Ensign Kim.
l require your assistance in Jefferies Tube 37- Alpha.
Well, can it wait?
l just got off duty.
lt is urgent.
Hmm.
Bridge to Commander Tuvok.
Tuvok here.
You're needed on the Bridge, sir.
On my way.
Computer, lights on.
Neelix?
ls anybody here?
Voyager to Lieutenant Paris.
Paris here.
How's it going out there, Tom?
One more orbit and l should have all the data we need.
Good work. See you when you get back.
Chakotay out.
Crewman. Ensign.
Sir.
Hello, sir.
lt looks to me
like you aligned the power couplings perfectly.
l did.
lf you're so sure,
then why'd you need me to look at them?
l did not.
Then what's this all about?
l've learned from observing Lieutenants Torres and Paris
that humans sometimes require a pretext
for being intimate with one another.
lntimate?
Resistance is futile.
Paris to Voyager.
Voyager here.
My primary warp manifold just ruptured.
l've lost helm control.
Auxiliary power is off- line.
Thrusters won't respond.
Say again, Tom.
Your signal's breaking up.
My orbit's decaying.
l don't think l can hold it.
Repeat that, Tom.
l need an emergency beam- out!
Voyager to Lieutenant Paris. Come in!
Neelix?
What can l do for you, Captain?
Where is everybody?
Didn't you see them when you came in?
No.
Take a look.
Computer, activate lights.
Lieutenant Commander Tuvok reporting for duty.
ls something wrong?
l think you forgot something, Tuvok.
lt appears that, in my haste to report to the Bridge,
l neglected to put on my uniform.
What happened to them?
They died.
Why?
You didn't get them home in time.
Hello.
Good morning.
Sleep well?
Not really.
What are you doing here?
l just thought l'd stop by and ask you
why you didn't meet me for breakfast.
Breakfast...
What time is it?
7:40.
And we were supposed to meet at 0700.
l was there—
right after l got off the night shift.
l waited... and l waited
and l called you on the com.
l... uh... l- l didn't hear you.
l was having this wild nightmare.
l was out like a light.
l'm sorry. l'll get dressed right now.
You don't have time.
You're due on the Bridge at 0800,
and l've got to get some sleep.
Oh, l hate this!
We never see each other.
l'm off Friday night.
Great.
Let's go skiing.
How about Saint Moritz?
We went skiing last time.
And you loved it.
You're getting really good, you know.
l just thought maybe we could run a program
where the wind chill factor wasn't 30 below zero...
like... Fiji
or Samoa.
Oh. There's nothing to do there.
And you can be warm while you're not doing it.
How about a compromise?
Um...
spring skiing in Chile?
Much warmer.
A compromise...
How about Tahiti?
Hmm. Tahiti.
As long as l can go waterskiing, fine.
You're on.
Now, go get dressed,
so you'll at least have time to stop for some coffee.
l'll see you Friday night.
Morning, Tom.
Mm.
What will it be?
Scrambled, sunny- side up, over easy?
Just a cup of coffee.
Are you sure?
Breakfast is the most important meal
of the day, you know.
Neelix!
Right.
Uh...
Neelix...
did you have a rough night or something?
Why do you ask?
Because you just poured me a steaming cup of cooking oil.
Actually, l did have
a little trouble sleeping last night.
Nightmares.
Oh.
Me, too.
Must have been those three full moons
we passed yesterday.
Well, a few sips of my coffee
should clear the fuzz out of your brain.
Maybe you should pour yourself a cup while you're at it.
Seem to be a little shorthanded today.
Tom and Harry are both late.
l was going to give them another five minutes,
but l'll call them now, if you'd like.
That's all right.
l'm a little late myself, aren't l?
l wasn't going to mention it.
Burning the midnight oil?
Actually, l went to bed early for a change,
but l had a nightmare and l could not get back to sleep.
l had a bad dream last night, too.
You tell me yours and l'll tell you mine.
Sorry l'm late, Captain.
Well?
l was in the forest with my father.
We were hunting deer, which was odd,
because that was something l always refused to do.
We cornered the animal.
l looked to my father to see if he was going to kill it,
but he wasn't my father anymore.
He was a vicious- looking alien.
There was an alien in my dream, too.
And it wasn't from any race l've seen before.
He had...
sharp ridges on his forehead and on the front of his neck.
That's what mine looked like.
l don't mean to be eavesdropping, but...
l had a nightmare last night, too,
and l'm pretty sure l saw the same guy.
Tuvok?
By any chance
did you have a bad dream last night?
l did have a somewhat unsettling dream, yes.
lt involved an alien with ridges
on his face and neck.
l'd say this sounds like more than a coincidence.
Let's get the rest of the senior staff together
and come up with some answers.
Which reminds me, where's Harry?
Bridge to Ensign Kim.
Computer, locate Ensign Kim.
Ensign Kim is in his quarters.
Tuvok.
Deck 6.
l've got a hunch
Harry's dreaming about our new alien friend.
That would be consistent with the experiences
the rest of us have had.
Tell me more about your dream.
Where exactly did you see the alien?
As a matter of fact, it was here in the turbolift.
What happened?
The alien simply stared at me
as if scrutinizing my appearance.
That's what happened in my dream.
What did you do?
l returned to my quarters.
Did the alien follow you?
He did.
And then?
He watched me.
Doing what?
Getting dressed.
Getting dressed?
Yes.
l don't suppose l should ask why you were undressed.
l would prefer that you didn't.
Harry?
Computer, open door 105- 2.
Security clearance: Tuvok- zeta- nine.
Harry?
Harry, wake up.
Are they comatose?
Not exactly.
They all appear to be in a hyper- REM state.
l've tried every conventional method of waking them—
from drugs to direct cortical stimulation—
but nothing works.
Do you have any idea what's causing this?
Scans haven't detected any viral or bacterial agents.
No cranial trauma, no neural disorders.
They're simply... asleep.
l'd say it's a pretty good bet
this is somehow related to the alien from our dreams.
Any progress in identifying him?
Not yet, but l've got everyone working on it.
ln the meantime, what's your recommendation?
Large doses of animazine.
l thought you said drugs weren't working.
Not for them. For everybody else.
Until l can determine what's happening
l'd suggest the rest of you avoid going to sleep.
l'd say his ridges were a little more pronounced.
Computer, increase facial ridge height
by four centimeters.
That's closer.
l think his eyes were wider apart.
Computer, increase the space between the eyes
by three centimeters.
lncrease skin color and texture.
That's him.
Has anybody seen this species before?
While you were awake, l mean.
Seven?
He doesn't resemble any species assimilated by the Borg.
So is he just a figment of our imagination?
lf he is, we've all been imagining the exact same thing.
One possible explanation
is that he's attempting to make telepathic contact.
He's doing more than making contact.
We've got six crew members who can't wake up.
For all we know, it's some sort of attack.
From where?
Astrometric scans haven't revealed any ships
in this vicinity
or planets capable of sustaining humanoid life.
So where do we look?
ln our dreams.
That's the only place any of us have seen him, right?
So, if we want to communicate with him—
find out what he wants—
we'll have to do it on his terms.
How do you propose we do that?
Lucid dreaming.
What's that?
lt's a technique
which allows you to take control of your dream.
That happened to me once.
l dreamt l was falling
and suddenly l realized that l was dreaming
and l could fly, land... do whatever l wanted.
l was in complete control of the dream.
What happened to you by accident
is something some people can do by design.
l've been able to have a lucid dream
by using the same technology l use for a vision quest.
l may be able to use it to communicate with this alien.
Maybe so.
But how do we know you'd be able to wake up again?
lt's kind of like self- hypnosis.
Before l go to sleep, l choose a visual cue—
something to let me know l'm dreaming—
Earth's moon, say.
Once l see it, l can wake myself
by tapping the back of my hand three times.
Perhaps you are capable
of doing this under normal circumstances,
but these were hardly conventional dreams
we experienced.
l don't see any other way
of finding out what our friend here is after,
or how we can wake up Harry and the others.
Besides, we can't stay awake forever.
You'll do this in Sick Bay under the Doctor's supervision.
The rest of you keep scanning the region.
Analyze this ship from stem to stern.
Wherever he is, find him.
Come on.
Normally, l consider a good night's sleep
an important part of any health regimen,
but in this case, l can't recommend it.
l respect your medical opinion, Doctor.
But at this point, we're out of options.
This will regulate your hypothalamus.
But in all probability, l won't be able to wake you.
You'll be on your own.
l understand.
Ready?
Pleasant dreams.
Ah- koo- chee- moya.
Far from the sacred places of my grandfathers,
far from the bones of my people,
l seek to sleep,
to meet the one who has visited us in our dreams.
l know this is a dream— my dream.
l'm in control.
You're mistaken.
Am l?
This is more than a dream.
lt's my reality
and you're no different than the others.
"The others?"
The waking species.
For centuries, you've come and found us
in a state that you call'sleep"
and tried to destroy us, but not anymore.
Now we are in control.
One by one, you will fall asleep and enter our reality,
where it is you who will be destroyed.
We didn't attack you.
We didn't even know you existed
until we started seeing you in our dreams.
Tell me how l can wake my crew and l promise we'll leave.
As long as you're asleep, you're no threat to us.
l can wake myself anytime l want,
and if l do...
l'm going to start looking for you
in the waking world—
find where you're sleeping.
You wouldn't want that.
Leave our space.
Once you're beyond it, your people will awaken.
Just tell me how far we need to go.
There's a six- planet system less than a parsec away.
lt marks the nearest border of our space.
We can be past it in one day.
Then wake yourself...
and pray you never dream of us again.
Congratulations, Commander.
You're awake.
Chakotay.
l'm fine.
The alien— did you see him?
And?
Well, it was certainly
one of the most interesting away missions
l've ever been on.
l'll tell you about it on the way to the Bridge.
Tuvok, scan for a six- planet system.
lt should be less than a parsec from here.
l have it, Captain, at coordinates 139 mark 42.
Tom, lay in a course.
Aye, Captain.
Course laid in.
Do you mind if l ask where we're heading?
Past the aliens' territory.
Once we're clear of it, Harry and the others should wake up.
And the rest of us can finally get some sleep.
One step at a time, Tom.
From what the alien told me,
it sounds like they have corporeal form,
but they communicate through their dreams.
For them, it's as real as the waking world.
Extraordinary.
lt reminds me of the Australian Aborigines.
They believed the dream world
was no more or less real than the waking world.
ln fact, their creation mythology says
their ancestors actually dreamed the universe into existence.
That's mythology.
This seems to be fact.
l wonder...
do they ever wake up?
How did they evolve this way?
We may never know.
Sometimes first contact is last contact.
We're approaching the border of the aliens' space.
Commander Tuvok, inform the Doctor.
Aye, Captain.
Wake up, Ensign.
What's going on?
You were napping.
ln Sick Bay?
We had to move you here when we couldn't wake you.
Whew.
How long?
17 hours.
l take it you experienced nightmares
like the rest of the crew.
Oh, l had nightmares, all right.
Tell me about them.
Well...
l was, uh, in the corridor...
Captain Janeway asked me to bring you the results
of our astrometric scans.
She thought they might be helpful
in determining the precise cause of the crew's somnolence.
Thank you.
Ensign Kim, now that you're awake,
l require your assistance in Jefferies Tube 21- Beta.
ls something wrong?
No. l, um...
l'm still feeling a little groggy.
Then, l'll wait until you are fully recovered.
Now, then, Ensign,
you were telling me about your nightmare.
You know what, Doc? Um...
l'm... famished.
Haven't eaten in at least 17 hours, right?
Very well.
Go eat, get some clothes on and report back in an hour.
l'll see you later.
You too, Seven.
And the next thing l knew, l was being boiled alive
in a pot of my own leola root stew.
Talk about a nightmare.
Well, it was perfectly seasoned.
Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty.
l do look well- rested, don't l?
ls everyone awake now?
The Doc checked us all out and says we're fine.
Have a seat.
We were just trading dream stories.
Tell us yours.
Oh. lt was...
nothing very interesting.
Just the usual...
You know, uh...
Who was she, Harry?
The woman of my dreams.
What l'd like to know is what Tuvok dreamt about.
Yes, Commander, tell us.
What do Vulcans dream?
Aren't you supposed to have horrible nightmares?
l wonder what a Vulcan nightmare would be like?
Alone, exiled on a planet
where the only form of communication...
is laughter.
Oh, come on, Tuvok.
l won't dignify this inquisition with a response.
Red Alert.
All hands to battle stations.
They're coming around for another pass.
Auxiliary power to the shields.
Return fire.
No damage to the alien ship.
Our phasers can't penetrate their shields.
Arm photon torpedoes.
We seem to have a knack
for provoking strangers these days.
Shields are off- line.
Fire.
l've lost power to the torpedo launchers.
What's happening?
Power is being drained from all systems.
We're being hailed.
On screen.
Captain.
Ensign Kim.
Commander Chakotay.
l'm glad to see you all up and about.
Janeway to Engineering.
We need auxiliary power to the engines now.
l think you'll find that impossible.
B'Elanna, report.
There's a localized
dampening field around the ship, Captain.
l can't give you engines, weapons, shields...
Everything you told me was a lie.
This was all an elaborate trap to get Voyager here.
lt appears you're learning more about my people after all.
Prepare to surrender your ship.
Captain, three more alien vessels are approaching.
They are powering weapons.
You've gone to so much trouble to commandeer this ship.
l don't think you're going to destroy it.
l won't need to.
Janeway to the crew. We're under attack.
lmplement defense procedure omega.
lt's no use.
We've taken every deck.
The ship is ours.
Captain.
All the time l thought l was negotiating,
they were just setting us up to fly right into their web.
You couldn't have known it was a trick.
l don't understand.
They exist in dreams and reality?
Apparently, entering our dreams
was their way to learn about us...
perhaps to probe our weaknesses.
Not to mention lure us into an ambush.
We need to retake the ship.
That means getting out of this cargo bay.
l checked the Jefferies tubes. They're sealed.
Maybe we can open them manually.
That's not going to be easy.
They've got people everywhere.
We'll have to create a diversion.
Any ideas?
l have one, Captain.
What the hell are you doing?
Creating a diversion.
Ensign Kim, it is your fault we have been captured.
l suggest you fight back.
Tom...
try to get into a Jefferies tube.
You two work on the power grid.
l'll deal with this.
Stop, stop!
What's going on here?
These are my people. l'll handle them.
Ensign, that's enough. Move!
What's wrong?
l'm still asleep.
What are you talking about?
Chakotay!
Commander Chakotay, you're awake.
Am l?
Are you sure?
Of course you are.
What are you looking for?
The moon.
What?
l don't see it.
Where's the Captain?
Asleep—
along with the rest of the crew.
All of them?
Except me.
No rest for the never- weary.
What happened?
As soon as you entered your lucid dream,
they all began falling asleep one by one.
l've been trying every method l can think of to revive them,
but nothing works.
lt's been 39 hours.
l've been asleep for almost two days?
lf l can't wake them soon,
l'm going to have to start feeding them intravenously.
They let me think l was awake, but l was still dreaming.
You weren't the only one.
Look at this.
What is it?
A neurogenic field created by heightened
electrical activity in the brain.
lt's been occurring in all
the sleeping crew members— and that's not all.
This is Ensign Kim's brain wave pattern, indicating
that he's dreaming in a hyper- REM state.
This is Crewman Foster's pattern.
They're identical.
Lieutenant Torres, Captain Janeway, Commander Tuvok...
l don't know what it means.
l think l do.
Not only are they dreaming,
they're all having the same dream.
lt wasn't just my dream.
lt was a communal dream.
Everyone's REM patterns are identical.
They're experiencing the same images,
each from his or her own point of view.
Yes. l saw the rest of the crew—
interacted with them.
We were all working together to fight off an alien attack.
Which wasn't real.
Oh, we're under attack, all right.
Commander?
Maybe this is the way
these aliens fight their enemies.
They exist somewhere in our reality
as physical beings,
but they must be asleep, unable to defend themselves
against what they call "waking species."
We'll never defeat them in their dream reality,
but if we can find them, find where they're sleeping,
we'll have the advantage.
But we've been scanning
for life- forms since this started
and we haven't found anything.
Maybe we've been looking in the wrong place.
l'm betting a species that spends its time sleeping
isn't going to be hanging around
where conventional scans can locate them.
So, how do we find them?
This neurogenic field you mentioned—
anyone in a hyper- REM state would be producing one.
ln theory, yes.
So if we scan for other neurogenic fields,
it might lead us to the sleeping aliens.
lf you need me, l'll be on the Bridge.
Time for a little energy boost, Commander.
We don't want you drifting back to sleep.
Sorry about the mess,
but this is what happens when my repeated requests
for a larger Sick Bay fall on deaf ears.
What is it?
Scanners have detected a neurogenic field
emanating from beneath the surface of a planet
less than a light- year from here.
Excuse me, Tom, but l've got to change our course.
Still dreaming?
How is that possible?
l don't know, but that's what Chakotay said
right before he vanished.
That doesn't make any sense.
He was wide awake right here with us.
He said something about still being asleep
and then he started tapping the back of his hand
like he said he would to wake up from his lucid dream.
And then he disappeared.
The question is: Where did he go?
The aliens must have transported him somewhere.
Or perhaps he did wake up.
Tuvok?
lt's possible he was dreaming all of this.
Wait a minute.
lf Chakotay was dreaming and he woke up,
what are we doing here?
Perhaps we are dreaming as well.
Now l'm lost.
You're not the only one.
Consider that we all experienced nightmares
about an alien whose people
apparently live out their lives in a dream state.
Perhaps we are in that state this very moment.
That's ridiculous.
We're not asleep.
Wait.
When you dream,
you're rarely aware that you're sleeping.
l can understand how we could mistake dreaming
for reality, but that doesn't explain
how we're all interacting with one another.
Maybe we're not.
Not what?
lnteracting with one another.
Maybe this is all one person's dream—
if, for example, mine—
and none of you are really here.
Trust me, Neelix, l wish l weren't, but l'm here.
Collective unconsciousness.
Seven, come here.
The Borg share a collective consciousness.
These aliens may have somehow induced
a state of collective unconsciousness.
You mean... we're all sharing the same dream?
lt is possible.
This is all fascinating speculation,
but unless we have proof to the contrary,
we have to treat this like an invasion.
l managed to open a Jefferies tube hatch.
Good work.
Neelix, Seven, Kim,
do what you can to distract the guards.
We're going to find a way to retake the ship.
Looks like a complete power drain.
Their dampening field has shut down the warp core.
Which begs the question
of what they intend to do with an unpowered ship.
Tuvok, grab some phaser rifles from the weapons locker.
Something tells me that when we try
to disable the dampening field,
we're going to get the aliens' attention.
lt looks like they're using harmonic inversion technology.
lf l can isolate the containment frequency,
l may be able to get main power back on line.
That was easy.
Warning. Warp core breach in 60 seconds.
Maybe a little too easy.
l don't understand.
Can you eject the core?
l'm trying.
lt's not working.
Warp core breach in 50 seconds.
We've got to get out of here.
l'm trying to put a containment field around Engineering.
Warp core breach in 40 seconds.
Got it! Let's move!
l don't understand why you couldn't eject the core!
Warp core breach in 30 seconds.
Something's not right.
Captain, we must hurry!
l'm going back in there.
You'll be killed!
Warp core breach...
l think l'm onto something. You two go!
Captain!
That's an order!
Warp core breach in ten seconds.
Nine, eight, seven, six...
five, four, three, two, one.
Either l've become impervious to antimatter explosions...
or we're still dreaming.
A warp core explosion should have destroyed the ship.
lf l were awake, or if any of this were real,
which it obviously isn't.
Things just weren't adding up—
Chakotay's disappearance, the warp core failing to eject.
And as Chakotay said
"lucid dreaming is about taking control"
so l... took a chance.
Surely, there must have been a less extreme method
of testing your assumptions.
As Captain, you shouldn't be taking chances with your life.
l'm touched by your concern, Tuvok.
Now that we know this is a dream...
what do we do?
l suggest we find a way to regain consciousness.
Captain, how did you wake yourself?
The same way you did.
The others?
They should all be starting to wake up.
Rise and shine, Mr. Paris.
We need to get as far away from their planet as possible.
Agreed.
l'll make the necessary course correction.
What is it?
This isn't real.
Of course it is.
See?
No.
Doctor?
He's paranoid— disoriented.
l suspect much of the crew
will suffer similar symptoms when they awake.
Try to relax, Commander.
l'm going to sedate you.
No! l need to wake up, not sleep!
l'm here to help you.
No!
lt's all right, Commander.
You're awake again.
What happened?
You dozed off.
l couldn't wake myself like l did before.
Our proximity to the neurogenic field
is making it more difficult to stay conscious.
l need to get down there and find a way to neutralize it.
Not so fast.
This is a highly potent animazine derivative.
lf you feel yourself falling asleep again,
you must use it.
And, Commander, l suggest we keep an open com line.
l may need to provide you with a verbal splash
of cold water every now and then.
lt's not working.
lt's safe to assume that Chakotay and the Doctor
are making every effort to wake us from our sleep.
We have to let the rest of the crew know what's happening—
that as long as they know they're in a dream,
they can't be harmed.
And if the aliens try to stop us?
Then we turn this dreamworld of theirs...
into a nightmare.
Okay, Doctor...
l'm in.
Acknowledged, Commander.
Stand aside.
Your weapons are useless against us.
You're not fooling anyone.
We know this is a dream.
You're confused.
Actually, l'm finally seeing things clearly.
Shoot them.
Now, stand aside.
All of you, listen closely.
What we have to do is stay in control of the dream.
lf we can do that,
the aliens shouldn't be able to hurt us.
You sound very sure of yourself, Captain.
Why shouldn't l be?
Have you thought about what's happening
to your bodies in the waking world?
How long do you think they'll survive
without nourishment?
Without physical activity?
Your bodies are withering away as we speak.
You can't stop it.
Don't be so sure.
lt's some kind of transmitter.
lt looks like they use it to amplify
the neurogenic field.
Can you turn it off?
l tried knocking it out with my phaser,
but there's some kind of force field.
Commander?
l'm sorry.
l'm having trouble concentrating.
Time for your medicine.
Doctor, this animazine— it's pretty powerful.
Yes. And l suggest you take it immediately.
These aliens...
they look pretty frail.
That's fascinating, Commander.
Now please inject yourself.
They probably wouldn't have the same tolerance
for stimulants that we do.
What are you getting at?
The animazine might be capable
of waking up one of these aliens.
Commander, l'd be happy to discuss
comparative pharmacology with you
after you administer your injection.
Actually... l think l'm going to give it
to one of my sleepy friends here.
What would that accomplish?
lf l can wake him up,
l might be able to get him to deactivate this generator.
There's not enough animazine for two doses.
lf you fall asleep again, there's no way l can revive you.
Doctor, l want you to go to the Bridge.
Commander...
l'm giving you an order!
Go to the Bridge and target my com signal
with a photon torpedo.
You're delirious.
You're asking me to incinerate you.
Not just me...
these aliens...
and their transmitter, too.
But only if you don't hear from me
in five minutes. Understood?
Commander...
Understood?
Aye, sir.
Tell me how to deactivate
this transmitter, or l start shooting.
What happened?
Looks like he woke up.
l'll give you five seconds.
Four...
three...
two...
Chakotay.
Who's going to help you now, Captain?
l found the cavern and your people.
l'm there right now in the waking world.
And it's all going to be destroyed
in less than two minutes
unless you deactivate that transmitter.
lf you are there, you'll be killed, too.
l think you're lying.
Oh, believe me, if l don't contact my ship,
you and l are both going to die in our sleep.
Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 5147 1. 3.
With the neurogenic field neutralized,
l've been successful in reviving the entire crew.
Unfortunately, the experience has produced
a troubling side effect for many of them—
acute insomnia.
Computer, lights on.
Sorry, Commander.
l didn't mean to frighten you.
You're not starting breakfast this early, are you?
Just rearranging the supply cabinets.
l couldn't sleep.
Neither could l.
How about a soothing cup of tea?
Sounds good.
l know it's silly,
but every time l'm about to doze off,
l... become terrified
that l won't be able to wake again.
You, too?
We just finished a little late- night hoverball on the holodeck.
Three games in a row.
We were hoping it would wear us out.
You know, l could learn to enjoy these late- night get- togethers.
Speak for yourself.
l would kill for a good night's sleep.
Neelix, l think it's time for breakfast.