Good health, strong body, clear mind.
And you. Your hospitality, your generosity, your patience.
Many thanks.
My colleague's behaviour, our apologies.
- I assure you... - Make her quiet.
- Captain, please. - I understand.
Good health, strong body, clear mind.
And you. Your journey home short and safe.
Captain's log, stardate 50425.1.
Mr Neelix and I have completed our trade mission with the Tak Tak,
one of the more unusual species we've encountered.
We are en route back to Voyager.
Oh.
I've always been taught to be tolerant of other cultures.
But the Tak Tak are the most unforgiving people I've ever met.
- They are a little impatient. - They make Klingons look sedate.
I'll never put my hands on my hips again.
You had no way of knowing it was one of the worst insults possible.
It's a good thing you were there, Mr Neelix.
I might have been shot at dawn.
I have studied chromolinguistics, American Sign Language,
the gestural idioms of the Leyron. But I couldn't get Tak Tak.
It seemed like more than just a language to me.
A lot of their gestures were ritualistic. You might even say superstitious.
You have a genuine flair for diplomacy, Mr Neelix.
I may have to promote you from morale officer to ambassador.
I could use a man like you at the front door.
Ambassador Neelix. I like the sound of that.
We're approaching the rendezvous coordinates.
Dropping to one quarter impulse.
Voyager's not there. And they're not responding to hails.
I'm running a long-range scan.
There they are. They're holding position in sector 38,
coordinates 121, mark 6.
- That's over a light year away. - They could be in trouble.
Engaging maximum warp.
Janeway to Voyager. Commander Chakotay, respond.
The ship looks fine. There's no sign of any external damage.
- Any sign of the crew? - There's some kind of interference.
I can't get clear lifesign readings.
The escape pods are in place. No recent transporter activity.
Grab a phaser, Ambassador. We're going to get some answers.
Still no sign of the crew,
but these readings are erratic.
A bioelectric field is permeating the ship.
Where's it coming from?
I don't know.
Let's access the ship's internal sensors,
see if we can get a better reading.
Same problem.
The main computer
and the com system are off-line.
This is strange.
A bio-neural gel pack
in the mess hall ruptured.
Yet most of the systems in there
seem to be functioning normally.
Let's get to the bridge.
Someone was working on this.
All the equipment is still active,
but the work hasn't been completed.
It's like they dropped
what they were doing and ran.
Come on.
- This isn't the welcome I expected. - Me neither.
But if there was an attack,
why didn't Chakotay contact us or send out a warning buoy?
I'm picking up a com-signal, about ten metres ahead.
- It's coming from here. - This is Ensign Wildman's quarters.
- Is she in there? - I can't tell.
Let's take a look. Stand ready.
Here's our com-signal. Your "Good Morning, Voyager" program.
Ensign Wildman is a dedicated viewer.
She activated this program approximately 11 hours ago.
Why is it still running?
It's set for automatic playback until it's turned off.
The baby's missing, too.
I'd say Ensign Wildman replicated this 11 hours ago.
We'll check the communications logs. They might tell us...
There!
I can't tell if it's humanoid but it's emanating a bioelectric field.
Whatever it is, it just ran into a dead end.
Over here.
Something just punched through the floor, into the Jefferies tubes.
What is it?
Some sort of mucilaginous compound.
High concentrations of amino acids, proteins...
and fragments of non-humanoid DNA.
Well, Ambassador, I'd say we have an unexpected guest.
I don't think he's the diplomatic type.
Main power is failing and the environmental controls are off-line.
Systems are shutting down one by one. We'd better get to the bridge.
We've still got auxiliary power. Deck 1.
It's getting awfully hot in here.
Heat from the warp plasma conduits can't be vented. Expect a heat wave.
No problem. I'm used to it.
I grew up near the Rinax marshlands. Our summers were hot.
50 degrees Celsius. 90% humidity. And vicious lavaflies.
Summers in Indiana were pretty similar.
Except that we had three suns and the lavaflies were 6cms long.
- 6cms? - Insect repellent sold very well.
There's a life-form in the turboshaft. I'm engaging the manual override.
Ah... Captain. It sounds like our guest has brought a few friends.
One more second. I can't get the pneumatic conduits to...
That was no lavafly.
There's no life-form above us. We're getting out of here.
- Are you all right? - Yes.
Disgusting, but all right.
It's the same compound we saw in the transporter room.
Come on.
What is it?
Human lifesigns. Very faint. 30 or more.
- Where are they coming from? - Several decks above us.
I can't pinpoint the location.
Maybe the crew is hiding and they set up a defence perimeter.
One thing's for sure. Whoever's up there is still alive.
Once we get the main computer on-line, we'll get a fix on their location.
It's so hot! My head is spinning.
You've got a fever. Fluid in your lungs.
The compound is acting quickly. Try to hang on. Just three more decks.
- Go on without me. - I won't leave you.
I can't... I'm so dizzy.
There should be a medical kit up that tube.
I'll bring back something. Don't go away.
- Help! Captain! - I'm coming, Neelix!
Neelix!
This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of Voyager to anyone within range.
My ship has been seized by unknown life-forms. Require assistance.
Harry.
Chakotay.
Captain. I thought you were something else.
The other aliens will sense you here and will try to invade sickbay.
- We don't have much time to treat you. - What's going on?
What are those... Argh!
You've ruptured a muscle and bruised two ribs.
I'll have to perform surgery. Lie on your side and try to be still.
- Tell me what's happened. - We've been infected by a macrovirus.
A form of life I've never encountered.
What about the crew?
I will tell you exactly what happened if you just lie still.
Shortly after you left, we received a distress call from a mining colony,
a race called the Garans.
They were experiencing a minor viral outbreak.
Fever. Disorientation. I think it's some kind of virus.
Nothing serious, but if we don't stop it now,
we'll be forced to shut down the operation.
- We may be able to help. - An antigen may do the trick.
But it will have be modified for this virus.
I'd like to beam down and examine a few of the infected.
An away mission.
I'm the only one who can enter a contaminated environment without risk.
Besides, I've been looking forward to spreading my wings.
Good enough. It will take us about three hours to reach you.
Thank you, Commander. I don't think we'll be going anywhere.
Download my program into the autonomous emitter.
Yes, Doctor.
- They're not responding. - Lifesigns?
There's a lot of interference. I can't get a clear reading.
Perhaps their condition is serious. I better get down there.
Doctor, if anything happens to that emitter, your program could be lost.
I've been studying the Starfleet guidelines for away team members.
For a medical emergency on alien terrain,
it is recommended that we keep an open com channel.
- You heard the man. - Channel open.
Away team to Voyager. My portable emitter is working perfectly.
I am scanning the mineshaft and proceeding along vector 147.
Ambient temperature is 16 degrees Celsius.
Illumination is minimal but that shouldn't pose a problem.
The cave walls are comprised of granite with a...
We don't need that much information. Tell us when you've found the miners.
Oh. Very well. Stand by, then.
Voyager, I've found one of the miners.
He's suffering from the advanced stages of viral infection.
- Can you treat him? - Not without an immunising agent.
This is curious. The virus is concentrating near his neck.
It's using his glandular tissue to create an orifice.
Something is emerging.
A life-form!
Commander, I think I've just discovered a new form of life!
It appears to be a macroscopic version of the virus.
- The virus has grown? - Yes.
By a factor of billions.
The virus absorbed the miner's growth hormones
and used them to increase its own mass and dimensions.
The virus has found a way to leave the microscopic world
and enter the macroscopic world.
It's a remarkable evolutionary development.
The virus is attracted to infra-red radiation.
It's mistaking my holomatrix for body heat.
This one's approximately 0.5 millimetres in diameter.
But it's growing at 30 microns every second.
Permission to beam the virus aboard for analysis.
No. Our biofilters might not recognise it. You'll have to use tricorder data.
Very well. But I think I should...
Stand by, Voyager.
- Hold on! Stop! - You've got to help us.
I intend to, but first I must return to my ship.
- Take me with you. - No. We'd risk infecting the crew.
You can't leave me.
Please.
Commander, if we established a force field around sickbay and beamed...
I'm afraid we can't take the chance.
- But these people need... - Doctor.
Away team guidelines forbid the transport of unknown...
...of unknown infectious agents without establishing containment protocols.
I understand.
I'll do my best to help you.
Away team to Voyager. One to beam up.
Doctor to bridge. Checking the biofilters.
Several viral organisms were beamed up.
- The biofilter has isolated them. - Purge the filters.
Purging is complete. I'll be in sickbay.
In the few seconds it took me to purge the filters,
the virus had migrated into the transporter buffer.
- Any luck? - I'm creating a synthetic antigen.
It will prevent the virus from replicating.
But I don't know how to restore infected cells.
As for the larger versions of the virus, the macrovirus,
I would suggest a fly swatter.
- How long before the antigen's ready? - Another 12 hours.
We'll rendezvous with the captain and deal with this after she's aboard.
Commander, I'd like to apologise for my over-zealous behaviour.
Compassion is nothing to be sorry about.
You were faced with a moral dilemma.
But if it makes you feel better, your performance was exemplary.
Thank you.
- I told you he'd understand. - Yes. You did.
We continued working on the antigen. But the macrovirus was working faster.
It had moved from the transporter buffer into an adjacent system.
Thank God you're here. The natives are restless.
- What's the emergency? - I'm helping while Neelix is away.
The heating array incinerated a 12-kilo pot roast
and all the replicators went off-line.
Looks delicious.
Maybe there's a problem with the bio-neural gel pack.
Actually, I'm a good cook when engineering is doing its job.
- So this is my fault? - The gel packs are your department.
And what was I supposed to tell all these hungry, irritable people?
A plasma relay on deck 7 really needs repairing.
- You can't leave me now. - You need me? I'm touched.
What's going on here? It looks like this gel pack has an infection.
Half the neurodes are burned out and the pack is filled with a compound.
Call the Doctor and tell him...
B'Elanna!
- Were any other gel packs infected? - No, just that one.
The ship is healthy. It's the crew I'm worried about.
Your bones have healed but the tissue will be sensitive.
- It's getting warmer in here. - It's not just the ship.
It's you. You've been infected with the macrovirus. It's a high fever.
Yes, on the bridge. I was bitten by one of them.
Your glandular system is being affected.
If I don't treat you now you'll end up like the others.
I've spent hours perfecting the antigen but I haven't tested it on a live subject.
I'll have to be your guinea pig.
Why are the crew in the mess hall and cargo bays?
The larger macroviruses are driven by some instinct
to assemble their host population.
Tell me what happened after B'Elanna was exposed.
I was faced with an imminent epidemic.
Oh, no.
Doctor to the bridge. The macrovirus is on board and appears to be airborne.
I suggest a quarantine of the mess hall.
Acknowledged. Red Alert. Initiate quarantine protocols on deck 2.
Aye, sir.
All hands, this is Commander Chakotay.
We've detected a virus in the mess hall. Deck 2 is under quarantine.
No crew member is to leave or enter any section on deck 2.
Stand by.
I've erected the biocontainment fields. The area has been sealed.
We avoided a ship-wide outbreak,
but everyone on deck 2 had been contaminated.
I collected a single live specimen of the macrovirus
and returned to sickbay in hopes of finding a cure.
- Ready, Doctor. - Optimal magnification.
The specimen has synthesised B'Elanna's growth hormone.
That should give information to destroy the virus without killing its host cells.
The virus has grown by 150 microns.
That shouldn't hinder our analysis, as long as its structure stays the same.
Doctor.
Computer, erect a force field around the microscope station.
So much for lunch.
I may never look at food again.
I thought Klingons didn't get nauseated. You have a redundant stomach.
Right now, they're both unhappy.
Paris to sickbay.
Two macroviruses just came out of B'Elanna's neck.
Stand by. We're close to formulating an antigen.
The virus has grown to 0.3 metres.
On the microscopic level, the virus uses that projection to penetrate a cell.
On our level, it probably impales its victim that way,
infusing him with its own genetic code.
The antigen is ready.
Kes?
Computer, deactivate force field.
Well...
One down, ten billion to go.
Eager to inoculate the infected, I headed for the quarantined area.
Though their condition had grown worse, it was the least of our problems.
Lieutenant, if you can hear me, I'm going to give you an injection.
It should eliminate the virus.
- What is that? - You don't want to know.
Doctor to the bridge. Intruder alert, deck 2, section 13.
Within minutes, dozens of the larger organisms overwhelmed the ship.
Before long, the crew was incapacitated.
I've developed a vaccine, but I can't administer it.
Every time I try to get to the crew, I'm attacked. Perhaps with your help...
How many of the larger macroviruses are there?
Dozens, perhaps hundreds. They're replicating at an exponential rate.
By tomorrow there could be thousands.
Speak of the devil.
- You're cured. - Question is...
how do we cure the rest of the crew?
Can this antigen be distributed in a gaseous form?
For absorption via the respiratory system?
Environmental controls are off-line.
I have limited engineering expertise.
All we have to do is get to deck 12.
We'll run into the problem I faced on the way to the mess hall.
Not if I can help it. Prepare two canisters of antigen.
We'll take different routes to environmental control.
If you get there first, I'll talk you through the repairs.
The macroviruses are attracted to infra-red radiation.
Set your tricorder to emit a thermal scattering signal.
Ready when you are.
We'll be right with you.
Take Jefferies tube 11.
- What's wrong? - I've studied the ship.
I know most of it, but how do I get there from here?
Jefferies tube 11. Take a left at section 31.
Straight down until you hit deck 10.
- Follow the corridor until... - I hit the shuttlebay.
Crawl through access port 9, go past three airlocks and two decks down.
Environmental control is at the end of the hall.
- Who designed this ship, anyway? - Good luck.
- Doctor to Captain Janeway. - Go ahead.
I won't be joining you.
The macroviruses overwhelmed me and my emitter was nearly destroyed.
I've taken refuge in the shuttlebay, in a shuttlecraft.
Stay put, Doctor. I'm close to environmental control.
Janeway to Doctor. Environmental controls back on-line.
Set the dispersal nodes to one part per thousand.
- What's going on? - I think someone's firing at Voyager.
Find out what's happening and patch the data to me.
It's the Tak Tak.
- Open a channel and hail their captain. - Stand by.
This is Captain Janeway. Why are you firing at us?
The Garan mining colony infected. We've purified them.
Your distress call received. Voyager infected. We are purifying you.
- Purifying or destroying us? - No choice.
No cure for the virus. Voyager's existence a threat.
Your illness, our apologies.
Wait! We've developed a cure,
but your torpedoes just stopped us putting an end to this.
- A cure? - Yes. We've tested it and it works.
I can prove it. I'll share the antigen with you.
But you've got to give me a chance to save my crew.
A chance. One hour.
Doctor, that last torpedo destroyed the secondary power couplings.
I can't get the environmental controls back on-line.
We appear to be low on options.
We only have access to systems with independent power sources -
shuttlecraft, life support, the holodecks.
You said the macroviruses are attracted to infra-red signatures.
- That's right. - You and I are the only targets left.
What if we gave them something new?
What are you suggesting?
It's working. I've programmed the characters to react to the viruses.
We don't have much time. Get to the crew.
You've got a clear path to the mess hall and cargo bays.
- What about you? - I've put together an antigen bomb.
Now all I have to do is drop it.
Doctor to Captain Janeway. Captain, please respond.
- Go ahead. - It worked.
The macroviruses have been destroyed.
And the ship?
Heavy damage on holodeck 2 but there are no hull breaches.
Astonishment. Your vessel, purified.
And we'd share the cure with you
if you'd be kind enough to forgo destroying our ship.
Of course. Purification will cease. My word.
Many thanks to Captain of Voyager.
Good health.
Come in.
Good morning, Captain. Here's an update on repairs.
- How's the crew? - They're fine.
Although a few people are reporting queasiness.
I'm not surprised.
I'm granting extended R&R for all personnel.
- Work out the shift rotations. - Aye, Captain.
Speaking of R&R, a few of us are going skiing on the holodeck.
The Ktarian glaciers. Fresh air, good workout. Care to join us?
- No, thank you, but have fun. - Not your cup of tea?
I love to ski. But I've had enough of a workout for the time being.
Understood.