"What is this supposed to do again" John Sheppard asked, standing next to Jennifer Keller and Richard Woolsey in one of the isolation rooms as they looked at the small device being held by Atlantis's Chief Scientist Rodney McKay.

"It will give us a glimpse into an alternate universe that fit certain parameters, similar to a quantum mirror" Rodney McKay answered the unspoken 'why do I have to put up with these inane questions' coming through loud and clear. He didn't give anyone the time to ask any more questions as he began to punch button on the device, seemingly at random as he continued on. "For instance a universe where Carson and Elizabeth weren't lost"

"My sweet Baby boy, are you trying to make me proud? Are you trying to reach me? You already made me so proud baby boy, but this will make it better. I'll just add my own parameters and over power it just enough. There we go baby soon you'll all hear me and I'll never be alone again, I'm so proud..."

Sheppard reached toward the device, almost appearing to be in a trance as Mr. Woolsey spoke, "Maybe we should wait until less of the senior staff is in the room before...." The moment that Sheppard touched the device in Rodney's hands it glowed brightly lighting up the scientist's irritated and then completely surprised face.

"That isn't supposed to happen; in fact this device shouldn't even have the ability to..." The scientist managed to get out before the light expanded from the device to fill the room blinding them all for several seconds before retreating back to the device with what sounded like a muffled sonic boom. The device pulsed once and like an old television set coming into focus images began to form on the other side of the room becoming clearer and more solid until there were four near exact doubles of the majority of the original Atlantean senior staff.

The other Sheppard took one look at what was going on and pulled his weapon, a gun that looked more like a modified version of Ronon's than the pistol that their own John Sheppard carried. His hair was long and wavy and tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck that went down to the center of his back. He was dressed differently as well. He was dressed in a dark brown, nearly black version of the clothing worn by the Ancients with silver writing along the edges and all the seams. This writing seemed to be some form of Ancient mixed with some other language that was incomprehensible to the surprised people on the other side of the room.

The Other Rodney went very still and very silent, still turned towards the wall where he appeared; he was kneeling and had apparently been working on some thing or another. Though they could not see his face it was clear that reacting as if this was a potentially deadly situation. He was also dressed in Ancient style clothing though his were a shade or two lighter than Sheppard's and blue. The writing on his clothing was gold instead of silver and seemed to be more pronounced. He had originally been closest to the center of the room but the other Sheppard quickly moved between the rest of the room and the other Rodney.

The Other Carson's clothes were the color of old blood and his hands were drenched red with it, he had no writing on his clothing. His hair was almost completely cropped and he had a scar running from the base of his ear to the base of his nose in a straight line across his cheek bone. His blue eyes were focused on a spot about table height right in front of him. Rather than seeming panicked like their Carson would have been over disappearing and reappearing away from what had to be fairly intense surgery he seemed mildly disappointed, he sighed once and murmured something that sounded like they had just gotten to the good part and he was going to miss it. Like the other Rodney McKay he gave no outward sign that he noticed the doubles in the room.

It was the other Elizabeth that was both the most and least strange of the four. She was dressed in what was clearly an expedition uniform, but it was nearly worn through. She was the kind of filthy that can only come with being unable to bathe for weeks at a time. While the other three were relatively well groomed and seemed well fed she quite clearly needed a meal or three. It was her reaction however that set her apart. Her eyes seemed to widen at the sight of the others on the other side of the room but when they came to rest on the ones from her universe she whipped her pistol, this one was military issue, and demanded in a voice that they haven't heard since Phoebus inhabited her, "What the Hell have you done?"

"Ah, Carson, look your favorite subject has clearly missed us" Sheppard all but laughed at the hatred in Weir's voice and ignored the look of dark fondness that Carson shot her as she bristled. "Elizabeth" he purred her name mockingly as Rodney finally stood up his hair brushing his shoulders as he turned. Now that they got a good look at him they could tell he didn't have any overt scars but his eyes were strange, instead of being just electric blue the irises seemed ringed with the lighter blue and purples that were so prominent in Atlantis. One of his hands looked slightly... off, but it was impossible to tell in what way.

Mr. Woolsey stepped forward intending, no doubt, to bring the room to some sort of order when Elizabeth Weir, who had been swinging her gun almost wildly back and forth as she planted herself with her into the corner finally settled the muzzle directly at the other McKay, her hand was on the trigger as she spat "Let's see you precious city heal this" She pulled the trigger and several things happened simultaneously. McKay, the other Rodney McKay, was thrown to the ground with the combined force of a shove from Sheppard, the other John Sheppard, and a tackle from Carson Beckett who glared at Elizabeth Weir with a surprising amount of anger as he shielded McKay from any other bullets. This anger was nothing on the faces of McKay and Sheppard who practically glowed with hatred. It was Sheppard who shot her with a bolt of some kind of energy that caused her to topple over with a small scream of pain.

He then turned to his double across the room and in a faux calm voice. "My name is Commander John Sheppard of the Lanteans, and while Weir," here his face contorted slightly with something dark and angry before he continued, "was dead wrong about who was responsible, I would also like to know what you did."

Woolsey took that opportunity say, "We are not yet sure what has happened but I assure you that we will find out and send you back to where you belong, now I am sure you understand that we have a standard procedure for when thing like this happen and if you would follow..." He was interrupted as a large group of newer recruits, attracted by the sound of gunfire but without the necessary wisdom to check what was actually going on, burst into the room brandishing wraith stunners and shooting everyone in sight. In short order the only one still standing, as it were, from the original group was Keller who had been kneeling next to Weir trying to determine whether she was going to be alright.

Keller stood up nervously; her hands raised and said "uh, I surrender?"

Several hours later after everyone had been sorted into the right places, the infirmary for the senior staff and isolation rooms for the visitors. The senior staff had been revived, the visitors had been left to 'sleep' the stunners off and Lorne was currently giving the 'Why we don't shoot our CO with wraith stunners' lecture, it was a surprisingly well known lecture, to the new recruits. The necessary tests had been preformed proving that their visitors were indeed who they thought they were. All the senior staff gathered in the conference room to discuss what was going on. The Carson Beckett of this universe, who had been called back do to the presence of his double, asked "So how all did this happen?"

"That the problem it shouldn't have"

"Rodney" John drawled, "We all think it would have been better if it hadn't happened but now that it has we should probably fix it."

"And by we you mean me as usual" Rodney deadpanned, "But what you don't understand, Colonel, is that when I said shouldn't I meant couldn't, the device we were working on doesn't have the kind of power necessary to randomly pull people who into different realities. From what the database says it can on a good day with a ZPM backing it open a small hole in two space-times at simultaneous points for nothing more than observation and possibly one person to travel through on a temporary basis only, even then they would have to stay within one meter of the hole"

"So the device was much more powerful than was believed" Mr. Woolsey murmured.

"That's not it at all" Rodney exploded, "Aren't you listening, it takes one full ZPM to move one person for a short time to one spot that is within one meter of its corresponding spot in the other space-time and they have to stay there the entire time. The amount of power needed for this to happen would be astronomical, the magnitude of the explosion that device should delivered with that much power running through it at once to, theoretically, move four people who were standing in the right next to each other in the exact corresponding spots would have destroyed our Atlantis, this planet and at least half the solar system; more if it hit the sun. Not to mention probably tearing space-time apart and causing both universes to implode. And that doesn't take into account the fact that they were clearly not in the same place and most probably were not in that particular isolation room."

"First of all, how do you know they weren't in the same room? And secondly how much more power are we talking here?" John asked half out of curiosity half because it was still a blast to wind Rodney up even after knowing him for five years.

"Easy, Colonel" Rodney sneered with his patented 'why must you be an idiot and still breath my air' glare, "First the other Carson was covered in blood and obviously pulled from surgery, while the other me was fixing something, and do you know any version of me that would choose to fix something while someone was in surgery and bleeding several feet away. More to the point would I be calm about it?"

"No you probably would have fainted from the blood" Ronon laughed gruffly.

"Thank you, Conan, and it's 'pass out'. And who knows what the other Elizabeth was doing but from her surprise I think it is safe to say that she wasn't anywhere near the others. As for your other question, Colonel, until I have found out what they were doing and how far they were from each other, I have no point of reference. I don't know about you but since the other Elizabeth has actually tried to kill some version of me within the last eight hours, I think I will leave her be if you don't mind. It is all a moot point anyway, because it is not possible."

"Do you think it is possible that whatever the other you was working on combined with the energy output from the device as it tore it's 'small hole'" Teyla asked before actual bickering could break out.

"That's... not entirely impossible. If the other Sheppard was standing in the same room, but that still doesn't explain what the other Carson or the other Elizabeth were doing there."

"Well, you said that you were programming it to find a universe where I hadn't... been lost" Carson's brogue deepened slightly with discomfort at referring even vaguely to the fact that he was a clone. "Is it possible that they were pulled along as the device tried to do what it was supposed to do?"

The answer was delayed as Keller's earpiece went off and after listening for a few minutes said, "Your doubles are awake and refusing to talk to anyone but you three, the other Dr. Weir also woke up briefly, we had to sedate her again when she attacked one of the nurses. If you'll excuse me I need to go set some broken bones."

The meeting broke up as they all went their separate ways, Teyla and Ronon to spar, the three guys to talk to their counterparts, and Mr. Woolsey to try and talk to Elizabeth.

"My Smart boy, coming to such a good conclusion, using all the facts you have and listening to your family. You won't have to worry soon Baby. They'll all be safe soon and that woman who is not nearly good enough for my baby will be gone. You'll see baby John Sheppard will make you happy. I'll make sure of it."

John:

As he approached the room holding himself Lt. Colonel John Sheppard thought about what it meant about his life that this wasn't the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him, this wasn't even the weirdest thing that had happened to him this week. Fortunately this was not the first time that he had talked to another version of himself; honestly he was just surprised he wasn't being shot at this time he wasn't even being shot at this time. He took a deep breath and entered the room where the other him was sitting, seemingly relaxed if not for the ever roaming eyes and how his hand constantly strayed to where his gun should be. John cleared his throat and began to speak. "Hi my name is Lt. Colonel John Sheppard; I would like to apologize for the overzealous attitude displayed by my soldiers."

"Very Well, I accept your apology. As I said earlier my name is Commander John Sheppard of the Lanteans, where are the rest of my people? And where are my weapons?" This was said in the same faux calm voice that Commander Sheppard spoke in earlier.

"I believe that your McKay is on the room to the right of this one, your Beckett is on the room to the left, and at some point Your Weir was across the hall but I think that she was moved after she needed to be sedated again. McKay and Beckett are currently talking to their counterparts in this universe and seem to be showing no ill effects. The other Weir seems to be showing some extreme aggression, hence the sedation, but we are working to fix that. Your weapons will be returned as soon as we are sure you won't be a security threat."

"Thank you, and as for Weir the only reason that I would want to know her whereabouts and condition is if she was on Carson's table and in great pain."

John blinked twice then said "Oook," then to change the subject, "so how does one get the title of Commander from the USAF?"

"I would have no idea, I haven't been part of Earth" and he sneered at the name of his planet of origin, "military in nearly two years."

"You broke from Earth?"

"More like we refused to let a group of fools more concerned with how things look than actually making the galaxy a better place tell us what we should be doing."

"Oh, well that explains that. What about Weir?" John was almost afraid to ask but his curiosity had been nurtured along by Rodney McKay for five years so he couldn't help it.

"Is this a one sided Q&A or can I join in? And Weir agreed with the IOA."

"By all means ask away. What did Weir agree about?"

"We made some decisions that apparently made us look like Warlords, despite the fact that those very same actions have possibly saved Pegasus and Earth. The IOA told us to cease and desist and we took great pleasure in telling them to screw off. No doubt Elizabeth is currently spinning a tale of how we are evil incarnate, if she is coherent. She and a group of Earth Loyals, mostly from the crew of the Apollo, got secret orders from the IOA to kill myself and especially Rodney; when they failed the first time they took off in the Apollo and have been living off of it ever since. Where is your Elizabeth Weir?"

"She was killed by replicators a little over a year ago; we had to kill her again a couple months ago. Why Rodney?"

Rodney:

Rodney McKay approached the Iso room that held his counterpart with his usual grace and tact. He barged in without even slowing for the guards and demanded, "What were you working on when you were pulled into this universe?"

"What were you?" The other McKay responded not in the least fazed, "And what makes you think that it was our devices and not yours?"

"I know that whatever you were working on was involved because, the device that I was working on would have been unable to handle the amount of power that would have been needed to actually drag the four of you from wherever it was that you came from. You still haven't answered my question."

"Might I remind you that you didn't answer me either; And I was working on a device that was sabotaged by one of Weirs people and left for us to bring back to the city, I don't know what it did but I do know that it wasn't made by the creators, I had just disarmed it when we were drawn over."

Rodney gave a quick description of the device, not bothering to mince words since he was talking to himself. At the end of the brief explanation a look of confusion crossed very quickly across the face of the other McKay followed quickly by comprehension. He said "That explains what she told me." At Rodney's obvious confusion he explained, "She said that 'Another of me will need to borrow you for a brief time to help yourself, you need not worry I am allowing it'"

"Who's she?"

Carson:

Dr. Carson Beckett, M.D. respected geneticist, two year old clone of the late Carson Beckett approached the room where his double with extreme trepidation. He was just getting used to the fact that most of his memories came from someone else and now another version of him had appeared. Now he would have to find out if there was another clone or a new original. He honestly didn't know what would be worse. Carson nodded to the guards as he approached the doors, they both nodded back and one held the door open for the nervous doctor. He entered the Iso room to find his almost double. His hands had been cleaned but he had refused to change, just like all the others. Even while the three had been unconscious no one had actually been able to get any clothing off and after the first time that Weir had woken no one had been willing to go anywhere near her to change her. Beckett looked down from where he had been eyeing the windows of the Iso room contemplatively.

"It is strange to be on this side of the glass" Beckett said after a few moments of awkward staring, "usually I am watching to see if the newest therapies have worked."

"Aye, I felt the same last year, when I was rescued from Michael"

"Ah, Michael, he kidnapped you?"

"It's complicated. How are you feeling?" Carson nervously sat down in front of his look alike.

"I feel fine, how are the others?"

"Neither your Sheppard or your Rodney have shown any ill effects of the either the trip or the stunning shortly after, I believe they are currently speaking with their counterparts. Your Dr. Weir has resisted any attempt to examine her. She actually has attempted to physically attack certain nurses whenever they entered the room." Surprisingly, or not, Beckett nodded to each report.

"I would like to examine the Commander and Rodney at the next opportunity, from what little I have seen there are certain things to look for that you might not see. As for Dr. Weir well she was my favorite subject, though she certainly doesn't appreciate the effort I went to with her. I'm not surprised that they talked to their counter parts, I mean who else can we trust but ourselves?" Carson agreed then something occurred to him.

"What do you mean by Subject?"

Elizabeth:

When Elizabeth Weir first woke she was careful not groan at the mild pain that she recognized as an after effect of one of the Lanteans Blasters. A slight movement of her wrists told her that she was not restrained. There was a brief moment where she allowed herself to feel relief that she wasn't on his table again. She searched her memory for what had happened but only got a vague glimpse of the horror she felt at seeing a double set of them. She opened her eyes to the smiling face of one of her nurses. The nurse started to say something but Elizabeth's eyes swept past her, out of habit, and landed on a Lantean nurse. Her need to hurt, to kill, any Lantean that she found was so great and her frustration at being held back as she screamed and fought as she was bodily pulled off her target was so immense, that she never noticed the needle or the medication that sent her back to the darkness of sleep.

When she woke again she was restrained and she opened her eyes to look into the compassionate face of Richard Woolsey. She snorted at the blatant fake sitting before her in an expedition uniform. "If that is the best you can do then you can just go back to your puppet master, you'll get no information from me." She spat at the now confused Woolsey that sat next to her bedside.

"Dr. Weir, I don't know what you are referring to. There seems to have been a bit of an accident with some technology, rest assured we are doing everything to..."

"Don't try that line with me, puppet," She spat, hatred filling her voice," your masters must think they are so clever, well you can go back to them to say that you have failed. They'll have to do a better job with a better explanation then 'accident with technologies'. I've seen this song and dance before and I didn't fall for it then."

"You are currently in what appears to be alternate space time..."

"Prove it." Weir had calmed slightly her mind racing as she tried to work out how to escape.

"How can I do that?"

"Burn her down"

"What!?"

"Atlantis, Burn her to the ground, complete my mission and maybe I'll believe you." She suddenly stated shouting, and Mr. Woolsey was shocked to see the desperation and madness that filled her eyes, "You hear that, you bitch, I'll make sure you burn. With your precious son in the middle of the blaze, you'll feel him die."

"Why do you want to destroy Atlantis?"

HOW DARE SHE! Who does she think she is; to say such things? Try to take my baby away, you'll pay. Oh, you'll pay. Don't worry Baby, I won't let anything happen to you; you'll be safe now baby just finish the process.

Two and a half hours later, the senior staff met again; each of the four who met themselves, or the person who held their position originally, were slightly pale. There were a few minutes as they tried to center themselves before Wolsey cleared his throat.

"Alright I suppose now we need a report of what we all learned from our counterparts. I'll start shall I? Dr. Weir refused to say much. She thinks that she is enemy hands. What little I could get out of her is that she seems to be insistent that Atlantis be destroyed" He ignored the small twinge that came with saying those words and instead focusing on his companions. Both Ronon and Teyla were concerned but knew well enough that it was not even a possibility. Keller barely reacted, still distracted by the four broken bones that she just had to set in the nurse that had nearly been beaten to death by Elizabeth Weir. The other three however, distracted as they were by the conversations with their own counterparts, were brought short for a few moments by the last comment. In those moments Woolsey saw fear in three sets of eyes in addition to desolation in one at the thought of Atlantis' destruction. The looks passed as logic took over but the reaction would not be forgotten. "Yes, well, I believe it would remain in our best interests to leave Dr. Weir where she is so she doesn't cause any more harm." There were nods of agreement before they moved on to the next person.

"My double and myself have been comparing notes on the devices we were working on, but as his was a sabotaged, non-Ancient, piece of technology that he had never seen before and we are trying to reconstruct it entirely on his memory it will be slightly slow going. He has asked several times to check in with his Sheppard and Beckett, and I am going to need him in the lab soon as well if we are to recreate and reverse what happened, preferably without the whole tearing the galaxy apart piece that will inevitably come."

"Way to be optimistic about our chances McKay"

"Colonel, it's called being realistic" Woolsey noticed that neither seemed to be quite as focused on their responses as usual. Even McKay's report was lacking in most of the sarcastic panic that is usually prevalent in these kinds of meetings.

"Let's move on, is here any other information that you think should be shared Dr. McKay"

There was a slight hesitation before McKay responded, "No, that was it."

"Very well, Colonel Sheppard what is your report?"

"Commander Sheppard is also very interested in seeing the rest of his people, and having his weapons returned. We actually talked a little about the differences between the two realities. It appears that there was some sort of disagreement between many of those on Atlantis and the IOA. According to the Commander Weir and several others have standing orders to kill any Lanteans they find, they escaped Atlantis about six months after the first attempt to kill the city and have been living off the Apollo for a little more than a year. They believe that the Apollo's hyper drive was damaged during the escape. Another difference is that the Wraith doesn't appear to be an issue there, though he said that Dr. Beckett would know more. Other than going into more detail about the war they currently are involved there wasn't much information that could be potentially useful."

"Very Well, Dr. Beckett?"

Carson, shaken as he was from the meeting with his counterpart, had to be asked twice more before he responded, "What, oh, I have nothing to add"

"No, we'd like your report from your talk with the other Carson Beckett."

"Oh, He'd like to examine the Commander and the other McKay; he mentioned briefly that he had found some interesting things about the wraith and the Ancients."

"You spent two hours with him and that is all you have to report?" Mr. Woolsey sounded extremely skeptical.

"It's the only thing that I would even be willing to think about at this point."

Mr. Woolsey sighed "Colonel Sheppard, do you think that it would be feasible, security wise, to return their weapons and release them from isolation."

"I believe so, and at the very least we do owe them for the welcome they got. I'll have Lorne assign the three of them temporary quarters."

"Very good, if no one has anything else to add," Woolsey looked around "Then, Dr. Keller, would it be possible for the other Dr. Beckett to use you infirmary to examine his people" She nodded wordlessly. "Then I this meeting is now adjourned."

Nearly a month later, after everyone had been returned their correct places and universes, Richard Woolsey stared at his computer screen willing the orders to disappear. He had never before felt the need to curse his tendency to report detail for detail in mission reports. However since the first report he sent, where he had unfortunately given a word for word account of the alternate Dr. Weirs warnings, he had been fighting an uphill battle to allow the sentience in Atlantis to be freed. Now the IOA had made its final decision and a part of him feels slightly relieved that he didn't have to essentially order the death of several key personnel.

'"No matter what you think, he is beyond help, since setting foot into the city he probably has been dead and you would only be killing her." Weirs crazed eyes stared into his, speaking of desperation and destruction.

"Colonel Sheppard is..."

She snorted "Sheppard? No he may be salvageable; even now your Sheppard could be saved. No Rodney McKay is the one to watch for, her son, he will die with Atlantis."

The IOA ordered that any and all attempts to free Atlantis be suspended indefinitely, and though he didn't officially know of any more than one attempt he guessed that McKay had at least three programs attempting to find the line of code that would need to be deleted to free her. Woolsey supposed he was grateful that they didn't order the destruction of Atlantis or that the expedition be recalled since he wasn't sure what would happen in either case. Woolsey sighed it was time to tell the others the decision.

Carson Beckett sighed in relief as he stepped through the wormhole and away from the city. Ever since speaking to his double he had felt uncomfortable in the city. Seeing the people around him and knowing that there was someone who thought like him and was capable of the kind of experimentation that he had been told about, the kind that Michael had performed had made it extremely hard to interact with the people who he had once thought of as family. That was even without mentioning the cold shoulder Dr. Keller had been giving him since his double had all but forbidden her from going anywhere near the nurse that had been so badly beaten by Weir. Maybe now that he was away from the city that didn't seem as much home as it used to he could get his bearings back, and decide how he was going to deal with the mental image that Commander Sheppard and the Alternate McKay had left them all with of them locked in a rather passionate lip lock. Then again it may be just better to forget that.

Two days after he had been told to cease and desist Rodney McKay was talking to Dr. Jennifer Keller, more like she was yelling at him for 'avoiding her' and he was being the dutiful boyfriend and letting her without pointing out that he was busy and he did like spending time with his other friends occasionally, when his personal laptop pinged. He rushed over, completely ignoring Keller's rather bemused look as she followed him, and glance through the coding that popped up on to the screen a wide smile stretching across his crooked lips even as Sheppard wandered into the lab to drag him away for lunch. "I found it" he announced to the room in general. Sheppard grinned back; he had been as anxious to find this coding as Rodney and was one of the only three people who even knew of this particular attempt. All the other attempts Rodney had deliberately made easy to find so that if anyone looked and while Woolsey almost deliberately didn't an IOA inspection was due and he knew they expected it, it would be found. He would be chastised and life would move on; but this one he had hidden carefully and only let his team in on. Keller, unlike Sheppard, narrowed her eyes as she looked at the coding that she didn't fully understand.

"This wouldn't be the coding that the IOA expressly forbid anyone from locating would it?" She asked in an overly sweet voice at his lack of denial she continued in a falsely bright tone, "good, then you can reinforce the coding so it can't be deleted can't you?" she ignored the other's shared look of horror as she continued this time sharply, "Rodney, you know that going against an IOA directive like that could have serious consequences, this isn't a time to be rebellious. That programming is all that is standing between you and that other Rodney McKay; you know the one that basically told me that I would willingly kill one of my own patients, there is no way that deleting that code can bring about any good."

Rodney McKay looked from her to the Colonel and finally down at the amazing coding on his computer, Keller was right with a small change he could make sure that the coding could never be erased, that Atlantis could never be free in this universe. It was also fairly clear that that was what Keller expected and he could pretty much kiss one of the best relationships to ever happen to him goodbye either way, Keller if he deleted it and the Colonels friendship if he enforced it. Echoing in his head and cutting through these thoughts was one thing, 'She loves me like a mother should', it was what had grabbed his attention during the meeting with himself and held it as he became aware of the white noise chatter in the back of his head that he could never quite understand so always had ignored. Her maternal clucking was one of the main things that had attracted him to Jennifer but an honest to god mother's love, something he had wanted for so long. He nearly snorted as he realized that the choice was already made, that it had been made since a certain air force major had sat down in an Antarctic chair and essentially opened the stargate to this city. He looked up at Jennifer even as he highlighted the one line of coding that separated him from his mother and could only say "I'm sorry" in a voice far softer than she even realized he could speak as he hit delete and reveled in the chaos he unleashed.