The job had gone horribly wrong in every way imaginable.

Ariadne dropped into the compound from the return vent she had designed as an alternate entry point for the team. Their extractor was dead, her body lying haphazardly across the cement flooring as the blood pooled underneath her. The mark was nowhere to be seen, probably lost in the masses of projections outside attempting to break in.

It only took a quick surveillance to realize she wasn't alone. The Forger was crouched next to another white mass of fabric on the floor. Her breath hitched in her throat as she turned the corner and lay witness to the scene before her.

"Eames…" she whispered quietly as not to startle him.

He was hovered over Arthur's body, watching the red blossom out across the white fabric of his snow gear. Eames drew a deep breath, quickly retrieved the defibrillator from his knapsack, and shoved one of the pads under Arthur's shirt.

"Eames, what are you doing? We have to get out of here, we don't have much time."

Eames looked up quickly, only acknowledging Ariadne's presence for a second as she knelt down across from him. Clearly it wasn't sanity that drove him, just pure instinct.

"I have to save him." The words came out as babble while he attached the second pad to Arthur's cooled skin. Ariadne could tell by the grimace on his face that he regretted so much; forcing this job on the team, fighting with Arthur about logistics that didn't matter. It had all come to a head when Arthur nearly walked out on them the night prior, claiming that the money wasn't worth the bullshit and stress it was putting on their relationship.

Ariande reached out her hand, placing it over Eames's gently as he fired up the defibrillator's charge.

"Eames, look at me." She had to repeat it again, shaking his hand with force to pull him from the grips of his insanity. His eyes met hers, glossed over with the shine of fresh tears, and she nearly choked on her own. There was nothing left in this room to save but themselves.

"He's just a projection."


A/N: While I realize projection may not be the proper term for Arthur's dead body, this drabble was actually accompanied by these two gifs from the film that I made an posted on tumblr. http: / 26 . media . tumblr . com / tumblr_lw2c94Zczi1r2zkcjo1_250 . gif and http: / 25 . media . tumblr . com / tumblr_lw2c94Zczi1r2zkcjo2_250 . gif. Essentially the idea is that Eames is trying to save a version of Arthur that is not real because he is no longer within the dream.