The Experiment (Data x reader)

The Eyes of the Public

            That evening, you ensured that Data was stable and reminded him to summon you back to your quarters if anything unusual occurred. You left him furiously writing in his experiment notebook with Spot purring in his lap, and if possible, he seemed even more preoccupied than usual.

You went to Ten Forward. You needed a break from Data and the experiment altogether, because the thought of Beverley in an uncontrollable rage distressed you. For once, you wanted to blend in with the rest of the crew and return to your position of complete and utter invisibility. It used to be that most of the senior officers were barely aware of your existence; you missed that and wanted desperately to regain it. But alas, you were almost certain that the experiment had placed you irreversibly into the eyes of the public, and that evening, you drank to forget.

You had staked out a small table by the window, the same one that Data had approached you at when he first consulted you with his plan. You sat by yourself, having failed to seek out Deanna or Geordi, and instead of their companionship you had already downed at least two or three potent drinks. Your mind was so weary with exhaustion and alcohol that you barely noticed when Commander Riker took a seat across from you.

"You're drunk," he said blatantly, looking somewhat amused.

"I'm not any more drunk than anyone else here," you mumbled, putting down your drink.

"Ah, of course not." Even in your inebriated state, you knew he didn't quite believe you. "Listen to me, Miss y/l/n. I know you're upset about Beverley. We all are. But I need to know, truthfully, if you and Data have reached the conclusion that Q was behind this incident. I know he seemed to want to talk to you."

Dimly, you realized that Riker might put the experiment at jeopardy again. You weren't entirely sure how to put an end to that, and all your drunk mind could do was label him an enemy. "Data?" you exclaimed angrily. "I- I don't think this is the place to have this conversation, Commander," you said, calmer this time, in the coldest tone you could muster. "Data... would want to be included." You paused; you suddenly had a headache. "Um... I forget what you wanted to know, Commander."

Riker sighed, leaning back and rolling his eyes. "Clearly you're too drunk to talk about this."

"I'm not-" Just as the words left your mouth, the room started spinning, and you struggled not to pass out. You rarely drank, so you didn't have much of a tolerance for alcohol.

Riker now looked sympathetic. Cocking his head to the side in thought, he studied you, a gentleness overtaking his face. "The captain wouldn't like to know that you were drunk like this... but I won't tell him. I understand that you're stressed. Lord knows I've done the same thing many times before. But I'll make sure you get to your quarters safely, and Data can take care of you from there." He stood, holding out his arm to you. "Come along."

That was your last memory. You woke up the next morning safely tucked in your bed, a glass of water with a painkiller on the table beside you. Groaning in pain, you sat up, your head still spinning and your mouth still tasting of alcohol. You drained the glass and sat up, mentally celebrating that there were no classes today; you would never have gotten drunk if you had to teach the next day.

"Y/n?" Data poked his head into your bedroom. "Are you sufficiently healed?"

You rubbed your eyes and yawned, trying to work through your mental fog. "I... I suppose so, Data. Riker brought me here, correct?"

"Yes, he did." There was a sudden sternness in the android's tone; surprised, you looked up at him. "You were extremely inebriated and verging on losing consciousness. It was then that I experienced yet another emotion, which Commander Riker identified as 'disappointment'. I am disappointed in the way you attempted to escape your responsibilities last night- or, in more colloquial terms, the way you 'drowned your sorrows'."