DRONE
Episode 96
Part F

 

The Borg fire on Voyager. One: "Your technology is limited. I cannot enhance it further. I must interface with the Collective. I can disrupt their vessel from within." Seven: "They will try to assimilate you." One: "They will fail."

Seven and Janeway exchange looks. Janeway: "Harry, lock on to the drone." One: "That won't be necessary."

One activates his internal transporter nodes.

One dematerialises.

Tuvok reports: "He's inside the sphere."

Inside the sphere. Borg Collective: "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated."

One: "My technology is superior. Stop your attack or I will destroy you." Borg Collective: "Your technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."

On board Voyager, as the Borg assault continues, Kim reports: "Shields down to 29 per cent!"

Inside the Borg sphere. A Borg drone attacks One but his reactive body armour disables them as soon as it comes into contact with it.

He deals with another attacking drone the same way, then goes and stands in a Borg alcove where he starts to interface with the Borg systems.

A hit from the Borg sphere causes several explosions on the Bridge. Seven reports: "He's accessing their navigational controls."

Paris reports on the Borg sphere: "It's heading directly for the nebula." Seven: "If they get too close their hull will collapse."

One interfaces with the Collective via an alcove. He navigates the sphere into the proto-nebula. The Borg Collective orders: "Terminate your interface." But One ignores them.

The Borg sphere's hull collapses and it explodes. The force of the explosion throws Voyager clear.

LEFT: The still screenshots with audio commence with One inside the Borg sphere, and the Flash movie concludes with a silent animated sequence showing the destruction of the Borg sphere and Voyager being thrown clear.

	Janeway orders: "Stand down red alert. Tuvok, secure all stations. Organise damage control teams, Chakotay." Seven looks stricken - the sphere's destruction means that One must be dead.

Kim reports: "Captain, I'm reading a lifesign, in the debris. It's the drone. He survived." Seven goes over to ops. "He's erected a multi-spatial forcefield around his body but it is weakening." Janeway: "Get a lock on him. Beam him to Sickbay.

Seven hurries into Sickbay. Seven: "Damage?" Doctor: "Several of his implants were fused in the explosion but they're regenerating. His biological systems are a different story: severe trauma to the cerebral cortex, internal bleeding - he needs immediate surgery."

One, his voice weak: "The sphere?" Seven: "Destroyed. You were successful." One: "While I was linked to the Borg I could hear their thoughts, their objectives. They are aware of my existence. They will pursue me!" Seven: "Irrelevant. They will fail." Doctor: "I need to get started." One: "No! I should not exist. I was an accident," and he uses the Doctor's way of putting it: "'a random convergence of technologies'." Seven: "You are unique." One: "I was never meant to be. As long as I exist you are in danger, all life on Voyager is in danger."

Doctor, fetching over and setting down a tray of medical instruments: "We can talk about this later." He goes to use a hypospray on One but One erects a forcefield, preventing him.

Seven: "Allow the Doctor to proceed! Lower the forcefield!" Doctor: "His synapses are failing." Seven: "You must comply." One: "I will not!" Seven: "You must comply! Please," and she uses the words that on a previous occasion had got through to him: "you are hurting me."

But One tells her: "You will adapt." They are his last words.

Doctor: "I'm sorry."

Aimlessly moving round Sickbay for a moment, somehow Seven then manages to make her way out of Sickbay.

Seven enters the cargo bay, bereaved and feeling very alone as she looks at One's alcove.

She deactivates One's alcove, and stands there at a loss. Eventually she makes her way to the computer console.

Seven looks at herself in the mirror. This time there is no smile.