Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001): Season 4, Episode 2 - The Gift - full transcript
Seven of Nine, the Borg drone that Voyager severed from the collective, tries to resist as her natural human physiology tries to regenerate. It's up to Captain Janeway to convince her to embrace her humanity and join the Voyager crew. Meanwhile, Kes' telekinetic powers grow to such a point that she can no longer control them. In order to prevent Voyager from being destroyed, she decides she must leave the ship.
So, how's the newest addition
to our family?
At the moment, she's stable,
but the prognosis isn't clear.
Her human physiology has
begun to reassert itself--
respiratory system, neurological
functions, immune response.
But those systems are swarming
with Borg implants.
There's a battle being
waged inside her body
between the biological
and the technological,
and l'm not sure
which is going to win.
Well, it's time
we brought her up- to- date.
Wake her.
Captain Janeway.
What have you...?
The others;
l can't hear the others.
The voices are gone.
We had to neutralize
the neuro- transceiver
in your upper spinal column.
Your link to the collective
has been severed.
You will return this drone
to the Borg.
l'm afraid l can't do that.
You will return this drone
to the Borg!
lf l were to turn
this ship around
and head back
into Borg territory,
l'd be putting my crew at risk.
l'm not prepared to do that.
Try to understand.
You have to stay
on board Voyager,
but l'm offering you freedom
from the collective,
and l assure you,
we'll do everything
we can to help the transition...
You will supply us
with a subspace transmitter
and leave us
on the nearest planet.
The Borg will come for us.
lt's too late for that.
Your human cells
are starting to regenerate.
You won't survive
without medical care.
We need nothing from you.
We are Borg.
We ar...
This implant is being rejected
by the tissue underneath.
lt's going to have
to be removed.
You will suppress
the human immune system!
l'm sorry, but the process
has gone too far.
We've got to get you
to Sick Bay.
No! We are Borg!
We are Borg!
This armor plating
is anchored to the skull
with over 3 million
microconnectors.
There's no time
to cut through them.
l'm going to have to remove the
outer layer of the skull itself.
Lieutenant, will you please
leave the surgical bay!
This Borg is a security risk.
She is heavily sedated.
l assure you,
she's not going anywhere.
Thank you.
Kes, l want you to anesthetize
her cranial nerves.
20 milligrams anetrizine.
Yes, Doctor.
Kes...?
l don't know what happened.
l looked at the hypospray,
and it just came to me.
Have you been experimenting with
your psychokinetic abilities?
No, not for months.
But l have been feeling
a little strange lately--
lots of energy, sleeping less...
l can see why.
Your serotonin levels are
62 percent above normal.
lt's the telepathic centers
of your brain.
They're in a state
of hyperstimulation,
like they were a few days ago,
when you were in contact
with Species 8472.
Are they attempting
to communicate with you again?
No.
This time, it's different.
l don't feel their presence
at all.
Perhaps she's experiencing
an aftereffect of some kind.
A reasonable diagnosis...
for a security officer.
l'll run a full
microsynaptic analysis,
but it will have to wait.
We should get back to our Borg.
Come in.
Ship's status report.
We've got two teams on the hull
stripping off the Borg armor.
They're working
around the clock,
but it's still slow going.
What about the warp drive?
Torres is having problems
cleaning out the plasma relays.
lt's disrupting
the antimatter reaction.
Until she's got it fixed,
we're stuck at impulse.
She's requesting all personnel
with a level- 3
engineering rating or higher
to lend a hand.
Granted.
Tactical update?
Long- range sensors
are picking up
residual transwarp signatures--
Borg vessels.
They passed by
probably three days ago.
So we're not
out of the woods yet.
Having half our propulsion
system overrun by Borg implants
doesn't make repairs
any easier.
Seven of Nine
could help us with that.
That might be true,
if she were willing,
but she's not in
the most cooperative mood.
That could change.
l just have to reach her
somehow.
Annika Hansen.
Our Borg?
lt took some digging
through the Federation database,
but l managed to find
a single entry
in the records of Deep Space 4.
Her parents were...
unconventional.
They fancied themselves
explorers,
but wanted nothing to do
with Starfleet
or the Federation.
Their names were last recorded
at a remote outpost
in the Omega Sector.
They refused to file
a flight plan.
Apparently, they aimed
their small ship
toward the Delta Quadrant,
and were never heard from again.
For all we know,
Annika and her parents
were the first humans
the Borg ever assimilated.
From what she's told me,
that was almost 20 years ago.
So she was raised by the Borg.
lt's the only life
she ever really knew.
lf you were thinking of
bringing her into the fold,
that might not be possible.
What's the alternative--
toss her back to the wolves?
Sick Bay to Captain Janeway.
What is it, Doctor?
Could you come down here,
Captain?
We're having some...problems.
l'll be right there.
lt's like peeling an onion.
Store it in a biostasis chamber.
lt may still be active.
lf you think
there's a risk, Mr. Tuvok,
you can throw one of your little
force fields around the chamber.
A prudent security measure...
for a Doctor.
Report.
l'm afraid we have
a decision to make--
a difficult one.
Her human immune system
has reasserted itself
with a vengeance--
body armor, Borg organelles
biosynthetic glands--
they're all being rejected.
Her life is in danger.
l have little recourse
but to remove
the Borg technology.
Which is the last thing
Seven of Nine would want.
Hence, the difficult decision.
lf a patient told me
not to treat them--
even if the situation
were life- threatening--
l would be ethically obligated
to honor that request.
This is no ordinary patient.
She may have been raised
by Borg,
raised to think like a Borg...
but she's with us now
and underneath
all that technology,
she is a human being--
whether she's
ready to accept that or not.
And until she is ready,
someone has to make
the decisions for her.
Proceed with the surgery.
Aye, Captain.
Kes.
Let's begin
with the microtubule network
embedded
in the esophageal tract.
What's happening?
l'm not sure.
She's going into neural shock.
l can't localize the source.
Kes, try to stabilize
her motor cortex.
Use a neuro sequencer.
Kes, l said
to stabilize her cortex
or we're going to lose her.
Wait.
l can see it.
What?
l think the problem
is in her colliculi.
Yes...l can see it.
A Borg implant-- it's pressing
against her trochlear nerve.
Can you tell me
how we might remove it
without severing the nerve?
l think l can do more
than tell you.
The implant is deteriorating.
Her nervous system
is stabilizing.
Nice work, Kes.
Unconventional...
but effective.
They say the eye
is the window to the soul.
ln this case,
it's a little bit more.
l fabricated
this artificial organ
to replace her eyepiece,
but l've had
to retain some
of the Borg circuitry
along the optic nerve.
As a result, she'll have
increased acuity in one eye.
Note how perfectly l've matched
the pigment of the iris
to her human eye.
Excellent work, Doctor.
l admire
your attention to detail.
When can l speak with her?
She's out of immediate danger
and l don't plan to resume
the extraction process
until tomorrow.
l can wake her now
if you'd like.
l would.
How are you, Kes?
l feel exhilarated, Captain.
l've never been
so focused in my life.
And my telepathic abilities are
stronger than they've ever been.
Your performance today
was astonishing.
However, your psychokinetic
powers are still undisciplined
and, as a result, unpredictable.
l feel like l'm in control.
Nevertheless, you must
proceed with caution
and with my assistance.
What are you suggesting?
A series of guided meditations
to help her explore the depth
of these new abilities.
Kes?
l'm ready.
Well, then, if you'll excuse us,
we should begin immediately.
Ready when you are, Captain.
Don't be alarmed.
You're in Sick Bay.
You're going to be fine.
What have you done to me?
Your body was rejecting
the Borg technology.
You were dying.
l'm sorry, but we had no choice.
Those are dermaplastic grafts.
They'll help
the regeneration process.
Unacceptable.
You should have let us die.
l couldn't do that.
This drone cannot survive
outside the collective.
l beg to differ.
Now that the Borg implants
are being excised,
your human systems are free
to thrive and thriving they are.
As a matter of fact, l...
l want to help you,
but l need to understand
what you're going through.
Do not engage us
in superficial
attempts at sympathy.
lt's obvious
that you're in pain,
that you're frightened,
that you feel isolated, alone.
You are an individual.
You are small.
You cannot understand
what it is to be Borg.
No, but l can imagine.
You were part
of a vast consciousness,
billions of minds
working together,
a harmony
of purpose and thought--
no indecision, no doubts.
The security and strength
of a unified will--
and you've lost that.
This drone is small now.
Alone.
One voice.
One mind.
The silence is unacceptable.
We need the others.
l can't give you
back to the Borg,
but you're not alone.
You're part
of a human community now--
a human collective.
We may be individuals,
but we live and work together.
You can have some
of the unity you require
right here on Voyager.
lnsufficient.
lt'll have to do.
And the fact is,
this community needs you.
The Borg modifications
you made to our vessel
are disrupting our warp drive.
We need your help
to remove them--
your...expertise.
Your cooperation.
You must comply.
All right.
l think l've got
all the Borg garbage
out of the plasma
intake manifold.
Let's try reinitializing
the antimatter reaction.
Matter/antimatter reaction
at 22 Cochranes and rising.
Damn! What happened?
lntake manifolds 1 1 and 13
are still blocked.
This is like pulling weeds.
You think you've got
them all out, and then...
You have neglected
to remove the autonomous
regeneration sequencers.
Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim,
you remember Seven of Nine.
How could we forget?
We can't afford to delay
repairs any longer.
So l've asked her to help us
remove the Borg modifications.
She only has a few hours
before she returns to Sick Bay.
l suggest you
put her to good use.
You can start
with the plasma relays.
They're in Jefferies Tube 13...
Jefferies Tube
13- Alpha, Section 12.
We fully recall
the engineering specifications
of your vessel.
Good. Can you also recall
the way it looked
before you turned it
into a Borg circus?
Yes.
Well, now that the pleasantries
are over,
why don't you get to work?
l want updates every hour.
Yes, Captain.
The flame of the lamp
is fire disciplined--
tamed and under control.
lt is the appropriate focus
for the task ahead of us.
How do we begin?
l will attempt to guide you
in manipulating the flame
at the subatomic level.
Concentrate on the flame--
try to see past
the surface...
past the light...
to the patterns
of energy and matter.
l can see the essence
of the fire.
Good.
Now, reach out with your mind
and intensify the flame.
l'm making it hotter,
brighter.
Now, with your thoughts...
reduce the flame.
Excellent.
You've never demonstrated
this level of control before.
lt's as though l knew
what had to be done and...
What's wrong?
Something's happening.
l can see further,
beyond the subatomic.
Kes, there is nothing
beyond the subatomic.
But l can see it, Tuvok.
lt's a new level of reality.
lt's beautiful.
Perhaps we should stop for now.
Wait a few seconds.
l want to try to control it.
Don't worry, Tuvok.
What about these linkages?
Every time l pull one out,
another one
comes back in its place.
Autonomous regeneration
sequencers.
They function
to counteract resistance.
Amazing.
How did you come up
with the pattern-
duplication design?
We came up with nothing.
The Borg assimilated
this technology
in Galactic Cluster 3
from Species 259.
l'm not interested
in a history lesson.
How do we disable it?
You must disconnect
each sequencer conduit
at the insertion juncture.
Why don't you two work
in the Jefferies tube?
Start with the plasma relays.
l'll start here.
You said the Borg got this stuff
from Species 259.
Who were they?
l guess the Borg meet
a lot of people, don't they?
Stupid question.
So what's it like out there
in Galactic Cluster 3?
Beyond your comprehension.
Try me.
Galactic Cluster 3
is a transmaterial energy plane
intersecting 22 billion
omnicordial life- forms.
Oh. lnteresting.
Ensign Kim, your assistance.
Captain, somebody's
trying to access
the subspace transmitter.
Captain, l don't know how,
but she's erected some kind
of force field around the door.
We can't break through it.
She's bypassed
our security protocols.
Disable the transmitter.
lt's too late.
lt's obvious your mental
abilities have progressed
beyond this particular
Vulcan exercise.
l suggest we...
What is it?
Something's wrong.
The Borg is trying
to contact her people.
Tuvok to Security Team 1.
lntruder alert in Engineering.
Wait.
l think l can stop her.
lt's over.
Tuvok to Bridge.
Status?
There was some kind of explosion
in the Jefferies tube
just as she was about
to initiate her transmission.
We don't know what caused it.
l believe l may
have the answer, Captain.
l can tell by the expression
on your face,
that you've got some bad news.
l have no expression on my face.
However, you are correct.
The news on two separate fronts
is not good.
l checked
the subspace bandwidths.
At least a partial signal
was transmitted from Voyager.
Enough for a Borg ship to track?
Possibly.
And the second front?
l believe there's also
cause for concern regarding Kes.
Explain.
lnternal sensor logs show
that she destabilized
the Jefferies tube
at the molecular level.
The effect weakened
the infrastructure
throughout the deck.
She wishes to develop
her abilities further.
l am not certain
it would be safe...
for Kes or Voyager.
l've got an Ocampan
who wants to be something more
and a Borg who's afraid
of becoming something less.
Here's to Vulcan stability.
Wait for me.
So this is human freedom.
l've decided to keep you
in the brig
until l'm certain
you won't try to harm us again.
lf necessary, the Doctor
can treat you here.
l honestly believed
you were going to help us.
You were not deceived,
Captain Janeway.
lt was my intention to help you.
What happened?
There was a chance
to contact the collective.
l took advantage of it.
Your attempts to assimilate
this drone will fail.
You can alter our physiology,
but you cannot
change our nature.
We will betray you.
We are Borg.
l've met Borg who were freed
from the collective.
lt wasn't easy for them
to accept their individuality,
but, in time, they did.
You're no different.
Granted, you were assimilated
at a very young age
and your transition
may be more difficult,
but it will happen.
lf it does happen,
we will become fully human?
Yes, l hope so.
We will be autonomous,
independent.
That's what individuality
is all about.
lf at that time, we choose
to return to the collective,
will you permit it?
l don't think
you'll want to do that.
You would deny us the choice,
as you deny us now.
You have imprisoned us
in the name of humanity,
yet you will not grant us
your most"cherished"
human right--
to choose our own fate.
You are hypocritical,
manipulative.
We do not want to be
what you are!
Return us to the collective!
You lost the capacity
to make a rational choice
the moment you were assimilated.
They took that from you.
And until l'm convinced you've
gotten it back...
l'm making the choice for you.
You're staying here.
Then you are no different
than the Borg.
Talaxian champagne.
Moon- ripened.
Your favorite.
Neelix, where did you get this?
l put a bottle away...
for a special occasion.
Remember when we last
sipped this together?
Three years ago.
lt was when we first
arrived on Voyager.
And do you remember
the toast l made?
Yes.
"To the adventure."
"To the adventure."
When you left Ocampa,
you said that your people
were being held back.
That if you were
only given the chance,
you could become
something so much more.
And you have.
l know things haven't worked out
exactly the way we planned.
l was only holding you back.
That's obvious to me now.
No. l couldn't have come
this far without you.
And l love you.
l always will.
lt's just, uh...
My cooking.
You've always hated my cooking.
That's exactly what it was.
Ah...
So tell me more
about what's happening to you.
What does it all mean?
l don't know, and that's
what makes it so exciting.
lt's as if l can see
into a place
where the distinction between
matter and energy and thought
no longer exists.
And that's only the beginning.
l feel as if all the boundaries
within me
are about to fall away.
lt sounds...
er...uh...interesting.
l only have to look
at an object,
gaze at it,
and l can begin to see...
that the space between the atoms
is being filled
with something else.
Uh, Kes...
l can see...l see...
Uh, Kes, stop!
No.
Neelix!
Captain, l'm picking up
some strange energy readings
from Deck 2, the Mess Hall.
Bridge to Neelix.
What's going on down there?
Neelix, report.
The bulkhead in that section
is coming apart.
lncrease the structural
integrity field of Deck 2.
Tuvok.
l've run every conceivable
neural analysis--
everything short
of dissecting the brain itself.
Her telesynaptic
activity is increasing,
but l don't know why,
or how to stop it.
Have the ship's internal
sensors revealed anything?
For 17. 4 seconds,
Kes's body went
into a state of cellular flux.
She began to destabilize
at the subatomic level.
And for some reason,
her atoms
reestablished their bonds
and she was back in one piece.
But what about the next time?
Her condition is escalating.
We must find
a way to suppress it
or the last we'll see of Kes
could very well be
her molecules blowing
through the ventilation ducts.
Tuvok, enhance the structural
integrity fields
throughout the ship.
lf she has another incident,
l'd like to avoid a hull breach.
Doctor, maybe it's time
we broaden our horizons.
This appears to have gone
beyond medical science.
We're into particle physics now.
l'll try looking
through the quantum
substructure database.
Maybe it'll give me
some...inspiration.
Keep me informed.
Kes, until l can devise
another diagnostic procedure,
you're free to return
to your quarters.
Actually, l'd like to stay here,
help with the research.
l don't want you
to overexert yourself
and risk precipitating
another telepathic incident.
Try to get some rest.
Just let me stay a little while.
l haven't seen you much
over the past few days.
l miss you.
All right, just for a while.
Ensign Ayala to the Bridge.
Go ahead, Ensign.
You'd better come
down to the brig, ma'am.
One.
One.
My designation
is Seven of Nine...
but the others are gone.
Designations are
no longer relevant.
l am...one.
Yes, you are.
But l cannot function this way--
alone.
You're not alone.
l'm willing to help you.
lf that's true,
you won't do this to me.
Take me back to my own kind.
You are
with your own kind-- humans.
l don't remember being human.
l don't know
what it is to be human.
What are you doing?
l'm coming in.
l'll kill you.
l don't think you will.
Do you remember her?
Her name was Annika Hansen.
She was born on Stardate
25479 at the Tendara Colony.
There's still a lot
we don't know about her.
Did she have any siblings?
Who were her friends?
Where did she go to school?
What was her favorite color?
lrrelevant!
Take me back to the Borg.
l can't do that.
So...quiet.
One voice.
One voice can be stronger
than a thousand voices.
Your mind is independent now
with its own unique identity.
You are forcing
that identity upon me.
lt's not mine.
Oh, yes, it is.
l'm just giving you back
what was stolen from you--
the existence you were denied,
the child
who never had a chance.
That life is yours to live now.
l don't want that life!
lt's what you are.
Don't resist it.
No!
No.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
Warp drive is still off- line
and we don't know whether
the Borg have detected us.
Kes's psychokinetic abilities
continue to damage the ship's
structural integrity,
and as a result,
our defenses
have been compromised.
Come in, Captain.
You wanted to see me?
Oh, Tuvok's meditation lamp.
l was with him when he got it
six years ago,
from a Vulcan master...
who doubled the price when he
saw our Starfleet insignia.
l'm sure it was
the logical thing to do.
l've been thinking
about everything
that's been going on...
and l know what l have to do.
lt's time for me
to leave Voyager.
Oh, Kes...
Something important
is happening to me
and l want to explore it,
but l can't stay here
any longer.
l'm a danger to all of you.
We're going to get
to the bottom of this.
The Doctor's already working
on a new approach...
Everybody thinks
that what's happening
is a medical condition.
That's not it at all.
l'm going through
a transformation.
l don't know how or why,
but every cell in my body
is telling me that l'm changing
into something more.
But what if it's not true?
What if you're simply
being swept up
in the excitement
of what you think is happening,
but it's not real.
On the basis of a feeling,
an intuition,
you're asking me to let you go?
Quite likely forever?
Kes, l just can't do that.
lt's my decision-- my fate.
Would you really try to stop me?
No.
But argue with you,
even plead with you
to reconsider?
Absolutely,
for as long as it takes.
lt won't work.
Look at me, Captain.
l'm the same Kes
you've always known.
l haven't lost my judgment.
l'm not under
some alien influence.
l believe something crucial
is happening to me
and l want to see it through.
You've lived
most of your life here.
Voyager has been your home...
and you've been
a vital part of this family.
Oh, l'm going to miss you.
Now, all l have to do
is tell the Doctor.
He's not going to be happy.
lt's starting.
Janeway to Bridge.
Chakotay here.
Prepare a shuttle for launch
and have Tuvok
meet me on Deck 6.
Captain?
Kes is leaving us.
Come on.
Captain, l can't stop it.
Janeway to Chakotay.
Beam us directly
to the Shuttle Bay.
The molecules in Kes's body
are destabilizing.
lt's interfering
with the transporter.
Captain, we can't get a lock.
Acknowledged.
Looks like we're going to have
to do this the hard way.
What's happening?
The hull is destabilizing.
The molecular bonds
are breaking down.
Tuvok...
l can't keep going.
l will attempt a mind- meld
to help you delay
the transformation.
Our minds are one.
Our thoughts are one.
Try to regain control...
for a moment.
Only for a moment.
Only for...a moment.
You must hurry.
Hull breach on Decks 3, 4 and 5.
Emergency containment fields.
Janeway to the Bridge.
Kes is aboard the shuttle.
lnitiate launch sequence.
Acknowledged.
Shuttle distance:
100, 000 kilometers.
Speed: one- quarter impulse.
Can you hail her?
l've been trying.
lt's happening.
lt's happening to me.
Her atomic structure
is completely destabilizing.
My gift to you.
Torres to Bridge.
The warp core just came on- line.
Matter/antimatter reaction
at 102 percent...
1 10 percent?
120!
This can't be right.
Our speed is...
lt's impossible!
We're coming apart!
We've just dropped out of...
whatever it was we were in.
Systems coming back on line.
On screen.
Where are we?
9. 5 thousand light- years
from where we just were.
She's thrown us safely
beyond Borg space.
Ten years closer to home.
l've extracted 82 percent
of the Borg hardware.
The remaining
bio- implants are stable
and better than anything
l could synthesize
at such short notice.
lt is acceptable.
Fashion, of course,
is hardly my forte.
Nevertheless, l've
managed to balance
functionality and aesthetics
in a pleasing enough manner.
l also took the liberty
of stimulating
your hair follicles--
a vicarious experience for me,
as you might imagine.
You'll have to spend
a few hours each day
regenerating in a Borg alcove
until your human
metabolism can function
on its own.
We'll leave one operational.
Understood.
Let's see how things go
over the next few weeks.
l'll consider granting you
access to the rest of the ship
once l can trust
that you won't try
to get us all assimilated again.
lt will not happen again.
Good.
lf you need anything,
contact me.
Red.
What?
The child you spoke of...
the girl.
Her favorite color was red.
to our family?
At the moment, she's stable,
but the prognosis isn't clear.
Her human physiology has
begun to reassert itself--
respiratory system, neurological
functions, immune response.
But those systems are swarming
with Borg implants.
There's a battle being
waged inside her body
between the biological
and the technological,
and l'm not sure
which is going to win.
Well, it's time
we brought her up- to- date.
Wake her.
Captain Janeway.
What have you...?
The others;
l can't hear the others.
The voices are gone.
We had to neutralize
the neuro- transceiver
in your upper spinal column.
Your link to the collective
has been severed.
You will return this drone
to the Borg.
l'm afraid l can't do that.
You will return this drone
to the Borg!
lf l were to turn
this ship around
and head back
into Borg territory,
l'd be putting my crew at risk.
l'm not prepared to do that.
Try to understand.
You have to stay
on board Voyager,
but l'm offering you freedom
from the collective,
and l assure you,
we'll do everything
we can to help the transition...
You will supply us
with a subspace transmitter
and leave us
on the nearest planet.
The Borg will come for us.
lt's too late for that.
Your human cells
are starting to regenerate.
You won't survive
without medical care.
We need nothing from you.
We are Borg.
We ar...
This implant is being rejected
by the tissue underneath.
lt's going to have
to be removed.
You will suppress
the human immune system!
l'm sorry, but the process
has gone too far.
We've got to get you
to Sick Bay.
No! We are Borg!
We are Borg!
This armor plating
is anchored to the skull
with over 3 million
microconnectors.
There's no time
to cut through them.
l'm going to have to remove the
outer layer of the skull itself.
Lieutenant, will you please
leave the surgical bay!
This Borg is a security risk.
She is heavily sedated.
l assure you,
she's not going anywhere.
Thank you.
Kes, l want you to anesthetize
her cranial nerves.
20 milligrams anetrizine.
Yes, Doctor.
Kes...?
l don't know what happened.
l looked at the hypospray,
and it just came to me.
Have you been experimenting with
your psychokinetic abilities?
No, not for months.
But l have been feeling
a little strange lately--
lots of energy, sleeping less...
l can see why.
Your serotonin levels are
62 percent above normal.
lt's the telepathic centers
of your brain.
They're in a state
of hyperstimulation,
like they were a few days ago,
when you were in contact
with Species 8472.
Are they attempting
to communicate with you again?
No.
This time, it's different.
l don't feel their presence
at all.
Perhaps she's experiencing
an aftereffect of some kind.
A reasonable diagnosis...
for a security officer.
l'll run a full
microsynaptic analysis,
but it will have to wait.
We should get back to our Borg.
Come in.
Ship's status report.
We've got two teams on the hull
stripping off the Borg armor.
They're working
around the clock,
but it's still slow going.
What about the warp drive?
Torres is having problems
cleaning out the plasma relays.
lt's disrupting
the antimatter reaction.
Until she's got it fixed,
we're stuck at impulse.
She's requesting all personnel
with a level- 3
engineering rating or higher
to lend a hand.
Granted.
Tactical update?
Long- range sensors
are picking up
residual transwarp signatures--
Borg vessels.
They passed by
probably three days ago.
So we're not
out of the woods yet.
Having half our propulsion
system overrun by Borg implants
doesn't make repairs
any easier.
Seven of Nine
could help us with that.
That might be true,
if she were willing,
but she's not in
the most cooperative mood.
That could change.
l just have to reach her
somehow.
Annika Hansen.
Our Borg?
lt took some digging
through the Federation database,
but l managed to find
a single entry
in the records of Deep Space 4.
Her parents were...
unconventional.
They fancied themselves
explorers,
but wanted nothing to do
with Starfleet
or the Federation.
Their names were last recorded
at a remote outpost
in the Omega Sector.
They refused to file
a flight plan.
Apparently, they aimed
their small ship
toward the Delta Quadrant,
and were never heard from again.
For all we know,
Annika and her parents
were the first humans
the Borg ever assimilated.
From what she's told me,
that was almost 20 years ago.
So she was raised by the Borg.
lt's the only life
she ever really knew.
lf you were thinking of
bringing her into the fold,
that might not be possible.
What's the alternative--
toss her back to the wolves?
Sick Bay to Captain Janeway.
What is it, Doctor?
Could you come down here,
Captain?
We're having some...problems.
l'll be right there.
lt's like peeling an onion.
Store it in a biostasis chamber.
lt may still be active.
lf you think
there's a risk, Mr. Tuvok,
you can throw one of your little
force fields around the chamber.
A prudent security measure...
for a Doctor.
Report.
l'm afraid we have
a decision to make--
a difficult one.
Her human immune system
has reasserted itself
with a vengeance--
body armor, Borg organelles
biosynthetic glands--
they're all being rejected.
Her life is in danger.
l have little recourse
but to remove
the Borg technology.
Which is the last thing
Seven of Nine would want.
Hence, the difficult decision.
lf a patient told me
not to treat them--
even if the situation
were life- threatening--
l would be ethically obligated
to honor that request.
This is no ordinary patient.
She may have been raised
by Borg,
raised to think like a Borg...
but she's with us now
and underneath
all that technology,
she is a human being--
whether she's
ready to accept that or not.
And until she is ready,
someone has to make
the decisions for her.
Proceed with the surgery.
Aye, Captain.
Kes.
Let's begin
with the microtubule network
embedded
in the esophageal tract.
What's happening?
l'm not sure.
She's going into neural shock.
l can't localize the source.
Kes, try to stabilize
her motor cortex.
Use a neuro sequencer.
Kes, l said
to stabilize her cortex
or we're going to lose her.
Wait.
l can see it.
What?
l think the problem
is in her colliculi.
Yes...l can see it.
A Borg implant-- it's pressing
against her trochlear nerve.
Can you tell me
how we might remove it
without severing the nerve?
l think l can do more
than tell you.
The implant is deteriorating.
Her nervous system
is stabilizing.
Nice work, Kes.
Unconventional...
but effective.
They say the eye
is the window to the soul.
ln this case,
it's a little bit more.
l fabricated
this artificial organ
to replace her eyepiece,
but l've had
to retain some
of the Borg circuitry
along the optic nerve.
As a result, she'll have
increased acuity in one eye.
Note how perfectly l've matched
the pigment of the iris
to her human eye.
Excellent work, Doctor.
l admire
your attention to detail.
When can l speak with her?
She's out of immediate danger
and l don't plan to resume
the extraction process
until tomorrow.
l can wake her now
if you'd like.
l would.
How are you, Kes?
l feel exhilarated, Captain.
l've never been
so focused in my life.
And my telepathic abilities are
stronger than they've ever been.
Your performance today
was astonishing.
However, your psychokinetic
powers are still undisciplined
and, as a result, unpredictable.
l feel like l'm in control.
Nevertheless, you must
proceed with caution
and with my assistance.
What are you suggesting?
A series of guided meditations
to help her explore the depth
of these new abilities.
Kes?
l'm ready.
Well, then, if you'll excuse us,
we should begin immediately.
Ready when you are, Captain.
Don't be alarmed.
You're in Sick Bay.
You're going to be fine.
What have you done to me?
Your body was rejecting
the Borg technology.
You were dying.
l'm sorry, but we had no choice.
Those are dermaplastic grafts.
They'll help
the regeneration process.
Unacceptable.
You should have let us die.
l couldn't do that.
This drone cannot survive
outside the collective.
l beg to differ.
Now that the Borg implants
are being excised,
your human systems are free
to thrive and thriving they are.
As a matter of fact, l...
l want to help you,
but l need to understand
what you're going through.
Do not engage us
in superficial
attempts at sympathy.
lt's obvious
that you're in pain,
that you're frightened,
that you feel isolated, alone.
You are an individual.
You are small.
You cannot understand
what it is to be Borg.
No, but l can imagine.
You were part
of a vast consciousness,
billions of minds
working together,
a harmony
of purpose and thought--
no indecision, no doubts.
The security and strength
of a unified will--
and you've lost that.
This drone is small now.
Alone.
One voice.
One mind.
The silence is unacceptable.
We need the others.
l can't give you
back to the Borg,
but you're not alone.
You're part
of a human community now--
a human collective.
We may be individuals,
but we live and work together.
You can have some
of the unity you require
right here on Voyager.
lnsufficient.
lt'll have to do.
And the fact is,
this community needs you.
The Borg modifications
you made to our vessel
are disrupting our warp drive.
We need your help
to remove them--
your...expertise.
Your cooperation.
You must comply.
All right.
l think l've got
all the Borg garbage
out of the plasma
intake manifold.
Let's try reinitializing
the antimatter reaction.
Matter/antimatter reaction
at 22 Cochranes and rising.
Damn! What happened?
lntake manifolds 1 1 and 13
are still blocked.
This is like pulling weeds.
You think you've got
them all out, and then...
You have neglected
to remove the autonomous
regeneration sequencers.
Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim,
you remember Seven of Nine.
How could we forget?
We can't afford to delay
repairs any longer.
So l've asked her to help us
remove the Borg modifications.
She only has a few hours
before she returns to Sick Bay.
l suggest you
put her to good use.
You can start
with the plasma relays.
They're in Jefferies Tube 13...
Jefferies Tube
13- Alpha, Section 12.
We fully recall
the engineering specifications
of your vessel.
Good. Can you also recall
the way it looked
before you turned it
into a Borg circus?
Yes.
Well, now that the pleasantries
are over,
why don't you get to work?
l want updates every hour.
Yes, Captain.
The flame of the lamp
is fire disciplined--
tamed and under control.
lt is the appropriate focus
for the task ahead of us.
How do we begin?
l will attempt to guide you
in manipulating the flame
at the subatomic level.
Concentrate on the flame--
try to see past
the surface...
past the light...
to the patterns
of energy and matter.
l can see the essence
of the fire.
Good.
Now, reach out with your mind
and intensify the flame.
l'm making it hotter,
brighter.
Now, with your thoughts...
reduce the flame.
Excellent.
You've never demonstrated
this level of control before.
lt's as though l knew
what had to be done and...
What's wrong?
Something's happening.
l can see further,
beyond the subatomic.
Kes, there is nothing
beyond the subatomic.
But l can see it, Tuvok.
lt's a new level of reality.
lt's beautiful.
Perhaps we should stop for now.
Wait a few seconds.
l want to try to control it.
Don't worry, Tuvok.
What about these linkages?
Every time l pull one out,
another one
comes back in its place.
Autonomous regeneration
sequencers.
They function
to counteract resistance.
Amazing.
How did you come up
with the pattern-
duplication design?
We came up with nothing.
The Borg assimilated
this technology
in Galactic Cluster 3
from Species 259.
l'm not interested
in a history lesson.
How do we disable it?
You must disconnect
each sequencer conduit
at the insertion juncture.
Why don't you two work
in the Jefferies tube?
Start with the plasma relays.
l'll start here.
You said the Borg got this stuff
from Species 259.
Who were they?
l guess the Borg meet
a lot of people, don't they?
Stupid question.
So what's it like out there
in Galactic Cluster 3?
Beyond your comprehension.
Try me.
Galactic Cluster 3
is a transmaterial energy plane
intersecting 22 billion
omnicordial life- forms.
Oh. lnteresting.
Ensign Kim, your assistance.
Captain, somebody's
trying to access
the subspace transmitter.
Captain, l don't know how,
but she's erected some kind
of force field around the door.
We can't break through it.
She's bypassed
our security protocols.
Disable the transmitter.
lt's too late.
lt's obvious your mental
abilities have progressed
beyond this particular
Vulcan exercise.
l suggest we...
What is it?
Something's wrong.
The Borg is trying
to contact her people.
Tuvok to Security Team 1.
lntruder alert in Engineering.
Wait.
l think l can stop her.
lt's over.
Tuvok to Bridge.
Status?
There was some kind of explosion
in the Jefferies tube
just as she was about
to initiate her transmission.
We don't know what caused it.
l believe l may
have the answer, Captain.
l can tell by the expression
on your face,
that you've got some bad news.
l have no expression on my face.
However, you are correct.
The news on two separate fronts
is not good.
l checked
the subspace bandwidths.
At least a partial signal
was transmitted from Voyager.
Enough for a Borg ship to track?
Possibly.
And the second front?
l believe there's also
cause for concern regarding Kes.
Explain.
lnternal sensor logs show
that she destabilized
the Jefferies tube
at the molecular level.
The effect weakened
the infrastructure
throughout the deck.
She wishes to develop
her abilities further.
l am not certain
it would be safe...
for Kes or Voyager.
l've got an Ocampan
who wants to be something more
and a Borg who's afraid
of becoming something less.
Here's to Vulcan stability.
Wait for me.
So this is human freedom.
l've decided to keep you
in the brig
until l'm certain
you won't try to harm us again.
lf necessary, the Doctor
can treat you here.
l honestly believed
you were going to help us.
You were not deceived,
Captain Janeway.
lt was my intention to help you.
What happened?
There was a chance
to contact the collective.
l took advantage of it.
Your attempts to assimilate
this drone will fail.
You can alter our physiology,
but you cannot
change our nature.
We will betray you.
We are Borg.
l've met Borg who were freed
from the collective.
lt wasn't easy for them
to accept their individuality,
but, in time, they did.
You're no different.
Granted, you were assimilated
at a very young age
and your transition
may be more difficult,
but it will happen.
lf it does happen,
we will become fully human?
Yes, l hope so.
We will be autonomous,
independent.
That's what individuality
is all about.
lf at that time, we choose
to return to the collective,
will you permit it?
l don't think
you'll want to do that.
You would deny us the choice,
as you deny us now.
You have imprisoned us
in the name of humanity,
yet you will not grant us
your most"cherished"
human right--
to choose our own fate.
You are hypocritical,
manipulative.
We do not want to be
what you are!
Return us to the collective!
You lost the capacity
to make a rational choice
the moment you were assimilated.
They took that from you.
And until l'm convinced you've
gotten it back...
l'm making the choice for you.
You're staying here.
Then you are no different
than the Borg.
Talaxian champagne.
Moon- ripened.
Your favorite.
Neelix, where did you get this?
l put a bottle away...
for a special occasion.
Remember when we last
sipped this together?
Three years ago.
lt was when we first
arrived on Voyager.
And do you remember
the toast l made?
Yes.
"To the adventure."
"To the adventure."
When you left Ocampa,
you said that your people
were being held back.
That if you were
only given the chance,
you could become
something so much more.
And you have.
l know things haven't worked out
exactly the way we planned.
l was only holding you back.
That's obvious to me now.
No. l couldn't have come
this far without you.
And l love you.
l always will.
lt's just, uh...
My cooking.
You've always hated my cooking.
That's exactly what it was.
Ah...
So tell me more
about what's happening to you.
What does it all mean?
l don't know, and that's
what makes it so exciting.
lt's as if l can see
into a place
where the distinction between
matter and energy and thought
no longer exists.
And that's only the beginning.
l feel as if all the boundaries
within me
are about to fall away.
lt sounds...
er...uh...interesting.
l only have to look
at an object,
gaze at it,
and l can begin to see...
that the space between the atoms
is being filled
with something else.
Uh, Kes...
l can see...l see...
Uh, Kes, stop!
No.
Neelix!
Captain, l'm picking up
some strange energy readings
from Deck 2, the Mess Hall.
Bridge to Neelix.
What's going on down there?
Neelix, report.
The bulkhead in that section
is coming apart.
lncrease the structural
integrity field of Deck 2.
Tuvok.
l've run every conceivable
neural analysis--
everything short
of dissecting the brain itself.
Her telesynaptic
activity is increasing,
but l don't know why,
or how to stop it.
Have the ship's internal
sensors revealed anything?
For 17. 4 seconds,
Kes's body went
into a state of cellular flux.
She began to destabilize
at the subatomic level.
And for some reason,
her atoms
reestablished their bonds
and she was back in one piece.
But what about the next time?
Her condition is escalating.
We must find
a way to suppress it
or the last we'll see of Kes
could very well be
her molecules blowing
through the ventilation ducts.
Tuvok, enhance the structural
integrity fields
throughout the ship.
lf she has another incident,
l'd like to avoid a hull breach.
Doctor, maybe it's time
we broaden our horizons.
This appears to have gone
beyond medical science.
We're into particle physics now.
l'll try looking
through the quantum
substructure database.
Maybe it'll give me
some...inspiration.
Keep me informed.
Kes, until l can devise
another diagnostic procedure,
you're free to return
to your quarters.
Actually, l'd like to stay here,
help with the research.
l don't want you
to overexert yourself
and risk precipitating
another telepathic incident.
Try to get some rest.
Just let me stay a little while.
l haven't seen you much
over the past few days.
l miss you.
All right, just for a while.
Ensign Ayala to the Bridge.
Go ahead, Ensign.
You'd better come
down to the brig, ma'am.
One.
One.
My designation
is Seven of Nine...
but the others are gone.
Designations are
no longer relevant.
l am...one.
Yes, you are.
But l cannot function this way--
alone.
You're not alone.
l'm willing to help you.
lf that's true,
you won't do this to me.
Take me back to my own kind.
You are
with your own kind-- humans.
l don't remember being human.
l don't know
what it is to be human.
What are you doing?
l'm coming in.
l'll kill you.
l don't think you will.
Do you remember her?
Her name was Annika Hansen.
She was born on Stardate
25479 at the Tendara Colony.
There's still a lot
we don't know about her.
Did she have any siblings?
Who were her friends?
Where did she go to school?
What was her favorite color?
lrrelevant!
Take me back to the Borg.
l can't do that.
So...quiet.
One voice.
One voice can be stronger
than a thousand voices.
Your mind is independent now
with its own unique identity.
You are forcing
that identity upon me.
lt's not mine.
Oh, yes, it is.
l'm just giving you back
what was stolen from you--
the existence you were denied,
the child
who never had a chance.
That life is yours to live now.
l don't want that life!
lt's what you are.
Don't resist it.
No!
No.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
Warp drive is still off- line
and we don't know whether
the Borg have detected us.
Kes's psychokinetic abilities
continue to damage the ship's
structural integrity,
and as a result,
our defenses
have been compromised.
Come in, Captain.
You wanted to see me?
Oh, Tuvok's meditation lamp.
l was with him when he got it
six years ago,
from a Vulcan master...
who doubled the price when he
saw our Starfleet insignia.
l'm sure it was
the logical thing to do.
l've been thinking
about everything
that's been going on...
and l know what l have to do.
lt's time for me
to leave Voyager.
Oh, Kes...
Something important
is happening to me
and l want to explore it,
but l can't stay here
any longer.
l'm a danger to all of you.
We're going to get
to the bottom of this.
The Doctor's already working
on a new approach...
Everybody thinks
that what's happening
is a medical condition.
That's not it at all.
l'm going through
a transformation.
l don't know how or why,
but every cell in my body
is telling me that l'm changing
into something more.
But what if it's not true?
What if you're simply
being swept up
in the excitement
of what you think is happening,
but it's not real.
On the basis of a feeling,
an intuition,
you're asking me to let you go?
Quite likely forever?
Kes, l just can't do that.
lt's my decision-- my fate.
Would you really try to stop me?
No.
But argue with you,
even plead with you
to reconsider?
Absolutely,
for as long as it takes.
lt won't work.
Look at me, Captain.
l'm the same Kes
you've always known.
l haven't lost my judgment.
l'm not under
some alien influence.
l believe something crucial
is happening to me
and l want to see it through.
You've lived
most of your life here.
Voyager has been your home...
and you've been
a vital part of this family.
Oh, l'm going to miss you.
Now, all l have to do
is tell the Doctor.
He's not going to be happy.
lt's starting.
Janeway to Bridge.
Chakotay here.
Prepare a shuttle for launch
and have Tuvok
meet me on Deck 6.
Captain?
Kes is leaving us.
Come on.
Captain, l can't stop it.
Janeway to Chakotay.
Beam us directly
to the Shuttle Bay.
The molecules in Kes's body
are destabilizing.
lt's interfering
with the transporter.
Captain, we can't get a lock.
Acknowledged.
Looks like we're going to have
to do this the hard way.
What's happening?
The hull is destabilizing.
The molecular bonds
are breaking down.
Tuvok...
l can't keep going.
l will attempt a mind- meld
to help you delay
the transformation.
Our minds are one.
Our thoughts are one.
Try to regain control...
for a moment.
Only for a moment.
Only for...a moment.
You must hurry.
Hull breach on Decks 3, 4 and 5.
Emergency containment fields.
Janeway to the Bridge.
Kes is aboard the shuttle.
lnitiate launch sequence.
Acknowledged.
Shuttle distance:
100, 000 kilometers.
Speed: one- quarter impulse.
Can you hail her?
l've been trying.
lt's happening.
lt's happening to me.
Her atomic structure
is completely destabilizing.
My gift to you.
Torres to Bridge.
The warp core just came on- line.
Matter/antimatter reaction
at 102 percent...
1 10 percent?
120!
This can't be right.
Our speed is...
lt's impossible!
We're coming apart!
We've just dropped out of...
whatever it was we were in.
Systems coming back on line.
On screen.
Where are we?
9. 5 thousand light- years
from where we just were.
She's thrown us safely
beyond Borg space.
Ten years closer to home.
l've extracted 82 percent
of the Borg hardware.
The remaining
bio- implants are stable
and better than anything
l could synthesize
at such short notice.
lt is acceptable.
Fashion, of course,
is hardly my forte.
Nevertheless, l've
managed to balance
functionality and aesthetics
in a pleasing enough manner.
l also took the liberty
of stimulating
your hair follicles--
a vicarious experience for me,
as you might imagine.
You'll have to spend
a few hours each day
regenerating in a Borg alcove
until your human
metabolism can function
on its own.
We'll leave one operational.
Understood.
Let's see how things go
over the next few weeks.
l'll consider granting you
access to the rest of the ship
once l can trust
that you won't try
to get us all assimilated again.
lt will not happen again.
Good.
lf you need anything,
contact me.
Red.
What?
The child you spoke of...
the girl.
Her favorite color was red.