06x02 - Survival Instinct

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-lnput failure.
-lnput failure.

lnput failure.

Our link to the collective
has been severed.

lnitiate secondary protocols.

The vessel's transwarp chamber

is approaching
critical pressure.

We must evacuate this area.

Agreed.

No directional...

coordinates are available.

...coordinates
are available.

That way.

Bearing 301.

Agreed.

Bring that drone.

Captain's Log, Stardate 53049.2.

We've docked
at the Markonian Outpost

and agreed to mutual visits,

so l'm allowing shore leave
to anyone who wants it.

Commander Tuvok has objected
to taking on too many visitors.

But, security issues aside,

l'm looking forward
to a cultural exchange

and making some new friends.

Pardon me.

Excuse me.

Careful, careful.

Excuse me.

Watch it!

Excuse me.

Captain?

l'll be right with you.

The station manager didn't tell
me the vines were prehensile.

l went to put some water
in the pot and it grabbed me.

This is a gift
from the Kinbori Delegation.

l don't know its name,

only that it's used
in one of their sacred games

and it's very heavy.

Well, put it down anywhere.

Thank the Kinbori for me,

and give them
a token of our esteem.

l already gave them
a Voyager medallion.

They seemed appreciative.

Come in.

Doesn't it look like

Christmas morning
in here, Commander?

You have to admit the generosity

of our guests is
very impressive.

As is their proclivity
for criminal behavior.

This morning's security report.

Broken ODN line...

some missing personal items...

a damaged scanner relay.

All in all, not that bad.

There is a second page
to the report.

Well, some
of these incidents

are a little more serious.

But on balance, l still think
we did the right thing.

There is a third page.

Come on, Tuvok, after all the
xenophobic races we've run into

don't you find it
just a little refreshing

to meet some people
who value openness and freedom?

Well, as far as l'm concerned,

opening the ship has been
a fascinating experience

and an unqualified success.

l'm very pleased.

Me, too.

l am pleased
that you are pleased.

lf you'll excuse me.

Tuvok...

please accept this
token of our esteem.

Oh, no.

lt's got me by the hair.

Now it's 12:45.

lf you're hungry,
you may eat without me.

You said we'd have
lunch together.

l haven't completed
my analysis

of the station's power
conversion matrix.

How long is it gonna take?

Several hours.

Seven, you promised.

Very well.

l think it's even more crowded
than this morning.

Yes.

Excuse us. Excuse us.

Please, we're trying to get
through to the turbolift.

Excuse us.

Stand aside!

Thank you.

l'm sorry, but there's
no more Marsupial Surprise.

We only had two kilos
of pouches to begin with

and it's all gone!

Now, how about some pizza, huh?

She's... a Shivolian, right?

Correct.

Species 521?

Your mother
would not approve of you

memorizing Borg designations.

l don't approve either.

We've discussed
the impropriety

of you emulating the Borg.

Sorry.

l'm finished.

We just sat down.

l do not enjoy crowds.

But you were in the collective.

Wasn't that like a big crowd?

Which is why
l do not enjoy them now.

Oh. l'm sorry.
l didn't realize that.

Let's go.

Excuse me.

Are you Seven of Nine?

Yes.

You okay?

These are Borg synaptic relays

from my original unimatrix.

These are yours?

Where did you acquire them?

A trader from Orendal V.

l was told
you are a former Borg drone

and might be interested
in acquiring these pieces.

l'll take them.

Captain Janeway will provide you

with whatever monetary
reimbursement you require.

Agreed.

l must examine these items
more closely.

Okay.

What's your name?

That was rude.

Stage two is complete.

She has the relays.

She's going to study them.

Her regeneration alcove
is in Cargo Bay 2.

That's where she'll go.

We should prepare
for stage three.

Agreed.

There's consensus.

Rendezvous at my coordinates

and stand by
to penetrate their security.

Error.

Explain.

We shouldn't be desecrating
the body of this drone.

lt is against the will
of Brothara.

Who is Brothara?

Brothara: a supernatural
deity worshipped

by Species 57 1.

l am a member of Species 57 1.

You're being confused
by irrelevant data.

lgnore it.

You said, ''l am
a member of Species 57 1.''

Do you consider yourself
an individual?

There are no individuals here.

We are Borg.

-Agreed.
-Agreed.

Agreed.

Resume constructing
the communications beacon.

lt looks like
a standard Borg synaptic relay.

There must be something more.

When l first came
into contact with it,

l was overwhelmed
with images, memories, sounds.

Sounds like a perfectly natural
reaction to me.

That was part
your old unimatrix, right?

Well, isn't it
at least possible

that what you experienced
was simply nostalgia?

You know, sentimental
feelings about the past.

l know what nostalgia is,

but l have no feelings
about the past.

Okay.

l think l've done
all l can here.

Lieutenant...

you were trying to help.

l appreciate that.

Anytime.

Oh, and, um, you may not
be nostalgic about the past,

but l'd say you definitely
have feelings about it.

Strong ones.

Their security protocols
are formidable.

We may not have enough time.

l'm worried
about Seven of Nine.

We should reexamine

the question
of simply asking...

You know what her
reactions will be.

She won't help us
because she...

We've been through all that.

She could be
permanently injured.

l don't want to harm...

Enough!

We need consensus.

We can't act without it.

l know.

So, then it's up to you.

Do we proceed or not?

Yes.

We... l apologize
for my indecision.

Apologies are irrelevant!

Computer, begin
multipolar analysis.

Analysis underway.

Time to completion?

Five hours, 17 minutes.

She's regenerating.

Begin rerouting
their internal sensors.

Rerouting sensor input
to secondary processors.

Hold.

What have you got?

There's a power fluctuation
in the security grid.

All we know is that we've
got a security breach.

We don't know where.

Ready.

lnsert the interlink module.

Ready.

He's still worried
about injuring her.

lf we fail, we'll never
become individuals.

We have to remember that.

There is consensus.

l've found her memory files.

She's aware of our presence.

She's trying
to regain consciousness.

We must abort.

No! We're too close.

l will not comply.

l have performed
this action before.

l was with my father.

He was a tall man.

l have a... similar memory.

But l was in a house

and the fire was in a hearth.

The biomatter is ready.

lt tastes similar
to a bird l once ate.

l used to prepare food...

for...

my parents.

They lived...
in a small building

by...

a river.

l used to be...

afraid of the dark.

Just before l was assimilated,
l was...

eating with a group of men.

We... worked in numbers.

Mathematics.

l... calculated equations
for another man.

l have a name.

lt's...

Marika.

Marika Willkarah.

Willkarah.

Hello, Marika Willkarah.

Her designation
is Three of Nine.

l have a name.

P'Chan.

Son of Dornar and Ansha.

My primary function
was to care for them.

l was married.

We were on a starship...

the Excalibur.

l worked in Engineering.

This is not my hand.

My parents... they're dead.

The Borg k*lled them.

l hate the Borg.

This is counterproductive.

We must delete
all irrelevant data.

l want my hand back.

l was on duty...

the night watch...

when the Borg came....

Oh, my God!

Look at what they've...
done to me!

These-these things
they put in my body!

What have they done?

Command override.

Cease this interaction!

Comply.

We will not access
these memory files again.

lnitiate the prescribed

maintenance and survival
protocols only.

No further communication
is required,

until we are reassimilated
into the collective.

-Agreed.
-Agreed.

Agreed.

...but whoever removed their
implants was a poor surgeon.

Their internal organs were
damaged during the procedure

and their bodies are
covered with scars.

You said you recognized them.

Not at first.

But when they attempted
to access my memory files,

l was momentarily linked
with them.

Two of Nine.

Three of Nine.

Four of Nine.

We were all members
of the same unimatrix.

Do you know why they were trying
to access your memories?

No.

How long have they
been disconnected

from the collective?

Three or four months.

However, they are still
connected to each other.

Somehow, the left parietal
lobes of their brains

have been transformed
into organic interlink nodes.

They've become
linked together

into a sort of collective triad.

Revive them.

l'm Captain Janeway.

We know who you are,

and we know
what you were trying to do.

What we don't know is why.

She has information
we need.

What kind of information?

We want to become...

lndividuals.

You want to break
the neural link

between the three of you?

Wouldn't you?

None of us is alone

with our own thoughts,
our own feelings.

Every day of my life is spent

hearing their two voices
in my head.

When we're asleep,

we experience
each other's dreams.

How's that different
from life in the collective?

ln the collective, there
are billions of voices.

They become... white noise.

But with only three...

Each voice comes through
clearly.

lt has to stop.

We must break the neural link.

Doctor, is there anything
you can do?

The modifications
are too extensive.

Their neuronal pathways
have been fundamentally altered.

You hold the key.

Why?

You were there with us.

Planet 1865 Alpha.

You must remember.

Eight years ago,
our vessel crashed.

The four of us were
the only survivors.

When we were reassimilated...

We found we'd been linked
together somehow.

We were a subset
within the collective.

lt's like having three voices
whispering in one ear...

And a crowd screaming
in the other.

We had to break free,
so we worked together,

and we finally escaped.

We had our implants removed
on lnavar Prime...

But they couldn't break
the neural link.

We need to find out

what happened eight years ago

after the crash...

The night we were reassimilated
into the collective.

We need to know how
the link was created.

But our memories are...

Fragmented, disorganized.

We hoped that you would know.

l don't.

However, l am willing to attempt
to retrieve the data.

Come with me.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Data search complete.

Do you remember
anything further?

No.

My last memory is of us...

ls of us standing around...

Around a campfire.

And yet the data files

in your cortical processor
appear to be intact.

l see no evidence
that would explain

your lapse in memory.

What about you?

Why don't you remember
what happened?

l don't know.

l've found no evidence

of damage
to my memory files either.

l remember the campfire

and then waking up
in the collective.

There is an obvious gap...

but no indication of why.

Why do they still
call you Seven?

You should have a name.

lt is my name.

No.

lt's a designation.

You're an individual now.

l decided that my former name
was no longer appropriate.

Prepare to reinitialize
the memory cascade.

l can't wait to use
my real name again.

There is nothing
preventing you from doing so.

Except that, most of the time,

l don't know whether my name
is Marika, P'Chan or Lansor.

The names, the memories...

The memories, even the thoughts
flow from one to the other.

l can't love or hate or laugh...

-Or cry without...
-or cry without...

-sharing it with them.
-sharing it with them.

How can any of us take
a name for ourselves...

For ourselves?

We're not individuals.

We're not Borg.

We're nothing.

Begin the memory cascade.

''A friendly game''?

Well... that's how it started.

l see. And perhaps you
could explain to me

how this friendly game
turned into a street brawl?

Well, Harry and l
wanted to explore the station.

Um... we wanted to broaden

our understanding
of alien cultures and, uh...

Skip the recruiting speech.

You were looking for a bar.

Then what?

Well, we found one

and we met a pair
of Kinbori who told us

about this game they play

with these big,
odd-looking rackets...

You mean one of those?

Yeah!

Yeah.

l-in any case,
they challenged us

to a game and we accepted,

but l guess we weren't quite
aware of all the rules.

Because you'd been drinking.

Yes, ma'am.

Y-You see, we thought
it was a version of tennis,

but as soon as we
hit the first volley,

this Kinbori jumps over the net

and starts attacking
us with his racket.

So we figured we were
supposed to fight back...

Yeah.

And then, uh...

well, things got
a little out of hand.

''A little out of hand.''

Seven Voyager crewmen,
including two Bridge officers

along with 13 Kinbori
and one Morphinian cafe owner...

all arrested.

The charges range
from disorderly conduct

to as*ault
on a security officer.

Th-That one's not true.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Kim.

l'll note that exception
in my log.

You're both confined to quarters
until further notice--

after you report to Sick Bay.

That's all.

Well, did you win?

Oh, yes, ma'am.

We kicked their... rackets.

Good.

Dismissed.

Any progress?

l've determined that we all have

exactly the same gap
in our memories.

lt seems unlikely
that it would be a coincidence.

So you believe the collective

deliberately wiped
your recollections

of the reassimilation process?

lt is the most
likely explanation.

But...?

The collective would not care

that four drones remembered
being reassimilated.

Something must have happened
during the process.

Something they wanted
to hide from you.

Let's look at this from
a different perspective.

Why would the collective

lock them into a neural triad
in the first place?

l don't know.

There is no advantage
to having three drones

linked together in this manner.

Well, they obviously did
it for some reason...

and l get the feeling
that if we can answer

that question, the rest
should fall into place.

But l wish we could find a way

to close the gaps
in your memories.

There is a way.

l assume there's a reason you
didn't mention it before now.

lt would involve linking
my neural interface to theirs.

Together, we may be able
to restore the missing data.

However, l would again
be part of a group mind.

You're not eager to revisit
that experience, hmm?

There's also the possibility

that l could become trapped
in the neural link.

Turning the triad
into a quartet.

l won't ask you to take
that kind of risk.

l do feel compelled
to help them,

but l am uncertain as to
the correct course of action.

Let me ask you something.

Do you think of these people...
as family?

ls it relevant?

There's an old saying:

''Blood is thicker than water.''

lt means that the ties of family

run deeper than any other
kind of relationship.

We'll often do things
for members of our family

we'd never dream of doing
for anyone else.

Seven! Seven!

Naomi Wildman.

l heard about the drones.

Did they hurt you?

l am not damaged.

What do they want?

They are seeking
information from me,

but l am uncertain
whether l can help them.

Oh. Be careful.

Naomi Wildman,
do you consider me to be family?

l... l don't, l mean...

well...

yes.

ls... that okay?

l have no objection.

Do you... think of me as family?

Yes.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

Seven of Nine has decided
to undergo the procedure

that will link her mind
with the other drones.

Despite the risk involved,

she feels an obligation to help
these ''distant cousins.''

l'll be monitoring
your neural readings

while you're in the link.

But l'm not certain l'll be able

to counter the effects
if... you become trapped.

l know you'll do your best.

lt's never a good sign

when the patient feels the need
to comfort the Doctor.

Good luck.

-Ready.
-Ready.

-Ready.
-Ready.

You are damaged.

l will assist you.

Don't worry.

Everything will be all right.

The collective has located us.

A Borg vessel is on its way.

We will be one
with the Borg again.

No! l do not want
to rejoin the collective.

Agreed.

That is in violation of
all established protocols.

Forget the protocols.

You're not a drone.

You're a person, like us.

You have a name...

a life!

All you have to do is embrace
who you really are.

No. l do not exist.

l am only part
of the greater whole.

That's what they
want you to believe.

That's what they want
us all to believe.

We are Borg.

Our primary function
is to serve the collective.

Not anymore.

Error! lnput failure!

They may know what planet we're
on, but without the beacon,

it'll be far more difficult
to locate us.

lf we can remodulate
our cortical implants,

we might be able
to elude their sensors.

We must leave this place.

This discussion is in violation
of all established protocols.

You stay here

and be reassimilated
if you want to.

l won't!

What are you... doing?

The nanoprobes
will create new interlink nodes

in your left hemisphere.

Resistance is futile.

l will not comply!

l will not comply!

State your designations.

Two of Nine,
Primary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01.

Three of Nine,

Auxiliary Processor
of Unimatrix 01.

Four of Nine,

Secondary Adjunct
of Unimatrix 01.

What is your primary function?

To serve the collective.

You will repair
the communications beacon.

lt was you!

You were responsible.

What have you done to us?

You linked us together.

You're responsible
for our suffering.

How could you do it?

lf you didn't want to return...

-To the collective...
-You didn't have to.

You don't understand
what happened.

Somebody help me!

What's happening?

Somehow, they broke
their link with Seven.

They're malfunctioning.

Help me get them to Sick Bay.

When they broke
the connection with you,

it must have overloaded
their cortical implants.

They went into neural shock.

And yet l was undamaged.

l think l know why.

You said you remembered
injecting them

with nanoprobes
eight years ago...

Yes.

lt created an interlink
between them.

lt was the only way
to prevent them

from escaping the collective.

Well, it seems to have had
an unfortunate side effect.

Their higher brain functions

were somehow tied
into the interlink.

When they broke their connection
with you in the Cargo Bay,

the shock to their cognitive
systems was too great.

Can you revive them?

l could remove
the microcortical implants.

That would break the link
binding them together,

but it would also k*ll them.

They'd only live
a matter of weeks.

A month at the most.

What are the other options?

They could be returned
to the Borg.

lf they were reassimilated
into the collective,

they would regain consciousness

and then live out
a normal life span.

As drones.

As drones,
but they'd be alive, Seven.

They have no hope of surviving

unless they return
to the collective.

Not exactly a happy ending,
is it?

No.

Back on that planet...

why do you think
you reacted so differently

from the rest of them?

Why were you so afraid
of becoming an individual?

When l was first assimilated
into the collective,

l was a child.

They were assimilated
as adults.

When our individual memories
began to resurface...

Yours were of being
a little girl...

a scared little girl.

l let that fear control me.

After l saw the drone
die in the swamp,

l... panicked.

l began to envision
my own death...

alone...

without even the sound of
another drone to comfort me.

So l forced them to return.

l infiltrated their left
cerebral hemispheres

with nanoprobes and created
a new interlink network--

one that they couldn't resist.

And then l eliminated
the evidence of what l'd done.

You were overwhelmed by feelings

you couldn't begin
to understand.

You're not responsible for that.

Because of what l did,
they'll be forced to live

the rest of their lives
in the collective.

For that, l am responsible.

There's a difference
between surviving and living.

They'll survive
in the collective,

but they won't really be alive.

You know that better
than any of us.

There is no alternative.

How long would they survive

if the Doctor deactivated
this...

interlink network you created?

A month at most.

A month as an individual
or a lifetime as a drone.

Which option would you choose?

Survival is insufficient.

l beg your pardon?

Eight years ago, l forced them
to return to the collective.

l won't make
the same mistake again.

They deserve to exist
as individuals.

We must terminate the link
between them.

l understand that you feel
a certain responsibility

for these patients.

But as their physician, so do l.

lt's my duty
to preserve their lives

for as long as possible,
even if that means...

l will not return them
to the Borg.

Are you thinking of what's best
for them... or for you?

Clarify.

You've said it yourself.

You made a mistake.

And Seven of Nine doesn't like
to make mistakes.

She strives for perfection.

l want you to think about the
motivation behind your decision.

Are you doing what's right
for those three people...

or are you trying to alleviate
the guilt you feel

over what happened
eight years ago?

The damage l did
can never be repaired,

and my guilt is irrelevant.

l simply want them to experience
individuality... as l have.

As you have.

At one time, you were
confined to this Sick Bay.

Your program was limited to
emergency medical protocols.

ln some ways, you were not
unlike a drone.

But you were granted
the opportunity

to explore your individuality.

You were allowed
to expand your program.

Your mobile emitter gives
you freedom of movement.

Your thoughts are your own.

lf you were told

you had to become a drone again,
l believe you would resist.

Yes, l suppose l would.

They would resist as well.

They would choose freedom,
no matter how fleeting.

Only you and l can truly
understand that.

Survival is insufficient.

lt's so... quiet.

l had no idea
you were going to say that.

l don't know what either of you
is thinking.

l'd forgotten what it was like

to be alone
with my own thoughts.

l'm leaving.

Where will you go?

l want to see the space station.

To meet new people.

To fill my life...

with life again...

in the time l have left.

l'm leaving as well.

There's an uninhabited planet

only a few light-years
from here.

l'd like to spend my final days
in the open air.

My people don't believe
in holding grudges.

l wish you well, Seven of Nine.

Thank you.

lt's nice to be on a
Federation starship again.

l'd like to stay
aboard Voyager.

The Captain said you may
stay as long as you wish.

You mean as long as l have.

l can't forgive you
for what you did to us.

But l do understand
why you did it.

Naomi Wildman.

l thought you might
like some company.

Why?

Because of... what
happened with the drones.

l see that word travels quickly.

lt's a small ship.

l thought maybe you might want
to spend some time with...

family.