“I didn’t remember they had set this program up until the party, Walter. Besides, my brothers don’t even look that scared.” Lore shrugged off the accusation and gestured subtly to the others. Data was studying the paintings closely, and B-4 was still preoccupied with the differences between Walter’s internal components and his own.

B-4 nodded thoughtfully when Walter confirmed the accuracy of his portrait. “As do I.” The disparities between B-4′s design and Walter’s were very interesting. He leaned firmly into Walter’s touch and smiled at him, studying the other android’s features as he tried to picture how the framework depicted in the painting molded the shape of Walter’s face. He knew there were other synthetics made by Walter’s creator. Did they share Walter’s appearance, like B-4′s younger siblings shared his? Or was the company responsible for making Walter so advanced that they gave each of their sons his own unique features, like the humans?

Either way, Walter was unique– even if there were other androids with his face, none of them would ever be him.

B-4 had been so distracted by thoughts of Walter that he had almost forgotten to be frightened. …that was, perhaps, the only positive aspect of being able to focus on only one thing at a time.

Moving into the next room reminded him very quickly why he had been apprehensive before. The chamber was incredibly beautiful, but soon its lovely serenity was broken by eerie music and the surprisingly disorienting chaos of the mirrors’ movement.

“Intriguing,” Data said, speaking a little more loudly than usual to be heard over the music. “If I am not mistaken, this room is based on old earth ‘funhouses.’ Carnival and circus themes are often used in conjunction with darkness, overly-bright lights, or rapid movement to confuse participants and induce feelings of desperation as they become less and less certain of their surroundings. It is a very effective room to have in a haunted house. I believe if we continue forward and do not backtrack, we will find an exit.”

Data’s explanation did nothing to reassure either of his brothers. Lore’s gaze was flicking uneasily from reflection to reflection, and B-4 hastily grabbed hold of his brothers’ sleeves with his free hand. He moved his other hand from Walter’s arm so that he could tightly interlock their fingers.

“We cannot be separated– we will get lost. I do not want to be lost, Walter! Please, get us out?”

B-4 did not let go of Walter once as they traversed the uneven earth of the graveyard and trekked up the hill to the ominous-looking mansion. Some part of him knew that holodeck programs had limitations that prevented true harm from befalling anyone who used the deck, but it was impossible not to be frightened by sudden shocks and ambling human corpses. Being tucked against Walter’s side made him feel safe. He relaxed even further when he noticed how eagerly Data was eying the eerie scenery; if Data enjoyed being scared, there must not have been any true cause for alarm. Data was reasonable enough to know whether anything here was a malfunction capable of actually hurting any of them.

They all stopped to observe the changing paintings. Lore responded without looking at Walter– his attention was captured by his own portrait.

“What are you looking at me for? You don’t think I programmed this, did you?” It was impossible to tell whether Lore was teasing or not from his tone alone, but he did mirror his portrait’s cruel smile and casual pose as he spoke. In the painting, the bioplast of his fingers had been stripped away to reveal the sharp metal skeleton below. The real Lore curled his fingers in a similar fashion, but instead of grabbing onto an Ancient West revolver as his painted self did, he wrapped his fingers around his brothers’ arms.

B-4 peeked out from behind Walter, somewhat disturbed to see that the version of himself hanging from the wall had been decapitated, its head teetering on the edge of a sparking, ragged neck. B-4′s head had been separated from his body before. It hadn’t been a big deal, but his body had not been cut up like it was in this picture. He shifted, uncomfortable, then looked at the other portraits hanging before them.

“Walter, is that what you look like inside?” Despite feeling rather anxious, he couldn’t help but be curious about the other android’s inner workings. They looked so interestingly different from what he knew of Soong technology.

“Why is the program showing us such terrible images? …is it a warning–?”

Abruptly, all lights in the mansion blinked off and the group was plunged into an unnatural darkness. When the candles flickered back to life, they illuminated a few obvious changes; the door at the top of the staircase was open wide to beckon them further, the furniture had been rearranged to encircle the staircase like theater seating, and the door they had originally entered had been replaced with smooth wall and tattered wallpaper as if it had never existed at all.

Both B-4 and Data yelled in unison when the oldest brother toppled over into Walter’s waiting arms. Still wailing, B-4 threw his arms around Walter’s neck and kicked at the hand, dislodging it after a half-dozen jerks of his leg.

The parameters had been set for human participants; the force of the android’s kicks dislodged the hand completely from the corpse’s arm, sending it skidding over the dirt until, only a few moments later, its fingers began pulling it back towards the group.

“Walter, it will not stop!” B-4 sounded appalled, and Data was intently watching the movements of the hand to ensure that it did not come too close.

Lore, off to the side, was trying very hard not to laugh.

“Scared yet, brother?” Lore sent the detached hand flying with a well-placed kick, and looked eagerly back at the youngest Soong for the verdict. After a brief moment of reflection, Data nodded and smiled more widely than he had the entire evening. “Yes. I am beginning to experience the initial stages of fear. Thank you, Lore– you have made a fine choice.”

Triumphantly, Lore grinned at Walter and began to lead the way through the winding paths of the cemetery towards the mansion as the awakened corpses shifted around them.

Walter might have already had B-4 hanging onto him for safety, but Lore wasn’t off to such a bad start himself.

“Yes– this is very well-constructed!” Data was the first to comment on the program, and the first to step forward into the gloom of the cemetery. His brothers were quick to follow after him. Lore lengthened his stride so that he could walk at Data’s right and offer an encouraging smile, relying on more traditional means of getting Data to interact with his emotion chip now that he couldn’t feed the feelings directly into the other android’s neural net.

B-4 stayed by Data’s left side, holding both his brother’s hand and Walter’s. He studied the statues carefully as they passed, emulating a few of the figures’ expressions, but he seemed most frightened by the thunder and lightning. At a particularly bright flash in the sky he tightened his grip on the other synthetics’ hands and stared up at the violent storm in the distance.

“Is it not true,” B-4 whispered to Walter, “that lightning is more likely to hit an android than an organic individual?”

Data and Lore had stopped near one of the graves. There was a slight tug on B-4′s hand as Data knelt next to Lore, looking between the worn inscription and the cold earth before it.

“I’m telling you, brother, they wouldn’t have programmed all these graves if they didn’t want you to dig up a corpse. Maybe it’ll even pop up and start lumbering around. Wouldn’t that be frightening? …I’m serious, you’ll never be scared if you’re too timid to take risks.”

Data looked a little doubtful, and he glanced up at B-4 and Walter to let them act as tiebreakers. “What do you wish to do? Would you like to attempt to dig up a deceased human, or would you rather proceed to the mansion? I am certain that we are expected to go there first.”

B-4 let out a muffled sound of confusion when Walter pressed him against his chest, and he immediately raised his hands to Walter’s shoulders as if they were about to dance. He didn’t really think Walter was initiating a dance, but there weren’t many other explanations for the odd position. Perhaps it was a new kind of hug– B-4 did not mind being embraced so completely, but he had not had any warning. He would have preferred to set his glass down before the hug so that he could reciprocate more easily.

Lore was beginning to remember why he had gotten mad in the first place. Walter was quite the smug little show-off, wasn’t he? At least he had gently put a stop to B-4′s display. Maybe Lore and Data should have a talk with their older brother about what he looked like in a costume like this, moving like that– but, no, of course they couldn’t. B-4 would just feel confused and self-conscious.

“As do I. Unless you’re too scared, brother?” Lore plucked the untouched glass from Data’s hand and intertwined their fingers, looking pointedly at Walter to show him that, yes, he was getting there, too.

“No, I am not too frightened to visit the holodeck event. In fact, it sounds very interesting. …and if I am to be scared there, I will consider it quite the exciting occasion.”

Data seemed to be relaxing, and he was clearly thrilled by the chance to use his emotion chip in a controlled but stimulating environment. Of course– Lore had been an idiot not to use that before. If there was one thing his brother loved, it was setting aside his rigid on-duty persona and indulging in pure emotion. Maybe if he could help Data be frightened in the holodeck and enjoy himself, the younger android would be ready for something more after they retired for the night.

Lore grinned and led the way past the other party-goers. He lingered near the entrance to the holodeck once they arrived, and clapped Walter on the shoulder before they entered. He was certain that after this, they’d be on more equal footing.