MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
Episode 82
Part E

 

The Doctor enters the Prometheus Bridge.

Nevala: "There you are, Doctor. Have you completed the surgery?"

Doctor: "Yes. Your friend is recovering nicely." Addressing Rekar, "However, I found something disturbing in his blood work. It seems that he's been exposed to a nasty strain of the Torothka virus, and if he was, you may all have been. I've come to run some scans." Rekar: "No one here is sick." Doctor: "Not yet. I understand the stomach cramps are unbearable, although some say the rash is worse." Rekar: "Conduct your scans."

As the Doctor starts apparently scanning but actually seeking out the environmental controls, Rekar turns his attention elsewhere. "How far are we from our border?"

Nevala: "At our present velocity, 40 minutes." Rekar: "Alter our heading to 118 mark 26." Nevala: "That will take us off our course to Romulus."

While Rekar and Nevala converse, the Doctor, having discovered the environmental controls are not at Nevala's station, follows an officer in order to reach another control panel. Rekar: "There's been a change of plans. We're giving this ship to someone who'll make use of its full potential - the Tal Shiar. I've made arrangements to rendezvous with their fleet within the hour."

The Doctor continues to look round while pretending to scan. Nevala: "But Commander, they're expecting us to be-" Rekar: "You have your orders." Nevala turns back to the console to obey.

Rekar notices that the Doctor is accessing a control panel. "What are you doing?" Doctor, thinking quickly: "I'm checking the biofilters for evidence of the virus."

Rekar is suspicious and looks at the tricorder. "You haven't taken any readings at all!" The Doctor taps the tricorder as if it is faulty, still trying to bluff. "Mmm," acting surprised.

In the Delta Quadrant, in Voyager's Sickbay, Paris is using a Starfleet medical tricorder too. He is dealing with another crewmember stricken by Neelix's cooking.

Paris: "Next time, order the chicken salad." The crewmember leaves.

Kim enters. "Oh!" Paris exclaims, relieved. "Am I glad to see you!" Kim: "What's the emergency?" Paris: "Take a look around you, Harry. What do you see?" Kim: "Sickbay?" Paris: "Exactly."

Kim: "So?" Paris: "So, it's not the helm of a starship, is it?" Kim: "Did you accidentally inject yourself with some kind of psychotropic agent?" Paris: "I am a pilot, Harry, not a doctor." Kim: "This is a temporary assignment just 'til the Doc gets back." Paris: "What if he doesn't get back?" Kim: "He'll be back."

Paris: "I need your help, Harry. Rescue me from medical exile." Kim, unenthusiastically, dubiously, knowing something onerous is coming his way: "How." Paris: "You're an expert in holotechnology. You have got to design a new doctor."

Kim: "You really are delirious. It took the greatest holo-engineers in Starfleet years to develop the EMH. I can't just design a new doctor!"

Paris: "Think of it as a challenge, Harry - a chance to make history and save your best friend all at the same time."

Seven, working on a PADD, approaches the Astrometrics Lab.

Seven is surprised to see....

.....Torres there: "Lieutenant Torres."

As Seven goes to her station, Torres is pressing controls on the console. Seven: "You are re-calibrating the relay interface." Torres: "That's right." Seven: "State your reasons for making these modifications." Torres: "'State your reasons, please.' It's not what you say, Seven. It's how you say it." Seven: "I don't understand."

Torres sighs. She remembers Chakotay's injunction. "You may have noticed that some of the crew seem a bit on edge when you're around." Seven: "I was Borg. I elicit apprehension." Torres: "No, that's not what I mean. We're not afraid that you're going to assimilate us. We're just not used to- You just-" There is no tactful way to say it, so she has to say bluntly: "You're rude."

Seven: "I am rude." Torres: "Yes. Yes! You order people around, you do things without permission, and whether you realise it or not you come off as a little insulting. You don't even say please or thank you. Look, I don't expect you to change overnight but try to remember that we are not just a bunch of drones."

Seven: "Your attempt to re-calibrate the interface is ill-advised. The risk of disrupting our link is too great." Torres: "In your opinion. You see, that is exactly what I'm talking about. You haven't even been listening to me. I don't know why I try to talk to you if you don't even-"

The transmission is interrupted. Torres, concerned: "Are we losing the link?" Seven: "No. We're receiving a transmission from the relay station." Torres: "The Doctor?"

An alien appears on the viewscreen (Idrin by name). Idrin (on screen): "What are you?" Torres: "I'm Lieutenant Torres of the Starship Voyager." Idrin (on screen): "You are using our technology." Torres: "You mean the sensor network? We thought that it was abandoned." Idrin (on screen): "It belongs to the Hirogen. Terminate your link." Torres: "No, no, wait, please. We just-" Seven: "The link has been severed."

They both realise how serious this is - the Doctor cannot return to Voyager!

USS Prometheus, Alpha Quadrant. The Doctor has been taken to a room for interrogation.

Rekar: "What else have you done to this ship? I will deactivate you unless you start answering my questions." Doctor: "If I answer them you'll very likely deactivate me anyway, so I fail to see the point." Rekar: "You are nothing but a computer-generated projection. I find it hard to believe you're capable of taking these actions independently." Doctor: "How flattering." Rekar: "Tell me who is operating your program. Is it someone on this ship? A Starfleet crewmember we missed, or one of my own men?" Doctor: "Paranoia is a way of life for you, isn't it?"

Nevala enters. Nevala to Rekar: "The computer log shows the ship received an optronic datastream transmission approximately six hours ago. It contained a holographic subroutine." Rekar: "Who sent it?" Nevala: "Unknown. The data pattern had a Starfleet signature."

Rekar, to the Doctor: "So, Starfleet has managed to sneak a holographic operative aboard. Very clever." Nevala to the Doctor: "Were you only sent to spy on us or does your mission include sabotage?" Doctor sighs. "The datastream you detected came from an alien sensor network. It transferred me from a Starfleet ship in the Delta Quadrant." Nevala: "The Delta Quadrant? That's absurd." Rekar: "This is pointless." Doctor: "I couldn't agree more."

Nevala to Rekar: "Maybe there's a better way to retrieve information from a hologram. I suggest a complete algorithm extraction. We can analyse his subroutines one by one." Rekar: "Proceed."

Doctor, as Nevala starts the procedure at the computer console: "Isn't there some kind of convention regarding the treatment of prisoners?" She ignores him.

Suddenly gas enters the room from the ventilation vents. Rekar and Nevala cough violently and collapse unconscious.

The EMH Mark 2 materialises. EMH Mark 2: "Did it work?"

He goes over to the console. Pushing aside Nevala's body: "Sorry to interrupt." Doctor: "Did you anaesthetise the entire ship?" EMH Mark 2: "I did."

Doctor: "How did you manage to release the neurozine? I never opened the ventilation system." EMH Mark 2: "Trapped in the Jefferies tube, alone, nowhere to run. His smug comrade captured by Romulans, EMH Mark 2 had to improvise. Inspiration! He accessed the main computer and simulated a shipwide bio-hazard, making the computer think there was a microbiotic contamination on all decks." Doctor: "And the ventilation system opened automatically."

EMH Mark 2: "Presto! He then crawled back out of the tube, accessed the holo-emitters, transferred here, excused the Romulan, saw the dumbfounded look on his comrade's face-"

Doctor: "The end! You know, you really should keep a personal log. Why bore others needlessly?" He sighs. "We have to get to the Bridge. This ship needs a crew, and we're it." EMH Mark 2: "Ooh, trouble. The Prometheus is a prototype, top secret. Only four people in all of Starfleet trained to operate it. I hope your myriad adventures included piloting lessons."

At this point they are transported from the room, apparently into space.