Last time: Radek is sick (since around chapter 30), and Anna has an invitation to do something cool. Assuming that Radek lets her do anything cool ever.


Chapter 35. Can You Help Me?

"Why do you think that I can help you?"

Anna sighed. "You can't?"

"No." Colonel Sheppard shrugged and frowned while he seemed to consider the possibilities. "I mean, maybe I could give the okay for you to come along if I were escorting Rhetto and his son offworld."

"And," Anna said, "you aren't."

"Besides, Elizabeth would have to give her okay, too." He looked at her closely.

"I can't ask Elizabeth. She'll make me ask Radek and he's going to say no, and I'll be stuck on Atlantis." She slouched, feeling a little juvenile for this mini-temper tantrum. Then again, she had nothing on some of Doctor McKay's. "Forever."

Sheppard smiled a little. "Not forever."

"Close enough." Pouting was just as bad. She glanced at Colonel Sheppard. "Besides, he's sick. I don't want to bother him. Maybe she'll let me go without…?"

"You might as well ask. He might just say yes. You never know."

Anna sighed and leaned on the table. If he actually thought that, Colonel Sheppard had no concept of who Radek Zelenka was. She was almost ashamed when she just considered lying to Elizabeth to get offworld… That could easily backfire, though. If Radek ever found out, not only would she be forbidden from even looking out a window, but Elizabeth would never trust her again.

"Do you know who is escorting them?" Anna asked.

Sheppard hummed in indecision for a few moments. Then he got it. "Major Rutherford," he said. Then he made a face. "Maybe you don't want to go on this particular outing, Anna."

"Why not? Is something wrong with Major Rutherford?"

"No. Major Rutherford's a great guy. But just take my word on it." He got up from his seat in the conference room. He looked around, then looked at Anna. "Don't you have homework or something?"

"I've been doing nothing but homework almost nonstop for three weeks!" Anna said.

"Sounds like a record," Sheppard said. "Give Zelenka well-wishes from the team."

"Except Doctor McKay, right?" Anna joked.

Colonel Sheppard apparently found that amusing. "A bunch of the scientists seem to have whatever it is he's got. Sounds like hell," he said, instead of commenting on Doctor McKay's apathy. "Make sure you don't catch it."

"I don't think I will..." Anna didn't know how it started, but she'd been sure to mostly keep her distance from him. Also, she'd been drinking lots of hot tea since he got sick. She wasn't sure if that was a scientifically-proven preventative measure, but it made her feel better about it. "Especially if I can figure out a way to get offworld."

"Well, maybe you can use that in your pitch," Colonel Sheppard said. "Could work. You never know."

Anna grinned.

He didn't say anything else except to wish Anna good luck on her school work. He left Anna sitting in the conference room alone. Anna leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She needed someone else to be behind her going on this trip. Almost anyone at all. Anna slipped from the conference room, through the control room, and into Elizabeth's office. Elizabeth glanced up, smiled, and went back to what she was doing for a moment.

"Back so soon? Did you see Iskaan?"

Anna nodded. "I saw him. He asked me to go on the trading mission with him."

Elizabeth smiled a little. "Did he?" She stopped working and folded her hands on her desk. "They're going to a place called Delbradia. There are some amazing ruins just south of the village."

"That's what Iskaan said. He wanted to show me them." She took a deep breath and put her hands behind her back. "I know you have to approve anybody going through the 'gate. So can I go?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, of course. Radek has given his okay, as well?"

Of course. Just as she suspected. She sat in the chair across from Elizabeth's desk and looked at her. She had to tell Elizabeth the truth or she'd never leave. She knew that much. Radek… she guessed she could lie to him. Maybe.

"Not yet," she said finally. "I wanted to ask you first."

"It's as safe as any planet could be," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure the Athosians would like to have an extra hand to help, as well."

Anna nodded. She would like to do some manual labor for a change. Her brain was tired from all the work it was doing. "I guess… I'd better go ask Radek, then," she said.

"You should." Elizabeth went back to her work after looking at her seriously.

Anna nodded and left her office. She hesitated on the catwalk between Elizabeth's office and the control room. The Stargate was as beautiful today as it was two nights ago. If only she could go through the gate.

She found herself back in the Jumper Bay. She wasn't sure why. Putting off asking Radek for as long as possible. Maybe she'd think of a way to make this more appealing. She glanced around for Iskaan, but he was nowhere to be seen. Major Rutherford and half of his team seemed to be there, helping Rhetto get things unloaded from the puddle jumper.

Major Rutherford looked like a nice enough guy. But according to Sheppard, he wasn't the problem. He had a Sergeant and a Lieutenant on his team, and a science team member. Anna only vaguely recognized him as the head of his own little team of researchers.

He stood with his back to her, checking things off on his tablet. He was pretty tall and American, with a brown haired pony-tail stuck into his collar. Anna approached him quietly. Maybe he'd be willing to help her get offworld for the day.

"Hi," she said.

He cast a glance over his shoulder. He was wearing glasses and an unamused grimace. He sighed and went back to his work.

"I'm—"

"I know who you are."

Anna didn't quite know how to respond to that. She gave him a second look, and acknowledged that she, at least, recognized him. But that didn't mean much. She recognized a lot of people, either from her trips to the mess hall, the control center, any of the science labs, biology... She was sure she'd seen every last entomologist, but she had no idea what their names were.

"I don't know who you are," she offered.

"Doctor Peter Kavanagh. Did you want anything else?"

As far as she knew, she'd done nothing to justify such hostility. Not to this man, anyway. Not that she remembered. Maybe Doctor McKay shoved some of her grading off on him whenever Collins wasn't available.

That didn't make any sense. Collins always did the grading. He volunteered. Why would he give away something he volunteered for? Besides, he always knew exactly what Anna's assignments were when she asked him questions and... Yeah. Anna was sure she'd done nothing to deserve this.

But since he mentioned it… "Yes, actually."

He sighed, probably as audibly as he was able, and turned to her. "Are you slowing me down on purpose?"

"No. Have we met before?" Anna asked. She couldn't imagine that he would treat her this way unless they had met before. She had the feeling she would remember that, though.

"I usually make it a point to avoid small children."

"What?" Now was most likely a bad time to point out that she was fifteen. Maybe he knew that. Whoever he was, this Doctor Peter Kavanagh.

"I don't know if you know this, but when Doctor Zelenka decided to stay here instead of on Earth, he sniped that head of department title that I was ready to take."

That wasn't her fault. Well… in a roundabout way, it was. If she hadn't turned up, Radek would have had the job anyway. So it really wasn't her fault. By agreeing to come to Atlantis, she actually maintained status quo. It was really a fluke it was available in the first place.

She shouldn't say that, either. "I didn't know."

He smirked. "He probably didn't tell you because I'm much more qualified."

More likely because he was a pigheaded American. There went her chance of going offworld. She didn't realize how hurt she felt until he turned his back to her. It wasn't like he was telling her he deserved her job, and Radek probably wouldn't even argue with him. Maybe that was why it hurt... Even if Doctor Peter Kavanagh wasn't more qualified to have his own department, it wasn't as if Radek was, either. What did Doctor McKay call him again?

Head of Department, Doctor Fumbles McStupid.

Doctor Kavanagh got back to the job he did have, making sure all his equipment was there. He pointed at each item in every trunk and marked off the appropriate item on his list.

"Why are you going offworld with Rhetto and Iskaan?"

"Investigating some ruins for Ancient tech." His tone was clipped an annoyed. It was beginning to get old.

Anna pressed her lips together. That was more promising. "I could help you," she said.

He scoffed and didn't turn back to look at her. Even if Doctor Kavanagh didn't want her help, she could always use that as an excuse, couldn't she? She went around to make sure she knew a few of the devices in the bin… If she offered help, she'd better well be able to give it.

After deciding she knew a handful of Doctor Kavanagh's things, Anna smiled at him.

He hesitated for half a moment, looking around for whatever might have made her grin like that. "What?"

Anna shrugged. "Don't feel too bad about it. Doctor McKay says it's not a real department, anyway."

Kavanagh didn't look at her, but he smiled ever so slightly. Maybe this was going to work after all.


Next time: What if I told you it was safe enough for Kavanagh?