your side arm.
Of course.
May I ask a personal favour?
Yes.
Will you take care of Spot for me?
Your animal?
I am afraid if I have another
waking dream, I might injure him.
Of course.
Spot, come here.
Unlike a canine, Spot does not
respond to verbal commands.
Goodbye, Spot.
He will need to be fed once a day.
Feline supplement number 25.
- I understand.
- And he will require water.
And provide him with a sandbox.
And you must talk to him.
Tell him he is a pretty cat.
And a good cat.
I will feed him.
Perhaps that will be enough.
Captain, we have a problem.
Look at this.
Her tissue is breaking down
on a cellular level. It's spreading.
At first, I thought it was a rash
from the coil brace.
But when I used the
interphasic scanner, I found this.
What is it?
The question is, what are they?
I've tested all the medical staff.
I found them
on almost everyone so far.
The cellular decay is accelerating
in all cases.
I haven't found a way to stop it
or even slow it down.
Looks like you're infected, too.
The organisms are attached
to our epidermal layers
with osmotic tendrils.
They tap
directly into the bloodstream.
And from what I can tell,
they're spreading.
What are we dealing with?
Are these creatures feeding on us?
Yes, in a very particular way.
They extract our cellular peptides.
It's analogous to the way leeches
consume haemoglobin.
If they're not removed soon,
our bodies will lose
their cellular cohesion.
We'll collapse into nothing
but a few pounds of chemicals.
Alright. Is there any way
that we can affect these organisms?
We've tried EM radiation,
subspace fields,
thermal protons, nothing's worked.
They seem to exist
in some interphasic state
just beyond
our visual and sensor acuity.
We can only see them
with an IP scanner.
Tricorders can't see them.
- Do we know where they came from?
- I scanned the vicinity.
There was no sign
of similar creatures
or any unusual interphasic activity.
What about Mr Data?
There must be some connection
with his odd behaviour.
- Is he infested as well?
- I scanned him but I found nothing.
Data attacked Troi because he saw
a mouth on her shoulder.
It was in that same area that we
first saw one of the organisms.
Data saw a straw in my head. Beverly
discovered an organism there.
Those images
are all part of Data's dream.
Maybe somehow he's unconsciously
perceiving these creatures.
Perhaps it is time we took
a closer look at Mr Data's dreams.
It is an interesting hypothesis.
If I am being affected
by these interphasic creatures,
it may also explain my waking dreams
and my antisocial behaviour.
We want to link your neural net
to the holodeck
and activate your dream program.
As you dream,
we can observe the dream images.
Perhaps we can learn
about these creatures
by interpreting your dreams.
I see. The concept
is similar to directed dreaming.
Exactly. How soon
can you have the link ready?
We need an hour
to establish the parameters.
Make it so.
In the meantime, Mr Data,
I suggest that you prepare for bed.
I think we're ready, Captain.
The link is active.
The holodeck has been calibrated
to Data's neural net.
- Ready, Mr Data?
- Yes, sir.
Normally,
I would wish you pleasant dreams.
But in this case,
bad dreams would be more helpful.
I understand, sir.
Initiating dream program. Stand by.
Let's be very observant.
Even the most insignificant image
could be important.
Right.
Here he comes.
Hello.
Can we speak to Data,
or would that wake him up?
He perceives us
as part of his dream.
Anything we say
will be taken in that context.
That sounds like a telephone ringer
but I don't see a receiver.
- Cake?
- Thank you.
Look at that. Her right shoulder.
That's where Data stabbed her.
In his waking dream,
there was a mouth on her shoulder.
They are both
symbols of consumption.
Mouth, food.
Mr Data, what cake is this?
- It is a cellular peptide cake.
- With mint frosting.