PART D

 

Torres and Paris are in a turbolift. Torres: "Are you sure this is how you got there before?" Paris is programming the turbolift's X-Y translation pad.

Paris: "Relax, will you?" The turbolift travels. "So far, we're right on schedule. The next stop should be..."

The doors open. Paris: "Voilà! Engineering." Torres: "Finally! Let's get to work."

She addresses her staff. This includes Crewman William McKenzie who is nearby working a large PADD. "We've got an emergency situation on board ship. I don't have time to go into details, but you're all to remain at your posts until otherwise notified, whether or not your duty shifts are over. Ensign," addressing an officer nearby, "prepare to configure transporter systems for site-to-site transport. I've got to reset the pattern buffer controls. In the meantime, why don't you check the targeting scanners?"

She heads for the Jefferies tube junction.

She opens the doors. They open directly onto Crewman Nozawa's quarters and he is barely dressed!

Torres manages to recover from the initial surprise and embarrassment. "Crewman," she says to the startled man, "there's an emergency situation aboard ship. Just stay right where you are. That's an order." He acknowledges. She turns away and closes the doors.

Paris, drily: "I think you handled that very well, Lieutenant."

As Neelix and Chakotay progress through the ship's corridors, using tricorders, Neelix broaches a subject that has been on his mind ever since Kes' aborted birthday party and Paris' present to her of a locket. In fact, he has been having concerns about Paris' possible romantic interest in Kes since early in the voyage. Neelix: "Commander, I would imagine you've had some experience with women." Chakotay does not look up but remains intent on collecting scans. He gives a short laugh. "Some."

Neelix: "Oh, come now, ha! A, a handsome man like you - I bet women find you irresistible." Chakotay stops and looks at him: "Neelix, what's this about?"

Neelix: "Er, erm, er, have you, er, but have you ever been jealous?"

Chakotay: "Of course."

Neelix: "You have?" He cheers up a little, knowing he is not the only one. Chakotay: "I imagine most people who've been in love have been jealous at one time or another."

Neelix: "I see, er, it's a perfectly normal response. Then why, why is it so unpleasant?"
Chakotay: "Jealousy's about the fear of losing someone we love. There's no pain greater than that." He surmises the reason for Neelix's questions. "Neelix, are you afraid you're going to lose Kes to someone?"
Neelix: "No. I mean, I, I, I don't think so, at least I certainly hope not. I, I, I just can't seem to stop these awful feelings!"
Chakotay: "Nothing makes us more vulnerable than when we love someone. We can be hurt very easily, but I've always believed that what you get when you love someone is greater than what you risk."

As Chakotay continues with his scans, and Neelix ponders the Commander's sage words and maybe wondering whether to ask him anything else, Baxter comes upon them.

"Commander, am I ever glad to see you. Do you have any idea what's going on here?" Chakotay: "Not exactly." Baxter: "Well, I feel like I've been wandering around for hours. I can't find the cargo bay."

Chakotay: "Have you seen anyone else? Any more of the crew?" Baxter: "Some people roaming around like me. A couple of times I wound up in the Messhall. There were quite a few people there." Chakotay: "I suggest you make your way back. Tell everyone you run into to come with you, and all of you stay put in the Messhall. When we figure out what's going on, we'll let you know." Baxter: "Aye, Commander." He heads off down the corridor.

As Neelix and Chakotay continue scanning, they round a corner and meet Tuvok. Tuvok: "Gentlemen." Chakotay: "Tuvok, what are you doing here?" Tuvok: "That is an interesting question, Commander. I am not certain how I arrived at this location." Chakotay surmises: "You're lost too." Tuvok: "Indeed. When I received no word from you or the Captain, I left Lieutenant Ayala in command and came to look for you myself."

Chakotay: "Can you lead us back to the Bridge?" Tuvok: "I do not believe so. When I first realised I was lost, I attempted to retrace my steps only to find myself here." Chakotay: "None of us has been able to reach the Bridge. In fact, Neelix and I can't seem to get off deck 6." Tuvok: "Strange, I thought we were on deck 3."

As they talk, Neelix looks at his tricorder and then heads off down the corridor the way he and Chakotay came.

Chakotay: "What was our status when you left the Bridge?" Tuvok: "The ring has penetrated our shields and is now in direct contact with the hull." Chakotay: "Then maybe it is possible the distortions are somehow reconfiguring the ship." Tuvok: "As improbable as it sounds, that would appear to be the case." Chakotay: "Neelix, let's go." He looks round. The corridor is empty. "Neelix?"

He and Tuvok go a little way along the corridor. When they see no sign of him, they stop and exchange looks.

Janeway and Kim enter a Jefferies tube crawlway. They scan with their tricorders as they crawl along it. Kim: "I don't understand it. We should've found the hatch to the Bridge ten minutes ago. I feel like we're crawling in circles." Janeway: "But we haven't, at least not according to this tricorder. Odd." Kim: "What is it?" Janeway: "A very faint electromagnetic reading. Now it's gone. There it is from another direction." Kim: "Yeah, I'm getting it too."

Janeway: "It comes and goes, jumps from place to place." Kim: "Could it be evidence of the ship's reconfiguration?" Janeway: "Possibly. We'll have to compare this data with readings the others get."

As they continue along the crawlway, she takes the opportunity to have a word with him: "Harry?" Kim: "Yes, ma'am."

Janeway: "I just want you to know you've been one of the bright spots of this whole mission. You've exceeded any expectations I might have had of you." Kim is most pleased and smiles. "Thank you, Captain. I, I appreciate that."

He seems to recognise where they are. "Wait a minute. Down there. I think that's the conduit leading to the Bridge." Janeway: "Good work. Maybe now we'll get some answers." They crawl along the conduit and reach a hatch. Kim: "That's the hatch, Captain. This should let us out in the cargo hold directly behind the Bridge."

Janeway presses the door controls. Nothing happens. "It's not working."

Kim: "We'd better try it manually." Janeway picks up an emergency hand actuator and applies it to one of the door. She applies her weight to it but cannot shift the doors. Janeway: "It's stuck." But suddenly she manages to open the door.

Her arm goes through the doors.....and stretches out into the distance, impossibly long, and distorted. Horrified she stares at her long rippling arm.

Kim: "Captain!" Janeway: "Oh, oh, oh, oh, I can't get my arm out!"

Kim hauls her back through the hatchway. Her arm returns to normal. She is exhausted. "Oh, I think I'm OK." She feels her wrist. Kim: "I'm reading an intense electromagnetic charge on the other side of that hatch. That must have been what was pulling you in." Janeway: "It's as if everything on the other side is in a state of structural flux - the walls, the atmosphere." Kim: "And the sequence of those fluctuations matches the readings from the distortion ring. This phenomenon isn't just occurring in space. It's definitely inside the ship as well." Janeway: "We're going to have to re-group and come up with a plan for combatting this thing."

Suddenly she starts with pain. Kim: "Captain, what's wrong?" Janeway: "I don't know. Oh! Oh, my eyes!"

She collapses. Kim bends over her, very worried: "Captain? Captain!"