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Voyager is docked at the
Markonian Outpost Space Station. Captain Janeway announces to
the crew that the doors have been opened for anyone to visit.
Seven of Nine and Naomi Wildman go to lunch together in the Mess
Hall where they are surrounded by numerous alien visitors.
A man approaches Seven of Nine
and puts his briefcase-sized container on a table. When Seven of
Nine notices the Borg equipment, she bolts up. Suddenly, Seven
of Nine begins to experience memory flashbacks from her past as
a Borg.
The items turn out to be Borg relays from Seven of Nine's
original unimatrix. The man offers them to Seven of Nine, but
when he speaks it seems that his words are not his own and are
instead chosen for him. Seven of Nine accepts the Borg relays
and she tells the man that Captain Janeway will compensate him.
As the man walks away, he communicates telepathically with two
others, telling them to prepare to penetrate Voyager's security
systems.
Seven of Nine brings the Borg relays to Torres for her
evaluation. Seven of Nine tells her how the items triggered
visual images, sense memories, sounds and smells. Torres
suggests that Seven of Nine was experiencing nostalgia when she
first saw the relays. However, Seven of Nine insists that she
isn't having any feelings whatsoever about the past. Seven of
Nine leaves the relays for computer analysis. Just as she
returns to her alcove to regenerate, the Borg relays begin to
emit a soft beeping.
Next, three Borg (the first is the man who brought Seven of Nine
the Borg relays) enter Seven of Nine's alcove. Two assimilation
tubes appear from one of the Borg's arms and begin to penetrate
Seven's neck. Seven of Nine unconsciously becomes aware of their
presence and when she opens her eyes she begins to fight them.
Suddenly, Tuvok and the Security team's phaser fire hits the
three Borg and they crumple to the deck.
Seven identifies the three as Two of Nine, Three of Nine, and
Four of Nine. They were all once members of the same unimatrix,
but Seven of Nine has no idea why they were trying to access her
memories. The three Borg tell Captain Janeway that their goal
was to break their telepathic link and become individuals.
Apparently, Seven of Nine and the other three Borg were the only
survivors of a vessel crash eight years earlier. However, when
they were reassimilated into the Collective, the three were
somehow linked together permanently. When the three finally
escaped, they had their implants removed but they couldn't break
the telepathic link between them. They were hoping that Seven of
Nine remembered what happened to them.
Seven of Nine suggests linking her neurally to the three Borgs,
in order for them to find the truth. Unfortunately, there is the
possibility that she becomes trapped in the neural link. Despite
the risks involved, Seven of Nine decides to go ahead. When
Seven of Nine's neural link is connected to the Borgs, they
discover that Seven of Nine was the one who reassimilated them.
The Doctor then breaks the neural link between Seven of Nine and
the other three Borg. As a result of the process, the three Borg
damage their brains which sends them into a comatose state. The
Borg will only survive for a month unless they are reassimilated
into the Collective.
Initially, Seven of Nine decides that their survival is the most
important. However, after she talks with Chakotay, she decides
that by removing their neural implants, they will be able to
live as individuals for a short time. When the three wake up,
they begin to make separate plans for their brief, yet
individual futures. |
