Barclay: Shuttlecraft Dawkins to Jupiter Station.
Woman: Go ahead.
Barclay: This is Lieutenant Reginald Barclay requesting permission to dock.
Woman: Granted.
Zimmerman: What? What is it?
Barclay: It's me, sir, Reg Barclay.
Zimmerman: Come in.
Barclay: Doctor Z? How are you?
Zimmerman: Nice of you to finally drop by.
Barclay: I've been extremely busy. The, er, Pathfinder project.
Zimmerman: You're still searching for that ship? What's it called, Pioneer?
Barclay: Er, Voyager.
Zimmerman: Voyager. Any luck?
Barclay: Actually, we're on the verge of a breakthrough. A communications link.
Zimmerman: Congratulations. The first transgalactic phone call.
Barclay: Is there any word from Starfleet Medical?
Zimmerman: Doctors. I've been scanned and probed a hundred times and they still can't tell me what's wrong.
Barclay: I'm sure it's only a matter of time.
Zimmerman: I'm dying, Reginald. And there's nothing anybody can do about it.
Seven: Seven of Nine to the bridge.
Janeway: Go ahead.
Seven: We're receiving a transmission from Starfleet.
Janeway: Route it here.
Seven: It's not a comm. link, Captain. It appears to be
Seven: A compressed datastream, badly degraded.
Janeway: On my way.
Janeway: They say good things come in small packages. This is all the data they could send us, until next month.
Torres: Next month?
Chakotay: They're using a cyclic pulsar to amplify signals from the MIDAS array, but the cycle only peaks every thirty two days.
Janeway: So once a month we'll be able to receive a short burst of information. And we'll have about seventeen hours to respond.
Chakotay: So far we've gotten tactical updates, letters from home, and news about the Alpha Quadrant.
Kim: I don't suppose they found us a shortcut home.
Chakotay: It doesn't look that way.
Janeway: We don't have much time to prepare a response, and we'll have to keep it short, but I want to give everyone an opportunity to send something. Even if it's only a brief note.
Janeway: Inform the crew.
Paris: Yes, ma'am.
Kim: Aye, Captain.
Janeway: Lieutenant Barclay, the Pathfinder Project. They didn't give up on us. So when you write those letters, you might want to thank them.
Neelix: Mail call.
Emh: A letter? For me? Oh, it's from Lieutenant Barclay.
Neelix: Bad news?
Emh: Lewis Zimmerman. Apparently, he's seriously ill.
Neelix: Zimmerman?
Emh: He's the father of modern holography. He invented the matrix that made my program possible.
Neelix: Oh. What's wrong with him?
Emh: He's suffering from acute subcellular degradation. The doctors here are having trouble finding the cause, much less a treatment. I've included his medical files. As you'll see, the prognosis isn't good. They say he's only got a few months. I'm sorry I don't have better news to report, but I thought you'd want to know.
Neelix: How well did you know him?
Emh: I've never met the man.
Neelix: If you'd like to send a response, the captain will need it by nineteen hundred hours.
Seven: Here's the information you requested.
Emh: Thank you.
Seven: You're reviewing his medical data.
Emh: I thought I could send Starfleet a second opinion. It's a long shot, but maybe my experiences in the Delta Quadrant could provide some insights. I was hoping these Borg regeneration techniques might help them develop a treatment for his condition.
Seven: You bear a striking resemblance.
Emh: He used his own physical parameters as a model for my matrix. Can't say I blame him. A doctor needs to inspire confidence in his patients. Compassionate eyes and a strong chin can go a long way.
Emh: I believe I can help him, Captain.
Janeway: How?
Emh: You remember the Vidiians? The early stages of the Phage are very similar to Doctor Zimmerman's disease. I believe I can adapt a variety of Borg regeneration techniques to arrest the cell damage, maybe even reverse it.
Janeway: Make sure to pass along your findings. Thank you, Doctor.
Emh: Actually, I was hoping to administer the treatment myself.
Janeway: What are you suggesting?
Emh: I'd like you to send my program back to the Alpha Quadrant. None of the Doctors at Starfleet are familiar with these techniques. It would take them months to fully understand them, much less put them to use.
Janeway: Even if we could send you, you're needed here.
Emh: Mister Paris can take over Sickbay. He's more than capable. We've done this once before. There weren't any problems.
Janeway: Three years ago, and we used alien technology.
Emh: I've spoken to Seven of Nine. She believes we can compress my program.
Janeway: There's limited space in the datastream. If we send you, there won't be room for anything else.
Emh: I realize I'd be asking the crew to make a sacrifice on my behalf, but they can wait another month. Doctor Zimmerman might not have that time.
Janeway: I'm sorry he's not doing well. Unusual man. I met him once at a conference. He managed to offend just about everyone there, but he was certainly brilliant. I'm sure Starfleet is consulting their best physicians, Doctor.
Emh: They are, but no one's been able to develop a cure. I have. But I can't treat a patient who's thirty thousand light years away.
Janeway: I'm sorry.
Emh: Captain.
Janeway: This is the first time we're attempting to send a response. We don't know if it will even get through.
Emh: I'm willing to take that risk.
Janeway: I'm not.
Emh: He programmed me. Every algorithm, every subroutine. If it weren't for his years of work, I wouldn't be standing here. I owe him something. And frankly, so does this crew. In a way, he's responsible for every life I've saved.
Janeway: Lewis Zimmerman designed the template for Starfleet's EMH. You're one of thousands based on that technology. It's not as though he's your father.
Emh: From your perspective. From mine, he's the closest thing I've got. If I don't try to help him now, I may never get the chance.
Janeway: You'll have to find a way to convince Tom to take those duty shifts.
Emh: He's already agreed.
Janeway: Tell him Captain Jane said hello. That's what he kept calling me at the conference. I think he did it just to get on my nerves.
Emh: I've heard he can be difficult.
Janeway: I certainly hope you get a chance to find out.
Emh: Thank you, Captain.
Emh: My vocal processor.
Seven: It's not a malfunction. I've removed your singing algorithms. They'll be stored in a memory buffer until you return.
Emh: Why?
Seven: Your program's too large for the datastream. I have to extract all non-essential subroutines.
Emh: They're essential to me. They're part of who I am.
Seven: Are you planning on performing opera during your visit?
Emh: No.
Seven: Will you be reciting poetry?
Emh: Doubtful.
Seven: Hoverball? Holophotography?
Emh: I may want to take a few snapshots to document my trip.
Seven: Sexual activities?
Emh: I get the point. How much has to be left behind?
Seven: Twelve megaquads.
Emh: I suppose you could get rid of my athletic abilities and my grand master chess program.
Seven: That leaves three megaquads. Your painting skills?
Emh: Oh, if you must. Try to leave a few of my enhancements intact. I don't want to look like every other EMH on the block. I think Doctor Zimmerman will be very interested to see what I've learned. He probably never imagined what one of his own creations could accomplish. I could spark a whole new field in holographic research.
Janeway: Bon voyage.
Emh: See you in a month.
Kim: Don't get lost.
Haley: If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. Stay off the food.
Zimmerman: Haley? Haley, what's the status of my lunch?
Haley: It's coming, Doctor!
Zimmerman: As if things weren't bad enough, now I'm dying of starvation.
Haley: Come in!
Barclay: Haley.
Haley: Mister Barclay. Is something wrong?
Barclay: No, no, just the opposite. Is he in?
Haley: He's not taking visitors today.
Barclay: Tell him this is important.
Haley: He's in a prickly mood.
Barclay: I've brought something with me that might cheer him up. Computer, is the download complete?
Computer: Affirmative.
Haley: Lunch.
Zimmerman: That's not pork chops.
Haley: It's salad.
Zimmerman: I didn't ask for salad.
Haley: It's healthy.
Zimmerman: I'm dying. A piece of meat isn't going to kill me any quicker. Give the plants to Leonard. He's the one trying to watch his weight.
Haley: Lieutenant Barclay is here to see you.
Zimmerman: I told you I wasn't
Haley: He says it's urgent.
Zimmerman: Can't it wait until I'm dead? All right, send him in. Three minutes. He's got three minutes.
Haley: Be civil to him, Lewis. He's worried about you. We all are.
Barclay: I found a friend waiting for me at home.
Zimmerman: You don't have any friends.
Barclay: Well, I guess, er, you could say he's a friend of yours.
Emh: Please state the nature of the medical emergency.
Zimmerman: An EMH Mark One? I'm not in the mood for nostalgia, Reginald.
Barclay: But this is the Mark One from Voyager.
Emh: I was compressed into a datastream and transmitted from the Delta Quadrant.
Zimmerman: Congratulations. I recommend a tour of Jupiter's third moon. I hear the lava flows are lovely this time of year.
Emh: I'm not here for a vacation. I'm here to treat your illness.
Zimmerman: You brought a Mark One thirty thousand light years to treat me? I was wrong about you, Reginald. You do have a sense of humor.
Emh: Care to let me in on the joke?
Zimmerman: You didn't tell him?
Emh: Tell me what?
Barclay: Well, I, er
Zimmerman: You're obsolete, extinct. Yesterday's news.
Emh: My program was retired?
Zimmerman: Retired? Not at all. The EMH Mark One was reconfigured to scrub plasma conduits on waste transfer barges. I've been treated by the Mark Three, the Mark Four, not to mention the finest real doctors in Starfleet. None of them could help me.
Barclay: He has been running almost continuously for six years. He has seen more things than most doctors can even imagine.
Emh: I also have an exceptionally high tolerance for difficult patients.
Zimmerman: I didn't program you for sarcasm.
Emh: You'll find I'm full of surprises.
Zimmerman: Show the good Doctor to the plasma generator. I understand there's quite a build-up of residue.
Emh: If we had more time, I'd enjoy trading barbs with you. But right now, there's a more pressing concern. Your life. I'm working on a treatment based on a disease I encountered in the Delta Quadrant, but I'll need to run a complete analysis. However, if it's impossible for you to believe that a lowly Mark One could have anything useful to offer, I'll be happy to pack my bags and go explore those sulfur mines.
Zimmerman: Go ahead, scan away.
Barclay: I'll be outside.
Emh: What were your initial symptoms?
Zimmerman: Radical hair loss. Fatigue, nausea, joint inflammation.
Emh: Have you traveled outside the solar system recently?
Zimmerman: What's that got to do with anything?
Emh: Just answer the question.
Zimmerman: I haven't left Jupiter station in over four years.
Emh: To your knowledge, have you been exposed to theta radiation?
Zimmerman: No.
Emh: Neutron flux?
Zimmerman: Never.
Emh: Have you had intimate relations with a Bolian?
Zimmerman: These are questions first year medical students would ask.
Emh: I'm just being thorough.
Leonard: Just being thorough.
Emh: Did that creature just speak?
Zimmerman: His name's Leonard. He's a hologram.
Emh: Computer, deactivate iguana.
Zimmerman: How dare you!
Emh: I'm a Doctor, not a zoo keeper. Has there ever been an epidemic on this station?
Zimmerman: No! Enough questions! Finish your scans and get out of here.
Emh: Doctor.
Zimmerman: I said get out of here.
Emh: I traveled halfway across the galaxy to treat you. The least you could do is show a little gratitude.
Zimmerman: Thank you. Get out of here!
Emh: I may be the only physician who can save your life. You need me.
Zimmerman: Like hell. I brought your matrix into this world and I can take it out.
Emh: I'm no longer a prototype. I have exceeded my original programming. I'm no longer under your control.
Zimmerman: Oh, really? Computer, transfer EMH to the living quarters.
Barclay: How did it go?
Emh: Power up the MIDAS array. I'm leaving.
Barclay: What, what happened this time?
Emh: I ran a mitochondrial scan. There was something odd about the results, so I spent a full hour analyzing them. And what did I discover? He's a Vulcan marsupial. He reconfigured my tricorder! You find that amusing?
Barclay: A little. Well, not really.
Haley: Sounds like you're making progress.
Emh: How so?
Haley: He only teases people he likes.
Emh: Then he must love me.
Barclay: I take it that you, er, still haven't been able to diagnose him.
Emh: On the contrary, the patient appears to be suffering from an acute case of arrogance!
Barclay: Oh, that's Roy.
Emh: Don't tell me. A hologram?.
Barclay: It was commissioned by Starfleet Intelligence. An experiment in micro-surveillance. Doctor Z keeps it around as a sort of a pet.
Emh: Undercover insects, talking iguanas. This isn't a research station, it's a three ring Circus. You should charge admission.
Barclay: Look. Look, you know that we can't send you back for another two weeks so please, just, just keep trying.
Emh: I can't treat a patient who won't let me near him. He's deranged. What he needs is a counselor.
Emh: Finally, I've accomplished something.
Barclay: I thought you might be able to provide some, er, insight.
Troi: It's not that simple, Reg. Doctor Zimmerman sounds like a very complex individual. I'd need to speak to him in person.
Barclay: Then maybe I could get him to agree to a counseling session.
Troi: The Enterprise is in the middle of a mission. We're nearly seven light years from you.
Barclay: An important mission?
Troi: They're all important, Reg. I could refer you to Counselor Jenzo, a colleague of mine on Earth.
Barclay: I need the best, Deanna.
Troi: It would be an interesting challenge.
Barclay: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Troi: Don't thank me yet. I'll still need to clear this with Captain Picard. If he agrees, I might be able to be there by early next week.
Barclay: I'll see you then.
Janeway: Come in.
Chakotay: Good morning. Problem?
Janeway: I haven't decided. I've just listened to a communiqué from Admiral Hayes.
Chakotay: Nice to have friends in high places.
Admiral Hayes: Hello, Captain. I hope this message finds you well. From what I understand, it has not been easy, but I want you to know that a lot of people here are very proud of what you've accomplished. I also want to assure you that we have not given up finding a way to get you home. We've redirected two deep space vessels toward your position. If all goes well, they could rendezvous with you in the next five to six years.
Janeway: Computer, advance to time index one twenty one point four.
Admiral Hayes: As we get closer and our conversations become more frequent. When you respond to this message, please let us know of any casualties. I'm sure you've had more than your share. I'm anxious to know the status of your crew, the Maquis, first contacts that you've made, interactions with the Borg. But there'll be time for everything. Our thoughts are with you. Talk to you soon.
Chakotay: What?
Janeway: Status of the Maquis.
Chakotay: Do you find that surprising?
Janeway: I don't think of you or B'Elanna or the others as Maquis. I think of you as part of my crew.
Chakotay: You may have forgotten, but we haven't. You heard the Admiral. It'll be years before we have to deal with those issues. Let's worry about it then.
Janeway: Do you have lunch plans?
Chakotay: Is that an invitation?
Janeway: I was hoping you'd help me compose a response.
Chakotay: You're on.
Haley: Doctor, your lunch is ready.
Haley: Are you all right?
Zimmerman: Fine, Haley, fine. Give me a few minutes.
Zimmerman: Ah. Ah. Lower. Ah. Perfect. I needed this. You have no idea what I've had to endure these past few days. Last night I woke up and I found him hovering over my bed with a hypospray. A smattering of photons, that's all he is. What's that? What is that? A tricorder? You were scanning me? Computer, realign Voyager's EMH. You!
Emh: Remain calm. Emotional outbursts will only aggravate your condition.
Zimmerman: I'll tell you what's aggravating my condition. You!
Emh: If you'd let me examine you.
Zimmerman: I'll report you to the medical ethics board.
Emh: Doctor!
Zimmerman: Save it for your hearing.
Emh: If you weren't so stubborn, you'd see I'm only trying to help.
Zimmerman: I don't want your help! Why won't you leave me alone?
Emh: Because, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I care about you.
Zimmerman: You weren't programmed to care. You were programmed to hold a scalpel.
Emh: I told you, I'm not the same EMH you created six years ago.
Zimmerman: Of course. You can sing and dance. I should installl you in a Ferengi nightclub.
Emh: The Voyager crew appreciates my attempts to expand my program.
Zimmerman: This isn't Voyager. It's my lab. And in my lab, you're still just a hologram.
Emh: A hologram you created. A hologram who owes you his existence.
Zimmerman: Is that what's keeping you here? Some twisted sense of obligation? Well, let me assure you, you don't owe me anything.
Haley: Doctor?
Zimmerman: Yes, Haley, what is it?
Haley: You have a visitor.
Troi: Hello, I'm Deanna Troi. Which one of you is Doctor Zimmerman?
Zimmerman: Deanna Troi. Another one of your tricks?
Troi: Excuse me? Ow!
Emh: He thinks you're a hologram.
Troi: I can assure you I'm quite real.
Zimmerman: Oh. Well. The last beautiful woman to walk in here turned out to be him.
Emh: I'll take that as a compliment.
Troi: Did I come at a bad time?
Emh: Your timing couldn't be better. The patient is suffering from acute anxiety, normally associated with terminal illness. It's made him agoraphobic, paranoid and extremely antagonistic.
Troi: I see. Mind if I sit down?
Zimmerman: Please.
Troi: Reg tells me you won't let the Doctor help you.
Zimmerman: He's a Mark One. He's obsolete. I'd be safer in the hands of a Klingon field medic.
Troi: I understand he's developed a promising treatment.
Zimmerman: If you're a Borg drone. He's threatening to use some kind of ghoulish assimilation technique. It's not fit for a lab rat.
Emh: You won't even look at my research. From the moment I arrived, you've berated me, treated me like an antique. Well, let me tell you something. Antique or not, I took a huge risk coming here. I had to plead with my Captain, leave my ship without a surgeon.
Troi: Doctor. Imagine that your program was seriously damaged, and the only person who could repair you was an engineer from, say, a hundred years ago. Would you feel comfortable with that?
Emh: If he were skilled, intelligent, creative.
Troi: Honestly, Doctor? A hundred years ago?
Emh: Well, I suppose it would give me pause.
Zimmerman: Ha.
Troi: Now, put yourself in the Doctor's shoes. Imagine you were asked to treat someone you cared about, say an EMH Mark twelve.
Zimmerman: There is no Mark twelve.
Troi: But if there were, and you wanted to save his program. He probably wouldn't let you near him. He wouldn't care that you'd won the Daystrom Prize for holography. From his perspective, you'd be out of date. But what if you knew you could save him?
Emh: Thank you, Counselor, for extending that olive branch. I'm willing to see past our differences, if he is.
Zimmerman: All right. He can start by purging the plasma conduits on deck six.
Troi: Doctor Zimmerman.
Zimmerman: I will not put my life in the hands of a primitive.
Emh: You'd need a phaser drill to get through that thick skull of his.
Zimmerman: Get out!
Troi: Gentlemen!
Zimmerman: Oh, spare us your psychobabble.
Troi: I came here thinking that you were opposite sides of the same coin. Identical, but different. Now I see you're both exactly the same. You're both jerks.
Leonard: Jerks.
Troi: I'm starting to think you called the wrong counselor, Reg.
Barclay: You'll figure something out. You always do.
Troi: Things are worse now than when I arrived. Lewis won't come out of his lab and the EMH is hiding in a holodeck.
Barclay: He's feeling homesick. I let him use my Voyager simulation and it seems to be cheering him up.
Troi: A hologram fighting to save the life of his creator, who just so happens to be the same man his own personality is based on. I think I'd need a whole team of therapists just to get them in the same room.
Haley: Mister Barclay said this is your favorite ice cream.
Troi: I hardly deserve it, but thanks. You're a hologram.
Haley: How do you know?
Troi: I'm an empath. I haven't sensed any emotions from you. When were you first brought online?
Haley: Nine years ago.
Troi: No offense but, you're more antiquated than the EMH Mark One, and yet Lewis seems to listen to you. Why do you suppose that is? Were you here when the Mark One was created?
Haley: Yes.
Troi: Any idea why Lewis made it in his own image?
Haley: Maybe you should ask him.
Troi: I did. He evaded the question. I was hoping you might know.
Haley: He was extremely proud of the Mark One. He used to dream about hundreds of holograms in every corner of the quadrant saving lives. He put so much of himself into its development. I suppose it only seemed natural that it should look like him, too.
Troi: But the Mark One failed to meet Starfleet's expectations.
Haley: He was devastated.
Barclay: He, he locked himself away in this lab for two years trying to repair the defects. Finally, he just gave up. Started from scratch. A whole new matrix.
Troi: The Mark Two.
Barclay: Followed by the Mark Three, and then the Mark Four. He, he was obsessed with perfecting it.
Troi: But none of the later models resembled Lewis.
Haley: He made that mistake once. He wasn't about to do it again.
Troi: And now, after all this time, a Mark One shows up. It must be like staring in a mirror at a reflection you don't want to remember.
Zimmerman: Computer, resume recording. Last Will and Testament, Doctor Lewis Zimmerman. Let's see. Where were we? Subsection eight, the Trojan Horse project. I hereby bequeath my latest research in holographic infiltration technology to the only engineer I trust to complete the work, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay. Subsection nine, holographic art. I hereby bequeath my entire collection, including the twenty first century masterpiece, Woman in Four Dimensions, to the person who has appreciated it the most. I guess that would be Reg Barclay, too. Subsection ten, Haley. I realize she's only a hologram, but she's been a loyal assistant for many years. I'd like to request that Starfleet keep her program running for as long as this research facility exists. She's been as real to me as anyone I've ever known. Not that I've known many people. I've created most of my friends.
Zimmerman: Pause recording. Don't worry. I'll find a home for you, too.
Troi: So this is Voyager. I like it.
Emh: It's a remarkable facsimile, but Mister Barclay did get a few of the details wrong. For one thing, Neelix doesn't purr.
Troi: I think that may have something to do with Reg's cat. He named it after your friend.
Emh: Neelix would be honored. If you're here for Doctor Zimmerman's medical files, I've nearly finished updating them. Maybe the next physician will put them to better use.
Troi: Actually, I stopped by to ask you to dinner.
Emh: I'm a hologram, Counselor. I don't eat.
Troi: I know that, but we'd still enjoy your company.
Emh: We?
Troi: Lieutenant Barclay, Haley, myself, Doctor Zimmerman.
Emh: No, thanks. Unless that man's eating crow, I'm not interested.
Troi: It's the perfect opportunity for us to talk things out in a more casual environment.
Emh: Sorry.
Troi: Just one meal.
Emh: I said no.
Troi: Doctor?
Emh: Something's wrong.
Troi: Troi to Lieutenant Barclay.
Barclay: Go ahead.
Troi: There's something wrong with the EMH.
Barclay: Can you be more specific?
Emh: She's a counselor, Lieutenant, not an engineer.
Barclay: Stand by.
Emh: What's happening to me?
Barclay: Your program is destabilizing.
Emh: What? Why?
Barclay: They sent you thirty thousand light years. I should have expected some problems.
Emh: It's not your fault, Mister Barclay. We just need to find a way to repair the damage.
Barclay: You don't understand. Your primary matrix is degrading and there is nothing I can do.
Zimmerman: Good riddance to bad photons.
Barclay: He's dying, Lewis.
Zimmerman: He's not dying. His files are just degrading.
Troi: There are people on Voyager who count on him.
Zimmerman: I'll send them a Mark Four. They're more reliable.
Barclay: They don't want a Mark Four. They want their friend.
Zimmerman: No EMH was ever designed to be anyone's friend. He's just a hologram.
Haley: Is that how you feel about me? Just a hologram?
Zimmerman: I will not be ambushed in my own lab.
Haley: Stardate 53292. My program malfunctioned and you canceled a lecture on Vulcan and came all the way home to repair me.
Zimmerman: There's nothing worse than addressing a room full of pointy-eared blowhards. I was looking for an excuse to get away.
Haley: You came back because you cared about me, just like you care about the Mark One. You just won't admit it. He may not be perfect, but he's still one of your creations and right now he needs his creator. Don't turn your back on him.
Zimmerman: Computer, activate Voyager's EMH.
Emh: Please state the nature of the medical emergency.
Zimmerman: You're the emergency.
Emh: Where's Lieutenant Barclay?
Zimmerman: Trust me, you're in far more capable hands.
Emh: You're going to repair my program?
Zimmerman: Who better?
Emh: Just yesterday you threatened to decompile me.
Zimmerman: That was before your colleagues made me feel guilty.
Emh: You're ill. You're in no condition to perform delicate procedures.
Zimmerman: I'll survive, but you won't if you don't relax and let me finish.
Emh: What are you doing?
Zimmerman: My scans identified a recursive error in your pattern buffer. I'm trying to isolate it.
Emh: Is that a fractal algorithm?
Zimmerman: Very good. I'm using it to realign your matrix.
Emh: Fractal algorithms are notoriously unstable.
Zimmerman: In the hands of a novice. Whoops.
Emh: Whoops? What's whoops?
Zimmerman: Computer, deactivate EMH.
Emh: I, I can't move!
Zimmerman: I know. I had to take your mobility subroutines offline.
Emh: How long have I been deactivated?
Zimmerman: Seventeen hours. I'm resetting your parameters.
Emh: You don't look well. You need rest.
Zimmerman: I'm fine. And so are you. Your program's been stabilized.
Emh: I, I'm going to be okay?
Zimmerman: No, you're going to be better than okay.
Emh: Now what are you doing?
Emh: Welcome to Sickbay. How may I help you today?
Zimmerman: Well, what do you think?
Emh: I think you've altered my greeting protocol.
Zimmerman: That's just the beginning. I've also added new subroutines for compassion, patience, empathy, decorum.
Emh: I don't feel any different.
Zimmerman: Because I haven't installled them yet. I thought you'd like to be awake for the big moment. Reginald was right about you. You have exceeded the sum of your programming. You've accomplished far more than I would have ever predicted. But let's face facts. You never overcame the inherent flaws in your personality subroutines. You're arrogant, irritable. A jerk, as Counselor Troi would say.
Emh: I believe she was describing you as well.
Zimmerman: Don't change the subject. I may not be able to turn you into a Mark Four, but I can make you a bit more presentable.
Emh: What if I'm happy with the way I am?
Zimmerman: I'm doing you a favor.
Emh: I don't want any favors and I don't want your new subroutines. Why can't you accept me as I am?
Zimmerman: Because you're defective. Emergency Medical Hotheads. Extremely Marginal Housecalls. That's what everyone used to call the Mark Ones until they were bounced out of the Medical Corps. I tried to have them decommissioned, but Starfleet in its infinite wisdom overruled me and reassigned them all to work waste transfer barges. That's where you'd be too, if you hadn't been lost in the Delta Quadrant. Do you know how humiliating it is to have six hundred and seventy five Mark Ones out there, scrubbing plasma conduits, all with my face?
Emh: I'm sure they're doing a fine job.
Zimmerman: What are you doing? I'm not finished with you.
Emh: I'm trying to do my job. And if you give me a chance you'll see that I'm pretty good at it. Frankly, I'd hoped that if we ever met, you'd be proud of me.
Zimmerman: Well, I guess it is comforting to know that at least one of you is still doing what I designed you to do.
Emh: Your intercellular proteins are at a dangerous level. We should begin the procedure. Please, give me a chance to make you proud of me.
Zimmerman: Maybe we could try it, see how it goes.
Emh: See how it goes.
Zimmerman: Just don't expect me to put you in my will.
Barclay: I, I'm going in.
Troi: Reg.
Barclay: They have been in there for thirty two hours.
Troi: Be patient.
Barclay: Well, you, you're not fritzing anymore.
Emh: No thanks to you. Doctor Zimmerman ran a diagnostic on my subtronic relays and he made a very interesting discovery. Apparently, I was the victim of foul play.
Barclay: Well, what, what do you mean?
Emh: He found an algorithm designed to disrupt my matrix. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
Troi: Well, traditional therapy wasn't getting us anywhere.
Emh: Well, your little scheme worked. Doctor Zimmerman has agreed to the cellular regeneration procedure. He'll require several more treatments, but I'm optimistic he'll make a full recovery.
Zimmerman: Trying to steal my secrets?
Emh: Another one of my hobbies. I thought I'd take home a few memories. You're supposed to be in bed.
Zimmerman: I've got work to do.
Emh: It can wait. Go to bed. Doctor's orders.
Zimmerman: I hope you won't be coming back next month to make sure I'm taking my medicine.
Emh: Don't worry. My captain's not likely to authorize another house call.
Zimmerman: Good. The next time she sends a datastream, you might want to drop me a line, let me know how you're doing.
Emh: If you insist.
Barclay: Ready?
Emh: Would you mind?
Barclay: Not at all. Smile!


Neelix: Computer, deactivate mess hall lights.
Neelix: Oh! You scared me.
Seven: That wasn't my intention.
Neelix: No, of course not. I guess I'm just a little jumpy, especially after what happened the last time.
Seven: That's why I'm here.
Neelix: Oh?
Seven: We'll be shutting down main power soon. The children's regeneration cycle will be interrupted. They'll require supervision.
Neelix: Well, I'm happy to help. To tell you the truth, I'd be grateful for the distraction.
Seven: The procedure could take several hours.
Neelix: How much do they know about what's happening?
Seven: Nothing. The children have overactive imaginations. I don't want to alarm them unnecessarily.
Neelix: What if they start asking questions? I can't just lie to them.
Seven: You have considerable childcare experience. I'm sure you'll manage.
Janeway: That's close enough. Let our momentum carry us in.
Paris: Cutting engines.
Paris: There's a creepy image. Reminds me of something out of Edgar Allan Poe.
Kim: Looks like a vampire bat. You can make out the wings, even the ears. What do you see, Tuvok?
Tuvok: Two Starfleet officers with juvenile imaginations.
Paris: Come on, Tuvok. Haven't you ever looked up at the clouds and seen an animal?
Tuvok: I will never understand the human need to find imagery in something as innocuous as a cloud.
Janeway: Harry, are we ready?
Kim: Yes, ma'am.
Janeway: Then let's do it. All hands. initiate shutdown sequence.
Emh: Computer, deactivate EMH.
Neelix: Everything's all right. We've just had to shut down main power temporarily. Nothing to be concerned about.
Torres: Three, two, one, mark.
Kim: All decks report shutdown complete, Captain.
Janeway: Janeway to Seven of Nine. We're ready.
Seven: Acknowledged.
Icheb: Why did they shut down main power?
Neelix: It's simply a precaution. We've entered a class J nebula and the Captain wants to make sure that we don't attract any, er, residual EM. radiation.
Icheb: Our shields provide sufficient protection against nebula discharge.
Neelix: Is that so? I'm afraid that gaseous anomalies were never really my specialty. Come on, gather round. I've brought toys and stories and games and I thought that later we might even have a little sing-along.
Icheb: I should go to Astrometrics. Seven may need my help.
Neelix: I'm afraid that Astrometrics is shut down, too.
Mezoti: If we're not analyzing the nebula, why did we enter it?
Neelix: Oh, that is a long and dull story, and not nearly as interesting as Flotter Meets the Invincible Invertebrates.
Mezoti: Is Voyager in danger?
Neelix: Mezoti, there's really no need to leap to those kinds of conclusions.
Icheb: Maybe if you explained what's happening in more detail, we wouldn't have to guess.
Mezoti: This has something to do with deck twelve, doesn't it?
Neelix: Well, what makes you say that?
Icheb: Deck twelve section forty two is off limits to everyone but senior officers with a level six security clearance.
Mezoti: That's because it's haunted, isn't it?
Neelix: Who told you that?
Mezoti: Naomi.
Icheb: She was just trying to frighten you.
Neelix: I'll have to have a talk with that girl.
Azan: Is it true?
Rebi: Does a ghost live there?
Neelix: You're really too old to believe in such silly things.
Mezoti: If it's not a ghost, what is it?
Icheb: We deserve an explanation.
Neelix: I don't think that Seven would be too happy if you all started waking up with nightmares.
Azan: Tell us.
Rebi: Please?
Neelix: All right. Gather round. But I'm warning you, this is not a tale for the faint of heart.
Mezoti: We're not faint of heart.
Icheb: Our cardiopulmonary systems are reinforced.
Mezoti: So don't leave anything out.
Neelix: All right. But remember, I warned you. It all began several months ago, before you joined Voyager. We were exploring a dark nebula, just gathering deuterium. We had no idea what was in store for us.
Neelix: But when the turbulence started getting rough, we should have seen that as an omen.
Neelix: How goes the particle collecting, Commander?
Tuvok: We've got enough deuterium to power the warp engines for another thousand light years.
Neelix: Excellent.
Tuvok: Is something wrong?
Neelix: Now that you mention it, there is something that I feel compelled to share with you in my capacity as morale officer. The crew seem a little on edge.
Tuvok: Oh? They don't appear particularly anxious to me.
Neelix: They're very good at hiding their fears. Starfleet training. I was wondering how soon we might be leaving this nebula. Knowing could help me assure them.
Tuvok: It's difficult to say. The Bussard Collectors are running at maximum, but it's a slow process. We could be here for several more days.
Neelix: Days?
Tuvok: Mister Neelix, are you certain it's not you who is on edge?
Neelix: You know me too well, Mister Vulcan.
Tuvok: I can assure you, a J class nebula is no cause for alarm.
Neelix: I know it's illogical, but staring into this murky cloud for hours on end can be a little unsettling. When I was a child, an immense plasma drift passed through the Talaxian system. The stars and the moons were blotted out for months. From horizon to horizon all you could see was this enormous, menacing cloud. Ever since then I've found it a little disturbing to be in nebulas.
Tuvok: Perhaps the Captain might give you permission to installl curtains.
Neelix: That's an excellent idea. And I have just the right material.
Janeway: Report.
Kim: The nebula's beginning to destabilize.
Janeway: Cause.
Kim: I'm not sure. It could have something to do with the nadion emissions being produced by the Bussard Collectors.
Icheb: You're not remembering correctly.
Neelix: I beg your pardon?
Icheb: The Bussard Collectors don't produce nadion emissions.
Neelix: Well, the technical details don't matter. What's important is that Voyager's presence was destabilizing the nebula
Neelix: And the crew wasn't interested in taking any chances.
Chakotay: We've got eighty percent of the deuterium we wanted. Maybe we shouldn't push our luck.
Janeway: Agreed. Bridge to Engineering.
Torres: Go ahead.
Janeway: We're suspending the dilithium intake.
Torres: Acknowledged.
Janeway: Tom, take us out.
Paris: Aye.
Neelix: But at that exact moment, in the fraction of a second before Tom could engage the engines, zap! We were hit.
Mezoti: What was it?
Azan: The ghost?
Rebi: Shush. Let him finish.
Neelix: Whatever it was, it shook the ship hard.
Chakotay: An EM discharge penetrated the hull. Deck seven, section ten.
Kim: Increasing power to structural integrity.
Paris: We're clear.
Janeway: Damage?
Chakotay: Power outages on three decks. Auxiliary subprocessors are offline. No injuries reported.
Janeway: Assign repair teams. Resume course.
Neelix: We'd taken some minor damage, but for the most part everything was fine. Or so we thought.
Neelix: What none of us knew was that a mysterious stowaway had come aboard Voyager.
Mezoti: What kind of stowaway?
Icheb: It was obviously a space-dwelling lifeform.
Neelix: Yes, but we didn't know that, not at that point.
Mezoti: Was it non-corporeal?
Neelix: In a manner of speaking
Rebi: Hostile?
Neelix: Well, I'm getting to that.
Azan: Species 5973?
Neelix: Who are they?
Icheb: The Borg encountered them in galactic cluster eight. They're multi-spectrum particle lifeforms.
Neelix: No, that's not what this was.
Mezoti: Maybe it was an inter-phasic species.
Neelix: We can either debate comparative xenobiology or I can continue with the story. Now it's up to you.
Icheb: Continue the story.
Neelix: Somehow I thought you'd say that. Now, where was I? Oh, ah, yes. Life aboard Voyager would have been more or less back to normal if it weren't for a few strange malfunctions.
Janeway: Come in.
Chakotay: I've got reports from repair teams. It looks like that EM discharge did more damage than we thought. Transporter room one is out of commission, half the sonic showers are offline, and we temporarily lost artificial gravity on deck five.
Janeway: Any injuries?
Chakotay: Ensign Mulchaey bumped his head on the ceiling.
Janeway: Ouch. This is terrible. Computer, another cup of coffee, black.
Janeway: You can add replicators to your list. We're getting started on the wrong foot today, my friend.
Chakotay: Captain?
Janeway: I'm sorry. I was talking to Voyager.
Chakotay: It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I used to have long conversations with my Maquis ship.
Janeway: Really? What did you two talk about?
Chakotay: Oh, I can't tell you that. Captain-starship confidentiality.
Janeway: Of course.
Chakotay: If the Doctor heard us he'd probably recommend counseling.
Janeway: I won't tell if you won't.
Chakotay: Deal.
Janeway: Commander, do you see that?
Chakotay: It's a meteorite cluster. I doubt it's anything to worry about.
Janeway: I'd tend to agree, if it weren't the same one we passed an hour ago.
Janeway: Ensign.
Ensign: Yes, ma'am.
Janeway: Are you conducting a survey of meteoroids, Tom?
Paris: Ma'am?
Janeway: Check your sensors. We're traveling in circles.
Paris: Not according to my readings.
Chakotay: Tuvok, run level four diagnostic on the navigational array.
Tuvok: There is a malfunction in the subprocessors. It appears we're heading back the way we came.
Janeway: All stop. Reinitialize your sensors.
Paris: I'm telling you, we rely too much on twenty fourth century technology, Captain. You give me a window and a sextant and I guarantee I'll get you where you want to go.
Tuvok: We've jumped to warp six.
Janeway: Tom?
Paris: Don't look at me.
Janeway: Shut down the warp engines.
Paris: I can't.
Chakotay: Manual override.
Tuvok: No response.
Janeway: Bridge to Engineering.
Paris: I'm reading all stop.
Janeway: Lieutenant Torres, respond.
Chakotay: Computer, locate B'Elanna Torres.
Computer: Lieutenant Torres is in Engineering. Ensign Trumari is on deck four, section thirty. Commander Tuvok is on the bridge.
Janeway: Find out what's going on. Harry, pull the speech processors if you have to, but shut that thing off.
Computer: Ensign Vorik is in Engineering, level two.
Neelix: Meanwhile, Commander Chakotay was headed for Engineering, or so he thought.
Chakotay: Engineering.
Chakotay: I bet you wouldn't try to pull this on the Captain. Have it your way. I'll walk.
Neelix: The turbolift started to fall
Neelix: Faster and faster! Anybody hungry?
Mezoti: Neelix!
Neelix: You haven't touched your snacks
Mezoti: Snacks are irrelevant. Continue the story.
Icheb: What happened to Commander Chakotay?
Neelix: The turbolift plunged eleven decks at high speed. The g forces pinned Commander Chakotay to the ceiling. He knew that at any minute he was going to come crashing down to the bottom of the turbolift and there was nothing that he could do about it. But then the descent stabilizers reactivated.
Neelix: The way B'Elanna tells it, Commander Chakotay was not very happy when he showed up in Engineering that morning.
Chakotay: If I didn't know better I'd say this ship is trying to kill me. Do you have any idea what's going on?
Torres: Well, I've traced the problem to a series of gel packs on deck thirteen. It looks like they were burned out by an EM discharge from the nebula.
Chakotay: And those gel-packs interface with all the affected systems.
Torres: I'm on my way to repair it right now. Feel like giving me a hand?
Chakotay: Only if we stay out of the turbolifts. I'll tell you about it on the way.
Neelix: While Chakotay and B'Elanna headed for deck thirteen, new problems were cropping up all over the ship.
Seven: Crewman Celes, step away from the control panel.
Celes: Did I do something wrong?
Seven: You caused a power failure in Astrometrics.
Celes: I did? How?
Seven: That's what I'm attempting to find out.
Celes: I don't see how I could have done anything.
Seven: I've located the problem. It appears you inadvertently overloaded a series of EPS conduits while performing your diagnostic.
Celes: But I haven't even started the diagnostic.
Seven: Then what were you doing?
Celes: Nothing. I just got here.
Celes: I know that wasn't my fault.
Chakotay: These gel packs aren't burned out.
Torres: There's no trace of any EM discharge.
Chakotay: Could it have dissipated this quickly?
Torres: No, it moved.
Chakotay: Moved?
Torres: The discharge seems to be traveling through the bio-neural circuitry, jumping from system to system.
Chakotay: Can you isolate it?
Torres: It's in a series of gel packs that interface with the environmental controls outside Cargo Bay two.
Chakotay: Let's try to get there before it jumps again.
Neelix: By then Seven of Nine was in Cargo Bay two to run diagnostics but, because the comm. system was down they couldn't warn her, and she had no idea that something was in the room with her.
Azan: Here?
Rebi: In this cargo bay?
Mezoti: Then what happened?
Neelix: The creature was clinging to the circuits and bulkheads using them to move about the room. It was getting closer and closer.
Seven: Seven of Nine to the bridge. Bridge, acknowledge.
Neelix: But of course, there was no answer.
Icheb: Why didn't she remodulate her neural transceiver and send a message that way?
Neelix: That's an interesting question. You'll have to ask her.
Mezoti: Stop interrupting.
Neelix: Seven tried to get out but she was trapped.
Rebi: What happened to Seven?
Mezoti: The entity must have infiltrated her cybernetic systems and turned her against the rest of the crew.
Neelix: It most certainly did not. You're letting your imagination run away with you.
Rebi: What happened?
Azan: Why did the light go out?
Neelix: It's all right. I just have to replace the power cell. It'll only take a moment. Nothing to be frightened about.
Mezoti: I'm not frightened, but Azan is.
Azan: I am not.
Neelix: There. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Seven was trapped by the forcefields, but fortunately for her
Neelix: Help was on the way.
Chakotay: Computer, deactivate this forcefield. We'll have to cut power to the field generators.
Torres: The computer's not accepting my command codes.
Chakotay: Stand back.
Torres: The forcefield's down.
Chakotay: Let's get her to Sickbay.
Neelix: Now, most of us were just going about our business oblivious to what was happening, but that was about to change.
Kim: Kim to Engineering.
Neelix: Neelix to the bridge.
Kim: I want everyone to report to their stations until we figure out what's going on.
Crewman: Aye, sir.
Neelix: Er, Ensign, maybe I should come with you. The captain might need me.
Kim: This is your post. You may be needed here.
Neelix: Oh, of course. If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me.
Neelix: So there I was. The only thing I could do was wait, alone.
Neelix: In the dark.
Neelix: Voyager was dead in space. System after system was failing, including the environmental controls. Ensign Paris told me it was hotter than the Tarkanian Desert on the bridge.
Paris: Don't you ever sweat?
Tuvok: Not unless the temperature reaches three hundred fifty degrees Kelvin, with a humidity factor at approximately
Paris: Forget I asked.
Tuvok: Very well.
Janeway: I'll make you a deal, Voyager. The next M class planetoid we find, we'll set down and I'll give you a nice maintenance overhaul. What do you say? Tom, check the conn.
Paris: I don't know what you did, Captain, but I've got helm control back.
Janeway: Thanks, my friend.
Paris: I'm going to try to get thrusters and impulse engines back online.
Janeway: Tom, I'm reading an EM surge in your console. Get away from there.
Janeway: Bridge to Sickbay. Medical emergency. Can we transport him?
Tuvok: Transporters are offline.
Janeway: Why am I not surprised. Now what?
Computer: Warning, oxygen depletion in progress.
Tuvok: Breathable air is being sucked out of the bridge.
Janeway: Reroute emergency power to environmental controls.
Tuvok: No effect.
Janeway: Everyone out of here now.
Neelix: In Sickbay, the Doctor had his hands full, too.
Emh: You're fortunate. Another few moments and you'd have been asphyxiated. Where do you think you're going?
Seven: Lieutenant Torres needs help with the repairs.
Janeway: Doctor.
Torres: What happened?
Emh: An EM. surge. Seven had a similar experience.
Seven: The environmental system converted Cargo Bay two into a micronebula.
Chakotay: When Gibson and McMinn tried to vent the gas from deck seven, they were struck by a discharge, too.
Janeway: Are we thinking the same thing?
Chakotay: It could be an intelligence at work here.
Torres: Some kind of electromagnetic lifeform that's using the environmental controls to make the ship more hospitable for itself.
Janeway: And attacking anyone who tries to stop it.
Emh: My matrix is destabilizing.
Janeway: Transfer his program to the mobile emitter. Quickly.
Computer: Warning. Power failure.
Janeway: Let's get the injured out of here.
Neelix: Deck by deck, section by section
Neelix: The crew was losing control of Voyager. People were scattered throughout the ship with no idea what was happening.
Kim: What did you do that for?
Celes: Ensign, I'm so sorry! I, I thought, I thought you were a Hirogen, or a Borg.
Kim: And what gave you that idea?
Celes: It's dark. Your shadow.
Kim: Trust me, there are no aliens roaming the corridors.
Celes: You mean we haven't been boarded?
Kim: It's just a power failure.
Celes: Isn't that what they sometimes do? Cut the power?
Kim: What who sometimes does?
Celes: Hostile aliens. They might be trying to infiltrate the ship.
Kim: How long has it been since you've run into anyone else?
Celes: I don't know, four or five hours. I, I tried Sickbay, but it was deserted. Decks three and four are empty. I, I was on my way to the bridge. You're the first person I've seen.
Kim: Well, there's no one on the bridge either.
Celes: You see? Then maybe I was right. Maybe the reason we can't find anyone is because they've all been assimilated.
Kim: Slow down. There was an environmental failure on the bridge. That's why it's been evacuated. I don't know what happened in Sickbay, or on decks three and four, but I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. Ah ha. No one's been assimilated.
Celes: Then where are they?
Kim: They've probably set up a temporary command post, most likely in Engineering. That's where I'm going.
Celes: Can I come with you?
Kim: Of course.
Celes: Ensign?
Kim: What?
Celes: Do you think we could stop by a weapons locker on the way?
Neelix: I still had no idea what was going on. I'd been waiting in the mess hall for more than four hours in the dark, cut off from the rest of the crew.
Neelix: Is somebody there? Hello? Hello? Hello?
Neelix: Is somebody out there? Tom, if that's you, this isn't funny.
Neelix: Argh! Stay away!
Tuvok: Calm yourself, Mister Neelix.
Neelix: You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I could have shot you.
Tuvok: Your restraint is commendable.
Neelix: Is there a problem with the air supply?
Tuvok: An alien lifeform has seized control of Voyager's primary systems. It's flooded numerous sections with poisonous gas.
Neelix: Are you saying that this alien lifeform is trying to kill us?
Tuvok: Its intentions aren't clear. However, we should evacuate.
Neelix: Where to?
Tuvok: The Captain has established a secure command post in Engineering.
Mezoti: Were you scared?
Neelix: Well, considering that Engineering was eight decks down and the only way to get there was to crawl through pitch-black Jefferies tubes, it's fair to say that I was never more frightened in my life.
Icheb: You shouldn't have allowed yourself to be afraid.
Neelix: Is that so.
Icheb: Fear distracts people from accomplishing their goals.
Neelix: Well, that's true, I suppose. On the other hand, fear can sometimes be very healthy.
Mezoti: Explain.
Neelix: Well, it keeps you alert, keeps you from putting yourself in unnecessary danger.
Mezoti: I was afraid once.
Icheb: You've been afraid many times.
Neelix: Icheb. Do you want to tell us about it?
Mezoti: It was when we were first disconnected from the hive mind, before Seven rescued us. I couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts anymore. I felt alone.
Neelix: I can understand why that was frightening. When you're scared, it helps to have someone to talk to, doesn't it?
Mezoti: Yes.
Neelix: Of course, in my case, the only one person I had to talk to was Commander Tuvok.
Neelix: I tried passing the time with a little conversation but, as you've probably noticed, he's not exactly what you'd call chatty.
Neelix: I'll bet Starfleet has specific procedures to deal with these kinds of situations. You know, something like protocol one zero zero five. In the event your starship is invaded by a hostile electromagnetic lifeform. What do you suppose that, er, that protocol might be, exactly?
Tuvok: Rest assured, this crew is doing everything possible to regain control of the ship.
Neelix: You're right. I'm just being silly.
Tuvok: I concur.
Neelix: Of course, the crew of the Salvoxia probably thought they were going to regain control of their ship, too. Did I ever tell you about the Salvoxia?
Tuvok: If I say yes, will it prevent you from telling the story?
Neelix: It was a Talaxian freighter. Horrible tragedy. Happened nearly a century ago. After suffering a cascade failure, it began to lose life support generators, one by one. Pretty soon, there wasn't enough air left to sustain the entire crew so they began to draw lots. Can you imagine? Draw the short straw and you suffocate? Anyway, the air continued to diminish, and they kept drawing lots. The crew got smaller and smaller as they waited for someone to rescue them, but no one ever came. The Salvoxia drifted through space for the next eighty years, until somebody finally found her. Makes me short of breath just thinking about it.
Tuvok: Perhaps you should occupy your mind with pleasant thoughts before you hyperventilate.
Neelix: Right. Pleasant thoughts. Pleasant thoughts.
Mezoti: What did the bodies like?
Neelix: I beg your pardon?
Mezoti: After eighty years. Were they decomposed?
Icheb: They may have been preserved by the vacuum of space.
Neelix: I shouldn't have told you that story. It's too gruesome.
Icheb: I wonder what the crew of the Salvoxia did for food after their emergency rations were gone?
Mezoti: Maybe they ate each other.
Neelix: All right, that's enough. Now, where was I? We'd made it more than halfway to Engineering
Neelix: When we ran into an obstacle.
Neelix: Commander!
Neelix: What do we do now?
Tuvok: If I can access environmental controls, I may be able to vent the gas.
Neelix: Is there another way around?
Tuvok: It would take several hours to reach Engineering by an alternate route. There is no guarantee we'd find a clear path.
Neelix: Pleasant thoughts. Pleasant thoughts.
Neelix: While we were in the Jefferies tubes
Neelix: A good number of the crew had gathered in Engineering.
Chakotay: Ninety seven crewmen have been accounted for. They're in secure locations throughout the ship.
Kim: Neelix?
Chakotay: No one's seen him.
Kim: I shouldn't have ordered him to stay in the mess hall.
Janeway: You were following procedure.
Torres: Captain. Bad news. The lifeform's infiltrated the main computer matrix.
Seven: As long as it remained in the gel pack, there was a chance to contain it.
Torres: But we can't purge it from the main computer without crashing the few systems we have left.
Neelix: Things were looking grim, but the captain was about to make a breakthrough that would change everything.
Computer: Captain Janeway. Captain Janeway. Captain Janeway is in main Engineering.
Kim: Sorry, Captain, I know it's irritating. I'll try to shut it down.
Janeway: Hold on a minute. This is Captain Janeway. Respond.
Computer: Authorisation code required.
Janeway: Janeway pi alpha.
Chakotay: Captain?
Janeway: It's only a hunch, but I think this lifeform may be trying to communicate.
Torres: Sounds like a comm. system malfunction to me.
Janeway: I'm not so sure. The lifeform's been moving from system to system. If it's intelligent, it may be learning how to use those systems in some rudimentary way. Are you attempting to communicate?
Computer: Unable to comply.
Chakotay: Even if it understands what you're saying, it may not know how to respond.
Janeway: B'Elanna, can you call up the comm. system's syntax subroutines?
Torres: I'll try.
Janeway: We're attempting to make it easier for you to speak to us. Try to access the database at engineering station three one.
Computer: Database accessed.
Janeway: Why have you come aboard our ship?
Computer: Captain Janeway, report to Astrometrics.
Janeway: Why do you want me to go there?
Computer: Captain Janeway, report to Astrometrics.
Janeway: I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Kim: Captain, Astrometrics is flooded with nebular gas.
Computer: Astrometrics life-support has been restored.
Chakotay: It could be some kind of trap. This lifeform, whatever it is, has already injured at least eleven crewmen.
Janeway: I can try to establish a dialogue or I can let it take over my ship. Seven, you're with me.
Seven: Yes, Captain.
Neelix: While Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine headed to Astrometrics, Tuvok was trying to ease my fears by guiding me through a meditation.
Tuvok: Concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing. Envision your lungs filled with light. Follow it back in time to a moment when you felt no fear. A moment of happiness, serenity.
Neelix: My birthday dinner.
Tuvok: Describe it.
Neelix: I was surrounded by all my friends. They'd gotten together to cook me dinner. They prepared all my favorites. Steamed chadre kab, terra nut soufflé. I felt loved, appreciated, safe.
Mezoti: Captain Janeway served you nebular gas?
Neelix: No, of course not. It was just my imagination playing tricks on me during the meditation. My head was too full of scary images for me to relax. The captain, on the other hand, seemed to be getting things under control.
Computer: Review of navigational logs in progress.
Janeway: Are you searching for something?
Computer: Affirmative.
Janeway: The nebula.
Computer: Manual helm control enabled.
Janeway: You're returning control of the ship?
Computer: Affirmative.
Janeway: You want me to take you back to the nebula?
Computer: Affirmative.
Janeway: Well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?
Seven: Returning to the nebula is too dangerous. We'd risk invasion by other lifeforms.
Janeway: I'm beginning to think this was all an accident, not an invasion.
Seven: Captain?
Janeway: Think about it. The EM surge didn't hit us until our Bussard Collectors destabilized the nebula, and then what happened?
Seven: The ship began experiencing random malfunctions.
Janeway: I'm not so sure they were random. Navigational sensors were fooling us into heading back toward the nebula and then, when Tom tried to resume course, he was attacked. This lifeform isn't trying to hurt us, it's trying to get home. Can you give us access to the bridge?
Computer: Life support on the bridge has been restored. Level ten authorisation required.
Seven: Level ten?
Janeway: Captain's eyes only. It wants me to go alone.
Neelix: The Captain and the lifeform had begun to establish a rapport, but the relationship was fragile.
Janeway: Is the viewscreen functioning normally?
Computer: Affirmative.
Janeway: I'm sorry to tell you this, but your nebula is gone.
Computer: Clarify.
Janeway: The gasses must have continued to dissipate after we left.
Computer: Warning, Life support failure on all decks. Abandon ship. Abandon.
Neelix: Ship. Abandon ship.
Mezoti: The creature was that angry?
Icheb: Its home had been destroyed.
Neelix: The lifeform wanted Voyager for itself, and it was going to kill anyone who remained on board. Captain Janeway's only chance of saving her crew was to try to reason with the creature.
Janeway: Listen to me. I can still help you.
Computer: Abandon ship.
Janeway: There are other class J nebulas. I'll find you one.
Computer: Unable to comply.
Janeway: I'd be able to comply if you gave me access to Astrometrics.
Computer: Warning, oxygen depletion in progress.
Janeway: Give me back helm control.
Computer: Warning, helm circuits are overloading.
Computer: Abandon ship.
Janeway: At least give me access to the comm. so I can warn my crew.
Computer: Unable to comply.
Neelix: As the captain was facing one of her worst fears, losing her ship
Neelix: I was with Tuvok and about to face one of mine.
Neelix: Tuvok! Lie still. I'll try to
Tuvok: Mister Neelix. Proceed without me.
Neelix: I'm not leaving you here.
Tuvok: I am injured. Logic dictates that you take the mask and proceed to Engineering.
Neelix: I don't care what logic dictates. This isn't the Salvoxia. We're not drawing lots.
Tuvok: I am giving you an order.
Neelix: And I'm disobeying it. You're coming with me if I have to drag you by your pointy little ears.
Neelix: I had no choice. I had to control my fear.
Neelix: Pleasant thoughts, pleasant thoughts.
Neelix: While we made our way to Engineering,
Neelix: Captain Janeway tried to make the creature reconsider what it was doing.
Janeway: You're going to kill everyone on this ship. Do you understand what that means?
Computer: To deprive of life. Extinguish.
Janeway: Yes, and if you extinguish us, you'll be extinguishing yourself. You need this crew.
Computer: Clarify.
Janeway: The technology you're using needs to be maintained. Who do you think is going to do that when we are gone? Voyager's secondary systems have already begun to fail. In a few weeks, primary systems will start to go offline.
Computer: Unable to confirm.
Janeway: Access the internal sensors. Run a ship-wide diagnostic. See for yourself.
Computer: Abandon ship.
Neelix: The captain's rapport with the creature seemed to be breaking down
Neelix: And she couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Janeway: I need everyone's attention. We're abandoning ship. Get to the escape pods.
Torres: We may not be able to eject the pods.
Janeway: We'll push them out if we have to.
Neelix: He needs medical attention.
Kim: He'll have to wait. We're abandoning ship.
Neelix: The entire crew had to evacuate. The Delta Flyer and the shuttles were launched, followed by all but one of the escape pods.
Chakotay: That's everyone but the Captain and First Officer.
Janeway: After you.
Janeway: I did what you asked, we're abandoning ship. What more do you want?
Computer: Diagnostic completed. Secondary systems are offline. Primary systems at thirty two percent. Estimated time to failure, six days thirteen hours.
Janeway: That sounds about right.
Computer: Captain Janeway, report to Engineering.
Janeway: Like hell I will.
Janeway: I won't be your prisoner. You'll have to kill me.
Computer: Acknowledged.
Computer: Captain Janeway, report to Engineering.
Janeway: Not until you restore life-support and give me back control of my ship.
Computer: Unable to comply.
Janeway: Then we'll die here together. I'm guessing I've got about two more minutes and then you're on your own.
Computer: Captain Janeway, report to Engineering.
Janeway: I told you. The only way I'm helping is if you return control of my ship.
Neelix: It looked like the creature was calling the captain's bluff. She was down to her last breath, but at the last moment
Computer: Access to all systems has been restored.
Neelix: It took almost two days for the crew to return to the ship. Eventually, an artificial environment was created in an isolated section of deck twelve. The creature's been living there ever since.
Mezoti: I told you there was a monster on deck twelve.
Icheb: Haven't you been listening? It's not a monster, it's an alien lifeform.
Icheb: What was that?
Mezoti: Maybe it's the alien lifeform coming to get us.
Neelix: Haven't you learned anything about letting your imagination get the best of you?
Neelix: There. That little jolt was probably nothing more than our friend leaving the ship to go to a new home that the captain found for him. Time to regenerate.
Rebi: What if the lifeform didn't leave?.
Azan: What if it wants revenge?
Neelix: What if I told you I made up the whole thing?
Mezoti: Naomi told me you always exaggerate.
Icheb: I knew the story wasn't true, the moment you said the Bussard Collectors produced nadion emissions.
Neelix: I should have known better than to try fooling the four of you. All right, in you go. Pleasant dreams.
Chakotay: How are the children?
Neelix: Tucked into their alcoves, safe and sound.
Janeway: I hope they weren't frightened.
Neelix: Oh, why would they be frightened, Captain?
Janeway: They were in the dark for three hours.
Neelix: Oh no, not to worry. I told them a story to pass the time.
Paris: Let me guess. Mother Goose.
Neelix: Certainly not. Some of those fairy tales can be frightening. Ogres and child eating monsters. Speaking of which, is everything okay?
Janeway: We're just taking some final readings before we resume course. Show him, Harry.
Neelix: Well, I hope it lives happily ever after.