In engineering, for a moment Torres is taken over by 'the alien', under whose influence she activates some controls.

	The ship is jolted. Janeway: "What's happening?" Durst looks at her, turning from the monitor display: "The warp core's been ejected." Tuvok is angry and frustrated: "No! No! We must continue!" Busily he works the controls, seeking a solution.
	Torres contacts them via the com. system. "Torres to bridge. Captain, I think I was just taken over by the alien. One second I was working the plasma relays then the next thing I knew I was ejecting the warp core!" Janeway, via comms: "Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Stand by."

There follows an intense discussion, carried out in whispers so as not to draw Tuvok's attention. Paris: "If the alien's in Tuvok, how can it be down in Engineering at the same time?" Kim: "I don't know. Unless there are two aliens!" Paris: "Two??" Janeway: "Wait a minute. Lieutenant Torres isn't authorised to eject the warp core on her own. That requires a command code authorisation. Computer, who authorised the ejection of the warp core?" Computer: "The authorisation was entered by Commander Chakotay." Janeway: "Chakotay!" Kim: "How is that possible?!"

Janeway: "The alien in Tuvok wants us in that nebula. But there's another presence that's been trying to keep us out. It doesn't make sense unless it's Chakotay, and he knows we'll be in danger if we go in there." Kim: "But he's in Sickbay. He's brain-dead." Janeway: "Maybe not. Maybe his neural energy was displaced somehow, and he's able to move from person to person."

Durst: "Tuvok's engaged emergency thrusters. We're moving again, Captain." Janeway: "You brought us here, for what? To extract our neural energy?" Tuvok: "Very perceptive, Captain. The collective neural energy of your crew will sustain my people for years to come." Janeway: "You don't have to do this. Maybe we can help you find another source of energy-" The ship is pounded. Kim: "Captain, we're under attack. We're being bombarded by the energy beings."

Janeway takes the opportunity of the distraction to move to the console by the captain's chair. Swiftly she activates the magneton flash scan.

Everyone, including Tuvok, suddenly feels dizzy and disorientated, and they stumble.

When Tuvok staggers backwards, the phaser no longer trained on the crew, Paris leaps forward and wrestles the phaser away from him.

He aims the phaser at Tuvok, but Tuvok simply slides down the wall and collapses to the ground, apparently unseeing.

As he lies there, with a slow whoosh the Komar entity within him rises up out of him and leaves the ship through the bulkhead. The Komar being departs from Tuvok's body. (pop-up window)

	Paris scans Tuvok with a tricorder. He nods to Janeway that Tuvok is fine. She nods back in acknowledgement. But the Voyager crew have been left in a situation just as desperate - they are lost, deep inside the nebula! Janeway: "The magneton scan identified the entity before it left the ship. It was a trianic-based energy being." Kim: "Look like he's joined his friends outside."
	Paris: "Shields are holding, but they won't last long at this rate."
	Paris: "And the electromagnetic radiation's blinding our sensors. I can't find a way out." Janeway: "Come about. Maybe if we reverse course we can just backtrack." Paris: "Yes, ma'am." Kim: "I don't know if that'll work, Captain. Tuvok was navigating a complicated course. We could be going deeper into the nebula." Janeway: "Mr Kim, maybe you can reconstruct Tuvok's navigational logs." Kim: "I'm on it, Captain." He hurries over to the security/tactical station. On the way he almost falls against the rear console as the ship lurches again. Durst: "Shields down to 65%, Captain. The energy beings are starting to penetrate our defences."

In Sickbay, Neelix, who is visiting Kes, is suddenly taken over by the disembodied presence that Janeway has deduced is Chakotay.

Neelix goes across to the Medicine Wheel and moves several stones on it.

Kim: "I'm not having any luck. Tuvok deleted the navigational logs as he went along. He wanted to make sure we didn't get out of here. The com. signal sounds. comms. signal "Neelix to bridge." Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead." Captain, I can't be sure but I think I was just taken over by the alien. And I've done something very strange. I've re-arranged the stones on the Medicine Wheel."

	As comms. contact ends, Janeway ponders. "If it's Chakotay, maybe he's trying to tell us something. Mr Kim, activate Sickbay visual relay 16 and put it on the viewscreen." Kim: "Aye, Captain." Janeway looks at the Medicine Wheel, baffled. "What is it? What does it mean? Is it a code, a message?"
	Paris realises what it is. "Or a map." Janeway: "Computer, overlay a star map of the nebula on the current viewscreen image." The computer does so. Paris: "The stones are in the same position as those three planetoids. Chakotay must be using them to point a way out. Janeway: "Mr Kim, lay in a course that takes along a line connecting those three planetoids. Engage."
	As the ship sets off, the Komar continue to attack the ship, if anything with greater strength. The ship shakes violently under their bombardment. Durst and Janeway hold onto the secondary tactical console to stop themselves being flung around. Durst: "Shields failing! The aliens are penetrating the hull!" Janeway: "Mr Kim, report." Kim: "We're passing the third planetoid now, Captain. The dark matter density is thinning. Normal space ahead." As Voyager continues to shake, Janeway puts in a com. call to Engineering. "Bridge to Torres. Transfer all remaining power to the thrusters, including life support!" Torres does so.
	Bombarded by the energy beings, Voyager races to the edge of the nebula! Kim: "We've cleared the nebula, Captain. Main power coming back online. Shields at full strength. Hull integrity normal. The alien beings are not pursuing."

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 48735.9. We have returned to the co-ordinates where we ejected the warp core and have successfully retrieved it. Now we're hoping the Doctor will be able to successfully reintegrate Commander Chakotay's consciousness."

In Sickbay, there is an anxious wait as the Doctor runs his final scan.
Janeway: "Did it work?"

Doctor: "It appears so. Commander, can you hear me?"
Chakotay opens his eyes. "Yes. I'm a little dizzy but I think I'm all here."

	Torres: "How did you manage to reintegrate his consciousness?" Doctor: "It involved three neural transceivers, two cortical stimulators and 50 gigaquads of computer memory. I would be happy to take you through the process but it would take at least ten hours to explain it all to you. Needless to say, it was a remarkable procedure. I would consider writing a paper about it if there were a convenient forum in which to publish it."
	Janeway: "What happened, Commander?" Chakotay: "After the attack on the shuttle, I had this sensation of floating above my own body. I thought I was dead." The screenshot shows Tuvok and, in the background, Kes who has come out of the coma and is now recovered.
	Janeway: "And when the shuttle returned to Voyager you were still.....disembodied?"
	Chakotay: "Yes. I couldn't speak. I couldn't touch anything. But then I found that if I concentrated on someone who was in the room with me, I could share their consciousness. At first I could only do little things with the host's body - push buttons, work a console. As time went on, it became easier to do more. Sorry I had to knock you around, Tuvok." Tuvok: "No apology is necessary."

Janeway: "Good job, Commander, and welcome back." Chakotay: "To be honest, I feel like I never left."