The psychotectic treatments are complete, and Soren believes she had been ill and is now well. They easily overpower the J'naii guards but once Riker is alone with Soren, she's a different person. Ignoring Picard's warnings, Riker and Worf (Michael Dorn) attempt to break Soren free. He takes responsibility for everything and offers to take Soren with him.
Soren makes a passionate speech in front of the other J'naii and Riker tries to intervene. Riker and Soren's relationship is discovered before it gets very far. For a J'naii to identify as either male or female is forbidden, and others like Soren are treated as outcasts and - if discovered - are subjected to something called "psychotectic" treatment. Soren confides in Riker not only that she's attracted to him, but that she identifies as female. The attraction between Riker and Soren is noticed by Riker's friends and the other J'naii. Hallucinations of Ee'char appear to O'Brien on DS9, only disappearing when - on the brink of suicide - O'Brien finally accepts help from Bashir. After 20 years in the cell with him, wrongly believing his friend is hiding food from him, Miles murders Ee'char. It's revealed that during most of his time in the virtual prison, Miles has a kind, patient cellmate named Ee'char (Craig Wasson).
He eventually gets violent, assaulting Quark (Armin Shimerman) for taking too long to serve him a drink and even coming close to hitting his daughter. He prefers to be alone, he's angry, he refuses to see his therapist, and he threatens his best friend Dr. The Miles O'Brien who returns to DS9 is a changed man. When Kira (Nana Visitor) arrives to pick up Miles, he's only been in their custody for a few hours but he has memories of twenty years worth of prison. Rather than maintaining physical prisons, the Agrathi punish criminals by implanting memories of incarceration including hunger, isolation, and torture. While visiting the Agrathi, Chief O'Brien is wrongly convicted of espionage.