Eames downed his coffee in one as the three tired young men climbed the three stairs into the hospital. Stairs, Eames huffed to himself. He tore a strip off his already massacred nail. He was unbearably nervous. He looked to his companions and huffed again: they were so composed. Arthur was sipping at his cup; Cobb was tapping away at his phone to alert Yusuf of their presence.
The hospital was eerily quiet despite being nine in the morning. They had contemplated entering in a stealth twilight attack however, as Cobb suggested: it would draw more attention than arriving among the throng of visitors and patients. The smell of disinfectant clung to his nose and stung his eyes. His heart sunk: Evelyn hated hospitals. Eames recalled the evening he'd come home and she'd sliced open her hand while attempting to cut an elaborate pattern into a tomato using the biggest butcher's knife they own. She'd insisted that he took care of it. He'd refused at first knowing he was not good at sewing, however he'd never seen her so fragile and erratic. It left a scar which she wore with pride: her prince had fixed her.
'Where's he meeting us?' Arthur penetrated Eames' thoughts. They had arrived at the vast reception from which many corridors led off.
'Here my friend.' Yusuf appeared from the stairs clutching onto a patient file. 'How are you all?' Eames took another glance at his friend. He'd commandeered a doctor's coat and stethoscope: Eames loved the man's resourcefulness. The moment he had rung Yusuf and explained that Evelyn was in trouble Yusuf had begun his infiltration.
'All the better for seeing you old man.' Eames pulled Yusuf into a hug. 'How is she? Please tell me you've seen her?' He kept his voice low.
'I've done better than that my friend.' He returned in an equally low voice. 'Join me in my consultant office' Yusuf raised his voice for the benefit of the reception staff. 'We'll go over the next steps in your wife's recovery.' Yusuf motioned for them to follow him down a dark yet surprisingly busy corridor to the left of the reception. On the walls hung generic lifeless paintings that evoked nothing but a longing to be anywhere but there. Within minutes, Yusuf opened a large door and allowed all three men to enter before closing and locking the outer door.
'You have a consultant's office? Sweet.' Arthur looked around, impressed at the lengths Yusuf had gone to secure a place in the hospital. 'You really are an amazing man.' He picked up the framed photograph on the table. It depicted Yusuf with a tailor made family. 'I think we have a guerrilla on our hands here Cobb. He's an amazing forger. We really could-'
'-Arthur!' Eames snapped as he collapsed on a chair at the table. Arthur paled at the raised voice. He hadn't meant to be inappropriate. Eames bowed his head and clutched his temples 'I'm sorry mate. It's just-'
'-Timing, I know Eames. I'm sorry. So you said you've done something better than see her?' Arthur tried to repair by bringing the conversation back on track. Yusuf sat down the other side of his huge desk and motioned for the men to do the same.
'I have indeed.' He smiled broadly. A smile that could not fail to give the men hope. 'I entered her dream state.'
'You did what?' Eames exploded rising instinctively out of his chair, instantly being pulled down by the two men either side. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been? To do it alone is foolish: you impulsive, idiotic man!' Everyone watched as Eames cooled from red to grey and begin to shake. Yusuf poured the man water and passed it over the table. 'How bad is it? You're out in one piece which must be good news?'
'Give the man a minute Eames.' Cobb brushed his supportive hand over Eames' shoulder before getting out a notepad and pen. It was important that they determined when in Evelyn's past she'd been trapped. 'How long did you put yourself in?'
'Half an hour, it worked out at just over a week in her world. I didn't use anything to subdue myself like with the Fisher job. However she's working in your agency Cobb-'
'We might end up going another level down?' Eames mused.
'And this is where I think the information is hidden.' Yusuf explained. 'Lanyard keeps showing up. I'm not sure if it's him tapping in via remote or whether it's just part of her mind. It's very strange.' Yusuf became lost in his thoughts. The men left him with his thoughts for a few moments; however when there was no sign of him returning to the conversation Cobb felt he had to pull him back.
'What's strange? What makes you think that he's the one in her dreams?'
'Her pattern, the situations she's in seem to go in a loop. They vary slightly but they all end with her entering the clients dream to retrieve something. Lanyard always forges himself into someone new, but it's him. There's too many signifiers for it not to be. He goes down into the second level with her and then it resets. Her brain throws up a firewall and starts again. He almost got it the last time I think... She was down on the second level a long time.'
'My clever girl.' Eames smiled widely. 'She's a wonderful guerrilla. The information is on the second level down. I think I know how to get it. Is it present day?'
'No. She didn't recognise me.' Yusuf expressed solemnly. 'Which dates it back at least nine years.'
'How many cycles did you see?' Arthur asked. If she didn't recognise Yusuf, she would not recognise him either.
'Four. I've only encountered Lanyard and Cobb in every single one. You were only in one cycle Eames but you never had contact with her. I just saw you in the crowd. It was a wedding-'
'Mine and Mal's: It was the week I met you and I'd not introduced you to Evelyn yet.' Cobb jotted something down on his pad. 'Does it all seem to be around that time?'
'Yes. A six month time line I would say.' Yusuf answered and Cobb paled.
'What is it Cobb? Why do I get the feeling there's a spanner in the works?' Eames sat up from his usual slouch.
'He's clever. He's picked a time when Evelyn was bringing in her own clients and working alone. She'd only just come back to our organisation. She was still angry. She needs to trust us and he's picked a time when she was the least trusting-'
'He's not picked the timing Cobb: She did! It's her creation through and through. That's her firewall and one of you is the key.' Yusuf smiled. 'Everything is set up. I'm giving you an hour: that gives you two weeks to gain her trust and convince her to let you join her on the job. It'll be dangerous and once you're down on that second level you'll have to be fast-'
'It'll let Lanyard in too?' Eames questioned.
'I should imagine so. Unless you're that good you can convince her to only take you and leave Lanyard behind.' Yusuf explained.
'Can't we just tell her the truth?' Arthur asked.
'If you want to reset. I tried once or twice but it alerts her projections to the dream and she resets again. She's created this elaborate cycle Arthur: whatever it is she's hiding is important and she knew he was coming.'
'When can we start?' Eames asked.
'After rounds are finished, in about an hour. Go have a coffee, some breakfast, something. Relax: You go in there wired and jittery you're going to draw attention to yourself. I'll come get you in a little while.'
'Do you think we can do this in one go Cobb?' Arthur asked as he stirred his tea. They'd been sat in silence since they'd arrived at the canteen. Everyone in their looked forlorn and subdued; they blended in well. They sat awkwardly around a table that was too small for them. Their knees touched the plastic table top and the chair back stopped midway up each of their backs reminding them of being in school.
'There's a projection of him in there already and he doesn't go on the job with her. You really think it's that easy?' Eames muttered. 'Why doesn't she trust you Cobb?' He looked up from his steaming cup. 'What happened around then that meant she didn't trust you? Is this the darkness you were talking about?'
'I don't want to talk about it. It's just before she got with Reg: she wasn't in a good place.' Cobb sat back and flustered. It was not his place to tell Eames about the past.
'It's more than that: she didn't trust you! What did you do to lose her trust because to me, her trust in you was unshakable?'
'I betrayed her Eames. I let her down when she needed me the most. That's all: no need for you to go into one of your paranoid jealous rampages.' Cobb losing his temper again. Eames was like a child: always in need of constant reassurance.
'Come on Eames, they're like brother and sister-'
'Luke and Leia?' Eames spat bitterly.
'Don't engage with him Arthur.' Cobb felt guilty. He turned to address Eames. 'You're frustrated, I get it. Don't take it out on me. I'm sorry my projection can't fix this, but might I remind you that if she trusted my projection: he'd have whatever it is he's after and she's be dead. This isn't something to pick apart Eames. She picked this time for a reason, to save herself and the information she has: not to hurt you or tell you she wants someone else. She wants you! She LOVES you. Now, you're exhausting me, so we're going to sit quietly until Yusuf comes to get us.'
'I'm just scared.' Eames said in a true moment of honesty. 'What if I can't get her to trust me? She hated my guts for the first six months of knowing me. She despised me and went out of her way to avoid me.? I could forge myself into someone else, but I want it to be me that she trusts. We haven't got six months Cobb, what if we fail and it's all because of me'
