A.N.: This is something I wrote almost a decade ago and would like to hear your opinion. I may think about continuing it some day just for fun (as I am doing everything here for fun only). Or maybe I will just leave it at that and have it as a stand-alone. We'll see...

...

The Man in the Machine

The campus of Starfleet Academy hummed with life like the hive that it was. Thousands of people - candidates, cadets, lecturers, staff - walked about the grounds, within the auxiliary buildings, the students' quarters and through the magnificient main complex, a huge white building that contained the largest lecture halls as well as the administration, some laboratories, simulation bases and conference rooms. On the sporting grounds nearby the third-years went through their morning excercises but most other cadets were on their way to the cafeterias to have breakfast.

He was not among them.

Data, the only android attending Starfleet Academy, sat alone in his quarters in Auxiliary Building 5 and went through the records of his latest experiment in Advanced Botany. Although this course was not a requirement for his graduation, he had put it into his schedule simply because he had had a free time slot and knew he would not need the time for other activities. Of the twenty-one courses he was enlisted for, only eleven were needed for his graduation. All other courses served as individual supplements to his studies. Since his first year he had tried to put as much time as possible into his work for the academy and his lecturers had understood very early on that Data indeed was capable of performing more than adequately even with this high number of courses. In fact, he still outmatched all of his classmates quite easily. His performances in all courses were remarkable at least, outstanding in exobiology and probability mechanics. Even in the courses he attended to simply broaden his horizon, like Botany and Klingon Physiology, his achievements exceeded the expectations of the lecturers by far.

Of course, this was much to the dismay of his fellow cadets.

Data lay aside his PADD and looked outside the window. From his small quarters he was able to see Cafeteria 2, the canteen for the lecturers and cadets on this side of the campus. He recognized some of his classmates hurrying down the sidewalks towards its entry so as to not miss breakfast.

*Access Cadet Recognition Files*
*Access Granted*
*Cadet Eugene van Gharven, Fourth Grade*
*Cadet Guy Bassar, Fourth Grade*
*End Student Recognition Programm*
*Access Memory Files*

Eugene van Gharven and Guy Bassar were in the same year as himself and attended a number of courses with him. As far as Data had understood, fellow human beings as well as a number of alien cadets referred to Eugene as handsome (in 89% of the cases), intelligent (in 71% of the cases), charming (in 67% of the cases) and ambitious (66% of the cases). However, some cadets, as Data had gathered, used to refer to Eugene as bragging (in 51% of the cases), mean (in 49% of the cases) and evil (in 14%% of the cases). One cadet even called him a "boasting, two-faced bastard". Neither did Data quite understand the implications of the two adjectives although he was well aware of their lexical meaning, nor did he believe in the theory of Eugene being an illegitimate offspring begot as a result of matrimonial misconduct… This hypothesis was simply lacking evidence and didn't deserve to be followed. And yet… He did not possess any emotions of human kind, but he was very much aware of the fact that a lot of Eugene's behaviour towards certain cadets (and towards the android himself) could not be called nice or even decent.

*Block Memory File 984485733911*
*Memory File Blocked*

As far as Guy Bassar was concerned, Data identified him as what humans called a 'dogsbody'. He was physically strong and strikingly well-versed in subjects like Survival Strategies and Advanced hand-to-hand Combat. When it came to more intellectually challenging subjects, however, he often lacked the mental capacities needed to accomplish more than passing grades. He depended a lot on Eugene's help and repaid him by keeping him company. Not that Eugene wasn't able to defend himself: the young man was strong and very much willing enough to hold himself against any opponent. But having a physically capable-looking person such as Guy with him could be considered a strategic advantage, Data guessed. The two of them and some of their friends made up a strong group that most cadets wanted to belong to, as Data had gathered, or, if not, at least wanted to be left alone by. Data knew that peer groups worked by means of inclusion and exclusion, by creating an inside and an outside. To be on the outside when encountering such a socially determining group was to be considered unfortunate. Data had some experience in that.

*Block Memory Files 984485733912, 984485733925 and 984485733939*
*Memory Files Blocked*

Yet he was an android and androids were not able to feel human emotions. He didn't feel loneliness, embarrassment or fear. He wasn't afraid of Eugene and his friends. But deep within his circuitry, certain programmes worked together, created new connections in his positronic brain completely of their own accord, copied and shifted files, established new pathways and even wrote new programmes. Tiny and almost non-detectable programmes that wrote new programmes that wrote new sub-routines that suddenly popped up in certain circumstances and astonished Data whenever they appeared. These spontaneous programmes and sub-routines connected with his ethic and improvement programme, software that his father had written as an integral part of Data's being. All these programmes together did something that most scientists had deemed to be impossible when they first met Data after he was found on Omicron Theta: Data developed all by himself towards being more and more human.

Data understood what friendship was and why it was so important. And some time ago, somewhen between his first and his second year in the academy, Data had started to find himself wishing for something he never had wanted before. Data wanted to belong.

Nobody enjoyed Advanced Phonology. Most cadets found the subject to be dry and boring and had already struggled with Phonology for Beginners in their first and second year. Data would have liked it, he guessed, if he had any ability to liking things in general. He was able to prefer things (he preferred the company of cats over that of dogs, although he could not say that dogs were particularly unpleasant either) but that was not the same as really liking or disliking anything. As in every other subject, he was able to understand the terminology, the meaning and implication of different terms and how to apply them instantly.

The lecturer was Dr. Safok, an elderly half-human half-Vulcan with more academic titles than any other creature on this campus (Data's files showed him four PhDs and at least three other academic grades from different solar systems).

"We have already talked about the T'assekular language last session but I would like to dive deeper into this example. Who can tell me the specific features of T'assekular as a language system?"

Data looked at the Linguist's face and tried to read the expression. Since Safok was half-Vulcan, this was not easily done but Data was positive that what he saw in the lecturer's face was little to no expectation. It took Dr. Safok only 1,4 seconds to forget about the fact that sixty-one cadets were in the room (thirty-two of them preoccupied with unknown data on their PADDs, twelve being involved in hushed conversations with their neighbours, ten sitting quietly in their seats with blank expressions, obviously not listening, six drawing geometric figures onto some paper, one cadet actually softly snoring five seats behind Data's position and ... Data) and faced the android with what could be called a prompting look.

"The T'assekular language is mostly based on non-pulmonic airstream mechanisms. For the production of speech sounds glottalic and velaric articulation is frequently used. The most common vowels are close and open-mid front vowels. For religious reasons they do not produce the close-mid back vowel in public although they are capable of doing so."

Obviously satisfied with the answer, Dr. Safok nodded and went back to his desk. Behind him, Data could hear some cadets speaking quietly in dark voices.

" Mr-Oh-So-Smart strikes again. That machine's ridiculous."

*Access Voice Recognition Programme*
*Access Granted*
*Voice Analysis: Cadet Eugene van Gharven*

Some cadets laughed quietly.

*Voice Analyses: Cadet Guy Bassar, Cadet Eugene van Gharven, Cadet Missy Xoffa, Cadet Brom Fleeds.*

Although no one could see, Data gave the android equivalent to what for humans would be a sigh of resignation. He still did not quite understand what was so upsetting about him that Eugene and his friends felt the need to make jokes about him or react with indignation whenever he said something in class. He toyed with the idea of not speaking at all as to not draw attention to himself. His logic and self-improvement programme denied this option.

Some light object hit the top of his head and landed on his desk. It was a paper ball with some lines on it. Data unfolded the heavily wrinkled paper and encountered a feeble excuse for a drawing depicting himself. On the Paper-Data's forehead the words "I'm awkward" were written. Eugene and his friends were snickering loudly. Data honestly didn't understand why.

"Hey yo, Data!"
He had been walking down to Computer Lab 4 when he heard Eugene coming up behind him. Data stopped and turned around, his face showing nothing except for this slight curiosity that so often made him look like a child.
"Yes, Eugene?"
Within 0.76 seconds Data accessed his memory files and - based on the analysis of his previous encounters with Eugene - calculated a 2.74% chance that the other cadet had anything friendly to say.
The group of cadets came up to him and Eugene flung an arm around Data's shoulders. He didn't dislike the touch but it didn't seem right either.
"I wanted to apologize, Data. I mean, for throwing this awful drawing at you."
In an attempt to mimic surprise, Data raised his eyebrows.
"That is very kind of you but I am not offended."
"Is that so?" Eugene said and something in his voice made some of Data's programmes… cringe… for a millisecond. Something was not right his programmes told him, something in the pitch of Eugene's voice and the way he emphasized words, the expression on his face that didn't look like an apologetic one at all, his eyes that looked at him and did not.
"Well, I still think an apology is necessary. You know, usually I'm not that rude. But it's not really my fault, is it? I mean, look at you. It's just too inviting to not use the opportunity."

Data cocked his head to one side.
"I do not understand. I fail to notice how my appearance could invite anyone to conduct ballistic experiments with paper projectiles using my cranial unit as a target."
Eugene and his friends laughed and Data recognized that it wasn't friendly laughter.
"Data," Eugene went on, boxing him lightly below ths shoulder in what could have been misinterpreted as a friendly gesture. "You're incredibly dumb for a machine, you know? You're pretty strange, even more so than most of the exotic species running around here, and you are pretty annoying with all your neat answers and your awkward behaviour. You, my artificial friend, are the prototype of a victim."
Data found the emphasis Eugene put on the word 'friend' rather …unsettling. Although he was not able to experience anxiety, some recently developed programmes told him that any human would feel alarmed to say the least.
The others snickered. Guy even gave a strange noise, something that sounded like someone laughing while being strangled at the same time.

"That is not correct," Data stated. "I am not a prototype. I was not designed to-"
Eugene cut him short, his voice dripping with what Data recognized as annoyance.
"Yeah, whatever."
Eugene's grip on Data's shoulder tightened and he knew that if he were human, it would have hurt.
All around them cadets started looking curiously, some of them anxiously, to what was going on between Eugene and Data. The android took that as a bad sign.

A humming noise filled the air when a gardenbot rounded the corner of the building. It was a very simple, medium sized machine hovering just a few centimetres above the ground. It was programmed to take care of the lawn surrounding the campus buildings, suck up fallen leaves and cut the hedges when necessary.

Eugene grinned.
"Oh, Data, look! A friend of yours!"
The cadet gave Data an unfriendly push forward and Data - caught off guard - almost fell.
"Enjoy the company while you can!" Eugene called out when he left with his cackling friends in tow, leaving Data to stare after them. With his head bent just a tiny fraction, someone who didn't know about him being an android would have said he looked hurt. The garden bot continued humming neutrally.

Being back on Earth felt marvellous.
Geordi had enjoyed his stay on Beta Ursae Minor II, but being born on Earth had made him feel homesick at the Academy annex quite often.
With his bag casually slung over his shoulder, he walked down the unfamiliar path between the Academy buildings towards the main complex.

Stepping through the impressive glass doors into the entrance hall of the main complex, his visor caught sight of long hallways in which the noises of the cadets intensified. A tall and handsome guy walked past him, followed by three other cadets.
" - didn't even flinch when I threw that thing at him! Pale annoying little teacher's pet -"

Geordi went on and found the administration office he was searching for. He entered and found a stout little lady in staff uniform sitting behind a white desk in a translucent chair. Her name tag told him that her name was Hedwig Blythe.
"Hello, dear! How may I help you?" she asked with a most wonderful British accent. He imagined her sitting in front of a fireplace in a cozy cottage somewhere in Somerset, sipping tea and nibbling at biscuits. She didn't look like Starfleet material at all. But then again, administration was a thing of its own and only very special women survived the very own dangers of paperwork.

"Hello, I'm new here and searching for someone who can tell me where to find my quarters," Geordi said with a smile and stepped closer to the desk.
"Well, now you have found me! Congratulations," she said with a smile of her own. "Your name, please."
"LaForge, Geordi LaForge."
Recognition swept over her face.
"Oh, of course! Captain LaForge's son! Pleasure to meet you."
"You know my mother?"
"Of course I do! I've been here for ages. Helped her find her rooms too back when she attended the Academy."
Her short little fingers typed something into the computer.
"Oh, yes, here you are. Coming from Beta Ursae Minor II, as I can see. Our facilities are not as lovely as those of the annex but I guess that is not the point of the Academy anyway, is it?"
"I guess not," Geordi answered.
"You'll find the quarters quite decent, though. I hope you don't mind sharing."
"Not at all."
He had had some pretty wild roommates at the annex and had enjoyed every minute of it, although he could have done without the thrill of having a unauthorized party every other weekend.

"Okay, let's see where you can stay."
Her fingers flew over the console for a few seconds.
"Ah, here it is. You have a few options, although we are pretty full at the moment. There is a vancant room in Auxiliary Building 10 but that is pretty far off from the lecture halls. There is another free bed in Auxiliary Building Six, you could share with one of the First years."

Geordi frowned.
"Is there no room with one of the Fourth Graders? I mean, I'm not picky, but I'd rather stay with someone I'm going to attend classes with."
"Understandable. However-"
There was an odd pause during which Mrs Blythe seemed to ponder a particularily difficult piece of information.
"However?" Geordi prompted.
She gave him a raised-eyebrow look.
"There is a cadet you could share a room with. However, nobody else wanted to try so far."

Geordi thought about that for a moment.
"A trouble maker?"
"On the contrary!" she said louder than necessary. "He's a real darling, though … well … different."
Geordi laughed.
"Well, I can deal with different. At the annex I shared rooms with a Vulcan. If you ever tried to watch a comedy with a being as emotionally vibrant as dry toast, you know what I mean."
She laughed.
"I definitely see your point. But still, this one is -very- different. Unique may be the more appropriate description."
"Unique, huh?"
Geordi leaned over the desk and smiled.
"Come on, Mrs Blythe. Don't keep me on tenterhooks. I'm really curious now."

In a conspirative gesture, she looked about the room as if expecting to see someone eavesdrop on them exchanging secret information. Then she leaned forward.
"His name is Data."
For a brief moment there was perfect silence.
"Data?" Geordi repeated. "You mean Data as in the only android ever to be admitted to Starfleet Academy?"
"Yup."
"You mean Data as in the probably only sentient artificial being ever created by humans?"
"Exactly."
"You mean Data as in the android whose history, construction and programming is described in over a dozen scientific articles?"
"You bet."
"Wow."
Geodi was stunned. He had read all those articles, studied them in an advanced course on cybernetics. His passion for engineering and new and difficult technological advances made him curious now. He really wanted to see this android with his own …well, visor.
"I'll take that room."

Having been given directions by a rather enthusiastic Mrs Blythe, he headed for Auxiliary Building 5. The building had five stories with students' quarters filling every available recess. Rooms were usually shared by two cadets and were meant to be kept in clean states although starfleet allowed for enough privacy and individuality when it came to making a home out of the small spaces given to the cadets, especially since a lot of them came from planets far away from Earth.

On the ground floor in the middle of the building was a little well around which tables and chairs were arranged for cadets to meet and study together. Four staircases, two on each side, led into the upper stories of the building. Geordi looked around searching for the right staircase to take to the fifth floor. He spotted a group of cadets chatting and laughing at one of the tables and approached with a friendly smile on his lips.

"Excuse me, I'm searching for the way to floor five, section eight."
The group consisted of four members, three young men and a woman. One of the men, the one he recognized as the cadet speaking in the main entrance hall earlier on, turned to face him. He was dashingly handsome with a broad, shiny smile, piercing blue eyes and perfect blonde hair. Even his dimples seemed to be chiseled by some fancy renaissance artist.

"Oh, hi," the guy said and pointed towards a staircase on the left. "Up there and then to the right. Can't miss it."
"Thanks," Geordi said and already turned to leave when the other cadet spoke again.
"I've never seen you before. Are you new here?"
"Yes, I studied at the B.U.M. II annex," he explained. "Geordi LaForge."
The cadet shook his hand and gave another broad smile.
"Hi, I'm Eugene van Gharven. And these are Guy Bassar, Brom Fleeds and Missy Xoffa."
"Nice to meet you."

Geordi took a look at the other members of the group. Guy was not the most handsome human, even when compared to most of the alien races he had already encountered. He looked like a solid piece of rock crudely carved into human shape and Geordi briefly wondered what these massive arms and hands could do to other people in combat before he decided that he didn't really want to know.

Brom Fleeds looked rather small next to Eugene and Guy. His pointy ears told Geordi that there surely was Vulcan blood in his veins but he didn't display the motionless and graceful features so typical of others of partially Vulcan descent. Instead, his big watery eyes made him look nervous. He kept tugging a strand of jet black hair behind his ear but it came loose every few seconds and veiled parts of his features. His grin was slightly askew as if being held in place by sheer force of will.

The girl, Missy, was ridiculously beautiful. Her long, red hair was elaborately braided and still reached her lower back. Her face was white except for a tribal tattoo on her forehead. Although her features were perfect like those of an ancient goddess, her intense green eyes gave Geordi the creeps. She smiled seductively at him and a chill ran down his spine.

"So, you come from Beta Ursae Minor II?" she asked, her voice not matching her outer beauty at all. It was a bit too high and a bit too cutting, like a razor wrapped in thin paper.
"Not originally. I started attending the Academy there though. They do have some very good engineering experts that only come here for guest lectures."
"Engineering? That's cool. I'm more into tactical analysis and war history, but warp cores are pretty interesting."
"They are," Geordi answered. "We keep the ships running, so you can keep flying them."
"I like stellar cartography," Missy said and looked like she expected praise.
"Sure, darling," Eugene said condescendingly. "Battle Strategies for boys, Advanced Stargazing for girls."
Guy gave a barking laugh and Geordi didn't like it at all. Missy just snorted.

"So, which room are you in? We're on floor five as well. We know all the guys up there," Eugene informed him.
"Room 505," Geordi answered. He didn't expect the violent laughter he earned.
"505? That's the freak's room!" Guy barked out.
"Don't be so vulgar in front of a new cadet, Guy!" Eugene said, mockery dripping from his voice. "He's not a freak. He's just …different." The airquotes told Geordi that he was trying to mimic Mrs Blythe's words. It seemed like she had held her speech about the android in front of those guys as well, with little success as Geordi saw now.

"He's a pain in the arse."
It was the first time that Brom actually spoke and Geordi thought that his voice was surprisingly deep.
"Yeah, that's true," Eugene said. "You know, that android is not the most sociable thing around. Keeps mostly to himself and spends his free time doing extra work. Teacher's pet, you know."
"He thinks he's better than us," Brom said, repressed indignation in his voice.

Geordi laughed nervously. "Well, he's an android. He was most likely made to be better than humans."
"No reason for rubbing it into everyone's faces," Eugene commented and sighed dramatically before looking at Geordi again. "I'm sorry for you, mate. Have you tried to get a different room yet? I know that Mrs Blythe can be a bit difficult sometimes but I can talk to her if you like. You can crush at one of our places until we find you a new room."

"Uhm-"
Geordi was confused. Neither did he perceive Mrs Blythe as difficult, nor did he see any reason to get a different room. Although these cadets did not seem to fancy the idea of being anywhere near the android, Geordi at least wanted to give him a chance. The young cadet never judged people on the grounds of other people's accounts and he refused to change his approach now.

"No, I think i'll just give it a try. Except for some sleep, I won't be in my room much anyway," he said and shrugged nonchalantly. "And don't forget: I'm going to be an engineer. I'm used to deal with machines."
Eugene looked at him, a mixture of curiosity, distrust and surprise marking his features.
"Well, nobody can claim your scientific interest to be small," Eugene answered, "but I doubt that this thing is going to be interesting enough. If you don't plan on taking the android apart - an idea we all toyed around with - you'll find him boring at best. It's your decision. When you change your mind, just let me know."
Geordi almost didn't believe his ears.
"-If- I change my mind, I will," Geordi said, lying for the first time in a long while. His smile was fake when he turned away to take the stairs up to the fifth floor.

Room 505 was at the far end of the corridor, a fact that didn't surprise Geordi after all he had seen and heard. It seemed like all the cadets wanted to ostracice the android socially and spacially as much as possible. Although he didn't know the android, he already felt anger welling up in him. He couldn't stand injustice. And yet, he was still somewhat anxious when he opened the door to his new quarters.

The room was small to say the least. There were two beds in pristine condition on the left and right side of the room. Between them stood a small table under the only window, with two translucent chairs. On the flat surface lay a PADD, perfectly situated along the edge of the table. Except for two narrow lockers at the end of each bed, there was nothing else in the room. No personal belongings that hinted at personality, no books, no devotional objects, no pictures, no clothing. Not even litter or dust could be found anywhere. The room was the most tidy and the most empty space he had ever seen during his Academy years. If he hadn't known any better, he would have believed that this room wasn't occupied at all.

He couldn't decide which side of the room was most likely his, so he took a look inside the locker to his right. Neatly put on hooks were three identical cadet uniforms, each in the exact same distance from its neighbour as the next. On the top shelf lay six black shirts, folded so accurately as if
"- done by a machine," Geordi said out loud. The shoes at the bottom of the locker were shiny and looked almost brand new. He didn't dare look into one of the drawers but imagined that even the socks would stand to attention.

He closed the locker door and turned to face the other side of the room which he now presumed to be his. Deep in thought, he opened his bag, grabbing a random shirt that was more bailed up than folded.

He didn't know what to expect. He had read so much about the android, had seen pictures of some curcuits, some cables attached to what was explained to be a part of the positronic brain. He had seen some strips of colourless polymer skin but never the whole machine and he started to wonder why. None of the articles spoke of the android as a person, never even showed him as an entity. Geordi was surprised that he had never noticed that science seemed to be so much more interested in the individual parts than the construction as a whole.

He wondered what the android would be like. Judging from the room, there couldn't be much of a personality , at least not in any human understanding of the concept. But then again, machines were constructed to be efficient, nothing else, and an android was probably no different. Whatever outer appearance had been given to the android, was nothing more than a disguise to hide away his artificiality. A brilliant piece of technology wrapped in what was likely to be an imperfect attempt at emulating human exterior.

Little did he know how wrong he actually was.

Just as he opened the empty locker to stash away his belongings, the door opened. He turned around and what he saw made Geordi stop dead in his tracks. A tall and slender figure stood in the doorframe, clad in a cadet's uniform. Geordi had expected fake skin, sallow and toneless. Instead there were delicate hands and a face pale and opalescent like moonlight contrasting the short, ebony hair. White lips formed a perfect cupid's bow and flawless skin on high cheekbones shimmered in silver and gold in the daylight coming in from the opposite window. With his visor Geordi was able to see a vibrant aura surrounding the man, which told him that this cadet was not human at all. What fascinated him most, though, was the pair of yellow eyes: They were crystal clear like citrine quartz but with a slight turn of the head and a different incidence of light these irises appeared to be almost white with only a silver or golden gleam. They were sharp and clear, reminding Geordi of a bird of prey. Yet at the same time they were innocent and wide, making the creature almost look vulnerable. It was mesmerizing and Geordi found himself unable to look away or even blink.

"Excuse me, Sir," the other cadet said, his voice smooth and quiet. "May I ask what you are doing in these quarters?"
For a brief moment, Geordi desperately tried to remember how to use his vocal chords and opened his mouth several times without any sound coming out of it. He looked ridiculous and he knew it, like a ventriloquist's dummy alone on stage.
"Are you oh-kay?" the other one asked, a look of concern crossing the pale features.
Geordi cleared his throat.
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I- I'm Geordi LaForge. I was told to settle in here."

The other cadet looked genuinely surprised when he took Geordi's extended hand. His grip was inhumanly strong, though not painful for Geordi, and he was surprised to find that the android's touch was actually warm. He had expected the machine's hand to feel like latex gloves or something similar, but the artificial skin felt as real as his own.
"I am Data. I occupy the right side of these facilities. You are very welcome to stay here."
"Thank you," Geordi said and finally managed to smile at the android. He couldn't believe that he had shaken hands with this marvellous piece of technology, that he had actually spoken to him. It was like all these articles were nothing more than feeble attempts of petty cavemen at describing a truely divine creation.

Geordi mentally shook himself. His own thoughts sounded like sappy lines from some trashy novel and he definitely wasn't the type for cliché hospital romances or other schmaltzy stories. … And all of the sudden he wondered where the word romance had come from. He felt the heat of embarressment rising from his neck to his ears. What in Galaxy's name was wrong with him?
He looked at the android once more and swallowed hard.

Graceful like a cat, with smooth calculated movements, the android went over to the desk where he sat down and looked at Geordi thoughtfully.
"May I ask you a question?"
[No! Don't speak, please!] - "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."
"Are you aware of the fact that I am not human?"
Geordi smiled somewhat crooked. He didn't know whether it was to calm himself or the other.
"Yes, you're an android. I was told so several times today. But even if I hadn't known, I would so now."
With his index and middle finger he tapped the edge of his visor. "I was born blind but with this visor I am able to see even more than human eyes can."
"I understand," Data answered and nodded. "Am I correct to assume that you have already conversed with other cadets in this complex?"
"I have," Geordi said, his smile fading instantly.
The android tilted his head in a gesture that Geordi guessed meant to represent puzzlement. The other's eyebrows were drawn together forming a perfectly creased forehead.
"May I ask why you still intend to share this room with me?"

Geordi was taken aback by this question.
"I don't understand," he said while his feet - out of their own volition - carried him a little closer to the android.
"Since you have already talked to other cadets about me, available data suggests that there is a 99.9 per cent chance of you deciding on not sharing this room with me."
"99.9 per cent?" Geordi asked curious.
"I do have to include a certain range of error, although until now every past instance comparable to this one has shown the same outcome."
"Which outcome?"
Geordi didn't like the direction in which this conversation was heading. He remembered Eugene and their talk in the hall. He frowned and Data went on: "No other cadet has ever wished to remain here with me."

There was no sadness in Data's voice and for a moment Geordi was puzzled. But then he remembered who he was talking to and that there was no chance for Data to feel anything at all. Could Eugene and his friends hurt somebody when this person actually had no feelings? Geordi sighed.
"Well, I'm not other cadets and as long as you don't throw me out, I can't see any reason why you being an android should prevent me from staying here."
Data frowned.
"I will certainly not … 'throw you out'."
Geordi could actually hear the inverted commas in the way the android produced the unfamiliar expression. It seemed like he was trying out this new word combination like a pair of shoes, testing whether he could use it or not.
"Well, I guess it's settled then," Geordi said and smiled again. Data hesitantly smiled back and the blind cadet instantly new that this was a facial expression that was not frequently used by the android. It was an insecure smile; small and almost shy. Geordi decided that he liked it and wanted to see it more often in the future.

By sheer force of his will he was able to turn his gaze away from the android to go on unpacking his bag. The first awkward minutes of introduction were over and he knew that the even more awkward moments of silence were approaching fast.
He continued to unpack in silence, all the while feeling the android's keen eyes staring at his neck.
"I read that you were found in a deserted colony," Geordi said in an attempt to cut through the thick silence that always left him insecure.
"That is correct," Data answered, his voice drifting through the air like heavy fume, drawing beautiful shapes around Geordi's head. "I was found and activated by Starfleet officers on Omecron Theta. I recollect that I was constructed and programmed by Noonien Soong of whose fate I know nothing. He must have programmed the knowledge of my origins for me to keep, although I do not know what happened between my completion and my rescue."
"You were given the colonists' memories though," Geordi said, reciting another piece of information he had read in one of the articles.
"That, too, is correct. I am programmed with a wide range of skills, some of which qualified me for Starfleet Academy."
"You must be very proud to have made it. A lot of candidates fail to even master the first entrance tests."

For a moment there was silence and Geordi turned around to see why there was no answer. The android sat on his chair, his eyes staring vacantly at the floor. Geordi wondered what he was thinking about.
"Data?"
The android lifted his head and looked at Geordi with a neutral expression.
"I do not feel proud of myself. I do not feel at all."
Geordi's grip around the pair of socks he was currently holding tightened.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."
"You did not offend me. As I already said, I am incapable of emotion. I do not feel pride or sadness and I cannot be emotionally hurt."

There was something in the android's voice, something so human, that Geordi could almost touch it.
"Technically I believe you're right. All I have read says that there is no way we can give machines the ability to feel. But I have the impression that you experience a sort of regret when you talk of not being able to feel. Isn't regret a feeling?"
Data seemed to consider this.

"I am unable to feel anxiety, sorrow or euphoria," the android explained and paused, clearly considering whether to go on or not.
"But?" Geordi prompted.
"But I think I am able to … experience other aspects of human behaviour that may have been incorporated into my programming."
"What do you mean?"
"I am able to prefer things. I do not dislike particular things since I do not possess a sense of taste, but I do prefer reading over listening, cats over dogs, and nighttime over daytime."
Geordi was amazed. He let his socks fall back into his bag and sat on the edge of his bed, facing the android.
"You prefer these things? Why?"
Again, Data took a few seconds, this time to analyse the available data.
"I guess I prefer reading because my positronic brain allows me to collect and store information much faster than any human could. Listening to information takes up more time than reading it."
"That makes sense," Geordi said. "It's a very economic view on things, but it makes sense."
Data looked encouraged.
"Commander MacFay, our professor for Advanced Botany, has a cat called Globetrotter. He seems to take great pleasure in strolling around the campus. He also seems to enjoy my company, although I am not exactly sure why this is so."
"Animals are able to perceive human moods quite well," Geordi theorised. "Maybe pets like you because you are unable to be afraid of them or because you don't try to force them into a cuddle session."
Data's eyebrows rose.
"A cuddle session?"
"Well, some humans want to grab every pet they can get hold of and use them like a plush toy. Often animals don't like that at all."
"That is conceivable," Data agreed. "However, I cannot generalise this statement. My few encounters with dogs were less successful."
"Were you attacked?"
"No. They simply ignore my presence and when they actually do take notice of me, they usually seem to perceive me as a threat. I guess that is the reason why I do show a preference for cats."
"So you're able to learn from experience? This was not part of your original programming? You develop?"
Data gave a small nod.
"Yes, that is correct. The experiences I make have an impact on my self-improvement and social programming. My preferences were not pre-determined by Dr Soong."
"Remarkable."
Geordi was utterly fascinated by this conversation. There was no way in the world he could have imagined this android - Data - as an interesting person. This wasn't simply a collection of circuits and cables and tripolymer. This was proof that the whole was more than the sum of its parts, that a machine was more than what it was made of.

The part of Geordi that was engineer was elated and couldn't get enough of all the information. Another part of him, that one embarressing part that was solely driven by hormones and urges he hoped to get rid of some day - made him feel uncomfortable. Incredibly uncomfortable. He tried to concentrate on his inner engineer.
"And why do you prefer nights over days?"
Geordi was curious.
Data looked at the floor again, his eyes rapidly moving from one side to the other, as if he was reading some book on high speed. Then he looked up again.
"I do not know."