Introduction[]
Three scientists' scouting the antarctic, one yells "Over there" continuing to walk to an extremely large field of snow-covered debris. The same says "Take a look around" and they all spread out, within moments of searching a female scientist with a hand-scanner detects a signal. She quickly digs away at the snow, revealingn the frozen remains of pale-white humanoid beneath the ice.
Part 1 - Digging Deeper[]
The arctic winds continue howling through the debris field. "He's definatly humanoid but I don't recognise the species" yells one of the male scientists'. The scientist pulls out his hand communicator, identifying himself as Drake and orders a base-camp to be set-up in the area of the debtis. aösp remarking to contact Starfleet and tell Commander Williams he ows Drake a bottle of scotch. The female scientists' scanner continued beeping endlessly as she states "I'm picking up EM traces, there's alot more here than we're seeing." Following the signals she runs over to another large cylindrical conduit protruding from the snow and digs away once more, revealing a second white-skinned humanoid lifeform with metallic equipment all over his body and protruding from his eye.
Slamming a large robotic arm down on-to a morgue examination table, Drake asks "I give up, what is it?"
Moniger replies: "An arm, it's his."
Drake Immediately responding "You're joking?"
Moniger: "From what I can tell, it was intergrated in-to his circulatory and nervous systems, he could probably operate it like it was his own flesh and blood."
Astounded, they both quickly move on-to another lifeform on another examination table continuing their frenzied scientific analysis focusing on the humanoids mechanical eye piece.
Moniger: "Take a look at the eye piece, judging by the optics I say he could see most of the EM spectrum."
Drake asks "Did you run a genetic analysis?"
Moniger: "That's even more interesting, they don't have much in common" the scientist says, bringing up a genetic on-screen analysis comparison of the two lifeforms. "They belong to two different species."
Deciding to transmit their findings to Starfleet for any matches in the genetic databases the one scientist moves away whilst the female scientist finishes her analysis of the debris and claims she can not identify the alloy, adding she found antimatter residue. Drake suggest perhaps their warp drive overloaded. She concurs, stating that would explain why the isn't much debris remaining and adding she found carbon traces which dated the debtis to be laying in the snow for around 100 years. Suddenly a mechanical whirring noise is heard coming from the arm on the table, they all move in closer very quickly to see a device spinning for a moment before deactivating causing all three scientists to stare at one another, completely purplexed.
Looking down the microscope at a piece of sample tissue, Moniger calls Drake over showing him microscopic machines under the microscope numbering in the thousands in each lifeform which are not only repairing the cellular tissue but also the mechanical parts too. Moniger becoming both astounded and concerned with to what extend the regeneration process will continue? Uncertainty fills the air, are they ready to deal with these very unfriendly looking humanoids if they fully regenerate? Why were they here in the first place 100 years ago? Moniger's senses becoming tilted by fear, he strongly recommends all of the corpses be frozen for further examination under controlled conditions.
Drake allows his scientific curiosity to inflence his judgment and expresses his concern that the bodies could be damaged if they are re-frozen, he instead says they should allow the process to continue whilst returning outside to examine the debris with the female scientist.
She reports to Drake that all of the debris has exactly the same curvature, judging by the debris the ship was a perfect sphere roughly 600 meters in diamater.
Back inside the examination room, a researcher brings Moniger a silver flask of coffee, asking if he will be okay alone with these aliens. Moniger replies that he will be fine whilst revealing the phase rifle on his lap. Opening his flask of coffee he hears a mechanical clicking noise again causing him to spill it on his lap and to place his rifle on a near-by bench to clean his coffee away. Running over to the neural monitors Moniger examines the flatline signals of the two aliens - nothing.
Meanwhile Drake and Rooney (the female scientist) reveal a cylindrical device they refer to as a "warp coil" (transwarp coil) which they are baffled as to how it works, the technology being far, far beyond their current boundaries of scientific understanding. Back inside the lab Moniger continues anxiously examining the monitors when suddenly a pulse is signified by a loud bleep which is followed by another bleep and
Ambushed by a drone!
another. The neural activity in the aliens brain quickly assumes a normal pace as the alien itself opens its eyes, gasping for its first desperate breath in 100 years! Its facial expression slowly drifting from the helpless survivor to the cold, heartless, calculating predator as it turns to Moniger while he is busy gathering even more readings. In the arctic wasteland of snow accompanied by the howling winds Drake and Rooney hear Moniger's scream. Rushing in-to the lab, they find the body of Moniger churning painfully while undergoing some strange infection apparent through his skin as grey lines expand across his face. Drake tells Rooney "Get the medical kit!" As she turns to her right, the overshadowing, tall, mechanical alien stands behind her, like a spider ensnaring prey in-to its web. Its red eye laser fanning over her with a vicious, methodical stare.
Three days after, at Starfleet Headquarters Admiral Forest receives word that they have not received any response from the arctic research team. Taking a shuttlepod, they travel to the research site to find a baron arctic wasteland, no debris, no aliens, the only femaining structures being the research huts.
Part 2 - Intereption[]
Meanwhile on the Enterprise Jonathan archer briefs his officers that a researchg team has been abducted by aliens enhanced with technology whom have also commendeered their vessel and are travelling at warp 3.9. "That's impossible, those transports can't exceed 1.4!" added Tucker. The aliens had reconfigured the engines using technology from their own vessel and orders the crew to go to tactical alert and intercept the aliens whom have been spotted a half dozen lightyears from their position.
In sickbay Lieutenant Reed requests Dr. Phlox's help to analyse the prosthetic arm scans from the researched - suspecting it to contain some kind of particle weapon hidden, he had hoped to determine its yield so he could prepare some appropriate form of defense for the rescue team when they board the alien ship.
Scans of the prosthetic arm.
Reed expresses his discomfort with technology riddled throughout a persons body causing Phlox to refer to the Binars from the beta magel system which replace a new born babys parietal lobe with a synaptic processor. Dr. Phlox comments he detected no signs of a weapon within the arm which caused Reed to question how unarmed aliens overpowered a heavily armed research team.
As Archer sits in his ready room reading about Zephram Cochrane he received a signal over the com from Hoshi who picked up a distress call "To any ship within range, we're under atack from an unknown species. Request immediate assistance" Archer gives the order to set a course to the source of the distress call 1 hour away.
As the Enterprise moves in-to range they observe the upgraded transport attacking the helpless alien vessel, Captain Archer hails them "This is Captain Archer of the starship Enterprise, stand down your attack
Assimilated transport attacks alien vessel.
or we'll open fire." Without so much as a response or hesitation the transport changed targets and fires upon the Enterprise with a proton burst causing the vessel to shake. "Those transports aren't normally armed!" States Reed, completely confused."Obviously the engines aren't the only systems they've upgraded" Adds T'Pol applying her decisive logic with impeccable timing. "Are there any human biosigns?" Archer asks T'pol. "Nine on the transport, the reading are irratic." The vessel shakes as the transport fires on the Enterprise again. Becoming irritated, Archer asks Reed "Can you disable their weapons?" "I believe so, Sir" With one swift fly-by and two decisive phaser blasts the transports newly constructed weapons were disabled. "They're going to warp!" Reed yells! Archer quickly turns to T'Pol and asks if there are any remaining lifesigns on the alien vessel and T'pol tells him only two on the upper deck, with minimal remaining life support. Torn between his desire to chase down the transport and his duty to help the aliens Archer takes a deep breath and calms himself from combat as he orders "Hold position, dispatch a shuttle pod."
Glands being replaced by devices as nanoprobes rampage through their bodies.
In sickbay Phlox watches over the two Tarkaleans informing Reed they're still alive however nanoprobes have infiltrated and renal glands have been replaced with devices - they're being transformed in-to human-cyborg hybrids. Archer asks if he could extract the nanoprobes but Phlox shrugs as he runs out of possibilities. "The nanoprobes are multiplying at an extraordinary rate, I could never extract them all." Phlox said he wat attempting to slow their progress with a modified retro virus but thus far he had little to no success. Through concern T'pol recommends putting them in the decontamination chamber to protect the crew. Phlox, refusing to give up adds he can't treat them properly if they're moved and he doesn't beliebe they're a danger to the crew. Archer disagrees and states he'll have Malcolm post a guard.
Enterprise continues along at warp in persuit of the transport, meanwhile in Archer's ready room T'pol enters and tells Archer that she informed Tarkalea regarding the rescue of the two Tarkaleans. Arches shows T'pol his display documenting a speech Zefram Cochrane gave in which he spoke about cybernetic creatures from the future who had intended to enslave the human race by preventing his warp flight but were stopped by group of humans also from the future. (Star Trek: First Contact) Unconvinced T'Pol reminds Archer that Cochrane was a known for his over-active imagination and frequently being drunk. Accepting the facts Archer agrees adding Cochrane recanted the story later however clinging to his point that there are similarities between those aliens and the aliens they were currently persuing.
Part 3 - Awakening[]
In Sickbay the Tarkalean male stirs and awakens with shock, yelling "Who are you!?" Phlox takes the high-road, remaining calm and informs him he's a physician whom is aboard a starship which responded to their distress call. In disbelief and overcome by adrenaline the Tarkalean demands "What did you do to me?!" Phlox, raising his voice somehwat this time states the Tarkalean's ship was attacked and he is doing his very best to treat him. Suddenly the Tarkalean's stress levels cause him to appear to seizure, Phlox quickly grabs a sedative and attempts to inject him before his hand is swiftly grabbed by the Tarkaleans, Reed's guard quickly responds and grabs his weapon before the second Tarkalean - a female grabs the guard and throws him across sickbay with incredible strength whilst the other injects Phlox with tubules and pulls him over the operating table and throws him to the floor. Stepping over Phlox as he lands, the female marches towards the ladders with the other Tarkalean swiftly behind, walking and moving with a unified purpose and sense of absolute certainty of where they were headed.
The whispers grew to voices as an undiscernable number of voices spoke within Phlox's mind before Archer woke him asking "What happened?" Phlox jumped to his feet, grabbing a scanner without a moments notice and scanned himself before replying "We were attacked!" With a beep Phlox glanced at the scanner and sighed. "I've been infected with the nanoprobes,...one of the aliens injected me with some sort of tubules." Reed and two security officers search the room and their scans reveal the aliens exited through a maintenance shaft. Archer immediately orders all the maintenance shafts to be sealed and guards to be posted at every exit as they are about to set off Phlox warns Reed that their strength has been enhanced and that it is critical that he avoids being touched by them.
Moments later the two assimilated Tarkalean's open a pressure door and climb through the interior shafts of the ship and climb to the deck above, hurridly marching through the corridoors until they come to a junction, seperating and removing wall panels before examining the circuitry.
In engineering Commander Tucker and Archer review scans of the modified transport. Tucker's concern is clearly apparent in his tone as he tells Archer thev've greatly upgraded and enhanced the transport with more powerful enginers, armour plating and what appeared to be additional weapon nodes along with other modifications which Tucker didn't even want to guess as to what their purposes were. Archer points out that the aft plating had not yet been enhanced with additional armour and suggested if they could knock out the aft EPS manifold they could take down the ships main power. Tucker remarked a couple of torpedos should do it.
T'pol calls Arcer over the com and informs them she has detected the transport on long range sensors travelling at warp 4.8 less than two light years away. Archer's tone grew weary of the aliens constant upgrades, feeling less and less confident as he now had to strain the Enterpise just to keep up with the transport.
"See if you can coax a little more power out of the engines" Archer orders Tucker.
"I'll give it a shot." Replies Tucker also slowly becoming weary of lagging behind technologically.
Archer orders Ensign Mayweather to alter course to intercept it at warp 4.9.
Before Archer leaves Tucker remarks "Thev've doubled their top speed in less than 12 hours."
Archer replies with a demoralized tone as he slowly feels himself becoming overwhelmed with the plethora of problems. "Lets hope they didn't have time to upgrade their weapons."
Reed and his team rush through the bowels of the ship, their hand scanner beeping wildly as they hastily persue the aliens, hot on their trail they climb the ladders and follow the corridors, walking past the interface panels now transformed and displaying strange green symbols. Through the next door is a half-transformed Tarlakean busy modifying the Enterprises systems.
"Stop what you're doing!" Yells Reed.
The alien completely ignores all three of them, continuing her task despire additional repeated warnings from Reed. He finally fires a low-yield blast impacting her shoulder, she stumbles back slightly but still continues to ignore them and complete her task as if she knows something they don't. Reed couldn't believe she still ignored them despire being fired upon, he signals his troops to fire again however this time a green defence shield encompassed her chest and absorbed their weapons fire.
"Maximum setting!" Orders Reed, firing again.
Once again, they were all absorbed by the green personal shield, this time however they had peaker her attention, she turned to them and begun slowly marching menacingly towards them. They quickly retreated only to run in-to the other Tarkalean, after a brief scuffle the Tarkalean tried to inject one of the security team before being knocked against the wall be Reed from behind, he picked up his team mate and continued their retreat.
"Reed to the bridge, they're in maintenance shaft C, junction 12! They appear to be modifying systems." Reports Reed while on the run.
Archer turns to T'pol and asks "What's in that section?"
"Warp plasma regulators."
Just then Mayweather announces a destabilisation of the ship's warp field, causing them to gradually lose the ability to maintain warp speed. Tarkalean's are disrupting the regulators and without warp they have no hope of catching up to the arctic transport. Reluctantly Archer remembers that section has an outer hatch nd orders the section cleared and sealed before turning to Mayweather and ordering him to drop out of warp. As the ship slows down, T'Pol is ordered to open the outer hatch and blow the Tarkaleans out in to space. A heavy atmosphere sweeps the bridge due to having to resort to such measures, after receiving the order to seal the hatch and repressurise the section, T'Pol reassures Archer that he had no choice.
With a heavy tone he orders a per suit course for the transport to be resumed and for Reed and Tucker to find out what the Tarkaleans were up to.
Meanwhile in the Med Bay, Ensign Sato, armed with a phase-pistol is keeping bringing Phlox and his pets something to eat. Accepting the food on behalf of the animals but refusing to eat anything himself for fear of accelerating his metabolism and further increasing the rate of the spread of the nano probes in his system. His skin now bearing black blots around the tubule puncture wounds. Sato offered to stay with him and give him some company but Phlox abruptly refused and instructed her to leave as soon as she'd finished feeding the pet adding "he underestimated the nano probes once before and he didn't intend to make the same mistake twice."
Back in maintenance shaft c, junction 12 Reed and Mayweather are busy examining the modifications but they're at a loss.