Stardate not given: An alien named Altovar attempts to steal biomimetic gel from the infirmary and stuns Bashir with an electric discharge. Bashir wakes up on a dim station, and with his hair beginning to gray. He also perceives strange whispering sounds. After escaping another assault by Altovar, Bashir joins Kira, O'Brien, Odo and Dax. O'Brien repairs the station's systems, and now the whispering voices clear up: It is the crew who are discussing Bashir's condition. When Bashir scans himself, he finds that he is in a coma, while everyone else exists just in his mind. Each of the other individuals represents a part of his personality, and Altovar is killing them one by one. With Bashir being around 100 years old and only Garak left to support him, the doctor goes to the infirmary and sets up a trap for Altovar. After successfully disabling the alien in his dreams, Bashir wakes up in the real infirmary.

• E17 Previous
• E19 Next