[transcribed by Amiroq aka Gypzy] Scene 1 - Harry's quarters. PARIS is slothing on a chair listening to his buddy play something jazzy on the clarinet. There is a loud thumping on the wall. Harry: Sorry! Tom: Obviously, Ensign Baytart doesn't appreciate music. Harry: It's the darn fluid conduits running through the walls. They conduct sound. You'd think when they designed this thing, they would have-- --tested the sound-proofing, specially for him. Sure, Har. Tom: [starts pacing] This ship was built for combat performance, Harry, not musical performance. Nobody figured we'd be taking any long trips. Harry: Where am I supposed to practice? Tom: How about the cargo bay? Harry: Bad acoustics. Tom: We could get Baytart transferred to the night shift. Harry: We couldn't do that. He pauses, and looks hopeful. Harry: Could we? Tom: So now you have an excuse to give your mother why you didn't practice while you were gone. He sits down on Harry's couch with a PADD and a cup of... drink that he must have had from the start. Harry is studying some sheet music. Harry: Look, I'm trying to prepare for an important performance. Tom: Oh, really? Are we scheduled to rendezvous with the Delta Quadrant Symphony Orchestra? Harry shoots Tom the same look he always shoots when Tom says something stupid. Harry: No, Susan Nicoletti and I have been working on a new orchestral program for the holodeck. Tom: Lieutenant Nicoletti? The one I've been chasing for six months? Cold hands, cold heart? Harry: Not when she plays the oboe. V/O: Chakotay to all senior officers. Please report to the bridge. Tom: [as they get up to leave] You know, Harry, I've always wanted to learn how to play the drums. Harry laughs. Scene 2. Bridge. Enter JANEWAY from her Ready Room. Tuvok: I am picking up communication satellites in orbit. They're nonfunctional. Janeway: Mr. Paris, take us in a little closer. Mr. Kim, scan the surface. [Neelix stands up from the observer's chair] Neelix: Captain, this used to be a major trading spot. Janeway: How long ago? Neelix: I'm not sure exactly. If I had to guess-- Harry: E-M signature indicates... that a major solar flare occurred here 19 years ago. Neelix: I'd say about 19 years, uh, more or less. Chakotay: Looks like a glacial freeze. Janeway: Caused by a solar flare... that radically changed the weather patterns. Harry: It did a lot more than that. They were hit by magnetic storms and extreme levels of radiation. Chakotay: Those glaciers are receding. Harry: The biosphere seems to be recovering. Tom: Did anyone survive? Harry: - Scanning the settlement. [pause as he presses buttons and tries to look busy] There's evidence of advanced technology, warp reactors, subspace transmitters, but no life signs. Tom: Maybe they saw it coming and evacuated the planet. Tuvok: Indications are that any attempt at an evacuation would have been prevented by the atmospheric disturbances. Janeway: What was the estimated population? Tuvok: Approximately 400,000. Harry: Captain, I'm picking up something from the surface. I think we're being hailed! [close up on Janeway's face, and...rooooooll credits!] Chakotay: I thought you said there weren't any life signs. Harry: There aren't. I scanned the entire surface. Must be an automated signal. Janeway: Let's hear it. An alien appears on the viewscreen. He has a prosthetic on his forehead and his grey hair is slightly balding, but all in all he looks like a prematurely-aged 30-something in a Halloween costume. Viorsa: I am Viorsa, planner for the Kohl settlement. Your sensors have activated this message. By now you must be aware of the catastrophic disaster... [shot of Tom looking upset. pan to Janeway, standing very close to the conn] ...that has destroyed our home. A few of us have managed to survive in a state of artificial hibernation, programmed to end in 15 years from the date this was recorded. At that time, when the eco-recovery has begun, we will attempt to rebuild our settlement. Please, do nothing to interrupt our timetable. Chakotay: Their timetable was supposed to end four years ago. Tom: -Looks like they didn't make it. Janeway: Mr. Kim, wouldn't your scans have picked up suppressed metabolic activity? Harry: I'd think so, Captain. Unless-- [Harry gets a bright idea] Checking below the surface. Nothing one kilometer down... Two kilometers... Wa-hate a minute. I think I've got something, 2.3 kilometers down. Extremely faint bio-signatures. Three humanoids. Janeway: Can you detect a malfunction in their systems, something to explain why they didn't wake up on schedule? Harry: Not at this distance. But I am picking up two more humanoids at the same location who are dead. Janeway: Are there any automated security systems? We triggered a "Do Not Disturb" sign, and I don't want to set off anything worse. Tuvok: No weapons of any kind, Captain. It is safe to transport the hibernation pods to Voyager, if that is your intent. Janeway: It is. Prepare to beam them to Cargo Bay 1. Mr. Kim, you're with me. Janeway to Kes. Report to Cargo Bay 1. Bring your medical gear. Kes: Aye, Captain. Janeway and Harry exit the bridge onto the turbolift. Cut to-- Scene 3. Cargo Bay One. Five hibernation pods are transported in. They are red, cylindrical, and have windows in them. They look like tiny little rocket ships. Kes: Two humanoids dead, three humanoids in deep stasis. ......Life signs apparently stable. [Janeway rubs away the dust from one of the windows. The occupant is obviously Viorsa, the alien in the recorded message. Janeway: Our messenger. [to Harry] Did the system break down? Harry: Not that I can see. I'm not reading any pathway failures in the hibernation pods. The circuitry all seems to be functioning. [fiddles with the computer in the middle, which displays pretty pictures] Looks like their brains are interconnected... in a complex sensory system... controlled by this computer. According to these indicators, Captain, their minds are active. Janeway: "Active"? What do you mean? Harry: The encephalographic readings suggest they're dreaming, but there's some kind of interactivity with the computer. It's not just scanning their brain functions. It's sending a data stream back to them as well. Janeway: Could it be generating an artificial environment of some sort? Kes: Artificial environment? Janeway: Years ago, Starfleet used a technology to assist deep space travel, that kept the body in stasis, but provided a mental landscape to keep the mind active and alert. Kes: That sounds like a pretty good way to wait out a planetary disaster. Harry: For the moment, it's as good a theory as any. Janeway: So what went wrong? Why are they still in there? [the music swells to a crescendo] Scene 4. Conference Room. KIM is standing by the wall monitor, spewing out technobabble. Well... not literally. Harry: The system was supposed to bring these people out of hibernation four years ago. However, it wasn't left entirely to the computer. [the camera moves to show the rest of the senior staff staring at him intently] The programmers obviously wanted the people in the system to decide for themselves when it would be safe to come out. This was accomplished by a subroutine that periodically displayed atmospheric conditions to them. Janeway: So they should have known years ago that the biosphere had recovered. Harry: Exactly. This subroutine has remained available to these people since it was activated four years ago. It's literally an escape hatch. Tuvok: Perhaps it has malfunctioned. Harry: No. That's what's so odd about this. As far as I can tell, it's working perfectly. B'Elanna: Then why don't they get themselves out? Harry: I don't know. Tom: Maybe they like it in there. The wall monitor's pretty displays are replaced by the channel to Sickbay with a beep. Doctor: I don't think so. Janeway: Doctor? Doc: The two victims died from massive heart failure, and there was evidence of prior neural trauma. Neelix: I'm sorry. What does that mean? It could be evidence of extreme fear. Neelix: Maybe it was caused by the panic that accompanies a heart attack. Kes: The readings suggest an extended period of mental stress. Chakotay: Sounds like we ought to get them out right away. Doc: Surely, Commander, you're not suggesting we simply unplug them? Chakotay: Why not? Doc: Because you have three brains whose survival has depended upon careful monitoring by a sophisticated computer system for 19 years. Harry: The Doc is right. I have no idea how to disconnect them without causing neural damage. I just don't know the system well enough. Tuvok: They know the system. Why don't we ask them how to proceed? Tom: How can we do that? Implant a com-link into their brains? Tuvok: We already have a means of communication: the two unoccupied pods. Harry: We could add a backup life-support system, using our own computer and medical stasis technology. Chakotay: If the only way to help those people is to go in and find out from them what's wrong, I don't see any alternative. Janeway: Neither do I. Scene 5. Cargo Bay One. They fiddle with the pods. KES and JANEWAY are playing around, HARRY and B'ELANNA are getting into the rocket ships. Kes: I'll be monitoring your mental and physical functions. If we detect any unusual activity, you'll be transferred onto our life-support system and resuscitated. Janeway: We've tapped into the system's recall subroutine program. I'll give you five minutes to look around, then I'm bringing you back. - Consider this a test run. - B'Elanna: Understood. Kes: Inducing primary stasis. [she induces. shot of B'Elanna lying in one of the rocket ships with metal things on her face, looking nervous.] Autonomic nervous system link is secure. Janeway: They're connecting to the system. Scene 5.5 Inside the computer. The background is blue and orange and *very* bright. B'Elanna: Looks like we made it. Harry: How do you feel? B'Elanna: Normal. They wander. We hear sounds of a big party going on. There is exotic music. Eventually we find many dancing girls, of all shapes and sizes. Some of them are waving ribbons around and generally having fun. Harry: These must be characters generated by the computer, but I don't see our people. B'Elanna: Neither do I. Harry: Uh, excuse me. We're trying to find some friends. A funny grey and white painted clown pokes out from behind a mask. Clown: Well, that shouldn't be difficult. We're all friends here. ALL: Yeah. Yeah. The clown is ominous looking. Harry bumps into a little midget lady who reminds me of Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. Harry: Oh, I'm sorry. Mimi: Oh, I'm sorry. Harry: I didn't mean to bump into you. Mimi: You're new. Harry: Yes, we are. Mimi: Where are you from? B'Elanna: Another town. Mimi: [indignantly] There aren't any other towns. The Mimi-midget stalks away. Harry: We're not getting very far. He is bumped by a really big black thing with big teeth. Giant: Perhaps I can help you. You are looking for friends? Harry: That's right. Three of them. Giant: And when you find these friends? B'Elanna: We want to talk to them. Clown: Why talk, when we can dance? The music changes to something upbeat and party-like as the clown drags them towards camera left. Everyone forms a wild congo-line. Harry and B'Elanna try to escape as they are led to a raised dias upon which is a pink guillotine. An executioner activates it, and it chops a log in half. Harry: Let's get out of here. B'Elanna: You've got it. They try to es "cape but are grabbed by two plastic mimes. They try to fight back but they ignores their attempts. Giant: Take him! Harry is led toward the dias, struggling. B'Elanna looks very, very scared. B'Elanna: Harry! ALL: [mocking] Harry! B'Elanna: Harry! ALL: Harry! B'Elanna: Harry! ALL: Harry! Harry: No! Harry is locked inside the pink guillotine. The Mimi-midget dusts it. The partiers laugh and clap. B'Elanna: Harry! ALL: Harry! AD BREAK Enter VIORSA and two other aliens Viorsa: Stop! [shot of the clown looking up] They're aliens, and they won't be alone. Kill them, and their shipmates will shut down the program. The clown thinks on this for a moment. Clown: Let him go. Viorsa: We knew this would happen someday: that a ship would find us. It was only a matter of time. Clown: Only a matter of time, yes. Viorsa: Who knows what kind of people they are? Who knows what will happen to this world if you hurt them? Clown: I do. I know. Bring them here. Bring them here, bring them here, bring them here. [to B'Elanna] You're like me: a little of this and a little of that. [a bunch of brightly coloured flowers appears in his hand, and B'Elanna shoves them aside] Ooh, my, what a temper. That's from your mother's side, isn't it? Yes, you see, I know everything. [Harry looks sickened] This is my world, my festival. And you're here without an invitation. B'Elanna: What is going on? Who is he? Clown: You will talk to me! I speak for them, and I speak for you now. You don't understand that yet. You don't accept it, but you will. Harry: Are you a life-form... or some kind of computer virus that penetrated this system? There is raucous laughter, and all the party-goers spontaneously start dancing and singing. ALL: A virus, a virus! He thinks I am a virus! A virus, a virus! Clown: Well, perhaps, I'll be a virus today. [sneezes] Oh, this one's got a mind full of technical and operational thoughts and ideas. - Harry knows viruses. - Viorsa: Stop this. Clown: I know you came here to get them and take them away. But if you do that, we'll all disappear. Harry: Disappear... because you're characters created by this program, and once their minds stop interacting with the system, you won't exist anymore. Clown: Ah. See the technical mind at work. It seeks diagnostics, data analysis. Well, here's some more data for your mind to analyze and diagnose, Harry. Yes, I am merely what has been created and is being created... by his brain, his brain, her brain... and now yours... and yours. [spits on his hand and cleans the exaggeratedly-oversized commbadge on his grey costume. a wall monitor appears on the bright green backdrop, beeping and looking pretty.] Clown: What-- What's this doing here now? This is your work! B'Elanna: That's our wake-up call. It's been a real pleasure, but we're leaving. Come on! Clown: If you leave, one of them will die. One of them will die. Try it and see. If you leave... [thinks, then points to the second male alien] he dies. Viorsa: He can do it. He's already killed two of our colleagues. B'Elanna: How is that possible? Clown: I cut off their heads. B'Elanna: But none of this is *real*! Clown: Of course it's real. -As real as a nightmare. Harry: The two we found dead-- Both suffered from massive heart attacks. Clown: Heart attack. Now, what might cause a heart attack? Hmm. Unmanageable stress, perhaps? Unmanageable fear? The fear of losing a *head*, perhaps? There is wild giggling in the background Harry: You scared them to death. The clown bows. Scene 6. Cargo Bay One. JANEWAY and TUVOK are looking at a console. Janeway: What's taking them so long? Kes: Life signs are stable. There's no interruption of brain wave activity. Janeway: The recall subroutine is functioning. The window opened for them on schedule. Kes: Captain, the norepinephrine levels are rising. They're well above baseline. Some of that is to be expected, but these levels indicate abnormal stress. Janeway: All right. I'm going to try to bring them out with our backup systems. Kes: Initiating resuscitation. The body temperature is rising. [beeping] Janeway: What happened? Kes: Their bodies are returning to stasis condition, Captain. Tuvok: Someone is terminating the recall command... from inside the system. Scene 7. The party. HARRY is terminating the recall command from inside the system. Clown: Very wise of you, my technically minded fellow. Now, get rid of it completely. It's an intrusion. It's ruining the party. Harry:: That would be a mistake. Clown: No mistake. A mistake if you refuse. Harry: You'd be missing an opportunity. Clown: Trying to get the better of me? Trying to trick me? I know everything you know, Harry Kim. I know how much you miss Libby. I know how you can never hit that G-sharp in the Mozart concerto. Do you think I don't know you're trying to defeat me? Harry: Fine. So you know. You'll also know that what I'm about to tell you is the truth. You'd be smart to let one of us go. Clown: Would I? Harry: This is your chance to send the outside world a message, to tell them your demands. Clown: I have only one demand: to exist! B'Elanna: Then you'd better let us tell them. Harry: Otherwise, you run the risk of our people shutting down the whole system. Because I promise you, they won't let us stay in here for long. The clown goes into a scrum with his party-mates. Harry and B'Elanna talk to the aliens. Harry: How did this happen? Female alien: The system was designed to be adaptive, to observe and respond to our thoughts... and adjust the environment to our wishes. B'Elanna: Who wished him up? Viorsa: It happened over months without our even realizing it. All of us had fears about survival, recovery. We never anticipated the computer would manifest those fears into him. Male: Our only hope was that someone like you would come along and find us. Harry: It's almost as though he can read our minds. He seems to know what we're thinking. Female: He's generated by the system, and our brains are monitored by the system. So, yes, in a manner of speaking, he can. Viorsa: But there is a delay before he becomes aware of what we're thinking. Female: It takes a few minutes for our brain activity to be processed by the system. The scrum ends. The clown faces Harry and B'Elanna with his decision. Clown: Well, I've come to a decision with the help of my friends. [points at B'Elanna] You, leave. [points at Harry] You, stay. And tell your beloved Captain Janeway that if we die, they die, including you, dear Harry. [pats Harry's cheeks and then his chest, invading his personal bubble in a big way] You, who becomes my best friend as of today. Because she would never kill you, would she, Harry? No. She's like a dear, old mother to you, isn't she? [looks back at B'Elanna] Go! B'Elanna goes. Scene 8. Cargo Bay One. Janeway: Someone's activated the recall subroutine. Kes: Captain, it's Lieutenant Torres. Her body temperature is rising. She should regain consciousness in about 12 minutes. Janeway: At least we'll finally get the answers to a few questions. AD BREAK Scene 9: Conference Room. JANEWAY is pacing. All the senior staff is there, except HARRY - for obvious reasons. Janeway: Well, let's start with the obvious question. If they're demanding to exist, can we find a way to let them exist in this artificial world of theirs? B'Elanna: Not unless you're prepared to leave one person in stasis permanently. Doc: I concur with Lieutenant Torres. The computer uses bio-neural feedback from the participants' brains to create the environment. Janeway: Doctor, is there a way to speed up resuscitation? Doc: Only by a few minutes. Anything more would be risking serious brain damage. Ten minutes would be about the best we could do. Tom: Ten minutes and all the hostages could be killed. Janeway: Then it seems to me our first order of business should be to reduce the number of hostages. All we have to do now... is decide how to negotiate with an emotion, with a manifestation.. of fear. Tuvok: Fear is the most primitive, the most primordial of biological responses. Janeway: The ability to recognize danger. To fight it or run away from it. That's what fear gives us. But when fear holds you hostage, how do you make it let go? Neelix: Maybe we should try to make him laugh. A good joke just, uh, seems to make f-fear dissolve. Well, it does in me, anyway. Janeway: I think something a little more responsive to the clown's demand. B'Elanna, maybe you can come up with a way to modify the system, so it can run without bio-neural interaction. Chakotay: How do we negotiate without sending in another hostage? Janeway: Good question. We have to come up with a safer method of communication. Scene 10. The party. The hostages sit in a corner sulking. The partiers party. Viorsa: I regret very much what has happened to you. You came to help. You didn't deserve this. [pause] I regret so many things. Harry: Look, we don't have time for regret. My people are working on a way, right now, to get us out of here. And we have to help them if we can. Viorsa: You'll leave hope behind after a few months of this. [the clown laughs raucously] Harry: Why does he do it? Viorsa: We're his canvas, his blocks of marble. With us, he practices his ghastly art. Clown: Thinking about escape, are we, Harry? Naughty, naughty. I don't like those thoughts. [taps the side of his head] We're going to have to do something about them. Female: He's new. He can't help thinking about getting out. Clown: He can! You don't think about it anymore. Oh, but he's new, and you're old. New and old. Old and new. Well, then, the answer is to simply... make you old, Harry. [laughs, and makes Harry all old.] Are you afraid of growing old, Harry? Is that what you fear? Being cared for by nurses? Time for your medicine. You don't like being helpless, do you, Harry? You like to take care of yourself. Yes, I know how you hate to feel like the baby on the crew. [suddenly, Harry is now a baby, wearing a little Starfleet uniform and crying. the clown picks him up] Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, what's the matter, Harry? - Oh, does my costume frighten you? Huh? - Kootchy-coo. Yeah. Oh, look at little Harry fly. Whoo! Whoo! There he goes. Whoo! Whee! All right, that's enough. Harry: This is not reality. It's an illusion. When your only reality is an illusion, then illusion is a reality. Harry: Like the man said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Clown: Oh, I thought we were going to be friends. [puts an arm around Harry's shoulder] Didn't want to do this, Harry. No, I didn't want to bring this up in front of the others, but I know what really scares you. I know when you were nine, your parents took you to that colony: a radiation disaster, a humanitarian mission. You visited a hospital. You remember. Harry: No, no. Clown: You wandered off by yourself... where you weren't supposed to be. Harry: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Harry is pushed down onto a hospital bed and strapped down. Clown: You saw people and things you weren't supposed to see. Sick and dying. Keep repeating: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." [the clown prompts the partiers, and they all start repeating] "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." And how about: "There's no place like home." "There's no place like home." Try clicking your heels together three times. [Harry tries, but his feet are restrained in red shackles] Oh, but your legs are restrained, aren't they? Just like that little girl you saw on the operating table. The doctor called for a scalpel. Mimi hands the Clown a scalpel. Harry is practically having a heart attack. Clown: She looked at you, her face filled with fear. Fear. Fear. Fear. - Do you remember? The clown is wearing a surgical mask now, and slowly lowers the scalpel to where Harry is desperately trying to escape. Harry: No! Suddenly, the music stops. Doc: Excuse me. You're not holding that properly. Correct positioning of the index finger is necessary for optimal dexterity. Clown: Who are you? Doc: I'm Captain Janeway's representative. [he undoes Harry's bonds] I'm here to negotiate with you. Are you well, Mr. Kim? Harry: Starting to feel better. Clown: You're different. I don't know anything about you. You're not on the system. Doc: I would be pleased to tell you all about myself at a more appropriate time. For now, suffice it to say that I am here by a miracle of technology. Now, let's get down to the issues, shall we? Clown: How am I supposed to negotiate if I don't know what you're thinking? Doc: I have a very trustworthy face. My captain is prepared to give you exactly what you asked for, under the condition you release all the hostages. The clown snorts with laughter. Clown: Release the hostages? Doc: We would provide continuing input from a simulated brain. A computer model that would generate-- Clown: Simulated brain? Simulated? Doc: I, myself, have a comparable-- Clown: It won't work. It's a lie. Tell him, Harry. Harry: I don't know that for sure. Clown: Liar! Viorsa! Get over here! - Tell him. Viorsa: It might require a recalibration of the optronic pathways. Clown: Liar! After all this time, do you think I can't tell when you lie? Doc: The simulated brain-- Clown: Would leave me at your mercy! No! They stay. At this point, we can almost imagine the clown throwing himself on the floor kicking and screaming. Doc: The captain is prepared to risk the lives of the hostages rather than leave them under your control. Clown: Who is she to tell me what I have to do? Doc: She's the one out there with the off switch in her hand. Clown: She would never kill Harry. Harry: I'd rather die than spend my life in here with you. - She knows that. Clown: I won't let them go. Doc: A compromise. Let some of them go. Clown: No. Doc: We've studied your system. You only need one to survive. Clown: And if that one gets sick and dies? No, I need them all. Now go away. And tell your Captain Janeway I'm disappointed. I expected more from her. Doc: If we could just-- Clown: Go away. ALL: Go away. - Go away. - Go away. - Go away. - Go away. - Go away. - Doc: [to Harry] I'll be back. ALL: Go away. - Go away. - Go away. - Go away! - Go away! - Go away! - Go away! - Go a-- Viorsa is sitting in a corner, looking very very scared. Oh... has he been caught telling lies by the big bad clown? Scene 11. Sickbay. JANEWAY, TUVOK and DOC are talking. Janeway: Well, I'm sorry I don't live up to his expectations. What's your opinion of him, Doctor? Doc: Unstable, unpredictable. Everything you'd expect from fear. Tuvok: Captain, the longer we allow this to continue, the more likely it is that he will take his frustrations out on the hostages. Janeway: I agree, and I can't allow that to happen. We're going to have to mount some kind of rescue mission. AD BREAK B'Elanna enters Sickbay. Doctor, if we do simply disconnect the hostages-- Doc: There would certainly be brain damage. Janeway: How much damage? Could you possibly repair it? Chakotay has also entered during the 30-second break, and is standing by the Doctor looking concerned. Doc: Possibly, yes. Would Mr. Kim still be able to hold his clarinet when I was done? Possibly. The brain is such an interesting organ. Chakotay: Could we switch over to a simulated brain... - without the clown noticing it? B'Elanna: Oh, he'd notice. He was very smart to reject the whole notion of a simulated brain. It just wouldn't be the same. There is no way... an artificial intelligence can replace actual brain functions. Doc: I'll choose not to take that personally, Lieutenant. For what it's worth, Mr. Viorsa suggested there would be a way to make a simulated brain function in this system. He suggested it would take... "a recalibration of the optronic pathways." B'Elanna: I don't know what he could have been talking about. The optronic pathways have nothing to do with the neural interface. It doesn't make any sense. Tuvok: Then, perhaps, he had another reason for saying it. Chakotay: How do the optronic pathways function in this system, B'Elanna? B'Elanna: They-- They control the basic elements of the environment: access data banks that were programmed when the system was created. [she realises what this means] If we interrupt the optronic pathways, we could disassemble that entire world... and its characters, piece by piece. Janeway: If we can't remove the hostages from the environment, then we might be able to remove the environment from the hostages. B'Elanna: How did Viorsa manage to communicate this without the clown knowing about it? Doc: Perhaps it was because the clown's attention was divided at the time. Janeway: And you're going to continue to provide him with distractions, Doctor. B'Elanna, how long will it take to block these pathways? B'Elanna: I'm not sure how many there are, Captain. And I'll have to do it manually because we don't know how to deprogram the system. Janeway: You'll only have a few minutes at best. Once Fear knows what we're up to, it will be a race against time to save the lives of those hostages. Scene 12. The party. Giant: Bravo! Bravo! Clown: Go away. I want to be alone. Giant: You're ruining the festival. Mimi: Don't be a poop. Clown: I can't help it. I'm feeling sorry for myself. Mimi: Well, don't take it out on us. Giant: Take it out on them. Clown: You people. You wonderful people. My friends. You do know how to make a man feel better, don't you? Okay, then, what shall we play? - Uh, the insect game. Giant: Yes, yes, the insect game. The clown gets up and starts walking toward the hostages, but almost bumps into the Doctor, who has returned. Clown: You again? You're the one who ruined my mood. You and your sweet captain. Doc: My "sweet captain" has a new offer to make. Clown: No simulated brains. I want real brains. Doc: The captain is prepared to give you a cloaking device. Clown: I already have a cloaking device. [he spins around, and is now wearing a red cape] Thank you anyway. Doc: I'm talking about a device that would shield you from being detected by any other interstellar visitors. The clown is interested. Scene 13. Cargo Bay One. B'ELANNA is fiddling with the optronic pathways. B'Elanna: There are almost 40 pathways to disable, Captain, but I should be able to get it done in under two minutes. Janeway: Good. Let's get started. 13.5 Doc: We will return your entire computer system... to the subterranean locale where we found it. With the help of Mr. Kim and a team of Starfleet engineers, it will be an easy matter to install the cloaking device, which will insure your safety for the foreseeable future. Clown: Harry, is this possible? Harry: Yes. Clown: I don't know if I believe you. I don't know yet, but I'll know soon if you're telling the truth. You can't fool me. [chuckles] cut to B'Elanna, still fiddling with her little glowing engineer-stick and the computer. Clown: [sitting *very* close to Harry] What does she want in return? And don't say the hostages because I'm not giving them up. In the background, there are quiet little shooming noises as gradually, people disappear. Doc: You have to understand that the captain's primary concern is the safety of the hostages. Clown: She's such a warm and noble person. I'd love her to come to one of my parties someday. B'Elanna is still fiddling... Clown: What if I promise to take really good care of my guests? We could be more than friends. [Harry is getting really nervous at this... with good reason, too. Slashers unite!!] We could be colleagues. [he rests his head on Harry's shoulder] I'm really not such a bad fellow. Giant: What's happening? Clown: You tricked me! It's an attack! It's an attack! Red alert! Red alert! [sees Viorsa] You! You warned them! You told them how it could be done! Take him! Viorsa is dragged toward the dias Female: No! Please, no! Cut to B'Elanna and Janeway, still working on the glowing lights. B'Elanna: Twenty-two. Janeway: More than halfway there, B'Elanna. Kes: Captain, it's Viorsa. His norepinephrine levels are rising sharply. Male: No, please! I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything! B'Elanna is fiddling intently, when suddenly a green light flashes and she pulls away. Janeway: What is it? B'Elanna: Some kind of protection device. I'm locked out. I'll have to disable it. Genera; background chatter and laughter continue at the party (Yeah! There it goes! There it goes! Don't do it! Don't!) as the Doc tries to save Viorsa. He is shoved aside and a guy with a big feather cape grabs him, then disappears. The Doc shrugs and jumps back into the fray. Kes: Viorsa's norepinephrine levels are critical. B'Elanna: Just ten more pathways. Viorsa is dragged into the guillotine. B'Elanna is fiddling. The blade comes down. Harry looks sick. Kes: He's dead. Massive heart failure. Captain, this one's norepinephrine levels are approaching critical. Clown: [to the female] You're next! You're next! Janeway: Restore the entire program. We've lost. Clown: We've won. We've won. We've won. Start the music! Start the music! Celebration! Celebration! Celebration! AD BREAK Scene 14. Sickbay. The DOC is trying to convince JANEWAY that she did good. Doc: Your decision to capitulate saved the lives of the other hostages, Captain. You should take some comfort from that. Janeway: I don't. Have I misjudged him somehow? Is there another way to reach him? Isn't there more to fear than a simple demand to exist? Why do people enjoy dangerous sports... or holodeck adventures with the safety off? Why, after all these centuries, do children still ride on roller coasters? Doc: Fear can provide pleasure. To seek fear is to seek the boundaries of one's sensory experience. Janeway: But what does fear seek... at the end of the ride? Scene 15. The party continues with unrivalled abandon Clown: You understand, don't you, Harry, that we will have to punish you for your captain's little trick? To the winner go the spoils, and you are the spoils, after all. We can talk about that later. For now, enjoy yourself. Oh, good lord. They're gonna have sex! :D The Doc reappears (luckily for Harry) and the party stops - again. Clown: Well, you certainly know how to bring a party to a halt. Doc: I don't get out very much. Clown: I bet. Doc: The captain has sent me with an ultimatum. Clown: "Ultimatum"? Ultimatum. She would give me an ultimatum? [laughter] Did Napoleon give ultimatum after Waterloo? Did Chulak of Romulus... give an ultimatum after his defeat at Galorndon Core? We won! We give the ultimatums around here. Doc: The captain is prepared to shut down the system one minute from now... if you don't agree to her terms. Clown: And scramble the brains of all my guests, including Harry? - I don't think so. Doc: Fifty-two seconds. She is willing to risk brain damage to the hostages, but she will end this, and end this now, one way or another. Clown: What are her-her terms? Doc: Forty-three seconds. She will allow you to keep one person on the system. The other hostages must be released. Clown: One? Never! I won't agree! Doc: You have 30 seconds to avoid termination. I need more time, time to think. - Two! Let me keep two. - Doc: Twenty seconds. There is another provision. The one hostage you will be allowed to keep is Captain Janeway herself. Clown: [looking ver emotional] She would choose to be with me? Doc: Your time is up. Your answer, please. Clown: Yes! Scene 16. Cargo Bay One. V/O: Captain, this is the Doctor. I've returned to sick bay. Please turn to your Emergency Medical Holographic channel. Janeway does. Janeway: Did he accept? Doc: Yes, Captain. Janeway: Perfect. Good work, Doctor. Doc: Would you like me to return and supervise the evacuation of the hostages? Janeway: I don't think that'll be necessary. But you could help with the preparations at this end. Janeway out. B'Elanna: We're finished here, Captain. Janeway: Initiate the recall subroutine... and prepare to begin resuscitation. Kes, give me a hand getting hooked up to all this. Scene 17. The party is now a spring-cleaning party. Clown: Sparkling. I want everything sparkling for her arrival. Sparkling. Harry starts to try to leave using the wall monitor. Clown: Uh, uh, uh, uh. Harry, not so fast. They can't have you until I have her. No more tricks. Back in the cargo bay, Kes is hooking the captain up to the system. Clown: Ooh, she's coming. I can feel the system beginning to scan her brain. This really is such an extraordinary gesture she's making. I am so moved. [blows his noise] You don't quite believe it yourself, do you? Harry: The captain would sacrifice herself to save the hostages. Clown: "Sacrifice herself"? You can be so cruel, Harry. You don't appreciate my hospitality. The party stops. All the other dancers disappear. In the background, we hear show-down music. The Captain has arrived. Clown: You're here. You're actually here. I don't believe it. Janeway: The arrangement was that the others would be released. Clown: You show remarkable trust, Captain. How could you be so sure I would keep my word? Janeway: I've known fear. It's a very healthy thing most of the time. You warn us of danger, remind us of our limits, protect us from carelessness. I've learned to trust fear. Clown: Finally, someone who appreciates me. - Am I blushing? Janeway: Let them go. Clown: Yes, yes, of course. You may depart. Farewell, my friends. Do come back and visit. I'll always be here. In the Cargo Bay, Kes keeps an eye on things. B'Elanna: The recall subroutine has been activated. Kes: Body temperatures are rising. B'Elanna: Initiating all backup systems. The hostages should regain consciousness in less than ten minutes. Harry and the two remaining aliens stand by the wall monitor. Harry: We'll get you out of here, Captain. I promise. Janeway: That won't be necessary, Mr. Kim, but thank you. They leave. Clown: I can't wait to get to know you, to make you a part of me. Janeway: As I understand it, it takes a few minutes... before you become aware of my thoughts. Is that true? Clown: An eternity of anticipation. Janeway: And then what happens? Clown: And then the fun begins. B'Elanna is helping Kes in the Cargo Bay. B'Elanna: All systems functioning as anticipated. Resuscitation entering final warming. Kes: Bio-functions are returning to normal. Their own hearts are taking over. They don't need supplemental life support any longer. Janeway: Would you be honest with me? Clown: Fear is the most honest of all emotions, Captain. Janeway: You really want this to end as much as I do, don't you? Clown: Now, now, don't even think about leaving. I'm not going to let you go, not after all this. Mirror. [a mirror appears] Don't we make a beautiful couple, Captain? Janeway: I'm not Captain Janeway. Clown: [obviously not believing her] Could have fooled me. Janeway: I'm afraid I did. His face falls, and hits the floor with a thud. Clown: Pardon? Janeway: I'm nothing more than a holographic image of Captain Janeway, sent here by the same technique they used to send their Doctor. I've been programmed to respond to you as Kathryn Janeway would. Clown: But-- But I-I-I fe el you. Y-Y-You're on the system. Janeway: She is on the system, yes, but not in stasis. Captain Janeway and her crew modified the pods so that she could be connected to the system without having to enter this environment. There is a very pretty spinning pattern behind him. Janeway: The goal was to let you sense her brain activity without putting her in actual jeopardy. You will be able to confirm what I'm telling you as soon as you become aware of her thoughts. People are getting the rocket ships ready for everyone to come out of. Janeway: You know as well as I do that fear only exists for one purpose: to be conquered. Clown: She tricked me. Janeway: Did she? Or was a part of you actually hoping to be defeated? Isn't that why you allowed Captain Janeway to come here? Because you sensed she had the power to subdue you. As she speaks, the background is fading behind them into blackness. Clown: [sulking] No. She lied. That was very un-Starfleet of her. Janeway: Starfleet captains don't easily succumb to fear. Clown: What will become of us? Of me? Now, he is fading, also. Janeway: Like all fear, you eventually... vanish. Clown: [whispering] I'm afraid. Janeway: I know.... Clown: Drat. fade to black.