Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001): Season 3, Episode 12 - Macrocosm - full transcript

Good health, strong body, clear mind.

And you. Your hospitality,
your generosity, your patience.

Many thanks.

My colleague's behaviour,
our apologies.

- I assure you...
- Make her quiet.

- Captain, please.
- I understand.

Good health, strong body, clear mind.

And you. Your journey home
short and safe.

Captain's log, stardate 50425.1.

Mr Neelix and I have completed
our trade mission with the Tak Tak,

one of the more unusual species
we've encountered.



We are en route back to Voyager.

Oh.

I've always been taught to be tolerant
of other cultures.

But the Tak Tak are the most
unforgiving people I've ever met.

- They are a little impatient.
- They make Klingons look sedate.

I'll never put my hands on my hips again.

You had no way of knowing it was
one of the worst insults possible.

It's a good thing you were there,
Mr Neelix.

I might have been shot at dawn.

I have studied chromolinguistics,
American Sign Language,

the gestural idioms of the Leyron.
But I couldn't get Tak Tak.

It seemed like
more than just a language to me.

A lot of their gestures were ritualistic.
You might even say superstitious.

You have a genuine flair for diplomacy,
Mr Neelix.



I may have to promote you
from morale officer to ambassador.

I could use a man like you
at the front door.

Ambassador Neelix.
I like the sound of that.

We're approaching
the rendezvous coordinates.

Dropping to one quarter impulse.

Voyager's not there.
And they're not responding to hails.

I'm running a long-range scan.

There they are.
They're holding position in sector 38,

coordinates 121, mark 6.

- That's over a light year away.
- They could be in trouble.

Engaging maximum warp.

Janeway to Voyager.
Commander Chakotay, respond.

The ship looks fine. There's no sign
of any external damage.

- Any sign of the crew?
- There's some kind of interference.

I can't get clear lifesign readings.

The escape pods are in place.
No recent transporter activity.

Grab a phaser, Ambassador.
We're going to get some answers.

Still no sign of the crew,

but these readings are erratic.

A bioelectric field is permeating the ship.

Where's it coming from?

I don't know.

Let's access the ship's internal sensors,

see if we can get a better reading.

Same problem.

The main computer

and the com system are off-line.

This is strange.

A bio-neural gel pack

in the mess hall ruptured.

Yet most of the systems in there

seem to be functioning normally.

Let's get to the bridge.

Someone was working on this.

All the equipment is still active,

but the work hasn't been completed.

It's like they dropped

what they were doing and ran.

Come on.

- This isn't the welcome I expected.
- Me neither.

But if there was an attack,

why didn't Chakotay contact us
or send out a warning buoy?

I'm picking up a com-signal,
about ten metres ahead.

- It's coming from here.
- This is Ensign Wildman's quarters.

- Is she in there?
- I can't tell.

Let's take a look. Stand ready.

Here's our com-signal. Your
"Good Morning, Voyager" program.

Ensign Wildman is a dedicated viewer.

She activated this program
approximately 11 hours ago.

Why is it still running?

It's set for automatic playback
until it's turned off.

The baby's missing, too.

I'd say Ensign Wildman
replicated this 11 hours ago.

We'll check the communications logs.
They might tell us...

There!

I can't tell if it's humanoid
but it's emanating a bioelectric field.

Whatever it is,
it just ran into a dead end.

Over here.

Something just punched through
the floor, into the Jefferies tubes.

What is it?

Some sort of mucilaginous compound.

High concentrations
of amino acids, proteins...

and fragments of non-humanoid DNA.

Well, Ambassador,
I'd say we have an unexpected guest.

I don't think he's the diplomatic type.

Main power is failing and
the environmental controls are off-line.

Systems are shutting down one by one.
We'd better get to the bridge.

We've still got auxiliary power.
Deck 1.

It's getting awfully hot in here.

Heat from the warp plasma conduits
can't be vented. Expect a heat wave.

No problem. I'm used to it.

I grew up near the Rinax marshlands.
Our summers were hot.

50 degrees Celsius. 90% humidity.
And vicious lavaflies.

Summers in Indiana were pretty similar.

Except that we had three suns
and the lavaflies were 6cms long.

- 6cms?
- Insect repellent sold very well.

There's a life-form in the turboshaft.
I'm engaging the manual override.

Ah... Captain. It sounds like our guest
has brought a few friends.

One more second.
I can't get the pneumatic conduits to...

That was no lavafly.

There's no life-form above us.
We're getting out of here.

- Are you all right?
- Yes.

Disgusting, but all right.

It's the same compound we saw
in the transporter room.

Come on.

What is it?

Human lifesigns. Very faint.
30 or more.

- Where are they coming from?
- Several decks above us.

I can't pinpoint the location.

Maybe the crew is hiding
and they set up a defence perimeter.

One thing's for sure.
Whoever's up there is still alive.

Once we get the main computer on-line,
we'll get a fix on their location.

It's so hot! My head is spinning.

You've got a fever.
Fluid in your lungs.

The compound is acting quickly.
Try to hang on. Just three more decks.

- Go on without me.
- I won't leave you.

I can't... I'm so dizzy.

There should be a medical kit
up that tube.

I'll bring back something.
Don't go away.

- Help! Captain!
- I'm coming, Neelix!

Neelix!

This is Captain Kathryn Janeway
of Voyager to anyone within range.

My ship has been seized by unknown
life-forms. Require assistance.

Harry.

Chakotay.

Captain.
I thought you were something else.

The other aliens will sense you here
and will try to invade sickbay.

- We don't have much time to treat you.
- What's going on?

What are those... Argh!

You've ruptured a muscle
and bruised two ribs.

I'll have to perform surgery.
Lie on your side and try to be still.

- Tell me what's happened.
- We've been infected by a macrovirus.

A form of life I've never encountered.

What about the crew?

I will tell you exactly what happened
if you just lie still.

Shortly after you left, we received
a distress call from a mining colony,

a race called the Garans.

They were experiencing
a minor viral outbreak.

Fever. Disorientation.
I think it's some kind of virus.

Nothing serious,
but if we don't stop it now,

we'll be forced
to shut down the operation.

- We may be able to help.
- An antigen may do the trick.

But it will have be modified
for this virus.

I'd like to beam down
and examine a few of the infected.

An away mission.

I'm the only one who can enter a
contaminated environment without risk.

Besides, I've been looking forward
to spreading my wings.

Good enough. It will take us
about three hours to reach you.

Thank you, Commander.
I don't think we'll be going anywhere.

Download my program
into the autonomous emitter.

Yes, Doctor.

- They're not responding.
- Lifesigns?

There's a lot of interference.
I can't get a clear reading.

Perhaps their condition is serious.
I better get down there.

Doctor, if anything happens to that
emitter, your program could be lost.

I've been studying the Starfleet
guidelines for away team members.

For a medical emergency
on alien terrain,

it is recommended that we keep
an open com channel.

- You heard the man.
- Channel open.

Away team to Voyager. My portable
emitter is working perfectly.

I am scanning the mineshaft
and proceeding along vector 147.

Ambient temperature
is 16 degrees Celsius.

Illumination is minimal
but that shouldn't pose a problem.

The cave walls
are comprised of granite with a...

We don't need that much information.
Tell us when you've found the miners.

Oh. Very well. Stand by, then.

Voyager, I've found one of the miners.

He's suffering from
the advanced stages of viral infection.

- Can you treat him?
- Not without an immunising agent.

This is curious. The virus
is concentrating near his neck.

It's using his glandular tissue
to create an orifice.

Something is emerging.

A life-form!

Commander, I think
I've just discovered a new form of life!

It appears to be
a macroscopic version of the virus.

- The virus has grown?
- Yes.

By a factor of billions.

The virus absorbed
the miner's growth hormones

and used them to increase
its own mass and dimensions.

The virus has found a way
to leave the microscopic world

and enter the macroscopic world.

It's a remarkable
evolutionary development.

The virus is attracted
to infra-red radiation.

It's mistaking my holomatrix
for body heat.

This one's approximately
0.5 millimetres in diameter.

But it's growing
at 30 microns every second.

Permission to beam the virus aboard
for analysis.

No. Our biofilters might not recognise it.
You'll have to use tricorder data.

Very well. But I think I should...

Stand by, Voyager.

- Hold on! Stop!
- You've got to help us.

I intend to,
but first I must return to my ship.

- Take me with you.
- No. We'd risk infecting the crew.

You can't leave me.

Please.

Commander, if we established a force
field around sickbay and beamed...

I'm afraid
we can't take the chance.

- But these people need...
- Doctor.

Away team guidelines forbid
the transport of unknown...

...of unknown infectious agents without
establishing containment protocols.

I understand.

I'll do my best to help you.

Away team to Voyager.
One to beam up.

Doctor to bridge.
Checking the biofilters.

Several viral organisms
were beamed up.

- The biofilter has isolated them.
- Purge the filters.

Purging is complete. I'll be in sickbay.

In the few seconds it took me
to purge the filters,

the virus had migrated
into the transporter buffer.

- Any luck?
- I'm creating a synthetic antigen.

It will prevent
the virus from replicating.

But I don't know
how to restore infected cells.

As for the larger versions of the virus,
the macrovirus,

I would suggest a fly swatter.

- How long before the antigen's ready?
- Another 12 hours.

We'll rendezvous with the captain
and deal with this after she's aboard.

Commander, I'd like to apologise
for my over-zealous behaviour.

Compassion is nothing
to be sorry about.

You were faced with a moral dilemma.

But if it makes you feel better,
your performance was exemplary.

Thank you.

- I told you he'd understand.
- Yes. You did.

We continued working on the antigen.
But the macrovirus was working faster.

It had moved from the transporter
buffer into an adjacent system.

Thank God you're here.
The natives are restless.

- What's the emergency?
- I'm helping while Neelix is away.

The heating array incinerated
a 12-kilo pot roast

and all the replicators went off-line.

Looks delicious.

Maybe there's a problem
with the bio-neural gel pack.

Actually, I'm a good cook
when engineering is doing its job.

- So this is my fault?
- The gel packs are your department.

And what was I supposed to tell
all these hungry, irritable people?

A plasma relay on deck 7
really needs repairing.

- You can't leave me now.
- You need me? I'm touched.

What's going on here? It looks like
this gel pack has an infection.

Half the neurodes are burned out
and the pack is filled with a compound.

Call the Doctor and tell him...

B'Elanna!

- Were any other gel packs infected?
- No, just that one.

The ship is healthy.
It's the crew I'm worried about.

Your bones have healed
but the tissue will be sensitive.

- It's getting warmer in here.
- It's not just the ship.

It's you. You've been infected
with the macrovirus. It's a high fever.

Yes, on the bridge.
I was bitten by one of them.

Your glandular system
is being affected.

If I don't treat you now
you'll end up like the others.

I've spent hours perfecting the antigen
but I haven't tested it on a live subject.

I'll have to be your guinea pig.

Why are the crew in the mess hall
and cargo bays?

The larger macroviruses
are driven by some instinct

to assemble their host population.

Tell me what happened
after B'Elanna was exposed.

I was faced with an imminent epidemic.

Oh, no.

Doctor to the bridge. The macrovirus
is on board and appears to be airborne.

I suggest a quarantine of the mess hall.

Acknowledged. Red Alert.
Initiate quarantine protocols on deck 2.

Aye, sir.

All hands,
this is Commander Chakotay.

We've detected a virus in the mess hall.
Deck 2 is under quarantine.

No crew member is to leave
or enter any section on deck 2.

Stand by.

I've erected the biocontainment fields.
The area has been sealed.

We avoided a ship-wide outbreak,

but everyone on deck 2
had been contaminated.

I collected a single live specimen
of the macrovirus

and returned to sickbay
in hopes of finding a cure.

- Ready, Doctor.
- Optimal magnification.

The specimen has synthesised
B'Elanna's growth hormone.

That should give information to destroy
the virus without killing its host cells.

The virus has grown by 150 microns.

That shouldn't hinder our analysis,
as long as its structure stays the same.

Doctor.

Computer, erect a force field
around the microscope station.

So much for lunch.

I may never look at food again.

I thought Klingons didn't get nauseated.
You have a redundant stomach.

Right now, they're both unhappy.

Paris to sickbay.

Two macroviruses
just came out of B'Elanna's neck.

Stand by.
We're close to formulating an antigen.

The virus has grown to 0.3 metres.

On the microscopic level, the virus
uses that projection to penetrate a cell.

On our level, it probably impales
its victim that way,

infusing him with its own genetic code.

The antigen is ready.

Kes?

Computer, deactivate force field.

Well...

One down, ten billion to go.

Eager to inoculate the infected,
I headed for the quarantined area.

Though their condition had grown
worse, it was the least of our problems.

Lieutenant, if you can hear me,
I'm going to give you an injection.

It should eliminate the virus.

- What is that?
- You don't want to know.

Doctor to the bridge.
Intruder alert, deck 2, section 13.

Within minutes, dozens of the larger
organisms overwhelmed the ship.

Before long,
the crew was incapacitated.

I've developed a vaccine,
but I can't administer it.

Every time I try to get to the crew,
I'm attacked. Perhaps with your help...

How many of the larger macroviruses
are there?

Dozens, perhaps hundreds. They're
replicating at an exponential rate.

By tomorrow there could be thousands.

Speak of the devil.

- You're cured.
- Question is...

how do we cure the rest of the crew?

Can this antigen be distributed
in a gaseous form?

For absorption via
the respiratory system?

Environmental controls are off-line.

I have limited engineering expertise.

All we have to do is get to deck 12.

We'll run into the problem I faced
on the way to the mess hall.

Not if I can help it.
Prepare two canisters of antigen.

We'll take different routes
to environmental control.

If you get there first,
I'll talk you through the repairs.

The macroviruses are attracted
to infra-red radiation.

Set your tricorder to emit
a thermal scattering signal.

Ready when you are.

We'll be right with you.

Take Jefferies tube 11.

- What's wrong?
- I've studied the ship.

I know most of it,
but how do I get there from here?

Jefferies tube 11.
Take a left at section 31.

Straight down until you hit deck 10.

- Follow the corridor until...
- I hit the shuttlebay.

Crawl through access port 9, go past
three airlocks and two decks down.

Environmental control
is at the end of the hall.

- Who designed this ship, anyway?
- Good luck.

- Doctor to Captain Janeway.
- Go ahead.

I won't be joining you.

The macroviruses overwhelmed me
and my emitter was nearly destroyed.

I've taken refuge in the shuttlebay,
in a shuttlecraft.

Stay put, Doctor.
I'm close to environmental control.

Janeway to Doctor.
Environmental controls back on-line.

Set the dispersal nodes
to one part per thousand.

- What's going on?
- I think someone's firing at Voyager.

Find out what's happening
and patch the data to me.

It's the Tak Tak.

- Open a channel and hail their captain.
- Stand by.

This is Captain Janeway.
Why are you firing at us?

The Garan mining colony infected.
We've purified them.

Your distress call received. Voyager
infected. We are purifying you.

- Purifying or destroying us?
- No choice.

No cure for the virus.
Voyager's existence a threat.

Your illness, our apologies.

Wait! We've developed a cure,

but your torpedoes just stopped us
putting an end to this.

- A cure?
- Yes. We've tested it and it works.

I can prove it.
I'll share the antigen with you.

But you've got to give me a chance
to save my crew.

A chance. One hour.

Doctor, that last torpedo destroyed
the secondary power couplings.

I can't get the environmental controls
back on-line.

We appear to be low on options.

We only have access to systems
with independent power sources -

shuttlecraft, life support, the holodecks.

You said the macroviruses
are attracted to infra-red signatures.

- That's right.
- You and I are the only targets left.

What if we gave them
something new?

What are you suggesting?

It's working. I've programmed the
characters to react to the viruses.

We don't have much time.
Get to the crew.

You've got a clear path to
the mess hall and cargo bays.

- What about you?
- I've put together an antigen bomb.

Now all I have to do is drop it.

Doctor to Captain Janeway.
Captain, please respond.

- Go ahead.
- It worked.

The macroviruses
have been destroyed.

And the ship?

Heavy damage on holodeck 2
but there are no hull breaches.

Astonishment. Your vessel, purified.

And we'd share the cure with you

if you'd be kind enough
to forgo destroying our ship.

Of course. Purification will cease.
My word.

Many thanks to Captain of Voyager.

Good health.

Good health.

Come in.

Good morning, Captain.
Here's an update on repairs.

- How's the crew?
- They're fine.

Although a few people
are reporting queasiness.

I'm not surprised.

I'm granting extended R&R
for all personnel.

- Work out the shift rotations.
- Aye, Captain.

Speaking of R&R, a few of us
are going skiing on the holodeck.

The Ktarian glaciers. Fresh air,
good workout. Care to join us?

- No, thank you, but have fun.
- Not your cup of tea?

I love to ski. But I've had enough
of a workout for the time being.

Understood.