"The first rule is:" "don't be afraid of the clay." "I fear nothing." "I mean you can't concern yourself with making a mistake... or whether the image you had in your mind is what's taking form in front of you." "You just have to let your hands... and the clay... do the work." "Here." "Go ahead." "I think the nose could be a little stronger." "Well, that's a start." "Keep going." "This activity is truly... unproductive." "The end result has no use, no necessary task has been accomplished... time has been expended - nothing more." "That depends on how you look at it." "I find sculpting helps me unwind... relax." "The concept of "relaxation" is difficult for me to understand." "As a Borg, my time was spent working at a specific task... when it was completed, I was assigned another." "It was... efficient." "So is this." "It helps my own "efficiency" to forget about Voyager for a while..." "I'd be embarrassed to show Maestro Leonardo something like this... but I get a great deal of pleasure in working the clay... creating something..." "But why here?" "In this simulation?" "Among these... archaic objects... in this disorganized environment." "Frankly, it's refreshing to take myself out of the twenty-fourth century every now and then." "And a little... disorganization can encourage the imagination." "You might want to try it sometime." "Are you suggesting that I create one of these "Holodeck programs"?" "You might find it interesting." "It's a way of exploring aspects of yourself that probably didn't fit into your life as a Borg... imagination, creativity, fantasy..." "I'm uncertain why those things are necessary." "the human mind itself." "couldn't exist without them." "When I was a child, I studied these drawings..." "I even built some of the models." "Da Vinci has always been an inspiration to me." "He was... a busy man." "Yes." "A prolific artist... and a scientist as well.." "far ahead of his time." "That design, for example." "He conceived of an airplane centuries before one was actually built." "Seven?" "You will be assimilated... you will be assimilated..." "Seven..." "Seven..." "Seven?" "What is it?" "I... don't know." "It's happened three times now... in different locations, at different times of day." "I experience a series of... disjointed images in my mind." "Can you be more specific?" "Were these hallucinations?" "I don't know." "I've never hallucinated." "It's as if I were aboard a Borg vessel." "But..." "I was frightened..." "I felt fear." "Each experience has been similar." "I'm being pursued by the Borg... they want to assimilate me." "I'm running from them..." "And then, each time, I see... a bird." "A bird?" "Yes... a large, black one... flying toward me... shrieking... attacking me..." "Hmmmm." "Your hippocampus is in a state of agitation." "What does that mean?" "As your human physiology continues to reassert itself, psychological symptoms are bound to manifest themselves in a variety of ways..." "Through dreams, hallucinations, hypnagogic regression..." "Hypnagogic regression?" "Flashbacks." "You could be experiencing some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder." "That makes sense... you were assimilated by the Borg... you've gone through an intense, prolonged trauma." "I was not... traumatized." "I was raised by the Borg." "I don't see them as threatening." "Why would I experience fear?" "I don't know." "Will I keep having these "flashbacks"?" "I'll need to study your neural scans further." "In the meantime... your digestive system is fully functional." "Now is as good a time as any to begin taking solid and liquid nutrients." "Oral consumption is inefficient." "And unnecessary if you're lucky enough to be a Hologram." "But your human physiology makes it a necessity." "I'll draw up a list of your nutritional requirements." "Take it to Mister Neelix, in the Mess Hall." "I hesitate to inflict his cooking on you... but it'll have to do." "I do not enjoy this sensation - something is happening to me, and I don't know what it is..." "It's as though I'm being driven somehow." "Chakotay to the Captain." "Go ahead." "Our guests have arrived." "They're being escorted to the Briefing Room." "On my way." "Representatives of the Woman I've been trying to negotiate passage through their space... and so far they've been difficult to deal with." "I hope they've had a change of heart." "I'll wait here for the Doctor's instructions." "We'll help you through this, Seven." "You'll be all right." "On behalf of my crew... thank you." "That will cut three months off our journey." "However... there are a few... stipulations." "Guidelines that you must adhere to." "You'll have our complete cooperation." "We expect nothing less." "While in our space, your vessel will not exceed warp three, and your weapons systems will remain off-line." "You will avoid unnecessary scans and you will not conduct surveys of any kind." "You will make no attempt to explore our space." "And you will avoid all communications with non-military craft." "We've also plotted the course your vessel is to follow." "It'd take us weeks to follow that course." "If not months." "We've designed this course so your ship would avoid our populated systems and industrial areas." "Deviation is not recommended." "There are a total of seventeen checkpoints where you will submit your vessel for inspection." "Chancellor Gaumen..." "If I may interrupt..." "I appreciate your efforts in plotting this flight plan." "But if we could, I'd like to negotiate a course that's a little more... direct." "Well!" "An unexpected pleasure... would you like me to show you around the Mess Hall?" "My physiology has reasserted the need to process solid nutrients." "The Doctor has prepared a list of dietary requirements." "You will provide them for me." "Let's see what we have here..." "Two hundred fifty grams glycoproteins consisting of fifty-three percent polypeptides, twenty-six percent fibrous glycogen..." "Doesn't sound very appetizing." "However... a plate of my Chadre-Kab should satisfy most of these... essentials... and provide a pleasurable culinary experience at the same time." "Pleasure is irrelevant." "I beg to differ." "A good meal involves much more than simply providing the proper nutrients." "Why is that?" "Well... there's a certain satisfaction that comes from eating food which has been carefully prepared." "I'm sure once you try it, you'll understand." "How would you like your Chadre-Kab?" "Broiled?" "Baked?" "Stir-fried?" "Preparation is is irrelevant." "Maybe... maybe not." "This is your first time ingesting food in quite a while... let's go a little easy on your stomach..." "Steamed." "This recipe has been in my family for generations." "It's a delicacy among my people." "You are..." "Talaxian." "Guilty as charged." "Species Two One Eight." "I suppose so." "Your biological and technological distinctiveness was added to our own." "I hadn't realized that." "A small freighter... containing a crew of thirty-nine." "Taken in the Dalmine Sector." "They were easily assimilated." "Their dense musculature made them excellent Drones." "Lucky for you, I guess." "Your "nutrients."" "Please..." "Please what?" "It's customary to sit while eating." "Is something wrong?" "I am unaccustomed to this." "Borg do not sit." "Well, this is a day of firsts, then, isn't it?" "Now." "Take a bite." "Try that one." "Just kind of... scoop some up." "That's the way... right into your mouth." "Just like a little scout ship flying into a Shuttlebay." "Now take it out... but keep your mouth closed." "That's it... chew, chew, chew - and then swallow." "Swallow." "A curious sensation..." "You'll get used to it." "Try some more." "Is there something else I could bring you?" "You will be assimilated." "Resistance is futile." "A soothing cup of tea, maybe..." "Security to the Mess Hall" "What about this course?" "It's a marginal adjustment." "The nearest populated system is more than three light years away." "Definitely not." "You would pass directly through the Agrat-mot Nebula." "A key resource in our trade negotiations with the Nassordin." "I could chart the nebula... try to avoid any" "No, no, no!" "Are your translators malfunctioning?" "Captain Janeway to the Bridge." "If you'll excuse me." "Report." "I've received an alert from Security." "Seven of Nine attacked Neelix in the Mess Hall... and three other crewmen on Deck Two." "Janeway to Seven of Nine..." "Seven..." "If you can hear me... respond." "What's her location?" "Deck Six, Section Twenty-Eight Alpha." "Captain..." "What's happening here?" "I wish I knew, Chancellor." "Chakotay..." "Seal off Deck Six." "Seven of Nine." "Security to the Bridge." "We just ran into Seven of Nine." "Her Borg shields are fully operational." "And they've adapted to our phasers..." "Acknowledged." "Bridge to all security personnel." "Configure your weapons to a rotating modulation, but keep them on stun." "Borg...?" "You have Borg on your ship?" "It's not what you think." "She's a member of my crew." "We liberated her from the Collective." "She's no longer a Borg." "Then why is she equipped with Borg shields?" "I don't know..." "Deck Ten." "She's in a Turbolift..." "Cut power to the Turboshafts." "She's blocking my commands with a Borg encryption code..." "Janeway to Tuvok..." "Seven's apparently headed for Deck Ten." "Can you get there before she does?" "I'm moving into position now, Captain." "We'll take position here." "Lower your weapons and stand down." "Fire." "Tuvok to Bridge." "We were unsuccessful." "I have wounded..." "She's moving toward junction thirty-two alpha..." "The Shuttle Bay." "I'm erecting a forcefield..." "Harry, reroute all available power to Deck Ten!" "Done." "She used a site to site transport... she's in a Shuttlecraft... powering engines..." "Seal the launch doors!" "Tractor beam!" "No effect." "She's neutralized the emitter array." "Captain..." "Seven's headed directly into Bomar space... she's gone to warp." "She's masked the shuttle's ion trail." "I've lost her signal." "She's gone." "We'll do everything in our power to find her... but we'll need permission to enter Bomar space to track her shuttle effectively." "Very amusing." "Let's tally the events, shall we?" "First, you arrive uninvited and unwelcome... requesting a "shortcut" through our space." "I apologize for what's happened here... but we certainly didn't "unleash" anyone." "We can resolve this situation quickly... if we work together." "Captain Janeway... after what I've seen here, I question your competence." "May I remind you that you're still on my ship." "And you... are one vessel... among many of ours." "Your "Borg" will be dealt with, quickly and efficiently." "It's being tracked as we speak." "Tracked... how?" "Every vessel... every object... every particle of dust that crosses our borders is immediately identified and traced by our perimeter grid." "The Borg will be found... and destroyed." "Councilor..." "There will be no sharing of information." "From this point on, your vessel will maintain a distance of at least five light years from our borders." "Any deviation... will be considered an act of aggression." "It was a pleasure meeting you." "Commander... escort our guests to the Transporter Room." "Captain's Log, Supplemental." "I've assembled a team to analyze every square millimeter of the Cargo Bay." "I'm determined to find something that might shed light on Seven of Nine's actions." "Taking this kind of hard, aren't you?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "We had a working relationship." "And... what's that supposed to mean?" "It's not what you're thinking." "What am I thinking, Harry?" "Never mind." "Take a look at this." "Anything?" "A Borg data-link." "It contains a succession of log entries." "written in Borg alphanumeric code." "I'm getting pretty good with the Borg language." "I think I can translate them..." "Get on it." "It seems we've made quite an impression on the Woman In the last hour, they've doubled the number of ships patrolling their borders... and they've increased the sensitivity of the perimeter grid by thirty-six percent." "So much for diplomacy..." "The Doctor analyzed the data from Seven of Nine's last transport." "He's found something he wants us to see." "Maybe this was inevitable." "Even if Seven did want to stay on Voyager... her Borg nature may have won out." "We can remove implant after implant... but maybe at her core, she'll always be part of the Collective." "No." "I won't accept that." "Deck Eight." "She was responding to us... interacting with people outside the Collective for the first time." "She was... adapting... to this environment... to this crew." "But where is she going?" "We've scanned space for a distance of forty light years." "There is no evidence of Borg ships." "So she can't be trying to rejoin the Collective." "She may plan to take the shuttle back to Borg space." "Ten thousand light years from here?" "I don't think so..." "There's something else going on." "We're missing a piece of the puzzle..." "In the meantime, the Bomar intend to find her." "And if they do, she'll probably resist them." "One more reason for us to find her first." "What have you found, Doctor?" "Something most peculiar." "This graphic represents the matter conversion data from Seven of Nine's last transport." "If you'll notice, there's a concentration of Borg organelles in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue." "The dormant nanoprobes in Seven of Nine's cells are reasserting themselves." "They've taken over blood-cell production and they're growing new Borg implants." "Thirteen percent of the Borg technology I removed three weeks ago has regenerated in a matter of hours..." "You said the nanoprobes in her cells were dormant." "What reactivated them?" "I don't know." "But I've developed a way to stop the process." "This hypospray contains a genetic resequencing vector." "It should neutralize the nanoprobes." "That means someone needs to get close enough to do it..." "Report." "We've analyzed the B'omar perimeter grid." "It's sophisticated... but not without vulnerabilities." "It might be possible to penetrate the grid by re-calibrating our shields to match its frequency." "The trick is going to be our energy signature..." "Voyager's too big to hide." "But a Shuttlecraft... with the proper shield modulation and its engines powered down... could "drift" right through without so much as a peep." "Nice work, gentlemen." "Proceed." "The Doctor's genetic resequencer should keep her sedated until you get back to the ship." "Once you've penetrated the perimeter, there'll be no further communication with Voyager." "You'll be on your own." "Captain... it is possible that Seven will adapt to the resequencer." "I know." "If it fails... and you're unable to reason with her..." "You have my authorization to stop her..." "with any force necessary." "Understood." "Seven of Nine..." "Grid nine-two of subjunction twelve..." "Borg Drone... you have committed an infraction against the B'omar Sovereignty." "Cut power to your engines and lower your shields." "Prepare to be boarded." "You will proceed no further." "We will" "I'm detecting weapons signatures..." "Federation and B'omar." "Five Womar vessels are adrift... heavily damaged... lifesigns are stable." "I've located Seven's shuttle." "She's two point five million kilometers from here..." "Adjust course to intercept." "The implants in Seven's body are disrupting the Transporter signal." "I can't get a lock." "See if you can remodulate our transporters to match her shields..." "You want to beam over there?" "Yes." "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Tuvok... close quarters..." "Borg against Vulcan." "You won't stand a chance if she decides to put up a fight..." "It's my hope that the element of surprise will work in my favor." "Do you have a better idea?" "Come to think of it... no." "Set my coordinates for the aft compartment." "Ready..." "Energize." "Come on, Tuvok..." "Give me a sign." "Warning- propulsion systems are off-line." "Damn!" "That's a level-five forcefield, Lieutenant." "I suggest you be more careful." "Why have you left Voyager?" "I am Borg." "You were Borg... but you're human, now... you're part of our crew." "For a brief time." "I was human..." "But I've come to realize... that I am Borg." "I will always... be Borg." "What prompted this... realization?" "Every Borg ship is coded to emit a distinct resonance frequency... to guide Drones who become separated from the Collective." "A homing beacon..." "Yes." "I am following a signal." "A Borg vessel is waiting for me." "We've scanned this entire region for Borg." "There are none." "You're wrong." "They're here..." "Vulcan." "Species Three Two Five Nine." "Your enlarged neocortex produces superior analytical abilities." "Your distinctiveness will be added to our..." "Seven?" "No..." "I will not... assimilate you." "Once I return to the Collective, you will go back to Voyager... and tell Captain Janeway what's happened to me." "Thank her... for her patience... for her kindness." "Curious." "Your behavior demonstrates affection and sentiment... traits of humanity... hardly Borg." "You've been experiencing hallucinations... flashbacks..." "Yes..." "Does that usually occur when a resonance signal is activated?" "No..." "Seven of Nine..." "Grid nine-two of subjunction twelve." "But..." "I hear them... calling me..." "I'm frightened..." "That's understandable." "Lower the forcefield... we can return to Voyager... and find out what's happening to you..." "I am your shipmate..." "We can return to Voyager together." "I must rejoin the Collective." "Captain..." "Am I disturbing you?" "Not at all, Harry." "I've managed to decipher Seven's log entries." "And?" "There's nothing that indicates she was planning to leave the ship." "The entries are pretty unremarkable." "She describes her daily routines... number of hours spent regenerating... that sort of thing." "There were some personal log entries... mostly observations about the crew's behavior..." "I'm mentioned in quite a few of them." "Apparently, she finds my behavior "easy to predict." Whatever that means..." "Don't take it personally... coming from Seven, that's probably a compliment." "The most recent entries are kind of strange... descriptions of bizarre images... almost like a record of her dreams." "The hallucinations..." "Maybe so." "Sometimes she's in a Borg vessel... running... or hiding behind a bulkhead... falling down a shaft..." "Borg everywhere, chasing her..." "Nightmarish stuff." "What about this... bird?" "She mentions it several times." "It flies at her. shrieking..." "I don't know what it means." ""The feathers are black... wingspan approximately one-half meter... the eyes are yellow... and it has a powerful, triangular beak." "When it looks at me, I am paralyzed..." "I cannot move... it seems to know me, but I don't understand how that's possible." "It's merely a bird... an inferior form of life... but the sight of it fills me with fear." "It sounds like she's describing a member of the corvidae family... like a crow or a raven." "She's describing a raven." "Why is that important?" "Because now I know what to look for..." "Chakotay, calibrate our long range sensors to scan for any Federation signature other than our two Shuttlecraft." "Captain...?" "Do it." "Bring the ship about, Ensign... and lay in a course for B'omar space." "The resonance signal is coming from the lunar surface." "The Borg are waiting for me there." "I don't know why I'm frightened." "They are my people." "If you're afraid, then leave this place." "Once I've been reintegrated into the Collective, my fears will disappear." "Seven... release the forcefield." "I will accompany you to the surface." "You would be assimilated..." "I don't believe so." "I think this situation is not what it appears." "What do you mean...?" "What else could it be?" "I don't know." "But I'm willing to go to the surface with you and find out." "Voyager to Paris." "Paris here, Captain." "I'm glad to hear your voice." "Tuvok is with Seven of Nine." "I haven't been able to establish communication with him since he transported to her shuttle." "I've tracked them to a Class-M moon orbiting the fifth planet of a yellow dwarf star." "I'm picking up an unusual resonance signal from the surface." "It's erratic..." "I haven't been able to identify it." "Acknowledged." "We've detected several B'omar ships closing in on your position." "What's your condition?" "Warp engines are off-line and shields are at fifty percent." "The signal is getting stronger..." "They're here..." "I'm sure of it." "This way." "If you like, we can return to the shuttle." "No." "I have to find out." "What is it?" "It is a Federation vessel... partially assimilated by the Borg." "There are no lifesigns." "Tritanium decay suggests it has been here for nearly twenty years." "This vessel is familiar..." "This is the signal that's drawn me here..." "Annika...!" "Annika..." "Annika!" "Run... hide!" "Run, Annika!" "Resistance is futile..." "Papa... help me..." "Annika... !" "Hide, Annika..." "Annika..." "Annika..." "No!" "No!" "No... no..." "I'm here, Seven." "Listen to me..." "Come..." "It happened here... this is where it began." "This is where I was assimilated." "This was our ship." "We lived here for a long time... my father did experiments... they were very important, so we had to travel a long way..." "I had my birthday here... my cake had six candles... and one more to grow on..." "And then the men came..." "Papa tried to fight them, but they were too strong..." "I tried to hide... maybe they wouldn't find me... because I was little... but they did..." "Then Papa said we were going to crash... and the big man picked me up... suddenly we weren't on this ship anymore." "We were somewhere else..." "And then I became Borg." "Fascinating." "This resonance signal must have been active since the ship was assimilated... and Voyager passed within its range." "The ship is under attack." "The B'omar." "We must get out of here." "The ship will collapse." "The B'ornar still aren't responding to our hails." "Target their weapons systems..." "Tom..." "What's your status?" "I'm attempting to lock onto them now..." "My strength... added to your own..." "We've disabled two of their ships." "The third is still firing." "We're being hailed." "Audio only." "You're committing an act of war, Captain." "You've left me no choice, Councilor" "Reinforcement are arriving." "You will be destroyed." "I don't have time for this." "Target their weapons array." "I've got them, Captain, and we're on our way to the Shuttle Bay." "Acknowledged." "Good work." "I'm detecting a fleet of B'omar vessels approaching..." "Sixty-eight ships." "Lieutenant..." "As soon as Mister Paris's shuttle has docked, take us out of Bomar space." "Warp eight." "It looks like there won't be any shortcuts this time." "There you are..." "I wanted to tell you that the Doctor said he could adjust one of your implants so you won't receive any more "homing signals."" "Thank you." "I hope you don't mind that I activated this program..." "Not at all." "I've been thinking about what you said... that this is a place to... encourage your imagination." "Is that appealing to you?" "I'm not certain." "I find myself... constructing scenarios... considering alternative possibilities..." "If my parents and I had not encountered the Borg what would our lives have been?" "I would have been raised by them... learned from them... they would have influenced what I became... who and what I am." "And you would have done the same for them." "If you'd like to know more about your parents, there's information in the Federation database." "Information?" "It seems they were fairly well known... for being unconventional... and for some rather unique scientific theories." "You might like to read what's there." "It might... encourage your imagination." "Perhaps I will." "Some day." "Good night, Captain."