I glanced at Arthur, Nash, and then my watch. It was time. I pulled headphones out of my bag, and placed them delicately on Nash's ears, determined not to disturb him despite knowing I couldn't. I pressed play and closed my eyes as Non, Je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf played quietly. It was almost time. Someone would wake up soon.
I was right. Arthur opened his eyes and sat up, going straight to the dream machine.
"Arthur?"
"Not now, Dyl. It didn't go well. Watch Nash." I nodded and bit my lip at the short tone he used with me. Then I rolled my eyes. The second Nash wok up I hit him in the head.
"What did you do!"
"The asshole messed up the simple rug!"
"Well I didn't know he was gonna rub his damn face on it!" Nash protested.
"Enough!" Dom was up, so Arthur rounded on him.
"You. What was that all about?"
"I have it under control."
"I'd hate to see you out of control."
"Guys, we don't have time for this!" I pulled my hair(Which is black, blue, purple and white, if you're wondering) into a ponytail.
"You're right, Dylan. I'm getting off at Kyoto. Stay with Arthur." Dom ordered. Arthur barely raised his head as he agreed with this.
"He's not going to check every compartment, Cobb."
"He doesn't like trains." I shrugged.
"It's every man for himself. Arthur, keep her safe?"
"Always."
And Arthur wouldn't let me out of his sight until we got to the hotel. He knocked on the door he knew Cobb was in.
"Hey. Ride is on the roof." He stayed at the door while I walked into the room with my gaurdian.
"Right."
"You okay?" I crossed my arms.
"Yeah." Dom looked up from the bag he was packing. "Why?"
"Arthur told me bout the dream. Mal showed up..."
"Yeah. I'm sorry about his leg."
"Dom, it's getting worse."
"One apology is all you're getting princess. Does Sophie know where we're going?"
"Yep."
Dom nodded and put his hand on the small of my back, ushering me over to Arthur. Arthur's warm hand replaced Dom's slightly cold one.
"Where's Nash?" He asked quickly. I shook my head.
"He hasn't shown. You wanna wait?" Arthur took my bag off my shoulder and held it with his own.
"No. We were supposed deliver Saito's expansion plans to COBOL Engineering two hours ago. By now they know we've failed. It's time to disappear."
Dom hurried us up to the roof.
"Where are you going to go?" Arthur asked quietly, glancing at me as he spoke.
"Buenos can lie low there, maybe sniff out a job when things quiet down. You?"
"Stateside."
"Send our regards." Dom and I weren't allowed in the States anymore. Not since Mal...
The helicopter opened it's door. Nash was sitting in the seat, wide eyed and terrified. Saito was opposite him, smiling wickedly.
"He sold you out. Thought to come to me and bargain for his life. So I offer you the satisfaction."
One of Saito's goons held a gun out to Dom. He shook his head.
"That's not the way I deal with things."
Saito blinked once, and knocked on his window. Two things happened at once. The helicopter turned on and two of Saito's goons pulled Nash out of the seat.
"I'm sorry, Dom. Nash was my call." I mumbled, climbing into the copter. Arthur glared at Saito and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"Don't worry about it." Dom turned to Saito. "What will you do with him?"
"Nothing. But I can't speak for COBOL Engineering."
They flew away, Arthur getting increasingly more tense as they went.
"What do you want?" Dom demanded.
"Inception." Saito responded instantly. "Is it possible?"
"Of course not!" Arthur snapped. Dom and I shared a look.
"If you can steal an idea from some one's mind why can't you plant one there instead?"
"Alright. Here's me planting an idea into your head. I say 'Don't think about elephants.' What are you thinking about?"
"...Elephants."
"Right but it's not your idea, because you know I gave it to you. The subject's mind can always trace the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake."
"That's not true." Dom sighed. We were both looking out of the windows.
"Can you do it." Saito smirked at Dom first, and then me.
"Are you offering us a choice?" I snapped. "Because we can find our own way to square things with COBOL."
"Then you have a choice."
"I choose to leave, Sir."
Saito nodded, and ordered the pilot to land. As we all piled out, Arthur, Dom and I, that is, Saito called out to us.
"Hey, Mr. Cobb, Ms. Nicole...How would you like to go home? To America, to James and Phillipa. To see your friend Sophia, again, Dylan?"
"You can't fix that," Dom shouted over the sound of the helicopter. "No one can!"
"Just like inception."
"Cobb, Dyl, come on!"
I hesitated, and then walked forward to Saito.
"How complex is the idea?"
"Simple enough."
"No idea is simple when you're planting it into someone else's brain."
"My main competitor is an old man in poor health. His son will soon inherit control of the corporation. I need him to decide to break up his fathers empire."
"Dylan, we should walk away from this!" Arthur urged.
"Hold on." Dom walked over and put his hand on top of my head. "If we do this...If-if we even could do it, how do I know you can deliver?"
"You don't." Saito responded. "But I can. So...Do you want to take a leap of faith...or wait to become old, filled with regret waiting to die." Saito's eyes flashed up from my face to where Arthur stood behind me. "Alone."
Dom looked at me, and then we both nodded.
"Very well. Assemble your team, and choose your people more wisely." Saito smirked and pulled the door closed. The copter took off again, this time without us."
XxX
Arthur took a seat next to me on the plane, after getting bored of watching Dom daydream.
"Look, Dyl, I know how bad you wanna go home. How bad you wanna see Soph, and James and Phillipa. This can't be done."
"Oh, yes it can, Arthur. You just have to go deep enough."
"You don't know that!"
"He's done it before!"
"Who'd he do it to?" Arthur got closer. I rolled my purple eyes and scooted away. He rolled his eyes as well. "Why are we going to Paris?"
"We are going to need a new architect." I opened a magazine in my lap, humming my favorite song. B-E-A-utiful, by Meagan Nicole.
XxX
"You never did like your office, did you?"
Miles looked up and saw me sitting in the seats of his lecture hall.
"There isn't enough room to think in that broom cupboard...Is Dom here? Is it safe for you two to be here?"
"Extradition between France and the US is a bureaucratic nightmare, you know that." I stood and made my way all the way down to his desk.
"I think they'd make an exception in you case, Dylan Nicole."
"Uh- Look, Dom bought these for you to give them to the kids, when you have a chance."
"You and I both know it's going to take more than the occasional stuffed animal to convince those kids they still have a father. You send Sophie letters on a daily basis to give them, and you call them when you can, but Dom? Tickle Me Elmo and a few Barbie dolls."
"He tries, Gramps he really does." I placed my palms on his desk. "Says he's doing what you taught him and through him you taught me."
"I never taught either of you to be thieves."
"No, but you taught him how to navigate minds. But after what happened there weren't a whole lot of legitimate ways for us to use that skill."
"What are you doing here, Dylan?"
I bit my lip and sighed.
"We may have found a way home. It's a job for some very, very powerful people. People who Dom believes can fix our charges permanently! But we need your help."
"Dom sent you here to corrupt one of my brightest and best, didn't he?"
"And to...ya know...Give the kids Elmo and Barbie... Anyways you know what we offer. It's their choice."
Miles chuckled deeply.
"Money?"
"More than the money! It's the chance to build cathedrals entire cities things that never existed and things that couldn't exist."
"So he wants me to let someone else follow you both into his fantasy?"
"They're not going to actually come into the dream. Just design the levels and teach them to the dreamers. That's it."
"Dom can design them himself. Or you can."
"Mal won't let Dom; Dom won't let me."
"He's dragging you out of reality, Dylan."
"Reality?" I scoffed. "Those kids, your grandchildren? They're waiting for their father to come home. Sophie? She's waiting for her best friend, because having Arthur isn't enough! That's their reality. And this job? This last job? That's how we get there! You know me, gramps, I actually think shit through and I wouldn't be here if I knew any other way! We need an architect who's as good as Dom was."
Miles looked at me long and hard before grinning, slipping his glasses on.
"I've got somebody better!"
