Regeneration phase completed. Deactivate the genotron.
Shut down the bio-matrix.
B'Elanna? B'Elanna Torres.
Wake up!
Captain's log, stardate 48784.2.
We have surveyed the Avery System
and are returning to retrieve Paris, Torres and Durst.
They should have concluded inspection
of the magnesite formations.
Here we are, Mr Tuvok.
One bowl of authentic Vulcan plomeek soup.
I have told you this is an unnecessary indulgence.
I will eat whatever the rest of the crew is eating.
Everyone deserves a little taste of home every now and then.
Very well, then. Thank you.
I'm having a marvellous time experimenting with native dishes.
I've learned to make corn salad for Mr Chakotay
and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
for Mr Paris.
He calls it "comfort food".
Isn't that charming?
Don't wait. It's no good cold.
Well?
- It is rather... piquant. - It is zesty, isn't it?
I tried following the recipe in the databank but it's so bland,
so I took the liberty of spicing it up a bit.
Call it "plomeek soup a la Neelix".
If you take the liberty of changing a time-honoured recipe,
you are not presenting a taste of home.
Senior officers, please report to the bridge.
- But your soup! - Please, enjoy it.
There's no place like home.
The away team has failed to respond to our hails.
- Lock onto their com-signals. - There's no sign of them.
I can't even locate them underground.
The dense magnesite formations in the planet's crust are blocking our sensors.
This is the cave system nearest the beam-in coordinates two days ago,
and this is the same system now.
This tunnel has shifted west by 75 degrees.
Walls of solid rock have changed shape in two days?
Yes, but our initial scans didn't indicate so much tectonic activity.
Torres and the others may have been trapped by these geologic shifts.
I'd like to investigate.
- What will stop us losing you? - Breadcrumbs.
- Ensign? - I'm sorry, Captain.
I can modify some transponders to use along the Commander's path like...
- Breadcrumbs. - Placed at regular intervals,
they'll link with the ship and serve as a transporter relay
in case we need to stage an emergency beam-out.
Very well. I want a transporter lock on you at all times.
Aye, Captain. Tuvok, Kim, you're with me.
I apologise for the restraints but your presence here is very important to us.
- Do you understand? - Who are you?
I am Sulan, chief surgeon of the Vidiian Sodality.
I demand to know what is happening here.
You've surgically altered my face. I look like a Klingon.
I've performed no "surgery” as you understand it.
I need to ask you several questions before we proceed.
You can't possibly believe I'm going to cooperate with you.
Perhaps I was in error to leave your consciousness intact.
Durst. Paris.
- What have you done with them? - What is your age, Klingon?
If you want me to answer your question,
you will have to answer one of mine.
Very well.
What exactly have you done to me?
I have reconstituted your genome. You are now purely Klingon.
- That's not possible! -I assure you it is.
I have developed a procedure to stimulate cell division.
A kind of enhanced mitosis.
Your Klingon genetic material was extracted.
It was then converted from matter to energy by our genotron.
Finally, you were rematerialised
as the purified Klingon specimen that you are now.
Why? Why have you done this?
My people have been searching the quadrant
for a species immune to our disease, in the hope of finding a cure.
And you think Klingons are immune to this phage?
Your genetic structure has phage resistant nucleotide sequences.
But I needed a pure specimen to be certain.
My people do not know it yet, but you are their greatest hope.
I will never help you.
You are very strong.
I can only hope that you will be truly resistant to the phage.
And how will you know that?
I have infected you.
They're the ones with the guns, remember?
- We've got to find a way out of here. - Agreed.
But first I want to find out what they've done with B'Elanna.
For now we have to keep track of the guards' movements.
How long are their shifts, when do they eat and sleep?
There aren't many of them. They must think we have no fight left.
We'll find an opening, Pete. When the time is right, we'll make our move.
- Something funny, friend? - You.
- Really? How's that? - Nobody escapes from this place.
Vidiians can yank the beating heart out of you...in a heartbeat.
- Now, that's funny! - Hilarious.
- You know this place pretty well? - I've been here six years.
Then tell me something...
The Vidiians harvest organs. Why are we all still in one piece?
They're weak. They need somebody to dig their tunnels. That's us.
Best way to keep alive is to stay strong.
- Thanks for the advice. - They always need new body parts.
They'll gut you eventually.
There were 23 of us from my ship. I'm the only one left.
When they grabbed us, there was a woman with us. B'Elanna Torres.
- What happened to her? - She must be at organ processing.
I've deployed the transponders. The relay signal is clear.
Good work.
- Any sign of them? - They definitely came this way.
The question is, where did they go from here?
- Delightful spot to get lost. - Over here.
- What is it? - There are traces of five humanoids.
Five? There were only three in the away team.
Evidently, they did not enter this cavern alone.
Are you in pain?
It's nothing.
Remarkable. One of the symptoms of the early stages of the phage
is excruciating joint pain.
It's extraordinary that you can endure it.
Some have been known to die from the agony itself.
It's going to take more than an infection to kill me.
It appears you are correct. Your body is successfully fighting off the phage.
- I am overjoyed. - How delightful for you.
Soon we will begin procedures to replicate your genetic code
and attempt various methods of integrating your DNA with our own.
In time, we'll be successful, and eliminate the phage forever.
When that time comes, you will be honoured as a hero by my people.
I know I'm the first Klingon you've ever seen,
so I'll tell you that Klingons find honour
as warriors on the battlefield,
not as guinea pigs in a laboratory.
Earlier you accused me of mutilating you.
Now you sound positively proud to be Klingon.
You have me to thank for that.
- You'll get no gratitude from me. - Perhaps you'll feel different in time.
But I don't blame you for your obstinacy.
I would be proud, too, with a form as handsome as yours.
I believe Klingons are the most impressive species I have ever seen.
Tom?
Tom, wake up.
- B'Elanna? - Yeah. It's me.
B'Elanna, what have they done to you?
I remember them grabbing us.
And then I guess I just blacked out.
Yeah, they stunned all of us.
The next thing I knew, they were waking me up in some laboratory.
I was so groggy I couldn't see.
I asked them what they had done to me and one of them said...
that they had completely extracted my Klingon DNA.
That doesn't seem possible.
But you look human.
I feel so weak and sick to my stomach.
Considering what they've done to you, I'm not surprised.
- So strange. - What?
When I was a child,
I did everything I could to hide my forehead.
Hats, scarves, you name it.
I wore a cap to cover the haircuts my father used to make me get
on the first day of every summer.
I grew up in a colony on Kessik IV.
My mother and I were the only Klingons there.
Relations between Homeworld and the Federation weren't too cordial.
Nobody ever said anything, but.. we were different.
I didn't like that feeling.
Then my father left.
When I was five years old.
One day he was there and the next he wasn't.
I cried myself to sleep every night for months.
Of course, I never told anybody.
And then I finally decided that he left because I looked like a Klingon.
And so I tried to look human.
Looks like you got what you wanted.
According to our last scan, this cave should continue for eight kilometres.
This is solid granite.
If these caves were changing we'd have felt it.
True. But there has been no tectonic activity.
This wall is merely an illusion, a disguised force field.
Away team to Voyager. We've run into some type of force field.
We were reading an empty tunnel,
then we walked into a solid wall.
The energy configuration of the force field is like that used by the Vidiians.
Mr Ayala, scan for any alien vessels in the sector.
Commander, our phasers can disrupt that force field.
I want to know what's in there but don't take any unnecessary risks.
We'll be standing by for an emergency beam-out.
- It's not working, Captain. - Try reconfiguring your phaser.
- Commander! - Three to beam up!
B'Elanna?
- How are you feeling today? - I feel strong.
It's very frustrating to be restrained like this.
I sympathise.
I don't like being chained up like an animal.
- I'm sorry. I... - I've thought about what you said.
It's because of you that I am Klingon
and I do like this feeling.
In a strange way, I suppose I am grateful.
Did you know that Klingon females are renowned in the Alpha Quadrant
not only for their physical prowess
but for their voracious sexual appetites as well?
Why not let your creation out of her harness?
Study her in action.
I wish it were possible, B'Elanna.
But I'm afraid I can't risk releasing you just yet.
- Forgive me. - For what?
Please. Don't condescend.
I may have a grotesque appearance,
but I assure you my instincts are finely honed,
and I do have feelings.
Hard as it may be for you to imagine,
my people were once handsome and vigorous like yours.
And with your help, we will be again.
Perhaps when that time comes,
I will not disgust you quite so much as I do now.
They're taking us to work. Don't let them see you're sick.
Maybe they'll leave me behind. I could get my hands on that console.
Or maybe they'll take us straight to organ processing.
- You. Come with me. - What for?
You asked to contact your ship. The Prefect wishes to discuss that.
I'm the senior officer. If you want to talk with one of us, it should be me.
- He's not going without me. - Tom, don't! They'll kill you!
- Stop! - It's OK, Tom.
They're the ones with the guns, remember?
What is it?
Now the Vidiians know we're here,
we must be prepared for their reinforcements.
Sensors don't show any alien vessels near here.
The technology that disguises their force fields may cloak their ships.
The prisoners may be at greater risk now.
Look at this. I've scanned the entire planet for the force field signature.
The field surrounds more than 600 kilometres.
- Can we scan inside it? - Everything I've tried has failed.
If it's the same kind of force field as last time, why didn't our phasers breach it?
It has been adapted to repulse phaser fire.
If they can move in and out of there, so can we.
Set up simulations. Find a way to get through that force field.
B'Elanna?
I have something I want to show you.
Durst!
I thought this new face would make you more comfortable with me.
- You've killed him! - Yes, B'Elanna.
But his organs will save a dozen lives.
Scans have revealed miniscule openings
which develop when the field matrix remodulates.
How small are these micro-fissures?
Less than one micron and they close within seconds.
Could we use a phaser to expand an opening as it's forming?
We thought of that. But such an attempt would have to be at close range
and may alert the Vidiians to our presence.
But if we could narrow the energy beam tightly enough
we could transport one of us through the micro-fissures.
Timing the transport to the moment of an opening would be critical.
But if we could get someone inside,
we might find our people and deactivate the force field.
And then we could beam everyone back to the ship.
Precisely. But because we cannot scan beyond the force field,
we'll be unable to communicate with anyone inside it,
or verify that the transport is complete.
What's to prevent whoever goes in from being captured by the Vidiians?
I have an idea about that, Captain.
Dermal stimulator, please.
Remarkable work, Doctor.
If you think this is remarkable, you should see me remove a bunion.
I have replicated Vidiian attire. It should prove sufficiently convincing.
It's a fine piece of work. Next time I need a tailor I'll know where to look.
Quickly, now.
In there.
Here, B'Elanna. Sit down.
Here. It's water.
Thanks.
Rest while you can. The guard won't be back right away.
Keep it.
Tom, I've been thinking.
When they did this thing to me, I think it changed more than just the way I look.
What do you mean?
Back there, when they took Durst away, I was terrified.
- No one could blame you for that. - You don't understand.
I've been in worse situations but I've never felt like that.
Never. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking.
I didn't even try to help you.
I'm no doctor, but whatever they did to you has depleted your strength.
- There's nothing you could have done. - That's not it.
I think that when they extracted my Klingon DNA,
they turned me into some kind of... a coward.
Sometimes fear can be a good thing.
Keeps you from taking unnecessary chances.
Courage doesn't mean you don't have fear.
It means you've learned to overcome it.
I know you can find the courage to hold on
until we can find a way out of this place.
- What's going on here? - She's ill. She needed a rest.
- Then I'll take her back to the barracks. - It's OK, Tom.
Maybe from there I can make contact with the ship.
The emitter array has been initialised.
Good. Are you ready, Mr Chakotay?
There's an opening forming in the force field.
- Initiating autosequence. - Targeting scanners.
- Scanners locked. - On my mark, Mr Kim.
Energise.
Well, now we'll wait.
Make a sound and I'll break your neck. Understand?
I'm looking for my friend. Tom Paris. A human male.
They sent him to another tunnel.
- Which one? - Back that way.
Another human was with him but they took her back to the barracks.
A human female?
I need your help here.
What are you doing? Come with us.
- Where are you taking me? - For a shower and a hot meal.
Wake up, pahtk. Eat.
- What is it? - Some rodent I killed.
- No, thanks. - I'm sorry I can't replicate a souffle.
But you need nourishment. I can't carry you all the way out.
How are we supposed to escape this place? There are guards everywhere.
- We fight our way out. - I'm not exactly in fighting form.
That's why you need food. Eat.
So, you're what's leftover when all the Klingon DNA is taken out.
Apparently.
If I hadn't come along,
were you going to waste away until they killed you for your body parts?
- Were you too frightened to act? - I was looking for a way to escape.
Looking? I'll show you the way to escape.
- This and this. - That's how you respond to everything.
If it doesn't work, hit it. If it's in your way, knock it down.
No wonder I got kicked out of the Academy.
For which you should be eternally grateful.
Well, I'm not. Your temper has got me into trouble more times than I...
Listen to me.
Listen to us. This is ridiculous.
- We're each fighting with ourself. - I'm not the one who's fighting, pahtk.
If I remember correctly, I'm the one who rescued you from prison
and carried you here.
Don't you think you could at least acknowledge that?
You won't be able to get out of here without me.
I don't know that I can get out of here with you.
- Brute force isn't going to do it. - Maybe not. Maybe we'll die trying.
But that's better than sitting here doing nothing.
There you go again. Out of control. Leaping into action before you think.
- Fine. You stay here. - That's not what I meant.
I'm sorry.
Please.
Just before you rescued me,
I logged on to the Vidiians' computer system.
I think I found a way to access the force field that's cloaking this place.
With more time I could have deactivated it.
Then Voyager could get a lock on us and beam us back. Paris, too.
It may not be as exciting as fighting our way out,
but it stands a better chance of working. If I have your help.
So...you need me?
I can't get back to that computer without you.
And you'll have to cover for me while I work.
We can't go to the prison barracks. There are too many guards.
In the lab where they held me, there is a security console.
That's the last place they would expect us to be.
They must have taken her to organ processing.
Tell me how to get there.
- Keep your hands off me! - OK, Paris.
But I thought you might like to get out of here.
- Chakotay? - Where are Torres and Durst?
I think they've been taken to "organ processing".
You! Why are you talking to that prisoner?
- I must take him to organ processing. - Why didn't I know?
I was told you did.
- I've never seen you before. - My face was just grafted.
Very well. Take him. But from now on I expect to be notified of all transfers.
Yes, sir.
There.
I have to bypass the security code to access the force field grid.
Then I'll have a better idea of what we're dealing with.
That should do it.
There. That's what we're up against. And I think we're.. here.
- Can you shut it down? - I'm trying.
What now?
If they didn't know we were here before, they do now.
Take it easy. I'll be done in a minute.
You're not frightened any more, are you?
I don't have time to think about it.
- Are you hurt? - Keep working.
- Stop. - You're not going to hurt me.
- You need me. - You're right.
But if you do not surrender, I will kill her.
Drop it!
- Who are you? - That's what I want to know.
It's Chakotay.
- I've almost accessed the force field. - Hurry!
Got it! There!
The force field has been disrupted.
Can you get a lock on Commander Chakotay?
- Voyager, do you read? - Loud and clear.
I found them, Captain.
Three humans and one Klingon to beam up.
She's badly wounded, Captain.
- Beam her to sickbay. - Don't. No time.
You showed true courage.
It makes my death an honourable one.
Using your counterpart's tissue I can replicate the Klingon DNA
then reintegrate that genetic material into your cellular structure.
You're not saying you're changing me back?
That's precisely what I'm saying.
Your cells' ability to synthesise proteins has been compromised.
You need the Klingon genes to survive.
- So she's saving my life again. - I'll get started on the DNA.
- How are you doing? - I'm not sure.
It's been a pretty strange experience.
I do know that right now, the way I am,
I'm more at peace with myself than I've ever been.
And that's a good feeling.
- But? - I'm incomplete.
It doesn't feel like me.
I've had someone else living inside me for too long to feel right without her.
You two made quite a team down there.
I know.
I came to admire a lot of things about her.
Her strength. Her bravery.
I guess I just have to accept the fact
that I'll spend the rest of my life fighting with her.