Captain's log, star date 44631.2.
Proceeding through the rim of a binary star system,
we may have located the USS Brittain.
The science vessel failed to reach its destination
and has not been heard from since a distress call 29 days ago.
On screen. Magnify.
That's the Brittain.
There is no indication of structural damage.
- Engines? - Propulsion systems are shut down.
The ship is drifting, sir.
- Life-form readings? - Inconclusive.
Counsellor?
There is life on board, but...
- What is it? - I don't know.
Something...
Number One, assemble your team.
Dr Crusher to transporter room three. Worf, Data.
Commander.
I need to come, too.
There is no malfunction in any of the main systems, sir.
Commander!
Here's another. This was done by a phaser
on a setting of six or seven.
And more over here.
The entire bridge crew.
Whoever did this could still be on board.
There is someone still alive.
But he didn't kill these people... Here.
I think he's Betazoid. It's alright.
We're going to help you.
Who did this? Who did this to you?
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission... to explore strange new worlds,...
..to seek out new life and new civilizations,...
..to boldly go where no one has gone before.
We've almost finished the autopsies.
How long to compile the data?
It's complicated. The dead were found all over the ship.
Some were found barricaded in their rooms,
with weapons piled around them. Others were in the corridors.
They'd obviously had hand-to-hand combat.
It's going to take some time to analyze and sort through the details.
We've identified him as Andrus Hagen from Betazed, Scientific Advisor.
He's in a profound catatonic state.
I'm not getting much. A few words,
disconnected phrases. I can feel his terror,
- but I can't get through to him. - Stay with him, Counsellor.
We're examining the Brittain for clues,
but this is the only man left who knows what happened there.
I'm here. I'm right here.
Are there...
.. voices?
Voices? What do they say?
Both things.
No.
No!
Keep talking to me.
I'll try to understand.
All the engines check out perfectly.
Once they're started, she can return to base on her own.
Let's give it a try.
- Preheating injectors. - Data, fuel flow?
Matter valves are open and operating.
Magnetic containment of antimatter pods is constant.
OK, open injectors.
Injectors open.
- There is no engine activity at all. - What's wrong?
Nothing's wrong. I don't understand it.
Come!
I've been studying the autopsy reports.
The conclusion is appalling.
There was no outside source, no alien presence.
All 34 of them appear to have killed each other.
What could have caused such an event? Drugs, virus, poison?
Toxicological tests showed no unusual substances in their systems.
They appear healthy but for some reason,
they seemed to turn against each other,
using phasers and knives and bare hands!
I'd like you to see this, Captain.
It's from the logs of the Brittain.
Captain Zaheva's mental condition deteriorated once they were stranded.
She began talking of plots and mutinies.
This was the last log entry,
made after they'd been adrift for over three weeks.
First Officer Brink and his men were behind it.
They got to the engines.
They don't work any more.
Had to eliminate Brink.
The ship is out of... out of...
We're running out!
Too dangerous! Out of Brink!
And his men!
Eyes in the dark.
One moon.
Where are you?
I'm coming. Where are you?
Eyes... in the dark.
One moon.
Eyes... in the dark.
One moon circles.
See the eyes... in the dark... One moon...
Where are you?
Captain's log, star date 44635. 8.
Four days later, we've made little progress in solving the mystery.
I have decided to return to Star base 220.
To that end Cmdr La Forge is rigging the Brittain for towing.
I'm gonna try... recalibrating the field generators.
But I can't see why we can't get the engines started?
It doesn't make any sense!
- Someone's still here. - What?
Can't you hear it?
There's someone still alive on the ship!
I... heard...
I mean I thought l... heard something.
The ship was searched thoroughly. There's nobody left on board.
Sorry, sir. My mistake.
Don't worry about it. There were 34 people found dead on this ship.
That's enough to make anybody uneasy.
Thank you, sir.
I'm here.
Can you hear me?
- Tell me about the voices you hear. - Bright.
Bright... out there.
I don't understand.
Bright what? Tell me more.
Boy, what a day this was!
I'm doing a study on Cardelia populations,
but they have weird polymorphisms.
What a headache!
Is that why you're late?
No, I was talking with Dr Balthus.
She wants to do a study on the Kaladian thorn flower.
But I don't have time to oversee another project!
- Was Tom Corbin there? - What?
Tom Corbin from the science lab. Remember him?
Of course. But...
- You use any excuse to visit him! - Miles, what are you saying?
I think you know what I'm saying.
If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous.
Do you take me for a fool?
Hello, Chief.
Having coffee?
No, I'm drinking too much coffee.
- I'm surprised to see you. - Why's that?
Usually newlyweds can't keep their hands off each other.
She has work to do. She heads the biology lab, you know!
Any strange things going on down there?
Like what?
I've been hearing things. Kenicki in Engineering told me
he saw a man in an old Starfleet uniform riding the lift.
When the lift got to the top, there was no one on it.
- Ghost stories! - There's lots more!
Strange things are happening on this ship.
I'm surprised at you, Gillespie, a Starfleet officer!
I have more things to worry about than shades and spirits!
Come!
Come!
Yes, yes!
Come!
What... !
- Captain, do you have a moment? - We're concerned.
Whatever happened on the Brittain may be starting here.
Explain.
Well, Beverly and I have been getting unusual reports.
People behaving strangely, hearing sounds that aren't there.
- We're talking about hallucinations? - Sometimes. Also erratic behaviour.
We can't track down any element that might be responsible.
But everything started when we found the Brittain?
Captain, we must get the Enterprise away from here before it gets worse.
We're taking the Brittain in tow. We'll leave within the hour.
Ensign, manoeuvre us into tractor-beam range.
Aye, sir.
Is there a problem, Ensign?
I can't seem to remember how to enter the coordinates.
- Ensign Lin? - Ready now, Captain.
Report to sickbay, Ensign Rager.
Ready tractor beam, Mr. Worf.
Captain, thrusters are losing power.
Impulse engines. Ahead, minimum power.
- Impulse engines not responding. - Geordi, what's going on?
I don't know. Nothing's responding.
- Warp engines, factor one. Engage. - Captain,
we don't have warp drive, either.
- We have no functional propulsion? - No, sir. Apparently, we do not.
- We're adrift. - Just like the Brittain.
Captain's log, star date 44639.9.
The Enterprise has been adrift for ten days.
We have sent distress calls,
but being so remote, we cannot expect a response for two weeks.
After analyzing the sensor logs of both ships,
as well as data from the last series of probes,
I conclude we are trapped in a massive rupture in space,
which absorbs energy.
- You mean a Tyken's rift? - A what?
A rare anomaly, named after Bela Tyken, who first encountered it.
Tyken's rift. That explains why we don't have engine power.
The ships energy drains into the rift before we can use it.
I was detained.
When Tyken was trapped in the rift, his analysis determined
that a massive energy release might overload and dislocate the anomaly.
His cargo included anicium and yurium,
which he used to detonate the explosion.
He escaped through the ruptured centre of the rift.
We have nothing to produce that kind of explosion. Not even our torpedoes.
- Can we replicate Tyken's elements? - No, sir.
We no longer have the power to replicate complex elements.
We must generate an energy release without using conventional means.
Data, did Tyken's crew exhibit behavioural changes?
No, there were no reports of unusual conduct.
Nightmares?
There were no records of sleep disturbances, Counsellor.
Then, what is it?
What's happening to us?
The only one who doesn't seem affected is Data.
Bridge!
Number One, how...?
Sir?
Any hallucinations,
nightmares?
No. I'd be a liar if I said I felt like myself.
I've had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping at people.
Couple of times, I've gone to my quarters
and felt as if there was someone else there... waiting for me.
I've had similar feelings.
With everyone succumbing
it's important that one of us try to keep control of his faculties.
Turn in, take a nap.
I'll be on the bridge. Relieve me in four hours.
Yes, sir.
Deck eight!
No!
Sir?
As you were.
Mr. Data, will you join me in my ready room?
Cmdr La Forge and I have a potential solution to our predicament.
The modifications used to increase fire power
against the Borg could be effective here.
Channelling power to the main... deflector dish?
Yes, sir.
In six hours we could generate a concentrated burst of energy
which might disrupt the Tyken's rift.
Very well. Proceed.
Mr. Data?
Yes, sir?
It appears that I am not... immune
to the strange forces that are at work on this ship.
Yes, sir.
It's a terrifying prospect, to lose control of one's mind.
When I was... young...
..l remember watching my... grandfather deteriorate
from a powerful, intelligent figure
to a... frail wisp of a man,
who could barely make his own way home.
Mr. Data, it is my responsibility, somehow,
to see that this ship is guided to safety.
I will need to rely on you from now on.
We may need to count on you for our very survival.
I will do my best, sir.
I'd like to do more cross-sections on brain tissue.
Set up the positron-emission sensor. I'll decide which ones to study.
Yes, Doctor.
Go... away.
Captain, let me ask you this.
Since we located the Brittain, can you remember any of your dreams?
- I hardly ever recall dreams. - Most people don't. But think!
Have you even had a dream in the last ten days?
- I don't recall. - I'm willing to bet you haven't.
What's more, neither has anyone else on board.
Except for Troi.
I began to realize that, when she talked about having nightmares.
I've... done some additional brain tissue scans on... the bodies...
- Some bodies from the... the... - The Brittain, Doctor.
Right. And I've scanned a random cross-section of our crew.
They both have the same results,
a unique chemical imbalance.
- Caused by? - Dream deprivation.
Every night... when we...
we enter into... sleep...
I believe what the Doctor means
is that humans enter into what is known as REM sleep,
rapid eye movement.
It is the level of brain activity at which one dreams.
We have to dream in order to survive.
If we don't reach REM sleep, we don't dream,
we lose our cognitive abilities, we find it hard to concentrate.
We forget how to do the most ordinary task.
Then we become irritable, paranoid.
Some people experience hallucinations.
You're describing the situation on this ship.
But Counsellor Troi reported nightmares.
Maybe it's because she's Betazoid. I don't know why.
But I know there's more going on here than being caught in a Tyken's rift.
And I don't know how or why it's happening.
But I do know this.
There is an inevitable conclusion to this pattern.
And if I can't find a way to stop it, we will all go insane.
Eyes in the dark. One moon circles.
Where are you?
Eyes in the dark. One moon circles.
I'm still here.
I haven't gone anywhere.
Do you remember anything more?
Double...
Double...
What does that mean?
Is something doubled?
Deanna, nothing's working.
Somatic drugs, theta waves induced into the entorhinal cortex,
No matter what I do, no one can reach REM sleep, no one can dream.
Except for you.
Except me.
And... all I have is nightmares.
I can hardly sleep at all any more.
In the end, I'll be like him.
Just like him.
I think it's some kind of experiment.
Capt Picard is trying to see how long we'll take it,
stuck here like rats.
You couldn't be more wrong.
It's like we're laboratory animals. I don't wanna sit waiting for death.
What does that mean?
You heard about the Brittain. Shut in their rooms, dying alone. Not me!
I'd rather go out fighting.
OK. All power has been channelled to the... the...
- The main deflector dish. - Yes! Right! The deflector dish...
So...
What do we do now?
Data to bridge. Mr. Worf, activate the deflector.
Aye, sir.
Deflector power banks approaching maximum. Discharge in 15 seconds.
Data, this detonation better work. We're not gonna last much longer.
Discharge in three seconds...
..two... one.
- Nothing. It just fizzled out. - Captain, the energy output
- has been absorbed into the rift. - Can we try again?
No, sir. Drawing more power risks the life-support systems.
Understood. Keep me apprised Commander.
- Worf, no! - You will not stop me.
Security, Worf's quarters!
- No one can stop me! - Why? What is it?
I am no longer a warrior.
I am no longer strong!
I... I feel...
What?
What do you feel?
I feel fear.
To admit that you're afraid gives you strength.
Something is waiting for us. I am not strong enough to fight it!
No, Worf.
It's just an illusion. It's not real!
Please... put down the knife.
- Counsellor? - It's alright.
Everything's fine, thank you.
Let me take you to sickbay.
Acting Captain's log, star date 44642. 1.
I have assumed command
at Captain Picard's request. Our situation is deteriorating.
Many of the crew cannot function. Life-support systems are faltering.
Once before, you said "double".
What did you mean? What is "double"?
Mates... too bright!
Twin... cannot leave the twin!
One moon... circling.
What do you mean?
You can't leave?
No... no, please! Can't...
You want to leave. Why can't you?
Can't go. Help!
One moon... circling.
Eyes... That's it!
Eyes... in the dark!
Eyes in the dark.
That's what the voice said in my dream.
Is that where you heard it? In a dream? Over and over?
Beverly, I know what it is!
- I know what's happening! - What?
My nightmare. It's not a dream. It's not a dream at all! It's a message!
REM sleep has a different frequency for Betazoids
than for other humanoids.
I believe the beings are using that frequency
to communicate telepathically.
It is possible that this telepathic communication
is creating interference in the REM sleep of other species.
That is why the crew is not dreaming.
Counsellor, what are these beings trying to tell us?
They're calling for help.
I think they're trapped just like we are.
"Eyes in the dark" could mean this twin star system.
Your hypothesis is certainly plausible.
There may be another ship,
on the other side of the fissure, undetected.
Is there a way of blocking their signals?
There is no technology to block telepathic transmissions.
Maybe communication through dreams can work both ways.
I could try stopping them.
Perhaps we could accomplish more than that.
If there is another ship and we can reach them,
we could coordinate our efforts to free ourselves.
It is conceivable.
Working with patients with debilitating nightmares,
I've often used a therapy called "directed dreaming".
Dreamers can learn to control their dreams,
retain a conscious memory, even while in REM sleep.
I could remember a short message, and deliver it to them.
If it were possible, what would you say?
Working together with the aliens, we must find a way
of producing an explosion stronger than either of us could make alone.
What is it you're looking for?
These are the elements available.
Some could be used in the creation of an explosion.
If we could communicate this list to the other ship...
No, Data, no.
This is too complex. It has to be a simple, clear message.
I'm uncertain that a simple transmission would be adequate.
Stop.
Go back.
Further back. There! Stop!
One moon circles.
Yes, Counsellor. One electron circles one proton.
This is a hydrogen atom.
One moon circles, that's what they told me, over and over.
The aliens may be thinking as we are, to cooperate in making an explosion.
If hydrogen mixes, for example, with calendenium, it can be very volatile.
But would the message mean that they have hydrogen
- or they want hydrogen? - Well, if it's a distress call,
I think they'd ask for what they need, not what they already have.
Then we should release hydrogen into the rift,
hoping they are able to detonate it.
How do I tell them what to do?
If you are correct, they have already told us what to do,
and are waiting for us to do it.
When we are ready, the only message you should attempt to convey is
"Now!"
I can help keep you in REM sleep for a while
with this cortical scanner.
It will maintain electrical activity in your brain at the right frequency.
Counsellor,
you must communicate with the other ship within two minutes of REM sleep.
Two minutes!
- Is that all, Data? - Unfortunately, yes.
We have only enough power to emit hydrogen for that long.
They must also detonate it immediately.
Captain? We are ready to implement the plan.
Proceed.
We have to draw power from the life-support systems
in order to discharge the collectors.
This is Acting Captain Data.
All personnel will report to the designated shelter areas immediately.
Life-support systems will continue only in emergency shelter areas.
Hear that?
Get us jammed into shelter areas.
We sit and wait to die. Nobody will ever find us.
Relax, Gillespie!
Everybody relax! Ten-forward is a designated shelter area. Relax!
Do we wanna die here like helpless children?
Security to ten-forward immediately.
- What are we dying for? - Sit down! You're not helping.
What's wrong with standing up for ourselves?
Picard owes us some answers!
- What is that? - A little souvenir from Magus III.
That was setting number one. Anyone want to see number two?
PGO signals... steady.
Visual cortex showing increased activity.
Rapid eye movements commencing.
Crusher to bridge. She's in REM sleep.
Thank you, Doctor. Activating Bussard collectors.
Where are you?
90 seconds remaining.
One moon...
..circles...
Where are you?
- I have to find you. - ..in the dark...
I have to tell you!
45 seconds remaining.
One moon...
Please!
I must find you... to tell you!
30 seconds remaining.
Eyes... in the dark...
One moon...
10 seconds remaining.
Nothing... No explosion...
Counsellor was unsuccessful.
- Activate impulse engines. - Engines activated, sir.
We have cleared the rift, sir. Warp engines are coming back on line.
Set a course to...
Setting a course for Star base 220.
Sir?
As my final duty as Acting Captain, I order you to bed.
I shall do the same for all personnel.
Very well, Mr. Data.
And Mr. Data...
- Thank you. - Pleasant dreams, sir.

---

---