Do you tremble?

“No Longer Trembling At the Rustling of a Wind-Blown Leaf.” Quote attributed to Martin Luther 

“In his early years, Martin Luther was a fearful man. Plagued by his guilty conscience, he deeply believed he was condemned before God for his lack of obedience. Hard as he may try, he felt he could never obey enough. The standard was too high for him. Always failing before the holy God whom he so desired to please, fear grew in Luther’s heart.” He trembled at the rustling of the leaves. 

Does the sound of trembling leaves scare you? Are you tired of being afraid?

Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ESV

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” ESV

Thank you got for leading me, teaching me, guiding me, walking beside me, and carrying me when I can no longer walk. Being my strength and stilling my trembling. 

No Longer Trembling At the Rustling of a Wind-Blown Leaf — Things of the Sort

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation characters. 

Frog people?

    “What the….” Picard stopped short. There were five green figures on the bridge. 

Creatures none of them hadseen before.

    “Hmm,” Data voiced, “frogs with hair.” He sat back down at his console.

    Deanna controlled a giggle. She got a stern look from the Captain.

    “What are you doing now Data?” Wil asked.

    “I am attempting to vent the atmosphere inside the vessel. It is methane with a trace amount of oxygen.”

   “Methane?” Westerfield questioned.

   “Normal atmospheric levels are rising.” Data continued working on his console. “Atmospheric levels at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100%.”

    “What is normal atmospheric level?” Picard asked.

    “100% oxygen.”

    “You are kidding?” Will scoffed.

   Data kept working away at his console. His station would make periodic high-pitched beeping sounds.

    “What is that racket?” Westerfield snapped. 

   “I am attempting to regulate the oxygen levels to more of a humanoid intake. Earth’s atmosphere is 79% nitrogen and 21 % oxygen. The lowest it is allowing me to go is a 90/10 mix. 90% oxygen and 10% nitrogen.” His console beeped again. He turned to the Captain shaking his head. 

    Deanna, Wil, Data, and Geordi, check it out.” Picard ordered. “I want answers.”

    “Yes sir.” They said in unison.

    Once they were aboard the Jormungand, Data flipped out his tricorder to take readings from the ship. “You might experience a slight headache. The longer you are here, the less it will hurt.”

    “No one is alive here.” Deanna said with a heavy heart.

    “And it stinks.” Geordi crinkled his nose. “Ewe.” 

    They were standing in a large room. There were tapestries hanging on the walls, four on either side. Great tapestries.

    Data saw himself sitting at a desk. His fingers covered with charcoal dust. The drawings were everywhere around him. He heard her voice in the background dictating what she wanted. Her voice drove him mad. He wanted to reach into his mind and pull her out. 

   “Would you look at those.” Geordi marveled. His voice brought Data back into the large room.

    “How old do you think they are?” Wil questioned.

    Each tapestry had a lover’s scene on it, a romantic couple sitting on a swing, a man playing the violin for his lady; one was especially painful for Data, a picnic scene. The room oozed of love.

    “I believe we have saw enough of the ballroom.” Data shocked them. “Shall we locate the bridge now?” His voice was harsh.

    The three looked bewildered as Data walked away. “Data?” Wil asked as they walked. “What was that little display on the bridge?”

    “What display sir?”

    “Your disappearing act with the Captain?”

     Data stopped in the door of the ballroom. “There are people on the Enterprise that are not welcomed over here.” He kept walking.

    Upon exiting the ballroom, they entered a hallway. Clear glass cases on black marble pedestals lined the walls.

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation characters. 

“I didn’t touch it!”

    It seemed the instant Captain Picard and Data stepped on the bridge, the view screen became static. The young ensign sitting in Data’s chair spun around. In a scared voice she reported, “I didn’t touch it sir.”

    Data cocked his head to one side. He was concentrating on something. 

    “What is it?” Wil asked.

    “I hear something. I think I hear something.”

    “Well the rest of us don’t hear it!” Westerfield shouted. “We hear static.” He threw his arms up in the air.

    Jean-Luc turned to him giving him a hard look.

    Data walked to his station. “It is okay ensign.” She scampered from the bridge. Data began to work on his console. “There is something there, a noise, very faint. I am attempting to filter the feedback.” As Data worked, a noise did appear. It was distorted. The more he worked the more an understandable voice developed from the static. It was low, animalistic in nature. The sounds were repeating over and over, ‘AYVGLAPC BPFXEUMP!’

    “What is it saying?” Picard asked.

    “Identify yourself.” Data replied

    “This is the Federation Starship Enterprise. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard.” There was silence. 

    Finally after several minutes of nervous tension ‘SJNL YT BTF SNGL?’  

    “What do you want?” Data translated.

    “What do we want? What kind of question is that?” Westerfield asked.

    “An honest one.” Jean-Luc responded. “To help you.”

    “STNL ZNVUE BTF LJAGV A GUUY JUMO?”

    Data spoke, “what makes you think I need help?”

    Jean-Luc stared at Data. “You are kidding?”

    “No Captain, that was the question asked. May I?”

    “Please.”

    “No, we don’t know what you are telling that thing.” Westerfield snapped.

    The view screen came on. The Jormungand was still floating outside.

    “Data,” Geordi broke in, “sensors show that the Jormungand hasn’t been on for at least a month. Everything about him is cold. Looks like the lights are the only things burning. That is what makes us think he needed help.”    

    “SJB AE SUETUXPAUMY TL RTNXY?”

    Data just looked at Picard. “What?” He asked.

    “Sir,” Data pointed to the ready room. Once they were inside. “Captain, the ship wanted to know why Westerfield is on board?”

    “Really? Why is that important?”

    “Westerfield is not a liked man sir. There are a lot of alien civilizations that would like to do him great harm.”

    “Okay. What do we tell it?”

    “The truth, Westerfield will not tell us the true objective of our mission. We only know we are to check on the status of a Goodwill Ambassador.”

    “Let’s pray that works.” They reentered the bridge. 

    “SUETUXPAUMY SAMM GTL LUMM E FJU FXFU TRQUKLAWU TP TFX ZAEEATG. SU TGMB VGTS SU NXU LT KJUKV TG LJU ELNLFE TP N HTTYSAMM NBAEENYTX.” Data spoke to it.

    “VUUO JAZ NSND PXTX.” Came the reply. 

    Data and Picard disappeared into the ready room again. “What this time?” 

    “He is asking that Westerfield be kept away from him.”

    “They reentered the bridge. Picard spoke. “You have my word, I will do everything in my power as Captain to make sure of it.” 

    The image on the view screen changed to show the inside of the ship.

Really officer

Among other things, her feet were killin’ her. Damn this Georgia sun. It felt like she had been walkin’ for hours. Nothing on her was dry. Suzie bet that if you rung out her bra, a pint of sweat could be collected. ‘Stick out your thumb fool’! She scolded herself. ‘Otherwise, no one will ever give us a ride’. But as hot as she was, she couldn’t. How could she be sure that the rando who picked her up wouldn’t be a psycho killer? Or worse.

With each passing vehicle, her emotions see-sawed between anger – for the position she found herself in. To despair. How on God’s green Earth was she supposed to walk 98 miles?

What she wouldn’t give about right now for sunglasses? A hat? Tenna-shoes and a pair of socks? WATER! Let alone a ride.

Her thoughts were a million miles from the heat and hurt as she walked straight into the back side of a car.  “Georgia tags,” she muttered. “At least someone is havin’ a worse day than her.” In a heat induced stupor; motions that made her look like she was on ‘the stuff’, she came eye to mirrored sunglasses with a Georgia state trooper. 

“Mam, you understand that walkin’ on the side of I-75 is illegal?” On a normal day, that thick Southern accent would have been a major turn on. But right now, her brain was fried. Quite literally.

With swol feet, shattered nerves and the stank of sun induced sweat, she blurted out between sobs, “he kicked me out. I was teasin’ my friend about a fictional event, and he kicked me out.” The trooper didn’t move. Unsympathetic to her plight. “Really officer, I was teasin’ him about how he couldn’t drive and eat a bbq sandwich. That he would have sauce all over him, the steerin’ wheel, there wouldn’t be enough napkins to clean up the mess. ‘Cause, now days you only get 1.” She angerly raised 1 finger. “I mean, who can clean up a bbq mess with 1 napkin? His wife and I thought it was funny. But he kicked me out. Pulled over and kicked me out. 98 miles,” she interjected. “We were 98 miles from our destination. No purse! No phone! No WATER!” Her mouth puckered at the thought of water. “Really officer. He kicked me out. Over a hypothetical bbq mess.”  

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation characters. 

Exploration

  Everyone hurried back to the bridge.

    “Talk to me Data,” Picard ordered.

    His fingers worked frantically at his console. “The USS Jormungand, sir. Built by the federation for a private individual. End of story, Captain.”

    “What?” Picard said in shock.

    “The Federation built this thing.” Westerfield scoffed. “It amazes me what the Federation does with its money.”

    “There is no more information from Star Fleet sir,” Data answered. “Jormungand was a mythical Norse figure. A serpent.” Data spun around in his chair facing Picard. “According to mythology. Jormungand is one of three children of the god Loki and his wife, the giantess Angrboda. The gods were well aware that this monster was growing fast and that it would one day bring much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to render it harmless. He threw the serpent in the ocean that surrounds the entire world (Earth) hence the name Midgard Serpent. It lies deep in the ocean where it bites itself on the tail, and all mankind is caught within its coils. At the destruction of the universe, Jormungard and Thor will kill each other.”

    Westerfield groaned, “thank you for the lesson in mythology.” He got a stern look from Picard.

    “This ship looks like a dragon, not a snake.” Will observed.

    “Wait,” Worf growled. “If the Jormungand is a bad thing, then it is safe to assume that this ship is a war ship. We must proceed with caution, sir.”

    “Agreed,” Picard said.

    As Data turned back to his station he kept seeing charcoal drawings of the ship before him. He shook it off.

    “Data?” Picard asked.

    “If this vessel was built by the Federation, then our technologies should be compatible.” Data commented.

    “Make it so. Mr. Worf, try hailing it.”

    “Aye sir.” The first time Worf tried the ships wings unfolded.

    “Wow!” Geordi sighed.

    The second time Worf tried the ships eyes turned red.

    A shot of pain ripped through Data. His vision was blurry. “Stop!” He stumbled out of his chair, around to Worf.

    “What is the meaning of this,” Westerfield barked. “Talk to the damn thing!”

    “Delay that order,” Jean-Luc said with a stern voice.

    “I gave you an order Lieutenant.” Westerfield screamed. 

    “I said delay that order. This is my command Admiral. Do you think you can do a better job?”

    “It is not a question of better job. It is a question of getting answers now.” 

    “We will not be able to get answers if my crew is dead and my ship destroyed.”

    Westerfield grunted.

    Data’s head was spinning. He inhaled a sharp breath.

    Jean-Luc’s communicator beeped. “Picard here.”

    “Captain?” Beverly spoke. The crew on the bridge could hear wailing and screaming in the background. “What is going on up there?”

    Data was unable to maintain his balance. “Worf,” he called as he stumbled backwards. 

    Mr. Worf caught him, guiding him back to the railing behind Picard. Data opened a communication channel. “SU ZUNG BTF GT JNXG.” His voice was full of pain. So much so that he could barely speak. The ringing in his ears grew louder. The turbo lift doors slid open allowing Beverly to step onto the bridge.

    Worf could no longer support Data. He collapsed in the floor.

    The ships eyes began to close and its wings began to fold back against the hull.

    Beverly rushed over to Data. He was still unconscious. She examined his head. There was a yellow substance oozing from his ears. “Let’s get him to sick bay.”

    “Number One, you have the bridge.” The Captain ordered.

    “Yes sir.”

    “Wait a minute,” Westerfield snapped. “What do you think you’re doing?”

    “I have an officer down.”

    “I don’t care. Talk to the damn thing. Find out what it is.”

    “Look at it,” Jean-Luc pointed out the window. “Does it look like it’s going someplace?” I have an officer down. When we fix this situation, we will address the ship out there. Understood!”

    Westerfield was furious. “This will be noted in my report to Star Fleet.”

    “Please do.” Picard snapped.

    Jean-Luc accompanied them to sickbay. Once there he saw 10 different alien species, crew and civilians alike, some with headaches, some complaining about ringing in the ears. “What do they have in common?” 

    “They all have acute hearing.” Beverly answered as she examined Data’s ears. 

    He grabbed her by the wrist. She jumped. He opened his eyes, taking a long look around. “Did it work?”  

    “Yes Data, it worked.” Captain Picard reassured him. “How do you feel?”

    He let Beverly go. “Sorry Doctor.” He moved his legs, “sore sir. I have,” he thought for a moment. “I have a headache sir.”

    “What just happened?”

    “It is my opinion that the Jormungand thought it was under attack and was merely defending itself.” Data looked at all the people in sickbay with him. “It is possible the hailing frequency we use was too low. It could have been mistaken for a growl, an aggressive action.”

    “Why didn’t the words have meaning?” Jean-Luc continued.

    “Words have no meaning, sir, if you cannot understand them.”

    “True.” He agreed. “Do you feel up to going back to the bridge?”

    “Yes sir.”

    One of the aliens they picked up on Anunious 5 lunged at Data screaming in his native language. Two of the nurses grabbed him.

   “No, let him go.” Data said.

    He stepped closer to Data. His voice was almost robotic through the ships translator. “You have to fix this.”

    “Fix what?”

    “Fix what?” He mocked Data.

    “Yes. Fix what?”

    “Fool.” He hissed, returning to his corner of sick bay.

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation characters. 

Q

    Beverly burst into Captain Picard’s office.

    “Doctor!” He jumped.

    “I am sorry.” She was visibly shaken. “I have to talk to you and the rest of the senior staff.”

    “What about?”

    “I am not going crazy.” She paced. “I am not.”

    “Doctor.”

    “Jean-Luc, I am scared. I haven’t been this scared in a long time.”

    All the senior staff was assembled in the ready-room.

    “Okay, Dr. Crusher, we are all here.” Captain Picard broke the silence.

    Beverly stood up. “I asked Captain Picard to call everyone here. The last three nights in a row Q has woke me up standing at the foot of my bed. He was wearing a white robe and he was glowing. He never says a word. He just watches me with his eyes. It is spooky and it is scaring me.”

    Guinan stepped out of the shadows. “I have seen him as well.” She put her hand on Data’s shoulder as she walked past him.

    “I knew Q had something to do with this.” Commander Riker scoffed.

    “Have you ever looked at his face?” Guinan asked Beverly.

    “No, not really.”

    “Q is a mischievous being. We all know that he likes to play games. Mess with people’s minds. He looks sad to me. Almost depressed. That isn’t the face of a prankster.”

    “I have been so shaken by his presents to notice his face.” Beverly confessed.

  Worf shook his head. “I have seen him as well.” 

    “Mr. Worf?” The Captain asked.

    “When a warrior sees visions it is an omen. They always have a meaning. For me, he is pointing out the window.”

    “Into space.” Data was looking out the window of the ready-room. “What is out there? What are we supposed to find?”

    Captain Picard tapped his communicator. “Admiral Westerfield, join me in my ready-room.”

    The Admiral walked in to see all the senior staff and some lady waiting on him. 

    “Admiral, my crew are experiencing strange events that are interfering with their duties. Where are we going?”

    “That is classified.” Westerfield puffed out his chest.

    “As ships counselor, I think it is in the best interest of the crew if we stopped and evaluated our current situation. If these events get worse we need to go back.” Counselor Troi voiced. 

    “That is impossible, we cannot turn back. I will take command of this vessel if I have too.” Westerfield shouted.

    Wil glared at him.

    “Why am I not supposed to know the process behind deploying a Goodwill Ambassador? Why am I not supposed to know a Goodwill Ambassador? Why does it infuriate you so to think I do?” Data asked.

    “I don’t know what you are referring to?” Westerfield raised his chin with pride.

    Deanna was in shock.

    Data got up. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He fell backwards failing to catch himself with his chair, landing in the floor. He raised his head, opening his eyes. They were red; a shade of red that could only be described as the flames of hell red. If you looked at them too long, they might burn you. He got up walking slowly toward Westerfield.

    Westerfield began to roll his chair backwards. “Picard, control your officer.” He said with a shaky voice.

    “This officer took a personal interest in this mission when it began to make him ill.” Data growled. “You had better pray to whatever god you pray to that this is a rescue mission.” He continued to growl. He was acting like an animal defending itself.

    Guinan stepped between Data and Westerfield.

    “Guinan,” he stared at her. His voice became calm. He closed his eyes; because his head was spinning from all these wild thoughts. He tried to focus instead fell. This time Q caught him. He helped Data to his chair.

    “Data.” Q had taken a special interest in Data after he saved Q’s life.

    “Q”, he moaned. “You are scaring everyone.”

    Q looked around. “My deepest apologies.” He bowed.

    Data sank into his chair. Q wouldn’t let him fall in the floor again. There was pain on Data’s android face. His breathing was haggard. When he opened his eyes again, they were still red. 

    “Beta,” he hissed. “Leak.”

    “I do not!” Deanna took offence to the comment. She thought for a moment. “What do you mean Beta leak?”

    Data took a leap through the air lunging at Westerfield. Q caught him in midair, wrestling him to the floor.

    An Egyptian figure appeared out of nowhere. He was dressed in a white tunic. He hurled Q through the air like he was a ragdoll. Q  hit the wall with bone crushing force. “You were warned,” his voice was deep and harsh.

    “I am doing nothing wrong.” Q whimpered. 

    This stranger looked around the room. He pointed at Beverly, “really.”

    Q shrugged his shoulders then disappeared.

    He picked Data up, putting him back in his chair.

    After several minutes of struggling to breathe, Data came around. “Osiris?”

    The figure disappeared.

    “Westerfield I want answers.” Jean-Luc jumped to his feet, confronting his old friend.

    “I believe we all need to move to the bridge.” Data was looking out the window.

    “Why?” Jean-Luc snapped.

    “What is that?” Worf questioned.

    Everyone turned to look out the window.

   “To your stations,” Picard roared.

M.E.N.

This projection was so different. Always behind a trend, Alex swiped apathetically at thin air. Even the keyboard she used to type in the web address was a projection. It was a sad day when her laptop died. Old school technology couldn’t even be purchased on the black market. Here she was, swiping away. Up. Down. Left. Right. 

She had overheard 2 women at the market talking about their new men. It didn’t take her long to figure out these ladies were talking about M.E.N. – male enhanced noumenons. There were even second hand M.E.N. on the market now. One lady was cooing that she got hers for half. Still fully programmable. She just picked an already existing M.E.N. It had been rebooted to its factory settings. That, after all was the most important part. 

When they first came out on the market, Alex had laughed that no self respecting woman would ever buy one of these. But here she was looking at one. 60 was just around the corner. An age she never thought she’d be. What if she really did live to be 100? Spending the next 40 years alone was daunting. After her beloved Chico past, depression became her companion. It would be nice to have something to talk to. Even if it was a M.E.N. 

Suddenly, a flood of memories washed over her. Going to the movies with friends. Dinners at crowded restaurants. Walks in the park with co-workers. The sound of another human voice that wasn’t prerecorded. A deep sigh escaped her. Instead of browsing features, she began to read reviews. People were having physical relations with their M.E.N. and going into great details. Whatever happen to discretion? 

“Get another dog.” She whispered to herself. But she knew the truth. The only way she’d have another dog is if one wondered to her doorstep. Some of these M.E.N were cheaper than the cheapest dog she could find. Even the robotic dogs were out of reach for her. 

How did it come to this? That artificial companionship was better than nothing. That people were; what was the right word she needed to use here? Every word she could think of to describe the current state of humanity was insufficient. 

All social interactions now were app based. About the only place you could really talk to people face to face was the market. Even then if someone didn’t like anything about you, you were completely shunned that day. A new statistic just posted was the number of suicides after market visits were on the rise. 

With these apps, if you were a female over 35, your profile was flagged. Once you hit 40, your accounts were locked. If you lied about your age so you could participate in any social networking, your accounts were deleted. She had read stories about (mostly women) being jailed and even put to death for lying about their age to seek any form of companionship. 

As long as men could father children, their presents was accepted. But when it was discovered you couldn’t add to the population of society you were out. Wars, disease (man made and natural), disaster after disaster, had decimated the population. When she was 25, the world population was 8 billion. Now 34 years later, the population was 3.5 billion. And the world freaked out. 

The older men who couldn’t father children didn’t want companions their own age.

No amount of plastic surgery or fertility drugs worked. Older women were discarded and discounted like used tissues. 

They could talk to each other and be companions for each other, even then there were standards. And Alex was completely out.

Her heart sank as the security grid at her front door chimed. Opening the door revealed her reprogrammed M.E.N. She sank to her knees sobbing. This is what desperate loneliness looked like. 

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation characters. 

Found it

     Geordi stuck his arm into the wall, pulling it back. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then walked through the wall. When he opened his eyes, he saw the strange cylinder shaped dwelling that Data and Juliana saw.

    A woman screamed, as she broke free from the forest, running through the meadow. A figure that looked a lot like Data dressed all in black came running out after her. He quickly overtook her, wrestling her to the ground. Geordi ran over to them. He feared the worst. But he found a breath-taking creature sitting on Data’s lap. His arms were draped around her waist. “Do you know what I would like to do?” Data asked.

    “Tell me,” she giggled.

    He kissed her shoulder. “I would like to play connect all the brown spots on your skin.”

    “You mean play Connect-the-Dots?”

    “What is that?”

    “Oh, it’s a game you play. You connect dots to make a picture. We used to play it all the time. If you did that, I would be one big ink blob.”

    “What are these spots?” He kissed one.

    “Freckles.”

    “Freckles?”

    “Yes, mom used to say I was kissed by the sun. I wonder if she knew how right she was?”

    “Therefore freckles are caused by over exposure to the sun?”

    “Pretty much.”

    “I have a better idea. I want to kiss all your freckles.”

    She giggled and puckered her lips, “your mouth will be in a constant pucker.”

    “Okay.” He kissed her other shoulder.

    The image was gone. Geordi found himself standing in a room full of books. “You may read them anytime you like.” Data picked one off the shelf and began to read. Several hours later she came back. “Anything interesting?”

    “A question.”

    “Sure.”

    “I have read 100 of these books. To this point, 95% of them center on sexual behavior. Why?”

    “Most species spend a lot of time and energy attracting a mate. Not only is sex a means of reproduction but its fun. There is a song, some of the lyrics are, ‘sex is natural. Sex is good. Not everybody does it but everybody should.’”

    “Interesting.”

    The room changed. She was sitting on a settee. It was hand carved with a rich cherry finish and cream-colored fabric. There was a mirror off to her right.     

    “Eyes closed?” Data’s voice called from another room.

    She closed her eyes, “yes.”

    Data entered the room. He had on brown sandals, black shorts, and an oversized yellow Hawaiian print shirt.

    She laughed. Her voice was so alive. Her accent made Geordi’s spine tingle. “Oh heavens no darlin’. That shirt is not for you, I think you should try something different.”

    He reemerged with a dark shirt on. “Better?” He asked posing for her, smiling from ear to ear. 

    “Much,” she smiled. She got up and walked over to him. “I love clothing. They are so great. Each piece is different. Different texture. Different styles, its own sense of self.”

    “How?” 

    “Shall we dance?” They embraced to dance. The walls moved to reveal an extensive closet. They waltzed through the closet with their eyes closed. She brushed up against as many articles of clothing as she could. When they reached the end of the closet, she stopped them.

    “I see what you mean.”

    The room changed. Data was standing next to the couch in the study skimming over a book. Music filled the room; You can leave your hat on, by Joe Cocker. She slowly walked into the room wearing a trench coat, top hat, and black stilettos. Data threw the book away, pulled her to him and they started dancing to the song. Data quickly removed the trench revealing a black panty set. She was doing a strip tease and Data knew all the right counter moves. 

    With the next scene change, Geordi was standing next to the pond that he had seen on the holodeck when Data missed the poker game. Data was sitting under the weeping willow; she was entangled in his arms. Her head was lying on his chest.  “You do realize that Noonien dislikes me?”

    “Why would you say that?” Data asked.

    “You are not moving in the direction that he wants you to. Like every child, you are experiencing the world on your own.”

    “He has never said anything to me.”

    “And I wager he will not.”

    Data moved her so that she was facing him with no effort at all. He kissed her. “I am a better android because of you.”

    She giggled, “do share.”

    “I love you.”

    She reached up and kissed him.

    All the images disappeared. The holodeck returned to its normal state. Data was sitting in the floor, crying.

    “Data?” Geordi asked with concern.

    He just moved his hands around. Geordi set in the floor with him. “They are all true,” he sobbed. “All the dreams are true.”

    “So that was the missing memory cell?”

    Data sat up on his knees. His face was stained with yellow tears. “Yes, 10 years of my life is compressed into that cell. 10 obviously wonderful years Noonien hid from me.”

    “Who is she?”

    Data was shaking. His lips quivered when he spoke. “The love of my life.” He gagged. “I am going to be sick.”