Thank you all for your comments on the last chapter! I was so so soo shy to post a fic, and it was a great relief to see positive messages from you all!
To swampophelia, haha I guess I didn't pay good enough attention to the timeline in the movie, so I apologize for any confusion. I suppose this would have to be an alternate timeline then! 3
Cobb stared across absentmindedly at his young associate Arthur, who was swirling his drink around and inspecting the alcoholic contents in their plush first class seats.
"Gin and tonic?" Cobb inquired, and Arthur jumped a bit, unaware he was being watched.
"Oh yeah, takes the edge off flying." He replied, still focussed at the ice in his cup. Cobb could tell he was deep in thought and that there was little point in trying to force conversation. If there was one thing Cobb was terrible at, it was sitting still for long periods of time. Incidentally, it was something Arthur excelled at.
Taking a sip of his own favourite scotch, he let his own mind wander back to the day he had met the man. The incident had never been mentioned afterwards, but Cobb always lived with the guilt he felt for spooking Arthur in the first place. He hadn't realized the boy was in so deep in the criminal world that he would have been aware of his surroundings enough to catch the crafty Cobb as he picked after him in the night, trying to learn more about his new hire. It had been the least he could do to save the guy, and it wasn't until he was dressing his stab wound in his hotel suite that he noticed how young the man really was. Unconscious with messed up hair and no luxurious suit he looked more like he belonged in college, dating a cute girl and trying to decide what his degree would be in.
At first he had felt guilty dragging someone that young into a life of dangerous jobs in the subconscious, but he came to learn eventually that Arthur had been hardened long before he had ever met him, and that he wouldn't likely ever be the carefree young man that Cobb himself had been. They had never explicitly discussed Arthur's past, but Cobb would put his money on it being a somewhat traumatic one. Not that he was fully complaining; Arthur was by far the best partner he had ever worked with, and his kind of skill was something that was fashioned from a hard life, not learned.
Cobb stretched his muscular lean arms up and checked his watch, noting the time. Flights were such a bother; he would rather be at their warehouse already, working on their next project. Pulling out a manila folder from his briefcase he decided to peruse the contents, though he had practically memorized the contents.
Mark: Vincent Ray Smithe
Age: 39
Occupation: Silus Executive
Extraction: Incriminating Evidence of criminal ties
Following was a brief description of the mark's address and some generic but mostly useless paragraphs on his general habits and schedule. Cobb knew Arthur would find out much more practical and detailed information, but it was a start.
"Had any chance to do some preliminary research on the mark?" Cobb asked, attempting another shot at conversation.
"I'm sure it'll be no problem." Arthur replied coldly, hardly even looking up. Cobb shrugged, unsure of what put his partner in such a bad mood and instead decided to pass the rest of the flight with a nap.
Arthur sighed quietly to himself, mulling over his current predicament in his head. A job was a job, and it'd been nearly two years since he'd been in that part of town. People didn't last long in that industry, and he was sure there would be nobody left at Silus who would recognize him or know that he had worked for Remcorp. He was aware that he should disclose to Cobb his worries, but a deeper concern plagued his thoughts that he would be judged unfit for the job and forced to sit it out. Working with Cobb was the closest thing he had ever had to a family, and he couldn't bear Cobb finding someone to replace him, even for one job. He frowned to himself for acting so childish and insecure and groaned inwardly, hoping the job had taken him anywhere but here. Last he had heard, Remcorp was completely out of business, and he was sure it was probably a bloody loss on his former employer's side. He wondered momentarily about who had hired them, but that information was of course strictly confidential.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! There'll be more soon, sorry for the short rushed chapter! 3