

In the 24th century, Geordi La Forge reattaches Data's 500-year-old head onto his body, and Data discovers Picard's message. Picard places a binary message using iron filings in Data's static memory to leave instructions for his crew in the future. Picard learns from the other alien that should the Enterprise destroy their base in the 24th century, the strength of the time shift will be amplified, potentially devastating 19th-century Earth. As Picard tends to Guinan, the rest of the away team, carrying Data's body which continues to grasp the cane device, follow one of the aliens to the future, with Clemens also following them. In an ensuing struggle over a cane-like device used to open the portal, Data's head is detached from his body and left in 1893, and Guinan is injured. Using Data's device, the team, followed by Guinan and Samuel Clemens are able to follow the alien shapeshifters to the same cavern near San Francisco, where they discover that the aliens have travelled to the 19th century to take advantage of a cholera outbreak, draining the life force from humans in infected areas to give the impression that their deaths were the result of an epidemic. However, as he observes, two aliens enter a time portal that he is drawn into Data finds himself on Earth in San Francisco in the late 19th century, August 11, 1893.Īrriving in 1893, the away team quickly locates Data, who explains the current situation. Once in phase with the aliens, Data describes them to the crew as absorbing strands of light from a device in the center of the cavern but otherwise appear benign. Data notes that his android body has a phase discriminator that would allow him to see the aliens, and Captain Picard reluctantly allows him to do so. Though no life forms are visible, Deanna Troi senses the presence of suffering humans, and the crew work out that the aliens are slightly out of phase with time. Taking Data's second head, the Enterprise travels to the planet, and discovers a temporal disturbance on the planet. The Enterprise crew finds evidence pointing to a race of shapeshifters and cellular fossils native to the planet of Devidia II. They are shown a cavern near Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco containing relics of the 19th century, and the severed head of Data. The Enterprise is recalled to Earth on a priority mission pertaining to evidence of aliens on the planet 500 years before.
