The Seekers

Chapter Two

Ariadne fiddled with the cap on her pen trying to stay focused on the lecture. But whilst the lecturer struggled to get the slides working she found her mind drifting. She had debated with herself all morning about her dream last night.

She tried to tell herself that she wasn't like Cobb and the others. She was still capable of having her own dreams. Her own meaningless dreams. She had not been exposed to the mindshare technology so much that she had lost that ability. That's probably just what it was she decided, just an average dream about a guy that she badly wanted to see again but probably never would. Ariadne sighed.

But she just couldn't shake the touch of Arthur's hand gently stroking her face. She had never felt something so vivid in a normal dream before. So vivid she could even recall it properly now. Biting her lip Ariadne looked up at the clock above the slides. It was eleven thirty only halfway through the sleep inducing lecture. At the end of it she would have an hour break. Perhaps she could find enough time to see Cobb senior before her next class. What harm could it possibly do? It wasn't as though the old academic had never seen anyone struggle with reality before. After dealing with his son he couldn't think that she was that crazy.

Now that she had finally resolved to meet Cobb Senior she felt herself growing restless. She could barely keep herself from looking at the clock tapping her pen against her folder annoyed at how slow the class was going.

She started to draw strange looks from her surrounding classmates none of whom sat anywhere near anymore. Ariadne had always been more focused on her studies than her social life but she had had friends before her 'work placement' with Cobb. That had quickly changed when she returned from the Fischer mission.

Ariadne had gathered up her books long before the lecture finished as soon as the teacher turned off the slides she flew up from her chair almost running out of the class. The other students stared at her in disbelief but Ariadne was too occupied to care. She was growing used to the social isolation she had brought upon herself.

Hurrying down the corridors she told herself that this was crazy. She had told the team that she was no longer interested in working for them despite their eagerness to have her permenantely on board. She knew that she had to leave then if she was to have any chance of returning to her normal life. But it was difficult, every day just got harder. It was almost like she didn't belong in reality anymore.

Rushing towards the old Professor's favourite lecture theatre Ariadne couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She threw suspicious glances over her shoulder succeeding in gaining more bewildered stares from her fellow students.

Ariadne waited until a group of first year students walked by whispering and muttering before peering into the room. Just as she expected old Miles was sitting there at the lecturer's desk his papers spread out all over it. A cup of coffee by his side a pen in one hand.

She knocked at the door before slowly pushing it open and stepping inside. Miles looked up from his newspaper surprised to see her.

"Ah Ariadne" the old lecturer tried to smile but Ariadne didn't' miss the underlying concern in his eyes. She bit her lip feeling like a nuisance. She had already caused him so much trouble, if it wasn't for his support, she wouldn't still be studying here and she definitely wouldn't have kept her scholarship and now she was going to trouble him again.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Sir I've come to ask you something" Ariadne replied not exactly sure where to begin.

"I see, something purely academic I suppose" Miles asked his eyebrows raised.

"Um no, not exactly" Ariadne said taking a tentative few steps forward. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't exactly sure how much Cobb Senior knew about his son's work and all the technology that it involved.

"Ariadne" Miles sighed taking his glasses off so that he could look at her directly. "You know I don't approve of my son's line of work, what he does it changes people, makes them unable to recognize what is real and what is not. I think it's best that you stay as far away from it as possible. You made a good decision in returning to your studies".

"It's not that I'm thinking of going back to work for him" Ariadne blushed. "It's just I had an odd dream last night in which Arthur appeared and told me I had to come to see you urgently, that I was in danger" she looked away for a moment pausing to order her words. "I remember him warning me that I wasn't actually dreaming and what I was experiencing was real".

There was silence between them for a moment as Miles tried to put together what she had just said.

"You are saying that he projected himself into one of your regular dreams and this was not of your control?" Miles asked rubbing his chin in thought.

"I think so, I mean how else do you explain it?" Ariadne asked relieved that Cobb senior did appear to have some understanding of projections and how they worked. It saved a lot of time that she would have spent explaining it to him otherwise.

"Well Ariadne have you considered that it may just be a normal dream, if a particularly vivid one?"

Ariadne nodded out of all the possible explanations this one seemed the most logical but she just couldn't accept it. She wished that she didn't feel so disappointed but it was obvious now that Cobb senior didn't have a special message for her. He wasn't as Arthur had promised going to explain it all.

"It's just-"

"Difficult adjusting I know" Miles nodded sympathetically. "And from what I can gather it's quite normal for people to have particularly strong recollection of dreams after going through the dream share training. You're definitely not in any danger at least none that I know of".

Ariadne nodded feeling like a small child who had just received an answer to a stupid question. "I'm sorry to bother you sir, I'll let you get back to your paper".

"Very well" Miles smiled kindly. "Enjoy your classes, feel free to come see me especially if it does involve something academic".

"Yes sir" Ariadne nodded before leaving the lecture theatre closing the door behind her.

She took a deep breath as she walked slowly down the corridor the feelings of disappointment intensifying but at least if last night was only a dream she could go back to a life far less complex as she intended to.

Ariadne was just coming to grips with the idea when suddenly a gloved hand clasped her mouth, strong arms restraining her.

"Come with me" a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "You're not safe here".