Welcome to my first, and possibly not last, ArthurxEames fic. This story is dedicated to one of my best friends, Hayley (Haggus Benwah), whose birthday was last week. Enjoy! ~ LC
Arthur's first clue that something was wrong was the time of the call. Nothing good ever comes from a call at three in the morning, he mused, rubbing his eyes. He sat up in the starchy hotel bed and stared at the frantic red light from the telephone with nervous hesitation. The die, his totem, glowed intermittently on the nightstand next to a hastily written address on a torn strip of paper. He let the phone ring once more before picking up the receiver.
"Hello?" he spoke softly, owing to his brief respite from sleep.
"Hello...Point Man." The deep alto shook Arthur awake. The voice spoke calmly, with calculation that betrayed its malicious intent.
"Wh-who...?" he choked out. He was temporarily thrown off balance by the anonymous caller's intimate knowledge of his profession.
"If I were you, I would spend less time wondering who I am and more time figuring out how you're going to get what I need."
He pressed his fingers to his temples and forced himself to think clearly.
"And what is it that you need, exactly?" Now that he was in control of his emotions, his voice regained its usual certainty, though there were enough thoughts racing around his head to make him slightly dizzy.
The voice on the other end chuckled, sending a shiver down Arthur's spine. He didn't find anything funny about the current situation.
"That's more like it, Point Man. Let's just say that this job is a little trickier than your typical extraction."
"Trickier?" His palms began to sweat. "If you're talking about inception, it can't be done." The crew had kept their most recent mission a secret. Even the most skilled extractors had no idea that they'd pulled off the impossible.
The line was silent for a few seconds, and Arthur feared that the line was dead. Then he heard the ghostly laughter and immediately wished it was.
"We both know that's a lie, Point Man. But don't worry - the job is not inconceivable...though you will need a little help from a friend."
He started to ask another question, but the caller cut him off.
"How about we discuss this...in person. Meet me at the bookstore two blocks from your hotel at eleven tomorrow. Look in the mystery section."
Arthur, receiver still pressed to his right ear, threw off the security of the bed sheets and reached for his silk tie that was draped around the bedpost.
"Oh, and if you're thinking about calling Cobb...well, let's just say that he won't be much help this time around."
Suddenly, Arthur heard a wheezing cough on the other end and he froze.
"Cobb?" he whispered. His only answer was a hoarse intake of breath. "Cobb!"
"The...forger..." Almost all the familiarity in his partner's voice was gone. He was either very sick, or very hurt.
"Cobb! What do you mean…Cobb?"
"The forger...he's..."
"Cobb, Cobb, don't worry, I'll help you, just tell me where you are-"
"I think now you understand the gravity of the situation."
"You bastard!" Arthur shouted furiously. He didn't care how early in the morning it was - Cobb was his colleague, and he was angered that he couldn't protect him. "Where the hell are you keeping him?"
"I'll see you in eight hours...Point Man." The line went dead for real this time, but not before he heard the eerie laughter one last time.
Arthur hung up the receiver and picked up his totem. He spent a long time focused on the die, passing it from hand to hand and analyzing the slick sides for scratches. When he was finally convinced that it was indeed the right weight, he looked at the clock. 3:10.
Silently, he got dressed, placed his totem in his vest pocket, snatched the scrap of paper from the nightstand, and left the hotel room without looking back. It was time to visit an old friend.