DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INCEPTION.
Yes! Okay, I have finally finished my fully developed plot plan for this story, which I am super excited about. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think! Reviews make my day.
Information dump. Forgive me, it's necessary to get to the good stuff.
Ariadne hated Eames.
Not that little type of annoying thing like he had going on with Arthur, but no, pure hate was radiating towards him at that moment. Of course, he noticed, and gave her a knowing smile that infuriated her even furthur.
If he hadn't said anything, then she wouldn't feel incredibly uncomfortable around the Point Man. She wouldn't be worrying that she was looking at him strangely, or wondering if the slight flutter in her stomach when he looked at her was there before. She hated Eames, because now, she really could not stop looking at Arthur. She couldn't keep a blush down when his hand brushed against hers as he handed her a file. Quick and barely there, but enough to lose all sense of self-composure she had built up just to survive this meeting. She kept her head down and found interest in the papers contained.
"Harvey Walton," he began, his voice strong and leading, just as Cobb's would have been. No doubt he was trying to create himself into a suitable alternative, Ariadne thought. "Is the current CEO of Walton Industries, which he inherited from his father five years ago." Ariadne flicked through the papers to find a picture of the same man she'd seen yesterday. The clean cut, blonde buisnessman was talking on the phone when he'd been snapped. Tagged with a paperclip onto the photo, was a full page of non-stop facts about Harvey Walton. Birthday, Current Location, Blood type, Bank Accounts...it was endless. Ariadne was slightly bewildered. Is this how Arthur spent his spare time?
"The Mark, is his brother, Andrew Walton..." Ariadne's head snapped up at this point, remembering the way Arthur had reacted the previous day when he'd heard this man's name. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to see. A cold look in his eyes, or even a clentched fist. But no, Arthur was as cool and composed as ever, his shoulders straight and strong, his eyes skimming over the folder with intense concentration. Whatever fire he had felt before, had found a way of controlling itself. The Point Man maintained an incredible sense of self-control that she couldn't help but envy. "...Who coincidentally, is his co-partner in running the company."
She looked down, flicking to the next page when she saw it. A photograph of their Mark. Andrew Walton. He was not unlike his brother, but in many ways, he was completely different. The first thing that struck her was that he was in fact, incredibly attractive. Not the brutish, villainous looking man she had assumed him to be. He was no less built than Harvey or Arthur. Lean and muscular. He had the same, thick blonde hair as Harvey, neatly cut. But whereas Harvey's eyes were a shocking green, Andrew had darker eyes. A light hazel if she looked close enough. But something was strange. His eyes had a certain...emptiness about them. He didn't seem as warm as his brother. He had a stiffness that she saw, and she decided within a few moments, that she wasn't particularly loving the idea of going into this man's mind.
Arthur continued, unaware that Ariadne's mind was half on the photograph. "Harvey Walton is going to sell his company, but he wants to know if it's worth offering the entire control of the company to his brother."
"Let me guess," Eames interjected, leaning back in his chair, the file balanced on his leg as he stretched his arms above his head. "Spoilt inheritance brat spending all his father's hard earned cash on the finer things in life."
"If by finer things in life you mean drink, gambling and women, then yes," Arthur returned, his voice aiming a slight bitterness towards the Forger.
"What else would I mean?" Eames asked, returning his eyes to the documents.
A smug smirk tugged at the side of Arthur's lips. "You would have some experience in that area, wouldn't you, Eames?"
"You're actually bothering to ask?" Eames retorted, sending a quick grin toward the Point Man.
"Harvey Walton cannot bring himself to sell the company without asking his brother first," Arthur explained. Ariadne let her eyes fall as she remembered the way that Harvey had explained it. His moral ground wouldn't allow him. "The Extraction is simple, and Harvey only wants to find out one thing: "Will my brother accept my deal and handle the company as it should be treated? Shouldn't be too hard."
"Harvey?" Eames repeated, a sly grin forming. "On a first name basis, are we?"
Arthur gave him a small frown, just creasing the lines in his face. "I know him well," he replied. From his clipped tone, Ariadne could tell that whatever relation he had with Harvey was none of Eames' damn buisness. Good, she thought, at least she wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue.
Yusuf spoke up, his glasses perched on the end of his nose as he read through the information. "So, how many levels are we expecting? Less than three, I hope."
Arthur turned and began scribbling on the board. Although his 'scribble' looked more perfect than Ariadne's own handwriting. Simple, clean cut lines, each word perfectly readable. "Two levels. In the first, we need to establish that there is a deal on offer. On the second, we need to find out how he would deal with the company. Professionally? Or will he continue to slack?"
"What were you thinking?" Eames asked, his interest suddenly peaking. "A company downfall of sorts?"
"Not exactly," Arthur replied. A slight sly look formed in his eyes as he spoke to the Forger. "In the first level, what do you think of Harvey himself offering the company to Andrew?"
"By 'Harvey', you mean me."
"Yes," Arthur nodded. "You give him an idea that you might be selling the company. Let him know that he is under consideration for full company control."
"From his reaction, we may alright get a vauge idea of the emotional motivations he may or may not be having," Eames said with a grin, seeming to enjoy the idea. Ariadne had to admit, she was trying hard to keep up with the two's banter.
"Exactly. Like a gateway for the next level," Arthur explained, and turned to make a small note on the board. "The Second Level, that's where we need to test his commitment to the running of the company."
"What exactly does Walton Industries specialise in?" Yusuf piped up.
"Selling and dispatching chemical compounds," Arthur said. "Sometimes they dabble in the black market, just to keep themselves on the receiving end of expensive products. Simply keeping their hands dirty."
Eames sat up, an idea seeming to strike him. "In order to get an idea of how Andrew Walton would treat his company, we need to give him the chance to blow it."
Arthur's arms folded across his chest, while his eyes narrowed in a matter of curiousity and possible approval. "How do you suggest we do that?"
"A bad buisness deal, perhaps," Yusuf replied, his voice a little above a mumble. His head kept down as he speedily wrote little notes on a tiny pad.
"That's good," Eames agreed. "What if we convince Andrew that some sort of international dealer is willing to sell him some new stuff? Really risky, dangerous dealing. The type of stuff that could land you in jail." The concept seemed to spread itself into an excited beam on his face that Ariadne knew she would never understand. "If he's smart, and cares about the welfare of the company, then he'll say no."
"If he's not interested and uncaring, then he'll agree," Arthur continued, his head nodding in approval. A satisfied smirk look formed on the corner of his lips. "Well done, Eames." Ariadne took amusement in the fact that Arthur had a wonderful way of letting his sarcasm flow so naturally.
Eames returned with an equal smirk. "Your approval means the world to me, Arthur," he quipped.
Arthur's desire for lighthearted banter quickly faded as his brow creased ever so slightly, aging him in the slightest motion. Ariadne found this fascinating and almost didn't listen when he said- "As far as I'm aware, there is no subconcious security training on Andrew. However, our biggest concern is making the offer seem natual and realistic, otherwise the whole plan could turn ugly."
"What about dreamscapes?"
"Not 100% sure about that yet. I thought I'd let Ariadne contribute to that, seeing as it's her forte. Ariadne?"
Ariadne looked up. The other three were staring at her, expectantly, and she realised that she hadn't spoken in a while. Now might be the time to say something.
"Oh." She tried to catch her thoughts up with the rest of the team. Two levels. Offer the company on one, risky buisness deal on two. She looked at Arthur, who was waiting patiently for her to speak. "What's his relationship like with Harvey?" she asked.
Eames tilted his head towards her. "How does that affect the dreamscape?"
She shrugged, a little unsure of whether her question really did have any meaning, or whether she was just asking pointless questions. She managed to explain her query with some grace. "Well, depending on the relationship between the two, the first dreamscape can radically change." She looked at Arthur, who seemed to be watching her with interest. "If they have a good relationship, then he's more likely to talk buisness with his bother in a resturant, or at home. If it's a strained relationship, then it's more likely that it will be in a meeting with several others. Less personal." She gave the Point Man a small smile. "Like you said, it has to feel natural."
Arthur returned her smile. Approving. She couldn't help the slight swell of pride as the Point Man admired her idea. "That's an excellent point," he said, his voice gentle as he praised the young Architect. "I'll talk to you about that another time."
"Second level?" Eames urged.
"That'll probably be in their building, or at a meeting if it's a deal."
"On the first, you'll want me to forge Harvey, correct?" he asked, leaning back into his chair. "And on the second level, I'll no doubt be a seedy dealer."
Arthur gave him a quick nod. "Yes. I'm counting on you to come up with something good."
"Just give me two weeks with Harvey and I'll have him down to a T," Eames said, gently waving his hand in Arthur's direction.
"Right, I'll have to buy you some time with him," Arthur mused in return, standing in front of the awaiting team. He began twirling the whiteboard pen inbetween his fingers, his face set into a thoughtful glare at the floor. Ariadne had never really thought about it before, but had his suits always been this well...fitted? He raised his head. She was glad that he'd decided to turn his attention to the Forger at that moment, otherwise she would have been caught gawking.
"Eames, I'll get you a two week internship at Walton Industries under Harvey's personal eye. Learn him."
"Will do."
Learn him. Ariadne suddenly realised why she was in fact, not a Forger. Forger's could read people, figure them out in heartbeat. They had the abilities to get inside their head, learning their every move. Figuring out why they walked the way they walked, why they talked the way they talked and why they breathed the way they did. And then they go and do the impossible. Become them. Copy them. Transform themselves into other people in the blink of an eye. Eames was the ultimate actor. Ariadne could barely figure people out even after she'd known them for years, let alone a couple of weeks. And people as complex and hidden as Harvey Walton might be, then she really had no hope of understanding his inner workings. God forbid she should try and copy him.
"Yusuf, since this is a two level job, we don't need a particularly strong sedative." A challenging smirk hinted at the side of his face. "But there's always room for improvement, right? Let's see how steady you can get the compounds. I'd like these levels to be as stable as possible."
"What about me?" Ariadne then asked, her eyes bright and eager for work.
"You're with me. We're going to work on the first level together."
As he turned, his back now facing her, she'd only just had time to re-evaluate what he'd said before a single thought crossed her mind.
Together.
Woopty-fucking-doo.