Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994): Season 6, Episode 2 - Realm of Fear - full transcript
Overcoming his fear of transporter, Lt. Barclay joins an away team, only to find something in the beam with him.
Captain's log, stardate 46041.1.
We have located the USS Yosemite,
a science vessel sent to observe
a remote plasma streamer.
The ship
has not been heard from in days.
Magnify.
The last report says
they were observing at medium range.
Maybe they went in,
got more than they bargained for.
Hail them.
- No response.
- Life signs?
Scanners cannot penetrate the plasma
streamer's distortion field.
- Can we tractor them out?
- No.
Ionic interference is too heavy.
- I'll take a shuttle in.
- Too risky. You could be pulled in.
Bridge to Engineering.
Mr. La Forge, can we beam over?
We can, but we might not
get a lock to bring them back.
If we bridged our transporter system
to theirs
we might cut through the ionic field.
That's a good idea, Barclay.
Captain, I think we can do it
by bridging the transporters.
Acknowledged. Meet Riker
in transporter room three.
Aye, sir. Barclay,
I'll need a systems engineer.
I'll ask Ensign Dern
to join you.
I meant you, Barclay.
Shouldn't I stay here
and set up the remote link?
Dern can do that. Let's go.
- Status, Mr. O'Brien?
- I have to send you one at a time
and transport will take longer.
- How much longer?
- Twice the normal time.
- You're in for a bumpy ride.
- What do you...?
What exactly
do you mean by a bumpy ride?
There may be static. You'll feel
some tingling, but don't worry.
Let's do it. Mr. Worf.
Engaging system interlock.
Pattern buffers synchronized.
Phase-transition coils at stand-by.
Energizing.
He's there.
I'll go next.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers synched. Energizing.
I'm ready.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers in synch.
Wait a minute. An ionic fluctuation
in the matter stream.
No problem.
OK. Energizing.
Reg, you're up.
Aye, sir.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers in synch.
- Phase coils are...
- Sorry. I can't do this.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages
of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission,
to explore strange new worlds,...
..to seek out new life
and new civilizations,...
..to boldly go
where no one has gone before.
Reg, you were faced
with a difficult transport.
Anyone would have been apprehensive.
Tell that to Cmdr La Forge
and the team.
I'm sure they understand.
As soon as you feel OK, join them.
No.
Reg, is there something
you're not telling me?
Actually...
This is not the...
This is not the first time
I've been apprehensive.
Every single time
that I tried to do it,
I had this certain feeling.
I guess you could call it
mortal terror.
- Why have you kept it a secret?
- Why?
Because my career in Starfleet
would be over. That's why.
- I doubt that.
- I've always avoided it.
You wouldn't believe the hours
I've logged in shuttlecraft.
The idea of being deconstructed,
molecule by molecule,
it's more than I can stand.
Even when I was a child,
I always had a dreadful fear
that if ever I was dematerialized, ...
..that I would
never come back again whole.
I know, it sounds crazy.
It's not crazy at all.
You are being taken apart
molecule by molecule.
You're not the first person
to have anxiety about transporting.
We can desensitize you
to this type of fear.
It's a slow and gradual process,
but it works.
It does? How?
You might try a relaxation technique,
like plexing.
- Plexing?
- Yes, it's a Betazoid method.
The next time you feel nervous,
you stimulate a neural pressure
point, like this.
There's a nerve cluster
just behind the carotid artery.
It stimulates the brain
to release natural endorphins.
Plexing. Sounds easy enough.
Here.
You know, I feel better already.
I think I can do this.
There's no need to rush.
We talked about confronting fear.
The best way out is through.
You said that once.
- I suppose I did.
- I'm gonna beam over. I can do it!
There's no sign of anyone.
- Maybe they abandoned ship.
- Unlikely.
The escape pods are still on board.
- There was an explosion.
- What caused it?
I've ruled out a core failure
or systems overload.
Blast analysis indicates
the explosion originated here...
..in the transport chamber.
How? The transporter
is still functional.
Could they have beamed aboard
an explosive device?
Cmdr Riker,
could you come here?
Excuse me.
Lt Joshua Kelly.
He was the ship's engineer.
How did he die?
He has burns over his body,
but I don't think
they were the cause.
I'd like to take him back
to do an autopsy.
- You're sure, sir?
- Sure.
- Please, proceed.
- It?ll only take a minute.
It should be smooth.
Good.
I know how you feel, sir.
You're afraid of transporting, too?
No. Arachnids. Sickening, crawly
little things, don't you think?
- All those legs.
- Spiders never bothered me.
A few years back,
I was called in to reroute
an emitter array on Zayra IV.
The entire system was infested
with Talarian hook spiders.
Have you ever seen one?
Their legs are half-a-metre long.
I had a choice. Do I let the emitter
blow itself to hell?
Or do I crawl in the Jeffries tube
with 20 hook spiders?
What happened?
It was the hardest thing
I ever did. I got through it.
- After that I was never so afraid.
- Thanks.
Energizing.
Welcome aboard.
- You ready to work?
- Yes, sir.
Good. Start downloading
the ship's science logs over there.
Four crew members unaccounted for.
Did you get anything?
I don't know how these fit in.
They were around the transporter.
They look
like pieces of sample container.
We'll take these back to the ship
for analysis. Mr. Barclay.
- Glad you could join us.
- Me too, sir.
The Ferengi claim two freighters
were destroyed by Cardassians
in your sector.
Is there any evidence?
I'm loathe to believe them
about anything...
..but there was evidence
of Cardassian weapons.
If the Cardassians
also attacked the Yosemite,
it could indicate a large movement
in this sector.
I have an away team on board.
The initial report indicates
there was an explosion,
but not if it was an attack.
- How soon until you know?
- A few hours.
If it looks like Cardassians,
I'll contact you.
Very well.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
- Go ahead, Mr. Data.
The away team
is returning to the Enterprise.
Acknowledged.
Have Cmdr Riker
come to my ready room.
Aye, sir.
La Forge
to transporter room three. Ready.
Stand by, Commander.
Barclay to Enterprise.
One to beam back.
Stand by, sir.
See, sir?
That wasn't so bad, was it?
Mission logs, science and
medical logs, all scrambled.
Looks like the blast wiped out
the ship's core memory.
We could try
to reconstitute the data stream.
It's worth a try.
Commander, has anything strange
happened to you during transport?
Like what?
I don't know.
Anything out of the ordinary.
No, not really.
This looks hopeless. We won't
get anything from these logs.
Maybe this broken container I found
can tell us something.
Let's get this thing
back into one piece.
I mean,
have you ever seen anything?
- Where?
- During transport.
Sometimes my visor picks up
resonance patterns.
It's actually kind of pretty. Why?
I'm just wondering.
What are you getting at?
Did you see something?
When I was returning
to the Enterprise, ...
..I could've sworn I saw something
in the stream.
Something?
In the phased matter round me.
At first I thought it was some kind
of energy discharge.
But then it flew toward me
and touched my arm.
How could something be in there?
Molecules flying apart,
half-phased?
I mean, it's impossible, isn't it?
We better check it out.
When we're done here, we'll run
a full diagnostic, alright?
Alright.
The confinement-beam subsystems
check out.
- So do the phase-transition coils.
- Pattern buffer is fine.
Emitter pads, targeting scanners,
they're all working fine.
This system's clean.
So is the science vessel's.
There's a lot of energy in the beam.
Maybe you saw a surge
in the matter stream.
Yeah.
I'll scan
the Heisenberg compensators.
- Chief, you've done enough.
- It's no problem. Give me a hand.
You know,
maybe ignorance really is bliss.
Sir?
If I knew less about these things,
they wouldn't scare me.
I remember the day in Dr Olafson's
transporter-theory class,
when he was talking
about the body being converted
into billions of kiloquads of data,
zipping through subspace,
and I realized
there's no margin for error.
One atom out of place...
You never come back.
It's amazing
people aren't lost all the time.
With all due respect,
I've done this for 22 years
and haven't lost anybody.
Yes, but you realize
if the imaging scanners are off
even one thousandth of a percent...
That's why each pad
has four redundant scanners.
If one fails, the others take over.
How many accidents have there been
in the last ten years? Two? Three?
There are millions of people
who transport safely every day.
I've heard of problems.
What about transporter psychosis?
Transporter psychosis?
There hasn't been a case
in 50 years.
Not since they perfected
the multiplex pattern-buffers.
Transporting
really is the safest way to travel.
I'd like a closer look at those
burns. Take a tissue sample, please.
Damage to the epidermis only.
Initiate a circulatory probe.
His heart's beating.
Cardio-stimulator.
Now.
It's gone.
Neuro-electrical activity
in the cerebral cortex.
Nothing.
Now his respiratory system's active.
What the hell is going on?
Water, ten degrees Celsius.
Computer, access Starfleet
medical database.
Tell me about...
Describe the disorder
transporter psychosis.
Transporter psychosis was
diagnosed in the year 2209
by researchers on Delinia II.
No, stop.
All I need is... What causes it?
Neurochemical molecules
break down during transport,
affecting motor functions,
autonomic systems and the brain's
higher reasoning centres.
What are the symptoms?
Victims suffer
from paranoid delusions,
multi-infarct dementia,
hallucinations...
Hallucinations?
What kind of hallucinations?
Victims experience somatic,
tactile and visual hallucinations,
accompanied
by psychogenic hysteria.
Peripheral symptoms
include sleeplessness,
accelerated heart rate,
diminished eyesight
leading to acute myopia,
painful spasms
in the extremities,...
..and in most cases, dehydration.
Computer.
What is the treatment
for transporter psychosis?
There is no known treatment.
The autopsy showed ionization
in every one of Lt Kelly's systems.
I think that caused
the muscular contractions.
From where did the ionization come?
There's evidence
of electrical burns on his body,
as if he was exposed to ionized gas
or high-energy plasma.
Plasma? There's no way
they could have been exposed.
Unless it was from the streamer.
Is there evidence of a breach?
Could the plasma enter the ship?
No. Data, what's the report
on that broken sample container?
The analysis of the fragments
is not yet complete.
Captain, if there's ionization
in those fragments,
it could mean they beamed aboard
material from the streamer.
If the plasma exploded,
that would explain a few things.
Let me know when the analysis
is complete.
From the look of these fractures,
the explosion came from within.
The container does show evidence
of residual ionization.
I believe you are correct.
It was used to store plasma.
So they were collecting
samples from the streamer.
They had the proper container.
How could it have exploded?
Perhaps we should recreate
their experiment
to see what happens when matter
is beamed aboard in the same way.
Good idea. We'll prepare
a new container.
I don't want to take any chances.
Set up a containment field.
Aye, sir.
- Are you alright, Lieutenant?
- I'm fine.
Yes, thank you.
Geordi, Lt Barclay appears
inordinately preoccupied
with his physiological condition.
I have seen him check
his pulse and vision
several times
over the last 20 minutes.
Thanks, Data.
- Yes, sir?
- Are you OK?
- I'm just fine, sir.
- You look a little pale.
I do?
Look, Reg...
It's been a long couple of days.
Get some rest.
We got everything
under control here.
I think I'll do that. Thank you.
- La Forge to Counsellor Troi.
- Go ahead.
Counsellor, do you have a minute?
Lt Barclay, I've been calling you.
Why haven't you responded?
What are you doing?
- Walking.
- So I see. Where to?
Nowhere.
I don't get to see these decks often.
Stellar Cartography.
I thought that was deck 11 .
I was having trouble sleeping.
I'm trying to wear myself out.
A perfectly normal thing
to be doing.
Cmdr La Forge said
you seemed nervous this morning.
I'm always nervous.
Everybody knows that.
He also mentioned that you saw
something in the transporter beam.
I was wrong. They checked
the transporter. I imagined it.
You don't sound
very convinced of that.
Counsellor, I appreciate
your concern in this matter.
But I wish you wouldn't continue.
I'm perfectly fine.
Mr. Barclay, you're exhausted
and highly agitated.
I cannot allow a crew member
to endanger himself or others.
I'm not endangering anyone
and I wish...
I think it is in your interest
to take a leave of absence.
I'm temporarily
relieving you of duty.
Fine.
Do what you have to do, Counsellor.
Computer, more birds.
End stress-reduction program.
- Water.
- Specify temperature.
I don't care. Just give me water.
Calm, calm. Stay calm.
Alright, computer,
let's try some music.
Something soothing.
Sir, couldn't this wait
till the morning?
No.
Chief, I've been reviewing
the transport logs.
What are these energy variations
that keep appearing?
There was one when I transported.
They're just... ionic fluctuations,
a result
of our interlock with the Yosemite.
A fluctuation occurred
while I was inside the matter stream.
It's nothing to worry about, sir.
I need you to transport me
to the science ship and back again.
And while I'm in the beam, can you
recreate an ionic fluctuation?
I guess so. But, sir, what for?
Cmdr La Forge wants
some tricorder readings.
- We can do that here.
- No!
The sensors
may not be sensitive enough.
I'm giving you an order, Mr. O'Brien.
Aye, sir.
If you don't mind
an observation, sir, ...
..you forgot your tricorder.
Either there's something there
or I'm crazy. I've got to know.
You can understand that, can't you?
Yes, sir, I can. Stand by, sir.
Wake the senior staff.
And then I saw it again
just 20 minutes ago.
It was the same, exact thing,
just moving around
in the transporter beam.
Let me get this straight.
You think it was alive?
It... was dark and distorted
and it had
what looked like a mouth.
A mouth?
I don't see anything wrong.
Why didn't you tell anybody
about your arm?
Well, I thought
I was hallucinating,
that I had...
..that it was transporter psychosis.
But now I know it was real.
I was the only one who experienced
ionic fluctuations in the transport.
Maybe that's why I saw it.
Mr. Barclay, I'm told that you've been
under considerable strain.
Isn't it possible
that you simply imagined...?
I know what you're going to say.
I've acted strange. But believe me,
I would never have called you in here
unless I was certain.
Mr. La Forge, get Mr. O'Brien.
Take that transporter system apart
piece by piece if you have to.
Mr. Worf, I want a level-three
security alert.
Aye.
I'll run a microcellular scan
of Mr. Barclay's arm.
It takes time, but if there's
a problem, I'll find it.
Keep me apprised. Dismissed.
I'm picking up
minute levels of ionization
from the tissue of his left arm.
The patterns correspond exactly
to those in Lt Kelly's body...
and in the sample container.
There's no question. You have been
exposed to the plasma.
So, something did happen
in the transporter beam.
You might've been exposed
on the science ship.
You did say something touched
your arm during transport.
That's exactly where
the ionization is focused.
- Does this pose a threat to him?
- It might.
I'll run a base-pair correlation
for any sign of DNA breakdown.
Cmdr La Forge and I were
planning to recreate the explosion.
That might give us some answers.
Permission to continue?
Granted. Tell Mr. O'Brien to take
primary transporters off line.
I don't want further contaminations.
- Make sure you take precautions.
- Aye, sir.
I'd like you to wear
this monitoring device.
It will tell me if there's
increased ionization.
Yes, Doctor.
Structural reinforcement
is at 240 percent.
Activating containment field.
That should do it.
We've locked on to the plasma.
Beam aboard a sample.
OK.
What would they do first?
Standard would be
a resonance-frequency scan.
That sounds like a good place
to start.
Initiating resonance sweep.
Frequency range at three...
Barclay,
check the containment field.
The field is at maximum
but it is holding.
My visor's picking up
biomagnetic energy.
Highly complex patterns.
You know,
I think these things are alive.
Life forms?
That is correct.
They appear to be microbes
that exist within the distortion
field of the plasma.
We didn't detect them
until we ran the scan.
Apparently, they didn't like it.
- They shattered the container.
- Which caused an explosion
similar to the one
on the science ship.
When we linked up
with their transporter,
one or more of the microbes
got into ours.
We think
they're caught in the buffer.
It might explain what you saw.
But what I saw
was much bigger than a microbe.
Normal spatial relationships are
distorted in the matter stream,
exaggerating your perceptions.
Some of these microbes
are also in your body.
Inside me?
They were in Lt Kelly's body, causing
the contractions during the autopsy.
The biofilter
should have screened them out.
The microbes exist simultaneously
as matter and energy.
The biofilter
cannot distinguish them.
If we held Barclay
suspended in mid-transport
at the point where matter
loses molecular cohesion...
The molecules would emit
nucleonic particles.
We may be able to derive a pattern
the computer would recognize.
Then the biofilters
could screen the microbes.
I think this'll work, Reg.
You'd suspend me?
I don't like the sound of this.
- We'd have to keep you in there.
- How long?
30, 40 seconds, tough to tell.
I think it'd be safe.
But if I'm in
the matter stream too long...?
Your pattern would degrade and your
signal would be permanently lost.
After 15 seconds,
you might feel light-headed.
Try to stay calm. It's important
not to move around too much.
Initializing the pattern buffer.
- Holding at stand-by.
- Ready, Reg?
Energize.
Molecular resolution at 60 percent.
Engaging static mode.
His pattern is locked and holding.
Starting biofilter scan.
Signal's holding.
The imaging scanners
haven't isolated the microbes.
I'll increase molecular dispersion.
- His resolution's now 55 percent.
- I can hold him together.
Commander, the resolution's
50 percent. Bring him back.
I know, give me one more second.
We need to increase phase-transition
frequency.
Aye, sir.
The scanners are actuating.
Got it.
Pattern acquisition... positive.
Programming biofilter.
Don't worry, Reg,
this won't hurt a bit.
A 92 percent increase in mass.
There's something in the beam
with him.
- Security to transporter room three.
- Right away.
I'm setting up a force field
round the chamber.
Drop the force field.
There are more in the beam.
Grab them and hold on.
Understood. Follow me.
Reg, what happened?
When I saw
that there was more than one,
I thought the other crew
were trying the same thing.
We're infected with something.
Lt Kelly
tried to reprogram the biofilter.
Looks like he pushed molecular
dispersion past integrity point.
Your patterns got caught.
The residual energy must have
amplified the charge in the buffer
and stopped your patterns degrading.
Captain's log, stardate 46043.6
The reprogrammed biofilter
was effective
in removing the alien microbes
from all crew members.
The microbes have been returned
to the plasma streamer.
- Chief.
- Lieutenant.
I'm glad you could make it.
This is the first time we've spoken
outside the transporter room.
- I've always avoided you.
- Why?
You run the transporters
that I hate.
At least, I used to.
So, what's in the box?
I thought you might like
to meet Christina.
Christina, Lt Barclay.
It's your pet spider.
Lycosa tarantula.
Don't worry, she won't bite.
She's... very large.
I found her on Titus IV.
Almost stepped on her by accident.
I'll get us a couple of drinks.
- Keep an eye on her.
- Sure.
Chief!
(ENGLISH)
We have located the USS Yosemite,
a science vessel sent to observe
a remote plasma streamer.
The ship
has not been heard from in days.
Magnify.
The last report says
they were observing at medium range.
Maybe they went in,
got more than they bargained for.
Hail them.
- No response.
- Life signs?
Scanners cannot penetrate the plasma
streamer's distortion field.
- Can we tractor them out?
- No.
Ionic interference is too heavy.
- I'll take a shuttle in.
- Too risky. You could be pulled in.
Bridge to Engineering.
Mr. La Forge, can we beam over?
We can, but we might not
get a lock to bring them back.
If we bridged our transporter system
to theirs
we might cut through the ionic field.
That's a good idea, Barclay.
Captain, I think we can do it
by bridging the transporters.
Acknowledged. Meet Riker
in transporter room three.
Aye, sir. Barclay,
I'll need a systems engineer.
I'll ask Ensign Dern
to join you.
I meant you, Barclay.
Shouldn't I stay here
and set up the remote link?
Dern can do that. Let's go.
- Status, Mr. O'Brien?
- I have to send you one at a time
and transport will take longer.
- How much longer?
- Twice the normal time.
- You're in for a bumpy ride.
- What do you...?
What exactly
do you mean by a bumpy ride?
There may be static. You'll feel
some tingling, but don't worry.
Let's do it. Mr. Worf.
Engaging system interlock.
Pattern buffers synchronized.
Phase-transition coils at stand-by.
Energizing.
He's there.
I'll go next.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers synched. Energizing.
I'm ready.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers in synch.
Wait a minute. An ionic fluctuation
in the matter stream.
No problem.
OK. Energizing.
Reg, you're up.
Aye, sir.
Engaging interlock.
Buffers in synch.
- Phase coils are...
- Sorry. I can't do this.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages
of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission,
to explore strange new worlds,...
..to seek out new life
and new civilizations,...
..to boldly go
where no one has gone before.
Reg, you were faced
with a difficult transport.
Anyone would have been apprehensive.
Tell that to Cmdr La Forge
and the team.
I'm sure they understand.
As soon as you feel OK, join them.
No.
Reg, is there something
you're not telling me?
Actually...
This is not the...
This is not the first time
I've been apprehensive.
Every single time
that I tried to do it,
I had this certain feeling.
I guess you could call it
mortal terror.
- Why have you kept it a secret?
- Why?
Because my career in Starfleet
would be over. That's why.
- I doubt that.
- I've always avoided it.
You wouldn't believe the hours
I've logged in shuttlecraft.
The idea of being deconstructed,
molecule by molecule,
it's more than I can stand.
Even when I was a child,
I always had a dreadful fear
that if ever I was dematerialized, ...
..that I would
never come back again whole.
I know, it sounds crazy.
It's not crazy at all.
You are being taken apart
molecule by molecule.
You're not the first person
to have anxiety about transporting.
We can desensitize you
to this type of fear.
It's a slow and gradual process,
but it works.
It does? How?
You might try a relaxation technique,
like plexing.
- Plexing?
- Yes, it's a Betazoid method.
The next time you feel nervous,
you stimulate a neural pressure
point, like this.
There's a nerve cluster
just behind the carotid artery.
It stimulates the brain
to release natural endorphins.
Plexing. Sounds easy enough.
Here.
You know, I feel better already.
I think I can do this.
There's no need to rush.
We talked about confronting fear.
The best way out is through.
You said that once.
- I suppose I did.
- I'm gonna beam over. I can do it!
There's no sign of anyone.
- Maybe they abandoned ship.
- Unlikely.
The escape pods are still on board.
- There was an explosion.
- What caused it?
I've ruled out a core failure
or systems overload.
Blast analysis indicates
the explosion originated here...
..in the transport chamber.
How? The transporter
is still functional.
Could they have beamed aboard
an explosive device?
Cmdr Riker,
could you come here?
Excuse me.
Lt Joshua Kelly.
He was the ship's engineer.
How did he die?
He has burns over his body,
but I don't think
they were the cause.
I'd like to take him back
to do an autopsy.
- You're sure, sir?
- Sure.
- Please, proceed.
- It?ll only take a minute.
It should be smooth.
Good.
I know how you feel, sir.
You're afraid of transporting, too?
No. Arachnids. Sickening, crawly
little things, don't you think?
- All those legs.
- Spiders never bothered me.
A few years back,
I was called in to reroute
an emitter array on Zayra IV.
The entire system was infested
with Talarian hook spiders.
Have you ever seen one?
Their legs are half-a-metre long.
I had a choice. Do I let the emitter
blow itself to hell?
Or do I crawl in the Jeffries tube
with 20 hook spiders?
What happened?
It was the hardest thing
I ever did. I got through it.
- After that I was never so afraid.
- Thanks.
Energizing.
Welcome aboard.
- You ready to work?
- Yes, sir.
Good. Start downloading
the ship's science logs over there.
Four crew members unaccounted for.
Did you get anything?
I don't know how these fit in.
They were around the transporter.
They look
like pieces of sample container.
We'll take these back to the ship
for analysis. Mr. Barclay.
- Glad you could join us.
- Me too, sir.
The Ferengi claim two freighters
were destroyed by Cardassians
in your sector.
Is there any evidence?
I'm loathe to believe them
about anything...
..but there was evidence
of Cardassian weapons.
If the Cardassians
also attacked the Yosemite,
it could indicate a large movement
in this sector.
I have an away team on board.
The initial report indicates
there was an explosion,
but not if it was an attack.
- How soon until you know?
- A few hours.
If it looks like Cardassians,
I'll contact you.
Very well.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
- Go ahead, Mr. Data.
The away team
is returning to the Enterprise.
Acknowledged.
Have Cmdr Riker
come to my ready room.
Aye, sir.
La Forge
to transporter room three. Ready.
Stand by, Commander.
Barclay to Enterprise.
One to beam back.
Stand by, sir.
See, sir?
That wasn't so bad, was it?
Mission logs, science and
medical logs, all scrambled.
Looks like the blast wiped out
the ship's core memory.
We could try
to reconstitute the data stream.
It's worth a try.
Commander, has anything strange
happened to you during transport?
Like what?
I don't know.
Anything out of the ordinary.
No, not really.
This looks hopeless. We won't
get anything from these logs.
Maybe this broken container I found
can tell us something.
Let's get this thing
back into one piece.
I mean,
have you ever seen anything?
- Where?
- During transport.
Sometimes my visor picks up
resonance patterns.
It's actually kind of pretty. Why?
I'm just wondering.
What are you getting at?
Did you see something?
When I was returning
to the Enterprise, ...
..I could've sworn I saw something
in the stream.
Something?
In the phased matter round me.
At first I thought it was some kind
of energy discharge.
But then it flew toward me
and touched my arm.
How could something be in there?
Molecules flying apart,
half-phased?
I mean, it's impossible, isn't it?
We better check it out.
When we're done here, we'll run
a full diagnostic, alright?
Alright.
The confinement-beam subsystems
check out.
- So do the phase-transition coils.
- Pattern buffer is fine.
Emitter pads, targeting scanners,
they're all working fine.
This system's clean.
So is the science vessel's.
There's a lot of energy in the beam.
Maybe you saw a surge
in the matter stream.
Yeah.
I'll scan
the Heisenberg compensators.
- Chief, you've done enough.
- It's no problem. Give me a hand.
You know,
maybe ignorance really is bliss.
Sir?
If I knew less about these things,
they wouldn't scare me.
I remember the day in Dr Olafson's
transporter-theory class,
when he was talking
about the body being converted
into billions of kiloquads of data,
zipping through subspace,
and I realized
there's no margin for error.
One atom out of place...
You never come back.
It's amazing
people aren't lost all the time.
With all due respect,
I've done this for 22 years
and haven't lost anybody.
Yes, but you realize
if the imaging scanners are off
even one thousandth of a percent...
That's why each pad
has four redundant scanners.
If one fails, the others take over.
How many accidents have there been
in the last ten years? Two? Three?
There are millions of people
who transport safely every day.
I've heard of problems.
What about transporter psychosis?
Transporter psychosis?
There hasn't been a case
in 50 years.
Not since they perfected
the multiplex pattern-buffers.
Transporting
really is the safest way to travel.
I'd like a closer look at those
burns. Take a tissue sample, please.
Damage to the epidermis only.
Initiate a circulatory probe.
His heart's beating.
Cardio-stimulator.
Now.
It's gone.
Neuro-electrical activity
in the cerebral cortex.
Nothing.
Now his respiratory system's active.
What the hell is going on?
Water, ten degrees Celsius.
Computer, access Starfleet
medical database.
Tell me about...
Describe the disorder
transporter psychosis.
Transporter psychosis was
diagnosed in the year 2209
by researchers on Delinia II.
No, stop.
All I need is... What causes it?
Neurochemical molecules
break down during transport,
affecting motor functions,
autonomic systems and the brain's
higher reasoning centres.
What are the symptoms?
Victims suffer
from paranoid delusions,
multi-infarct dementia,
hallucinations...
Hallucinations?
What kind of hallucinations?
Victims experience somatic,
tactile and visual hallucinations,
accompanied
by psychogenic hysteria.
Peripheral symptoms
include sleeplessness,
accelerated heart rate,
diminished eyesight
leading to acute myopia,
painful spasms
in the extremities,...
..and in most cases, dehydration.
Computer.
What is the treatment
for transporter psychosis?
There is no known treatment.
The autopsy showed ionization
in every one of Lt Kelly's systems.
I think that caused
the muscular contractions.
From where did the ionization come?
There's evidence
of electrical burns on his body,
as if he was exposed to ionized gas
or high-energy plasma.
Plasma? There's no way
they could have been exposed.
Unless it was from the streamer.
Is there evidence of a breach?
Could the plasma enter the ship?
No. Data, what's the report
on that broken sample container?
The analysis of the fragments
is not yet complete.
Captain, if there's ionization
in those fragments,
it could mean they beamed aboard
material from the streamer.
If the plasma exploded,
that would explain a few things.
Let me know when the analysis
is complete.
From the look of these fractures,
the explosion came from within.
The container does show evidence
of residual ionization.
I believe you are correct.
It was used to store plasma.
So they were collecting
samples from the streamer.
They had the proper container.
How could it have exploded?
Perhaps we should recreate
their experiment
to see what happens when matter
is beamed aboard in the same way.
Good idea. We'll prepare
a new container.
I don't want to take any chances.
Set up a containment field.
Aye, sir.
- Are you alright, Lieutenant?
- I'm fine.
Yes, thank you.
Geordi, Lt Barclay appears
inordinately preoccupied
with his physiological condition.
I have seen him check
his pulse and vision
several times
over the last 20 minutes.
Thanks, Data.
- Yes, sir?
- Are you OK?
- I'm just fine, sir.
- You look a little pale.
I do?
Look, Reg...
It's been a long couple of days.
Get some rest.
We got everything
under control here.
I think I'll do that. Thank you.
- La Forge to Counsellor Troi.
- Go ahead.
Counsellor, do you have a minute?
Lt Barclay, I've been calling you.
Why haven't you responded?
What are you doing?
- Walking.
- So I see. Where to?
Nowhere.
I don't get to see these decks often.
Stellar Cartography.
I thought that was deck 11 .
I was having trouble sleeping.
I'm trying to wear myself out.
A perfectly normal thing
to be doing.
Cmdr La Forge said
you seemed nervous this morning.
I'm always nervous.
Everybody knows that.
He also mentioned that you saw
something in the transporter beam.
I was wrong. They checked
the transporter. I imagined it.
You don't sound
very convinced of that.
Counsellor, I appreciate
your concern in this matter.
But I wish you wouldn't continue.
I'm perfectly fine.
Mr. Barclay, you're exhausted
and highly agitated.
I cannot allow a crew member
to endanger himself or others.
I'm not endangering anyone
and I wish...
I think it is in your interest
to take a leave of absence.
I'm temporarily
relieving you of duty.
Fine.
Do what you have to do, Counsellor.
Computer, more birds.
End stress-reduction program.
- Water.
- Specify temperature.
I don't care. Just give me water.
Calm, calm. Stay calm.
Alright, computer,
let's try some music.
Something soothing.
Sir, couldn't this wait
till the morning?
No.
Chief, I've been reviewing
the transport logs.
What are these energy variations
that keep appearing?
There was one when I transported.
They're just... ionic fluctuations,
a result
of our interlock with the Yosemite.
A fluctuation occurred
while I was inside the matter stream.
It's nothing to worry about, sir.
I need you to transport me
to the science ship and back again.
And while I'm in the beam, can you
recreate an ionic fluctuation?
I guess so. But, sir, what for?
Cmdr La Forge wants
some tricorder readings.
- We can do that here.
- No!
The sensors
may not be sensitive enough.
I'm giving you an order, Mr. O'Brien.
Aye, sir.
If you don't mind
an observation, sir, ...
..you forgot your tricorder.
Either there's something there
or I'm crazy. I've got to know.
You can understand that, can't you?
Yes, sir, I can. Stand by, sir.
Wake the senior staff.
And then I saw it again
just 20 minutes ago.
It was the same, exact thing,
just moving around
in the transporter beam.
Let me get this straight.
You think it was alive?
It... was dark and distorted
and it had
what looked like a mouth.
A mouth?
I don't see anything wrong.
Why didn't you tell anybody
about your arm?
Well, I thought
I was hallucinating,
that I had...
..that it was transporter psychosis.
But now I know it was real.
I was the only one who experienced
ionic fluctuations in the transport.
Maybe that's why I saw it.
Mr. Barclay, I'm told that you've been
under considerable strain.
Isn't it possible
that you simply imagined...?
I know what you're going to say.
I've acted strange. But believe me,
I would never have called you in here
unless I was certain.
Mr. La Forge, get Mr. O'Brien.
Take that transporter system apart
piece by piece if you have to.
Mr. Worf, I want a level-three
security alert.
Aye.
I'll run a microcellular scan
of Mr. Barclay's arm.
It takes time, but if there's
a problem, I'll find it.
Keep me apprised. Dismissed.
I'm picking up
minute levels of ionization
from the tissue of his left arm.
The patterns correspond exactly
to those in Lt Kelly's body...
and in the sample container.
There's no question. You have been
exposed to the plasma.
So, something did happen
in the transporter beam.
You might've been exposed
on the science ship.
You did say something touched
your arm during transport.
That's exactly where
the ionization is focused.
- Does this pose a threat to him?
- It might.
I'll run a base-pair correlation
for any sign of DNA breakdown.
Cmdr La Forge and I were
planning to recreate the explosion.
That might give us some answers.
Permission to continue?
Granted. Tell Mr. O'Brien to take
primary transporters off line.
I don't want further contaminations.
- Make sure you take precautions.
- Aye, sir.
I'd like you to wear
this monitoring device.
It will tell me if there's
increased ionization.
Yes, Doctor.
Structural reinforcement
is at 240 percent.
Activating containment field.
That should do it.
We've locked on to the plasma.
Beam aboard a sample.
OK.
What would they do first?
Standard would be
a resonance-frequency scan.
That sounds like a good place
to start.
Initiating resonance sweep.
Frequency range at three...
Barclay,
check the containment field.
The field is at maximum
but it is holding.
My visor's picking up
biomagnetic energy.
Highly complex patterns.
You know,
I think these things are alive.
Life forms?
That is correct.
They appear to be microbes
that exist within the distortion
field of the plasma.
We didn't detect them
until we ran the scan.
Apparently, they didn't like it.
- They shattered the container.
- Which caused an explosion
similar to the one
on the science ship.
When we linked up
with their transporter,
one or more of the microbes
got into ours.
We think
they're caught in the buffer.
It might explain what you saw.
But what I saw
was much bigger than a microbe.
Normal spatial relationships are
distorted in the matter stream,
exaggerating your perceptions.
Some of these microbes
are also in your body.
Inside me?
They were in Lt Kelly's body, causing
the contractions during the autopsy.
The biofilter
should have screened them out.
The microbes exist simultaneously
as matter and energy.
The biofilter
cannot distinguish them.
If we held Barclay
suspended in mid-transport
at the point where matter
loses molecular cohesion...
The molecules would emit
nucleonic particles.
We may be able to derive a pattern
the computer would recognize.
Then the biofilters
could screen the microbes.
I think this'll work, Reg.
You'd suspend me?
I don't like the sound of this.
- We'd have to keep you in there.
- How long?
30, 40 seconds, tough to tell.
I think it'd be safe.
But if I'm in
the matter stream too long...?
Your pattern would degrade and your
signal would be permanently lost.
After 15 seconds,
you might feel light-headed.
Try to stay calm. It's important
not to move around too much.
Initializing the pattern buffer.
- Holding at stand-by.
- Ready, Reg?
Energize.
Molecular resolution at 60 percent.
Engaging static mode.
His pattern is locked and holding.
Starting biofilter scan.
Signal's holding.
The imaging scanners
haven't isolated the microbes.
I'll increase molecular dispersion.
- His resolution's now 55 percent.
- I can hold him together.
Commander, the resolution's
50 percent. Bring him back.
I know, give me one more second.
We need to increase phase-transition
frequency.
Aye, sir.
The scanners are actuating.
Got it.
Pattern acquisition... positive.
Programming biofilter.
Don't worry, Reg,
this won't hurt a bit.
A 92 percent increase in mass.
There's something in the beam
with him.
- Security to transporter room three.
- Right away.
I'm setting up a force field
round the chamber.
Drop the force field.
There are more in the beam.
Grab them and hold on.
Understood. Follow me.
Reg, what happened?
When I saw
that there was more than one,
I thought the other crew
were trying the same thing.
We're infected with something.
Lt Kelly
tried to reprogram the biofilter.
Looks like he pushed molecular
dispersion past integrity point.
Your patterns got caught.
The residual energy must have
amplified the charge in the buffer
and stopped your patterns degrading.
Captain's log, stardate 46043.6
The reprogrammed biofilter
was effective
in removing the alien microbes
from all crew members.
The microbes have been returned
to the plasma streamer.
- Chief.
- Lieutenant.
I'm glad you could make it.
This is the first time we've spoken
outside the transporter room.
- I've always avoided you.
- Why?
You run the transporters
that I hate.
At least, I used to.
So, what's in the box?
I thought you might like
to meet Christina.
Christina, Lt Barclay.
It's your pet spider.
Lycosa tarantula.
Don't worry, she won't bite.
She's... very large.
I found her on Titus IV.
Almost stepped on her by accident.
I'll get us a couple of drinks.
- Keep an eye on her.
- Sure.
Chief!
(ENGLISH)