Lucy woke first glancing over to the driver's seat. She watched Gill jolt from her chemically induced sleep. "Test," Gill quizzed with a smile, "Where are we?"

"On the car ferry from Calais back to Dover. Should be home by sundown," Lucy answered and teased with a smile. "Did you forget?"

"Nope, just making sure we're not trapped in your head," Gill opened the car door and got out. She walked over to the railing and leaned her back against it; her elbows propping her upright. Staring at the endless row of cars, her eyes follow two men. One had his hand in his pocket; the other was toying with a small object that caught the reflection of the sun.

Lucy followed her gaze. "Guess he wasn't kidding? So about what you said, are we competing?"

"What's your vote?" Gill turned the question on her as she turned her physical form to lean her elbows on the rail and look out over the English Channel.

Raising her elbows Lucy leaned her hip against the side railing. "We're voting now. There are only two of us. If I vote yes and you vote no, that's it."

"Why is that?" Gill's eyebrows came together.

Lucy laughed. "You'd have to be the extractor. I've rarely been in the subjects mind and wouldn't know how to gain the info. So if you don't want to. We can't."

"I guess we're up for the challenge, but neither of us are extractors. This may be more difficult than we anticipate." Gill's expression was grave as her eyes judged the waves beyond them.

The boat powered through the water with no impact from the waves of those before. "How hard can it be? You helped Lina."

"Yes," Gill sent her friend a wiry smirk, "and that is why I think we need to find a new extractor."

"Finding one that will work with you might be difficult." Lucy glanced at the cars behind them and the deck above. "You know there still here somewhere."

"Yeah, that suit is definitely dry clean only." Gill sighed. "If he follows us all the way to London, we'll drop in the Thames. Otherwise I doubt he'll be a bother."

Lucy worried her lip with her teeth. "Well, got some paper." She grinned. "I've got all this information floating around in my head."

"I'll grab some from the car." Gill walked back where they'd come from. She glanced at the car next to them. There was a black sports coat thrown over the passenger side door and a silver briefcase in the back seat. Her gaze flickered over the cars. The two men were missing. She reached into the car and checked the pockets of coat. A plane ticket from Heathrow to LAX was in the pocket assigned to Dom Cobb.

Pulling up the lock, Gill slipped into the back seat and opened the briefcase. One look was all she needed. Shutting the door, she remembered to lock the door again and fold the coat before grabbing a notebook and pen from her tote. Lucy was waiting for her at the café below.

"I ordered you chicken salad," Lucy commented as Gill set the notebook in front of her and held out the pen.

"Great," Gill leaned back and surveyed the room, "I'm starving."

Lucy chuckled. "Stop. It's not your fault and being hyperaware is more annoying than helpful."

"How long do you think we were out?" Gill asked, but didn't press the point as a curious-looking waitress set down their sandwiches and stayed for a moment making small talk. Gill played along until the waitress asked about Lucy's wring. Before she could sneak a peek, Gill slipped her 10 quid and asked for their privacy.

Glancing up Lucy rolled her eyes at her friend. "She's a waitress it's her job to make small talk and she's probably bored." She flicked her eyes around the room. "Everyone I see looks like a banker or an accountant. Hardly interesting stories, you should share a few with her."

"Funny and stop showing off." Gill's words were harsh, but her tone belied her amusement.

Aiming the pen in her hand at Cross, Lucy quipped, "My ability saved us twice in that dream. So no mocking."

"Well, you prove useful occasionally," Cross smiled and surveyed the room again. "When we woke up what time was it?"

Pausing Lucy thought back, "3:13"

"We got on the Ferry at a quarter to two."

"Yes, Gill, we sat in the car for a half an hour. And woke up on that fun little tour of a coward's brain." Lucy laughed. "You took his projections rather well."

"Yeah," Gill glanced back at Lucy thoughtfully, "his projections were rather weak considering he was trained."

Lucy nodded still writing in the notebook. "But he did want to talk to us."

Finishing her sandwich, Gill ate Lucy's chips until the latter swatted her hand away.

-x-

On the front of the ship where the water and wind kept the deck empty, Arthur and Cobb stood. "You can go back to the kids." Arthur was serious. He always was. "I'll handle this."

"How?" Dom asked quietly. "Have you been in contact with any one else on the last team?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, but I'll find a way to take care of this." He looked over the turbulent water. "Just go home to your family."

"You have a plan?" Cobb glanced at Arthur his eyebrows raised.

Nodding Arthur turned from his old friend. "And you aren't invited." Cobb chuckled a little. The sound was different than Cobb's usually brooding. Arthur smiled.

White was gleaming in the distance as they headed back to the cars. Two women laughed as one stole the last chip from the other's bag. "Pay back for eating all of mine," Griggs laughed again and ran for the car.

Following several steps behind, Cross tossed the now empty chip bag in a rubbish bin. When she looked up her gaze caught the two men. Without acknowledgment she headed for her car. Both teams got in their cars and waited for the vehicle in front of them to move. Cross tapped her fingers against the wheel.

"They lost their architect on their job with Cobol; we lost our extractor. Think Cobol is cursed? Or just really unlucky?" Lucy wondered aloud. "I mean two teams. Maybe their picking the wrong marks or just really need to stop delving so deep in business when they don't know anything."

"Clearly you're in a positive mood today." Gill flicked on the radio and glanced over at the car next to them.

Lucy toyed with the ring on her finger a second. She dropped her hands in her lap when satisfied. Changing the radio station she looked over at her colleague. "What?"

"Stopping worrying this isn't a dream."

"Says the woman who regularly forgets her totem," Lucy scoffed. "Just because we're not in your dream doesn't mean we're not in anyone's."

Cross stared straight ahead. "We know how we got here. And let me worry about my totem. I know where it is."

"Fine." Lucy changed the station again. "So who are we going to look at for a new extractor?"

"Luis probably has a few names. I'll call him when we get back to the flat." Cross put the car in gear. "We'll figure it out."

Lucy glanced passed Gill. "Kind of unfortunate. If we succeed, they die."

"We're all small fish. Cobol might chase us down for awhile, but they'll lose interest and go back to torturing someone else. They did last time." Cross responded as the drove off the ferry into the shadow of Dover Castle high on the cliffs. She just didn't mention that last time Cobol wasn't making an example of them.