Left Behind

Prompt: Kavanagh becomes a Runner.

A/N: This is set after "Critical Mass," and is AU in the sense that Kavanagh remained on Atlantis afterwards. I wrote it for a KavTolAnon stoy challenge back in 2008 and recently realized I never posted it here. So I decided to fix that.

Dr. Peter Kavanagh was running for his life. Trees flashed by him in a blur as he focused only on the path before him. His lungs burned from the cold air and his muscles ached but the knowledge that the Wraith trackers were in close pursuit gave him enough incentive to keep moving.

The sun was setting by the time he collapsed, spent of breath and will. As long as the damn chip was still in his back, they could find him no matter where he ran. Still, he made the effort to drag himself into the brush in an instinctive need to stay hidden.

The planet he was on would only get colder at night. He didn't know the name of it but he'd been here for several months now, trying to find his way to a Stargate without success. Nothing looked familiar and he had no idea if he was even close to the Gate. Without shelter, he was going to have to endure another long, cold night where he only slept for brief fits that did nothing to ease his exhaustion.

There was no point in running at night. His glasses were long gone and it was too dark to see anything properly. The Wraith trackers only came after him during the day anyway. It was just a game to them and there was no point in letting it be over too soon.

How the hell had he ended up like this? It was the only question running through his mind these days. It had begun as a simple mission. There were rumors of Atlantean technology on some non-tech, agrarian planet and Major Lorne's team had been sent to investigate. Sheppard and crew were off-world dealing with something more urgent and they needed a scientist to accompany them. Kavanagh had been foolish enough to volunteer.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. He was fed up with being shunned and with the disgusted looks and sneers he encountered at every turn. They were all fools. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't qualified. Most of his fellow scientists had been at the receiving end of one of McKay's rants about their incompetence. And yet, somehow with him, everyone believed it even to the point of thinking he deserved the torture that Weir had threatened to inflict on him.

The Farro had been courteous and kind. He'd actually found himself relaxing and even joking with Lorne a little. It had been a nice, relaxing visit and it made him dread returning to Atlantis. The only problem was he couldn't find the technology they were after. No one in the village knew anything about Ancient machines. The trip was a waste of time.

They had been planning to leave in the morning. He'd been woken up by the whine of Wraith darts but the minute he'd stepped outside the small hut to see what was going on, the beam had hit him.

He'd woken in a cell with several of the Farro and even though he'd never seen the inside of a Wraith ship, it wasn't hard to realize where he was. Dr. Kavanagh thought it was commendable that he hadn't panicked at first. If Lorne or his team were free, they'd come to rescue him. That's what always happened with Sheppard's team when they were captured.

But days later, with each of his cellmates taken out to be fed on until only he remained, he realized they weren't coming. Maybe they couldn't find the ship. Maybe Lorne and his men were all dead. Maybe they assumed he was dead. Or maybe they just didn't give a damn about Dr. Peter Kavanagh. "Leave no man behind," unless that man was the most hated person on Atlantis.

Had they even tried to find him or had they just chalked it up to bad luck and gone on with their lives? The questions stewed at him as he waited each day for death. There might even be those who say he deserved it although he couldn't understand why. All he'd ever done was his job and no one could say that he hadn't done it well.

The only reason he'd stayed on Atlantis even after everything he'd gone through was because he had a purpose there. They needed scientists of his caliber. There were only so many scientists willing to travel to another galaxy and he wanted to prove himself, to prove Weir and the others wrong instead of running from his problems.

By the time they'd come for him, he was so furious that he'd actually fought the blank-faced Wraith guards. He might not be as much of a warrior as Ronon, but he wasn't a weakling either. Not that any amount of physical prowess did any good against the firm grips of the guards. But his struggles seemed to amuse the long-haired male who directed the guards to take him to the queen.

On his knees, before the Wraith queen, he'd thought for sure he was going to die slowly and in pain. Could he make himself faint again if he got upset enough? He'd never done it intentionally before but he was desperate to avoid the torture of a feed.

He was breathing in deep gasps as the queen approached, trying to make himself hyperventilate enough to pass out but to no avail. She ignored his fear and plunged her hand against his chest. Closing his eyes, he waited for the pain to start. Instead, there was a sharp hissing sound and the hand was removed from his chest.

Opening his eyes, Kavanagh found the queen staring down at him in anger. She turned to the male who looked very nervous as though it were his fault. What was going on? Why hadn't she fed on him?

"Take this runner to the preparation chamber. The young ones may have him for their sport."

Runner? He remembered hearing bits and pieces about Ronon's life as a runner but hadn't really given it much thought. He didn't really know much of what it entailed except that he was being spared death for now. The guards pulled him roughly to his feet as the male approached and led them to another chamber that looked like a nightmare version of a medical bay.

He was strapped down and as helpless as before. They didn't bother with anesthesia when they cut into his back to insert the chip. He couldn't move but he could scream which he did loudly. They took no notice as they sealed the wound.

"Listen well, human. You will be left on an uninhabited planet. Our young ones will hunt you by day and hopefully you will be worthy prey who will put on a good chase before they catch you. If you make it to the Stargate, we will follow you through. You cannot escape. You can only die with honor."

They'd dumped him on some planet teeming with greenery and allowed him a head start of one day. But the joke was on them. The Atlanteans might think that Kavanagh was a weakling and a coward. But the truth was, he'd taken every precaution he could think of to survive on his own if something like this had ever happened.

Protocol demanded that all of the staff know at least five gate addresses by heart. It wasn't enforced like so many other rules under Weir but it existed. Kavanagh had forced himself to memorize as many as he could. His current count was twenty-three.

Some of the scientists and military had given lectures about various survival techniques. They weren't mandatory and were only supposed to be for those who were interested. Kavanagh had attended every one. He'd learned what sorts of local plants might be edible from Dr. Parrish. Sergeant Bates had given a sparsely-attended lecture in that first year about ways to survive off the land.

One of the entomologists, Dr. Gordon, had given a speech about edible insects. That one had very sparse attendance but Kavanagh had found it useful. Major Lorne had given an amusing lecture about ways to evade enemies including booby traps that could be set to slow a pursuer down. He'd also offered to demonstrate them on McKay once the head scientist had begun interrupting him repeatedly with questions. Kavanagh had enjoyed that whole two hours.

So he'd been able to evade his pursuers over and over again. It was hard to keep track of the days while under constant stress but he thought it had been about three months since he'd been released. This planet was uninhabited as far as he knew but there had to be a Stargate somewhere, he just hadn't found it yet. The Wraith had mentioned one so it had to be here unless they were trying to give him false hope.

If he could just find a Gate, he could send an SOS to Atlantis and they'd send help. But it could be anywhere on the planet. It could even be on another continent. He could be heading directly away from it for all he knew. In three months, he'd seen no sign of it. The idea that maybe there was no Gate had crossed his mind but even his pessimistic nature had rejected that. If there was no Gate, then he was dead and he refused to accept that.

How the hell had Ronon survived seven years of this torture? Kavanagh had found a small amount of grudging respect for the man. The scientist was much thinner, his sunburned skin criss-crossed by scratches and bruises from his heedless flight. Sleep was a luxury that he only indulged in at odd intervals. His clothes were torn and his hair had grown long enough to make a ponytail again. The itchy beard that covered his face was the most annoying but he had no razor available and no tools other than sticks and stones.

When he'd woken up on the planet, he'd been on a grassy plain with trees off in the distance. It had been hot and humid but as he'd traveled in a somewhat northwest direction, the trees had increased and the air had grown colder. He was now heading west every day simply to travel in a consistent manner and there had been no sign of anything. The only good thing was that there didn't seem to be any large predators here and the Wraith were the only thing he needed to look out for.

He hadn't even seen any sign of the Wraith for the first three weeks he'd been here but there had always been that knowledge that they were out there, stalking him. Then there had been little signs, whispers in the wind, a glimpse of two pale-skinned figures in the valley behind him as he stood atop a hill.

Despite his stamina, Kavanagh knew it was only a matter of time before they tired of hunting him and just killed him outright. They were closer now than they'd ever been before and he was headed for a complete breakdown. It was just a matter of whether the Wraith or his own carelessness would end him.

When dawn arrived, he had slept perhaps three hours total. With first light, the scientist crawled out of the brush and looked around to assess the area before he started running again. There was the buzz of insects and small birds but no sign of the Wraith. His breakfast consisted of a handful of berries, potato-like roots, and beetles as well as water from a nearby stream.

Meat was out of the question. He hadn't seen any large animals in his entire time here and lighting a fire would give his position away to the Wraith. The lack of protein was one of his problems but there was nothing he could do about it.

There was no point in wasting his energy this early so he set off at a normal pace with the sun at his back. The terrain was hilly and the trees were more spaced out then the dense forests he'd first entered. It was a wonder he hadn't fallen as he'd run across the ground yesterday. Stones littered the forest floor and he had to be careful of his footing.

It was near noon when he saw brighter sunlight through the trees ahead of him. That probably meant a clearing he would have to go around to stay amid the cover of the trees. Instead, he stepped between two large trunks and found himself standing at the top of a steep hill overlooking a deep valley.

The valley floor was open and covered in high grass but that only meant he would be vulnerable while crossing it. It stretched a long way too as he could barely see the forest on the other side. He looked around to see if there was a safe way down when the sun glinted off of something to his left and he turned to see what it was.

For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. Was that really the round curve of a Gate on the valley floor or was the hunger and fatigue making him see things? Kavanagh took a careful step to the left and now he could see clearly that it was a Gate standing there among the tall grass and the wildflowers. He'd finally found it.

For a moment, he was full of elation. He was going to make it. He was going home. But then reality set in again. The Gate was still a long way away and there was no guarantee he would reach it. Even if he got to the valley floor safely, the Wraith were still after him. And what if he could dial Atlantis? Would the Wraith be able to figure out what address he dialed and use it to invade Atlantis? Many of them hated him now but how much worse would they feel if he led the Wraith straight to the Ancient city?

He shook his head, pushing away the indecision that he couldn't afford to feel right now. The first step was to make it down the hill and then he could decide where to go from there. He could go through the Gate to another uninhabited world and dial Atlantis from there. That would give them time to deal with the Wraith if they followed him.

A short walk along the summit found him a place where the hill was less steep and he could pick his way down. It was slow-going but he couldn't afford to rush and chance an injury. At any moment, he expected to hear the taunting voice of the Wraith above him or feel the jolt of a stunner. But he made it to the floor of the valley without incident.

He stopped to rest for just a moment. The Gate was still a half-mile away and he'd barely eaten or drank anything all day. There were insects buzzing amid the wildflowers and he managed to grab a few while he rested but they were meager food that did nothing to ease his hunger.

Starting out again, he kept his eyes fixed on the Gate and took the straightest path towards it, ignoring the scattered cover of boulders here and there. There was no point in worrying about the Wraith now. Either he'd escape or he'd die here today.

He was close to the Gate, perhaps a hundred feet away, when he heard the whine of a stunner and the beam sliced into the ground to his left. Abandoning caution, he bolted towards the Gate but another blast slammed into the ground in front of him, throwing him off his feet.

"You cannot escape, human. Give yourself up and your death will be quick."

A quick glance behind him showed the two trackers striding towards him, confident that their prey was beaten. Fate couldn't be this cruel. He couldn't be so close only to fail now. Well, screw them, he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Kavanagh got to his feet and ran for the nearest boulder. He ducked behind it just as another beam sliced past his shoulder. They had spread out and were coming at him from both sides, trying to flank him. The Gate was tantalizingly close. It was set at the top of a small hill and there were more boulders close to it but he didn't know if he could make it to the nearest one before they stunned him. As he studied the terrain, an idea came to him. There was something Lorne had said in his lecture about higher ground that might be useful, if only he could make it closer to the Gate.

It was now or never. He picked up two small rocks and tossed one to his left and one to his right. As both rocks were hit by the stun beams, he bolted forward trying to take advantage of the small window of opportunity. He made it to the next boulder, throwing himself flat as the beam sliced over his head and then crawling behind it.

The Wraith were still playing with him. Their reactions were still slowed by their desire to make this last and it worked in his favor. The boulders were much closer together here and he made three more short runs, getting ever closer to the Gate. But it was one particular stone he had in mind.

At the top of the hill, perched precariously over the edge was a large, roughly egg-shaped rock that looked ready to topple over at any second. That was his goal and as he reached it, both beams hit the ground at his feet. They gouged a thin line in the dirt and he thought the boulder trembled for just a moment.

He hid behind it, but he kept jumping out, pretending to run in a different direction until their beams drove him back. They thought he was trapped there and didn't realize he was deliberately attracting their beams as they fired at every opportunity. In between, he pushed on the rock as hard as he could. At first, there was no reaction but as the beams smashed into the dirt around the boulder, he felt it shift ever so slightly.

It would only take a little more interference for his plan to work. Taking a deep breath, Kavanagh leaped out from behind the rock and winged a rock right at the head of one of the Wraith. They hadn't even bothered to take cover, secure that he was no threat to them. The Wraith ducked and snarled something unintelligible before both of them opened fire again. The beams gouged the hillside over and over and then the inevitable happened.

The dirt around the boulder had been loosened and vaporized by the Wraith weapons. Kavanagh strained against it as hard as he could and felt it actually move. With one last blast, the heavy rock came free and rolled down the hillside, smashing others aside like billiard balls. He didn't wait to see what the Wraith did but instead ran for the control panel as fast as his shaking legs could carry him.

The panel was covered with a thin layer of dirt but it still looked functional. Frantically, he typed in the address to Atlantis. There was no time to try other worlds. He had to get out of here and trust that Sheppard and his men could deal with the Wraith.

The Gate powered up, the shimmering iris opened and he had to restrain himself from running straight through it. Atlantis would raise the shields for an unauthorized Gate opening and he would just end up smashing into it and dying.

He sent a signal through, just a simple S.O.S with his ID attached. Seconds passed by like years and then the control panel crackled with a return signal.

"Dr. Kavanagh? Is that you?" He'd never been so happy to hear Chuck's voice.

"Yes. I need help. There are Wraith after me. Please hurry."

He crouched by the control panel and cautiously scanned the area for the Wraith. There was no sign of them but it was too much to hope that they'd been crushed by the mini-landslide he'd caused. It would likely take several minutes for the soldiers to assemble and receive permission to go through. He could only hide until then.

The Gate rippled as Major Lorne stepped through and in his excitement, Dr. Kavanagh stood up straight, waving his arms to attract their attention. Lorne turned towards him, his eyes widened and he brought his gun up to bear.

There was a flash of white out of the corner of his eye and then one of the Wraith was there knocking him to the ground. A hand slammed into his chest and the Wraith bared sharp teeth in his face. He heard Major Lorne shouting but he knew the soldiers wouldn't dare shoot the Wraith so close to him.

He felt a pressure against his chest and then the Wraith's hatred turned to surprise as nothing happened. It reared away from him, too confused and enraged to even realize that there were other humans nearby until the burst of gunfire made its body jerk and then fall away from him.

Kavanagh lay there, the breath knocked out of him, and every muscle aching. Right now, he'd be happy to never move again. Lorne's concerned face appeared above him.

"Need a hand, doc?" The soldiers hauled him to his feet but he was so exhausted that all he could do was hang limply as they carried him across the threshold and on into Atlantis. His days as a Runner were over.

Epilogue:

Recovery was slow. It took a while for his body to regain the muscle mass he'd lost and for many weeks he had dreams of being chased through endless forests with no escape. But gradually, Dr. Kavanagh got used to not Running anymore.

The looks he got in passing now were admiring or stunned. Lorne and Sheppard's team had both looked for him after his abduction but he'd long ago been given up for dead. There were times when he felt much like a ghost and sometimes the walls around him seemed unreal and he thought for sure he'd turn a corner and be back on the planet surface, lost amid the trees while the Wraith trailed after him.

But the dreams faded and life got back to normal. Except that Kavanagh felt restless. While he'd been gone, Weir had been lost to the Replicators and Colonel Carter was the new head of Atlantis. Ronon seemed to be watching him at every turn as though he wanted to talk but the scientist wasn't in the mood.

Everyone seemed far too interested in the fact that the Wraith hadn't been able to feed on him. It seemed the height of irony that he'd been terrified of the Wraith only to turn out to be one of the rare ones that were immune to their feeding ability. Despite the higher regard he was receiving from most, there were still a few who joked about his sour nature making him unpalatable when they thought he couldn't hear. This place was too unreal to him. It wasn't home any more.

So five months and three days after his run had ended, Kavanagh boarded the Daedelus bound for the Midway Station. Not only was it a chance for a fresh start but the station was small. There would be nowhere to run, no place that would make him feel as though he were being followed. He could bury himself in his work and forget this whole incident. On Midway, he could lose himself among the stars and find a new rhythm to his life. He couldn't wait.