Last time: Anna's having an adventure! And Radek isn't. It would be nice if Anna just came home (chapter 34)...
Chapter 38. Wish We Were There.
Early that afternoon, Delbradia-time, Anna and the traders came out of their rooms from sleeping. Doctor Kavanagh was already downstairs with Lieutenant Anders when Anna and Iskaan showed up.
Anna walked up next to Doctor Kavanagh. He made no indication he saw her there except for leaning away slightly. "Are you going to the ruins?" Anna asked.
He nodded. "Yup," he said grudgingly.
"We are, too," Anna said.
Iskaan didn't look very happy with this arrangement.
"Great," Doctor Kavanagh said sarcastically.
Anna would have liked to help discover some Ancient tech with Doctor Kavanagh… He was rude and condescending, but in a way different from Doctor McKay. Maybe it was just because he wasn't as smart as Doctor McKay. He thought he knew everything—and in many circles on Earth, he did—but not here.
Iskaan pulled Anna aside. "What are you doing?" he whispered. "Let's just go now, get a head start on him. Maybe we won't even have to see him while we're there."
Anna sighed. "I want to know if they're Ancient ruins." She couldn't help that. Iskaan was excited about panpipes and knives. Anna was excited about potentially technologically advanced ruins.
"You actually like Kavanagh?" Iskaan asked.
Anna shook her head and whispered, "It has nothing do with Kavanagh. I just want to be there if he discovers something interesting. Besides, I don't think he's so bad. He's very smart. Smart people are usually… annoying."
Iskaan arched an eyebrow playfully. "Not so bad, huh?"
He was kind enough to feign injury when Anna slugged his shoulder. She headed to the door, anyway. Kavanagh would catch up eventually. He had long legs. And maybe she could chase the color of discomfort and disgust from her face if she got out in the fresh air. Maybe this other galaxy wasn't so different, after all.
Iskaan caught up with her to lead her though the village. "Sorry if I embarrassed you."
"You didn't," Anna said quickly. Anything to not think about it anymore actually.
"You got some lovely gifts for your friends today," Iskaan offered, apparently solely for the purpose of a subject change.
"Thank you."
"No, I must thank you. I wish… you're sure you don't want a panpipe?" he asked with a small smile.
Anna shook her head. "One instrument is enough for me." Besides, it was only fair that Teyla's necklace get something for one of her people, too. Teyla had already been so generous with Anna… it didn't seem fair.
"Something else, then," Iskaan offered. "What would you like, Anna? I'll get it for you."
Anna almost laughed. Like Teyla, Iskaan had a strange way of speaking… and yet it seemed natural to them. It was sometimes even easier to understand than everyone else. She shook her head and shrugged. She wanted a day of nothing… a day to do nothing at all but whatever she wanted. And this had so far been that day.
Iskaan must have noticed her almost-laugh. "What is it?"
"Nothing. I mean, I don't want anything."
"That's not what I mean," Iskaan said. "I know when I'm being made fun of."
"I'm not making fun of you. I'm just thinking." She looked back at the street ahead. "Where are the ruins? Are they close?"
They were now at the edge of the village. A few farms surrounded the tightly-packed houses of the village, but beyond were open, green fields and hills. Beyond, a cliff of gray rocks sat above it all. A crumbling spire reached into the sky.
"That looks pretty far," Anna said.
"It's sort of far," Iskaan said. He looked back over his shoulder, nodded at Kavanagh.
Kavanagh stamped toward them alone, a backpack on his back, and a suitcase in each hand. He muttered angrily to himself as he approached.
Iskaan sighed and shrugged. "Should we help him?"
Anna really didn't want to. But as Kavanagh got closer, she started feeling pretty bad. She nodded at Iskaan, making sure the look on her face said that this was the last thing she wanted to do. She walked up to Kavanagh and held her hand out for a suitcase.
"Can I help?" she asked.
Iskaan joined her. "Me, too."
Kavanagh straightened, his lips tight. "Fine." He handed them each a suitcase and then looked toward the ruins. "You've been there before?" he asked Iskaan.
Iskaan nodded. "Dozens of times."
"Good. This should be quick, then."
"It's a fairly long walk," Iskaan warned.
Kavanagh sighed. "Then we'd better get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back."
#
Radek sat in a corner of the mess hall. It was too early for breakfast, but he had to get out of the room. It was better to be out of the room when there wasn't anyone around to catch his illness—though if he was to believe Doctor Beckett, he was no longer contagious.
Anna was still offworld, and he was amazed at how worried he was. It was ridiculous how worried he was. He contemplated his soup and wondered how to pass the day other than worrying or coughing up a lung.
"Doctor Zelenka," a familiar voice said nearby. "Glad to see you're feeling better."
He looked up toward the voice. One of the 'gate technicians with a tray of breakfast and a notebook under that. Radek had decided a long time ago, when Rodney couldn't get his name right to save his life, to learn everyone's name. At least the people he might someday speak to. This particular technician was around all the time. Radek had to know his name.
"Thank you," he said. Had to buy time. He knew his name. He really did. He even worked with him... a lot, actually. Maybe his illness was getting in the way of his memory. That seemed like a halfway-to-legitimate explanation.
Even if he did work with him sometimes, Radek barely used his name. No one else did, either. Not a lot of reason to.
So help him, if Radek turned into Rodney, always getting names wrong and not even remembering people existed, he was headed back to Earth as soon as the next check-in with the SGC. He'd take that as undeniable proof that this place was bad for him. A bad influence.
"I saw Anna a few days ago, hanging around the control room. She can really play the violin. At least, I think she can. Not that I would know a lot about it."
Radek nodded and looked down at his food. "I'm sorry I missed it."
Probably should have said thank you or something. Was that an appropriate thing to say when someone complimented his daughter? It had been so long, and back then compliments were usually of the obligatory, "your daughter is talented in x" variety. Not a whole lot to compliment the average seven-year-old for. He never thought she was average, but he knew other people did, because he hardly gave other people's children a second thought. Paid a few polite compliments, though.
Radek was thinking about it too much...
"Oh, well... here." He set down his tray of food and flipped open his notebook. "Parents take pictures at their kids' performances, right?" He ripped out a sheet of paper and handed it to Radek. "I guess I didn't have a camera handy."
He looked up at the technician and then at the sheet of paper. It was a pencil drawing of a girl playing a violin in front of the Stargate. Quite good, too. The 'gate was open, casting a long shadow of the violinist all the way back to the staircase leading to the control room. He wondered what she'd played… and why she'd been playing for the Stargate.
"The 'gate wasn't open, I just… um, artistic license?" He shrugged. "It turned out so good, I thought you'd like it."
Radek wished more than ever that he'd been there. "It is very good," he agreed. "It looks just like her, I think." He stared at the picture for a few moments, then handed it back. The technician backed away and held his hands up. He picked up his tray, instead.
"It's all yours, Doc," he said with a smile.
Radek nodded. "Thank you." What was his name? "Chuck," he finished. He looked back at the picture in his hands. He snapped it so it didn't flop over.
And, since he was thinking about it, it would be really odd if Chuck kept it...
Maybe he should get it framed.
A/N: Wondering why I'm posting on a Tuesday? Probably not. Well, here's the answer, anyway: it is February 7th.
So, happy birthday, Radek! Or, rather, to David Nykl, since it is his birthday from which we get Radek's. An excellent excuse to post twice in a week, if you ask me.
I'm trying to get my artistically-inclined brother to draw this for me so this story can have a proper cover, but he's waffling. Says it won't look good. The funny thing is that he thinks I care. Draw it like a 'gate technician would, I say! He wasn't even swayed by the fact that it's Radek's birthday. Rude.
Next time: It's not as exciting as it sounds.