In a transporter room, Seven orders Nozawa, the transporter chief: "Narrow the annular confinement beam to .47 terahertz." He does so. She reports to the Bridge via comms: "Ready here, Captain." On the transporter pad is a container into which they plan to transport deuterium from directly below the Demon planet's surface.

On the Bridge, Janeway tells Seven via comms: "Stand by." To Kim: "Harry, shunt whatever additional power you can to the containment field. I don't want any of those atmospheric gasses seeping in." Kim: "Aye, Captain." The ship is jolted. Tuvok reports: "A thermionic discharge has struck the forward shields. They're holding." Janeway: "Let's get this over with before you tell me otherwise." To Seven, via comms: "Seven, do it."

Seven instructs Nozawa: "Energise." He activates the controls. She reports to the Bridge via comms: "Transport in progress."

An explosion at the transporter connsole catches Nozawa! Tuvok: "Shields are weakening." Kim: "I'm reading an overload in the pattern buffers." Janeway to Seven, urgently, via comms: "Abort transport."

Seven hurries to the console. "Controls not responding." Janeway, via comms: "Get out of there now!"

Seven helps the injured Nozawa toward the exit.

The container on the transporter pad and its contents heat up - they are about to explode!

The explosion!

Nozawa and Seven reach the corridor only just in time!

Seven: "Computer, seal off the transporter room and erect a level 10 containment field!" Computer: "Containment field established."

Seven realises that she and Nozawa have had a lucky escape.

The senior staff are holding a meeting in the Briefing Room. Chakotay reports: "The good news is Nozawa and Seven of Nine have both been treated and released from Sickbay, and the planetary gases have been expelled from the transporter room." Janeway: "And the bad news?" Chakotay: "The transporters are offline. It'll take days before they're back again." Janeway sarcastically: "Great." She continues: "We lose valuable energy on a course change and all we get for our trouble is another downed system. Can we send a probe to collect the deuterium?" Tuvok: "It would incinerate within seconds of entering the upper atmosphere." Janeway: "I don't see any other options. Tom, put us back on our original course, one quarter impulse." He nods in acknowledgement. Everyone starts to leave. Kim has been quiet so far, and he has been pondering the matter. Now he speaks up: "Captain, maybe I can help." Paris: "Harry, the bicycle thing was just a joke." Kim ignores him and puts his idea to the meeting. "I've been thinking: with Tuvok's shield modifications and a few tweaks to an environmental suit, I could take a shuttle to the surface and mine the deuterium from there." Tuvok: "Need I remind you, Ensign, that there is no environment less hospitable to humanoid life than a Class Y." Kim: "Actually, Tuvok, no, you needn't remind me. What's the alternative? Resume course? Creep along at quarter impulse hoping we find fuel before we end up dead in the water? We've got deuterium within arm's reach. We can't let the opportunity slip away without at least trying." Chakotay: "He's got a point." Janeway considers the proposal. "You wouldn't be able to communicate with us if you got in trouble, and until we can get transporters back we couldn't beam you out." Tuvok: "Even with modifications, it wouldn't be long before your suit began to corrode. Exposure to that atmosphere could kill you within minutes." Kim: "I know the risks." Janeway: "Even if I agreed, I'd never let you go alone." Kim: "Of course not. That's why I'm volunteering my good buddy Tom here," patting his good buddy in a friendly way, "to go with me." Janeway smiles. Paris smiles at the joke too, but he is not terribly pleased at being volunteered.

As Paris and Kim leave the Briefing Room and head toward the Shuttlebay, Paris picks Kim up about the meeting. Paris: "You were pretty forceful in there." Kim: "So?" Paris: "'So'? I don't think I've ever seen you that assertive in a staff meeting before. You must be bucking for a promotion." Kim: "I had an idea and I spoke up, that's all." Paris: "Oh, no, no, no. It was more than that. You put Tuvok in his place right in front of everybody." Kim: "He was stating the obvious again, talking down to me like I didn't know anything about Demon class planets." Paris: "I am not criticising you. Believe me, nobody enjoys seeing the Vulcan Master put down a peg more than I do. I was just surprised, that's all." Kim: "Why?" Paris: "It didn't seem like you." He presses the turbolift call button. Kim: "Good." The turbolift doors open and they enter. To the computer: "Cargo bay 2." They will go there to obtain equipment before going to the Shuttlebay. Paris: "Trying to change your squeaky clean image or something?" Kim: "Not exactly." Paris: "What, then?" Kim: "How do I explain this? When I first came on board Voyager I was pretty green, right?" Paris: "A deep, almost fluorescent green, if I remember correctly." Kim: "I was young, inexperienced, and I acted like it - mervous about giving my opinion, hesitant to make suggestions, so I usually just kept my mouth shut. And I behaved that way for so long it became a habit. But, in the last four years, a lot has happened. I've fought the Borg, been transformed into an alien, helped defeat the Hirogen. Hell, I've even come back from the dead!" Paris: "Mmm. It's been a wild ride." Kim: "I woke up the other morning and it suddenly hit me. I've got a lot of experience now, so why should I be afraid to take the initiative or voice my ideas?" Paris is pleased for him. The turbolift stops and the doors open. "Good for you, Harry." They exit the turbolift and continue along the corridor. Paris: "But do me a favour - the next time you try to assert yourself, leave me out of it. I hate hot weather." Kim: "Don't worry." He jokes: "We can cut some holes in the environmental suits, get some ventilation going." Paris: "Harry, while you're busy improving yourself you might try working on your sense of humour." Kim: "My sense of humour? What about that stupid gag about the bicycle?" Paris: "Oh, ho, ho. That was funny." Kim: "No, that was not funny." They continue their buddy banter.

A Voyager shuttlecraft enters the atmosphere of a demon-class planet. (pop-up window)

As the shuttlecraft flies through difficult conditions, Paris tells his friend sarcastically: "I can't thank you enough for getting me in on this mission, Harry." Kim: "Don't mention it." Paris: "Remind me to volunteer you to help the next time I have to clean the warp plasma manifolds." Kim: "Really, Tom, you don't owe me anything." Paris: "Oh, but I do." The ship is jolted. "We've lost attitude control." Kim: "Time to show off your piloting skills. Think you can handle it?" Paris: "Watch me." Kim: "Oh, I'll be watching you alright. Switching to manual control." Paris, confidently: "Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride." Kim: "We're entering the lower atmosphere. Approaching the landing co-ordinates." Paris: "Alright, I'm going to set us down. On my mark." Kim waits. The shuttlecraft lands heavily. Smugly Paris says: "Mark." Kim: "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Paris smiles.