The Chute ( episode ) Harry Kim and Tom Paris are found guilty and detained in a prison where a neural implant gradually drives the inmates mad . Summary . Teaser . Many alien men crowd around a chute . Through the chute comes a disheveled Ensign Harry Kim , landing on the ground . One of the men picks him up and pushes him to another man , who in turn does the same . He gets pushed around the room , punched , and hurt when finally he gets pushed into none other than Lieutenant junior grade Tom Paris . Paris punches him and he lands on the ground . Act One . The men ridicule Kim until Paris intervenes , demanding they give Kim over to him . He then proceeds to explain that they were imprisoned after being accused of using trilithium to bomb the Laktivia recreational facility on Akritiri , killing 47 off - duty patrollers . He claims that Kim was his partner before he confessed to the judge . The Akritiri allow Paris to have Kim and leave the two alone . Paris tells Kim that they are in a Akritirian maximum security detention facility more than three hundred meter s underground with fifty other prisoners . They ' ve been there a few days without any food or water . Kim reveals that he was interrogated during Paris ' absence and that he was brought before a judge and told that " Paris " had confessed . Kim suggests an escape attempt but Paris insists that he hasn ' t seen anyone like that . Paris then explains that they are all controlled by a neural implant called " the clamp " , which makes the prisoners paranoid and violent . Kim suggest taking them out but Paris informs him that he saw an Akritirian try that and it resulted in the man ' s death . The only exit is a chute which the Akritirian s use to send food and new prisoners into the holding area . However , it is protected by a force field which shocks anyone who touches it . Food is delivered and Kim watches on in horror as a fight breaks out resulting in the death of one Akritirian . Act Two . On " Voyager " , Captain Kathryn Janeway inquires of Tuvok whether any updates have been found . Despite several sweeps , Tuvok has been unable to locate their life sign s . Ambassador Liria of Akritiri hails them and Janeway asks for news . The ambassador informs her that they have found her crewmen , and that they ' re being held in the containment facilities for causing the bombing . Janeway defends her crewman but the ambassador insist that the trilithium could only have come from " Voyager " . He accuses " Voyager " of working with the terrorist groups . Two Akritirian ships approach and the ambassador tells her that they will be impound ing her ship and arresting her crew members . Janeway raises the shields and informs the ambassador that she will " not " allow her ship to be boarded . The two Akritirian ships attack " Voyager " . Janeway orders her first officer Chakotay take the helm . Chakotay maneuvers " Voyager " away from the ships and withdraws to regroup . Meanwhile , in the detention facility Kim and Paris continue to work on an escape plan . Kim is starting to feel the effects of the clamp and Paris urges him to focus on other things . They confirm that the only escape is via the food tube . Paris devises a plan to short circuit the force field that protects it . On " Voyager " , the senior staff meet together to discuss strategy . They decide to try and figure out how to prove Kim and Paris innocent , and search for a way that the terrorists could have found trilithium without their intervention . Lieutenant B ' Elanna Torres reports that paralithium can also be converted to trilithium . She informs Janeway that paralithium is much more common because it is used to power impulse ship s . Kim attempts to disable the force field but struggles with his clamp . Paris successfully distracts him with thoughts of a feast with delicious food . The other prisoners become suspicious and a fight breaks out . Paris is stabbed by an Akritirian and Kim fights the rest of the prisoners off with a pipe before assisting Paris . One of the prisoners comes up to the two and offers assistance . He examines the wound and states that Paris will die from blood loss or infection unless they get out . Act Three . Kim takes Paris back to their shelter while Paris tries to make Kim continue without him . Kim refuses and they reach their shelter . During their brief absence it has been taken over by other prisoners . Kim then approaches Zio and offers to take Zio with him while he escapes in exchange for shelter , food and bandages . Zio agrees to the exchange and assist them with a warning that he will kill them if they ' re lying . " Voyager " reviews its log s of vessels that their sensor s recorded while in orbit of Akritiri and finds four that are powered by paralithium . They track down the vessels and find the bombers : two siblings named Piri and Vel who are affiliated with a terrorist group named Open Sky . Paris expresses concern over trusting Zio but Kim tells him to rest . Zio and Kim work on the force field and Zio informs him how to work with the clamp so that it doesn ' t drive him crazy . Zio explains that he believes the clamp is an experiment on the prisoners . Kim successfully disables the force field and climb up the chute , only to find that it leads to a hatch into space . They are not underground but imprisoned on a space station ; escape to the " surface " is impossible . Act Four . Kim goes back to take care of Paris , who wakes up delirious . Kim says he made it through the chute , but doesn ' t say it leads to space , yet . Paris has forgotten about getting stabbed , and , when he looks down , suspects Kim briefly . He almost hits him with the pipe when he remembers . Kim insists they try to sleep . Kim wakes up to figure out the next move , but he ' s frustrated . Zio tries to talk to him , but he is not in the mood . Zio is openly skeptical of any attempt , and tries to convince him it ' s futile . Zio even lets Kim read his manifesto , which he ' s never shown to anyone , but Kim slaps it away , demanding to know whether Zio will help him . Fortunately , Zio doesn ' t respond with violence . Kim is desperate , and tries to convince the other prisoners that they need to join together to raid the vessel that brings food and prisoners , however , they all refuse and injure him . Kim goes back to the shelter where Paris is resting and finds , in his delirium , that he has taken apart the device that disrupts the force field . Kim is furious and the two fight and Kim nearly kills Paris . Act Five . Zio tells Kim that he should kill Paris because he is a drain on resources , even offering him a knife but a guilt - ridden Kim refuses . Zio then throws Kim and Paris out of his shelter , promising to kill them both himself if they don ' t leave . Janeway goes back to Akritiri and offers to exchange them for Kim and Paris . However , Ambassador Liria refuses , saying that Kim and Paris ' convictions cannot be overturned . Janeway then approaches the bomber named Vel to get another option . He says that he knows the location of the prison . Janeway offers to let both of them go if they give them access to the prison . Janeway decides to get close to the prison in Neelix ' s small ship . Back in the prison , the prisoners are suddenly alerted to the arrival of someone coming down the chute . The prisoners crowd around , ready to " greet " the new arrivals , when Janeway comes down the chute wielding a large weapon . She stuns several of the prisoners as Lieutenant Tuvok comes down the chute after her . The two senior officers are able to locate Kim , who brings them to Paris . The four Starfleet officers make their escape , just as an Akritiri ship announces its plan to board the Talaxian vessel . Back on " Voyager " , Kim , Paris , Neelix , Janeway , and The Doctor gather in sickbay at the end of The Doctor ' s treatment of Paris ' wounds as he promises treatment that will override the clamp ' s effect , confirming that it was designed to encourage aggressiveness and violence among the prisoners . Paris and Kim go to dinner together and Kim , feeling guilt , tries to apologize to Paris for almost killing him . Paris stops him saying , " " You want to know what l remember ? Someone saying , ' This man is my friend . Nobody touches him . ' I ' ll remember that for a long time . " " The two friends leave to enjoy a hearty , much - dreamed - about dinner . Memorable quotes . " " I ' m only in the mood for good news today , ambassador . " " " " This man is my friend ; nobody touches him . " " " " A prison without guards ? " " " " Hey ! What do you want for the dead man ' s boots ? " " " " He ' s dead . " " " " I think I ' ve lost my appetite . " " " " Right now , I ' m so hungry , I could eat a bowl of Neelix ' s leola root stew . " " " " Me , too . Never thought I ' d say that . " " " " Tom , listen to me . I . . . I almost killed you . " " " " What are you saying ? You ' re the one that kept me alive . " " " " I was ready to hit you with the pipe . Don ' t you remember ? " " " " You want to know what l remember ? Someone saying , ' This man is my friend . Nobody touches him . ' I ' ll remember that for a long time . " " Links and references . References . 2296 ; 47 ; acetylcholine ; Akritiri ; Akritirian ; Akritirian cargo vessel ; Akritirian maximum security detention facility ; Akritirian patrol ship ; Akritirian space ; animal ; baked potato ; barbecue ; " Baxial " ; boarder ; brig ; brigade ; ; carcass ; Chateau Lafite Rothschild ; cherry pie ; clamp ; combadge ; ; dilithium ; emergency vehicle ; experiment ; Federation ; fetran sauce ; fire ant ; flambé noodles ; food cake ; fudge ripple pudding ; grocer ; Heva VII ; Heva VII refueling port ; hospital ; hotel ; hypothalamus ; itch ; liter ; ion propulsion ; Laktivia ; Laktivia recreational facility ; lamb ( crown roast of lamb ) ; leola root stew ; manifesto ; meter ; multispectral subsurface scan ; mushroom ( grilled mushrooms ) ; onion rings ; Open Sky ; paralithium ; patroller ; plasma ; pulse gun ; potato ; replicator ration ; Risan bean ; Sandrine ' s ; shrimp ( shrimp with fettran sauce ) ; shore leave ; synaptic stimulator ; T - bone steak ; Talaxian ; torture ; torture device ; trilithium ; warden ; wild rice