10.
The tension had become very sharp as the Architect stared at the Point Man. Pain coupled with disbelief was written clearly on her face. After his rant to Cobb and the others, Arthur immediately tried to apologize to Ariadne. She responded by retreating back into her room and causing the door to be bricked up. The bricks forming as if by magic to close herself off from them. As the dreamer, she was capable of changing the layout of the dream, to bend it to her will.
Confronted by a brick wall where there should have been a door, the Point Man panicked at first. Not liking it when things would spin wildly out of his control. Lately, everything about Ariadne had gone out of his sphere of gravity. He shouted and hit his fists on the bricks, all to no avail. Cobb and the others could only watch as Arthur was reduced to waiting for her to come out.
Isolated from the others, the Architect morphed her solitary little room into a beautiful garden. Bright blue skies and fragrant peaceful flowers.
Inside her sanctuary, Ariadne sat under the beautiful sky and cried. Rose bushes and lilacs bloomed all around her, comforting her with their warmth. Birds began to sing happy little tunes.
How could Arthur say such terrible things? He was the only man she had ever been with. He knew he was her first and now he was denying their child? Never had she thought he was like that. The Architect could faintly hear the Point Man yelling on the other side of the wall. His shouts cut off as projections of birds started singing louder.
"Arthur." Cobb said after hours of the Point Man pacing in front of the brick wall. "Were not getting anywhere like this." The Extractor said.
"She's being childish." Arthur fumed waving at the brick wall.
"Well, you did call her baby an it, and nothing but a projection." Eames said lazily.
"That it wasn't yours." The Tourist added helpfully.
"Stay out of this." The Point Man in a cold angry voice. "She'll have to come out of there sometime." Arthur said.
"Not really." Eames said rolling his eyes. "Our girl has probably built a comfy world for herself and won't want for much. I'm more concerned with the projections on our end."
"She's changed the dream. Makes the projections look for the dreamer. They will be looking for Ariadne." Cobb said to the Tourist's puzzled expression.
"Which means they will come here." Eames said.
The Forger's prediction had been right. As Cobb and Arthur looked out the high window a angry mob was already forming outside the loft.
"We need to sure up the doors." The Point Man said angrily. "Hopefully she won't change anything else."
Ariadne sat in her little garden as the evening pressed itself in. It was so peaceful and serene here. Something like the rose gardens she had visited as a girl on a school field trip. She remembered thinking she was Alice and had found her way into the Queen's rose garden. She didn't want to go back with the others. Wanted to live in that garden forever. Had cried when she was finally forced to leave. Now, she could build a rose garden for herself and make it even better then the one she remembered.
A brief flutter of her mind caused the garden to breath, and expand. Like a living thing capable of growth. She watched as the rows bloomed wildly with various roses. The smell of of damp, rich earth and heavenly fragrance caught the wind. Reaching her senses with a gentle allure.
She smiled as she wandered through the new garden. Her blood moving warm and rich from her pregnancy. Suddenly, Arthur's harsh words didn't sting so much. The life inside her was whispering to her, comforting her. Telling her that they could stay here forever.
Something hit her. The Architect gasped and reached for the back of her head at the shock of it. She turned and looked at what could have possibly done it. An angry little chirping sound at her feet reveled a bird fluttering there. Before she could take in the idea of a simple bird dive bombing her, another bird stuck. She cried out as yet another bird hit her. She realized suddenly that the birds had manifested themselves as projections and were attacking her.
She screamed as they moved in a massive hoard. Making themselves look like a large floating animal. At her own will, a door appeared and she was though it before the birds could attack again. Shutting it securely behind her
Arthur was waiting for her on the other end and didn't miss the chance. When Ariadne appeared he grabbed hold of her wrists and pulled her to them.
"Time to leave, Darling." The Forger said unloading a series of shots at projections coming off the lift. The loud fire fight ensuing in their once secure home making the Architect cover her ears. The Point Man pushed her behind him as he started to shoot the projections the Forger missed.
Like zombies, the projections spilled out into their home.
"Come on." Cobb said pulling her and the Tourist away from the attackers. Ariadne didn't have to be told twice, or told what to do.
She had planed for this eventuality. Created a series of paradoxes and a beta sight to go to in case the projections got wise and attacked.
The Team had waited for her to come out of her garden before evacuating their loft. As the Forger and Point Man stayed behind to secure their exist, the Architect, Extractor and Tourist raced through a series of complicated paradoxes that found them in a maze of disused street corners.
It was oddly peaceful here. The sounds of the rioting projections breaking up their home was far away. Ariadne saw Arthur and Eames emerging through a tunnel of the last paradox to join them.
"Are you alright?" Arthur asked pulling her close to him. His large hands going to her face and body.
"Yes." She said. His touch feeling strange and unwelcome on her skin. The memory of his words still painful. Like a knife to her body that he had twisted.
She filched his hands away as he tried to look over the cuts on her face and arms.
"Birds." She explained feebly. Brushing her hair away from her face and trying to stay calm. Aware that the others were looking at them.
"That was a good escape route." Eames said cheerfully.
"Wouldn't have needed it if it wasn't for me." Ariadne muttered as Arthur's hand went to a large cut on her forehead left by on of the attacking birds. A concerned look on his face as he examined the deep wound. She batted his hand away. Shooting him an angry look.
"We can't focus on that now." Cobb said bringing the Team back to focus. "Where to now?" He asked.
"Just keep walking till you see an elephant. Were safe here, don't worry." She told him.
Ordinarily, it would have been an enjoyable walk. The deserted street was pleasant in the crisp fall air. The wind and chill making everything feel clean and sharp to the senses. The feelings of the Team however, were to upset to concentrate on any of that now.
"I'm sorry." Arthur whispered to her as the couple lagged behind the others.
"No your not." She accused wrapping her arms around herself.
A barrier against him and her body, her baby.
"You meant every word of it." She said matter of factually.
"I was only thinking about you." He whispered. "About how this will hurt you. You have to see that." He said. The right words failing him as they always did. He never could think of the right things to say. He always came out too abrasive and rough.
"Well don't." She said finally. Picking up the pace. Following in line behind Cobb. "Don't think about me anymore." She added over her shoulder.