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Emergence

Graves at my command have wak'd their sleepers.

Op'd, and let 'em forth by my so potent art.

But this rough magic I here abjure, and when I have requir'd some heavenly music-- which even now I do-- to work mine end upon their senses that this airy charm is for,

I'll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound,

I'll...

Captain?

Sir, your attention is wandering.

Data, I can barely see you.

But, sir, I am supposed to be attempting a Neoplatonic magical rite.

The darkness is appropriate for such a ritual.

Yes, but, Data, this is a play.

The audience has to see you.

Hmm.

Perhaps I have been too literal with respect to my set design.

Computer, modify holodeck program

Data 7-3, Shakespeare's The Tempest,

Act Five, Scene One.

Increase torch light by... 20%.

There, that's much better.

Now, do you want to try it again?

Yes, sir.

Captain, I am not certain I fully understand this Prospero character.

I would appreciate any insight you might have that would improve my performance.

Well, Data, Shakespeare was witnessing the end of the Renaissance and the birth of the modern era, and Prospero finds himself in a world where his powers are no longer needed.

So, we see him here about to perform one final creative act before giving up his art forever.

Hmm. There is certainly a tragic aspect to the character.

Yes, but there's a--

( distant train whistles ) a certain expectancy, too, um, a hopefulness about the future.

You see, Shakespeare enjoyed mixing opposites-- the past and-- and the future, hope and despair...

Data, what is this?

Is this part of your program?

( train whistling ) DATA: No, sir.

Well, what is going on?

It appears to be a steam locomotive.

A train?

If I am not mistaken.

Computer, end program.

( train chugging closer )

Computer, end program!

( train whistle blowing )

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 civilizations,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Captain?

You are injured.

Oh, yes, I know. It's all right.

I will get it seen to, Data.

The train we encountered was from one of Dr. Crusher's holodeck programs.

It was a re-creation of the Orient Express, a train which traveled from Paris to Istanbul from the late 19th century...

Yes, yes, Data, I know about the Orient Express, but what is it doing on Prospero's island?

There appears to have been a malfunction in the holodeck's database retrieval program.

The two programs somehow temporarily linked together.

Is it possible that this malfunction would affect the other holodecks as well?

It is a possibility. I will need to run a full diagnostic to be certain.

Very good, Data, but shut down the other holodecks as well until you're finished, just to be on the safe side.

Aye, sir.

I never realized that you were interested in trains.

Are you aware that, at its peak, the Orient Express carried more than 10,000 people a year?

It isn't really the train itself that I'm interested in.

What then? It's the experience.

The Orient Express is romantic, mysterious.

It's an elegant way to see exotic places and meet fascinating people.

Do you know that, one time, on one trip, both Sigmund Freud and Gertrude Stein just happened to be in the same car?

They ended up having dinner together every night.

I wonder what they talked about?

Why don't you take a trip yourself and find out?

RIKER: Riker to Picard.

Picard here.

All sections ready to begin the survey, sir.

Very good. I'm on my way.

Thank you.

Don't forget the trip, Jean-Luc, think about it.

You never know who you'll meet on the Orient Express.

Captain's Log, Stardate 47869.2.

After weathering an unexpected magnascopic storm

in the Mekorda sector,

we are continuing our search

for new Federation colony sites.

I don't think there's any possibility of developing sites in this region.

Most of the stars are main sequence binaries.

There are no M-class planets.

Well, let's move on to another survey region.

Have stellar cartography begin a...

Mr. Data, report.

The ship has moved into warp, sir.

RIKER: Who gave that command?

Apparently, no one.

Helm and navigation controls are not functioning.

Our speed is now warp 7.3 and holding.

Picard to Engineering.

Mr. La Forge, what's going on?

We've lost primary helm control on the Bridge.

I don't understand it.

The impulse systems suddenly cut out, and the warp drive just kicked in.

RIKER: Geordi, can you take the engines offline?

I'm working on it.

Mr. Data, what's our heading?

Bearing 187 mark 4, sir.

I am unable to determine our destination.

However, we are moving away from the Mekorda sector.

LA FORGE: Captain, the computer's locked out all the propulsion controls.

I can't access any of the overrides.

If you want us to stop,

I'll have to do an emergency core shutdown.

That would leave us without warp power for more than a week.

Begin the procedure, Mr. La Forge.

We are no longer at warp, sir.

Impulse power has resumed.

All systems show normal.

Where are we?

We are approximately 30 billion kilometers from our original position.

Well done, Mr. La Forge.

It wasn't me.

I didn't have time to complete the shutdown procedure.

PICARD: Well, I want an explanation, Mr. La Forge.

Picard out.

Have you found anything yet?

Only that we seem to have more than one mystery here.

We still don't know why the ship jumped into warp, but it looks like we're lucky that it did.

There was a theta flux distortion building up around the ship.

Why didn't our sensors alert us?

Well, our sensors were never designed to detect theta flux distortions, and, yet, there is a record of the distortion in our sensor log.

That's the other mystery.

One fact is clear, however.

The distortion was growing in strength.

If we had remained at our original position

1.7 seconds longer, the distortion would have ruptured our warp core.

If the Enterprise hadn't jumped into warp when it did, we would have been blown to pieces.

I don't get it, Data.

What would cause the engines to suddenly jump into warp?

Perhaps the engines were activated by a random power fluctuation.

Which occurred just in time to save the ship?

It is improbable, but it is possible.

I don't know, I don't think I'm ready to start believing in luck.

There is another possibility.

Yeah? What's that?

The sensors apparently detected a dangerous anomaly that threatened the Enterprise.

It is possible that they triggered a safety device that caused the ship to avoid destruction.

Yeah, but there's no direct link between the warp engines and the sensors.

Whoa, what is that?

It looks like some kind of new circuit node, and it's connected to at least... half a dozen points on the sensor array.

It appears to be connected to several other systems as well, including the warp control circuits.

Well, I guess there's a connection between the warp engines and the sensors after all.

A force field.

Where did that come from?

I am not certain.

Perhaps it came from the node itself.

Well, wherever it came from, it sure doesn't want us messing with this node.

It appears to be protecting itself.

We found these nodes in several systems around the ship.

At some level or another, they're all connected.

These nodes were linking the sensors to our warp control and defensive systems.

We believe this is why the ship jumped to warp.

When the sensors detected danger, the defensive system reacted to the threat and activated the warp engines to protect us.

Where did the nodes come from?

It is possible the magnascopic storm we recently encountered had an unexpected effect on the ship's systems.

Wherever they come from, they seem to be multiplying.

As they increase, it will become progressively more difficult to control the ship.

What do you propose we do?

Well, getting rid of them isn't going to be so easy.

When we attempted to examine the circuitry of one of the nodes, it generated a force field to keep us out.

Well, whatever's going on, our first priority is getting back control of the ship.

Agreed.

All of the nodal connections intersect in Holodeck Three.

It appears to be a focal point of some kind.

We might be able to find a way to use the holodeck's circuitry to disable the nodes permanently.

All right, let's do it.

Commander, the holodeck appears to be in operation.

I thought you shut down the entire system.

I did, but it has reactivated itself, and it will not disengage.

Which program is running?

Several different programs are running simultaneously.

This should be interesting.

( train wheels rumbling )

( spurs jingling )

You weren't kidding, Mr. Data.

No, sir.

I estimate that this... scene consists of portions of seven distinct holodeck programs.

See if you can access the circuits that have been affected by the nodes.

( train whistle blows )

Tickets. Tickets, please.

Please have your tickets ready.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, madam.

Here you are. Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Tickets, please.

You know, I never even been away from home.

Now I'm going all the way to Vertiform City.

Very nice, sir.

Enjoy your trip. Tickets, please.

Tickets? Thank you, sir.

Tickets, please.

Tickets, please.

DATA: Commander? Tickets.

I've located a large concentration of nodes behind this wall.

They appear to be connected directly to the holodeck's main power coupling.

All right, go ahead and depolarize the entire power grid.

The power grid is located beneath this deck, sir.

CONDUCTOR: Get away from there!

Would you gentlemen care to show me your tickets?

I believe we left our tickets in our compartments.

Mr. Worf, I told you to bring the tickets.

I, uh, forgot.

I don't think you folks belong on this train.

MAN: Hold it!

You leave these people alone.

They're only trying to help.

You go back to the engine.

This doesn't concern you.

They're all trying to hijack the train.

Hey, if you're the engineer, who's doing the driving?

( gunshot )

I am.

Easy, sir, easy. I got you.

I'm all right. Thanks.

Looks like the navigational relay's overloaded.

( bell ringing )

PICARD: Geordi, what's going on?

We just went into warp.

We've lost engine and helm control again, Captain, but this time... they're completely burned out.

I don't know if we can stop the ship.

I believe we have changed direction.

Now we're on the right track.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are on our way.

( cheering )

I was right.

He was trying to make off with my brick.

Take good care of that.

We can't afford to lose it.

Now, are you people going to leave, or do we have to throw you off the train?

Commander.

According to my tricorder, the holodeck safeties have been disengaged.

His weapon could be lethal.

All right, let's get out of here.

The number of systems now being affected by the nodes has increased considerably.

Sensors, engines, replicators, propulsion-- they're all working together now, almost independently of the main computer, and the nodes link them all through the holodeck.

But why the holodeck? It doesn't make any sense.

Commander, I believe what happens on the holodeck has a direct effect on the ship.

When we attempted to destroy the nodes, the characters on the train responded almost immediately to stop us.

And when the engineer tried to protect us, one of the other characters shot him.

Then the conductor signaled for the train to change direction... and, at approximately the same time...

The Enterprise also took off in a new direction.

Are you saying the ship is under the control of the holodeck?

Not precisely.

Geordi... does the configuration of connection nodes look familiar to you?

Yeah.

Yeah, it looks a little like the structure of your positronic brain.

DATA: That is correct.

It would appear that the nodes are in the process of creating a rudimentary neural net.

Data... what are you suggesting?

Unlikely as it may sound,

I believe the Enterprise

may be forming an intelligence.

This is a synaptic map of the human neocortex.

This is a cross-section of my positronic net.

And this is a schematic of the connection nodes linking the ship's systems.

I believe some sort of neural matrix is forming on the ship.

It is still relatively primitive, but it is an intelligence, nonetheless.

How could that happen?

I believe it is an emergent property.

Explain.

Complex systems can sometimes behave in ways that are entirely unpredictable.

The human brain, for example, might be described in terms of cellular functions and neurochemical interactions.

But that description does not explain human consciousness, a capacity that far exceeds simple neural functions.

Consciousness is an emergent property.

In other words, something that's more than just the sum of its parts.

DATA: Exactly.

How does that explain what's happening to the Enterprise?

The Enterprise contains a vast database of information which is managed by a sophisticated computer.

This complex system gives the ship many of the characteristics of a biological organism.

That's true-- it sees with its sensors, and it talks with its communications systems.

In a sense, it almost reproduces with the replicators.

And you think that the ship has somehow gone beyond these functions.

It's developing a new capacity.

Yes, sir, I believe a self-determining intelligence is emerging.

If that is so, what does the ship want?

Where is it taking us?

I believe the key to understanding the ship's behavior lies in the holodeck.

All of the connection nodes intersect at that location.

It is clearly some kind of processing center.

Processing center?

Yes, sir. A focal point where all the ideas and instincts of this emerging intelligence are first expressed in some form.

Almost like an imagination.

Captain, I'd like to go to the holodeck.

I could interact with the characters and maybe find some clues to help us understand what's happening.

Very well.

Mr. Data, Mr. Worf, I want you to go along.

See if you can reestablish control of the ship without damaging the nodes.

If the ship is truly an emerging intelligence, then we have a responsibility to treat it with the same respect as any other being.

Welcome aboard, Counselor.

If you will distract these people,

I will attempt to depolarize the power grid.

( bell clanging )

Excuse me.

Have you finished the puzzle yet?

Not yet, but we're getting close.

WORF: Do you recognize it?

No.

WORF: I would like to help.

Tell me, what exactly are you making?

What do you think we're making? A puzzle.

No. No, I meant the picture.

What is it?

Well, I don't know.

Can you deal me in?

Sorry.

It's a two-man game.

Hey!

Get your hand off of that.

Is that why you killed the engineer?

To get this brick?

I had to get it back.

You know what it's worth, lady?

Plenty.

And I got to get it to Keystone City.

Why? What's at Keystone City?

It's where everything begins.

Gin.

Are you succeeding, Commander?

I am ready to access the main power grid.

Keystone City, next stop.

Keystone City.

Well... look who's back.

We do not want any trouble.

We are simply... passengers.

Well, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing me your tickets.

Right.

Sorry, boys.

You're getting off right here.

This is my stop.

Wait. What happens at Keystone City?

Why are you taking the brick there?

Excuse me.

I think we should follow that man.

That brick might be an important clue.

Where did he go?

( electronic whirring )

( beeping )

I can access the power grid here.

I will attempt to depolarize the grid by using a low-frequency inversion field.

It may disengage the nodes without destroying them.

TROI: There he is.

I'm going after him.

( car approaching )

( dog barking )

What are you doing here?

Laying the foundation.

Now if youse will excuse me,

I got a train to catch.

I don't understand it, Captain.

All of a sudden, Cargo Bay Five started to depressurize.

Did everyone get out in time?

Yes, sir, and I've reestablished the containment field, but I'm reading massive power surges in the cargo bay and all sorts of transporter activity--

Something weird is happening there, Captain.

I want you to send a team down there immediately.

Find out what's going on.

Aye, sir.

La Forge to Bridge.

Picard here. What's going on?

I wish I could tell you.

That man said he was laying a foundation.

A foundation for what?

Troi to Data.

Data here. How are you doing?

I encountered a minor difficulty,

Counselor, but it has been dealt with.

( engine revving )

I am ready to depolarize the power grid.

It looks like the ship's replicator and transporter systems have been merged somehow to create this.

The question is, what is it?

Ensign, I want you to run a full spectral analysis on this...

( rumbling )

I'm reading massive power fluctuations.

The ship is losing its structural integrity.

What's happening?

It's an earthquake.

La Forge to Data. Stop what you're doing.

Acknowledged.

Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Data, I think we ought to get together and compare notes.

DATA: Agreed.

The ship was protecting itself again-- stopping us from interfering.

Whatever it's doing, it intends to continue.

I'm betting that all this has something to do with that object that's forming in the cargo bay.

I think he's right, Captain.

Look at the common themes playing out on the holodeck-- a puzzle being put together, a foundation being laid, a paper doll being fashioned.

They're all images of something being constructed.

LA FORGE: And some kind of object in the cargo bay that's being constructed atom by atom.

What is that object?

LA FORGE: I have no idea, but it's composed of silica polymers, duranium, and a couple of other compounds we haven't been able to identify yet.

But creating it has had quite an effect on our systems.

Warp power has dropped 47%.

Counselor, did you draw any other conclusions from your experiences on the holodeck?

Anything that would help us to understand this situation?

The holodeck was full of metaphoric imagery, like it was having some kind of daydream.

It may not make literal sense, but symbolically it probably does have some kind of logic to it.

These characters you spoke to, do they have any significance?

I think they represent different aspects of the ship.

The engineer, for instance, may represent the navigational system.

The gunslinger could be the weapon system.

Is there any way that we can persuade them to give us back control of the ship?

I don't think it's possible to reason with them.

Many of them are genuinely unaware of what's going on.

It's as though this emergent intelligence is like an infant-- acting on impulse, trying to figure itself out as it goes.

The only source of experience it can draw on is ours, through our holodeck programs.

Then, is there a way that we can relate to them on their own level?

Find some way to influence their behavior?

Maybe there is.

I'd like to go back and try.

Counselor, we haven't been able to reestablish the safeties.

The injuries you suffered on the holodeck, weren't severe, but next time they might kill you.

I'm aware of that.

Very well, Counselor. Go ahead, but bear in mind that whenever we have tried to hinder their efforts, we've failed.

Perhaps it's time to cooperate with them.

You don't belong on this train.

Three tickets for Vertiform City.

Well...

I guess I was wrong about you folks.

Welcome aboard.

What was that?

We've been having some problems.

The engine is running out of steam.

I hope we make it to Vertiform City on time.

Is there anything we can do to help?

Well, I could use a pair of strong arms in the engine room.

Might help us get back on schedule.

Why don't you go with him, Worf?

We'll see what we can do here.

Excuse me, are we gonna get there okay?

Of course. You needn't worry about a thing.

So, tell me everything you know about Vertiform City.

Well, they got this restaurant there where you can eat all you want, anytime.

It's the best food around.

There's the coal, and there's the boiler.

I'm much obliged for your help.

Well done, sir.

I think this will make a big difference, all right.

I don't know how or why, sir, but warp power appears to be back at normal levels.

What's our heading?

We appear to be on a course for Tambor Beta VI.

It's a white dwarf star.

Keep it steady.

Put your back into it.

That's the ticket!

The ship is using a modified tractor beam to collect vertion particles from the star.

Vertion particles...

Vertiform City-- that's what the ship was looking for.

( console beeping )

The particles are being routed through the transporter system into Cargo Bay Five.

Geordi, what's going on?

The object is absorbing vertion particles.

It's growing even faster than before.

Commander...

I'm picking up internal energy from this thing.

What do you mean?

I mean it's generating its own energy.

I'm picking up coherent emissions, matter conversion... it's incredible.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Something's wrong.

We've got power fluctuations.

Vertion absorption rate is dropping.

What's happening with the particle beam?

The beam's exhausted the supply of particles in the star-- there's nothing left to take out.

Captain, the energy output of the object is decreasing.

Something's wrong.

What is it?

This was supposed to be Vertiform City.

We've been on the wrong track all along.

( screaming )

Are you all right?

Yes. What happened?

The conductor accidentally derailed the train.

Data to Captain Picard.

Picard here.

There's been an accident in the holodeck, sir.

Has anything happened on the Enterprise?

Yes, we've had a ship-wide shutdown.

We've lost attitude control, and most systems are offline.

Captain, you'd better take a look at this.

When the particle beam cut off, the object was was beginning to form a coherent energy matrix.

Now, if these readings are accurate,

I'd say that the emission patterns were almost organic.

Are you suggesting that the Enterprise is trying to create a life-form?

I think so.

Will it survive?

Well, its energy levels are dropping rapidly.

Unless it gets an infusion of vertion particles-- and I mean soon-- I don't think so.

Captain, all of our systems are back on line.

We're moving again-- at warp nine.

Let's get back to the Bridge.

Whoo-ee.

That was a close one, wasn't it?

Where are we going now?

Well, New Vertiform City, of course.

Data to Captain. Picard here.

The train has returned to normal, sir.

Our destination is New Vertiform City.

What's our course?

We're headed for the Cordannas system.

Another white dwarf star.

It's the nearest one to our last position.

LA FORGE: Captain... we have a problem.

Even at warp nine, the Cordannas system is over 12 hours from here.

Will the object in the cargo bay survive that long?

Yes, sir, but that's not the problem.

The ship has diverted all of our systems to maximum propulsion, including life support.

We have less than two hours of reserve oxygen.

Mr. Data, we have to stop the Enterprise.

That means you have to get control of the train.

DATA: Understood, sir.

The ship is looking for vertion particles.

And it believes that the Cordannas system is the closest source-- is there any possibility of anything closer?

White dwarf stars are the only natural sources of vertion, sir.

Then what about artificial ones?

Can you create the particles?

How did the conductor stop the train?

There is a braking lever in the engine room.

Let's go.

Sorry, folks, but you ain't going nowhere.

LA FORGE: I've narrowed the search down to the MacPherson nebula, which is a supernova remnant, and Dikon Alpha, which is a class-9 pulsar.

They're both fairly close to our current flight path, and either one could produce vertion particles if we detonated a modified photon torpedo inside it.

Vertions usually occur in minuscule amounts.

Do you think either of these phenomena could produce enough of them?

It's really hard to say, I can't even guarantee that we can create them at all.

Well, we've got to give it a try.

The nebula or the pulsar?

It's your choice, Mr. La Forge.

I say go with the nebula.

Very well. Begin the torpedo modifications.

Now let's see if we can get this ship to go where we want.

Please, listen to me.

We understand what's happening.

We know you have to get to New Vertiform City, and we want to help you get there.

Well, I don't know.

Please.

We're your friends.

You really gonna help us get to New Vertiform City?

I promise.

Well, okay, but just one of you.

The rest stay here.

That's far enough.

Sorry to spoil your party, pal.

It's nothing personal.

I can get us there more quickly.

I know a shorter route.

Don't listen to him. He's up to something.

A shorter route?

Yes, if you will let me handle the controls.

Don't do it.

Well... we're already behind schedule.

If you can get us there on time... all right, go on, but no funny stuff.

Data to Captain Picard.

I have taken control of the engine room.

Stand by.

Are we within sensor range of the nebula?

Yes, Captain, we are.

Mr. Data, I need you to slow us to impulse speed.

I will attempt to do so.

I hope you know what you're doing.

Are the modifications to the torpedoes complete?

Aye, sir.

Launch torpedo.

It's working, Captain.

The reaction is producing vertion particles.

Well, what do you know?

We're here!

New Vertiform City!

( laughing )

( whistle blaring )

The nodes are deactivating all over the ship.

All our systems are beginning to function normally again.

Then the purpose of the ship's intelligence was simply to bring this life-form into being.

There are some species whose sole purpose is to reproduce.

Once they finally procreate, they die.

Captain...

Captain's Log, supplemental.

The Enterprise is back under our control.

All traces of the emergent intelligence are gone,

and the object it created has disappeared into space.

( door chimes )

Come.

Captain, I am staging a scene from The Tempest this evening for a small audience.

I would like for you to attend.

I would be honored. What scene?

Miranda's first encounter with other human beings.

"O brave new world, that has such people in it."

It seemed appropriate.

Captain, you took a substantial risk in allowing the Enterprise to... complete its task.

Why do you say that?

Because the end result was unknown.

The object could have been dangerous.

It may, in fact, be dangerous.

And I have allowed it to go off on its merry way.

Yes, sir.

The intelligence that was formed on the Enterprise didn't just come out of the ship's systems.

It came from us, from our mission records, personal logs, holodeck programs... our fantasies.

Now, if our experiences with the Enterprise have been honorable, can't we trust that the sum of those experiences will be the same?