Home > Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Abandoned

Not now! Look!

ALL: Dabo!

( laughing )

Dabo!

Dabo!

You aren't leaving? Well...

Come on, aren't you feeling lucky?

All right then, one more time.

Let it ride.

( dabo table buzzes )

Oh...

karjinko.

Sorry.

Uh, wait a minute there.

My name is Okalar.

What's yours?

Busy.

You are evil.

Who? Me?

He was going to walk away a winner.

First rule of dabo is...

BOTH: ...Watch the wheel, not the girl.

So, what's on the menu tomorrow night?

Tomorrow night? Dinner with your father.

What?

He didn't tell you?

He came by this afternoon and invited me to dinner tomorrow night.

In fact, he said it was your idea.

My idea?

Oh, I, I, I guess I might have mentioned something about having you over.

I, I thought he forgot.

It is all right, isn't it?

I mean, you don't mind, do you?

Oh, no. No, of course not.

It'll be great.

You're going to love my dad's cooking.

This is a surprise.

A pleasant one, I hope.

So do I.

I have some salvage for you, Quark.

This isn't a good time to be selling your kind of salvage.

No, no, no, it's perfectly legal.

I mean, it's really salvage this time.

I'm not looking for junk right now, but...

I'm more in the market for entertainment.

I think you'll like this junk, Quark.

It's a wreckage from a ship that crashed in the Gamma Quadrant.

You're still going to the Gamma Quadrant?

Mm-hmm. ( chuckles )

I love bold women. How much?

Three bars of latinum and you can have it all.

What kind of ship is it?

I don't know.

Can I see it first?

There's no time.

Oh...

Quark, you and I have been doing business for years.

Don't you trust me?

Three bars of latinum?

( sighs )

It was worth it.

( chuckles )

( baby wailing )

No.

( latch clicking )

( lock releasing )

( wailing grows louder )

No.

No.

No.

( baby cooing )

You bought a child?

I just thought that I was buying some wreckage.

How was I supposed to know there was a baby in there?

Maybe you should inspect the merchandise before you make the deal, or isn't there a Rule of Acquisition for that?

There is and I do, usually.

We haven't been able to trace the Boslic captain since she left the station.

Her flight plan said she was headed for Risa, but I don't think we should put much faith in that.

Well, I haven't been able to identify his species, but he seems to be healthy.

Seems?

For a humanoid, he has an incredibly fast metabolic rate.

The cells in his body are dividing at a pace

I haven't seen outside of a laboratory.

But, since there are no thyroid or hypothalmic problems,

I assume that this is only natural for someone of his species, but I would like him here for further tests.

Very well.

What do we know about the ship the boy was on?

Chief O'Brien just started to analyze the wreckage.

We should have a preliminary report in a couple of hours. Ah, uh, now wait a minute.

I paid good money for that wreckage and... and now it's yours.

Enjoy.

Hmm.

Hi there.

DAX: We should contact one of the orphanages on Bajor and let them know we might have someone for them.

Hmm?

I was talking about an orphanage.

Oh, right.

Have Major Kira make the appropriate arrangements.

Will you keep me informed about him?

Yes, sir.

What?

You are positively glowing.

Oh, come on.

I haven't seen that look on your face since...

Since Jake stopped wearing diapers.

I never thought

I'd hear myself saying this, but I miss taking care of Jake when he was a baby.

I miss holding him, singing to him at night, feeding him.

Listening to him cry, changing his diapers, worrying when he was sick.

I haven't forgotten.

But there are times when I would give almost anything for the days when I could make Jake happy just by lifting him over my head.

Good night.

( door opening )

Hey, how about a hug for the old man?

Why didn't you tell me you were going to invite Mardah to dinner?

Well, I did, weeks ago.

I told you if you didn't invite her soon,

I'd invite her myself.

I, I still wish you'd given me a little more warning.

Well, I didn't realize that a dinner invitation required so much warning.

It doesn't, and it's not a problem or anything.

It just caught me by surprise.

Well, dinner isn't until tomorrow night.

That'll give you a full day to prepare her for the traumatic experience of having dinner with the old man.

Yeah.

Uh, I mean, there's nothing to prepare for.

It's just dinner.

Exactly.

Right.

Right.

All right.

You wanted to see me, Doctor?

Yes, it's about our new visitor.

Is something wrong with the baby?

No, but he's not a baby anymore.

BASHIR: There are a great many species with what we would call accelerated growth rates, but they're usually small, physiologically simple creatures.

I've never seen such a rapid maturation process in anything as complex as a humanoid.

He looks about eight or nine years old.

But how old is he in reality?

Well, judging by his cellular kinetic profile,

I'd say he's no more than two weeks of age.

Who are you?

I'm Benjamin and that's Julian.

Do you have a name?

I need food.

With your kind of metabolism, I'm not surprised.

I'll get you something in a few minutes.

Where am I?

SISKO: On a space station.

Do you know what that is?

No.

But I want to learn.

I'd say we have a lot to learn from each other.

Um...

I'll be right back.

Advanced language skills.

And cognitive reasoning.

He didn't just pick those up by sitting there listening to us.

This is either a natural ability in his species or some kind of basic intelligence implanted into his genetic structure.

Implanted? You mean artificially?

Yes, and I tend to discount the possibility that it is a natural ability.

His biomolecular diffusion gradient all ready suggests that his cellular mitosis has been artificially enhanced.

So, you're saying he may have been part of some experiment?

Possibly. If so, he's an example of some very advanced genetic engineering.

His cognitive abilities are developing without any external stimuli.

I want you to test his mental abilities.

See if they increase.

Maybe he'll get to the point where he can tell us who he is and where he's come from.

This is where Quark said he found the boy.

It seems to be some kind of stasis chamber that was damaged in the crash.

That could imply they didn't want him to begin maturing while he was on board.

What about the rest of the wreckage?

It seems to indicate this was some kind of freighter or transport vessel.

Did you find any computers or other information systems?

No, not yet. Most of it's just junk-- twisted bulkheads, burnt deck plating, that sort of thing.

We should have a full inventory by tomorrow morning.

Good.

By the way, the replicators in my quarters are on the blink again.

Could you spare someone this afternoon to fix them?

Oh, that's right. Tonight's the big dinner with Mardah.

You know about that?

Well, Jake mentioned it this morning.

In fact, I'd say it's the only thing on his mind.

You would think I was going to court-martial her by the way he's acting.

Well, I guess it's only natural.

Bringing a girl home for the first time is a pretty traumatic experience.

Quark may call her a dabo girl, but she's 20 years old.

She's a woman.

And Jake is a 16-year-old boy.

It has to stop.

Well, why did you invite her over?

If you don't mind my asking.

Curiosity mostly.

I wanted to see what I was up against.

What if it turns out you like her?

She's a dabo girl. She's dating my son.

I don't want to like her.

Sixteen years old and dating a dabo girl.

Godspeed, Jake.

Major.

Odo.

For you.

Ah.

Let me guess-- uh, decoration for my new quarters.

Just a little something to brighten your room.

That's, uh, very... thoughtful of you.

You're welcome.

( sighs )

I suppose you'd like to see my new quarters.

Everyone wants to see your quarters.

It's called curiosity.

Ah.

( sighs )

It's not really finished yet.

This is just the start.

The start of what?

I want to make this room into a place where I can explore what it truly means to be a shape-shifter.

I thought it had to be something like that.

I mean, you don't exactly need an entire set of quarters just to sit in your bucket.

I don't use the bucket anymore.

I've kept it to remind me of how I used to be.

But now, when I need to regenerate,

I simply revert to my gelatinous state anywhere in this room.

Here, I can experiment with different shapes, textures.

I can bring in various forms to emulate.

And I can do it in private.

I'm sorry if I intruded.

Maybe I should leave.

No, please.

You're always welcome here, Major.

Well... where should we put it?

Ah!

Perfect.

The boy's DNA sequence has definitely been altered.

The nucleotide analysis proves that conclusively.

So he's a product of genetic engineering.

But why? Was he a unique experiment or is this sort of thing common in his species?

There's more. His blood chemistry shows that he's missing a key isogenic enzyme, and without large quantities of it, his circulatory system would simply shut down.

Can you replicate this enzyme?

I've been trying, and I think I've come up with a temporary substitute.

But what I don't understand is why anybody would want to genetically engineer someone with such an obvious flaw.

Nurse Hortak to Dr. Bashir.

You're needed in the Infirmary immediately.

On my way.

Listen, it's all right.

No one's going to hurt you.

Let's just go back inside and, and...

( groans ) ( crowd gasps )

Security to Promenade!

Stop! Stay where you are!

Dax to Sisko.

SISKO: Go ahead.

I think we've solved the mystery of our young visitor, Benjamin. He's a Jem'Hadar.

SISKO: I've just spoken with Starfleet Command.

They want to make sure he's healthy enough to travel and then send him to Starbase 201, where he'll be handed over to a team of specialists.

KIRA: Sounds good to me. The sooner, the better.

What sort of specialists are we talking about, Commander?

There will be a complete team of xenobiologists and exopsychologists waiting for him.

So they're going to study him like a laboratory specimen.

Well, he'll be very well treated.

So he'll be a well-treated specimen.

I have to agree with Odo, Commander.

We can't just ship him off like some biological sample that we've found.

He's a sentient life form.

True, but the Founders could have removed his sense of free will.

He may be nothing more than a genetically programmed killing machine.

I agree, and we don't want one of them walking around this station.

Fine!

If you want answers about the Jem'Hadar,

I'm the one who can find them for you.

Let me get to know him.

I'll be responsible for his conduct while he's here.

Odo, do you really think you can control him?

He's already shown a certain deference to me.

That's probably another genetic alteration implanted by the Founders to ensure the Jem'Hadar's loyalty.

I can keep him from harming anyone.

I'd like to speak with the Constable in private for a moment, please.

( door opens, closes )

Talk to me, Odo.

Tell me what's really going on here.

What the Founders did to the boy-- to all the Jem'Hadar-- is not your fault.

Maybe not.

But I feel an obligation to undo some of the damage that my race has done to this boy.

And I also know what it's like to be a specimen in a laboratory.

Oh, I'm sure they'll treat him very well.

No one will risk harming their new prize.

They'll be courteous, caring, treat him like he's among friends, but in the end, he'll be just another specimen to them-- something to be analyzed and catalogued.

Give me the chance to find out if he really is just a programmed killing machine, or if we can help him become something else.

( sighs )

I'll tell Starfleet we have some preliminary tests to run before we send him to Starbase 201.

Thank you, Commander.

Just... be careful, Odo.

He is still a Jem'Hadar.

BASHIR: Listen to me!

I'm trying to help.

Your body is craving a certain chemical compound.

That is why you're feeling anxious and having muscle spasms.

There's nothing wrong with me.

Yes, there is, and denying it won't make it go away.

Leave me alone!

You can wait outside.

I think everything is under control now.

Please... sit down.

You don't look well.

How do you feel?

Something's wrong with me.

I feel sick when I eat.

I have pains in my head... in my chest.

His body's addicted to a specific isogenic enzyme.

Right now, he's experiencing all the symptoms of withdrawal.

Addicted? That's right.

Can you replicate this enzyme?

BASHIR: I've had some success with triglycerides but they're just a stopgap measure.

I can't get an exact chemical formula without doing further tests but he's shown certain resistance to that idea.

I don't want any more tests.

Dr. Bashir is trying to help you.

You should let him.

You may run your tests.

My name is Odo.

I don't have a name.

When your tests are done,

I can get you out of here, maybe show you around the station.

If you wish.

What do you want?

Do you have any needs or desires of your own?

I want to fight!

Who, me?

No. The others.

Why?

I don't know, but that's what I want to do.

Is that wrong?

Well, let's just say, we need to find other interests for you to pursue.

For the moment, why don't you relax?

Try not to be so tense.

Take it easy.

Smile.

A smile.

You know...

Well, we'll work on that.

Smells good. What is it?

Ah, shrimp Creole with Mandalay sauce-- one of my father's recipes.

You're going to love this.

I hope you like spicy food.

This sure has a bite.

So, Mardah, tell me a little about yourself.

What do you want to know?

Oh, anything.

Family.

There isn't much to tell.

It's a pretty familiar story.

Parents killed during the occupation.

Raised by my neighbors until I was 13.

Then I moved out on my own.

I have a sister and a brother on Bajor, but we haven't talked in years.

Why not?

Sarjeno and Koran were not exactly thrilled when I told them I had a job as a dabo girl.

Then I told them what I thought of their lives, and we stopped speaking.

I see.

It's amazing how some people will judge you based on nothing more than your job.

Did I mention that Mardah's quite a writer?

Uh, really?

Yeah, Mrs. O'Brien used to say that Mardah should try to get some of her stories published.

Jake, they aren't that good. Yes, they are.

Nothing like your poetry.

You don't have enough faith in yourself.

Poetry... you write poetry?

Well, sort of.

N-not really.

Now who doesn't have enough faith in themselves?

He writes some of the most beautiful things

I have ever read.

That's what won me over.

His poetry?

And the way he plays dom-jot.

( giggles )

You play dom-jot?

MARDAH: Oh, your son can play.

He's quite the hustler. A hustler?

Why don't I go see how dessert's coming? ( laughs nervously )

Jake seemed like just another teenage boy at first... but there's more to him than that.

I'm beginning to realize that myself.

I care about him very much.

And so do I.

Now, tell me more about my poet-hustler son.

O'BRIEN: It's over here.

This is it.

We tried to run an analysis of it, but the computer couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Do you really think this is the drug the boy's addicted to?

It seems logical that the Founders would have kept a supply of the enzyme aboard his ship.

Hopefully, Dr. Bashir can determine if this is it.

Uh-huh. I still don't understand why they would engineer someone to be addicted to a certain chemical.

I suspect it's another way of ensuring the loyalty of the Jem'Hadar to the Founders.

If your soldiers are addicted to a drug that can't be replicated and only you can provide, that gives you a great deal of control over them.

Seems a pretty cold-blooded thing to do.

My people don't have blood, Chief.

BASHIR: I believe this tube intravenously delivers the chemical agent into the carotid artery.

How large a dose is required?

I'm not sure yet.

This supply could last for a week or maybe a month or even a year.

I have to experiment to find the right dosage.

All right. We'll start with two milligrams per minute.

Let me know if you feel uncomfortable.

Well, his heart rate is slowing.

Some increase in neurotransmitter activity.

And his cortical impulse readings are leveling out.

Let's try 3cc's.

I think we can hold it there for now.

How do you feel?

Good.

Thank you.

You should rest now.

We'll talk later.

I'll be in my quarters.

Wait. I want to go with you.

No, the doctor will take care of you.

I want to stay with you.

He doesn't have to stay here, as long as I can monitor his condition regularly.

Well, it seems I have my first houseguest.

So you can change into any of these objects?

With varying degrees of success.

Some forms are more difficult to emulate than others.

Like what?

Like this one.

As you can see,

I haven't mastered the humanoid face.

I found it to be quite challenging.

Why do you want to look like a humanoid?

You're better than they are.

You're a changeling.

That doesn't make me better... just different.

But I know... in here... that I am inferior to you.

But everyone else here is inferior to me.

No. That may be what your instincts tell you, but it's not true.

No one on this station is better than anyone else.

We're all equal.

Then I must be at fault, because I know that you cannot be wrong.

The first thing we have to establish is that I'm not infallible.

I'm no different than you are in that respect.

You have to begin to think for yourself, to make decisions based on what you want, not what I want.

Do you understand?

Now tell me.

What do you want right now?

No, don't think about it.

Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

I...

I want...

I want to know more about my people.

Who I am and where I come from.

I can understand that.

I was also found by aliens.

I didn't know who I was or what my people were like.

Did you ever find them?

Yes.

But... sometimes, the truth is not very pleasant.

Computer... display Bridge Security Log, USS Defiant, stardate 48214.5, time index 310.

( grunts, blows landing )

These are my people? Yes.

They're a race of brutal warriors.

But that doesn't mean you have to be like that.

You can channel your feelings of aggression in other ways.

How?

Computer, run program Odo One.

So this is not a real person?

That's right.

He can't be injured or killed.

He's just a computer simulation.

How strong is he?

As strong as you want to make him.

The computer will adjust his strength, agility, speed-- anything you want.

In here, you can indulge yourself.

You can let your instincts take over.

Fight until you're ready to stop, but at a price.

Out there, you have to control yourself.

You have to learn restraint.

Learn how to live peacefully among other races, regardless of how you may feel.

Learn to contain your feelings of aggression and violence.

Can I?

( grunts )

( grunting )

Can I do it again?

Can I have a stronger opponent?

Computer, increase difficulty to level two.

It's too easy! Make it more difficult!

Computer, increase to level three.

( grunting and groaning continues )

Can I speak to you for a moment?

Computer, increase to level five!

I heard you let him move in with you.

It was his idea.

He feels safer with me around.

Well, of course he does, Odo.

He was programmed to feel that way.

No, it's more than that.

I think I've begun to form a real connection with him.

He trusts me.

But can you trust him?

How long do you think you're going to be able to control him?

I'm not trying to control any... anybody.

I'm just trying to give him some choices other than becoming a laboratory specimen or a Jem'Hadar soldier.

I never thought I would say this to you, Odo, but you are listening to your heart, not your head.

That boy was created in a laboratory.

His body, his mind, his instincts are all designed to do one thing-- to kill.

My body, mind and instincts were designed to be a Founder.

You were trained to be a terrorist, but each of us chose to be something different.

I just want to give him the same chance we've had.

All right.

Give him a chance.

Just don't forget he is a Jem'Hadar.

He's dangerous.

I'm well aware of the risk, Major.

I hope so.

( grunting )

ODO: Computer, end program.

( panting )

Everyone keeps looking at me.

They're afraid of me.

They're mostly curious, but they're also afraid.

They should be. I could kill any of them.

Is that all you can think about, killing?

Isn't there anything else you care about?

I don't think so.

( sighs )

There is so much more to life than that.

So much more for you to discover and experience.

Maybe there is, for you.

And maybe there is for all of these other people here, but for me...

Sisko to Odo.

Go ahead, Commander.

I need to see you in my office, Constable.

On my way.

Wait for me in our quarters.

Something's wrong.

Starfleet is sending the USS Constellation to pick up the boy... ( sighs ) and then take him to Starbase 201.

They'll be here in five hours.

I thought we had an agreement.

I'm sorry, Odo.

Starfleet considers the boy a top priority.

I did everything I could, but orders are orders.

I put...

You're not sending me anywhere.

What do you want?

A runabout.

To go where?

That's not your concern.

Listen to me, this is not the way.

I know what I'm doing.

I'm leaving this place, and you're going with me.

You don't belong here any more than I do.

All right.

It won't be necessary to hurt anyone.

Commander Sisko will see to it that no one interferes with us.

If they do, I'll kill them.

Where are we going?

To the Gamma Quadrant. It's where my people are.

It's where your people are.

It's where we both belong.

I don't belong there. I don't believe you do either.

I won't allow them to put me in a laboratory.

I won't go with them to Starfleet.

All right, but there are other options besides going to the Gamma Quadrant.

We can find a place where neither Starfleet nor the Jem'Hadar will bother you.

A place where you can grow and learn about yourself without worrying about being sent to some laboratory.

It's a big galaxy.

All we have to do is head out for unexplored space and keep on going.

I am willing to do this with you.

To help start you on your new life, if that's what you want.

You just don't understand, do you?

I want to be with my people.

I don't want to be anywhere else.

I'm not like these other humanoids.

I'm a Jem'Hadar, and that's what I want to be.

You're not like these other humanoids either, but they've done something to you.

They filled your mind with ideas, with these beliefs.

I don't know what the other changelings are like, but I know they're not like you.

No... they're not.

Spread out, but remember not to fire until you hear my command or the boy fires first.

This is as far as you go.

Let us go, Commander.

I'm leaving of my own accord.

I'll take the boy back to his people, then return in the runabout.

If he boards the Constellation when it arrives, he'll either kill a lot of innocent people or be killed himself.

What makes you think he'll let you come back?

I don't believe he could injure a changeling.

When the Constellation arrives,

I'll tell them that I couldn't stop you from leaving.

That I would have had to kill the boy to keep him here.

Admiral Nechayev won't like that answer, but it has the virtue of being the truth.

Sisko to O'Brien.

Release the security fields around the airlock, Chief.

O'BRIEN: Aye, sir.

I'll see you when you get back.

He was afraid of me.

I could see the fear in his eyes.

Commander Sisko was trying to do what's best for you.

He was trying to help you.

He's not my friend.

He's my enemy!

And I now know that anyone who is not a Jem'Hadar is my enemy.

Does that include me?

SISKO: Station Log, supplemental.

Starfleet has expressed disappointment

over what it considers a "missed opportunity"

to learn more about the Jem'Hadar.

However, I'm happy to report that, with the boy gone,

life on the station has returned to normal.

( buzz of conversation )

O'BRIEN: I think we can get the upper sensor grid back on line by morning.

SISKO: Good. We're going to need it in the next few days.

I thought you were going to lower the boom on those two.

Well, I was, but some things came up at dinner I didn't expect.

Oh. Got to know her a little better?

Decided you liked her after all?

No, actually, I got to know Jake a little better.

Have you ever played dom-jot with him?

No. Don't.

Major.

About the boy.

You were right.