Captain's log, stardate
49655.2. Our sensors have located a variety of flower which may prove
to be a valuable nutritional supplement. I have sent Mister Neelix and
Mister Tuvok to collect samples.
[Planet
surface]
NEELIX:
Oh, smell that air, Mister Vulcan. Look at that sky. Oh, it's an
exhilarating day, isn't it?
TUVOK: As you well know by now, Mister Neelix, I do not experience
exhilaration.
NEELIX: Oh, let's not quibble about semantics. A breeze is blowing. The
sun is shining. It's beautiful.
TUVOK: The weather is certainly adequate for our purposes.
NEELIX: Adequate? You know something? You're acting more Tuvokian than
usual this morning.
TUVOK: I am who I am, Mister Neelix. It is impossible for me to be more
or less like myself.
NEELIX: There you go with the semantics again. But you know what I'm
talking about.
TUVOK: I'm afraid I don't.
NEELIX: Well, then I'll explain it to you. You're a nature lover,
aren't you?
TUVOK: I appreciate nature, yes.
NEELIX: Then it's one of the things that you and I have in common. And
here we are, on a perfect day, foraging for an exceptionally lovely
variety of orchid, your favourite flower, and all you can say about the
experience is that it's adequate. I just, I don't see why you're not
having fun.
TUVOK: We are not here to have fun. We are here to collect samples.
NEELIX: Why, is there some regulation that says we can't do both at the
same time? I know. Why don't, why don't we sing a song while we toil,
hmm? It'll cheer you up. Now, I've been studying Vulcan music. Do you
know that lovely tune that starts, (sings) Oh starless night of
boundless black.
TUVOK: That lovely tune is a traditional funeral dirge.
NEELIX: I know, but it was the most cheerful song I could find in the
Vulcan database. Come on, Tuvok, join me. Oh starless night of
boundless black.
TUVOK: Mister Neelix.
NEELIX: Yes?
TUVOK: Do you think you could possibly behave a little less like
yourself?
[Bridge]
JANEWAY:
Are Neelix and Tuvok back from the surface?
CHAKOTAY: Not yet. We're having some trouble with the transporter.
TORRES: Captain, there's a minor glitch in the molecular imaging
scanners. Ensign Kim should have it up and running in a few minutes.
[Transporter
room]
KIM: Try
narrowing the annular confinement beam.
HOGAN: How's that?
KIM: Let's try it again. Kim to Away team. Sorry for the delay. We're
ready to bring you back.
TUVOK [OC]: Acknowledged.
KIM: Energise.
HOGAN: There's something wrong, sir. I'm only getting one pattern.
KIM: Tuvok or Neelix?
HOGAN: I don't think it's either of them.
KIM: Abort.
HOGAN: It's too late.
(A curious mixture of Vulcan and Talaxian is standing on the
transporter pad, wearing a uniform with garishly patterned shoulders.)
KIM: Kim to Security. Intruder alert, Transporter Room One. Identify
yourself.
TUVIX: I am Lieutenant Tuvok. And I am Neelix.
HOGAN: Sir, according to the bio-scanners, he's right. Somehow, their
patterns have merged.
TUVIX: I think the logical thing is for me to go to Sickbay.
[Sickbay]
(There
is a security guard at the door, and one by the biobed.)
JANEWAY: And you recognise all of us?
TUVIX: Of course. Doctor, Captain Janeway, Ensign Kim, Kes.
EMH: My scans indicate that all biological matter was merged on a
molecular level. Proteins, enzymes, DNA sequences. The man you see
before you is literally a fusion of two men. But he's surprisingly
healthy considering the circumstances. All vital signs are stable.
JANEWAY: What's the last thing you remember?
TUVIX: I, we, that is to say, Tuvok and Neelix, we had just finished
gathering the samples. We were beaming back to the ship. The next thing
I knew, I was standing on the transporter pad, as you see me now.
EMH: I'm also picking up traces of a third genetic pattern. It appears
to be plant-based.
TUVIX: The orchids. We had collected several dozen samples of orchids.
They were in our sample containers when we beamed up.
EMH: Well, they're part of your genetic structure now. But they don't
appear to be affecting your biochemistry.
JANEWAY: Torres said you were having trouble with the molecular imaging
scanners.
KIM: That's right.
JANEWAY: Maybe this alien plant life affected the scanners in some way.
KIM: Possibly. I'll know more after we've run a diagnostic on the
bio-filters and transporter logs.
JANEWAY: Get on it.
(Kim leaves.)
JANEWAY: In the meantime, I'll send an away team in a shuttlecraft to
collect fresh samples of the orchid for further study. Doctor, let me
know as soon as you have something more.
EMH: Yes, Captain.
(Janeway leaves.) EMH: Kes, take our patient to the science lab and
perform a full bio-spectral analysis. I'll start examining the genetic
data.
[Science
lab]
TUVIX:
This situation must be very difficult for you, Kes. Perhaps it would be
easier if someone else administered these tests.
KES: Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. This scan is very
delicate, so try to remain still for the next twenty minutes.
TUVIX: I'll do my best.
KES: Don't worry. We're going to figure it out.
TUVIX: Oh, I'm not worried. I couldn't be in better hands. This crew,
you're consummate professionals. You're my friends, my family. So
worrying would be illogical, don't you think?
KES: Would you mind if I asked you some questions about what you're
going through?
TUVIX: Not at all.
KES: Well, do you feel as if you're thinking with two minds, two
separate minds? Are Neelix and Tuvok inside of you, talking to me,
talking to each other?
TUVIX: If you mean am I suffering from some form of multiple
personality disorder, I don't think so. I do have the memories of both
men, but I seem to have a single consciousness. You must find me very
odd, Kes.
KES: No, of course not. Try to keep still. So, what should I call you?
TUVIX: Ah, a name. I hadn't thought of that. What an intriguing
question. I can see why the Doctor's finding it so difficult to choose
one. A name can have a significant effect upon a person's sense of
identity. I've got it.
KES: What?
TUVIX: Why don't you call me Neevok? Wait. This is better. How about
Tuvix?
KES: Tuvix it is.
TUVIX: I am so glad you're here to help me through this, sweeting. I'm
sorry. It was instinct.
KES: Why don't we finish the scan?
Chief
Medical Officer's Log, supplemental. Extensive microcellular scans on
the merged humanoid have thus far yielded no clues to either a cause or
a method of separation.
[Sickbay]
TUVIX:
Ah, Captain. So good of you to come.
JANEWAY: How are you feeling?
TUVIX: I feel well. You might even say exhilarated!
JANEWAY: I'm glad to hear it.
TUVIX: Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. In the past
twenty four hours, I've undergone rigorous diagnostic testing,
submitted to an extensive psychological profile, and I've been poked
and prodded in organs that I didn't even know I had. While all this
testing may, no doubt, be necessary, frankly, I'm restless.
JANEWAY: To tell you the truth, we could use a little help in the Mess
hall.
TUVIX: And I'd be glad to give you a hand. But, after careful
consideration, I've decided that the most sensible thing for me to do
is to resume the tactical post.
JANEWAY: Tactical?
TUVIX: Remember, Captain, I do possess Tuvok's knowledge and expertise.
And while I have no doubt that the crew misses Neelix's cooking, you
need your most experienced tactical officer. That's me.
EMH: If I may, Captain. Mister Tuvix
JANEWAY: Tuvix?
EMH: Apparently, that's what he likes to be called. Mister Tuvix is
indeed in perfect health. And since I've collected all the data I need,
there's no reason I can't continue my investigation without him for the
time being. And according to my tests, he's quite correct when he says
that he possesses Tuvok's knowledge and expertise. He also possesses
Tuvok's irritating sense of intellectual superiority and Neelix's
annoying ebullience. I would be very grateful to you if you would
assign him some duty, any duty somewhere else.
JANEWAY: Well, Mister Tuvix, I'm not ready to assign you to the Bridge
just yet, but why don't you join the senior staff for our noon
briefing, and we'll see how it goes from there.
TUVIX: Captain, has anyone ever told you that you are as fair-minded as
you are lovely?
JANEWAY: As a matter of fact, Neelix has told me that occasionally. And
if you really do possess his memories, you'd know that flattery will
get you nowhere.
[Briefing
room]
TORRES:
The transporter was functioning normally. Bio-filters, pattern buffers,
everything checked out.
JANEWAY: What about the problem with the molecular imaging scanners?
KIM: According to the transporter logs, they were optimal at the time
of transport. It was a perfectly routine beam-out sequence. No
anomalies, no power overloads, no malfunctions.
PARIS: Our scans of the planet's surface and atmosphere don't show
anything out of the ordinary.
CHAKOTAY: There's no evidence of any type of alien interference.
Frankly, Captain, we're at a loss.
JANEWAY: And the orchids, Kes. Have you found anything unusual about
them?
KES: Commander Chakotay brought back a few samples on the shuttle and I
ran a biochemical analysis. They contain the same elements as many
plants. Chloroplasts, lysosomal enzymes, cytoplasmic proteins, but
there's nothing unusual.
JANEWAY: There's never been an accident like this recorded in the
entire history of transporter technology. I'm not willing to accept it
as a random malfunction.
CHAKOTAY: Captain, I recommend we programme a holodeck simulation. Try
recreating the accident.
TUVIX: Sex.
JANEWAY: I beg your pardon?
TUVIX: What I mean to say is, and I apologise for cutting you off,
Commander, I think we're on the wrong track. Kes, you said that the
flowers you examined contained lysosomal enzymes.
KES: That's right.
TUVIX: According to Tuvok's botanical research, the presence of
lysosomal enzymes could be evidence of symbiogenesis.
KES: Symbiogenesis?
JANEWAY: Symbiogenesis is a rare reproductive process. Instead of
pollination or mating, symbiogenetic organisms merge with a second
species.
TUVIX: Andorian amoeba for instance. They're able to merge with other
single-celled organisms to form a third unique species, a hybrid.
KES: Like you.
TUVIX: Exactly.
JANEWAY: It's an interesting idea. But we're talking about
microcellular organisms here. I've never heard of symbiogenesis
occurring in a species as complex as a humanoid.
TUVIX: Actually Captain, when you think about it, Neelix and Tuvok were
broken down to a microcellular level during transport. DNA, protein,
all in a state of molecular flux.
KIM: And if the enzymes that cause symbiogenesis interacted with their
DNA while they were in the matter stream, it might have caused their
patterns to merge.
JANEWAY: Like an Andorian amoeba.
TUVIX: Just like that, Tuvix is born.
JANEWAY: It's the best theory I've heard so far. It's the only theory
I've heard so far, and it's worth investigating. Mister Paris, take a
shuttle to the planet and collect additional flower specimens.
PARIS: Yes, ma'am, but I'd recommend waiting until morning. The weather
on the planet can get pretty nasty at night.
JANEWAY: Very well. You'll depart at six hundred hours.
(Paris leaves.)
JANEWAY: Good work, Mister Tuvix.
[Corridor]
TUVIX:
Kes.
KES: Oh, hello.
TUVIX: Hello.
KES: Do you need something?
TUVIX: Oh, actually, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for
dinner?
KES: Well, I, er
TUVIX: You've already eaten?
KES: Well, no.
TUVIX: You're not hungry?
KES: Actually
TUVIX: If memory serves me, Wednesday is the day that Neelix always
cooked Trellan crepes. Your favourite meal?
KES: That's right.
TUVIX: Well, why break with tradition just because of a little
transporter accident?
[Mess
hall]
(Chaos
in the kitchen with everyone trying to cook their own dinner.)
HOGAN: Somebody's eggs are burning.
(A woman in command gold answers.)
SWINN: Those are mine. Can you flip them for me?
HOGAN: I can't find a spatula.
SWINN: Just try tossing them.
(Tuvix and Kes enter.)
TUVIX: Er, why don't you have a seat. I'll be with you in a minute. Do
you mind telling me what's going on here, crewman?
HOGAN: We're making dinner.
TUVIX: I see. All right, everybody out!
HOGAN: On whose authority?
TUVIX: Chief of Security or Head Chef. Take your pick. Out, out, out!
Come, come, out.
(Later, after everyone else has left and the washing up has been done.)
TUVIX: So, you really enjoyed the crepes?
KES: Oh, they were absolutely delicious.
TUVIX: Don't you think Neelix always made them a little too spicy?
KES: These were a little different than usual. Did you change the
recipe?
TUVIX: Oh, only slightly. I thought more moderate seasoning would allow
the flavour of the mushrooms to come through.
KES: I loved the mushrooms.
TUVIX: Oh, I'm glad. I can't believe how disorganised this galley was.
It's a wonder Neelix ever found anything.
KES: Well, he says he has a system. But I guess you already know that.
TUVIX: I admire your strength, Kes.
KES: Why do you say that?
TUVIX: I know I'm not Neelix, but I can posit with complete certainty
that if the situation were reversed, if suddenly he found himself
without you in his life, he'd be absolutely lost.
(Tuvix takes Kes' hand.)
KES: I have to go. Thanks again for dinner.
[Bridge]
(Tuvix
is at Tactical, in a normal uniform.)
TUVIX: Good morning, Captain, Commander.
JANEWAY: You're here bright and early, Lieutenant.
TUVIX: Actually, I've been here since oh four hundred hours. I wanted
to work on that proximity detector glitch in the security subroutine.
JANEWAY: And how's it going?
TUVIX: I managed to correct it.
CHAKOTAY: Tuvok said it could take up to ten days to check out all the
possible problems. How'd you fix it so fast?
TUVIX: I had a hunch.
JANEWAY: A hunch?
TUVIX: That's correct. You'll have a report on your desk first thing
this afternoon.
KIM [OC]: Kim to Mister Tuvix.
TUVIX: Tuvix here.
KIM [OC]: We're just about ready to start the transporter tests if
you'd like to join us.
TUVIX: I'm on my way. Excuse me, Captain.
(Tuvix leaves.)
JANEWAY: Well, he's certainly fitting in, isn't he?
CHAKOTAY: There's an old axiom. The whole is never greater than the sum
of its parts. I think Tuvix might be disproving that notion.
[Planet
surface]
TORRES:
Give me the flowers from the Airponics bay.
PARIS: Here you go. One prize-winning chrysanthemum, one garden-variety
clematis, and last but not least, one symbiogenetic alien orchid.
TORRES: I never thought that botanical science class would come in so
handy.
(They lock the three plants into a specimen container.)
TORRES: Torres to Transporter room one.
[Transporter
room]
TORRES
[OC]: We're ready down here.
KIM: Acknowledged. Energising.
(Kes, Kim and Tuvix peer at the strange admixture that appears on the
transporter pad.)
[Sickbay]
EMH:
We've made over a hundred attempts to reverse the symbiogenesis using
the medical transporter, and each time this has been the unfortunate
result. Complete cellular collapse.
KIM: The genetic codes of the chrysanthemum and the clematis are so
scrambled that the targeting scanners can't recognise the original
patterns.
TUVIX: I suppose it would be like trying to extract the flour, eggs and
water after you've baked the cake.
EMH: Obviously, in the case of Mister Tuvix, we're dealing with a much
more complex organism than a flower. In effect, we're talking about
recreating two humanoid life-forms without so much as a single discrete
strand of DNA to start with.
TUVIX: Are you saying I'm going to be this way forever?
EMH: I am an incredibly skilled doctor, and I will continue to pursue a
safe and effective treatment until I find one. But I won't lie to you.
I'm not optimistic. It could take months, even years, to find a
solution. And we must face the possibility that this condition is
simply untreatable. I feel as though I've lost two patients. I'm sorry.
JANEWAY: I'll inform the rest of the crew.
[Kes's
quarters]
(Kes is
meditating in front of two large candles when the doorbell rings.)
KES: Come in.
TUVIX: I hope I'm not disturbing you.
KES: It's all right. Er, please, sit down.
TUVIX: Ocampan prayer tapers. For Tuvok and Neelix?
KES: It's funny. If something happened to Tuvok, if Neelix were here,
he'd be the first person to comfort me. And if I lost Neelix, Tuvok
would be the first person to guide me spiritually. Now I don't have
either of them.
TUVIX: You have me, Kes.
KES: Thank you, but
TUVIX: I remind you of what you've lost.
KES: It's not your fault.
TUVIX: I know, and I'm trying to accept who I am now. Captain Janeway
tells me there's a place for me on this ship, but I can't help feeling
like, like some sort of impostor.
KES: Maybe we can help each other get through this.
TUVIX: That's what I've been hoping. I know this is going to sound very
strange to you, perhaps even illogical, since in a way, we've only
known each other a few days, but I want you to know I love you, Kes.
KES: But I hardly know you. And besides, what about, what about Tuvok's
wife for one thing? He was completely devoted to her. What happens when
Voyager gets back home? Are you just going to forget her?
TUVIX: I could never forget T'Pel. I carry Tuvok's love for her inside
me. And I would never ask you to forget Neelix.
KES: How can you talk this way?
TUVIX: Because I carry Neelix's love for you inside me as well, and I
always will. You heard the Doctor. It could be years before he finds a
way to bring Tuvok and Neelix back, if ever. For you, that might be a
lifetime.
KES: Please go.
TUVIX: I'm sorry. I should have controlled my emotions. All I really
came to say is that I'll be here for you, if you need me.
[Janeway's
quarters]
(Janeway
answers the door wearing her dressing gown.)
JANEWAY: Kes.
KES: Captain. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you this late. I'll,
er, talk to you tomorrow.
JANEWAY: Actually, I was having trouble sleeping. I could use some
company. Would you like some hot tea? Please, sit down. I was just
looking over some old letters Tuvok sent me when he was temporarily
assigned to Jupiter Station. Most people would say his writing is cold,
analytical, detached, but I've always found it to be concise,
efficient, thoughtful. I hear his voice when I read the words. And
Neelix. I'd become so fond of him, Kes. I can't imagine what you're
going through.
KES: I wanted to talk to you about Tuvix. He came to see me this
afternoon.
JANEWAY: Oh?
KES: He said, he said that he loves me.
JANEWAY: Well, I suppose I can see how that's possible, given the
circumstances.
KES: I wasn't sure what to say. At first, I was angry. But I know how
he's trying to comfort me, and I know that he feels alone too. To tell
the truth, he's a wonderful person.
JANEWAY: Do you have feelings for him too, Kes?
KES: No, I don't. I mean, how could I? I still love Neelix, and I'm not
ready to give up on him, no matter what the Doctor says.
JANEWAY: I know how you feel. You're experiencing what people on this
crew have been going through since we first got stranded in this
quadrant. Do we accept that we're separated from our loved ones
forever, or do we hold onto the hope that someday we'll be with them
again?
KES: What do you do, Captain?
JANEWAY: Oh, I struggle with it every day. Sometimes I'm full of hope
and optimism. Other times. Then I dream about being with Mark and it's
so real. Then when I wake up and realise it's just a dream, I'm
terribly discouraged. In those moments, it's impossible to deny just
how far away he really is. And I know that someday I may have to accept
that he's not part of my life anymore.
KES: So are you saying that I should just accept that Neelix isn't a
part of my life anymore?
JANEWAY: I would never tell you or anyone else to give up hope, Kes. I
think the best thing you can do now is give yourself time.
KES: Thank you, Captain. I'll go now and let you sleep.
(They hug.)
JANEWAY: My door is always open to you, Kes.
Captain's
log, stardate 49678.4. It's been two weeks since the transporter
accident that created Mister Tuvix, and while it's still not entirely
clear that he's with us permanently, he's certainly been doing his best
to settle in. The crew seems to be growing accustomed to his presence,
and he's proving to be a very able tactical officer who isn't afraid to
express his opinions. While he's forging relationships with many of the
officers, he seems to be keeping a respectful distance from Kes,
allowing her to adjust to the circumstances on her own terms. As for my
relationship with Tuvix, I've found him to be an able advisor who
skillfully
uses humour to make his points. And although I feel a bit guilty saying
it, his cooking is better than Neelix's. My taste buds are definitely
happy to have him around.
[Kim's
quarters]
(Clarinet
practice.)
EMH [OC]: Sickbay to Ensign Kim. Please turn to your Emergency Medical
Holographic Channel.
KIM: How can I help you, Doc?
EMH [on monitor]: Suppose I found a radioisotope that could selectively
attach itself to specific DNA sequences. Could the surgical
transporters be reprogrammed to lock onto those enhanced sequences and
separate them from the remaining DNA?
KIM: Well, I think so, but we'd have to modify the molecular imaging
scanners and find a way to compensate for the higher levels of
radiation.
EMH [on monitor]: Thank you, Ensign.
KIM: Wait a second. What's going on?
EMH [on monitor]: It's pure speculation at this point. I'll let you
know when I've learned more.
KIM: This is about Tuvix, isn't it? I'm on my way.
[Sandrine's]
TUVIX:
Eight ball, corner pocket. That's game again, Commander.
PARIS: We've created a monster.
CHAKOTAY: Best out of five?
(Kes enters.)
TUVIX: Would you mind if we finish this later, Commander?
CHAKOTAY: Not at all.
(Paris takes Tuvix's cue.)
KES: Hi.
TUVIX: Hi. Well, how've you been?
KES: Good days and bad days. You?
TUVIX: Me too.
KES: Listen, I'm sorry I've been so distant lately.
TUVIX: Kes, you don't owe me an explanation.
KES: I've been doing a lot of thinking. And I'm hoping that we can be
friends.
TUVIX: I would like that very much.
KES: And I'd like our friendship to grow.
TUVIX: You would?
KES: Yes. But it's going to take time.
TUVIX: I'm not going anywhere.
EMH [OC]: Doctor to Lieutenant Tuvix.
TUVIX: Tuvix here.
EMH [OC]: Please report to Sickbay immediately.
[Sickbay]
(Kim and
the EMH are briefing Janeway, Tuvix and Kes.)
EMH: Until late in the twenty first century, physicians administered
barium to patients with certain gastrointestinal disorders. The
radioactive properties of the barium made the lining of the intestines
visible with a primitive imaging technology called X-rays.
KIM: Instead of barium, we've come up with a radioisotope that attaches
itself to the DNA of one of the merged species, but not the other.
EMH: Then we simply beam out the selected DNA and segregate the two
merged species.
KIM: You see these? They used to be a single merged flower.
KES: And you can use the same process?
EMH: It will require a more detailed reprogramming of the transporter,
but, yes, I believe we can restore Mister Tuvok and Mister Neelix.
KES: That's wonderful. Isn't that wonderful?
EMH: I assure you, Mister Tuvix, there's nothing to worry about. We've
accounted for every variable.
TUVIX: Except one. I don't want to die.
[Briefing
room]
JANEWAY:
It's funny. If we'd had the ability to separate Tuvok and Neelix the
moment Tuvix came aboard, I wouldn't have hesitated.
CHAKOTAY: Of course not.
JANEWAY: But now, in the past few weeks, he's begun to make a life for
himself on this ship. He's taken on responsibilities, made friends.
CHAKOTAY: I count myself as one of them.
JANEWAY: So at what point, did he become an individual and not a
transporter accident? (doorbell) Come in.
(Tuvix enters.)
TUVIX: You wanted to see me, Captain?
JANEWAY: Yes, Mister Tuvix. Please, sit down.
TUVIX: I feel as though I have been dragged in front of the Numerian
Inquisition.
JANEWAY: Will you excuse us, Commander?
(Chakotay leaves.)
JANEWAY: We've just been discussing the unfortunate predicament that
we're all facing, and I thought it was important to get your
perspective before making a decision.
TUVIX: Are you suggesting that this is your decision to make?
JANEWAY: I am the Captain of this ship.
TUVIX: Begging your pardon, Captain, it's my life. Isn't it my
decision?
JANEWAY: Aren't there two other lives to consider here? What about
Tuvok and Neelix? Two voices that we can't hear right now. As Captain,
I must be their voice, and I believe they would want to live.
TUVIX: But they are living in a way, inside me.
JANEWAY: It's not the same and I think you'd agree with me. They have
families, friends, people who love them and miss them and want them
back, just as I do.
TUVIX: But restoring their lives means sacrificing mine. Captain, what
you're considering is an execution. An execution, like they used to do
to murderers centuries ago. And I've committed no crime at all.
JANEWAY: Aren't you arguing for an execution too? Of Tuvok and Neelix.
TUVIX: I'm here, alive. Unfortunate as it may be, they're gone.
JANEWAY: And I have an opportunity to bring them back.
TUVIX: Don't you think that I care about Tuvok and Neelix? Of course I
do. Without them, I wouldn't exist. In a way, I think of them as my
parents. I feel like I know them intimately.
JANEWAY: Then you know Tuvok was a man who would gladly give his life
to save another. And I believe the same was true of Neelix.
TUVIX: You're right, Captain. That is the Starfleet way. And I know
there'll be some people who, who'll call me a coward because I didn't
sacrifice myself willingly. Believe me, I've thought of that. But I
have the will to live of two men. Look at me, Captain. When I'm happy,
I laugh. When I'm sad, I cry. When I stub my toe, I yell out in pain.
I'm flesh and blood, and I have the right to live.
[Mess
hall]
(Kes is
moving the food around on her plate.)
TUVIX: Kes, I need your help. I've just come from the Captain, and
she's thinking about forcing me to go through with the separation. If
anybody can make a difference, Kes, it's you. She'll listen to you.
We've helped each other through this and I know that you care about
what happens to me. Please, Kes, you may be my only hope.
[Ready
room]
JANEWAY:
Come in.
KES: Captain, Tuvix has asked me to speak to you on his behalf. But I
can't.
JANEWAY: He shouldn't have put you in the middle of this.
KES: But I am in the middle. I have been since the moment of the
accident. I don't know how to say goodbye to Neelix and Tuvok. I know
this sounds horrible, and I feel so guilty for saying it, and Tuvix
doesn't deserve to die, but I want Neelix back.
(Kes bursts into tears on Janeway's shoulder.)
[Bridge]
(Tuvix
enters, and every one turns to look at him. He goes to Tactical.)
TUVIX: You're excused, Ensign.
(The Ensign looks to Chakotay for confirmation.)
TUVIX: Mister Paris, what is our present speed?
PARIS: Warp six point five.
TUVIX: I'd like to conduct a field test of the aft sensor array.
Please, slow to impulse.
PARIS: Commander?
CHAKOTAY: Until the Captain makes a decision, Mister Tuvix is still the
tactical officer.
(Janeway comes out of her Ready room and goes to Tactical.)
JANEWAY: Mister Tuvix, I'd like to speak to you alone.
TUVIX: Can I assume that you've come to a decision, Captain?
JANEWAY: I have.
TUVIX: I think we all should hear what you have to say.
JANEWAY: Please come with me, Mister Tuvix.
TUVIX: No.
JANEWAY: I'm ordering you to come with me. Security to the Bridge.
TUVIX: Commander, are you going to stand by and do nothing while she
commits murder? Mister Ayala. Yes, Lieutenant Paris. You. Doesn't
anyone see that this is wrong?
(Security enter. Tuvix tries to run for a turbolift and they grab him.)
JANEWAY: Let him go.
TUVIX: Each of you is going to have to live with this, and I'm sorry
for that, for you are all good, good people. My colleagues, my friends,
I forgive you.
JANEWAY: Commander Chakotay, advise the Doctor we're on our way to
Sickbay.
[Turbolift]
JANEWAY:
Deck five.
[Sickbay]
(Janeway
and the security guards escort Tuvix in. Kim and Kes are waiting with
the EMH.)
EMH: I'm sorry, Captain, but I cannot perform the surgical separation.
I am a physician, and a physician must do no harm. I will not take
Mister Tuvix's life against his will.
JANEWAY: Very well, Doctor. Please step aside.
(Janeway goes to Kim, who is holding a hypospray.)
JANEWAY: I assume this is the radioisotope.
(Kim gives it to her.)
JANEWAY: Please sit down on this biobed.
(Tuvix sits. Janeway looks straight into his eyes and administers the
hypo. Then she goes to the medical transporter console.)
JANEWAY: Locking surgical targeting scanners onto the isotope probe.
Initiating separation sequence. Energising.
(As Tuvix is beamed away, two figures are beamed in, both wearing
command gold uniforms.)
KES: Neelix!
NEELIX: Hello, sweeting.
(Neelix and Kes kiss.)
TUVOK: Greetings, Captain.
JANEWAY: Mister Tuvok. Mister Neelix. It's good to have you back.
(We stay with Janeway as she goes out into the corridor and pauses a
moment before walking away.)
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