[The Forger]

"To do inception, we need to be creative," Puck said as he sprawled on the chair. He jerked a finger at the board of designs Artie had put up, "and that's not cutting it."

"What do you suggest then?" Artie bristled as Kurt hastily looked up from the mazes Tina was in process of designing.

"Not that. Think bigger Abrams."

"You're job is to get the idea we're planting to take root," Kurt said to Puck. "what do you suggest?"

"I don't know, as long as it's not "quit while I'm ahead"."

"That's not helpful," Kurt blustered.

"I'm not the one who took this on as a whim," Puck countered, "I better at least get half your share for this. Deep sedation," he shivered, "you're just asking for trouble."

"You can walk Puckerman," Quinn said from her customary corner. She was thumbing through a fashion magazine, one that would hopefully become Lopez's last. "You're replaceable."

She made the same threat each time one of them hesitated, and Puck was starting to think it was just a show. She may be giving the means to fund the venture, but the shrewd businesswoman was slowly losing her ground. You couldn't buy and barter dreams after all, yet.

"I'm not about to walk," Puck remarked as he leaned forward, "I'm just pointing out the flaws in the whole arrangement."

"Congratulations," Artie said rolling his eyes, "you're thinking outside the box."

"You got a problem Abrams?"

"You haven't given a suggestion yet, I gave you files on the mark," Artie replied, "that you, returned to me so graciously."

"I know everything I need to know, about Santana Lopez." Puck added with leer as reclined in his chair placing his arms behind his head, "If you know what I mean."

"I'm leaping with suspicions," Artie said dryly. "The idea is to your skill to become someone close to her, not use intimate knowledge to your advantage."

"Who better than Brittany Pierce?"

"Her assistant?" Artie asked, turning to file photo of the blonde.

Puck wiggled his eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."

Artie's eyes widened. "You mean can impersonate a woman? I think know that was possible."

Kurt coughed into his hand to avoid laughing as Puck muttered something unsavory. "What have you learned?"

"That Lopez trusts her assistant with not just with her coffee and dry cleaning but is her main confidant. As I pretend I'll press the idea questioning if Lopez enjoys her work. The magazine was a legacy her parents pushed her towards."

"No," Kurt said with a shake of his head, "its needs to be positive emotion, negative will only make us lose control of the situation."

"She feeds on negatively if her background is any indication," Artie muttered.

"How about this then, 'would you like to go to Paris sometimes?' Chicks dig Paris after all."

Mercedes leaned over to Tina whispering as they watched the boys, "why are we trusting him with the most crucial part of the mission?"

"I agree with that," Quinn piped up, "why him, why not one of you?"

"His has skills lies in that area," Kurt replied, "he's a professional in theft, forgery, and other forms of debauchery."

"Been to big house to prove it too," Puck boasted.

"The rest of us need to be free to handle the other tasks on the level. The setup for the kicks and keeping the projections at bay. And while I'm thinking about it," he rolled up to Quinn looking at her earnestly, "you need to make a totem for you to carry."

"A totem?"

"A small object you can carry to make sure your mind isn't fucking with you," Puck said as he flipped a coin in his hand.

"Yes," Artie said ignoring Puck, "it's important since you're insisted on coming and we haven't had the time to make one."

"I'm just a tourist," Quinn replied glaring at Puck, "there's no need for it."

"Then tell us," Puck drawled as he caught the coin, "how did we get here?"

Puck had the pleasure in seeing Quinn's face glow blank before rage took over her delicate features.

"You-!" she sputtered throwing her magazine jumping to her feet, not sure who she was going to attack first.

"The first thing you should have noticed," Mercedes said smirking "was that we weren't in the same workspace, and the fact Artie can actually reach the board. The second is the arrangement of the windows, Tina has this thing for tessellations."

Quinn eyes darted to arrangment of the interlcoking arrangments as the tiny details they had placed in the dream version of the workroom came to light for her.

"Whose dream are we in?" Quinn asked faintly, looking as if she expected the dream to collapse.

"It's a shared dream state," Kurt countered, he stood next to her and pushed her take a seat. "this way your unconscious wouldn't try to kill us."

"And it should has hell would have tried," Puck smirked watching as Quinn slowly gained her compsure back, princess."

"If you had a totem this problem wouldn't exist," Artie point out cheekily.

"Then," Quinn asked wasiply, "what's a totem?"

"A elegant solution for keeping track of reality," Tina replied with a small smile, "I'll show to make one when we get topside. "