06x25 - The Haunting of Deck Twelve

[bunniefuu]

Computer, deactivate mess hall lights.

You scared me.

- That wasn't my intention.
- Of course not.

I'm just a little jumpy,
especially after what happened last time.

That's why I'm here.
We'll be shutting down main power soon.

The children's regeneration cycle
will be interrupted.

Well, I'm happy to help.
I'd be grateful for the distraction.

The procedure could take several hours.

How much do they know
about what's happening?

Nothing.

The children have overactive
imaginations. I don't want to alarm them.

What if they start asking questions?
I can't lie to them.

You have considerable childcare
experience. I'm sure you'll manage.

That's close enough.
Let our momentum carry us in.

Cutting engines.

There's a creepy image. Reminds me
of something out of Edgar Allan Poe.

Looks like a vampire bat. You can make
out the wings, even the ears.

- What do you see, Tuvok?
- Two officers with juvenile imaginations.

Haven't you ever looked up at the clouds
and seen an animal?

I will never understand
the human need to find imagery

in something as innocuous as a cloud.

- Harry, are we ready?
- Yes, ma'am.

Then let's do it.
All hands, initiate shutdown sequence.

Computer, deactivate EMH.

Everything's all right. We've just had
to shut down main power temporarily.

Nothing to be concerned about.

Three, two, one.

Mark.

All decks report shutdown complete.

Janeway to Seven of Nine.
We're ready.

Acknowledged.

- Why did they shut down main power?
- It's simply a precaution.

We've entered a Class-J nebula

and the captain wants to make sure

that we don't attract any EM radiation.

Our shields provide protection

against nebular discharge.

Gaseous anomalies

were never really my specialty.

I've brought toys and stories and games.

Later we might have a little sing-along.

I should go to astrometrics.

I'm afraid astrometrics is shut down, too.

If we're not analysing the nebula,

why did we enter it?

That story is not as interesting as.

"Flotter Meets The Invertebrates”.

Is Voyager in danger?

Don't leap to those kinds of conclusions.

If you explained,

we wouldn't have to guess.

This has to do with deck 12, doesn't it?

What makes you say that?

Deck 12 is off-limits to everyone

but senior officers

with a level 6 security clearance.

It's haunted.

Who told you that?

Naomi.

She was trying to frighten you.

I'll have to have a talk with that girl.

Does a ghost live there?

You're too old to believe in such things.

- If it's not a ghost, what is it?
- We deserve an explanation.

I don't think that Seven
would be too happy

if you all started waking up
with nightmares.

- Tell us.
- Please.

All right. Gather round.

But I'm warning you.

- This is not a tale for the faint of heart.
- We're not faint of heart.

Our cardiopulmonary systems
are reinforced.

- So don't leave anything out.
- All right.

But remember, I warned you.

It all began several months ago,
before you joined Voyager.

We were exploring a dark nebula,
just gathering deuterium.

We had no idea what was in store.

But when the turbulence started,
we should have seen that as an omen.

How goes the particle collecting,
Commander?

We've got enough deuterium to power
the warp engines for 1,000 light years.

Something wrong?

There is something that I feel compelled
to share with you as morale officer.

- The crew seem a little on edge.
- Oh?

They don't appear
particularly anxious to me.

They're very good at hiding their fears.
Starfleet training.

I was wondering how soon
we might be leaving this nebula.

Knowing could help reassure them.

The Bussard Collectors are running
at maximum, but it's a slow process.

We could be here
for several more days.

Days?

Mr Neelix, are you certain
it's not you who is on edge?

You know me too well, Mr Vulcan.

I can assure you a J-Class nebula
is no cause for alarm.

I know it's illogical,

but staring into this murky cloud for
hours on end can be a little unsettling.

When I was a child,

an immense plasma drift
passed through the Talaxian system.

The stars and the moons
were blotted out for months.

All you could see was
this enormous, menacing cloud.

Ever since then, I've found it
a little disturbing to be in nebulas.

The captain might give you permission
to install curtains.

That's an excellent idea.

And I have just the right material.

- Report.
- The nebula's destabilising.

It could have something to do
with the nadion emissions

produced by the Bussard Collectors.

- You're not remembering correctly.
- Pardon?

The Bussard Collectors
don't produce nadion emissions.

What's important is that Voyager's
presence was destabilising the nebula

and the crew wasn't interested
in taking chances.

We've got 80% of the deuterium
we wanted.

Bridge to engineering,
we're suspending the dilithium intake.

- Acknowledged.
- Tom, take us out.

But in the fraction of a second
before Tom could engage the engines...

Zap! We were hit.

- What was it?
- The ghost?

Sh. Let him finish.

Whatever it was, it shook the ship hard.

An EM discharge penetrated the hull.

Increasing power to structural integrity.

- We're clear.
- Damage?

Power out on three decks.
Auxiliary subprocessors off-line.

- No injuries reported.
- Assign repair teams. Resume course.

We'd taken minor damage,
but for the most part everything was fine.

Or so we thought.

What none of us knew was that a
mysterious stowaway had come aboard.

- What kind of stowaway?
- Obviously a space-dwelling life-form.

Yes. But we didn't know that,
not at that point.

- Was it non-corporeal?
- In a manner of speaking.

- Hostile?
- Species 59737.

Who are they?

The Borg encountered them. They're
multi-spectrum particle life-forms.

- No, that's not what this was.
- Maybe an inter-phasic species.

We can debate comparative
xenobiology or I can continue the story.

It's up to you.

Continue the story.

Somehow I thought you'd say that.
Now, where was I?

Life aboard Voyager would have been
more or less back to normal

if it weren't for a few strange
malfunctions.

Come in.

I've got reports from repair teams.
That EM discharge did some damage.

Transporter room 1
is out of commission

and we temporarily lost
artificial gravity on deck 5.

- Any injuries?
- Ensign Mulcahey bumped his head.

This is terrible.
Computer, another cup of coffee, black.

You can add replicators to your list.

We're getting started
on the wrong foot today, my friend.

Captain?

- I'm sorry. I was talking to Voyager.
- Nothing to be embarrassed about.

I used to have long conversations
with my Maquis ship.

- What did you two talk about?
- I can't tell you that.

- Captain-starship confidentiality.
- Of course.

If the Doctor heard us,
he'd probably recommend counselling.

- I won't tell if you won't.
- Deal.

Commander, do you see that?

It's a meteoroid cluster.
I doubt it's anything to worry about.

I'd tend to agree, if it weren't the same
one we passed an hour ago.

Are you conducting a survey
of meteoroids, Tom?

- We're travelling in circles.
- Not according to my readings.

Tuvok, run a level 4 diagnostic
on the navigational array.

There is a malfunction.
We're heading back the way we came.

All stop. Reinitialise your sensors.

We rely too much on
24th-Century technology, Captain.

Give me a window and a sextant
and I'll get you where you want to go.

- We've jumped to warp 6.
- Shut down the warp engines.

- I can't.
- Manual override.

- No response.
- Bridge to engineering.

- I'm reading all stop.
- Lieutenant Torres, respond.

- Computer, locate B'Elanna Torres.
- Lieutenant Torres is in engineering.

Ensign Trumari is on deck 4, section 30.

- Commander Tuvok...
- Find out what's going on.

- Harry, shut that thing off.
- Ensign Vorik is in engineering.

Meanwhile, Commander
Chakotay was headed for engineering.

Or so he thought.

Engineering.

I bet you wouldn't try
to pull this on the captain.

I'll walk.

The turbolift started to fall,
faster and faster.

- Anybody hungry?
- Neelix!

- You haven't touched your snacks.
- Snacks are irrelevant.

What happened
to Commander Chakotay?

The turbolift plunged 11 decks.
The G-forces pinned him to the ceiling.

He was going to come crashing down
to the bottom of the turbolift

and there was nothing that he could do
about it. But then...

the descent stabilisers reactivated.

Commander Chakotay was not happy
when he showed up in engineering.

If I didn't know better,
I'd say the ship is trying to k*ll me.

I've traced the problem to a series
of gel-packs on deck 13.

They were b*rned out
by a discharge from the nebula.

And those gel-packs interface
with all the affected systems.

- Feel like giving me a hand?
- Only if we stay out of the turbolifts.

While they headed for deck 13,

new problems were cropping up
all over the ship.

- Step away from the control panel.
- Did I do something wrong?

You caused a power failure
in astrometrics.

- How?
- That's what I'm attempting to find out.

I don't see how I could...

You inadvertently overloaded a series
of EPS conduits during your diagnostic.

- But I haven't started the diagnostic.
- Then what were you doing?

Nothing. I just got here.

I know that wasn't my fault.

- These gel-packs aren't b*rned out.
- There's no trace of an EM discharge.

- Could it have dissipated this quickly?
- No. It moved.

The discharge seems to be travelling
through the bio-neural circuitry,

jumping from system to system.

Can you isolate it?

It's in a series of gel packs

that interface with the environmental
controls outside cargo bay 2.

Let's get there before it jumps again.

Seven of Nine was
in cargo bay 2 to run diagnostics.

Because the com system
was down, they couldn't warn her.

She had no idea that something
was in the room with her.

- In this cargo bay?
- Then what happened?

The creature was clinging to the circuits,
using them to move about the room.

It was getting closer and closer.

Seven of Nine to the bridge.
Bridge, acknowledge.

But of course, there was no answer.

Why didn't she remodulate her neural
transceiver and send a message?

Interesting question.
You'll have to ask her.

Stop interrupting.

Seven tried to get out,
but she was trapped.

What happened to Seven?

The entity must have turned her
against the crew.

You're letting your imagination
run away with you.

Why did the light go out?

It's all right. I just have to replace
the power cell.

- Nothing to be frightened about.
- I'm not frightened, but Azan is.

- I am not.
- There.

Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.

Now, where was I?

Oh, yes. Seven was trapped
by the force fields,

but fortunately for her,
help was on the way.

Computer, deactivate this force field.

We'll have to cut power
to the field generators.

The computer's not accepting
my command codes.

The force field's down.

Now, most of us were oblivious
to what was happening.

But that was about to change.

Kim to engineering.

Neelix to the bridge.

Everyone report to their stations
until we figure out what's going on.

Ensign, maybe I should come with you.
The captain might need me.

This is your post.
You may be needed here.

Of course.

If you need anything,
you know where to find me.

So there I was. The only thing
I could do was wait, alone.

In the dark.

Voyager was dead in space.

System after system was failing,
including the environmental controls.

Ensign Paris told me it was hotter
than the Tarkanian Desert on the bridge.

Don't you ever sweat?

Not unless the temperature
reaches 350 degrees Kelvin...

- Forget I asked.
- Very well.

I'll make you a deal, Voyager.

The next M-Class planetoid we find,
we'll set down

and I'll give you
a nice maintenance overhaul.

What do you say?

Tom, check the conn.

I don't know what you did, Captain,
but I've got helm control back.

Thanks, my friend.

I'll try to get thrusters
and impulse engines on-line.

I'm reading an EM surge in your console.
Get away from there.

Bridge to sickbay. Medical emergency.
Can we transport him?

- Transporters are off-line.
- Why am I not surprised?

- Oxygen depletion in progress.
- Air is being sucked out of the bridge.

Reroute emergency power
to environmental controls.

No effect.

Everyone out of here now.

The Doctor had his hands full, too.

You're fortunate. Another few moments
and you'd have been asphyxiated.

Lieutenant Torres
needs help with the repairs.

Doctor.

- What happened?
- Seven had a similar experience.

The environmental system converted
cargo bay 2 into a micro-nebula.

When Gibson and McMinn vented gas
from deck 7, they were struck, too.

- Are we thinking the same thing?
- An intelligence at work here.

An electromagnetic life-form

using the environmental controls
to make the ship more hospitable.

And attacking anyone
who tries to stop it.

- My matrix is destabilising.
- Transfer to the mobile emitter.

- Warning. Power failure.
- Let's get the injured out of here.

Deck by deck, the crew
was losing control of Voyager.

People were scattered through the ship
with no idea what was happening.

- What did you do that for?
- I'm so sorry.

I thought you were a Hirogen or a Borg.

- What gave you that idea?
- It's dark. Your shadow...

Trust me. There are no aliens
roaming the corridors.

- We haven't been boarded?
- It's just a power failure.

- Isn't that what they sometimes do?
- What who sometimes does?

Hostile aliens. They might be trying
to infiltrate the ship.

How long has it been
since you've run into anyone else?

Four or five hours.

I tried sickbay, but it was deserted.
Decks 3 and 4 are empty.

I was on my way to the bridge.
You're the first person I've seen.

There's no one on the bridge, either.

Maybe we can't find anyone
because they've all been assimilated.

Slow down. There was
an environmental failure on the bridge.

That's why it's been evacuated.
I don't know what happened in sickbay,

but I'm sure there's
a reasonable explanation.

- No one's been assimilated.
- Then where are they?

They've probably set up a temporary
command post in engineering.

- That's where I'm going.
- Can I come with you?

Of course.

- Ensign?
- What?

Do you think we could stop
by a weapons locker on the way?

I'd been waiting in the mess hall,

cut off from the rest of the crew.

Is somebody there?

Hello?

Hello.

Hello?

Is somebody out there?

Tom, if that's you, this isn't funny.

Stay away!

Calm yourself, Mr Neelix.

You shouldn't sneak up on people.
I could have sh*t you.

- Your restraint is commendable.
- Is there a problem with the air?

An alien life-form
has seized control of Voyager.

It's flooded numerous sections with gas.

This alien life-form is trying to k*ll us?

Its intentions aren't clear.
However, we should evacuate.

The captain has established
a command post in engineering.

- Were you scared?
- Engineering was eight decks down.

The only way to get there
was through pitch-black Jefferies tubes.

It's fair to say that I was never
more frightened in my life.

- You shouldn't have been afraid.
- Is that so?

Fear distracts people
from accomplishing their goals.

That's true. On the other hand,
fear can sometimes be very healthy.

- Explain.
- It keeps you alert.

Keeps you from putting yourself
in unnecessary danger.

- I was afraid once.
- You've been afraid many times.

Do you want to tell us about it?

It was when we were disconnected
from the hive mind,

before Seven rescued us.

I couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts
any more. I felt alone.

I can understand
why that was frightening.

When you're scared, it helps to have
someone to talk to, doesn't it?

The only person I had to talk to
was Commander Tuvok.

I tried passing the time
with a little conversation,

but he's not exactly
what you'd call chatty.

I bet Starfleet has specific procedures
to deal with these kinds of situations.

You know, something like protocol 1005.

"In the event your starship is invaded
by a hostile electromagnetic life-form..."

What do you suppose
that protocol would be exactly?

This crew is doing everything possible
to regain control of the ship.

- I'm just being silly.
- I concur.

The Salvoxia crew probably thought
they would regain control, too.

- Did I tell you about the Salvoxia?
- If I say yes, will you not tell the story?

It was a Talaxian freighter,
horrible tragedy.

Happened a century ago.

After suffering a cascade failure,
it began to lose life-support generators.

Soon there wasn't enough air left
to sustain the crew so they drew lots.

Can you imagine?
Draw the short straw and you suffocate.

The air continued to diminish
and they kept drawing lots.

The crew got smaller and smaller
as they waited to be rescued.

But no one ever came.

The Salvoxia drifted through space
for 80 years until somebody found her.

Makes me short of breath
thinking about it.

Occupy your mind with pleasant thoughts
before you hyperventilate.

Right.

Pleasant thoughts, pleasant thoughts.

What did the bodies look like after 80
years? Were they decomposed?

They may have been preserved
by the vacuum of space.

I shouldn't have told you that story.

I wonder what the crew did for food after
their emergency rations were gone?

- Maybe they ate each other.
- All right, that's enough.

Now, where was I? We'd made it
more than halfway to engineering

when we ran into an obstacle.

Commander.

What do we do now?

If I can access environmental controls,
I may be able to vent the gas.

Is there another way around?

It would take several hours
by an alternate route.

There's no guarantee
we'd find a clear path.

Pleasant thoughts, pleasant thoughts.

A good number of the crew
had gathered in engineering.

97 crewmen have been accounted for.

- Neelix?
- No one's seen him.

- I shouldn't have ordered him to stay.
- You followed procedure.

Captain.

The life-form's infiltrated
the main computer matrix.

While it was in the gel pack,
there was a chance to contain it.

But we can't purge it from the computer
without crashing the systems we have.

Things were looking grim,

but the captain
was about to make a breakthrough.

Captain Janeway, Captain Janeway.

Captain Janeway
is in main engineering.

- Sorry, Captain. I'll try to shut it down.
- Hold on a minute.

This is Captain Janeway. Respond.

Authorisation code required.

- Janeway Pi Alpha.
- Captain?

It's only a hunch, but this life-form
may be trying to communicate.

Sounds like a com system malfunction.

The life-form's been moving
from system to system.

It may be learning how to use those
systems in some rudimentary way.

- Are you attempting to communicate?
- Unable to comply.

Even if it understands,
it may not know how to respond.

B'Elanna, call up the com system's
syntax subroutines.

We're attempting to make it easier
for you to speak to us.

Try to access the database
at engineering station 31.

Database accessed.

Why have you come aboard our ship?

Captain Janeway,
report to astrometrics.

Why do you want me to go there?

Captain Janeway,
report to astrometrics.

I guess I'll found out soon enough.

Astrometrics is flooded with nebular gas.

Astrometrics life-support
has been restored.

It could be a trap. This life-form
has already injured at least 11 crewmen.

I can try to establish a dialogue
or I can let it take over my ship.

- Seven, you're with me.
- Yes, Captain.

While Captain Janeway
headed to astrometrics,

Tuvok was trying to ease my fears
by guiding me through a meditation.

Concentrate on the rhythm
of your breathing.

Envision your lungs filled with light.

Follow it back in time
to a moment when you felt no fear,

a moment of happiness, serenity.

- My birthday dinner.
- Describe it.

I was surrounded by all my friends.

They'd gotten together
to cook me dinner.

They'd prepared all my favourites -

steamed chadre kab,
terra-nut soufflé.

I felt... loved,

appreciated,

safe.

- The captain served you nebular gas?
- No, of course not.

It was just my imagination playing tricks
on me during the meditation.

My head was too full of scary images
for me to relax.

But the captain seemed
to have things under control.

Review of navigational logs
in progress.

- Are you searching for something?
- Affirmative.

The nebula.

Manual helm control enabled.

- You're returning control of the ship?
- Affirmative.

You want me to take you back
to the nebula?

- Affirmative.
- Why didn't you just say so?

Returning is too dangerous.
We'd risk invasion by other life-forms.

I'm beginning to think this was all
an accident, not an invasion.

Think about it. The EM surge didn't hit us

until our collectors destabilised
the nebula. Then what happened?

The ship began experiencing
random malfunctions.

I'm not so sure they were random.

Navigational sensors were fooling us
into heading back to the nebula.

When Tom tried to resume course,
he was att*cked.

This life-form isn't trying to hurt us.

It's trying to get home.
Can you give us access to the bridge?

Life-support on the bridge
has been restored.

- Level 10 authorisation required.
- Level 107.

Captain's eyes only.
It wants me to go alone.

The captain and the
life-form had established a rapport,

but the relationship was fragile.

- Is the viewscreen functioning normally?
- Affirmative.

I'm sorry to tell you this,
but your nebula is gone.

Clarify.

The gases must have continued
to dissipate after we left.

Warning.
Life-support failure on all decks.

- Abandon ship. Abandon...
- Ship.

- Abandon ship.
- The creature was that angry?

Its home had been destroyed.

The life-form wanted Voyager for itself

and it was going to k*ll anyone
who remained on board.

Captain Janeway's only chance
of saving her crew

was to reason with the creature.

- I can still help you.
- Abandon ship.

- There are other Class-J nebulas.
- Unable to comply.

I'd be able to comply if you gave me
access to astrometrics.

Warning. Oxygen depletion in progress.

- Give me back helm control.
- Helm circuits are overloaded.

Abandon ship.

- At least let me warn my crew.
- Unable to comply.

As the captain was facing one
of her worst fears, losing her ship,

I was with Tuvok
and about to face one of mine.

Tuvok!

Lie still. I'll try to...

- Mr Neelix, proceed without me.
- I'm not leaving you here.

I am injured. Logic dictates
that you proceed to engineering.

I don't care what logic dictates.
This isn't the Salvoxia.

- I am giving you an order.
- And I'm disobeying it.

You're coming with me if I have to drag
you by your pointy little ears.

I had no choice.
I had to control my fear.

Pleasant thoughts, pleasant thoughts.

As we made our way to engineering,

Captain Janeway tried to make
the creature reconsider.

You'll k*ll everyone on this ship.
Do you understand what that means?

- To deprive of life, extinguish.
- Yes.

And if you extinguish us,
you'll be extinguishing yourself.

- You need this crew.
- Clarify.

The technology you're using
needs to be maintained.

Who is going to do that
when we're gone?

Voyager's secondary systems
have begun to fail.

In a few weeks,
primary systems will start to go off-line.

- Unable to confirm.
- Access the internal sensors.

Run a ship-wide diagnostic.
See for yourself.

Abandon ship.

The captain's rapport with the creature
seemed to be breaking down

and she couldn't wait any longer.

We're abandoning ship.
Get to the escape pods.

- We may not be able to eject them.
- We'll push them out if we have to.

- He needs medical attention!
- It'll have to wait.

The entire crew had to evacuate.

The shuttles were launched, followed
by all but one of the escape pods.

That's everybody but the captain
and the first officer.

I did what you asked.
What more do you want?

Diagnostic complete.
Secondary systems off-line.

Primary systems at 32%.

Estimated time to failure -
six days, 13 hours.

- That sounds about right.
- Captain report to engineering.

Like hell I will.

I won't be your prisoner.

- You'll have to k*ll me.
- Acknowledged.

Captain Janeway report to engineering.

Not until you restore life-support

and give me back control of my ship.

Unable to comply.

Then we'll die here together.

I'm guessing...

I've got about two more minutes
and then you're on your own.

- Captain report to engineering.
- I told you!

The only way I'm helping
is if you return control

of my ship.

It looked like the creature was calling
the captain's bluff.

She was down to her final breath,
but at the last moment...

Access to all systems
has been restored.

It took almost two days for the crew
to return to the ship.

Eventually, an artificial environment
was created

in an isolated section of deck 12.
The creature's been there ever since.

I told you there was a monster
on deck 12.

It's not a monster,
it's an alien life-form.

- What was that?
- The alien life-form coming to get us.

Haven't you learnt anything about letting
your imagination get the best of you?

That was probably our friend
leaving to go to a new home

that the captain found for him.
Time to regenerate.

- What if the life-form didn't leave?
- What if it wants revenge?

What if I told you I made up
the whole thing?

Naomi told me you always exaggerate.

I knew the story wasn't true
when you said the Bussard Collectors

produced nadion emissions.

I should have known better
than to try fooling the four of you.

All right, in you go.

Pleasant dreams.

- How are the children?
- Tucked in, safe and sound.

- I hope they weren't frightened.
- Why would they be frightened?

- They were in the dark for three hours.
- No, not to worry.

- I told them a story to pass the time.
- Let me guess. "Mother Goose".

Certainly not. Some of those fairy tales
can be frightening.

Ogres and child-eating monsters.
Speaking of which, is everything OK?

We're taking some final readings
before we resume course.

Show him, Harry.

Well.

I hope it lives happily ever after.