A constant, chilled buzz was the first sensation to come back to Louie as his mind began lifting out of the sludge that surrounded it. His limbs felt heavy and slow as he tried to wipe the haze out if his eyes. He blinked, noting the grey of the overcast sky outside the car window. A part of his brain was screaming at him that this was wrong. When had he gotten in a car? The young duck's last memory was of a crowded marketplace, his brothers arguing over where they should go next.
Louie couldn't remember deciding anything after that. The rest was a thick blur that almost matched the trees that sped past the window he was leaning against. He would remember leaving, right? Had something happened?
He must have alerted someone to his waking, a strong hand taking his arm as he again tried to lift it. "Keep still, kid."
Eyes grew wide as Louie found he didn't recognize the voice. The rush of adrenaline gave him the strength to turn away from the window, realizing he was in the passenger seat. Thick arms covered in brown feathers were holding the steering wheel. It was agonizingly slow to turn the rest of the way, but it only solidified the trouble he knew he was in.
A falcon, dressed in a dark suit glanced at him, a frown pulling at his sharp beak. Louie's heart leapt into his throat, choking the cry for help. It was for the best as he realized no one would have heard and he was certain it would only serve to anger his captor.
With ever growing awareness, he began taking in his surroundings, already aware they were in a car he'd never seen before. It was clean, leaving no options for makeshift weapons. He was latched to the seat with nothing more than the seatbelt, his limbs still not listening. Out the windshield lay a two lane road, lined with thick woods that grew shadowed in the early evening light.
Panic was quickly taking over with the fear that he had no idea where he was or why. The only thought that calmed him was the location of his brothers. He couldn't remember how he had gotten into this situation, but he hoped his brothers were safe. Maybe even getting Uncle Donald and Scrooge to help get him back.
"You should go back to sleep." The deep voice drew him back to the falcon.
"Where-" Louie swallowed hard against the rasp, continuing more cautiously. "Where are you taking me?"
"That is none of your concern." It was more of a statement than a warning, like he shouldn't be worried about why he was being abducted. "You and your brothers will be fine if you do as I say."
His heart jumped painfully at the words. "My… where?" The answer was obvious, but his brain was so exhausted. When he realized the bird wasn't going to answer, he decided to try turning to view the back of the vehicle. It was more of a slouch onto the center console, but it served his purpose, giving him a clear view of Huey and Dewey asleep and unbothered by their predicament. "No- no no… why?"
With a gruff sigh, a hand found the little duck's chest, pushing him back into the seat. "I won't warn you again. Go back to sleep."
He couldn't. Louie's brain was awake now, even if his body wasn't and he was fighting the urge to cry as his hand came up to bang against the window. If he could get someone's attention, maybe he could get himself and his brothers out of this.
A grumble of frustration sounded from the driver's side just before something sharp sent a small burn through the young duck's shoulder. It was enough to pull his attention away from the window, eyes falling on the small dart sticking into his skin through the green fabric. The haze began to swirl at the edges of his vision, maring the image of the stoick falcon and Louie couldn't stay awake any longer, letting his head fall forward into the spinning darkness of a chemical induced sleep.
OoOoOoO
Hungry. When Dewey woke, he was greatly aware of the war going on in his midsection. Food was his only goal as he sat up on his bed.
Wait.
The room was wrong, missing the expanse of their room in the mansion. And he wasn't in the middle of a their bunk beds. He was sitting on the edge of a large mattress that lay on a dark, wood floor. Light from a source outside the window was giving the room a soft grey glow and the duck quickly looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.
A lump next to another one on the bed moved, arms stretching out and revealing the red polo and hat. Dewey quickly placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, shaking him gently. "Huey? Wake up!"
"Hmm?" The eldest brother gave an annoyed grumble. "Gimme a second."
"We don't have a second!" The urgency in his voice must have made it through the sleep addled brain as Huey sat up, letting his eyes roam over the room.
"What? Where are we?" For a moment, Dewey expected his brother to lose any semblance of control, but as their eyes met, a sense of focus washed over them. They'd been in similar situations, far from home and the help of their family. They could work through this.
"I don't know, but let's get Louie and find out." A quick nod of agreement and they found the other lump, both tapping their little brother's arms. Nothing. Not even an angry whine. They tried again, practically shaking the young duck until they realized it wasn't going to work. "Is he-"
Huey's fingers were already on their brothers wrist, Dewey holding his breath as he waited. "He's alive."
The middle child released the air in his lungs, grabbing hold of Louie's limp hand, willing him to wake up. "What's wrong with him?"
"If I had to guess…" Huey scrubbed a hand over his face. "I think we've been drugged. I can't remember anything after we decided to go to the arcade."
Testing his memory, Dewey realized his brother was right. What had happened? Did the rest of their family know? Were they looking for them?
If they did know, of course they were looking. Their uncles would never leave them in the hands of a kidnapper. What they needed to do was stay calm and find a way to help in their rescue.
"Okay, we can handle this." Dewey started, sitting back to view the room again. "Check the window. I'll see if I can find anything to work with."
The duo made quick work of the room once Huey had found the window barred shut. There was little to find in the small space and they refocused their efforts on finding out what was behind the door. It was locked, of course, but as they pressed their ears against the wood, they could hear the baritone voice speaking with someone.
"- asleep. You can go ahead with your plans for McDuck. I'll be expecting the next payment in the morning." There was a pause as the other person, most likely on the phone, spoke. "If you want them here indefinitely, the price is going to go up. I'll need back up."
Indefinitely? That didn't sound right. If this was a ransom situation, there was no need to keep them locked up forever. Unless they planned on getting more than just ransom money. If they kept the boys, that could mean their captors would have their Uncle Scrooge at their beck and call. Would the elder duck even go along with that?
The conversation ended with the chime - a phone - and the boys scrambled back towards the bed as heavy footsteps grew louder. A moment later, a lock snapped open and light flooded the room as the door opened. There was no pretending to sleep, even if they'd had a chance to climb back to their spots, the figure looming forward. His face was shadowed as the light spilled in behind him. Dewey wasn't sure if they should be afraid, the plan being ransom, not murder. Right? Was that safe to assume?
A click above activated the ceiling light and their captor was bathed in its glow, Dewey's mouth dropping open as he recognized the falcon in front of him.
Huey seemed to have made the connection, as well. "Hey! You're the guy from Mark Beaks' company! Graves, right?"
The falcon only frowned at this, probably not appreciative of the recognition. "Follow me." The order left no room for argument. He wasn't going to confirm the statement.
"What about our brother?" Dewey asked, feeling slightly emboldened. "What did you do to him?"
Graves regarded the green-clad duck with cold indifference. "He'll be fine once the second dose wears off. Now, I suggest you do as I say or your stay here will be quite unpleasant."
Dewey watched the rise and fall of Louie's chest, clinging to the comfort that his brother was alive. He would be fine. He had to be. He and Huey would figure out what this guy wanted, get a good view of their location and then come back to formulate a plan. That seemed doable. Dewey repeated his plan again and he and Huey followed behind their captor, the two of them casting one last glance to the bed before leaving.
OoOoOoO
"What do you mean you lost them?" Donald's face grew warm with the rapidly engulfing anger and fear that followed his uncle's declaration.
Scrooge, for his part, looked just as upset about the situation as he did. "They did'nae show up to the designated meeting spot. They were supposed to stay in the shopping plaza while we check on an artifact."
"So you thought it best to just leave without them?" That couldn't be it. Donald knew his uncle better than that, but he was angry. There was no plausible reason for the elder duck not to come home with his boys.
Scrooge didn't yell like he'd expected after such a blatant accusation. Instead, he pulled a folded paper from his vest pocket, handing it to the distraught duck. Donald took it and unfolded the page, quietly reading the abductor's warning. Kidnapped. His boys were in the hands of one of his uncle's enemies and the anger was quickly slipping away to become soul crushing worry.
"We'll get them back." Scrooge's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Trust me on that."
With that, the group moved into the mansion and Donald knew his uncle was making a promise. He would spare no expense to find the boys. Their boys.
OoOoOoO
The rules were simple. Do as they were told, meals would be together in the dining room, any outside time would be on a cable attached to the falcon, and if asked a question, they were to answer promptly. Huey would have appreciated the well thought out regimen if it weren't for the fact that they had no choice but to follow it.
He and Dewey had been given sandwiches and water while the rules were set out before them. As turned off as they were by the meals, their bellies ached for something, even if it was minimal and from a bird who didn't have their best interests at heart. Huey had tried to decipher the layout of their prison, easily finding the front door, along with the line of deadbolts keeping it tightly shut.
When they made it back to their room, he figured it was a one story house. It couldn't even be a big house with how close the exit was to the kitchen. A living area and other room across from it were the only other rooms he could see. That didn't leave a lot of places to snoop or hide if they needed to.
As the door swung open, they were met with the wide, frightened eyes of Louie, sitting up in the middle of bed. Dewey ran in first, practically leaping on the bed to engulf their little brother in a protective hug. Huey wasn't far behind. The trio clung to each other, refusing to let go until the youngest stopped quaking. They ignored their captor as he placed something on the end of the bed before leaving them to discuss what would happen next.
"You guys alright?" Louie's voice broke through the soft fabric of Dewey's shirt.
The older ducks sat back, using the limited light from the window to see the groggy look on their brother's face. "We're fine." Huey soothed, giving the arm he was holding a gentle squeeze.
"What about you?" Dewey asked with a worried tinge to his words. "You're looking pretty rough."
Louie's hands came up to scrub at his eyes as though he were trying to rid himself of the effects of the drug. "Feels like I'm trying to move through pudding. And not good pudding."
The eldest frowned, trying to remember what the JWG said about sedatives. Even if he could remember, there probably wasn't much they could do with what little they had. He soon remembered Graves leaving something with them and he slid away from his brothers to go find it.
A wrapped sandwich and glass of water sat neatly on the corner. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. He took the water, passing it to Louie who took a tentative sip before drinking the rest.
While their brother ate, they told him about Graves and their run in with him at Woddle industries. The rules were repeated with a great deal of annoyance from the middle child. Of course, they had no intention of following those rules if it meant they could escape. They would just play it safe until the opportunity arose.
"You think Uncle Scrooge will find us?" Louie asked as they lay on the bed, staring at wood planks of the ceiling. Sleep had been discussed, but allusive with the adrenaline still buzzing through them.
"I don't know. This guys seems to know what he's doing." It wasn't that Huey doubted their uncle's abilities to track them down, but this wasn't the Beagle Boys. Graves wasn't an idiot. He probably had back ups to ensure they wouldn't be found.
"Well, then it's our job to make it easier." Dewey announced, his usual determination shining through the darkness of their situation. Given enough time, they would find some way to get themselves out of the falcon's hands.
The rest of the evening was spent searching the room once more. They found a loose board, gently prying it up to find the foundation underneath. It wasn't much, but it could be used to hide anything else they found. One of the bed springs had been removed after a small tear had been made in the mattress. The window was useless with the bars attached on the outside. No unscrewing them if they couldn't get to them.
When the early morning hours rolled in, the boys finally let themselves sleep, tucked closely against one another for warmth and security. And though it was a troubled sleep, they rested in the fact that each would watch over the other. They would get through this together.
