Reminder:
"This is spoken English."
"This is spoken Czech."
This is a thought.

To linda: Yes, I can't imagine what it would be like, either. Well, I can a little bit, since I know people who do. Some of Anna's reaction is based on some of that.

Last time: It's a long trip, okay? We will get to Atlantis eventually. I swear.

Chapter 15. Sleeping.

"What are you doing up, dear?"

Doctor Beckett called almost everyone "dear," or some other pet name of similar tone. Anna sort of hated it at first, but she got used to it after the first few weeks of meeting with him to study.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" He swung around in his chair to peer at the computer screen near him and then checked his wristwatch. "It's quite late." It explained why he was dressed pretty casually, without a doctor's coat or his Atlantis jacket. His shirt was white instead of the usual yellow or blue.

"I couldn't sleep," Anna said. "So I thought I should do something constructive and study some more." All of the time spent with Doctor Beckett had taught her two things. First, her enjoyment of a subject depended almost entirely on the teacher. Second, she couldn't imagine forming long-term career goals based on molecular biology.

"I see." Doctor Beckett seemed to consider her words. Then he grinned. "I'm not sure whether to commend your priorities or scold you for endangering your health with lack of sleep. What's got you up?" he asked.

"We'll be at Atlantis in two days, won't we?" she asked.

"Yes," Doctor Beckett answered. "But we'll get there faster if you sleep."

Anna ignored his potentially patronizing premise and pulled a rolling stool over from next to the wall. "What is it like?" she asked. She felt like she'd asked this question of a dozen people already, and every answer was different. "Atlantis?"

To Rodney, it was an opponent to be challenged and bested. He'd find out all its secrets or die trying. Except he wouldn't die. He was apparently pretty good at avoiding that kind of thing in just the nick of time. And every time he did that, it was Rodney, one; Atlantis, zero.

To Radek, it was a mystery to be explored and discovered. He most enjoyed the puddle jumpers, but honestly who wouldn't find those interesting? He wanted to know everything about them and how they ticked, but just for the sake of knowing. That it might save lives one day was a bonus.

"It's honestly pretty terrifying," Doctor Beckett said finally. "I don't mean to put you off Atlantis, but it scares the living daylights out of me more often than not. Every time I turn around, something else has gone wrong."

Anna chuckled. "You sound like Doctor McKay."

"Hey, now, no need to be insulting," Doctor Beckett said jokingly.

They were interrupted when an airman ran into the room. "Doctor Beckett!" he said, not even a bit out of breath. "There's an emergency."

Doctor Beckett stood, grabbing a small pack from the desk next to his. "What is it?"

"Doctor Monroe's been injured," the airman said. "It sounded like he'd been shocked by an instrument panel, but he hasn't responded."

Doctor Beckett motioned to a small black bag next to Anna and said, "Could you get that, love?" He left the room, yelling at the airman, "Lead the way."

Anna picked up the bag and followed. Doctor Beckett's hustle forced the airman to a jog. Anna kept up easily until they reached a corridor she didn't remember being in before. It looked like most other corridors, except for the man lying on the floor in the middle of a host of panels. It looked like he was maybe taking a nap, but it was not a great place for that kind of thing.

Anna put down the black bag next to Doctor Beckett and rounded the panel she assumed the man must have been looking at. She understood this better than the man lying on the ground. Doctor Beckett understood people on the floor, and Anna understood this. She clasped her hands behind her back, carefully not touching it.

Doctor Beckett was in the middle of his examination when Doctor McKay and Radek showed up.

"What happened here?" Doctor McKay demanded.

He moved Anna aside like she was a table in his way. Just grabbed her shoulders and moved her to one side. He looked at the panel she was looking at.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Radek asked.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered. "I was just with Doctor Beckett. Studying."

He looked neither pleased nor satisfied by that answer, but he went to help Rodney. Anna hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, but she only knew what ordinary panels looked like. And, judging by the junctions in this room, it didn't have enough power to electrocute someone to death anyway.

Still, she kept her hands securely out of reach from the walls.

Just one of the dozen pleasant ways to die on a spaceship…

He was probably fine, though. Everyone said Doctor Beckett was the best doctor in two galaxies.

"Doctor Monroe…" she heard Elizabeth say behind her. "What happened?"

Doctor Beckett leaned back on his heels and shook his head. "I don't know, but he's dead."

Everyone looked up at that proclamation, and Anna spun around to look at the man on the ground. Dead. She leaned closer to look. He was wearing the green Daedalus jumpsuit. Probably just doing something routine. Dead. He looked like everyone else in the room, for the most part, except that he wasn't.

This wasn't the kind of death Anna knew. She knew white as a sheet, pale, shaking hands. A wan smile trying to convince her everything was alright. She knew death that let go of her hand after fighting for so long, waiting for someone who would never come. Death that wanted to say "I love you" just one more time.

This wasn't like that at all. This was quick. This was young. Unfair. This could be anyone. This was alone.

Radek stepped behind her. "Go to bed, malá," he said.

She wrenched away from his grip on her arm. "Stop calling me that," she hissed.

"Fine, but go to bed," he said.

"What's happening?" she whispered as he forced her to walk down the hall away from the dead man and the gathering around him.

"I don't know yet," he said. He sounded annoyed. Probably thought that he'd be one step closer to finding out what happened if she hadn't the nerve to be up at this time of night.

He gave her a gentle shove in the direction of her room. She figured she had to speak fast if she wanted to speak at all. "There isn't enough in those panels to kill someone," she said. At his surprise, she decided just to go on. Doctor Optrican had been pretty irritated at having to "entertain" Anna, but she listened to every word he said anyway. "I recognize those junctions. Doctor Optrican showed me while he was working on the grid."

"I'll look."

"Is it bad?" she asked. People didn't just die, did they? Even on a spaceship?

"Anna." There was a scolding tone to his voice. She almost wished he'd called her Little.

It was bad. Of course, it was. A man was dead. "I'll go back to bed."

She traced her way back to the infirmary and then to her room where the lieutenant slept more-or-less soundly. Her breathing was even, but Anna swore the lieutenant watched her with one eye when she wasn't looking. She climbed into her bunk and stared at the ceiling.

So much for sleeping tonight…

So much for Atlantis the day after tomorrow.

Czech Things

Malá = Little.

A/N: Alright, so in the upcoming chapters, I use a lot of episode dialogue, especially since Anna isn't really involved in a lot of what's going on. There's no reason for it to change. However, this is her first big adventure. Can't leave it out.

Oh, but Radek's here.

Also. Um. Sorry this was so short.

Next time: I don't think you bought a ticket.