




                                            Story by
                                  Rick Berman & Brannon Braga 
                                       & Ronald D. Moore

                                          Screenplay by
                                Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore


                                                                      First Draft

                                                               September 29, 1995





               1   A BLACK VOID                                                 1

                   We can hear movement. Strange skittering sounds, like
                   razor-claws on metal... the hiss of pneumatic hoses...
                   the whirr and click of servos... liquid gurgling... an
                   eerie, alien cacophony.

               2   EARTH                                                        2

                   appears, hanging now in the starry blackness. The
                   alien noises continue, and far in the distance we hear
                   the muffled THUMP of what could be a distant explosion.
                   Alien TEXT suddenly appears next to Earth, and we
                   REVEAL we are in --

               3   INT. BORG RECON CENTER                                       3

                   The image of Earth is actually on a monitor, which is
                   only one of DOZENS of MONITORS covering a huge wall.
                   We don't see anything of the rest of the room, but the
                   technology in view is distinctly alien and bizarre --
                   a mixture of organic and mechanical elements.
                   Circuitry and optical cabling are side-by-side with
                   what looks almost like arteries and organs. We can
                   still hear the creepy skittering and gurgling noises.
                   Occasionally, a SHADOWY FORM sweeps past the camera,
                   vaguely humanoid but we can't tell who or what it is.

                   All of the monitors are active, and they present myriad
                   IMAGES and SOUND -- all related to EARTH HISTORY. The
                   screens show everything from written Chinese... to
                   Renaissance paintings... to black and white newsreel
                   footage of World War Two... to what look like clips of
                   space battles from the 24th century. The entire range
                   of human history dancing across the monitors. The
                   effect is dizzying -- we get the feeling that whoever
                   is watching this is studying the human race.

                   There is another THUMP and the wall of monitors
                   SHUDDERS slightly. We hear the VOICE of what we will
                   come to know as the BORG COLLECTIVE -- thousands of
                   voices speaking at once :

                                           BORG
                             Restrict search parameters to 1-9-
                             9-8 through 2-0-8-4.

                   The images on the monitors now change to show us images
                   from 21ST CENTURY Earth history.

                   Again, it's a collection of still photography, video
                   footage, text, artwork, etc. We hear snippets of sound-
                   bites, music, speeches from the period. A lot of
                   enticing details. As the images race across the
                   monitors, we should learn the following.

                   -- The turn of the 21st century brought chaos.
                   Regional wars, the collapse of the United Nations.
                   Societal break-down. Crime, starvation, desperation.

                   -- A Third World War. Nuclear explosions,
                   environmental disasters, tens of millions dead. The
                   United States ceases to exist. All political authority
                   vanishes. Humanity teetering on the edge of the Second
                   Dark Age.

                   -- The image of a single man -- ZEPHRAM COCHRANE. A
                   visionary scientist. He see the spacecraft he created
                   out of a nuclear missile. He flies the first warp
                   test, breaking the light barrier. It changes history.

                   -- Grainy black and white images of a VULCAN SCOUT SHIP
                   landing on Earth. They saw Cochrane's flight, followed
                   him back to Earth, and made First Contact with the
                   human race.

                   -- Humanity turns the corner. First Contact with an
                   alien civilization brings the planet together as never
                   before. Humans and Vulcans working together, beginning
                   to solve long-standing problems with new technology.
                   We see an early replicator producing food for the
                   starving millions. A new World Government is formed.

                   -- People from planet Earth and people from Vulcan form
                   an Alliance. They call it the United Federation of 
                   Planets. And they commission a fleet of starships for
                   protection and exploration. They call it Starfleet.

                   -- These are images recounting the birth of the Star
                   Trek universe.

                   Another muffled EXPLOSION, this one stronger, SHAKES
                   the entire wall. One of the monitors BLOWS OUT in a
                   shower of sparks. And now a new voice, a woman's
                   voice, low, threatening, with a slight metallic
                   inflection, speaks for the first time:

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             Stop search. Calculate temporal
                             coordinates. J-Fourteen.

                   Another explosion ROCKS the room and it takes us to:

               4   EXT. SPACE - A BORG SPHERE                                   4

                   A huge, spherical Borg warship as it takes a phaser
                   shot from an unseen vessel. The BLAST smashes into the
                   Borg Sphere, but the massive ship continues. The
                   Sphere returns FIRE. FOLLOW the Borg fire to --

               5   A FEDERATION STARSHIP                                        5

                   locked in battle with the Borg Sphere. The Borg fire
                   DESTROYS the Federation ship in a fiery blast.

               6   NEW ANGLE                                                    6

                   as the Borg Sphere flies away from the wreckage of the
                   decimated starship, and as it does, we reveal that this
                   is just one small part of --

               7   A MASSIVE SPACE BATTLE                                       7

                   involving dozens of Starfleet and Borg vessels, engaged
                   in a fierce FIREFIGHT as far as the eye can see. Ships
                   turning, twisting, firing, exploding. Lots of movement. 
                   It's a spectacular sight.

                   The Borg Sphere is moving away from the battle, heading
                   off in another direction.
 
               8   NEW ANGLE                                                    8

                   In the middle of the battle. A BORG CUBE is attacking
                   a smaller Federation starship. The starship is taking
                   quite a beating... explosions all along the hull... it
                   doesn't look like it can take much  more of this.

                   Suddenly a spread of FOUR TORPEDOES come blazing in
                   from O.C. The torpedoes SLAM into the Borg ship,
                   causing massive damage.

               9   THE USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-E                                9

                   SOARS into view and moves to protect the beleaguered
                   starship.

                   The Enterprise is Starfleet's newest and most powerful
                   vessel. An elegant and majestic ship. But unlike the
                   last Enterprise, Starfleet has opted for a more
                   muscular vessel and the hull is studded with weapons
                   and other defensive armory. We get the feeling this
                   Enterprise is ready for anything.

              10   INT. ENTERPRISE-E - BRIDGE                                  10

                   The Bridge has been redesigned. A single Captain's
                   chair dominates the room, and surrounding consoles and
                   stations all face inward instead of out, giving Picard
                   instant access to his officers. PICARD in the
                   Captain's chair. RIKER at a new Ops station. DATA at
                   the helm. WORF at Tactical. TROI at Communications,
                   various CREWMEMBERS at their posts. The ship is at Red
                   Alert and everyone is tense.

                                           PICARD
                             Signal the Endeavor to fall back.
                             We'll cover them.

                                           TROI
                             Aye, sir.

                   She works her console.

              11   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE & BORG SHIP                     11

                   The Endeavor moves off as the Borg FIRE at the
                   Enterprise and BLASTS the saucer section. This should
                   also produce an unusual effect -- instead of the
                   traditional "bubble" shielding, the new armor of this
                   Enterprise ABSORBS the blast and dissipates the energy
                   across the hull. The ship is undamaged.

              12   INT. BRIDGE                                                 12

                   The ship is ROCKED by the blast.

                                           DATA
                             Dispersive armor is holding.

                                           PICARD
                             Bring us about. Target Borg ship
                             alpha four, port side battery.

                                           WORF
                             Port battery, ready sir!

                                           PICARD
                             Fire.

              13   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                 13

                   As RAPID PHASER SHOTS leap out from half a dozen points
                   along the ship's port side. (NOTE: The phasers also
                   look different, more along the lines of a gatling gun).
                   The Borg Cube EXPLODES. The Enterprise flies through
                   the debris.

              14   INT. BRIDGE                                                 14

                   Including MAIN VIEWSCREEN, which has a view of the
                   chaotic battle surrounding them. Another Borg vessel
                   looms into view.

                                           PICARD
                             Starboard battery -- fire.

              15   EXT. SPACE                                                  15

                   The Enterprise fires a burst of phasers -- but this
                   time, the phasers have no effect. We see a strange
                   SHIELDING appears around the Borg ship.

              16   INT. BRIDGE                                                 16

                   On the main viewer, the massive Borg ship looms closer.

                                           DATA
                             The Borg ship has modified its
                             shields, Captain. Our phasers
                             will no longer be effective.

                                           PICARD
                             Ready quantum torpedo.

                                           WORF
                             Aye, sir. Only three left.

                   Another JOLT as we're hit.

                                           GEORDI'S COM VOICE
                             La Forge to bridge.

                                           PICARD
                             Go ahead.

                   INTERCUT:

              17   INT. MAIN ENGINEERING                                       17

                   Where GEORDI and N.D. Engineers are rushing about, hard
                   at work. Geordi is no longer wearing his VISOR -- he
                   now has artificial ocular implants for eyes. They have
                   a distinctive electronic look to them.

                                           GEORDI
                             Captain, I'm starting to worry
                             about the hull integrity. We've
                             been running the support field at
                             full power for three hours
                             straight. I don't know how much
                             longer it's going to hold up.

                                           PICARD
                             Understood. Keep me informed.

                   END INTERCUT:

              18   INT. BRIDGE                                                 18

                   The Borg cube is huge on the main viewer as the
                   Enterprise rushes toward it.

                                           TROI
                             Incoming transmission from the
                             Borg.

                                           PICARD
                             On screen.

                   Data works and the viewer changes to a view of the
                   INTERIOR of the BORG CUBE. A vast CHAMBER crammed with
                   HUNDREDS of BORG DRONES standing upright in individual
                   alcoves. They're everywhere -- on the ceiling, walls,
                   floor. This is a BORG COLLECTIVE -- hundreds of Borg
                   that form a gigantic "hive" mind. The Borg are half-
                   man/half machine. No individual personalities. No
                   feelings. They have only one goal in life: to
                   assimilate new races into their collective. To become
                   a Borg is to experience living death. When they speak,
                   they speak as a collective -- thousands of voices
                   speaking as one:

                                           BORG
                             Your defense perimeter is
                             useless. You will be assimilated.

                                           PICARD
                                     (to Borg)
                             Break off your attack. By now,
                             you must realize you can't win...

                                           BORG
                             Your opinion is irrelevant. We
                             are the Borg. Resistance is
                             futile.
 
                                           PICARD
                             We'll see about that...
                                     (to Worf)
                             Fire.

                   Worf works.

              19   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE - CLOSE ON TORPEDO BAY          19

                   A QUANTUM TORPEDO BLASTS out of the launcher and heads
                   toward the Borg cube. This torpedo is completely
                   different than the traditional photon torpedo. It
                   oscillates and changes shape and color as it streaks 
                   toward the Borg ship.
  
              20   THE BORG SHIP                                               20

                   as the quantum torpedo HITS IT. But instead of
                   exploding on the surface, the torpedo PIERCES the ship
                   like an armor-piercing shell and momentarily VANISHES
                   from view. The ship then EXPLODES like a star going
                   supernova -- bright light and shock waves.

              21   INT. BRIDGE                                                 21

                   The ship is ROCKED violently by the shock wave. People
                   hanging on.

                                           DATA
                             Main power still on-line, Captain.

                   Riker looks at his console.

                                           RIKER
                             Casualties are light, Captain.
                             Minor buckling on the port
                             nacelle. Nothing serious.

                                           WORF
                             Incoming message from the Starship
                             Intrepid. Admiral Hayes.

                                           PICARD
                             On screen.

                   The viewer shows ADMIRAL HAYES on the Bridge of his
                   starship.

                                           ADMIRAL HAYES
                             The new quantum torpedoes are
                             doing the trick, Jean-Luc. We've
                             destroyed forty-seven Borg ships
                             so far... and only lost fifteen of
                             our own.
                                    (beat)
                             But one of the Borg ships has
                             broken through our defenses, and
                             it's heading directly for Earth.
                             Can you handle it?

                                           PICARD
                             Absolutely.

                                           ADMIRAL HAYES
                             Good hunting. Hayes out.

                                           PICARD
                             Mister Data, set a pursuit course.
                             Maximum warp.
          
              22   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                 22

                   as it breaks away from the battle...and races INTO
                   WARP.

              23   EXT. SPACE - EARTH                                          23

                   There are Starfleet satellites and space stations in
                   close orbit. The Borg Sphere seen before enters frame.
                   The satellites open fire, but they have little effect
                   on the massive Borg Sphere, which returns fire,
                   EXPLODING them in orbit.

                   The Sphere heads down toward the Earth...

              24   INT. BRIDGE                                                 24

                                           DATA
                             We are approaching the Terran
                             System, Captain.

                                           PICARD
                             Go to impulse. Where's the Borg
                             ship?

                                           DATA
                             It has entered Earth orbit.
                                     (off console)
                             Correction -- it is not in orbit.
                             It is heading directly toward the
                             surface.

                                           PICARD
                             What?

                   Picard gets up, moves to Data's console.

                                           RIKER
                                     (incredulous)
                             Some sort of suicide tactic?

                                           DATA
                             Unknown, sir. Suicide tactics are
                             not normally associated with the
                             Borg.

                   Data reacts to his console.

                                           DATA
                             Sensors show a temporal signature
                             emanating from the Sphere. High
                             concentrations of tachyons...

                   Picard studies Data's monitor.

                                           PICARD
                             And chronometric particles... it's
                             as though they're trying to create
                             a temporal vortex...

                   A beat as Picard makes a shocking realization.

                                           PICARD
                             Time travel... they're attempting
                             time travel...
                                     (beat)
                             Full power, Mister Data. Worf,
                             quantum torpedoes at my command!
          
                                           WORF
                             Aye, sir.

              25   EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE                                     25

                   The Borg Sphere GLOWING RED and beginning to burn with
                   friction as it PLUMMETS toward Earth...

              26   NEW ANGLE - THE ENTERPRISE                                  26

                   plunging down into the atmosphere, giving chase...
 
              27   INT. BRIDGE                                                 27

                   Urgent.

                                           WORF
                             Range -- fifty kilometers.

                                           DATA
                             A temporal vortex is forming
                             directly ahead of the Sphere.

              28   EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE                                     28

                   Just ahead of the Sphere we see a TEMPORAL VORTEX
                   opening -- a maelstrom of light and energy stretching
                   into infinity. ENERGY explodes from the vortex as the
                   Sphere begins to go inside...

              29   THE ENTERPRISE                                              29

                   as it's HIT by the tremendous energy blast from the
                   vortex. The ship spins around, nearly rips apart.

              30   INT. BRIDGE                                                 30

                   Everyone THROWN to the deck. Consoles sparking. Power
                   failing. SHAKING.

                                           RIKER
                             Main power off-line!

                                           DATA
                             Switching to emergency back-ups.

                   Riker checks a console.

                                           RIKER
                             We're caught in some kind of
                             energy wake from the vortex...

                                           PICARD
                             Worf... torpedo... now!

                   Worf works...

              31   EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE                                     31

                   Another QUANTUM TORPEDO is launched from the
                   Enterprise. But just before it hits the Borg Sphere,
                   the Sphere VANISHES inside the vortex. The torpedo
                   hits the roiling energy of the Vortex and detonates
                   with a harmless flash. The Vortex itself starts
                   COLLAPSING...

              32   INT. BRIDGE                                                 32

                   The shaking subsides.

                                           DATA
                             I have helm control.

                                           PICARD
                             Where's the Sphere?

                                           WORF
                             They have traveled into the
                             vortex... through time.

                   Disturbed reactions.

                                           DATA
                             The vortex is collapsing, sir.

                                           PICARD
                             Contact Starfleet Command.

                                           WORF
                             No response.
                                     (reacts to console)        
                             I'm not reading any Starfleet com
                             traffic in this entire sector.

                                           TROI
                                     (off console)
                             Captain, I've scanned the planet.
                             The atmosphere contains a high
                             concentration of methane, carbon
                             monoxide and fluorine. The oceans
                             have been chemically altered, as
                             well.

                                           PICARD
                             On screen.

                   She works, and on the View screen EARTH appears as seen
                   from orbit. The crystal blue marble is now covered by
                   a thick, turbulent DARK ATMOSPHERE -- polluted and
                   ugly. Reactions.

                                           PICARD
                             Life signs?

                                           TROI
                             Population... thirty-five
                             billion...
                                     (reacts)
                             All Borg.

                   A shocking moment.

                                           DATA
                                     (off console)
                             The planet's surface is covered
                             with Borg technology.
                                     (beat)
                             So is the moon... and three other
                             planets in this solar system.

                                           TROI
                             But how?

                                           PICARD
                             They must've done it in the
                             past... they went back and
                             changed history...

                                           RIKER
                                     (stunned)
                             They did it... they assimilated
                             Earth.

                                           WORF
                             But if they changed history...
                             then why are we still here?

                                           DATA
                             We were caught in the temporal
                             wake from the vortex. It must
                             have protected us from any changes
                             in the time-line.

                   Worf's console sounds an alarm.

                                           WORF
                             Captain, there are five Borg ships
                             closing in on our position.

                                           PICARD
                                     (making a decision)
                             Data, set a course for that
                             vortex.

                                           TROI
                             Captain...?

                                           PICARD
                             We have to follow them back...
                             repair whatever damage they've
                             done to that time-line.

                                           DATA
                                     (working)
                             Course laid in. Engaging impulse
                             engines.

                   The ship is suddenly ROCKED.

              33   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE & BORG SHIPS (OPTICAL)              33

                   The Enterprise is being chased by FIVE BORG SHIPS as it
                   heads down toward the planet. The Borg vessels FIRE on
                   the Enterprise.

              34   INT. BRIDGE                                                 34

                   As before. The ship is shaking.

                                           WORF
                             Hull integrity down to thirty
                             percent...

                                           PICARD
                             Steady as she goes.

              35   INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL)                                35

                   Ahead of the ship, we see the VORTEX collapsing. The
                   shaking increases. A console EXPLODES.
                                 
                                           WORF
                             Borg vessels are closing to two
                             thousand meters.

                   The ship is HIT AGAIN AND AGAIN. On the View Screen,
                   we're nearly on the vortex, but it's closing fast.

                                           PICARD
                             Take us in!

              36   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE & VORTEX (OPTICAL)                  36

                   The Enterprise just barely makes it inside the vortex
                   as it finally COLLAPSES. Both the Enterprise and the
                   vortex VANISH.

                                                                          CUT TO:

              37   EXT. SPACE                                                  37

                   An empty star field. Suddenly, the VORTEX APPEARS and
                   the Enterprise comes ROARING out into space. The
                   vortex VANISHES behind the ship.

              38   INT. BRIDGE                                                 38

                   The shaking subsides. Everyone exchanges a look, tries
                   to re-orient themselves.
                                 
                                           PICARD
                             Report.

                                           RIKER
                             We're still in Earth orbit.

                                           PICARD
                             On screen.

              39   INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN                                          39

                   Which shows Earth. The Borg pollution is gone.

                                           PICARD
                             What year is it?

                                           DATA
                                     (working)
                             According to our astrometric
                             readings... the year is 2063.

                                           WORF
                             Captain, I've found the Borg
                             Sphere. It's on the far side of
                             the planet...firing at the
                             surface.

                                           PICARD
                                     (to Data)
                             Intercept course, full impulse.
                                     (to Worf)
                             Weapons status?

                                           WORF
                             Phasers are off-line... we have
                             two quantum torpedoes left. But
                             the computer targeting system has
                             been destroyed.

                                           PICARD
                             Go to manual.

                   Worf pops open a panel and a high-tech TARGETING console
                   emerges with a small MONITOR and a traditional CROSS-
                   HAIR in the center. Worf grabs the targeting hand-
                   controls -- futuristic joysticks.

              40   EXT. SPACE - THE BORG SPHERE                                40

                   The ship is FIRING its weapons down toward the planet
                   as the Enterprise comes up over the horizon.

              41   INT. BRIDGE                                                 41

                   As before. Worf works his controls. A complex array
                   of grids, coordinate information, speed data, and other
                   weapons info on the monitor screen. He begins trying
                   to focus the cross-hairs on the Sphere.

                                           PICARD
                                     (over above action, to
                                      Troi)
                             Track their weapons fire.

                                           TROI
                                     (off console)
                             Western hemisphere... North
                             American continent...

                                           DATA
                             We are within torpedo range.

                                           RIKER
                             They've seen us. They're taking
                             evasive action.

                                           PICARD
                                     (urgent)
                             Mister Worf?

                   Worf struggles with the targeting system.

                                           WORF
                             Target...

                   The crosshairs keep missing the image of the Borg
                   Sphere, which is now twisting and turning to evade us.
                   Troi reacts to her console.

                                           TROI
                             Captain, they're firing at a
                             nuclear missile silo... in central
                             Montana.

                                           WORF
                                    (struggling)
                             Target...

                                           PICARD
                                     (worried)
                             Montana...

                   The crosshairs finally LOCK on the Borg Sphere.

                                           WORF
                             Target locked!

                                           PICARD
                             Fire!

              42   EXT. SPACE - THE BORG SPHERE                                42

                   The quantum torpedo streaks in from off-camera and
                   slams into the Borg ship. It penetrates the Sphere as
                   seen before... a long beat... and then it EXPLODES.

              43   INT. BRIDGE                                                 43

                   As everyone reacts to the destruction of the Sphere.
                   But Picard has no time for celebration.

                                           PICARD
                                     (to Data)
                             Mister Data, I want to know the
                             exact date and time.
                                     (to Riker)
                             Give me a damage report on that
                             missile silo.

                                           DATA
                                     (works)
                             Today is March second, 2063. The
                             time in Montana is oh-eight-forty-
                             five.

                                           RIKER
                                     (works)
                             Looks like they damaged the
                             silo...

                                           PICARD 
                             Life signs?

                                           RIKER
                             Can't tell. Long-range bio-
                             sensors are off-line.

                   Picard thinks for a moment... makes an instant decision
                   and turns to Worf.

                                           PICARD
                             Worf, have Doctor Crusher, Mister
                             La Forge and a security team meet
                             me in Transporter Room Three.
                             Civilian clothes.

                                           WORF
                             Aye, sir.

                   Worf works. Riker turns to him, curious.

                                           RIKER
                             Captain?

                                           PICARD
                             In twenty-four hours, Zephram
                             Cochrane is supposed to conduct
                             the very first warp test... from
                             a missile silo in Montana. If I'm
                             right, the Borg were trying to
                             change the course of human history
                             by killing him or destroying his
                             ship.

                                           RIKER
                                     (nods in understanding)
                             And if they succeed, humans won't
                             make First Contact with the
                             Vulcans tomorrow.
                                     (beat)
                             As First Officer I should be the
                             one beaming down...

                                           PICARD
                             Normally, I would agree. But in
                             this case, the mission requires a
                             certain knowledge of 21st century
                             history. You're many things,
                             Number One, but you're not much of
                             an historian.

                   He grins slightly, has to agree.

                                           RIKER
                             Good luck, sir.

                                           PICARD
                             I'll keep in contact. You have
                             the Bridge.

                   Picard EXITS...

                                                                          CUT TO:

              44   INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM                                       44

                   Picard, Geordi and THREE SECURITY GUARDS are checking
                   their phasers and tricorders. Everyone is wearing civilian
                   clothes. Geordi has a large engineering kit... Transporter 
                   Chief pulling on a civilian jacket. She looks a little 
                   frazzled - it's been a long day in Sickbay.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Will somebody please tell me where 
                             we're going?

                   Beverly joins them on the pad.

                                           PICARD
                             Montana.
                                     (to Chief)
                             Energize.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Montana? Well, that answers
                             everything. Why the hell are we --

                   They DEMATERIALIZE.

                                                                          CUT TO:

              45   EXT. MONTANA PLAINS - CONTINUOUS - DAY                      45

                   Picard, Geordi, Beverly and the Security Team
                   MATERIALIZE on the vast, rolling plains of Montana.

                                           BEVERLY
                                     (continuing)
                             -- going to Montana?

                   Picard and Geordi take out their tricorders and start
                   scanning the landscape.

                                           GEORDI
                                     (off tricorder)
                             I have the silo, sir. Bearing
                             three one zero... distance, three
                             hundred meters.

                                           PICARD
                             Let's go.

                   They start walking...

                                           BEVERLY
                             Go where? Hello? Is anyone going
                             to tell me what we're doing here?

                                           PICARD
                             We're here to find Zephram
                             Cochrane. He may be injured or
                             dead.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Cochrane... the inventor of warp
                             drive?

                                           PICARD
                             Yes...

                                           BEVERLY
                             But he's been dead for three
                             hundred...
                                     (realizes, long sigh)
                             Oh God... we've gone back in time
                             again, haven't we?

                                           PICARD
                             I'm afraid so. If the Borg
                             succeed in preventing First
                             Contact with the Vulcans... Earth
                             will remain in the Second Dark
                             Age... an easy target when the
                             Borg arrive in the 24th century.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Well, why didn't you just say so
                             in the first place?

                   Picard gives her a look. As they keep walking...

                                                                          CUT TO:

              46   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                 46

                   hanging in orbit of Earth.

              47   INT. ENGINEERING                                            47

                   CLOSE ON A DEAD CREWMEMBER lying on her back. A sheet
                   is covering her face. A hand reaches in, pulls back
                   the sheet, revealing the face of a crewman.

                                           TROI
                             Lieutenant Sandra Farrel.

                   WIDEN to REVEAL Troi and Data. Data is holding back
                   the sheet while Troi scans the body with a tricorder.
                   There is repair work going on in the b.g. Two medical
                   N.D.s stand by.

                                           TROI
                             It appears death was caused by a
                             plasma discharge.
                                     (beat)
                             I'll note in her record that she
                             never left her post.

                   Troi glances at Data, who is clearly disturbed by the
                   sight of the dead woman, holding his EMOTIONS in check
                   with difficulty.

                                           TROI
                             Did you know her?

                                           DATA
                             Not very well. We met shortly
                             after the Enterprise-E was
                             commissioned. I found her to be
                             a most... promising officer.

                   Troi looks at him in concern.

                                           TROI
                             Data... are you sure you're all
                             right?

                                          DATA
                             I am still having difficulty
                             integrating certain emotions into
                             my programming. Grief, loss,
                             remorse...

                                           TROI
                             We still have to make reports on
                             ten more crewmen killed in action.
                             Maybe you should deactivate your
                             emotion chip until we're done.

                   Data considers.

                                           DATA
                             No. Human beings do not have that
                             luxury, and neither should I.

                                           TROI
                             I will admit... there are times
                             when I wish I had an emotion chip
                             I could turn on and off.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Riker to Data.

                                           DATA
                                     (taps combadge)
                             Go ahead, Commander.

                   INTERCUT:

              48   INT. BRIDGE                                                 48

                   Riker, Worf, N.D.s at their stations.

                                           RIKER
                             We're reading some kind of gas
                             leak in the Environmental Control
                             Room. Take a repair team down and
                             check it out.

                                           DATA
                             On my way, Commander.

                   As Data EXITS...

              49   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                 49

                   A WIDE SHOT of the ship. CAMERA CLOSES ON the AFT
                   SECTION of the ship, moving underneath of the hull,
                   pushing in on an area at the very bottom of the
                   Enterprise.

              50   INT. ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL                                   50

                   Data and ENSIGN PORTER ENTER through a set of doors.
                   The lights are off in the room, dim. This is a large
                   room crammed with many conduits, gas tanks, 24th
                   century machinery and monitors. It's normally unmanned --
                   this is where oxygen, gravity, heat, and other
                   environmental conditions of the ship are controlled.
                   In a far corner of the room a CONDUIT leading to a
                   series of high-pressure TANKS labeled "D-O2" has
                   ruptured and is SPEWING a corrosive, poisonous GAS.

                   Data scans it with his tricorder.

                                           DATA
                                      (to Porter)
                             One of the diathermic oxygen tanks
                             has been damaged.

                                           PORTER
                                      (shocked)
                             Diathermic oxygen?

                                           DATA
                             It is a new subsystem of Nova
                             Class ships. It regulates
                             hydropressure and temperature
                             variance.
                                      (beat)
                             Remain here. The gas is highly
                             corrosive to organic material. It
                             would liquefy your flesh on
                             contact.

                                           PORTER
                             Be my guest, sir.

                   Data walks over to the spewing gas tank, and without
                   concern shoves both hands into the corrosive gas...

                   ... groping around for the broken conduit, finally grabs
                   hold of it... and with android strength BENDS the metal
                   conduit back into the bulkhead. The gas stops leaking.
                   Data is completely unaffected by the corrosive gas.
          
                                           DATA
                                      (to Porter)
                             Begin a diagnostic on the safety
                             interlocks. There appears to have
                             been some damage during the
                             attack.

                                           PORTER
                             Right.

                   Porter moves around a corner, behind some equipment,
                   out of Data's vision...

              51   NEW ANGLE - PORTER                                          51

                   who opens a PANEL on the wall. But instead of the neat
                   and orderly Starfleet technology, he is confronted by
                   a bizarre amalgam of organic and mechanical cabling,
                   diodes and what almost look like arteries. Some of the
                   tubes are pulsing with fluids and energy. Porter
                   reacts.

                                           PORTER
                             What the hell...

                   Porter pulls aside a large conduit and stops. Buried
                   deep within the tangle of bio-circuits is what looks
                   like a HUMAN FACE covered with cybernetic tubes and
                   chips. It's barely discernable in the darkness and
                   clutter. Porter isn't even sure what he's looking at.
                   He leans in for a closer look... and suddenly the eyes
                   open.

              52   DATA                                                        52

                   who hears a THUMP and a sickening liquid CRUNCH from
                   off camera. He takes a few steps in that direction.

                                           DATA
                             Ensign Porter?

                   He stands there for a moment, puzzled. Then a faint
                   SKITTERING SCRAPE can be heard -- like tiny claws on a
                   metal surface. He  whirls at the sound.

                                           DATA
                             Ensign... are you all right?

                   No response. Data walks around the now deathly quiet
                   room... turns the corner to where Porter was working.
                   He's gone. The open panel is still there, and there
                   doesn't appear to be any place Porter could've gone.
                   Data looks puzzled, takes a step forward when his boots
                   make a squishing sound. He looks down...
 
                                           DATA
                                      (taps combadge)         
                             Data to Bridge.

                   No response.

                                           DATA
                             Data to Security.
                                      (beat)
                             This is Lieutenant Data to anyone
                             who can hear my signal. I need
                             assistance in the Environmental
                             Control Room.

                   Nothing. Data quickly turns and heads for the door.
                   There's a metallic SCRAPE above him and he looks up --

              53   TWO BORG                                                    53

                   are climbing to the ceiling like two spiders ready to
                   pounce. One of them has Porter and appears to be
                   inserting some horrible Borg device into his head.
                   Before Data can react, the second Borg suddenly lunges
                   at Data.

                                                                          CUT TO:

              54   EXT. MONTANA PLAINS - MISSILE SILO - DAY                    54

                   The SILO is buried deep underground, but on the surface
                   there is a large, poured concrete MISSILE DOOR.

                   Built to withstand a nuclear blast, the door has
                   nevertheless been badly charred and damaged by the Borg
                   attack from orbit. There are large, smoking CRATERS
                   all around. Part of the ground seems to have COLLAPSED
                   to a depth of ten feet, like a sinkhole nearby. Picard
                   and his team approach.

                                           GEORDI
                             This must be it.

                                           PICARD
                             How serious is the damage?

                                           GEORDI
                                      (off tricorder)
                             I'm having trouble scanning
                             underground. There's a lot of
                             radiation leaking from something.

                                           PICARD
                             Probably from the nuclear warhead.
                             Cochrane was planning to use it to
                             ignite the warp drive.

                   As they speak, Beverly pulls out a hypospray and gives
                   everyone injections.

                                           BEVERLY
                             This will protect us from the
                             radiation.

                   Geordi moves to the thick, concrete missile door, scans
                   it.

                                           GEORDI
                             I'm picking up faint life signs
                             twenty meters below.

                                           PICARD
                             There should be an access hatch
                             nearby...

                   Everyone spreads out... looking for the hatch. One of
                   the guards -- LANGE -- finds it.

                                           LANGE
                             Over here.

                   Everyone rushes over to him. There's a small HATCH on
                   the ground that has been partially hidden by weeds and
                   brush. Geordi kneels down, starts working a complex-
                   looking LOCK on the hatch.

                                           GEORDI
                             Alphanumeric lock. We need a
                             password to get in...

                                           PICARD
                             I have the password right here.

                   Picard pulls out his phaser and everyone steps back.
                   He aims and FIRES at the hatch, which is BLOWN OPEN,
                   revealing a ladder that leads down into the darkness.
                   As they start to crawl inside...
       
              55   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                            55

                   This is the "mission control" for Cochrane's test site.
                   The underground room is filled with 21st century
                   equipment, consoles and monitors. One entire wall of
                   the room is dominated by a huge METAL BLAST DOOR, which
                   is now closed. We will learn that on the other side of
                   that door is the nuclear missile/warp ship itself.

                   The ceiling has partially collapsed. Chunks of
                   concrete and fallen beams have destroyed some of the
                   equipment...Only a few of the consoles are active, most
                   are dark or fritzing sporadically. The lights are out,
                   and the room is illuminated by a few smoldering fires.
                   Four dead bodies can be seen strewn around the room.
                   It's a scene of destruction.

              56   PICARD                                                      56

                   and his team ENTER the dark and smoking ruin. Beverly
                   and Picard move to one of the dead men, while Geordi
                   and the Security Guards move to the other three.
                   Beverly rolls the man onto his back -- he's clearly
                   dead. The name stitched on his uniform says Rippert.
                   Picard looks up.

                                           PICARD
                                      (to others)
                             See if any of these men are
                             Cochrane.

                   Geordi and the Guards start checking the dead bodies.

                                           GEORDI
                             Mitchell... DePaul...

                                           LANGE
                             This one's a woman... named Kirby.

                   Picard and Beverly move toward the immense blast door.
                   As Beverly scans it, Picard glances at a nearby desk...
 
              57   THE DESK                                                    57

                   is littered with debris and various documents and
                   schematics. THREE PHOTOGRAPHS are pinned to a bulletin
                   board above the desk -- they show Zephram Cochrane and
                   two angles of his warp ship. The photos are odd-
                   looking, printed on what appears to be some sort of
                   cloth.

                                           BEVERLY
                             There's a life sign behind this
                             door... about ten meters below.

                   Geordi moves to the door.

                                           GEORDI
                             Blast door. It's designed to
                             protect the control room when the
                             missile is launched.

                                           PICARD
                             There should be some kind of
                             manual release...

                   They hunt around for a moment. Geordi runs his hand
                   along the edge of the blast door. Picard turns to the
                   Guards.

                                           PICARD
                                      (to Lange)
                             Get those fires out and then try
                             to restore main power to the
                             control room.

                                           LANGE
                             Aye, sir.

                   The Guards move off.

                                           GEORDI
                             Got it, Captain.

                   Geordi has found an emergency BOX with several
                   pneumatic tubes and a hydraulic lever labeled
                   "emergency use only." He pulls down the lever, there
                   is a hissing sound, and the blast door slowly SLIDES
                   DOWN into the floor. We can now see the MISSILE SILO
                   itself beyond the door. Picard, Geordi and Beverly
                   step into...

              58   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTINUOUS                              58

                   Picard, Geordi and Beverly step onto the catwalk, which
                   surrounds the Silo walls. In the middle is the WARP
                   SHIP itself. It should look like an advanced ICBM
                   missile with a COCKPIT in place of the warhead, and
                   with numerous modifications to the fuselage. The
                   cockpit is on the same level as the control room. On
                   the side of the missile is the name "Phoenix". The
                   missile itself extends down another FOUR STORIES.
                   There are other catwalks below this one, with ladders
                   connecting the different levels. Beverly sees
                   something below.

                                           BEVERLY
                             There.

              59   NEW ANGLE                                                   59

                   Two catwalks below we can see a man sprawled on the
                   grating. They all scramble down the ladders past the
                   massive missile. (NOTE: Because of the design of the
                   Silo, we will see the entire missile only in a few
                   shots. For the most part, our view is limited to
                   sections of the missile.)

                   Beverly reaches the man, who is lying face-down on the
                   metal grating. She scans him...

                                           BEVERLY
                             Severe radiation exposure...

                   Geordi looks over at the section of the missile on
                   their level. The side panels have been removed,
                   revealing complex circuitry within.

                   Picard joins Beverly, who turns over the injured man.
                   It's ZEPHRAM COCHRANE -- the man whose picture we saw
                   on the Borg monitors. Beverly begins pulling devices
                   out of her medkit, injects Cochrane with a hypospray.
                   Cochrane is a man in his mid-forties. He has a
                   youthful, dynamic appearance marred by recent radiation
                   burns.

                                           PICARD
                             It's Cochrane.

                                           BEVERLY
                             I've stabilized him for now... but
                             he's in a coma and he's going to
                             need radiometric therapy. I want
                             to take him to the ship.

                   Picard nods, reaches into his pants pocket, takes out
                   a combadge.

                                          PICARD
                             Picard to Enterprise.
                                      (no response)
                             Enterprise, please respond.

                                           GEORDI
                             It could be the radiation,
                             Captain. Try from the surface.

                   Picard nods... then takes a deep breath, tries to
                   orient himself to the task at hand... there's a lot at
                   stake and a lot to do. He turns to Geordi.

                                           PICARD
                             Mister La Forge, listen very
                             carefully. If you remember your
                             history... in less than twenty-
                             four hours, a Vulcan ship will be
                             passing through this system. When
                             it does, this ship needs to be in
                             space, flying at warp speed.

                   Geordi takes a deep breath, it's a tall order.

                                           GEORDI
                             I'd better get started.

                   Geordi goes to work. Picard bends down and carefully
                   hoists Cochrane up into a fireman's carry. Beverly
                   follows him up the catwalk...

                                                                          CUT TO:
      
              60   EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY                                     60

                   Minutes later. Cochrane is lying on the ground.
                   Beverly is kneeling beside him, unfolding a portable
                   stretcher from her medkit. Picard is checking two
                   combadges with a tricorder.

                                           PICARD
                             It's not the radiation... and
                             there's nothing wrong with the
                             combadges... the Enterprise just
                             isn't responding.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Jean-Luc, this man needs medical
                             attention, now.

                                           PICARD
                             As I recall, the town of
                             Resurrection is about two
                             kilometers East of here. They
                             might have a hospital...

                   Picard looks troubled at the thought.

                                           BEVERLY
                             What are we waiting for? Let's
                             go.

                                           PICARD
                             It may not be that simple. This
                             is an extremely difficult and
                             paranoid time in human history.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Are you saying they won't help us?

                                           PICARD
                             I'm saying they might shoot us on
                             sight. You have to remember...
                             these people have watched their
                             entire way of life collapse around
                             them.

                                           BEVERLY
                             There must be some good people...
                             even in this time.

                                           PICARD
                             Let's hope so. Because if
                             Cochrane dies... the future may
                             die with him.

                   Picard kneels down and they begin to carefully put
                   Cochrane on the stretcher...
         
                                                                          CUT TO:

              61   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE                                    61

                   Riker, Troi and Worf studying a MONITOR which shows a
                   three-dimensional DIAGRAM of the Enterprise, which
                   turns and rotates as needed. The schematic shows
                   battle damage and repair efforts.

                                           WORF
                             I have assigned two damage control
                             teams to locate the source of our
                             communication problems. So far,
                             they've had no success.

                                           RIKER
                             Assign another team if you need
                             to. I want to re-establish
                             communication with the Captain as
                             soon as possible.

                   Worf nods and begins making notes on a PADD.

                                           TROI
                             Are we in any danger of being
                             detected by Earth defense systems?

                                           WORF
                             There were no planetary defense
                             systems in this era. Their
                             weapons were designed to
                             fight each other... not
                             extraterrestrials.

                                           RIKER
                             We have to start thinking about a
                             way to get home.
                                      (to Troi)
                             Analyze our readings from the
                             temporal vortex. We're going to
                             have to recreate whatever the Borg
                             did to --

                   Just then the ship SHUDDERS and the LIGHTS FLICKER.

                                           RIKER
                              Report.

                                           TROI
                                      (off console)
                             We just lost main power... and
                             we've got Class-Three alerts all
                             over the ship. I'm not sure
                             what's --

                   An ALARM goes off on Worf's console. He reacts to it.

                                          WORF
                             A ship-wide decompression has been
                             initiated!

                                           RIKER
                             What?

                                           TROI
                             We're venting our internal
                             atmosphere directly into space!

              62   EXT. ENTERPRISE                                             62

                   CLOSE ON THE SAUCER as vents and hatches POP OPEN on
                   the hull and GIANT JETS OF VAPOR start blowing out
                   into space.

              63   INT. CORRIDOR                                               63

                   Crewmembers walking along are suddenly KNOCKED to the
                   floor as hurricane force WINDS blow through the
                   Corridor. The ship is venting air into space, creating
                   a virtual VACUUM inside the ship! The people in the
                   corridor grab onto the bulkheads, struggling to hang on
                   against the force of the wind...

              64   INT. BRIDGE                                                 64

                   Suddenly an emergency AIRLOCK on the Bridge OPENS.
                   VIOLENT WIND roars through the Bridge and everyone
                   hangs on. Troi is ripped out of her chair, flown
                   across the Bridge, slams up against the bulkhead,
                   struggling to hang on. Worf runs over, grabs her arm,
                   keeps her from flying out.

                   Riker manages to reach a control panel -- hits a button
                   and an EMERGENCY BULKHEAD finally slides down over the
                   airlock and the wind DIES DOWN. Everyone takes a beat.

                                           RIKER
                             What the hell is happening, Worf?

                                           WORF
                                      (off console)
                             It appears that someone has taken
                             over the Environmental Control
                             Room.

                                           TROI
                             Someone...?

                                           RIKER
                                      (realizing)
                             The Borg.  Some of them must've
                             beamed over before we destroyed
                             their ship.
                                      (to Worf)
                             Seal off that entire deck with
                             emergency force fields.

                                           TROI
                             Wil... Data was down there.

                                           RIKER
                                      (to Worf)
                             Mister Worf... find Data if you
                             can, but your top priority is
                             isolating the Borg.

                                           WORF
                             Understood.

                   Worf heads for a Turbolift. OFF Riker's disturbed
                   expression...

                                                                CUT TO:

              65   CLOSE ON DATA'S FACE                                        65

                   His eyes are closed. There's a beat, then his eyes fly
                   open and he looks around.

                   We PULL BACK slightly, revealing Data is lying on some
                   kind of tabletop with metallic clamps and restraints.
                   He tenses his arm and tries to move, but he is unable
                   to break the restraints. About two feet in front of
                   his face is what appears to be a bulkhead. There is a
                   cacophony of strange background NOISE -- scratching,
                   hisses, gurgling liquids, odd alien hums...

                   Suddenly, the table begins to MOVE. It ROTATES, and as
                   it does so we realize that Data has been hanging upside
                   down staring at the floor. It's a disorienting moment
                   as our perspective changes and Data rotates upright.

              66   DATA'S POV                                                  66

                   As the table gyrates, we REVEAL the ROOM slowly. And
                   we realize we're in --
              
              67   INT. BORG HIVE                                              67

                   The Environmental Control Room seen earlier has now
                   been transformed into the INNER-SANCTUM of the BORG.
                   The room has a dark, moist, organic feel -- a tropical
                   jungle of cybernetic equipment.

                   The Borg are altering the room, converting Starfleet
                   technology and materials into the living, bio-
                   mechanical look of the Borg. We see one Borg drone
                   attach a small pod to a Starfleet console and activate
                   it. The pod immediately sends out a COMPLEX WEB of
                   BORG TECHNOLOGY which covers the Starfleet console
                   inside and out. It's like weeds overpowering a flower
                   bed -- within seconds the console has been BORGIFIED.

                   The walls, ceiling and floor are now honeycombed with
                   the ALCOVES that make up the BORG COLLECTIVE. Borg
                   drones are motionless in their alcoves, cabling and
                   other conduits connecting them to various equipment...
                   while other Borg are moving about the room, carrying
                   out various modifications to the room. At one point,
                   we see Ensign Porter. He's been completely Borgified.
                   His skin pale, expression blank. No hint of humanity
                   left.

              68   DATA                                                        68

                   still strapped to the table, which is twisting and
                   rotating, giving him frightening new glimpses of the
                   room. A new image appears -- SIX BORG DRONES are
                   clustered together in one section of the room, each
                   with an elaborate series of hoses and conduits
                   connected to its face.

                   Through the tubes we can see an exchange of FLUID and
                   ENERGY pulsing back and forth -- some sort of bizarre
                   "feeding" or "renewal" is going on. The tubes all seem
                   to lead toward the ceiling.

                   Data is now horizontal on his back and the table LOCKS
                   into position. A Borg drone OPENS A PANEL on the side
                   of Data's head, and begins connecting a thick bundle of
                   optical cabling to it.

                                           DATA
                                      (to Borg)
                             Your efforts to assimilate me will
                             be unsuccessful.

                   The Borg ignores him, activates a console... and the
                   cabling connected to Data's head LIGHTS UP with power.
                   They're trying to connect him to the Collective.

                   Data thinks for a moment, tilts his head slightly...
                   and then suddenly there's a SHOWER of SPARKS from the
                   cabling he's been connected to. The lights on the
                   cable go out. Data has thwarted their attempts.

                                           DATA
                                      (to Borg)
                             It would appear that resistance is
                             not always futile.

                   Suddenly a new VOICE is heard echoing through the room -- 
                   a woman's voice, low, seductive, deadly:

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             Brave words. I've heard them
                             before from thousands of species
                             across thousands of worlds...
                             since long before you were
                             created.

                   Data looks up toward...

              69   THE CEILING                                                 69

                   A RUSTLE of MOVEMNET somewhere in the cyber-tangle...
                   almost like a snake slithering beneath the weeds. And
                   for a brief instant we get a glimpse of a FACE unlike
                   any Borg we've ever seen. The face of a woman. Pale-
                   skinned... piercing eyes...raven hair slicked back...
                   a hauntingly beautiful image in a sea of nightmarish
                   technology. And then it's gone.

              70   DATA                                                        70

                   Frowns. He saw it, too, but he's not sure what to make
                   of it.

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             But now... they are all one with
                             the Borg.

                                           DATA
                             I am unlike any lifeform you have
                             encountered before. As an
                             android, I am in complete control
                             of my neural net. The information
                             contained there cannot be forcibly
                             removed.

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             You are an imperfect being...
                             created by an imperfect being.
                             Finding your weakness is only a
                             matter of time.

                   Suddenly three Borg drones converge on Data with
                   various wicked-looking Borg devices. One of the Borg
                   has a specialized cybernetic ARM, which EXTRUDES a
                   series of stiletto-tipped DRILL SPIKES. As the six-
                   inch spikes begin to BORE INTO Data's head...

                                                                          CUT TO:

              71   EXT. MONTANA - RESURRECTION CITY - DAY                      71

                   Resurrection is a small town -- around 1,000 people --
                   a rural, Western community that's probably existed for
                   at least two hundred years, and we can see the roots of
                   the original ranching community in some of the
                   architecture. But it's also a community of the 21st
                   century.

                   The most striking feature of the town is that it sits
                   in the middle of nearly a hundred WIND MILLS, which
                   provide the only source of power for the town. The
                   blades are enormous, but the structures supporting them
                   are little more than simple poles. Some are sleek,
                   fiberglass, futuristic... others have a more cobbled
                   together, make-shift appearance. At the moment, only
                   a few blades are turning in the gentle breeze.

                   Picard and Beverly emerge from the nearby woods
                   carrying the stretcher. They exchange a look at the
                   sight of the city and then head toward it...

              72   EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - DAY                                72

                   A few minutes later. Picard and Beverly carrying
                   Cochrane down the street toward the hospital at the
                   end. As they walk along, we get our first taste of
                   post-apocalyptic 21st century life:

                   This is a recognizable American community, but it's
                   definitely a futuristic town. Clothing, architecture,
                   technology -- all have changed over the course of
                   seventy years. But it is a broken future. What used
                   to be high-tech public COMPUTER TERMINALS are rusted
                   and abandoned. We can see the corroded hulks of HOVER-
                   CARS lying idle in the streets. Futuristic elements
                   now useless.

                   At one point, they pass a large polyurethane TENT --
                   the inside surface is covered with condensation and we
                   can see the silhouettes of people moving within. The
                   entrance is guarded by a single Militia Guard. Later
                   we will learn that this is a primitive greenhouse, the
                   only place where they can grow uncontaminated food.

                   What used to be a McDonald's, or some other
                   recognizable food chain, has now been gutted and has
                   been turned into a kind of blacksmith shop. People are
                   fashioning metal into various tools using hammer and
                   tongs.

                   The sidewalks are populated with PEOPLE, who congregate
                   in small groups, quietly talking amongst themselves,
                   others just staring vacantly off into space. Many of
                   them have visible burn scars and damage to their bodies --
                   victims of the war and post-nuclear environmental
                   dangers. A few of them are applying a special lotion
                   to their arms and face -- protection against the toxic
                   elements. A long FOOD LINE snakes around a block, as
                   people line up to get their daily rations.

                   A few people glance up at Picard and Beverly with
                   curious or suspicious looks. This is not a community
                   that welcomes strangers. At one point, they see a man
                   dressed in futuristic CAMOUFLAGE carrying an automatic
                   weapon -- we will learn he's a MILITIA SOLDIER. He
                   stares at them with a neutral expression, then walks
                   off.

                   The people here have that hollow-eyed, listless look
                   about them. They're going through something that makes
                   the Great Depression look like a minor inconvenience.
                   But there's also a toughness to these people, a
                   resilience and determination to survive in the face of
                   overwhelming odds. We are looking at our future... and
                   it's on the verge of collapse.

                                                                          CUT TO:

              73   INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY                        73

                   A short time later. Cochrane is being lifted onto an
                   operating table. Picard and Beverly step back from the
                   table as a DOCTOR and two NURSES look him over. The
                   doctor is in his early fifties and has a weathered,
                   tired look to him. The hospital itself is like the
                   rest of the town -- a futuristic setting fallen on hard
                   times. The light in the room is provided mostly from
                   the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Light
                   bulbs and other gear flicker dimly around the hospital --
                   we get the feeling they have very little power.

                                           DOCTOR
                             How long has he been unconscious?

                                           BEVERLY
                             At least four hours.

                   He checks Cochran's head injury as Beverly takes out
                   her tricorder and scans him.

                                           DOCTOR
                             It looks like he has a cranial
                             fracture, but I'll need X-rays to
                             be sure.
                                      (to Nurse)
                             Get Ruby in here.

                   One of the nurses runs off.

                                           BEVERLY
                                      (off tricorder)
                             He has a severe fracture of the
                             left occipital plate. He's not
                             hemorrhaging... but the radiation
                             has damaged his KNA and his APR
                             cell count...

                   He looks at her curiously.

                                           DOCTOR
                             "APR cell count?" What the hell
                             are you talking about?

                                          PICARD
                                     (quickly)
                             Doctor Crusher has been...
                             studying some advanced medical
                             theories.

                                           NURSE
                                     (re: tricorder)
                             What is that?

                                 BEVERLY
                             It's a... new medical scanner.
                             It's a little more precise than an
                             X-ray machine.

                   The Doctor eyes it.

                                           DOCTOR
                             Is it Japanese?

                                           BEVERLY
                             Um... yeah.
                                     (beat)
                             Now he's going to need a
                             respirator. Do you have one?

                                           DOCTOR
                             We have two... but we don't have
                             the juice to run them.

                                           PICARD
                             Juice?

                                           DOCTOR
                             Power. There hasn't been a lot of
                             wind through here for the last
                             couple of weeks. Most of the
                             batteries are depleted.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Don't you have any generators, or
                             other fuel sources?

                   The Doctor throws her an irritated look.

                                           DOCTOR
                             Maybe you'd like to take your
                             patient to the hospital in
                             Bozemen... it's only two hundred
                             miles away.

                   Cochrane wheezes -- breathing becoming labored and
                   ragged. Beverly scans him, urgent.

                                           BEVERLY
                             His automatic reflexes are
                             fluctuating. We've got to get him
                             on a respirator.

                                           DOCTOR
                                     (to Nurse)
                             Bag him.

                   The nurse picks up a portable respirator sack -- puts
                   it on Cochrane's face and squeezes the bag, forcing air
                   into Cochrane's lungs. Picard has been thinking
                   through this scene, finally has a solution.
                                 
                                           PICARD
                             Beverly -- your tricorder.

                   She hands him her tricorder.

                                           PICARD
                                    (to Doctor)
                             Where's the battery room for the
                             hospital?

                                           DOCTOR
                             I told you, there's no --

                                           PICARD
                             Where?

                                           DOCTOR
                             Outside, around back. Next to the
                             water tank.
         
                   Picard rushes out the doors. Beverly checks Cochrane's
                   pulse.

                                           BEVERLY
                             His heartbeat's irregular...
         
                   Beverly climbs up on top of Cochrane, straddling him,
                   begins giving him 24th century CPR. She takes charge.
         
                                           BEVERLY
                             Adrenaline -- ten CC's!

                   As they rush to save him.
  
              74   EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY                                         74

                   The back of the building. Picard rushes out and spots
                   an old, dilapidated BATTERY UNIT providing power to the
                   hospital. He quickly yanks off the back panel,
                   revealing a tangle of wires, and several large
                   batteries. He kneels down, then removes the back of
                   the tricorder.
         
              75   CLOSE ON TRICORDER                                          75

                   as Picard pulls out a small POWER CELL -- about half
                   the size of a dime. The blinkies on the tricorder go
                   out.

              76   PICARD                                                      76

                   holds the power cell with one hand, and starts pulling
                   out wires from the batteries with the other.

              77   INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY                        77

                   As before. Beverly, the doctor and the nurse trying to
                   save Cochrane.

                                           BEVERLY
                                     (pumping his chest)
                             One... two... three... compress!

                   The nurse squeezes the bag. Suddenly the room is
                   filled with the HUM of POWER and ALL OF THE LIGHTS AND
                   EQUIPMENT COME TO LIFE. Monitors blinking, fluorescent
                   lights flashing on. Everyone reacts with shock.

              78   INT. HOSPITAL WARD - DAY                                    78

                   It's filled with patients. The lights and equipment
                   here FLASH ON, as well. Doctors and patients alike
                   react with surprise.

              79   INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY                        79

                   Picard enters. They've placed a RESPIRATOR down
                   Cochrane's throat, and attached electrodes to his
                   chest. Beverly has just finished giving him an
                   injection with a hypospray. The heart monitor in the
                   background is now beating regularly. The doctor turns
                   to Picard.

                                           DOCTOR
                             What did you do to the batteries?

                                           PICARD
                             Oh... just a little tinkering.
                             How is he?

                                           BEVERLY
                             He's stable... for now.
                                     (with meaning)
                             But it would be better if we could
                             contact... our friends.

                                           PICARD
                             Yes. But until then, you'll have
                             to make do with what you've got.

                                           BEVERLY
                             That'll be interesting.

                   A WOMAN'S VOICE:

                                           RUBY'S VOICE
                             What happened to him?

                   Everyone turns.

              80   NEW ANGLE                                                   80

                   revealing RUBY SLOANE standing at the front of
                   Cochrane's bed. A striking woman in her mid-to-late
                   thirties -- dark hair, tall, lean, beautiful under
                   normal circumstances but at the moment she's not at her
                   best, it looks like she's just come in from a hard
                   day's work. She's wearing an old lab coat. But the
                   most striking quality of all is the innate intelligence
                   we can see in her eyes.

                   She's looking directly at Picard for an answer. Picard
                   realizes he has to say something. He looks into her
                   eyes and there is a moment here -- a brief spark of
                   chemistry that in normal circumstances the Captain just
                   might follow up. But at the moment, he shoves that
                   electric feeling aside and tries to give her an answer.

                                           PICARD
                             There was some kind of explosion
                             out at the missile silo...

                   She looks at him for a moment, her eyes boring into him
                   without expression, as though probing the truthfulness
                   of his statement.

                                           DOCTOR
                             Ruby, we're going to need a series 
                             of cranial X-rays tonight.

                                           RUBY
                                     (nods)
                             I have a fresh set of plates at
                             home. I'll have them here by
                             eight.

                   She turns back to Cochrane, moves to his side, gently
                   takes his hand and looks at him with sad affection.

                                           RUBY
                                     (quiet)
                             Take care of him. He's a very
                             special man.

                                          PICARD
                             Yes, he is.

                   She looks up at Picard, and again there's a slight
                   feeling of chemistry in the air. And then she turns
                   and starts to walk out of the room. Picard's combadge
                   BEEPS. Reactions.

                                           GEORDI'S COM VOICE
                             La Forge to Picard.

                                           RUBY
                                     (stopping)
                             I think there's someone in your
                             pants.

                                           PICARD
                             Excuse me. I have a... telephone
                             call.

                   Picard takes a few steps away, pulls the combadge out
                   of his pants pocket, taps it. Ruby watches him a beat,
                   then walks out of the room.

                                           PICARD
                             Picard here.

                                           GEORDI'S COM VOICE
                             Captain, we have a problem. I
                             think you'd better get back here.

                                           PICARD
                             I'm on my way. Picard out.

                   Picard moves to Beverly.

                                           PICARD
                                     (sotto)
                             I have to go back to the silo.
                             Will you be all right?

                                           BEVERLY
                             I'll be fine.
                                     (re: Cochrane)
                             He's a different story.

                   Beverly begins examining the medical equipment she'll
                   have to work with as Picard exits...

              81   EXT. RESURRECTION CITY STREET - DAY                         81

                   A short time later. Picard walking down the main
                   street back toward the gates. People passing him,
                   taking no notice of him...Picard's mind thinking
                   ahead. He happens to glance down a side street, then
                   he stops.

              82   NEW ANGLE                                                   82

                   Looking down the side street. Ruby, the mysterious
                   woman from the hospital, is walking along with a camera
                   bag now slung over her shoulder. She stops for a
                   moment as she passes the hulk of a burnt-out old hover
                   car... stares at it...then pulls a home-made
                   FUTURISTIC CAMERA out of her bag and snaps a picture of
                   the car. She continues on her way. Picard is
                   intrigued -- wonders about this woman and what it is
                   she could be taking a picture of. Just then --

                                           MAN'S VOICE
                             Catch.

                   Picard turns just in time to catch a small, metal
                   canister with a screw-top.

                   The man who threw it steps into view. It's LIEUTENANT
                   SCRIMM. Scrimm is the head of the town's militia.
                   While not a physically threatening man, there is a
                   quietly disturbing quality about him which conveys an
                   intelligence laced with a tightly reined volatility.
                   He's wearing futuristic combat fatigues and always
                   carries a sidearm. Before the war, Scrimm was probably
                   one of the "survivalists" who used to be dismissed as
                   radicals until their predictions of Armageddon came
                   true. At the moment, Scrimm is presenting his
                   friendliest face to Picard.

                                           SCRIMM
                                     (pleasant)
                             Think you'll need that.

                   Picard eyes the canister, not sure what to make of it.

                                           SCRIMM
                             It's no zone solution.
                                    (off his look)
                             You know. "No ozone."

                   He points to the sky.

                                           PICARD
                             Oh...  yes... ultraviolet
                             protection. Thank you.
                             Mister...?

                                           SCRIMM
                             Lieutenant, actually. Lieutenant
                             Jonathan Scrimm. I'm the head of
                             the Resurrection Protective Force.
                                     (beat)
                             And you are?

                                           PICARD
                             Jean-Luc Picard.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Great name. French?

                                           PICARD
                             Yes.

                                           SCRIMM
                             You don't sound French.

                   Scrimm is still smiling at him, but his eyes never
                   leave Picard.

                                           PICARD
                             I was raised in England and here
                             in the States. Thank you for
                             the... no zone.

                   Picard begins to walk away, not wanting to engage any
                   citizens of the town. Scrimm falls in next to him.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Where in the States?

                                           PICARD
                             Oh... here and there. You know
                             how it is.
         
                                           SCRIMM
                             Not really. I was born and raised
                             right here. Never had much use
                             for travel.

                   He casually steps in front of Picard, blocking his way.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Where are you from most recently?

                                           PICARD
                                     (thinking fast)
                             California. San Francisco.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Beautiful city. Used to be,
                             anyway. I didn't think anyone
                             still lived there.

                                           PICARD
                             There's a few of us left.

                   Picard steps around him and continues walking down the
                   street. Scrimm waits a beat, then walks after him
                   again.

                                           SCRIMM
                             That was a pretty clever trick you
                             did with the hospital's batteries.
                             How'd you do it?

                                           PICARD
                             It wasn't a trick. I used to be
                             an electrical engineer.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Huh.

                   He steps in front of Picard again, still pleasant but
                   a little bit of a smile fading from his face. Picard
                   realizes he isn't going to shake this man so easily.

                                           SCRIMM
                             And what were you doing out at the
                             missile silo?

                                           PICARD
                             I'm an old friend of Cochrane's...
                             I wanted to see how he was doing.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Lucky for him you came by when you
                             did. He might be dead now.

                                           PICARD
                             Yes.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Maybe you can tell me what he's
                             been doing in that silo. We heard
                             some explosions out there this
                             morning...

                                           PICARD
                             I think he was running a test on
                             an old rocket engine... and one of
                             the fuel cells burst.

                   Scrimm eyes him evenly.

                                           SCRIMM
                             You seem to have an answer for
                             everything.

                                           PICARD
                             Something wrong with that?

                                           SCRIMM
                             Not yet.

                   A tense beat. Then Scrimm smiles easily.

                                           SCRIMM
                                     (re: balm)
                             Be sure you put that on. You need
                             a lot of protection around here.

                   He holds Picard's eyes for a moment.

                                           PICARD
                             Thank you. But I've never had
                             much trouble protecting myself.

                   Now it's Picard's turn to smile pleasantly at Scrimm.
                   Picard walks around him and heads for the gates.
                   Scrimm watches him go with a thoughtful expression --
                   clearly, he's more than a little suspicious...

                                                                          CUT TO:

              83   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                 83

                   in orbit of Earth.

              84   INT. CORRIDOR                                               84

                   Worf and a large SECURITY DETACHMENT -- a dozen or so
                   men and women -- are moving down the Corridor with grim
                   looks on their faces. They are carrying new powerful-
                   looking phaser rifles and other equipment. The feeling
                   is of an elite combat squad heading for a dangerous
                   mission. They stop at one point and Worf lifts up a
                   DECKPLATE, exposing a large HATCH in the floor. Worf
                   hits his combadge.

                                           WORF
                             Worf to Bridge. We're in
                             position.

              85   INT. BRIDGE                                                 85

                   Riker in command, Troi nearby. Riker is standing at
                   the security station looking at a monitor which
                   displays a schematic graphic of the ship. The position
                   of the security team is flashing -- we can see they are
                   on Deck 46.

                                           RIKER
                             This is the Bridge. I'm releasing
                             the emergency force fields.

                   He nods to Troi, who works a console.

              86   INT. CORRIDOR                                                86

                   Worf and his team watch as the FORCEFIELD protecting
                   the hatch flashes off. Worf reaches down and releases
                   the hatch, which slides open with a soft whoosh. He
                   glances at his men for a moment, then JUMPS down the
                   hatch...

              87   INT. DECK 47 - CORRIDOR                                     87

                   As Worf lands on his feet. The light is dim, no power
                   on this deck, hard to see. He looks around warily for
                   a moment, phaser at-the-ready, then activates his wrist
                   beacon. We immediately notice that we can see Worf's
                   breath -- it's freezing cold down here. He shines the
                   light around the darkened corridor, then silently
                   motions his arm for the others to follow. A beat, then
                   we see the security officers start to drop into the
                   corridor from the hatch above...

              88   NEW ANGLE - CORRIDOR                                        88

                   As Worf's squad spreads out along the hall, weapons at-
                   the-ready, everyone alert with fingers on the triggers.
                   We see that the phaser rifles are equipped with their
                   own light sources, intended to illuminate the target
                   before you shoot at it. The Security Officers are
                   constantly moving their lights back and forth through
                   the chilly air. Worf gives hand signals -- holds up
                   two fingers, then a fist, and points forward.

                   Two Guards trot down the corridor about fifteen feet,
                   stop, and take up firing positions... then two more
                   members of the team run down, leap frog ahead of them
                   and take positions further down the corridor. Classic
                   military deployment. Worf starts scanning with a
                   tricorder.

                                           WORF
                                     (hits combadge)
                             Worf to Bridge.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Riker here.

                                           WORF
                             There's a dampening field in place
                             on this deck. Our tricorders are
                             useless.

                   The team continue to explore Deck 47. It's spooky,
                   eerie, a sense of menace around every corner. They
                   open doors, check room by room, section by section,
                   still no sign of the Borg in the freezing cold
                   darkness.

              90   ANGLE ON SECURITY GUARD                                     90

                   The Corridor directly ahead has been stripped of wall,
                   ceiling and deck panels -- all the normal decorative
                   Enterprise sheathing is gone, revealing the circuitry
                   and machinery of the ship itself. Unlike the rest of
                   the corridors, there does appear to be POWER flowing
                   through some of the conduits up ahead, and it gives off
                   an eerie glow.

                   We can also see that some of the machinery has been
                   altered and changed -- not just the neat and orderly
                   arrangement you'd expect to find behind bulkheads --
                   there's a sense of cross-circuitry, re-wiring,
                   equipment being rearranged. Clearly, a lot of work has
                   gone on in this area of the ship. Worf steps forward,
                   examines the corridor closely.

                                           ENSIGN HAWK
                             What the hell is going on?

                                           WORF
                             Borg...

                   Worf signals the team forward, and they slowly begin
                   picking their way down the Borgified Corridor. It's
                   not easy -- they have to choose their footing carefully
                   as they walk through the maze of cables, circuits, and
                   machinery... Ensign Hawk accidentally steps on some
                   circuitry, which gives off a BEEP. The entire team
                   suddenly whirls their lights and weapons on the
                   unfortunate Ensign, who pales at their sudden attention.

                   Worf looks irritated, then motions his team to continue
                   their search. They continue making their way down the
                   spooky corridor... and as they turn a corner...

              92   NEW ANGLE - ANOTHER CORRIDOR                                92

                   where the machinery is now THICKER and more BORG-LIKE
                   in appearance. Tubes and cabling hang down from the
                   ceiling. If anything, it's even colder in here. The
                   deeper they go, the worse it gets. We can now hear a
                   low, sinister HUM of alien power. At the end of this
                   corridor is the ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL ROOM, as seen
                   earlier. The entire doorway is gone -- and a weird
                   pulsing GLOW fills the room. Worf stops his team at
                   the sight. From this vantage, we cannot see directly
                   into the room, but clearly something is going on in
                   there.

                   Worf signals his men to spread out, and they take up
                   positions around the Corridor, all weapons trained on
                   Environmental Control.

                                           WORF
                             Worf to Bridge. We're about to
                             enter the Environmental Control
                             Room.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Any sign of Data, or the Borg
                             themselves?

                   As Work and Riker continue talking, we MOVE TO Ensign
                   Hawk, who is now the last man in the formation,
                   covering the rear. He's shining his phaser-beacon into
                   the empty darkness. He can't help looking back over
                   his shoulder at the rest of the team and the distant
                   Environmental Control Room -- that seems to be where
                   the action is. As he turns, his beacon moves with him,
                   throwing the Corridor behind them in and out of
                   darkness.

                                           WORF
                                     (continuing)
                              Negative. However, they've
                              reconfigured the ODN network...
                              and re-routed all power on this
                              deck into Environmental Control.

                   As Worf speaks, Ensign Hawk turns back, but this time
                   when he shines his beacon into the darkness, something
                   MOVES in the distance -- a shadow. The Ensign freezes,
                   brings his rifle up. But did he see it, or was it his
                   imagination?

                   A tense beat as he waits, heart pounding... but nothing
                   happens. On the wall next to his head we see what can
                   only be described as a BIO-MECHANISTIC CABLE creeping
                   out of the wall... which begins slowly heading for the
                   Ensign's neck. Just as he begins to sense that
                   something is happening behind him, the cable WHIPS OUT
                   around his neck and YANKS him deep into the bed of
                   circuitry in the blink of an eye -- the motion so fast
                   we have trouble following it.

                   Worf turns his head at the sound.

                                           WORF
                             Stand by, Commander
                                     (to team)
                             Where's Ensign Hawk?

                   Everyone looks around, surprised that he's not there.
                   Everyone is alert, keyed up. The tension is thick.
                   Utter silence, except for the hum of the machinery and
                   the frosty breathing of the team.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Worf? Is something wrong?

                                          WORF
                             Something is very wrong,
                             Commander. We're falling back.

                   Worf gives hand signals for the team to move out. But
                   just as they start to fall back, everything happens at
                   once.

              93   BORG DRONES                                                 93

                   EXPLODE OUT OF THE WALLS, CEILING AND FLOOR! What
                   follows is a BLUR of action happening so fast and
                   furious we never get a true sense of what's happening.

                   A flurry of violence and motion and images:

                   -- A snarling Borg face -- half-human, half-machine, a
                      cybernetic nightmare.

                   -- Strange, bio-mechanical WEAPONS extruding from Borg
                      bodies, RIPPING into human flesh.

                   -- A crewmember PULLED into a bed of machinery.

                                           WORF
                             Fire at will!

                   But the Borg are already on top of them. It's a brutal
                   fight in close quarters with no escape.

                   Phasers and Borg lasers lighting up the corridor,
                   bodies flying through the air... utter chaos and
                   terror. The fight goes hand to hand and Worf sees that
                   they don't have a chance...

                                           WORF
                                     (throwing off a Borg)
                             Fall back!

                   The team starts backpedaling, FIRING as they go...but
                   the Borg are unstoppable now -- they put up personal
                   force fields to protect themselves.

                                           WORF
                             Go, go, GO!

                   Worf pushes his men down the corridor. Everyone turns
                   and RUNS like hell. Worf bends down and grabs a
                   frightened Lieutenant by the collar, pulling him along.

              94   VARIOUS SHOTS:                                              94

                   -- The team running through the corridors, SHOOTING
                      behind them at the pursuing Borg, to no effect...

                   -- Two of the Borg raise their arms and FIRE LASER
                      BURSTS out of their arms and wrists, taking DOWN two
                      Security Guards. Worf sees them fall but there's no
                      time to go back.

              95   INT. DECK 46 - CORRIDOR                                     95

                   As Worf's team starts CLIMBING UP and out the dark
                   hatch in the floor seen earlier.
   
              96   INT. DECK 47 - CORRIDOR                                     96

                   As the last member of Worf's team climbs out to safety.
                   The Borg swarm is about to overpower Worf. He quickly
                   hits a few controls on his phaser, sets it to overload.
                   We hear the building WHINE. He JUMPS straight up into
                   the air, GRABBING onto the hatch rim, pulling himself
                   up. He barely manages to vanish from view just as the
                   phaser EXPLODES in a FIERY BLAST, taking out several of
                   the Borg drones.

              97   INT. DECK 46 - CORRIDOR                                      97

                   The conclusive BLAST comes up through the hatch,
                   causing Worf to duck for a moment.

                   Worf reaches out to close the hatch, when a BORG HAND 
                   bursts up from below and GRABS his forearm. It's a 
                   test of strength. Worf reaches over with his other
                   arm, hits a control and the hatch SLIDES CLOSED,
                   SEVERING the Borg arm in a shower of sparks.

                                            WORF
                             Worf to Bridge -- force fields!

                   The force field FLASHES into place. Worf and his team
                   sit there a moment, catching their breath, stunned at
                   what they've just been through.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             What the hell happened down there,
                             Worf?

                                           WORF
                             Commander... we have a problem.
 
                   OFF Worf's shaken expression...

                                                                          CUT TO:

              98   INT. MISSILE SILO - CATWALK - DAY                           98

                   Geordi and Picard are walking down the catwalk ladders
                   toward the missile's massive engines. Now that the
                   smoke has cleared and the place has been cleared up a
                   bit, we get our first good look at the ship and the
                   damage done in the Borg attack.

                                           GEORDI
                                     (on the move)
                             Cochrane was going to use this
                             solid rocket booster to lift the
                             ship into orbit. Before the warp
                             drive took over... everything
                             would depend on these old chemical
                             engines.
                                     (beat)
                             Now here's the problem...

                   They arrive at a point on the fuselage where we can see
                   a large section of the engines have been BLASTED AWAY,
                   leaving a deep, ugly SCAR -- broken conduit lines,
                   wires that now lead to nothing. It's clear that a key
                   piece of equipment has been destroyed.

                                           GEORDI
                                     (re: damage)
                             This used to be the throttle valve
                             assembly.
                                     (observing it)  
                             It controls the thrust of the
                             engines. It's been completely
                             vaporized... and without it,
                             there's no way to launch the ship.

                                           PICARD
                             Can you reconstruct the throttle
                             valve?

                                           GEORDI
                             Yeah... if I knew what it looked
                             like. There's probably five
                             hundred ways to design a valve
                             like this...

                                           PICARD
                             We need to launch this ship in
                             under eighteen hours...
                                     (beat)
                             There must be some design
                             schematics... blueprints...

                                           GEORDI
                             We're tearing this place apart
                             looking for them... but the
                             computers are down, and the fires
                             destroyed half the files...so
                             far, nothing.

                   They look at the damage in frustration.

                                          GEORDI
                             If it was just part of the warp
                             drive, I'd know what to do. But
                             this... it's like trying to
                             rebuild Orville Wright's airplane
                             with canvass and sticks.

                   Picard thinks, remembers something.

                                 PICARD
                             Wait a minute...

              99   INT. CONTROL ROOM                                           99

                   Moments later. Picard and Geordi are looking at the
                   three cloth-printed photographs seen earlier -- the
                   headshot of Cochrane and two different angles of the
                   three cloth-printed photographs seen earlier -- the
                   warp ship with people working on it. Picard spreads
                   them out on the desk.

                                           GEORDI
                             Yeah, I looked at these already.

                   Geordi points to a photo of the ship -- a worker is
                   walking in front of the throttle assembly, blocking
                   most of it from view.

                                           GEORDI
                             You can almost see the throttle
                             assembly in this one... but this
                             guy walked in front of it when
                             they took the picture.

                   Picard considers, absently sticks his hand in his
                   jacket pocket. He pulls out the canister of balm
                   Scrimm gave him and tosses it onto the table.

                                           PICARD
                             Could you reconstruct the throttle
                             from a photograph like this... if
                             that man wasn't blocking the view?

                   Geordi thinks it over.

                                           GEORDI
                             Maybe...
                                     (beat)
                             Sure. Yeah. As long as I could
                             get a clear look at the intake
                             configuration. But so far, we
                             haven't found any other photos.

                                           PICARD
                                     (staring at photos)
                             If there are other photographs...
                             I think I may know how to find
                             them.

                                                                          CUT TO:

             100   INT. BORG HIVE                                             100

                   It's a while later, and the Borg are making progress.
                   Data is strapped to the table, PANELS open on his HEAD
                   and CHEST. Three Borg drones are working methodically
                   on his inner-circuitry. The jagged voice of the woman
                   cuts in:

                                            WOMAN'S VOICE
                             Your resistance is... illogical.
                             To us, your neural net is simply
                             another piece of technology. We
                             will learn its secrets.

                   Data stares at the murky ceiling.

                                           DATA
                             Who are you?

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             I am the Borg.

                                           DATA
                             That is a contradiction. The Borg
                             act as a collective consciousness.
                             There are no individuals.

                                           WOMAN'S VOICE
                             I am the beginning... the end. I
                             am the one who is many. I am the
                             Borg.

                   Out of the mist that hugs the top of the room DESCENDS
                   the BORG QUEEN.

                   She is unlike any of the Borg drones we've ever seen --
                   a humanoid female with conduits and tubes running out
                   of her body. She has no legs. Her torso is SUSPENDED
                   by a complex rig of CABLES and HYDRAULICS. Her face
                   and upper-torso are much more humanoid, with the pasty-
                   pale white of Borg flesh. Her EYES have a silvery
                   glint to them. Her demeanor is seductive and sensual
                   in contrast to the harsh, mechanical surroundings. She
                   is an eerie blend of two worlds -- organic and
                   mechanical.

                   With the soft HISS of hydraulics, she LOWERS herself
                   down to where her face is very close to that of Data's.
                   Her features are almost angelic, but the silvery glint
                   in her eyes betrays an inner-darkness.

                                           DATA
                             You are the guiding intelligence
                             behind the Borg...?

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Intelligence... ambition...
                             desire... I bring order to
                             chaos...

                   She studies his face with a certain child-like quality.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             It's unfortunate we will have to
                             destroy you to obtain the
                             information we need. You are a...
                             unique lifeform.
                                     (beat)
                             Synthetic... and yet far more than
                             a simple automaton.
                             You have no idea how close to
                             perfection you are.
 
                   She stares at him intently, and we get the hint that
                   her interest in Data may go beyond simple assimilation.
                   She seems fascinated by him. Data picks up on this.

                                           DATA
                             How do you define perfection?

                   The Queen opens her arms slightly, clearly indicating
                   herself.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             A blending of the organic and the
                             synthetic. The highest form of
                             life in the galaxy.

                   Data eyes her, considering.

                                           DATA
                             An interesting definition. But it
                             is not one that applies to me. I
                             am completely artificial. I have
                             no organic components.

                   She looks at him as a new thought crosses her mind.
                   She might've just found the chink in Data's armor.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Have you ever wondered what it's
                             like to have flesh?

                                           DATA
                             It is impossible to imagine
                             sensations for which I have no
                             frame of reference.
 
                   She smiles.

                                          BORG QUEEN
                             That... can change.

                   The Queen looks to the three Borg drones and gives them
                   a silent command. The drones immediately stop working
                   on Data's open panels... and shift their attention to
                   his right ARM. One of the drones tears off the sleeve
                   on Data's uniform, exposing his bare arm. Another then
                   uses a small cutting device to SLICE OFF the synthetic
                   skin from Data's arm. As Data prepares himself for the
                   worst...

             101   INT. ENTERPRISE CORRIDOR                                   101

                   THREE armored SECURITY GUARDS with phaser rifles run
                   into view, hit a control panel on the wall. A giant
                   EMERGENCY BULKHEAD comes SLAMMING down, cutting off the
                   rest of the corridor.

                   The security guards turn to run down the hall, but then
                   there is a high-pitched shriek of wrenching metal.
                   They drop to the deck and take combat stances.

                                           GUARD #1
                             Set phasers to rotating
                             modulation!

                   They make adjustments to their weapons just as the
                   bulkhead doors EXPLODE INWARD in a blinding flash. The
                   guards shield themselves against the fire and debris...
                   looks up just in time to see the swift and lethal
                   shapes of the BORG jumping through the smashed
                   bulkhead, racing down the corridor toward them. The
                   guards FIRE, and when they do the PHASER BLASTS
                   alternate color -- red, blue, green, purple, orange --
                   a staccato of colors as the phasers shift frequency.

                   The phaser blasts TAKE DOWN a few of the BORG... but
                   then we see the distinctive PERSONAL FORCEFIELDS of the
                   other Borg begin to compensate, and the phasers no
                   longer affect them.

                                           GUARD #1
                             That's it, they've adjusted --
                             fall back!

                   They turn to run but BORG PHASER FIRE lances out from
                   the Borg soldiers and RIPS them apart.

                                                                          CUT TO:

             102   INT. BRIDGE                                                102

                   The mood is tense, grim. Riker, Worf and Troi are
                   gathered around a SCHEMATIC of the ENTERPRISE. The
                   lower portion of the ship has been blocked off by 
                   the color RED, representing the Borg advance through
                   the ship. A they watch, another section of
                   compartments and corridors suddenly turn RED.

                   Riker lets out a wary breath, starts pointing to
                   various points along the schematic.

                                           RIKER
                             All right... we've lost control of
                             eight decks... three Cargo Bays...
                             one Shuttlebay.

                                           TROI
                             Do we have any idea how many Borg
                             we're dealing with?

                                          WORF
                             We saw at least thirty...and
                             there are twenty-two Enterprise
                             crewmembers reported missing...
                             including Commander Data.
                                 
                                           RIKER
                             We'll have to assume they've been
                             assimilated into the Collective.

                                           TROI
                             Even Data?

                                           WORF
                             Data's positronic net contains
                             classified information on the
                             Enterprise. Command codes,
                             security protocols...

                                           RIKER
                             If they control Data, they control
                             the ship.

                   A grim beat.

                                           RIKER
                             We can't worry about that right
                             now. Let's concentrate on what we
                             can.

                   They stare at the schematic.

                                           WORF
                             To control the Enterprise, they'll
                             have to gain access to one of two
                             locations. Main Engineering... or
                             the Bridge.

                                           RIKER
                             We have to cover both
                             possibilities.
                                     (to Troi)
                             We'll take care of the Bridge.
                             Worf, take your men and seal off
                             Main Engineering. Turn it into a
                             fortress -- nothing gets in.

                   Worf nods and EXITS. As Riker and Troi exchange a
                   tense look...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             103   EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - HOSPITAL - NIGHT                  103

                   The hospital is completely LIT UP -- the only building
                   in town with this much power.

             104   INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT                             104

                   Picard walks down the hall, stops outside a door marked
                   "X-RAY PROCESSING." The RED LIGHT is on above the
                   door, but that means nothing to Picard... who opens the
                   door and steps inside...
  
             105   INT. X-RAY PROCESSING ROOM                                 105

                   Much like a traditional darkroom, trays of chemicals
                   and washes, etc. But everything has a slightly
                   futuristic and cobbled-together feel. They are
                   developing X-rays by hand instead of by machine. The
                   room is lit with an AMBER glow. As soon as Picard
                   opens the door, we hear Ruby's voice:

                                           RUBY'S VOICE
                             Shut that door!

                   Picard quickly shuts the door behind him, looks around
                   the room. Ruby, who's working at a tray of chemicals,
                   turns around in fury.

                                           RUBY
                             What are you, an idiot? Didn't
                             you see the red light was on?

                                           PICARD
                             Ah... yes... but, I didn't realize
                             that --

                                           RUBY
                             Thank God this plate was already
                             fixed.

                   She pulls down a small pane of glass (probably from a
                   window) out of a tub of water... holds it up to the
                   light. And there on the glass is a X-RAY of a man's
                   SKULL. Picard moves to her.

                                           PICARD
                                     (re: X-ray)
                             Cochrane?

                                           RUBY
                             Yes... and I only had enough
                             silver halide for one shot. So
                             you're lucky you didn't screw it
                             up.

                                           PICARD
                             I'm very sorry.

                   She glances at him, sees he feels genuinely bad. She
                   softens a little.

                                           RUBY
                             Don't worry about it.

                   She picks up a rubber squeegee and carefully starts to
                   dry off the pane of glass.
                                 
                                           RUBY
                             Did you need something?

                                           PICARD
                             Yes... I wanted to ask you about
                             some photographs I saw out at the
                             silo. There were three of them...
                             printed on some kind of fabric.

                                           RUBY
                             Bed sheets.
                                     (off his look)
                             I used my last set of bed sheets to
                             make those prints. Not the best
                             material, but I haven't seen a
                             clean piece of paper in five
                             years.

                                           PICARD
                             Did you take any other pictures of
                             the rocket?

                   The X-ray is now dry, and Ruby turns and looks at him.

                                           RUBY
                             Sure.
                                     (jokingly)
                             Why, did you want to buy them?

                   Picard doesn't realize she was kidding -- jumps on the
                   opportunity to get the photos.

                                           PICARD
                             Yes. I don't have any money right
                             now, but I may be able to get
                             some.

                   Ruby looks at him for a moment -- is he serious? She
                   gives him a curious smile.

                                           RUBY
                             "Money." So you can get dome
                             money...

                                           PICARD
                             I can try.
                                 
                                           RUBY
                             You'd have to try real hard. No
                             one's used currency in over ten
                             years. What are you, from another
                             planet?
         
                   Picard hesitates, smiles at her, tries to laugh it off.

                                           PICARD
                             No... but sometimes I feel that
                             way.
                                     (beat)
                             What I meant was, I'd be willing
                             to trade for the photographs.

                                           RUBY
                             Trade. Okay. The photographs...
                             for a straight answer.
                                     (beat)
                             Who are you? And how do you know
                             Zephram?

                                           PICARD
                             I'm an old friend... I met him
                             when he was doing his
                             undergraduate work at Cornell back
                             in --

                                           RUBY
                                     (cuts him off)
                             'Fraid not.

                   Ruby walks past him with the X-ray...

             106   INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS                        106

                   Picard follows Ruby out into the corridor. She has a
                   satisfied smile on her face -- it's not easy to put one
                   over on this woman. And the truth is, she's enjoying
                   Picard's frustration. As they walk along...

                                           PICARD
                             What?

                                           RUBY
                                     (casual)
                             You're lying.

                                           PICARD
                             What makes you say that?

                                           RUBY
                             You're not someone who lies very
                             easily... so it's obvious when you
                             do... at least to me.

                                           PICARD
                             Are you always sucha good judge
                             of character?

                   She stops, turns, looks at him.

                                           RUBY
                             Always.

                   Ruby turns and walks off. Picard follows her, doggedly
                   determined to get those photos...

             107   INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT                     107

                   Beverly is holding the X-ray glass Ruby made up to the
                   light, as the Doctor seen earlier looks on.

                                           BEVERLY
                             The occipital fracture is
                             widening... we're going to have
                             to fuse the bones...

                                           DOCTOR
                             I'm a little worried about some of
                             these bone fragments. If they
                             move any closer to the brain, we
                             could be looking at a hemorrhage.

                   As Beverly and the Doctor examine the X-ray, we MOVE TO
                   Ruby, who's looking down at Cochrane. He's still in
                   bed and on a respirator. She smoothes his hair with
                   affection. Picard stands on the other side of the bed,
                   watching her.

                                           PICARD
                             Were the two of you... involved?

                                           RUBY
                             No... not like you and Doctor
                             Crusher used to be.

                                           PICARD
                                     (surprised)
                             How did you know about that?

                   Ruby looks at him with a smile.

                                           RUBY
                             I didn't.

                   Her smile widens, and then she leaves the bed to join
                   the Doctor and Beverly. Picard shakes his head and
                   smiles after her -- chagrinned and amused at the same
                   time.

                                           RUBY
                                     (to Doctor)
                             We can't take any more X-rays
                             until I can mix up a new batch of
                             the silver halide.

                                           DOCTOR
                             Can you do it tonight? We may
                             have to operate.

                                           RUBY
                             Sure. It'll be ready by morning.

                   Ruby turns and heads for the door. Picard moves after
                   her.

                                           PICARD
                             Ruby... I need to talk to you
                             about those photographs. It's 
                             very important.

                                           RUBY
                             I'm sure it is. But it'll have to
                             wait until tomorrow.

                                           PICARD
                             It can't wait until tomorrow...

                                           RUBY
                             Too bad.
                                     (beat)
                             Besides, it'll give you all night
                             to think up a new set of lies.

                   She flashes him that smile again, then darts out the
                   door. Picard is left frustrated -- he knows that he
                   can't let it go at that...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             108   INT. ENTERPRISE - ENGINEERING                              108

                   Worf and a team of TEN SECURITY GUARDS are preparing
                   for battle. They're setting up large, heavy-duty
                   phaser equivalents of machine guns --  big, mean-looking
                   weapons on tripods. There are two of these weapons
                   aimed at each entrance to Engineering. The Security
                   Officers are strapping on body armor, checking weapons,
                   building makeshift barricades over each of the doors.

                   Worf is in command, directing the action.

                                           WORF
                                     (to team)
                             Double check each assault
                             phaser... make certain that the
                             range setting is no more than
                             thirty meters. We don't want to
                             blast through the hull.

                   Worf turns and picks up his BAT'LETH SWORD off a nearby
                   console. He checks the sharpness of the blade.

                                           SECURITY OFFICER
                             Are you sure you don't want
                             something a little more...
                             sophisticated, sir?

                                           WORF
                             Mind your post, Lieutenant.

                   The Lieutenant decides not to pursue the matter and
                   moves off. Worf makes a quick practiced motion with
                   the sword... decides he's ready.

             109   INT. BRIDGE                                                109

                   Riker and Troi watching the schematic.

                   Riker works a control and the display ZOOMS IN to
                   display a cutaway view of the ship highlighting
                   Engineering and the surrounding deck. A SWARM of DOTS
                   representing the Borg is advancing on Engineering.

                                           RIKER
                                     (to com)
                             Riker to Engineering. Mister
                             Worf...the Borg are approaching
                             your position.

                                           WORF'S COM VOICE
                             Understood. We're ready.

                   Riker and Troi watch as the DOTS move closer...
                   closer...right up to the perimeter of Engineering.
                   The dots begin surrounding Engineering -- which looks
                   like it's being swarmed over by a sea of ants.

             110   INT. ENGINEERING                                           110

                   As before. The security guards have taken positions
                   around the room, all weapons trained on the doors.

                   Worf is standing in front of the warp core, Bat'leth in-
                   hand.

                                           WORF
                                     (calls out)
                             Charge weapons!

                   A massive HUM of power fills the room as all of the
                   phaser weapons begin charging. It's tense -- everyone
                   standing ready with their weapons charging. This is
                   the moment of truth.

                   Worf stands ready, phaser in one hand, Bat'leth in the
                   other. This is Worf at his purest -- the warrior ready
                   for battle.

             111   INT. BRIDGE                                                111

                   Riker and Troi, as before, watching the schematic of
                   the ship. The DOTS representing Borg have now
                   completely surrounded Engineering on all sides,
                   including the deck directly above and below. In
                   essence, the Borg have cocooned Engineering from the
                   rest of the ship.

             112   INT. ENGINEERING                                           112

                   As before. Worf and the security team in their
                   positions, tense. A few beats of silence...then they
                   start to hear soft SCRATCHING coming from somewhere
                   behind the walls -- it sounds like rats skittering
                   through the walls and ceiling of an old house.

                   Everyone stays alert, checks and re-checks their
                   weapons... a couple of hard swallows... then from
                   somewhere up above a LOUD, METALLIC CLANG. Then a
                   large, SCRAPING SOUND that seems to start at one end of
                   the room and travel to the other. There's an
                   overpowering sense of creatures just outside those
                   walls, moving about. It's unnerving, even for crack
                   Starfleet troops.

             113   INT. BRIDGE                                                113

                   Riker and Troi watching the display. The Borg dots
                   teeming around Engineering like ants on a candy bar.

             114   INT. ENGINEERING                                           114

                   The clawing, skittering, clanging noises increase and
                   get louder...

                   ... we expect to see the Borg bursting into the room at
                   any moment. Worf tightens his grip on his Bat'leth,
                   teeth bared. Unbearable tension and then...

                   The noises begin to FADE AWAY... eventually
                   disappearing all together. If anything, the silence is
                   even scarier. Worf's eyes narrow. He looks around the
                   room, all his senses alert, waiting for the slightest
                   sign of the Borg... but nothing happens.

             115   INT. BRIDGE                                                115

                   Riker and Troi react to the diagram as the Borg dots
                   begin moving away from Engineering. It looks like the
                   swarm of ants have left the candy bar and are on the
                   ground, moving toward the forward part of the ship.

                                           TROI
                             They're bypassing Engineering...

                                          RIKER
                             Where the hell are they going?

                   OFF the mystery...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             116   INT. BORG HIVE                                             116

                   CLOSE ON DATA'S FACE. His eyes are closed -- he is in
                   the android equivalent of sleep. CAMERA ROTATING and
                   PUSHING IN on his face as we hear the overlapping
                   sounds of VOICES from Data's past -- Picard, Riker,
                   Troi, the Enterprise crew, aliens he's met, Data's own
                   voice... bits and pieces of his life...

                   The theme of the sound bites should be Data's quest for
                   humanity: Picard giving him advice, Troi counseling
                   him, Soong talking to his son, etc. The last line of
                   dialogue we hear is Data saying "I want to be more
                   human."

                                           BORG QUEEN'S VOICE
                             Data...

                   Data's eyes fly open, now awake. We PULL BACK
                   revealing that Data is still strapped to the Borg
                   operating table... his right arm and shoulder are
                   encased in some kind of strange cybernetic SHELL,
                   obscured from view. Clear tubes run out of the shell
                   into Borg machinery -- liquid is coursing through the
                   tubes. A couple of Borg drones are moving about the
                   room, carrying out various tasks.

                   There's been a change since we've been here last.
                   There are now several Plexiglass CYLINDERS surrounding
                   Data's table -- each of them filled with some kind of
                   murky red fluid, which is swirling around. Every once
                   in awhile, something that looks like RAW FLESH bumps up
                   against the clear Plexiglass, then disappears again.
                   We don't know what these tubes are for, but they're
                   definitely creepy.

                   Data takes all this in, but there is nothing he can do,
                   he's still immobilized.

                   Suddenly the table ROTATES and begins to MOVE up toward
                   the mist and cabling at the top of the ceiling. It
                   stops a few feet away... and Data finds himself face-to-
                   face with the Borg Queen again.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             You've taken your first step
                             toward perfection. How does it
                             feel?

                                           DATA
                             I do not know what you are
                             referring to.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             That's because you haven't been
                             properly... stimulated yet.

                   A WHOOSH of hydraulic power signals another movement by
                   the Borg Queen. She slithers through the air and down
                   slightly, so that she is on the same level as Data.
                   She looks at the cybernetic shell that is encasing
                   Data's right arm, which OPENS at her silent command and
                   moves away...

                   We can now see that all of the skin has been removed
                   from Data's right arm, showing the INNER-WORKINGS of
                   his android limb -- circuitry and servos, etc. But on
                   the top of the mechanical forearm there is something
                   new -- a small PATCH of HUMAN FLESH held in place with
                   various nasty-looking hooks and clamps and small tubes
                   carrying blood. It's a delicate, fragile piece of
                   organic life on an ugly, mechanical surface.

                   Data looks down at the patch of flesh with a little
                   puzzlement.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                                     (re: flesh)
                             Do you know what this is, Data?

                                           DATA
                             It would appear that you are
                             attempting to graft organic skin
                             onto my endo-skeletal structure.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             What a cold description... for
                             such a beautiful gift.

                   She smiles slightly, utterly confident. She leans her
                   face in close to Data's still immobilized right arm.

             117   EXTREME CLOSE UP - DATA'S ARM                              117

                   We are so close to the patch of flesh that we can see
                   the individual hairs. The Borg Queen's LIPS move into
                   frame, and she EXHALES a long and sensuous breath. We
                   see GOOSE BUMPS form on the skin, and the hairs stand
                   straight up in response.
       
             118   NEW ANGLE                                                  118
         
                   As Data's eyes widen and he looks down at the skin in
                   surprise -- this is a sensation he's never felt before.
                   The Borg Queen sees the look on his face and smiles.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Was that good for you?

                   Data can barely describe the sensation. But clearly,
                   it was pleasurable.

                                           DATA
                             It was... interesting.

                   He looks at her.

                                           DATA
                             Do it again... please.

                   As she smiles...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             119   EXT. RUBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT                                  119

                   A tiny, single-story house -- one or two rooms at the
                   most, in serious need of repair and maintenance. No
                   yard. The house sits on dirt. The nearest other
                   structure is at least a hundred yards away. A very
                   solitary place. The windows are dark, painted over
                   from the inside.

                   Some large pieces of exotic-looking EQUIPMENT are
                   sitting off the front porch.

                   After a beat, the front door opens, letting out a soft,
                   feeble light.

                   Ruby steps out onto the porch, carrying a gallon size
                   plastic jug. The light from the house now lights the 
                   equipment a little, giving us a better view. There's
                   a contraption that appears to be a PUMP of some kind,
                   with a funnel on top, spigot at the bottom, and several
                   stages of filters and tubing in between. Ruby sets the
                   jug underneath the spigot... then sits down for a 
                   moment on the edge of the porch. She takes a breath
                   and runs a hand through her hair, stretches her back,
                   trying to work out some of the kinks in her neck. An
                   exhausting day.

             120   PICARD                                                     120

                   is watching her intently from afar. He's concealed
                   behind a supporting beam of one the town's many
                   WINDMILLS. He's in shadow, hidden from Ruby's view.

             121   RUBY                                                       121

                   pulls off her jacket. she's wearing a pull-over
                   shirt... and in one motion she pulls off the shirt,
                   revealing only a tee-shirt underneath, sleeves torn off
                   long ago. She stands up... kicks off her boots...
                   undoes her pants... and begins sliding the jeans off
                   her hips...

             122   PICARD                                                     122

                   is surprised. Glances around, a little awkward. This
                   really isn't why he came out here.

             123   RUBY                                                       123

                   kicks aside the jeans. She's now down to tee-shirt and
                   panties. She grabs the bottom of the tee-shirt...
                   pulls it off...

             124   PICARD                                                     124

                   doesn't want to look, but can't help himself...

             125   RUBY                                                       125

                   moves to the side of the porch... and steps into a
                   large ENVIROMENTAL SUIT, a bulky one-piece with gloves
                   and helmet attached.

             126   PICARD                                                     126

                   is a little relieved... keeps watching...

             127   RUBY                                                       127

                   has now encased herself in the thick, rubbery suit...
                   pulls over a HELMET with a gas mask. She walks over to
                   an OIL DRUM marked with a distinctive BIO-HAZARD
                   SYMBOL. She carefully opens the lid... takes a metal
                   pitcher... reaches down into the drum and scoops out a
                   pitcher-full of TOXIC WASTE. She closes the lid, walks
                   over to the pump-filter contraption. She pours the
                   sludge-like waste into the funnel...primes the pump...
                   makes a few adjustments to the filters... and then
                   turns the spigot...

                   After a beat, a trickle of CLEAR LIQUID starts to come
                   out of the spigot. Ruby steps back and pulls off the
                   helmet.

             128   PICARD                                                     128

                   watches, curious about what she's doing...

             129   RUBY                                                       129

                   is now out of the bio-suit again... pulling on her
                   shirt and jeans... grabs her jacket... turns off the
                   lights in the house, and shuts the front door behind
                   her. She begins walking toward the windmill.

             130   PICARD                                                     130

                   steps behind the girder, stays very still in the
                   shadows... waits quietly as Ruby passes by the windmill
                   without a glance and heads into town. After she's
                   gone, Picard steps out from his hiding place, watches
                   her go, then quickly heads for Ruby's house...

             131   FRONT PORCH                                                131

                   Picard opens the front door and goes inside... but he
                   doesn't notice that at the base of the doorjamb a small
                   RED LIGHT starts flashing -- some sort of silent alarm.

             132   INT. RUBY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS                             132

                   Picard ENTERS and closes the door behind him. It's
                   dark. He fumbles around for a light switch... finally
                   locates one... and a soft, golden glow fills the room.

                   The house has only one room, which functions as a
                   living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. This is also
                   Ruby's DARKROOM. The windows have been painted black,
                   and there are photographic plates and futuristic photo-
                   equipment all around. But the most striking feature of
                   the house are the large, hanging cloth-printed
                   PHOTOGRAPHS. They vary in size and shape. Some are
                   hanging on walls, others hang from the ceiling in mid-
                   air, still others are stacked on the few pieces of
                   furniture that's here. The absence of paper has forced
                   Ruby to print photos on anything she can find --
                   bed sheets, shirts, pieces of upholstery, backs of
                   carpeting, etc. Picard stands there for a moment,
                   taking in the scene -- he's never been in anyplace
                   quite like this. The cloth photos give the room a
                   feeling of a small, intensely personal gallery.

                   Picard moves around the room, looking from photo to
                   photo... hunting for the elusive shots of the missile
                   silo... and as he does, we get our first close look at
                   Ruby's images, and they tell us a great deal about
                   her...

                   She has an artistic eye for finding beauty in the
                   mundane and the ugly. There are pictures of hope
                   amidst despair... beauty amongst devastation. There
                   seems to be a theme running through the photographs --
                   a romantic, almost idealistic sense of optimism.

                   At one point, Picard finds a photograph he recognizes.
                   It's the rusted-out hover car she photographed on the
                   streets of Resurrection. It's an ugly, decrepit piece
                   of junk... but there in the center, spot-lighted by a
                   single ray of sunshine... is a tiny flower about to
                   bloom.

                   Picard takes in the image for a brief moment... then
                   pushes onward... goes to a file of photos sitting in a
                   box... begins sorting through them quickly... we see
                   PRE-WAR photos printed on real paper. They show a
                   younger Ruby with her parents... Resurrection the way
                   it used to look... Ruby with a dog...

                   Picard pauses, frowns... gets the odd feeling that
                   someone is watching him. He turns around to see...

             133   HIMSELF                                                    133

                   A three foot PHOTOGRAPH OF PICARD is drying in the air
                   behind him.

                   Ruby must've taken the photo when Picard was on the
                   street talking to Scrimm. It was taken through a
                   telephoto lens, a close-up of Picard's face -- he looks
                   focused, determined, heroic. It's a remarkable shot of
                   the Captain, and even Picard is a little taken aback by
                   the image. She's captured the essence of the man.

                   CLICK-CLACK! The sound of a shotgun being cocked.
                   Picard freezes... slowly turns around to see who's
                   there...

             134   RUBBY                                                      134

                   is standing in the open doorway, a shotgun leveled at
                   Picard.

                                           RUBY
                             You should pay closer attention to
                             those little red lights.

                   Picard glances down at the doorway, sees the flashing
                   red light in the doorjamb. He's busted.

                                           RUBY
                             You know, I'd be perfectly
                             justified in shooting you right
                             now.

                   Picard glances at the photograph of himself.

                                           PICARD
                             I'd say you already have.

                                           RUBY
                             Don't flatter yourself. I take
                             pictures of a lot of junk.

                   She perches herself on the arm of a small couch, holds
                   the gun loosely, but never taking the aim away from
                   Picard.

                                           RUBY
                             Okay, let's hear it. I'm sure you
                             have a great explanation for why
                             those rocket photos are so
                             important you broke into my house.

                                           PICARD
                             We're trying to repair Doctor
                             Cochrane's ship. It's been
                             damaged and --

                                           RUBY
                             We?

                                           PICARD
                             Myself... and a few other friends
                             of Zephram's.

                                           RUBY
                             Friends from Cornell...

                                          PICARD
                             Some.

                                           RUBY
                             Lie. That's one. Keep going.

                                           PICARD
                             A key piece of the ship has been
                             destroyed... and our only hope to
                             reconstruct it is if one of your
                             photographs shows us what it
                             looked like.

                                           RUBY
                                     (considers)
                             All right. Truth. I believe that
                             one. Why is it so urgent you
                             couldn't wait until morning?

                                          PICARD
                             We have to launch his ship by
                             tomorrow afternoon.

                                           RUBY
                             Or...?

                   Picard has to come up with something -- decides to
                   throw her off with a high-tech explanation.

                                           PICARD
                             Or the shielding around the
                             plutonium core will begin to
                             deteriorate. Within a day, the
                             entire silo will become so
                             radioactive that no one will be
                             able to come near it for a hundred
                             years.

                   Ruby eyes him evenly.

                                           RUBY
                             Lie. That's two. One more, and
                             I pull the trigger.

                  Picard is starting to get angry.

                                           PICARD
                             Why are you being so difficult?
                             All I'm asking for is to look at
                             one of the photographs. It'll
                             take five minutes.

                                           RUBY
                             And all I'm asking for is the
                             truth. That would take five
                             minutes.
                                     (beat)
                             For all I know, you caused the
                             explosions at the silo... and now
                             you're trying to steal Zephram's
                             ship.

                                           PICARD
                             I am not a thief...

                   Ruby's had enough -- her temper flares and she gets off
                   the couch, takes a threatening step toward Picard.

                                           RUBY
                             No, you're a petty burglar and a
                             liar...
                                     (beat)
                             You're no friend of Zephram's. He
                             is a great man. He's not like you
                             or me or any of the other zombies
                             walking around this town.

                   Picard jumps in with a quiet, forceful quality:

                                           PICARD
                             No. He's a man with vision. He
                             can see beyond the problems that
                             surround us. He knows there's a
                             better future out there for
                             everyone... a future where crime,
                             poverty and war are things of the
                             past... a future where we reach
                             out and seek our destiny in the
                             stars.
                                    (beat)
                             I believe in that future, too,
                             Ruby. I believe in it in every
                             fiber of my being. And I'm
                             telling you... if we don't launch
                             that warp ship tomorrow, there's
                             a very good chance that future
                             will never happen.

                   She eyes him for a moment -- and we're not sure if his
                   words have had any effect.

                   Ruby still has her doubts, but decides to go with her
                   gut...and finally hands him the photographs. Picard
                   glances through them -- his expression tells us the
                   photo he needs is in there.

                                           PICARD
                             You won't regret this.

                   They share a look... and then Picard turns and walks
                   off into the night. Ruby watches him go... and we can
                   see on her face a confused jumble of mixed emotions.
                   Something about that man has touched her...

             135   NIGHT SCPOE POV                                            135

                   A telescopic, green and white image of Picard walking
                   away from Ruby's home.

             136   LIEUTENANT SCRIMM                                          136

                   is watching Picard through a set of night vision
                   binoculars, perched on the roof of a nearby building.
                   He frowns, wondering what Picard is up to...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             137   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE DEFLECTOR DISH                     137

                   The giant DEFLECTOR ARRAY at the front of the ship --
                   a giant, round, bowl-shaped array used for
                   communications and shielding. As we watch, FOUR
                   HATCHES OPEN surrounding the dish and BORG start to
                   emerge from the interior of the ship and CRAWL OUT on
                   the hull. The Borg do not need pressure suits or
                   breathing equipment -- they crawl around the hull with
                   ease and onto the deflector dish...

                   PULL BACK TO REVEAL:

             138   INT. ENTERPRISE BRIDGE - VIEWSCREEN                        138

                   Where Riker, Troi, Worf and N.D.s are watching this
                   image on the Viewscreen.

                                           RIKER
                             What are they doing?

                                           WORF
                             They appear to be modifying the
                             deflector dish.

                                           TROI
                             To do what? If they wanted a
                             weapon, they could've taken over
                             a phaser bank or torpedo bay...

                                          RIKER
                             Deflector dish... why the
                             deflector dish...?

                                          WORF
                             It doesn't make sense. The
                             deflector is only used for
                             shielding and long range
                             sensors...

                   Riker stares at the screen... notices something.

                                           RIKER
                             Computer -- magnify grid twenty-
                             one alpha.

                   The image on the Viewscreen ZOOMS IN to a specific
                   point on the deflector dish, giving us a clear view of
                   two Borg who have opened a gigantic panel on the dish.
                   They appear top be modifying power conduits in some
                   fashion.

                                           WORF
                             They're re-routing the deflector
                             power conduits...

                                           RIKER
                             Computer -- thermal enhancement.

                   The image now is overlaid with an INFRARED VIEW of what
                   they're doing. The power conduits are glowing bright
                   red, very hot -- we can see the heat signature travel
                   back behind the dish and connect to a corkscrew-shaped
                   coil, which is pulsing.

                                           RIKER
                             They're connecting the conduits to
                             subspace communications...

                                           WORF
                                     (realizing)
                             They're converting the deflector
                             dish into an antennae...

                                           TROI
                             They may be trying to send a
                             message to the other Borg...the
                             Borg in this time period...
                                 
                                           WORF
                             What kind of message?

                                           RIKER
                                     (thinking)
                             If it was me... I'd say "attack
                             Earth now... in the 21st
                             century... they'll be too strong
                             in the 24th."

                   They think about this for a moment as they watch the
                   Borg swarming on the deflector array.

                                           WORF
                             We have to stop them from sending
                             that message.

                                           RIKER
                             Agreed. Options?

                                           WORF
                             Destroy the deflector dish.

                                           TROI
                             Can we aim our dorsal phasers at
                             it?

                   Riker shakes his head.

                                           RIKER
                             We've lost control of all weapons
                             systems... Transporters are
                             down... we can't get to a
                             Shuttlecraft... and it would take
                             us too long to fight our way down
                             to deflector control...

                   They think.

                                           WORF
                             There is another way, Commander.
                             Do you remember your zero-G combat
                             training?

                   Riker looks a little wary at the suggestion.

                                           RIKER
                             I remember it made me sick.

                                           TROI
                                     (to Worf)
                             What are you suggesting?

                                           RIKER
                             I think Mister Worf is suggesting
                             that we go outside for a little
                             stroll...

                   OFF their expressions...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             139   CLOSE ON A PHOTOGRAPH                                      139

                   Another one of Ruby's cloth-printed photos, this one a
                   clear view of the base of the missile engines --
                   Cochrane standing underneath the massive rocket nozzle.
                   Above him on the fuselage is the crucial throttle-valve
                   assembly.

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             I'm almost afraid to say this,
                             Captain... but I think it's going
                             to work.

                   MOVE TO REVEAL we're in:

             140   INT. MISSILE SILO - LOWER CATWALK - DAY                    140

                   The cloth photo is hanging from a beam on the catwalk.
                   Geordi and Picard are watching a couple of N.D.s attach
                   the newly-built throttle assembly to the side of the
                   ship. The N.D.s are using high-tech welding tools and
                   sparks are flying. As they talk, they head back up the
                   catwalk toward the control room...

                                           PICARD
                             Where's you get the alloy for the
                             throttle itself?

                                           GEORDI
                             They used copper pipes in their
                             plumbing... so I melted it down...
                             and fused it with some tritanium
                             from one of our phaser casings.
                                     (beat)
                             It's not the strongest alloy...
                             but it's better than all this
                             crude aluminum and steel.

             141   INT. MISSILE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS                     141

                   As Geordi and Picard ENTER. Lange is checking out a
                   launch console.

                   The room is now humming with power -- it's beginning to
                   look like the place is up and running. Picard stops
                   near the desk.

                                           PICARD
                             Mister Lange -- have you brought
                             the computer systems back on-line
                             yet?

                                           LANGE
                             Aye, Captain. This trinary
                             language is pretty archaic... but
                             I think I understand it now.

                                          PICARD
                            Good.

                   As they speak, CAMERA MOVES in on the metal canister
                   of lotion Picard set on the desk earlier...

             142   EXT. MONTONA WOODS - DAY - CONTINUOUS                      142

                   Scrimm and three militia guards are huddled around a
                   cluster of military surveillance gear, listening to
                   Picard and Geordi's conversation. Far in the distance,
                   we can see the missile silo.

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             Are we on schedule? The Vulcan
                             ship will be here in less than two
                             hours.

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             It'll be tight, but we should make
                             it.

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             What about our warp signature? It
                             has to be strong enough for them
                             to detect.

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             I've enhanced the plasma injectors --
                             don't worry, they'll see it.

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             Well, with any luck... the Vulcans
                             will land outside Resurrection
                             tomorrow morning... and Earth will
                             never be the same again.
         
                   Scrimm and his men listen with growing alarm -- it
                   sounds like Picard is planning an invasion!

             143   INT. MISSILE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS                     143

                   As before.

                                           PICARD
                             All right. I'd better start
                             familiarizing myself with the
                             flight controls.

                   A console BUZZES. Lange moves to it, and activates a
                   small color video MONITOR. It shows an external view
                   of the MISSILE silo, just outside the hatch. Beverly
                   can be seen standing nearby with a now conscious
                   Zephram Cochrane.

                                           LANGE
                             Doctor Crusher's at the access
                             hatch, Captain.

                                           PICARD
                             Let her in.

                   Lange hits a couple of buttons...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             144   CLOSE ON COCHRANE'S FACE                                   144

                   A short time later. His head is bandaged, and he's
                   conscious, but frankly he looks like hell. He sits
                   back, looking a little overwhelmed.

                                           COCHRANE
                             Let me get this straight... you're
                             from the future... I'm about to
                             change history... and all I have
                             to do is sit here and let you fly
                             my ship?

             145   WIDER                                                      145

                   Picard, Geordi and Beverly are standing around
                   Cochrane, who is sitting in a high-backed chair in a
                   corner of the Control Room.

                                           PICARD
                             That's right.

                   He studies their faces -- sees they're serious. He
                   smiles a little ruefully.

                                           COCHRANE
                             And people say I'm crazy...

                   Picard smiles.

                                           PICARD
                             I assure you, Doctor, that after
                             today... no one will ever call you
                             that again.

                   Cochrane considers them...finally nods, what the hell.

                                           COCHRANE
                             Just do me a favor... bring my
                             ship back in one piece.

                                           PICARD
                             That's a promise.

                   Picard turns and walks off with Beverly. Geordi moves
                   to Cochrane with a little bit of awe.

                                           GEORDI
                             Doctor... my name is Geordi La
                             Forge. I'm an engineer. Can I
                             shake your hand?

                   Cochrane is touched by Geordi's obvious respect. They
                   shake hands.

                                           COCHRANE
                             I wish I could go with you. Is
                             there anything I can do to help?

                                           GEORDI
                             Not really... but I do have about
                             a thousand questions I've always
                             wanted to ask you.

                                           COCHRANE
                             Since time is short... why don't
                             you pick the top ten and fire
                             away?

                   Geordi smiles...

             146   PICARD AND BEVERLY                                         146

                   have moved to another part of the room. Beverly looks
                   exhausted. She sets her medkit on a table and plops
                   down into a chair. Mid-conversation.

                                           PICARD
                                      (surprised)
                             You actually performed surgery...?

                                           BEVERLY
                             It was an experience. Metal
                             scalpels... needle and thread...

                   She looks up with a smile, pulls a small DEVICE out of
                   the medkit -- a surgical transporter.

                                           BEVERLY
                                     (re: device)
                             But I had a little help. Surgical
                             transporter. I used it to beam
                             out most of the bone fragments
                             from his brain.

                                           PICARD
                             How did Doctor Almack react to
                             that?

                                           BEVERLY
                             He was so confused by what I was
                             doing, I don't think he even
                             noticed.
                                     (beat)
                             Any word from the Enterprise?

                                           PICARD
                             Not yet.

                                           BEVERLY
                             You think they're still up there?

                                           PICARD
                                     (wry)
                             If they're not... we'd better get
                             used to living in Montana.

                                           BEVERLY
                                     (light)
                             That might not be so bad... at
                             least for you.

                   She's kidding, but Picard is a little defensive.

                                           PICARD
                             What's that supposed to mean?

                   There is no animosity or hint of jealousy in Beverly's
                   attitude, she's simply making an observation about
                   someone she cares about.

                                           BEVERLY
                             I saw the way you looker at her...
                             and I know that look.

                   Picard doesn't want to argue about this -- to him, it's
                   a pointless conversation.

                                           PICARD
                             Regardless of how I may feel about
                             Ruby... our fates lie along
                             different paths. Nothing can
                             change that.

                                           BEVERLY
                             You want some advice? Don't do
                             this again.
                                     (off his look)
                             You know exactly what I mean.

                                           PICARD
                             Beverly, there were many reasons
                             why you and I...

                                           BEVERLY
                             I'd call them excuses. And the
                             first excuse on both our lists was
                             our "sense of duty." We convinced
                             ourselves that it was more
                             important than anything else. And
                             you know what? It's not.

                   She holds his look for a moment.

                                           PICARD
                                     (neutral)
                             I have a ship to launch.

                   Picard turns and leaves. Beverly watches him go...
                   wondering whether her words had any affect...

             147   EXT. RUBY'S HOUSE - DAY                                    147

                   Ruby is turning off the spigot on the filter-pump. The
                   plastic jug is now filled with the clear fluid --
                   silver halide. She caps the jug, picks it up, begins
                   walking up on the porch...then hesitates for a
                   moment... looks out over the horizon.

                   She hesitates... then frowns and goes inside...

                   Ruby comes inside, sets down the jug... begins to pick
                   up some more glass plates... stops... thinks... looks
                   up. Only a few feet away is the large picture of
                   Picard. She doesn't want to look at him, doesn't want
                   to think about him... but there he is.

                   She glances back at the open door... struggles for a
                   moment... then makes a decision.

                   Despite herself, she can't get Picard out of her head.
                   With a little frustration, she grabs her camera bag and
                   heads for the door...

             149   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                149

                   in Earth orbit.

             150   INT. BORG HIVE                                             150

                   ANGLE ON CEILING as the Borg Queen descends from her
                   nesting place down towards the camera... ultimately
                   stopping just a few feet away. She speaks directly to
                   the camera.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             How do you feel?

             151   CLOSE ON DATA'S HAND                                       151

                   His right hand is made of FLESH -- it has color,
                   fingernails, hair, sweat. It's completely human in
                   every way. His fingers move slightly, and then the
                   hand begins to rise. We follow his hand as it comes up
                   and touches his FACE, which is also FLESH. The gold
                   color is gone, his hair is tousled and natural-looking.
                   Even his eyes are real now -- blue. He touches his
                   face tentatively, his expression confused... but
                   intrigued.

                                           DATA
                             Different.
          
                   The Borg Queen descends closer. Data's arms are now
                   free, but he is still restrained on the table. The
                   rest of his body is still android, mechanical.

                   Data touches his two hands together, feeling the
                   sensations, flesh against machine. He touches his face
                   and lips, discovering himself in a totally new way.

                                           DATA
                             My internal sensors tell me the
                             ambient temperature in the room is
                             ten point two degrees Celsius...
                                     (wondrous)
                             But my skin tells me it is cold.

                   As he talks, we can see that he's becoming seduced by
                   his own newfound senses.

                                           DATA
                             My visual acuity has been reduced
                             by seventy-eight percent... and I
                             can no longer perceive light
                             beyond the ultraviolet or the
                             infrared...
                                     (beat)
                             But I can see.

                   It's an amazing moment, Data riding a wave of feeling
                   and emotion like he's never had before. The Borg Queen
                   watches, pleased. She hovers close to him.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Until today... your emotions were
                             trapped inside an artificial
                             shell. You didn't know what it
                             was to truly feel.
                                     (beat)
                             And there's so much more for you
                             to experience.  I will guide you
                             into a world of sensation unlike
                             anything you can imagine.
                                     (beat)
                             All you have to do... is give us
                             access to your neural net.

                   Data looks at her, suddenly shocked back into reality.

                                           DATA
                             No. I will not betray my friends.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             They're not your friends...
                             they've held you back... kept you
                             from your destiny...

                                           DATA
                             That is not true. They have tried
                             to help me.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Have they given you what I have
                             given you? Did they even try?

                                           DATA
                             I... do not want this...

                   But his words have a certain hollow quality to them.
                   He is no longer as convinced as he was before and the
                   Borg Queen notes this immediately. She reaches out
                   with a hand and gently strokes Data's cheek.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             You're becoming more human all the 
                             time, Data. Now you're learning 
                             how to lie.

                                           DATA
                             I wish to... go back to the way I
                             was.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             More lies.

                   She SLAPS him hard across the face. Data feels the
                   pain, the shock. A small trickle of blood comes from
                   his mouth. He looks at her in surprise, but before he
                   can say anything she moves forward and KISSES him on
                   the mouth deeply and intensely. It's a disturbing and
                   erotic moment. She pulls back. Data reels, trying to
                   sort out the rapid succession of pleasure and pain.
                   Her voice drops to a whisper and she moves even closer
                   to him, face-to-face... seductive... beguiling.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Have you ever know a woman? Do
                             you know what it's like to feel
                             her breath on your face... her
                             skin against yours... flesh
                             against flesh?

                                           DATA
                             My creator did not intend for me
                             to experience these things.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             I'm your creator now.

                   She rubs her body against his, cat-like... then pulls
                   him to her and kisses him deeply. Off the image of
                   their bizarre embrace...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             152   INT. BRIDGE                                                152

                   Riker, Worf, and three Security N.D.s are pulling on
                   SPACESUITS. The suits are form-fitting, sleek, no
                   bulky oxygen tanks. The helmets are the same -- they
                   conform to the contours of the skull and face.

                                           WORF
                                     (to Riker)
                             You will have to realign the
                             targeting array of the quantum
                             torpedo... and reprogram the
                             warhead for the localized
                             detonation.
                                     (beat)
                             There's only one torpedo left...
                                                                  
                                           RIKER
                             I guess I'd better get it right
                             the first time.

                                           WORF
                                     (to all)
                             The Borg will undoubtedly attack.
                             Set phasers to rotating
                             modulation.

                   The Security Officers check their phasers and wait as
                   Riker and Worf finish putting on their suits. Riker
                   straps a tool case to his suit.

                                           RIKER
                             Ready?

                   Everyone nods. Riker goes to a wall panel and
                   activates the control. The Airlock door seen earlier
                   OPENS. Riker turns back to Troi.

                                           TROI
                             Good luck.

                   Riker nods. Then he, Worf, and the Guards ENTER the
                   airlock and Troi close the door behind them.

             153   INT. AIRLOCK                                               153

                   A tiny room separating the Bridge from the outer hull.

                                           RIKER
                             Depressurize.

                   Worf hits a control and the room DEPRESSURIZES with a
                   HISSING SOUND.

                                           WORF
                                     (to others)
                             Activate magnetic constrictors.

                   They all activate controls on their wrists and there is
                   a faint hum of power as the suits are magnetized.

                   Riker hits another control and the OUTER AIRLOCK DOOR
                   SLIDES OPEN, revealing the vast vacuum of SPACE. They
                   begin to walk out of the airlock...

             154   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - AIRLOCK                          154

                   As Riker and his team come out of the airlock on the
                   top of the saucer section. It's a spectacular sight as
                   the small group of figures, with weapons at the ready,
                   marches toward the leading edge of the saucer. The
                   scene is lit by light reflected by the Earth, which
                   hangs above the ship.

             155   ON RIKER & WORF                                            155

                   As they approach the edge. Worf gives a hand signal
                   and the rest of the team spreads out into a tactical
                   deployment and drops down onto their bellies. They
                   crawl up to the very edge of the saucer and pause.
                   Worf looks at Riker, who looks a little queasy.

                                           WORF
                                     (to Riker)
                             Are you alright? 

                                           RIKER
                             Just a little queasy...

                                           WORF
                             Try not to look at the stars...
                             keep your eyes on the ship.

                                           RIKER
                             Right.

                                           WORF
                             And Commander, whatever you do...
                             do not vomit in your exo-suit. It
                             would be... unpleasant.

                                           RIKER
                             I'll keep that in mind.

                   Riker takes a few deep breaths to steady himself.

                                           RIKER
                                     (to all)
                             Over and under!

                   They all quickly scramble over the edge and onto the
                   underside of the saucer.

                   The CAMERA ROTATES AND SPINS with them as they
                   traverse to the underside of the hull -- they're
                   upside down relative to their previous position, but
                   there's no up or down in space and their magnetized
                   suits hold them to the hull.

                   It's a dizzying moment as we try to orient ourselves to
                   their new position. From this angle, the Enterprise
                   appears to be upside down!
 
                   Once they're on the underside of the saucer, they can
                   see the rest of the ship laid out above them.

             156   NEW ANGLE - THEIR POV                                      156

                   The deflector dish (which is now above us) is covered
                   with dozens of Borg drones, who are working to modify
                   it. Some of them turn and see us.

             157   RIKER AND WORF                                             157

                   Begin running toward the torpedo tube on the saucer.
                   (Running is difficult, they must keep one foot on the
                   hull at all times.) Several Borg PHASER SHOTS whip past
                   them as the Borg open fire.

             158   THE BORG                                                   158

                   A DOZEN of them leave the work on the dish and begin
                   skittering down (which is normally up) the
                   interconnecting dorsal on all fours toward our heroes
                   like a swarm of ants -- a frightening sight.

             159   A SECURITY GUARD                                           159

                   Is HIT by a phaser shot and goes FLYING OFF into space.

             160   THE TORPEDO TUBE                                           160

                   Riker reaches the opening to the torpedo tube, bends
                   down and opens the hatch. Borg phaser shots hitting
                   all around him. The open hatch cover provides some
                   protection from the Borg fire.

                                           RIKER
                             Worf! I'm going to need at least
                             five minutes!

                                           WORF
                             Understood!

                   Worf and his team lie down on the hull and begin
                   exchanging fire with the approaching mass of Borg.

                   They pick off a few Borg, who also go FLYING into
                   space. As Riker begins to work...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             161   INT. MISSILE SILO - SERIES OF SHOTS                        161

                   Quick cuts:

                   -- Picard and Geordi strapping themselves into the
                      Phoenix cockpit.

                   -- In the Control Room, the Starfleet N.D.s put on 21st
                      century headsets to communicate with the Phoenix
                      cockpit.
   
                   -- Cochrane sitting in his chair, holding his head, but
                      rapt with attention. Beverly checking him with her
                      MEDKIT, which is sitting open on a console nearby.

                   -- The BLAST DOOR begins closing.

                   -- Geordi's hands flipping switches, working the
                      controls.

                   OVER THESE SHOTS:

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             ATR setting...

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             Active.

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             Main bus...

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             Ready.

                                           GEORDI'S VOICE
                             Initiate pre-ignition sequence.

                   -- The Phoenix ENGINES at the base of the ship begin
                      spewing nitrogen gas.

             162   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                           162

                   The Security N.D.s moving about the control room, which
                   is now humming with power.

                   The huge steel blast door separating the control room
                   from the silo has been CLOSED.

                                           GEORDI'S COM VOICE
                             Pre-ignition sequence complete.
                             Going to internal power.

                                           LANGE
                                     (off console)
                             Acknowledged, Phoenix. You're on
                             internal power and ready for lift-
                             off.

                                           GEORDI'S COM VOICE
                             Final launch sequence checks...
                             complete. Ready to begin final
                             countdown.

                                           LANGE
                                     (works)
                             Understood. Begin five minute
                             countdown on your mark.

             163   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       163

                   Picard, Geordi making final adjustments to the control
                   panels. Both are wearing 21st century communications
                   headsets. Picard exchanges a look with Geordi.

                                           PICARD
                             Ready to make a little history?

                                           GEORDI
                             Always am.

                                           PICARD
                             Phoenix to control.
                                     (hits a control)
                             Initiating five minute
                             countdown... mark.

                   A few monitors in the cockpit indicate that the
                   countdown is underway.

             164   INT. CONTROL ROOM                                          164

                   Lange and the other N.D.s watching the countdown.
                   Suddenly a console BUZZES. Lange goes to the monitor
                   seen earlier, hits a switch -- the monitor comes alive,
                   shows that Ruby is now standing outside at the hatch.
                   Lange reacts in surprise.

                   Picard and Geordi working the controls, watching the
                   readings, etc. We hear Lange's com voice:

                                           LANGE'S COM VOICE
                             Phoenix, we have a problem out
                             here. There's a woman at the
                             outer hatch... says her name's
                             Ruby Sloan and she wants to see
                             the Captain.

                   Picard and Geordi react -- her timing is pretty bad.

                                           LANGE'S COM VOICE
                             What do you want me to do, sir?

                                           GEORDI
                             We can't let her in... she'll see
                             Cochrane isn't making the flight.

                                           PICARD
                             We can't leave her out there.
                             When the ship launches... she'll
                             be killed.

                                           GEORDI
                             Tell her to go back to
                             Resurrection.

                                           PICARD
                             She's a very... determined woman.
                                     (to com)
                             Phoenix to control. Mister
                             Lange... let her in.

                                           LANGE'S COM VOICE
                             Aye, sir.

             166   EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY                                    166

                   Ruby standing by the hatch, trying to look calm...
                   Scrimm and three Militia Soldiers holding her at
                   gunpoint. The hatch hisses and POPS OPEN. Scrimm
                   shoves a gun into Ruby's side -- get going. As they
                   start to crawl inside...

             167   INT. CONTROL ROOM                                          167

                   Lange and the other N.D.s have focused their attention
                   on the countdown. Ruby climbs down the ladder, a tense
                   look on her face.

                                           LANGE
                             Ms. Sloane, if you'll have a seat,
                             I'll let you talk to --

                   Suddenly, the three heavily-armed militia soldiers jump
                   down the ladder from the hatch. One of the Starfleet
                   N.D.s goes for a phaser, and a soldier BLASTS him
                   backward with a spray of bullets from his automatic
                   weapon. Everyone else freezes. A tense beat, then
                   Scrimm climbs down the ladder and looks around the
                   room...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             168   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - BATTLE ON THE HULL               168

                   Riker in the torpedo tube, frantically working. He
                   begins to physically MOVE the torpedo tube itself like
                   he's moving the barrel of a huge cannon... as he
                   struggles to aim it toward the huge deflector dish...

             169   WORF AND THE SECURITY GUARDS                               169

                   are about fifty feet away from Riker. From their prone
                   positions, they try to keep the Borg at bay, BLASTING
                   them off the hull one by one. They have taken cover
                   behind some outcroppings of equipment on the hull of
                   the ship. The Borg have to cross an open field of
                   metal to get to them, making then easy targets.

                   Suddenly the Borg change tactics. From the deflector
                   dish high above them, Borg begin LAUNCHING THEMSELVES
                   directly at the Starfleet Officers, jumping off the
                   dish and flying through the vacuum of space like
                   paratroopers. This tips the balance. There are too
                   many targets to defend from above and below. One of
                   the flying Borg CRASHES into a Security Guard and a
                   vicious hand-to-hand FIGHT erupts. The Borg SLASHES
                   the guard's pressure suit, which DEPRESSURIZES killing
                   the man instantly. Worf FIRES  a phaser blast into the
                   Borg, knocking him off the hull and into space.

                   Worf turns to Riker.

                                           WORF
                             Commander, you're five minutes are
                             up!

             170   RIKER                                                      170

                   swings the torpedo tube into place, aiming it at the
                   deflector dish. He hits a control on the side of the
                   tube... and a QUANTUM TORPEDO automatically slides up
                   from below and LOCKS INTO position in the tube, like a
                   panel on the torpedo and begins working on the
                   circuitry.

             171   INT. BRIDGE                                                171

                   Troi in command, watching the VIEWSCREEN, which shows
                   a different angle of the battle on the hull.

                                           COM OFFICER
                             The Borg are charging the subspace
                             emitters.

                                           TROI
                             How long until they can send a
                             message?

                                           COM OFFICER
                             About seven or eight minutes.

                                           TROI
                             Computer -- this is Commander
                             Deanna Troi. Initiate self-
                             destruct in six minutes, thirty
                             seconds. Authorization Troi,
                             gamma six five. Enable.

                                           COMPUTER VOICE
                             Countdown underway. Self-destruct
                             in six minutes, twenty-five
                             seconds...

                   Monitors all around the Bridge show the countdown.
      
             172   ANGLE ON A MONITOR                                         172

                   which says "SELF-DESTRUCT IN 6:24...6:23...6:22..."

                                                                          CUT TO:

             173   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                           173

                   The Sergeant is examining one of the monitors. The
                   display says "LIFT-OFF, T-MINUS 50 seconds...49...
                   48..."

                                           SERGEANT
                             No good, sir. They're on internal
                             power. We can't stop the launch
                             from here.

                                           SCRIMM
                                     (re: blast doors)
                             What about these doors?

                                           PRIVATE
                             They're locked down tight from the
                             inside.

                                           SERGEANT
                             And those doors were made to
                             withstand a nuclear attack.

                   Scrimm looks frustrated for a moment...then turns his
                   attention to Ruby.

             174   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       174

                   As before.

                                           GEORDI
                             One minute to launch.

                                           SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
                             Mister Picard... this is
                             Lieutenant Scrimm. I'm going to
                             have to insist that you shut down
                             the launch. You see, I know what
                             you're doing... and I'm not going
                             to just stand by and let it
                             happen.
                                     (beat)
                             Stop the launch, or I'll kill
                             every one of your people out
                             here... and I think you know
                             who'll be first.

                   As Picard reacts in shock...

                   INTERCUT:

             175   INT. CONTROL ROOM                                          175

                   Scrimm is now holding Ruby by the arm. He shoves the
                   com headset to her mouth.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Say hello...

                   Ruby is scared, but trying to keep it together.

                                           RUBY
                                     (to com)
                             Jean-Luc... remember that future
                             we talked about? It's all that
                             matters...
                                     (beat)
                             Launch the ship.

                   Picard reacts to her voice, but keeps working the
                   controls, trying to concentrate. Scrimm draws his gun.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Go ahead -- launch it. Ruby will
                             be here when you get back... but
                             she won't have a whole lot to say.

             176   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       176

                   Geordi and Picard exchange a tense look. Picard
                   struggles. It's a difficult moment -- what does he do?
                   The countdown clock is approaching 15 seconds...14...
                   13...

                   Everything hangs in the balance -- Ruby's life, the
                   future of the Earth, Picard's feelings, his duty...

                   Finally, Picard reaches out hits a control -- the
                   countdown clock stops at 11 seconds.

                                           GEORDI
                             Captain --

                                            PICARD
                                     (to com)
                             This is Picard. I've suspended
                             the launch sequence.

                                           SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
                             Thanks. Now, why don't you join
                             us and we'll have a little talk?

                   Picard unstraps himself and takes off the headset.

                                           GEORDI
                             Captain... we've got less than ten
                             minutes before that Vulcan ship
                             leaves the system. We've got to
                             go now.

                                           PICARD
                             It'll have to wait. Come on.

                   Geordi quickly starts unstrapping himself...

             177   INT. MISSILE SILO - CATWALK                                177

                   Picard and Geordi stop outside the massive blast doors,
                   which are separating them from the control room.

                                           PICARD
                             Geordi, can you see into the room?

                   Geordi looks at the blast doors... and he does so, the
                   electronic PUPILS in his eyes rotate, change shape and
                   color.

             178   GEORDI'S POV                                               178

                   A high-tech INFRARED VIEW of the door, but we can't see
                   through it -- it's opaque.

             179   RESUME                                                     179

                                           GEORDI
                             No... the door's too thick.

                                           PICARD
                                     (frustrated)
                             Then we'll just have to assume
                             it's still there...

                                           GEORDI
                             What's still there?

                                           PICARD
                             Get a tricorder. You're going to
                             have to track my exact position in
                             that room...

                   Geordi moves off. Clearly, Picard has a plan...

                                                                          CUT TO:
          
             180   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - BATTLE ON THE HULL               180

                   Riker finishes working on the torpedo... he closes the
                   panel... turns and reaches for the fire control
                   mechanism. She glances up -- there's a BORG flying
                   through space directly at him! Riker tries to bring up
                   his phaser, but it's too late. The Borg SLAMS into
                   him.

                   Riker makes a desperate grab for the torpedo tube itself,
                   trying to hold on, but the momentum of the Borg impact
                   is too great -- they both tumble off into space together,
                   away from the ship.

                                                                          CUT TO:

             181   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE - VIEWSCREEN                      181

                   A shocked Troi watches Riker and the Borg tumbling away
                   into space on the Viewscreen. They are engaged in a
                   zero-gee hand to hand fight -- an incredible sight.

                                           COMPUTER VOICE
                             Self-destruct in three minutes...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             182   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                           182

                   Scrimm still has the gun on Ruby. The blast door is
                   just being lowered, revealing Picard. Geordi has
                   returned to the Phoenix cockpit. A console separates
                   Picard and Scrimm.

                                           PICARD
                             What do you want?

                                           SCRIMM
                             The invasion plans.

                                           PICARD
                             Invasion.

                                           SCRIMM
                             These people you're calling
                             "Vulcans"... who are they? Where
                             do they come from? How many
                             troops? What kind of weapons?

             183   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       183

                   Geordi is working a tricorder furiously. We're not
                   sure what he's doing...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             184   EXT. SPACE - RIKER & BORG                                  184

                   As they tumble through the void of space, in a
                   desperate fight.

                   The Borg manages to get his hand around Riker's
                   throat... begins choking him... Riker looks like a
                   goner... Suddenly they are both enveloped in a BRIGHT
                   BEAM OF PULSING ENERGY.

             185   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE                                   185

                   Troi in command.

                                           ENSIGN
                                     (off console)
                             Tractor beam engaged. We've
                             got 'em, Commander.

                                           TROI
                             Prismify the beam. Get rid of
                             that Borg.

             186   EXT. SPACE - RIKER & BORG                                  186

                   As the tractor beam from the Enterprise SPLITS in two
                   and separates Riker from the Borg. The second beam
                   disappears, throwing the Borg off into space, while
                   Riker is towed back toward the hull of the ship.

             187   ON RIKER                                                   187

                   As the beam moves him back toward the ship.

             188   RIKER'S POV                                                188

                   A dizzying view of the stars and the Earth as he is
                   pulled through space.

             189   RIKER                                                      189

                   Closes his eyes, fighting off waves of nausea.

                                           RIKER
                                     (to himself)
                             Don't look at the stars... don't
                             look at the stars...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             190   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                           190

                   Picard still stalling for time.

                                           PICARD
                                     (firm)
                             There is no invasion...

                                           SCRIMM
                             Wrong answer, Mister Picard. Try
                             again.

                   He shoves his gun against Ruby's head. The tension
                   rises a notch.

                                           PICARD
                             All right. You want the truth...
                                     (beat)
                             The Vulcans... are highly
                             intelligent aliens.

             191   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       191

                   Geordi working the tricorder... he can hear their
                   conversation in the other room through an open com
                   channel...

                                           SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
                             Aliens... that's what I thought.
                             From where... Canada?

                   The tricorder BEEPS and he smiles...

             192   INT. CONTROL ROOM                                          192

                   As before.

                                           PICARD
                             From another planet.
                                     (beat)
                             Oh, I almost forgot... they
                             have green blood and pointed ears.

                                           SCRIMM
                                     (skeptical)
                             And you know all this... because
                             you're a space-man too...

                                           PICARD
                             I'm afraid you've caught me. I am
                             a space-man.

                   Scrimm smirks at him -- what gall this guy has. But
                   Ruby seems to discern some deeper meaning in Picard's
                   words. She frowns in puzzlement.

                                           RUBY
                                     (quiet)
                             Truth... he's telling the truth...

                   Picard looks at Ruby, and at that moment something on
                   a console behind her catches his eye: a LIGHT on
                   Beverly's SURGICAL TRANSPORTER is now FLASHING. No one
                   else notices.

                                           SCRIMM
                             You're an entertaining man, Mister
                             Picard. But you're also full of
                             shit.

                   Scrimm cocks back the hammer on the pistol he's holding
                   to Ruby's head. The following happens very quickly:

                   -- Picard reaches out his hand, trying to stop Scrimm.

                                           PICARD
                             Now, Geordi!

                   -- The gun in Scrimm's hand DEMATERIALIZES. Scrimm
                   reacts in shock.

                   -- Instantly, the gun REMATERIALIZES in Picard's
                   outstretched hand. He quickly pushes the barrel to
                   Scrimm's forehead.

                                           PICARD
                             Actually, you're full of shit.

                   Everyone is in the room stunned by what's happened.
                   Picard takes charge before anyone can recover.

                                           PICARD
                                     (continuing)
                             Now, tell your men to drop their
                             weapons.

                   There's a beat, but then Scrimm sees he has little
                   choice.

                                           SCRIMM
                             Weapons... down.

                   The other militia soldiers drop their weapons, which
                   are quickly picked up by Beverly and a Starfleet N.D.
                   Picard hands his gun to Lange, who covers Scrimm with
                   it.

                   Ruby turns to Picard.

                                           PICARD
                             Are you all --

                   Ruby throws her arms around him and pulls him close.
                   He hugs her back, grateful she's alive. Ruby pulls
                   away.

                                           RUBY
                             I think you have a plane to catch.

                   Picard smiles and heads back toward the Phoenix...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             193   EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - THE HULL                         193

                   Riker slams into the hull and the BEAM goes OFF. He
                   gets his bearings quickly and then RUNS toward the
                   torpedo tube where Worf and his few remaining men are
                   still fighting the Borg, who are about to overrun their
                   position.

             194   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE                                   194

                   As before.

                                           COMPUTER VOICE
                             Self-destruct in fifeteen
                             seconds... fourteen...
                             thirteen... twelve...

             195   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       195

                   Geordi and Picard strapping themselves back in...

             196   EXT. SPACE - RIKER                                         196

                   reaches the torpedo tube, pulls up the firing control
                   mechanism, which shows a monitor screen with a cross-
                   hair targeting display. He activates the monitor,
                   which begins tracking over toward the deflector dish.

             197   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE                                   197

                                           COMPUTER VOICE
                             Nine... eight... seven...

             198   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       198

                   Picard and Geordi's hands are flying across the
                   controls...

             199   EXT. SPACE - RIKER                                         199

                   clamps a conduit into a power junction... then grabs
                   hold of a rotating lever inside the tube and TURNS it.
                   He ducks out of the way as the torpedo is LAUNCHED with
                   a ROAR.

             200   WIDER                                                      200

                   As the torpedo streaks out from the saucer section and
                   slams into the deflector dish. The dish EXPLODES in a
                   burst of FLAME... blowing away the Borg who were
                   working on it...

             201   INT. MISSSILE SILO - PHOENIX ENGINES                       201

                   As they IGNITE and start pouring out sheets of FLAME.

             202   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       202

                   which is shuddering and shaking...

             203   EXT. SPACE - RIKER & WORF                                  203

                   React with smiles. They did it.

             204   INT. BRIDGE                                                204

                   Troi and the other N.D.s react with relief. The
                   countdown on the monitors are stopped at 00:03.

             205   EXT. MONTANA - MISSILE SILO - WIDE SHOT - DAY              205

                   as the concrete missile doors slide open and the
                   Phoenix is LAUNCHED up into the sky, riding a pillar of
                   fire and smoke. This is our first real look at the
                   ship and it resembles an oversized ICBM with a
                   specialized cockpit on top.

             206   INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM                           206

                   Lange and the other N.D.s have the militia soldiers
                   under guard. Ruby is watching the missile launch on a
                   video monitor. She smiles.

             207   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       207

                   Picard and Geordi working the controls as the ship
                   bounces and shakes.

                   The g-forces push them back into their seats.

                                           GEORDI
                             Solid rocket fuel at twenty-five
                             thousand kilograms...

                                           PICARD
                             Altitude fifty kilometers...

                                           GEORDI
                             Entering the upper ionospere...

                                           PICARD
                             There's a red light on the second
                             intake valve.

                                           GEORDI
                             Ignore it. We'll be fine.
                                     (beat)
                             Prepare for first stage shut-down
                             and separation on my mark...

             208   EXT. SPACE - EARTH ORBIT                                   208

                   As the Phoenix rockets into space...

             209   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       209

                   As before.

                                           GEORDI
                             Three... two... one... mark!

             210   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   210

                   The rocket booster SHUTS DOWN as the ship leaves
                   Earth's orbit and coasts on its momentum. After a
                   beat, the first stage booster separates from the ship
                   and DROPS AWAY, leaving three-quarters of the ship in
                   space.

             211   INT. BORG HIVE                                             211

                   CLOSE ON DATA, head tilted back, eyes closed,
                   smiling...a few droplets of WATER fall from above onto
                   his face. He smiles wider, reveling in the sensation.

             212   WIDER                                                      212

                   Data is still restrained on the table, but a conduit
                   has been placed above his head and is dripping
                   condensation onto his face. Data is now a completely
                   new being. His entire BODY is now made of HUMAN FLESH.
                   It's a shocking sight -- for anyone who ever wondered
                   what Data would look like human, we're now getting our
                   first look.

             213   THE BORG QUEEN                                             213

                   DESCENDS from her nest in the ceiling. She watches
                   Data for a moment... rubs the moisture into his face.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             A Borg in all but name.

                   Data, although clearly enraptured with his new
                   sensations and feelings still struggles to maintain
                   his own sense of identity.

                                           DATA
                                     (weak)
                             I am... grateful for what you have
                             given me. But I still do not wish
                             to be assimilated.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             A universe of sensation is waiting
                             for you... don't you want to
                             explore it... with me?

                   To his surprise, Data finds that he is becoming drawn
                   to this strange creature and all that she can offer
                   him.

                                           DATA
                             Yes...

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Then take the final step... give
                             me the Enterprise... and we can be
                             together... always.

                   He struggles, but ultimately there's only one answer.

                                           DATA
                             No... I cannot.

                   Without taking her eyes away from Data, she reaches out
                   a hand and touches a control on a nearby console. The
                   color of Data's FACE turns an ASHEN GRAY --  as though
                   the blood has drained from his skin. Another droplet
                   of moisture falls and hits him on the cheek -- but this
                   time his eyes widen in shock.

                   The sensation of human feeling is gone.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             I've deactivated the sensory
                             inputs. That flesh on your body
                             is just meat, now.

                                           DATA
                             No... no, please... you cannot...

                   She moves in close on him, an edge creeping into her
                   voice:

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             You must give me what I want...
                             now. Without the deflector dish,
                             we can no longer send for an early
                             invasion. We must assimilate
                             Earth ourselves. I need this
                             ship.

                   She hits the control, and the COLOR returns to his
                   face. Data gasps -- filled with feeling once again.
                   The Borg Queen runs her hand across his cheek -- her
                   attitude seductive and affectionate once again.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Isn't it better like this...?

                                           DATA
                             Yes... but the Enterprise... my
                             duty...

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             ... is to yourself. Don't make me
                             hurt you again...

                   She touches the control again. Data is shocked back
                   into his cold, android self. He's like a heroin addict
                   being denied his "high" with the flick of a switch.

                                           DATA
                             No... no, it's so... empty...
                             please... give it back... I need
                             it...

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             And I need to control this ship.
                             Let me into your mind.

                   Data struggles, anguished... we've never seen him like
                   this before... completely beaten down... finally, he
                   nods. The Borg Queen touches the control again. A
                   sharp intake of breath as the feeling returns to Data.
                   And the Queen kisses him on the mouth.

                   This time, he responds eagerly, throwing himself into
                   the emotion of the moment. She pulls back a little,
                   looks at him softly, passionately. Data stares back at
                   her, breathless -- he seems to be completely in her
                   thrall.

                                           DATA
                             In order to access my neural
                             net... you will need to create a
                             positronic interface.
                                     (beat)
                             I will tell you how.

                   OFF the Borg Queen's smile of victory...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             214   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       214

                   As before. Picard and Geordi work the control in
                   silence for a few moments. The ship is floating in
                   space, now a good distance from Earth.

                                           GEORDI
                             Ready to deploy the warp nacelles.

                                           PICARD
                             As they used to say... all systems
                             are go.

                   Geordi works his console...

             215   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   215

                   Two fifty-foot long sheets of metal fall away from the
                   ship on either side of the Phoenix, revealing primitive
                   WARP NACELLES tucked inside the craft. The warp
                   nacelles then begin slowly extending themselves outward
                   on either side -- the basic designs of the nacelles
                   should be familiar to anyone who's ever seen a STAR
                   TREK starship.

                   This is the beginning of a long-standing architectural
                   design element of our ships.

             216   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       216

                   As before.

                                           GEORDI
                             The Vulcans should be out there
                             right now. We need to break the
                             warp barrier in the next five
                             minutes if we're going to get
                             their attention.

                                           PICARD
                             Bring the warp core on-line. I'll
                             lay in a heading.

                                           GEORDI
                             The nacelles are charged...
                             nuclear warhead standing by.
                             We're ready to ignite the warp
                             drive.

                                           PICARD
                             Engage.

             217   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   217

                   The warp nacelles FLARE with power and the ship begins
                   moving forward in space.

             218   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       218

                   They're SLAMMED BACK into their seats from the massive
                   G-forces.

                                           GEORDI
                             Warp field looks good...
                             structural integrity holding...

                   Picard activates a monitor which begins showing a 
                   digital display of their speed.

                                           PICARD
                                     (off monitor)
                             Speed... twenty thousand
                             kilometers per second.

             219   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   219

                   The ship is going faster... faster...

             220   INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE                                   220

                   Troi is standing outside the emergency airlock with the
                   Ensign, who is working the wall panel.

                   The airlock door OPENS after a beat, and Riker, Worf
                   and One Security Guard ENTER. They're exhausted after
                   the pitched battle. Troi smiles at them as they remove
                   their helmets.

                                           TROI
                             I have to admit there was a moment
                             there when --

                                           RIKER
                                     (holds up a hand)
                             Hold that thought.

                   He turns away and then doubles over behind a console
                   and begins vomiting off screen. Worf shrugs.

                                           WORF
                             Strong heart. Weak stomach.

                   A light beat, and then suddenly the entire Bridge GOES
                   DARK -- ALL POWER GONE. Console, monitors, everything.

                                           RIKER
                             Report!

                                           WORF
                             We've lost Bridge control!
 
                                           RIKER
                             Emergency override!

                                           WORF
                                     (works)
                             Nothing.

             221   INT. BORG HIVE                                             221

                   The Borg Queen is floating in the middle of the room,
                   surrounded by Borg consoles and technology. Data is
                   still on the table, with some kind of specialized
                   conduit connecting his head to a group of monitors,
                   which are inactive at the moment. He appears to be
                   caught up in the rapture of his new sensations, and his
                   personal connection to the Borg Queen. All thought of
                   his Starfleet responsibilities are gone.

                                           DATA
                                     (to Queen)
                             I am re-routing Bridge command
                             functions to this location.

                   Data thinks for a moment, and the monitors suddenly
                   COME TO LIFE and the equipment around the Queen HUMS
                   with POWER.

                   Information about critical Enterprise systems flows
                   across the monitor screens -- we might recognize
                   graphics from the Bridge displays. The Borg are now in
                   control.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Eliminate their remaining
                             defenses. I will send Borg to
                             assimilate the rest of the crew.

                   Data nods... but then one of the consoles BEEPS.

                                           DATA
                                     (reacts)
                             There is a perimeter alert. A
                             ship has entered sensor range.
 
                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Vulcan?

                                           DATA
                             No.

                   Data tilts his head and --

             222   A MONITOR                                                  222

                   shows an exterior space shot. The image rapidly ZOOMS
                   IN on the distant PHOENIX. The ship is racing through
                   space.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                                     (reacts, to Data)
                             Give me helm control.

                   Data nods. Another console lights up. She moves to
                   work it herself...

             223   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                223

                   As the ship turns and begins moving off at impulse
                   speed.

             224   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       224

                   As before, Picard is now steering the ship with a 21st
                   century JOYSTICK CONTROL. The ship is moving faster
                   and faster, trembling now, a ROAR building.

                                           PICARD
                             Passing one-half light speed. The
                             starboard nacelle's running a
                             little hot...

                                           GEORDI
                             I'm on it...

                   The CABIN shakes a little.

                                           GEORDI
                             The inertial dampers are having
                             trouble compensating... I don't
                             think Cochrane built this thing
                             for comfort.

                                           PICARD
                             Speed -- two hundred, seventy-five
                             thousand kilometers per second.

                   WHOOSH! A weird DISTORTION passes through the cabin
                   like a wave, then vanishes.

                                           GEORDI
                             There's no temporal shielding in
                             here! We're starting to pick up
                             relativistic effects!

                                           PICARD
                             One minute to warp threshold...

             225   EXT. SPACE                                                 225

                   The warp ship WHIPS by... and then a moment later, the
                   ENTERPRISE ROARS into view, chasing the tiny ship.

             226   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       226

                   Geordi glances out the window... does a double-take and
                   looks back up in surprise...

                                           GEORDI
                             Captain, the Enterprise!

                                           PICARD
                                     (taps combadge)
                             Picard to Enterprise.
                                     (beat)
                             Picard to Enterprise -- do you
                             read me?

                   No response.

                                           PICARD
                             Their com system must still be
                             down.

                                           GEORDI
                             Well, I feel a whole lot better
                             with them out there. We may need
                             some help.

             227   INT. BORG HIVE                                             227

                   As before, the Queen floating above the helm control
                   console. The warp ship is on the monitor, getting
                   closer.

                                           DATA
                             I have repaired the weapons array.
                             Phasers are on-line.

                   A floating CROSSHAIR appears on the monitor showing the
                   warp ship. The Queen works the console. The crosshair
                   moves, but refuses to lock onto the warp ship. She
                   frowns.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             The targeting lock isn't working.

                   Data looks puzzled.

                                           DATA
                             I do not understand. The optical
                             data network has been repaired,
                             and all systems are functioning.

                   The Queen works furiously, still can't get the
                   crosshairs to lock onto the ship.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Your diagnostics are in error. I
                             need weapons.

                                           DATA
                                     (thinks)
                             The problem must lie in the
                             interface between Starfleet and
                             Borg technology. Your console may
                             not be configured to handle the
                             data flow.
                                 
                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Can you configure it?

                                           DATA
                             I believe so.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                             Do it.

                   She hits a series of Borg controls on a nearby
                   console... and the restraints holding Data to the table
                   are RELEASED. Two Borg drones move to him... as he
                   stands up and heads for the Queen, the specialized
                   cable still attached to his head...

             228   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                228

                   closing in on the tiny warp ship. It's like a shark
                   chasing a guppy.

             229   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       229

                   Ship SHAKING with power and acceleration.

                                           PICARD
                             Approaching light speed...

                   Geordi glances out a side window.

                                           GEORDI
                             They're getting awfully close...
                             what the hell are they doing?
                                 
                                           PICARD
                             We're crossing the threshold!

                   The ship is really SHAKING HARD now -- and the
                   compartment is DISTORTING slightly, stretching,
                   everything becoming elongated...

             230   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   230

                   The ship is STRETCHING in the familiar "rubber band
                   effect" that tells us a ship is going into warp... but
                   this effect is much slower. It's on the verge of
                   hitting warp speed. The Enterprise still on their
                   tail.

             231   INT. BORG HIVE                                             231

                   Data is standing right next to the Queen, and is
                   studying the Borg console intently. Two Borg drones
                   stand nearby, watching closely.

                                           DATA
                             I believe I see the problem.

                   In the blink of an eye:

                   -- DATA WHIRLS AROUND AND SLAMS AN ARM INTO ONE OF THE
                   BORG DRONES. The drone is knocked off its feet.

                   -- The second Borg rushes at Data, swings his arm at
                   Data's head. This is the same Borg with the deadly
                   stiletto-tipped DRILL SPIKES seen earlier. The spikes
                   TEAR into the flesh of Data's neck, drawing BLOOD.

                   -- Data reacts in pain. He GRABS the Borg's arm and
                   with android strength KICKS HIM IN THE CHEST at the
                   same time. The Borg FLIES BACKWARD, causing the
                   cybernetic ARM to RIP from its socket in a shower of
                   sparks.

                   -- The Borg Queen SWOOPS down at Data for the kill.
                   But Data's too quick for her. With one swift motion,
                   he turns and THROWS the BORG ARM like a JAVELIN across
                   the room.

             232   NEW ANGLE                                                  232

                   As the spikes on the severed Borg arm PUNCTURE one of
                   the diathermic oxygen tanks seen earlier. A HUGE
                   EXPLOSION of DEADLY GAS bursts out of the ruptured
                   tank. The WALL of roiling gas sweeps through the
                   entire Borg Hive.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                                     (screams)
                             No!

                   She lunges at Data just as the gas envelopes them!

             233   EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX                                   233

                   As it GOES INTO WARP -- it shoots forward and streaks
                   away from the Enterprise!

             234   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       234

                   As Picard and Geordi are slammed back into their seats
                   and the stars WHIP PAST the windows in the familiar
                   warp effect.

             235   INT. BORG HIVE                                             235

                   Data and the Borg Queen tearing and clawing at each 
                   other amongst the spewing gas. The Borg drones try to
                   get away, but they are SWALLOWED by the rush of gas,
                   fall to the deck, twitching in pain.

                   Data and the Borg Queen both fall to the deck,
                   grappling with each other.

             236   EXT. SPACE - THE WARP SHIP                                 236

                   As it STREAKS PAST -- the warp ship flying at top
                   speed.

             237   INT. BORG HIVE                                             237

                   Data and the Borg Queen struggling against each
                   other... the gas swirling around their bodies... and as
                   it does, we see the FLESH on their bodies start to
                   LIQUEFY and MELT AWAY in a horrific ooze of blood and
                   skin.

             238   INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT                                       238

                   As before, but the ride has smoothed out considerably,
                   Warp stars streaking by.

                                           PICARD
                             Bring us about...

                   A beat as Geordi works.

                                           GEORDI
                             Dropping out of warp.

                   Out the front windows, the warp stars STOP... the ship
                   JOLTS slightly... turns to the left... Earth can be
                   seen in the distance.

                   They smile. It's a moment of victory.

                                           PICARD
                             Let's begin the landing procedure.

             239   INT. CARGO BAY/BORG HIVE                                   239

                   The onrush of gas is gone. But it has affected every
                   surface of the room like an acid wash. Every piece of
                   Borg machinery is smoking and hissing. The two Borg
                   drones are lying on the floor, dead -- all organic
                   matter and flesh have been dissolved from their bodies,
                   leaving only raw mechanical skeletons.

                   MOVE TO REVEAL:

             240   DATA AND THE BORG QUEEN                                    240

                   lying on the floor, still locked together. Data is a
                   shocking image: all of his human flesh has been
                   STRIPPED AWAY, leaving only his pure android self. His
                   metallic skull gleams in the dim light... even his eyes
                   are gone. His mechanical left arm is still intact, but
                   the right human arm is completely gone. His torso is
                   stripped of the human flesh, leaving pure android with
                   no soft human touches. Data as we've never seen him
                   before -- raw and mechanistic.

                   Data rolls over... still locked around him is the
                   MECHANICAL SKELETON of the Borg Queen. A metallic
                   spinal column with two arms with clawed hands leading
                   off it... and a blinking, electronic BRAIN STEM at the
                   very top of the spine.

                   Data throws off the grotesque form. The Borg Queen
                   carcass writhes and claws at the air. She speaks in a
                   flat, mechanical voice.

                                           BORG QUEEN
                                     (fritzed)
                             Data...

                   Data reaches out with one hand... grabs the metal
                   spinal column just below the brain stem... and SNAPS IT
                   IN TWO. The blinking brain stem FRITZES OUT.

             241   INT. CORRIDOR                                              241

                   Two Borg Drones moving down the hall suddenly stop...
                   twitch... the blinkies on their bodies GO OUT... and
                   they both FALL OVER DEAD. Their connection to their
                   Queen severed.

             242   INT. JEFFERIES TUBE                                        242

                   Another Borg Drone reacts... lights out... slumps over
                   DEAD.

             243   INT. BORG HIVE                                             243

                   Data releases the remains of the dead Borg Queen. He
                   leans back a little, as though exhausted by his
                   remarkable experience. CAMERA PULLS BACK, emphasizing
                   the loneliness of this smoking, scorched android
                   sitting alone in the ruins of the Borg Hive...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             244   EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY                                    244

                   The missile doors now open, the ground badly scorched
                   from the launch. Scrimm and his militia guards are
                   sitting on the ground, while Lange and the other
                   Starfleet N.D. keep a watchful eye on them. Cochrane
                   is sitting against a rock, while Beverly checks him
                   over. Ruby is pacing, lost in thought...

                                           PICARD'S VOICE
                             Isn't anyone going to say welcome
                             back?

                   Everyone looks up to see --

             245   PICARD AND GEORDI                                          245

                   standing a few feet away, tired but triumphant.

                                           BEVERLY
                             Did it work?

                   Picard nods. Beverly, Lange and the N.D. look
                   relieved. Ruby takes a few steps toward Picard.

             246   COCHRANE                                                   246

                   smiles up at Geordi.

                                           COCHRANE
                             Mister La Forge... now I'd like to
                             shake your hand.

                   Geordi smiles and walks over to him.

             247   PICARD AND RUBY                                            247

                   stop a few feet away from each other, their eyes
                   locked. They drink in sight of each other...
                   there's an undercurrent of unspoken feelings and words.
                   She smiles... he smiles back. A satisfying moment.

                                           PICARD (V.O.)
                             Captain's log, March 3rd, 2063.
                             The voyage of the Phoenix was a
                             success... again.

                                                                          CUT TO:

             248   EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - NIGHT                             248

                   Townspeople along the Main Street. A sense of
                   urgency -- something's going on.

                                           PICARD (V.O.)
                             And it appears the Vulcan ship has
                             detected the warp signature and is
                             now on its way to Earth.

                   Suddenly something in the night sky catches their
                   attention. A BRIGHT LIGHT is moving down towards the
                   city. We now realize this is what people are reacting
                   to...

             249   JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN                                       249

                   Just a hundred yards beyond the city limits we see the
                   massive VULCAN SCOUT SHIP SETTLING down onto the
                   ground. Dust flying everywhere. Windmill blades
                   spinning wildly from the exhaust.

             250   THE TOWNSPEOPLE                                            250

                   squinting into the wind, trying to make out what's
                   happening...

             251   NEW ANGLE - ON A HILLTOP                                   251

                   A good distance away, but with a good view of the
                   entire scene. Riker, Worf, Beverly, Troi and Geordi
                   watching from a distance as the Vulcan ship LANDS.

             252   JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN                                       252
 
                   Picard, Ruby and a bandaged, but much healthier Zephram
                   Cochrane watching the landing. People from town are
                   surging around them. Everyone is shocked and amazed at
                   what they're seeing. Picard watches with satisfaction --
                   this is the moment he's been waiting for.

                   Cochrane and Ruby are particularly awestruck.

             253   THE VULCAN SHIP                                            253

                   settles, engines whining down... dust settling.
   
             254   PICARD                                                     254

                   moves to Cochrane, takes him gently by the arm.

                                           PICARD
                             Doctor Cochrane... this is your
                             moment.

                   Cochrane looks a little bewildered, tries to grapple
                   with the moment.

                                           COCHRANE
                             My God... they're really from
                             another world?

                                           PICARD
                             That's right. And they're going
                             to want to meet the man who flew
                             that warp ship.

                   Cochrane looks at him.

                                           COCHRANE
                             And that's supposed to be me...

                                           PICARD
                             Zephram, you had the vision to
                             build that ship when no one else
                             on this planet could see beyond
                             their own problems.
                                     (beat)
                             You flew that ship... all I did
                             was push a few buttons.

                   Cochrane looks at him for a moment... takes a breath,
                   nods...

                                           COCHRANE
                             All right.
                                     (beat)
                             And don't worry -- I'll keep your
                             secret.

                   They hear a mechanical WHIRR and a HISS of air.

             255   NEW ANGLE                                                  255

                   as a HATCH opens on the Vulcan ship. The townspeople
                   behind them react with shock and fear... a few people
                   take a step back. Picard looks at Cochrane, who
                   hesitates for a moment... then finally takes a deep
                   breath... and strides out toward the alien ship. A man
                   alone about to change the course of human history.

                   Ruby moves closer to Picard and puts her arm around
                   him... and he puts his arm around her.

             256   HILLTOP                                                    256

                   As the rest of our crew is enraptured by the moment...
                   they glance at each other with excitement as they watch
                   history unfold...

             257   VULCAN SHIP                                                257

                   Cochrane stops a few feet away from the ship as the
                   hatch swings completely open... light streams out into
                   the night air... and THREE HOODED, ROBED FIGURES
                   EMERGE. They stand across from Cochrane -- a moment
                   frozen in time.

             258   THE TOWNSPEOPLE                                            258

                   watching in awe...

             259   PICARD AND RUBY                                            259

                   watching...

             260   THE LEAD VULCAN                                            260

                   pulls his hood back, revealing the familiar slanted
                   eyebrows and pointed ears, holding himself with that
                   austere, regal dignity we've come to associate with his
                   race. He steps forward to greet Cochrane... raises his
                   hand as if to wave.

                   Cochrane raises his hand automatically, as if to wave
                   in return...

                   But then the Vulcan splits his fingers in the classic
                   Vulcan greeting.

                                           VULCAN
                             Live Long and Prosper.

                   Cochrane tries to emulate the Vulcan hand-sign...but
                   can't quite do the awkward finger-split.

                                           COCHRANE
                             Um... thanks.

                   The Vulcan cocks an eyebrow at him. The very first
                   Alien-Human relationship is underway...

             261   PICARD AND RUBY                                            261

                   are now surrounded by townspeople, who are watching the
                   scene unfold...

             262   HILLTOP                                                    262

                   Our heroes share a glance with each other and smile,
                   Riker taps his combadge.

                                           RIKER
                             Riker to Enterprise. Five to beam
                             up.

                   The crew DEMATERIALIZES...

             263   PICARD AND RUBY                                            263

                   have now moved away from the crowd... no one paying
                   attention to them. The bright lights from the Vulcan
                   ship cast them in a dramatic silhouette. Picard turns
                   to Ruby. It's the moment he's been dreading. This is
                   goodbye. She looks at him.

                                           RUBY
                             You're leaving, aren't you?

                                           PICARD
                             I have to...

                                           RUBY
                             Where? And don't tell me San
                             Francisco...

                                           PICARD
                             No. It's a lot further than that.

                                           RUBY
                             It's the future, isn't it? Just
                             like you told Scrimm.
                                     (beat)
                             I knew you weren't from around
                             here.

                                          PICARD
                                     (with humor)
                             No... I'm from France.

                                          RUBY
                             I don't care if you're from France
                             or Venus... just take me with you.

                                          PICARD
                             That's impossible.

                                          RUBY
                             Why?

                                          PICARD
                             This may be hard for you to
                             understand... but I'm duty-bound
                             not to interfere with you, or
                             anyone else here... any more than
                             is absolutely necessary.

                                          RUBY
                             You've been interfering with my
                             life ever since I met you.
                                     (with meaning)
                             Don't stop now.

                   Picard struggles... he doesn't want to do this, but
                   he's torn between his heart and his duty.

                                          PICARD
                             Ruby... I'm sorry.
                                     (remembering his words
                                      to Beverly)
                             But our fates lie along different
                             paths.

                   A long, difficult moment... then he lets her go...
                   turns and starts walking off into the night. She
                   stands where she is, watching him go with tears in her
                   eyes...

                   Picard hits his combadge.

                                           PICARD
                             Picard to Enterprise. One to...

                   He stops where he is.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Riker here. Captain, we didn't
                             get your whole transmission.

                   Picard turns, looks back at Ruby. Their eyes meet...
                   and he makes the decision.

                                           PICARD
                             To hell with fate.

                                           RIKER'S COM VOICE
                             Say again, Captain?

                   He starts walking towards her. She sees him coming...
                   starts running to him. She throws herself into his
                   arms and he holds her close. They kiss. A magical
                   moment, then...

                                           PICARD
                             Enterprise. Two to beam up.

                   They DEMATERIALIZE holding each other tight...

             264   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                264

                   moving out of Earth orbit...

             265   INT. BRIDGE                                                265

                   Riker, Worf, Troi, N.D.s. Picard ENTERS with Ruby.
                   Everyone reacts to seeing her there. Ruby stays in the
                   Turbolift, staring around the Bridge in amazement.
                   Picard takes her hand and leads her out onto the
                   Bridge.

                                           PICARD
                             How's Mister Data?

                   Riker glances at Ruby uneasily.

                                           RIKER
                             He's in Sickbay. Doctor Crusher
                             says he can be repaired... but we
                             have to wait until we...

                   He glances at Ruby again, awkward. But Picard finishes
                   his thought.

                                           PICARD
                             Return to our own time?

                                           RIKER
                             Yes, sir.

                                           PICARD
                             Then make it so. Have you
                             determined how to recreate the
                             temporal vortex?

                   Picard sits in his chair. Riker hesitates.

                                           RIKER
                             Yes, sir. But Captain... are
                             we... all going back?

                                           PICARD
                             Unless you'd like to stay.
 
                                           RIKER
                             No, sir.

                   Ruby stands stock-still, staring at Worf. Worf looks
                   up at her with a Klingon smile -- teeth and all.

                   Ruby manages a weak smile in return, then moves off to
                   stand next to Picard.

                                           RIKER
                             Bridge to Engineering. Mister La
                             Forge... initiate the temporal
                             vortex.

             266   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                266

                   moving through space... and then the TEMPORAL VORTEX
                   forms directly ahead of it, as seen before. The ship
                   ENTERS the vortex...

             267   EXT. SPACE - THE 24TH CENTURY                              267

                   The Enterprise EXITS the VORTEX and into Earth orbit.

             268   INT. BRIDGE                                                268

                   As before.

                                           WORF
                             Incoming transmission from
                             Starfleet Command. Admiral Hayes.

                                           PICARD
                             Onscreen.

             269   INCLUDE VIEWER                                             269

                   Admiral Hayes appears.

                                           PICARD
                             Admiral... what's the status of
                             the Borg fleet?

                                           ADMIRAL HAYES
                             It's been destroyed. The Borg
                             threat is over.
                                     (beat)
                             Are you all right? The Enterprise
                             disappeared from our sensors for
                             a moment.

                                           PICARD
                             We're fine, sir. It will take
                             some... time to explain.

                                           ADMIRAL HAYES
                             I look forward to reading your
                             report.

                   The transmission ends. Ruby turns to Picard with
                   amazement.

                                           RUBY
                             That makes two of us.

                   Picard gives her a gentle smile. OFF the moment...

                                                                          CUT TO:

             270   EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE                                270

                   The great ship entering a Starfleet SPACE DOCK.

             271   INT. BORG HIVE/ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL ROOM                   271
         
                   Geordi is directing a work crew of a dozen engineers,
                   as they clean up the room and repair the damage.

                                           GEORDI
                                     (to a couple of N.D.s)
                             No, no -- we'll have to rip out
                             this entire bulkhead. We'll need
                             new bracing members for the deck
                             above and below.

                   The N.D.s move off, making notes on their PADDS.
                   Geordi turns and sees Data standing in the doorway.
                   He's now been fully restored to his original android
                   self.

                                           GEORDI
                             Data...

                   Geordi moves to him, puts a hand on his shoulder.

                                           GEORDI
                             You look good as new.

                                           DATA
                             You could say that I'm back to my
                             old self.

                                           GEORDI
                             That's great.

                   Geordi's smile fades a little as Data walks into the
                   room.

                                           DATA
                             Her remains... are they still
                             here?

                   Geordi points over to a corner, where some N.D.s are
                   about to close a storage container. Data walks over.
                   Geordi goes with him. The N.D.s move aside, and Data
                   looks down into the storage container. The broken,
                   mangles pieces of machinery are all that's left of the
                   Borg Queen.

                                           GEORDI
                             I'm sending them to the Daystrom
                             Institute for analysis.

                   Data stares down at the remains with a haunted look.

                                           DATA
                             I never realized how powerful an
                             emotion temptation could be.

                                           GEORDI
                             Temptation? You said in your
                             report it was all a ruse... you
                             were manipulating her.

                   A quiet beat.

                                           DATA
                             She was... a unique lifeform. In
                             her own way... nearly perfect.

                   Geordi smiles a little.

                                           GEORDI
                                     (joking)
                             It almost sounds like you miss
                             her.

                   Data looks up at him -- his expression unreadable.
                   Geordi's smile fades. Data reaches out, closes the lid
                   on the storage container, turns and walks out of the
                   room. Geordi watches him go, left to wonder what Data
                   is really feeling.

                                                                          CUT TO:

             272   EXT. MONTANA - HILLTOP - DAY                               272
 
                   Picard and Ruby walk up the familiar hilltop, and when
                   they reach the crest, we reveal...

             273   A MOMENT                                                   273

                   A large memorial cordoned off by a chain. A PLAQUE on
                   the monument reads "On this spot, Man and Vulcan met
                   for the first time... and changed the course of
                   history. March 3rd, 2063."

             274   PICARD AND RUBY                                            274

                   step into view. They stare at the sculpture for a
                   moment.

                                           PICARD
                             Welcome home.

             275   WIDE SHOT                                                  275

                   Picard, Ruby and the monument are at the gates of
                   RESURRECTION CITY as it is in the 23rd century. This
                   is the place where man first reached out to the stars,
                   and the architecture has a distinctive uplifting
                   feeling -- spires reaching up toward the sky.
                   Shuttlecraft and aircars are taking off and landing.
                   The tiny Western town is now a thriving, futuristic
                   METROPOLIS.

                   As Picard and Ruby walk towards the city hand-in-
                   hand...

                   FADE TO BLACK.

                   ROLL CREDITS

                                           THE END












  
