A/N: First off, I'll just say how pleased I was to see how much you all hated me after the last chapter! Hehe. It shows I did something right (hopefully) and left you wanting more. So, without further ado, here it is! Especially for you guys. Do forgive me. ;)
38.
Everything happened so fast.
Arthur was aware of blood – lots and lots of blood. But whose?
He thought he heard two shots, one a split second before the other. Further away, but somehow louder, more terrifying.
His eyes immediately sought Ariadne. He had expected her to be blown sideways from the force of Denley's shot, but she wasn't. She stumbled backwards, clutching her chest, and collapsed to the ground.
Arthur heard Denley's deep voice, cursing, shouting, but his mind was too addled to make out any words. He glanced up to find the Extractor holding his right shoulder, blood gushing from a gaping wound, staining his forearm a dark crimson. He hesitated – what should he do? He wanted to check on Ariadne, to hold her in his arms and make sure that she was all right.
He changed his mind when he saw Denley stoop to pick up his dropped gun, his eyes fixed on the Point Man.
Another shot cracked through the air. Denley's projection crumpled to the floor.
Eames? Arthur gazed up at the skyscraper above him, but it was pointless – the Forger was too high up to see from the ground. He looked back down to find Denley getting to his feet, a pistol gripped in his blood-soaked hand. He whipped his own gun up, level with the Extractor's head. His finger rested on the trigger, ready to squeeze ...
Bullets flew through the air around him, smashing into the concrete at his feet. He had a vague moment of surprise when he realised that none had so far hit him in the confusion, before movement behind Denley caught his eye.
Browning was motionless, huddled on the ground to avoid the projectiles.
Cobb was still next to Arthur, apparently as stunned as he was, and as unable to move.
Ariadne was still lying on the floor. She was bleeding. Oh God, was she bleeding ...
But what caught Arthur's eye was something else entirely. He stared, dumbstruck, as a suited, slick-haired man crept towards Denley, his gun aimed at the back of the Extractor's head. Denley seemed oblivious to his current plight, his dark eyes still fixed on the Point Man before him, his breathing laboured as he fought against the loss of blood.
'No,' Arthur heard himself murmur. 'No, it can't be ... she doesn't need him. He's not supposed to be here.'
A flash of black – Arthur snapped his head up. More of Denley's projections were closing in on them. Fast. Who to aim at?
He watched as his doppelganger spun around and fired three shots – one, two three, each one finding their mark in the projections' foreheads. My God ... he's lethal.
Denley whipped his head around at the sound. He let off two bullets of his own, right into the imitation's chest. It barely flinched; only lowered its aim and blasted another round into the Extractor's kneecap. Denley collapsed to the floor with a howl of pain, his gun forgotten as he clutched at both wounds, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.
Arthur's double snapped its eyes up to look at him. The Point Man couldn't repress the shudder that rippled through his body; it was like looking in a mirror, except for the eyes ...
They were cold, lifeless. It had no soul, no humanity. It was a simple killing machine, nothing more.
Again the thought pierced his mind – was this really how Ariadne viewed him? A soulless, mindless automaton, designed only to destroy? No, even he wasn't that cold. She had seen his softer side, hadn't she? She had seen the warmth in his eyes – he had been so desperate to show her ...
'What the fuck is he doing here?' Denley choked, his breathing ragged as he tried to look at the intruder. 'Ugh ... only my – projections are ... supposed to be here.'
The replica stared at him again, with those cold, cold eyes. It whipped its gun up and aimed at Denley's head once more.
'No!' Arthur found himself shouting, taking a step towards his double. The cool eyes focused on his, the expression blank as a fresh canvas. 'No, leave him. Take out his projections.'
Arthur jumped as another bullet cracked through the air. One of Denley's guards crumpled in the distance. The sound seemed to spur Cobb into action. Arthur winced as his partner gripped his shoulder.
'Arthur, go to her,' Cobb urged. 'We'll take care of the men.'
Arthur didn't need telling twice. He sprinted over to Ariadne and collapsed to his knees next to her, only half-aware of his double and partner striding past him.
'Ariadne?' he breathed, his eyes raking over her bloody t-shirt. 'Oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry ... '
'A-Arthur,' she gasped, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. She held out her hand to him; he clasped it between both his own. 'Why ... ?'
Arthur frowned. Why what? Did he even want to hear the end of the question? Why had he screwed up yet again? Why had he broken his promise to protect her yet again? Why, when he was usually so faultless in his job, had he failed at his duties ... yet again?
He shook his head and fixed his eyes on hers, trying to apologise with more than just empty words. He felt a lump swell in his throat as he saw the sheer terror there, the pain and ... disappointment. His hands trembled around hers as he leant closer to her, trying not to look at the gaping hole in her chest.
'I'm here, it's okay,' he whispered. 'You – you'll be all right.'
And now he was lying to her. An outright, bald-faced lie. She wasn't stupid. She knew how bad the situation was. He was only trying to kid himself.
'D-don't leave ... me,' she choked.
'I won't,' Arthur assured her. 'I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here.'
He felt his stomach tighten as she began to cough, spitting out a globule of blood. His head started to pound again; he thought it would split apart at any second. What the fuck can I do? For once he felt completely helpless. He had no idea what to do, or even what to say. What could he say?
Arthur froze as he heard the sound of footsteps above the snap of bullets. He would recognise those shoes anywhere. He raised his eyes from Ariadne's to find his doppelganger striding towards them, stopping only to plant another bullet into one of Denley's projections. It looked from Arthur, to Ariadne, and then to Denley. Again it raised its pistol and aimed at the Extractor's head, as though its only mission was to kill the man.
'I told you, no!' Arthur barked at him. 'Leave him to me.'
He glanced back at Ariadne – now convulsing violently beneath him as the blood seeped from her wound and pooled beneath her body – then jumped to his feet. He ignored the odd sense of loss he felt when he let go of her hand and snatched his gun up from the floor beside his foot. With a composure he thought impossible, he moved to stand over Denley, still gasping for breath, his eyes burning with a loathing Arthur had never seen before. It would have stunned him had he been able to feel anything.
'You ... bastard,' Denley spat, blood as well as words falling from his mouth. 'Still ... you didn't ... get it all your own way ... did you?'
His chuckle quickly turned into a cough as he choked on the blood in his throat. Arthur saw his replica raise his gun out of the corner of his eye, but held his hand out – a silent command not do anything more.
With a last look into the man's dark eyes, he levelled his own gun at Denley's head and squeezed the trigger. He died with a smirk on his face that only made Arthur's heart beat faster.
'A-Arthur ... '
The Point Man spun around, dropping to the floor by Ariadne's side once more. She was breathing so fast now – so fast she could barely speak, only stare at him with eyes that were starting to flutter. They closed, then opened, and closed again.
'No, Ariadne, stay with me,' he urged. 'Don't close your eyes. Fight it!'
Arthur knew it was useless. There was nothing she could do – nothing he could do as he watched the life slip from her. He couldn't even hear the bullets anymore – only her ragged breathing, her gasps as she tried to force a few last words out. He reached down with his left hand and cupped her cheek, so cold beneath his fingers. It wouldn't be long now ...
He made the mistake of looking up at his imitation again. The cold eyes bore into his, almost ... accusing him.
'You don't need him anymore,' Arthur murmured without looking at her. 'I'm here. I'll find you, I promise. I'll come and get you, wherever you are.'
The replica nodded once, a sharp movement of the head. Arthur watched as he flickered, just as Eames had done when morphing from Browning all those days – weeks? Months? – ago.
And then he disappeared, popped out of existence in the blink of an eye.
Arthur felt as though he had been stabbed, his heart wrenching with the realisation.
He knew, even before looking down at her. He knew.
She was gone.
A/N: Yes, I know. I know. I saved Ariadne from Limbo only to kick her back down. I apologise. But, if it helps, the next chapter will be up at the same time as this one (I decided to split it in two - for dramatic effect, you understand!) So what are you waiting for? Go read now! :P