FUTURE'S END
Episodes 50 and 51
Part G

 

Starling's car arrives at plaza, chauffeured by Dunbar. It parks by the pavement, and Dunbar opens the door for his boss.

On the other side, the Doctor gets out and looks round, then down at the small device attached to his left upper arm and then looks puzzled at Starling.

Starling tosses the remote control over in his hand as a reminder to the Doctor that he is a prisoner and at Starling's mercy.

From a distance, unseen by them, Paris and Tuvok look on, astonished to see the Doctor there.

A type-9 shuttlecraft descends toward Earth's surface.

Torres: "Interferometric dispersion is online. That should take care of any radar detection. And I've configured the shields to disguise our visual profile. Unless somebody gets right on top of us, we should look like a small 20th century aircraft." Chakotay: "Transporters are online. We should be within range in about ten minutes."

Chakotay: "You can see the entire Baja peninsular. I'd forgotten how beautiful the view is from this altitude. I never thought I'd see it again." Torres: "You trained as a pilot in North America, didn't you?" Chakotay: "That's right, my first year at the Academy. Then I went to Venus for a couple of months to learn how to handle atmospheric storms and then I dodged asteroids for a semester in the belt." Torres: "Sounds like you had a lot more fun at the Academy than I did. I remember dodging a few punches in the lab."

Chakotay: "Only you, B'Elanna, could start a brawl in Astrotheory 101." He chuckles. Torres: "I guess I was just a little more...." she searches for the best word, "enthusiastic in those days." Chakotay: "I guess so." Torres: "Chakotay, what if we're stuck here? What if we can't find a way back?" Chakotay: "There are still a few isolated places left in this century. We'd have to keep low profiles." Torres: "We'd have to get jobs!" Chakotay: "I've thought about pursuing archaeology full time. Maybe I could teach at a university or work on one of the important digs in Central America. There was still a lot of important discoveries to be made in this century. I could win a Nobel Prize." Torres: "So much for a low profile." Chakotay: "What about you?" Torres: "Highly qualified Klingon seeks position as engineer." Chakotay: "I'd hire you in a second." An audio alert sounds. "Let's start our descent." Torres: "Approach course laid in. Full power to thrusters." Chakotay: "Watch out for birds." She laughs.

Metro Plaza. Tuvok inputs into a tricorder.

Paris uses Rain's mobile phone, accessing Voyager's com. system. Paris, via phone: "Paris to Chakotay." Chakotay, via comms: "Go ahead." Paris, via comms: "Starling's arrived, with the Doctor!" Torres, via comms: "What? How is that possible?" Paris, via comms "I don't know. Are you within range?" Chakotay, via comms: "Almost. Another two minutes."

Starling: "I don't know, Doc. You were awfully quiet on the ride over here." Doctor: "I'm not programmed to make small talk." Starling: "Maybe just a little bit anxious about being out in the real world." Doctor: "It's just another environment to me." Rain appears and walks toward them. Starling: "Mind your manners, Doc. If your shipmates start any trouble, you'll be holo-dust."

Tuvok, via comms: "I have triangulated the position of the van, Chakotay. Stand by for tricorder uplink. You'll be able to lock on the moment Starling is inside."

Rain: "Mr Starling, I'm so glad you're here." Starling: "Tell your friends to come out or their colleague here's going to die." Rain: "What are you talking about?" Starling: "Let's go." Rain: "Oh, my van is this way." Starling: "We're taking my car."

Rain: "I left my stuff in the van." Starling: "I'll send somebody back for it. Is there a problem?" Rain: "Nope."

Paris: "He's heading in the wrong direction. They're not going to the van." Tuvok: "Mr Chakotay, there is a problem." He quickly sets about inputting new co-ordinates.

As they reach Starling's car, Rain stops. She recognises Dunbar. Rain: "That, that's the guy who tried to kill me." Starling: "No, he was trying to rescue you."

Rain: "Where are we going?" Starling: "To my office. You'll be safe there." Rain: "Office. Right." They get into the car.

Paris: "We're recalibrating Starling's position. You're going to have to take him out of his own car." Tuvok: "There may not be enough time." He inputs into the tricorder. "I've determined the co-ordinates." Paris, via comms: "Now, Chakotay!" Chakotay, via comms: "We've got a lock on Starling's position." Torres: "Energising."

Starling's car. Starling: "Dunbar, take the surface streets. The 101's a nightmare at this time-" He starts to dematerialise. Rain: "Oh my God!"

The Doctor fights Dunbar who punches the Doctor several times. The Doctor to Rain: "Run!" She gets out and flees.

Shuttlecraft. Torres: "Pattern buffers overloading. He's activated some kind of device. It's interfering with the transport."

The Doctor continues to struggle with Dunbar.

Starling completely dematerialises.

The Doctor lands a winning punch and knocks out Dunbar. The Doctor looks at his hand in surprise.

The Doctor opens the door, gets out and sprints across the Plaza.

A moment later, Dunbar comes to. He looks round and sees....

....Paris and Tuvok racing into view.

Realising the hopeless situation, Dunbar drives off at speed.

Paris: "Are you alright?" Rain: "I guess so." Tuvok: "Doctor."

Doctor: "I've been equipped with an autonomous self-sustaining mobile holo-emitter. In short, I am footloose and fancy free."

Paris and Tuvok exchange a look.

Chakotay, via an open comlink with Voyager: "Captain, we've got Starling in our transporter buffers but we can't rematerialise him." Torres: "The interference is disrupting computer pathways." Chakotay: "Aft thrusters are down."

Voyager's Bridge. Kim: "Captain, we're close enough to the shuttle to use the short range transporter." Janeway, via comms: "Janeway to transporter room 1. Lock directly onto the shuttle's pattern buffers and energise." Female transporter duty officer, via comms: "Acknowledged." Janeway, via comms: "Chakotay, we're taking over from here." To Kim: "Mr Kim, let's go." She and Kim enter the turbolift.

Shuttlecraft. Chakotay: "The buffers are purged. They've taken Starling off our hands." Torres: "We're losing altitude."