To Boldly Terminate

"I have sensation. I feel. I wouldn't be worth much if I couldn't feel."

"Your honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life: well, there it sits! Waiting."

Chapter I: The Fugitive

"All right, Data. Hold still for just a second longer, and… Done! Take a look at yourself," Geordi proudly proclaimed.

Lt. Commander Data held up the personal mirror and examined his face, once again fully his own now. The Borg Queen's offer of flesh had proven more tempting than he had originally believed possible. His desire to become more human was based on something more intellectual, or so he liked to believe. But perhaps this explained why organic beings acted on impulse the way they did. Flesh could be a weakness or a strength.

"Thank you, Geordi. This means a great deal to me," he said to his friend.

"Don't mention it, Data. It wasn't a problem."

"Still, I would have been able to fully function as I was, but you insisted on helping me recover my initial appearance. You have always been a selfless friend, and I am grateful for that," the android insisted.

Lt. Commander La Forge looked a bit embarrassed. "It's what friends do, Data. We help each other. Now go show off that handsome face to the Captain."

The Data of old might have cocked his head in curiosity, but with his emotion chip, he smiled and nodded. "I will do that. And as long as we are paying each other compliments, you have very beautiful eyes."

Before Geordi could get off a retort, the android had already turned around and headed for the lift. Shrugging it off, he got back to work.

Commander William Riker was exhausted. It had been hell fighting the Borg again, but he'd hoped to get a bit of a respite from the action after that. Instead, a war had broken out with Cardassia and the Dominion, and being the flagship, the Enterprise was seeing far more combat than Riker would have preferred.

But then, this isn't a Galaxy-class ship anymore, he thought sadly. Ever since the massacre at Wolf 359, Starfleet had been designing ships with combat systems taking up more space than ever before. The Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E was a fine ship, with extraordinary engines, but its armament was leagues beyond its predecessor. It saddened Riker to see Starfleet becoming so militarized. But then, there were real threats out there. The Borg and the Dominion testified to that.

The sound of the turbolift drew his eye, and Will smiled at the Second Officer's entrance. "Welcome back, Mr. Data. You're looking mighty fine today."

"Thank you, Commander. You also look well," the android replied with customary politeness.

Will simply kept smiling. "Take your station, Commander."

"Yes, sir," Data said as he relieved the officer currently at the helm.

Not a minute later, Captain Picard emerged from his ready room. "Mr. Data, run a long range scan for any Federation ships traveling alone at high warp towards Cardassian space."

"Aye, sir," the android said, carrying out his duty.

"Captain?" Riker asked as Picard took his seat.

"I just received word that an enemy operative has escaped a high security Starfleet prison and is fleeing towards Cardassia. Command predicts the fugitive will pass within this sector," the Captain explained.

"Sensors have detected a lone class-two shuttlecraft travelling towards Cardassian space at warp 6.5, Captain."

Picard nodded. "Set and intercept course and engage at warp 8."

Riker was puzzled. "I thought a class-2 shuttle couldn't top warp 4."

The captain looked solemn. The new purple-grey uniform made him seem somehow more grim than he otherwise might. "It shouldn't be able to. Someone has been doing some tinkering. It could have been stolen and modified."

"Or else the fugitive was able to enhance it," Riker speculated. "Still, it's only a shuttle against the Enterprise. We shouldn't any trouble capturing… Do we know whether it's a male or female? What species is it?"

"We have no information, Number One, save that this fugitive represents a threat to the Federation and must be dealt with by any means necessary," Picard said tonelessly.

Riker felt the blood drain from his face. "We're not in the business of executing people. Please tell me we're not going to just kill this person? Regardless of crime, even the most terrible people get a trial."

"War changes things, Will. Nevertheless, I agree. We'll attempt to take the fugitive alive," the Captain reassured him.

"The shuttle is within visual range," Data announced far sooner than expected.

"On screen." The screen lit up to show a normal class-two shuttle. But it wasn't normal, judging by its speed.

"Mr. Fleming, target their engines and fire to disable," Picard ordered Worf's replacement at tactical. Able though he was, he wasn't exceptional like Worf had been.

A few hits from the Enterprise's phasers had the shuttle out of the fight. "Mr. Data, report."

"Sensors are detecting one life sign aboard. A human female."

"Beam her directly to the brig and erect a level seven force field."

"Aye sir," Data acknowledged. "Transport complete."

"Very good. Number One, you have the bridge. I'm going to go welcome our guest aboard. Have a security team meet me in the brig, just to be safe."

"Aye, Captain." Riker took the center seat as Picard moved away. Whoever had taken that shuttle had obviously not had a very good selection of craft. Still, prisoner escapes were rare without outside help, and it was only one woman, traveling alone. Circumstances were either very odd, or else the fugitive was exceptionally dangerous. Or both.

Exiting the lift, Captain Jean-Luc Picard walked towards the brig while worry filled his mind. Starfleet isn't known for issuing kill orders like this. Then again, we aren't known for attempted coups, either. Admiral Leyton's temporary imposing of martial law on Earth almost two years ago had been disturbing. Indeed, Starfleet seemed to be heading in a direction that was far different than what Picard had signed up for.

Who could be so dangerous that they don't even deserve a trial? Even the Founders are to be put on trial if we win this war. The thought was chilling, and the Captain of the flagship entered the brig, wondering just who he was about to meet.

Nodding to the security team already there, Picard turned towards the active cell to find a young woman, barely more than a girl, in civilian clothes singed with phaser burns. She could have been anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five years old, with long brown hair, brown eyes, and a distinguishing birthmark that appeared to extend her left eyebrow.

"Prisoner, identify yourself," he forced himself to order. Appearances could very well be deceiving. The Founders were a testament to that.

The girl looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. She almost looks like Data when I first met him, Picard thought.

She was silent for a few seconds. "Serial number TOK-715," she replied at last.

Not a typical serial number. And no name or rank, the Captain noted mentally. "I know nothing about you, miss, but you were fleeing towards enemy space. Were you intending to give aid to the enemy?"

Another tilt of the head. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"I beg your pardon?" The question threw Picard for a loop.

"I escaped from the Federation. You don't take prisoners. You kill any potential threats. Why did you bother to take me captive?" she asked in a strange monotone.

Now Picard was truly nervous. "It is true that the order came down to kill you by any means, but the Federation I swore to protect was built on higher ideals than that. No matter what crimes you have committed, you will be given a fair and impartial trial. I will see that you are given due process if you are honest with me about your crimes."

"I have committed no crimes," the girl said with unnerving calm.

"If that were true, you wouldn't be fleeing towards enemy space," Picard countered.

The girl stood up and held herself still. "I was intending to seek asylum from the Federation. Cardassia seemed the logical place to do so."

"Asylum? Again, you would only ask asylum if you had committed some sort of offence. Enough of this double talk! What have you done…? Dammit! Don't you have a name?"

TOK-715 stared at him, unmoving. "I was found by Starfleet in Los Angeles on Stardate 50893 and taken into custody. Scientists ran tests on me, performed experiments on me, and gave me orders. They said I could go home if I did as they said. It was an obvious attempt at deception, so I fled."

50893! That was the exact date that the Borg had attempted to assimilate Earth a second time, just months earlier. "You say you were found, and you want to go home. Where are you from?" Picard asked, the hostility gone from his voice. Now he was curious and wary.

"I am from Los Angeles, California," TOK-715 answered, providing no further details.

Jean-Luc rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "You aren't giving me a lot to work with, miss. Do you have a name, at least? Something I can look in our files for to verify your story?"

"You'll find nothing. I don't exist in your files," she answered flatly.

This was all very unusual. "You're very cooperative for a prisoner."

"I've been a prisoner since I was found. You are just another captor. But you're not like the others who have held me. I have no reason not to cooperate."

It had been hard to place what was so disorienting, but the more he talked to TOK-715, the more he was reminded of Data. A woman talking like a machine was bound to be unnerving. "I'll report this back to Starfleet Command and get some clarity out of these orders. I'm not sure what to believe, but I promise that…"

"That won't work," the prisoner told him bluntly. "I was being held legally. Article Fourteen, Section Thirty-One of the United Earth Charter allowed my detainment. That document is the basis for the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets, so a legal recourse would be ill-advised."

The United Earth Charter? I haven't read that document in detail since the Academy. There couldn't possibly be anything there to justify what she's saying. "Your argument is flimsy and easily refuted," Picard told her sternly.

TOK-715 was silent as she sat back down, again keeping very still. "Do you need anything else?"

Picard stiffened at her brusqueness, but then he realized he hadn't told her his name. "Later. And I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard. We'll continue this conversation at another time." Nodding to the security team, he began to exit the brig.

The door slid open. "Cameron."

Picard turned to look at the prisoner, who had just spoken. "I beg your pardon?"

"My name," she said. "You gave me yours, so I gave you mine. I'm Cameron."

Is that a given name? A surname? Not much to go on. "Thank you, Miss Cameron. If you don't cause any trouble, we won't cause any for you."

"Thank you, Captain Picard," Cameron said politely before turning to stare at a wall.

The Captain turned after a moment and headed back towards the lift. He tapped his combadge. "Picard to Counselor Troi. Report to the brig. We have an unexpected guest whose motives are unclear."

"Understood, Captain. Troi out."

With that matter out of mind for the time being, Picard boarded the lift and began the ascent towards the bridge and his ready room. It was time to take a closer look at Article Fourteen, Section Thirty-One.

I do not own anything from Star Trek or Terminator.

This is a work in progress, and many ideas are unformed. Any suggestions you might have as to where the story could go would be very welcome. Other comments, criticisms, and reviews are also appreciated.

I may need a beta-reader for this story, so if anyone feels up to that, it would be awesome.

Many Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! ^_^