Quantum, accompanied by a security detail, investigates the corridors. The constant but still random drumbeats in the music make it sound like something is constantly running by. It really gets under your skin, which is a very effective ploy, because as you hear the "running feet" you are peering into the darkness on the ship, straining to see something, anything. Finally, Quantum et al. reach the corridor, where the red-shirt's flashlights have miraculously come back on and are pointing the way to the attacked crewmen. They see two shapes kneeling over the prone red-shirts. Anyone see My Life? Okay, remember when Michael Keaton goes to the healer in order to prolong his life, and the healer uses a form of touch therapy where he doesn't actually touch him? He massages his chakras or something. Well, that's what the aliens are doing to the red-shirts, except I don't think they are trying to cure them of lung cancer. Light emanates from their hands as they do their alien probing stuff. Quantum aims a phase pistol at them and orders them to stop. Man, Kirk would have just fired had he found aliens messing around with attacked crewmembers. The aliens continue their probes until Quantum finally fires at one of them. As the phase array hits the alien, you can see a protective shield surrounding its figure. The alien stands up to its full eight feet, blinks weird eye-like things at them, and lopes slowly away. Actually, since they seem to have eyes like snails -- where the actual eyeball is on the end of a stalk thing, which then curves around to the appropriate place on their "face" -- I guess "blinks" isn't really the correct word. Maybe it's more like they undulate their eyes at Quantum. The other alien follows suit. Nqllisi mentioned on the forums that they walk like Jar Jar Binks, and while that's definitely true, they really remind me of praying mantises on steroids.

Quantum examines the red-shirts and orders the security team after the aliens. He gets Phlox on the horn and tells him to report to E-Deck, Section 7 immediately for a medical emergency. Nothing seems to ruffle Phlox as he answers calmly that he's on his way. Quantum tries to feel for pulses on the red-shirts, and the security team reports back that the aliens have left the ship. For them to have such advanced technology that they have starship-like shielding around their persons, wouldn't you think that the Praying Mantises would have beamed aboard Enterprise rather than fuss about with a shuttlecraft? The Cicada Shuttle lands back on the alien ship -- guided in by way of some awesome runway lights on the mother ship -- and the mother alien ship takes off, firing a few parting shots at Enterprise. Quantum asks the bridge for a report. T'Pol says, "The alien ship has gone to warp, but that last shot damaged our port nacelle. We're venting drive plasma." Quantum throws his communicator down in frustration.