Original subtitles

Captain's Log, Stardate 45397.3.

Two days ago

Starbase 514 lost contact with the research vessel Vico

which was sent to explore

the interior of a black cluster.

We are en route to investigate.

Captain, we're entering sector 9-7.

I am picking up massive gravitational fluctuations, sir.

Take us out of warp, Ensign.

Yes, sir.

The black cluster is within visual range, Captain.

On screen.

Aye, sir.

Let's find that ship.

Full sensor sweep

Mr. Data.

Aye, sir.

Quite a sight.

One of the most ancient formations in the galaxy.

I have located the Vico, sir.

The vessel appears to be adrift.

Let's see it.

Life signs?

Nothing, Commander.

Damage report, Mr. Data.

Outer and inner hulls

have been breached.

Decks seven through 12 are exposed to space.

Set up a translink to their computer core.

Let's see what happened.

I cannot, sir.

The emergency bulkheads on that deck are in place.

Our link-up signal cannot penetrate them.

Structural status, Commander?

Stress readings indicate

considerable pressure on the transverse supports.

Is it stable enough for an away team?

Yes, sir, but the risk of structural collapse

is quite high.

Have Transporter Room One

maintain a lock on each member of your away team.

I want you out at the first sign of trouble.

Take us to 15,000 meters, Ensign.

Yes, sir.

Data, you're with me.

Whoa!

This station is inoperable, sir.

This one seems to be stuck in a feedback loop.

Let's see if we can tap directly into the computer core.

The ODN junction is right down here.

Data.

Core transfer is engaged.

Exchange protocol verified.

The files are intact...

at least some of them anyway.

Stay here, Geordi.

Data.

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's Log, supplemental.

A young boy, shielded from our initial sensor scans

has been discovered pinned beneath a fallen beam.

The degree of damage to the Vico

is making our rescue attempt difficult.

Transporter Room One, can you lock onto him

and transport directly to Sick Bay?

I'll try, Captain

but there's a lot of shielding to pull him through.

Acknowledged.

Picard to Crusher.

Sick Bay here, Captain.

Prepare for emergency transport.

Yes, sir.

Crusher out.

Picard to Commander Riker.

Is the boy ready, Number One?

Ready, sir.

At your signal.

Aye, Captain.

It's going to be okay.

Here we go.

Energize.

Ensign, do we have him?

The lock is holding.

I just can't resolve the matter stream...

not with all that victurium alloy in the way.

Commander Riker, you'll have to get him out into the corridor.

I could move the beam, sir.

However, it may initiate

the collapse of the surrounding supports.

I recommend you and Geordi return to the ship.

Agreed.

La Forge.

I'm locked onto Commander Data and the boy, sir.

I'll energize

as soon as they've cleared the bulkheads.

Whenever you're ready, Data.

Yes, sir.

You're going to lift that?

Yes. Then I will take you to the corridor.

We will transport back to the Enterprise from there.

Do you understand?

How can you pick up something so heavy?

I am an android.

My strength is many times that of a human.

It is going to be... okay.

I will count to three.

One...

two...

three.

Energize.

Don't be afraid.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

A thorough search of the Vico

has revealed no additional survivors.

We have begun the process of counseling the boy

with regard to the tragedy.

We were in the black cluster.

I don't know where they came from.

They had a big ship.

Then they kept shooting at us.

Then they beamed over.

They had purple helmets on

and phaser rifles.

I saw them.

They didn't see me.

You're safe now, Timothy.

I'm sorry for what happened.

It's going to be all right.

I bet you're hungry.

Would you like me to get you something to eat?

Counselor, I must join Commander La Forge

in Engineering.

If you will excuse me.

Timothy, would you like Data

to stay with you a little bit longer?

Sections of the primary and secondary hull

were torn right off.

The shearing planes are here, here and here.

How much longer until we can access their logs?

Almost an hour.

The boy was here.

Mm-hmm. The hallway outside the computer core.

His mother was the ship's systems engineer.

The second away team found her body here

inside the core.

And his father?

Ship's second officer.

He was most likely on the Bridge

when it was exposed to space.

Most likely.

He'll sleep for a few hours

at least.

I don't need to keep him here

but I will need to see him again tomorrow.

You've got your work cut out for you.

His world is gone, Data.

We're going to have to help him build a new one.

This is not good.

Whatever hit the Vico

must've set up an EM pulse that flashed through

their computer banks.

Nearly 83% of their records have been lost.

And all of their sensor logs.

Let's use what we got from our own sensors.

I'll call up the structural analysis

and the surface scans.

Geordi...

as a child

did you ever experience a traumatic event?

You're wondering about Timothy?

Yes.

I was... caught in a fire once.

I must have been...

I don't know... about five, I guess.

It was before I got the first visor

and it was only a couple of minutes

before my parents found me and pulled me out

and nobody got hurt, but...

I tell you...

...that was the longest couple of minutes of my life.

It was a while after that

before I could even let my parents

get out of earshot.

It was like...

I absolutely needed to know that they were there, you know?

Timothy no longer has that kind of support.

Yeah.

"Dara and her brother

"found themselves in the land of Tagas

"where the ruler

"Elamos the Magnificent, had proclaimed as law:

"'No children will be tolerated within the great kingdom.'

"When Dara saw the proclamation, she just laughed and said

'How magnificent a ruler to be frightened by the likes of us."'

Timothy, we're done with sculpture for now.

It's not finished.

We'll come back to it next period.

Why don't you pick up your mythology book

and follow along?

But it's not finished.

Magnetic residual analysis

confirms that the Vico was definitely attacked

inside the black cluster.

The graviton wave fronts

pushed the ship to where we found it.

There are no signs of phaser burns on the hull.

No, sir.

Torsional stress levels

point to a disrupter-style weapon.

Fracture points indicate

that the energy burst

came from a range of less than 3,000 meters.

But that's a strategy consistent with a cloaked vessel...

Romulan or... or Klingon...

but we're quite a distance

from either of their territories.

The Breen have outposts in this sector.

The attack on the Vico

is consistent with their battle tactics

and their level of technology.

Thank you, Data.

But what would the Breen be doing

inside the black cluster?

The boy described a boarding party

with helmets and phaser rifles.

A boarding party?

I don't think that's likely, sir.

Counselor.

There was absolutely no evidence

of anybody coming on board the Vico.

We would have found a transporter field trace.

Or if somebody had used the entry ports

we would have found an electrostatic differential

in the docking latches and we didn't.

Could Timothy have imagined that, Counselor?

Or could he be lying?

If he's lying

I haven't been able to sense it.

Perhaps his emotional trauma level is too high.

Why wouldn't he tell us the truth?

He's still in shock.

It's hard to know what's going on in his mind right now.

Well, I'll go back

and check the sensor readings again

but I don't think we're going to find anything.

Thank you, Geordi.

Data?

Captain, I think we should ask Data

to spend some time with him.

I do not understand.

I'm very worried about his behavior

and what I've just heard doesn't make me feel any better.

Data, you're the only one he's reached out to

because you rescued him.

We can use your relationship

with him to help his recovery.

Would Timothy be more inclined

to tell Data the truth about what happened?

It's a possibility.

Commander, proceed with Timothy as the Counselor suggests.

Aye, sir.

Counselor, exactly how shall I proceed?

Just be with him.

You're a presence he trusts

and that's what he needs most right now.

What?

Data.

Hello, Timothy.

May I enter?

Yeah.

Ah...

You are attempting to re-create...

the Dokkaran Temple of Kural-Hanesh?

Isn't it great?

See, there's the big hallway the teacher told us about.

That's where everybody came in.

That's where they stood

and that's where the altar was.

What do you think?

Do you wish a frank evaluation?

It lacks the harmony

that characterized this particular temple

and Dokkaran culture in general.

You hate it.

No. I am not capable of hatred.

I can't do anything right.

You are making an unwarranted extrapolation.

I was merely offering an aesthetic analysis

of this particular model.

The base appears quite sturdy.

I told you.

May I suggest

a different approach.

You are attempting to construct the upper level

before the supports are in place.

Observe.

La Forge to Data.

Data here.

I need your help

with the shield modulators.

I will join you in a moment, Geordi. Data out.

Lieutenant La Forge requires my assistance.

Incredible.

Data?

How come you can do that?

I am designed to exceed human capacity

both mentally and physically.

Androids are better

than humans?

"Better" is a highly subjective term.

I do not, for example, possess the ability

to experience emotion, as humans do.

No emotions?

You mean you can't be happy or sad?

That is correct.

Why not?

My positronic brain is not capable

of generating those conditions.

Good-bye.

Data?

Can we build something else later?

That would be acceptable.

Bye.

I am designed to exceed human capacity.

That is correct.

The black cluster was formed almost nine billion years ago

when hundreds of protostars collapsed in close proximity.

The resulting gravitational forces

are both violent and highly unpredictable.

To get anywhere near the center

we're going to have to push through

the graviton wave fronts

like the science ship was designed to.

I've already adjusted our shields accordingly.

The gravitational forces will affect sensor accuracy.

Detecting an enemy vessel will be difficult.

Maybe that's what happened to the Vico.

They didn't see anything coming until it was too late.

Counselor, has the boy

volunteered any further information?

No, but I do have an appointment with him

in less than half an hour.

If there's a possibility of getting more from him

I'd like you to pursue it.

But we need to continue our investigation.

We'll enter the black cluster at 0700 hours tomorrow morning.

Dismissed.

Hello, Timothy.

Are you ready to go?

Yes, Counselor, I am ready.

How are you feeling?

I am functioning within established parameters.

Established parameters?

You sound like Data.

I am an android.

I see.

Well, let's go for our walk, shall we?

That would be acceptable.

So, what would you like?

Androids do not need to eat or drink.

However, we sometimes like to taste things.

A Tamarin frost, please.

Would you like anything, Counselor?

No. I'm fine, thank you.

As you wish.

So, you're no longer human.

I'm an android.

When did this happen?

I've always been an android.

What's it like being an android?

I am designed to exceed human capacity

both mentally and physically

but I do not experience emotions.

You don't?

No emotion at all?

That is correct.

That is correct.

An android?

I know

it sounds unusual

but it is understandable.

Technically it's called enantiodromia...

conversion into the opposite.

Timothy went from human to machine...

from being emotional to being emotionless

but the underlying trauma is still there.

He's just found

a new way to suppress it.

Counselor...

how long will this behavior last?

As long as he needs it to.

Timothy is rebuilding

his identity as best he can.

The android persona is just one step along the way.

As soon as he feels stronger and more sure of himself

it should drop away naturally.

I assume this is not the time to confront him

about what happened to his ship.

Not yet.

The best thing we can do right now

is let Timothy take us where he wants to go.

We should support the process and even encourage it.

Data, I would like you to make Timothy the best android

he can possibly be.

Timothy, your head movements are counterproductive.

Can you be still?

But you do it.

The servo-mechanisms in my neck are designed

to approximate human movements.

I did not realize the effect was so distracting.

I like it.

Data, are there any other androids in Starfleet?

No, I am the only one.

How come you're not Captain?

My service record does not yet warrant such a position.

Data?

What's the scariest thing that ever happened to you?

Fear is not a quality that I possess.

Because it's an emotion.

Correct.

But... but what-what if you...

you had a nightmare?

I have never had a nightmare.

I do not require sleep.

Timothy, are you having disturbing dreams?

I do not require sleep.

Is that satisfactory?

It's perfect.

Transfer circuits are functioning properly.

Within established parameters?

Absolutely.

Input processing, pattern recognition

all within established parameters.

Thank you, Doctor.

I ran out of red ocher.

You may use mine.

Thank you.

Perhaps you should return to your quarters.

I'm fine.

The servo-mechanisms in my mouth

are designed to approximate human movements.

That is not bad.

Thank you.

It is very... expressive.

Thank you.

Is your painting representative of something?

It's just a painting.

Timothy, you understand

that you may speak to me about anything you wish...

any subject.

I understand.

At times I, too, find it difficult

to share my thoughts with others.

I am not always confident that I am expressing myself

in a manner which humans can comprehend.

But I do know that...

We are approaching the perimeter.

I am picking up the gravitational wave fronts.

Engage forward shields 35%.

Shields up.

Drop to one-quarter impulse, Ensign.

Yes, sir.

Bridge to Engineering.

Adjusting shield frequencies now, Commander.

We'll have this smoothed out in just a second.

Ensign, adjust course for any deviations.

Yes, sir.

Resume one-third impulse.

Captain, I'm reading something at 400,000 kilometers

off the starboard bow... possibly a ship.

Red Alert.

Take us to visual range, Ensign.

Adjusting course.

Sensor readings have disappeared.

Wait...

I am picking up another reading

at 400,000 kilometers off the port bow.

It's gone.

No...

it is back to starboard.

Captain, the black cluster's distorting the sensors.

We're picking up echoes of the Enterprise

reflecting off the wave fronts.

Cancel Red Alert.

Mr. Worf, adjust sensors

to compensate for the distortion.

Aye.

Sensor difficulties have been reported

by ships traveling through black clusters

but never this extreme.

Captain, that formation

is seven times more massive than any explored previously.

That could explain the difference.

Resume previous course, Ensign.

Yes, sir.

He laughed.

Yes.

It's nice to see, isn't it?

It is certainly not consistent

with his android persona.

I'd say he's beginning the process

of letting go of that fantasy.

Then my work with him is done.

No, I... I don't think it is, Data.

A laugh is one step in the right direction.

We need to help him take a few more steps.

How, Counselor?

I'd like you to talk to him

about your own fascination with humanity.

If you explain to Timothy

the appeal that humanity has for you

he might find it easier to become a boy again.

This is great.

How is yours?

The complex polysaccharides

in reaction with the carbon dioxide

produces an unusual combination

of texture and effervescence.

But how does it taste?

Is it good?

I am not capable of tasting in the manner you suggest.

However, I can analyze

the composition of a dessert

and make comparative conclusions

about its possible effect on the human palate.

But I neither like it, nor dislike it.

Oh.

I didn't realize that.

I have often wondered

what it must be like to have one's mouth water

in anticipation of the arrival of a confection

or to feel the pleasure I have observed in humans

as they consume it.

You sound like you don't want to be an android.

I am an android.

That will never change.

But if you could change...

would you?

I have often wished to be human.

I study people carefully

in order to more closely approximate human behavior.

Why?

We're stronger and smarter than humans.

We can do more than they can.

But I cannot take pride in my abilities.

I cannot take pleasure in my accomplishments.

But we never have to feel bad, either.

I would gladly risk feeling bad at times

if it also meant that I could... taste my dessert.

Captain, gravitational wave front intensity

is increasing steadily...

1100 standard "g" units and rising.

Let's see if anyone's out there.

Mr. Worf, attempt a wide-range sensor sweep.

Aye, sir.

Gravitational distortion is too great, Captain.

The scanning signal

is again being reflected off the wave fronts.

I am unable to compensate.

Sensors are useless.

Mr. Data to the Bridge, please.

Acknowledged.

Adjust sensors to short range.

Attempt a limited positron scan.

The distortion is still in effect.

Try to jacket the scanning beam.

The secondary beam is being distorted as well.

Mr. Data...

our sensors are being rendered ineffective

by the field distortion.

I want your analysis.

Mr. Worf...

fire phasers, maximum intensity

limited spectrum, 001 mark 045.

An experiment, Captain?

Exactly, Number One.

Firing phasers.

Explanation, Mr. Data.

Phaser energy was reflected

by the gravitational wave fronts.

It is similar to the phenomenon

distorting our sensor signals.

Phasers and sensors, both useless.

Mr. Data, this reflection phenomenon...

would it have the same effect

on a disrupter-style weapon?

Yes, sir. Disrupters would be ineffective.

And a ship's cloaking field?

It would be

extremely difficult to maintain, sir.

Mr. Data, is it at all likely

that the Vico could have been attacked

inside the cluster?

Given the effects we have observed

the probability is exceedingly remote, sir.

Picard to Counselor Troi.

Yes, Captain?

Counselor, will you bring Timothy to my ready room?

Timothy, can you tell us what happened

to your ship?

I did tell you!

Tell us again.

We were attacked.

That is highly unlikely.

Our investigations have clearly demonstrated...

We were attacked!

We were attacked!

Timothy...

androids... do not lie.

It was me.

Please explain.

It was me.

I did it.

I killed them all.

Everything was shaking.

I lost my balance.

I was just trying to hold on to something.

I didn't mean to do it.

What was it that you didn't mean to do, Timothy?

My arm...

it hit the computer panel.

That's what destroyed the ship.

The ship was damaged

when your arm hit the computer panel?

Timothy, listen to me.

The damage to your ship might have occurred

at the same time your arm touched the panel

but it was only a coincidence.

This wasn't your fault.

Yes, it was.

It is not possible.

The onboard control systems for every starship

require a user code clearance.

You could not have inadvertently affected

any of the Vico's systems.

Your computer had safety precautions.

There is nothing you could have touched

that would have damaged your ship.

You're not responsible

for what happened to your parents, Timothy.

But if it wasn't me...

We're trying to determine

what happened right now

and if there is anything you can remember

that might assist...

That's just how it was...

...when it started on the Vico.

Wave front intensity has increased.

Increase shields to 75%.

Aye, sir.

Damage, Mr. Worf?

Minimal, sir.

Shields are holding.

Ensign, full about.

Go to warp two.

The gravitational distortion is too high.

We can't maintain a warp field.

Full shields.

Aye.

Captain, impulse power has been disrupted.

The helm won't respond.

We couldn't get out, either.

Timothy, perhaps you and I should go below

and get out of everyone's way.

No.

Riker to La Forge.

Can you get me more power to the shields?

Stand by.

That's what they kept saying.

"More shields. More shields."

Timothy, accompany me, please.

I want you to recall everything you heard people say

aboard the Vico before it was destroyed.

I don't know. Just that.

Just "More shields."

Captain, I've transferred

fusion reactors four through nine into the shield array.

That should double the shield strength.

Wave front intensity has increased

by an order of magnitude.

Impact in three...

two...

one.

Wave front intensity

is continuing to increase.

Structural overpressure now exceeding 180%.

La Forge.

I don't understand. That should have been enough.

We could run the shield grid directly off the warp drive.

Go ahead, Commander.

Initiating warp transfer pathways...

now.

Diverting warp power to the shields.

"Warp power to the shields."

They said that, too, Data.

I'm positive.

Wave front intensity has increased

by a factor of ten.

Contact in 31 seconds.

Without additional power to the shields

the outer hull will not hold.

La Forge.

Warp transfer to the shields complete.

That's as strong as they're going to get.

Impact in 15 seconds.

Sir, drop the shields.

That's suicide, Data.

Captain, drop the shields.

Make it so.

Aye.

Our own shields caused the increases

in the wave fronts, sir.

We have been experiencing a harmonic amplification effect.

The more energy we dumped into the shield

the worse the impact.

Precisely.

That is also what destroyed the Vico.

When Timothy remembered similar procedures on his ship

I initiated an analysis

of shield output to wave front amplification

and discovered a correlation.

If we had transferred all that warp power to the shields

it would have torn the ship apart.

Status, Ensign.

Navigation is coming back on line.

Full about.

One quarter impulse.

Take us out of here.

- Row, row, row your boat - Row, row, row your boat

- Gently down the stream - Gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

- Life is but a dream - Life is but a dream

- Row, row, row your boat - Row, row, row your boat...

Timothy's a boy feeling a great deal of pain

but he is a boy again.

Is this difficult for you, Data?

Difficult?

To watch him moving away from being like you.

That would require an emotional context

which I cannot provide.

Okay, everybody, let's go. Come on.

Hello, Timothy.

Hi, Data.

How are you?

I am operating

within established parameters.

How are you?

I miss my parents.

But...

I'm okay.

I guess you thought I was pretty silly

when I had my hair like yours and everything.

I have been told that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Can we still do things together

even if I'm not really an android?

I have many human friends.

I would be pleased to count you among them.

That would be...

...acceptable.