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croikNow seems like a good time to spoil for you all that this fic IS going to have a happy ending. Not a Status Quo ending by any means, but happy. Mostly.
Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapter: 12/19 (6,330 words) (For other parts please check my My main post)
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Some slash, some het, some violence, and some crazy.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. Thanks to my betas![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chypie and tanithkitty for their input!
I've updated my main post with some fanart and a few fan graphics people had made inspired by The Helix Trap. Check'm out!
The soldiers were not a surprise. Ariadne had trained for them, had learned the tricks and tools to outmaneuver even Arthur's militant projections for a time. Every building in her circular Cairo worked to her advantage, and she wove through the streets and alleys with ease, avoiding the increasing spread of white uniforms.
What she had not counted on were the ghosts--or whatever they were--crowding every sidewalk and filling every shop. At first they paid her little notice, stumbling on in streams of black fabric, but she was not halfway to her destination when their demeanor changed. Gradually they became aware of her presence and began to reach for her, their skinny limbs smacking against the handlebars of her three-wheeler. She cringed and tried to avoid them but there were hundreds of them, all over, moving in herds. And they were herding toward her.
One of the wraiths threw itself in front of her, and she screeched to a halt, her tires squealing against the wet pavement. When she tried to change course another four followed their brethren's example, using themselves as shields to block her path. Soon they were swarming from all sides, and hands reached out, grabbing at her arms and back.
They're like freaking zombies, Ariadne thought, fighting to keep cool as she reached for her handgun. It was actually a little easier to shoot the creatures than human-featured projections, and as soon as she had a decent enough path she made a run for a nearby apartment building.
The lobby was less crowded than the streets, with only a few wraiths milling up and down the stairs, and Ariadne moved swiftly through it and out a side door. I'm going to be late. She tossed her helmet off and ran through the ally into the next building. It's too crowded on the streets. I'll have to just cut through. Nash is probably having the same trouble...
She snuck through several apartment buildings the same way, but then had no choice but to cross the street. With the streets almost literally crawling she instead hurried to the second floor and found a window facing the street. Fischer already knows he's dreaming. If I change something and then change it right back...it shouldn't mess Nash up too much. She opened the window and climbed onto the fire escape. Shielding her eyes from the rain she concentrated on the metal above her; with a screech the ladders and balconies unfolded from the building wall and stretched out in front of her to make a catwalk across the street.
Ariadne was halfway across when bullets began ricocheting off her bridge. She caught a glance of white uniforms in the street below, struggling through the waves of ghosts just as she had. They're fighting each other, she realized, watching the creatures swarm and overpower the soldiers even as they continued firing at her. What the hell is going on in Fischer's mind?
She reached the far building and dove inside. With her position discovered she picked up her pace, racing to the ground floor again and through another alley. She could hear voices behind, shouting orders, and she ducked down a different street just as another volley of bullets split brick behind her. I need a new vehicle or I'll never make it in time, she thought as she weaved through the maze. I need to find--
"Ariadne!"
She started, and only just managed to stop herself before plowing face first into the alley wall. When she turned a very familiar man was jogging towards her, and with a gasp she leveled her handgun and fired.
"Whoa--" Cobb threw himself behind a dumpster. "Hold on--wait! It's me, Ariadne, it's Cobb!"
"Cobb?" Ariadne didn't lower her weapon as she moved swiftly around the dumpster to face him. Cobb was no longer in his Mr. Charles suit, and more importantly, he didn't have the murderous look to him his doppelganger had. Her heart skipped. "The real Cobb?" she asked, dreading either answer.
"What other Cobb is there?" Cobb swatted at his soaked shoulders. "Will you put that gun down, please?"
Oh crap. Ariadne lowered the gun but remained tense, watching him closely. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to wake you all up," he said as if it were obvious. "Whatever it is you're up to, it's got to end right now."
He took a step closer, and Ariadne instinctually took a step back, raising the gun again. He glared at her in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"You can't wake me up," Ariadne said quickly, continuing to back away. "This is my dream--it'll collapse."
"Ariadne, put the gun down," Cobb told her firmly.
"No!" She held it tightly in both hands, like Arthur had shown her. "How did you get in here? Browning was supposed to have guards at the door."
Cobb shook his head. "Listen to you. You know, I never would have expected something like this out of Arthur, let alone you."
He stepped closer again, and again Ariadne retreated. "Cobb, I mean it," she said sharply. "I swear to God I'll shoot you in the head if you get any closer."
He stopped, seeing that she meant it. "Okay." He put his hands up, placating. "Calm down."
Voices echoed down the alley toward them, and Ariadne grimaced, trying not to look. "Don't follow me," she said, and then turned, continuing her path away from the soldiers.
Cobb followed. She had known there was little chance of him doing otherwise. "You have to at least tell me what's going on," he called after her. "Do you even know what you're doing? You're going to get Fischer killed!"
Ariadne cringed as she rushed through the narrow side streets. Now what do I do? Did I leave another shop around here? She made a sharp turn and then another, hoping to lose Cobb, but he was quickly gaining on her. "You don't understand," she replied once he was close enough. "There are plenty of other places I'd rather be, believe me."
"Then explain to me what you're doing here. Or take me to Arthur so I can beat it out of him."
Why did I ever agree to this? Ariadne took a deep breath. Stay calm, you have to keep this dream stable, remember that. "Just keep up, all right? I'm behind schedule already."
They took a few more turns until it seemed that they had lost the worst of their pursuers, and Ariadne led him through the back of a closed motorcycle store. "Browning hired us to get Fischer committed by tearing apart his subconscious," she explained as she stole keys out of the manager's office. "Dr. Banks calls it a helix trap. They've already started--I don't know if there's a way to stop it now."
"Jesus." Cobb tossed his soaked jacket off and stole a fresh one from the wall. "Why would you ever agree to something like that?"
"It's not like we had much choice." She moved down the line of window models until she found the one that matched the key. "Dr. Banks said that if we didn't agree, Browning was going to hire some guy Sullivan to do it." When Cobb blanched she wagged her finger at him. "There--see? That's just the face Arthur made. Who is this creep anyway?"
Cobb rubbed his beard. "All right, I get it. But you still have to abort this job." He pulled a pair of helmets off the wall and joined her. "Eames is here--"
"The real Eames?" Ariadne interrupted, paling.
"Yes the real Eames, and he's pissed as hell." He handed her one of the helmets. "I don't know what he'll do if he gets to Arthur before we do."
Ariadne started to put her helmet on, but stopped when she fully understood what he was saying. Her heart beat fast against her ribs. "Arthur's already in Level Two," she said weakly. "If Eames tries to wake him up, he's going to split."
"I don't know what that means, but I don't think I like it."
Ariadne finished placing her helmet and climbed onto the bike. "We'll have to hurry if we're going to catch them," she said. "The whole route is automated. I'll get you under but just remember it might already be too late for Fischer."
Cobb climbed on behind her, and after some hesitation took her waist. "I should never have gotten you involved in all this," he said, muffled by his helmet. Ariadne didn't know how to respond, so she merely started the bike and erased the wall in front of them so they could continue on.
***
"This is the last time I go into the field," Yusuf declared, peering out the apartment's bedroom window. "I mean it this time. I get paid plenty just being a chemist."
Arthur grunted, not really listening as he paced back and forth. They had been on the run for hours from Robert's bizarre projections, and finally found a temporary haven in the form of a small apartment complex. His mind was still whirling, trying to think of a way out of their current situation.
Yusuf glanced back at him. "How are you doing?" he asked. "And your...er, other self?"
"I don't know." Arthur rubbed his weary eyes. "I've been blocking him out--it's too hard to concentrate when he's hopping between dreams so fast."
"Him?"
"I know, I know." It was strange for him as well, thinking of his second half in such terms, but he couldn't help it. Even stranger was the resentment he felt towards him; he was convinced that had their positions been reversed he would have been able to handle Charla and her unexpected betrayal.
I have to get out of here. Arthur continued to pace restlessly. "There's only one way out of this," he said. "We have to wake up Fischer--this Fischer--somehow. And soon, before Ariadne gets to Point One."
"But how?" Yusuf gestured out the window, where hundreds of shuffling wraiths could be seen in the streets below. "He has an entire army out there. And we don't know where he is anymore."
"He'll still be in the condo, I'm sure. He's got to be having just as much trouble dealing with his other half--he'll want to be somewhere safe and stable, so he can concentrate." Arthur joined Yusuf at the window and peered out; the condo was still visible down the street, surrounded on all sides by the black creatures.
"So...how?" Yusuf asked again. "We're not going to fight our way through there, are we?"
"No." Arthur's brow furrowed, and to his chagrin a familiar voice rang in his ears. "We need to...dream bigger." He met Yusuf's gaze seriously. "Level the building."
Yusuf leaned back, blinking. "If I try to change that much, the projections are going to find us right away," he warned.
"It won't matter." Arthur moved to the apartment's balcony and opened the sliding door, stepping out. The wind was colder than he remembered from when they'd entered. "Once Fischer's gone up a level his projections should go with him."
"Should," Yusuf echoed, following Arthur outside. "But part of him is still in Level Two. Are you sure they'll be gone?"
He frowned. "No, but we don't have much choice. If they stay, you'll just have to come up with one hell of an escape route for us."
Yusuf shook his head. "And here I thought Cobb was the wild one."
They stood at the railing, and Yusuf took several deep breaths as he stared down Robert's condo. "You're sure you want me to do this?" he asked. "He might not even be--"
"Just do it."
Yusuf sighed, but he turned back to his task. His brow knit and his fingers tightened against the railing, and a rumble like thunder rippled down the packed streets. Arthur watched, tense, as the distant building rocked on its foundation, buckling and smoking.
"Are you here for the secrets?"
Arthur whipped around, but it wasn't the sight of one of the black-clad ghosts in the open doorway that chilled his blood--it was her voice. Her face was a dull, empty mockery, but her voice cut to the core of him. He could only stare.
The wraith stepped closer, her black veil slowly dancing at her bony knees. "You're here for the secrets, aren't you?" she asked again, insistent.
Yusuf glanced between them, wide-eyed and confused. Arthur couldn't return his gaze. His mouth fumbled around an answer. "No," he said, breathless. "I'm not."
Her plastic lips pursed as she took another step closer, onto the balcony. White fingers dipped into her robe, and returned wrapped around the handle of a knife. Before he even recognized it as such she plunged it into his heart.
***
Ariadne and Cobb pulled into an alley that curved behind an electronics store. When she tapped on a particular brick it twisted in place, revealing a keypad, which she tapped a short sequence of numbers into. The stone wall ahead of them fell away and opened a sloped path underneath the street.
"You've gotten a lot better," Cobb said as they drove down the sharp incline. It didn't sound like he approved.
"I've worked really hard," Ariadne replied, steering them into a garage much like the one she had left half an hour earlier. "Arthur's taught me a lot."
They shed their helmets and hurried through the connecting corridor. In her designs it had been pure white, but as before the surfaces were covered in graffiti pinwheels. "What's with the pinwheels?" she asked Cobb as they made their way to the iron door at the end of the hall. "They're everywhere--are they part of the inception?"
"I don't know." Cobb trailed his fingertips on the wall, watching the paint shift beneath them. "They must be, but I have no idea how or why. Eames might know."
Ariadne frowned as she opened up another keypad to get them through the final door. "Eames," she repeated, distracted. She glanced back at Cobb. "Are Eames and Fischer...?"
He stared back, not understanding until she raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Christ. Um, I don't know." Pink tinged his cheeks as he rubbed his beard. "He didn't exactly admit it, but...maybe. I think so."
Ariadne tried to hide her discomfort as the door slid open. And we're here trying to drive him crazy, she thought, leading the way toward the subway platform. If we'd known... Well, I wouldn't be here. But would Arthur? She felt a chill. This is just a job to him, but I'm sure it would make a difference, if he knew...
They stepped out onto the platform, just in time to see the subway car screeching to a halt. Ariadne breathed a sigh to see they had made it in time, but her relief was short-lived. As she drew closer she realized that it wasn't just the car breaks echoing in the chamber: someone was screaming.
Ariadne ran to the subway car and punched the emergency release. The doors groaned open and Arthur's agonized voice flooded out, ragged and blood-curdling. He was curled tightly against his cot, eyes squeezed shut and hands jammed into his ears as he screamed into the thin mattress.
Ariadne couldn't breathe, but she leapt into the car and slipped around Yusuf's cot to get to him. When she touched his shoulder he gasped and jerked back as if burned. "God, Arthur, what's happening?" she asked, turning in place. Robert and Yusuf were still deeply asleep, but Arthur's IV had been ripped out, and was dripping Somnacin across the floor.
Cobb joined her, grimacing at the sight of Arthur trying to shove his face deeper into the cot. "What the hell is going on?"
"He's not supposed to be awake," Ariadne said, breathless, as she snatched up the fallen IV. "His other half is still under."
She reached for Arthur's arm but he shied away from her again with a growl. Cobb leaned forward to assist, helping her peel his left hand away from his ear. "His mind's trying to process at two different speeds at once?" he said incredulously.
Ariadne touched the needle to Arthur's wrist, but his other hand shot out suddenly, halting her. "Stop," he gasped. "Stop, stop..."
"Arthur." She dropped the needle and gripped his hand tightly in both of hers. "What happened? You're not supposed to be up--what's going on?"
"She killed me." He spoke in a weak rush of air, his face red with strain and body twitching. "Shit, I can't--I can't breathe--"
Ariadne shifted anxiously and touched his face, trying to soothe him and not knowing how. "Who killed you?"
He hissed through his teeth. "Mal." His shoulders jerked as he gagged. "Mal's here--she killed me--I can't--"
Ariadne stiffened, and it wasn't until Cobb's hands entered her field of vision that she remembered he was even there. "What did you say?" he demanded, grabbing Arthur's collar. "What do you mean, Mal is here?"
Arthur's eyes snapped open as he noticed Cobb's presence for the first time. Panic seared across his face and he yanked his gun out of its holster. Ariadne and Cobb both reached for it, shoving Arthur's aim off just as he pulled the trigger. He got three shots off before they managed to wrestle the weapon away. Two collided against the subway windows, but a third found flesh with a sick percussion.
Yusuf rocked on his cot. Ariadne turned toward him and went pale--a slow, crimson stain was already seeping from a wound in his side. "Oh shit," she breathed, leaning over him. "Shit." His eyelids twitched and he squirmed as if trying to wake.
"Wake him up," Cobb said, keeping a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We're aborting this job anyway."
"But Fischer--" Ariadne glanced to Robert, whose face was strained but was still very much asleep. Her mind reeled as a hundred thoughts tried to occur to her at once, and then she jolted to life, pulling a first aid kit off the subway car's wall. "If Yusuf wakes up now his dream will collapse," she said as she opened his shirt and applied gauze to the wound. "Fischer will split and he'll end up just like Arthur."
Cobb frowned at her. "I thought that's what you were after," he said carefully.
"I know." Ariadne glanced to Arthur, wincing, and then to Cobb. But I can't do this, she thought. It's wrong. We were wrong to come here.
Her emotions must have shown in her face, because Cobb nodded and came to her aid. "Dream me up some extra Somnacin and some morphine," he instructed. "We'll keep Yusuf under as long as we can, until we can figure this out."
Ariadne pulled a second case off the wall, and by the time she opened it the required items were inside. "Sorry, Yusuf," she murmured as she handed them off to Cobb. "I hope it's a lot duller down there."
Arthur groaned, and Ariadne left the work to Cobb as she turned back toward him. "Arthur," she said, wiping the blood from her hands before she touched him. He was on his stomach, eyes closed and hands to his ears again. "Can you hear me?"
"Is he real?" Arthur hissed, tensing up as if trying to shrink.
"Yes, it's Cobb." She rubbed his back and hoped it would help somehow. "He's really here."
"Fuck."
"Tell me what happened," she said, casting a quick look at Cobb. He was trying to watch them and inject the painkillers into Yusuf's arm at once. "Is your other half still under?"
His lips pulled back in a pained grimace. "Yes."
Ariadne's heart thudded. Then he's trapped, just like we were supposed to do to Fischer... "I'll put you back under," she said, reaching again for the fallen IV. "Yusuf might not have much time, but--"
"No--don't." Arthur took in slow breaths, and seemed to relax minutely when she resumed her slow caress. "I'll be just as incapacitated down there. I'll be killed again anyway."
He got his hands under him, and though his elbows shook he was able to sit up with Ariadne's help. He sat on the edge of the cot with his head in his hands; she tried to wait for him to compose himself but she was too nervous to stay silent for long. "What about your other half?" she persisted. "Can't he--you--kill yourself? If you're both at Level One--"
"He can't--he's trying." Arthur shoved the meat of his palm into his closed eyes. "Banks won't let him."
"What does that mean?" Cobb asked as he bandaged Yusuf. "Why wouldn't she?"
Arthur winced at the sound of his voice. "She's...she's whipping me. Trying to...shit, she's trying to extract something from me. She won't let me die."
Ariadne shook her head in confusion. "Extract what?"
"I don't know!" he shouted, startling them. He snarled and reached out blindly, and Ariadne clasped his hand again. His fingers were hot and dug into her palm until it hurt. "God, I don't know--I can't--it hurts so fucking much."
Cobb moved closer. "I'll wake myself up and disconnect her," he said. "Then you can--"
"No!" Arthur's other hand leapt, finding and pulling at Cobb's jacket. "No, we'll go to prison."
"What?"
He took in a deep breath and held it for several seconds, letting a shudder work down his spin and out his limbs. When he sagged Ariadne leaned closer so that he could brace some of his weight against her shoulder. Seeing him so pained made her throat ache, and her voice came out thin. "Arthur?"
"She's knows about the inception," he finally resumed, and Ariadne and Cobb looked to each other in alarm. "If you wake her up...she'll tell Browning. We'll all go to prison."
"Arthur please, let me put you back under," Ariadne blurted out. "You're in pain--"
"It's too late. I can't hear him anymore, shit." Arthur let go of Cobb to rub his eyes again. "She's got me."
Ariadne tugged at him. "We have to do something."
"Can I wake up and disconnect just you?" Cobb asked, and though he looked more composed than Ariadne his voice was just as frazzled.
"No," Ariadne answered for him. "No, that's just how the helix trap works--if he wakes up now part of him will still be trapped."
"Then what? If we can't wake either of them up..." Cobb grabbed Arthur's arm sternly. "Arthur, what is Banks trying to extract from you?"
"I don't know!" he snapped again, trying to pull away, but he didn't have the strength for it. "I can't--I can't tell her."
"Which is it? Just tell Banks whatever it is so she'll stop, and then you can wake up."
"No, I don't know." Arthur shook his head and grimaced. "Shut up, I can't, I have to think."
"Calm down," Ariadne told them both. "We need to--"
Cobb ignored her. "Damn it Arthur, whatever it is can't be worth your sanity! Just tell us what it is!"
He shoved against Cobb's arm. "I can't--"
"Why not?"
"I can't now that you're here!" Arthur yelled, and in a burst of anger he threw Cobb back. Though his legs were still weak he clamored around Yusuf's cot and onto the platform.
Ariadne looked to Cobb with dread. She saw his face flush with anger and confusion, saw his hands tighten to fists at his sides. "What does that mean?" he called, and then he was chasing after Arthur. "What does this have to do with me?"
Ariadne followed. We can't wake him up, she thought dizzily. We can't wake up Dr. Banks. We can't wake up Yusuf. We can't wake up Fischer--what can we do? She tried to run ahead of Cobb but he was determined, and he caught up to Arthur easily. What can we do?
Cobb grabbed Arthur's arm again and jerked him back. "Tell me right now what this has to do with me," he said sharply.
"I can't do this now," Arthur hissed. He pulled his arm out of Cobb's grip and started to pace, his fingers raking his scalp. "Get away from me."
"I'm supposed to be with my family right now," Cobb continued heatedly. "But I'm here because you had to get yourself in over your head, so you'd better--"
Arthur whipped around. "We're here because of you, you fucking hypocrite!"
Cobb grabbed his shoulder and backed him into the nearest pillar. "Don't you dare blame this on me," he snarled. "How many times have I told you not to trust Banks? I told you--I told you she was capable of this!"
"I can't do this now," Arthur repeated, gripped his temples.
"Cobb, please." Ariadne grabbed his elbow. "Leave him alone."
"Why the hell is Mal here?" Cobb continued regardless. When Arthur tried to force him back he stayed, pinning him. "Does she have something to do with this? Is that why you can't tell me?"
"Dom I can't do this now!"
Ariadne pushed herself between them. "Stop it! Can't you see he's--"
Cobb shoved her back, and she lost her balance, tumbling into a nearby bench. He turned on Arthur again. "What are you hiding--"
Arthur swung his arm, and his elbow cracked hard against Cobb's jaw. As Cobb stumbled back Arthur pursued, his right hook spinning Cobb in place. He braced his feet, fighting to stay upright, but by then Arthur was already pulling the gun out of his belt. Two shots spiraled into his brain and he collapsed, dead on the platform.
Arthur stared down at him. For a moment he seemed frozen, his face hard, and then the gun clattered to the floor. A look of horror came over him. "Oh God."
Ariadne gripped the bench. She was stunned speechless as she watched Arthur back away with halting steps. "I killed him," he breathed, staring at Cobb's fallen corpse. His back hit the pillar again and he started, taking in a sharp, panicky breath. "God, I killed him."
Ariadne forced strength into her limbs and hurried over to him. "Arthur--no--it's all right," she said quickly. "All you did was wake him up."
"Oh God," he whispered again. He couldn't take his eyes off Cobb; his chest heaved, gagging and hyperventilating at once. "Oh God what did I--"
"Arthur!" Ariadne took his face in both hands and turned it toward her. "You're dreaming," she told him, trying to be firm despite feeling as though she could be ill at any moment. "It's just a dream, Arthur--Cobb's fine. Just check your Totem--"
His arms wound around her. She gasped as he pulled her to him, all but crushing her against his chest, his ragged breath stirring her hair. He was shaking; feeling his body tremble all around hers drew a sob into her throat she had to fight not to voice. "It's all right," she said hoarsely. When she felt him slipping she twisted her hands in his vest and slid with him, until they were on the floor, clinging to each other. "It's okay, Arthur--you're just dreaming. I..." She swallowed hard. "I've got you."
Behind them, the subway car bleated a quiet warning. The doors ground shut, as they had been programmed, and the car rumbled down the tracks. Ariadne cringed, but she was still wrapped up in Arthur's arms, and she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She closed her eyes and held him as best she could.
Slowly, Arthur calmed. His arms relaxed and he leaned back, breathing through his mouth. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Ariadne smoothed her hands over his cheeks. "Arthur..." She leaned into him again, trying to hide from him that her eyes were watering. "We have to give this up," she said against his temple. "What do we do?"
Arthur sighed heavily. "Wake me up."
She flinched. "But..." Her hands tightened around his shoulders. "If you wake up now..."
"It's too late to do anything else," he said with resignation. "If Fischer's still intact he might pull through. Maybe I can...reason with Banks..."
Ariadne shivered. She tried to put her mind to work but all she could imagine was waking up to Arthur's distant eyes, his mumblings of insanity as his subconscious changed reality all around him. The slow stroke of his hand up her spine drew her voice back. "No."
"What?"
Ariadne pulled back and set her hands resolutely against his chest. "No," she said again. "I can't do that to you. There's still one thing we can try."
Arthur stared. "I'm listening."
Ariadne put her hand to her ear, and was relieved to find her earbud still in place. "Nash?" she called. "Nash it's Ariadne, can you hear me?"
When she got no response, Arthur shook his head. "Banks owns him. He's probably in on it."
"He'll be on his way to his Point Two," Ariadne said as she stood up. She turned away, pretending to look after the departed subway car so she could discreetly wipe her eyes. "We'll head there, and wake up your other half. As long as you're both on level one when we disengage the PASIVs you should be okay, right?"
"I don't know," he admitted, pulling himself wearily to his feet. "But it's worth a shot."
Yusuf probably doesn't have long, she thought, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. As far as I can tell, anyway. If we can wake Arthur's other half, then they can wake up together, turn off the PASIVs, and get everyone else up. And if we do that before Yusuf's dream collapses even Fischer will be okay. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. And then we deal with Banks. Damn it, how could we...
Arthur pulled her to him again, and she tensed as he pressed his lips to hers. He was still weak but his kiss was hard, almost desperate, and she was too startled by its unfamiliar intensity to kiss him back. He let her go with a sigh. "Thank God for you," he murmured against her cheek.
Ariadne's chest ached so deeply she couldn't breathe, and she was grateful when he pulled back and led them up the platform toward the garage.
***
When Robert looked up, someone was holding his hand. The fingers were long and soft, and a thumb brushed gently against the delicate skin between his knuckles. The touch was feminine in every way and yet it reminded him of Eames, and his hand seized, trying to draw him closer.
"We found them," she said. She was tall and blond and she was wearing a cocktail dress, completely incongruous with the soldiers surging all around, and yet he did not doubt that she belonged there. "Come with me, Robert."
Robert followed her through the apartment building and into the last room in the hall. His soldiers were there, standing guard over a man seated on a lumpy sofa in one corner. He had both arms wrapped around his chest and his forehead was tight with strain. "I knew you wouldn't still be in that condo," he mumbled.
"Are you Yusuf?" Robert asked, still holding onto the blonde's hand. "Or Nash?"
"Yusuf," he said after a pause. He eyed the guns the soldiers were carrying.
Robert motioned for the men to back up, just in case he made a leap for them. "What happened to Arthur?"
"Your projection killed him." Yusuf winced and rubbed his side. "Can you... are you still connected to the other dream?" he asked, his concern obvious despite his attempts to hide it.
"Yes." He tilted his chin up. "I suppose you want me to find out what's become of the other Arthur."
Yusuf gulped. "You might as well just wake us both up," he said. "Then we--"
"Please." Robert moved to a chair across from him and sat down. "I didn't fall for that the first time."
He closed his eyes, breathing slowly in and out as he let his mind drift across empty space. The blonde's hand around his fell out of focus until it was nothing but a dull warmth against his palm. His other self came to him much more easily than before, and when he concentrated he could feel the other dream swell around him, reminding him of the events of the last few hours.
"She keeps pulling us from dream to dream," he murmured, only partially aware that he was speaking aloud. "I've woken up in the study seven times now. The prison four... the beach... an airport restaurant... Paris, Sydney, Kyoto, Dubai..." He remembered them all, and the projections that were waiting for them each time. There was no rhyme or reason to where they ended up or for how long. Sometimes they were together and sometimes not. It was dizzying and infuriating.
"Where is Arthur?" Yusuf asked, his voice far away but still distinct.
Robert's brow furrowed. The memories of his second self blossomed across his brain, and he took in another slow breath to center himself. "We were in a mall," he recalled. "Running from my projections. He started screaming... I stopped... I knew Banks wouldn't let us die, so I stayed with him."
He remembered the tile under his knees, and the horde of angry ghosts. He remembered the floor opening up beneath them followed by a long drop and a soft landing. And then he caught up.
"We're in a field. The grass is long...it looks like Kentucky, maybe. Just green, for miles." He breathed in the smell of open air and rich soil, so unlike anything he'd tasted in a long time. The wind was crisp and almost refreshing. "Arthur's here. He's still in pain. I don't think he realizes how tightly he's holding my hand." His fingers flexed. "It reminds me of when Eames died."
Something cold landed on Robert's nose, and he opened his eyes to the field. He was reclined against his hip in the tall grass, letting the stalks brush his fingers. The plains stretched infinitely in all directions, hills rolling like ocean waves, undulating in the slow breeze. Whether Charla was allowing them a moment of rest or simply toying with them he didn't know, but it was a welcomed reprieve. He turned his face upward and felt another chill kiss to his cheek, and when he wiped it away, he realized it was snowing. The flakes twirled as they drifted lazily to the ground.
Arthur was lying on his back next to him, one hand covering his eyes, the other still curled around Robert's. He was shaking just slightly though it seemed the worst of whatever fit he'd suffered had passed. He took slow breaths and muttered a quiet curse.
Robert glanced down. "Are you still there?" he asked.
"Barely." Arthur smoothed his hair back and let his hand fall to his stomach. "God damn it."
"Is extraction always like this?"
"No. She doesn't know exactly what she's looking for, so she's just trying to wear me down. When I can't repress my projections anymore that's when the real extraction will start."
Robert snorted. "I can't wait," he muttered. He shook his head. "And to think you do this for a living."
"It's just a job," Arthur said. "It's not--"
"You said that already." He glanced to their still joined hands. "Did you help Eames incept me?" he asked again, wondering if his moment of weakness would elicit truth.
Arthur stared up at the gray cloud canopy above them. "Yes," he admitted at last.
It wasn't a surprise. "Just a job, too, I suppose."
Arthur was quiet a moment. "If I hadn't done it, my friend would have never seen his children again," he said.
Robert frowned at him. "Why not?"
"It's a long story." He sighed wearily. "I didn't mean for...all this to happen to you, but I'd do it again."
"Even now?" Robert asked, still watching him closely. "I'm pretty sure that at this rate, we're both going to end up comatose."
Arthur's eyebrow twitched, but he barely took a moment to answer. "Yes. Even now."
"Well." Robert made a face and stretched his shoulders. He couldn't imagine how he was supposed to feel. "If there are kids involved I guess I can't ask Erhard to kill you after all."
Arthur started to say something, but Robert wasn't interested in hearing it, and he cut him off. "Your friend Yusuf is here. Do you want me to pass a message to him?"
"Tell him to sit tight," Arthur said, rubbing his forehead. "When my other half woke I saw...a friend, before we were split up. I'm sure he'll explain everything and she'll abort the job. We just have to wait."
"All right."
Robert opened his eyes to the apartment. The hand around his was no longer Arthur's, but the blonde's, and she was watching him intently. So was Yusuf, still hunched on the sofa with guards nearby. There was sweat on his forehead. "Are you injured?" Robert asked him.
"Above, I am," Yusuf said, wincing. "I don't know what happened, but..." He rubbed his side. "It's serious. You should--"
"Give him something for the pain," Robert instructed the blonde at his side, "and keep him alive as long as possible. For now all we can do is wait."
"Of course, Robert."
She stroked the small hairs at the base of his skull, and he leaned back gratefully into the soothing touch. Just a little longer, he thought, closing his eyes again. And then I'll wake up. I'll wake up and this will all be over.
To Chapter 13
Fandom: Inception
Title: The Helix Trap
Chapter: 12/19 (6,330 words) (For other parts please check my My main post)
Rating: R
Pairings/Characters: Eames/Robert, Arthur/Ariadne, Cobb, Yusuf, Saito, Browning, and others.
Warnings: Some slash, some het, some violence, and some crazy.
Disclaimer: These characters and setting do not belong to me and are being used without permission but for no profit
Summary: After the Inception proves successful, Eames tracks down Robert out of concern for its unusual side effects. Meanwhile, Arthur is hired to a dangerous job that forces the rest of the team to take sides: whether to defend Robert and his fragile mind, or ruin him completely.
Notes: C&C Welcome and appreciated. Thanks to my betas
chypie and tanithkitty for their input!I've updated my main post with some fanart and a few fan graphics people had made inspired by The Helix Trap. Check'm out!
The soldiers were not a surprise. Ariadne had trained for them, had learned the tricks and tools to outmaneuver even Arthur's militant projections for a time. Every building in her circular Cairo worked to her advantage, and she wove through the streets and alleys with ease, avoiding the increasing spread of white uniforms.
What she had not counted on were the ghosts--or whatever they were--crowding every sidewalk and filling every shop. At first they paid her little notice, stumbling on in streams of black fabric, but she was not halfway to her destination when their demeanor changed. Gradually they became aware of her presence and began to reach for her, their skinny limbs smacking against the handlebars of her three-wheeler. She cringed and tried to avoid them but there were hundreds of them, all over, moving in herds. And they were herding toward her.
One of the wraiths threw itself in front of her, and she screeched to a halt, her tires squealing against the wet pavement. When she tried to change course another four followed their brethren's example, using themselves as shields to block her path. Soon they were swarming from all sides, and hands reached out, grabbing at her arms and back.
They're like freaking zombies, Ariadne thought, fighting to keep cool as she reached for her handgun. It was actually a little easier to shoot the creatures than human-featured projections, and as soon as she had a decent enough path she made a run for a nearby apartment building.
The lobby was less crowded than the streets, with only a few wraiths milling up and down the stairs, and Ariadne moved swiftly through it and out a side door. I'm going to be late. She tossed her helmet off and ran through the ally into the next building. It's too crowded on the streets. I'll have to just cut through. Nash is probably having the same trouble...
She snuck through several apartment buildings the same way, but then had no choice but to cross the street. With the streets almost literally crawling she instead hurried to the second floor and found a window facing the street. Fischer already knows he's dreaming. If I change something and then change it right back...it shouldn't mess Nash up too much. She opened the window and climbed onto the fire escape. Shielding her eyes from the rain she concentrated on the metal above her; with a screech the ladders and balconies unfolded from the building wall and stretched out in front of her to make a catwalk across the street.
Ariadne was halfway across when bullets began ricocheting off her bridge. She caught a glance of white uniforms in the street below, struggling through the waves of ghosts just as she had. They're fighting each other, she realized, watching the creatures swarm and overpower the soldiers even as they continued firing at her. What the hell is going on in Fischer's mind?
She reached the far building and dove inside. With her position discovered she picked up her pace, racing to the ground floor again and through another alley. She could hear voices behind, shouting orders, and she ducked down a different street just as another volley of bullets split brick behind her. I need a new vehicle or I'll never make it in time, she thought as she weaved through the maze. I need to find--
"Ariadne!"
She started, and only just managed to stop herself before plowing face first into the alley wall. When she turned a very familiar man was jogging towards her, and with a gasp she leveled her handgun and fired.
"Whoa--" Cobb threw himself behind a dumpster. "Hold on--wait! It's me, Ariadne, it's Cobb!"
"Cobb?" Ariadne didn't lower her weapon as she moved swiftly around the dumpster to face him. Cobb was no longer in his Mr. Charles suit, and more importantly, he didn't have the murderous look to him his doppelganger had. Her heart skipped. "The real Cobb?" she asked, dreading either answer.
"What other Cobb is there?" Cobb swatted at his soaked shoulders. "Will you put that gun down, please?"
Oh crap. Ariadne lowered the gun but remained tense, watching him closely. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to wake you all up," he said as if it were obvious. "Whatever it is you're up to, it's got to end right now."
He took a step closer, and Ariadne instinctually took a step back, raising the gun again. He glared at her in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"You can't wake me up," Ariadne said quickly, continuing to back away. "This is my dream--it'll collapse."
"Ariadne, put the gun down," Cobb told her firmly.
"No!" She held it tightly in both hands, like Arthur had shown her. "How did you get in here? Browning was supposed to have guards at the door."
Cobb shook his head. "Listen to you. You know, I never would have expected something like this out of Arthur, let alone you."
He stepped closer again, and again Ariadne retreated. "Cobb, I mean it," she said sharply. "I swear to God I'll shoot you in the head if you get any closer."
He stopped, seeing that she meant it. "Okay." He put his hands up, placating. "Calm down."
Voices echoed down the alley toward them, and Ariadne grimaced, trying not to look. "Don't follow me," she said, and then turned, continuing her path away from the soldiers.
Cobb followed. She had known there was little chance of him doing otherwise. "You have to at least tell me what's going on," he called after her. "Do you even know what you're doing? You're going to get Fischer killed!"
Ariadne cringed as she rushed through the narrow side streets. Now what do I do? Did I leave another shop around here? She made a sharp turn and then another, hoping to lose Cobb, but he was quickly gaining on her. "You don't understand," she replied once he was close enough. "There are plenty of other places I'd rather be, believe me."
"Then explain to me what you're doing here. Or take me to Arthur so I can beat it out of him."
Why did I ever agree to this? Ariadne took a deep breath. Stay calm, you have to keep this dream stable, remember that. "Just keep up, all right? I'm behind schedule already."
They took a few more turns until it seemed that they had lost the worst of their pursuers, and Ariadne led him through the back of a closed motorcycle store. "Browning hired us to get Fischer committed by tearing apart his subconscious," she explained as she stole keys out of the manager's office. "Dr. Banks calls it a helix trap. They've already started--I don't know if there's a way to stop it now."
"Jesus." Cobb tossed his soaked jacket off and stole a fresh one from the wall. "Why would you ever agree to something like that?"
"It's not like we had much choice." She moved down the line of window models until she found the one that matched the key. "Dr. Banks said that if we didn't agree, Browning was going to hire some guy Sullivan to do it." When Cobb blanched she wagged her finger at him. "There--see? That's just the face Arthur made. Who is this creep anyway?"
Cobb rubbed his beard. "All right, I get it. But you still have to abort this job." He pulled a pair of helmets off the wall and joined her. "Eames is here--"
"The real Eames?" Ariadne interrupted, paling.
"Yes the real Eames, and he's pissed as hell." He handed her one of the helmets. "I don't know what he'll do if he gets to Arthur before we do."
Ariadne started to put her helmet on, but stopped when she fully understood what he was saying. Her heart beat fast against her ribs. "Arthur's already in Level Two," she said weakly. "If Eames tries to wake him up, he's going to split."
"I don't know what that means, but I don't think I like it."
Ariadne finished placing her helmet and climbed onto the bike. "We'll have to hurry if we're going to catch them," she said. "The whole route is automated. I'll get you under but just remember it might already be too late for Fischer."
Cobb climbed on behind her, and after some hesitation took her waist. "I should never have gotten you involved in all this," he said, muffled by his helmet. Ariadne didn't know how to respond, so she merely started the bike and erased the wall in front of them so they could continue on.
***
"This is the last time I go into the field," Yusuf declared, peering out the apartment's bedroom window. "I mean it this time. I get paid plenty just being a chemist."
Arthur grunted, not really listening as he paced back and forth. They had been on the run for hours from Robert's bizarre projections, and finally found a temporary haven in the form of a small apartment complex. His mind was still whirling, trying to think of a way out of their current situation.
Yusuf glanced back at him. "How are you doing?" he asked. "And your...er, other self?"
"I don't know." Arthur rubbed his weary eyes. "I've been blocking him out--it's too hard to concentrate when he's hopping between dreams so fast."
"Him?"
"I know, I know." It was strange for him as well, thinking of his second half in such terms, but he couldn't help it. Even stranger was the resentment he felt towards him; he was convinced that had their positions been reversed he would have been able to handle Charla and her unexpected betrayal.
I have to get out of here. Arthur continued to pace restlessly. "There's only one way out of this," he said. "We have to wake up Fischer--this Fischer--somehow. And soon, before Ariadne gets to Point One."
"But how?" Yusuf gestured out the window, where hundreds of shuffling wraiths could be seen in the streets below. "He has an entire army out there. And we don't know where he is anymore."
"He'll still be in the condo, I'm sure. He's got to be having just as much trouble dealing with his other half--he'll want to be somewhere safe and stable, so he can concentrate." Arthur joined Yusuf at the window and peered out; the condo was still visible down the street, surrounded on all sides by the black creatures.
"So...how?" Yusuf asked again. "We're not going to fight our way through there, are we?"
"No." Arthur's brow furrowed, and to his chagrin a familiar voice rang in his ears. "We need to...dream bigger." He met Yusuf's gaze seriously. "Level the building."
Yusuf leaned back, blinking. "If I try to change that much, the projections are going to find us right away," he warned.
"It won't matter." Arthur moved to the apartment's balcony and opened the sliding door, stepping out. The wind was colder than he remembered from when they'd entered. "Once Fischer's gone up a level his projections should go with him."
"Should," Yusuf echoed, following Arthur outside. "But part of him is still in Level Two. Are you sure they'll be gone?"
He frowned. "No, but we don't have much choice. If they stay, you'll just have to come up with one hell of an escape route for us."
Yusuf shook his head. "And here I thought Cobb was the wild one."
They stood at the railing, and Yusuf took several deep breaths as he stared down Robert's condo. "You're sure you want me to do this?" he asked. "He might not even be--"
"Just do it."
Yusuf sighed, but he turned back to his task. His brow knit and his fingers tightened against the railing, and a rumble like thunder rippled down the packed streets. Arthur watched, tense, as the distant building rocked on its foundation, buckling and smoking.
"Are you here for the secrets?"
Arthur whipped around, but it wasn't the sight of one of the black-clad ghosts in the open doorway that chilled his blood--it was her voice. Her face was a dull, empty mockery, but her voice cut to the core of him. He could only stare.
The wraith stepped closer, her black veil slowly dancing at her bony knees. "You're here for the secrets, aren't you?" she asked again, insistent.
Yusuf glanced between them, wide-eyed and confused. Arthur couldn't return his gaze. His mouth fumbled around an answer. "No," he said, breathless. "I'm not."
Her plastic lips pursed as she took another step closer, onto the balcony. White fingers dipped into her robe, and returned wrapped around the handle of a knife. Before he even recognized it as such she plunged it into his heart.
***
Ariadne and Cobb pulled into an alley that curved behind an electronics store. When she tapped on a particular brick it twisted in place, revealing a keypad, which she tapped a short sequence of numbers into. The stone wall ahead of them fell away and opened a sloped path underneath the street.
"You've gotten a lot better," Cobb said as they drove down the sharp incline. It didn't sound like he approved.
"I've worked really hard," Ariadne replied, steering them into a garage much like the one she had left half an hour earlier. "Arthur's taught me a lot."
They shed their helmets and hurried through the connecting corridor. In her designs it had been pure white, but as before the surfaces were covered in graffiti pinwheels. "What's with the pinwheels?" she asked Cobb as they made their way to the iron door at the end of the hall. "They're everywhere--are they part of the inception?"
"I don't know." Cobb trailed his fingertips on the wall, watching the paint shift beneath them. "They must be, but I have no idea how or why. Eames might know."
Ariadne frowned as she opened up another keypad to get them through the final door. "Eames," she repeated, distracted. She glanced back at Cobb. "Are Eames and Fischer...?"
He stared back, not understanding until she raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Christ. Um, I don't know." Pink tinged his cheeks as he rubbed his beard. "He didn't exactly admit it, but...maybe. I think so."
Ariadne tried to hide her discomfort as the door slid open. And we're here trying to drive him crazy, she thought, leading the way toward the subway platform. If we'd known... Well, I wouldn't be here. But would Arthur? She felt a chill. This is just a job to him, but I'm sure it would make a difference, if he knew...
They stepped out onto the platform, just in time to see the subway car screeching to a halt. Ariadne breathed a sigh to see they had made it in time, but her relief was short-lived. As she drew closer she realized that it wasn't just the car breaks echoing in the chamber: someone was screaming.
Ariadne ran to the subway car and punched the emergency release. The doors groaned open and Arthur's agonized voice flooded out, ragged and blood-curdling. He was curled tightly against his cot, eyes squeezed shut and hands jammed into his ears as he screamed into the thin mattress.
Ariadne couldn't breathe, but she leapt into the car and slipped around Yusuf's cot to get to him. When she touched his shoulder he gasped and jerked back as if burned. "God, Arthur, what's happening?" she asked, turning in place. Robert and Yusuf were still deeply asleep, but Arthur's IV had been ripped out, and was dripping Somnacin across the floor.
Cobb joined her, grimacing at the sight of Arthur trying to shove his face deeper into the cot. "What the hell is going on?"
"He's not supposed to be awake," Ariadne said, breathless, as she snatched up the fallen IV. "His other half is still under."
She reached for Arthur's arm but he shied away from her again with a growl. Cobb leaned forward to assist, helping her peel his left hand away from his ear. "His mind's trying to process at two different speeds at once?" he said incredulously.
Ariadne touched the needle to Arthur's wrist, but his other hand shot out suddenly, halting her. "Stop," he gasped. "Stop, stop..."
"Arthur." She dropped the needle and gripped his hand tightly in both of hers. "What happened? You're not supposed to be up--what's going on?"
"She killed me." He spoke in a weak rush of air, his face red with strain and body twitching. "Shit, I can't--I can't breathe--"
Ariadne shifted anxiously and touched his face, trying to soothe him and not knowing how. "Who killed you?"
He hissed through his teeth. "Mal." His shoulders jerked as he gagged. "Mal's here--she killed me--I can't--"
Ariadne stiffened, and it wasn't until Cobb's hands entered her field of vision that she remembered he was even there. "What did you say?" he demanded, grabbing Arthur's collar. "What do you mean, Mal is here?"
Arthur's eyes snapped open as he noticed Cobb's presence for the first time. Panic seared across his face and he yanked his gun out of its holster. Ariadne and Cobb both reached for it, shoving Arthur's aim off just as he pulled the trigger. He got three shots off before they managed to wrestle the weapon away. Two collided against the subway windows, but a third found flesh with a sick percussion.
Yusuf rocked on his cot. Ariadne turned toward him and went pale--a slow, crimson stain was already seeping from a wound in his side. "Oh shit," she breathed, leaning over him. "Shit." His eyelids twitched and he squirmed as if trying to wake.
"Wake him up," Cobb said, keeping a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We're aborting this job anyway."
"But Fischer--" Ariadne glanced to Robert, whose face was strained but was still very much asleep. Her mind reeled as a hundred thoughts tried to occur to her at once, and then she jolted to life, pulling a first aid kit off the subway car's wall. "If Yusuf wakes up now his dream will collapse," she said as she opened his shirt and applied gauze to the wound. "Fischer will split and he'll end up just like Arthur."
Cobb frowned at her. "I thought that's what you were after," he said carefully.
"I know." Ariadne glanced to Arthur, wincing, and then to Cobb. But I can't do this, she thought. It's wrong. We were wrong to come here.
Her emotions must have shown in her face, because Cobb nodded and came to her aid. "Dream me up some extra Somnacin and some morphine," he instructed. "We'll keep Yusuf under as long as we can, until we can figure this out."
Ariadne pulled a second case off the wall, and by the time she opened it the required items were inside. "Sorry, Yusuf," she murmured as she handed them off to Cobb. "I hope it's a lot duller down there."
Arthur groaned, and Ariadne left the work to Cobb as she turned back toward him. "Arthur," she said, wiping the blood from her hands before she touched him. He was on his stomach, eyes closed and hands to his ears again. "Can you hear me?"
"Is he real?" Arthur hissed, tensing up as if trying to shrink.
"Yes, it's Cobb." She rubbed his back and hoped it would help somehow. "He's really here."
"Fuck."
"Tell me what happened," she said, casting a quick look at Cobb. He was trying to watch them and inject the painkillers into Yusuf's arm at once. "Is your other half still under?"
His lips pulled back in a pained grimace. "Yes."
Ariadne's heart thudded. Then he's trapped, just like we were supposed to do to Fischer... "I'll put you back under," she said, reaching again for the fallen IV. "Yusuf might not have much time, but--"
"No--don't." Arthur took in slow breaths, and seemed to relax minutely when she resumed her slow caress. "I'll be just as incapacitated down there. I'll be killed again anyway."
He got his hands under him, and though his elbows shook he was able to sit up with Ariadne's help. He sat on the edge of the cot with his head in his hands; she tried to wait for him to compose himself but she was too nervous to stay silent for long. "What about your other half?" she persisted. "Can't he--you--kill yourself? If you're both at Level One--"
"He can't--he's trying." Arthur shoved the meat of his palm into his closed eyes. "Banks won't let him."
"What does that mean?" Cobb asked as he bandaged Yusuf. "Why wouldn't she?"
Arthur winced at the sound of his voice. "She's...she's whipping me. Trying to...shit, she's trying to extract something from me. She won't let me die."
Ariadne shook her head in confusion. "Extract what?"
"I don't know!" he shouted, startling them. He snarled and reached out blindly, and Ariadne clasped his hand again. His fingers were hot and dug into her palm until it hurt. "God, I don't know--I can't--it hurts so fucking much."
Cobb moved closer. "I'll wake myself up and disconnect her," he said. "Then you can--"
"No!" Arthur's other hand leapt, finding and pulling at Cobb's jacket. "No, we'll go to prison."
"What?"
He took in a deep breath and held it for several seconds, letting a shudder work down his spin and out his limbs. When he sagged Ariadne leaned closer so that he could brace some of his weight against her shoulder. Seeing him so pained made her throat ache, and her voice came out thin. "Arthur?"
"She's knows about the inception," he finally resumed, and Ariadne and Cobb looked to each other in alarm. "If you wake her up...she'll tell Browning. We'll all go to prison."
"Arthur please, let me put you back under," Ariadne blurted out. "You're in pain--"
"It's too late. I can't hear him anymore, shit." Arthur let go of Cobb to rub his eyes again. "She's got me."
Ariadne tugged at him. "We have to do something."
"Can I wake up and disconnect just you?" Cobb asked, and though he looked more composed than Ariadne his voice was just as frazzled.
"No," Ariadne answered for him. "No, that's just how the helix trap works--if he wakes up now part of him will still be trapped."
"Then what? If we can't wake either of them up..." Cobb grabbed Arthur's arm sternly. "Arthur, what is Banks trying to extract from you?"
"I don't know!" he snapped again, trying to pull away, but he didn't have the strength for it. "I can't--I can't tell her."
"Which is it? Just tell Banks whatever it is so she'll stop, and then you can wake up."
"No, I don't know." Arthur shook his head and grimaced. "Shut up, I can't, I have to think."
"Calm down," Ariadne told them both. "We need to--"
Cobb ignored her. "Damn it Arthur, whatever it is can't be worth your sanity! Just tell us what it is!"
He shoved against Cobb's arm. "I can't--"
"Why not?"
"I can't now that you're here!" Arthur yelled, and in a burst of anger he threw Cobb back. Though his legs were still weak he clamored around Yusuf's cot and onto the platform.
Ariadne looked to Cobb with dread. She saw his face flush with anger and confusion, saw his hands tighten to fists at his sides. "What does that mean?" he called, and then he was chasing after Arthur. "What does this have to do with me?"
Ariadne followed. We can't wake him up, she thought dizzily. We can't wake up Dr. Banks. We can't wake up Yusuf. We can't wake up Fischer--what can we do? She tried to run ahead of Cobb but he was determined, and he caught up to Arthur easily. What can we do?
Cobb grabbed Arthur's arm again and jerked him back. "Tell me right now what this has to do with me," he said sharply.
"I can't do this now," Arthur hissed. He pulled his arm out of Cobb's grip and started to pace, his fingers raking his scalp. "Get away from me."
"I'm supposed to be with my family right now," Cobb continued heatedly. "But I'm here because you had to get yourself in over your head, so you'd better--"
Arthur whipped around. "We're here because of you, you fucking hypocrite!"
Cobb grabbed his shoulder and backed him into the nearest pillar. "Don't you dare blame this on me," he snarled. "How many times have I told you not to trust Banks? I told you--I told you she was capable of this!"
"I can't do this now," Arthur repeated, gripped his temples.
"Cobb, please." Ariadne grabbed his elbow. "Leave him alone."
"Why the hell is Mal here?" Cobb continued regardless. When Arthur tried to force him back he stayed, pinning him. "Does she have something to do with this? Is that why you can't tell me?"
"Dom I can't do this now!"
Ariadne pushed herself between them. "Stop it! Can't you see he's--"
Cobb shoved her back, and she lost her balance, tumbling into a nearby bench. He turned on Arthur again. "What are you hiding--"
Arthur swung his arm, and his elbow cracked hard against Cobb's jaw. As Cobb stumbled back Arthur pursued, his right hook spinning Cobb in place. He braced his feet, fighting to stay upright, but by then Arthur was already pulling the gun out of his belt. Two shots spiraled into his brain and he collapsed, dead on the platform.
Arthur stared down at him. For a moment he seemed frozen, his face hard, and then the gun clattered to the floor. A look of horror came over him. "Oh God."
Ariadne gripped the bench. She was stunned speechless as she watched Arthur back away with halting steps. "I killed him," he breathed, staring at Cobb's fallen corpse. His back hit the pillar again and he started, taking in a sharp, panicky breath. "God, I killed him."
Ariadne forced strength into her limbs and hurried over to him. "Arthur--no--it's all right," she said quickly. "All you did was wake him up."
"Oh God," he whispered again. He couldn't take his eyes off Cobb; his chest heaved, gagging and hyperventilating at once. "Oh God what did I--"
"Arthur!" Ariadne took his face in both hands and turned it toward her. "You're dreaming," she told him, trying to be firm despite feeling as though she could be ill at any moment. "It's just a dream, Arthur--Cobb's fine. Just check your Totem--"
His arms wound around her. She gasped as he pulled her to him, all but crushing her against his chest, his ragged breath stirring her hair. He was shaking; feeling his body tremble all around hers drew a sob into her throat she had to fight not to voice. "It's all right," she said hoarsely. When she felt him slipping she twisted her hands in his vest and slid with him, until they were on the floor, clinging to each other. "It's okay, Arthur--you're just dreaming. I..." She swallowed hard. "I've got you."
Behind them, the subway car bleated a quiet warning. The doors ground shut, as they had been programmed, and the car rumbled down the tracks. Ariadne cringed, but she was still wrapped up in Arthur's arms, and she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She closed her eyes and held him as best she could.
Slowly, Arthur calmed. His arms relaxed and he leaned back, breathing through his mouth. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Ariadne smoothed her hands over his cheeks. "Arthur..." She leaned into him again, trying to hide from him that her eyes were watering. "We have to give this up," she said against his temple. "What do we do?"
Arthur sighed heavily. "Wake me up."
She flinched. "But..." Her hands tightened around his shoulders. "If you wake up now..."
"It's too late to do anything else," he said with resignation. "If Fischer's still intact he might pull through. Maybe I can...reason with Banks..."
Ariadne shivered. She tried to put her mind to work but all she could imagine was waking up to Arthur's distant eyes, his mumblings of insanity as his subconscious changed reality all around him. The slow stroke of his hand up her spine drew her voice back. "No."
"What?"
Ariadne pulled back and set her hands resolutely against his chest. "No," she said again. "I can't do that to you. There's still one thing we can try."
Arthur stared. "I'm listening."
Ariadne put her hand to her ear, and was relieved to find her earbud still in place. "Nash?" she called. "Nash it's Ariadne, can you hear me?"
When she got no response, Arthur shook his head. "Banks owns him. He's probably in on it."
"He'll be on his way to his Point Two," Ariadne said as she stood up. She turned away, pretending to look after the departed subway car so she could discreetly wipe her eyes. "We'll head there, and wake up your other half. As long as you're both on level one when we disengage the PASIVs you should be okay, right?"
"I don't know," he admitted, pulling himself wearily to his feet. "But it's worth a shot."
Yusuf probably doesn't have long, she thought, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. As far as I can tell, anyway. If we can wake Arthur's other half, then they can wake up together, turn off the PASIVs, and get everyone else up. And if we do that before Yusuf's dream collapses even Fischer will be okay. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. And then we deal with Banks. Damn it, how could we...
Arthur pulled her to him again, and she tensed as he pressed his lips to hers. He was still weak but his kiss was hard, almost desperate, and she was too startled by its unfamiliar intensity to kiss him back. He let her go with a sigh. "Thank God for you," he murmured against her cheek.
Ariadne's chest ached so deeply she couldn't breathe, and she was grateful when he pulled back and led them up the platform toward the garage.
***
When Robert looked up, someone was holding his hand. The fingers were long and soft, and a thumb brushed gently against the delicate skin between his knuckles. The touch was feminine in every way and yet it reminded him of Eames, and his hand seized, trying to draw him closer.
"We found them," she said. She was tall and blond and she was wearing a cocktail dress, completely incongruous with the soldiers surging all around, and yet he did not doubt that she belonged there. "Come with me, Robert."
Robert followed her through the apartment building and into the last room in the hall. His soldiers were there, standing guard over a man seated on a lumpy sofa in one corner. He had both arms wrapped around his chest and his forehead was tight with strain. "I knew you wouldn't still be in that condo," he mumbled.
"Are you Yusuf?" Robert asked, still holding onto the blonde's hand. "Or Nash?"
"Yusuf," he said after a pause. He eyed the guns the soldiers were carrying.
Robert motioned for the men to back up, just in case he made a leap for them. "What happened to Arthur?"
"Your projection killed him." Yusuf winced and rubbed his side. "Can you... are you still connected to the other dream?" he asked, his concern obvious despite his attempts to hide it.
"Yes." He tilted his chin up. "I suppose you want me to find out what's become of the other Arthur."
Yusuf gulped. "You might as well just wake us both up," he said. "Then we--"
"Please." Robert moved to a chair across from him and sat down. "I didn't fall for that the first time."
He closed his eyes, breathing slowly in and out as he let his mind drift across empty space. The blonde's hand around his fell out of focus until it was nothing but a dull warmth against his palm. His other self came to him much more easily than before, and when he concentrated he could feel the other dream swell around him, reminding him of the events of the last few hours.
"She keeps pulling us from dream to dream," he murmured, only partially aware that he was speaking aloud. "I've woken up in the study seven times now. The prison four... the beach... an airport restaurant... Paris, Sydney, Kyoto, Dubai..." He remembered them all, and the projections that were waiting for them each time. There was no rhyme or reason to where they ended up or for how long. Sometimes they were together and sometimes not. It was dizzying and infuriating.
"Where is Arthur?" Yusuf asked, his voice far away but still distinct.
Robert's brow furrowed. The memories of his second self blossomed across his brain, and he took in another slow breath to center himself. "We were in a mall," he recalled. "Running from my projections. He started screaming... I stopped... I knew Banks wouldn't let us die, so I stayed with him."
He remembered the tile under his knees, and the horde of angry ghosts. He remembered the floor opening up beneath them followed by a long drop and a soft landing. And then he caught up.
"We're in a field. The grass is long...it looks like Kentucky, maybe. Just green, for miles." He breathed in the smell of open air and rich soil, so unlike anything he'd tasted in a long time. The wind was crisp and almost refreshing. "Arthur's here. He's still in pain. I don't think he realizes how tightly he's holding my hand." His fingers flexed. "It reminds me of when Eames died."
Something cold landed on Robert's nose, and he opened his eyes to the field. He was reclined against his hip in the tall grass, letting the stalks brush his fingers. The plains stretched infinitely in all directions, hills rolling like ocean waves, undulating in the slow breeze. Whether Charla was allowing them a moment of rest or simply toying with them he didn't know, but it was a welcomed reprieve. He turned his face upward and felt another chill kiss to his cheek, and when he wiped it away, he realized it was snowing. The flakes twirled as they drifted lazily to the ground.
Arthur was lying on his back next to him, one hand covering his eyes, the other still curled around Robert's. He was shaking just slightly though it seemed the worst of whatever fit he'd suffered had passed. He took slow breaths and muttered a quiet curse.
Robert glanced down. "Are you still there?" he asked.
"Barely." Arthur smoothed his hair back and let his hand fall to his stomach. "God damn it."
"Is extraction always like this?"
"No. She doesn't know exactly what she's looking for, so she's just trying to wear me down. When I can't repress my projections anymore that's when the real extraction will start."
Robert snorted. "I can't wait," he muttered. He shook his head. "And to think you do this for a living."
"It's just a job," Arthur said. "It's not--"
"You said that already." He glanced to their still joined hands. "Did you help Eames incept me?" he asked again, wondering if his moment of weakness would elicit truth.
Arthur stared up at the gray cloud canopy above them. "Yes," he admitted at last.
It wasn't a surprise. "Just a job, too, I suppose."
Arthur was quiet a moment. "If I hadn't done it, my friend would have never seen his children again," he said.
Robert frowned at him. "Why not?"
"It's a long story." He sighed wearily. "I didn't mean for...all this to happen to you, but I'd do it again."
"Even now?" Robert asked, still watching him closely. "I'm pretty sure that at this rate, we're both going to end up comatose."
Arthur's eyebrow twitched, but he barely took a moment to answer. "Yes. Even now."
"Well." Robert made a face and stretched his shoulders. He couldn't imagine how he was supposed to feel. "If there are kids involved I guess I can't ask Erhard to kill you after all."
Arthur started to say something, but Robert wasn't interested in hearing it, and he cut him off. "Your friend Yusuf is here. Do you want me to pass a message to him?"
"Tell him to sit tight," Arthur said, rubbing his forehead. "When my other half woke I saw...a friend, before we were split up. I'm sure he'll explain everything and she'll abort the job. We just have to wait."
"All right."
Robert opened his eyes to the apartment. The hand around his was no longer Arthur's, but the blonde's, and she was watching him intently. So was Yusuf, still hunched on the sofa with guards nearby. There was sweat on his forehead. "Are you injured?" Robert asked him.
"Above, I am," Yusuf said, wincing. "I don't know what happened, but..." He rubbed his side. "It's serious. You should--"
"Give him something for the pain," Robert instructed the blonde at his side, "and keep him alive as long as possible. For now all we can do is wait."
"Of course, Robert."
She stroked the small hairs at the base of his skull, and he leaned back gratefully into the soothing touch. Just a little longer, he thought, closing his eyes again. And then I'll wake up. I'll wake up and this will all be over.
To Chapter 13
