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Survival Instinct

( birds calling )

( insects chirping )

Input failure. Input failure.

Input failure.

Our link to the collective has been severed.

Initiate secondary protocols.

( explosion )

The vessel's transwarp chamber is approaching critical pressure.

We must evacuate this area.

ALL: Agreed.

No directional...

ALL: coordinates are available.

That way. Bearing 301.

ALL: Agreed.

Bring that drone.

Captain's Log, Stardate 53049.2.

We've docked at the Markonian Outpost

and agreed to mutual visits,

so I'm allowing shore leave to anyone who wants it.

Commander Tuvok has objected to taking on too many visitors.

But, security issues aside, I'm looking forward to a cultural exchange

and making some new friends.

( buzz of conversation )

Pardon me.

Excuse me.

Careful, careful.

Excuse me.

Watch it!

Excuse me.

Captain?

I'll be right with you.

The station manager didn't tell me the vines were prehensile.

I went to put some water in the pot and it grabbed me.

This is a gift from the Kinbori Delegation.

I don't know its name, only that it's used in one of their sacred games and it's very heavy.

Well, put it down anywhere.

Thank the Kinbori for me, and give them a token of our esteem.

I already gave them a Voyager medallion.

They seemed appreciative.

( door chimes )

Come in.

Doesn't it look like

Christmas morning in here, Commander?

You have to admit the generosity of our guests is very impressive.

As is their proclivity for criminal behavior.

This morning's security report.

Broken ODN line... some missing personal items... a damaged scanner relay. All in all, not that bad.

There is a second page to the report.

Well, some of these incidents

are a little more serious.

But on balance, I still think we did the right thing.

There is a third page.

Come on, Tuvok, after all the xenophobic races we've run into don't you find it just a little refreshing to meet some people who value openness and freedom?

Well, as far as I'm concerned, opening the ship has been a fascinating experience and an unqualified success. I'm very pleased.

Me, too.

I am pleased that you are pleased.

If you'll excuse me. Tuvok... please accept this token of our esteem.

Oh, no.

It's got me by the hair.

Now it's 12:45.

If you're hungry, you may eat without me.

You said we'd have lunch together.

I haven't completed my analysis of the station's power conversion matrix.

How long is it gonna take?

Several hours.

Seven, you promised.

Very well.

I think it's even more crowded than this morning.

Yes.

Excuse us. Excuse us.

Please, we're trying to get through to the turbolift.

Excuse us.

SEVEN: Stand aside!

( voices fall silent )

Thank you.

I'm sorry, but there's no more Marsupial Surprise.

We only had two kilos of pouches to begin with and it's all gone!

Now, how about some pizza, huh?

She's... a Shivolian, right?

Correct.

Species 521?

Your mother would not approve of you memorizing Borg designations.

I don't approve either.

We've discussed the impropriety of you emulating the Borg.

Sorry.

I'm finished.

We just sat down.

I do not enjoy crowds.

But you were in the collective.

Wasn't that like a big crowd?

Which is why I do not enjoy them now.

Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that.

Let's go. Excuse me.

Are you Seven of Nine?

Yes.

You okay?

These are Borg synaptic relays from my original unimatrix.

These are yours?

Where did you acquire them?

A trader from Orendal V.

I was told you are a former Borg drone and might be interested in acquiring these pieces.

I'll take them. Captain Janeway will provide you with whatever monetary reimbursement you require.

Agreed.

I must examine these items more closely.

Okay.

What's your name?

That was rude.

MALE 1: Stage two is complete.

She has the relays. She's going to study them.

FEMALE: Her regeneration alcove is in Cargo Bay 2.

MALE 2: That's where she'll go.

We should prepare for stage three.

Agreed.

There's consensus.

Rendezvous at my coordinates

and stand by to penetrate their security.

Error.

Explain.

We shouldn't be desecrating the body of this drone.

It is against the will of Brothara.

Who is Brothara?

Brothara: a supernatural deity worshipped by Species 571.

I am a member of Species 571.

You're being confused by irrelevant data. Ignore it.

You said, "I am a member of Species 571."

Do you consider yourself an individual?

There are no individuals here. We are Borg.

Agreed. Agreed.

Agreed.

Resume constructing the communications beacon.

It looks like a standard Borg synaptic relay.

There must be something more.

When I first came into contact with it,

I was overwhelmed with images, memories, sounds.

Sounds like a perfectly natural reaction to me.

That was part your old unimatrix, right?

Well, isn't it at least possible that what you experienced was simply nostalgia?

You know, sentimental feelings about the past.

I know what nostalgia is, but I have no feelings about the past.

Okay. I think I've done all I can here.

Lieutenant... you were trying to help.

I appreciate that.

Anytime.

Oh, and, um, you may not be nostalgic about the past, but I'd say you definitely have feelings about it.

Strong ones.

Their security protocols are formidable.

We may not have enough time.

I'm worried about Seven of Nine.

We should reexamine the question of simply asking...

You know what her reactions will be.

She won't help us because she...

We've been through all that.

She could be permanently injured.

I don't want to harm...

Enough!

We need consensus.

We can't act without it.

I know.

So, then it's up to you.

Do we proceed or not?

Yes.

We... I apologize for my indecision.

Apologies are irrelevant!

Computer, begin multipolar analysis.

Analysis underway.

Time to completion?

Five hours, 17 minutes.

( beeping )

She's regenerating.

Begin rerouting their internal sensors.

Rerouting sensor input to secondary processors.

( console beeping )

Hold.

What have you got?

There's a power fluctuation in the security grid.

All we know is that we've got a security breach.

We don't know where.

Ready.

Insert the interlink module.

Ready.

He's still worried about injuring her.

If we fail, we'll never become individuals.

We have to remember that.

There is consensus.

I've found her memory files.

She's aware of our presence.

She's trying to regain consciousness.

We must abort. No! We're too close.

I will not comply.

I have performed this action before.

I was with my father.

He was a tall man.

I have a... similar memory.

But I was in a house and the fire was in a hearth.

The biomatter is ready.

It tastes similar to a bird I once ate.

I used to prepare food... for... my parents.

They lived... in a small building by... a river.

I used to be... afraid of the dark.

Just before I was assimilated, I was... eating with a group of men.

We... worked in numbers. Mathematics.

I... calculated equations for another man.

I have a name.

It's...

Marika.

Marika Willkarah.

Willkarah.

Hello, Marika Willkarah.

Her designation is Three of Nine.

MALE 2: I have a name.

P'Chan.

Son of Dornar and Ansha.

My primary function was to care for them.

FEMALE: I was married.

We were on a starship... the Excalibur.

I worked in Engineering.

This is not my hand.

MALE 2: My parents... they're dead.

The Borg killed them.

I hate the Borg.

This is counterproductive.

We must delete all irrelevant data.

I want my hand back.

I was on duty... the night watch... when the Borg came....

Oh, my God!

Look at what they've... done to me!

These-these things they put in my body!

What have they done? Command override.

Cease this interaction!

Comply.

We will not access these memory files again.

Initiate the prescribed maintenance and survival protocols only.

No further communication is required, until we are reassimilated into the collective.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed.

...but whoever removed their implants was a poor surgeon.

Their internal organs were damaged during the procedure and their bodies are covered with scars.

You said you recognized them. Not at first.

But when they attempted to access my memory files,

I was momentarily linked with them.

Two of Nine.

Three of Nine. Four of Nine.

We were all members of the same unimatrix.

Do you know why they were trying to access your memories?

No.

How long have they been disconnected from the collective?

Three or four months.

However, they are still connected to each other.

Somehow, the left parietal lobes of their brains have been transformed into organic interlink nodes.

They've become linked together into a sort of collective triad.

Revive them.

I'm Captain Janeway.

We know who you are, and we know what you were trying to do.

What we don't know is why.

She has information we need.

What kind of information?

We want to become...

Individuals.

You want to break the neural link between the three of you?

Wouldn't you? None of us is alone with our own thoughts, our own feelings.

Every day of my life is spent hearing their two voices in my head.

When we're asleep, we experience each other's dreams.

How's that different from life in the collective?

In the collective, there are billions of voices.

They become... white noise.

But with only three...

Each voice comes through clearly.

It has to stop.

We must break the neural link.

Doctor, is there anything you can do?

The modifications are too extensive.

Their neuronal pathways have been fundamentally altered.

You hold the key.

Why?

You were there with us.

Planet 1865 Alpha.

You must remember.

Eight years ago, our vessel crashed.

The four of us were the only survivors.

When we were reassimilated...

We found we'd been linked together somehow.

We were a subset within the collective.

It's like having three voices whispering in one ear...

And a crowd screaming in the other.

We had to break free, so we worked together, and we finally escaped.

We had our implants removed on Inavar Prime.

But they couldn't break the neural link.

We need to find out what happened eight years ago

after the crash...

The night we were reassimilated into the collective.

We need to know how the link was created.

But our memories are...

Fragmented, disorganized.

We hoped that you would know.

I don't.

However, I am willing to attempt to retrieve the data.

Come with me.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Data search complete.

Do you remember anything further?

No.

My last memory is of us...

Is of us standing around...

Around a campfire.

And yet the data files in your cortical processor appear to be intact.

I see no evidence that would explain your lapse in memory.

What about you?

Why don't you remember what happened?

I don't know. I've found no evidence of damage to my memory files either.

I remember the campfire and then waking up in the collective.

There is an obvious gap... but no indication of why.

Why do they still call you Seven?

You should have a name.

It is my name. No.

It's a designation.

You're an individual now.

I decided that my former name was no longer appropriate.

Prepare to reinitialize the memory cascade.

I can't wait to use my real name again.

There is nothing preventing you from doing so.

Except that most of the time,

I don't know whether my name is Marika, P'Chan or Lansor.

The names, the memories...

The memories, even the thoughts flow from one to the other.

I can't love or hate or laugh...

Or cry without... or cry without... sharing it with them. sharing it with them.

How can any of us take a name for ourselves...

For ourselves? We're not individuals.

We're not Borg.

We're nothing.

Begin the memory cascade.

JANEWAY: "A friendly game"?

Well... that's how it started.

JANEWAY: I see. And perhaps you could explain to me how this friendly game turned into a street brawl?

( clears throat ): Well, Harry and I wanted to explore the station.

Um... we wanted to broaden our understanding of alien cultures and, uh...

Skip the recruiting speech.

You were looking for a bar. Then what?

Well, we found one and we met a pair of Kinbori who told us about this game they play with these big, odd-looking rackets...

You mean one of those?

BOTH: Yeah!

I-in any case, they challenged us to a game and we accepted, but I guess we weren't quite aware of all the rules.

Because you'd been drinking.

Yes, ma'am.

Y-You see, we thought it was a version of tennis, but as soon as we hit the first volley, this Kinbori jumps over the net and starts attacking us with his racket.

So we figured we were supposed to fight back...

Yeah. And then, uh... well, things got a little out of hand.

"A little out of hand."

Seven Voyager crewmen, including two Bridge officers, along with 13 Kinbori and one Morphinian cafe owner... all arrested.

The charges range from disorderly conduct to assault on a security officer.

Th-That one's not true.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Kim. I'll note that exception in my log.

You're both confined to quarters until further notice-- after you report to Sick Bay.

That's all.

Well, did you win?

Oh, yes, ma'am.

We kicked their... rackets.

Good. Dismissed.

Any progress?

I've determined that we all have exactly the same gap in our memories.

It seems unlikely that it would be a coincidence.

So you believe the collective deliberately wiped your recollections of the reassimilation process?

It is the most likely explanation.

But...?

The collective would not care that four drones remembered being reassimilated.

Something must have happened during the process.

Something they wanted to hide from you.

Let's look at this from a different perspective.

Why would the collective lock them into a neural triad in the first place?

I don't know. There is no advantage to having three drones linked together in this manner.

Well, they obviously did it for some reason... and I get the feeling that if we can answer that question, the rest should fall into place.

But I wish we could find a way to close the gaps in your memories.

There is a way.

I assume there's a reason you didn't mention it before now.

It would involve linking my neural interface to theirs.

Together, we may be able to restore the missing data.

However, I would again be part of a group mind.

You're not eager to revisit that experience, hmm?

There's also the possibility that I could become trapped in the neural link.

Turning the triad into a quartet.

I won't ask you to take that kind of risk.

I do feel compelled to help them, but I am uncertain as to the correct course of action.

Let me ask you something.

Do you think of these people... as family?

Is it relevant?

There's an old saying:

"Blood is thicker than water."

It means that the ties of family run deeper than any other kind of relationship.

We'll often do things for members of our family we'd never dream of doing for anyone else.

Seven!

Seven!

Naomi Wildman.

I heard about the drones.

Did they hurt you?

I am not damaged.

What do they want?

They are seeking information from me, but I am uncertain whether I can help them.

Oh. Be careful.

Naomi Wildman, do you consider me to be family?

I... I don't, I mean... well... yes.

Is... that okay?

I have no objection.

Do you... think of me as family?

Yes.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

Seven of Nine has decided to undergo the procedure

that will link her mind with the other drones.

Despite the risk involved, she feels an obligation

to help these "distant cousins."

I'll be monitoring your neural readings while you're in the link.

But I'm not certain I'll be able to counter the effects if... you become trapped.

I know you'll do your best.

It's never a good sign when the patient feels the need to comfort the doctor.

Good luck.

Ready.

Ready.

Ready. Ready.

( groans )

( distant, jangling beeping )

( beeping continues )

You are damaged.

I will assist you.

( softer ): Don't worry.

Everything will be all right.

( groaning )

The collective has located us.

A Borg vessel is on its way.

We will be one with the Borg again.

No! I do not want to rejoin the collective. Agreed.

That is in violation of all established protocols.

Forget the protocols. You're not a drone.

You're a person, like us. You have a name... a life!

All you have to do is embrace who you really are.

No. I do not exist.

I am only part of the greater whole.

That's what they want you to believe.

That's what they want us all to believe.

We are Borg.

Our primary function is to serve the collective.

Not anymore.

Error! Input failure!

They may know what planet we're on, but without the beacon, it'll be far more difficult to locate us.

If we can remodulate our cortical implants, we might be able to elude their sensors.

TWO OF NINE: We must leave this place.

This discussion is in violation of all established protocols.

You stay here and be reassimilated if you want to.

I won't!

( groaning )

( moans )

What are you... doing?

The nanoprobes will create new interlink nodes in your left hemisphere. Resistance is futile.

( panting )

I will not comply!

I will not comply!

( moans )

State your designations.

Two of Nine, Primary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01.

Three of Nine, Auxiliary Processor of Unimatrix 01.

Four of Nine, Secondary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01.

What is your primary function?

ALL: To serve the collective.

You will repair the communications beacon.

TWO OF NINE: It was you! You were responsible.

What have you done to us? You linked us together.

You're responsible for our suffering.

How could you do it?

If you didn't want to return...

To the collective... You didn't have to.

You don't understand what happened.

( all talking )

Somebody help me!

( all yelling ) What's happening?

Somehow, they broke their link with Seven. They're malfunctioning.

Help me get them to Sick Bay.

( yelling continues )

When they broke the connection with you, it must have overloaded their cortical implants.

They went into neural shock.

And yet I was undamaged.

I think I know why.

You said you remembered injecting them with nanoprobes eight years ago...

Yes.

It created an interlink between them.

It was the only way to prevent them from escaping the collective.

Well, it seems to have had an unfortunate side effect.

Their higher brain functions were somehow tied into the interlink.

When they broke their connection with you in the Cargo Bay, the shock to their cognitive systems was too great.

Can you revive them?

I could remove the microcortical implants.

That would break the link binding them together, but it would also kill them.

They'd only live a matter of weeks.

A month at the most.

What are the other options?

They could be returned to the Borg.

If they were reassimilated into the collective, they would regain consciousness and then live out a normal life span.

As drones.

As drones, but they'd be alive, Seven.

They have no hope of surviving unless they return to the collective.

Not exactly a happy ending, is it?

No.

Back on that planet... why do you think you reacted so differently from the rest of them?

Why were you so afraid of becoming an individual?

When I was first assimilated into the collective,

I was a child.

They were assimilated as adults.

When our individual memories began to resurface...

Yours were of being a little girl... a scared little girl.

I let that fear control me.

After I saw the drone die in the swamp,

I... panicked.

I began to envision my own death... alone... without even the sound of another drone to comfort me.

So I forced them to return.

I infiltrated their left cerebral hemispheres with nanoprobes and created a new interlink network-- one that they couldn't resist.

And then I eliminated the evidence of what I'd done.

You were overwhelmed by feelings you couldn't begin to understand.

You're not responsible for that.

Because of what I did, they'll be forced to live the rest of their lives in the collective.

For that, I am responsible.

There's a difference between surviving and living.

They'll survive in the collective, but they won't really be alive.

You know that better than any of us.

There is no alternative.

How long would they survive if the Doctor deactivated this... interlink network you created?

A month at most.

A month as an individual or a lifetime as a drone.

Which option would you choose?

Survival is insufficient. I beg your pardon?

Eight years ago, I forced them to return to the collective.

I won't make the same mistake again.

They deserve to exist as individuals.

We must terminate the link between them.

I understand that you feel a certain responsibility for these patients.

But as their physician, so do I.

It's my duty to preserve their lives for as long as possible, even if that means...

I will not return them to the Borg.

Are you thinking of what's best for them... or for you?

Clarify.

You said it yourself. You made a mistake.

And Seven of Nine doesn't like to make mistakes.

She strives for perfection.

I want you to think about the motivation behind your decision.

Are you doing what's right for those three people... or are you trying to alleviate the guilt you feel over what happened eight years ago?

The damage I did can never be repaired, and my guilt is irrelevant.

I simply want them to experience individuality... as I have.

As you have.

At one time, you were confined to this Sick Bay.

Your program was limited to emergency medical protocols.

In some ways, you were not unlike a drone.

But you were granted the opportunity to explore your individuality.

You were allowed to expand your program.

Your mobile emitter gives you freedom of movement.

Your thoughts are your own.

If you were told you had to become a drone again,

I believe you would resist.

( softly ): Yes, I suppose I would.

They would resist as well.

They would choose freedom, no matter how fleeting.

Only you and I can truly understand that.

Survival is insufficient.

It's so... quiet.

I had no idea you were going to say that.

I don't know what either of you is thinking.

I'd forgotten what it was like to be alone with my own thoughts.

I'm leaving.

Where will you go?

I want to see the space station.

To meet new people.

To fill my life... with life again... in the time I have left.

I'm leaving as well.

There's an uninhabited planet only a few light-years from here.

I'd like to spend my final days in the open air.

My people don't believe in holding grudges.

I wish you well, Seven of Nine.

Thank you.

It's nice to be on a Federation starship again.

I'd like to stay aboard Voyager.

The Captain said you may stay as long as you wish.

You mean as long as I have.

I can't forgive you for what you did to us.

But I do understand why you did it.

Naomi Wildman.

I thought you might like some company.

Why?

Because of... what happened with the drones.

I see that word travels quickly.

It's a small ship.

I thought maybe you might want to spend some time with... family.