Disclaimer: Star Trek: Voyager and all its characters and episodes are owned by Paramount Pictures. The following script is made available for your personal enjoyment only. Script courtesy of Astor Dark ----------------------------------------------------------------------- STAR TREK: VOYAGER "Scorpion, Part One" TEASER FADE IN: EXT. SPACE-THE BORG (OPTICAL) In the distance, TWO BORG CUBES are approaching camera. The massive ships come closer... ominous. We HEAR the VOICE of the COLLECTIVE: BORG: We are the Borg. Existence as you know it is over. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile. You will be- Without warning, TENDRILS of CRACKLING ENERGY whip out from just offcamera, RIPPING and TEARING RIGHT THROUGH THE BORG SHIPS, OBLITERATING THEM IN A MAELSTROM OF FIRE AND DEBRIS. Off the mass destruction- someone or something has just beaten the Borg... FADE OUT. END OF TEASER This is da Vinci in his prime-a vital 50 years old, with the distinctive beard, bushy eyebrows and Renaissance artist's clothes. He turns to someone offcamera, speaks English with a light Italian accent. DA VINCI: (continuing) And what have I-the "Divine Leonardo da Vinci"- received in payment? 3 NEW ANGLE-THE ROOM (OPTICAL) We can now see that JANEWAY is there, wearing her Starfleet uniform. She and da Vinci are surrounded by a magical confusion of sketches, models, inventions and contraptions. This is DA VINCPS WORKSHOP-a late 15th century wonderland of imagination and creativity. The room is lit by soft light from an open window. JANEWAY: (a smile) The Cardinal's eternal gratitude? DA VINCI: Essatto! In other words, Signorina... less than nothing. Janeway sees an opportunity to pursue something she was after before we joined this scene... JANEWAY: All the more reason to accept my proposal... DA VINCI: Money is beside the point... (recalling her name) Catarina, is it? JANEWAY: Yes. (indicates workshop) I'm only asking for a corner... one bench, a place to work on my own projects -paintings... sculptures... just being here... in your company, is inspiring to me. DA VINCI: Flattery, Catarina, is also beside the point. I prefer my solitude. He releases a small pin on the contraption in front of him-and the arm begins to slowly move up and down on its own, driven by the counter- weights and creaking gears. Da Vinci smiles at the result. DA VINCI: (proudly) Maraviglioso... Janeway smiles -forgetting her proposal in the charm of the moment... getting a sense of da Vinci and how his mind worked is the primary reason for her being here in the first place. JANEWAY: What will you call it? DA VINCI: "The Arm of Hephaestos." JANEWAY: The god of the forge... DA VINCI: (nods) Every blacksmith who has ever swung a hammer will thank me for this creation. JANEWAY: Someone once said... all invention is but an extension of the body of man... Leonardo glances at her-he can't help but respect the quickness of her mind. He wags a finger at her-but there is a growing affection in his voice. DA VINCI: Do not think because I have enjoyed your visit today, that I am prepared to turn my workshop into a traveller's inn- A mechanical SCREECH. The mechanical arm freezes up-one of the gears has broken. Da Vinci moves to it, annoyed. DA VINCI: (cursing) Che catzo... He tinkers with the arm, trying to remove the broken gear. Janeway moves to lend him a hand. JANEWAY: Here, let me help you... Da Vinci eyes her, holding up his blackened hands. DA VINCI: And get your hands covered with goose grease? JANEWAY: It's good for the skin... Leonardo motions "come here" with his hand. DA VINCI: (re: gear) Let's find his big brother -hopefully he will be stronger... Da Vinci and Janeway move to a tabletop with a wooden box of mechanical parts and start sorting through the gears... Janeway picks up a couple of sketches of Da Vinci's famous "FLYING MACHINE" to get at a box of gears-she's almost reverent about the way she handles them. JANEWAY: (eyes sketches) These look like designs for a flying machine... Da Vinci shakes his head-the invention is one of his great failures, and a source of sadness and irritation. DA VINCI: Because my imagination takes flight so easily... I thought my body might do so as well. I was wrong. He goes back to a box of gears, as Janeway considers the drawings. And she sees an opportunity to press her proposal in a different way. She moves to join him, eyeing the model of his flying machine hanging nearby, gives it a tap of her hand as she passes... JANEWAY: It's this "flapping approach." You designed your machine to mimic the way a bat or a sparrow flies- DA VINCI: -Yes, yes. So? He distractedly puts the gear in place, still giving Janeway his attention. JANEWAY: So what if you based it on the hawk, instead? Da Vinci suddenly stops what he's doing, the gear in place. DA VINCI: A creature who glides through the air... JANEWAY: (smiles) Essatto. Da Vinci considers, impressed. Then he too, smiles. DA VINCI: We'll design a new machine... and you, Catarina, will help me fly it. Janeway indicates the workshop. JANEWAY: I'll need someplace to work... DA VINCI: (quoting her) A corner... one workbench. JANEWAY: That will be fine. Da Vinci turns back to the mechanical arm-but he's definitely sold on the proposal. DA VINCI: Ten scudi per week... and you provide your own materials... JANEWAY: Seven... (glancing at the magical confusion) And I might need to borrow a few things-on occasion. Da Vinci releases the pin on the mechanical arm as before-and it starts working perfectly. He turns to Janeway. DA VINCI: Then we have an agreement. CHAKOTAY'S COM VOICE: Chakotay to Janeway. JANEWAY: (taps combadge) Go ahead. CHAKOTAYS COM VOICE: Captain-we need you in Engineering. There's something here you should see. JANEWAY: I'm on my way. (to com) Computer, end program. As she walks offcamera (we do not see the program end)... Janeway heads for the door, removing her leather apron... CUT TO: 4 INT. ENGINEERING CHAKOTAY and TORRES are working at a console. N.D.s in the b.g. Janeway ENTERS and Chakotay turns to her. JANEWAY: What have you got? CHAKOTAY: Some bad news. (beat) One of the long range probes we sent out two months ago has stopped transmitting. TORRES: At first I thought it was a problem with the communications grid... then I cleared up the last few seconds of telemetry. Take a look at this... Torres taps a control on the console and they all watch a monitor... 5 CLOSE ON THE MONITOR (OPTICAL) It shows a variety of TELEMETRY and a VISUAL IMAGE-the "POV" of the PROBE. We see a starfield... and then a BORG CUBE flies into view... The image suddenly FRITZES... and is replaced by the vast INTERIOR of a BORG COLLECTIVE... the telemetry readings are now scrambled. The image FRITZES again... and we see a row of BORG ALCOVES... And then-the face of a BORG DRONE! It reaches into camera and the image FRITZES OUT completely. The monitor goes dark. 6 RESUME Janeway reacts. CHAKOTAY: This could be it, Captain... Borg space. CUT TO: 7 INT. BRIEFING ROOM (VPB) At impulse. Janeway is on her feet, facing the troops. Chakotay, Torres, TUVOK, PARIS,KIM, NEELIX, and the DOCTOR (who's wearing his mobile emitter) are sitting around the table. Everyone looks tense-this is the day they've all been dreading. Mid-conversation. JANEWAY: We don't know exactly how many vessels are out there... but their space appears to be vast... it includes thousands of solar systems... all Borg. (beat) We are no doubt entering the heart of their territory... there's no going around it... but there may be a way through it. She looks to Chakotay, who picks up the ball. He moves to the wall monitor and taps a control. A STAR MAP comes up-a narrow ribbon of space is HIGHLIGHTED. CHAKOTAY: (off graphic) Before the probe was disabled, it picked up a narrow corridor of space devoid of Borg activity. We've nicknamed it the "Northwest Passage." TORRES: (chiming in) Unfortunately, the passage is filled with intense gravimetric distortions... probably caused by a string of quantum singularities. PARIS: Better to ride the rapids than face the hive. CHAKOTAY: Exactly. We're going to set a course for that corridor... and go into full Tactical Alert. (to Tuvok) Where do we stand with weapons? TUVOK: I have reprogrammed the phaser banks to a rotating modulation. But I suspect a Borg vessel will adapt quickly. CHAKOTAY: We can use every edge. (to Kim) Ensign? KIM: I've already configured the long-range sensors to scan for transwarp signatures. An early warning system. CHAKOTAY: Good work. Doctor, how are you coming on the medical front? DOCTOR: I've analyzed every square millimeter of the Borg corpse we recovered three months ago. I'm closer to understanding how their assimilation technology works... and I may be able to create some sort of medical defense. CHAKOTAY: Redouble your efforts. This is your top priority. (beat) Neelix, I doubt we can resupply the ship any time soon... NEELIX: No problem, sir. I'm working on a plan to extend our food and replicator rations. Chakotay nods. JANEWAY: (to all) We have to act fast. The Borg have captured one of our probes... they know we're out here. Janeway looks at her people, tries to bolster their spirits and prime them for the challenge ahead. JANEWAY: (continuing) We'll do everything in our power to avoid a direct confrontation... but if and when we do engage the Borg, I'm confident that we'll be ready. I have faith in each and every one of you. (beat) Let's do it. As the crew moves into action. CUT TO: A MONTAGE OF IMAGES: The crew working, urgent, focused: 8 INT. ENGINEERING Torres and N.D.s working. Every panel that can be opened has been opened-we get the sense that major work is being done. 9 INT. CORRIDOR Several N.D.s carrying equipment... a few others racing down the hall... urgent. 10 INT. SCIENCE LAB (SEE ADDENDUM FOR DIALOGUE) Tuvok and Paris, working on a PHOTON TORPEDO. They have a panel open, and are making adjustments inside the weapon... 11 INT. ENGINEERING-SECOND LEVEL Three N.D.s pulling phaser rifles out of the weapons locker, making adjustments. Janeway looks on... 12 INT. BRIDGE (SEE ADDENDUM FOR DIALOGUE) At warp. Chakotay and Kim on the Bridge at the aft station, studying the Voyager schematic there. A couple of N.D.s can be seen in the b.g., hurriedly carrying equipment cases across the scene, urgent... END MONTAGE. 13 INT. SICKBAY The Doctor and Kes working at a bio-bed, where several BORG BODY PARTS are laid out-an arm, eyepiece, inner workings, etc. This is the Borg corpse last seen in "Unity," which has been dissected. The Doctor is studying a Borg HAND, which has dagger-like "assimilation tubules" sticking out of the fingertips (as seen in "First Contact, " when the N.D. was stabbed in the neck). DOCTOR: (to Kes, re: tubes) These injection tubules are the first step in the Borg assimilation process. Once inside the skin, they release a series of nanoprobes into the bloodstream. KES: Maybe we can develop some kind of protective shielding against them... DOCTOR: Unlikely. The tubules are capable of penetrating any known alloy or energy field. Which means our battle must be waged inside the body itself. The Doctor moves to a monitor, taps a few controls... 14 INCLUDE MONITOR (OPTICAL) It shows a MICROSCOPIC VIEW of healthy human BLOOD CELLS. DOCTOR: The first tissue to be attacked by the nanoprobes is the victim's blood... On the graphic, we see a cell-sized BORG NANOPROBE race into view... it attaches to a blood cell... and in a frightening chain reaction all of the blood cells are BORGIFIED... turning dark and more elongated. DOCTOR: Assimilation is almost instantaneous. KES: (studies console) They take over the blood-cell functions... like a virus... DOCTOR: Which suggests to me that we should try to enhance the immune system... create an "assimilation antibody," as it were. They move back to the bed with the Borg body parts, DOCTOR: I doubt we can actually destroy the nanoprobes, but we might be able to slow them down... 15 CLOSE ON KES as she listens... staring down at the Borg body parts, suddenly transfixed by them... DOCTOR: Let's perform a submicron dissection on the probes we've collected so far... see if we can find the DNA recoding mechanism. 16 KES'S POV-THE BORG BODY PARTS CAMERA PUSHING IN on the arm and circuits 17 CLOSE ON KES CAMERA PUSHING IN on her face as her eyes widen.. and she is hit by a: 18 MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) A nightmarish image: TWENTY BORG BODIES PILED HIGH and FUSED TOGETHER. Limbs mangled and askew, faces twisted, eyes open-a surreal sculpture of death. 18A RESUME KES as she reacts to the vision... hit by another: 18B MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) CLOSER ANGLE on some DEAD BORG in the pile, their faces blank with shock... 19 RESUME KES as she braces herself on the table, recovering from the vision. DOCTOR'S VOICE: Kes, what's wrong? (beat) Kes. He takes hold of her arm, and she turns to him. She looks startled and breathless. KES: I saw Borg... DOCTOR: You've had a... telepathic experience? KES: (nods) There were bodies... dozens of them... all dead... Off the mystery... CUT TO: 20 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) at warp. 21 INT. BRIDGE Janeway and Chakotay in command, Kim, Paris and N.D.s all at their stations, working. The mood is focused and tense. Tuvok ENTERS from a Turbolift and crosses to Janeway and Chakotay. JANEWAY: How's Kes? TUVOK: Unsettled... and uncertain... Over the past two hours, she has experienced several telepathic "visions" about the death of Borg... and the destruction of Voyager. CHAKOTAY: Some sort of... premonitions? TUVOK: Possibly. Janeway considers. JANEWAY: We can't just ignore her "intuition" but I see no reason to alter our plan. (beat) Tuvok, I want you to keep an eye on- Just then Kim's console sends out an ALARM. KIM: (off console) Captain... long range sensors are picking up transwarp signatures... five point eight light years distant... closing from behind... CHAKOTAY: Red Alert. The ship goes to RED ALERT. JANEWAY: Evasive maneuvers. Paris works and the ship immediately SHUDDERS. CHAKOTAY: What's happening? PARIS: (off console) We've dropped out of warp... JANEWAY: (quickly, to com) Bridge to Engineering-what's going on down there? 22 INT. ENGINEERING Torres and N.D.s frantically working. TORRES: (to com) I'm not sure, Captain. Some kind of subspace turbulence is preventing us from creating a stable warp field. The ship starts TREMBLING slightly... 23 INT. BRIDGE Tension rising. TREMBLING... we hear a low, ominous RUMBLING noise. TUVOK: (off console) Turbulence is increasing... KIM: I'm reading two Borg vessels... three... four... five... (works) Fifteen Borg vessels. Distance: two point one light years and closing! The trembling gets worse... the rumbling louder... JANEWAY: Shields to maximum! Stand by all weapons! TUVOK: They're in visual range... Tuvok works... 24 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) We see an ARMADA of FIFTEEN BORG CUBES rapidly approaching-an awesome sight. CHAKOTAY: My God. The LIGHTS start to FLICKER. 25 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) dead in space, the onslaught of FIFTEEN BORG CUBES coming at us from the rear. Suspense as the Cubes approach at high speed... closer... closer... 26 NEW ANGLE (OPTICAL) As the BORG CUBES ROAR DIRECTLY PAST on either side of Voyager, tossing the tiny ship in their wake. It's like being caught in a stampede. 27 INT. BRIDGE SHAKING hard! Lights and consoles flickering! Everyone hanging on for dear life! 28 OMITTED 29 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) On the Viewscreen, the last few Borg Cubes are RACING away from us. The shaking dies down... the rumbling subsides... and the lights and console come back to life. Everyone recovering. Chakotay looks up at the Viewscreen. CHAKOTAY: Captain... The Viewscreen shows one last BORG CUBE looming, not moving. Kim scrambles to his station as a greenish BORG SCANNING BEAM begins to SWEEP across the Bridge. KIM: We're being scanned... JANEWAY: (wry) Think good thoughts... A long, tense beat... and then on the Viewscreen, the Cube RACES OFF, flying away from us. TUVOK: (off console) The last Cube has rejoined the others... Off our stunned reactions... 30 OMITTED FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE ACT TWO FADE IN: 31 INT. BRIDGE Continuous from Act One. Everyone a little shaken-checking readings, etc. Janeway looks tense-that was too close for comfort. JANEWAY: Did we sustain any damage? KIM: No. Shields held... warp engines are coming back on-line... all primary systems are stable. JANEWAY: Stand down Red Alert. The ship goes out of Red Alert. Janeway tries to make sense of what just happened. JANEWAY: Harry... maintain a long-range sensor lock on that Borg "armada." They seemed to be in quite a hurry... I'd like to know what they're up to. KIM: Yes, Ma'am. JANEWAY: (somber) I'll take this near-miss as a good omen. Resume our course. Paris works. Chakotay turns to her. CHAKOTAY: If we needed any more evidence that we've entered Borg space... I think we just got it. Janeway doesn't answer, lost in her own thoughts... JANEWAY: (taut) I'll be in my Ready Room. And she leaves, looking intent. As Chakotay watches her go... CUT TO: 32 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) at warp. 33 INT. READY ROOM-CLOSE ON A MONITOR The screen reads "STARFLEET DATABASE. CLASSIFIED. THE BORG." Blocks of text are visible. 34 INCLUDE JANEWAY (OPTICAL) studying her desktop monitor. Warp stars out the window. She's focused, intense. The door CHIMES, and she jumps a little, startled out of her concentration. JANEWAY: Yes... come in. Chakotay ENTERS, holding a PADD. CHAKOTAY: (re: PADD) We've just completed the latest sensor sweep. So far, so good. The "Northwest Passage" is still clear of Borg activity. JANEWAY: (terse) I'd like to see a tactical update. He nods. Janeway returns to her monitor. Chakotay can see that she's troubled... tries to lighten the mood a little. CHAKOTAY: According to my calculations, neither of us has eaten since last night. join me for dinner? JANEWAY: No, thanks. I'm not hungry. And I've got a lot of work to do. CHAKOTAY: I see. A beat. She leans back in her chair, a little fatigued, indicates the desktop monitor. JANEWAY: I've been looking through the personal log entries of all the Starfleet Captains who encountered the Borg. I've gone over every engagement, from the moment Q flung the Enterprise into the path of that first Cube... to the massacre at Wolf Three-Five-Nine. Every battle, every skirmish... anything that might give me an insight into the mind of the Collective. CHAKOTAY: And? JANEWAY: In the words of Jean-Luc Picard. As Janeway reads, we can hear a hint of formality in her tone and phrasing (but not an accent). JANEWAY: (continuing, reads, off monitor) "In their Collective state, the Borg are utterly without mercy... driven by one will alone: the will to conquer. They are beyond redemption. beyond reason." (beat) And then there's Captain Amasov of the Endeavor. Again, Janeway reads with a subtle change in her inflection (but no accent) Chakotay begins to smile slightly. JANEWAY: (off monitor) "It is my opinion that the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered. All attempts to negotiate with them have failed. They are ruthless in their pursuit of..." She trails off when she sees that Chakotay is smiling slightly. JANEWAY: What's so funny? CHAKOTAY: Nothing. JANEWAY: You're smiling. Obviously, I've said something amusing... CHAKOTAY: You sounded just like Amasov. JANEWAY: What? CHAKOTAY: Just now, while you were reading his log. You were using his inflections. JANEWAY: I was not. CHAKOTAY: Yes, you were. And before that, you were doing a pretty good Picard. Janeway hesitates. JANEWAY: Was I..? CHAKOTAY: It's nothing to be ashamed about... echoing the Greats. Ensign Hickman in Astrophysics does a passable Janeway. A beat, then Janeway can't help but break a smile. Chakotay has disarmed her with humor, and for a moment, some of her tension melts away. JANEWAY: (lightly) If we manage to survive the next few days, I'm going to have a little chat with Ensign Hickman. Imitating the Captain... surely that violates some kind of Starfleet protocol. She stands, starts moving about the room... serious again, but opening up a little... taking this opportunity to share her concerns with a trusted colleague and friend. JANEWAY: This day was inevitable... we all knew it... and we've all tried to prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead... She looks at him, probing, asking the hard questions. JANEWAY: (continuing) But at what point is the risk too great... at what point do we come about and retreat to friendly territory? Could the crew accept living out the rest of their lives in the Delta Ouadrant? (glances at monitor) I keep looking to all these Captains... my "comrades in arms." But the truth is... I'm alone. A quiet beat. CHAKOTAY: If that moment comes... we'll face it together. And we'll make the right decision. (beat) You're not alone, Kathryn. She looks at him, appreciative. His quiet solidarity is reassuring. JANEWAY: Three years ago... I didn't even know your name. Today... I can't imagine a day without you. A warm beat between them. TUVOK'S COM VOICE: Captain Janeway to the Bridge. As they head out the door... 35 INT. BRIDGE-CONTINUOUS Janeway and Chakotay ENTER. Tuvok is standing at the aft science station with Kim, studying the console. Kim and Tuvok look up. KIM: Something strange is going on... TUVOK: The power signatures of those Borg vessels have terminated. CHAKOTAY: All of them? KIM: (nods) They're dead in the water... about five point two light years from here. JANEWAY: Cause? TUVOK: Unknown. A mystifying beat. Janeway makes a decision. JANEWAY: (to Paris) Mister Paris, set a course for their position. Warp two. PARIS: Aye. As Paris works 36 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) at warp. CUT TO: 37 INT. BRIDGE Red Alert. A short time later. Everyone at their stations. KIM: We're approaching the ships. JANEWAY: Slow to impulse. On screen. 38 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) The crew reacts with amazement as they see the WRECKAGE of the BORG ARMADA. CHAKOTAY: Lifesigns? KIM: A few... but they're erratic. TUVOK: Captain, I'm detecting two residual weapons signatures in the debris. One is Borg... the other is of unknown origin. An ominous beat. PARIS: Who could do this to the Borg? 39 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) Slowly cruising through the cemetery of decimated ships. Fifteen Borg Cubes blown to pieces... a graveyard of debris, chunks of hull, flotsam... some of the larger pieces still crackling with energy. Incredible devastation. FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO ACT THREE FADE IN: 40 INT. BRIDGE As before. Red Alert. Everyone looking at the (offcamera) Viewscreen. JANEWAY: Someone more powerful than the Borg... it's hard to imagine... KIM: But they did it-fifteen Cubes! We might've just found our ticket through Borg space... an ally. PARIS: I'd like to shake their hands... if they have hands. CHAKOTAY: Let's not jump to conclusions. Scan the vicinity for other vessels. TUVOK: There are none KIM: (reacts to console) Hold on. I'm picking up some sort of bio-readings... they're coming from the outer hull of one of the Borg ships. JANEWAY: Let's see it. Kim works. 40A INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) It shows a CLOSER VIEW of a large, broken-off CORNER of a Cube. There is a small, organic-looking BIO-MASS on the hull. It's bulbous and ashen. Strange. JANEWAY: Magnify. Tuvok hits a control, and the Viewscreen changes to a CLOSER VIEW of the bio-mass. We can now see what looks like the body of a "squid" attached to the hull... no tentacles... but it definitely looks like an organism of some kind. KIM: It's definitely organic. but our sensors can't penetrate its surface. JANEWAY: Send a standard greeting. TUVOK: (beat) No response. CHAKOTAY: (eyeing it) This could be a space-dwelling organism... or a biological weapon... JANEWAY: I'd like to know what kind of weapon could destroy the Borg... (to Tuvok) Can we beam it away from the ship? Kim works a beat. KIM: I can't get a lock on it... CHAKOTAY: Tractor beam? TUVOK: (works console) No effect. KIM: Whatever that thing is... it seems impervious to our technology. JANEWAY: Tuvok-are you reading an atmosphere in the Cube? TUVOK: (works) Affirmative. Janeway turns to Chakotay. JANEWAY: Commander, I want you to take an Away Team inside... try to get a short-range scan of the bio-mass. TUVOK: (off console) There are still Borg lifesigns... but they're unstable. JANEWAY: (to Chakotay) We'll keep an open comlink and an active Transporter lock... we'll pull you out of there at the first sign of trouble. Chakotay nods. CHAKOTAY: (quickly) Tuvok, Harry-you're with me. Chakotay, Tuvok and Kim head for the Turbolift. Janeway glances at the Viewscreen. Off the image of the "bio-mass" gripping the side of the Cube... CUT TO: 41 INT. BORG CUBE-CORRIDOR #1 (OPTICAL) The familiar maze of Borg alcoves. The Cube has taken heavy damage- walls are scorched, lights are flickering and a haze fills the air. Two dead Borg can be seen on the floor, one other is slumped lifelessly in its cubicle. Chakotay, Tuvok and Kim MATERIALIZE inside the ship, carrying phaser rifles. They immediately shine their phaser beacons in the darkness. No active Borg in sight. Chakotay pulls out his tricorder. CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) This way... They cautiously start down the corridor. 42 INT. BORG CORRIDOR #2 The Away Team ENTERS and stops at what they see. 43 NEW ANGLE Three BORG DRONES are methodically making repairs-they look injured and one of the Borg is missing an arm. But despite their injuries, they are single-minded in their objective. They pay no attention to our team. KIM: Looks like they're a little preoccupied TUVOK: Lower your phasers. If we don't appear threatening, they should ignore us. A tense beat... then the CAMERA FOLLOWS as Chakotay leads the way down the narrow passageway. They carefully make their way past the Borg, who completely ignore them... Finally, they reach an intersection. Chakotay stops for a moment indicates one of the adjoining corridors. CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) The alien bio-readings are getting stronger we're close. Just then Kim sees something down one of the opposite corridors. He reacts, startled. KIM: Commander! They turn to see- 44 THEIR POV (OPTICAL) The corridor is piled high with DEAD BORG-their bodies mangled and mashed together in a bizarre "sculpture of death." This is the exact same image that Kes saw in her mental flash in Act One-but now this is the real thing. 45 CHAKOTAY, TUVOK, KIM take in the shocking sight. TUVOK: Curious. CHAKOTAY: That's not the word I had in mind... TUVOK: Those bodies are reminiscent of one of the premonitions Kes described. KIM: Didn't she say we were all going to die? A creepy moment. CHAKOTAY: Let's keep moving. As they walk... 46 INT. BORG CORRIDOR #3 Chakotay, Tuvok and Kim ENTER. 47 THEIR POV At the far end of the corridor there is a BORG working on a section of the wall. But we can't see what he's doing... 48 THE AWAY TEAM moves toward the Borg... 49 THEIR POV-MOVING As we approach the Borg, we can see that he is standing next to a large, irregular OPENING in the wall. The perimeter of the opening is covered with glistening alien FLESH. It's as though something dissolved through the Borg wall from the other side and latched onto the perimeter with its "skin." We cannot see clearly inside the opening, but it is dark and we get the, sense there might be a large chamber beyond. 50 THE AWAY TEAM reacts to the sight. CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder, re: skin) It looks like it dissolved right through the Borg hull. 51 CLOSE ON THE BORG (OPTICAL) He raises his hand toward the "fleshy" perimeter... and assimilation "tubules" extrude from the Borg's fingers and penetrate the alien flesh. (These are the same kind of tubules seen in Sickbay in Act One.) Instantly, the "flesh" CRACKLES with energy that jolts the Borg backward slightly. 52 THE AWAY TEAM observes with interest. TUVOK: The Borg is attempting to assimilate it. A beat... then the Borg tries again (offcamera), single-minded. He's JOLTED backward again. KIM: Doesn't look like he's having much luck... Chakotay takes a step closer... scans through the opening (the Borg ignores him). CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) There's a chamber beyond this opening... forty meters wide high concentrations of antimatter particles (reacts) It looks like some kind of propulsion system. KIM: It's a ship? TUVOK: Starfleet has encountered species that use organic- based vessels. The Breen, for example. CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) There doesn't seem to be anybody on board (taps combadge) Chakotay to Voyager. JANEWAY'S COMM VOICE: Go ahead, CHAKOTAY: Captain, we've found an entrance to the bio-mass... we think it may be a ship of some kind. Permission to go inside. JANEWAY'S COM VOICE: Granted. Chakotay indicates a nearby CIRCUIT BOX-a "distribution node." CHAKOTAY: Harry... that's a Borg distribution node. See if you can download their tactical database-it might contain a record of what happened here. KIM: Aye, sir. Kim moves to the circuit box and starts working his tricorder. CHAKOTAY: Tuvok. Phaser rifles in-hand, Chakotay and Tuvok EXIT through the weird opening in the wall, careful to avoid the "fleshy" perimeter. Off Kim as he works... glancing nervously at the Borg working just a few feet away... 53 INT. ALIEN BIO-SHIP- CONTINUOUS The walls are ROUNDED, organic-looking, with pulsing VEINS of ENERGY running along the walls and fleshy MEMBRANES hanging from the ceiling. In the center of the room there is a raised STRUCTURE that looks like a chair that's grown out of the floor of the vessel. The only source of light is a weird GLOW from certain sections of the walls... and there is a low, rumbling SOUND. It's like being inside a BODY CAVITY-dark and glistening and utterly alien. Chakotay and Tuvok ENTER... take in the mysterious setting. They stop first at the large "chair-like" structure. The form-fitting shape of it suggests that a very large humanoid might sit there-someone over ten feet tall. A prolonged and creepy silence as they get a good look at its various features... Chakotay notices a nearby wall with several pulsing "veins" running through it. He moves to the wall and scans it. CHAKOTAY: (re: veins) They seem to be organic conduits... they're carrying electrodynamic fluid. TUVOK: Maybe an energy source... CHAKOTAY: Maybe. They take a few steps... stop at a section of the wall that is BLINKING colorfully with what can only be described as "neurochemical pulses." CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) This looks like a binary matrix... but it's laced with neuropeptides... (eyes it) Could be their version of a computer core... 54 INT. BORG CUBE-CORRIDOR #3 Kim scanning the circuit box with his tricorder, downloading information. A quiet moment... then we hear a distant SCRAPING sound from somewhere in the corridors. He glances around.. another SCRAPE echoes through the ship. Unnerving. Kim glances at the Borg, who continues working, ignoring the sounds. 55 INT. ALIEN BIO-SHIP Chakotay and Tuvok are on different sides of the chamber, studying its various features. Tuvok is eyeing a large section of the wall that is SCORCHED and TORN. He scans it. TUVOK: (off tricorder) This damage was caused by a Borg disruptor beam. (beat) The wall appears to be regenerating itself. Just then something in an adjoining chamber catches his eye... he moves to it, looks down to see... 56 A DEAD BORG on its back, eyes wide with shock. There is a thin alien TENDRIL sticking out of its mouth, wrapped around its head, leading into its nostrils. A startling sight. CHAKOTAY: (calls out) Tuvok... 57 INT. BORG CORRIDOR #3 As before. Kim at the node; the Borg next to him. There's another SCRAPING sound followed by a distant, booming sound, almost like a weapon being fired. Closer now. Kim completes the download... and then starts scanning the corridor with his tricorder. Another SCRAPE... Suddenly, the Borg next to Kim stops what he's doing... looks past Kim from where the sound is coming, reacts to it... turns and walks in the opposite direction, as though in hasty retreat. Kim watches him go... curious... CRASH! A loud and jolting noise comes from somewhere nearby, like metal being twisted apart. Kim whirls, startled at the noise- SMASH CUT TO: 58 INT. SICKBAY Kes working at a console. She reacts to a sudden- 59 MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) Kim's face, screaming in agony! 60 RESUME KES As she falters slightly, overwhelmed by the vision. The Doctor rushes to her. DOCTOR: Kes... She looks at him, panic rising. KES: Harry's in danger... DOCTOR: What are you- KES: Get them out of there. DOCTOR: (to com) Sickbay to Janeway. 61 INT. ALIEN BIO-SHIP Chakotay and Tuvok looking around. KIM'S VOICE: (urgent) Commander! They react, head for the opening in the wall where they entered... INT. BORG CUBE-CORRIDOR #3-CONTINUOUS Chakotay and Tuvok ENTER quickly. Kim is standing in the corridor, tricorder open. KIM: There's someone in here with us... and it's not a Borg. (works) I can't localize it... but it's within twenty meters... TUVOK: Perhaps the "pilot" has returned. JANEWAY'S COM VOICE: Voyager to Away Team. CHAKOTAY: (taps combadge) Go ahead. 63 INT. BRIDGE Janeway in command. Paris at Conn, Torres filling in at Ops. Kes is there, standing next to the Captain, worried. JANEWAY: Stand by for transport. We're getting you out of there. CHAKOTAY'S COM VOICE: Good idea. JANEWAY: (to Torres) Energize. Torres works the Ops console. It BEEPS. TORRES: I can't get a lock on them... JANEWAY: What's the problem? TORRES: It looks like bio-electric interference... from whatever's coming toward them... 64 INT. BORG CUBE-CORRIDOR #3 Chakotay, Tuvok, Kim. Tension rising. There's another SCRAPE and an alien SHRIEK of some sort. CHAKOTAY: (off tricorder) It's within seven meters... let's get out of here. CAMERA FOLLOWS as the Team starts moving quickly down the hall... 69 KIM on the floor nearby. He looks up to see- 70 THE ALIEN (OPTICAL) standing over the dead Borg, barely visible in the darkness down the hall. It TOWERS-at least ten feet tall-its limbs cramped in the narrow corridor. It wears an alien breathing apparatus. Without warning, it LUNGES at Kim with blinding speed, and SLASHES at him, sending Kim FLYING BACK- WARD! 71 OMITTED 72 NEW ANGLE (OPTICAL) As Kim HITS the floor and DEMATERIALIZE& In the b.g., Chakotay and Tuvok DEMATERIALIZE as well. 73 INT. VOYAGER BRIDGE Torres and Janeway at Ops. TORRES: (off console) I got them. JANEWAY: A "skeletal lock" we'll have to add that one to the Transporter manual. PARIS: Captain! She looks up to see: 74 THE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) which shows the view seen earlier of the BIO-SHIP attached to the Borg Cube. The alien vessel starts to SHIMMER with incandescent COLORS. Angry-looking, turbulent. 75 ON KES staring at the Viewscreen... and she's hit by a: 76 MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) Inside the alien bio-ship. The ALIEN FACE MOVES INTO VIEW, STARING RIGHT AT US! 77 RESUME KES as she falters backward from the telepathic blast, slumps against Chakotay's chair. JANEWAY: Get us out of here-maximum warp! Paris works... 78 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) as it turns away from the Borg graveyard... the alien BIO-SHIP SENDS OUT a CRACKLING TENDRIL of ENERGY, whip-like, powerful, the same effect seen in the Teaser. The tendril narrowly MISSES Voyager, but even so SENDS our ship SPINNING WILDLY! 79 INT. BRIDGE Red Alert. SHAKING! Everyone hanging on! Paris working frantically... 80 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) as it STOPS its tailspin and JUMPS into WARP! 81 INT. BRIDGE Moments later. Everyone recovering. Paris checks his console. PARIS: The alien ship is not pursuing. Janeway moves to Kes, who is slumped in Chakotay's chair, a little dazed. JANEWAY: Kes...? KES: I could hear its thoughts... the pilot of the bio- ship it tried to communicate with me Kes concentrates, trying to make sense of the impressions. KES: They're a telepathic species... I think I've been aware of them for some time now... the premonitions... (beat) Captain, it's not the Borg we should be worried about... it's them. JANEWAY: What did it say to you? Kes looks at her. KES: It said. "The weak will perish." Off the moment... FADE OUT. END OF ACT THREE ACT FOUR FADE IN: 82 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) hanging in space. JANEWAY (V.O.): Captain's Log, Stardate 50984.3. It's been twelve hours since our confrontation with the alien lifeform. There's no sign that we're being pursued... and we've had no further encounters with the Borg... 83 INT. CORRIDOR Janeway walking along... passing a few crewmembers... she nods to them with an encouraging look. JANEWAY (V.O.): (continuing) I've decided to hold our course. The "Northwest Passage" is only one day away... and I won't allow fear to undermine this crew's sense of purpose... She EXITS into Sickbay... 84 INT. SICKBAY-CLOSE ON KIM eyes wide open and staring, lying on the surgical bed. Awake. The WOUND on his chest is covered with ALIEN TISSUE-strange, thin tendrils are wrapped around his torso and neck and face like a python... and they have also entered his nose and throat. JANEWAY (V.O.): (continuing) ... even if that fear is justified. 85 WIDER (OPTICAL) The Doctor is standing next to the surgical bed. He turns and walks THROUGH the forcefield, which FLASHES on and off. A Security N.D. stands guard. The Doctor joins Janeway and they move a discreet distance away from Kim. DOCTOR: (low, to Janeway) The infection is spreading. What began with a few stray cells contaminating the chest wound... is now infusing every system in his body. JANEWAY: It looks like he's being transformed in some way. DOCTOR: Not exactly. The alien cells are consuming his body from the inside out... in essence, Mister Kim is being eaten alive. Janeway eyes Kim, disturbed. JANEWAY: He's still conscious DOCTOR: I tried giving him a sedative, but it was rejected immediately. In fact, every treatment I've tried has been neutralized within seconds. He moves to a console MONITOR (the same monitor where he was looking at human blood cells in Act One), and he taps a control. 86 INCLUDE MONITOR (OPTICAL) It shows a MICROSCOPIC VIEW of ALIEN CELLS and various technical data. The cells are similar to human blood cells, but they are in constant, violent motion, agitated, the cell membrane itself luminescent. DOCTOR: These are alien cells. Each one contains more than a hundred times the DNA of a human cell. It's the most densely coded lifeform I've ever seen. even I would need years to decipher it. Janeway eyes the technical data. JANEWAY: They have an extraordinary immune response. Anything that penetrates the cell membrane... chemical... biological... technological... it's all instantly destroyed. (beat) That's why the Borg can't assimilate them... DOCTOR: (nods) Resistance in this case is far from futile. Nevertheless, I believe Borg technology holds the key to saving Mister Kim. JANEWAY: How so? DOCTOR: I hope to unleash an army of modified Borg nanoprobes into his bloodstream... designed to target and eradicate the infection. (explains) As you know, I've been analyzing the nanoprobes... they're efficient little assimilators... one can't help but admire the workmanship. But they're no match for the alien cells... (beat) So I successfully dissected a nanoprobe... and managed to access its re-coding mechanism. I was able to reprogram the probe to emit the same electrochemical signatures as the alien cells. That way, the probe can do its work without being detected. (beat) Observe. He hits another control... and on the MONITOR we see a BORG NANOPROBE enter frame and begin to ASSIMILATE a few alien cells, turning them dark and oblong. DOCTOR: (continuing) Unfortunately, I've only created a few prototypes. I'll need several days to modify enough nanoprobes to cure Ensign Kim. JANEWAY: Does Harry have several days? DOCTOR: I wish I knew. She nods. The Doctor keeps working. Janeway walks past the surgical bay... glances at Kim, who is lying awake. Kim's eyes look into hers. He's obviously conscious and aware... but can't speak. JANEWAY: Fight it, Harry. (softly) That's an order. But Kim can only stare back at her no response at all an affecting sight. Off the moment CUT TO: 87 INT. ENGINEERING (VPB) Tuvok and Torres are reporting to Chakotay. A nearby MONITOR shows various BORG DATA scrolling across the screen- starmaps, Borg vessel diagrams, telemetry, etc. TORRES: We've analyzed the Borg's tactical database. They refer to these new aliens as "Species Eight Four Seven Two. TUVOK: Over the past five months, the Borg have been attacked by them on at least a dozen occasions. Each time, they were defeated... swiftly. TORRES: The Collective has very little information about the species... CHAKOTAY: Is anything known about where they come from? Tuvok and Torres exchange a look. TORRES: I'm afraid so. She turns to the console and taps a few commands. Chakotay watches the monitor (which is now offcamera). As he reacts to what he sees, his expression turning grim... CHAKOTAY: Get the Captain. CUT TO: 87A INT. BRIDGE-ANGLE ON VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) It shows a murky region of space that is FILLED with ALIEN BIO-SHIPS. From this distance, we can see at least twenty or thirty ships of various shapes and sizes. All of them glowing and moving. 87B NEW ANGLE-THE CREW Red Alert. Tuvok, Paris, Torres at Ops. Janeway and Chakotay on their feet. Kes standing nearby, also on her feet. Everyone is staring at the viewscreen in shock. JANEWAY: (bleak, re: Viewscreen) The "Northwest Passage"... CHAKOTAY: It's clear of Borg activity for a very good reason... Beat. TUVOK: (off console) I'm picking up one hundred and thirty-three bio- ships... (reacts) More are appearing... JANEWAY: From where? TUVOK: They seem to be coming from a quantum singularity- TORRES: I'm localizing the gravirnetric distortions... CHAKOTAY: On screen. The Viewscreen changes to show a large, undulating FISSURE in space. A BIO-SHIP flies out of the fissure... and then another BIO-SHIP. Everyone reacts with growing concern. Janeway turns to Kes. JANEWAY: Kes... anything? 87C ON KES slowly PUSHING IN on her face as she stares at the Viewscreen, "sensing" the aliens. KES: Yes... I can hear them... 87D MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) A BIO-SHIP flying past camera... 87E KES reacting... 87F MENTAL FLASH (OPTICAL) CLOSE ON an ALIEN HAND moving over one of the control modules in a bio-ship (as seen earlier)... 87G KES takes in the impressions... trying to put them into words... KES: They come from a place where they're alone... nothing else lives there... CHAKOTAY: Some kind of parallel universe... KES: I don't know... Kes shivers a little, struck by a sudden malevolence... KES: I feel... malevolence... a cold hatred... (thinks) The weak... will perish... it's an invasion... they intend to destroy everything... JANEWAY: Tom... reverse course, maximum warp. Take us five light years out and hold position. PARIS: Aye, Captain. JANEWAY: (to Tuvok) Maintain Red Alert. Janeway considers the shocking discovery, then heads for her Ready Room... JANEWAY: (to Chakotay) Commander. Chakotay follows her and they EXIT to -CONTINUOUS (OPTICAL) 87H INT. READY ROOM Janeway and Chakotay ENTER. She looks at him: JANEWAY: That moment we spoke about... it's here. (beat) Any thoughts? CHAKOTAY: Just one. Flying into that corridor would mean certain death. JANEWAY: Agreed. The "Northwest Passage" is no longer an option. So now the choice is between facing the Borg in their space... or finding ourselves a nice planet here in the Delta Quadrant... and giving up on ever getting home. CHAKOTAY: We'd be turning around, but we wouldn't be giving up. We might find another way home... But the words sound hollow. They both know that's unlikely. Janeway starts pacing, not willing to give in. JANEWAY: I'm not ready to walk onto the Bridge and tell the crew we're quitting. I can't do that. Not yet. (beat) There must be an alternative... A somber beat. CHAKOTAY: Kathryn... you haven't slept in two days. Try to get some rest, clear your head. We're safe, for the moment... (beat) We can tell the crew tomorrow, if we have to. She looks pensive. but she nods. JANEWAY: See you in the morning. Chakotay heads for the door. Off Janeway's troubled face.. DISSOLVE TO: 88 - 92 OMITTED 93 OMITTED 94 INT. JANEWAY'S QUARTERS Janeway lying on her bed in the darkness, still in uniform... eyes wide open. She sits up... takes a deep breath... there's no way she's going to get any sleep tonight. As she stands... CUT TO: 95 INT. CORRIDOR Janeway walks up to the set of Holodeck doors. JANEWAY: Computer -activate Da Vinci workshop program, Janeway seven. As the Computer works... 96 INT. DA VINCIS WORKSHOP-NIGHT Janeway steps inside... the workshop is lit by candle and oil lamp light... the flickering shadows lend an almost dream-like mood to the scene. Janeway moves further inside... JANEWAY: Maestro? She moves slowly through the light and shadows... not finding him... JANEWAY: (continuing) Leonardo...? Janeway rounds a shelf of manuscripts... 97 INCLUDE DA VINCI seated at a bench. He seems almost fixated by something off-screen. Janeway steps closer, cautiously. Leonardo takes notice, comes out of his reverie, but only a little... DA VINCI: Catarina... buona sera... Her eyes attempt to follow his gaze-but he appears to have been staring at the blank wall nearby. JANEWAY: (puzzled) Am I disturbing you? Leonardo doesn't answer the question. Instead, he indicates the wall. DA VINCI: What do you see? Janeway considers-she's used to his unexpected questions and musings. JANEWAY: A wall... with the light from a lamp reflecting on it. (beat) Why? What do you see? DA VINCI: A flock of starlings... the leaves of an oak... a horse's tail... a thief hanging from a noose... He smiles, coming further out of his reverie. DA VINCI: (continuing) And a wall. With the light from a lamp reflecting on it. (musing) There are times, Catarina, when I find myself transfixed by a shadow on the wall, or the splashing of water against a stone... I stare at it, and hours pass... the world around me drops away, replaced by worlds being created and destroyed by my imagination... (beat) A way to focus the mind. Janeway stares at him for a very long moment, thinking of her own dilemma. She turns back to the shadows on the wall. JANEWAY: (re: wall) There's a path before me... the only way home. And on either side, mortal enemies bent on destroying each other. If I attempt to pass between them... I'll be destroyed, as well. But to turn around. that would end all hope of ever getting home. She turns to Da Vinci. JANEWAY: (continuing) No matter how much I focus my mind I can't see an alternative. Leonardo considers her for a beat, as if sensing that she is speaking of a dilemma in her actual life. He offers his guidance... DA VINCI: May I suggest... that you turn to the Divine. She looks at him. DA VINCI: When one's imagination fails to provide an answer... one must seek a greater imagination. There are times, when even I find myself kneeling in prayer. Da Vinci stands... moves to a table and picks up a foot-tall object wrapped in muslin. DA VINCI: (encouraging) I must deliver this bronzetto to the Monks at Santa Croce. Come with me... we will wake the Abbot visit the chapel... and appeal to God. JANEWAY: Somehow, I don't think that's going to work for me... Janeway turns one last time to the light dancing against the wall... but this time, Da Vinci's words and the shifting patterns give her an idea. JANEWAY: But there is an alternative I hadn't considered She turns to him. JANEWAY: What if I made an appeal... to the Devil? Da Vinci reacts, a little startled by the remark, unsure what she means Janeway stands, mind working. JANEWAY: Thank you, Maestro. She heads for the door. OFF the mystery of the flickering light... FADE OUT. END OF ACT FOUR ACT FIVE FADE IN: 98 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) hanging in space. 99 INT. BRIEFING ROOM Janeway standing at the head of the table, addressing Chakotay, Tuvok, Paris, Torres, the Doctor, Kes and Neelix. Everyone looks surprised by something she has just said. Mid-conversation. PARIS: An alliance... with the Borg? JANEWAY: More like... an exchange. We offer them a way to defeat their new enemy... and in return, we get safe passage through their space. She turns to the Doctor. JANEWAY: In developing a treatment for Harry, the Doctor has found a way to attack the aliens at a microscopic level. DOCTOR: It's still in the experimental stages, Captain.. I've only made a few prototypes. JANEWAY: Nevertheless, if we teach the Borg how to modify their own nanoprobes... They'd have a blueprint to create a weapon to fight the aliens. DOCTOR: In theory... yes. JANEWAY: (to Torres) B'Elanna, it's clear from the Borg database that they know practically nothing about "Species Eight Four Seven Two." Torres sees where she's going, intrigued. TORRES: That's right. The Borg gain knowledge through assimilation. What they can't assimilate, they can't understand. JANEWAY: But we don't assimilate... we investigate. And in this case, that's given us an edge. We've discovered something they need. NEELIX: The Borg aren't exactly known for their diplomacy. Can we really expect them to cooperate with us? KES: Normally, the answer would be no. But if what I've learned from the aliens is true... the Borg are losing this conflict. JANEWAY: In one regard, the Borg are no different than we are... they're trying to survive. I don't believe they're going to refuse an offer that will help them do that. TUVOK: (doubtful) What makes you think the Borg won't attempt to take the information... by assimilating Voyager and its crew. JANEWAY: That won't get them anywhere. (beat) Doctor, you're the only one on board with full knowledge of the nanoprobe modifications. I want you to transfer all of that research into your holo-matrix. DOCTOR: Certainly. JANEWAY: You're my guarantee. If the Borg threaten us in any way, we'll simply erase your program. The Doctor looks a little startled at the notion. JANEWAY: (reassuring) But it won't come to that... it's in the Collective's own interest to cooperate. (beat) Voyager's only one ship... our safe passage is a small price to pay for what we're offering in exchange. Silence as they all consider. Janeway is determined, confident. JANEWAY: B'Elanna, assist the Doctor with his transfer. Mister Paris... locate the nearest Borg vessel, and lay in a course. They shouldn't be difficult to find. PARIS: Yes, Ma'am. JANEWAY: Dismissed. The crew rises and starts to EXIT. But Chakotay hangs back, troubled by what he's heard. Janeway can sense his discomfort... and waits until everyone else is out of the room. JANEWAY: You were awfully quiet. CHAKOTAY: I didn't want to say this in front of the others... (beat) But I think what you're proposing is too great a risk. JANEWAY: How so? He chooses his words carefully, taking a tactful approach. CHAKOTAY: There's a story I heard as a child a parable... I never forgot it... (recalls) A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side... when suddenly he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river. The fox said no... I'll get halfway there, and you'll sting me, and I'll drown. But the scorpion assured him... if I did that, we'd both drown. The fox thought about it and finally agreed. So the scorpion climbed up on his back, and the fox began to swim... (beat) But halfway across the river, the scorpion stung the fox. As the poison filled his veins, the fox turned to the scorpion and said why did you do that? Now you'll drown, too. (beat) I couldn't help it, said the scorpion. It's my nature. A long moment as Janeway takes this in, thoughtful. JANEWAY: I understand the risk... and I'm not proposing that we try to change the nature of the beast. But this is a unique situation. To our knowledge, the Borg have never been so threatened they're vulnerable. I think we can take advantage of that. CHAKOTAY: Even if we do somehow negotiate an exchange... how long will they keep up their end of the bargain? It could take months to cross Borg territory... we'd be facing thousands of systems... millions of vessels. JANEWAY: But only one Collective. And we've got them over a barrel. We don't have to give them a single bit of information... not until we're safe. We just need the courage to see this through to the end... CHAKOTAY: There are other kinds of courage... like the courage to accept that there are some situations beyond your control. Not every problem has an immediate solution. JANEWAY: You're suggesting we turn around... CHAKOTAY: Yes. We should get out of harm's way... let them fight it out. In the meantime, there's still a lot of the Delta Quadrant we haven't explored... we may find another way home. JANEWAY: Or we may find something else. Six months, a year down the road... after Species Eight Four Seven Two gets through with the Borg... we could find ourselves back in the line of fire. And we'll have missed the window of opportunity that exists right here... right now. A beat. Chakotay takes another tack. CHAKOTAY: How much is our safety worth? JANEWAY: What do you mean? CHAKOTAY: We'd be giving an advantage to a race guilty of murdering billions. We'd be helping the Borg assimilate another species... just to get ourselves back to Earth. It's wrong. JANEWAY: Tell that to Harry Kim. (beat) He's barely alive thanks to that species. Maybe helping to assimilate them isn't such a bad idea... we could be doing the Delta Quadrant a favor. CHAKOTAY: I don't think you really believe that. I think you're struggling to justify your plan... because your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options. (beat) I know you, Kathryn... sometimes you don't know when to step back. The tension rises a notch. They're at an impasse and it's getting more emotional. JANEWAY: Do you trust me, Chakotay? CHAKOTAY: That's not the issue... JANEWAY: But it is. (beat) Only yesterday, you were saying that we'd face this together... that you'd be at my side. CHAKOTAY: I still have to tell you what I believe. I wouldn't be any good to you if I didn't. JANEWAY: I appreciate your insights... but the time for debate is over. I've made my decision. (beat) Do I have your support? CHAKOTAY: You're the Captain... I'm the First Officer. I'll follow your orders. (beat) But that doesn't change my belief that we're making a fatal mistake. JANEWAY: Then I guess I'm alone, after all. (formal) Dismissed. Chakotay turns and EXITS. Off Janeway's face... CUT TO: 100 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) at impulse. It flies past... and the CAMERA PANS to reveal Voyager is entering a BORG SOLAR SYSTEM. In the distance we see a SUN... and a BORGIFIED PLANET. There are five BORG VESSELS flying about. 101 INT. BRIDGE Red Alert. Janeway, Chakotay, Paris, Tuvok, Torres at the Engineering Station, N.D.s at their stations. Everyone staring at the (off camera) Viewscreen. TUVOK: (off console) There are three planets in this system... inhabitants... all Borg. A vessel is approaching. JANEWAY: All stop. Shields up. 102 EXT. SPACE-VOYAGER (OPTICAL) holding position as a BORG CUBE flies into view... and then STOPS right in front of Voyager. 103 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) As before. The Borg Cube on the Viewscreen. TUVOK: They're hailing us. JANEWAY: Open a channel. The COLLECTIVE is heard over the com: BORG: We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. The ship JOLTS slightly. TUVOK: They've locked onto us with a tractor beam... JANEWAY: (to com) Borg vessel, this is Captain Janeway of the Starship Voyager-I have tactical information about "Species Eight Four Seven Two." I want to negotiate. BORG: Negotiation is irrelevant. You will be assimilated. Janeway turns to Torres, nods. 104 CLOSE ON OPS CONSOLE (OPTICAL) Torres working. A MONITOR shows what we saw in Sickbay in Act Four- alien cells being assimilated by a Borg nanoprobe. After a beat, the image is replaced by the words "DATA TRANSMITTING". 105 RESUME SCENE (OPTICAL) As everyone waits, tension rising. JANEWAY: (to com) Borg vessel... what you're receiving is a sample of the knowledge we possess. If you don't disengage your tractor beam immediately... I will have that data destroyed. (beat) You have ten seconds to comply. A tense beat. Janeway glances to Tuvok. TUVOK: Their tractor beam is still active... JANEWAY: (to com, pressing on) We know you're in danger of being defeated... you can't afford to risk losing this information. Disengage your tractor beam. Janeway suddenly DEMATERIALIZES in a BORG EFFECT. 106 INT. BORG COLLECTIVE-WIDE (OPTICAL) Janeway MATERIALIZES on a narrow bridge in the middle of the vast interior, a tiny figure among the thousands of Borg drones that line the walls. BORG: State your demands. 106A NEW ANGLE-JANEWAY (OPTICAL) facing the hive. She's a little awed, but stands her ground-her opening gambit appears to be working. JANEWAY: I want safe passage through your space... once my ship is beyond Borg territory, I'll give you our research. BORG: Unacceptable. Our space is vast. Your passage would require too much time. We need the technology now. JANEWAY: If I give it to you now, you'll assimilate us. BORG: Species Eight Four Seven Two must be stopped. Our survival is your survival. Give us the technology. JANEWAY: No. Safe passage first. Or no deal. A pause as the Collective "thinks." BORG: Your demand is unacceptable. Janeway hesitates. JANEWAY: All right... then I'll take the first step... but you're going to have to meet me halfway. A pause-the Borg are not used to the "give and take" of negotiations. BORG: State your proposal. JANEWAY: Let's work together.. combine our resources. Even if we give you the technology now, you're still going to need time to develop it. (beat) By working together, we can create a weapon more quickly. If you escort us through your space... we can perfect the weapon as we- BOOM! The ship SHAKES. Janeway reacts. BOOM-another SHAKE. JANEWAY: What's going on? But the Collective doesn't answer. Another JOLT! Janeway grabs hold of the railing... 106B EXT. SPACE-THE BORG CUBE (OPTICAL) which has Voyager in its tractor beam. We see an alien BIO-SHIP as it FLIES PAST the Cube, sending out an ENERGY TENDRIL as it goes. The Cube is ROCKED by the blast, shaking Voyager with it. 107 INT. BRIDGE SHAKING. Chakotay, Tuvok, Paris, Torres, N.D.s. The shaking subsides. CHAKOTAY: Where did that ship come from? Tuvok checks his console. TUVOK: A quantum singularity has appeared twenty thousand kilometers away. (beat) The bio-ship is heading directly toward the planet. TORRES: (off console) The Borg shields are weakening... we might be able to break free of the tractor beam... CHAKOTAY: Can you lock onto the Captain? TUVOK: (works) Not yet PARIS: (off console) Commander-nine more bio-ships have just come out of the singularity! Reactions. 107A INT. BORG CUBE (OPTICAL) As before, Janeway facing the Hive. BORG: We have made our decision. Before Janeway can respond, the ship TREMBLES with power. 108 EXT. SPACE-ALIEN BIO-SHIPS (OPTICAL) An entire fleet of them-nine in all. They are RUSHING toward ra... Suddenly, all of the ships GLOW with power and send out CRACKLING TENDRILS from their bows... the tendrils CONVERGING to form one MASSIVE intertwining BEAM of ENERGY... 108A NEW ANGLE-THE BORG PLANET (OPTICAL) as it is HIT with the massive TENDRIL of ENERGY. After a moment of being continuously struck, a SHOCKWAVE ripples across the surface of the sphere... and the planet EXPLODES IN A TITANIC BLASTI 108B NEW ANGLE (OPTICAL) FIRE and DEBRIS BLOWING PAST US. And out of the maelstrom two ships come ROARING THROUGH: THE BORG CUBE with VOYAGER locked in its tractor beam! They RACE past the screen, narrowly avoiding destruction... 109 REVERSE ANGLE- THE CUBE AND VOYAGER (OPTICAL) as the ships race off at high impulse. HOLD ON the image as the two vessels recede in the distance, smaller and smaller... locked together... until finally they are tiny dots lost among the stars... SUPER: TO BE CONTINUED END OF ACT FIVE THE END ADDENDUM SCENE 10 (AS NEEDED) PARIS: (re: torpedo) Getting one of these things to penetrate the Borg shields isn't going to be easy. TUVOK: Perhaps that is the wrong approach. PARIS: What do you mean? TUVOK: (re: torpedo controls) By altering the detonation parameters, I believe we can target the shields themselves. PARIS: (getting it) Use the torpedoes to blow through the outer defenses... TUVOK: And then follow with concentrated phaser fire. PARIS: It just might work... SCENE 12 (AS NEEDED) CHAKOTAY: I want to cut down on the time it takes to seal off the decks. KIM: In case we take on some uninvited guests... CHAKOTAY: Exactly. And I want to increase the magnitude of the forcefields. KIM: We can do both. If I dedicate the emitters on decks seven and eight, that should give us a few more seconds activation time... and an increase in magnitude of at least ten percent...