Plot

While returning to Enterprise in Shuttlepod One, Trip and Reed see apparent evidence that the ship has been destroyed. With only days of oxygen left, they must find a way to survive long enough for rescue.

Tucker and Reed return in Shuttlepod One to rendez-vous with Enterprise, only to find evidence that it has been destroyed. An unknown phenomenon, resembling a myth known as a "micro-singularity," damages the shuttlepod, leaving the men only days of breathable air and no way to call for help.—Meribor

While returning in Shuttlepod One, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed and Commander Tucker believe that the Enterprise has been destroyed. Without communication and with limited quantity of oxygen, they have no expectation of being rescued in deep space. To make things worse, micro-singularities hit the shuttlepod, damaging it hull and one tank of oxygen, reducing their autonomy to less than three days.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

On Pod 1, Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed are attempting to locate Enterprise in an asteroid field that Captain Archer had intended to map. They were returning from a mission and were not expected for another 3 days. The asteroid field was the point of rendezvous. Just then, Reed spots an impact crater and debris; with only one piece large enough to be identifiable as part of Enterprise, they conclude that the ship has been destroyed. Their sensors and communications are down, so the shuttle-pod is unable to undertake any more extensive surveys. They are now alone, with only ten days' worth of air.

Tucker orders Reed to head to Echo Three, a subspace amplifier, using the stars for reference as navigation is down. Reed argues against it since their navigation is down and their signal to Echo III will take weeks or even months to reach it.. Tucker intends to send a message to Starfleet, knowing they will not be alive when it reaches there, so that command will at least know what happened. Reed records messages to his family and friends, but Tucker becomes exasperated by Reed's pessimism. Tucker firmly believes that the possibilities are endless in deep space and that they are likely to be detected by somebody in the 9 days remaining. Reed recounts how they were testing the targeting scanners on shuttle-pod 1 and hence had ventured 20K kms away from the Enterprise. At the 3rd trial, they had a jolt, and their sensor array went offline. So, they decided to head back to the Enterprise earlier than scheduled.

On the Enterprise, it is revealed that the debris that Reed and Tucker saw was from an explosion while a Tesnian ship was trying to dock with the Enterprise. Thirty-four Tesnian survivors are on the Enterprise. Ensign Mayweather reports that their ETA at Tesnia is twenty hours, allowing enough time to return to meet the shuttle-pod at the expected meeting time. Archer and Sub-Commander T'Pol use a mini-shuttle to inspect the damage to the ship. Later, T'Pol presents her analysis to Archer - both ships were hit by a "micro-singularity", but he remains skeptical that such things exist. It is plausible since the navigation and the sensor array on the Tesnian ship went out just as they were about to dock with the Enterprise, causing the accident in the first place..

In his dreams Reed fantasies about hooking up with T'Pol when he is back aboard the Enterprise. The shuttle-pod's hull is also breached by a micro-singularity. Reed and Tucker quickly seal the holes, but find that one of their oxygen cylinders was damaged, leaving them with less than two days' air. They lower the temperature to conserve power for the air recycling units. Tucker fixes the radio receiver, but not the transmitter.

Later, the radio picks up a signal - it is Sato transmitting new rendezvous coordinates and gives an ETA of two days. Unfortunately, they only have one day's worth of air left and no way to communicate with the ship. They jettison the shuttle-pod engine and detonate it, attracting Enterprise's attention. Tucker considers stepping out of the airlock to give Reed 10 more hours of air, but Reed points a phaser at Tucker and forces him to sit back down. Eventually both pass out due to extreme cold. Reed wakes up in Sickbay, relieved to see Tucker's sleeping form there as well.