DRONE
Episode 96
Part E

 

Seven wakes next morning......

.......to see Janeway in front of her. Behind Janeway are Tuvok and four security guards holding phaser rifles. Seven: "Captain." Janeway: "The drone transmitted a Borg proximity signal. Wake him."

Seven looks toward One.

Seven goes to One's alcove and presses buttons on the control by it. One opens his eyes and comes forward. Seven to One: "You contacted the Collective." One: "No."

Janeway to Seven: "Check his transceiver." One says as Seven fetches a tricorder: "You deactivated my transceiver two days ago."

Seven uses scans One with the tricorder. Seven: "It appears your cranial implants have adapted. You created a secondary transceiver." Janeway surmises: "A Borg fail-safe device." Seven: "Precisely. Have you detected any vessel?" Tuvok: "Long-range sensors picked up a transwarp conduit. A ship is approaching." Seven: "Time to intercept?" Tuvok: "Approximately 3 hours." One: "The Borg?" Seven: "Yes." One: "I wish to meet them."

Janeway: "Seven." She and Seven move away. She tells Seven: "I think it's time we showed our drone what the Borg are all about."

In the Astrometrics Lab, Seven and Janeway display visual and read-outs in Borg symbols on the main viewscreen. Records include footage of Borg cubes firing, while in the bottom left of the screen pictures of a Borg drone seen from the front, back and side are shown. One watches and assimilates the information.

One: "The Borg have assimilated thousands of species." Seven: "Correct." One: "What becomes of those species?" Seven: "Their neural pathways are restructured and linked to a single collective mind, the Hive. Their bodies are augmented with cybernetic technology. They become drones." One: "I wish to experience the Hive mind." Janeway: "If you did that, you'd no longer be unique. The Borg would destroy your individuality." One: "And that is undesirable?" Janeway: "Very. The Borg are the most destructive force we've ever encountered. They've assimilated billions of individuals against their will." One: "You were assimilated." Seven: "My link to the Collective was severed." One: "When you were in the Collective, you assimilated others." Seven: "Yes." One: "You call the Borg destructive. Seven of Nine is not." Janeway: "That's because she's regained her individuality. If the Borg had the chance, they'd take it away from her again, they'd assimilate everyone on Voyager. With your advanced technology the Collective would become even more destructive. We have to prevent that from happening, but we can't do it without you. We need your abilities to enhance our defences, shields, weapons. Will you help us resist them?" One: "Seven of Nine, do you wish to rejoin the Collective?" Seven: "Voyager is my collective." One: "I will need time to assimilate this information." The com. signal sounds. Chakotay makes a shipwide broadcast. "All hands to battle stations! A Borg vessel is approaching." Janeway: "We just ran out of time."

Seven and One walk briskly along the corridor. One: "Seven of Nine, I'm detecting irregularities in my autonomic nervous system: cardiovascular excitation, vasoconstriction." Seven: "You are experiencing an emotion - anxiety. It is only temporary." One: "Anxiety: a state of apprehension caused by fear." Seven: "The Borg usually elicit this response in others." One: "Are you experiencing anxiety as well?" Seven: "Yes, along with every crewmember on Voyager." One: "Because they fear assimilation?" Seven: "Correct. We are needed on the Bridge."

Inside the turbolift she orders it: "Deck 1." One: "Seven of Nine." Seven: "Yes." One: "What will happen now?" Seven: "We will engage the Borg." One: "Will Voyager be destroyed?"

Seven: "The Borg are powerful but Captain Janeway is a resourceful leader. We will resist." One: "Resistance is futile." Seven: "Perhaps."

Bridge. Chakotay: "The Borg vessel's moving into range."

Janeway: "On screen." One sees the Borg sphere approaching, displayed on the main viewscreen. "Long-range tactical vessel, transwarp capability, ablative hull armour."

Kim: "We're being scanned." Seven: "They are preparing to attack. You must help us enhance our shields. This station will give you access to the shield generators." Tuvok: "They are hailing us." Janeway: "Open a channel." Borg Collective: "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." One: "I can hear them, in my mind." Tuvok: "They've locked on a tractor beam."

One: "The Collective is calling to me." Seven: "I hear it too: billions of voices speaking as one." At her words, Chakotay and Janeway look at her alarmed - will the Collective draw Seven to it?

But Seven tells One firmly: "We must resist that voice. The crew of Voyager will be destroyed if we don't." One acknowledges her words. He injects tubules into the Bridge's secondary tactical console's computer interface. Tuvok: "Our shields are remodulating."

Voyager held by the Borg tractor pulse. One's enhancements mean that Voyager's shields manage to repel the tractor pulse.

Paris: "We've broken free." He moves Voyager away from the sphere.

Janeway: "Can you enhance our phasers?" One: "Yes." Janeway: "Do it. When he's finished, target their propulsion system. Be prepared to jump to warp, Mr Paris." One: "Enhancements complete. You may fire." Chakotay: "What happened?" Seven: "They inverted our phaser beam with a feedback pulse." Paris: "They just took out our warp drive." It looks like there is no escape!