After each member of SG-1, plus MacGyver and Jack Dalton, had been through extensive interviews, they were all escorted into a six-person cell.

"Anybody else hungry?" Daniel asked, just as his stomach grumbled.

As if on cue, a metal panel on the wall rattled open. Carter hopped up and went to the person outside the door to accept the food. It smelled delightful, especially since the last time they ate was over twelve hours ago.

Carter's twin passed her the last tray of food and then, glancing around, gave Sam a single cup of blue jello. Carter smiled and stuck the cup into her pocket before any of the boys could see it and start making passes.

They ate in relative silence, the only sounds being the background noise of a busy base and plastic forks scraping styrofoam plates.

A half-hour later, the door opened. A security team stood outside the door. "General Hammond has ordered you to the briefing room." She informed them.

Dalton tried to walk out with the rest of SG-1 but a guard stopped him. "Not you."

The five of them walked into the briefing room. O'Neill couldn't hide the double take at the sight of the General.

"Colonel, is there a problem?" Hammond asked, turning to look at him.

"Uh, no, sir. It's just uh, um-"

"Our General Hammond is bald, sir." Carter said with a small smile.

"Ah. Have a seat."

The other SG-1 was already sitting around the table.

"After this many years, I should probably be used to this sort of thing," General Hammond said, "but I have to admit, this is rather odd. Even for the SGB."

"B, sir? It's SGC." O'Neill corrected.

"Stargate Beta. We don't have a third gate here."

"No, uh, neither do we. Wait, what?" Carter asked.

"Stargate Alpha is on Earth. Up here, we're Stargate Beta. This base is still a military secret, though the SGA is open to the public."

"The public?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair.

"Yes. Some people live on Earth and work on another planet."

"So the Gou'ald aren't a threat anymore?" Carter asked.

"No," Hammond said with a touch of sadness.

"That's what this gate is for. We've programmed the dialing computer at the SGA so it can only gate to three different planets. Loania is for infrastructure; schools, houses, office buildings, and such. Ibcan is for resources, food, and minerals that we use back on Earth. Nadilia is for recreation, it's beautiful year-round and a very popular vacation planet."

"Were any planets occupied by others before we took them over?" Daniel asked worriedly.

General Hammond smiled. "Don't worry. Dr. Jackson- our Dr. Jackson- made sure they were all uninhabited before we opened the first gate.

"So, let me get this straight. Someone decided it would be a good idea to let civilians travel through the Stargate? With the Goa'uld threat still out there?" O'Neill said.

"Yes. As I said, their gate can only go to those three places. As far as the public knows, that gate was built by scientists on Earth, and it can't travel anywhere else. As for the Goa'uld, well, that's what we're here for."

The alternate Carter nodded. "Our gate works like yours probably does. We can go anywhere. We fight for Earth, Loaina, Ibacn, and Nadilia now."

"This is all well and good, but what the heck are you guys-" O'Neill gestured to the other SG-1, "going to do with us?"

"We're going to send you back." Carter said, standing up.

"And how exactly are-" Daniel jabbed him in the ribs. "Let her talk, Jack."

Carter smiled at Daniel.

"Thank you. Now, what Daniel described to me was some kind of control device. It's designed to decide which alternate reality the traveler ends up in, admittedly with some irregularities. With our experiences, however, we never had to deal with a control device because the effect was created through the gate itself."

Carter perked up at that.

"You've used the Stargate as a quantum mirror?"

"Yes. Although difficult, it's-"

"Theoretically possible," They said at the same time.

"Right. The first time it happened, it was an accident. Someone else came through our gate- the Alpha gate before it was opened. It was a mess, but the other Carter and I-"

MacGyver, who had been sitting quietly this whole time, finally spoke up.

"You mean to tell me this has happened before?"

"Yes." Both SG-1s said.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"Uh, we've had a few run-ins with our quantum mirror." Daniel supplied. "There was the reality where I was dead, and Teal'c was leading a Gou'ald attack on Earth- which ended up being a twisted kind of foreshadowing- it's complicated."

"That's an important point. You were dead in that reality, your alternates are alive here. That's going to be a problem soon." Alternate Carter explained.

"Entropic Cascade Effect," Carter added.

"What?" MacGyver said.

Carter turned to him.

"It's basically when the collective entropy created by both versions of the same person living in the same reality becomes too much for the host to carry, even though the guest is the one who feels the effects. Once it sets in, it's kind of like a seizure, being jerked around painfully between the two realities."

"But it doesn't matter if the counterpart is dead, right?" MacGyver asked as he nodded.

"Yes. So, we need to find out if you and Dalton are alive here."

Hammond jumped in.

"Colonel Carter, didn't you say the last time this happened that the entropic effect wouldn't set in if the realities were too close to another?"

"Yes sir. That's what we experienced when the other SG teams came into this reality. If I remember correctly, 170 people were here for over a month with their doubles while we figured out how to get them home. There were no adverse effects because we, that's me and the other Carters, speculated that the different realities were very close to each other."

"What exactly is "close"?" MacGyver asked.

"I'm not sure. Based on the interviews, I've determined that it might not be close enough to fight off the effects for long. I can't give you a solid answer right now." She sat back down.

"So, what are our priorities?"Hammond asked.

"We need to find out if our guests have doubles in this reality, then determine the risk levels for entropic effects."

"Alright. SG-1, uh, our guest SG-1, I can't justify letting you roam around the base unsupervised. For now, you are to remain in your quarters unless being escorted. Mr. MacGyver, since you're already aware of our true intentions here, you may stay with SG-1. Mr. Dalton, however, poses a problem. He will remain in a separate area to ensure he doesn't see any more of this place than he has already."

He turned to MacGyver.

"Although I am concerned that you were able to infiltrate our base computers with relative ease, I can't help but be impressed. I hope you can understand the precautions that must be taken."

"Of course, sir. I wasn't trying to be malicious, just curious. I realize I may have overstepped my boundaries, sir."

"That you did. Please refrain from making any more trouble on the base, at least until we figure out how to deal with you all. Dismissed."

A/N: Guess what? It's a double upload 'cause I got busy this weekend. Also they're short.

Please review if you're enjoying- it would make my writer's heart happy.