Sickbay. Doctor: "He must have a cloaking device. Sensors show no alien lifesigns and no evidence of a ship. I've been working on my mobile emitter. I think I'm making progress but I still can't leave Sickbay. You'll have to try to track him down. Arm yourself and use extreme caution." Computer, voice distorted: "Warning. Deuterium tank levels are fluctuating beyond acceptable tolerances." Doctor: "The computer sounds like it needs a stimulant." Seven: "It's been experiencing relay failures. I have not been performing my maintenance duties." Doctor: "Do what you have to, but keep an eye out for the alien. We have to assume he's up to no good." When he sees Seven looking worried: "Seven, are you frightened?" Seven, recovering her composure: "I am Borg."

As Seven moves down the corridor, phaser rifle in hand, the ghostly voices of the crew and Trajis start to assail her, becoming increasingly unsettling. Seven: "Who's there?" She hears ghostly voices, including Trajis, Neelix, Janeway, Paris, Kim and Chakotay: "Seven, help me, Seven. I'm dying, Seven, don't let me die. The lives of the crew are on your shoulders. Seven, help me. Help, Seven, I need help. We need you, Seven." But when she reaches Deck 14 and the stasis room the crew are all in their stasis chambers, and all is as it should be. However, she checks the controls nervously before leaving.

As Seven again moves through the corridors, Trajis' voice pursues her and she stoically ignores him. "Seven of Nine. That's an unusual name. How did you get it? Don't want to answer me? That's alright, I don't mind, I know you're not yourself today. But you might be interested in what I'm doing now. I know your sensors can't detect me, so if you want to know where I am you'll have to ask. Playing stubborn? That's a mistake. It could lead to an unfortunate accident. Just to prove I'm willing to give you a fair chance I'll ask you: what would happen if the structural integrity around the warp coils collapsed?" Seven stops - Trajis has her attention. "You wouldn't have much time to keep them from rupturing." Seven sprints for Engineering.

In Engineering Seven checks the controls. Trajis' voice continues: "I couldn't bring myself to destroy your ship." Suddenly the lights go off and Seven is startled. "I hope you're not afraid of the dark." Seven: "Where are you?" Trajis: "Finally! I'm glad you're responding. It's going to be much more interesting if we play this game together." Seven: "Your location." Trajis: "A long way from you. On the Bridge, command centre of your ship, I believe. I can do just about anything from here."

Suddenly Seven hears Paris call for help from somewhere on the upper level. She races up the ladder and sees Paris and Kim's bodies - they burst into flame!

Getting an idea she returns to the lower level console where she starts activating controls.
Seven: "Seven to Trajis. Are you still there?"
Trajis: "Of course. Do you think I'd leave now?"
Seven: "I am enjoying this game. What's next?"
Trajis: "That's better. Well, let's just imagine that one of the photon torpedoes was activated but not ejected."
Seven: I would have to get to the torpedo bay quickly."
Trajis: "Even then you might be too late, but of course you have to try."
Seven: "Let's play another game. Let's imagine that the oxygen on the Bridge has been depleted."
Trajis: "What?"
Seven: "What do you suppose the results might be?" But Trajis does not reply. There is only a suffocating sound then silence. "Computer, seal the Bridge with a level 3 forcefield."
Computer: "Bridge sealed."
Seven signals the Doctor and they converse via combadge:
Seven: "Seven of Nine to the Doctor."
Doctor: "I'm here." He is in fact marching purposefully down the corridor, wearing his mobile emitter.
Seven: "I have incapacitated the alien. He will not trouble us again."
Doctor: "Good work. I have my mobile emitter back online. Where are you now?"
Seven: "In Engineering."
Doctor: "I'll be right there. I have interesting news about the neural gel-packs."
Seven: "Acknowledged."

Suddenly Trajis is in Engineering. He says: "In your heart you knew you'd see me again." Seven fires the phaser rifle at him but although it hits him he is unharmed. As he walks towards her she backs away nervously and he tells her: "You can't defeat me - you're too weak."
Seven: "Don't come closer."
Trajis: "You couldn't stand being alone, could you, you felt vulnerable, afraid."
Seven: "Stop!"
Trajis: "Because you know what you are. At first you thought you could become human but now you know that's impossible, don't you? You're Borg. That's what you were meant to be - one of many. But your days of power are gone. You're all alone now, weak, pathetic." 6

The Doctor enters and sees Seven talking to, and pointing the phaser rifle at, an empty space. There is no one else in the room. When she notices him she says: "Doctor, be careful, he's dangerous." Doctor: "Who are you talking to?" Seven finds Trajis gone and she is disorientated. "Where did he go?" Doctor: "There's no one else here." Seven: "But he was, he was right here!" Doctor: "Seven, you're hallucinating." Seven: "No, I saw him!" Doctor: "There was no one else in this room." Seven: "You mean, I imagined him?" Doctor: "Yes." Seven: "I heard Lieutenant Paris, calling for help. I saw him, and the others - did I imagine them as well?" Doctor: "I believe so. When I studied the gel-pack I discovered the radiation was producing a degradation in the synpatic relays. I'm guessing there's been a similar effect on your Borg implants. The radiation could be altering the neurotransmitter levels in your sensory nodes. That would explain why you're hearing voices, seeing images." Seven: "They seemed real." Doctor: "Hallucinations usually do. That's what makes them seem so frightening."

Seven: "Once, when I was a drone, I was separated from the Collective for two hours. I experienced panic and apprehension. I'm feeling that way now." Doctor: "I'll do everything I can to help you. We'll get you to Sickbay. An anti-psychotic may help, at least until I determine just what neural functions are being affected."

	Suddenly one of the computer consoles explodes in a shower of sparks. Seven: "What was that?" Computer: "Warning. Primary EPS conduits overloading." The Doctor's program fritzes. He tells Seven worriedly, "I tied my mobile emitter into the EPS conduits!"
	Seven: "Computer, access the EPS conduits." Computer: "Unable to comply." Doctor: "My program's going offline." Seven: "No." Computer, voice distorted: "Warning. Primary EPS conduits overloading. Secondary systems are failing." Doctor: "Seven, you've got to hang on. Repair the EPS system. Everything depends on you." Seven: "I'm unable to function alone." Doctor: "You have to! You're the only one who can save us now." The Doctor's program goes offline.
	Seven cries "No!"
	Seven is now all alone, and she looks small, lonely and desolate in the vast emptiness of Engineering.