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The Gift - a totally opinionated review by Angel
Cargo Bay 2. Eerie green Borg light shines on endless rows of Borg regeneration chambers. All empty but one. Enter Captain Janeway, the Doctor and Tuvok. "So, how's the newest addition to our family?" Janeway asks. "She's stable, but the prognoses isn't clear" the doctor's rambles on about her human functions taking over from the Borg. Janeway looks kinda worried. "Well, it's time we brought her up to date," she says. "Wake her." The Doctor presses a hypospray in Seven's neck. She opens her one eye. She glares around a little bit, then focuses on the Captain. "Captain Janeway, what have you..." Seven stops mid sentence, realizing the rest of the Borg in her head are gone. She steps closer to Janeway [already] "The others, I can't hear the others," she sounds a little panicky "The voices are gone." "We had to neutralize the neuro transceiver in your upper spine column. Your link to the collective has been severed. Janeway looks Seven straight in the eye. "You will return this drone to the Borg," Seven snaps, not all happy with this situation (yet). "I'm afraid I can't do that," the Captain says [I guess one look in her bright blue eye was enough]. "You will return this drone to the Borg," Seven repeats. "If I were to turn this ship around and head back into Borg territory, I'd be putting the crew at risk. I'm not prepared to do that [say that five times fast during Dark Frontier, Captain] Try to understand," Janeway leans even closer towards Seven, personal space be damned. "you have to stay on board Voyager. But I'm offering [offering? How about forcing?] you freedom from the collective and I assure you we'll do everything we can to help the transition..." "You will supply us with a subspace transmitter and leave us on the nearest planet," interrupts Seven. "The Borg will come for us. But Janeway had already thought of that option, and came up with a solution "It's too late for that. Your human cells are starting to regenerate. You won't survive without medical care." "We need nothing from you," Seven retorts, a look of disgust on her face. "We are Borg! We..." she grabs her head and moans in pain. The Captain steps aside just a tiny little bit so the Doctor can run his medical tricorder over Seven. "This implant is being rejected by the tissue underneath," he says "it's going to have to be removed." "You will suppress the human immune system!" Seven screams, in agony. "I'm sorry, but the process has gone too far," [the doctor has been coached by the Captain] "we've got to get you to sickbay." "No!" Seven screams. "We are Borg" she getting violent now, Tuvok to the rescue. He presses her down and the Doctor sedates her. The Captain stares at her some more, her face slightly worried. [opening credits] Seven is in sickbay. The Doctor is trying to operate. Tuvok is in the way. Kes is acting flunky. Let's go to the ready room. Janeway is leaning back in her chair, staring at her computer screen. She sips something from a teacup. Probably coffee. Enter Tattoo Dude. They yack about the ship's status, which isn't very good. Borg shit all over the place. "Seven of Nine could help us with that," Janeway says with a sideways glance to her computer screen. "That might be true if she were willing, but she's not in the most cooperative mood," Chakotay responds. "That could change," Janeway says [really? Why?] "I just have to reach her somehow" [oh, I see] Janeway turns her computer screen towards Chakotay, on it some information and a picture of a young blond girl. "Annika Hansen" the Captain presents. "Is that our Borg?" Chakotay asks, no doubt wondering why the Captain is digging through Starfleet files to find a picture of Seven of Nine, instead of helping with the repairs. Captain's privilege, tattoo dude. Janeway tells Chakotay what she has learned about Annika's parents. She concludes Seven has spent almost 20 years with the Borg. Chakotay warns her it might not be possible to bring Seven back to humanity. The look in the Captain's eyes when he speaks, says it all. She's in love. "Sickbay to Captain Janeway" the Doctor interrupts. She is needed. Borg trouble. Janeway enters sickbay. The Doctor tells her they have a difficult decision to make. Bring Seven back to humanity or she'll die. She won't want her Borg technology removed, knows the Captain. The Doctor tells her, he can't operate because Seven doesn't want him to. Against the medical oath. "This is no ordinary patient," Janeway says. "She may have been raised by Borg raised to think like a Borg, but she's with us now. And underneath all that technology, she is a human being [and a good looking one at that] whether she is ready to accept that or not. And until she's ready, someone has to make the decisions for her [oh really, and who might that be?] Proceed with the surgery." You would think the Doctor has something to say about this distorted bit of logic. But no, he's been captured by our lovely Borg as well already, or so it seems. "Aye, Captain." Some stuff happens. Kes operates on Seven with her mind. Tout funky. The Doctor is showing of an eye he made for Seven to the
Captain. She's impressed. Tuvok is standing in the back trying not to puke. The
Captain wants to talk to Seven. First she turns to Kes and they yap about her psychokinetic
abilities. Janeway smiles a lovely smile at Kes. Ah, love is spreading around
everywhere. Seven looks at her body in horror. "What have you done to me?" she snipes. Doctor explains they had no choice, she was dying. Seven is disgusted. "Unacceptable," she says, then turns her gaze at Janeway. For some reason she seems to know it was Janeway who made the decision. How strange. She gets of the biobed and looks Janeway straight in the eye. "You should have let us die." she says. "I couldn't do that," Janeway says, stepping even closer to Seven. "This drone can not survive outside the collective." "I beg to differ," the Doctor interrupts and starts babbling on about Seven's state of health until he's stopped by a force ten death glare from the Captain. He leaves. Smart choice, Doctor. "I want to help you, but I need to understand what you're going through," Janeway tells Seven. "Do not engage us with superficial attempts of sympathy," Seven knows how to talk. "It's obvious that you're in pain, that you're frightened," Janeway is using her low talk, husky sympathy voice. Beware Seven, many have fallen for that voice. The Captain continues "That you feel isolated, alone." "You are an individual," Seven retorts, "you are small. You can not understand what it is to be Borg." "No," the Captain says, with a sulky look in her eyes, "but I can imagine." Janeway walks around Seven, I guess she wants to know if she looks as good from the back as she does from the front. "You were part of a vast consciousness. Billions of minds working together, a harmony of purpose and thought. No indecision, no doubts. The security and strength of a unified will [boy, the captain really likes those borg, it seems] and you've lost that. [but you have me] Seven walks away "This drone is small now, and alone. One voice, one mind. This silence is unacceptable, we need the others." Janeway moves in closer once again. "I can't give you back to the Borg, but you are not alone. You are part of a human community now, a human collective. We may be individuals, but we live and work together. You can have some of the unity you require right here on Voyager [and you'll have me to boot!]" Seven regards Janeway. The love is not reciprocated yet. "Insufficient." "It'll have to do," Janeway says "and the fact is, this community [read: me] needs you. The Borg modifications you made to our vessel are disrupting our warp drive [oh yeah, that's why she needs Seven]. We need your help to remove them. Your expertise, your cooperation. You must comply." This gets Seven's attention. The Captain knows how to flatter a woman. And so they walk into engineering together. Seven gives B'Elanna some tips. "Lt. Torres, ensign Kim, you remember Seven of Nine." Janeway says. Of course. "How could we forget!" Harry pipes, his face lighting up like a flashlight. Love is spreading all around. "We can't afford to delay repairs any longer. So I've asked her to help us remove the Borg modifications [I trust my Borg already, go figure] she only has a few hours before she returns to sickbay, I suggest you put her to good use." B'Elanna ain't happy. Kim can hardly refrain himself from taking Seven right there and then. Janeway snickers and leaves them to it. Kes is getting out of hand. Harry tries to make small talk with Seven. But of course small talk is irrelevant. Seven is too busy trying to abuse Voyager to contact the Borg. Out of control Kes stops her, but wrecks the ship. Janeway and Tuvok wander around the hallways. "I can tell by the expression on your face you have bad news." Janeway says. "I have no expression on my face," says Tuvok. Janeway rolls her eyes. Yeah right, whatever. Tuvok does have bad news though. Seven managed to send some Borg signals out and Kes is destabilizing the ship. Janeway is troubled. And where do captain's go when they're troubled? That's right, to the brig to visit Seven. "So this is human freedom," Seven says sarcastically. "I've decided to keep you in the brig until I'm certain that you won't try to harm us again. If necessary, the Doctor can treat you here. I honestly believed you were going to help us," she adds in that husky tone. "You were not deceived, Captain Janeway, it was my intention to help you." Seven says. You don't need to convince Janeway "What happened?" she asks. "There was a chance to contact the collective I took advantage of it." Seven moves closer to Janeway. "Your attempts to assimilate this drone will fail. You can alter our physiology, but you can not change our nature. We will betray you. We are Borg." "I've met Borg who were freed from the collective." Janeway almost bonks her head against the forcefield between her and Seven. "It wasn't easy for them to accept their individuality, but in time they did and you're no different. Granted you were assimilated at a very young age and your transition may be more difficult, but it will happen." Seven ponders over that. "If it does happen, we will become fully human?" "Yes, I hope so," Janeway says "We will be autonomous, independent." "That's what individuality is all about." "If at that time we choose to return to the collective, will you permit it?" "I don't think you'll want to do that [oh no, you won't, you'll wanna stay with me]." "You would deny us the choice, as you deny us now." Seven is relentless. "You have imprisoned us in the name of humanity, yet you will not grant us your most cherished human right: to choose our own fate. You are hypocritical, manipulative. We do not want to be what you are! Return us to the collective." The Captain sure has her work cut out for her. "You've lost your capacity to make a rational choice the moment you were assimilated. They took that from you. And until I'm convinced you've gotten it back, I'm making the choice for you. You're staying here." "Then you are no different than the Borg." Errr, well I love you, they didn't.. I think... Meanwhile Kes is making a mess of the messhall. She is getting out of hand. She's falling apart. Seven ain't doing too great either. She is throwing herself into the forcefield. Janeway to the rescue. "My designation is Seven of Nine," she says, finally talking as one, but her voice breaking. "The others are gone, designations are no longer relevant. I am one." "Yes, you are." "But I cannot function this way, alone" "You're not alone, I'm willing to help you [of course]" Seven lights up a bit. "If that's true, you won't do this to me, take me back to my own kind." "You are with your own kind, humans." "I don't remember being human. I don't know what it is to be human." Seven is starting to cry. Janeway walks toward ensign irrelevant standing at the console and grabs a padd lying there. She walks back to Seven. She keys in some commands next to the cell. "What are you doing?" Seven asks. "I'm coming in." "I'll kill you." Oh joy. "I don't think you will," says Janeway. She lowers the force field and raises her hand against ensign irrelevant. She steps into the cell. She shows Seven the padd. It has a picture of the little blond girl. "Do you remember her?" Janeway asks. "her name was Annika Hansen. She was born on stardate 25479 at the Tindara colony. There's still a lot we don't know about her. Did she have any siblings, where did she go to school. What was her favourite colour?" "Irrelevant!" Seven screams and slams the padd out of the Captain's hands. "Take me back to the Borg!" "I can't do that." Seven grabs her head. "So quiet, one voice." "One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices. Your mind is independent now, with it's own unique identity." "You are forcing that identity upon me, it's not mine." "Oh yes, it is. I'm just giving you back what was stolen from you. The existence you were denied, the child who never had a chance, that life is yours to live now." "I don't want that life!" "It's what you are, don't resist it." No!" Seven screams and punches Janeway in the stomach. You would think she would get the hell out of that brig, But no, love is strong. Janeway grabs the collapsing Seven, and guides her over to the shelf thingy at the far end of the brig. Janeway's face is cramping with pain, she can hardly breath. She sits Seven down and gives her a hug. Aaaaah, so sweet... It's time to move to another lovey-dovey scene, this time between the Captain and Kes, who has decided to leave the ship. "Oh Kes," Janeway's eyes fill with tears. "Something important is happening to me and I want to explore it." Says Kes, but Janeway really wants her to stay. "We'll get to the bottom of this, the Doctor is already working on a new approach." Janeway's voice is breaking. She is trying to make Kes stay "Would you really try to stop me?" Kes asks. "No," says Janeway, her eyes shimmering with tears, "but argue with you even plead with you to reconsider for as long as it takes." Not long. One Kes-smile is enough. Janeway holds Kes's face "Oh, I'm going to miss you" she leans in for a hug, she starts to cry. Kes says she has to tell the Doctor whilst Janeway wipes the tears from her eyes. But then Kes starts to deteriorate again. Janeway helps Kes to the shuttle bay, meanwhile the ship is half exploding. Tuvok does a mindmeld, it seems to help a bit. Off goes Kes, and off goes yet another shuttle. "My gift to you," she says and launches Voyager ten lightyears closer to home, well out of the way of the Borg. Janeway's eyes shimmer with pride. Time to visit Seven again. She is now dressed in a silvery suit that is stuck to her body. Her feet in ridiculously high heels. Most of her implants are gone. She has hair. Looks like the Doctor had a field day. He proudly informs Janeway of his work. "It is acceptable." says Seven. "Fashion of course is hardly my forte." the Doctor says. The understatement of the century. Seven looks happier now. Janeway tells her some stuff, then gives her a communicator. "If you need anything, contact me." [and I do mean anything] Janeway starts to walk away, but is stopped by Seven who says "Red." "What?" "The child you spoke of, the girl, her favourite colour was red." Ain't that convenient, that's the colour of Janeway's uniform! Ah, let the good times begin. The End |