02x08 - The Communicator

[bunniefuu]

I need to spend
more time in the gym.

If I'd known there were
going to be so many hills,

I would have picked
a different city to explore.

It was worth every step, sir.

The architecture alone...

I could have spent
all day in that temple.

With your permission, Captain,

I'd like to write
the report to Starfleet.

It was my first visit
to a pre-warp culture.

Seems only fitting.

I don't suppose it has
anything to do

with the tactical
situation down there.

Am I that obvious?

I can't think of a better man
for the job.

Welcome home.

Any unexpected guests?

Not a single parasite,
spore or virus.

I take it your expedition
was productive?

Very.

You're done here.

You know,

as interesting as that was,

it's always good to get home.

The speaker at
the political rally...

what was his name?

"Chancellor Kultrey"?

"Kul-ta-rey."

You could write a book
about him alone.

His speech reminded me
of Winston Churchill

before the Second World w*r.

Something wrong?

Malcolm?

My communicator...

What about it?

It's gone.

♪ 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. ♪

It's not in Decon.

Any luck?

Not yet.

What about the Launch Bay crew?

Could they have found it

while they were
securing the pod?

I've already spoken to them.

I did everything but
tear up the floor plating.

When was the last time
you remember having it?

I contacted T'Pol

to let her know
we'd entered the city.

After that, did you
have any reason

to take it out of your pocket?

No.

Are you sure?

I'd remember.

Either I dropped it...

or someone picked my pocket.

We covered a lot of ground.

It could be anywhere.

I think I can narrow down
the search, Captain.

An inverse carrier wave

should amplify its
power signature.

With any luck, I'll be
able to isolate it.

I'm getting something.

I've got it down
to two square kilometers.

Can you do a little better?

I'll try.

Didn't you say something
about a w*r brewing down there?

We saw a lot of propaganda,

but from what we could tell,
nobody's started fighting.

It's crucial we retrieve
the technology.

We can't risk contaminating

a pre-warp culture.

I've isolated the signal

to within three city blocks.

That's the best I can do, sir.

This L-shaped structure...

isn't that the fountain...

the one with the statues?

The tavern was directly
across the street...

here.

The communicator
could have slipped

out of my pocket
when we sat down.

It's a good place to start.

You've got the Bridge.

Tell Dr. Phlox
we're going to need

his cosmetic services again.

You could use another
set of eyes down there, Captain.

I appreciate the offer, Trip,

but the fewer set
of eyes the better.

I'm a regular bloodhound.

Next time.

We'll be in range

of their surveillance towers

in less than two minutes.

The hull plating's
already been polarized.

Your feet ready
for another hike?

It's not a problem, sir.

Captain...

my carelessness was inexcusable.

I'm prepared
for whatever reprimand

you feel is appropriate.

How about 30 years in the brig?

Or maybe a good flogging?

Sir...

It was an accident, Malcolm.

It could have happened
to any of us.

Three m*llitary aircraft...

72 kilometers off starboard.

I suggest you increase
our descent vector.

That should keep us well
below their visual threshold.

This was the table?

Positive.

Try your scanner.

Welcome back.

What would you like?

Can you give us a few minutes?

Of course.

Where's your friend?

The young woman.

You have a good memory.

She was difficult to forget.

I'll pass along the compliment.

Do you live here?

No, we're just visiting.

We received a shipment
of Allakas malt this afternoon.

Sounds good.

I've got it.

Where?

It's in a room...

off that corridor.

Were you in there?

No.

There are two people inside.

Better wait till they come out.

Does this belong to you?

What is it?

I don't know.

What kind of w*apon is this?

Where's General Gosis?

On the Eastern perimeter.

Send a level four communiqué

and tell him I think we found

a pair of enemy spies.

Take them to the Complex
and put your men on alert.

You won't be seeing your friends
in the Alliance for a long time.

I'm telling you,
something's gone wrong.

We should hail them.

If they're in a public place,

the communicator
would draw attention.

We'll have to take that risk.

T'Pol to Captain Archer.

The com line's open.

Captain, please respond.

Close the channel.

Did you get a fix on the signal?

Somewhere

in this district.

That's more than 30 kilometers

from the tavern.

Where's the shuttlepod?

It hasn't moved.

They couldn't have traveled

that far on foot, not that fast.

Maybe they took a train
or a car.

If there was a change of plan,
they would've told us.

Try to isolate their bio-signs.

I want to know exactly
where they are.

There are nearly 100,000 people

in that part of the city.

We'd have more luck
if we moved into a lower orbit.

Any closer and we'd be detected.

Do your best.

Still bothering you?

I didn't have time
to visit the doctor.

I wonder if the guard

would bring us some Epsom salts.

If I asked politely.

Wouldn't count on it.

We came down to retrieve
my communicator.

Now we've lost two of them.

Not to mention my phase-p*stol

and a pair of scanners.

Let's just hope they don't
find the shuttlepod.

If they really think
we are spying for this Alliance,

perhaps we should consider
telling them the truth.

I'm not sure anyone
would believe us.

It couldn't hurt to try.

Visitors from another world?

There's no way to know
how they'd react.

The less we say the better.

Understood.

Follow me.

Which of you is the Captain?

Something unexpected happened

when I was examining
this transmitter.

It began to make a
sound, so I opened it.

Someone calling herself T'Pol

seemed very concerned

about her Captain's well-being.

Which one of you was
she trying to contact?

I'm the Captain.

The Alliance must be
growing desperate

if they're recruiting
m*llitary officers as spies.

We're not part of the m*llitary.

I suppose you're the Captain
of a pleasure boat.

This transceiver?

What's its frequency, its range?

I don't know.

This appears to be a
computing instrument.

Tell me, how does it work?

My superiors expect answers.

As an officer, I'm sure you can

appreciate that.

I have no desire to harm you,

but I need you to cooperate.

I'm sorry.
I can't help you.

I trust you enjoyed
the rally this morning.

That's why you're here,
isn't it?

It's curious, the two of you

visiting this city

the same day as
Chancellor Kultarey.

Did you come here to observe
his security arrangements?

Or perhaps assassinate him?

We're aware of your ancestral
claims against our city.

It must make a tempting target.

We're visitors, not spies.

This T'Pol who tried
to contact you, where is she?

You've been surgically altered.

General.

His blood... it's red.

Take them to Temec.

Have him perform
a full examination.

They're here

inside this compound.

Guard towers,
g*n emplacements...

it's not a hotel.

We could take Shuttlepod 2,
set it down here.

They're being held
less than 30 meters away.

We'd be back in orbit before
anyone knew they were gone.

If you were captured,
you'd be giving

the inhabitants more technology.

It would undoubtedly

affect the evolution
of their society.

What if they didn't
see us coming?

We've still got that
Suliban Cell Ship,

the one we used to rescue
Klaang from the Helix.

I've been working on it
in my free time.

I'm pretty close
to figuring out how it works.

If I can bring
the cloak on line,

we can get past their defenses,

grab our people,
and no one will see a thing.

Work quickly.

I could use a hand.

Aye, sir.

I suggest we monitor
the communiqués

coming from the compound.

They may tell us
what's happening

to the Captain
and Mr. Reed.

Right away.

I don't get it.

The power converter's engaged...

juice is definitely flowing
through these relays.

So why can we still
see the ship?

Maybe this panel
isn't the cloaking device.

I've identified
every other component.

That's got to be it.

Run the power-up sequence again.

This would be a lot easier

if there was a button
marked "cloak."

Hold on a minute, Travis.

Are you all right?

Just got the wind
knocked out of me a bit.

Maybe a little more than that.

Hmm. Is there any pain?

It tingles a little.

Yeah? Can you, uh...
move your fingers?

How's that?

You tell me.

They feel all right.

What's your scanner say?

Very little, I'm afraid.

Quantum physics is
hardly my specialty,

but, uh, I'd guess that you
received an intense dose

of whatever particle

radiation that ship
uses to conceal itself.

Are you saying
I'm permanently cloaked?

It's difficult to determine,

but, uh, I suspect

your appendage will eventually

rematerialize on its own.

"Eventually"?

Come back in an hour.

I'll check on your progress.

What am I supposed to do
in the meantime?

I can't work like this.

I'd also recommend
a fresh uniform.

Thanks.

Shall we try this?

Some kind of coherent
energy pulse.

I thought this technology
was only theoretical.

Our Alliance friends seem to
have turned theory into reality.

May I?

There appears to be
another setting.

If the Alliance has equipped
its troops with these weapons...

Make sure the devices are kept
under guard at all times.

Use men you can trust.

What did you find?

See for yourself.

How is this possible?

There's only one explanation.

Our "prisoners" belong
to another species.

Doctor Temec tells me

your deformities are not
the work of a surgeon.

He found no obvious
incisions or scar tissue.

You're even more abnormal
on the inside.

A redundant renal organ

and you're missing
four thoracic vertebrae.

Temec can't even begin

to explain this mass.

As for your red blood,

the doctor tells me
your hemoglobin

is based on iron,
a toxic element.

He conducted the test
four times to be certain.

He has a theory
about where you came from.

I found it difficult to believe

until I saw this.

One of our surveillance aircraft

took this image
early this morning.

The pilot said the object

was traveling
at very high speed.

Can you explain?

None of the other planets

in our system are capable
of supporting life.

Where do you come from?

Our scientists tell me

it's unlikely
that a craft of this size

could have traveled
from another star system.

They suspect a larger ship

must be somewhere nearby...

Perhaps orbiting our planet.

Tell me your orders!

Have you made contact
with the Alliance?

Answer me!

Our intelligence reports...

underestimate you, General.

Alien creatures...

You're even more delusional
than we thought.

This isn't a space ship.

It's suborbital.

A highly experimental aircraft.

We've been observing
your territory for months.

How did you evade
our surveillance towers?

It's made from
a composite alloy.

Invisible to any of your...

tracking systems.

And your biological anomalies?

We've been...

genetically enhanced.

What kind of enhancements?

Our immune systems are resistant

to chemical
and biological weapons.

And our internal organs
have been modified

to increase cellular
regeneration by 30 percent.

That way our wounds
can heal more quickly.

Create the perfect soldier.

How many of you are there?

We're prototypes.

The only ones.

And your devices,
are they prototypes as well?

All of them.

Take them back.

Do you believe them?

It's a plausible explanation.

The Alliance could have
thousands of soldiers

with these mutations.

We need to verify
what they've told us.

I ran every imaginable test.

If... I were
to extract the organs...

I could study them

in more detail.

You'll be in charge
of the execution.

I'll inform the prisoners.

Subcommander,
another communiqué.

It's from a General Gosis
to the Chancellor.

He said they've captured
two enemy spies.

They're going to hang them.

Reconnect the diffraction relays

and we'll give it another sh*t.

Any change?

Still missing in action.

Having a cloaked hand
could have its advantages.

Be useful in a poker match.

I could probably become
a world-class magician.

It might be helpful

on movie night...
if you bring a date.

In case you want to steal
some popcorn.

Let's try it again.

Go ahead.

Is it working?

Not exactly.

Shut her down.

The cloaking generator's
running at 110 percent

and it's still not enough.

Let's route more power
from the warp relays.

Maybe that'll do the trick.

How soon can you launch?

We're still reconfiguring
the power matrix,

but I'm pretty confident.

You don't have time.

They're going to be ex*cuted
in less than two hours.

We'll get it working on
our way down if we have to.

Look, invisible or not,

this Cell Ship could
take more of a b*ating

than our shuttlepod.

You're about to find out.

Prepare it for launch.

An upset stomach?

Do you really think
he'd fall for that?

Well, it may be

an old trick where we come from,

but maybe they haven't
heard of it here.

Even if we got out
of the compound,

we'd never make it
to the shuttle...

not looking like this.

"Genetic enhancements."

Very creative, Malcolm.

Thanks.

Improvisation
isn't my strong suit.

You made us sound like
the Suliban.

What do you suppose
Enterprise will do...

after we're...?

If I know T'Pol...

she won't want to leave
any contamination behind.

It may take some time,

but she'll find a way
to get everything back.

Including our...

remains.

It's ironic...

Giving our lives
to protect people

who want to k*ll us.

It's a big planet, Malcolm.

I'm sure they're not all
like that.

I'm not afraid, sir.

What if we did tell them
the truth?

You said it yourself, Captain...

they'd never believe us.

If we show them
to the shuttlepod...

bring the General
up to Enterprise...

give them the grand tour...

top it off with dinner
in the Captain's Mess.

We'd probably all
have a good laugh

over how he almost sent us
to the gallows.

I've gotten plenty of lectures
on cultural contamination.

But T'Pol
never mentioned anything

about sacrificing crewmen
to prevent it.

If we did tell them
who we are...

maybe it would do them
a world of good.

Look what the Vulcans
did for Earth.

That was different.

These people haven't
even split the atom yet.

The Vulcans waited
until we were ready.

Until we had the ability
to travel to other stars.

We're doing the right thing,
Malcolm.

I'm sorry you won't get a chance

to write that report.

It could still happen, sir.

I'm expecting a rescue party

to come barging through
that door...

any moment.

We'll be in range
of those surveillance towers

in less than two minutes.

They'll never see us coming.

On your feet.

What was that?

There's a power drain
in the cloaking generator.

Are the warp relays off-line?

Primary and backups.

The w*apon nodes are active.

I thought we diverted
power from all

the secondary
systems.
We did.

They may have been programmed

to reactivate when we launched.

Three m*llitary aircraft

off our port side.

They're on an intercept course.

Travis, can't you hold
this thing steady?

It'd be a lot easier
if they stop f*ring at us.

Commander!

Stand by!

He's my Tactical Officer.

He can tell you everything
you want to know

about the Alliance's
troop deployments,

their weapons...

Captain.

You don't need to k*ll him.

Your ride's here.

Sir, the phase-p*stol,
our equipment.

Don't leave without me.

Let's go.

The shuttlepod's right
where you left it, sir.

We'll be there in two minutes.

Captain?

Sir, looking for this?

Come in.

I've scanned the region ahead.

There's a blue giant cluster

three light-years
from our current position.

Any planets?

None that are inhabited.

Sounds like a nice
change of pace.

Have Travis set a course.

Yes, sir.

Was there something else?

You took a risk

coming down on that Cell Ship.

Its cloaking device
could have failed.

A calculated risk.

I'm glad you did it.

What's important
is that we got everything back...

The communicator,
the phase-p*stol,

the shuttlepod.

We could have done a lot
of damage to those people

if we'd left any of it behind.

We did do damage
to those people.

We've changed their perception
of the Alliance.

They now believe their enemy

is capable of creating
genetically enhanced soldiers,

not to mention particle weapons.

And thanks to that Suliban ship,
they also think the Alliance

has developed
invisible aircraft.

You don't have to leave
technology behind

to contaminate a culture.

You were willing
to sacrifice your life

to protect them.

I would not have expected that.

You are making
excellent progress.

Yeah? What about this?

That's nothing.

Maybe nothing to you.

Give it time, hmm?
Give it time.

Thanks, Doc.