And oh, poor Atlas
The world's beast of a burden
You've been holding on a long time
And all this longing
And the ships are left to rust
That's what the water gave us
X-X-X-X-X
Chapter 10: What the Water Gave Me
Arthur
I groaned, feeling every muscle in my body cry out in protest as I opened my eyes and lifted my neck. I stared at the dark wall I was facing and tried to remember what I had done last night that could make me so sore. Then I remembered.
Oh yeah. I had fucked Eames.
Moaning, I screwed my eyes shut and braced myself to face the Brit, who would inevitably tease me endlessly about it. However, a small part of me wanted to roll over and wrap my arms around the man sleeping next to me and talk for hours and never let go.
But what would I tell him? Last night had undoubtedly been the most amazing night of my life, but how could I get myself to say that? And what did it mean? I might have been attracted to the man, but I could never allow myself to have feelings for him. And did he reciprocate those feelings? Or had he just told me he "loved" me to get in my pants?
No. This couldn't happen. I'm supposed to be the good guy in this situation. I can't fall in love with a criminal.
Staring the wall, I tried to form words that I would say to Eames when he woke up, and finally got myself to roll over. My mouth dropped open in surprise when I reached over and found nothing but the empty wrinkled sheet next to me, cold and hard. Eames must have gotten up a long time ago.
Grunting, I rolled up into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, rolling over onto the cold ground and trudging over to the door in the dark. I felt around on the wall and finally located the light switch, flicking it on. I turned and located the pajama bottoms I had carelessly thrown on the ground when I was stripping last night. I smiled slightly at the memory and pulled the pants on, before turning and exiting the room.
The hall outside was pitch black. I frowned in confusion, wondering if it was still nighttime.
Turning, I made my way down the hall, fumbling blinding in the total darkness. My heart pounded in slight anxiety, and my palms began to sweat.
I had always had a slight fear of the dark, but it had never been so severe until now. I held my hand up in front of my face and waved, feeling my heart clench when I saw absolutely nothing. I blinked, and continued along the wall, taking slow steady steps in what I hoped was towards the bathroom.
After what seemed like a few minutes, I finally felt something. My hand jerked back when I felt my fingertips brush against something soft and warm. Shocked, I cradled my hand as if it had been burned.
"Hello," I called out cautiously, and listened hard in the dead silence.
My heart pounded so hard, I could barely hear anything else. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, and leaned my head forward a bit. In the complete silence, I strained my ears and held my breath, feeling my heart skip a beat when I was finally able to detect something…
Breathing.
Less than a foot from my face. I felt someone's warm breath ghost over my face and I froze in terror.
Then I turned and tried to run. But it was too late. Two strong hands grabbed my shoulders and yanked me forward and around, slamming into the corner of the concrete wall. Very hard. My head hit the corner with a very loud thud and I yelped in pain, and then moaned as a wave of nausea crashed over me and my limbs went limp.
The hands on my shoulder lowered to my waist to catch me as my legs gave out, and yanked me up and threw me over a shoulder. My arms hung over my head as the person carried my briskly down the hall.
The sound of footsteps was beginning to grow fuzzy around me as all the blood rushed to my head, and my scalp pounded with pain as something warm and wet trickled down the back of my head.
A lazy moan fell from my mouth, as the bouncing from being carried did not do well for my injured head. The hands carrying me were firm and strong, gripping me almost painfully by the thighs. I looked down to the ground beneath, trying to hold onto the last shred of consciousness that I had left. A dim glow of light was beginning to become visible and I watched at the shadow of the man carrying me became more pronounced as we neared the room.
Light hit me like a punch in the face as I screwed my eyes shut and winced in pain. Saliva dripped my mouth as the man carrying me over his shoulder finally stopped and pulled me forward, letting me fall back onto the cot.
It took a vision for my eyes to adjust to the light, and for my vision to stop blurring. I leant back against the wall, my head spinning, and looked up at my attacker.
Eames stood before me, standing fully clothed in all black, hair perfectly neat and combed, and face clean-shaven.
I stared up at him disbelievingly, my mouth still open and drooling slightly. Eames stared at me, a slight grin ghosting his lips. But something seemed different. He looked more guarded, more serious, but more importantly, more dangerous.
I lifted my head and stared him in the eye, feeling my heart rate increase as I finaly noticed what was different about him.
The usual mischievous glint that lit up his blue eyes was gona, and replaced with something dark and sinister. Something evil.
At that very moment, something clicked in my mind as realization hit me.
Eames was no longer in control.
"Hello, Arthur" Jack finally spoke in a voice much darker and malicious.
I swallowed heavily and desperately tried to clear my clouded vision, but pain still pounded at the back of my head, and now the warm sticky blood was running down my neck and I could feel it matting in my hair. I opened my mouth, but all that came out was garbled moaning.
Jack grinned evilly and crouched down in front of me, his eyes becoming level with mine.
I gaped horror and tried to push away from the wall, but my limbs were heavy and my eyelids threatened to fall shut into unconsciousness.
"Afraid of me?" Jack sneered, "You should be."
I shut my eyes and shook my head. No, god no. This can't be happening.
"Would you like to know what I'm going to do to you, Arthur Davis?" Jack spoke, in an uncomfortably calm voice.
I opened my mouth again to speak, "Please…"
"First I'm going to tie you down. Then I'm going to break every single bone in your body, starting with your toes." His fingers crept across the mattress and gripped my bare foot, making me shudder in fear. "Then I'm going to carve into your skin ever so slowly… and listen to you scream and beg for mercy."
Jack's words became lower and raspier with each word and his hand moved up my foot and grasped my ankle in a vice-like grip. I screwed my eyes shut again and blinked, my vision slowly starting to clear.
Jack's eyes flashed with something callous, and almost inhuman as he continued. "You are going to die for real this time Arthur. William has taken his obsession with you too far, and last night was the final straw. I will not stand to be cooped up in the mind of a fucking queer!" Jack's lips turned up in disgust as the last couple of words, and his words stung like acid. "But unfortunately, I have no choice. So I'm doing the next best thing by killing you. And trust me, I will enjoy it. Almost as much as I enjoyed killing Ryan and his family." With that Jack let out a menacing cackle and grabbed me forcefully by the shoulders.
I yelped and squirmed as he tried to push me down on the mattress, but was still weak from being knocked in the head. Jack's hands flattened my back against the cot as his legs swung over and straddled me.
Reaching into his pocket Jack pulled out a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs, and I swung my hips up, attempting to throw him off balance as he fumbled with the cuffs.
After the third try, Jack growled as he tipped to the side, and I threw my left leg up and kicked him in the chest, throwing him off of me completely. Standing up quickly and carefully, I placed a hand on the wall to steady myself, head still spinning, and reminded myself not to injure Jack too severely, as it was Eames' body as well.
Jack wasn't on the ground for long. The time it had taken for me to catch my balance in a standing position was about the same it took for Jack to stumble to his feet and come barreling towards me.
I yelped again and made a break for the door, plunging into the darkness blindly. "Billy!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping that the Irishman would wake and do something to ward Jack off of me.
I continued my trek into the pitch blackness, hearing Jack's pounding footsteps behind me. I continued to run silently, my bare feet hitting the concrete painfully. Hopefully, the darkness would throw Jack off guard.
Not knowing where I was going, I continued with my arms outstretched, hoping I had woken at least some of Eames' men, who would turn on the lights, since I had no idea where any switches were.
My prayers were answered when I heard a few moans and rustling of clothing. I sped up my pace and then yelled out in surprise when my feet hit something hard on the ground. It was a person.
I felt my foot catch and my world turn upside down as I fell face first and landed on something else… another person.
"Christ!" A voice yelled in the dark, and I felt the body move underneath me.
"Neil, turn on the bloody lights!" Another muffled voice moaned.
I groaned in pain as my head began to spin again and I rolled off the man that I had landed on.
"What the bloody fuck is going on?" Said a familiar Irish voice.
"Billy?" I murmured
I squinted and moaned once the lights flashed on and I looked up into Billy's face who crouched over me, concerned. "Jack! Jack, he's coming… he's…"
I tried to get the warning out but my speech was beginning to slur, and I shut my eyes and threw my arm over my eyelids. Darkness shrouded my vision and I felt my body grow heavy and dull as unconsciousness overtook me slowly.
As everything began to fade, I heard the pounding of footsteps, the sound of Billy clambering to his feet, and the yell of a few random men.
"Jack!" Billy's voice roared above me and then there was a crack and buzzing and the thud of a body hitting the concrete.
With each second, everything around me was growing fuzzier. But suddenly, Billy's voice was in my ear again and hands were shaking my shoulder frantically, and I was drooling again and my eyes were half open. I was met with a pair of green eyes, eyebrows turned up in worry.
"Arthur," Billy repeated, this time a little less far away.
I moaned in response and blinked, opening my eyes slowly, this time all the way. A gentle hand felt the drying blood on the back of my neck, and another hand inspected my arms and legs for any fractures.
"Arthur," Billy repeated, this time it was loud and clear.
My eyes opened wider as I stared up at Billy and mumbled, "Where's… Jack?"
"I stunned him." Billy explained calmly, holding up a taser and motioning to a motionless body lying on the threshold of the room.
"What's…. the time?" I murmured again.
"It's about 2 in the morning," Billy explained again.
I moaned and attempted to lift my head, but was immediately stopped by Billy.
"Whoa, don't even think about moving, Davis." Billy moved his pillow over and supported my neck, laying my head back, "You most likely have a concussion." He then turned and barked to one of the men, "Get me an ice pack and a towel."
"What's going to happen to Will?" I said again, a little more coherently.
"Well…" Billy trailed off, "Whenever Jack is in control, I just have to wait it out until Will comes to. It could be hours, or days, or even weeks. It depends. Right now, they're probably up in his mind battling it out. It's very hard for Will you see…" Billy grew silent. "Don't worry about it Arthur. He ends up fine usually, just a little shaken up."
I nodded slowly and closed my eyes as Danny returned with an ice pack.
"Here you go. How's it goin' Arthur?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"Fine," I said quietly and opened my eyes. "Head just hurts like shit, god!" I winced as the man feeling the back of my neck touched the place where the skin on my scalp had been torn.
"Sorry mate," he said empathetically, and I recognized him as Neil, the Brit who had helped me make my totem.
My totem. I raised my arm and reached into the pocket of my pajama bottoms and fished out the pocket watch, checking the oppositely ticking hands. I sighed in relief and retired the watch back to my pocket as Billy placed the ice pack over my forehead.
X-X-X-X-X
After about an hour of being conscious, my head had stopped spinning, and Billy let me stand up slowly. My head still hurt where the skin had split open, but he concluded that I had not had a concussion.
Eames' men had arranged his body on one of their mattresses, and everyone decided to wait until he awoke to do anything else.
When he did wake up, I was sitting next to him with a concerned look on my face, and Billy crouched over him on the other side, gun in hand, just in case Jack was still in control.
His eyelids fluttered open and I watched his pupils dilate and immediately flicker over to me. I held my breath as he stared at me for a moment, and sit up slowly, blinking as he looked around him.
"William," I spoke cautiously.
"Arthur," Eames spoke gently. I looked into his eyes and saw the familiar spark of life and optimism that Eames had, and I knew that it wasn't Jack.
I don't know why, but at that moment, I started to cry. Maybe it was the weight of everything that had happened in the last couple of days came crashing down on me… or maybe I was just thankful that Will had won his internal battle. Maybe it was both. I let a tear slide down my cheek as I reached up and touched Eames' hand, not knowing how to express how I was feeling.
"Oh god," Eames murmured after he noticed the bandage wrapped around my head, and he pulled me closer to him. "What did he do to you?"
I shook my head and placed my hand atop his, "He tried to kill me. But I got away. And… and… God. It took me by surprise. How did it happen?"
"I don't know… the last thing I remember was you and me-" Eames immediately stopped and looked over at Billy, embarrassed. "Uh, Bill… do you mind giving us a moment?"
Billy chuckled and stood up. "Glad you're back, boss," he then patted him on the shoulder and walked away to join the other men who were cleaning up their sleeping bags and pulling out the lawn chairs.
Eames turned back to me, "The last thing I remembered was you giving me the most amazing orgasm of my life."
If I hadn't been sitting down, my knees would have collapsed and I would have lost it. Suddenly, everything that had happened last night came crashing back down over me, and my cheeks began to burn with embarrassment.
Eames laughed and clasped my cheek with his warm hand. I involuntarily leant into his touch. "I didn't expect any of that from you darling. Might I say, now that I know you are such a tiger in bed, I will be seducing you more often."
I smiled slightly, still feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment, and spoke, "Eames. We need to talk about… last night,"
"Okay," Eames spoke slowly lowered his hand to mine and held it tightly.
"Last night was… so incredible." I began, "I don't know what it was, but it felt so right. Like we were…" I trailed off, realizing how ridiculously cheesy I was beginning to sound.
"Made for each other?" Eames finished, raising his sandy colored eyebrows.
I chuckled, "Well it sounds corny, but that's how I felt. It was like we fit."
Eames nodded, urging me to continue.
I sighed and spoke again, "But… I keep going back to the fact that you kidnapped me. This isn't right. We have nothing in common. I know you can't help how you are, but honestly," I paused, knowing I would have to say it eventually, "Jack. He terrifies me. I don't understand how something so incredibly evil could even exist."
"Darling, I am so sorry," Eames immediately clasped my hand, "I had gotten caught up in our moment last night, and Jack took the opportunity to occupy my mind. I was weak. I should have known it would happen, but I forgot once you began ripping my clothes off…"
I blushed again, lowering my eyes and shaking my head, "I think we should wait until the job is over and see where we are. I know how you feel about me, but I still need time to figure myself out now. I am very confused. Days ago, I was hating your guts and wanting to kill you , but over the course of the week, I've learned so much about you… and I don't know what to think yet."
I felt my heart rip in two as I watched Eames' face fall. His eyebrows furrowed in sadness, but he nodded and spoke, "That's fine darling. Besides, we can't jeopardize the job. Jonathon already thinks we're fucking."
"Well… we just proved him right," I said.
"Yeah… but I also promised him I would take control of Jack. So he cannot know about what just happened. Alright?" Eames clasped my hands firmly and looked my in the eye.
I nodded, "I understand,"
"Good," Eames nodded and stood up. "Well do you want to go get some sleep while I set up?"
"Nah," I rubbed my eyes and stood up as well, checking my pocket watch. "It's already 3 o' clock. Plus I don't think I can sleep after that. I'm too shaken up."
"Alright," Eames nodded and looked me in the eyes.
I locked gazes with him and stared into his eyes. He smiled and leaned in slightly, taking my hands in his again. I let my eyes flutter shut as his lips closed around mine, and we shared a brief kiss. However, in that brief moment, I realized one thing:
I needed Eames. I didn't know yet how I felt about him, but I knew that I needed him. I needed his soft full lips, and his long eyelashes, and his soft golden hair, and his velvety skin. I needed the brush of stubble against my jaw and the smell of cigarettes and the masculine voice speaking my name ever so softly.
"Arthur," Eames lifted my chin with his forefinger. I looked up questioningly. Eames smiled and continued, "Let's get you cleaned up." His other hand stroked the back of my head, tenderly touching the place where my skull had been hit, and blood was now dry and crusty.
I shivered, remembering the feeling of terror when I realized that Jack was going to kill me. Jack had to go. I wouldn't let him ruin this. As we walked to the bathroom, Eames' arm around my shoulder, I vowed that I would rid William Eames of the demon in his head.
X-X-X-X-X
I sighed and looked at my watch expectantly, then looked up and around the bustling airport. Kelly was supposed to be here by now.
Shifting the suitcase in my hand, I tapped my foot impatiently and straightened the striped silk tie I wore with the new Navy Ralph Lauren suit that Jonathon had gotten me as a gift. I was extremely pleased, as I wouldn't have to wear Eames' god-awful patterned shirts and mismatched ill-fitting ties, since Jonathon had also taken the liberty of assembling an extensive and rather expensive wardrobe for the job. Apparently I needed to look more "like a politician".
My heart skipped a beat when I watched the back of a black-haired man's head pass in front of me. I waited as he lifted his cell phone and turned his face ever so slightly, I caught sight of his profile. It was Kelly.
Finally! I looked around casually and began to walk over to the security gate, close behind Kelly. Turning my head ever so slightly, I caught sight of Jonathon, who had already gone through security and stood waiting at the Starbucks on the inside of the airport.
I couldn't look behind me, but I knew Eames was there, wearing his colored contacts and dark brown wig and plaster facial mask to cover his identity. The PASIV device had already been shipped by Jonathon's personal service to our hotel in Washington D.C., as it would never get through airport security.
Taking out my fake passport, I handed it to the gentleman in security, who scanned over it mindlessly, and waved me through. I took in a deep breath to still my madly beating heart, and passed through the metal detector and body scanner, risking a glance backwards to catch Eames' eyes. He barely looked at me for a second before he rummaged through his coat and pulled out his fake passport and I.D.
The guard thumbed through the pages of Eames' passport a little longer than he had with mine. I turned my head back to the front so I wouldn't look suspicious. When they finished scanning me, I looked back and saw the guard looking between Eames and the passport suspiciously.
"Shit" I muttered under my breath, wanting to do something. However, I knew I had to continue with the plan, so I turned and picked up my luggage, hoping to God that Eames would get through.
I finally reached the terminal and set my suitcase down, stopping to look around. Kelly sat reading a newspaper, Jonathon stood sipping his coffee and checking his watch, and Eames was nowhere in sight.
I began to feel my heart rate increasing. What would happen if Eames got caught? Jesus Christ. I swallowed and turned around again, scanning the crowds of people.
I tried to make eye contact with Jonathon, but he simply stared ahead out of the window. I knew that if one of us got off track, we had to continue with the plan so we didn't put the entire job at risk, but I couldn't help the uncontrollable fear that something had happened to Eames.
I cleared my throat rather loudly, trying to get the attention of either of the men. Jonathon's eyes flickered to mine ever so slightly and he shook his head once, signaling me to remain calm.
"Excuse me sir," a deep throaty voice said to my right, and I looked over in surprise as Eames walked past me in his disguise, a slight grin on his lips. "Sorry 'bout that," he said in his fake American accent and continued on his way, sitting opposite Kelly in the terminal seats.
I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes in relief. So far the plan was all going smoothly. Soon we would be in Washington D.C., incepting the president of the United States.
X-X-X-X-X
Cause they took your loved ones
But returned them in exchange for you
But would you have it any other way?
Would you have it any other way?
You couldn't have it any other way
X-X-X-X-X