Computer, set heading 410 mark 32.
- Course laid in. - Maximum warp. Engage.
- Time to Parada system? - 1 hour, 14 minutes.
Open a new file, computer.
O'Brien, personal log. Stardate 47581.2.
l've got to set the record straight about the last 52 hours.
l don't know who's going to hear this.
l don't even know if l'll be alive
by the time this log is recovered.
l figure they'll be coming after me.
lf l'm right about this,
they won't want me to warn the Paradas.
Coffee, Jamaican blend. Double strong, double sweet.
l wish l could tell you who they are,
but that's part of the puzzle l haven't figured out yet.
Part of the puzzle, hell.
None of this whole damn thing makes any sense.
l'm trying to remember the first time l noticed that things were wrong.
lt seems to me it was...
The first morning after l got back to the station.
What are you doing up so early?
l had a lot of work to catch up on. Thought l'd get an early start.
At 5:30 in the morning?
Coffee, Jamaican blend. Double strong, double sweet.
l have a dozen essays to read.
- Did you have sweet dreams, darling? - Go away!
- Don't l get my morning kiss? - No.
- What did l do to deserve that? - lt's just a phase.
- She doesn't mean it. - Huh?
Don't let it bother you.
What time did you get to bed?
Late. l didn't want to wake you.
l was tired. l guess that trip really took it out of me.
- What did they have you doing? - The Paradas?
Basic training on security measures for the peace talks.
Odo would have had a field day.
l wish you could have been there.
- l'd better get going. - l'll drop Molly at day care.
That's OK. l'm taking her with me.
When you've got all that reading to do? That doesn't make sense.
l want to show her a Vulcan programme that teaches problem-solving skills.
At 5:30?
l want to do it while her mind is fresh.
- lf you say so. - See you later.
- What's this? - Just getting a head start, Chief.
Everybody seems to be getting a head start on me today.
DeCurtis, l appreciate your bushy-tailed enthusiasm,
but l was waiting for Odo to come back to do this.
We have to realign the entire security net for the peace talks.
Commander Sisko didn't feel we should wait for Odo.
Sisko gave you permission to start this without asking me first?
You might want to check with him. l'm only following orders.
- l'll check with him all right. - Mr O'Brien.
Carry on!
How long to Parada system?
53 minutes.
Direct sensors toward the wormhole.
Scan for other warp signatures.
One warp signature found.
Display.
ldentify.
Starfleet runabout Mekong.
l figured as much.
They'll wait for me to drop out of warp and then...
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?
Please restate question.
Disregard, computer.
Continue personal log.
OK.
So it was all a little curious.
But who could have guessed?
The way they were acting,
they might have been preparing a surprise party,
only my birthday's not till September.
As it turned out, l had nothing else to celebrate.
l've been waiting for you, Chief.
- What is it, Julian? - No more excuses.
l'd like you in my office in an hour for your physical.
This isn't a good day.
Commander Sisko has you covered.
You're going to the Commander about my check-up?
- l know how you feel about... - l've got things to do.
lf l have to order you as your superior officer, l will.
ls there a problem?
Mr O'Brien says he's unavailable for a physical.
- Make yourself available, Chief. - Commander...
Dr Bashir's annual report is due next week.
- We've all had to go through this. - Fine.
Fine. l'll be there in an hour.
Commander, can l talk to you for a minute?
Ensign DeCurtis mentioned that you were upset.
- Not upset exactly. - You have every right to be.
l'm sorry l assigned him before advising you. l guess l dropped the ball.
- l just felt a little left out. - Understood.
l've read your reports on the Paradas.
They're preoccupied with security.
We would be too if we'd been engaged in a civil war for 12 years.
Anything else l should know?
Unusual protocols we should observe?
Nothing out of the ordinary. lt's all in my report.
Tell me something that's not in the report.
Something that might help me in these talks.
l'd have to give it some thought.
There was one thing. l don't know if it means anything.
The Paradas have an odour from some kind of skin excretions.
When they're upset, it can get pretty strong.
- l'll try not to get them upset. - Good idea.
l've assured their leaders we'll follow all their security recommendations.
l'll see to that.
l want you to check everything, but the work can be done by crews.
- You have bigger problems. - Bigger?
All upper pylons are down again.
That's impossible. l went over that repair work.
The pressure locks were at maximum efficiency.
Check again. We had to tow a freighter to a lower dock.
lt can't be anything serious.
l rebuilt that subsystem myself.
- l'll get on it right away. - After your physical.
Yes, sir.
l noticed you and Keiko
in front of the school this morning. ls anything wrong?
Jake is having some problems with his grades.
l'm sorry, sir. Keiko's very fond of the boy.
- She'll work harder to help him. - l'm sure.
Are you nearly finished?
You've poked into every orifice in my body
and created a few new ones.
Any dizziness? Oversleeping?
Lack of energy? Euphoria?
All of them, especially euphoria. Lots of euphoria!
lf you're determined to find something wrong with me,
l'll grow a hangnail.
Eye problems? Hearing? Headaches?
l'm getting a very bad one right now.
Short temper.
Flies off the handle under the slightest provocation.
- Perfectly normal behaviour. - l'm glad you're enjoying this.
Sorry. l know how you feel about doctors.
lt's you, Julian.
- Your sense of humour seems normal. - l don't have one.
- Cough. How's the sex life? - l don't have a sense of humour.
Cough. Everything all right in that department?
That department is none of Starfleet's business or yours.
Parents in good health?
You knew my mother died two years ago.
You don't remember me telling you when my father remarried?
Me blathering on about this woman l've never met before?
Of course.
- Now l remember. - Are you finished?
Not quite. l just have one or two more tests to run.
This is insane.
l haven't had a physical take this long since l was born.
Unless l'm dying or something, it's about time...
Wait.
That's it, isn't it?
There is something wrong with me. That's why everybody...
Relax, Chief.
l'm giving you a clean bill of health. You can get dressed.
Hey, Chief.
- Hello, Jake. - l need a favour.
l'm working on a subspace transceiver,
but l can't get the emitter to work.
Subspace transceiver. l used to build them when l was your age.
- l'll be glad to help. - lt's not a conflict of interest?
Keiko won't mind.
lt's a chance to get your grades back up.
My grades are great. l want to keep them that way.
Sisko was telling the truth about one thing:
the upper pylons had failed again. lt didn't make sense.
The pressure locks l'd installed were working fine,
so it had to be a new problem.
lt wasn't going to be a quick matter to track it down.
lt would keep me occupied
while the security arrangements for the Paradas were under way.
- How's it coming? - Chief.
l thought you were working on the pylons.
l thought l'd take a break.
We made a complete sweep of the quarters assigned to the Paradas.
Open it up. l'd like to look it over.
- l can't, Chief. - That's an order.
The security seal was activated the minute we left.
Only Major Kira has the access codes.
- O'Brien to Kira. - Go ahead, Chief.
l'd like the access codes to the Parada quarters.
What are you doing down there?
l spent the last week going over these arrangements with the Paradas.
l want those pylons operational. That's your priority.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
Chief, is this the right inverter for the subspace transceiver?
l haven't seen one of these since l was a kid.
l replicated it. l found the design in a really, really old data file.
- Really, really old? - l didn't mean...
Come by my place after dinner. We'll add the rest of the pieces.
Jake, did anything unusual happen while l was in the Gamma Quadrant?
Your father's been looking for you. He's in your quarters.
- lt may be important. - See you later.
- Everything under control, Chief? - All under control, Major.
l worked on the pylon controls the better part of the day.
When l found the crack in the RF power conduit,
l didn't know how it could occur so deep in the system
unless someone had broken it deliberately.
- Hard day? - You could say that.
- Do you want to lie down? - No, Jake's coming over.
l promised to help him.
Commander Sisko just called. Jake isn't feeling well.
Really? He seemed OK a few hours ago.
You know how it is with kids.
He probably ate too much junk after school.
Where's Molly?
She's over at the Fredricksons spending the night.
So there's just the two of us then?
We'd better eat while the food's still warm.
The replicator can keep it warm and l can keep you warm.
- What's the problem? - No problem.
l'm just not in the mood. l had a hard day, too.
OK... We'll eat.
- What is it? - Fricandeau stew.
- You don't like fricandeau stew. - You do.
l just thought you'd appreciate one of your favourite meals.
A little endive salad, sweet flan for dessert.
How thoughtful of you.
- You're not having any? - l just feel like having salad.
- You're not hungry? - l had a late lunch.
How is it?
You know, l think l will lie down.
But you haven't eaten a bite.
l don't seem to have an appetite.
l don't know if anything was wrong with the stew.
When l went back later to check, she'd put it into the disposal.
All l could think of as l looked at her
was that this was not my Keiko.
Computer.
Open O'Brien personal log.
Play back last sentence.
All l could think of as l looked at her
was that this was not my Keiko.
You're right.
She wasn't.
Continue log.
l didn't get much sleep.
l waited for Keiko to go to bed, then l started my search.
l had no idea what l was looking for. Something not quite normal,
anything to explain what might be going on.
Scan complete. No unknown micro-organisms detected.
Check for chemical agents with bioactive properties.
No chemical agents with bioactive properties detected.
- Any unknown chemical agents? - Negative.
- Access internal EM sensor grid. - Ready.
Scan for any evidence of subharmonic transmissions.
No subharmonic transmissions detected.
- Any unusual neural wave patterns? - Negative.
- Any telepathic activity on board? - Negative.
Display all arriving vessels
from stardate 47550 through 47571.
None from the Gamma Quadrant?
No ships from the Gamma Quadrant
within time parameters requested.
Coffee, Jamaican blend. Double strong, double sweet.
You're drinking too much of this stuff, O'Brien.
Anything to stay alert, O'Brien.
OK, computer.
Play back station logs chronologically,
starting with stardate 4 7550.
ldentify which officer's logs are to be included.
- All officers. - Vocal or transcribed?
Vocal.
Station log, stardate 4 7552.9
Admiral Gupta has arrived to assess Cardassian border movement.
Several Federation colonies...
...a new life-form previously unreported. We have classified it...
...lost in a shuttlepod in the vicinity of the third moon of Bajor Vll...
We have two runabouts...
...that l find absolutely ridiculous. They have actually requested...
...at 17:00 hours and seemed to function with no difficulties...
...seemed satisfied the Cardassians wouldn't violate the treaty.
Access denied.
Denied? Access denied to what?
Station logs after stardate 4 7569.4 are restricted.
The day l got back. Describe the restrictions.
Access restricted to level one security clearance.
- l am level one. - Please enter security verification.
Access denied.
Anything l can help with?
l'm making sure the pylons are working by morning.
You're an inspiration to us all.
There were several traps in the computer subroutine
to let someone know if l'd penetrated the security lock-out.
l released the protected files without any problem.
What l found didn't answer all my questions,
but it confirmed what l'd been afraid of.
They were analysing everything in my report about Paradan security.
They'd even broken into my personal logs.
l hoped they enjoyed the sexy letters to my wife.
There were entries by Sisko about messages from the Parada system,
but no indication what they were about.
Maybe they thought l'd get in even with a security lock-out.
Smart people.
Chief.
Odo, l have to talk to you.
lt's good to see you, too.
Aside from Jake, not one of them was...real.
l'm not sure who we can trust.
- Do they know you're suspicious? - Probably.
l've asked questions. They'll be keeping close tabs on me.
What could l tell Starfleet? My wife doesn't seem like my wife?
Sisko hasn't been consulting me?
They might even call Commander Sisko and ask questions about you.
- When are the Paradas due? - 38 hours.
l don't want them near this place until we get this cleared up.
- Agreed. - Go on about your business.
l'll investigate. lf l can confirm your suspicions,
we can go to Starfleet and the Bajoran authorities at the same time.
- l'm glad you're back, Odo. - We'll get to the bottom of this.
l felt better than l had for a long time. l finally had an ally.
Now all l had to do was wait.
l'm a man with many talents, but waiting isn't one of them.
l had to prepare myself for whatever might happen next.
l still had a few tricks up my sleeve.
- The odds are against you, O'Brien. - Against me?
What are you talking about?
- You look tired... - What are you talking about, Quark?
Racquetball, the rematch with Bashir next week.
We never finished the first one.
We are jumpy, aren't we?
- Change the subject. - Fine, we'll change the subject.
Tell me about the Paradas. They'll be here when? Tomorrow?
Why do you want to know about the Paradas?
lt's good to know about customers before they walk in your door.
Which Rule of Acquisition is that?
One of the high numbers. 194, l think.
You'll have to find out about the Paradas from someone else.
- Odo to O'Brien. - Go ahead.
- Can l see you in my office? - On my way.
- l see what you mean. - What did you find out?
Sit down.
How much do you know about the Paradan rebels?
Don't ask me to explain the politics.
They've been fighting the government for 12 years.
l'm trying to understand the players involved.
Sisko's logs indicate that messages are coming from the Parada system.
- Were they from the rebels? - They were.
That's a breach of our agreement
with the Paradan government.
lt's a reason to cancel these peace talks.
That might be premature.
What are you talking about? We've got more than enough...
- They got to you. - Don't be ridiculous. l'm just...
No, they got to you.
- Let's have a little talk. - Who are you?
- We don't want to hurt you. - This will help you relax.
Computer, lock onto my combadge.
lnitiate emergency transport to runabout Rio Grande.
Unable to complete request.
Contact station commander for assistance.
Making it tough for me?
Fine. You want forcefields, l'll give you forcefields.
There. Now you want to get me,
you'll have to release them all.
Thank you.
Jake, are you OK?
Good. Listen to me. Something isn't normal around here.
Your dad, the others. Something's happened to them.
We're the only ones who can help.
Jake Sisko to security. He's here. Level H2, section 5.
Just surrender to them and you'll be fine.
Check all quarters. Advise people not to let anyone in.
- Shut down your engines. - No, Commander.
You will not be allowed to leave. Shut down your engines.
You'll find that the mooring clamps are already unlocked
and your tractor beams are off-line. O'Brien out.
Shields up.
- Are the shields holding? - Shields at 71 %.
Warning: shields at 49%.
Transfer emergency life support power to shields.
- Transfer complete. - Shield status?
Shields at 93%.
Full impulse. Heading 41, mark 330.
Confirmed.
Computer, open a subspace channel to Starbase 401.
- Priority one, Admiral Rollman. - Stand by.
Admiral, Miles O'Brien. Chief of Operations, Deep Space 9.
l know who you are.
l must apprise you of an emergency situation.
There's been some sort of takeover.
lt has something to do with the peace talks.
Listen to me very carefully. Return to DS9 immediately.
You don't understand.
Commander Sisko and the senior officers are under the influence of...
Turn the ship around and go back. You will not be harmed.
lt seemed unbelievable.
Had someone or something started to infiltrate all of Starfleet?
Computer, new heading. 180 mark 31. To the wormhole.
Coffee, Jamaican blend. Double strong, double sweet.
- Time to Paradas system, computer? - 1 minute, 20 seconds.
How much lead do we have on the Mekong?
Seven minutes, four seconds.
That will disappear once we drop out of warp.
At least l get to choose where they catch up.
ldentify the largest planet in the Parada system.
Parada lV.
- Adjust course to approach Parada lV. - Confirmed.
- How many moons around Parada lV? - Seven.
Lucky seven. Display co-ordinates.
- Approaching the Parada system. - Drop to impulse.
Status of Mekong?
Mekong has adjusted course to identical heading.
Perfect. How much time have they made up on us?
The Mekong is two minutes, one second behind this vessel.
Adjust speed to let them catch up to us in 30 seconds.
Dropping to point four impulse.
l'm waiting for you.
Warning: entering polar magnetic field.
Sensors will be non-functional for 27 seconds.
- Switch to manual navigation. - Switching.
Computer, full impulse. Engage.
Manual navigation in effect.
Shut down all engines, all main power systems.
- Maintain silent running status. - Confirmed.
Where did l go? Now you see me, now you don't.
What's it going to be? l can play hide-and-seek.
No time for games?
Computer, identify Mekong's new heading.
41 mark, 201.
- Probable destination? - Parada ll.
- What's on Parada ll? - Specify parameters.
Monitor transporter activity to and from the Mekong.
- Transporter has been energised. - They beamed to the surface?
- Three people. - Anyone on board?
- Negative. - Set a course for Parada ll.
Take us into orbit above their location.
Having a little unscheduled negotiation with the rebels?
Put down your weapons and we'll explain.
l've got a better idea. You put down yours first.
Do it!
You too!
Everything you need to understand is behind this door.
- A squadron of rebels? - lf you just permit me...
- Stay where you are. - We're not your enemy.
- No? - Please.
- This will explain everything. - l don't want to hurt you.
Doctor, we need you!
He's perfect. He looks just like me.
He thought he was you.
They thought that would make him more convincing.
There was some device programmed into him
that would take over during the talks.
Government scientists can do remarkable things with replicants.
- What was he programmed to do? - We're not sure.
Assassinate someone at the talks, perhaps our entire delegation.
They were tipped off by an informant.
There was a rumour you'd been replaced by a replicant.
We've been looking for you.
There was no way to prove he wasn't you.
He passed a physical. He knew his way around the station.
l had more wires attached to my head than you can count.
We tried to shut him out of every sensitive security area.
He must have wondered what was going on.
When we learnt of your rescue, he was on his way here.
l wonder why he was coming back?
l'd try to warn somebody there was something wrong at the station.
Maybe in a strange way he was trying to be a hero.
Keiko...
What about her?
Tell her l love...

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