"Now what?" Clark Kent murmured.

Clark's situation had been fairly normal. At least as normal as things can be when you're on your way to rejoin your time travel team.

Clark was on his way to Cheyenne Mountain to confront Lex before he perfected his time travel device. The journey was interrupted by a wave of black transporter energy.

Dark Spock and the Joker working together, Clark realized as he took in his new location.

The scene looked normal enough. He was in the apartment above the Talon, and sitting around a TV set were his four time travel friends, the "Big Bang" guys: Raj Koothrappali, Howard Wolowitz, Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper.

It looked like they were just playing a video game. But since Clark knew a little something about the Joker and his tactics, he could be sure something was very wrong here.

In the same way, something was very wrong for SG-1 and all their new friends.

Still wearing her striped eyepatch, Lana spoke in her low bored voice.

"Can we get out of here now?"

"I'm with you, Lana," Michael said as he cleaned a pistol.

"Could you put that away?" Clark-Batman asked. "I really don't like guns."

"Easy, guys," Daniel urged.

"One way or another, we'll be on our way." O'Neill turned his attention back to the cage-crate containing the Joker. Leaning next to the container, Carter ran her tricorder over it.

"Minimal cognition. He seems to be out, sir," Carter reported and put the tricorder away.

Daniel folded his arms over his jacket. "With the Joker, you never know."

"You're right about that, Daniel," Kris said.

"The Joker is most unpredictable," Teal'c said.

A slight shrug from Eyepatch-Lana as she spoke in more of her bored voice. "If it'll help, you could .let the Joker out and I'll give him a spin-kick."

"Yes, Lana. I'm sure that would be a big help."

As he moved his head back and forth, Bearded Sheldon blinked. "Was that sarcasm, Colonel O-Neill?"

O'Neill gave him a look. "No, Sheldon. When am I ever sarcastic?"

As he blinked some more, Sheldon thought for a moment. "You're right," he concluded. "My apologies, Colonel O-Neill."

It was then that Lana's face started doing...something It was like small new faces popped out of her one face and went back in. Sort of like when Carter met a Carter from another reality.

"Oh, now what?" O'Neill groaned.

Carter consulted her tricorder. "She's experiencing an interdimensional phase shifting breakdown, sir. Probably from the presence of the other Lana, sir."

Lana from Universe X sat at a table with the Winchesters. While Kris and Clark-Batman stood nearby chatting with them, Lana looked expectant and worried. Like some others in the room.

"Unfortunately, we cannot leave the Q continuum through our usual methods," Teal'c said.

"Thanks for the update, Teal'c." Eyepatch-Lana clutched her forehead.

Bearded Sheldon looked confused. "Was that sarcasm?"

"Sheldon, go find the Winchesters, tell them some interesting factoids," O'Neill ordered. As an eager Bearded Sheldon rushed off excitedly, the colonel called out. "Doctors McCoy! Paging the two Doctor McCoys! See what you can do for Lana over here."

As the two men attended their patient, O'Neill briefly considered the strange situation. He then turned back to the crate.

"Ha! Take that, Joker!"

Once again, O'Neill kicked the side of the crate. After that, he made a few announcements.

"Once someone provides us with a portal out of here, all we have to do is collect Clark, fix the timeline with Captain Kirk and Spock living in Smallville, and we're out of here."

"We get it, O-Neill," Michael said. "We're all kind of sick of this situation."

As he examined Eyepatch-Lana, Doctor- McCoy-from-Smallville quietly spoke in an absent tone. "And don't forget about us. The Kirk and Spock in the Dark Universe?"

"Right!" O'Neill exclaimed, raising a finger for emphasis. "You guys have to go to another universe to stop the Joker from getting Captain Kirk all drunk and creating Dark Spock." He kicked the crate again. "You can take Joker-in-the-box here with you."

"Glad to," McCoy said. "Just let's not wake the Joker up, shall we, Colonel O-Neill? He's so much nicer when he's asleep."

"You may have a point there, McCoy." The colonel adjusted his cap as he glanced around the room. "The good news is, we're almost done with all this."

Michael folded his arms over his tieless gray suit. "You know, not to be negative, Colonel O-Neill, but I've found when someone says things like that, things start to go wrong."

"Really?" O'Neill said. He tilted his head back with a slightly inquisitive look. "You mean like when you and your friends go into a situation with a plan and then the plan falls apart?"

"Precisely. And then we all have to improvise."

"Been there, Westen. But I think we're okay here."

Michael made a swirling motion with his finger. "Like I said, when you say things like that-"

Four figures burst into the Talon. At first, they pushed each other around the room in a kind of Kirk-Spock fight dance, then they were down on the floor wrestling.

"Hey, hey, hey now!" O'Neill shouted.

Bearded Sheldon sharply clapped his hands. "Stop it! Stop it, I say!"

O'Neill shouted at the figures on the floor. "A brawl in the Talon? Really?"

The brawl was brief. Two of the figures stood up, the other two stayed down on the ground.

"It's you guys," Daniel said with a tone of slight awe.

A bearded Wesley Crusher grinned while a somber-faced Traveler simply nodded.

"We've defeated Wesley and the Traveler from the Mirror Universe," Wesley announced.

"Yay!" Bearded Sheldon exclaimed, clapping and jumping.

O'Neill turned to his archaeologist friend. "Look, Daniel. Everyone has a beard now. You. Hawkman. The Crusher kid."

"I'm not a kid," Wesley said, though not in a peevish way.

"Still," O'Neill said. "You have to fight in the Talon?"

"Why not?" Dean said. "The Q were rumbling in the parking lot."

"They were," the Traveler said. "The battle is completed. The Q have won theit war wth the rogue Q."

"All that's left to do is restore the last few altered timelines. Including the one where Edith Keeler lives." Smiling, Wesley pointed. "That's you, S-G-One."

"We know the score," O'Neill said. "What we need is a way out of here."

Pointing a finger, the Traveler produced a glowing white portal.

"But before you go, we want to let you know something," Wesley said.

"Each one of you has made a tremendous difference to many other lives," the Traveler said. "Even without being time travelers."

"You've made a difference just in your everyday lives," Wesley said.

As murmurs of appreciation went up, Dean said, "Thanks, guys. That means a lot coming from some big interdimensional dude and his sidekick."

As Carter made a face, she also formed a bemused smile. "Dean, are you crying?"

"No," he said with moist eyes. "Come on, Sammy. Let's get away from these big sissies." He and his brother walked into the portal, which then closed behind them with a "whoosh."

Michael held up a finger. "I'd like to go back to Miami now."

"I'm with you, spy-boy," Hawkman said. "Send us home."

Stabbing the air twice, the Traveler produced two new portals, one blue, the other gold.

"You're the one on the left, Michael," Wesley said. Michael and Hawkman walked into their respective portals, which then zipped up. .

Smiling broadly, Captain Picard approached with an extended hand. "Can you help us get back to our 'Enterprise?""

Wesley shook his hand. "Of course. Always glad to help a Captain Picard, whatever universe he's from."

"And we are glad to help you, Wesley. Whatever universe you are from."

Welsey's own smile got broader. "And I see your Data is coming along fine in his efforts to be more human."

"Wesley." A grinning Worf extended his hand. "You are honorable and helpful whatever reality you are from."

"You would know about other realities, Worf," Wesley said with a little laugh in his voice.

Turning to Teal'c, Worf lifted his hand in a frozen wave. "Farewell, my Jaffa brother."

In response, Teal'c bowed. "Success in battle, my Klingon brother."

SG-1 was bathed in the glow of the portal as the three "Enterprise" members stepped inside.

Multiple portals opened rapidly—it was almost like in an old movie where reporters with flash cameras took multiple pictures. Each portal opened with a "pop."

"I'm gone," Eyepatch-Lana said.

Bearded Sheldon raised his hand. "Oh! I'm next."

The Joker's involuntary guests dashed into their interdimensional exits, which swallowed them up with a loud "whoosh."

With the two Doctor McCoys gathered around him with Uhura and Scotty nearby, O'Neill once again kicked the Joker crate.

"Get him out of here," O'Neill said. "Go fix that thing with Dark Spock."

"On it," the two McCoys said.

Carter pushed a button on the crate, which caused it to float an inch above the ground. The four team members guided the floating crate into a portal, which then closed behind them with a quiet sucking noise.

Even before that noise ended, O'Neill said, "Okay. Now us."

With an almost somber look, the Traveler held up a hand. "My apologies, S-G-One."

"There's a situation," Wesley said.

"There always is," O'Neill said in his groaning-sighing voice.

Wesley pointed his finger but instead of portals images appeared. One image was of a Terminator, the other was of Dark Spock.

"Dark Spock, using the Joker's power, has sent a Terminator to destroy Clark," the Traveler said.

"Clark-in-the-past, that is. Once Clark changes the past by saving Edith Keeler, the Terminator takes out Clark," Wesley said.

"That won't do any good," O'Neill said. "Have you met Clark? He runs real fast, shoots those heat-beam things out of his eyes, and he eats Terminators for breakfast. He's Clark," O'Neill said pointedly.

"This Terminator is equipped with red sun lasers as well as weapons with green kryptonite bullets," the Traveler said.

"Of course it is," O'Neill said.

"Since you guys are time travelers, you can intercept the Terminator at any point in time the Guardian sets," Wesley said. "The bigger problem is Dark Spock."

"What about Dark Spock?" Daniel asked.

The Traveler pointed to images of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Edith Keeler and the fateful accident with the truck.

"Dark Spock and the Joker have chosen a series of universes where Edith Keeler lives," the Traveler said.

"Would that even happen?" Carter asked.

"There's various reasons it could, Major Carter," Wesley said. "These are universes where Kirk and Spock never made it to that point in time."

"Or it could happen that Captain Kirk fails to hold Doctor McCoy back," Daniel said. "Or maybe someone wanders in and saves Edith Keeler. There's all kinds of things that could happen, Sam."

The Traveler nodded. "Precisely, Doctor Jackson."

"Here's the way it works, guys," Wesley said. "Dark Spock plans to travel to each of the multiple universes and persuade the Spock of that universe to kill Edith Keeler."

"Creating another Dark Spock," Daniel said.

"Who then goes on to create other Dark Spocks," Carter said.

"Come on," O'Neill said. "That won't work. No matter what universe we're talking about, Spock won't go for that. He's Spock," the colonel said pointedly.

"Actually, sir, Daniel and I discussed this once," Carter said. "Sad as it is to say, it could happen."

"Think about it, Jack." Daniel said. "For Spock, this is a crucial moment. Billions of lives hang in the balance. Earth could be ruled over by Germany. No Starfleet. No 'Enterprise.'"

As Daniel spoke, images appeared that acted out what he was saying.

"Suddenly this other Spock appears. He says he's from the future. He appears benevolent." An image appeared of a gray-haired Spock making beseeching gestures to a younger Spock with a black cap over his ears. "This other Spock suggests gently euthanizing Edith Keeler. Some Spock somewhere could see that as a logical solution."

"And Dark Spock only has to persuade one Spock," Beckett said.

"With his mastery of Vulcan mental disciplines, and the mental manipulation power of the Joker, Dark Spock could even deceive Mister Spock through a mind-meld," Teal'c said.

Carter nodded. "There's also the hypnotic power Vulcans have."

O'Neill made a face as he shook his head. "It just doesn't seem like Spock could turn evil."

"Don't be so sure, Jack," Daniel said. "In the Mirror Universe Spock uses his logic in service to an evil Empire."

"Yeah. The Mirror Universe wasn't nice," O'Neill said. "Let's not go back there again. Ever."

"The main point is, some Spock somewhere could turn into another Dark Spock," Daniel said.

"And that's because there's so many possibilities, so many variables."

"Major Carter is correct. There are many Spocks, just as there are many Clark Kents and many S-G-Ones," Teal'c observed. "In multiple universes, many scenarios can play out."

"Trust me, gang, I know from experience."

"We believe you, Beckett," O'Neill said. "The question is: Where do we go from here? What's our plan?"

Wesley gestured to more images. "Working with the Guardian, the Traveler and I have arranged a way for you to intercept Dark Spock in each universe."

"Very kind of you," O'Neill said.

The Traveler nodded. "You will arrive forty seconds before Dark Spock does."

"And you'll be able to take him out with a simple phaser stun or staff weapon blast."

O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "Or maybe a punch. Would a punch work?"

Wesley grinned. "A punch would work but you probably couldn't get close enough."

"What about a nerve pinch?" O'Neill asked, lifting his finger. "Is it too late to get a Spock on the team?"

"No time for that, I'm afraid, Colonel O'Neill," Wesley said.

"And because of the power Dark Spock has, you won't be able to disintegrate him or kill him," the Traveler said. "While one member of the team takes out Dark Spock, the rest can keep people from interfering with the situation."

"Beckett can even leap into people to do that," O'Neill said.

A nod from Wesley. "Remember, though, each time you take Dark Spock out, he'll reconfigure in the next universe fully conscious."

"Sounds like he's been practicing for this for a long time," O'Neill said.

"And so have you guys," Wesley said.

A glowing white portal opened, and Wesley gestured to it.

"Whenever you feel ready."

From O'Neill came a world-weary sigh. Or multiple-universe-weary sigh.

Finally, the colonel gave the word: "Let's move out."

Like the dimension-hopping team known as the Sliders, they dived in.

When they emerged at the other end, something like tiny non-lethal Stargate waves pushed them forward.

"That'll get annoying," O'Neill said.

They were at the famous accident site, with Kirk, Spock and McCoy gathered around a very-much-alive Edith Keeler.

"Whoa! Who's the big guy?" McCoy exclaimed.

"Excuse me, Doctor McCoy...Captain Kirk...Mister Spock...ma'am," O'Neill said casually as he walked around the group.

Shortly after a flurry of black transporter energy appeared, O'Neill fired his phaser.

"And Dark Spock is down for the count!" he declared, raising his arms triumphantly.

And they were off to the next universe.

Almost instantly, they were back at the scene. Only now Kirk/Spock/McCoy/Keeler were joined by a man in a blue suit and red tie.

"Whoa! Who's the big guy?"

"I am Teal'c, Doctor McCoy. I am here to assist you, as are my associates."

As the rest of the team circled Kirk and his group, O'Neill waited until...

"Peek-a-boo! I see you!"

Dark Spock went down. Shortly thereafter, O'Neill and his team vanished.

And so it went. SG-1 would show up at the famous accident scene (famous to time travelers, anyway), O'Neill took out Dark Spock, and the team went on to the next universe.

Each time O'Neill fired his phaser at Dark Spock he said something witty or clever to mark the occasion. Something like:

"No."

"Nuh-uh."

"Nope."

"Don't think so."

"Se-e-e ya!"

"Boo-yah!"

"Bye bye, buddy."

"So long, pal."

"Sayonara."

"Ciao."

"A-lo-ha!"

"De-nied!"

"And he is outta here!"

"Not gonna happen."

"Can't let you do that."

"Give up?"

"You should give up."

"Please give up."

"Teal'c, would you do the honors this time?"

"Who the blazes are you?" McCoy demanded.

"Yes, who are you?" Kirk said sharply. "Explain yourself, mister."

"We're friends," Daniel explained quietly.

Teal'c fired his staff weapon. A thud followed.

As an unconscious Dark Spock vanished in a flurry of black transporter energy, O'Neill raised a finger to his cap.

"We'll catch up later, Captain Kirk."

O'Neill and his team then vanished in a flurry of regular mostly-white transporter energy.

"Teal'c, would you do the honors again, please?"

With his usual stoic look, Teal'c casually fired his staff weapon.

The McCoy and Spock of that universe had this exchange:

"What in the blazes kind of weapon is that?"

"Clearly, one not of this world, doctor.."

Shortly after he hit the ground, Dark Spock vanished. Shortly after that so did SG-1.

"That's gotta hurt," O'Neill said as Dark Spock went down again.

"Are we done yet?" O'Neill asked with a sigh on the next loop.

And on it went.

"Had enough?"

"Bored."

"I'm getting bored here."

"This is getting old."

"Really old."

"Surrender already."

"Teal'c, this is definitely not as fun as being in that time loop."

"Indeed."

"A lot less fun," he said as he fired his phaser again.

"Allow me to provide some relief, O-Neill."

"Thanks, Teal'c old buddy."

But this time when Teal'c fired his staff weapon, something new happened.

Dark Spock did not collapse. Instead, he held out an open palm and shot out black energy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" O'Neill shouted. Too late.

He and his team went sailing through a series of glowing black space-time tunnels, screaming and waving their arms.

And it hurt. A lot.

When it all stopped, O'Neill looked around. They were in what looked like a gray wasteland with sand dunes.

"Ah, great," O'Neill griped. "This place again."

"Unfortunately so, O-Neill."

"The Phantom Zone," Daniel said.

While SG-1 had their situation, Clark contended with his own problem.

"Guys, you can't just stay here in this Smallville that the Joker made for you."

"Why not?" Leonard asked.

"We still have things to do," Clark said with some impateience. "We have to defeat the Joker, not join him."

As Clark pleaded with the "Big Bang" guys, he noted that their version of "Halo" featured the Joker. And they never looked up from the game.

They were totally focused on that screen. A trio of sexy beautiful women could show up in bikinis—Penny, Lana and Lois, for example—and the guys wouldn't even notice. Well, okay, maybe they would notice, Clark realized. But otherwise they were just out of it.

"Why leave?" Howard asked.

"Yeah, Clark, why leave?" Raj asked with a little shrug.

"Let someone else deal with the Joker for a while," Leonard said in an almost sneering tone.

In contrast, Sheldon spoke in a wild exuberant tone. "This place is great! And later the Joker says I can visit Flatland. Flatland!" Though he did not take his eyes off the game, Sheldon stood on his knees, like an oversized kid. "And the Joker says he'll even make Sheldonpolis real!"

"Sheldon's right! This place is great!" Raj enthused.

Clark could see the mental influence of the Joker. People repeating themselves. A little darkness in the way they talked (like with Leonard). A desire to get away and escape.

In a chatty almost hyper manner, Raj went on. "I get to hang out with Chloe, Tess, Lana and Lois, not to mention Lieutenant Uhura and Yeoman Rand. Also Major Carter! Or 'Sam,' as I call her." Here, Raj's smile got even bigger.

"You mean fake versions of them the Joker made up," Clark said.

"Pish-tosh!" Raj retorted, waving his hand. "They're real enough. And I don't even have to be drunk to talk to them." With a beseeching look, he held up a video game console. "You should join us, Clark."

"Yeah, be one of us," Leonard said casually.

"One of us, one of us," Howard chanted.

Before Clark could reply, a bright green glow engulfed all the guys. Raj looked up for only a second.

"Hey, everyone! Look! It's Alicia Baker!"

The smile of Smallville's teleport queen (as Chloe might call her) hinted at her psychotic nature. As did her soft too-sweet voice.

"Hey, guys. The Joker told me you were looking for me."

"We were." Still not looking up, Leonard spoke with some snideness. "But that wasn't an excuse to redecorate or go through our stuff."

"Especially my comic books," Sheldon said. "Earlier you rearranged stuff in my room. No one goes in my room."

Pouting slightly, "Alicia" vanished in a trail of bright green energy. Clark could see the guys were trying to fight the Joker's influence in their own way.

"Guys, we gotta go," Clark said.

"Can't go," Howard said, suddenly shaking violently. "I get to hang out with my own special version of Bernadette."

"Me, too!" As he clicked, Raj beamed.

"Not the real one," Clark said firmly. "Guys, you can't stay here. This isn't real."

"It's real enough," Sheldon said lifelessly, almost as if mindlessly chanting.

Leonard spoke in a kind of whining voice. "We're just tired of trying any more, Clark. Can you blame us?"

Clark's tone became a little more impatient but still sympathetic. "Guys, this isn't you. You're some of the strongest guys I know."

While Leonard made his confused-frown face, Sheldon briefly gave Clark a look.

"Really, Clark?"

"Yeah, seriously, dude?"

"Don't think so," Howard muttered.

Leaning forward in his chair, Leonard squinted up at the tall Kryptonian. "In case you haven't noticed, Clark, we're kind of broken."

"I know you are. But you keep going. Just like I do." Clark stepped in front of the TV, and the guys all groaned and protested. "It's like what I told Ryan once. I'm afraid of a lot of things. But I still do what I have to. Just like you guys do."

"Oh, I like that story about you and Ryan," Raj said.

"Yes!" Sheldon exclaimed. "Let's watch that on the special television the Joker gave us that responds to our thoughts."

"Let's," Raj agreed with a smile.

On the TV screen, images of "Halo" were replaced with an image of Clark and Ryan in a hot air balloon, and the guys murmured their approval.

Clark was relieved they were, again, breaking out of the trance they were in. But then the TV switched back to "Halo."

Sitting up straight, Sheldon pointed a long lanky finger. "You know, Clark, there is something else the Joker gave us."

"Sheldon, let's not talk about the Joker any more. Let's just get out of here."

Sheldon looked slightly hurt. "But I want to show you what the Joker gave us."

That was when they all turned into superheroes. Howard was the Thing, Raj was the Hulk, Leonard was the Human Torch, and Sheldon was Mr. Fantastic.

"The Joker gave us power!" Sheldon declared, his voice a little deeper than usual.

Great, Clark thought as they started flying and wrestling. Thanks to the Joker's ability to alter matter, this was no mere illusion; it was as real as one of his pocket dimensions.

That meant Clark had a real Howard-as-the-rock-covered-Thing and Raj-as-the-Hulk really hitting him. And it really hurt. Clark flung them away, first Howard then Raj. With them, he didn't have to hold back.

Sheldon-as-the-stretching-Mr.-Fantastic and Leonard-as-the-Human-Torch required a more delicate touch. While they all flew close to the ground, Clark swiftly unwound Sheldon and let him fall to the ground. He did much the same with Leonard.

That was when Raj and Howard returned. Clark flung them away again. Unfortunately, sending them flying took out the Smallville water tower and several buildings, including Nell's flower shop.

Once down on the ground, Clark surveyed the area. There was Leonard flying toward him, a streak of flames in his wake. Quickly, Clark dodged him. As he did, Leonard whizzed past and took out the Talon.

After that, Clark employed super-speed, popping up here and there, letting the guys chase after him. They ended up taking out other buildings.

Clark's plan was to wear them down. That meant some barns and silos being taken out. Fortunately, like any pocket dimension created by the Joker, this one was devoid of any real people.

Eventually, Clark's four friends sat on the ground, gasping and wheezing and back to their normal non-super selves. With his arms crossed, Clark stood over them.

"Had enough, guys?"

After using his inhaler, Leonard nodded. "We'll go back now. But we're going to be a little late."

Clark smiled. "Not a problem, Leonard. We're time travelers, remember?"

Clark's other time travel friends had their own problems in their new location.

"Great, just great," O'Neill griped as Carter consulted her tricorder.

"A-a-aw!" Beckett groaned in the voice of Leonard Hofstadter. "Not the Phantom Zone!"

In times of great stress, Beckett sometimes talked in the voices of people he had leaped into. An occasional side effect from the time he was the Joker's prisoner in Belle Reve.

"It is indeed the Phantom Zone, Sam Beckett," Teal'c said solemnly as he glanced around with a stoic but alert look.

With a slightly worried squinty-eyes look, Daniel folded his arms over his Stargate Command jacket. "We'd need some of Clark's blood to get out of here."

As he spoke in a sharp tone, O'Neill also wore a sharp look. "Oh, you know what, Daniel? I left that at home." He waved to the wilderness around him. "And I don't exactly see Lionel Luthor around anywhere to help out with a sample."

"Or Doctor Helen Bryce," Beckett said in the voice of Raj. "Or Morgan Edge, either."

"Beckett, can you shut that off?" O'Neill snapped.

As Teal'c surveyed the area, he had his staff weapon slightly tilted and ready to fire. "Most likely Dark Spock has not transported us to a Phantom Zone where there will be a Raya to assist us."

"Or anyone else," Carter said.

"But there are plenty of phantoms," Beckett said in the nervous voice of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk.

"Oh, no."

"What is it now, Daniel?"

"I'm getting a new message from the Guardian." Daniel paused, seemed to listen. "According to the Guardian, what Dark Spock did just now, visiting all those universes, it was just a big distraction, a trick. The plan all along was to send us here. He's on his way, right now, to Prime Earth, to the day of Edith Keeler's accident. He's going turn Spock in the Prime Universe into a Dark Spock."

A wide-eyed Beckett spoke in his normal voice. "If he succeeds..."

"The Prime Universe will become a Dark Universe," Teal'c said.

Daniel nodded. "And since the Prime Universe is the center of all other universes..."

"Every universe will become a Dark Universe," Carter said.

"This gets better and better," O'Neill said.

"And something about the Phantom Zone keeps me from leaping out," Beckett said.

"More good news," O'Neill said.

Here, Carter looked up from her tricorder. "Sir, we have another problem."

"Really, Carter? Another one?"

"Afraid so, sir." With a slightly worried look, Carter explained. "Those space-time tunnels Dark Spock threw us into. We were actually in them for weeks. And that's reduced the time-energy the Q put inside us. In order to be able to time-jump again, we'll need eighty years of rest and recovery."

"So we'll spend eighty years on a Time Protector Ship, just like Clark did."

"Afraid not, Jack. The Time Protector Ships were destroyed by the rogue Q in their most recent battle with the rest of the Q. And the Q can't create any new ones because they're using their power to protect the multiple universes from changes by Dark Spock."

"Well now, that is a bit of a problem," O'Neill said.

"Come on, guys," Beckett said. "The Q and the Ancients must have some kind of plan in place."

"Even if they do, Beckett, I'd rather take action myself."

"Sometimes you can't, Jack. Sometimes you just have to hope there's a plan, that someone will reach down and help you when you need it."

"It's happened to us before," Carter said. "I mean, how often have we been in a bad situation and someone shows up to bail us out?"

"Sam's right, Jack. We're not alone in this."

That's when it appeared.

It looked like the Fortress of Solitude sitting on the platform of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

As it hovered near the ground, a ramp lowered, and three figures stepped out. The gray-haired man in the white robe was flanked by two shorter figures.

"Hey, guys," Chloe Sullivan said with a bright smile.

"Hi, S-G-One!" Leonard gushed with a smile and a wave.

The robed figure offered the Vulcan hand salute.

"Greetings, S-G-One. I am Spock. These are my associates. May we render assistance?"

In response, O'Neill lifted his eyebrows. "Not that we don't have things completely under control here. But sure, render away."