Inception does not belong to me.
Arthur kept walking. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the clinic as possible. He shuddered, not caring that he was clad in only jeans and a t-shirt, and sneakers. He began to run, noticing the open road ahead.
A bus stop, he told himself. I could hitchhike.
Freedom. Freedom from the clinic. From Saito. From the experiments. From the others.
The others.
He felt a twinge of guilt, remembering Ariadne. But he couldn't stay. Not even for her.
He had to leave.
Eames could feel himself sweating, his shirt clinging to his back and underarms, revealing unattractive damp patches. He looked at Saito.
"Altered?" he sounded bewildered, and realised his voice was laced with fear. "What do you mean, altered?"
Browning smiled, kindly. He looked at Saito. "Would you explain, please, doctor?"
"Eames," Saito began. "You've tried drugs, alcohol, correct?"
Eames nodded, feeling frightened. "Yeah."
"Well, your personality..." Saito looked at him. "We can't allow that to continue. We can't run the risk of you becoming drug addled, or worse, during a job."
"Your ability to change into others during dreams is the only reason we've kept you here," Browning interjected, smoothly. "Otherwise, you'd be just another kid with a drug habit." His eyes hardened. "Do you really think anyone would care if you died of an overdose?"
Numbly, Eames shook his head.
"Good." Browning smiled. "You accept? Remember, this will make you rich!"
Eames swallowed. "And you'll let me go?"
"Of course." Browning nodded. "We'll let you all go - after you complete this job."
Eames looked at both men. "OK." His voice sounded weaker than it usually did, and he felt a surge of anger at his predicament.
"Right." Browning looked at Saito. "He's ready. Find the other one."
"The other one?" Eames looked at him. "What?"
"You and Arthur are both the ones we need to change," Browning informed him. "Arthur has an anger problem. You'll be amazed at what we can-" he paused, and his eyes glinted - "cut out."
Eames' jaw sagged. "Cut...out?"
Browning gestured to the two male orderlies. "Take him. Now!"
Ariadne rubbed her arm. It stung from the IV, and she winced. Miles looked at her, almost fatherly. "Are you allright?"
"Where's Arthur?" she asked, her face falling into a puzzled frown. The dark haired boy was conspicuous by his absence. Miles swallowed.
"He woke up earlier than you," Miles said, gently. "He's probably back in the day room."
Dom walked over, and put his arm around her shoulders. "He's ok, Ari. I'm sure."
Arthur shivered. The light was fading, and a fine rain was beginning to fall. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hurry.
I'm free, he chanted in his mind, as though it were a mantra. I'm free, I'm free, I'm free...
He could still see the road, and he began to run.
Running...running...
Falling...
"Shit!" Swearing, Arthur fell onto his side, gasping. Reaching down, he clutched at his ankle. A bolt of pain shot through it, and he winced. He tried to get up, realising to his shock he was as wobbly as a new born foal. Wincing, he began to hobble, desperately looking for somewhere where he could get some shelter. His eyes fell upon a small tree hollow, and limping, he made his way to it. As he settled down, trying to keep his foot elevated, he closed his eyes. Wrapping his arms around himself, he felt himself drift into sleep.
"You- you can't-" Eames choked out as he was half dragged, half wrestled down the corridor. The orderlies ignored his voice, merely clamping harder on his arms to prevent his struggles. As he was marched down the corridor, he tried to call out, only to receive a vicious thump across the small of his back with a truncheon.
"Shut up!" The orderly barked. "No-one cares! Stop wasting your breath!"
Eames swallowed. "My friends..." his cursed under his breath. His voice had sounded feeble.
The orderly barked out a harsh laugh. "Are you kidding? That bunch of teenage screw ups? Trust me, they hate you." He looked at Eames and smiled, cruelly. "They think you're a bully, and a jerk off. That skinny guy, Arthur - you should hear what he says about you!"
Eames felt his last vestiges of self-confidence crumbling. "I-" he stopped. He took a deep breath.
"Still, never mind," the orderly said, smiling coldly. "Here we are!"
He pressed his hand to her cheek, gently. She looked up sat him, smiling.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Its no problem," he responded. He could feel the gentle heat of her breath, and he began to pull her face closer. "This time, we-"
Suddenly, his eyes flew open. His ankle was throbbing, and he swallowed. Ariadne. He got away, and yet she still penetrated his thoughts.
Arthur shivered, from both cold, and guilt. He'd left her. Left them. All of them. Even Eames, who he didn't especially care for- they were all alone in the world, and the only people they had now were each other.
They were now his family. And he'd walked out on them.
Arthur flexed his legs, guilt crashing over him. He had to go back. Had to. He couldn't leave without them. Swallowing, gritting his teeth, he began to struggle to his feet.
"Strap him down," Saito ordered. His face was obscured by a surgical mask, and his voice was harsh.
Eames tried to struggle, and received another blow to the back. He fell to the floor.
"Jesus Christ!" The orderly snarled in disgust. "Don't you get it, you stupid thug?"
Stupid thug. A painful memory flashed across Eames' mind, and he closed his eyes, trying to suppress it. Seizing their chance, the orderlies pulled him onto the bed.
He looked up. The glass ceiling of the ground floor surgical theatre showed the darkness creeping in. Saito loomed over him, obscuring his view.
"Hold him," he commanded.
Arthur limped on. He had to get back. As he approached the clinic, he frowned.
Lights. In the surgical theatre. The one part that they were always kept away from. He swallowed. Curiosity gnawing at him, he began to approach it.
"You'll feel a little sharp pain..."
Eames felt nothing. Numbness was beginning to spread through him.
Arthur kept going. He walked closer, no longer caring of his discovery.
He pressed his face to the glass, relieved to be able to rest, and began to focus. As he saw what was happening, his eyes widened in horror.
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