Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. All readers and reviews appreciated, thank you!
Cobb gasped, as he suddenly felt his eyes open. He turned his head. Greenwood was standing, looking directly at him.
"Good to see you again, Mr Cobb," he said, sardonically. "I trust you've interfered enough?"
Cobb felt a surge of anger rising inside him. Pulling the IV out, he struggled to get to his feet. Turning, he faced the psychotherapist, who was smirking.
"That's my Point Man you have lying there," Cobb said, his voice glacial. "I think I have a right to interfere."
"Yes. Such as performing an inception on him," Greenwood said, smoothly. "He thinks it's a dream at the moment…but what happens when he wakes up?"
Arthur shifted. Cobb turned. The younger man's eyes were fluttering slightly. Greenwood's mouth curved into a smile.
"I'll let you deal with this," he said, coolly, and turning, walked out.
Elise swallowed. The gun was making her arm feel heavy. The two nurses glared at her.
"Come on Cobb," she whispered.
"Arthur? Hey, Arthur?" Gently, Cobb began to pull the IV out of the arm of the Point Man. He was tossing and turning, and his eyes were opening up.
"Mmmm?" Arthur's eyes began to open wide. Turning his head, he spotted Cobb, and his eyes opened wide.
"You," he whispered, hoarsely. He started to move. "You!"
Cobb blinked. "Arthur, its me, its Cobb-"
He broke off as Arthur delivered a stinging slap to his face. The Extractor reached up and held his cheek, his heart beginning to sink. The Point Man was backing off, his eyes set and furious.
"Arthur," Cobb said, trying to stay calm, "lets talk about this-"
"No," Arthur said, his voice harsh. "I'm going to ask you some questions, Dom, and I want some answers."
"Arthur-"
"Just answer this. Am I bulimic?"
Cobb felt himself nodding. "Yes," he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse.
Arthur paused and swallowed again. Cobb could see tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
"Did you and the others – perform an inception on me?"
"Yes." Cobb flinched as the Point Man took another step towards him. There was a menacing undertone in Arthur's stance that made him recoil. He reached inside his pocket for his totem. To his chagrin, he realised it was the perfect weight.
"Why?" Arthur's voice was barely a whisper. There was a pleading note in it that tore at Cobb. He looked at the younger man.
"Arthur…you were so ill. So ill. You were bingeing and purging uncontrollably." Cobb swallowed. "You were becoming irrational, antagonistic – you were becoming a danger to yourself, and to us." Arthur flinched, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Cobb tried to stop himself from reaching out to the younger man, as he knew Arthur would just push him away.
Arthur turned away, and swiped at his eyes. "I've been having dreams," he said, hoarsely. "Dreams that felt real."
"Tell me," Cobb said, moving towards him.
"Dreams where a college friend of mine was sitting opposite me, taunting me, telling me I was fat." He turned and looked at Cobb. "Dreams where Ariadne was telling me the same thing. When I was naked. In bed-" He shuddered.
"Arthur-"
"Does she love me?" Arthur's voice suddenly had an edgy nervousness to it. "Does she?"
Cobb swallowed. "Arthur, the way she looks at you-"
"And the way she looks at me in dreams, as though I'm repulsive." He looked at Cobb ,tears streaming down his face. "You incepted me. You set me up!"
"Arthur, it wasn't like that-"
"Then what was it like?" The Point Man demanded, his voice harsh. "What was it like, Dom? How could you violate my mind like that, especially after what happened to Mal? You knew how I felt about Inception, and you still did it!"
"I didn't have a choice!" Cobb burst out, angrily. "You were killing yourself Arthur, you needed-"
Suddenly, he felt himself shoved up against the wall. Arthur was staring directly at him, his hazel eyes wild. Cobb grabbed his shoulders, trying to push the frail looking man away from him.
"It wasn't your right to decide that!" Arthur said, practically spitting with anger. "It wasn't your right!" Pushing the extractor aside, he began to run. Cobb made to go after him, then stopped. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone, and dialled.
"Please pick up," he muttered, and cursed as it went to voicemail.
Greenwood smiled as he saw Arthur run down the corridor. He made no attempt to stop him, but he quickly took in the man's dishevelled appearance. He went into his office, and pulled down the blind. Pausing by his desk, he picked up the phone.
"Mr Saito? He knows. He's a lamb to the slaughter, trust me."
Ariadne bit her lip. She'd decided, on impulse, to head to Arthur's apartment in case he'd showed up. As she entered, she noted that the place felt closed, and as she walked into the bedroom, that the bed hadn't been slept in. She swallowed, her anxiety beginning to pound in her temples.
"What are you doing here?"
She turned. Arthur stood, looking at her. She tried to conceal her shock. He was missing his jacket, and his shirt was rumpled. He was looking at her with narrowed eyes, as though she were an unpleasant stranger.
"I've been worried about you," she said, pausing, walking up to him. "I wondered where you were-"
"I was at a clinic," he said, snapping the words off. She flinched.
"A clinic?"
"Yes. A clinic. Very enlightening. I learned that apparently I have an eating disorder." He looked at her. "Apparently, I'm very sick. Apparently, an inception was performed on me. And apparently, you were involved."
Ariadne gasped. She felt sick. "Arthur, I can explain-"
Suddenly, he grabbed her arms, and started to push her up against the wall. "Please do," he whispered, hoarsely. "I'm dying to know."