*AUTHORS NOTE* this fic is purely experimental, I'm writing it because I simply could. That is all. Enjoy.

The rain hammered down onto Cardiff, soaking everything it hit. The downpour had been ongoing for a day and a night now, and it was accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. A figure ran through the rainsoaked streets, hair sodden and plastered to his head, clothes sticking to his body as he searched in bewildered confusion for anything that would tell him where he was. He was lost; he knew he wasn't in Camelot anymore, but still cried out "Arthur! ARTHUR!" The only answer he got was silence, and the constant sound of rain. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Merlin shivered, the cold starting to get to him now that he'd stopped. He called out again "ARTHUR!" but it was in vain, Arthur wasn't going to hear him, he was still in Camelot. Merlin didn't know where he was, the tall buildings loomed over him in the darkness, and the orange glow that lit the place made everything blank and devoid of colour. He looked back down the street he'd been running down and saw rows of houses, nothing here could tell him where he was at all, and everything was so confusing and alien to him.

Suddenly, a bright light came into Merlin's view and a loud noise accompanied it. The light and noise came closer to him, the light almost blinding him. He jumped out of the way just as a car went sailing past, its occupants shouting at him, barely audible over the noise of the engine and music pumping out of the stereo. Getting his breath back, Merlin sat down on the curb. He wanted to go home, he was wet and tired and cold and lost. He tried to think of how he'd got here. He remembered running an errand for Gaius, and he fell, and kept falling, until eventually he landed here. He rubbed the lump on his head where it had hit the ground as he fell. At first he thought he'd died. Maybe he had, maybe this was what death was like. Maybe he was dead.

After a while, Merlin got up from the curb and walked further down the street.

He curled up in the shelter of a wall and closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, he would be back in Camelot.

"Gaius, have you seen Merlin?" Arthur stood in the doorway to Gaius' Chambers, his face set in a firm frown, but worry was secretly bubbling for his missing servant.

"No, I thought he was with you, but he didn't come back last night."

"I haven't seen him since yesterday evening; I need him to clean my armour!" It was hard for Arthur to keep his arrogant tone up; he had to, if he wanted to keep his feelings for his servant secret.

"If I see him, I'll be sure to send him straight over to you" Gaius got up and put a hand on the young prince's shoulder. "There's no need to worry, I'm sure he'll return soon enough"

"Thank you, Gaius" Arthur nodded and left with long, confident strides, and Gaius watched him go before he returned to his magic book, the panic starting to bubble inside him too, it wasn't like Merlin to disappear like this.

Arthur sat down back in his quarters and looked across at the pile of armour on the table. "Oh Merlin, where are you?" He murmured.

Merlin was jolted awake by the presence of someone in the alleyway. Immediately he got to his feet and cast his eyes about for a weapon.

"Whoa, I'm not going to hurt you" A kind voice spoke to him. A tall man stood in the alleyway, inches away from him. He took a step forward and Merlin took a step back. "Owen, I think I found it." Two more people stepped into the alley, and peered at Merlin in the darkness. Merlin took up a wary battle stance, and raised a hand in front of him just in case. The man closest to him grabbed his arm and Merlin jerked it away. He held his hand out instinctively and his eyes glowed gold for a second. Merlin didn't even know what had happened until he saw the body hitting the tarmac with a dull, heavy thud. He backed further into the alley, eyes darting around for a way out.

"Jack!" one of the people ran towards the road, leaving one more to face Merlin off. He made a quick movement and managed to fold Merlin's arms behind his back. Merlin let out a yelp of terror and tried to fight him off, trying to think of another incantation to get him free. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then everything went black.

Merlin woke up in a dingy cell, a groggy feeling making his head throb. He raised a hand to it and rubbed the bruise which had formed overnight. As he moved his still wet clothes rubbed against his body, causing discomfort. Merlin shivered and looked around himself. He was sitting on a thin shelf-like bunk, and on his right there was a clear door. This bemused Merlin, and he tapped it apprehensively.

"Hello" A voice sounded next to him. He looked up. On the other side if the door, a tall man stood, dressed in a long blue coat, with dark trousers and a light shirt. He had a kind looking face, and light blue eyes, which had an old look about them. They reminded him of Gaius'. Thick black hair topped his head.

"Hello" Merlin decided the best option was to speak, these people could tell him what was happening. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and you are in Torchwood. Well, in the holding cells. Torchwood is up there" Jack pointed up and smiled. "Who, or should I say, what, are you?"

"I'm Merlin" Merlin pulled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees, arms locked around his legs. "I'm just….I'm lost."

"I see" Jack pressed something on his side of the door and it slid backwards. Merlin moved back immediately.

"Its okay, come with me. We need to run some tests."

Merlin reluctantly got up and followed Jack through a door and out into the hub. He had to stop to take it all in. They were in a huge cavern, with a column rising up to the top. Bewildering instruments beeped and flashed and the whole place was a clamour of noise. Jack pushed Merlin down towards a sunken in area that was spotlessly clean and sat on a silver bench like worktop in the centre of the room.

"Okay." A tallish man dressed in a long white coat came into his vision, brandishing a scary looking object in his hand. It was small and had a sharp looking needle at one end. He took a step towards Merlin, and Merlin pulled his legs onto the bench and moved back to the far edge. "This won't hurt." But the needle looked like it would.

"Merlin, please co-operate" The man in the long coat-Jack he had said his name was put a hand on his shoulder. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. We need to find out what you are. What you did in that alley, that wasn't human."

Merlin's stomach lurched, he shook his head vigorously. "I'm not anything! I'm just Merlin!" He shrunk into himself with fear; these people couldn't find out what he could do, it was secret. "I don't know what it was!" He lied, panic flaring up inside him.

"Look, Merlin. We need to run some tests on you." The other man was on his other side and rolling up his sleeve. Merlin jerked his arm away from him and raised his hand, but before he could do anything he felt that spike of pain again and everything folded into darkness once more.

"Have you not seen Merlin at all since Wednesday?" Arthur sat opposite Gaius in his chambers; watching as Gaius put together a medicine of some sort.

"No, and now I'm starting to worry." Gaius set down the pestle and mortar and looked up at Arthur. "It's really not like him to just disappear."

"Do you think he's run away?" Arthur struggled to keep his voice level.

"I don't think so, he's left his stuff in his room, including-" Gaius stopped himself, he had nearly revealed Merlin's magic.

"Including what?" Arthur stood up suddenly.

"His belongings from his old town, and some of the things he's accumulated whilst here. His weapons and such."

"Why would Merlin need weapons?" Arthur sat back down again and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"For protection I suppose. He had them when he arrived and I let him keep them. If he'd run away I'm sure he'd have taken them" Gaius sighed. "I don't think he's run away."

"I hope he comes back soon" Arthur stood up again. "Can I look in his room?"

"Go ahead, but I'll warn you, it's a complete mess. I try to get him to clear it up but he never does."

"Sounds just like him." Arthur chuckled and went through into Merlin's room.

Merlin's room was, just as Gaius had said, a complete mess. It was just like the first time Arthur had seen Merlin's room during the search for the sorcerer that had caused a plague to sweep through the city, the sorcerer they had wrongly accused Guinevere of being. Arthur shook the thoughts from his mind and looked around the room. Blankets were strewn across the floor, as were a couple of shirts and several books. Arthur looked up at the open cupboard that swung open, empty. Arthur stifled a laugh and sat down on the unmade bed. He kept the tears back and sighed. "Where are you, Merlin, where have you gone?" He got up and went back through into Gaius' chamber. "There's nothing to suggest where he's gone."

"I thought as much, there's been nothing of him anywhere."

"Are you not worried?"

"I am, I just can't let that stop me from working, people don't stop getting sick according to my affairs."

"I'd better go." Arthur made for the door and paused before he left. "I'll give it two more days, and then I'll alert Uther to Merlin's disappearance. Not that it will help, or that he'll care, but at least he'll know."

"Thank you, Arthur." Gaius smiled a smile of gratitude. "I mean that, Thank you."

"Its okay, Merlin may be one of the stupidest servants I've ever had, but he's one of the best."

Gaius snorted "Are you saying you miss him?"

"….yes" Arthur smiled. "I, strangely, do" He turned and left Gaius' chambers, wiping the tear from his eye. He was losing hope, there was nothing anywhere to explain Merlin's disappearance, and he feared it included sorcery and magic.