( groaning ) good morning, constable. and what can i do for you... today? it's my back. let's take a look. ohh... it happened this morning when i got out of bed. hmm. ( groaning ) i have alvanian spine mites, don't i? actually... i'll be in pain for the rest of my life. odo... you have a pinched nerve. really? it comes from bad posture. me? ridiculous. you've never seen anyone sit so straight. exactly. you carry yourself too rigidly. this is how i've always carried myself.

and now that you're a humanoid you have to learn to relax. well, that's what you said last week. and...? and it helped. that and the prune juice. there. you see? uh-huh. i know what i'm talking about. well... back trouble? it's none of your concern, quark. bad posture. will you get out of here? what you need is a good stretching regimen. worf's exercise class is just the thing. et that. i've got a holosuite program that'll take care of him. three orion slave girls strap you... quark... go ahead. suffer. what do you want? a yridian i've been dealing with sold me something that might interest you. i dot think so. you don't even know what it is. i know i don't want it. in that case can you tell me how to get in touch with the founders?

what are you talking about? it's a changeling... or it was anyway. since it's dead i'll let you have it for five slips of latinum. it's not dead. in that case, make it ten. it's sick. eight and we'll call it even. ( sighs ) ss with you. if that is a changeling maybe we should get it into a security field. that won't be necessary. but if it gets out of that container it could be dangerous. it's not going anywhere, doctor. it doesn't know how.

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a baby changeling? mmm. centuries ago out into the galaxy so we could learn about other races. when i was found, i looked very much like this. you were this small? mm-hmm. like a humanoid child, it will grow. its mass will increase as its shapeshifting abilities develop. as far as i can tell, it was exposed to a massive amount of tetryon radiation. i'm going to have to purge the isotopes with an electrophoretic diffuser.

are you sure it poses no danger to us, constable? when i was first discovered, i didn't know what i was. i had no memory of where i was from. i didn't even know i had the ability to mimic other forms. why would the founders send such helpless creatures out into space? to find out if the species they encountered posed any threat. what better way to gauge another race than to see how it treats the weak and vulnerable. i see your point. how long before it is able to take humanoid form? several months. why? well, there's still a lot we don't know about your people. the changelings could provide starfleet with invaluable information about the dominion. with that being the case i'd like to be allowed to work with it-- to teach it how to shapeshift. oh, i can't think of anyone better qualified. you might just want a little help. maybe you should contact dr. mora. mora?

way to communicate with you. he obviously knows what he's doing. maybe so but... i prefer to do this alone. it's your call. but it's always nice to have someone around to help change the diapers. i'll keep that in mind. the purge was almost 100% effective. the concentration of isotopes is nearly negligible. well, it certainly looks healthier. well, i better go and check on kira. did you hear? she's in labor. mm-hmm. but i guess you have your own baby to think about. there is still a small degree of instability in its morphogenic matrix.

itor for biomimetic fluctuations just in case. thank you, doctor. good luck. ( grunts ) how do you feel? better? i realize you can't understand a word i'm saying r. i know you're aware of me. you see, i was once like you. yeah. i spent months in a lab being prodded and poked by a scientist who didn't recognize i was a life-form. he thought i was a specimen--

he never talked to me. it didn't occur to him. i didn't know what i was... or what i was supposed to do. i was lost. alone. but it's not going to be that way with you. no. i'm not going to make the same mistakes that were made with me. come on. i want to show you something. ( rattling ) ( metallic clank )

( sneezes ) ( whispers ): i'm sorry. kira said this would only take about an hour. for bajoran women giving birth is all about being relaxed. he's right, miles. that's why it's so important for us to keep the rhythm. she's not going to relax until shakaar gets here. i called him almost six hours ago. only takes half that time to travel from bajor. he's first minister of bajor; he's a busy man. and so am i.

i'll try and pop by later. whoa. the baby is moving. relax. breathe. it won't be long now. sorry i'm late. how are you? i threw you off, didn't i? it's all right. i'll get back on track. i'm glad you're here. odo: this is the replimat. humanoids come here to eat. they... we, rather, need to ingest nutrients. this is my home. it's a space station.

i'll show you everything. but you can live here, too, if you want. it's a fascinating place. constable, why are you talking to your beverage? it's not a beverage. it's a changeling. excuse me, commander. yeah... o, huh? now, doesn't that feel better? nothing like spreading yourself out after being cooped up in a jar, huh? ( chuckles and sighs ) you have no idea of the marvels that are in store for you. do you know what you are? you're a changeling-- a shapeshifter. you can be anything--

or a filian python burrowing deep beneath the ground. it's all yours for the taking. i was never a very good shapeshifter. if you could see the face i'm stuck with you'd know what i mean. but i think i can be a good teacher. s. and i promise i'll never treat you the way i was treated. never. odo! dr. mora. what are you doing here? well, i heard about the changeling.

mora: oh, remarkable. it's much larger than you were. what is that? about a quarter of a liter? i suppose so. you didn't measure it? what difference does it make how large it is? it could make a great deal of difference. size could be an indication that it's ability to shapeshift. i thought you were on earth working with starfleet on new ways to detect changeling infiltrators. mmm. fortunately, i was visiting my parents on bajor when i got the news of your find. how are you, odo? i've been worried. worried? i heard your people took away your ability to shapeshift.

i knew you were going to say that. you never want to give anything away even though it's all right there in your face. well, let's get started, hmm? we have a lot of work ahead of us. actually, doctor... i told starfleet i wouldn't be coming back for a couple of weeks. that may have been premature. no, it'll take at least that long to get the changeling to respond. don't do that! well, i see you still have trouble controlling your temper. i was just trying to determine its mass. dr. mora, i understand that you want to help but i'm going to do this alone. alone? odo, you don't know the first thing about teaching a changeling how to shapeshift. well, then, i'll just muddle through somehow.

it's too warm in here. you know, a changeling's morphogenic matrix is most malleable at 17 degrees celsius. i used to be able to change shape in almost any temperature. that's true, but why not make it easy for the changeling? it took me weeks to figure out the optimal temperature the humidity, even the light levels. that's information you could use? well, i... suppose i could look at your reports. oh, well, feel free to, of course-- except i was never one to keep extensive records. i always wanted to move on to the next test. oh, believe me, i remember your tests very well. oh. so that's what this is about. you still resent the things i did to you in order to induce you to shapeshift.

but really, odo, i would hope that you would get past that by now. i am disappointed. i have my own ideas about how to teach the changeling. i imagine they're less invasive. exactly. hmph. you don't think that i can do it, do you? i didn't say that. as a matter of fact i'd be fascinated to see what you have in mind. well, in that case, why don't you stay... and observe? if you insist. ( gasps ) what's wrong? i... i don't know. it was like a cramp or something. you shouldn't be feeling any pain. well... it appears you're not going to be having the baby today. what?! you were in labor too long.

you weren't able to fully relax. your system had to stop producing endorphins before they accumulated to toxic levels. when will she have the baby? it could be a few more days-- or a few more weeks. weeks? if i don't have this baby soon, i'm going to go out of my mind. well, if you want, you can go see dr. bashir and have him... no, no, i... i want to have this baby the traditional bajoran way. we're a hundred percent behind you, nerys. right, miles? absolutely. i'll have to rearrange my schedule but i think so. nerys, return to your quarters and rest. i'll come by and see you later. you. be punctual next time or don't come at all. and you?

this... is a sphere. it's one of the most basic forms in nature. see how it rolls? interesting, isn't it? you're in my light. ( groaning ) now... this won't hurt a bit. here we are. here we go. yeah. yeah. yeah-yeah. now... this is also a sphere. uh-huh? feel... its symmetry the softness of its shape?

now... you try. there we are. there we are. ( sighs ) i understand that you prefer to remain shapeless. believe me, i remember how relaxing it could be. but you have to learn to take other forms. that's what changelings do. it can be immensely rewarding. i remember the first time dr. mora here coerced me into taking the shape of a cube with one of his electrostatic gadgets. once i did it and he turned the infernal thing off i was perfectly content to stay a cube for hours. it was fascinating, all those right angles.

around in a centrifuge. well... if you're not interested in a sphere right now we can always try... a cube. what do you think? all right. now... this is a pyramid. it's one of the most

what are you doing? i'm measuring its volume. it's been here a week, and it's only grown 17%. after three days in my lab, you were twice that size. well, maybe i was anxious to grow up so i could get out of there. my point is you've made no progress. and by this time, i'd already gotten you i am trying to gain its confidence not teach it tricks. it's a shame you're not a changeling anymore. you could link with it and teach it everything it needs to know. you make it sound like it's my fault. it might very well be-- let's face it, odo. your shapeshifting ability was somewhat limited. maybe that's why your people were able to force you to take a humanoid form. that is pure speculation. let's run a few tests and find out.

one of your contraptions, aren't you? i'm trying i am not about to submit myself to another round of your experiments. everything i did to you was for your own good. ha! true, some of the tests that i subjected you to proved inconclusive. the vacuum chamber springs to mind... the cytoplasmic separator... come to think of it, the protein decompiler as well. how could i know until i tried? by the prophets, odo e-form. i wasn't sure about you either. once i realized you were sentient oh, the cardassians wanted to know everything about you. i was under enormous pressure to come up with results, and i did. my technique worked. the fact that you are standing here whining about it proves it. you enjoyed watching me suffer. you really believe that?

in a beaker labeled "unknown sample." if it wasn't for me, you'd be a nobody. starfleet wouldn't hire you to judge a science fair. i'm getting a little tired of sitting around watching you but i can't seem to pull myself away. i can't wait to see what next preposterous thing you're going to try. who knows? maybe in a couple of months it may get so tired of your incessant chatter that it might actually do something. oh, you'd just love to get your hands on it wouldn't you? you could sell tickets on the promenade. "dr. mora's chamber of horrors-- open for business." right this way! captain. how's it going, gentlemen? ( clearing throat ) making progress, sir. i'm glad to hear it. i was just talking with starfleet command. they want you to establish communication with the changeling as soon as possible. at the rate we're going

better not be too long. otherwise, starfleet is going to want to take over the project. sir... as long as you're making progress there's nothing to worry about. oh, by the way... starfleet wants you to file daily reports for their review. understood, sir. carry on. now you understand the kind of pressure i was going through. i brought my old equipment from bajor.

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anytime you're ready.

don't worry. you're going to get through this all right. oh, no... no, no. i'm just an observer here. ( clearing throat ) changeling won't respond to anything less than six millivolts. there must be some other way. spare the rod, spoil the child. odo, without discomfort the changeling will be perfectly comfortable to remain in its gelatinous state. it'll just lie there... never realizing it has the ability to mimic other forms--

once it realizes there's no charge in the center the procedure will be finished. ( clears throat ) ( sighs ) ( gasps ) checking to see if i'm enjoying myself? that's it. you've found it. ( chuckling ) i smiled the first time you did that. little did i realize you would end up hating me for it. well, shall we move on?

( clearing throat ) edon... hello. how are you feeling? i'm all right. my feet are a little swollen. a little? they've never been this bad. well, there's a zero-grav tumbling performance on the promenade tonight. do you want to go? well, maybe. you can't go standing around for an hour. hey, chief, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute? well, i'll take over. i think it's time. you got to do it harder. i know how. it's time. you got to work up the legs. it's time! ( grunts ) odo: now, if i were you i'd hold this shape.