Unimatrix Zero , Part II ( episode ) Assimilated by the Borg , Janeway , Torres , and Tuvok plot to release a virus into the Borg Collective which will allow members of Unimatrix Zero to retain their individuality in the real world and resist the Borg Queen . ( " Season premiere " ) Summary . Teaser . Tuvok , B ' Elanna Torres , and Captain Kathryn Janeway have been assimilated as Borg drone s aboard Tactical Cube 138 , but their personalities remain intact thanks to a short - lived anti - assimilation inoculation developed by The Doctor . Tuvok and Torres are able to meet and start to head to the central plexus of their cube . Janeway , however , was separated from them and continues to be assimilated . Act One . The follows the cube and monitors the crew ' s brain functions , but it has been awhile with no signal of the virus deployment . The cube is damaged , but should be operational within two hours . Chakotay orders Seven of Nine back into Unimatrix Zero so that they will know the moment when the virus is deployed . Seven is obviously still uncomfortable with them , as Axum has broken off the relationship , but Chakotay tells her to set the feelings aside . In Unimatrix Zero , the Borg are continuing their attack , identifying individuals one by one . and a Hirogen are coordinating defenses . Korok notices and informs Seven that Axum is not there , though he was supposed to be . He advises Seven to put her feelings aside , and treat her heart as another enemy . Another individual drone appears , but he does not remember where he was , so the virus has not spread , yet . Back aboard Tactical Cube 138 , Tuvok and Torres approach the plexus and , carefully , find they are able to pass through the security field s . They find Janeway already there , who has determined she can access the plexus but not without drawing attention . Torres identifies an alternate route 30 meters away and they start planning when Tuvok ' s mental faculties begin to degrade , and he starts to submit to the Borg Collective . Meanwhile , in the unicomplex , the Borg Queen discovers she can ' t hear the newly assimilated Starfleet crew , though she hears Tuvok briefly . Act Two . In Unimatrix Zero , Axum has set some traps and successfully killed one Borg . Seven , however , trips another of his traps in her search for him . She tells him Korok was concerned and , now that she ' s found him , she ' ll go back without talking further . Axum decides to go with her . While Torres works on an access door to the plexus , Tuvok attempts to fight off the degradation by recalling facts about his individual life . Janeway orders him to stay focused . Torres is successful in entering the plexus and starts the transfer of the virus . However , Tuvok eventually loses the battle and becomes a full - fledged Borg drone , calling himself Three of Twelve . Through him , the Borg Queen discovers that the three officers are in the central plexus , but not before they manage to inject their virus into the plexus . A short and futile fight ensues as Captain Janeway attempts to run from Tuvok . Meanwhile , " Voyager " detects Tuvok ' s condition and arrives just in time to attempt to retrieve the away team , but it is unable to due to the shields that surround the central plexus . Chakotay then orders Tom Paris to fly them closer to the cube to get a stronger lock onto them . Back on the cube , Torres is able to evade capture by the other Borg drones , but Janeway is not so fortunate and is captured . The Queen watches " Voyager " on her viewscreen , proclaiming " " Back so soon ? ! " " . Chakotay orders Harry Kim to target the cube ' s shield generator s and set the phaser s to stand - by mode . Just then , the Borg cube fires a torpedo at " Voyager " . Kim informs Chakotay that the Borg somehow have access to " Voyager " s tactical controls ( due to the Queen reading Tuvok ' s thoughts ) , which brings " Voyager " s shields down . Chakotay orders evasive maneuvers , but it ' s too late – the torpedo hits " Voyager " s starboard side . Kim reports hull breach es on decks 5 , 6 , and 7 . Chakotay calls for a retreat , but Paris protests that they can ' t just leave the away team behind . Chakotay tells him that there ' s very little they can do right now , especially since the Borg have their access codes . The Borg Queen now starts to realize that the Collective is losing voices , quickly numbering in the thousands . She even realizes one of the Borg adjuncts in her chamber has disconnected . She interrogates him and he eventually lashes out , threatening that she can ' t stop all of them . Act Three . Meanwhile , Janeway is taken to a hub and linked to it . A holographic representation of her normal , unassimilated self appears in front of the Borg Queen . She shows her the dead body of the drone she has just killed . The Borg Queen exposes that she is fully aware of Unimatrix Zero , the virus and what was accomplished , but that she also cannot yet foil the virus either . She points out the deaths of drones as being Janeway ' s fault for freeing them and orders summary destruction of some cubes that also have infected drones . Determined to eradicate the " individuality " virus that Janeway has injected into the Collective , the Queen gives Janeway an ultimatum : persuade the freed Borg to return to the Queen ' s control or see millions of innocent drones be put to death to cleanse the Collective of Janeway ' s actions . Janeway does not relent and tells the Queen that the only way she can do that is to destroy the entire Collective . Janeway insists that the Borg Queen should visit Unimatrix Zero herself . " Voyager " undergoes repairs . Seven reports that the drones in Unimatrix Zero now can remember , so the virus has been deployed . Chakotay orders Seven to go back and see if any of the drones are aboard Tactical Cube 138 , for they could help . The Doctor makes some modifications to her alcove beforehand , and , while doing so , talks to her about Axum and suggests to give their relationship a second chance . In Unimatrix Zero , the group discuss their predicament . Axum argues they need to strike the unicomplex in order to disrupt the Collective ' s communication so they can regroup . Seven also asks to help Janeway , Torres and Tuvok . Korok initially means to leave them , but Axum uses honor to convince him to help . He goes to find out if any of the drones are also on that cube . After the group disperses , Seven approaches Axum , who is downtrodden because he ' s on the other side of the galaxy and cannot help locally , but there a few things he can do , including talking with Species 8472 . After they both wish they could meet in person , Axum asks her if Unimatrix Zero is enough for her , and they kiss . Act Four . A couple children are playing in Unimatrix Zero and one runs into the Borg Queen , who has agreed to visit the group . She persuades a child there that being part of the collective is good because they are all friends and reading each other ' s thoughts are " fun " . The child shows the Queen to a plateau so that she has a wide angle view of Unimatrix Zero . Back in reality , the Queen tells Janeway that she has visited Unimatrix Zero and will be releasing a mutated virus of her own to kill those drones connected to Unimatrix Zero unless Janeway convinces the freed Borg to return to The Collective . Janeway appears holographically on " Voyager " and issues an order that " Unimatrix Zero can no longer exist " . Seven and The Doctor are dismayed , but Chakotay knows that , while it seems that she is issuing a destruction order , as well as suggesting that the drones must return to the collective or be killed by the modified nanovirus , Janeway has found a loophole that the Queen never considered and is a necessary step to protect and retain the individualities of the drones who have been freed , as well as cutting off the Queen ' s only hub to release the virus . Just then , a transwarp conduit opens and a Borg sphere approaches . Paris receives a surprise communication from Korok , now in command of the sphere and offering to join the battle . Act Five . Together , they mount an assault on the Borg cube that is holding Tuvok , Torres , and Janeway . Korok is fortunately able to penetrate the outer shields . Unable to penetrate the inner shields , however , " Voyager " is not successful at beam ing Janeway , Torres , or Tuvok out . They continue their assault . Meanwhile , Axum begins evacuating all drones from Unimatrix Zero as it is being destroyed by interrupting the interlink frequency ; an effect that manifests itself in Unimatrix Zero as fire . He stays to wait until the very last moment . Seven enters to see him one last time , both promising to find each other , but it is determined that they are doomed to not meet again as they are spread too far away across the galaxy . They both exit and then the destruction of Unimatrix Zero is complete . The Borg Queen detects the assault on the Borg cube bearing Tuvok , Torres , and the captain , and orders it to self destruct . At the last moment before destruction , however , the shields go down and " Voyager " is able to beam the captain , Torres , and Tuvok to sickbay . Fortunately , Korok ' s sphere also survived . The Doctor removes their Borg implant s and starts their recovery process . Seven pays a visit to Janeway in sickbay to report that Korok has contacted another renegade Borg vessel . With any luck , the new resistance will change the Collective . Memorable quotes . " " Assimilation turns us all into friends . " " " " Yes , it ' s fun . " " " " I don ' t compromise with BORG . " " " " Stay focused , stay Tuvok - that ' s an order . " " " " My designation is Three of Twelve . " " " " Lieutenant . A first officer could get in a lot of trouble for talking to his captain that way . " " " " Well , I ' ve learned from the best . " " " " Whenever you mention his name , your pupils dilate by nearly a millimeter , blood flow increases to your facial capillaries . Both are consistent with an emotional response . " " " " Axum and I apparently had a relationship . " " " " Oh . Romantic ? ( Seven hesitates ) There go those pupils again . " " " " Your diagnosis is accurate . " " " " Stardate 38774 . Vulcanis Lunar colony . The time and place of my birth . " " " " My daughter ' s name is Asil . She was born in the city of . . . T ' Paal . " " " " We share your memories . You ' re part of us now . Don ' t resist . " " " " The Borg have our access codes . " " " " They developed a nanovirus that can kill every Borg with a mutation . They ' re prepared to release it inside Unimatrix Zero unless all the drones there return to the Collective for reassimilation . " " " " That is not compromise . That is surrender . " " " " I won ' t be responsible for any more deaths . At least they ' ll survive as drones . Tell them that Unimatrix Zero can no longer exist . That ' s an order . Have I made myself clear , commander ? " " " " Yes , captain . " " " " If I ever imply that it ' s been easy on you these last few years , remind me about today . " " " " Spatial grid 94 , cube 630 , complement 64 , 000 drones . But I can no longer hear three of them . No doubt they ' ve joined your resistance . Are they trying to sabotage the vessel and liberate others ? I don ' t know . Because I can no longer hear them . Initiate self - destruct ! " " " " An effective solution , don ' t you agree ? Spatial grid 091 , sphere 878 , complement 11 , 000 drones . Only one is silent . But I have no choice . I must silence all of them . " " Links and references . References . 47 ; Asil ; Beta Quadrant ; biosignature ; Borg Civil War ; central plexus ; Cube 630 ; evasive maneuvers ; facial capillary ; fluidic space ; Grid 091 ; Grid 94 ; Grid 96 ; Grid 182 ; hoverball ; interlink frequency ; Klingon ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mutant ; nanovirus ; neural suppressant ; shield modulation ; shock wave ; Species 8472 ; Sphere 878 ; spinal clamp ; subvocal processor ; ; Tactical Cube 138 ; transwarp ; Unicomplex ; Unimatrix Zero ; Vorothon Gorge ; Vulcan ; Vulcanis Lunar colony