Sometimes "Or" Isn't an Option by teh_bug (Amnesty '08, Fight or Flight Challenge)
Title: Sometimes "Or" Isn't an Option
Author: teh_bug
Genre: gen
Rating: G
Summary: Run
Run the voice says, and he doesn't question it. He runs.
Behind him, he can hear Rodney yelling at him, things like "Where are you going?" and "What do you think you're doing?" and it doesn't matter really, because he has to run.
It's not fleeing, he tells himself. He's not running from a battle. The battle and the shooting are behind him, but he's not afraid.
He's not sure if he believes that, but he has to keep running and that's the only thing that makes sense.
Run
He keeps running until his legs burn and he can't remember how to breathe and he has to keep running. So he crawls on his hands and knees, sticks and stones digging into his skin, and keeps going. When he can't even manage that anymore and his muscles shriek and refuses to move, he rolls on his side and drinks the air.
Dimly, he's aware that he's probably left a trail behind him and that at any moment Ronon and Teyla are going to come crashing through the underbrush behind him and find him lying here on the ground, but he can barely think over the steady thrum of run. All that matters is running and he can't- finally. He's running again, forcing his body past limits he didn't know existed, and his lungs are screaming, and his heart is about to burst out of his chest, and he has to keep going just a little bit further and-
The voice stops.
He falls, collapses, crumples to the earth. His cheek hits something smooth and cold and maybe it'll leave a bruise, but he doesn't really feel it. His eyes are to the sky and when he focuses them, tries to focus them, he sees a woman's face looking down at him.
Well done says the voice, and he fades to black.
Later, Ronon and Teyla tell him that they found him sprawled at the feet of a statue of what they think is an Ancient. They tell him that he ran ten miles and that it took them twenty-five minutes to catch up with him.
Rodney mutters something scientific about a specific frequency only certain ATA gene carriers can hear and "of course you could hear it." He mentions something about John having led them to a former Ancient outpost, complete with nearly dead ZPM, something about a great battle taking place there, the statue of a great leader. He says something about John probably hearing an outdated call to arms or "I don't know, some other order that involves running to a specific spot, like you military types like to do."
John nods and mutters something like agreement and he remembers the voice.
Run
He doesn't say anything, because he doesn't want Rodney to be wrong.
~Fin~
Author: teh_bug
Genre: gen
Rating: G
Summary: Run
Run the voice says, and he doesn't question it. He runs.
Behind him, he can hear Rodney yelling at him, things like "Where are you going?" and "What do you think you're doing?" and it doesn't matter really, because he has to run.
It's not fleeing, he tells himself. He's not running from a battle. The battle and the shooting are behind him, but he's not afraid.
He's not sure if he believes that, but he has to keep running and that's the only thing that makes sense.
Run
He keeps running until his legs burn and he can't remember how to breathe and he has to keep running. So he crawls on his hands and knees, sticks and stones digging into his skin, and keeps going. When he can't even manage that anymore and his muscles shriek and refuses to move, he rolls on his side and drinks the air.
Dimly, he's aware that he's probably left a trail behind him and that at any moment Ronon and Teyla are going to come crashing through the underbrush behind him and find him lying here on the ground, but he can barely think over the steady thrum of run. All that matters is running and he can't- finally. He's running again, forcing his body past limits he didn't know existed, and his lungs are screaming, and his heart is about to burst out of his chest, and he has to keep going just a little bit further and-
The voice stops.
He falls, collapses, crumples to the earth. His cheek hits something smooth and cold and maybe it'll leave a bruise, but he doesn't really feel it. His eyes are to the sky and when he focuses them, tries to focus them, he sees a woman's face looking down at him.
Well done says the voice, and he fades to black.
Later, Ronon and Teyla tell him that they found him sprawled at the feet of a statue of what they think is an Ancient. They tell him that he ran ten miles and that it took them twenty-five minutes to catch up with him.
Rodney mutters something scientific about a specific frequency only certain ATA gene carriers can hear and "of course you could hear it." He mentions something about John having led them to a former Ancient outpost, complete with nearly dead ZPM, something about a great battle taking place there, the statue of a great leader. He says something about John probably hearing an outdated call to arms or "I don't know, some other order that involves running to a specific spot, like you military types like to do."
John nods and mutters something like agreement and he remembers the voice.
Run
He doesn't say anything, because he doesn't want Rodney to be wrong.
~Fin~