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Distant Voices

Can I interest you in some more Yigrish cream pie?

No, thank you, Doctor. I'm quite full.

But you've hardly touched your food.

Well, the truth is I'm trying to lose a little weight.

Hemming women's dresses may provide me with a modest income, but it offers very little in the way of exercise.

Well, if you like, I can help you set up an exercise program in one of the holosuites.

I might just take you up on that.

And, uh, speaking of holosuites... happy birthday.

I know it's a few days off, but I wanted to give you your present early.

It's a Cardassian holosuite program.

An adaptation of one of Shoggoth's enigma tales.

Is it? I see.

Well, you sound disappointed.

I thought you enjoyed mystery novels.

I do.

Human mystery novels.

The trouble with Cardassian enigma tales is that they all end the same way-- all the suspects are always guilty.

Yes, but the challenge is determining exactly who is guilty of what.

( sighs ) Is Lieutenant Dax throwing one of her surprise parties for you this year?

Oh. So I'm told.

Well, you don't sound enthusiastic about that either.

Well, it's not that I don't appreciate all the trouble she goes to and everything.

It's just that... this year is a little different.

How so?

This will be my 30th birthday.

And?

Well... in many human cultures the 30th birthday is considered a sort of landmark.

It marks the end of youth and the beginning of the slow march into middle age.

And that's considered bad?

No. It's just that when you hit 30, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the passage of time.

I wasn't aware that humans saw growing old as a negative experience.

On Cardassia, advanced age is seen as a sign of power, dignity.

Well, I am aware that aging is part of the natural process of life.

It's just that I don't want to be reminded of it, that's all.

And look, Garak, in two days, I turn 30.

If I choose to be grumpy about it, that's my prerogative.

By all means, Doctor, be as grumpy as you like.

Well, thank you for the support.

Excuse me, Doctor.

What?!

Oh, Quark, I'm sorry.

How can I help you?

Um... my friend Altovar here is looking to purchase a small quantity of...

(quietly): bio-mimetic gel.

And I was wondering if, uh, you might be able to tell him where he can find let's say, uh... a few hundred milliliters.

Bio-mimetic gel is a restricted substance.

Its sale is strictly prohibited by Federation law.

I thought so.

You see? I told you.

I'm willing to pay whatever's necessary.

Name your price.

Why do you need it?

That's my business.

Oh. Well, I am sorry, but bio-mimetic gel can be hazardous if handled incorrectly.

It's not for sale... at any price.

Well... we tried.

Thank you, Doctor.

Quark... you might want to warn your friend that even attempting to obtain bio-mimetic gel is a felony under Federation law.

I know. I told him that, but he insisted I ask you anyway.

Letheans can be incredibly stubborn.

I... hope you'll forgive the interruption.

Of course.

You know... we just introduced a new lunch menu at the bar...

Good-bye, Quark.

Don't take it personally.

He's turning 30.

Lights.

What do you think you're doing here?

( growling )

( groaning )

( groans )

Bashir to Security.

Oh...

Bashir to Ops.

This is Doctor Bashir. Can anyone read me?

Computer, locate Commander Sisko.

Computer, respond.

Computer...

( eerie whispering voices )

Hello?

Is somebody there?

Hello?

( whispering continues )

Is there anybody there?

Where is everybody?

( crashing )

( crashing, glass shattering)

( crashing, glass shattering)

( clattering )

( louder crash )

Who's there?

( clattering )

( whimpering )

( gasps )

Quark?

It's all right. It's me, Bashir.

Okay. What is it?

What's going on? Tell me.

He's going to kill us.

He's going to kill us all.

Who? Who are you so afraid of?

Where's Sisko? What happened to the rest of the crew?

( crashing )

Why don't you come with me?

We'll go and try to find them.

No... don't you see?

If we move, he'll find us.

( panting )

If we stay here, we might be safe.

Safe?

From whom?

Quark, you have got to tell me.

( louder crashing )

He's here.

We've got to find a way to put these lights back on.

It's too late. He's found us.

We've got to get out.

( yelling ) Wait!

Who's there? Show yourself!

( growling )

( furniture crashing )

Quark?

Quark.

Tarkalean tea.

( scraping noise )

Constable?

Garak!

Doctor! What are you doing here?

I was about to ask you the same question.

I was looking for Constable Odo.

Everyone on this station seems to have disappeared.

Not everyone. I just saw Quark cowering behind his bar.

He believes that someone is terrorizing the station, and I'm not sure I disagree with him.

What do you mean? Tell me, what's going on?

There is some thing in Quark's tearing up the place.

I didn't get a really good look at it, but believe me, it was not friendly.

Computer... It's no use.

As far as I can tell, the station has suffered a massive systems failure.

Aside from life support and simple functions like turbolifts and doors, nothing seems to work.

It's been like that for hours.

I was up late, programming some replicator patterns for a suit I'm designing, when everything went dead.

I can't believe that you, Quark and I are the only people left on this station.

Sisko and the others must be around somewhere.

Maybe. Or maybe they've fallen victim to some kind of rampant virus.

Or space anomaly, or Dominion plot.

All the more reason to try and locate them.

( eerie whispering voices )

Wait... do you hear that?

Hear what?

That sound... it's like voices... whispering.

I don't hear anything.

But then, Cardassian hearing is not quite as acute as humans.

Doctor, are you feeling all right?

You look... different somehow.

What is it? Your hair... it seems to be turning gray.

So I've noticed. I guess you had reason to feel worried about turning 30, after all.

Either that, or your job is even more stressful than I'd thought.

Look, Garak, we haven't got time for this.

We've got to find out what's going on here.

I agree. Perhaps we should split up.

I can search the Docking Ring while you look around the Habitat Ring and the Central Core.

I'll meet you back on the Promenade in an hour.

Be careful. You, too.

And, Doctor, try to relax.

( machinery powering down )

( beep )

( doors opening )

Level H-1, section A.

( growling )

( yells in pain )

( pounding )

( pounding continues )

DAX ( faintly ): Look, what are we doing standing around here?

O'BRIEN: What do you want to do, rush out and get us all killed?

DAX: It's better than doing nothing. Let's go.

ODO: Or follow you right into a trap. Is that what you want?

KIRA: You're all crazy.

None of this is helping us deal with the Lethean.

DAX: Well, I don't see you coming up with anything.

KIRA: If you'd all stop talking and give me some time to think...

( louder ): maybe I would.

O'BRIEN: I say we do nothing until we get reinforcements...

Julian, there you are. Where have you been?

Looking for you. Well, I'm glad you're here.

...the communications system back on line.

It'll take hours.

Too many systems have been sabotaged.

All my work crews are missing.

And I cannot make new parts until we get the replicators fixed.

The first thing we need to do is neutralize the Lethean.

The Lethean? You mean Altovar? You know him?

We've met. He attacked me in the Infirmary.

Well, now he's trying to kill us all by destroying the station.

What are we waiting for?

Let's get some phasers and hunt him down.

If you ask me, none of us are safe until he is dead.

If we go looking for the Lethean, we're the ones who'll end up dead.

I'll tell you what-- if we find the Lethean maybe we can find you a backbone!

Maybe he doesn't want us to find the Lethean.

Maybe he's in league with him.

BASHIR: Computer.

Scan the occupants of this room for any anomalies.

Doctor, what are you doing?

You're all acting very strangely and I intend to find out why.

Computer! Don't bother, Doctor.

For some reason, the computer isn't working.

Don't go blaming me for that, Constable.

None of this would be happening if Security had done its job.

That's enough.

Where is Sisko?

Where are O'Brien's work crews?

I've been wandering around this station for hours and the only two people I've seen are Quark and Garak.

Where is everybody else?

There's something very wrong here.

I'd say there is.

Have you looked in a mirror lately?

( whispering voices ) Hold on.

Does anybody else hear that?

What?

I don't hear anything.

Garak didn't either.

Julian, what are you talking about?

I know, I know it sounds odd, but I keep hearing voices.

And he says we're acting peculiar?

What are these so-called voices saying?

That's just the problem.

I can't make out the words.

I think you're the one who needs help, Doctor, not us.

Maybe you should lie down.

I'm fine.

Except... you're hearing voices.

And you've aged about 30 years in the last few hours.

There must be some logical explanation.

Maybe there's a virus or a subspace anomaly a neural inversion field, an anaphasic parasite.

You keep thinking, Julian.

And while you try to figure it out,

I'll find the Lethean and stop him from sabotaging any of the other systems.

And what good will that do?

You have no idea where he is.

We don't know what we're up against, how strong he is, if he can be hurt by phaser fire.

Don't worry, Chief. I wasn't asking for any of your help.

If he's here, I'll find him, even if I have to do it all by myself.

Calm down, Dax. You're not going anywhere.

No one is. There are too many strange things going on on this station-- my aging, O'Brien's missing crew members, sabotage to the station, your abnormal behavior.

You think it's all connected somehow?

I think we should find out.

Is there any way of getting the internal sensors on line?

There's a computer processing junction near here.

I might be able to repair the internal sensors from there.

But I'm not going alone. Oh, what a surprise.

Don't worry, I'm not letting you out of my sight.

We'll all go together.

Let's move.

( sighs )

It's even worse than I thought.

The entire sensor array is burnt out and there's extensive damage to the computer's central processor.

The only system that looks salvageable is the subspace communications relay.

Well, that would at least let us contact Bajor.

See what you can do, Chief.

Constable, would you stop doing that?

Doing what? Looking around like that.

It's getting on my nerves.

There's no harm in keeping both eyes open.

I don't remember asking your opinion.

If the Lethean's around, I want to know it.

Last time I saw him, he was in the Central Core.

The Central Core? What level were you on?

Level 5, but I doubt he's still there.

I think I lost him. You think?

Just keep working, Chief.

For all we know, he could be right outside the door.

And if he is, then you'll have led him here.

O'BRIEN: Hold on, Lieutenant.

I think I've got the communications relay working.

Open hailing frequencies. Try to contact Bajor.

Hold on. Ah, it's not working.

But I'm receiving a signal.

Audio only.

Let's hear it. I'm patching it through.

DAX: ...four cc's of cordrazine, but there was no response.

That sounds like you, Lieutenant.

SISKO: There has to be something we can do.

Well, that's Sisko's voice.

NURSE: we've tried everything we can think of, but we haven't been able to counteract the telepathic damage.

His motor functions are minimal...

Where's this signal coming from?

I don't know.

Somewhere outside the station.

SISKO: Give me the bottom line.

DAX: The bottom line is that Julian's in some kind of telepathically-induced coma.

And unless we can get him out of it, he'll be dead in less than three hours.

SISKO: I'll be in my office.

Keep me informed.

What the hell's going on here?

Delta waves.

When I scan myself for brain activity, all I get are low-frequency delta waves.

O'BRIEN: And what's that supposed to mean?

It means that the voices were telling the truth.

I'm... in a coma.

How can you stand there and say that you're in a coma? That's crazy.

Not necessarily, Major.

I suppose the next thing you're going to tell us is that we're unconscious.

Not according to these readings.

Glad to hear it.

Actually, I'm not picking up any life signs from you at all.

Let me see that.

You want to know what this means?

This tricorder is broken. That's what it means.

I don't think so.

What are you saying, Doctor?

That we don't exist?

Oh, I've had enough of this.

I am not some figment of your imagination.

But don't you see?

That is why you are all behaving so strangely.

I'm not behaving strangely.

Am I?

You all are.

Dax, you're not usually the sort of person to solve her problems by running around with a phaser.

And, Chief, you aren't usually so pessimistic.

Look, we are wasting time.

The Lethean could be here any minute.

So if you're in a coma, and we're not real, then what are we doing here?

Or maybe we're just here to give him someone to talk to.

( laughing )

A paranoid, a coward, a hothead and me?

Oh, you'd think he'd pick some better company.

I haven't picked any of you.

I'm in a coma.

I'm the only one who's really here.

Which means when I'm talking to you,

I'm really only talking to myself.

I wish you wouldn't say that.

It's the only possible explanation.

KIRA: So... you're saying I'm you?

In a manner of speaking.

And I suppose he's you, too.

You all are.

You all embody different aspects of my personality... different voices inside my head.

I don't believe we're having this discussion.

If I were to guess, Chief,

I would say that you represent my doubt... and my disbelief.

No, I don't!

I knew you were going to say that.

Major... you're the perfect choice for my aggression.

And, Odo... you represent my sense of suspicion and fear.

Dax... to me, you've always represented my confidence... and sense of adventure.

Ha!

Thank you, Julian.

You're forgetting something, Doctor.

What about the Lethean?

What is he supposed to represent?

I suppose he represents the telepathic damage that the real Lethean did to my mind.

So why is this Lethean running around sabotaging the station?

It's not the station he's sabotaging.

It's my mind!

The station represents my mind.

Just as you represent different aspects of my personality.

Think about it! When the Chief fixed the communications relay, we could hear what was happening in the real world.

It's like he restored your hearing.

Exactly.

So if we could repair the station...

You'd wake up.

But if you wake up, what happens to us?

DAX: Julian!

( growling ) Julian!

Jadzia!

DAX: Help me, Julian!

Jadzia.

Jadzia!

( grunts with effort )

How did I get here?

Oh, don't ask me.

After all, we're inside your mind.

It's a pity about Lieutenant Dax.

How do you know about her?

I'm a part of you, remember? I know what you know.

Well... maybe a little more.

Still the man of mystery?

Oh, you wouldn't have me any other way.

Oh, I'm getting a little too old for this game.

Yes, apparently so.

You-- or should I say "we"?-- are running out of time.

Your service, Doctor.

I can't stay here.

I have to get the main computer back on line.

Then you'd better get to Ops.

If there are repairs to be done, that's the place to do them.

You're right.

Try to find Kira, Odo and O'Brien.

Tell them to meet me in Ops.

I'd be delighted.

I wonder if any of them plays tennis?

( people moaning and coughing)

MAN: Doctor, help us.

SISKO: I'll handle this, Doctor.

She's suffering cranial trauma.

Treat the fracture with an osteogenic stimulator and then follow it up with...

BOTH: Two cc's of inpedrezine.

How did you know that?

Just doing my job. No, you're not.

You're doing my job. And what's more, you're doing it as well as I could.

Give him a coagulation activator to stop the bleeding.

You represent my professionalism... and my skill.

I'm flattered.

Come on.

You're going to come with me to Ops.

But I'm needed here.

I can't repair the station without your help.

I suppose you're right.

Look after things here. I won't be long.

Yes, sir.

No!

You're not going anywhere, Doctor.

You're staying right here trapped on this station, watching while I destroy you piece by piece.

And when all the best parts of you are gone, when there's nothing left but the withered shell, then, and only then, will I put you out of your misery.

You can't escape, Doctor!

You can run if you want to, but you can't outrun death.

Major.

ODO: Doctor...

Odo... what happened?

The Lethean.

He came out of nowhere.

He's trying to rob me of my confidence.

My intelligence.

My strength.

I have to get to Ops.

Use the conduits.

They're your best chance.

I have to get there while I still can.

Chief.

Julian.

What the hell are you doing here?

I've got to get to Ops.

You'll never make it.

Well, I-I got to do something.

I can't just let the Lethean kill me.

The Lethean's too strong, too fast.

He's going to kill us all.

( gasping )

You sound awfully sure of that.

Well, I know you're not going to stop him.

Well, look at you!

You look like you've got one foot in the grave already.

I'll tell you something--

I like the real Chief better than you.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna try and find a way out of these conduits.

It's hard enough to for me to walk, let alone crawl.

Mind if I come along?

I thought you said I didn't have a chance.

Well, I'm hoping I was wrong.

So am I.

But somehow, I doubt it.

How did we get back here?

You tell me. It's your mind.

( panting )

This monitor... it's displaying my vital signs.

O'BRIEN: And what's the prognosis?

Pulse is thready. Blood pressure is dropping steadily.

I'm dying.

I could have told you that just by looking at you.

Ha!

( distant cheering and laughter )

( people yelling )

BASHIR: Pardon me.

Excuse me, excuse me. Pardon.

QUARK: Can I offer you gentlemen a drink?

Quark, where did all these people come from?

Just goes to show-- give the people what they want and they'll show up in droves.

Now, care to place a wager?

A wager? On what?

You name it.

On how much longer you have to live.

What organ will fail first. Ultimate cause of death.

The house is covering all bets.

What if I want to bet that I will survive?

Hmm. It's a long shot, but if you want to throw your money away, who am I to stop you?

MAN: Dabo!

Uh-oh.

It looks like all bets are off.

CROWD: No! No!

Everyone loses.

( laughing )

( gasps )

Oh, Garak, the Lethean is in Quark's.

Well, he hasn't caught you yet, Doctor.

Let's get you out of here.

I've got to get to Ops.

( groans )

What's wrong?

I don't believe it.

I've broken my hip.

I can't walk.

Well, Doctor, it was a good game while it lasted.

I've got to keep moving.

And how do you propose doing that, hmm?

You're going to help me.

( laughs )

I admire your tenacity, Doctor, but it's over.

Look at yourself.

Your bones are as brittle as twigs.

You can't catch your breath.

You can't even stand, let alone walk.

But other than that, I feel wonderful.

Now, are you going to give me a hand, or not?

It would be my privilege.

Now, what would you like me to do?

Get me up!

Of course-- come on.

( grunting )

All right? Let's go.

Okay, come on.

( panting )

( phaser firing )

( straining )

Anybody home?

All right, Doctor, here we go.

Easy, now.

That's it.

Good.

Surprise!

What is this?

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Julian ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ And many more. ♪

I really must congratulate you, Doctor.

You have a fascinating mind.

I'm sorry, but I really haven't got time for this.

But it's a party, and it's all for you.

You must try to enjoy yourself.

It's your birthday.

Garak... get me over to the engineering station.

Now!

Sorry, dear.

Come along, Doctor.

That's it.

Good.

There must be a way to reactivate the central computer network.

Any ideas on how to go about doing that?

( panting )

My engineering extension courses at Starfleet Medical... focused mainly on... Starship operations.

But I think if I can... can reroute... reroute the... central command processor,

I might be able to bypass the disabled systems and... get it operational.

So what panel accesses the computer?

If you were really Garak, you could tell me.

In fact, you could fix this computer without my help. But I'm not really Garak, am I?

I'm just another part of you.

Help me get this panel... this panel off.

( both yell )

My...tennis balls.

Well, this station is in worse condition than we thought.

Garak... the computer controls are behind one of these panels.

I just have to find the right ones.

Face it, Doctor-- there's no way to repair all this damage.

It's much too extensive.

Here.

If you won't help me... I'll do it myself.

I'd be more than willing to help you if I thought it would accomplish anything, but you're only delaying the inevitable.

That doesn't sound like the Garak I know.

We've been through this, Doctor.

I'm not Garak. I'm you.

Well, it doesn't sound like me either.

I've been thinking.

( panting )

Why did the Lethean let you live, hmm?

He killed everyone else who could have helped me.

Exactly what part of me do you represent?

Is it my conscience?

My curiosity? Hmm? Is it?

Is it my... sense of humor?

( coughing )

You tell me.

I don't think that you are any part of me.

In fact, I don't even think you belong here... at all.

Which leaves me with just one question.

Who are you?

You've put up an entertaining struggle, Doctor.

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

Now it's time to make things easy on yourself.

Oh, you mean just give up?

I don't think so.

Why not?

Isn't that what you've always done?

Remember, Doctor...

I am inside your head.

I know all about you.

When you were younger... you wanted to be a tennis player, didn't you?

( ball bounces )

I wasn't good enough to play professionally.

Don't lie to me.

Not in here.

You were good enough but you knew your parents wouldn't approve of it.

So you gave up.

And you became a doctor instead.

I love medicine.

But you loved tennis more.

And what about medical school?

You should have been first in your class.

What went wrong?

I made a mistake.

In the final exam.

You mistook a preganglionic fiber for a postganglionic nerve.

That's right.

But preganglionic fibers and postganglionic nerves aren't anything alike.

Any first-year medical student could tell them apart.

You purposely answered the question wrong.

That's... that's ridiculous.

You didn't want to be first in your class.

You couldn't take the pressure.

That's not true.

Isn't it?

Then let's talk about Lieutenant Dax.

You like her, don't you?

She's my friend.

But she could have been a lot more if you'd tried a little harder.

But you'd rather give up than fight, wouldn't you?

We'll see about that.

Wait. Where are you going?

( panting )

What do you think you're doing?

The mistake I made... was trying... to repair the station from Ops.

It may be the nerve center of the real world, but this is the center of my world. sGet away from that panel.

Or what? Hmm?

You'll kill me?

Go ahead.

You've had plenty of opportunities so far.

I don't think that it is as easy for you... as you say it is.

Ah...

You know, you don't look half as threatening in normal light.

Take a close look, Doctor.

You're dying.

Why can't you just accept it?

Because that is what you want me to do.

You may be inside my head, but you don't know me half as well as you think you do.

Take Dax-- I do have feelings for her.

( panting )

But the important thing is she's my friend.

You know? Friend? Hmm?

And I wouldn't exchange that friendship for anything.

As far as my career is concerned,

I may have been a good tennis player, but I am a great doctor.

Maybe I could have been first in my class, but it wouldn't have changed anything in my life.

I still would have chosen this assignment.

This is where I belong.

Computer... activate quarantine field 3-J.

You can't do this.

I can do anything I want.

It is my mind.

Begin sterilization.

( groaning )

DAX: Julian.

He's awake.

His vital signs have stabilized.

His brain wave activity's normal.

Welcome back, Doctor.

You will never believe where I've been.

As for the real Altovar, he tripped a security alert when he broke into the Infirmary.

Barely got two meters before Odo arrested him.

Well, it sounds as if he were more dangerous in your mind than he was in the real world.

Actually, I did some checking on Letheans.

Their telepathic attacks are almost always fatal.

I guess I was lucky.

Cardassians don't believe in luck, Doctor.

You survived because you're strong.

One thing's for sure, you know-- after experiencing life at a hundred plus, turning 30 doesn't seem that bad anymore.

In that case, happy birthday.

You know, Doctor, what I find most fascinating about this entire incident is how your unconscious mind chose people you know to represent the various parts of your personality.

Yeah, it did make things interesting.

And what I find interesting is how your mind ended up casting me in the role of the villain.

Oh, I wouldn't read too much into that, Garak.

Oh, how can I not?

To think, after all this time, all our lunches together, you still don't trust me.

There's hope for you yet, Doctor.

( chuckles )