The Soong Brothers

Chapter 4: Fingers

"Father! Father, help, it will not let go of me!" Lal yelled, panicked, as she rushed into the room.

"What will not let go of you?" Data asked calmly. Meanwhile, his defense programs were switching on and he was internally debating whether to move to barricade the door first or to check on Lal first.

It was, admittedly, an overreaction. Data had discovered years ago that he had unusually strong responses to things that concerned Lal.

"The eastern entertainment tube," Lal explained, holding up her hands.

Data paused, his defense programs shutting down. Wrapped around a finger on each of Lal's hands, and therefore locking them together, was a Chinese finger trap.

"Oh my god," Geordi wheezed in amusement. "Data, she really is your daughter."

"Of course she is, Geordi. Was there any doubt as to her parenta–"

He was interrupted by Geordi falling onto the floor in a laughing fit.

"It is not funny," Data told him, trying and failing to free Lal's fingers.

"It most definitely is."

"Geordi, assist us," Data pleaded. "It will indeed not let go of her."

"Give me a minute, buddy," Geordi huffed out between laughs. Each time it seemed as if he was calming down, he would look over at the two highly advanced Androids struggling with a children's toy, and he'd be set off all over again.

"Geordi, this is a most inappropriate reaction," Data told him. "Geordi. Geordi, I require your assistance. Geordi, stop."

But Geordi did not stop.

Just as he managed to get close to stopping, Tasha and a security team showed up, having been called by Data. To help Lal escape. From a Chinese finger trap.

So, no, Geordi did not stop. Not for a long, long time.