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In the Middle of Nowhere
A Musketeers modern AU story by Deana

My entry in the 'Fete des Mousquetaires' contest for July/August: 'Missing'.

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Porthos opened his eyes, blinking with confusion when he found himself alone in the dark. He didn't remember going to bed, but he winced at the unexpected headache that filled his skull and closed his eyes again, not caring what time it was and wanting to simply go back to sleep. He drifted for a few seconds before realizing that his bed was supposed to be soft, not hard like a floor.

In an instant, Porthos was sitting upright, hands going to his pockets and finding no phone or car keys. He looked around what he found to be some old, abandoned shack without any windows, and when he turned to the left, his eyes opened wider.

Aramis was laying a few feet away, not moving.

With a gasp, Porthos scurried over to him and put his fingers against the pulse in his neck. He found it, but it seemed abnormally slow. "Aramis?" he said, gently shaking him.

There was no effect.

Porthos checked his friend for injuries and found nothing; not even a bump on his head. Examining himself yielded the same results, telling him that they'd likely been drugged.

Aramis' phone and keys were missing too, and he showed no signs of waking despite more prodding, so Porthos tried to make him as comfortable as he could and stood, intending to find out where they were. He came upon a flight of stairs and climbed them, to find that they'd been left in a cellar, which had made it seem darker than it actually was. There was only one door, and Porthos crept over to it quietly and grasped the knob. It turned easily, and he opened it a crack and looked outside.

All he could see was grass, trees, and bright sunlight. There wasn't a single sound except for birds singing, so he opened the door a little wider and stuck his head out before walking just outside the door.

Porthos was struck by the scenery; beautiful, calm, and serene. It was definitely before noon, as he could tell by the position of the sun, and the temperature was comfortable, unlike the heat wave that had gripped New York City for the past few days.

Porthos walked around the shack, realizing that there were no vehicles or houses as far as he could see. He and Aramis appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, but he couldn't understand why.

Just as he turned to go back inside to check on his friend, he caught something out the corner of his eye.

Two cell phones were lying on the ground.

Shocked, Porthos ran over and grabbed them, finding that they belonged to him and Aramis. Their car keys and wallets were scattered nearby—with everything still inside!—and now Porthos was even more baffled. He quickly unlocked his phone, to find that there was no signal. Trying Aramis' was no luck, and his battery was almost dead, so Porthos shut that one off and stuck it into his pocket before going back inside the shack.

Aramis was just as Porthos had left him; laying unconscious, having not moved.

Porthos knelt beside him and sighed, wishing away his headache. It wasn't bad, thankfully, and the slight unsteadiness that had filled his brain upon waking was all but gone. He quickly searched the shack for any resources they could use, but found nothing. No running water, no food, nothing.

After trying to wake his friend one more time without success, Porthos finally sat Aramis up and pulled him over his shoulder, before making his way carefully up the stairs.

Cautious peeking out the door again showed that there was still no one around, so Porthos picked a direction and started to walk, hoping to find help.

Clouds suddenly covered the sun, and a light wind comfortably blew. It would've seemed like a perfect, beautiful day to Porthos…if he wasn't currently lost in the middle of nowhere with an unconscious friend.

"What is it with you, anyway?" Porthos said aloud. "Nappin' while I haul your butt who-knows-where. Wake up, will ya?"

No answer.

"Figures. Some help you are," Porthos huffed.

After an hour, Porthos had to stop and put Aramis down. He laid him in the shade of a huge red Maple and patted his face.

"Hey Aramis, look, it's one of your favorite trees." He picked up a leaf and waved it in his friend's face. "See?" When nothing happened, he tickled Aramis' nose with it to see if it would wake him with a sneeze, but it didn't work.

Porthos sighed again, wishing that they had some water. "How do you get us into these messes?" he joked. "This has to be your fault, because I'm sure that it ain't mine." He thought for a minute before saying, "Heh, we're cops, maybe it isn't either of our fault."

Aramis remained quiet, eyes closed, breathing shallowly.

It was that last fact that Porthos suddenly realized, and he checked his friend's pulse again, still finding it very slow…even slower than before? "Hey, what's goin' on, here? Wake up!" He patted Aramis' face again and shook him, but he remained unconscious. With shock, Porthos realized that his assumption that his friend would wake up and be just fine, like he did, was apparently incorrect.

Aramis needs a hospital, he thought. And here I am just sittin' here!

Porthos quickly picked Aramis up again and hurried on, not even knowing where he was going. "You better not die, Aramis, I mean it," he said, his voice choked-up. "I really mean it!" Porthos suddenly remembered that when he'd woken, he'd laid confused for a while, so he wondered if maybe Aramis was awake but unable to respond yet. "If you're awake, say somethin'! Make a noise! Anything!"

But nothing happened.

Porthos sighed and continued to walk, holding onto the dangling-over-his-shoulder Aramis with one arm, and checking his cell phone signal in his other hand.

It was another two hours before he was forced to stop walking again and he put Aramis down with a groan, stretching his aching shoulders before sitting and checking his friend.

Aramis was still deeply unconscious; his face pale with his pulse and breathing still too slow.

"They must've given you too much," Porthos said. "Of whatever they gave us." He suddenly remembered Aramis' hypothyroidism* and wondered if that had anything to do with it. "Crap!" he said. "You missed your pill today!"

Aramis remained motionless.

Porthos dropped his face into his hands, suddenly realizing that his headache was gone. He stretched his shoulders again before lifting his friend and walking on. "I wonder what the others are doin' right now," he said aloud. "Lookin' all over New York City for us. I wonder if any clues were left behind. What do you think?"

Silence.

Porthos sighed. "I figured you had no answer, but you can't blame a man for tryin' anyway, right?"

More silence.

"Yeah yeah yeah, rub it in," Porthos sarcastically said.

For the next four hours, Porthos continued to carry Aramis to seemingly nowhere; all he found was grass, trees, and more grass and trees.

"Where the heck are we?!" he asked Aramis.

No answer.

"This is ridiculous!" Porthos exclaimed. He checked his phone again, and still had no signal. His charge had dropped to 25%, and he inwardly prayed that he would get a signal before it died.

A half hour later, he suddenly heard a noise, and he looked around, but didn't see anything. It took him a moment to realize that it had come from his friend.

"Aramis?" he called, as he put him down again. "Aramis! Look at me!" He patted his face, and was rewarded by seeing his friend's eyes move under his lids. "Don't stop there!" he encouraged. "Open your eyes, Aramis! Right now!"

Aramis could hear a muffled, far away voice, but he was unable to understand or react to it. His eyes stopped moving and he never opened them.

"Don't you dare pass back out!" Porthos said. "I ain't playin', here! Wake up!"

But Aramis didn't.

"Argh!" Porthos exclaimed. It took him a few seconds to at least be glad that Aramis had almost woken…it meant that he wasn't dying…he hoped. "You're gonna give me a heart attack," he complained. In despair, he sat there for a few minutes before finally continuing on.

The sudden sound of his phone ringing a few minutes later startled the life out of him, and he nearly dropped Aramis as he fumbled to hit the speakerphone button. "Athos!"

"Porthos!" the voice answered. "Where are you? Is Aramis with you?"

"Yes!" Porthos answered. "I have no idea where we are! Someone kidnapped us and dropped us in the middle of nowhere!"

"Are you both all right?" Treville's voice asked.

"I am, but Aramis isn't!" he answered as he put Aramis down and sat beside him. "I woke up on the floor of a shack this mornin' with Aramis beside me, but he hasn't woken at all! I've been carryin' him all day tryin' to find help!"

"Carrying him where?" Athos asked.

"I dunno!" Porthos said. "All I see is grass and trees! No houses, no people!"

"We're trying to trace your phone," Athos told him. "But the signal is weak."

"I had no signal at all until just now," Porthos said. "I'm afraid to move and lose it again!"

"Stay put," said Treville. "Tell us about Aramis."

Porthos sighed. "I can only assume that we were drugged," he said. "I woke up with a headache that's gone now, but he hasn't woken. He stirred like ten minutes ago, but passed out without openin' his eyes. His breathin' is shallow and his pulse is slow." He paused to take a breath. "He's really scarin' me."

"Have you any food or water?" Athos asked.

"Nothin' all day," said Porthos.

"No water in this heat?" he heard d'Artagnan say.

"It's not that hot," said Porthos. "Wherever I am, the weather has been pretty nice today."

"You're not in New York City, then!" said d'Artagnan.

Porthos shook his head. "I'm sure we're not."

Suddenly, he heard d'Artagnan's voice say to someone, 'What? Seriously?'

"Porthos," said Athos. "You're in Canada."

"What?!"

"Just over the border, near Vermont," said Treville. "Whatever direction you're walking in, you're going the wrong way."

Porthos dropped his face into his hand. "This really isn't my day."

"We're coming to get you," Treville told him. "By helicopter."

"Shouldn't I still look for help though?" Porthos asked. "Aramis obviously needs a doctor!"

Treville sighed. "How much battery power do you still have?"

"Twenty-four percent," said Porthos. "Aramis' only had thirty this mornin', so I shut it off to save it."

"Good thinking," said Treville. "If yours dies, you can turn on his. Yes, keep trying to find help; we can track you while you have a signal."

"I just hope I don't lose it again," Porthos told him.

"So do we!" d'Artagnan piped up.

"We'll hang up now, so you can save your battery," said Treville. "We'll text you updates. Let us know when Aramis wakes."

"Okay," said Porthos. "See you soon, I hope!"

"See you."

With that, the call ended.

Porthos felt hope now, which lent him a burst of strength, and he lifted Aramis and continued walking. "Did you hear that, Aramis?" he said. "They know where we are."

No answer.

"This is the quietest you've ever been since the day we met!" Porthos said. "Sometimes you talk too much, but now it's really boring not hearin' you talk."

A sudden, soft moan filled the air.

"Aramis!" Porthos said, putting him back down. "Wake up! Wake up wake up wake up!" He grabbed his shoulders and shook him, and was rewarded when Aramis' eyes slowly opened.

"Thank God!" Porthos said. "Keep your eyes open, Aramis!"

But Aramis immediately closed them.

Porthos' phone beeped an incoming text message but he ignored it, shaking his friend harder. "Not again, Aramis! Look at me!"

Aramis reopened his eyes, but only half-way. He looked very dazed, his breathing still too shallow.

"Aramis," Porthos said. "Say somethin'."

He didn't even appear to try. His eyes kept falling closed and reopening again, as if he was trying to stay awake, but couldn't.

"Come on, Aramis," said Porthos, tapping his face. "Stay with me." He suddenly realized that though his friend's eyes were open—however slightly—he wasn't looking at him. "Aramis?"

He received no answer. Aramis' eyes closed again and remained that way.

Porthos sighed and hung his head for a moment, before remembering that someone had texted him. He picked up the phone and saw that it was from Athos.

We just received a ransom demand for you.

Porthos' eyebrows shot up. For how much? he texted back.

5 million

Porthos made an incredulous sound. What! Who are they?

Unknown

Porthos shook his head, before looking at Aramis again to find his eyes still closed. Aramis just almost woke again. He opened his eyes this time but couldn't stay awake.

Good, that's progress.

Porthos realized that was true.

Athos continued: Just keep going; if they come back and find you missing, they'll search for you.

Porthos knew that very well. I will…I gotta save NY 5 mil!

I'll let you know if we find out anything else.

Thanks, Porthos texted back. He picked up Aramis again—in his arms instead of over his shoulder, so he could see if he opened his eyes again—and continued on.

TBC

*'Internal War' story ID 12593703