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SCORPION Episodes 68 & 69 Part L

In Sickbay Kes is busily working at a console.

Suddenly she has a mental flash of a member of Species 8472 looming toward her.

She turns round in shock but sees nothing.

She continues to look round, feeling disturbed.

Suddenly in her mind she sees the alien, right there in Sickbay, lunging towards at her!

She screams and collapses.

The Doctor quickly arrives. "Kes. Kes. Kes!" He tries to snap her out of her trance. She is stunned and shaken. Kes: "They're watching us!"

Inside the Borg cube, in a part which has no visible damage following the attack by Species 8472, Janeway and Tuvok are directed along a corridor by Borg drones. Tuvok carries an engineering kit and a PADD. Tuvok to Janeway: "May I ask where we're being taken?" Janeway repeats what she has been told: "Grid nine-two of subjunction twelve - our very own workspace. It's near the centre of the cube."

Tuvok hands her the PADD. "These are my tricorder readings of the bio-ship we examined. I believe you will find them most revealing." She looks at the PADD, reacts with interest. "Have you compared this to the Doctor's analysis of the alien tissue?" Tuvok: "Yes. Many of the cellular structures are identical." Janeway: "The aliens and their ships are made of the same organic material." Tuvok: "Apparently so."

They reach their destination. The workspace is filled with Borg equipment, alcoves and a few Borg drones. The Borg: "You have entered grid nine-two of subjunction twelve. Proceed."

Janeway to the Borg: "Alright. We've analysed one of the alien vessels and it appears to be constructed of organic material vulnerable to the modified nanoprobes. I suggest we begin thinking about a large-scale delivery system, a way to infect their ships and destroy them at the mi-"

The Borg Collective interrupts: "We will begin."
Suddenly two Borg seize Janeway and Tuvok, forcing them to crouch.

Each drone bends over his prisoner and....

....forcibly attaches a small Borg device - a neuro-transceiver - to their neck.

Tuvok: "What are you doing?" The Borg: "A neuro-transceiver is required for maximum communication. We will work as one mind." Janeway: "No. That wasn't the agreement." The Borg: "The neural link is temporary. You will not be damaged." Janeway: "I don't care. I prefer to communicate verbally, thank you."

The Borg: "Your primitive communication is inefficient." Tuvok: "On the contrary, we work better with our individuality intact. Surely we've proven that to you by now." The Borg: "Irrelevant. You must comply."

Janeway: "We 'must' do nothing. Tell your drone to remove the transceiver." There is no response. It is a scary moment. This situation is spinning out of control. Janeway thinks swiftly. She says: "What about choosing a representative, a single Borg we can work with and talk to directly?" The Borg: "Elaborate." Janeway: "You've done it before, when you transformed Jean-Luc Picard into Locutus." She insists: "We will not be assimilated! Choose a representative or the deal's off!"