Today is the day that the Borg children will leave Voyager. They have found a home for Azan and Rebi. Mezoti has decided to join them. Icheb will stay on Voyager. The kids, Seven, Janeway, and the people who will take the kids are standing in a transporter room.  Janeway pats Mezoti on the head as she walks past. (I'll miss the kids. They brought such a nice humour the show.) Azan and Rebi just stand in the background. They never do seem to do much. Mezoti says she has studied the human way of saying goodbye and hugs Seven. Seven, unsure of what to do, hugs Mezoti back. Mezoti turns to Icheb and asks him to join them. He says "No."  They kids beam away and Seven and Icheb walk out of the transporter room. As they walk, Icheb notices that Seven is crying. "Your cortical node is malfunctioning." She wipes the tears from her eyes.

  Seven is in Sickbay. The Doc is running scans of her. He completes the scans and tells her that he will give her the results when he completes them and he will inform  the Captain. Seven stops in her tracks and turns around. She asks the Doctor not to tell the Captain. "But we've always told the Captain!" he says. She argues her point by saying something about "Patient/Doctor confidentiality. "Very well." says the Doctor. Seven then goes to Astromemtrics where Icheb is. He is doing something on the screen. Seven asks "Have you finished the scans?" "3 hours ago" Icheb replies. Icheb has something on his mind. He tells Seven that he wants to join Star Fleet. He will send his application in the next data stream. He asks Seven to talk to the Captain about giving him a recommedation. Seven says she will think about it. Seven turns to her back to Icheb to work at another console. We see something strange moving about in her hand. It looks like a lump of something is trying to make it's way out of her body.  She covers it up with her other hand. She looks nervous. As nervous as Seven can look, at least. She tells Icheb she will be in Cargo Bay 2 if he needs her. In the Cargo Bay, she tries to regenerate. She steps into her alcove and begins the process. Then the computer beeps at her and says that she is not compatible or something to that extent. She has the computer scan the alcove. Nothing seems to be the matter with it. She tries again. It doesn't work again. She steps out of the alcove with a strange look on her face.
 Seven of Nine is sitting in the mess hall downing glasses of something and reading a PADD. Neelix comes into the mess hall. He says it's 2:00 in the morning. Seven says she was unable to regenerate. He sees the several empty glasses and asks what she was drinking. "Nutritional suppliments" she replies. Neelix says he'll fix her something up and goes into the kitchen. Seven rises to leave. She get halfway to the door and then falls over onto the floor. Neelix runs to her aid. We see Seven lying on the floor with her skin peeling revealing a metalic look underneath.

 In Sickbay, Seven of Nine is lying on a biobed. Captain Janeway and the Doctor are there. Seven asks what is happening. The Doc tells Seven that her body is rejecting her implants and her corticle node, which regulates all her implants, is wearing down. "Am I going to die?" asks Seven. Janeway and the Doc look away. (This is a 'yes' answer I take it.) Seven reasures herself. "The Borg are highly adaptable. I will adapt." she says. Janeway asks the Doctor to leave so she can talk to Seven. Janeway asks Seven what the Borg would do if she were still in the Collective. "Borg do not tolerate imperfection." she states. "They would simply replace it." This seems to have given our aburn haired Captain and idea.
  We go to the Bridge. Janeway walk on and asks Harry to scan for the Borg debris field that they passed a few days ago. Chakotay tells the Captain, "It's not everyday we go looking for the Borg." Janeway replies with, "Seven needs a new corticle node." Chakotay says, "If we're not careful, we could all end up with corticle nodes." (Why do I get the feeling that the main purpose of Chakotay is to argue with Janeway?) Harry says he has found the debris field. "Good. Get the Delta Flyer ready." (The Delta Flyer? Wasn't that destroyed in UZ1? Perhaps they got a new one.) Now it's Tom's turn to argue with his Captain. "Last time you took the Delta Flyer out, it got blown up into a million pieces!" Janeway says, "I promise to bring it back in one piece." She walks toward the turbo lift when Tuvok steps in her way. (Ya know, this is getting old. All these people trying to stop Janeway from going on danererous missions. They used this trick before in Unimatrix Zero. Give it a rest, Braga!) Tuvok tells her to take him with her. She argrees. Then Tom pipes up. He wants to go too. The threesome walk though the corridors of Voyager. Icheb comes from behind. "Captian!" he exclaims. Janeway tells Tom and Tuvok to go on ahead of her. "Have you talked to Seven yet?" he asks eagerly. "I just talked to her." she replies. "Then you approve?" he asks. "Of what?" asks Janeway. "Seven didn't tell you?" he seems confused. Janeway looks at Icheb. "Maybe you haven't been informed. Seven isn't well." Icheb looks stricken. The scene shifts to Sickbay. Seven is resting on a bio bed. Icheb walks in and talks to Seven. She asks, "What are you doing here? You have work to complete." "I finished it already!" he answers back. "Then I will assign you more work." she says harshly. The Doc comes in from his office and tells Icheb to come with him. Icheb asks why Seven is angry with him. The Doc tells Icheb that Seven may be angry because she feels helpless and weak and doesn't want anyone to see her this way.
 On the Delta Flyer II, they have found the Borg debris field. They find a piece of the cube still has oxygen in it. Janeway and Tuvok beam over and start looking around for an intact Borg drone. Janeway's tricorder picks up something. (Or at least that's what I'm assuming. It just started beeping at her.) She walks over to where the drone is and Tuvok joins her. She scans it. Apparently the cortical node is still intact. Janeway uses a laser scalpel to cut a circle in the forehead of the dead drone. She takes off the piece of skin that she cut with a pair of tweesers. She grimaces. (Well, I would to if I were cutting a hole in a Borg drones head!) She takes out an instument and appears to push a button on the drone's forehead. A green cylinder shaped thing pops out of the head. Janeway uses the tweesers to take it out of the head and puts it into her med kit. As she does this, Tom hails them and tells them that company is on the way. Then the comm signal is lost. Tuvok scans the area and reports that three humaniod life forms have just beamed onto the structure. "Drones?" asks Janeway. Suddenly, new voices enter the scene. "The only drones here belong to us!" an ominous voice says. We see these strangers. They are big, tough looking guys.
 Janeway asks, "Who are you?" The only reply is, "This is my debris field." They ask Janeway what she has taken. She tells them she has only taken a cortical implant. They grab Janeway and try to take away the stuff. But this Captain won't give up. She still has the laser scalpel. She holds it to her attackers neck and says she won't hesitate to use it. But this alien isn't dumb either. He smacks Janeway hard and knocks her to the ground. Tuvok then shoots two aliens, but the third one manages to shoot Tuvok. Janeway crawls around on the floor and reaches for the cortical node, but the one surrviving alien points his gun at the Captain. Just then, they beam back to the Delta Flyer. Captain Janeway helps Tuvok to his seat. They are being attacked by the alien ship. Tom tells Janeway he needs her at tactical. She gives him a funny look, like SHE's the boss, not him. She takes a seat a tactical anyway and shoots at the ship and hits it. "Nice shot." Tom comments.
 Back on Voayger, the Doc is sitting at his desk minding his own business. He hears beeping noises from the other room and takes a look. Seven is working at a console. "What are you doing?" he asks her. She tells him she is updating his database. "It's inefficient" she states. Neelix walks in with a vase full of flowers. Seven glares at him. Neelix asks Seven if she is up for a game of Kodoscot. Seven isn't in the mood. The Doctor then has a bright idea. He tells Neelix that Seven shouldn't play in her "weakened state". Neelix agrees with the Doc and heads out of sickbay. Seven, having overheard, says "Green" Neelix turns around and says, "Excuse me?" Seven tells him she will be the green pieces and he can be the other color. Janeway calls the Doctor and tells him they have the node.
 We see Seven lying on a biobed in what appears to be sickbay. The Doc is there, as well as Tom and the Captain. Tom is assisting the Doc and Janeway is standing behind on of the consoles. They are preforming an operation. The Doc cuts a round hole in Seven's forehead, pushes the button that makes the node come up, and takes out the old node whose green light is flickering. He remodulates something in her head and then Tom hands him the new node. Janeway in the meantime is giving Seven's vital signs. ***Sigh, she's such a multi-purpose Captain***  Janeway yells out that she is going into anaphylactic shock (I thought to look at the meaning in the dictionary simply because I don't know what it means! Anaphylactic shock: an often severe and sometimes fatal systemic reaction in a susceptible individual upon exposure to a specific anitigen (as wasp venom or penecillin) after previos sensitization that is characterized especially by respiratory symptoms, fainting, itching, and urticaria. See! You learn something new every day! Even is Star Trek reviews!) She is now loosing senaptic cohesion. Someone yells, "Computer, end simulation!" They have apperantly ran 12 simulations. Tom says "Somehow I don't think that 13 will be our lucky number." Janeway seems very upset. The Doctor and Janeway leave the holodeck and walk through Voyager. The Doctor and Janeway argue. (Note: I'm starting to forget....) Janeway doesn't want to loose Seven. She tells the Doc that she will get an active node one way or another.
 In the real Sickbay, Seven and Neelix are still playing Kodoscot. Seven is up 16-2. Seven of Nine is distracted; she keeps glancing back at the door. "They should have finished by now." says an agitated Seven. "Don't worry!" Neelix tells her. They go back to the game. Just then, Janeway and the Doc walk in. The Doc tells her that the salvaged node won't work. It's been deactivated too long. Janeway and Neelix leave. Seven asks the Doc if she can return to duty. He tells her she should rest.
 Icheb enters an eerily empty Sickbay. Seven isn't there and neither is the Doc. Icheb tells the computer to activate the EMH. He comes to life shouting and pounding his fist. "Oh, sorry Icheb." He says. He tells Icheb that Seven deactivated him. Icheb says, "Computer, locate Seven of Nine." "Seven of Nine is in Sickby." comes the computer's voice. And there, on one of the work consoles, lays Seven's combadge.
 Seven is in Engineering. Working. B'Elanna comes in and says, "He's looking for you." Seven looks up from her work. B'Elanna didn't tell on her. She's made various escapes from Sickbay herself. Seven asks B'Elanna if she believes in an after life. She says she believes in Stovakor. Seven tells her that the Borg have no concept of an after life. When a Drone dies, nothing but his knowlede is left in the Collective's mind. She fears that she won't be remembered if she dies. "You've made an impact on every one's life!" B'Elanna states. The Doctor walks into Engineering and says, "There you are. I should have know you (B'Elanna) would be keeping her." B'Elanna replies, "We difficult patients have to stick together." He tells Seven to come back to Sickbay with him. Seven wants to be useful. B'Elanna says she could really use her help. He agrees, with a condition. She has to wear a cortical monitor. He throws in up to her. (Did I forget to mention that she was up on the second level of Engineering?)
 Icheb is doing something in Sickbay. Seven walks in and tells him that she spoke with Janeway about a Starfleet recomendation. She agreed and will send it in the next data stream. She gives him a list of people who will assist him in studying. She will not be assisting him. Icheb is mad at her for that. Seven tells Icheb he is too reliant on her. And with that, Icheb storms out.
 Icheb is in Astrometrics looking at some data that I can't comprehend. He walks into Sickbay to talk to the Doc. He tells the Doctor to remove his cortical node and put it in Seven. The Doc is practically horrified. Icheb tells the Doc that he is younger and that he doen't need it. The Doc says it's suicide. Icheb show the Doc his work. There is an 86.9% chance that it will work. The Doc suddenly looks more interested.
 Seven is looking at pictures in Astrometrics. "The Earth's biggest ditch." Janeway has entered the scene. Janeway tells Seven that when she was 9, her father had taken her to the Grand Canyon and she had walked on the northern rim. "I prefer farm country myself" she tells Seven. Seven brings up a picture of a nice farm. Apparently, it's a picture of Bloomington, Indiana. That's Janeway's home town. Janeway says that when they get back to Earth, (notice she said when) she would take her there. Seven says she will most likely never reach Earth. Seven tells the Captain that the reason she (Janeway) is so sad is bacause she (Seven) never lived up to her (Janeway's) expectations. (That's a confusing sentance!) Janeway reasures Seven that she has never failed to live up to her expectations. Janeway's eyes are red and it looks like she's just about to cry. The Doc calls Janeway and tells her they need to talk. In the briefing room, Seven argues with Icheb that the process is too risky. Icheb really wants to go through with it. Seven is so mad that she leaves saying she will not allow him to do it. The Doctor leaves with Seven. Icheb and Janeway remain. Icheb tells Janeway that if she were a good Captain, she wouldn't let Seven die.
 Back in Sickbay, the Doctor is making Seven's life as comfortable. He tells her to lie down on a biobed. Then he offers her something to eat. "Are you offering me my last meal?" she asks increiously. "No, not at all!" the Doc realizes his mistake. "That's not what I meant!" "It was a joke" said Seven. (Her jokes are really dry.) The Doc's combadge chirps. Icheb asks the Doc to come to Cargo Bay 2 immediatly. "I'll tell him 'Persistance is Futile!'" the Doc tells Seven before he leaves. On his way to the Cargo Bay, the Captain comes up beside him. Apparently, they were both summoned to the Cargo Bay. When they walk in, they are in for a big surprise. Icheb is in his alcove convulsing furiously. "Icheb, what's wrong!" asks the confused Janeway. He has programed his alove to disconnect his neural pathways from his cortical node. (I may be wrong. It may not have been his neural pathways. Please e-mail me if you find a problem with this! Thanks) Anyhow, he was no longer connected to his cortical node. Janeway grabs his chin and looks right into his face. "How could you have done this?" she asks. "To prove that it would work."
 Janeway and the Doc drag Icheb into Sickbay. Icheb just stumbles around. Seven is horrified. She won't accept his node. He tells her that if she doesn't accept it, she will die. She says he will too. The Doc scans him and confirms that some of his systems are already functioning on their own. But some of them aren't yet. The Doc says, "Well somebody better take the darn thing!" Seven reluctantly accepts the node after plenty of argueing.
 Seven and Icheb are lying on two separate biobeds. The Doctor is in the middle of the beds. Tom is there helping and Janeway is standing at the monitor. He cuts the customary hole in Seven's forehead and takes out the blinking node. He takes Icheb's glowing one out and puts it into Seven's head. All is well.
 In Cargo Bay 2, Seven is regenerating. The Doc presses a hypospray to her neck and she wakes up. She has been regenerating for 6 days. Seven goes to visit Icheb in Sickbay. He is doing fine, but will have to stay there longer. Seven notifies Icheb that she will help him study for his Starfleet training. Seven begins to cry again. Icheb is alarmed. "You cortical node is malfunctioning again!" The Doc scans Seven and reports that it is working perfectly.