Heeble Nebula.
PICARD: (voice over) Captain's log, stardate 3456.2. The Enterprise has
been sent to Pootle III, which is inside the Hebble Nebula, to conduct
an analysis of the complex volcanic activity. We will then move on to
map the Heebla Nebula. Computer; PAUSE!
Picard's ready room, Picard sat at desk. (gets up).
PICARD: (walks to replicator) Tea, Earl Grey, Hot!
COMPUTER: Error. That beverage is not available at this time, please
choose another.
PICARD: Explain!
COMPUTER: Please restate command.
PICARD: Murre. Explain why Earl Grey Tea cannot be issued from this
replicator.
COMPUTER: Part of the molecular pattern storage drive has been
corrupted, resulting in a data loss of all replictpor patterns from Earl
Grey Tea through Egg salad. Please send any complaints to Engineering,
Maintenance department.
PICARD: (over comm-badge) Picard to La Forge.
LA FORGE: Yes, captain?
PICARD: I need a cup of Earl Grey, Hot!
LA FORGE: It'll take a coupla hours.
PICARD: Two hours for a lousy cup of tea? Would a bribe speed you up?
LA FORGE: Sorry, Sir. I've got Reg and Wesley on it right now.
PICARD: Picard out.
PICARD: Computer! Chicory coffee, black, no sugar, hot!
Replicator dispenses drink, Picard sits down.
PICARD: I am looking forward to mapping the Heeble Nebula, no ship has
ever been within half a light year of it, but long range scans taken by
the U.S.S Carter discovered unexplainable fliddy radiation waves. The
Enterprise is fortunate to be the ship to map it since it's discovery
four months ago. We have taken on board a team of three geologists to
aid our study of Pootle III and a Fliddy radiation expert. I'm sure that
this team together with Data and our own science department will uncover
the mystery of the Heeble Nebula. Oh yes, Starfleet Command has also
sent a representative to oversee the mission. I believe he will report
to Starfleet Intelligence directly if anything unexpected happens as we
are close to the neutral zone. (takes sip of Chicory)
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! (spit's out Chicory).
Worf busts in brandishing a phazor.
WORF: Rahhhhhhhhhhh! (Klingon for "Right Here right now) Huh? Sir, I
heard a scream- I thought there was an intruder.
PICARD: (hand over mouth) No, Mr. Worf, my Chicory was too hot. That
will be all.
WORF: Aye, sir. (turns to door)
PICARD: Mr. Worf; this never happened . Do you understand?
WORF: What never happened?
PICARD: Exactly.
Worf leaves shaking head.
PICARD: Computer! What was the temperature of the last drink dispensed
by my replicator?
COMPUTER: The temperature was hot; definition of hot is currently 83
degrees Celsius.
PICARD: What!? Who authorised this change?
COMPUTER: Professor Googley Hommna, stardate 3455.7.
PICARD: Goddammit! Change definition of hot to 25 degrees Celsius;
authorisation, "Picard Epsilon I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts".
COMPUTER: Authorisation accepted.
PICARD: Now I've gotta get my gob seen to.
Picard leaves, goes onto bridge, enters turbo lift.
Titles.
Bridge, Riker in command.
WESLEY: We are in an equatorial orbit around Pootle III.
RIKER: Good, is there any sensor or communication interference?
DATA: No, Commander. Did you not know that Fliddy Radiation is
completely harmless, it is caused by stellar matter and compressed gases
interacting around a large mass; such as the Pootle star. I believe
there was a study-
RIKER: Thank you Data. Jesus a simple no would suffice.
DATA: Yes, Sir, It would. However, I felt obliged to enlighten you on
the principles of Fliddyology.
RIKER: Mr. Data, shut up or I'll have you removed.
DATA: Aye, Sir.
RIKER (over comm-badge) Bridge to Science Lab 3-Omega.
JEFFERSON: Dr. Jefferson here.
RIKER: The Captain wants hourly reports on your progress, he wishes to
get on with mapping the surrounding Nebula.
JEFFERSON: Fine, we're already underway.
Sick bay.
Picard is lying down, he sits up as camera pans toward him, Beverly
comes over from studying his chart.
BEVERLY: Your life signs are stable. That's good.
PICARD: I only burnt my mouth Doctor, damn Noodleiods, just cause their
average temperature on their home world is 45 degrees they think they
can goo around changing my ships replicator temperature definitions. Why
we let them in the Federation I'll never know.
Beverly rolls eyes.
BEVERLY: I did a thermal imaging scan, the temperature of the epidermis
around your facial cavity is up 2 degrees, this puts up your overall
body temperature to 100.003% of normal, or 10.4 on the Lugee Scale.
PICARD: Is it serious?
BEVERLY: Well, it means that your lips are a bit hot; draw your own
prognosis, Jean-Luc.
PICARD: Oh.
BEVERLY: (hands Picard a tube) Put this on your lips every hour-
PICARD: But I'm on duty-
BEVERLY: Without fail! Take some time off, but if you value your lips
you'll use the cream.
PICARD: OK, you win.
Science lab 3-omega. Large screen shows topographical map of one of
Pootle III's continents, a holographic representation of the planet is
in the centre. Several rock samples are on a trolley, Dr. Hunn Saera
(bajoran) takes rock and places it in front of her. Dr. Alexander
Jefferson (human) and Dr. Samual Croft (human) are walking to door.
CROFT: Saera, we're going to cargo bay 11 to get that metamorphic
spectrum analyser, we won't be long.
HUNN: Fine, I'll finish categorising this batch while your gone.
JEFFERSON: See you in ten.
they leave, Dr. Hunn finishes on the rock and takes next sample, presses
a button and a blue bean scans the rock as it is turned in an anti-grav
field. She goes to another table, and turns away, entering the previous
sample on her computer. Behind her a small green light appears in the
corner it flickers and pulses, switching to red and back. It grows to a
half metre in diameter, silently, and begins to move to Dr. Hunn, who is
still turned away, working. The force of the light starts to tug at her
chair, her hair starts to move. She fiddles with her earring and turns
to the light. Just as a human man reaches out from the light he is
naked from the waist up (all we can see), his skin pulses in synchronous
with the light, he pulls her in with a scream, they vanish.
Jefferson and Croft return. The chair is on its side, the rock still
being turned in the field. They slide the trolley with the equipment to
the corner.
JEFFERSON: Does this strike you as odd?
CROFT: Yes, it does. But, she might just have gone to the toilet or
something.
JEFFERSON: But she said she'd be here.
CROFT: Computer! Locate Dr. Hunn Saera.
COMPUTER: Dr. Hunn Saera is no longer aboard the enterprise.
Shot of ship in space.
Picard's ready room, Picard is sat at desk, opposite him are Lietenant
Worf and Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien. Riker is stood behind.
Facing the window is the Starfleet intelligence overseer, he wears a red
uniform, bears the rank of Captain. he has grey hair and is smoking a
synthatine cigarette. He turns.
PICARD: Mr. Worf?
WORF: She has not been located. We are sure she has been taken against
her will because there was signs of a struggle Dr.'s Croft and Jefferson
state that she said she would be there when they returned.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Perhaps she is somewhere on board, and her comm-badge
is damaged?
WORF: That is a possibility, Sir. But it doesn't make sense.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: If you cannot prove otherwise that is what your report
will say.
Worf looks surprised, he looks at Picard, who gives him a look to say
"leave it alone".
PICARD: Chief, what did you uncover?
O'BRIEN: I was on watch in Transporter room one, she didn't transport
out from there. I checked in with the other crewmen in the remaining
transporter rooms, she didn't leave from there either, and all shuttle
craft are accounted for.
RIKER: What about the cargo bay transporters?
O'BRIEN: I'll check the logs.
PICARD: There is the possibility of an intruder.
WORF: If there is an intruder, I will find him!
PICARD: (over comm-badge) Picard to engineering.
LA FORGE: La Forge here.
PICARD: Commander, can you get a team to run over the sensor logs in
science lab 3-omega.
LA FORGE: Aye, sir. The results will be back in an hour, anything
special I should look for?
PICARD: Anything out of the ordinary, Picard out. Mr.Worf, I'd like you
to send a message to Dr. Hunn's family, also can you see if she had any
enemies on Bajor or anywhere else. Dismissed, we will reconvene in an
hour and a quarter.
They leave, Picard swivels to Smoking Captain.
PICARD: I realise that you're here to help, but please don't interfere
in my ships investigations.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: (Puts out cigarette) I'm here on authority of Starfleet
Command, the Starfleet Science Corp. and Starfleet intelligence. You and
your crew will do as I order or you will be relived of your command.
Leaves.
Picard goes to bridge, takes command.
PICARD: Mr. Crusher, are we still in an equatorial orbit?
WESLEY: Yes, Sir.
PICARD: Mr. Data, what exactly is the geology team studying?
DATA: Dr. Jefferson and Dr. Croft are conducting a geographical survey
of Pootle III, paying particular attention to the high volcanic activity
of the largest continent. To do this they are conducting cross sectional
scans of the crust and mantle, using a metamorphic spectrum analyser.
Rock samples will be taken from random locations, there will also be a
study of plate movements, fault lines and volcanic eruptions. The list
is quite lengthy Captain, do you wish me to go on?
PICARD: In short Commander; if there was anything on the planet's
surface or underground connected to Dr. Hunn's disappearance would it be
detected.
DATA: If you are suggesting that a theoretical intruder originated from
Pootle III then I predict a 3.1098% probability that they would be
detected by their work.
PICARD: Finally! Data, run a complete scan of the planets surface, look
for life signs, structures, underground areas and clocked things on the
surface and in orbit. Sweep the surface three times at 150% intensity
and continue as we move round in orbit.
DATA: Aye, Sir. I estimate three hours to complete the scans and 0.002
seconds to read the results.
PICARD: Good. Number one, I'm sorry, but I need to attend to something,
I'll be back to check on the investigation, you have command.
RIKER: Are you all right. Sir?
PICARD: Yes, yes, just something I need to take care of- in private.
Ship in orbit
Smoking Captain's quarters. He is in communications with Starfleet
Intelligence.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: What we feared has happened, one or more has escaped. A
Bajoran geologist is dead. Unfortunate.
ADMIRAL: Is the project in danger of being compromised?
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Not at the moment, they have nothing to go on, until
the sensor logs of the crime scene are analysed.
ADMIRAL: Is it to late to falsify the readings?
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Yes, but the results will prove nothing. They have
nothing, Worf's report will indicate that Dr. Hunn disappeared
unexplainably.
ADMIRAL: Good. We don't want any outside interference, especially the
FBI.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: That won't be a problem.
Cuts link, lights up.
Conference lounge, present are Picard, Worf, O'Brien, La Forge,
Jefferson, Croft, Smoking Captain (stood) and Troi.
PICARD: O.K. Mr. Worf, what have you uncovered so far?
WORF: My teams have spoken to everyone in the vicinity of lab 3-omega at
the time of Dr. Hunn's disappearance, no-one reported anything strange,
or anyone acting suspiciously.
PICARD: And the internal sensor readings?
WORF: No intruders detected, and no sign of the logs being tampered
with. I also talked with her colleges on Bajor, he had no enemies at
all.
PICARD: Ah, Mr. O'Brien?
O'BRIEN: The only time any of the cargo bay transporters were used was
wen Crewman Saunders was beaming up rock samples. Once again the logs
haven't been altered.
PICARD: Dammit, there's still nothing to go on.
PICARD: (turns to la forge) Commander?
LA FORGE: I did find something. Not an intruder, at least not as we
know. For around twenty seconds there was a subspace distortion in the
lab, when it disappeared so did Dr. Hunn.
PICARD: Does this distortion conform to anything we've encountered
before.?
LA FORGE: No, it phased into our space time continuum for a while, and
them went. It's structure is rather like a subspace vacuole, but on a
slightly different wavelength.
PICARD: Could this be some kind of transporting method, perhaps from a
clocked Romulan vessel?
LA FORGE: Perhaps, but I don't see how they could do it.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: The Romulan abduction is our best lead yet, (over comm-
badge) Conference lounge to Data.
DATA: Yes?
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Commander, stop your scans of the surface and try and
establish if a Romulan Vessel ever was, or is in this star system.
Remember to check to see if the ship is using something to hide it's
self, like a moon for instance.
DATA: Aye, Captain. Beginning scans.
Picard eyes him suspiciously.
PICARD: How is the survey coming?
CROFT: We'll be finished in an hour.
PICARD: Excellent, in an hour we'll leave orbit and begin our mapping
of the Nebula. (over comm-badge) Picard to Riker.
RIKER: Riker here.
PICARD: Inform Dr. Beck that we will be moving to map the nebula in an
hour. Have him set up a fliddy radiation reader at science station one.
RIKER Aye, Sir.
PICARD: This subspace distortion is behind Dr. Hunn's disappearance, Mr.
Worf continue searching in case it appears again. Mr. La Forge, see if
you can tell anything from the sensor logs about it's origins.
Dismissed.
They leave except for Troi who Picard holds back.
PICARD: Counsellor, what do you sense from our Intelligence Captain?
TROI: It's hard to tell, he's very practised at hiding his emotions,
but he is hiding something. Something huge, and I get the impression he
doesn't want Dr. Hunn's abductor found, and that he want's us to leave
Pootle III.
PICARD: Yes, I got that too. But we're not going to get any answers out
of him.
They go onto bridge, Smoking Captain has returned to his quarters.
Picard walks to Data and leans close.
PICARD: Data, I know what you've been ordered but I want you to continue
examining the planet, as well as searching for the possible Romulan
vessel.
DATA: I will conduct my work discreetly, Sir.
PICARD: How much longer will it take to finish the planetary scans at
least?
DATA: I will be finished just before we are required to leave.
PICARD: Good.
Ship in space.
Lab 3-omega.
JEFFERSON: I can't help thinking we could have helped Saera if we'd
been here.
CROFT: Don't torture yourself over it, we'd be dead as well.
JEFFERSON: I suppose, but it's just that there's no meaning to all this,
why would anyone want do this to Saera?
CROFT: I don't know either. Hand me that laser drill, please.
He does. At that moment the same light appears in front of them.
JEFFERSON: Christ Sam, look out!
CROFT: Croft to Security (over-commbadge)
WORF: Worf here?
CROFT: It's the distortion, it's in the lab.
WORF: I'm on my way, security to Science lab 3-omega.
CROFT: It's green, no wait. It's growing, now it's flashing green and
red, it's beautiful.
WORF: Get outta there!
CROFT: My God!
Croft and Jefferson scream, as two of the same humans lean from the
distortion and pull the two en in. When Worf and his team get there it
is two late.
Ship in space. Voice over.
PICARD: Captain's Log, stardate 3456.8, supplemental. The geological
survey of Pootle III is complete, we are now on our way to starbase 312,
whilst mapping the Heeble Nebula and studying the Fliddy Radiation. We
will arrive in a week. The crew has been saddened again by the deaths of
Dr. Hunn and now Dr.s Jefferson and Croft. We now know that the subspace
distortion is directly responsible for their deaths, Commander la Forge
is trying to establish exactly what it is; as we now have two internal
sensor readings of it. Data has just completed going over the scans of
the surrounding sector, and, without the Starfleet Intelligence
Captain's knowledge, the planetary scans of Pootle III. I have realised
that although Lieutenant Worf is a competent investigator and Commander
la Forge is capable of studying the distortion we do need help.
Therefore I have sent for two agents from the Federation Bureau of
Investigation, who are experts in unexplainable phenomenon; they will
arrive in three hours.
Additional. Maintenance has fixed the replicator in my ready room, at
last , a decent tea. Also there was a bomb scare in the school on deck
7, which turned out to be a stage prop which was a bomb for the school
play.
Ready room. Picard at replicator, Data sat down holding padd.
PICARD: Tea, Earl Grey, hot!
Dispenses drink, Picard sits.
PICARD: Ahh... Now what did you find?
DATA: (hands picard padd) As you can see Captain I turned up two
surprises. Firstly there is an underground structure here, in this
mountainous region on the third continent, it is small, only seven
metres by fifteen, however it could go underground.
PICARD: This is what the Captain tried to hide.
DATA: There is also this tetryon-nutreno current in orbit on Pootle
III's moon, it is highly probable this is the warp signature of a
clocked romulan ship with a malfunctioning cloaking device.
PICARD: Great, that's all we need.
DATA: Captain, I a uncertain. This Intelligence Captain wants us to not
investigate Pootle III, however it is vital we do so to find who killed
the geology team, why is this?
PICARD: Isn't it obvious Data? Jesus, you claim to be superior but you
cannot see a man's motives?
DATA: I am superior, but the absence of emotional perception puts me at
a disadvantage in times such as these.
PICARD: All, right. This man must have a hidden agenda, something must
be up in this sector, and Starfleet Intelligence is afraid that our
investigation will get in the way.
DATA: "Something Up"?
PICARD: Something on Pootle III which Starfleet Intelligence wants a
secret.
DATA: Ah, but if he reports directly to Starfleet Command, Starfleet
Intelligence and the Starfleet Science Corp. how can we investigate
Pootle III?
PICARD: I don't know yet. I'll keep him in the dark as long as possible.
DATA: Turning the lights out and preventing him from leaving his
location would prevent him discovering our return to Pootle III, but
surely there is a better way.
PICARD: Data! Why do you always get things wrong with humorous results?
DATA: I do not know.
PICARD: It's a figure of speech. It means I won't tell him.
DATA: I understand, I will store the analogy and use it in the future.
PICARD: Thank you, and well done. Now return to ops.
Picard and Data enter bridge. Smoking Captain is sat in Troi's seat.
PICARD: Ensign Cuteepie, set a return course for pootle three, 100%
impulse.
CUTEEPIE: Aye, Sir, coming about. Heading confirmed.
PICARD: It had better be. Worf, signal the FBI agents runabout of our
course change
WORF: Aye, Sir. Transmission received, Lieutenant-Commander Mulder
confirms message received, he will arrive at Pootle III in forty
minutes.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Picard, why are we returning to Pootle III?
PICARD: You were right, Commander Data's scans confirmed the possibility
of a cloaked Romulan Vessel.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: This means the Romulans are behind the murders somehow,
I suggest you review your security procedures if Romulans can board the
ship without you knowing.
PICARD: Look here, I don't care who you are, but you don't tell me how
to run my ship! It's a remote possibility that the Romulans are behind
this, I suspect that the Romulans are interested in Pootle III.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: I'll remind you. Picard; whilst I'm on board, this is
my ship. You should calm down, a man of your age could easily have a
heart attack.
DATA: That is improbable, as Captain Picard has an artificial heart.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Who asked you?
DATA: No-one.
PICARD: Oh yes. I've sent for some specialists in paranormal phenomenon
to aid our investigation, their from the FBI.
Smoking Captain looks concerned.
PICARD: Why would the Romulans be interested in Pootle III? I believe
it's uninhabited.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: I wouldn't know, my role is to advise Starfleet
Intelligence of a possible Romulan threat in this Nebula.
PICARD: Then why are you so interested in this investigation?
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Because their deaths could be Romulan related.
WORF: (flashing light on console) Captain! I have a de-clocked Romulan
warbird on long range sensors! It is in orbit around Pootle III!
Picard and Smoking Captain walk to tactical.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Yes, so it is. I'll us the Ready room to contact
Starfleet intelligence.
He goes. Picard walks to science station.
PICARD: Dr. Beck, what have your readings found.
BECK: Nothing much, just standard Fliddy Radiation signatures, nothing
out of the ordinary. But, at certain times there is a distortion in the
frequency and magnitude, it grows and then expands exponentially then
reverts to normal.
PICARD: What does this mean?
BECK: It could be non--inert gases reacting with dust or debris, from an
asteroid field say.
PICARD: I'm sorry but we have to go to warp, will this effect your work?
BECK: No, I can adjust for the red shift displacement in the readings
using the Kellerburg Algorithm.
PICARD: Good. Ensign Cuteepie, increase speed to warp 9, what's our
e.t.a. for Pootle III?
CUTEEPIE: forty minutes Sir.
PICARD: Good, hopefully we can arrive in time to protect the runabout
and find out what the Romulans are up to. (stops to think). Will?
RIKER: Sir?
PICARD: Any suggestions on how to tackle this?
RIKER: I think protecting the runabout is our top priority, we should
tell them to change course to intercept us, then we can worry about the
Romulans.
PICARD: Worf, advise the runabout to change to intercept us.
WORF: Aye, Sir. (comms noise) Captain, the runabout has also detected
the Warbird, they are already on an intercept course they will arrive in
3 minutes.
PICARD: Excellent. Number one, signal our guest to meet us in the
shuttle bay.
RIKER: Aye Sir.
Shot shows runabout in space entering hangar, inside it lands in front
of Picard, Riker and Smoking Captain. Runabout door opens, two people
step out, one a man, short neat hair, tall the other, a shorter woman
with red hair. Both are Lieutenant-Commanders and wear the red uniforms
of command. Both reach into pockets and whip out their ids.
SCULLY: (all shake hands except for smoking captain) I'm Agent Dana
Scully, this is my partner Agent Fox Mulder; we're with the Federation
Bureau of Investigation. Captain Picard?
PICARD: Yes, this is my first officer, Commander Will Riker.
MULDER: (nods, doesn't move) Commander.
SCULLY: (shakes hands with Riker, lingers a bit to long) Commander. I've
been looking forward to meeting you, Captain, I believe you went to the
Academy with my father Captain William Scully?
PICARD: Ah yes! Bill, god, how is he?
SCULLY: I'm afraid he passed last year, in a shuttle craft accident.
PICARD: I'm sorry.
SCULLY: It's all right.
MULDER: (to smoking captain) Haven't we met before, Sir?
SMOKING CAPTAIN: I don't think so.
MULDER: Mmm, your face is so familiar-
SMOKING CAPTAIN: You must have mistaken me for someone else.
MULDER: I suppose... Anyway, Captain Picard, could we see the sensor
logs of the distortion? We'd also like to see the lab.
SCULLY: And all the transporter logs.
MULDER: I don't think there's anything there.
SCULLY: We should follow all leads.
PICARD: Of course, Will, show the agents to the lab, then get down to
admin. and get them some quarters. I'll have Worf meet you in the lab.
RIKER: Aye, Sir. This way, (gestures to door).
All leave.
Lab three-omega. Mulder, Scully and Worf.
WORF: (puts down padd) This contains my own and Chief O'Brien's reports,
and the transporter logs. (points to Dr. Hunn's computer) Commander la
Forge transferred the internal sensor readings of the distortion onto
here, there are also copies of everything in your quarters.
MULDER: Thank you, Lieutenant. That will be all.
Worf leaves.
SCULLY: You still haven't told me why your interested in this case,
Mulder. It's obviously just a case of a damaged comm-badge.
MULDER: Three malfunctioning comm-badges, in hours of one-another, and
none of them have reported for replacements?
SCULLY: It's possible.
MULDER: Then how do you explain how their life signs are missing from
the overall ships census?
SCULLY: There could be a fault in the ships internal sensors, or they
could be dead.
MULDER: I doubt that, and if there dead then why hasn't anyone found or
smelled their bodies?
SCULLY: Mulder! There are nearly fifteen kilometres of conduits, access
ways and jefferies tubes on this ship, perhaps they went in there.
MULDER: Why would they do that? And what about Jefferson and Croft
disappearing from here right under Worf's nose.
SCULLY: OK Mulder, So what's your explanation? Another Eugine Tooms?
With a personal cloaking device?
MULDER: I believe the subspace vacuoles are the cause of their
disappearances. They have to be, they were present at both abductions.
SCULLY: It's possible, but it could be a coincidence. Anyway, are you
saying they were take to another dimension, either deliberately or
accidentally; that's crazy.
MULDER: Not that crazy, just crazy now. Do you remember that the humans
during the 20th and 21st centuries thought that passing Vulcan ships
were hostile alien craft, that took people away, mutilated animals and
made shapes in crop fields? That's crazy!
SCULLY: But they didn't know any better.
MULDER: And I don't? (joke)
SCULLY: (little laugh) That's not what I meant.
PICARD: (over labs comm.. system) Picard to lab three omega.
SCULLY: (Touches comm-badge) Scully here.
PICARD: Will you and Agent Mulder please report to the bridge? We will
be at Pootle three in two minutes.
SCULLY: Aye, Captain. Scully out. Lets go.
Leave. Bridge. View screen shows romulan warbird in orbit.
WORF: Shields are up, phazers and photon torpedoes armed and the kettle
is on.
PICARD: Good, that should get their attention.
Mulder sits at small seat next to troi, Scully to right of Riker.
Smoking Captain hovers over Worf's shoulder, puffing away.
WORF: They are hailing us.
PICARD: On screen.
Viewscreen flips to view of a seated Romulan Commander with a Romulan
Woman stood beside him.
RIKER: (wispered to Picard) Looks like our Overseer has his own
counterpart. (picard nods)
PICARD: I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the Federation starship
Enterprise; and you are?
ROMULAN: Captain, I'm Commander Shakeunvac of the Romulan Warbird
Nunchucku, how may I help you (sarcastic).
PICARD: You can start by telling me way you have violated the treaty of
Algeron and crossed the Neutral zone onto Federation Space.
SHAKEUNVAC: We have a good reason.
PICARD: I'll bet, if you return to Romulan Space I will overlook this
discretion.
ROMULAN WOMAN: Can it Picard, we can see through your lies! The
Tal'Sheare have know about this Federation base for three months!
PICARD: What are you talking about? There is no Federation base on
Pootle III.
ROMULAN: Oh, really? Why don't you ask your smoking colleague? I could
tell you his name if you like.
SMOKING MAN: This is outrageous! There is nothing on Pootle III but
grass.
ROMULAN: You expect us to believe that! It is you that is outrageous;
building a first strike base within five light years of the Romulan
Empire!
SMOKING MAN: I don't play with people who bluff. There is nothing on
this planet, you have nothing to the contrary, you have nothing!
SHAKEUNVAC: We will see if our scout party returns with nothing.
Smoking Captain is halfway walking back to tactical when he hears, he
stops half turns, the goes back to worf.
DATA: I find it unlikely that you will see the results of your scout
parties efforts. Because your have raised your shields and armed your
weapons as a result of our arrival and subsequent armament you cannot
activate your transporter without lowering your shields. You would then
be vulnerable to an attack from us, it is unlikely you will take this
course of action.
PICARD: Nicely done.
WOMAN: You must be the android Data; I have your schematics at home.
DATA: I feel I must also commend the intelligence gathering achievements
of the Tal'Sheare, you are very good.
PICARD: Data, you've had your moment, now shut up!
DATA: Aye, Sir.
PICARD: This needs to be resolved, if you attempt to transport your team
from the surface you will be fired upon, the same will be given to any
shuttle craft launched. We will talk again in an our. (turns to Worf,
gestures to cut communications.)
Comm-link lost.
RIKER: Wow! That's not like you Captain!
PICARD: Well... I'm fed up with Pussyfooting around with the fucking
Romulans! Who do they thick they are!? They cross the neutral zone once
a week and I have to deal with it! I'm pissed off!
WORF: I agree! The Romulans are dishonourable pu'toks!
DATA: I think the adjectives used to describe the Romulans are apt.
Unanimous uhhhhhhhhh.
RIKER: Data! You spoil everything.
PICARD: All senior staff to the conference lounge!
they go to coferese lounge, Mulder and Scully enter turbo lift.
MULDER: So what do you think?
SCULLY: About the Romulans?
MULDER: Yes.
SCULLY: Well... I think they do have something important to them to do
on Pootle III, and if it involved the Geology team then they might want
to kill them, but I don't see how.
MULDER: I think we can rule them out as suspects, but there is something
going on on the planet. If we could just get down there we might be able
to find out, it could even be related to the missing geology team.
turbo lift doors open.
SCULLY: Do you think Dr. Beck is in any danger?
MULDER: He could be, but there's nothing to connect him to the three
victims apart from this assignment, besides Worf has a security team
attached to him anyway.
SCULLY: Mmm.
As they round the corner a middle aged man (civillian) bumps into
Mulder, he drops a padd.
MULDER: Pardon me. (picks up padd, man starts to walk away) Here, wait,
you dropped this.
MAN: (turns) I think you need it more, Agent Mulder. (turns round
corner, Mulder looks at padd, starts to run after him)
SCULLY: Mulder! Wait!
Mulder rounds corner, man is gone.
SCULLY: What is it?
MULDER: Shhh! Not here; the lab.
They enter lab 3-omega and Mulder sits down, Scully reads padd over
shoulder.
SCULLY: What is it?
MULDER: The first page is a photograph... dammit! Where did he get this?
I knew I'd seen that Captain before.
Camera shows photo. It shows a group of six men, four are in Starfleet.
Scully points to a Captain.
SCULLY: Isn't that your father?
MULDER: Yes, and look he's got his arm round that Cancerman, he's a
Commander here. Look! (points to man in plain clothes) It's the man in
the corridor! I wonder who the other three are?
SCULLY: We should talk to your father, he retired didn't he?
MULDER: Yes, but they can't keep him away from Starfleet Intelligence
HQ! We should look at the rest of this first. I'll put it on that screen
over there.
Mulder hooks up padd to larger computer whilst Scully sits on desk.
MULDER: I've seen that photo before, as a kid. You Know Scully, there's
all the ingredients for a conspiracy here.
SCULLY: Lets just look at the rest of this, OK.
Screen lights up to show below:
DF1121-CC-00034-P3 Stardate 2955.1
Memo:
From: op no. 12.
To : Starfleet Intelligence ex no. 555-8889.
RE: Progress.
Reads:
Facility complete as of 21:33. Subjects arrive tomorrow, project
commences stardate 2959.
Possible risk of Romulan Incursions, request black ops unit.
End.
Encryption 111864248726-khshfkshfshf.
Channel: 1255.006.
--------------------------------------------
MULDER: What do you think?
SCULLY: It's too vague. It could be referring to anything.
MULDER: No! It has to be Pootle III, look here -P3, that could be Pootle
III.
SCULLY: It could be a memo serial number. We need more.
MULDER: There's one more page.
Screen shows below:
----------After three hours the metamorphosis is complete. The subject
displays evidence of controlled Space-time phazing abilities using a
subspace vacuole. Language is still present, and the subject remains
aware of his previous state. This is a breakthrough as most efforts to
join human and space dwelling life forms are unsuccessful at best.------
------------------------------------------After two days the subject
looses the ability to control the phazing, it then develops scitzoprenic
tendencies. ------------------------------------------------------------
-All subjects have been destroyed. --------------------------- has been
corrected----------- subject has been stable for three weeks--------all
body functions acceptable---------still obeys commands----------------
now we have nine subjects--------------amazing-------work together to
achieve tasks------USS Enterprise--------------Admiral William Mulder---
----
DF1121-CC-00034-P3.
SCULLY: My god. Mulder do you know there are four organic and two
inorganic organisms that inhabit space?
MULDER: Now there are five.
SCULLY: It looks like extracts from reports made by the experiments
supervisor.
MULDER: We got the directors cut. Look it mentions my father and the
Enterprise.
SCULLY: We have to show this to Captain Picard.
MULDER: I need to speak to my father... wait! We have to go down there!
SCULLY: How Mulder? We can't use the transporters with the shields up.
MULDER: Then we have to sort something out (comm-badge) Mulder to
Captain Picard.
PICARD: Yes, Commander?
MULDER: We know what happened to the geology team. How long till the
Nunchucku calls back?
PICARD: twenty minutes.
MULDER: Meet us in my quarters .
PICARD: OK.
Leave. Mulders quarters.
MULDER: Computer! Open a channel to Starfleet Intelligence Headquarters,
Admiral William Mulder.
COMPUTER: Please wait.
doorbell.
SCULLY: Come In.
Picard walks in.
SCULLY: Sir, this is the evidence. This explains what has been going on.
(hands him padd)
PICARD: Thank You.
COMPUTER: Comm-link established, channel status: Secure.
WILLIAM: Fox, how are you?
MULDER: Great Dad, what about you.
WILLIAM: All right, and your mother?
MULDER: She's good. ... Dad, I need your help.
WILLIAM: What exactly do you need?
MULDER: (presses button) Here I'm sending you a photograph. (William's
face drops) The man your arm is around is on this ship right now, he's a
Captain now, and the man I've circled gave me this photo along with the
two documents I'm about to send you. (presses button).
WILLIAM: (reads) Fox, I can't talk about this, I'm not in S.I anymore,
as for the men in the photo, I haven't seen them in twenty years.
MULDER: So you know nothing about Pootle III?
WILLIAM: Sorry, no.
MULDER: What about the men, can you tell me who they are?
WILLIAM: Fox, I can't help you. All I can say is be careful. (cuts link)
PICARD: I think we should talk to our Smoking friend.
MULDER: We have to get to the surface.
PICARD: Of course! Data detected a structure on the surface, that must
be the "facility" in the memo! The Romulan's must have beamed in there.
SCULLY: I hope they're good shots, if that S.I Black Ops unit is still
stationed down there.
MULDER: Sir, we have to get down there, some of the human-whatever they
are's must have escaped, we have to stop them.
PICARD: I'll see what I can do.
SCULLY: Hang on Mulder, I've got an idea. Computer! Open a channel to
Starfleet Intelligence extension number 555 dash 8889.
COMPUTER: Error! Invalid extension number, please try again.
SCULLY: It was worth a try.
RIKER: (over Picard's comm-badge) Riker to Picard.
PICARD: Yes, Will?
RIKER: Commander Shakeunvac want's to talk.
PICARD: OK. We'll be right there.
They leave. Bridge. Smoking Man enters through top turbolift.
WORF: Commander Shakeunvac is on hold.
PICARD: On screen.
SHAKEUNVAC: Captain Picard, have you reached a decision?
PICARD: Yes I have. There has been three unexplainable deaths on my ship
over the past day-
SHAKEUNVAC: I hope you're not suggesting-
PICARD: Oh, no, no, no. We've recently had something come to our
attention, something that proves that a Federation base on Pootle III is
responsible for their deaths.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Picard! What is this?!
PICARD: Commmander, our FBI agents need to beam down to the Surface to
apprehend the people involved, and you have your own interest in the
planet.
SHAKEUNVAC: I'm listening, Captain.
PICARD: I want to avoid a war between our peoples, so I suggest we both
lower our shields and dearm to allow away teams down to investigate.
SHAKEUNVAC: (looks to Tal'Sheare agent, who nods) Very well, I agree.
PICARD: I have consulted Starfleet Command, who have agreed that I can
take any reasonable action I see fit to resolve the situation.
SHAKEUNVAC: All I, and the Tal'Sheare are interested in is ensuring
this base is not used against us.
PICARD: And I want to find the murderers of my crew. As a show of good
faith we will lower our shields first and power down our weapons; Mr.
Worf!
WORF: But Captain, we would be helpless! They are Romulan!
RIKER: Do it Mr.Worf.
WORF:(moans) Shields down, weapons powering down.
SHAKEUNVAC: I commend you Picard, your dedication to peace is admirable.
(nods to left)
WORF: Confirmed they are standing down; CAPTAIN! A Klingon Vorcha Class
Cruiser is decloaking 500 metres to port! They are firing on the
Nunchucku!
Shot shows cruiser decloak and fire a quantum torpedo salvo at the
Nunchucku, it is destroyed.
PICARD: What? Hail them, Mr. Worf .
WORF: No response.
At that moment the Smoking Captain is transported to the Klingon
cruiser; shot then shows it move of and cloak. All the bridge crew start
to mumble and gasp.
WORF: Captain, a report has just come in from ten forward. Dr. Beck just
transported out from the bar!
RIKER: What the hell is this crap?
WESLEY: Who is telling? This crap is moving.
PICARD: Swift action is needed here. (walks to data) Data send the co-
ordinates of the base to transporter room two. You two (Mulder and
Scully), go down there, Will; you and Worf go with them. Get yourself a
full away team kit.
RIKER: Let's go. (away team leave)
PICARD: (comm-badge) Picard to la Forge.
LA FORGE: la Forge here.
PICARD: Geordi, I want you, Data and Wesley to go over everything and
everyone Dr. Beck touched and talked to.
LA FORGE: Aye, Sir. la Forge out. (Data and Wesley leave)
PICARD: (Looks around) Shit! I've got rid of my bridge staff. (they have
been replaced by people lower than Lieutenant that were hanging around
the back).
Pootle III. It's night. Tall water tower like structure with a single
door. Hills around and trees, there has been a battle, several Romulan
soldiers are dead. Human soldiers dressed in camouflage kit are also
dead (black ops). Away team beam in. Worf and Riker whip out tricorders,
Mulder and Scully walk about pointing their troches and phazers.
SCULLY: Look at this, it was quite a fight.
WORF: (points to door) Looks like some of the Romulans got inside.
RIKER: Spread out, see if any of these are alive.
They spread out, Mulder and Scully together.
MULDER: Anything unusual here, Scully?
SCULLY: I don't think so Mulder, all I can see is phazer blasts, and the
odd explosive charge.
MULDER: I think we'll find a lot more interesting things inside.
Worf leans over a Man, who groans.
WORF: COMMANDER! Over here!
They run over.
WORF: He is alive, bearly.
SCULLY: Let me see, I'm a doctor. (gets out med-tricorder, scans) He's
lost a lot of blood. There's a disruptor wound in the left leg, and this
rib is broken. He need's to get to sick bay. (comm-badge) Scully to
Crusher.
BEVERLY: Yes?
SCULLY: We have a wounded man down here, he needs medical attention.
BEVERLY: Standing by.
O'BRIEN: Commander; Is he the one lying down?
SCULLY: Yes chief.
O'BRIEN: Energising.
Man is transported to ship.
RIKER: I wonder why neither side had their weapons on a vaporising
setting.
MULDER: Yes, I'd been thinking about that too. Perhaps the Romulans
wanted the bodies left so we could find them, as proof.
RIKER: But what about our men?
MULDER: I'm working on it.
WORF: (has walked to entrance, scanning) Commander, the door has been
forced open, but I cannot scan the room beyond.
RIKER: Is there some kind of damping field?
WORF: I believe so.
MULDER: We have to go in.
RIKER: I agree, let's go.
They walk into a square room with bare walls, two men are dead, there is
a panel on the wall above them. Scully checks men, dead.
RIKER: Your right, Worf; the tricorders are useless. (puts away) We
won't be able to stay in contact with the Enterprise if we go
underground either. Riker to Picard.
PICARD: Yes, Will.
RIKER: It looks like some of the Romulans managed to break into the
Base. But If we go inside we'll lose contact with you. What do you want
us to do?
PICARD: Proceed inside, we have to find the Subjects. Watch yourself in
there.
RIKER: Subjects? What do you mean?
PICARD: Commander Mulder will fill you and Worf in. Enterprise out.
MULDER: S.I had a secret facility here. They were splicing together
space dwelling aliens with human volunteers.
WORF: Why?
MULDER: We don't know, but some of them escaped and killed the geology
team, and we have to find them.
RIKER: How do we stop them?
MULDER: They are very intelligent, and have the ability to phaze in and
out of our space time continuum at will.
WORF: A worthy adversary.
SCULLY: But they are just as susceptible to a phazer hit as us.
RIKER: If some of them escaped then how are the others held here?
SCULLY They must be held in some kind of subspace holding field, or they
could have had their phazing abilities restricted.
WORF: Perhaps they all escaped!
RIKER: Or maybe we're only dealing with the couple that escaped.
MULDER: But we will find out.
RIKER: OK, lets go.
Worf walks to panel, pushes button. A whooshing sound is heard, and the
door opens revealing a turbo lift.
RIKER: Computer! Halt lift at each level in turn.
they get in and go down to sub level 1. Lift doors open.
COMPUTER: Sub level one; Storage.
WORF: It appears to be a supply bay. (large room, shelves, crates,, a
couple of fork lifts and a transporters. They walk into room and look at
various things)
MULDER: Food... And a few medical supplies.
RIKER: Let's go to the next floor.
They go back in lift.
Enterprise, Sick Bay. Black Ops soldier is on bed, Nurse Ogawa picks up
padd from side table then leaves. Beverly turns from wall display to see
Picard enter.
PICARD: How is he, Beverly?
BEVERLY: Well, he had pretty bad injuries, but I've stabilised him. I
had to give him two litres of blood, and replace part of his thrird
right rib with a replicated implant. All that's left is for his
disruptor wound to heal nauturally.
PICARD: Is he stable enough to talk to?
BEVERLY: I thought you would ask that; right now he needs plenty of
rest... But if it was just for a minute...
PICARD: That's all I need; revive him.
BEVERLY: OK. (walks to table, brings back hypo-spray Sticks on neck. Man
coughs and tries to sit up, but falls down again)
MAN: Uhhhhhhhhhh. Where am I?
PICARD: You're on the Enterprise, I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard. We
rescured you from Pootle III, we were hoping you co-
MAN: Lieutenant John Montoya, Special Ops, Starfleet Intelligence, 1010-
84551JM.
PICARD: We need some answers, the Romulans could still be on the
surface, and some dangerous aliens are still at large; we need your help
Lieutenant.
MONTOYA: Lieutenant John Montoya, Special Ops, Starfleet Intelligence,
1010-84551JM.
PICARD: This isn't an interrogation! You're on the flagship of the
Federation, we're here to help you. But we need you to help us, there
are lives at stake.
MONTOYA: Lieutenant John Montoya, Special Ops, Starfleet Intelligence,
1010-84551JM.
PICARD: You aren't our prisoner, don't you understand? Dammit! I order
you to tell me alll you know about the base on Pootle III.
MONTOYA: Sorry, Sir; I can't do that.
PICARD: Why not?
MONTOYA: It's classified.
PICARD: Then what can you tell me?
MONTOYA: Lieutenant John Montoya, Special Ops, Starfleet Intelligence,
1010-84551JM.
PICARD: I'm done with him, you can put him out now.
Picard leaves. Cut to bridge, Data, Geordi and Wesley are working at the
science stations. Picard enters, walks over.
PICARD: What have you uncovered?
WESLEY: Quite a lot, actually. The people that he spoke to in ten
forward said he only ordered his drinks, and sat alone. But that's were
the deadends stop.
LA FORGE: I checked his equipment, he was reading the Fliddy radiation
waves right after he got on board, and he turned up something good for
us. We can now track the concentrated areas that emmit Fliddy Radiation,
and guess what, they were in the lab when the geology team were taken.
PICARD: Do we know where they are now?
LA FORGE: Yep, there are two emmiters of Fliddy radiation in the
vicinity of this sector, and they are botn within a kilometre of the
away team.
PICARD: Great, and we can't contact them.
WESLEY: Captain, I've got this feeling there's something we're not
being told.
PICARD: There is. The FBI investigation turned up something very
sensitive that goes to the top of Starfleet, all I can tell you is that
the sources of the fliddy radiation are aliens with phasing abilies.
WESLEY: Wow.
PICARD: Data? What have you uncovered?
DATA: I did a background study on Dr. Beck. Dr. David Beck died 17 years
ago on Mars colony; his identity is false. I also sent the sensor
readings we had on the Klingon cruiser to the Klingon high council.
PICARD: What did they say?
DATA: They reported that the Ka'nopeur was lost and presumed destoryed
in the Heeble Nebula five weeks ago.
PICARD: Hmm... Two things that arn't what they are. Anything else?
DATA: On intuition I ran a check on the Smoking Captain; his file is
classified.
PICARD: Excellent work, now return to your stations.
Pootle III. Lift doors open.
COMPUTER: Sub-level six; Labarotry level.
MULDER: At last, pay dirt.
The away team leave the lift and form a wedge formation, pointing their
torches in line with their phazers. It's dark, the room shows a room
with variious workpaceses along the wall, some with P.Cs on, some with
electron microscopes and other biology equipment. There is a dead
scientist slumped in a chair and some more black ops soldiers on the
floor. The only sound is the sparking noise from the damadged overhead
lights, computers ad the humm of the facilitys reactor and air
conditioning. Scully checks the dead men. She shakes head. Mulder walks
to scienctist, and pulls out his wallet and I.d badge from his lapel.
MULDER: (goes through wallet). This is Dr. Edward Arturo, an
exobiologist.
RIKER: What else is in his wallet?
MULDER: A couple of strips of latinum, shuttle craft license and a photo
of his family.
RIKER: What about his I.D card.
MULDER: Hmm... It's got his name on it, and a photo of him... oh,
there's an isolinear strip on the back.
WORF: It must be for gaining entrance to secure areas.
MULDER: Yes, and I bet you can't get in with just this.
RIKER: (looks about) Well, there's four of us, and five doors, take one
each and leave that one. (points to door at head of room) And be
careful, so far we've seen plenty of dead men but no dead Romulans.
They each go to their separate doors, cameera follows Riker. He opens a
door marked "Caution- Biohazard", he steps in, and gets hit in the
shoulder by a disruptor, his arm is sevred, he drops torch and phazer
and falls to the ground. The torch shines onto him, he screams. Worf
runs from his room, followed by Mulder and Scully.
WORF: Commander! (drags him out of doorway) Are you all right? What
happened?
RIKER: Ahh... Rom... Romulan... There's a Romulan,, in... in.. there...
didn't see him.
SCULLY: His arm is severed, but the disruptor energy cuterised the
wound, he'll be all right as long as he doesn't go into shock. Worf,
take him over there. (points toward lift). I'll keep him awake, you two
deal with the Romulan.
Worf kicks door wide open and they take a side each.
MULDER: Drop your disruptor and come out, this is the Federation Bureau
of Inestigation. It's over!
ROMULAN: No! If you come in here I'll kill you!
WORF: Just like you and your friends killed the personnel of this base?!
Nuch'pu!
ROMULAN: No! You don't understand it wasn't me! (fires at door)
MULDER: What do you mean?
ROMULAN: My scout party killed the outer defences, and I was the only
one to get in, but they were already dead!
WORF: You lie! (steps in room, fires phazer, ducks back out as Romulan
returns fire)
MULDER: Lietenant! Listen to me! We're all in danger here, we'd be
better off together. Just come out, we don't want to kill you. (Worf
growls)
ROMULAN: No! I can't surrender my weapon, you don't know... there
here... I've seen them! Rahhhhh! (fires at door)
MULDER: Huh... OK, we go in on three. One, two...
There is a green, red light that suddenly blazes through the door, the
Romulan screams and fires repeatedly.
ROMULAN: Noo!
MULDER: It must be one of the aliens, QUICK!
They burst in and see the human-alien struggling with the Romulan. He is
suspened in mid air, half of him is in the vacule. Worf fires at him and
he falls, dropping the romulan, who is bleading from a head wound. The
human-alien falls to the floor, the vacule dissapates, he has smooth
skin, whick ripples with green and red. He has no body hair or
genitalia.
MULDER: Scully! Get in here!
SCULLY: (Runs in) Did you get him?
MULDER: No, this guy got to him first.
SCULLY: You killed him?
WORF: No, my phaser is set on heavy stun, if he takes phaser hits like
humans he should be able to move in three hours.
SCULLY Good, that gives us some time; I've got to take Commander Riker
back up and get him to sick bay.
MULDER: OK, have Commander la Forge come down here, lets see if he can
help us get that door open. And get a security team to look after him.
(points to alien)
SCULLY: Ok. I'll be back.
She leaves, Riker just stands, Worf helps him into turbo lift.
RIKER: I can manage... ah.
Scully and Riker go in turbo lift, Worf and Mulder have a quick look
round the other rooms and meet at door at end off room.
MULDER: Anything?
WORF: No, just smashed equipment.
MULDER: It would seem that all our answers are behind this door. I
wonder if we'll be able to get in? (looks at I.D card) I doubt we can
get in with just this... (walks up to card reader, Worf touches his
shoulder).
WORF: Be careful, Sir. It undoubtably has some security measures to
prevent un-authoriseed entry: being killed by a trap is not a honourable
way to die.
MULDER: I'll keep that in mind.
The door is twice the width of the others and looks very solid, it has
the I.D card reader to the right and two other pieces of equpment above
it. "Restricted Area: Level Three Clearence Only. Holding cells 1-12A"
is written on it in english. Mulder runs card through reader, it beeps
and so on.
COMPUTER: Recognise Dr. Edward Arturo; please look into the scanner for
the retinal scan. ( Arrow points to retina scaner).
MULDER: I think we'll have to wait for la Forge.
COMPUTER: Error. Admission request cancelled.
Turbo lift doors open, Scully returns with la Forge, a security team and
two ship's operations crewmen. The security team get alien and take him
to turbo lift.
MULDER: How's Commander Riker?
SCULLY: He'll be fine, Dr. Crusher's sure she can re-attach his arm.
He's quite lucky, but we however don't have much luck.
LA FORGE: We picked up a starship on long range scans, it won't be here
for another two hours but the Captain had a message from Starfleet
Command...
MULDER: What'd they say?
LA FORGE: Basiclly to get the hell off this planet, Starfleet
Intelligence is taking over, we've got until the U.S.S. Aniston gets
here to get through that door and find the last alien, I heard you
stunned one of them?
MULDER: Yes, but unless we can find out how this project kept them
contained we'll have to keep him in stasis.
LA FORGE: If I can get a look at their setup or see some documentation I
should be able to rig up something similar using a cell in the brig back
on the Enterprise. OK guys, (motions to crewmen) lets get this door
open. (they get to work) I'll let you know as soon as we get something
positive.
MULDER: Ok, Scully, let's go back up and talk to the Captain. Worf, I'll
have the security team come back down, then you can secure the area
properly.
WORF: Aye, Sir.
Transporter room, O'Brein at the console. Mulder and Scully materialise
on the pads.
SCULLY: Thank's, Chief.
O'BRIEN: It's all right, Commander. Captain Picard is waiting for you in
the Conference lounge.
Conference Lounge. Picard is looking out of window, drinking an Earl
Grey. Mulder and Scully enter.
SCULLY: Captain.
PICARD: (Turns) Have a seat and I'll fill you in on what's been
happening. (They sit) I had a priority one communication from Starfleet
Command a few minutes a go; we've been ordered to Starbase 312 for a
safty inspection.
MULDER: The least they could to is make their cover-ups beliveable!
PICARD: Yes, that's what I thought. We've got just under two hours
before the U.S.S Aniston gets here and S.I takes over the investigation.
SCULLY: If we're still in orbit when they get here we'll be in a lot of
trouble.
MULDER: We can't leave! I mean, not until we can get in the cell area.
If we leave without getting in there then S.I will destroy the base.
PICARD: We will remain here until just before the Aniston can pick us
up, it's a small ship so that gives us... (over comm-badge) Mr. Data,
how long till the Aniston can detect us on sensors?
DATA: One hour, thirty-two minutes and eleven seconds, Captain.
PICARD: Thank you, Picard out.
SCULLY: Sir, if we have any chance of successfully bringing the two
aliens to justice or the experiment itself to the attention of the
Federation Council we're going to need a lot of substantial evidence.
PICARD: Yes, I would imagine that there's enough evidence from the
ship's sensor logs, eye wittness accounts and articles in the base to
convict the aliens in court. But what of the project itself?
MULDER: It probobly has legitimate clearance by the Science Corp. and
Starfleet Command-
SCULLY: How can you say that Mulder? How could anyone authorise such a
mostrosity?!
MULDER: They must have not been told exactly what was being conducted
here, and S.I only officially answers to Starfleet Command.
PICARD: Are you talking about a conspiracy, Commander Mulder?
MULDER: Not exactly; more of a governmet within a government, which
doesn't officially exist. (Picard looks surprised) Three similar
insidents have come to our attention over the past six years, it's hard
to prove though, and when we do no-one belives us.
SCULLY: Yuo mean no-one belives you, Mulder.
MULDER: It all dates back to 'The Roswell Incident of 1947', that's when
it all started.
PICARD: Roswell Incident?
SCULLY: Trust me Captain, you don't want to know.
PICARD: Well, we do have a lot of time, why don't you tell me Agent
Mulder?
MULDER: In 1947 a Ferengi shuttle crash landed near Roswell, New Mexico.
PICARD: That's in America.
MULDER: That's right. The American army recoverd the craft and it's
three live occupants and took them to a secret facility in Nevada called
Area 51. The offical story was that it was a downed weather ballon, but
the public didn't belive it. There were too many unanswered questions,
certain people belived it was a crashed UFO, but there was no evidence.
Anyway the Ferengi were kept in Area 51 and studied util the last of
them died in 1978. The President of the time ordered that their bodies
be preserved for evan further study. This only came out in 2155 when the
world government was formed and all nation states had to share their
secrets.
PIACRD: But evan that story has to be false.
MULDER: That's right. The Ferengi didn't have Warp techonolgy in 1947,
so they couldn't have got to Earth, and evan if they had the Americans
would have reproduced the technology in the time they had, and when
asked to produce the bodies of the Ferengi they said they had been
mislaid! So that story is false,; this ids what actually happened. Two
years ago the Ferengi shuttle left Deep Space Nine bound for earth, but
near Earth they were traped in a spacial anomaly and brought back to
1947, where they crash landed in New Mexico and they were taken to Area
51. They managed to repair their universal translators ad talk to the
Americans, who as you can imagine were dumbfounded. But before they
could examin their craft or thwm they escaped and managed to recreate
the accident, bringing them back to their own time. The Americans
couldn't let the truth get out that they had let the Aliens get away so
they made up that story.
PICARD: Amazing.
MULDER: That's not all, after Roswell there was a highly classified
global directive that any Country that had a live alien recoverd from a
crash site was responsible for it's emidiate extermination.
PICARD: My, god!
MULDER: There were four such insidents of this type up to 2155, when
Earth joined the Federation it was discovered that they were all
experimental Vulcan ships. Only a few men know this. Now you see how far
a government will go to cover something up, and how heinous the deeds
are that they cover up.
PICARD: Yes, Agent Scully, I want you to return to the Base and collect
all the evidence you can. Agent Mudler, contact your superior and find
out Bureau policy in matters such as these. Dissmissed.
They leave. Ship in Space. Corridor, Mulder walks into his quarters.
Goes to replicator.
MULDER: Coffee, white, extra sugar; 100 grams of sunflower seeds. (gets
stuff, sits at desk) Computer! Open a channel to Commodore Skinner at
the FBI headquarters.
COMPUTER: Standby. Channell status; Secure. (Skinner appears on screen
at his desk)
SKINNER: Agent Mulder, what can I do for you?
MULDER: I need some help, how would an agent proceed if a secret S.I
experient was connected to the deaths of three Federation citizens?
SKINNER: Is hypothetical or an actual case?
MULDER: A bit of both, Sir.
SKINNER: I see. S.I have durastriction on their soil no matter what the
circumstances, however I think the Agent would have a bit of leeway in
the intrests of solving the case.
MULDER: Thank you, Sir.
SKINNER: Watch your back Agent Mulder, at the very least your not going
to make any new friends.
MULDER: Mulder Out.
Sick bay, Beverly at her desk.
MULDER: (over Beverly's comm-badge) Mulder to Dr. Crusher.
BEVERLY: Crusher here.
MULDER: Dr, what's the condition of the alien we recovered?
BEVERLY: He was still stunned when I got him, I've got him in a stasis
chamber at the moment.
MULDER: Can you keep him in there safely until la Forge comes up with a
way to contain him?
BEVERLY: Yes, I can keep him in there indefinatly with no risk to him.
MULDER: Thank you Doctor. Mulder Out.
Ship in space, voice over.
PICARD: Captain's personal log, stardate 3455.9. Usually I would never
contemplate disobeying a direct order, but these are no ordinary
circumstances. I am possibly putting the lives of the entire crew in
danger, as the Romulans might send reinforcements after the Nunchucku
fails to report in. However I believe there is only a small chance of
this because the Romulans don't want to aggrevate the situation further.
On the other hand I have been ordered to hand over all reports made
regarding this mission at Starbase 313, and somehow I doubt that S.I
will be questioning the Romualans about this.
There are further complications as I failed to mention to Admiral
Novoselic that we recovered Lieutenant Montoya, but he will leave the
Enterprise at Starbase.
I still don't know what to do with the captured alien, or evan both of
them if we catch the other one.
Three Federation citizens have been killed on my ship, and I want the
perpetrators brought to justice, evan if it threatens some S.I
experiment to be uncovered. If Agents Mulder and Scully can find
sufficient evidence we will be able to convict the two phazing aliens,
and present the case to the Federation council; hopefully there will be
a complete investigation into this experimet and S.I covert activities.
But I suspect this goes higher up than the Federation council, and that
people right now are trying to cover this up.
Base on Pootle III, Geordi is tapping away at a piece of equipmet that
is hooked up to the door. Scully enters through one of the side offices
with a tricorder in her hand. Lift opens, Mulder steps out.
LA FORGE: Ok, try that... any good.
CREWMAN SANCHEZ: Better, but there's still four conduit manafolds
unpolerized.
MULDER: (to Scully) What have you got?
SCULLY: Not much I'm afraid, S.I was careful not to have any sensitive
files lying around. I've uploaded the best ones onto this tricorder.
There's a lot of very specific work regarding the construction of the
base and the work done here, but the names mentioned are only base
personnel.
MULDER: So there's no evidence to connect this base to any Federation
agency?
SCULLY: No, I'm sorry. The only thing we have that will hold up in court
is the two documents that man gave you. But they can't be validated.
MULDER: Our last chance is behind this door then.
GEORDI: THAT'S IT! Agent Scully, Mulder; we're in!
SCULLY: Good work, Geordi. (over comm-badge) Scully to Worf, we need you
down here, we've got through the door.
WORF: I'm on my way.
Worf arrives, he, Mulder, Scully and la Forge pull out phazers and
torches.
MULDER: Set phazers on heavy stun... Mr. Worf. (motions to door)
WORF: Stand clear. (he opens door fro the side and they whirls round to
face inside the room, shining the torch around, it's dark) CLEAR!
They enter. On the left is a dead scientist at a desk and a dead soldier
against the wall. To the right are tweleve alcoves. They look in the
first one, it has a bed, table and chair, and a small bathroomette.
Mulder reaches in and is repeled by a force field. He then looks at a
switch by the door they came in and pushes it; the lights come on.
MULDER: This area still has power.
LA FORGE: There must be a back up generator somewhere. (Scully walks to
dead scientist)
SCULLY: He's been dead, hmm... about three days (from tricorder) He's a
virologist, a Dr. Daneil Cassiun. I think we should check these cells.
They check each one in tern until they get to the last one, which has
the last alien asleep on a bed.
MULDER: Wooo! Jackpot! OK, here's what we're gonna do. Worf! How much
longer until we have to leave?
WORF: (checks tricorder) We have thirty minutes.
MULDER: Go back to the surface and get some people to get all
the bodies to the surface so they can be transported to the
ships morgue. Hurry.
WORF: Aye, Sir (leaves. from now until they all leave we
occasionally see crewmen taking bodies into the turbolift)
MULDER: Geordi, see if you can find out how these cells
restrict their phazing abilities; use that terminal over there.
LA FORGE: I'll get right on it; what are you going to do?
SCULLY: I think I know, we're going to talk to this guy arn't
we.
MULDER: Ou Scully, how'd you guess?
SCULLY: Experiance. (Geordi gets to work, Mulder and Scully
turn to alien)
MULDER: Can you hear me? Hello?
ALIEN: (Turns, sits up) Who the hell are you?
MULDER: I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is Agent Dana
Scully, we're with the Federation Bureau of investigation.
ALIEN: And what is it exactly that you are investigating?
SCULLY: A ship was studying the volcanic activity on this
planet, three people have been killed by aliens such as
yourself.
ALIEN: Yes I know; you must understand, I had nothing to do
with it. I've been trapped in here for days, could you let me
out I'm really hungry.
MULDER: What happened here?
ALIEN: Do you know much of the experiment?
MULDER: We know enough.
ALIEN: I doubt that. We were all volenteers, dying of incurable
diseases, they offered us a chance to live, we'd have been
fools not to take it. We knew it was experimental, and that it
would change us into this, but it didn't matter, it was life.
Unfortuatly they hadn't perfected the process enough, I was
lucky.
MULDER: How?
ALIEN: There were twelve of us in all, the first eleven went
mad, and escaped somehow. I was the only one to have the
updated procedure performed on me, as a result I was a success,
and they left me here to die for it. I could sense them,
leaving the planet. They fought amounst one another, until two
remained, they were the ones who killed your crewm-members and
later the Roumulans and base defences.
SCULLY: You said two other than yourself, we've only found one.
ALIEN: Yes, I stopped sensing him some time ago. Do you have
the other one in a cell such as this one?
SCULLY: No, he's in stasis.
ALIEN: Ah, that'll do for now. Now, could you let me out?
MULDER: If you do will you testify in court?
ALIEN: Why should I? You don't have enough evidence to
prosecute the men behind this, only my collegue you have in
stasis.
MULDER: Then I guess you'll just have to stay in here then.
(turns away)
ALIEN: NO! WAIT! You can't! If you leave me here they'll kill
me! You know that, they'll be no trace of this project
afterwards.
MULDER: Then give us something to let you out.
ALIEN: I could tell you how to construct a cell like this one
for your prisoner; your friend won't find it.
SCULLY: And in return?
ALIEN: After I've helped you I want my freedom.
SCULLY: Give us a minute. (they walk away) Do you trust him,
Mulder?
MULDER: I think we have to. He seems like he's telling the
truth.
SCULLY: Ok. (walk back) It's a deal, how do we get you out?
ALIEN: The control panel on Dr. Cassiun's desk.
SCULLY: (walks over) I think this is it. (pushes button, force
field lowers)
ALIEN: (stands) Shall we?
MULDER: OK! Lets go. Geordi; this... what's your name?
ALIEN: Call me Twelve.
MULDER: Tweleve will show you how to construct these cells. (to
nearest Crewman) When all the bodies are aboard noyify me and
get everyone ack to the Enterprise.
JACOB: Yes, Commander.
Twelve, La Forge, Scully and Mulder leave. Brig, tweleve has
been given some clothes and is helping Geordi with the modified
cell.
TWELVE: That's it. Now all you have to do is test it; but I
assure you it will work.
LA FORGE: I must admit, this force field design is ingenious, I
could have never come up with it in time, evan with Data's
help. Thank's for helping.
TWELVE: I did what I needed to do. Goodbye. (phazes, Geordi
looks impressed)
LA FORGE: OK! Reg! Pipe the power through conduit four, lets
get this baby operational.
BARKLY: The power transfer is stable, Ruitium emissions within
safty limits. The force field is holding.
LA FORGE: O.K turn it off for now. La Forge to Sick Bay.
BEVERLY: Crusher here.
LA FORGE: Dr, can you bring the alien out of statis and bring
him to the brig?
BEERLY: Ok. Crusher out.
Bridge. Picard, Mulder and Scully enter from ready room. Sit.
PICARD: Mr. Worf, how long until the Aniston's sensors detect
us?
WORF: Three minutes.
PICARD: We better leave; helm set a course for Starbase 313,
Warp five- engage!
Ship going to warp. Conferece lounge, Riker, Mulder, Scully and
Picard.
PICARD: Let's disscus our options. Now, we have to hand over
all our reports regarding this mission at starbase 313, but
they havn't been asked for the ship's or personal logs. This
doesn't leave us with a lot of evidence, Agent Scully, what can
we prove?
SCULLY: We'll be able to prove that the alien we have in the
brig killed the geology team by the sensor logs, but we can't
connect the base to any Federtion agency, so there'll be no
investigation.
MULDER: And while we're having a safty inspection at starbase
the Aniston will be conducting a clean up operation on Pootle
III.
PICARD: Is there any way we can link the base to the
Federation, no matter how small?
MULDER: We could get the alien to confess, but it's only one
witness. There's nothing we can do; but I'll still talk to him.
Brig. Worf is waiting, Mulder walks in.
MULDER: Worf, I didn't expect you to be here.
WORF: I came down to check on security on this deck and thought
I should check on the alien. He should regain consiousness
within the hour.
MULDER: Unfortunatly I need to speek to him now.
WORF: I t would be too dangerous for someone to go in and
revive him; I suggest using the Prisoner Summons.
MULDER: Prisoner summons?
WORF: It is a very loud noise, specifically designed to wake
any species from sleep. I can keep the sound confined to the
cell using a reinforced field overlaying the current one.
MULDER: Ok, do it. (worf walks over to console and pushes
buttons. a muffled alarm sound is heard, the alien
moans/screams and stands. He trys to phaze but can't, he gets
loud andruns at worf, hits force field and falls back, then
sits) If your quite finished I'd like to talk to you.
ALIEN: I bet you would, let me out and we'll talk.
MULDER: I don't think I'll do that, what with your homosidal
tendansies and ability to phaze out of this space time
contiuum. You have to admit it wouldn't be a wise move.
ALIEN: Not for you at least, who the hell are you people? You
have no right to keep me here!
MULDER: I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, I'm with the FBI and this
is Lieutenant Worf, this ship's chief of security; and you are?
No let me guess: eleven?
ALIEN: Not evan close, Two.
MULDER: Well two, I have every right to keep you in here.
You've murdered at least fifty Federation citizens, with help
and a number of Romulans. We have all the bodies in the ships
morgue, we can tie you to three murders at the moment, but
given time we should be able to prove you killed the others.
TWO: I don't know what you're talking about.
MULDER: I'm afrid you do. I wonder, if you could give us some
information regarding the installation we found you in I might
be able to help you.
TWO: Sorry, I'm talking to anyone about anything. Leave me
alone, I don't have much time left.
MULDER: What do you mean?
TWO: Havn't you figured it out? Whenever you get where your
going they'll come for me and have me destryoed, no matter what
I tell you it won't help.
MULDER: Then there's no reason to not talk.
TWO: No thanks, I need some sleep.
Mulder shakes head, they leave. Shot of Enterprise entering
dock with Starbase 313. Lieutenat Montoya walks out of airlock
and into starbase. Passing him entering Enterprise is the
Cigarette smoking Captain and a team of armed men. They enter
bridge.
SMOKING CAPTAIN: Captain Picard! I have reason to believe that
you have a recovered alien indigenous to Pootle III on board, I
have an order drom Starfleet Intelligence to take this alien,
and all computer files regarding it into custody. Where is it?
PICARD: Mr. Worf, please show our guests to the Brig.
Brig, the soldiers flood the cell with a gas which
incapasitates the alien, who screams things like "No! Don't let
them take me!" They exit.
Office in FBI headquarters, Scully sat at desk.
SCULLY: Case report: case number X112-2-7845. The murders of
Dr. Hunn Saera, Dr. Alexander Jefferson and Dr. Samual Croft
were attributed to a alien recovered from Pootle III. Offically
this alien is indigeous to Pootle III and human in appearance,
offically it is in the custody of Starfleet intelligence for
study, offically this is where the case is closed.
However Agent Mulder and myself know for a fact that a secret
S.I base was located on pootle III and it was responsible for
joining human volenteers to space dwellind aliens with phazing
abilitys, this however cannot be proven. On a return trip to
Pootle III the site of the base is sectioned off, officially
designated an archeological site.
There were several human and romulan bodies recovered from the
planet; the romulans have been returned to the Empire. The
identities of the humans we could identify were ran through
every possible database, offically, they do not exist.
There is obviosly a S.I cover up at work here, but the eye-
wittness accounts of the Enterprise crew are not enough proof
to warrent an investigation. The only lead we have, Liuetenant
Montoya, the only man to survive, has dissapeared, officially
he does not exist.
The case is offically closed, as there are no avenues left to
explore, but for Agent Mulder and I, this X-File will remain
open, as this will not be the last time an incident such as
this occures.
(titles)