“We’ve found Colonel Sheppard’s team and are bringing them back to Atlantis.”

“Thank you Major,” said Elizabeth, relief washing over her. She was about to move on when she realized there had been something strange in his voice. “Is everything all right Major?”

Lorne chuckled over the radio. “That would depend on your definition of ‘all right’ Dr. Weir. But to be on the safe side you might want to have Dr. Beckett take a look at them.”

Elizabeth nodded to Chuck to have Dr. Beckett hailed.

“All right Major, Carson’s on his way.”

“OK. We’re at the Gate now, we’re coming through.”

Elizabeth walked down the steps to meet the team. As they came through the gate she stopped halfway down in shock.

Standing behind Lorne, in front of the rest of his team, were four…children. They looked like they were no more than twelve or thirteen. Though she had never seen pictures of their childhoods, she knew they were her team.

“Hello Elizabeth,” piped the one who was clearly John.

“Wha-What happened?” she finally managed to say.

John grimaced. “Ask McKay.”

“Hey!” said the pudgy, pimply-faced boy next to John—in a much higher pitched voice than Elizabeth had expected. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You always say that,” murmured John.

“We got lost up in the hills and our walkies wouldn’t work. Night was coming, so we found a cave to stay in, and when we woke up, we were this.”

“It truly was not Dr. McKay’s fault,” said the pretty girl on the end, Teyla. “We simply laid down to rest and awoke this way.”

“Well something must have happened,” said Elizabeth.

“I don’t know what to tell you Elizabeth,” stated Rodney. “I’m completely at a loss.”

Elizabeth frowned. She had no idea what to do. Just then Carson and his team entered the gate room.

“What have we got?” he asked. He turned to the group still standing in front of the gate. “I thought I was to be checking Colonel Sheppard’s team?”

Elizabeth sighed. “This is Colonel Sheppard’s team.”

Carson did a double take. “What the hell happened to them?”

“We don’t know yet,” Elizabeth said.

“Hi Carson,” Rodney said, trying to sound cheerful, while John just gave the Scot a little wave.

Carson tried to regain himself. “What am I supposed to be looking for?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “Anything that explains why they’re all pre-teens. You might want to get Radek in on this as well, something tells me this is going to take more than one person to solve this.”

Carson nodded. “Well all right then, to the infirmary with you.”

The miniature SGA-1 began to file out of the gate room, but John lagged behind.

“So…I guess this means no missions until we sort this all out?”

“John!” said Elizabeth, upset that he would even consider that she would send children out into that mess.

“So that’s a no then.”

“You’re damn right that’s a no. Now get to the infirmary with the rest of your team, I want to figure out what’s going on, and then I want to fix it.”

John nodded, then turned to follow his team. As she watched him go she couldn’t help but crack a small smile as she thought that if they didn’t figure this out John and his team would make the perfect liaisons to the children of M7G-677. She could see the look on Rodney’s face already…