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konstantyaTitle: Façades: A Mirror Universe Story (Chapter 5)
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: AU, drama, adventure.
Characters/pairings: Mirror!Data/Mirror!Tasha.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2,024
Summary: In this universe, the Terran Empire didn't fall. A tale revolving around the ISS Enterprise, with Tasha Yar still alive, Data as this century's Casanova, Worf playing for the wrong side, and a one-eyed Wesley Crusher. (Rewrite of this fic, by Pseudo Posthuman.)
All other chapters can be found here.
Chapter 5
If Data weren't some mad scientist's dream-made-real, he probably would have made a good father. He carried Sin on his shoulders as they trekked through the jungle, looking up every so often to make sure he was okay. Tasha watched him and wondered if, beneath all those circuits and wires, there was a decent man hiding somewhere inside him… Then she remembered who she was thinking about, and quickly dismissed the idea.
"There seems to be an awful lot of clouds overhead," Tasha commented to break the silence.
Data glanced up. "A storm is approaching."
"You're an expert on weather and climate now?"
"I am an expert on almost everything."
Tasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Your attitude suggests you are dissatisfied, Tasha. Have I done something wrong?" Data asked. She would have sworn there was a twinge of sarcasm to the words, but Data would just as staunchly have claimed he was incapable of such a thing.
"I just think we've been walking for a little too long."
"Three hours, forty min—"
"Shut up, Data."
Data stopped in his tracks, as if the words had angered him somehow. He took Sin off his shoulders and placed him neatly down on a rock before turning to Tasha.
"Would it please you if we rested here?"
Tasha smiled tightly, an expression that didn't reach her eyes. "I don't know—it depends how much you want to please me."
Data's brow furrowed at her words and he scanned through his vast database in an attempt to figure out just what she meant by that. He would have to analyze it later on…assuming he wasn't busy being decapitated for failing what was, by all means, a basic mission.
"He really doesn't speak much, does he?" Tasha asked. She jerked a thumb over at Sin, and the boy blinked.
"No, he does not," Data confirmed.
"You mute or something?" Tasha demanded.
Sin blinked again.
"I do not believe he is, Tasha."
She rolled her eyes. "Data, he's not going to speak if you keep speaking for him."
"But I have no desire to hear him speak," he pointed out. Tasha sighed exasperatedly.
"So just what the hell are you going to do with a boy?"
Data looked at Sin. "I do not know. But it seemed a…waste…to leave him behind, or in the hands of another crewmember."
"Yeah, they can be pretty cruel bastards."
"Humans in general are 'cruel bastards.' "
Tasha snorted and sat down on a fallen tree. "Says the android made to look like one."
"I may look human, but I am not human, and thus am not party to the inherent evil of the species."
"Come again?"
Data opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again. Tasha was smart—though Data doubted, somewhat arrogantly, that any human could comprehend the meaning of his words when it came to the social situation humans had dug themselves into. He simply looked away and took in the scenery instead.
They had traversed a long distance and were nearing the edge of the jungle. He'd been heading towards the mountains, hoping to find some sort of shelter to sleep in for the night. They were nearly there and it would only take them a few hours to walk back in the morning. Hypothetically, they could have stayed near the shuttle—the fire was probably out by now—but cobbling together a distress beacon would be exponentially easier in the light of day. And who knew what kind of beasts might come slinking out at dark, looking for a meal. Not that he would be all that tempting to any potential predator, but his companions weren't so inorganic.
"We should get moving," Data stated.
Tasha huffed. "I just sat down."
"Then stay sitting down," Data snapped. "I, however, will be continuing on."
Tasha swore under her breath and picked herself up with another huff. Data placed Sin neatly back on his shoulders; the boy seemed keen to stay there and avoid having to do any walking, himself.
They continued across the landscape, looking for some cave or hollow to spend the night in. Data had noticed a distinct drop in the temperature and that the wind was beginning to increase in intensity. The storm was closing in and would cause problems if they didn't find shelter soon.
"Shit, Data, the wind's really picking up," Tasha said. Half-shouted was more like it.
He looked up—the trees were being blown sideways by an unfathomable force, and the sky was dark and heavy. "There should be shelter not too far ahead," he said, before starting up a steep hill, Tasha at his heels.
The wind increased, whipping at them with more force the higher they climbed. Rain began to fall, and Data relocated Sin to his arms to protect him from the weather. Tasha tried her best to keep the rain out of her face, but found herself failing miserably. In a matter of moments, the three of them were soaking wet, the wind growing ever-stronger at their backs.
"I see a cavern!" Data shouted back, and Tasha admitted that, despite how insufferable he could sometimes be, at that moment, she was very grateful for his superior eyesight.
They sprinted up the mountainside to where there was, indeed, a small hollow in the rock-face. There was a slight overhang above, enough to shield them from the rain, and vines that fell down one side. If they were lucky, the vegetation might even provide some protection from the wind. Data urged Tasha and Sin behind the vines, and squashed himself up against the side that was more open to the elements.
"Move over, kid," Tasha muttered to Sin.
"He will be more exposed to the wind if he does," Data told her.
"Well, then make him switch places! I'm not shacking up to a wall all night!"
Data's eyebrow arched at her choice of words. He looked at Sin and nodded, a silent agreement. Tasha and Sin swapped places, leaving her considerably closer to Data and the boy alone against the vines.
The storm raged over the night. Rain flooded the planet, and lightning flashed across the sky. Sin's teeth chattered and he jumped at the thunder every so often, so Data gave the boy his jacket and sash to keep him warm. Tasha thought that was a pretty compassionate act for a machine…but then again, she supposed Data was far more than just a machine, anyway.
Sin managed to sleep through about half of the night, but Tasha couldn't; she was too wet and cold. Data sat quietly, clad in his short-sleeved black undershirt—a superfluous garment for one who didn't sweat, but Data was nothing if not a stickler for protocol—possibly doing some internal calculations or maintenance.
Fucking android, she thought bitterly, hugging herself in a pathetic attempt to control her shivering. Give the boy a bone, but don't even notice me…
The fact of the matter was that Data had indeed noticed. But he'd also noticed how uncomfortable Tasha was around him. It seemed the more time they spent together, the tenser and more defensive she became. He knew why—he was closer to humanity than many thought, and much more effective in his methods.
"Are you cold?" he finally asked.
Tasha shook her head, her hair matted against her forehead. "N-no."
"You are lying," he said. She scowled.
"Fuck off, Sherlock."
"The temperature will only drop throughout the night," Data told her factually. "My body radia—"
"I know, I know, you're like a s-stove. Yeah, I know, Data. But I'm fine."
He looked her over, taking note of the goose-bumps on her bare midriff, her slightly blue lips, and the quivering in her limbs. He extended his hand to her in a silent offer, but she only looked at it.
"Are you afraid of me, Tasha?" he asked.
She swallowed. "No."
"Then there is no need for you to be uncomfortable." He gestured for her to take his hand, but she just continued to stare at it. Like it was some dangerous weapon (which, to be truthful, it very often was), or else some hideous monster (which, all actions aside, he most certainly wasn't). Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his palm. He closed his fingers around hers, his skin so hot to the touch he might very well have been a stove. So warm for a machine.
Without warning, he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him. She couldn't see his face, but she just knew he was enjoying himself right then. Tasha only froze and tried not to move too much. She admitted that she was grateful for his warmth, but it would be just like him to 'misinterpret' any wiggling she might do.
"You would make a good mother, Tasha," Data said, trying to instigate conversation.
"What, after I just kicked your kid out of his space?" she shot back.
"You are a kind person who hides behind a shrewish façade," he said coolly. "I cannot be fooled, Tasha. I may be a machine, but I know the basics of humanity… Much more than the basics, actually."
She suddenly became brave and lifted her head to face him, mere millimeters away from his nose, scant centimeters away from his mouth. She could feel his breath hot against her cheek, but she just shook her head.
"Not again, Data." She tried to pull away, but he kept her firmly in place. "Data, let me go," she ordered.
He made no move to release her, and instead only asked, "Why?"
"Data!" She pushed futilely at his shoulders. "You bastard!"
Her near-panicked cry woke Sin up, and he let go of her at that. Tasha scuttled away from him and closer to the boy. Data was like some space-age Casanova, going for whomever he liked whenever he felt like it. And while she might have found him attractive in his way, she was determined to find someone who would have her forever, not just for a night or two. Oftentimes Tasha wished she could have done without feelings entirely; as far as she was concerned, they just got in the way.
The storm worsened, and Tasha thought she would die from the cold. She refused to go near Data, though; she wasn't a naïve little girl anymore, and she sure as hell wasn't his toy.
Data, meanwhile, ground his teeth all night long. There was something niggling at him, a dangerous madness in the back of his circuits, no doubt inherited from his father.
In the morning, the remnants of the storm glistened like diamonds on the leaves and trees. They didn't have time to take in the beautiful scenery, though, and Data started off back toward the shuttle without a word, his pace quick and determined. Tasha, being smart, followed behind with Sin as best she could, occasionally losing him in the mess of greenery.
Anxiety settled heavily in Tasha's stomach. She suspected Data wasn't about to let last night go; he always got what he wanted.
Upon arriving at the shuttle, they constructed a distress beacon without exchanging one word. Then, they waited, in silence and in limbo.
---
The captain was pissed.
According to the information they had, the android and Miss Priss had fucked up an amateur mission and crash-landed on some stupid jungle planet. They followed the distress signal and gathered incidental information on the sector. Worf had managed to get away, and Goran and the Orion were dead. What a waste of time.
The captain tapped his fingers on his chair, drawing an odd look from his first officer. Will looked at his captain for orders, and, when none were given, spoke up.
"What shall I do when we beam them up, Captain?"
"Assuming they're both still alive," the captain began, "throw them in the brig. Along with the Romulan brat if he's there. Have the agony booth ready for our security chief, and…" The captain paused, scratching his chin. "Do something creative with the android."
Will grinned. "Aye, aye."
-----
All other fics can be found here.
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: AU, drama, adventure.
Characters/pairings: Mirror!Data/Mirror!Tasha.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2,024
Summary: In this universe, the Terran Empire didn't fall. A tale revolving around the ISS Enterprise, with Tasha Yar still alive, Data as this century's Casanova, Worf playing for the wrong side, and a one-eyed Wesley Crusher. (Rewrite of this fic, by Pseudo Posthuman.)
All other chapters can be found here.
- Façades: A Mirror Universe Story -
originally by Pseudo Posthuman
originally by Pseudo Posthuman
Chapter 5
If Data weren't some mad scientist's dream-made-real, he probably would have made a good father. He carried Sin on his shoulders as they trekked through the jungle, looking up every so often to make sure he was okay. Tasha watched him and wondered if, beneath all those circuits and wires, there was a decent man hiding somewhere inside him… Then she remembered who she was thinking about, and quickly dismissed the idea.
"There seems to be an awful lot of clouds overhead," Tasha commented to break the silence.
Data glanced up. "A storm is approaching."
"You're an expert on weather and climate now?"
"I am an expert on almost everything."
Tasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Your attitude suggests you are dissatisfied, Tasha. Have I done something wrong?" Data asked. She would have sworn there was a twinge of sarcasm to the words, but Data would just as staunchly have claimed he was incapable of such a thing.
"I just think we've been walking for a little too long."
"Three hours, forty min—"
"Shut up, Data."
Data stopped in his tracks, as if the words had angered him somehow. He took Sin off his shoulders and placed him neatly down on a rock before turning to Tasha.
"Would it please you if we rested here?"
Tasha smiled tightly, an expression that didn't reach her eyes. "I don't know—it depends how much you want to please me."
Data's brow furrowed at her words and he scanned through his vast database in an attempt to figure out just what she meant by that. He would have to analyze it later on…assuming he wasn't busy being decapitated for failing what was, by all means, a basic mission.
"He really doesn't speak much, does he?" Tasha asked. She jerked a thumb over at Sin, and the boy blinked.
"No, he does not," Data confirmed.
"You mute or something?" Tasha demanded.
Sin blinked again.
"I do not believe he is, Tasha."
She rolled her eyes. "Data, he's not going to speak if you keep speaking for him."
"But I have no desire to hear him speak," he pointed out. Tasha sighed exasperatedly.
"So just what the hell are you going to do with a boy?"
Data looked at Sin. "I do not know. But it seemed a…waste…to leave him behind, or in the hands of another crewmember."
"Yeah, they can be pretty cruel bastards."
"Humans in general are 'cruel bastards.' "
Tasha snorted and sat down on a fallen tree. "Says the android made to look like one."
"I may look human, but I am not human, and thus am not party to the inherent evil of the species."
"Come again?"
Data opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again. Tasha was smart—though Data doubted, somewhat arrogantly, that any human could comprehend the meaning of his words when it came to the social situation humans had dug themselves into. He simply looked away and took in the scenery instead.
They had traversed a long distance and were nearing the edge of the jungle. He'd been heading towards the mountains, hoping to find some sort of shelter to sleep in for the night. They were nearly there and it would only take them a few hours to walk back in the morning. Hypothetically, they could have stayed near the shuttle—the fire was probably out by now—but cobbling together a distress beacon would be exponentially easier in the light of day. And who knew what kind of beasts might come slinking out at dark, looking for a meal. Not that he would be all that tempting to any potential predator, but his companions weren't so inorganic.
"We should get moving," Data stated.
Tasha huffed. "I just sat down."
"Then stay sitting down," Data snapped. "I, however, will be continuing on."
Tasha swore under her breath and picked herself up with another huff. Data placed Sin neatly back on his shoulders; the boy seemed keen to stay there and avoid having to do any walking, himself.
They continued across the landscape, looking for some cave or hollow to spend the night in. Data had noticed a distinct drop in the temperature and that the wind was beginning to increase in intensity. The storm was closing in and would cause problems if they didn't find shelter soon.
"Shit, Data, the wind's really picking up," Tasha said. Half-shouted was more like it.
He looked up—the trees were being blown sideways by an unfathomable force, and the sky was dark and heavy. "There should be shelter not too far ahead," he said, before starting up a steep hill, Tasha at his heels.
The wind increased, whipping at them with more force the higher they climbed. Rain began to fall, and Data relocated Sin to his arms to protect him from the weather. Tasha tried her best to keep the rain out of her face, but found herself failing miserably. In a matter of moments, the three of them were soaking wet, the wind growing ever-stronger at their backs.
"I see a cavern!" Data shouted back, and Tasha admitted that, despite how insufferable he could sometimes be, at that moment, she was very grateful for his superior eyesight.
They sprinted up the mountainside to where there was, indeed, a small hollow in the rock-face. There was a slight overhang above, enough to shield them from the rain, and vines that fell down one side. If they were lucky, the vegetation might even provide some protection from the wind. Data urged Tasha and Sin behind the vines, and squashed himself up against the side that was more open to the elements.
"Move over, kid," Tasha muttered to Sin.
"He will be more exposed to the wind if he does," Data told her.
"Well, then make him switch places! I'm not shacking up to a wall all night!"
Data's eyebrow arched at her choice of words. He looked at Sin and nodded, a silent agreement. Tasha and Sin swapped places, leaving her considerably closer to Data and the boy alone against the vines.
The storm raged over the night. Rain flooded the planet, and lightning flashed across the sky. Sin's teeth chattered and he jumped at the thunder every so often, so Data gave the boy his jacket and sash to keep him warm. Tasha thought that was a pretty compassionate act for a machine…but then again, she supposed Data was far more than just a machine, anyway.
Sin managed to sleep through about half of the night, but Tasha couldn't; she was too wet and cold. Data sat quietly, clad in his short-sleeved black undershirt—a superfluous garment for one who didn't sweat, but Data was nothing if not a stickler for protocol—possibly doing some internal calculations or maintenance.
Fucking android, she thought bitterly, hugging herself in a pathetic attempt to control her shivering. Give the boy a bone, but don't even notice me…
The fact of the matter was that Data had indeed noticed. But he'd also noticed how uncomfortable Tasha was around him. It seemed the more time they spent together, the tenser and more defensive she became. He knew why—he was closer to humanity than many thought, and much more effective in his methods.
"Are you cold?" he finally asked.
Tasha shook her head, her hair matted against her forehead. "N-no."
"You are lying," he said. She scowled.
"Fuck off, Sherlock."
"The temperature will only drop throughout the night," Data told her factually. "My body radia—"
"I know, I know, you're like a s-stove. Yeah, I know, Data. But I'm fine."
He looked her over, taking note of the goose-bumps on her bare midriff, her slightly blue lips, and the quivering in her limbs. He extended his hand to her in a silent offer, but she only looked at it.
"Are you afraid of me, Tasha?" he asked.
She swallowed. "No."
"Then there is no need for you to be uncomfortable." He gestured for her to take his hand, but she just continued to stare at it. Like it was some dangerous weapon (which, to be truthful, it very often was), or else some hideous monster (which, all actions aside, he most certainly wasn't). Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his palm. He closed his fingers around hers, his skin so hot to the touch he might very well have been a stove. So warm for a machine.
Without warning, he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him. She couldn't see his face, but she just knew he was enjoying himself right then. Tasha only froze and tried not to move too much. She admitted that she was grateful for his warmth, but it would be just like him to 'misinterpret' any wiggling she might do.
"You would make a good mother, Tasha," Data said, trying to instigate conversation.
"What, after I just kicked your kid out of his space?" she shot back.
"You are a kind person who hides behind a shrewish façade," he said coolly. "I cannot be fooled, Tasha. I may be a machine, but I know the basics of humanity… Much more than the basics, actually."
She suddenly became brave and lifted her head to face him, mere millimeters away from his nose, scant centimeters away from his mouth. She could feel his breath hot against her cheek, but she just shook her head.
"Not again, Data." She tried to pull away, but he kept her firmly in place. "Data, let me go," she ordered.
He made no move to release her, and instead only asked, "Why?"
"Data!" She pushed futilely at his shoulders. "You bastard!"
Her near-panicked cry woke Sin up, and he let go of her at that. Tasha scuttled away from him and closer to the boy. Data was like some space-age Casanova, going for whomever he liked whenever he felt like it. And while she might have found him attractive in his way, she was determined to find someone who would have her forever, not just for a night or two. Oftentimes Tasha wished she could have done without feelings entirely; as far as she was concerned, they just got in the way.
The storm worsened, and Tasha thought she would die from the cold. She refused to go near Data, though; she wasn't a naïve little girl anymore, and she sure as hell wasn't his toy.
Data, meanwhile, ground his teeth all night long. There was something niggling at him, a dangerous madness in the back of his circuits, no doubt inherited from his father.
In the morning, the remnants of the storm glistened like diamonds on the leaves and trees. They didn't have time to take in the beautiful scenery, though, and Data started off back toward the shuttle without a word, his pace quick and determined. Tasha, being smart, followed behind with Sin as best she could, occasionally losing him in the mess of greenery.
Anxiety settled heavily in Tasha's stomach. She suspected Data wasn't about to let last night go; he always got what he wanted.
Upon arriving at the shuttle, they constructed a distress beacon without exchanging one word. Then, they waited, in silence and in limbo.
The captain was pissed.
According to the information they had, the android and Miss Priss had fucked up an amateur mission and crash-landed on some stupid jungle planet. They followed the distress signal and gathered incidental information on the sector. Worf had managed to get away, and Goran and the Orion were dead. What a waste of time.
The captain tapped his fingers on his chair, drawing an odd look from his first officer. Will looked at his captain for orders, and, when none were given, spoke up.
"What shall I do when we beam them up, Captain?"
"Assuming they're both still alive," the captain began, "throw them in the brig. Along with the Romulan brat if he's there. Have the agony booth ready for our security chief, and…" The captain paused, scratching his chin. "Do something creative with the android."
Will grinned. "Aye, aye."
-----
All other fics can be found here.
