In an attempt to keep his sanity, General Hammond had done the only thing that seemed viable. He gave Gwen, Owen, and Ianto free-run of the base (except for several sensitive areas and his office) and told Colonel O'Neill to babysit and stay out of trouble. Jack wasn't really the best man for the job, but at that point Hammond didn't really care. Felger and Lee had been berated and sent back to their lab to try and fix the device under the close supervision of Major Davis and the most qualified airmen he could find. Unfortunately, the Air Force didn't teach classes on when to stop over-enthusiastic scientists, so Hammond would just have to hope it would be enough to keep the situation for further deteriorating.

And with that cheerful thought, alarms started going off.

Walter, ever present and ever ready, announced "It's the Tok'ra's IDC, sir!"

Hammond groaned and rubbed his forehead in a futile attempt to stave off a headache. "Open the iris, Sergeant."

Just when Hammond thought his day (was it even one day?) couldn't get any worse, Anise stepped though the 'gate.

Forcing a smile, the general took the mike. "Welcome, Anise" he said. "What can I do for you?"

Anise looked up. "General Hammond," she replied. "It is good to see you. I only wish we could meet under happier times."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, wishing he could force himself to care.

The Tok'ra nodded gravely. "I'm afraid that we have received some very troubling readings from your planet. It appears that at least four people have arrived in this vicinity from another universe."

Hammond sighed internally. Just what he needed. "We're aware of the situation. In fact, the three aliens are in our base right at this moment."

Anise didn't miss his slip. "Three?" she asked sharply.

"Three," Hammond confirmed reluctantly. "The fourth traveler is Col. Jack O'Neill. He was trapped in their universe with his team after a mishap off-world."

"I see," Anise mused. If she thought that 'mishap' might be an understatement where SG-1 was concerned, she didn't say anything about it. "And the rest of his team?"

This sigh was out loud. "Unfortunately, they're still trapped in the other universe. We're working right now to find a way to get everyone back where they belong."

Anise raised one eyebrow. "Fascinating," she intoned, in a voice that made the General regret allowing trade of entertainment media between their cultures. Tok'ra soap operas were definitely not worth having to deal with the endless Star Trek references. "Perhaps I could be of assistance."

Oh, dear God no. "I'm sure our people can handle it," Hammond replied.

Unfortunately, Anise seemed to take this as an offer. "We'll be happy to help. If I could have one of the people from another universe to work with, that would be extremely beneficial to my research."

Hammond suppressed a groan and decided to send her the one who looked like a fish. They'd be perfect for each other.

The fish-like man in question was sitting on the bed in the quarters he'd been temporarily assigned with a borrowed laptop. Col. O'Neill had taken Ianto to the canteen for some cake after dropping him and Gwen off at his quarters. (Was there a Jack in all the universes Teaboy wouldn't fall for?) Gwen had taken off after some airman shortly after Ianto and his new Jack had left, leaving Owen to play with a borrowed laptop and curse the SGC's WiFi restrictions. He was sure most of the people in this place could hack through them, and those that couldn't were not above coercing those who did. It was like the SGC just wanted to make Owen more miserable.

With the timing of a well-timed knock, there was a knock at Owen's door, halting his mental complaining.

"Doctor Harper?" a feminine voice called through the door.

"Be right with you!" Owen stopped to admire his dashing face and fix his hair in a mirror before opening the door. Finally, women.

Opening the door, Owen tried to look suave. "Doctor Owen Harper at your service."

All thoughts of suave were banished when the mysterious woman's eye's flashed and her voice got all... scary. (Not that he was scared, mind you!) "Doctor Harper," her eyes swept up and down his body, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Um... likewise. What's with the light show?"

"I am not of this world, Owen. May I call you Owen?"

"Yeah. I mean, yes! Of course!" Anise was posing herself to take full advantage of all the clothing she wasn't wearing. Owen licked his lips. "Would you like to come in?"