"Drop the phaser," his malevolent twin instructed, and Data obeyed, tossing it on the floor in front of him. "I knew you'd come looking for me," Lore said. "Is your little blonde cupcake dead yet?"

"No," Data replied flatly. He heard Lore take a step back.

"Turn around, and have a seat," he instructed. Data did as he was told, eyeing his brother as he sat in the chair Lore kicked towards him. "Give me some details then," Lore smirked. "Is it everything I hoped it would be? Like pouring boiling water on a Talarian hook spider?"

"She is in agony," was all Data offered.

"And you?" Lore snorted sarcastically. "How's dear old dad's emotion chip working out for you? Feeling groovy?"

Data could already feel hot, angry tears rising up but he fought them back, determined not to give Lore the satisfaction. "I am coping."

"Well, good for you baby brother," Lore replied. "She'd just end up hurting you in the end anyway. They're all alike."

"Are you referring specifically to the Feeonix, or women in general?" Data asked even though he was pretty sure Lore was going to say both.

"Ha! Both."

Data shook his head in disappointment. Naseema had been right about Lore all along. He was full of only hate. Lore leaned against the wall, and eyed Data up and down. "This is familiar, isn't it? Maybe I should do you like you did me last time?" he smirked. "Shoot you down in cold blood, and take that emotion chip back, but I guess if I do that, then you won't be able to wallow in your own sorrow once your beloved finally dies. I certainly don't want to deny you that experience."

"I would not say that I shot you in cold blood," Data replied as his brother left the spot against the wall, coming around the chair to face him.

Lore narrowed his eye. "Why?" he hissed. "Because I fucked her?"

"Rape would be a better description of what you did," Data retorted.

"Ha!" Lore replied. "Is that what she told you?"

"She gave me, what I believe to be, a very accurate description of what happened," Data said. "Extorting sex from another is still rape, Lore. Despite what you would like to tell yourself."

"Whatever," Lore sniffed, rolling his eye. "It's not like you're any different from me. Her kind hates us."

Data shook his head. "Naseema does not hate artificial life. She hates you, Lore, and I am different from you. I have never extorted anything from anyone in my entire life, and you may believe that what you did to her gives us something in common but it does not. She gave herself to me willingly."

Lore stared at his little brother for a minute without saying anything. He couldn't believe the gall Data had. To talk to him like that while he held his life in his hands. What was this nonsense of Data suddenly wanting to assert himself? "Why did you come here?" he finally asked, his amusement at discussing Naseema's prolonged death no longer overt. "You had to know I would be waiting for you, and even though you're clearly a fool, I don't believe you're stupid enough to think you'd get anything useful from me. I think it's pretty obvious I'm going to kill you."

"I thought my suffering was more important to you?" Data coolly replied.

"Oh, it's important, don't kid yourself there," Lore replied with a shrug. "However, my inclination towards self preservation is just a little bit stronger." He eyed his little brother disdainfully for a minute. "I suppose in the very least I should thank you for bringing me a working shuttle. Maybe I won't kill you after all. Maybe I'll just disable you, and leave you here for those idiot humans to find in a few weeks, you know, after it's too late, and by then, I'll be long gone." The despicable smirk reappeared on his face but it was short lived.

"Hi sweetie," Jagger said. Lore spun around, his single gold eye widening when it found the Feeonix's form almost directly behind him. He tried to raise his blaster to fire but Jagger grabbed his wrist, and the orange rings in his eyes flared out as he twisted the android's hand until he dropped the weapon. Lore's face contorted as Jagger surged energy through him causing something he'd never experienced before, searing pain.

"I thought your hearing was better than a dog's?" Jagger asked, looking at Data.

"It is," the android replied. "As is Lore's." Jagger snorted, and returned his eyes to Data's brother.

"You really should learn to shut the fuck up once in awhile," he sneered. "Then maybe you'd notice when someone's sneaking up on you. Now have a seat." Data was already out of the chair when Jagger grabbed Lore's shirt in his fist, and shoved him into it. Lore stared up at the Feeonix, his expression a bizarre blend of fear and combative anger.

"You did not honestly believe that I would come here alone, did you?" Data asked his brother. "Naseema is my mate, which makes her family, my family, and they are not very happy about what you have done to her."

"And you're going to tell us how to save her or this is going to get real ugly, real fast," Jagger added.

Lore snorted derisively, his malevolent bravado returning. "Good luck with that." Data and Jagger exchanged glances.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the Feeonix said with a shrug. Then he balled up his fist, and took a major league swing. He cracked Lore in the nose with such force, the chair went over backwards, and took the android with it. Jagger moved on him fast, grabbing Lore's shirt again, and hauling him to his feet before slamming his back into the wall. Even though his nose was now disfigured and damaged, Lore smirked right before spitting in Jagger's face. The Feeonix let his wrath take him over at that point, and his eyes became completely engulfed with flames. He put both his hands around Lore's throat, and Data watched the smirk melt off his brother's face as the air around Jagger began to crackle and pop. Lore's expression twisted into a portrait of horror as the intensity of the pain Jagger was inflicting began to increase. Eventually, Lore opened his mouth, and let out a ragged scream that made Data cringe, and turn away. Jagger relaxed his hold, and instructed his android partner to pick up the fallen chair. Once Data set the chair upright again, Jagger slammed Lore back into it.

"Are you ready to cooperate yet or do you want to dance with me a little more?" the Feeonix asked, folding his hands up into each other, his knuckles cracking loudly. Lore looked at Data, and then back at Jagger.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, his one eye warily trained on Jagger.

"Do you have an antidote to the poison?" Data asked, surprisingly calm considering how easily his Feeonix companion was willing to inflict a level of violence that easily matched Lore's.

"Now why would I want to waste time with that?" Lore scoffed, and Jagger belted him across the face again before grabbing a fistful of his shirt.

"Next time you give an unsatisfactory response, I'm going to tear your arms off," he seethed. Lore glared at him but decided against saying anything antagonistic.

"No, I don't have a fucking antidote," he told Data.

"Where did you acquire the formula?"

Lore let a smarmy grin appear on his face. "I stole it from our dearly departed dad." Data stepped back in shock. He had not expected that information, and he found the revelation disturbing. Why would their father develop such a hideous concoction?

"Who gives a shit where he got it?! Where is the formula now?" Jagger interjected.

Still grinning, Lore replied, "It's in an encrypted file, in my brain."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to relieve you of that then, won't we?"

"I do not believe that course of action will lead to the desired outcome," Data said. "Even if we take him back to the Enterprise, it could take me weeks to find, and decrypt the correct file. There is also no guarantee we will find anything that will save Naseema."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Jagger asked, growing more incensed. Data looked at him, and exhaled a defeated sigh.

"I do not know."

Jagger's expression turned to stone, and he returned his eyes to Lore who was still seated on the chair, smirking. The smirk quickly dropped off his face as the Feeonix grabbed him again, putting each of his large hands on either side of Lore's head, and pushing his thumbs into the android's eye sockets. A vicious grimace took over Jagger's features, and the air around him came alive again, more intensely than Data had ever witnessed before. Lore's mouth opened as if he were trying to scream but no sound escaped, and then Jagger abruptly burst into flames. Data watched in horror as brilliant, neon blue currents of supernatural electricity arced between the two, flashes of the same blue light visible in Lore's gaping mouth. Data lunged forward, and seized Jagger's arm.

"If you kill him we will leave here with nothing!" he exclaimed, using the most commanding insistence he could muster but Jagger ignored him. "JAGGER!" he finally shouted, and the Feeonix seemed to hear him that time, releasing Lore with an excruciating gasp before stumbling backwards. Lore collapsed off the chair in a still crackling heap, and Jagger, chest heaving, bent over, putting his hands on his knees as Data continued to stare at him with him with a disturbed respect.

Now on all fours, Lore was almost sobbing. "I'll cooperate! Please-please don't let him touch me again!" he said, choking on the words. Data looked down at him unsympathetically.

"Perhaps now you appreciate how Naseema felt when you forced her to submit to you," he replied. Lore glanced up disdainfully but kept whatever he was thinking at the moment to himself. Unfortunately for him, Jagger was still paying attention, and heard his silent retort. The Feeonix brought his foot up into Lore's chest with such force, he flung the android backwards into the wall.

"I heard that you mother-" he snarled, moving towards his target again but Data put his hand on his arm, and Jagger managed to hold onto what little composure he had left. Lore sat on the floor, his back against the wall, and held his hands up in front of him in a pathetic attempt to hold Jagger at bay. The Feeonix towered over him, glaring down with a look in his eyes of such a profound rage, it bordered on psychotic.

"I-I stole the formula from dad, I swear," Lore insisted. "I destroyed the original. What's in my brain is all that's left. I don't have an antidote. I don't even have any more of the toxin. I was barely able to scrape up enough material to make what I used on your little-" He stopped himself, and looked up at Jagger before returning his eye to Data's. "On Naseema," he said, flinching when the Feeonix adjusted his footing slightly. "The Changelings, the ones who reactivated me, they're the ones who want the formula but I haven't given it to them yet. I was supposed to rendezvous with them on Bajor but your girlfriend destroyed my shuttle. They're probably looking for me as we speak, and they're going to be pissed when they find me. Please, you can't leave me here. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"Why do the fucking Founders want that toxin?" Jagger asked, his voice still an angry growl.

"Because your people are just about the only real threat to their total domination of the Alpha Quadrant," Lore replied. "They have spies everywhere, and they can get close enough to your people on the ground to use it to eliminate all of you."

"So what?" Jagger pressed. "They kill the five of us, and they think we'll all just retreat with our tails between our legs?"

"Yes," Lore said.

Jagger rolled his eyes. "That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard."

"Jagger, please," Data said, shooting the Feeonix a look before continuing to question Lore. "Why did they believe you would be of assistance to them?"

"Well, my dear brother, prior to the last time we enjoyed each other's company," Lore told him, his tone beginning to return to it's usual sarcastic majesty. "I may have run into one or two during my travels, and I might have mentioned a few things."

Data sighed, and shook his head. "You expressed your hatred for the Feeonix, and revealed your knowledge of the formula." Lore didn't reply but confirmed Data's hypothesis by cocking his eyebrows.

"Well, that's just super. None of what he said is going to help us save Naseema," Jagger said, looking at his android companion.

"That would appear to be the case," Data replied, his voice full of defeat.

"What should we do with him?" Jagger asked, nodding his head in Lore's direction. "We can't let the Founders get ahold of him."

"He will not be of any immediate value to us," Data said despondently. "I will deactivate him, and return him to the Daystrom Institute when time permits."

"So he can be hijacked, and reactivated by those psycho shape-shifters again? I can't let that happen, Data," Jagger told him. Lore began to nervously look back and forth between the pair, and seeing them distracted by their discussion, he slowly rose to his feet. Sliding his hand along the wall, he inched it behind the large cabinet standing near him, and then with his android speed, he tipped it over on top of Jagger. Unprepared for the sudden attack, the Feeonix tried to move out of it's path but the cabinet caught his shoulder, and flung him to the ground as Lore made a run for it. Data launched himself over the fallen furniture, and went after his brother. Enraged, Jagger heaved the cabinet aside, and barreled after the two androids. Lore grabbed a heavy crate, and threw it at Data who easily dodged the projectile but the minor delay proved fatal to his escape as Jagger flew into him, tackling him to the ground. Taking a handful of his hair, the Feeonix hauled Lore to his feet, and shoved him towards Data. The pair forced Lore back towards the main entrance, and collected the discarded firearms. With both weapons trained on him, Lore realized he had nowhere to run, and only minutes left before Data deactivated him.

"Come on gentlemen," he said trying to sound casual and cooperative but the uneasiness in his voice was obvious. "Can't we work something out? Just drop me off at the nearest spaceport. I'm in no hurry for the Founders to find me, and you'll never see me again, I promise."

"Nice try," Jagger replied, and then asked Data, "Do we really have to haul all of him back to the shuttle? I mean, all we really need is his head right?"

Data was silent for a minute before he responded. "I suppose that is true, however, I do not believe it is advisable to leave the rest of him here for the Cardassians to find, should they ever return."

"If you let me go, I'll give you the encrypted file," Lore insisted. "It's in a chip. I'll let you take it out right now."

"Can you just shut him up now?" Jagger asked his android companion. "The pathetic bargaining is getting old." Data nodded sadly, and took a step towards his brother.

Knowing he was finished, Lore decided to go out with a brave swell of contempt. "The only pathetic thing here, brother, is your devotion to that miserable whore." Jagger's eyebrow went up as Lore kept his one eye on Data. "You know she barely even put up an argument," he continued with an arrogant shrug. "Spread her legs faster than an Orion slave girl. I do hope it's a lovely funeral though."

"Data, you might want to leave the room," Jagger said, his voice was low and quiet. Too steady, too calm. It was unsettling in the worst possible way. Both androids turned their heads towards him, and saw his eyes anchored to Lore, the look in them cold and ravening.

"Why do want me to leave the room?" Data asked.

"Because I don't think you want to witness what I'm about to do, and there's nothing you can do to stop it from happening," Jagger replied, his overall demeanor holding at nothing short of deadly.

"What are you going to-" Data ventured further even though he knew what Jagger's answer would be, and the Feeonix didn't even wait for him to finish his question.

"I'm going to kill him."

Lore wasn't so arrogant all of a sudden. He looked at Data with desperation. "You're not really going to let him kill me, are you?" he asked, the timbre of his voice rising in panic. Data was silent for a moment.

This excursion had been a complete waste of time. Lore had given them nothing of any use, and if he couldn't save Naseema, he at least wanted to be with her in her final moments. Perhaps he could talk Jagger out of killing Lore but he knew that even in pieces, disassembled in a drawer, his malevolent brother would always be a threat. Did he really want to spend the rest of his life always wondering when Lore would appear next, and destroy another piece of him? Hurt someone else he cared for? Naseema could already be dead for all he knew, and he wasn't even sure how many murders that would be for Lore in addition to rape. When was enough, enough? He'd been willing to kill Kivas Fajo for taking one life but perhaps that was a different situation. He'd been operating on an entirely logical approach then. He was emotionally involved now, and that complicated things. A part of him wanted Lore dead but he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it, it was too disturbing so why not simply allow Jagger to do it? The Feeonix was more than willing, more than capable, and if Jagger was as determined as he appeared, there would be nothing he could do to stop it. All he had to do was leave the room...

"There is not much I can do to stop him, Lore," Data replied with an eerie calm. "And I am not sure I would wish to do so even if I could."

"Brother," Lore said, looking at his twin with his one eye wide and, for the first time in his villainous life, truly afraid.

Data met his wretched gaze, and completely dispirited, he replied. "I have no brother." He glanced at Jagger who hadn't moved his eyes from Lore, and exited into the pitch black hallway. He stood just aside the small pool of light with his back against the wall, and thought about Naseema as he listened to the sound of wrenching metal being drowned out by Lore's screams.