Chapter Four
"We Tried It…"
Special thanks to all of you who are sticking with me! When I decided to post this all, I didn't realize how long winded I'd made Eames, but I promise I'm going somewhere (which isn't something I can always say). I wrote a new song, to the tune of a minor version of Three Blind Mice: "I like muffins/ they taste good/ muffins are delicious/ yes they are/ I'm going to eat chocolate now/ meow/ meow/. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: Inception still belongs to Senior Nolan, Andrew is still mine. Ahmad has acquired a pet koala. Don't ask me where.
"So what happened?" asked Andrew. "What did Stephen Miles say."
"Well," said Eames, taking a bite of Andrew's chipati, which had lain forgotten while Eames was speaking, "I'd since learned that Miles was to extraction what Al Capone was to Chicago. Nothing, I mean nothing, went on without his knowing. So, as you can imagine, he already knew Palmer's intentions, and he refused McAvoy's request for Arthur. Apparently old Miles had been keeping an eye on him, saving him for his own protégé. That was the first I heard of Dom Cobb…"
"Who does he think he is?" McAvoy paced furiously back and forth, waving his hands wildly about. "What, so he's just been grooming for himself, saving the best?"
"I really don't see what you're so upset about," yawned Avery. "We don't even need a point man."
"I matters because now Cobb has been given success in a hand basket! What has he ever done? NOTHING, that's what. Except bang Miles' daughter!"
Avery shifted very slightly, and Eames saw his hands curl momentarily into fists, then he relaxed , and said reasonably, "A point man isn't everything." Cobb may not have it as easy as you think."
McAvoy shook his head, unconvinced. "Cobb doesn't deserve Arthur."
"Well, nothing happened for awhile," said Eames. "Several months passed, we did another job. I thought McAvoy had decided to let things lie. Turned out not so. He had another idea…"
"…and we'll need a new chemist," McAvoy concluded, finishing a long list of changes he was planning on affecting in their operation.
"What's wrong with regulation Somnacin?" said Avery.
"We need something stronger. We'll have to do more in a shorter amount of real time."
"I'm starting to develop serious misgivings about this job."
Eames nodded in agreement. "You've not even told us what it is yes."
McAvoy took a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with both of his colleagues.
"John?"
"Inception."
Avery laughed. Eames looked from one to the other in confusion. "What's inception?"
"It's a joke," Avery assured him. "Inception's not possible. McAvoy's not in his right mind."
"That could be quite true,," said McAvoy. "But I can't let Cobb keep that Arthur kid."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Avery groaned. "Will you just drop it?"
"I can't! Just listen: We pop in, easy as usual, poke around, persuade him he doesn't want the kid, and leave. He'll do the rest for us. Decide he doesn't like Arthur, fire him, and we come sweeping in to the rescue, arms open. It's brilliant!"
"It's insane!" cried Avery. "You're seriously talking about performing inception on a trained extractor! It'll never work! You're going to get us all killed."
"If it doesn't work, what's stopping us from just disappearing? Where's the physical evidence? Cobb will have nothing. Believe me, it'll work."
"I won't bore you with the scientific details. Not sure I'd be able to explain them even if I wanted to. To shorten a very long and painful story, we didn't succeed. Cobb's subconscious…well, it was sort of like an atomic bomb versus bows and arrows. And so, my meeting your father was delayed once more.
"Eventually, Avery, McAvoy and I went our separate ways. I'd gained enough of a name to get steady work; forgery is a surprisingly sought-after skill. And finally the day came when Dom Cobb himself appeared, and made his request."
"You're quite the story teller," said Andrew, only half sarcastically. "Maybe you should retire and take over from Morgan Freeman."
Eames shuddered, staring at him. "Now that is just downright unnerving. You've never met your father?"
"Not that I remember. But I know he was home…at least for a picture."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciate and will induce happy-dancing. Stay tuned for an impromptu appearance by Ahmad's koala, and a valiant battle with a dragon…no I'm kidding, there's no dragon. Or is there? Find out in Chapter 5: Puff the Magic Dragon.
-esking