fandomweekly | [#164] The Kindness Of Strangers (Torchwood)

Theme Prompt: #164 – Rescue
Title: The Kindness Of Strangers
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Ianto and his TARDIS go to the aid of an alien fugitive on a distant world.
A/N: Set in my Through Time And Space 'Verse.

Andovar was running for his life, though he knew it was hopeless; he’d never get away. He could hear the strident wailing of the tracker beasts, they had his scent, and they wouldn’t stop until they caught him. They were tireless and he was already struggling to keep going.

It had been foolish of him to attempt escape. There was nowhere he could run to, nowhere in Eltinor City he could hide, nowhere on the whole of Rugin’s World he could seek refuge, and no one who would shelter a fugitive. Not when the Imperial Guard would have already sent out alerts to every household to be on the lookout for an escaped prisoner.

He would be easily recognised by all since he was not of this world. He was a trader from Ferruma, an honest man who worked hard for his living, and yet he’d been sentenced to a lifetime of slavery, all because he’d found an injured female Ruginian and tried to help her. She hadn’t survived, and because there’d been no witnesses, he’d found himself accused and convicted of her murder.

He'd tried to plead innocence, tried to explain, but nobody had been willing to listen to a foreigner. He’d been put on a work gang, repairing the city’s roadways, damaged by the heavy rains, and at the first opportunity he’d run, with no thought in his mind beyond reaching his ship and leaving Rugin’s World behind forever.

But when he’d reached the spaceport, his ship hadn’t been there. It, along with all his assets, must have already been sold to pay reparations to the victim’s family. With no way off-world, all he’d been able to do was keep running. Surrendering was out of the question, he’d be shot on sight, but maybe that would be the best thing. In the unlikely event he survived capture he would be executed, but if the tracker beasts caught him, they would rip him to shreds. The savage creatures could not be reasoned with.

The streets were deserted this early; there was always a curfew in force in Eltinor City, no one allowed outside their homes or their workplaces between the twenty-second hour of one day and the eighth hour of the day following. Andovar was therefore surprised when a figure stepped out in front of him, blocking the narrow alleyway he was stumbling along. His first thought was that he was caught, but then he realised the being before him was not Ruginian. He was too tall, too thin, too pale of skin, and his clothing was strange. When he spoke, it was not in the Ruginian tongue, but in Andovar’s own language, yet he was clearly not Ferrumian either.

The stranger held out one hand to him. “I’m here to help you. Come with me if you want to live.”

It might be a trick of some kind, and yet what did Andovar have to lose? His life was already forfeit, he would never see his mate and his children again, and the wails of the tracker beasts were growing louder by the moment. If they caught him…

He reached for the stranger’s hand and then they were both running, along the alley, around a corner, across a wide street and into another alley with a tall, solid wall at the far end. Just as Andovar was sure they were trapped, a door opened, and soft light spilled out. The stranger pulled Andovar towards it, and into a room the likes of which he’d never seen. The door closed behind them.

Andovar didn’t allow himself time to take in his surroundings beyond that first glimpse of polished floors, tables and chairs as would be found in a public eating house, and a raised area housing a curious contraption. There were more pressing matters to contend with.

“The tracking beasts! They will find me here; your door will not stop them.”

“Don’t worry about that,” the stranger told him calmly. “We’ll be long gone by the time they reach the alley.”

“Gone? Gone where?” Looking around, Andovar saw passageways radiating out from the room he and his rescuer were in, but he knew even if they fled down one of them, the tracking beasts would simply follow his scent, and that of the stranger. “Your life will be forfeit for helping me!”

“Not once we’re outside the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard.”

“But the whole of Rugin’s World is under the Guard’s jurisdiction!” Through his exhaustion, Andovar was vaguely aware of a strange sound coming from the contraption on the platform, and felt a faint vibration through the soles of his feet.

"Then it's a good thing we're not on Rugin’s World any longer, isn’t it?” The stranger showed his teeth, but his facial expression didn’t seem threatening. “Sorry,” he added, the teeth disappearing from view. “I forget sometimes that showing teeth is considered impolite in some places. I apologise if I caused offence.”

“No matter.” Andovar brushed the apology aside with a flick of his nose. “What do you mean that we are no longer on Rugin’s World?”

“We left several minutes ago. Where are my manners? I’m Ianto Jones and this is my spaceship.”

“Spaceship?” Andovar say down in the nearest chair. “Where are you taking me? Am I your prisoner?”

“No, nothing of the sort. For the moment we’re heading for the third moon of Rusha; it’s in neutral space. My partner will meet us there with your ship, which he’s taken the liberty of… Stealing is such an unpleasant word, don’t you think? Let’s just say he’s rescued it for you. After all, it’s yours so it’s only fair you should get it back. Probably best to steer clear of Ruginian space in future though. You wouldn’t want to be captured again.”

“I… don’t understand.”

“Understanding isn’t necessary. Just accept that you’re safe. Soon you’ll be aboard your ship, heading home.”

“How can I repay you?”

“There’s no need. Rescuing people is what I do.”

The End

[#164] The Kindness Of Strangers (Torchwood)

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