SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Episode 75
Part D

 

Doctor: "To where?" Torres: "I don't know. It's too weak to travel very far. Access the internal sensors and set them to a phase variance of .15." He goes over to the console by the wall.

As he starts to access the internal sensors, he suddenly fritzes. Doctor: "Lieutenant!"

She hurries over and check his mobile emitter. Torres: "Your program has been deleted." Doctor: "How?!" Torres: "I don't know."

She returns to the main console. "I'm transferring you back to Sickbay." But before she can do so, suddenly she gasps and is unable to breathe!

She collapses.

The Doctor rushes over to her. "B'Elanna!" He taps his combadge. "Science lab to the Bridge. This is the Doctor-" He fritzes again.

Quickly he gets up and presses controls on the console. As he does so he dematerialises....

.....and the mobile emitter falls to the floor!

A crewman scanning the patient who came in when Neelix and Chakotay were here.

In Sickbay, Torres is unconscious on the main biobed. Paris reports to Janeway. "In the last hour, three more patients have come in with genetic mutations. The effects have started to become life-threatening." Janeway: "What happened to B'Elanna?" Paris: "The alveoli in her lungs suddenly stopped processing oxygen. I've got her on respiratory support. She almost died." He is still getting over the intense worry and fear of losing her that he experienced when he treated her. Janeway: "What about the Doctor?" Kim: "The computer logs in the Science Lab show that he was trying to transfer himself to Sickbay. Something must've gone wrong while he was in transit." Paris: "Could the...." Seven's concentration on the conversation is interrupted as the Doctor's voice comes through to her. "Seven of Nine. This is the Doctor. Can you hear me? It's me, the Doctor. I've tapped into your audio implants so only you can hear me. It's imperative that you tell no one. Make any excuse you can to get out of there and report to Holodeck 2. I'm hiding in the Da Vinci simulation. I'll explain everything when you get here." The conversation in the room has moved on meanwhile. Kim: "Seven was checking that." Janeway: "Seven?" When Seven seems distracted, she repeats, sharply: "Seven." Kim: "About the Doctor's research." "Yes." Seven recovers quickly: "I examined their work area. There was no record of any findings. The electron resonance scanner appeared to be malfunctioning. I," realising this is the excuse she needs to leave, "could return to the Science Lab and attempt to repair it." Janeway: "Keep me informed." Her headache seems to be worsening.

Seven and the Doctor are in the Leonardo da Vinci holoprogram. The Doctor is in Renaissance costume and playing the part of da Vinci. Doctor: "Hold your head this way, Carlotta." He moves the holofemale's head. To Seven: "I can only conclude that someone has implanted these microscopic tags in the DNA of the crew to cause genetic mutations." Seven: "For what purpose?" Doctor: "I don't know. And I get the feeling they don't want us to find out." Seven: "Explain." Doctor: "When Lieutenant Torres and I started making progress in our investigation, we were both incapacitated. Call me paranoid, but I don't think that is a coincidence." Seven: "If you're correct, perhaps our actions are being monitored." Doctor: "That's why I couldn't risk contacting anyone over the comm. system." Seven: "Our first course of action should be to collect more information." Doctor: "My thinking exactly." He goes over the the desk. She follows him.

He opens the lid. Inside the desk are the controls to the Holodeck. Doctor: "B'Elanna wanted to adjust the ship's internal sensors to a phase variance of .15. I'd like to do the same to your Borg sensory nodes." Seven: "Proceed." Doctor: "Computer, give me a type-4 micro-inducer." The bucket rattles as the item is put into it.

The Doctor takes the micro-inducer and adjusts Seven's implant.

Doctor: "Now, take a look around and tell me what you see." She does so, looking anticlockwise. But all she can see is the holosimulation - there is no one else present except for herself, the Doctor and the holocharacters. Doctor: "Do you see anything unusual? Energy signatures or perhaps something that might be transmitting a signal?"

Seven: "No." Doctor: "That's one room down, 256 to go."

Doctor: "I suggest a deck-by-deck survey. If you need to contact me, use comm. frequency epsilon-2. I've isolated it from the rest of the system." Seven: "Understood." She starts to leave.

Doctor: "And be careful. Someone out there could be watching." She acknowledges and leaves.