,” McAdams said. “But someone could have sabotaged the weather grid, and used the cover of the storm to engineer the EPS overload, making it look like an accident.”
“An intriguing theory,” Data said. “Unfortunately, it is also one unsupported by any evidence.”
“So far,” McAdams admitted. “That could change. I just can’t shake the feeling that something, someone, wants us to believe in a version of reality that would make our lives much easier. One thing I’ve learned, Commander, is that whenever something looks easy, it’s probably a lie. Life isn’t that convenient. It’s … complicated.” There was something in her tone that made Geordi think she wasn’t really speaking to them anymore. McAdams was continuing a conversation she had once had with someone else, perhaps more than once.
Geordi looked at his friend and was surprised, but pleased by what he saw. For the first time since he had returned to the Enterprise, Data looked neither stressed nor confused. He looked simply … intrigued. “Lieutenant?” he asked.
“Yes?” she replied distantly.
“Would you like to discuss your theory further?”
McAdams shook herself as if waking from a dream. Looking around the room, she said, “I’m getting hungry. How about over dinner, Commander?”
“I do not need to eat, Lieutenant.”
“Then you can talk while I eat.”
Data pondered his options. Finally, he said, “However, just because I do not need to eat does not mean that I cannot.”
“Even better, Commander,” Rhea responded.
“Please call me Data, Lieutenant.”
McAdams smiled. “Rhea.”
The door signaled and Picard heard Data call out, “Enter.” The portal hissed open and the captain strode in purposefully, but, then, sensing the mood in the room, slowed his pace and studied the three officers. McAdams and Data were both pictures of wide-eyed attentiveness, though he sensed there was something else happening, like someone