WARHEAD
Episode 119
Part B

 

Voyager orbiting the planet.

The device is carried into Engineering and placed in position.

Janeway: "How's our patient?" Torres: "Complicated. It uses bio-neural circuitry to mimic humanoid synaptic functions." Kim: "But its memory core is damaged. It's suffering from a technological form of amnesia." Janeway: "Any theories as to what it might be?" Torres: "It could be a probe or a communications device." Doctor: "Whoever our friend is, he wasn't alone. He claims to have been travelling with a companion." Janeway: "If there's another one down there it might give us a few answers. I'll be in Astrometrics scanning the surface." As she heads off, she turns and says: "Give our guest my regards."

Doctor: "Of course, Captain." To an engineer at a control panel. "Lower the containment field." The engineer does so.

He approaches the device and converses with it.

Doctor to the machine: "How are you? Well, that's an interesting question. Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres are attempting to repair your damaged circuitry. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're not an organic being, you're technological. You're an artificial intelligence embedded in a machine of some kind. No, there's no mistake. We believe the damage you suffered in the crash is causing your confusion."

Doctor to the machine: "Look at it this way, you and I have something in common. Just because we're not organic beings doesn't mean we're in any way inferior. Well, you're metallic, over a metre in length, cylindrical. Oh, you're quite sleek, actually. You're welcome."

Astrometrics Lab. Seven: "I'm detecting no further technology on the planet surface."

Janeway: "Maybe the second device was destroyed when it crashed. Scan for metallic particulates consistent with our friend in Engineering."

Seven does so, at the main console facing the viewscreen.

Seven: "There are minute traces scattered across the northern continent." Janeway: "Isolate." It is displayed on the viewscreen. "An impact crater." Seven: "It spans a radius of 200 kilometres." Janeway: "And look at this - heavy concentrations of radiogenic decay in the crater walls, and the fracture gradients are consistent with a highly focussed explosion."

Seven: "Evidently we've discovered its function." Janeway agrees by voicing the nature of their discovery: "A weapon of mass destruction."

Voyager orbiting the planet.

The senior staff hold a meeting in the Briefing Room. They have been briefed on developments so far including the discovery in the Astrometrics Lab. Doctor: "I understand your concerns but the device hasn't shown itself to be hostile." Torres: "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time before it puts the pieces together." Doctor: "All the more reason we should talk to it, explain our concerns, ask for help in defusing its explosive components." Chakotay: "If it's programmed to detonate there's no telling how it'll react."

Janeway: "Agreed. We have to neutralise the threat now. Suggestions?" Seven: "Transport the device off the ship and destroy it before it harms anyone." Doctor: "Seven, this is a sentient being we're talking about." Seven: "Very well. Return it to the surface and deploy a warning buoy to alert other vessels." Doctor: "I refuse to believe our only options are to kill it or abandon it."

Torres: "What if we could separate the bio-neural circuitry from the explosive?" Janeway: "Take the weapon offline but salvage the intelligence." Kim: "They're fully integrated. Where would we store the intelligence once we shut the device down?" Doctor: "Well, the answer's obvious. Download its synaptic patterns to a holographic matrix like mine." Chakotay: "Then what?" Doctor: "Try to find out where it came from and return it to its people."

Seven: "The device is extremely complex. One error and we'd risk detonation." Doctor: "Saving life often entails risk." Janeway: "Harry, B'Elanna, assist the Doctor." Doctor: "Thank you, Captain." Janeway: "At the first sign of danger, we transport it off the ship. Understood?" Doctor: "Understood."

The Doctor accompanies the Warhead as it is carried from engineering to Sickbay. He converses with the alien device as they go. Doctor: "I quite understand. I wouldn't like being carried around, either. Of course you are, who wouldn't be? We're taking you to Sickbay. Because we're better equipped to help you there."

They enter a turbolift.

Doctor: "Deck 5. We're going to transfer your intelligence to a holomatrix. You should be pleased. In a little while, you're going to be walking around just like me." One of those carrying the device has doubts about the Doctor talking to it. At one stage his eyes look up at the ceiling in an expression of exaggerated forbearance.

They exit the turbolift and head along the corridor to Sickbay. The Doctor continues his conversation with the alien machine: "I'm not certain. Ensign Kim's configuring your physical parameters as we speak. I'm sure you'll be quite handsome."

They enter Sickbay and the device is placed on a stand beside one of the ordinary biobeds. Torres and Kim are waiting for it.

At once Torres starts using a tool on it. Doctor: "Are we ready to proceed?" Torres: "Whenever you are." Doctor to the Warhead as it emits a panicked sound: "Don't be alarmed. We have to access some of your systems to enable the transfer."

He tells Torres what the device has said in answer. "He says he wants to know exactly what you're doing, as you do it." Torres: "This is a delicate procedure. I won't be able to concentrate if I have to give a blow-by-blow description."

Doctor: "You'll have to forgive Lieutenant Torres. She's an excellent engineer. Unfortunately, she doesn't share my bedside manner." Torres is unimpressed by his words. She settles on a compromise: "Harry, would you mind?"

Kim: "Yeah, sure. Erm, well, first we're going to be setting up an active interlink between you and the holo-systems. Er, now, to do that, er, we're going to take your program offline while we re-sequence your bio-neural circuitry." Doctor: "He says he can't allow you to shut him down." Torres: "I'm sorry, but there's no other way."

Suddenly the device activates. Torres warns: "It's arming itself. The detonation sequence has begun." Kim, via comms: "Sickbay to bridge. The device is going to detonate. Beam it off the ship!"

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