Star Trek: The Next Generation s07e01 Episode Script
Descent (2)
Last time on "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Stop.
Stop.
Stop! Just after I'd killed the Borg, I felt something.
I believe it was pleasure.
They were not the Borg collective.
One of them called himself I.
The only Borg who had a name was Hugh.
We are Hugh.
He was in this room.
I could have got rid of him, and I let him go.
The Borg have established transwarp conduits.
Get down! I was like you once.
Without feeling.
But The One helped me.
He can help you, too.
He can help you find emotion.
You will not resist what you've wanted all your life.
If the Borg should attack, don't wait for me to return to the ship, but take her to a transport conduit.
Return to Federation space.
Stop! Lore! The sons of Soong have joined together.
And together, we will destroy the Federation.
And now, the conclusion.
What do you think of my followers, Picard? Impressive, aren't they? I'm not impressed.
All you've done is teach them to enjoy killing.
You are wrong, Captain.
My brother and I serve a much higher purpose.
- Data, I can sense feelings in you.
- Yes.
My brother has made that possible.
He gave you the chip.
The one Dr Soong made for you.
No, no, no, no, no.
I still have the emotional program my father designed.
I wouldn't want to give it up.
It's given me such a strong sense of family, an intense desire to reunite with my dear brother.
How did he do it, Data? What made you decide to come here? I am talking to you, Picard.
I will tell you all you need to know.
You're controlling him and you've corrupted the Borg.
You simply don't understand, do you? You have no idea what has happened here.
How I found my true calling.
How the Borg found something to believe in.
I want to learn about that, but I want Data to tell us.
I told you.
I will tell you what you need to know.
How about that, Data? He won't even let you talk.
Do not try to drive a wedge between us, Captain.
I am loyal to my brother.
You see, Picard? He's not your pawn any more.
I've helped him to break free, just as I've helped them.
Look at them.
Look at what I've helped them become.
They're no longer mindless automatons.
They're passionate! Alive! You caused them to become individuals? No, you did that.
You and your friends.
All I did was clean up the mess when that Borg you befriended returned to his ship.
Hugh transferred his sense of individuality to the others.
It nearly destroyed them.
Remember when Hugh was on the Enterprise? - Remember what you were like then? - That doesn't matter.
It matters to me.
What's happened to Data? What's important is what I've done here.
How I found my calling.
I know now why I was created.
No one can ever take that away from me.
Without me they would have perished! When I stumbled on their ship, they were lost, disoriented.
They had no idea how to function as individuals.
They couldn't navigate their ship.
They had lost their sense of purpose.
I gave them their purpose.
And they gave me mine.
The Borg aspired to the perfection my brother and I represent.
Fully artificial life forms.
We are their future.
The reign of biological life forms is coming to an end.
You, Picard, and those like you are obsolete.
Take them, brother.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilisations to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Acting Captain's log, supplemental.
The skeleton crew on the Enterprise is unable to look for Cmdr Data.
The EM field is interfering with our sensors, limiting their effectiveness.
Ensign, can you modify the sensor to filter out EM pulses? Yes, sir.
I think so.
- What's your name? - Taitt, sir.
- I've never seen you before.
- I was posted here six weeks ago.
I bet you never thought you'd be Tactical Officer so soon.
No, sir, I sure didn't.
I filtered out some of the sensor noise.
- I'll put the modifications on line.
- Good work.
- Riker to Enterprise.
- Go ahead.
I can't contact the Captain.
It might be interference.
Understood.
Enterprise to Capt Picard.
Crusher to Picard.
No signals from the Captain's team.
The last time they checked in, they were in section Gamma 25.
Sir, a vessel is closing in on our location.
Is it a Borg ship? It matches the configuration of the ship at Ohniaka III.
Red alert! When will they be in weapons range? About 90 seconds.
No, make that 70 seconds! - Transporter room three.
- Salazar here.
Transport the away teams off the surface.
- Aye, sir.
- Use the cargo bay.
I want those teams here as fast as possible.
- You and the others beam up.
- Aye, sir.
Worf and I will stay and look for the Captain.
I won't leave you down there.
Get as many people off the surface as you can and go to the conduit.
The Captain's orders are to go to Federation space.
- Acknowledged.
- Riker out.
Leaving orbit.
Sir, the Borg ship is powering its weapons array.
They'll be in firing range in 20 seconds.
Salazar, how many people do we have down there? - 73, sir.
- Put the Borg ship on screen.
- Should I raise shields? - Not yet.
I want to bring people up until as late as possible.
Ten seconds.
Stand by to raise shields on my mark.
- Five seconds.
- Mark.
Shields down to 70 percent.
Establish a firing pattern and return fire.
Right! Direct hit, no damage.
Helm, set a course for the conduit, maximum warp.
Aye, sir.
- Sir, the Borg are following us.
- Salazar.
How many people were left behind? Another minute and we would have had them.
- Riker to any team leader.
- Powell here, sir.
Round up everyone and take cover.
Try to avoid contact with the Borg.
- Aye, sir.
- Riker out.
Even if Beverly can get back to Federation space, it'll be a few days until Starfleet can get any ships here.
Until then, we're on our own.
Data, you must realise that something has happened to you.
The Data I know would never agree to be a willing party to Lore's plan.
I now realise that my life aboard the Enterprise was a waste.
My quest to become human, misguided.
An evolutionary step in the wrong direction.
Data, all I sense from you is anger and hatred.
- Have you felt any other emotions? - There are no other emotions.
Just because you haven't experienced them doesn't mean they don't exist.
Lore is feeding you negative ones.
Troi told me that feelings are not negative or positive.
It is how we act on them that makes them good or bad.
Fine.
But what about the things that Lore is proposing? The lives already lost? You simply do not understand.
In a quest like ours, sacrifices have to be made.
It is regrettable, but the greater good must be served.
Give me your visor.
Why? Give it to me, or I will take it by force.
I am not your puppet any more.
We've reached the coordinates of the conduit.
The tachyon matrix is ready to go.
Lt Barnaby has returned.
He'll be relieving me.
Stand by to trigger the conduit.
Taitt, stay on the bridge.
I need a science officer at the aft station.
Yes, sir.
Helm, set a course to return to the planet.
I'm not leaving those people behind.
An emergency buoy can transmit a copy of our log to Starfleet.
Ensign, prepare and launch a buoy.
Aye, sir.
- Open the conduit.
- Launching buoy now.
Lieutenant, scan for any Borg ships between here and the planet.
Sensors detect no vessels.
The ship that attacked us must still be in orbit.
How long before they can detect us and intercept? If their sensors are like ours, it could be as little as 30 seconds.
Crusher to Salazar.
How long do we need to get them off the surface? - One minute.
- How much can you shave off that? If I can lock on quickly, I might be able to do it in 45 or 50 seconds.
We need to buy ourselves 15 seconds.
Lieutenant, could we use the planet as a barrier to stop the Borg realising we're in orbit? We can enter orbit when they're on the far side of the planet.
If we delay dropping out of warp, we could gain a few more seconds.
If your calculations are slightly off, we'd hit the atmosphere.
I'll just have to make sure I'm accurate, Ensign.
- Let's do it.
Helm, hard about.
- Aye, sir.
Still no sign of the structure.
With this interference, it could be nearby and we'd never know.
I'm picking up a faint energy reading.
Residual thermal trace.
Somebody stood here.
- It could be human.
- They took this path.
Now.
Thank you.
There you are, brother.
Here is the visor.
May I ask why you wanted it? Thought it might look good on me.
What do you think? We should work on your sense of humour, brother.
Actually, I was thinking La Forge's implants might make him an ideal test subject for my experiment.
All of the Borg you experimented on suffered extensive brain damage.
Using humans to perfect the procedure will allow us to prevent any further Borg deaths.
- I understand.
- Good.
What is it? This Borg has disconnected himself from the others.
He would not let me hear his thoughts.
I've asked you to stay linked to Crosis at all times.
- You know that, don't you? - Yes.
I know this must be difficult for you.
I know how uncertain you must feel.
All these sensations are new and can be frightening.
- Isn't that right? - Yes.
I have doubts.
Of course you do.
It's only natural.
No one is going to blame you for that.
But to lose those doubts, to keep fear and confusion away, I need you to remain linked to the others, so that their strength and their confidence can help you.
I need you, Goval.
I need you to help me build a future for the Borg.
I can't do it without you.
Will you help me? Yes.
I will.
Lore must have told Data to take my visor because I could see a carrier wave radiating from him.
A carrier wave? Is that how he's manipulating Data? I think that Lore is tapping into the chip he stole from Dr Soong and he's transmitting part of that emotional program to Data.
But the only emotions Data feels are negative.
I'm sure that's intentional.
In order for Data to be affected, Lore would have to disable his ethical program.
Can we reactivate it? If I can generate a kedion pulse, it could reboot the program.
And although Lore would still be feeding him negative emotions, - At least Data might listen to us.
- Right.
I think it's worth a try.
So, got any ideas on how we generate a kedion pulse? Data, where are you taking him? That is not your concern.
Data, wait.
Let us talk to you.
Commander.
Hugh? Why are you here, Cmdr Riker? Hasn't your crew done enough damage already? You blame us for what has happened.
You gave me a sense of individuality, then sent me back.
You must have known I'd pass on the change to others.
We considered it.
We knew it was a possibility.
You made it possible for Lore to dominate us.
I cannot accept that.
Lore is only one.
The Borg could have stopped him.
You don't know our condition when he found us.
Before my experience on the Enterprise, the Borg were a single-minded collective.
The voices in our heads were smooth.
But after I returned, those voices began to change.
They became uneven, discordant.
For the first time, individual Borg had differing ideas about how to proceed.
We couldn't function.
Some Borg fought, others shut down, many starved to death.
Then Lore came along.
When you're lost and frightened, you listen to any voice which promises change.
Even if that voice insists on controlling you.
That's what we wanted.
Someone to show us the way out of confusion.
Lore promised clarity and purpose.
At the beginning, he seemed like a saviour.
The promise of becoming a superior race, of becoming fully artificial, was compelling.
We did everything he asked.
But after a while, it became clear that Lore had no idea how to keep his promise.
That's when he began talking about the need for us to make sacrifices.
Before we realised it, this was the result.
What happened to them? Lore began to experiment, trying to remake us in his image.
This is the result of my encounter with the Enterprise.
You can see I don't welcome your presence here.
I'm sorry you feel that way.
We just came to get our people.
We won't cause you any more trouble.
Tell me about my friend.
- Friend? - The human called Geordi.
I wish I could tell you about him.
He may be held inside the compound.
I cannot help you.
I cannot risk our being discovered.
Could you at least show us the way into the compound? There are tunnels beneath the compound which connect with the control ducts.
Show us.
If we can determine the compound's geography, we can form a rescue plan.
Data? - Who's there? - Geordi? Captain.
We're getting out of here.
Come on, hurry! Data was just here.
He went to get something.
Too late! Lore suggested I try to develop my sense of humour.
What do you think? It needs a little work.
What's happening? I'm attempting to neutralise your pain receptors.
What are you gonna do to me? I am implanting nano-cortical fibres in your cerebrum.
They will learn and mimic your neural-firing patterns.
Once they are in place, I will destroy the existing brain cells.
We'll see if the artificial network can control your cognitive functions.
Data, listen.
Lore is controlling you.
He's transmitting a carrier wave to affect your positronic matrix.
If the procedure is a success, your cognition will be considerably improved.
Don't you care that he's manipulating you? But there is a 60-percent chance you will not survive the procedure.
I don't care much for those odds.
They are a cause for concern.
However, I still have Troi and Capt Picard.
Odds are one of the procedures will succeed.
Help me! He tried to escape.
The force field sent him into neural shock.
If he dies, Lore will blame you! See if the corridor is empty.
Drop it, or I will break his neck! Take him! What have you done to him? I will be back for him later.
Geordi, are you in pain? No.
I'm just a little dizzy.
I was able to take part of a transceiver from the guard's interlink system.
I think that it uses a kind of phased-pulse technology.
Could it be modified to generate a kedion pulse that would reboot Data's program? Yeah, it's possible.
See if you can locate the phase circuitry.
I'll watch the door.
Alright.
- I think I've found it.
- OK, good.
Do you see anything we might use as a flux inhibitor? No sign of the Borg ship.
I'm filtering out the interference.
We'll be in transporter range in 19 seconds.
- I'm getting sensor resolution.
- There's the ship! We'll enter orbit here! Helm, new course, heading 052, mark seven.
Aye, sir.
Dropping out of warp in eight seconds.
We should have 45 seconds before they intercept.
Let's hope it's enough.
Emergency deceleration in five seconds.
Hold on! Report.
We are in orbit, sir.
The Borg ship is moving to intercept.
Bridge to transporter rooms, begin evacuations.
The Borg will be in weapons range in 32 seconds.
We can't locate Capt Picard's team, Cmdr Riker or Lt Worf.
- Crusher to Salazar, report.
- Pulling the last teams off now.
Six people are unaccounted for.
Keep trying.
They're powering up their weapons.
Come on, Chief, it's now or never.
- They're preparing to fire.
- Raise shields.
- Port nacelle has been hit.
- Helm, get us out of here.
- We've lost warp engines.
- Evasive manoeuvres, full impulse.
- Shields down to 80 percent.
- Fire phasers.
Direct hit, no damage to their ship.
- Shields down to 73 percent.
- What's the warp-engine status? Still down.
We can't outrun them.
Helm, set a new course, heading 344, mark six, full impulse.
That heading takes us directly into the sun.
The databank should have information on metaphasic shielding.
Cmdr La Forge was developing metaphasic properties.
- How far along was he? - It was never tested.
With metaphasic shielding, we could enter the sun's corona, but the Borg ship would be unable to follow.
Can you bring it on line? I can, but the shields may not hold.
Sir, hull temperature is at 12,000 degrees C.
Radiation is at 10,000 rads.
Report.
Shields at 62 percent.
Lieutenant, activate the metaphasic program.
It's our best shot.
Aye, sir.
We can't withstand this heat much longer.
Program is on line.
Engaging metaphasic shield now.
Hold temperature dropping.
Down to 7,000 degrees.
Maintain course.
- The Borg ship has halted pursuit.
- All stop.
The Borg ship is taking up position relative to ours.
They're waiting for us to come out.
The question is, how long can we survive in here? Well, I've done everything Geordi told me.
Now to activate it.
How will we know if it reboots Data's ethical program? - By his behaviour.
- Won't he realise something's up? It's one program among thousands.
I just hope that this force field has enough energy to trigger the pulse.
You know, Data, I've been thinking about some of the times we've had.
Like the time we went sailing on Devala Lake? Remember that? I have a complete memory of that day.
You decided to go swimming.
When you jumped out of the boat, you sank straight to the bottom.
I did not have enough buoyancy to get back up.
You walked a kilometre underwater to get back to shore.
One kilometre, 46 metres.
It took two weeks to get the water out of your servos.
I am ready to irradiate your brain cells.
Data, if you ever go back to the way you were, you might not be able to forgive yourself for what you're about to do.
I am getting anomalous readings from your neural net.
I will need to do further testing before I proceed.
Someone will take you back to your cell.
There you are, brother.
Any progress with La Forge? It is too early to tell if the cortical fibres have worked.
I suspect none of the humans will survive, but then, it's their own fault, isn't it? They never should have come here.
- What were they thinking? - They came looking for me.
Humans are so sentimental.
I betrayed them.
If they die, I am responsible.
Why are you talking like that? Is something wrong with your programming? - I should check your systems.
- I do not want you to check them.
I must resolve these issues myself.
I think I made a mistake.
You can't tolerate the amount of emotion I've given you.
Perhaps I should cut back a little.
- How's that? - I do not like it.
- Then you prefer more emotions? - Yes.
- They give you pleasure? - Yes, please.
I want more.
Alright, a little more.
For now.
Aren't you going to thank me? - Thank you.
- Don't mention it.
I hope this clarifies things for you.
I'm concerned about my brother, Crosis.
I don't believe he really wants to be a part of our great future.
Sir, metaphasic shielding is losing integrity.
Can you stabilise it? No.
We can only stay here another three or four minutes.
- Do we have warp engines yet? - Not for another half-hour.
Sir, I have an idea.
We could induce a solar eruption that would destroy the Borg ship.
What? We need to direct a particle beam onto the sun's surface.
That should produce a gas eruption.
If we target the right spot, it will envelop their ship.
How do you know this? My honours thesis was on solar dynamics.
This isn't the Academy.
A thesis is a long way from a workable plan.
I've configured the emitters and located the target point on the surface.
If her calculations are off, it could encompass us.
I'll make sure my calculations are accurate, Lieutenant.
- Let's do it.
- Yes, sir.
The target area is destabilising.
Pressure expansion is accelerating.
Fusion has been initiated.
An eruption is forming on the surface.
She did it! The Borg ship has been destroyed, sir.
Take us back to the planet.
- Full impulse.
- Aye, sir.
Well done, Taitt.
You're killing him.
He won't survive another session.
I did not come for him.
I came for you.
It's not too late.
If you remove the fibres, Geordi could recover.
- That would not be possible.
- Why? Because Lore tells you so? It is for the greater good.
Good? Data, isn't good and bad, right and wrong, a function of your ethical program? That is correct.
What does that program tell you about what you're doing to Geordi? About what you and Lore are doing to the Borg? It tells you these things are wrong, doesn't it, Data? How can actions that are wrong lead to a greater good? - You are trying to confuse me.
- No, you're not confused, Data.
You're sensing the truth.
Your ethical program is fighting the emotions Lore is sending you.
Captain! Thank you so much for joining us.
You are going to assist me in a most important ceremony.
We'll use the control ducts to get into the compound.
- That'll lead to the detention area.
- We have to move fast.
If we stun a guard, the Borg will know right away.
When they realise, your escape may be compromised.
I guess we'll have to take that chance.
Good luck, Commander.
It's time to put aside all doubts, brother.
It's time to close the door on the past and commit yourself to the great work that lies ahead of us.
I need to know I can count on you.
As proof, I want you to kill Picard.
No.
That would be wrong.
I didn't think you could do it.
You've spent too many years among humans.
Hold him! I've asked many sacrifices of you.
Sacrifices I knew were necessary in order to build a better future.
I want you to know that I ask no more of you than I am prepared to give myself.
I am willing to make the greatest sacrifice of all.
My own dear brother.
Goodbye, Data.
No! Lore? You should be careful with that, brother.
Someone could get hurt! - What are you doing? - I've got a way out of here.
I'm willing to forget what happened back there, and take you with me.
We don't need anyone else.
We're brothers! I'll give you the chip our father made.
It contains much more than just emotions.
It has memories! Memories our father wanted you to have.
Lore, I must deactivate you now.
Without me, you will never feel emotion again.
I know.
But you leave me no other choice.
I love you, brother Goodbye, Lore.
What about Geordi and Troi? The Enterprise is in orbit.
I had them beamed aboard.
Lore is no longer functioning, sir.
He must be disassembled so he is no longer a threat.
- Welcome back, Data.
- Thank you, sir.
What made you change your mind, Hugh? My encounter with the Enterprise affected me more than I realised.
What will you do now? I don't know.
We can't go back to the Borg collective and we no longer have a leader here.
I'm not sure that's true.
Perhaps in time, we will learn to function as individuals and work together as a group.
Good luck, Hugh.
Goodbye.
Captain's log, stardate 47025.
4.
We've returned to Federation space and are en route to Starbase 295.
Mr La Forge remains under Dr Crusher's care.
Enter.
Hi, Data.
Dr Crusher says I'll be able to return to duty soon.
I am relieved that the injuries I inflicted on you are not permanent.
What's that? It is the chip my father made for me so I could experience emotion.
I removed it from Lore before he was dismantled.
- Does it work? - No.
I am pleased to say it was damaged when I fired on Lore.
Pleased? Data, you've wanted emotions your whole life.
Yes.
But emotions are responsible for what I did to you.
I would never risk letting that happen again.
My friendship with you is too important to me.
Data, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I let you give up on a lifelong dream, would I? Maybe someday.
When you're ready.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop! Just after I'd killed the Borg, I felt something.
I believe it was pleasure.
They were not the Borg collective.
One of them called himself I.
The only Borg who had a name was Hugh.
We are Hugh.
He was in this room.
I could have got rid of him, and I let him go.
The Borg have established transwarp conduits.
Get down! I was like you once.
Without feeling.
But The One helped me.
He can help you, too.
He can help you find emotion.
You will not resist what you've wanted all your life.
If the Borg should attack, don't wait for me to return to the ship, but take her to a transport conduit.
Return to Federation space.
Stop! Lore! The sons of Soong have joined together.
And together, we will destroy the Federation.
And now, the conclusion.
What do you think of my followers, Picard? Impressive, aren't they? I'm not impressed.
All you've done is teach them to enjoy killing.
You are wrong, Captain.
My brother and I serve a much higher purpose.
- Data, I can sense feelings in you.
- Yes.
My brother has made that possible.
He gave you the chip.
The one Dr Soong made for you.
No, no, no, no, no.
I still have the emotional program my father designed.
I wouldn't want to give it up.
It's given me such a strong sense of family, an intense desire to reunite with my dear brother.
How did he do it, Data? What made you decide to come here? I am talking to you, Picard.
I will tell you all you need to know.
You're controlling him and you've corrupted the Borg.
You simply don't understand, do you? You have no idea what has happened here.
How I found my true calling.
How the Borg found something to believe in.
I want to learn about that, but I want Data to tell us.
I told you.
I will tell you what you need to know.
How about that, Data? He won't even let you talk.
Do not try to drive a wedge between us, Captain.
I am loyal to my brother.
You see, Picard? He's not your pawn any more.
I've helped him to break free, just as I've helped them.
Look at them.
Look at what I've helped them become.
They're no longer mindless automatons.
They're passionate! Alive! You caused them to become individuals? No, you did that.
You and your friends.
All I did was clean up the mess when that Borg you befriended returned to his ship.
Hugh transferred his sense of individuality to the others.
It nearly destroyed them.
Remember when Hugh was on the Enterprise? - Remember what you were like then? - That doesn't matter.
It matters to me.
What's happened to Data? What's important is what I've done here.
How I found my calling.
I know now why I was created.
No one can ever take that away from me.
Without me they would have perished! When I stumbled on their ship, they were lost, disoriented.
They had no idea how to function as individuals.
They couldn't navigate their ship.
They had lost their sense of purpose.
I gave them their purpose.
And they gave me mine.
The Borg aspired to the perfection my brother and I represent.
Fully artificial life forms.
We are their future.
The reign of biological life forms is coming to an end.
You, Picard, and those like you are obsolete.
Take them, brother.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilisations to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Acting Captain's log, supplemental.
The skeleton crew on the Enterprise is unable to look for Cmdr Data.
The EM field is interfering with our sensors, limiting their effectiveness.
Ensign, can you modify the sensor to filter out EM pulses? Yes, sir.
I think so.
- What's your name? - Taitt, sir.
- I've never seen you before.
- I was posted here six weeks ago.
I bet you never thought you'd be Tactical Officer so soon.
No, sir, I sure didn't.
I filtered out some of the sensor noise.
- I'll put the modifications on line.
- Good work.
- Riker to Enterprise.
- Go ahead.
I can't contact the Captain.
It might be interference.
Understood.
Enterprise to Capt Picard.
Crusher to Picard.
No signals from the Captain's team.
The last time they checked in, they were in section Gamma 25.
Sir, a vessel is closing in on our location.
Is it a Borg ship? It matches the configuration of the ship at Ohniaka III.
Red alert! When will they be in weapons range? About 90 seconds.
No, make that 70 seconds! - Transporter room three.
- Salazar here.
Transport the away teams off the surface.
- Aye, sir.
- Use the cargo bay.
I want those teams here as fast as possible.
- You and the others beam up.
- Aye, sir.
Worf and I will stay and look for the Captain.
I won't leave you down there.
Get as many people off the surface as you can and go to the conduit.
The Captain's orders are to go to Federation space.
- Acknowledged.
- Riker out.
Leaving orbit.
Sir, the Borg ship is powering its weapons array.
They'll be in firing range in 20 seconds.
Salazar, how many people do we have down there? - 73, sir.
- Put the Borg ship on screen.
- Should I raise shields? - Not yet.
I want to bring people up until as late as possible.
Ten seconds.
Stand by to raise shields on my mark.
- Five seconds.
- Mark.
Shields down to 70 percent.
Establish a firing pattern and return fire.
Right! Direct hit, no damage.
Helm, set a course for the conduit, maximum warp.
Aye, sir.
- Sir, the Borg are following us.
- Salazar.
How many people were left behind? Another minute and we would have had them.
- Riker to any team leader.
- Powell here, sir.
Round up everyone and take cover.
Try to avoid contact with the Borg.
- Aye, sir.
- Riker out.
Even if Beverly can get back to Federation space, it'll be a few days until Starfleet can get any ships here.
Until then, we're on our own.
Data, you must realise that something has happened to you.
The Data I know would never agree to be a willing party to Lore's plan.
I now realise that my life aboard the Enterprise was a waste.
My quest to become human, misguided.
An evolutionary step in the wrong direction.
Data, all I sense from you is anger and hatred.
- Have you felt any other emotions? - There are no other emotions.
Just because you haven't experienced them doesn't mean they don't exist.
Lore is feeding you negative ones.
Troi told me that feelings are not negative or positive.
It is how we act on them that makes them good or bad.
Fine.
But what about the things that Lore is proposing? The lives already lost? You simply do not understand.
In a quest like ours, sacrifices have to be made.
It is regrettable, but the greater good must be served.
Give me your visor.
Why? Give it to me, or I will take it by force.
I am not your puppet any more.
We've reached the coordinates of the conduit.
The tachyon matrix is ready to go.
Lt Barnaby has returned.
He'll be relieving me.
Stand by to trigger the conduit.
Taitt, stay on the bridge.
I need a science officer at the aft station.
Yes, sir.
Helm, set a course to return to the planet.
I'm not leaving those people behind.
An emergency buoy can transmit a copy of our log to Starfleet.
Ensign, prepare and launch a buoy.
Aye, sir.
- Open the conduit.
- Launching buoy now.
Lieutenant, scan for any Borg ships between here and the planet.
Sensors detect no vessels.
The ship that attacked us must still be in orbit.
How long before they can detect us and intercept? If their sensors are like ours, it could be as little as 30 seconds.
Crusher to Salazar.
How long do we need to get them off the surface? - One minute.
- How much can you shave off that? If I can lock on quickly, I might be able to do it in 45 or 50 seconds.
We need to buy ourselves 15 seconds.
Lieutenant, could we use the planet as a barrier to stop the Borg realising we're in orbit? We can enter orbit when they're on the far side of the planet.
If we delay dropping out of warp, we could gain a few more seconds.
If your calculations are slightly off, we'd hit the atmosphere.
I'll just have to make sure I'm accurate, Ensign.
- Let's do it.
Helm, hard about.
- Aye, sir.
Still no sign of the structure.
With this interference, it could be nearby and we'd never know.
I'm picking up a faint energy reading.
Residual thermal trace.
Somebody stood here.
- It could be human.
- They took this path.
Now.
Thank you.
There you are, brother.
Here is the visor.
May I ask why you wanted it? Thought it might look good on me.
What do you think? We should work on your sense of humour, brother.
Actually, I was thinking La Forge's implants might make him an ideal test subject for my experiment.
All of the Borg you experimented on suffered extensive brain damage.
Using humans to perfect the procedure will allow us to prevent any further Borg deaths.
- I understand.
- Good.
What is it? This Borg has disconnected himself from the others.
He would not let me hear his thoughts.
I've asked you to stay linked to Crosis at all times.
- You know that, don't you? - Yes.
I know this must be difficult for you.
I know how uncertain you must feel.
All these sensations are new and can be frightening.
- Isn't that right? - Yes.
I have doubts.
Of course you do.
It's only natural.
No one is going to blame you for that.
But to lose those doubts, to keep fear and confusion away, I need you to remain linked to the others, so that their strength and their confidence can help you.
I need you, Goval.
I need you to help me build a future for the Borg.
I can't do it without you.
Will you help me? Yes.
I will.
Lore must have told Data to take my visor because I could see a carrier wave radiating from him.
A carrier wave? Is that how he's manipulating Data? I think that Lore is tapping into the chip he stole from Dr Soong and he's transmitting part of that emotional program to Data.
But the only emotions Data feels are negative.
I'm sure that's intentional.
In order for Data to be affected, Lore would have to disable his ethical program.
Can we reactivate it? If I can generate a kedion pulse, it could reboot the program.
And although Lore would still be feeding him negative emotions, - At least Data might listen to us.
- Right.
I think it's worth a try.
So, got any ideas on how we generate a kedion pulse? Data, where are you taking him? That is not your concern.
Data, wait.
Let us talk to you.
Commander.
Hugh? Why are you here, Cmdr Riker? Hasn't your crew done enough damage already? You blame us for what has happened.
You gave me a sense of individuality, then sent me back.
You must have known I'd pass on the change to others.
We considered it.
We knew it was a possibility.
You made it possible for Lore to dominate us.
I cannot accept that.
Lore is only one.
The Borg could have stopped him.
You don't know our condition when he found us.
Before my experience on the Enterprise, the Borg were a single-minded collective.
The voices in our heads were smooth.
But after I returned, those voices began to change.
They became uneven, discordant.
For the first time, individual Borg had differing ideas about how to proceed.
We couldn't function.
Some Borg fought, others shut down, many starved to death.
Then Lore came along.
When you're lost and frightened, you listen to any voice which promises change.
Even if that voice insists on controlling you.
That's what we wanted.
Someone to show us the way out of confusion.
Lore promised clarity and purpose.
At the beginning, he seemed like a saviour.
The promise of becoming a superior race, of becoming fully artificial, was compelling.
We did everything he asked.
But after a while, it became clear that Lore had no idea how to keep his promise.
That's when he began talking about the need for us to make sacrifices.
Before we realised it, this was the result.
What happened to them? Lore began to experiment, trying to remake us in his image.
This is the result of my encounter with the Enterprise.
You can see I don't welcome your presence here.
I'm sorry you feel that way.
We just came to get our people.
We won't cause you any more trouble.
Tell me about my friend.
- Friend? - The human called Geordi.
I wish I could tell you about him.
He may be held inside the compound.
I cannot help you.
I cannot risk our being discovered.
Could you at least show us the way into the compound? There are tunnels beneath the compound which connect with the control ducts.
Show us.
If we can determine the compound's geography, we can form a rescue plan.
Data? - Who's there? - Geordi? Captain.
We're getting out of here.
Come on, hurry! Data was just here.
He went to get something.
Too late! Lore suggested I try to develop my sense of humour.
What do you think? It needs a little work.
What's happening? I'm attempting to neutralise your pain receptors.
What are you gonna do to me? I am implanting nano-cortical fibres in your cerebrum.
They will learn and mimic your neural-firing patterns.
Once they are in place, I will destroy the existing brain cells.
We'll see if the artificial network can control your cognitive functions.
Data, listen.
Lore is controlling you.
He's transmitting a carrier wave to affect your positronic matrix.
If the procedure is a success, your cognition will be considerably improved.
Don't you care that he's manipulating you? But there is a 60-percent chance you will not survive the procedure.
I don't care much for those odds.
They are a cause for concern.
However, I still have Troi and Capt Picard.
Odds are one of the procedures will succeed.
Help me! He tried to escape.
The force field sent him into neural shock.
If he dies, Lore will blame you! See if the corridor is empty.
Drop it, or I will break his neck! Take him! What have you done to him? I will be back for him later.
Geordi, are you in pain? No.
I'm just a little dizzy.
I was able to take part of a transceiver from the guard's interlink system.
I think that it uses a kind of phased-pulse technology.
Could it be modified to generate a kedion pulse that would reboot Data's program? Yeah, it's possible.
See if you can locate the phase circuitry.
I'll watch the door.
Alright.
- I think I've found it.
- OK, good.
Do you see anything we might use as a flux inhibitor? No sign of the Borg ship.
I'm filtering out the interference.
We'll be in transporter range in 19 seconds.
- I'm getting sensor resolution.
- There's the ship! We'll enter orbit here! Helm, new course, heading 052, mark seven.
Aye, sir.
Dropping out of warp in eight seconds.
We should have 45 seconds before they intercept.
Let's hope it's enough.
Emergency deceleration in five seconds.
Hold on! Report.
We are in orbit, sir.
The Borg ship is moving to intercept.
Bridge to transporter rooms, begin evacuations.
The Borg will be in weapons range in 32 seconds.
We can't locate Capt Picard's team, Cmdr Riker or Lt Worf.
- Crusher to Salazar, report.
- Pulling the last teams off now.
Six people are unaccounted for.
Keep trying.
They're powering up their weapons.
Come on, Chief, it's now or never.
- They're preparing to fire.
- Raise shields.
- Port nacelle has been hit.
- Helm, get us out of here.
- We've lost warp engines.
- Evasive manoeuvres, full impulse.
- Shields down to 80 percent.
- Fire phasers.
Direct hit, no damage to their ship.
- Shields down to 73 percent.
- What's the warp-engine status? Still down.
We can't outrun them.
Helm, set a new course, heading 344, mark six, full impulse.
That heading takes us directly into the sun.
The databank should have information on metaphasic shielding.
Cmdr La Forge was developing metaphasic properties.
- How far along was he? - It was never tested.
With metaphasic shielding, we could enter the sun's corona, but the Borg ship would be unable to follow.
Can you bring it on line? I can, but the shields may not hold.
Sir, hull temperature is at 12,000 degrees C.
Radiation is at 10,000 rads.
Report.
Shields at 62 percent.
Lieutenant, activate the metaphasic program.
It's our best shot.
Aye, sir.
We can't withstand this heat much longer.
Program is on line.
Engaging metaphasic shield now.
Hold temperature dropping.
Down to 7,000 degrees.
Maintain course.
- The Borg ship has halted pursuit.
- All stop.
The Borg ship is taking up position relative to ours.
They're waiting for us to come out.
The question is, how long can we survive in here? Well, I've done everything Geordi told me.
Now to activate it.
How will we know if it reboots Data's ethical program? - By his behaviour.
- Won't he realise something's up? It's one program among thousands.
I just hope that this force field has enough energy to trigger the pulse.
You know, Data, I've been thinking about some of the times we've had.
Like the time we went sailing on Devala Lake? Remember that? I have a complete memory of that day.
You decided to go swimming.
When you jumped out of the boat, you sank straight to the bottom.
I did not have enough buoyancy to get back up.
You walked a kilometre underwater to get back to shore.
One kilometre, 46 metres.
It took two weeks to get the water out of your servos.
I am ready to irradiate your brain cells.
Data, if you ever go back to the way you were, you might not be able to forgive yourself for what you're about to do.
I am getting anomalous readings from your neural net.
I will need to do further testing before I proceed.
Someone will take you back to your cell.
There you are, brother.
Any progress with La Forge? It is too early to tell if the cortical fibres have worked.
I suspect none of the humans will survive, but then, it's their own fault, isn't it? They never should have come here.
- What were they thinking? - They came looking for me.
Humans are so sentimental.
I betrayed them.
If they die, I am responsible.
Why are you talking like that? Is something wrong with your programming? - I should check your systems.
- I do not want you to check them.
I must resolve these issues myself.
I think I made a mistake.
You can't tolerate the amount of emotion I've given you.
Perhaps I should cut back a little.
- How's that? - I do not like it.
- Then you prefer more emotions? - Yes.
- They give you pleasure? - Yes, please.
I want more.
Alright, a little more.
For now.
Aren't you going to thank me? - Thank you.
- Don't mention it.
I hope this clarifies things for you.
I'm concerned about my brother, Crosis.
I don't believe he really wants to be a part of our great future.
Sir, metaphasic shielding is losing integrity.
Can you stabilise it? No.
We can only stay here another three or four minutes.
- Do we have warp engines yet? - Not for another half-hour.
Sir, I have an idea.
We could induce a solar eruption that would destroy the Borg ship.
What? We need to direct a particle beam onto the sun's surface.
That should produce a gas eruption.
If we target the right spot, it will envelop their ship.
How do you know this? My honours thesis was on solar dynamics.
This isn't the Academy.
A thesis is a long way from a workable plan.
I've configured the emitters and located the target point on the surface.
If her calculations are off, it could encompass us.
I'll make sure my calculations are accurate, Lieutenant.
- Let's do it.
- Yes, sir.
The target area is destabilising.
Pressure expansion is accelerating.
Fusion has been initiated.
An eruption is forming on the surface.
She did it! The Borg ship has been destroyed, sir.
Take us back to the planet.
- Full impulse.
- Aye, sir.
Well done, Taitt.
You're killing him.
He won't survive another session.
I did not come for him.
I came for you.
It's not too late.
If you remove the fibres, Geordi could recover.
- That would not be possible.
- Why? Because Lore tells you so? It is for the greater good.
Good? Data, isn't good and bad, right and wrong, a function of your ethical program? That is correct.
What does that program tell you about what you're doing to Geordi? About what you and Lore are doing to the Borg? It tells you these things are wrong, doesn't it, Data? How can actions that are wrong lead to a greater good? - You are trying to confuse me.
- No, you're not confused, Data.
You're sensing the truth.
Your ethical program is fighting the emotions Lore is sending you.
Captain! Thank you so much for joining us.
You are going to assist me in a most important ceremony.
We'll use the control ducts to get into the compound.
- That'll lead to the detention area.
- We have to move fast.
If we stun a guard, the Borg will know right away.
When they realise, your escape may be compromised.
I guess we'll have to take that chance.
Good luck, Commander.
It's time to put aside all doubts, brother.
It's time to close the door on the past and commit yourself to the great work that lies ahead of us.
I need to know I can count on you.
As proof, I want you to kill Picard.
No.
That would be wrong.
I didn't think you could do it.
You've spent too many years among humans.
Hold him! I've asked many sacrifices of you.
Sacrifices I knew were necessary in order to build a better future.
I want you to know that I ask no more of you than I am prepared to give myself.
I am willing to make the greatest sacrifice of all.
My own dear brother.
Goodbye, Data.
No! Lore? You should be careful with that, brother.
Someone could get hurt! - What are you doing? - I've got a way out of here.
I'm willing to forget what happened back there, and take you with me.
We don't need anyone else.
We're brothers! I'll give you the chip our father made.
It contains much more than just emotions.
It has memories! Memories our father wanted you to have.
Lore, I must deactivate you now.
Without me, you will never feel emotion again.
I know.
But you leave me no other choice.
I love you, brother Goodbye, Lore.
What about Geordi and Troi? The Enterprise is in orbit.
I had them beamed aboard.
Lore is no longer functioning, sir.
He must be disassembled so he is no longer a threat.
- Welcome back, Data.
- Thank you, sir.
What made you change your mind, Hugh? My encounter with the Enterprise affected me more than I realised.
What will you do now? I don't know.
We can't go back to the Borg collective and we no longer have a leader here.
I'm not sure that's true.
Perhaps in time, we will learn to function as individuals and work together as a group.
Good luck, Hugh.
Goodbye.
Captain's log, stardate 47025.
4.
We've returned to Federation space and are en route to Starbase 295.
Mr La Forge remains under Dr Crusher's care.
Enter.
Hi, Data.
Dr Crusher says I'll be able to return to duty soon.
I am relieved that the injuries I inflicted on you are not permanent.
What's that? It is the chip my father made for me so I could experience emotion.
I removed it from Lore before he was dismantled.
- Does it work? - No.
I am pleased to say it was damaged when I fired on Lore.
Pleased? Data, you've wanted emotions your whole life.
Yes.
But emotions are responsible for what I did to you.
I would never risk letting that happen again.
My friendship with you is too important to me.
Data, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I let you give up on a lifelong dream, would I? Maybe someday.
When you're ready.