* I really hope you like this! Unfortunately I do NOT own Inception. Wish I did. But I don't. READ AND REVIEW!

Paradox. Any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature. What does that mean? Well, basically that something that appears impossible. A good example of paradox is the never-ending staircase. Picture this. You're walking up a flight of stairs when you come to a tiny landing, you turn onto another flight of stairs. Another small landing. You turn. Another flight. You continue this until you realize that you haven't moved much at all. Now you continue walking looking for an exit when- you find yourself in a freefall, the staircase has ended and you have just stepped off of it.

Arthur jerked awake and breathing heavily, yanked the cord of his wrist and sat up, trying to regain control of his breathing. He had just stepped off of the staircase. He didn't understand that was always his specialty in the dreamworld, he always knew where the stairs would end, even when it wasn't his dream.

"As it turns out, even the brilliant Arthur can be tricked by-"

"Paradox." Arthur breathed.

"...Mhmm. Well, what happened then, Arhur? Why'd it trick you?" Eames continued smiling, removing his own cord.

Arthur took in his breaths slowly. In... and out. Calm down, Arthur. He told himself.

"I-I don't know. I was running up the staircase... and then- I didn't- I didn't feel the end coming. It just didn't happen." Arthur answered nervously.

Why was he freaking out? He never lost his cool. Ever. He was always calm and collected. He did his best to appear that way. It wasn't working.

"Well, calm down, mate it happens sometimes." Eames said, sounding if possible, somewhat concerned.

"No... No, you don't understand. When the subject for the extraction enters your dream, do they ever realize they're in your dream and not who you told them it was's dream?"

Eames thought this over and then after a long pause he answered, "No."

Arthur finally regained control, he had stopped shaking and most of the color had returned to his face. He took a breath and said calmly,

"Sorry for freaking out... I'm gonna go ask Cobb what he thinks."

Eames nodded and said suspiciously, "Alright, Arthur..."

As Arthur made his was through the warehouse to where Cobb usually spent his 'alone time', he began thinking over what Cobb might say if he told him what had happened. His inner eye zoomed into an imaginary, but most likely the most probable scenario.

Arthur approached Cobb and said calmly, "Cobb? I need to talk to you."

Cobb turned to face him and said, "Okay, Arthur. What's up?"

Arthur took a breath and said, "When Eames and I were running a test, I stepped off the endless staircase. I don't know what happened. I didn't feel it coming."

Cobb looked at him awestruck and after what felt like forever he said slowly, "I'm-I'm sorry, Arthur. But if you can no longer perform your specialty like the rest of us... we might have to replace you."

Arthur stopped walking abruptly and thought this over. He couldn't be replaced. He could never leave this team. He would forever crave the intensity of the Inception operations. He couldn't tell Cobb. What would happen?

"Hey Arthur c- Are you okay?"

Arthur turned and found it was the new architect speaking. Ariadne had been offered a more desirable, but similar job and had left the team. The new architect was really good. Possibly better than Cobb. His name was Lance Wilson.

"Er- Everything's fine, Lance. I just- Everything's fine." Arthur said quickly.

Lance eyed him curiously, shrugged and left.

Asshole.

Arthur was not exactly friendly with Lance yet. The first time Lance had been tested with the entire team, they had decided to use Arthur as the subject. This dreamworld he was put into was torture. He was walking on a staircase when he realized it looked exactly the same as the one from another dream. And so, smiling he knew where it would end. Only he didn't. Lance had intentionally led Arthur to believe that so when it ended earlier than he expected he'd fall and Lance would show the team his excellent architectural skills.

It had not of course, hurt when he awoke because it had been in a dream. But it was the principal of the thing. Endless staircases were his specialty, and Lance knew that and had (Well, at least Arthur thought.) intentionally embarassed him.

He decided to go upstairs and try and get ahold of himself. Irritably he noticed an 'Out-of-Order' sign posted on the elevator. He took the stairs, he walked for what felt like forever... Endless staircase! He started walking again, panic building in his chest. He reached a landing unexpectedly and his foot swiped the air searching for something to step on. The staircase is ending! Arthur's breathing heavied and he reached for the railing for support but he couldn't see it. Everything had gone black.