THRESHOLD
Episode 31
Part C

 

Sickbay. The medical team puts Paris on the main biobed. Doctor, scanning him: "Hmm, it looks like he's having an allergic reaction. What did he ingest?"

Torres: "Just a cup of Neelix's coffee." Doctor, joking drily: "It's a miracle he's still alive."

He activates the 'clamshell' which contains an array of sophisticated medical diagnostic instruments. The Doctor examines the read-outs. "This is strange." Torres: "What is?" Doctor: "He's definitely having an allergic reaction......to the water in the coffee." Torres: "He's allergic to water?"

Doctor: "I don't know how this is possible, but it appears that his entire biochemistry is changing. His electrolytes are breaking down, interstitial fluids are congealing." Paris is writhing and gasping. The Doctor scans him again. "The alveoli in his lungs are mutating. He's no longer processing oxygen."

Torres: "What should we do?" Doctor: "Stand back."

She joins him at the console. "Computer, erect an isolation field around the surgical bay. Computer, remove all the air from within the forcefield and replace it with 80 per cent nitrogen and 20 per cent acidichloride." Paris' gasping lessens.

Doctor: "He can breath, for now." Torres: "What's happening to him?" Doctor: "I have no idea, but I assume it had something to do with his experience on the shuttle."

Paris shrieks: "Nooo!!!" Doctor: "His cellular membranes are deteriorating. He's dying."

He turns on Torres, speaking urgently: "I need to know more about what happened on that shuttle, and I need to know it now!" She heads for the door as the Doctor continues to prompt her: "Radiation levels, unexplained anomalies, anything."

USS Voyager, cruising at impulse speed.

Later in Sickbay. Kes, medical assistant, has arrived and is helping the Doctor.

Paris: "You're losing me, aren't you? I'm going to die."

Doctor: "You're too stubborn to die, Mr Paris." To Kes: "I want to try a high saturation radiometric therapy. It might slow down his cellular mutation."

She acknowledges and goes to the wall-mounted console to prepare. Paris: "Here lies Thomas Eugene Paris, beloved mutant." Doctor: "A fitting epitaph, but I don't intend to let you use it just yet."

Kes, returning to the main console: "Radiometric emitters are charged and ready." Doctor to Kes: "Begin with 45 rads per second."

Paris: "Great. Now it'll read: 'Beloved radioactive mutant'." Doctor to Kes: "No effect. Increase the dosage to 85 rads per second." When there is no discernible effect: "I'm going to try inhibiting the cell mitosis with a bio-suppresser field." Paris: "Big funeral with lots of pretty girls all crying, except Torres. Torres doesn't cry. Did you ever notice that? I don't trust people who don't cry. Of course, my father, he'd say crying is a sign of weakness. I never believed that. Do you cry?" Doctor: "It's not in my program."

Paris: "Shame. You know, it's funny. What I remember most about being a kid are the times I spent in my room crying. I liked my room though. It was quiet in there. People'd leave me alone. I'd keep the door locked, read, play games. Huh, I lost my virginity in that room - 17, parents were away for the weekend." Doctor: "I'll note that in your medical file." Paris' condition worsens: "Oh!" Doctor: "His lymphatic system is collapsing. Increase dosage to 98 rads per second."

Paris to Kes: "Consider it a last request."

Paris: "Pepperoni! God, I'd love a pepperoni pizza with Kavarian olives right now! I'm starving!" Doctor: "His lifesigns are critical. Maximum dosage." Paris to Kes: "Kiss me." Doctor: "What?" Paris to the Doctor: "Not you. Her." Doctor: "She can't breathe the atmosphere in here." Paris to Kes: "Consider it a last request." Kes: "I'm sorry, Tom. If we let down the forcefield, you'll suffocate." Paris: "Oh, what's the difference? I'm dying anyway. Do me a favour. When I'm gone, call Starfleet Headquarters and tell Dad that I did it. Tell him."

Doctor, placing a neural stimulator on Paris' forehead, to Kes: "Prepare to activate the neural stimulator." Kes: "Ready."

Doctor: "Now!" Paris' body jumps at the stimulation. "Again!" Paris' body jumps. Again!" Paris' body jumps. But there is no response. Eventually he has to give up. "No neural activity." Kes: "We can try to revive him."

Doctor: "His cell membranes have degraded. There's nothing more we can do. Computer, remove the acidichloride gas from the isolation field and deactivate the field." To Kes who is very upset: "It will be necessary for us to perform an autopsy on the Lieutenant's body in the morning. Until then, I suggest you get some rest."

Kes kisses Paris, as he had requested.

When she departs, she leaves behind a dear friend.

In the night, the Doctor thinks he hears something. He gets up and investigates, eventually reaching the covered body of Tom Paris.

He lifts the cover. Paris' eyes are open and he is breathing erratically. Doctor, surprised: "You're alive."

Paris detaches a large amount of hair. "What's happening?"

Doctor, checking a scanner: "All of your internal organs are functioning again. In fact, you seem to have an extra one." Paris: "What?"

Doctor: "You have two hearts." Paris looks over at the monitor, and to his surprise sees that it is so.

Somewhere on Voyager, Jonas sets up a device to help hide the secret transmission he is about to make. He makes contact with Rettick, a Kazon-Nistrim officer.

Jonas: "I have 30 seconds before Security picks up this transmission. I'm sending you all current information on the warp 10 shuttle flight." Rettick, on monitor: "Warp 10? That's impossible." Jonas: "Not any more. Lieutenant Paris crossed the threshold this morning." Rettick, on monitor: "He survived?" Jonas: "In a matter of speaking. It's all in the file. This should prove my worth to you, Rettick."

Rettick, on monitor: "We'll see." He ends contact.

In Sickbay, the Doctor is showing Janeway on a monitor the schematic anatomical data on Paris such as his two hearts. Doctor: "He's body is going through some sort of mutation. His DNA is re-writing itself, to what end I don't know." Janeway: "Does this have anything to do with the enzymatic inbalance you found?" Doctor: "No."

Janeway: "Can you stop it?" Doctor: "So far, nothing has worked. The mutations are unlike anything in Starfleet medical records. His internal organs are being re-arranged. Some have atrophied and been absorbed into his body, and there are at least three others that have appeared and have no identifiable function at all."

As they head into the main part of Sickbay, Janeway asks: "What about his brain?" Doctor: "There are neuro-electrical transmutations at work. His synaptic patterns are changing almost every second. But he does still recognise me, the ship - he knows who he is." Janeway: "Can I talk to him?" Doctor: "Of course, but I feel I should caution you that while he still is Tom Paris, he's becoming something else as well. His personality is erratic, unpredictable. There are moments of lucidity interspersed with almost deranged behaviour." Janeway: "I'll keep it in mind."

She stands and looks at Paris.

Paris: "Pretty disgusting, huh?" Janeway: "You've looked better. How do you feel?" Paris: "Like a lab experiment gone wrong." Janeway: "Well, we're trying to put that experiment right. The Doctor's working on a way to restore your DNA to its original-" Paris: "Why?" Janeway: "Excuse me?" Paris: "Why? What I'm becoming will probably be better than who I was." Janeway: "Lieutenant, you know that's not true." Paris: "Oh, yes, it is. Admit it. Part of you will be glad to see me gone. I'm the Maquis traitor who sits on your Bridge and insults your uniform, remember?" Janeway: "We're all concerned about you, Tom. We're here to help you."

Paris: "No, you're not! You're trying to take this away from me." Janeway: "Take what away from you?" Paris: "What I'm becoming. How do you know this isn't good for me? How do you know this isn't the best thing that's ever happened to me?" Janeway: "That's a possibility. And then again, it could kill you. We need to find out what's going on." Paris: "You're lying, just like him, just like everyone around here, always lying, always telling me that I'm doing a good job, that you're glad I'm on this ship. But none of that's true. Why can't you just say it? You're jealous that I broke the transwarp barrier and now you're hoping I'll die!"

Janeway: "You're right, Doctor. I don't think there's anything I can do here."
She turns to leave.
Paris: "Wait, Captain. I'm sorry. Please come back."

She turns and faces him again. "I know you're doing what you can. It's just......I'm scared. I didn't mean to lash out at you." Janeway: "What you're going through would scare any of us, but you have to hang on, Tom. We're doing everything we can to help you."

Paris: "I know you are. And I know you'll fail!" With that he flings himself at her, but the forcefield throws him back.

Paris: "You know, I used to look up to you. But now you seem so small, so insignificant. You don't even know what, what, what-"

He stops as something comes loose in his mouth. He starts to fetch it out with his fingers. To the horror of those watching, he detaches his tongue!