A new venture into Inception fanfiction...hope you enjoy...
'We're doing all that we can-'
'We're not doing enough!'
Cobb didn't flinch as Eames kicked the chair across the room, the metal furniture hitting the wall with enough force that the leg fell off. He took a long sigh as the Englishman turned and stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
They'd been in Cairo for the grand total of three days before they were set upon, ambushed by a group of armed motorcyclists employed by the Mark they were looking to infiltrate; a highly respected businessman with millions to lose if their team pulled the job off.
While Cobb had dived in front of Ariadne, trading blows and punches with the assailants, Arthur and Eames were set on by at least six others; they hadn't stood a chance. When Eames was thrown to the dusty pavement, a gun pressed against his temple, Arthur had seen red: he launched himself at the man, only to be tasered by another, falling, twitching, to the ground. The men sped off, Arthur bound and held onto one bike, guns pointed back to the team as they tried to run after them.
That had been eight days ago. There had been no word, no sign that Arthur was even alive. Eames was starting to come apart; he hadn't eaten, had only slept when Cobb threatened to call Yusef and have him drug him. An angry Eames was hard enough to deal with; an angry, upset, hungry Eames was another beast entirely.
The truth was, Cobb was scared. He was the only one who knew who the Mark really was. If he had told Eames the truth, the Englishman would never have agreed to participate. Arthur certainly wouldn't. Peter Woodruff, former CEO, now Head of Cobol Engineering, had put a high bounty on both Cobb and Arthur's heads. Certain circles said it was a Dead or Alive price. Cobb didn't know about that, but their current employers assured him this was to be an easy job; they needed business statements and two passwords. And they would all be rewarded handsomely. Now the whole thing had turned upside down; he only hoped he wouldn't have to tell Eames the truth.
'Maybe we should go back out and look for him,' Ariadne turned to him, eyes red rimmed. She had hardly slept either these past few days, anxiously scanning internet forums and the Dark Web for any sign of Arthur. Their employer had been entirely unsympathetic; as long as they got the job done, whatever happened in the meantime was inconsequential to them.
Cobb sighed again, rubbing a hand through his hair. 'Look where? We've been into every abandoned building in the city, all the warehouses we could find. His phone is off, or destroyed. I don't know where to look next.'
The tyre tracks had stopped at the edge of the city, on the road into the desert- they were waiting for Yusef to arrive before embarking into the arid environment; if Arthur was being held out there, he would probably need more advanced medical help than they could give him.
Cobb turned again as Eames came back into the air conditioned office unit, shutting the sweltering heat behind him. He did look awful; sweat rolled down his pale, drawn face, unshaven. It had been an open secret that he and Arthur were an item; Cobb didn't envy the men who kidnapped Arthur when Eames caught up with them.
Eames fell heavily into a chair and dragged a hand down his face. 'Yusef phoned,' he grunted, 'He's two hours away. Then we'll be able to look for him properly.'
'Good.' Cobb stood up and paced in front of the large map of the Egyptian desert they had pinned to the wall.
'Now we just have to figure out where to start.'
-x-
Arthur grunted as the cold water hit his face, slamming him back to the present. Tightly bound with wire, his arms were wrenched behind his back, his legs tied to the chair he was sitting on. He could feel warm blood running down his hands as he flexed his wrists.
He remembered very little about the past week. He remembered the fight, the gun pressed against Eames' head. The jolt of electricity against his back, the painful, bumpy ride into the desert. Up to now he had been treated well; fed and watered at regular intervals, left alone for long periods. He could only guess that he was in some kind of crypt; he had a sinking feeling that he was actually inside a pyramid, judging by the stone walls covered in hieroglyphics.
This morning, however, there had been a flurry of activity behind the stone wall which entombed him. Lots of shouting; Arthur only had a limited understanding of Egyptian, but he could tell an angry voice when he heard one. He had been dragged to his feet by a fist in his hair, throwing him out into the corridor, a hood covering his head until he was sat on this chair. No one had come in to see him for a long time, a few hours at least passed before a man, face covered with a black mask, came into the room.
He had asked Arthur who had employed him; when Arthur said nothing he received a blow to his right leg with a metal bat. When he refused again, the bat came down on his head, one strike sending him into darkness.
Until the cold water had awoken him.
'You're being very silly,' the heavily accented man told him, kneeling in front of him with the cold metal bat between them, 'One name. That's all I want. Then you can go.'
Arthur gritted his teeth, and stared above the man at the wall behind him.
The man sighed theatrically. 'Okay, if that's how you want it.' He swung the bat again and this time Arthur couldn't stifle a cry of pain as the bat slammed into his leg.
'One name.' The man repeated, swinging the bat again. 'Or shall I go back to the city and find another one of your friends to ask? Do you want me to do that?'
'You leave them alone' growled Arthur, gritting his teeth against the pain. The man nodded and knelt down again.
'Then tell me.'
Arthur looked into the man's eyes, the only part of his face he could see. Brown, framed by thick lashes, the man stared unblinkingly back.
'Do you want me to find the girl?' the man said softly, 'Watch as I pull her apart? Or maybe the Englishman, you can sit there while I make him scream.'
With a shout of rage, Arthur threw himself forwards, his forehead connecting with the man's nose as he felt the wire lacerate his wrists. The man howled with pain before his fist slammed into Arthur's cheek, snapping his head sideways. Another blow caught his nose; Arthur felt his nose break under the man's fist and he readied himself for another strike.
The door opened and two men rushed inside, also masked, grabbing his assailant and dragging him backwards. But Arthur wasn't watching them. He watched as the man with the expensive suit walked into the room, brushing lint off his diamond cufflink. He looked ridiculously out of place, but Arthur would recognise him anywhere.
Peter Woodruff. Head of Cobol engineering.
Arthur's head spun. Cobol? They hadn't had any dealings with Cobol since the disastrous Saito Job. Cobb and he had cut all ties…there was a bounty on their heads.
'Now now, Arthur, stop thinking so hard; I can see the cogs moving behind your eyes.' Peter stood impassively away from him, looking down his nose. 'I want to know who employed you to infiltrate my mind. And I want to know within the next ten seconds.' Peter said this quite calmly, taking out a handkerchief and wiping his brow.
'Your mind?' mumbled Arthur through his rapidly swelling nose. 'You're the Mark?'
'Cobb didn't tell you.' Peter smirked and let out a bark of harsh laughter. 'He didn't even tell you. What a boss, eh?' he paused. 'I'll tell you what, how about we change the rules a little? You tell me where Cobb and the rest of your little group are hiding and we can all have a little reminisce about the past? You can explain why the hell you left without completing your Job and leaving me with a ten-million-dollar black hole?'
Arthur shook his head. His head was still swimming; what kind of an asshole was Cobb to do a Job against this guy? But he would never betray them.
Peter seemed to read his mind. 'Tough nut to crack, aren't you? Doesn't matter. I've got some of the best interrogators in the business flying into Egypt in the next few days. They'll get you to talk.
I guarantee it.'
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