06x16 - Collective

[bunniefuu]

Heart, heart, heart...

just one more heart.

You might as well
be showing us

your hand, Neelix.

This is a game of
strategy, deception.

Never let the opponents
know your hand.

Right.

Right.

Ten.

l see your ten and raise you 20.

Neelix?

l'm thinking...

20... another 20.

lf l didn't
know any better,

l'd say we're being hustled.

Ensign...

Oh, l'm not buying

the innocent Talaxian routine.

l don't know what
you're talking about.

l've-l've... This is
the first time l've played...

What is it called?

Poker.

Look, why don't
we make things

a little more interesting?

Forget the chips.

Let's bet on tomorrow's
work detail, all right?

Whoever wins this hand
gets the morning off.

l'm in.

l'm in.

Sounds good to me.

What have you got?

Two pair.

Does... does that b*at a flush?

l knew you were bluffing.

That beats me. Tom?

Battle stations!

And l had a full house.

l can't shake 'em.

Return fire.

Why didn't our sensors
detect them?

lt looks like they used
a dispersal field

to mask their approach.

Warp drive?

No luck. Too much damage
to the plasma injectors.

Harry, get down there
and see what you can do.

Shields down 18 percent.

Harry, status?

l need time
to clear the injectors.

Sir, the cube's power output
is fluctuating.

Then we're still in the game.

Bring us about.

Target their propulsion matrix.

We've lost phasers.

Arm photon torpedoes.
Fire when ready.

We knocked out
their main propulsion system.

Good.

Now get us out
of here, Tom.

They've got us
in a tractor beam.

Harry,

we need warp power now.

We lost two more relays.
l can't!

Harry?

Harry?!

Engines are off-line.

We are the Borg.

Your biological and
technological distinctiveness

will be added to our own.

Resistance is futile.

Neelix.

Neelix!

Commander?

lt's all right.

You were unconscious,

but l don't think
you're injured.

l was dreaming you'd
been assimilated.

Your subconscious
was jumping the g*n,

but not by much.

From the look of this room,

l'd say we're
in an assimilation chamber.

Where's Harry?

He's not here.

Well, we've got to find him.

We need to get
our bearings first,

figure out what's going on.

We're in a Borg cube,
and Harry's missing.

That's what's going on.

Sir...

Nobody we know.

Some kind of botched
assimilation?

From the looks of it.

What are they waiting for?

They've got three more
potential drones here!

Stay calm.

Calm? We're in the
chamber of horrors,

or haven't you noticed?

We're not drones yet.

lf we keep our heads,
maybe we can find a way out.

There's a force field
around this room.

Let's try to disable it.

Their ion trail ends
directly ahead.

l'm detecting another vessel,
bearing 30 mark 1 12.

lt's a Borg cube.

Red Alert.

Alter course to intercept.

Adjust shields
to rotating frequencies.

Have they detected us?

Unclear. The vessel's
holding position.

As soon as we're
within sensor range,

start scanning
for the away team.

On screen.

Their propulsion system
is off-line.

The damage is not that severe.

The drones should've
repaired it by now.

Lucky for us they didn't,

or we'd never have
caught up with them.

Any sign
of our people?

Not yet.

They are targeting
our warp core.

Shields are holding.

Return fire.
Aim for their weapons array.

Now they're going
after our impulse engines.

That one was meant
for our sensors.

They can't seem to make up

their minds.

Their att*ck strategy
is erratic, inefficient.

And finished.

We've disabled their weapons.

That was too easy.

Maybe they're in worse shape
than we thought.

l'm picking up
non-Borg life signs.

One of them is
definitely Talaxian.

lt looks as though they haven't
been assimilated yet.

Try to get a transporter lock.

Their shields are interfering.

Target their shield generator
and fire.

Captain, l believe l can explain
the unusual behavior

of these Borg.

There should be thousands
of drones manning the vessel,

but l'm picking up
only five signatures.

We are the Borg.
You will be assimilated.

Resistance is futile.

lt doesn't sound like
they've lost their confidence.

Their shield generators
are too deep inside the vessel.

Our weapons can't reach them.

Open a channel.

Borg vessel, this is
the Starship Voyager.

You're holding our crewmen.

We're willing to cease f*ring
if you return them.

Negotiation is irrelevant.

You will be assimilated.

Not today and not by you.

Agree, or l'll resume f*ring.

They are scanning us.

We will return your crew members

in exchange
for specific technology.

Talk about unusual behavior.
The Borg negotiating?

What technology?

Your navigational deflector.

Disengage it
from your secondary hull.

Mute audio.

lf we surrender our deflector,
we'll be dead in space.

We won't be able
to go to warp.

What would they
want with it?

When their communications
array was damaged,

it severed their link
to the collective.

They intend to adapt
our deflector to regain it.

And call for reinforcements?
That's the last thing we need.

We'll have to stall them

until we can find
another way out of this.

l'll consider the exchange,
but first l want to be certain

my crewmen are unharmed
and alive.

You have scanned our vessel.

Our scans were inconclusive.

We want to see them
for ourselves.

You may transport
one individual.

Seven.

Proceed to Grid 63,
Subjunction 01.

State your designation.

Seven of Nine.

These drones
have not fully matured.

Where are the others?

There are no others.

The drones
aboard this vessel were...

deactivated.

We are the Borg.

Seven of Nine--

a Borg designation.

She's like us.

Not like us.

She's damaged.

Her infrastructure
has been removed.

We could fix her.

You will add to
our perfection.

You are neonatal drones.

You should still be
in maturation chambers.

We've matured long enough.

Doubtful. Your thoracic nodes
haven't formed yet.

You're incomplete.

You'll continue
to malfunction.

You must return
to your maturation chambers.

Comply.

Don't listen to her.

We tried to go back in.

The chambers were off-line.

What happened
to the adult drones?

We don't know.

lrrelevant.

Don't tell her anything.

This vessel has been
severely damaged.

You won't be able
to repair it alone.

l can help you,

but first you must
release the hostages.

That wasn't the agreement.

l've modified
the agreement.

l didn't realize l'd be
dealing with children.

Your behavior is erratic.

l can't be certain that you...

No modifications.

We show you the hostages;
you give us the deflector.

Comply.

Comply.

Take me to them.

lf she tries to resist...

assimilate her.

Do you have a designation?

Second.

You were the second

to emerge from the chambers.

No, the first.

l could not establish order.

l became second...
and he became first.

So you've established
a chain of command--

a hierarchy.

We're a collective.

A collective of
five on a vessel

normally run by 5,000.

What makes you think
you'll survive?

When we reestablish
our link with the Borg,

they will come for us.

Commander, we've got company.

l wish to see
if they're injured.

-Seven?
-Don't let their appearance

fool you. They are in control
of this vessel

and all of its armaments.

Are you injured?

Nothing serious.

The previous tenant.

We were trying to perfect
our assimilation techniques.

You failed.

One of these captives
was attempting

to disconnect
the security field.

Actually, l was

just trying to...

That was unnecessary.

He is not
permanently damaged.

He learned his lesson.

The Borg are prepared

to negotiate for your release.

l will return for you.

Give my regards to Harry.

The deflector array.

l'm not authorized

to give you technology.

l must report back
to Captain Janeway.

Agreed.

l also need to take
an adult drone

and a datanode back
to Voyager for analysis.

Why?

Something happened
on this vessel

that none of us understand.

lf it happens again,
it could endanger all of you.

No sign of Harry yet,
but there are parts

of the cube that
we still can't scan.

Could the drones
be holding him

in another location?

Unlikely. Seven said
they didn't seem

to be aware of his presence.

lf he ejected
in an escape pod,

we would have detected
his beacon by now.

Try to activate his combadge.

Match the carrier wave to
a Borg interlink frequency.

They shouldn't detect it.

Aye, Captain.

What have we learned
from our friend here?

The bigger they come,
the harder they fall.

Behold the David
that slew our Goliath.

A pathogen?

A spaceborne virus
that adapted

to Borg physiology.

lt's inert now,

but in its virulent state,

it att*cked the drones
and k*lled them.

Why weren't
the juveniles infected?

The maturation
chamber is designed

to protect
developing drones.

Malfunctions caused

by the deaths of the adults

lead several of the chambers
to open prematurely.

Does this pathogen
only target the Borg?

The Borg and other
cybernetic organisms

it encounters.

You're not thinking
of using it

as a biological w*apon.

lf we can revive
the pathogen

and reintroduce it,
we could neutralize the drones

without harming
the away team.

Neutralize? You mean
''m*rder,'' don't you?

Captain, they're children.

Need l remind you
that these ''children''

have committed
m*rder themselves

in their futile attempts
to assimilate others.

Seven...

tell me something.

You saw them,

talked to them.

Do you think
they'll k*ll the hostages

if we don't give them
what they want?

Yes.

l want that pathogen
as an option, Doctor,

but l won't consider
using it until l've seen

these drones for myself.

Think you can arrange that?

Then you're with me.

Computer, identify the source
of this com signal.

Starship Voyager.

l need to respond
on the same carrier wave.

That procedure will require
significant modifications.

Well, don't worry.
l'm way ahead of you.

Why are you here?

l wanted to make
a new proposal.

We've already negotiated.

You've seen the hostages.

Now give us the
deflector as agreed.

Maybe it's hard
for you to accept,

but you don't have
to rejoin the hive.

Our Doctor can remove

your implants,
you can come with us.

You were individuals
yourselves not long ago--

children with families.

You were abducted
and assimilated.

l recognize your species.

You're Brunali.

And you're Norcadian.

Do you remember your world?

A Theta-Class planetoid.

Population: 260 million.

Binary suns.

And what did it look like
when those suns set each night?

Can you remember that?

lrrelevant!

The deflector, now.

We need more time.

That deflector array
is essential to our...

No.

Give it to us.

Or what? You'll assimilate me?

That won't solve your problem.

l can't give you
Voyager's deflector,

but maybe we can repair

your technology.

Clarify.

Seven knows a good deal
about Borg systems.

You have two hours.

l don't know
the extent of the damage.

lt could take longer.

Two hours...

or your hostages die.

Don't come back here, Captain.

l bought us another two hours.

The pathogen?

lt should be ready by then.

Did you see the away team?

l'm afraid not.

But Seven assured me
our people haven't been harmed.

l can't believe
we're negotiating

with adolescent drones.

They're not exactly drones.

Mature Borg are predictable.

They'll ignore you
or assimilate you,

but these... juveniles,
they're unstable.

They are contemptuous
of authority,

convinced
that they are superior--

typical adolescent behavior
for any species.

lt's a transmission...

from the cube.

Seven?

No.

lt's Harry.

l'm clearing it up now.

Delta Flyer to Voyager.
Respond.

We're receiving you, Ensign.

Where are you?

Still in the Flyer.

lt's locked up
in some kind of hangar bay

along with two alien ships.

l've isolated his coordinates.

How close is he

to their shield generator?

Roughly 800 meters.

Harry, are there
any plasma charges

aboard the Flyer?

Yes, ma'am.

ln that case,
how do you feel

about going for
a little walk?

l could use the exercise.

Tuvok will guide you
to the shield generator.

lf you destroy it, you won't
have to make the trip back.

Understood.

l have the technology
you've requested.

Thank you.

You were a drone for 18 years.

Correct.

l accessed your datafile.

Why?

l thought
it might be relevant.

What else did you learn?

You were assimilated
as a juvenile, like us.

My parents were scientists

studying the Borg.

They took me with them.

My childhood was short.

Childhood?

The years between birth
and physical maturity,

when humanoids adapt

to their roles as individuals.

Perhaps you have memory
of yours.

l don't know.

What about your parents?

Do you remember them?

No.

No memories.

Your subvocal processor
is malfunctioning.

l can repair it for you.

lt's a slight adjustment.

lt won't be painful.

The first told me

my malfunction
could not be repaired,

until we reconnected
with the collective.

This color...

My mother's hair...

was this color.

l thought we agreed--

no irrelevant discussions.

What is the punishment

for disobeying the protocols?

Deactivation.

l engaged him in
this discussion.

Return to your station.

l found some
unsettling information.

l examined their
communication records.

The collective did receive

the drones' initial
distress call.

How long before they arrive?

A vessel was not dispatched.

The collective declared

the neonatal
drones irrelevant

and severed their link
to the hive permanently.

They see them as damaged,
unworthy of reassimilation.

Precisely.

Are the drones aware of this?

No. They don't
have the ability

to decrypt the message.

Once they learn they've
been rejected by the hive,

they won't need our deflector.

They might be willing
to release the hostages.

Normally when drones
learn they're irrelevant,

they deactivate themselves.

But these neonatal drones
are unpredictable.

They may not adhere
to Borg protocols.

There is another option.

We could invite them
to Voyager.

When they realize they have
no place else to go...

lf you're suggesting

transforming them
into individuals,

that would be
extremely difficult.

You turned out
pretty well, Seven.

That's because l was prepared
before you encountered me.

What do you mean?

When l was first captured
by the Borg,

l was young and frightened.

l watched my parents
assimilated.

Then l was placed
in a maturation chamber,

and the hive mind began
to restructure

my synaptic pathways,
purge my individuality.

When l emerged five years later,

the turmoil
of my forced assimilation

had been replaced with order.

You may not be aware
of this, Captain,

but that order continues to be
a source of strength for me.

l could not have regained
my humanity without it.

l appreciate your insights.

But just because they
didn't have the benefit

of your Borg upbringing,

doesn't mean we're going
to turn our backs on them.

There has to be another way.

Not all drones
can be saved, Captain.

Continue the repairs
aboard the Borg cube.

We'll hold onto this
information for now.

Yes, Captain.

They do have one thing
going for them.

You.

lf there's anyone
who can reach them,

it's you.

Three of hearts
on a transwarp conduit.

Ensign?

King of clubs...

on a power coupling.

l'm marking my route

with playing cards in case l
have to come back this same way.

You shouldn't distract yourself,
Mr. Kim.

l need a little distraction.

This hike is bringing up
some bad memories.

An earlier visit to a Borg cube?

Nope, haunted house
my parents took me to

when l was six.

Borg vessels may be forbidding,
but they are not haunted.

Tuvok?

Turn left, Ensign.

Nine of diamonds on a data node.

The resonance field
collapsed.

lt'll take an hour
to reinitialize.

These delays are intentional.

l'm working
as efficiently as l can.

Examine my work for yourself
if you have doubts.

This data's flawed.

More likely it's
your understanding

of quadric field
theory that's flawed.

lgnore her.

She's trying to divide us.

They rely on you.

Yet you lack the skills
necessary to ensure

their survival.

We've managed so far.

We're Borg.

You've forgotten
what that means.

The unity of the collective...

common goals...

the quest for perfection...

l have not forgotten.

But you don't need
to remain drones

to experience those things.

Come back with me to Voyager.

38 minutes.

You're wasting time.

Another maturation chamber
is malfunctioning.

lts autonomic nervous
system is failing.

lt's Borg.

lt will adapt.

lt's not adapting.

Let Seven help.

We can modulate the stasis field
to stabilize its functions

at least temporarily.

Assist me.

The field is degrading.

We need to transport it

into an incubation pod--
quickly.

Why is it doing that?

lt's respiratory
system is impaired.

And this incubation pod
is malfunctioning.

We must transport this
infant to Voyager.

No.

The drone is part
of our collective.

Not if it dies.

Tetryon levels are rising.
l'm getting closer.

The shield generator
should be directly ahead.

l see it.

The first charge is in place.

Tuvok?

Hello?

You left these.

l like her.

She looks like Seven of Nine.

ls Seven your friend?

You know, she's my friend, too.

Maybe someday...

Your w*apon won't work here.

Dampening field.

How long has it been
since you lost contact?

Four or five minutes.

His bio-signs?

Doctor to the Captain.

Please report
to Sick Bay immediately.

On my way.

Keep looking for him.

What's the emergency?

l thought you should see
for yourself.

Somebody left a bundle
on our doorstep.

l turned around

and there she was,
lying on a bio-bed.

Seven must have
beamed her here.

A good thing, too.

A few more minutes

and l wouldn't have been able
to do anything for her.

lt's hard to believe
she could grow up

to be a drone.

Hold her for a moment
while l take some readings.

Oh. l guess she just
wanted to be held.

Oh.

The pathogen.

l finished synthesizing it.

Start working with Tuvok
on a way to deploy

the virus.

Captain, you don't
seriously plan to use it.

lf l have to.

Let's just hope your
brothers and sisters

don't force my hand.

You complain of delays,

then you interrupt my work.

Can you identify this?

lt's a plasma charge.

You tried to deceive us.

Nanoprobes were injected
into his bloodstream.

He won't survive
without medical attention.

Call your Captain.

Tell her to give us
the deflector.

That won't be necessary.

l only need a few
more minutes to repair...

No more delays.

No more deceptions.

The deflector.

Resistance is futile.

Comply.

Return Harry Kim;
then we'll talk.

We've talked enough.

Your requests are irrelevant.

Comply, or we'll assimilate
the others.

lt'll take us at least an hour
to dismantle the deflector

and transfer the components...

Now.

l can't give it to you now.

lt's complex technology
that's part of our ship.

We can't simply remove it,

and no amount
of threats from you

is going to change that.

They've locked a tractor beam
onto the deflector.

They're trying
to tear it off.

Hull stress is increasing.

Breaches on Decks 10 and 1 1.

lncrease shield strength
and randomize the harmonics.

They're adapting.

Even with Voyager's
deflector,

your efforts to
return to the hive

will fail.

They'll come for us.

No, they won't.

The Borg received your message,

but chose to ignore it.

They consider you irrelevant.

lrrelevant?

We are damaged.

They don't want us.

lgnore her.

lt's another lie.

Their reply is
in data grid 426.

Use decryption
protocol theta-3.

Return to your station.

lt's another deception.

She's manipulating us.

The transmission
is authentic.

lt's a mistake.

The collective does not
tolerate imperfection.

Then we'll assimilate
more species...

prove we're worthy.

Hull stress is reaching
critical levels.

Reroute all emergency power
to structural integrity.

That'll buy us
another minute at most.

Captain, l found a fluctuation

in their shield grid
near a plasma duct.

lt's too intermittent
to beam out the hostages,

but we could use it
to deploy the pathogen.

Captain...

Not yet.

There is no alternative.

There's always an alternative.

We just need to find it.

Their tractor
beam draws power

from the same grid
as their shield matrix.

lf we use the deflector

to send a feedback pulse
along the beam,

it could disrupt
their shields. Do it.

Rerouting more plasma.

lf this doesn't work,

it'll do more damage
to us than the cube.

lt'll work.

Prepare to fire.

You have no future
with the Borg...

but you do with Voyager--

a chance to reclaim
your real lives.

What do you know
about real lives?

Does he speak
for all of you?

You should make your
decisions yourself,

as individuals.

They are sending
a feedback pulse

through our tractor beam.

lt's overloading
our shield matrix.

Adapt!

Their tractor beam

is fluctuating.

Their shields are dropping.

l've got a partial lock
on the away team.

Boosting the confinement beam.

l've got three of them.

Confirmed.

Chakotay, Paris and Neelix
are in Transporter Room 2.

What about Seven and Harry?

They must be in a section

that's still shielded.

Amplify the feedback pulse.

The other captives are gone.

The shields around this chamber
are failing.

lnstructions.

Lower your shields.

Lower the shields!

No!

Leave her alone.

Get back to your station.

Do what l say.

What you say?

l thought we were
a collective.

One mind, one voice.

l protected you...

gave you order.

Your order.

Your rules.

Their feedback pulse
is overloading

the induction grids.

This vessel will be destroyed.

We must evacuate.

No!

Assist me!

You're damaged. Lie still.

We have to resist.

The collective will come for us.

His cortical implants
are depolarizing.

l can't help him.

We'll find a new home.

You'll see.

W-we are Borg.

Yes.

We are Borg.

Lower the shields.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

Harry is recovering
in Sick Bay,

and the rest of the away team
is safe and sound.

As for the drones,

the Doctor's removed
most of their implants,

leaving us with four
very troubled children.

We've sent out calls

to any Brunali
and Norcadian ships

that might be
in the vicinity,

but we haven't gotten
any responses so far,

and we're still
trying to figure out

where the other
two came from.

lt may take a while.

They could use the time.

They have a great deal
to learn.

lt might help if they
had someone around

who knew what
they're up against.

l've never been responsible
for children.

Mr. Neelix would be
a wiser choice.

From what l've seen,

you're the one
they've established a bond with.

They'll be looking to you
for guidance.

Perhaps l could...

help them avoid
some of the obstacles

l've encountered.

Do we have to regenerate now?

Yes.

But first...

l was able to salvage

your assimilation profiles.

They include your names
and some limited

biographical data.

lcheb.

My name was lcheb.

Your name is lcheb.

l remember now.

lt was my father's second name.

My designation is Mezoti.

lt-it's a pretty name.

Yes, it is...

and it's all yours.

Azan

and Rebi...

l'll tell you more
about them tomorrow.

Computer, decrease
ambient lighting by 60 percent.

Good night.

Sweet dreams.