Input failure.
Our link to the collective is severed. Initiate secondary protocols.
The vessel's chamber is approaching critical pressure. We must evacuate.
Agreed.
No directional coordinates are available.
- That way. Bearing 301. - Agreed.
Bring that drone.
Captain's log, stardate 53049.2.
We're at the Markonian outpost.
I'm allowing shore leave to everyone.
Tuvok objects to taking on visitors,
but security issues aside,
I look forward to making new friends.
Pardon me. Excuse me.
Captain?
I'll be right with you.
I didn't know the vines were prehensile.
I put water in the pot and it grabbed me.
This is from the Kinbori delegation.
I don't know its name,
but it's used in a game and it's heavy.
Put it down anywhere.
Thank the Kinbori for me.
And give them a token of our esteem.
I gave them a Voyager medallion.
Come in.
Doesn't it look like Christmas morning?
Our guests' generosity is impressive.
As is their proclivity for criminality.
This morning's security report.
Broken ODN line, missing items,
damaged scanner relay. Not that bad.
There is a second page to the report.
Some of these incidents are a little more serious.
But on balance, we still did the right thing.
There is a third page.
Come on. After all the xenophobic racists we've run into,
don't you find it refreshing to meet people who value freedom?
Opening the ship has been an unqualified success. I'm very pleased.
- Me, too. - I am pleased that you are pleased.
If you'll excuse me.
Please accept this token of our esteem.
It's got me by the hair.
- Now it's 12:45. - You may eat without me.
You said we'd have lunch together.
I haven't completed my analysis of the power conversion.
- How long will it take? - Several hours.
Seven, you promised.
Very well.
It's even more crowded than this morning.
Excuse us. We're trying to get to the turbolift.
Stand aside!
Thank you.
I'm sorry, there's no more Marsupial surprise.
We only had two kilos of pouches to begin with.
How about some pizza?
- She's a Shivolian, right? - Correct.
Species 5217.
Your mother would not approve of you learning Borg designations. Nor do I.
We've discussed the impropriety of emulating the Borg.
Sorry.
- I am finished. - You just sat down.
- I do not enjoy crowds. - But the collective was a big crowd.
Which is why I do not enjoy them now.
I'm sorry. I didn't realise that. Let's go.
Excuse me.
- Are you Seven of Nine? - Yes.
You OK?
They are Borg synaptic relays from my original unimatrix.
- These are yours? - Where did you acquire them?
A trader from Orendal V. I was told you are a former Borg drone
and might want to acquire them.
I'll take them. The captain will provide you with whatever money you require.
Agreed.
I must examine these items more closely.
What's your name?
That was rude.
Stage two is complete. She has the relays. She's going to study them.
Her regeneration alcove is in cargo bay 2.
That's where she'll go. Let's prepare for stage three.
- Agreed. - There's consensus.
Rendezvous at my coordinates and stand by to penetrate their security.
- Error. - Explain.
We shouldn't be desecrating the body of this drone.
- It is against the will of Brothara. - Who is Brothara?
Supernatural deity worshipped by species 571.
I am a member of species 571.
You're being confused by irrelevant data. Ignore it.
You said, "I am a member of 571." Do you consider yourself an individual?
There are no individuals here. We are Borg.
Agreed.
Resume constructing the communications beacon.
It looks like a standard Borg synaptic relay.
There must be something more.
When I first saw it, I was overwhelmed with images, memories, sounds.
Sounds like a perfectly natural reaction to me.
That was part of your old unimatrix.
Isn't it possible that what you experienced was nostalgia?
- Sentimental feelings about the past. - I know what nostalgia is.
I have no feelings about the past.
OK. I think I've done all I can here.
Lieutenant.
You were trying to help. I appreciate that.
Any time.
And you may not be nostalgic about the past,
but I'd say you definitely have feelings about it.
Strong ones.
Their security protocols are strong. We may not have enough time.
I'm worried about Seven. We should simply ask her...
- You know what her reaction will be. - We've been through all that.
She could be permanently injured.
- I don't want to harm her. - Enough.
We need consensus.
We can't act without it.
- I know. - Then it's up to you.
Do we proceed or not?
Yes.
I apologise for my indecision.
Apologies are irrelevant.
- Computer, begin analysis. - Analysis underway.
- Time to completion? - Five hours, 17 minutes.
She's regenerating.
Begin re-routing their internal sensors.
Re-routing sensor input to secondary processors.
Hold.
What have you got?
A power fluctuation in the security grid.
All we know is we've got a security breach. We don't know where.
Ready. Insert the interlink module.
Ready.
He's still worried about injuring her.
If we fail, we can't become individuals. We have to remember that.
There is consensus.
- I've found her memory files. - She is aware of our presence.
- She's trying to regain consciousness. - We must abort.
No! We're too close.
I will not comply.
I have performed this action before.
I was with my father. He was a tall man.
I have a similar memory. But I was in a house,
and the fire was in the hearth.
The biomatter is ready.
It tastes similar to a bird I once ate.
I used to prepare food for... my parents.
They lived in a small building by a river.
I used to be afraid of the dark.
Just before I was assimilated, I was eating with a group of men.
We worked in numbers, mathematics.
I calculated equations for another man.
I have a name. It's... Marika.
Marika.. Willkarah.
Hello, Marika Willkarah.
Her designation is Three of Nine.
I have a name. P'Chan.
Son of Dornar and Ansha.
My primary function was to care for them.
I was married. We were on a starship - the Excalibur.
I worked in engineering.
- This is not my hand. - My parents are dead.
The Borg killed them.
I hate the Borg.
This is counterproductive.
- We must delete all irrelevant data. - I want my hand back.
I was on duty, the nightwatch, when the Borg came.
My God!
Look at what they've done to me. These things they've put in my body.
- What have they done? - Command, cease interaction.
Comply. We will not access these memory files again.
Initiate the prescribed maintenance and survival protocols only.
No communication required until we are reassimilated into the collective.
Agreed.
Whoever removed their implants was a poor surgeon.
Their internal organs were damaged and their bodies are scarred.
- You said you recognised them. - Not at first.
When they attempted to access my memory files I was linked with them.
Two of Nine, Three of Nine, Four of Nine.
We were in the same unimatrix.
You know why they accessed your memories?
No.
How long have they been disconnected from the Borg?
Three or four months. They are still connected to each other.
Their parietal lobes have been changed into organic interlink nodes.
They've become linked into a collective triad.
Revive them.
I'm Captain Janeway. We know who you are and what you were trying to do.
- What we don't know is why. - She has information we need.
- What kind of information? - We want to become...
Individuals.
You want to break the neural link between the three of you.
Wouldn't you? None of us is alone with our own thoughts, feelings.
Every day of my life is spent hearing their two voices.
When we're asleep, we experience each other's dreams.
- How is life different in the collective? - There are billions of voices.
- But with only three... - Each voice comes through clearly.
It has to stop. We must break the neural link.
Is there anything you can do?
Modifications are too extensive. Neural pathways have been altered.
- You hold the key. - Why?
- You were there with us. - Planet 1865 Alpha.
You must remember.
Eight years ago our vessel crashed. The four of us were the only survivors.
- When we reassimilated... - We'd been linked together.
A subset within the collective.
- Like having three voices in one ear. - And a crowd screaming in the other.
We had to break free. We worked together. We finally escaped.
- We had our implants removed. - They couldn't break the neural link.
We need to find out what happened eight years ago, after the crash.
The night we were reassimilated into the collective.
We need to know how the link was created.
- But our memories are... - Fragmented. Disorganised.
We hoped that you would know.
I don't. However, I am willing to attempt to retrieve the data.
Come with me.
- Are you ready? - Yes.
Data search complete. Do you remember anything further?
No.
- My last memory... - Is of us standing around a fire.
Yet the data files in your cortical processor are intact.
I see no evidence that would explain your memory lapse.
What about you? Why don't you remember what happened?
I don't know. I found no evidence of damage to my memory files either.
I remember the camp fire and then waking up in the collective.
There is an obvious gap, but no indication of why.
Why do they still call you Seven? You should have a name.
- It is my name. - No, it's a designation.
You're an individual now.
I decided that my former name was no longer appropriate.
Prepare to reinitialise the memory cascade.
I can't wait to use my real name again.
Nothing's preventing you.
Most of the time, I don't know whether my name is Marika, P'Chan or Lansor.
- The names, the memories... - Thoughts flow from one to the other.
I can't love or hate or laugh or cry without sharing it with them.
How can any of us take a name for ourselves?
- We're not individuals. - We're not Borg.
We're nothing.
Begin the memory cascade.
- A friendly game? - That's how it started.
Explain to me how this game turned into a street brawl.
Harry and I wanted to explore the station.
We wanted to broaden our understanding of alien cultures.
Skip the recruiting speech. You were looking for a bar.
We found one, and we met a pair of Kinbori who told us about this game,
with these big, odd-looking rackets.
One of those?
Yeah. In any case, they challenged us to a game and we accepted.
But I guess we weren't quite aware of all the rules.
- Because you'd been drinking. - Yes, ma'am.
We thought it was a version of tennis,
but when we hit the first volley, this Kinbori jumps over the net
and attacks us with his racket.
We figured we're supposed to fight back.
And then... things got a little out of hand.
A little out of hand?
"Seven Voyager crewmen, including two bridge officers,
"along with 13 Kinbori and one Morphinian cafe owner, all arrested.
"The charges range from disorderly conduct to assault on an officer."
- That one's not true. - I'll note that exception in my log.
You're confined to quarters until further notice, after you report to sickbay.
That's all.
Well, did you win?
- Yes, ma'am. - Kicked their... rackets.
Good. Dismissed.
- Any progress? - We all have the same memory gaps.
It's unlikely it would be a coincidence.
You believe the collective wiped your memories of the reassimilation?
- It is the most likely explanation. - But?
The collective would not care that four drones remember.
Something must have happened that they wanted to hide from you.
Let's look at this from a different perspective.
Why would the collective lock them into a neural triad?
There is no advantage to having three drones linked together.
They obviously did it for some reason.
I get the feeling if we answer that question, the rest will fall into place.
I wish we could close the gaps in your memories.
- There is a way. - Why didn't you mention it before now?
It would involve linking my neural interface to theirs to restore the data.
However, I would again be part of a group mind.
You're not eager to revisit that experience.
I could also become trapped in the neural link.
Turning the triad into a quartet. I won't ask you to take that risk.
I do feel compelled to help them.
But I am uncertain as to the correct course of action.
Let me ask you something.
Do you think of these people as family?
- Is it relevant? - There's an old saying.
Blood is thicker than water.
It means the ties of family run deeper than any relationship.
We often do things for family we wouldn't do for anyone else.
- Seven. - Naomi Wildman.
I heard about the drones. Did they hurt you?
- I am not damaged. - What do they want?
They're seeking information from me. I am uncertain if I can help them.
Be careful.
Naomi Wildman, do you consider me to be family?
I... I don't... I mean...
Yes. Is that OK?
- I have no objection. - Do you think of me as family?
Yes.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Seven will undergo the procedure to link her mind with the other drones.
Despite the risk, she feels obliged to help these distant cousins.
I'll monitor neural readings while you're in the link.
But I may not be able to counter the effects if you become trapped.
I know you'll do your best.
It's never a good sign when the patient comforts the doctor.
Good luck.
Ready.
You are damaged. I will assist you.
Don't worry. Everything will be all right.
The collective has located us. A Borg vessel is on its way.
- We will be one with the Borg again. - I do not want to rejoin the collective.
- Agreed. - That is in violation of all protocols.
You're not a drone. You're a person, like us.
You have a name, a life. Just embrace who you really are.
No. I do not exist. I am only part of the greater whole.
That's what they want you to believe.
We are Borg. Our primary function is to serve the collective.
Not any more.
Error. Input failure.
Without the beacon it'll be difficult to locate us.
If we remodulate our implants, we can elude their sensors.
- We must leave. - This is in violation of all protocols.
You stay here and be reassimilated if you want to.
I won't.
What are you doing?
The nanoprobes will create new interlink nodes. Resistance is futile.
I will not comply.
I will not comply!
State your designations.
Two of Nine, primary adjunct of unimatrix 01.
Three of Nine, auxiliary processor of unimatrix 01.
Four of Nine, secondary adjunct of unimatrix 01.
- What is your function? - To serve the collective.
You will repair the communications beacon.
It was you. What have you done?
You've linked us together. How could you do it?
If you didn't want to return, you didn't have to.
You don't understand what happened.
Somebody help me!
- What's happening? - They broke their link with Seven.
Help me get them to sickbay.
When they broke the connection with you,
it overloaded their cortical implants.
- They went into neural shock. - And yet I was undamaged?
I think I know why. You injected them with nanoprobes eight years ago.
Yes. It created an interlink between them.
- It was to prevent them escaping. - It's had an unfortunate side effect.
Their higher brain functions were tied into the interlink.
When they broke their connection with you, the shock was too great.
- Can you revive them? - I can remove the implants.
That would break the link. But it would also kill them.
They'd live a matter of weeks, a month at the most.
- What are the other options? - They could return to the Borg.
If they were reassimilated, they would regain consciousness.
- And live out a normal lifespan. - As drones?
As drones. But they'd be alive.
They have no hope of surviving unless they return to the collective.
- Not exactly a happy ending, is it? - No.
On that planet, why do you think you reacted differently to the rest of them?
Why were you so afraid of becoming an individual?
When I was first assimilated into the collective, I was a child.
They were assimilated as adults.
- When our memories surfaced... - Yours were of being a little girl.
A scared little girl.
I let that fear control me.
After I saw the drone die in the swamp, I panicked.
I began to envision my own death.
Alone.. Without even the sound of another drone to comfort me.
So I forced them to return.
I infiltrated their left hemispheres with nanoprobes to create a new network.
One that they couldn't resist.
Then I eliminated the evidence of what I'd done.
You were overwhelmed by feelings. You're not responsible for that.
They'll be forced to live their lives in the collective. For that, I am responsible.
There's a difference between surviving and living.
They'll survive in the collective but they won't really be alive.
You know that better than any of us.
There is no alternative.
How long would they survive if the Doctor deactivated
the interlink network?
A month at most.
A month as an individual, or a lifetime as a drone?
Which option would you choose?
- Survival is insufficient. - I beg your pardon?
I forced them to return to the collective. I won't make the same mistake.
They deserve to be individuals. We must terminate the link between them.
I understand you feel responsibility for these patients,
but as their physician, so do I.
It is my duty to preserve their lives for as long as possible.
I will not return them to the Borg.
Are you thinking of what's best for them or for you?
- Clarify. - You said it. You made a mistake.
Seven of Nine doesn't like to make mistakes. She strives for perfection.
Think about the motivation behind your decision.
Are you doing what's right for those three people?
Or are you trying to alleviate the guilt of eight years ago?
The damage I did can never be repaired, and my guilt is irrelevant.
I simply want them to experience individuality as I have.
As you have. At one time, you were confined to this sickbay.
Your program was limited to emergency protocols.
In some ways you were not unlike a drone.
But you were granted the opportunity to explore your individuality.
Your mobile emitter gives you freedom. Your thoughts are your own.
If you were told you had to become a drone again, I believe you would resist.
Yes. I suppose I would.
They would resist as well. They would choose freedom.
No matter how fleeting.
Only you and I can truly understand that.
Survival is insufficient.
It's so... quiet.
I had no idea you were going to say that.
I don't know what either of you is thinking.
I'd forgotten what it was like to be alone with my own thoughts.
- I'm leaving. - Where will you go?
I want to see this space station, to meet new people.
To fill my life with life again.
In the time I have left.
I'm leaving as well.
There's an uninhabited planet only a few light years from here.
I'd like to spend my final days in the open air.
My people don't believe in holding grudges.
I wish you well, Seven of Nine.
Thank you.
It's nice to be on a Federation starship again.
I'd like to stay aboard Voyager.
The captain said stay as long as you wish.
You mean as long as I have.
I can't forgive you for what you did to us.
But I do understand why you did it.
Naomi Wildman
I thought you might like some company.
- Why? - Because of the drones.
- I see that word travels quickly. - It's a small ship.
I thought maybe you might want to spend some time with family.