Summary: Extraction from a kid should have been easy. Focused on Ariadne, Arthur, and Eames.
Disclaimer: Inception and its characters belong to the talented Mr. Chris Nolan.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read my previous works. This story will be more serious and longer than my usual one-shot crack fics. I'm still working out where this story will go but I hope this will be entertaining. Enjoy!
Child's Play
Cobb and Arthur made it extremely clear before the Inception mission that it was important to lay low until the threat level was nonexistent. Performing a job that was considered near impossible and dangerous in dreams meant it was much more hazardous in reality if they had failed – and they didn't but these were necessary precautions to take. It was part of the job description. After landing in Los Angeles, everyone parted ways with no verbal goodbyes. There were small smiles, nods, and eye contact, and that was all they could offer to each other without bringing attention or suspicion to themselves. It was comforting that Ariadne knew where Cobb was going to be, but she couldn't say the same for the rest of the team. She didn't know when she would see these men again – if she would ever see them again. The thought stung her heart.
Dreaming or not, Ariadne understood she had a life to go back to. The Architect left for Paris after staying in Los Angeles for a week. Once the plane touched down in Paris, Ariadne was back to being just another ordinary student (other than the fact she had considerably more money). Professor Miles pulled some strings that had all her professors give Ariadne the whole summer to catch up on what she's missed during her "sick" leave. Whether desired or not, life continued to go on and Ariadne continued the life she temporary paused.
Ariadne's mind was constantly plagued with thoughts and desires to be back in the dream world. Arthur's voice echoed in her mind - There's nothing quite like it. He was right; the dreamscape could be compared to no other. It was a space where creativity flourished, where laws of physics and resources no longer mattered – it was the type of landscape that any architect would dream for. Hah – dreams… She would not admit it out loud but she knew she was hooked, addicted to the thrill that was produced in the presence of lucid dreaming. However, after facing Cobb's situation with Mal, Ariadne still kept in mind the importance of reality no matter how much innovative freedom the latter offered.
The Architect hasn't seen or heard from anyone from the team in five months, seventeen days, and twenty-two hours – not like she was keeping count. She would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't miss each and every one of them terribly. Cobb, Arthur, Eames, and Yusuf, all experts in what they do, were people she thought she would never meet. When they popped into her life, she was happy. The team was a breath of fresh air. She would do anything to see them again…
...
Ariadne is deep in thought as she works on her final project for a modern architecture class. This particular project is a pain in the derrière. If she wants a good grade, Ariadne has to constantly remind herself that her building needs to be realistic. No matter how awed her professors were with her models, it meant nothing if she couldn't follow the basic guidelines of nature and economics.
Ariadne is delicately cutting squares out of her cardboard building when the ringing phone startles her. While one hand pats her chest to calm her heart, the other puts down the exacto knife and reaches for the cell phone on the desk. The screen says "unknown caller" at 10:00 P.M. "Hello?"
"Ariadne."
"Arthur?" Ariadne is still with surprise.
The next thing the Architect hears is a yelp and some curses before another voice responds. "Ariadne, darling. Interested in a new job?" Eames.
"When and where?" Ariadne immediately answers with a smile on her face.
What do you guys think? Should this be continued?
Reviews of any sort is extremely appreciated! Thanks! xoxo