02x23 - Regeneration
Posted: 01/10/23 20:37
I think this is the place.
Take a look around.
Over here!
♪ It's been a long road ♪
♪ Getting from there to here ♪
♪ It's been a long time ♪
♪ But my time is finally near ♪
♪ And I will see my dream
come alive at last ♪
♪ I will touch the sky ♪
♪ And they're not gonna
hold me down no more ♪
♪ No, they're not gonna
change my mind ♪
♪ 'Cause I've got faith ♪
♪ Of the heart ♪
♪ I'm going where my heart
will take me ♪
♪ I've got faith to believe ♪
♪ I can do anything ♪
♪ I've got strength
of the soul ♪
♪ No one's gonna bend
or break me ♪
♪ I can reach any star ♪
♪ I've got faith ♪
♪ I've got, I've got, I've got ♪
♪ I've got faith ♪
♪ Faith of the heart. ♪
Definitely humanoid,
but I don't recognize
the species.
Seems very well preserved.
Getting him out of here's going
to be a delicate operation.
Drake to Arctic One.
Go ahead.
Set up a base camp.
Get Alpha Team started.
Acknowledged.
Contact Starfleet.
Tell Commander Williams
he owes me a bottle of scotch.
Sir?
He'll know what it means.
Drake out.
I'm picking up EM traces
a few dozen meters
under the glacier.
There's a lot more here
than we're seeing.
We've got another one!
I give up.
What is it?
An arm.
It's his.
You're joking.
From what I can tell,
it was integrated
into his circulatory
and nervous systems.
He could probably operate it
like it was his
own flesh and blood.
I met a Vulcan scientist
who wore a prosthesis.
He lost his forearm.
It's pretty sophisticated,
but it doesn't compare to this.
Take a look at the eyepiece.
Judging by the optics,
I'd say he could see
most of the EM spectrum.
Did you run a genetic analysis?
That's even more interesting.
They don't have much in common.
They belong
to two different species.
Transmit your findings
to Starfleet.
Maybe they'll find a match
in their database.
Right away.
Sir, I've run every test
in the book.
I still can't identify
this alloy.
What about this?
I thought it was
simple thermal damage
until I found signs
of antimatter residue.
Maybe their warp
drive overloaded.
That could explain
why there's not much debris.
I did find some carbon traces.
Could you date them?
This debris's been here
for about a hundred years.
Take a look at this.
Do you see those devices?
They're repairing
the cell membranes.
What are they?
I believe you're looking
at a form of nanotechnology.
I found thousands of these
in both aliens.
They're not just regenerating
the damaged tissue,
they're repairing
the mechanical
components as well.
As far as I can tell,
this arm's as good as new.
The Denobulans have experimented
with nanotechnology,
but they have nothing like this.
Maybe we should move the
bodies to Module Three.
Put them back in cold storage
with the other samples.
That way we can examine
them later
under controlled conditions.
Couldn't the bodies be damaged
if we freeze them again?
I guess it's possible.
Then we should leave them here.
Let the regeneration process
continue.
What if it revives
more of their systems?
We don't know anything
about this species
or what they were doing here
a hundred years ago.
There's no reason
to assume they're hostile.
They don't exactly
look friendly.
Starfleet has asked us
to find out everything we can.
Keep them here for now,
we'll see what happens.
Anything?
Oh!
Plenty.
You seem a little jumpy.
Cybernetic corpses, digging
through frozen remains
in the middle of the night,
why would I be jumpy?
I'd be more worried
about the polar bears.
I've identified 22 fragments
of the outer hull.
Each one has the same curvature.
I think this ship
was a perfect sphere.
How big?
About 600 meters in diameter.
The debris field could be
a lot more extensive
than we thought.
We might want to get
another excavation
team out here.
What is it?
A warp signature.
Help me with this.
Just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks.
How are your friends?
A little on the quiet side.
There's a broken heating unit
in Module Three.
They've asked me to take a look.
Will you be all right here?
Go ahead.
I'll be fine.
Okay.
Feeling better?
Deuterium residue.
Might be some kind of warp coil.
Seems too small
for a ship this size.
I'd like to bring it back
to the lab,
take a closer look.
Here, here.
Get me a medical kit.
Admiral, there's a problem
with the A-6 excavation team.
The Science Council hasn't
heard from them in three days.
Get a shuttle ready.
The Admiral thinks
that they're humanoids,
enhanced with technology.
He believes they abducted
the research team.
We're a long way
from the Arctic.
What can we do?
Earth tracking stations
spotted the transport
leaving orbit at warp 3.9.
That's impossible.
Those transports
can't exceed 1.4.
I think it's safe to assume
these aliens
reconfigured the engines
using technology
from their own ship.
Does Starfleet know
where the vessel is now?
Not exactly...
but their heading puts them
within a half dozen light-years
of our current position.
We've been ordered
to find the ship.
It shouldn't be difficult
to isolate their warp signature.
We'll start searching at...
these coordinates.
Go to Tactical Alert.
Lay in a course.
Aye, sir.
Buried in the ice for a century.
Hard to believe
anything could survive.
Handsome devil.
You wanted to see me,
Lieutenant?
Yes. The researchers gathered
a great deal of biometric data
on these aliens, but...
I'm having trouble making
heads or tails of it.
How can I help?
Well, this arm
might contain
some sort of w*apon.
If I can determine its yield,
we'll have a better idea
of what we're facing.
What sort of people
would replace
perfectly good body parts
with cybernetic implants?
You of all people should be
open-minded about technology.
I don't have a problem with it,
so long as it stays
outside of my skin.
If your heart was damaged,
would you want me to replace it
with a synthetic organ,
or would you rather die?
That's different.
Mm. There's a species
I once encountered
in the Beta Magellan system...
The Bynars.
When they're born,
a surgeon removes
the child's parietal lobe
and replaces it
with a synaptic processor.
I saw the procedure
performed once.
It was very impressive.
Yeah, I'm sure it was.
Anything?
I don't see
any evidence of a w*apon.
The research team
was heavily armed.
How did these aliens manage
to overpower them?
Bridge to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
We're receiving
an automated distress call.
It's from a Tarkalean freighter.
There's a lot of interference.
"To any ship within range,
"we're under attack
by an unknown species.
Request immediate
assistance."
That's it, sir.
How long to reach them?
About an hour.
Set a course.
Open a channel.
This is Captain Archer of
the Starfleet vessel Enterprise.
Stand down your attack,
or we'll open fire.
They're charging weapons.
Some kind of proton burst.
Those transports
aren't normally armed.
Obviously, the engines
aren't the only system
they've upgraded.
Any human bio-signs?
Nine on the arctic transport.
The readings are erratic.
Can you disable their weapons?
I believe so.
Their weapons are down.
They're going to warp.
Is there anyone alive
on the Tarkalean ship?
Two bio-signs on
their upper deck.
I'm reading minimal
life support.
Hold our position.
Get a shuttlepod ready.
You have the Bridge.
The Tarkaleans should live...
but the nanoprobes
have infiltrated
their autonomic systems.
Their renal glands
have been replaced
with devices like this.
Essentially, these individuals
are being transformed
into some sort
of cybernetic hybrid.
You said the human bio-signs
were erratic.
It's likely the researchers
are going through
a similar transformation.
Can you remove the nanoprobes?
Not surgically.
These devices are multiplying
at an extraordinary rate.
I could never extract them all.
I'm attempting
to slow their progress
with a modified retrovirus,
but so far I haven't
been very successful.
Perhaps you should isolate them
in the Decon Chamber.
If you do that, I won't be able
to treat them as effectively.
I don't believe
they're a danger to the crew.
I'm not so sure.
I'll have Malcolm post a guard.
Keep me updated.
Come in.
I've contacted Tarkalea.
I told them we're doing
everything we can
for their crewmen.
Any sign of the transport?
Nothing.
There was something
familiar about all this,
but I couldn't put
my finger on it
until I found this speech
Zefram Cochrane
made 89 years ago.
When I was a kid,
I read everything
I could about him.
It took me a while,
but I finally found
it in the database.
He was giving a commencement
address at Princeton
when he started to talk about
what really happened
during first contact.
He mentioned a group
of cybernetic creatures
from the future
who tried to stop
his first warp flight when
he was living in Montana.
He said they were defeated
by a group of humans...
who were also from the future.
As I recall, Cochrane was famous
for his imaginative stories.
He was also known to be
frequently intoxicated.
No one took him seriously,
and he recanted the whole thing
a few years later,
but you have to admit,
there are similarities.
He said their ultimate goal
was to enslave the human race.
If he was right...
they might be heading back
to their homeworld...
so they can try again.
Who are you?!
My name is Phlox.
I'm a physician.
You are aboard a starship.
We responded
to your distress call.
What did you do to me?!
Your vessel was att*cked.
I'm doing my very best
to treat you.
I'm going to sedate him.
Doctor?
Phlox.
What happened?
We were att*cked.
I've been infected
with the nanoprobes.
One of the aliens injected me,
some sort of tubules.
Captain.
They left through here.
Seal off the maintenance shafts.
Post teams
at every access point.
When you find them, put them
in Decon, maximum security.
Aye, sir.
Use extreme caution, Lieutenant.
Their physical strength
has been enhanced.
It's critical that you
don't let them touch you.
You haven't been infected.
Thanks, Doctor.
Stay here in case
there are any more problems.
Understood.
Call the Bridge
if you need anything.
Actually, it's feeding time
for my Edosian slugs.
They're quite partial
to boiled rootleaf.
I usually pick some up
from the galley,
but under the circumstances...
I'll have it brought down.
They've modified most
of the primary systems...
Engines, hull plating.
These look like weapons nodes.
I don't even want to guess
what this thing's for.
Doesn't look like they've
enhanced the aft plating yet.
If we can punch through it here,
we should be able to knock out
this EPS manifold,
take down their main power.
One or two torpedoes
ought to do it.
T'Pol to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
I've located the transport
on long-range sensors.
They're traveling at warp 4.8.
How far are they?
Less than two light-years.
I need you to coax
a little more power
out of the engines.
I'll give it a shot.
Travis, lay in a course.
Warp 4.9.
Aye, sir.
They've doubled their top
speed in less than 12 hours.
Let's hope they didn't have time
to upgrade their weapons.
Stop what you're doing!
I'll fire if I have to.
I said step away.
Maximum setting.
Fall back.
Reed to the Bridge.
Go ahead.
They're in Maintenance Shaft C,
Junction 12.
They appear to be
modifying systems.
What's in that junction?
Warp plasma regulators.
Can you stop them?
Our weapons were useless.
They're equipped with
some kind of energy shielding.
Sir, our warp field's
destabilizing.
It's them.
Isn't there an outer hatch
in that junction?
Yes.
Malcolm, get out of that section
and seal it off.
Understood.
Come on, go.
Take us out of warp.
We're clear, Captain.
Subcommander.
The junction's empty.
Close the hatch
and repressurize.
Malcolm, I want you
to work with Trip.
Find out what they
were doing in there.
Aye, sir.
Resume course and speed.
You had no choice.
Room service.
What's this?
Rootleaf lettuce for your slugs,
Vulcan sandworms for the bat
and angel hair pasta
for the ship's physician.
It's best if I avoid food
for the time being.
You need to keep up
your strength.
If I eat, my cellular
metabolism will accelerate.
The nanoprobes
could spread further.
Well, it's right here
if you change your mind.
Why are you wearing
a phase-p*stol?
Oh, it's Lieutenant Reed's idea.
If you come near me,
I'm supposed to sh**t you.
I hope you'll use
the stun setting.
It's going to be a few hours
before we catch up
with that transport.
I'm sure that Captain Archer
wouldn't mind if I stayed
for a little while,
kept you company.
I appreciate the offer,
but it may not be safe
to be near me right now.
I'm armed, remember?
You've looked after me
more times than I can count.
I want to return the favor.
The technology could
assert itself at any moment.
I don't know what
will happen if it does.
I underestimated
these nanoprobes once.
I don't intend to make
the same mistake twice.
Do you mind if I feed
your animals before I go?
They did a real number
on these circuits.
It could take days
to get all this junk out.
What do you think
they were doing here?
I don't know.
But they almost overloaded
the plasma regulators.
Doesn't make
a whole lot of sense.
Why blow up the ship
if you're still on it?
Hand me that, will you?
That shielding of theirs
was impressive.
We might as well have been
firing holographic b*ll*ts.
Too bad you didn't
get a closer look.
That kind of technology
could come in handy.
There's got to be a way to get
through those shields
with phase-pistols.
If I cross-polarize
the power cells,
it might increase
the particle yield.
I'll be in the Armory.
Coffee with cream.
I believe Crewman Cunningham
is in the galley
if you'd like something else.
This will be fine.
Is this seat taken?
Please.
Lieutenant Reed informed me
that you plan to
disable the transport
when we find it.
He thinks we can
knock out the power systems
without causing too much damage.
So you still intend
to rescue the humans?
That's the general idea.
If they've already
been transformed,
that could be difficult.
I want to take
these people home...
The humans and the Tarkaleans...
No matter what state they're in.
There are 29 life-forms
on that transport.
It's logical to assume
they've all been infected.
We could endanger Enterprise
if they're brought aboard.
Perhaps you should reconsider.
Are you saying we shouldn't
go after that ship?
I'm saying we destroy it.
Phlox to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
Would you please
come to Sick Bay?
On my way.
I'm not ready to declare them
a lost cause.
How are you feeling?
Better than I anticipated.
The nanoprobes seem to be
having trouble
with my immune system.
But they're persistent
little fellows.
It won't be long
before they adapt.
Any progress finding
a treatment?
Possibly.
I've been attempting
to treat the infection
as if it were...
well, an infection.
Then it suddenly occurred to me,
this isn't a biological problem.
I need to think like an
engineer, not a physician.
I extracted several of the
devices and subjected them
to different forms of radiation.
Their intramolecular processors
appear to be vulnerable
to omicron particles.
But if one of the nanoprobes
survives,
it will start to multiply again.
So I'll need to program
a rather excessive dose.
The side effects
will not be pleasant,
to say the least.
You may want to keep this
in the event I'm unsuccessful.
What is it?
A cure of sorts.
It contains a neural toxin
that will terminate
my synaptic functions
within a matter of seconds.
Aren't you jumping
the g*n a little?
I have no intention
of turning into
one of those
cybernetic creatures.
Increase power another
five megajoules.
Fire.
Keep it going.
Increase to seven megajoules.
Try eight.
Nine.
The density's holding.
Bring it up to ten.
That should do it.
We'll reach that transport
in less than an hour.
Let's modify as many of these
as we can.
The vessel's mass has increased
by three percent.
They've improved their defenses
since we last saw them.
They're accelerating.
Warp 4.96...
98...
Increase speed.
We're closing.
Target that EPS manifold.
They're dropping to impulse.
They're sending a transmission,
some kind of
activation sequence.
Block it.
I can't.
Tucker to the Bridge.
These cybernetic circuits just
lit up like a Christmas tree.
They're disrupting
our plasma network.
Main power is failing.
We're losing weapons.
They set us up.
They're hailing us.
Audio only.
This is Captain...
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
Hull plating's
down to 81 percent.
Trip, we could use weapons.
It's going to be a few minutes.
Plating's down
another 12 percent.
Is the transporter
still on line?
For the moment.
Then you're with me.
Captain...
I'm counting on you
to pull us out of there.
Doctor?
I've programmed
the irradiation sequence,
but I'll need you to activate it
once the chamber's sealed.
All you have to do
is press this.
I've doubled the particle yield.
It may take a few seconds
to recharge after each shot.
Put us as close as you can
to their EPS manifold.
Aye, sir.
Hull plating is at 23 percent.
This was one of the researchers.
Was?
Look at these bio-signs.
They're not human anymore.
Sir.
We've been boarded.
Six bio-signs, C-Deck.
Alert security.
Bridge to Commander Tucker.
Go ahead.
How much longer?
I think I've isolated
one of the power relays.
Stand by.
Another human?
Same as the others.
That's it.
Captain!
We've lost hull plating.
They're cutting into the hull.
E-Deck, starboard forequarter.
Evacuate that section.
They've adapted.
Hurry, Malcolm!
Archer to Enterprise.
Stand by transporter.
Acknowledged.
Now.
Tucker to the Bridge.
Go ahead.
The alien circuits
are losing power.
Do we have weapons?
They're coming on line now.
Report.
Our engines and weapons
are back on line.
The transport's been disabled,
so has the alien circuitry.
Did you find the research team?
There isn't anyone on that ship
we can help anymore.
Sir... something's happening
on the transport.
Their systems
are being restored.
They're charging weapons.
Target their warp core.
Hit them with
everything we've got.
Get me Admiral Forrest.
Captain's Starlog,
March 1, 2153.
Repairs to the ship
are underway,
and we've resumed our
previous heading at low warp.
Dr. Phlox is confident
he'll make a complete recovery.
Aren't you supposed
to be in bed?
I'm merely catching up
on some paperwork.
Nothing too strenuous,
I assure you.
It's vital
to keep the mind occupied
during the healing process.
They say doctors
make the worst patients.
Captain, there's something
you should know.
I had a rather
strange experience
while I was infected.
I believe I was
connected with the aliens...
Possibly through some form
of telepathy.
Do you think they were trying
to communicate with you?
Not precisely.
It felt as though I was part
of a group consciousness.
You were under extraordinary
physical stress.
You may have imagined it.
It seemed quite real.
I couldn't understand
most of what I was hearing,
but I got
the distinct impression
they were trying to send
a subspace message.
They transmitted
a numerical sequence.
I heard it over and over again.
Come in.
The computer analyzed
Phlox's numbers.
They're pulsar frequencies
with geometric
light-year measurements.
Spatial coordinates.
They told their homeworld
how to find Earth.
Did you learn
where the message was sent?
Somewhere deep
in the Delta Quadrant.
Then I doubt there's
any immediate danger.
It would take at least 200 years
for a subspace message
to reach the Delta Quadrant,
assuming it's received at all.
Sounds to me like
we've only postponed
the invasion, until what...
the 24th century?
Take a look around.
Over here!
♪ It's been a long road ♪
♪ Getting from there to here ♪
♪ It's been a long time ♪
♪ But my time is finally near ♪
♪ And I will see my dream
come alive at last ♪
♪ I will touch the sky ♪
♪ And they're not gonna
hold me down no more ♪
♪ No, they're not gonna
change my mind ♪
♪ 'Cause I've got faith ♪
♪ Of the heart ♪
♪ I'm going where my heart
will take me ♪
♪ I've got faith to believe ♪
♪ I can do anything ♪
♪ I've got strength
of the soul ♪
♪ No one's gonna bend
or break me ♪
♪ I can reach any star ♪
♪ I've got faith ♪
♪ I've got, I've got, I've got ♪
♪ I've got faith ♪
♪ Faith of the heart. ♪
Definitely humanoid,
but I don't recognize
the species.
Seems very well preserved.
Getting him out of here's going
to be a delicate operation.
Drake to Arctic One.
Go ahead.
Set up a base camp.
Get Alpha Team started.
Acknowledged.
Contact Starfleet.
Tell Commander Williams
he owes me a bottle of scotch.
Sir?
He'll know what it means.
Drake out.
I'm picking up EM traces
a few dozen meters
under the glacier.
There's a lot more here
than we're seeing.
We've got another one!
I give up.
What is it?
An arm.
It's his.
You're joking.
From what I can tell,
it was integrated
into his circulatory
and nervous systems.
He could probably operate it
like it was his
own flesh and blood.
I met a Vulcan scientist
who wore a prosthesis.
He lost his forearm.
It's pretty sophisticated,
but it doesn't compare to this.
Take a look at the eyepiece.
Judging by the optics,
I'd say he could see
most of the EM spectrum.
Did you run a genetic analysis?
That's even more interesting.
They don't have much in common.
They belong
to two different species.
Transmit your findings
to Starfleet.
Maybe they'll find a match
in their database.
Right away.
Sir, I've run every test
in the book.
I still can't identify
this alloy.
What about this?
I thought it was
simple thermal damage
until I found signs
of antimatter residue.
Maybe their warp
drive overloaded.
That could explain
why there's not much debris.
I did find some carbon traces.
Could you date them?
This debris's been here
for about a hundred years.
Take a look at this.
Do you see those devices?
They're repairing
the cell membranes.
What are they?
I believe you're looking
at a form of nanotechnology.
I found thousands of these
in both aliens.
They're not just regenerating
the damaged tissue,
they're repairing
the mechanical
components as well.
As far as I can tell,
this arm's as good as new.
The Denobulans have experimented
with nanotechnology,
but they have nothing like this.
Maybe we should move the
bodies to Module Three.
Put them back in cold storage
with the other samples.
That way we can examine
them later
under controlled conditions.
Couldn't the bodies be damaged
if we freeze them again?
I guess it's possible.
Then we should leave them here.
Let the regeneration process
continue.
What if it revives
more of their systems?
We don't know anything
about this species
or what they were doing here
a hundred years ago.
There's no reason
to assume they're hostile.
They don't exactly
look friendly.
Starfleet has asked us
to find out everything we can.
Keep them here for now,
we'll see what happens.
Anything?
Oh!
Plenty.
You seem a little jumpy.
Cybernetic corpses, digging
through frozen remains
in the middle of the night,
why would I be jumpy?
I'd be more worried
about the polar bears.
I've identified 22 fragments
of the outer hull.
Each one has the same curvature.
I think this ship
was a perfect sphere.
How big?
About 600 meters in diameter.
The debris field could be
a lot more extensive
than we thought.
We might want to get
another excavation
team out here.
What is it?
A warp signature.
Help me with this.
Just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks.
How are your friends?
A little on the quiet side.
There's a broken heating unit
in Module Three.
They've asked me to take a look.
Will you be all right here?
Go ahead.
I'll be fine.
Okay.
Feeling better?
Deuterium residue.
Might be some kind of warp coil.
Seems too small
for a ship this size.
I'd like to bring it back
to the lab,
take a closer look.
Here, here.
Get me a medical kit.
Admiral, there's a problem
with the A-6 excavation team.
The Science Council hasn't
heard from them in three days.
Get a shuttle ready.
The Admiral thinks
that they're humanoids,
enhanced with technology.
He believes they abducted
the research team.
We're a long way
from the Arctic.
What can we do?
Earth tracking stations
spotted the transport
leaving orbit at warp 3.9.
That's impossible.
Those transports
can't exceed 1.4.
I think it's safe to assume
these aliens
reconfigured the engines
using technology
from their own ship.
Does Starfleet know
where the vessel is now?
Not exactly...
but their heading puts them
within a half dozen light-years
of our current position.
We've been ordered
to find the ship.
It shouldn't be difficult
to isolate their warp signature.
We'll start searching at...
these coordinates.
Go to Tactical Alert.
Lay in a course.
Aye, sir.
Buried in the ice for a century.
Hard to believe
anything could survive.
Handsome devil.
You wanted to see me,
Lieutenant?
Yes. The researchers gathered
a great deal of biometric data
on these aliens, but...
I'm having trouble making
heads or tails of it.
How can I help?
Well, this arm
might contain
some sort of w*apon.
If I can determine its yield,
we'll have a better idea
of what we're facing.
What sort of people
would replace
perfectly good body parts
with cybernetic implants?
You of all people should be
open-minded about technology.
I don't have a problem with it,
so long as it stays
outside of my skin.
If your heart was damaged,
would you want me to replace it
with a synthetic organ,
or would you rather die?
That's different.
Mm. There's a species
I once encountered
in the Beta Magellan system...
The Bynars.
When they're born,
a surgeon removes
the child's parietal lobe
and replaces it
with a synaptic processor.
I saw the procedure
performed once.
It was very impressive.
Yeah, I'm sure it was.
Anything?
I don't see
any evidence of a w*apon.
The research team
was heavily armed.
How did these aliens manage
to overpower them?
Bridge to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
We're receiving
an automated distress call.
It's from a Tarkalean freighter.
There's a lot of interference.
"To any ship within range,
"we're under attack
by an unknown species.
Request immediate
assistance."
That's it, sir.
How long to reach them?
About an hour.
Set a course.
Open a channel.
This is Captain Archer of
the Starfleet vessel Enterprise.
Stand down your attack,
or we'll open fire.
They're charging weapons.
Some kind of proton burst.
Those transports
aren't normally armed.
Obviously, the engines
aren't the only system
they've upgraded.
Any human bio-signs?
Nine on the arctic transport.
The readings are erratic.
Can you disable their weapons?
I believe so.
Their weapons are down.
They're going to warp.
Is there anyone alive
on the Tarkalean ship?
Two bio-signs on
their upper deck.
I'm reading minimal
life support.
Hold our position.
Get a shuttlepod ready.
You have the Bridge.
The Tarkaleans should live...
but the nanoprobes
have infiltrated
their autonomic systems.
Their renal glands
have been replaced
with devices like this.
Essentially, these individuals
are being transformed
into some sort
of cybernetic hybrid.
You said the human bio-signs
were erratic.
It's likely the researchers
are going through
a similar transformation.
Can you remove the nanoprobes?
Not surgically.
These devices are multiplying
at an extraordinary rate.
I could never extract them all.
I'm attempting
to slow their progress
with a modified retrovirus,
but so far I haven't
been very successful.
Perhaps you should isolate them
in the Decon Chamber.
If you do that, I won't be able
to treat them as effectively.
I don't believe
they're a danger to the crew.
I'm not so sure.
I'll have Malcolm post a guard.
Keep me updated.
Come in.
I've contacted Tarkalea.
I told them we're doing
everything we can
for their crewmen.
Any sign of the transport?
Nothing.
There was something
familiar about all this,
but I couldn't put
my finger on it
until I found this speech
Zefram Cochrane
made 89 years ago.
When I was a kid,
I read everything
I could about him.
It took me a while,
but I finally found
it in the database.
He was giving a commencement
address at Princeton
when he started to talk about
what really happened
during first contact.
He mentioned a group
of cybernetic creatures
from the future
who tried to stop
his first warp flight when
he was living in Montana.
He said they were defeated
by a group of humans...
who were also from the future.
As I recall, Cochrane was famous
for his imaginative stories.
He was also known to be
frequently intoxicated.
No one took him seriously,
and he recanted the whole thing
a few years later,
but you have to admit,
there are similarities.
He said their ultimate goal
was to enslave the human race.
If he was right...
they might be heading back
to their homeworld...
so they can try again.
Who are you?!
My name is Phlox.
I'm a physician.
You are aboard a starship.
We responded
to your distress call.
What did you do to me?!
Your vessel was att*cked.
I'm doing my very best
to treat you.
I'm going to sedate him.
Doctor?
Phlox.
What happened?
We were att*cked.
I've been infected
with the nanoprobes.
One of the aliens injected me,
some sort of tubules.
Captain.
They left through here.
Seal off the maintenance shafts.
Post teams
at every access point.
When you find them, put them
in Decon, maximum security.
Aye, sir.
Use extreme caution, Lieutenant.
Their physical strength
has been enhanced.
It's critical that you
don't let them touch you.
You haven't been infected.
Thanks, Doctor.
Stay here in case
there are any more problems.
Understood.
Call the Bridge
if you need anything.
Actually, it's feeding time
for my Edosian slugs.
They're quite partial
to boiled rootleaf.
I usually pick some up
from the galley,
but under the circumstances...
I'll have it brought down.
They've modified most
of the primary systems...
Engines, hull plating.
These look like weapons nodes.
I don't even want to guess
what this thing's for.
Doesn't look like they've
enhanced the aft plating yet.
If we can punch through it here,
we should be able to knock out
this EPS manifold,
take down their main power.
One or two torpedoes
ought to do it.
T'Pol to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
I've located the transport
on long-range sensors.
They're traveling at warp 4.8.
How far are they?
Less than two light-years.
I need you to coax
a little more power
out of the engines.
I'll give it a shot.
Travis, lay in a course.
Warp 4.9.
Aye, sir.
They've doubled their top
speed in less than 12 hours.
Let's hope they didn't have time
to upgrade their weapons.
Stop what you're doing!
I'll fire if I have to.
I said step away.
Maximum setting.
Fall back.
Reed to the Bridge.
Go ahead.
They're in Maintenance Shaft C,
Junction 12.
They appear to be
modifying systems.
What's in that junction?
Warp plasma regulators.
Can you stop them?
Our weapons were useless.
They're equipped with
some kind of energy shielding.
Sir, our warp field's
destabilizing.
It's them.
Isn't there an outer hatch
in that junction?
Yes.
Malcolm, get out of that section
and seal it off.
Understood.
Come on, go.
Take us out of warp.
We're clear, Captain.
Subcommander.
The junction's empty.
Close the hatch
and repressurize.
Malcolm, I want you
to work with Trip.
Find out what they
were doing in there.
Aye, sir.
Resume course and speed.
You had no choice.
Room service.
What's this?
Rootleaf lettuce for your slugs,
Vulcan sandworms for the bat
and angel hair pasta
for the ship's physician.
It's best if I avoid food
for the time being.
You need to keep up
your strength.
If I eat, my cellular
metabolism will accelerate.
The nanoprobes
could spread further.
Well, it's right here
if you change your mind.
Why are you wearing
a phase-p*stol?
Oh, it's Lieutenant Reed's idea.
If you come near me,
I'm supposed to sh**t you.
I hope you'll use
the stun setting.
It's going to be a few hours
before we catch up
with that transport.
I'm sure that Captain Archer
wouldn't mind if I stayed
for a little while,
kept you company.
I appreciate the offer,
but it may not be safe
to be near me right now.
I'm armed, remember?
You've looked after me
more times than I can count.
I want to return the favor.
The technology could
assert itself at any moment.
I don't know what
will happen if it does.
I underestimated
these nanoprobes once.
I don't intend to make
the same mistake twice.
Do you mind if I feed
your animals before I go?
They did a real number
on these circuits.
It could take days
to get all this junk out.
What do you think
they were doing here?
I don't know.
But they almost overloaded
the plasma regulators.
Doesn't make
a whole lot of sense.
Why blow up the ship
if you're still on it?
Hand me that, will you?
That shielding of theirs
was impressive.
We might as well have been
firing holographic b*ll*ts.
Too bad you didn't
get a closer look.
That kind of technology
could come in handy.
There's got to be a way to get
through those shields
with phase-pistols.
If I cross-polarize
the power cells,
it might increase
the particle yield.
I'll be in the Armory.
Coffee with cream.
I believe Crewman Cunningham
is in the galley
if you'd like something else.
This will be fine.
Is this seat taken?
Please.
Lieutenant Reed informed me
that you plan to
disable the transport
when we find it.
He thinks we can
knock out the power systems
without causing too much damage.
So you still intend
to rescue the humans?
That's the general idea.
If they've already
been transformed,
that could be difficult.
I want to take
these people home...
The humans and the Tarkaleans...
No matter what state they're in.
There are 29 life-forms
on that transport.
It's logical to assume
they've all been infected.
We could endanger Enterprise
if they're brought aboard.
Perhaps you should reconsider.
Are you saying we shouldn't
go after that ship?
I'm saying we destroy it.
Phlox to Captain Archer.
Go ahead.
Would you please
come to Sick Bay?
On my way.
I'm not ready to declare them
a lost cause.
How are you feeling?
Better than I anticipated.
The nanoprobes seem to be
having trouble
with my immune system.
But they're persistent
little fellows.
It won't be long
before they adapt.
Any progress finding
a treatment?
Possibly.
I've been attempting
to treat the infection
as if it were...
well, an infection.
Then it suddenly occurred to me,
this isn't a biological problem.
I need to think like an
engineer, not a physician.
I extracted several of the
devices and subjected them
to different forms of radiation.
Their intramolecular processors
appear to be vulnerable
to omicron particles.
But if one of the nanoprobes
survives,
it will start to multiply again.
So I'll need to program
a rather excessive dose.
The side effects
will not be pleasant,
to say the least.
You may want to keep this
in the event I'm unsuccessful.
What is it?
A cure of sorts.
It contains a neural toxin
that will terminate
my synaptic functions
within a matter of seconds.
Aren't you jumping
the g*n a little?
I have no intention
of turning into
one of those
cybernetic creatures.
Increase power another
five megajoules.
Fire.
Keep it going.
Increase to seven megajoules.
Try eight.
Nine.
The density's holding.
Bring it up to ten.
That should do it.
We'll reach that transport
in less than an hour.
Let's modify as many of these
as we can.
The vessel's mass has increased
by three percent.
They've improved their defenses
since we last saw them.
They're accelerating.
Warp 4.96...
98...
Increase speed.
We're closing.
Target that EPS manifold.
They're dropping to impulse.
They're sending a transmission,
some kind of
activation sequence.
Block it.
I can't.
Tucker to the Bridge.
These cybernetic circuits just
lit up like a Christmas tree.
They're disrupting
our plasma network.
Main power is failing.
We're losing weapons.
They set us up.
They're hailing us.
Audio only.
This is Captain...
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
Hull plating's
down to 81 percent.
Trip, we could use weapons.
It's going to be a few minutes.
Plating's down
another 12 percent.
Is the transporter
still on line?
For the moment.
Then you're with me.
Captain...
I'm counting on you
to pull us out of there.
Doctor?
I've programmed
the irradiation sequence,
but I'll need you to activate it
once the chamber's sealed.
All you have to do
is press this.
I've doubled the particle yield.
It may take a few seconds
to recharge after each shot.
Put us as close as you can
to their EPS manifold.
Aye, sir.
Hull plating is at 23 percent.
This was one of the researchers.
Was?
Look at these bio-signs.
They're not human anymore.
Sir.
We've been boarded.
Six bio-signs, C-Deck.
Alert security.
Bridge to Commander Tucker.
Go ahead.
How much longer?
I think I've isolated
one of the power relays.
Stand by.
Another human?
Same as the others.
That's it.
Captain!
We've lost hull plating.
They're cutting into the hull.
E-Deck, starboard forequarter.
Evacuate that section.
They've adapted.
Hurry, Malcolm!
Archer to Enterprise.
Stand by transporter.
Acknowledged.
Now.
Tucker to the Bridge.
Go ahead.
The alien circuits
are losing power.
Do we have weapons?
They're coming on line now.
Report.
Our engines and weapons
are back on line.
The transport's been disabled,
so has the alien circuitry.
Did you find the research team?
There isn't anyone on that ship
we can help anymore.
Sir... something's happening
on the transport.
Their systems
are being restored.
They're charging weapons.
Target their warp core.
Hit them with
everything we've got.
Get me Admiral Forrest.
Captain's Starlog,
March 1, 2153.
Repairs to the ship
are underway,
and we've resumed our
previous heading at low warp.
Dr. Phlox is confident
he'll make a complete recovery.
Aren't you supposed
to be in bed?
I'm merely catching up
on some paperwork.
Nothing too strenuous,
I assure you.
It's vital
to keep the mind occupied
during the healing process.
They say doctors
make the worst patients.
Captain, there's something
you should know.
I had a rather
strange experience
while I was infected.
I believe I was
connected with the aliens...
Possibly through some form
of telepathy.
Do you think they were trying
to communicate with you?
Not precisely.
It felt as though I was part
of a group consciousness.
You were under extraordinary
physical stress.
You may have imagined it.
It seemed quite real.
I couldn't understand
most of what I was hearing,
but I got
the distinct impression
they were trying to send
a subspace message.
They transmitted
a numerical sequence.
I heard it over and over again.
Come in.
The computer analyzed
Phlox's numbers.
They're pulsar frequencies
with geometric
light-year measurements.
Spatial coordinates.
They told their homeworld
how to find Earth.
Did you learn
where the message was sent?
Somewhere deep
in the Delta Quadrant.
Then I doubt there's
any immediate danger.
It would take at least 200 years
for a subspace message
to reach the Delta Quadrant,
assuming it's received at all.
Sounds to me like
we've only postponed
the invasion, until what...
the 24th century?