Last time: Making sure Atlantis is a good environment for Anna, Radek ventures out of the lab to (covertly) make sure she's happy. At least she's doing well enough in science for McKay to question the biological relationship between Anna and Radek.

Chapter 22. New Kid.

The new kids always ate alone. Unless they were Anna, then they ate alone whether they were new or not. Radek told her Doctor McKay had scheduled a meeting—he thought on purpose—during breakfast, so he couldn't eat with her as usual. So Anna sat near the wall and watched.

Atlantis was full of all sorts of interesting people that argued over the most interesting things. It seemed like someone was always arguing, but never about the things one might see on soap opera. These were the kinds of people who didn't have the time of day for interpersonal relationships, but they found plenty of reasons to want to wring one another's necks anyway.

And then there was that guy. Doctor McKay had called him "the caveman." Anna just didn't know that cavemen were so attractive.

"He's not a caveman," Colonel Sheppard had objected. "We found him in a cave. That's not the same thing."

"It's about the same thing. Besides, have you looked at the guy?" Doctor McKay had returned. "He makes Conan the Barbarian look like my kid sister."

It was an exaggeration. But he made the hundred most eligible bachelors in those magazines look like her high school chemistry partner. That was no exaggeration.

You're being silly.

He was sort of caveman-like. He sat down alone at one of the long tables, his plate piled high with food. She got the feeling that he deliberately misused his utensils and he snarled at everyone that walked by. Suddenly he looked up and right at her.

She looked away immediately. What in the world was she thinking, staring like that? It wasn't like she'd never seen a person from another planet before.

Although, to be fair, they were a fairly new occurrence to her outside the Athosians.

Anna quickly gathered her plate, cup, and utensils even though she wasn't finished. He was still staring. Unfortunately, she had to walk right past his table to get to the door.

"Aren't you a little young to be here?" he asked.

She paused and looked at him. "I'm Doctor Zelenka's daughter."

He shrugged and waved what looked like a chicken wing. "No idea who that is."

"He's one of the senior science team members," she said.

He nodded in a way that gave her the distinct impression that he really didn't care. Well, he asked. Sort of.

"I'm Anna," she said.

"Ronon."

"Colonel Sheppard said they found you offworld."

"Yep."

"Are you staying?"

"Don't know."

Anna nodded. There wasn't really a lot to say to that, was there? "Nice talking to you."

"You, too."

At least he didn't sound completely sarcastic like Doctor McKay. She hurried off. Still hungry. She stopped only long enough to get a cup of coffee. She didn't know if it should be black or not, sugar or not. She decided to just leave it and stuffed some sugar packets in her jacket pocket.

She always felt out of place no matter where she was on Atlantis, except when she was in her room. She especially felt out of place here, in Radek's lab. Radek was always quick to invite her in and try to make her feel like she should be there... It never quite worked, especially when everyone was talking so far over her head, she'd need a telescope just to see.

She leaned into doorway. "Ahoj," * she said, before realizing that there were two other people in here. "Good morning," she revised.

Radek looked up immediately. "Good morning." He looked tired and irritated. This morning was certainly not good. That usually happened after he had to sit listening to Doctor McKay for an hour.

Anna walked in and put the coffee on the table at his elbow. "I don't know if you like sugar."

"Ah." He smiled at the coffee, then at her. "I think I just like coffee. Thank you." He didn't seem quite as irritated anymore. Coffee was magic like that.

She crossed her arms on his desk and looked at his screen. "You're welcome." Surprisingly, after all the homework assignments Doctor McKay had given her regarding Atlantis, she was pretty familiar with what she was looking at now. "Are these the 'gate crystals?" she asked, pointing.

"Yes."

She nodded. She knew what they looked like, but they were so complicated that Doctor McKay had little idea exactly what they did. She guessed they were more organized and stable than any other system she'd studied yet, which made her think that they were probably fairly easy to understand from the right perspective. If only they could find the right perspective.

But what did she know?

Anna looked around and realized that she didn't actually see many of the people she'd expected to see. "Doctor McKay isn't in his lab." She'd peered in as she walked by.

"He went offworld," he said. "Hence the morning meeting."

"He's in a bad mood?"

He shrugged and took a gulp of coffee.

Doctor McKay was rarely pleasant. Once he came to see her in person to talk about a scenario he'd given her to solve to "save Atlantis." It was apparently based on a real situation and had Anna been in charge, the city would have broken into flotsam and everyone would have died. All the same, she liked him. Didn't hate him, anyway. Didn't work with him every day, either…

He was interesting. That was more precise.

"How is your hand?" She looked at his right hand, where only a day or so ago Doctor Beckett had removed the gauze and bandages for the last time.

Radek turned his hand over and compared them. His right hand was slightly swollen, the skin was a darker shade and wrinkly. That would go away in a few more days. "It's alright," he said. "At least I can use it." He bent his fingers and went back to his computer.

"I met the, um…" She didn't want to call him "the caveman" in front of everyone. She could call him "the alien," but that didn't seem fair. He looked just like any of them from Earth. She settled for something more specific. "His name is Ronon."

He looked at her. "I don't think I've even seen him. He's only been here a few days."

Well, Anna had the feeling that Radek would have remembered him if he saw him. Maybe. He was big and intimidating, but Anna couldn't imagine him going near a science lab. Ever. Maybe a little judgmental of her to think that…

He did have one thing in common with the scientists in here. "He doesn't say a lot."

They were interrupted when a lieutenant ran into the lab and looked at Radek. "Doctor Zelenka," he said. "There's been an incident. You and your team need to get ready to go offworld."

"Offworld?" Radek looked about as excited as she felt about going to the dentist. All the same, he rose from his seat and started gathering his things.

Anna glanced between them. She was excited, even if he wasn't. "Can I come?" Considering the most interesting thing to happen to her in days was to see a caveman. Not a caveman. A man they'd found in a cave.

"Is it safe?" Radek looked at the lieutenant.

He shrugged in response. "Doctor Weir will have to approve that, but we have to go."

Anna picked up Radek's coffee.

"Doctor McKay will be happier if I take longer," he mumbled.

"Pretty sure he won't. Doctor McKay is in the computer of a downed Wraith dart."

There went all her chances of going. She was going to follow until she was told not to, though. She watched Radek and his colleagues gather an obscene number of gadgets and equipment. It was easy enough to cart the things from the lab to the transporter, from the transporter to the 'gate room. They stood in the 'gate room for several minutes while the science team wrestled with flak jackets.

Colonel Sheppard descended from the stairs to the control room. Anna guessed he was up there talking to Elizabeth about whatever trouble Doctor McKay had gotten himself in. He spied Anna standing to one side with Radek's cup of coffee.

"Oh!" he said with a grin. "Field trip?"

Anna smiled back. Surely Colonel Sheppard would agree this was a good idea. If anything, she got the feeling that he could at least keep most danger at bay. "May I?" she asked.

Radek sighed while Sheppard gave Weir thumbs up in the control room. "Let's get you a jacket, Anna. Might be a little big."

Anna couldn't help notice her heart pounding in excitement as she slid into the vest. It was very heavy, and she doubted it would save her if something came up. She'd just have to stay close to Sheppard. And stay out of sight. She glanced toward Radek, hunched under the weight of the jacket, ducking behind a pile of technical equipment even though there wasn't anything dangerous in the 'gate room.

She could always hide. She figured that sort of thing was in her blood...

This was definitely one of the more exciting things Anna had ever done. Riding on a spaceship was one. Going through a Stargate for the first time was another. Should she be nervous? What did it feel like? A bunch of people went through the 'gate many times a day even. They were fine and they went through again the next day. It would have to be fine. Right?

It would be fine?

Then she noticed how pale Radek and the rest of the science team were. Maybe they were just scientists who had never done anything more exciting than add two creams to their coffee instead of three.

Colonel Sheppard didn't seem worried, though. He seemed to have all the confidence in the world. After all, who wouldn't? When brawn and bullets didn't solve the Pegasus galaxy's problems, his scientists did. Anna was tired of hearing all the stories of when Doctor McKay did this-or-that and saved the city. Radek was always on the periphery of those stories. But maybe she'd get a chance to see what he could do.

Colonel Sheppard stepped up next to Radek and grinned. "First time offworld, Zelenka?"

"Um…" Radek pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Yes."

"I feel like I should bring a bottle of champagne," Colonel Sheppard said. "Break it on the bow."

"Funny." Radek's voice, nevertheless, conveyed he didn't find it funny at all. "Shall we go?"

Czech Things

* Ahoj = "hello"

A/N: I know. This isn't exactly true to the episode in a way Anna couldn't have influenced… But why is John hanging out in the field while Hansen radios Atlantis? It's not like he needs more sun… Rodney is stuck in a Wraith dart. This warrants a personal report from the mission commander. Also, I skipped Runner. What of it?

And, yeah, it's funny because Ronon is Conan the Barbarian in another universe by way of our universe.

Next time: I know it looks like it sometimes, but we don't just bang on the keyboard and hope something happens.