The Origin of Love

by z0mbieShake

An ex-marine and a sex hustler, two broken souls, find each other one cold, dark night in New York. This is the origin of Eames and Arthur's forbidden romance. It was their dream to be together and their destiny to be torn apart. Crossover of Mysterious Skin, Warrior, and TDKR based in the Inception universe. Arthur x Eames, Formerly "A Fractured Dream"

5. Farewell Kiss

Hello again everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! Getting reviews makes me so happy :) Thanks again everyone!

Hopefully, the darker half of this fic won't turn off too many people. The idea of a split personality living inside someone's dreamscape was too much for me to resist. The first half of the story was based off the idea of Tommy meeting Neil, two lost souls from their movies finding each other and fixing each other's lives. This half of the story is solely based off the final scenes of this chapter so I really hope I got everything I wanted down. Enjoy!

Warnings: Domestic abuse, rape, torture, and an evil Eames

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I believe flames can't burn us
I believe ice can't break us
I believe we can be so much more now that we're together
I believe we can overcome all
I believe we can save the world
You saved me, oh so won't you let me save you?

---

In the world of dream crime, Arthur and Eames became a household name. The two were inseparably in work and both were devilishly skilled. Arthur still carried the title of 'best point man in the industry' proudly. Eames was still the best forger yet he was so much more. Arthur noticed countless times how quickly Eames moved in the dream world. A mission that would have taken four hours with anyone else could be done in twenty minutes for Eames. By all means, Arthur should have been happy for Eames's prowess. He should have been proud of Eames's immense skill.

All Arthur could feel was frightened of Eames and he didn't know why.

In the beginning, Arthur and Eames settled together in a penthouse in New York. It was a lavish place with an absolutely amazing view of the skyline. Saito had personally recommended this penthouse to them which only made Arthur feel silly for contacting the magnate with such trivial questions. The first day after they had completely furnished the penthouse, Eames and Arthur stayed in bed the entire day. Arthur wasn't sure when he began ending all of his work, celebrations, coffee dates with sex. It must've been a new development thanks to Eames.

During a particularly off week, Arthur had skipped several days of his daily hygiene routine to research an incredibly secured mark. When his current lead led to a dead end, Arthur shut off his laptop and called quits for the day. He stroked his chin and groaned, a thick fuzz was already growing all over his jaw. He wandered into the master bedroom and into the bathroom, reaching for shaving cream so he could rid himself of the itchy bed.

"Darling," Eames cooed, wrapping his arms around Arthur's waist, "Let's go to bed. It has been a long day," He ground his hips against Arthur's backside, the heat through his pants was obscene.

"Eames, I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep after I shave," Arthur replied, pushing Eames away with one hand and grabbing the razor with another, "Another time," Arthur was never much of a romantic when he was tired. Eames on the other hand was almost always a romantic even in some of the most dire situations possible.

When Eames didn't relent, when he began slipping his hands into Arthur's shirt and sweat pants, Arthur jerked away and shoved his hands back, "Eames, I mean it. Stop," He said, sternly.

And was promptly rewarded by an open hand slap to the face.

Arthur was stunned, head twisted to the side and right cheek stinging with pain. Eames had never hit him before. Arthur could not say a word. The forger left the bedroom altogether and went to sleep on the couch. What the hell just happened? The next morning only made everything even more bizarre.

As Arthur prepared his coffee, Eames swept by and picked up a bagel from the counter, "Sorry about last night," He said, flatly, casually, before taking the bagel towards his office as he usually did every morning. Arthur was even more perplexed. That wasn't something as trivial as apologizing for stepping on someone's toe. Eames slapped him for denying sex. How could he have treated that with such dismissal?

Arthur wanted to ignore this. Eames had been having an equally rough day. However, that nagging feeling that he was missing something important kept nipping at the back of his head. What was he missing? Arthur still couldn't figure it out.

The issue only escalated when they had arranged to meet Ariadne so she could assist them on their current mark. The young architect had blossomed into a highly versatile extractor in a matter of months thanks to coaching from Miles and Cobb. Arthur invited her to the penthouse, setting up a chalkboard and work station for her in the living room. Whenever Eames passed by, walking back and forth from the kitchen to his office, Arthur couldn't help but see a tinge of jealousy in his expression.

"Ariadne! It's been so long!" Arthur greeted as he opened the door for her.

Ariadne greeted him with a hug, "Arthur, I hope you've been doing well. How's Eames?"

"Peachy," Eames said, leaning on the doorframe watching them, "Let's get to work then, shall we?" His words weren't pleasant at all despite the glee in his expression.

From there, Arthur and Ariadne began running through their plans in the living room. Eames generally stayed out of the technicalities of the plan; he preferred dealing with the details related to the dream. This only made it painfully awkward as Eames sat by the living room listening to them. Ariadne was obviously sensing something dangerous. She constantly turned to Eames, trying to hook him into their conversation only for him to shoot her a smile and nothing more.

When lunch came, Ariadne opted to go out and grab takeout for all of them. Arthur had offered first but Eames suggested Ariadne to go so she could familiarize herself with the surroundings. Arthur would have protested had it not been for the hostile aura Eames was giving off. There was no way he was leaving Ariadne alone with Eames.

When Ariadne had left, Arthur immediately turned his attention to Eames, "What the hell was that?"

"What, darling?"

"Stop harassing Ariadne. She's here to help us. She doesn't need you distracting her,"

"No, I'm just here to keep watch,"

"Keep watch of what?"

Eames grabbed Arthur's neck suddenly, startling Arthur too much to fight back. With his sudden burst of rage, Eames pushed Arthur against a wall and pinned him there by his neck, "To keep watch over you, darling," The pet name sounded venomous in his mouth, "Always flirting with Ariadne. Using any opportunity you can to work with her,"

Arthur choked, smacking at Eames's hand with his palm, "Eames," He choked out, "What are you talking about? She's a great extractor and architect. She'd be an asset to anyone," This only prompted Eames to squeeze harder on his neck. Arthur's grip became desperate on Eames's arm.

"Excuses," He struck the wall beside Arthur's head with his palm. The resulting thud surprised Arthur and caused a frightened gasp to leave his constricted throat, "I'm watching you, Arthur," With that, he released Arthur and returned to his office.

When Ariadne returned with the takeout, Eames took it with a poisonous smile before returning to the office. Arthur took his meal from Ariadne, eyes not leaving Eames's office.

"Is he feeling alright?" Ariadne asked. The young architect was far more familiar with the friendly, snarky Eames from the inception job.

Arthur tore his eyes away, returning to the chalkboard, "I'm sure it's nothing,"

The next time the two met, Ariadne recommended a quaint coffee shop at night to run through the preliminary planning. Arthur agreed, hoping if Ariadne was out of Eames's sight, that would quell his growing temper. That night, when Arthur returned with a satchel of briefing notes, he barely had time to remove his shoes before he was grabbed and shoved right against the wall.

"Eames!" Arthur shouted, recognizing the aftershave of his assailant instantly.

Eames had him pinned right to the wall with his entire body, hot and threatening. His hands were searching Arthur's body violently, gripping into him too hard all over. He forced Arthur into a powerful kiss, crushing their lips together. Wrestling one arm away, Arthur first made for the light switch so he could at least see through the darkness of their apartment. Eames slammed the palm of his hand down on his wrist sending a blunt pain up his arm. He then laced their fingers together, pulling him away from the switch.

With difficulty, Arthur freed his lips and twisted his face away. Eames merely took to nibbling on the shell of his ear, grinding at the soft flesh till Arthur cried out, "Shit, Eames! What the hell are you doing?" He stamped down on Eames's foot, hoping to deter him with pain. Eames responded with a fist to his stomach. Arthur doubled over, collapsing into Eames's shoulder.

The forger wrapped his arms around the thinner man, hauling him up over his shoulder and tossing him onto the bed roughly. Arthur rolled from the center, almost falling to the ground before Eames clutched his leg firmly and jerked him back. Arthur grappled with the sheets, trying to find something to grip onto and resist Eames's violent pull. His hands fell upon the lamp chain, jerking it down and illuminating the room. He twisted around and froze in fear at the pure animalistic rage bubbling in Eames's body.

"Where were you tonight?" He hissed, pinning Arthur down with all his weight, "I'll never let Ariadne have you,"

Arthur shook his head till Eames gripped his chin and forced him still, "Are you insane?" Arthur shouted, struggling under his weight, "We were going over our plan. Since you were so hostile last time, we decided to do the briefing elsewhere," Arthur gasped as he felt Eames bury his face into his neck, inhaling before trailing down over his chest. He was checking his scent. Arthur promptly delivered a swift kick to his crotch and scrambled back, violated, "What the hell, Eames!"

"Beloved," Eames's voice was gruff and breathy. He lunged at Arthur, restraining him to the bed with his weight and strength, "I won't ever let them have you. You belong to me and only me," His whispered into his ear.

That was it. Eames stopped and shut his eyes, falling asleep leaving Arthur laying there trapped and dumbfounded. Eames's embrace was once warm and protective. Now it was just cold and frightening. Arthur fought through his flight-from-danger instinct and forced himself to sleep. And when he awoke, still wrapped tightly in Eames's arms, Eames greeted him with the gentlest of smiles and softest of kisses before walking to the bathroom.

"I don't understand what's going on with him," Arthur said, sitting at a fancy, low-key bar while his long-time friend-now-bar-mistress Wendy served him a drink, "He's tearing out my throat one second and then cuddling up to me like nothing happened," Wendy's hand came forward, tracing the bruise that had formed near his right eye, "Ouch, hey, careful,"

"Sorry Neil," Wendy murmured, "That looks really bad,"

Arthur scoffed, taking a sip of his tequila, "You haven't seen half of it. It's like he's getting worse and worse. He almost broke my arm for going to visit Cobb without him. Obviously when he's acting like this, I'm not going to bring him near Cobb and his children!" He huffed before finishing off his drink, sliding the glass back to Wendy, "Anyway, enough about me. How have you been?"

"Same old, as usual," Wendy replied, wiping down the counter, "This bar's been getting great business especially during the recession. When the owner first sold it to me, I thought it'd be the biggest mistake in my life,"

"If it makes you feel better, I thought the same,"

"Oh shush you," Wendy snapped playfully, slapping him on the arm, "Hey, it's thanks to this bar that you got to see Eames at Sparta. Remember that? What did he used to call himself, Tommy Connolly?"

"Conlon," Arthur corrected, slouching over on the counter, "And of course I remember. When we met again, I bought you an apartment for your birthday as thank you," Arthur tucked his head into his arms, the small smile he had slowly fading, "Back then, I thought I'd never see Tommy again. Then you got those tickets for me. And then ten years later, against all odds, he was in my life again. It was destiny, definitely destiny." A soft hand ruffling his hair soothed his brewing sadness, "And now that I finally have him, he's nothing I expected. How did this happen?"

Wendy shrugged, still stroking his hair, "Neil, if he's hurting you, you can't be with him. As your best friend, it's my duty to pull you away before it gets worse,"

"I can't, Wendy," Arthur whispered into his arms, "I loved him for so long. I need him,"

"Don't make me bring Preston into this," Wendy said, "You look awful. And that bruise on your face is only just short of a concussion," She wiped down a further counter, throwing her words over a shoulder, "Trust me, bar fights happen all the time. I see more than enough,"

Arthur shook his head slowly, face still nestled in the sleeves of his own suit, "It's hard. I can't just stop loving him after all this time," He sat up, wiping the exhaustion from his face, "I just don't understand. We shared everything in our lives. How did he turn out to be like this?"

"Lots of people act differently when they're in a relationship,"

"No, not Eames. Eames hid nothing from me unless he knew it would hurt me," Arthur said, "Like that time," He started, only to draw an absolute blank. He sat there for a moment, pondering. Nothing, all he could manage was a complete blank slate.

Wendy cocked her head, waiting for a response, "Neil?" She waved her hand in front of his face playfully. Arthur still hadn't responded, his mind still producing a blank, "You're starting to freak me out,"

"Wait, it's coming to me," Arthur replied, still rummaging through his memories but producing absolutely nothing, "He hid something to protect me. It was something important,"

"It's going to have to wait. The crowd's starting to come in. How about we chat again next time?" Wendy said, greeting the customers who flooded in with a pleasant, sexy smile, "It was good to see you again. I'm glad you're staying in New York," She reached over the counter, hugging him tightly. Arthur caught a whiff of the expensive French perfume she wore.

"Definitely a gift from Eric, right, the perfume?"

"Of course. That man knows his perfume. Hal on the other hand, terrible sense of smell,"

Arthur half-smiled, standing up and fixing his suit, "Anyway, it was good to see you too."

"Take my words to heart, Neil, if he's hurting you, don't force yourself to stay,"

"I got it, I got it," He said, waving to her as he left the bar.

"How dare you," Eames hissed, slapping Arthur hard on the face while he straddled his chest and pinned his arms down with his knees. One after another, Eames slapped him violently, alternating hands to strike a different cheek each time.

Arthur grunted as each slap came down. Eames was strong, as strong as he'd always been. Each slap from him felt like a metal glove smacking at his face. He fought the urge to scream. Arthur had endured more pain than this but the sight of Eames's rage always weakened his resolve. He struggled beneath Eames like a flopping fish. His limbs twisting and flailing but never enough to break out of his iron grip.

"I was out with a friend," A slap interrupted Arthur's confession, "She runs a bar," Another slap, "It's Wendy! Don't you remember her?" The final slap was the hardest, interrupting him midway causing him to bite through his tongue. Arthur cried out, spitting blood onto the sheets.

With his hands on either side of Arthur's head, caging him in, Eames leaned forward and pressed his lips to Arthur's as he talked, "Your breath smells like tequila. You smell like perfume. And someone's been playing around with your hair. That's certainly not something a 'friend' would do,"

"She was ruffling my hair. Goddamn it Eames, I've known her since we were children! She's my closest friend," Eames pulled away fast before bringing another powerful slap down, silencing Arthur. He could feel the swelling on either side of his cheeks, impeding his speech, "Get off me," Arthur gasped. There was no reason to continuing trying to persuade Eames. He wasn't ever going to listen.

"I should just bind you to this bed. You don't need anyone else, just me," Eames said in a low, husky hiss, "If I catch you in the arms of someone else, I'll kill them," He rolled off Arthur, eyes remaining locked to him as he entered the bathroom.

Arthur rolled onto his stomach, taking deep breaths as he pressed a hand to his heavily swelling cheek. His fingers felt white-hot to the touch and pain flared as his tongue lashed at the cheeks from inside his mouth. He groaned, curling into himself, and screamed shortly after when cold ointment was pressed to his face. Eames was right there, beside him, rolling Arthur onto his back as he applied soothing ointment to his cheeks.

"Don't move, it'll sting a bit over the open cuts but it'll help bring the swelling down," His voice was painfully sincere.

This was driving him mad. Arthur slapped Eames's hands away, ointment splattering onto the walls. He glared at him with absolute bewilderment before rushing out of their room and locking himself in his own office. He stayed leaning against the door, listening to Eames's footsteps follow him to the door, wait, before returning to the bedroom. When he left, Arthur relaxed immediately, stumbling over to his desk and sitting down on the leather, plush chair. It was uncomfortable and forced him to sleep in an awkward hunched position over his desk but this was the first night in a long time that Arthur felt safe as he slept.

From that night on, Arthur began ignoring Eames even when he was being friendly. Even when they were running simulations on the PASIV, Arthur kept all of their conversations professional. For the actual job, Ariadne was invited back, this time with Cobb in tow to keep an eye on Eames. He had come as a personal request from Arthur to protect Ariadne should Eames lose control. Their mark entered, a CEO who had been going through intense trauma and believed they would be there to free his mind from stress. In actuality, they had been paid to steal the latest designs and products to be sold.

The job was simple, required at most three people. Cobb tagged along, sitting beside Ariadne and plugging the IV into his arm. Eames looked over to the man, questioning his reason for being here.

"Arthur, I certainly don't think Ariadne needs a babysitter at this point of her career,"

"Cobb's here to babysit you, not Ariadne," Arthur said, cold, dark, glaring at Eames. He reached forward, starting the PASIV. Everyone could feel the intense glower Eames gave Arthur. The sound of his fist gripping the arm rest was loud enough to overpower the whirring of the PASIV.

Moments later, they awoke terrified. The mark's subconscious was an absolute nightmare. If the projections were anything to judge by, the mark had watched his best friend get violently tortured by mindless thugs after accidentally heading down the wrong alley. Cobb tore the IV from his arm, taking deep breaths as he fought the urge to vomit. Ariadne broke down into tears, quickly recovering and leaving the room. She exited to the balcony, taking in large breaths of fresh air. Arthur kept his eyes shut even when he awoke, taking deep breaths to calm his heart. Eames was hunched over the mark, feeling for his pulse to make sure he was still alright.

Only three of the four were testing their totems fervently. Arthur looked to Eames, despite a hastened breath and fear-filled eyes, did not even have his poker chip in hand, "Eames, where's your totem?"

"Excuse me, beloved?"

The shock of Eames's words easily overrode the shock from the nightmare they all just endured. Ariadne and Cobb left with the mark, trying to salvage as much of their fragmented extraction as they could. Arthur and Eames returned to the penthouse. Arthur rushed to his office without a word, locking the door and sitting straight down into his chair. He knew he should have been writing up a report but all he could think about was Eames. He didn't know what a totem was. That was impossible.

The second telltale sign came a few weeks later at sunset when Arthur received a message from Yusuf. The chemist had a hand in all drug distributions used for extractions but not once had Arthur received a message from him till now. It was odd but Arthur dismissed it. Yusuf was a busy man; it was only reasonable.

"Eames has been taking on some very dangerous jobs. Be careful, okay? I don't know if he completely cured his problem yet," Arthur read aloud. Eames had began running solo jobs, coming home late at night and falling asleep almost instantly when he came in. Arthur couldn't help but notice a scent of metal and blood on him occasionally but dismissed it as a bar fight. Every morning, Eames would talk about the mission, what he had to do, what had happened but Arthur couldn't help but think something was missing in his stories like a parent censoring a violent story for their child.

But firstly, something else caught his attention that he had to address. He texted back: Cured what problem?

Before he could send the message, Eames hooked an arm around his neck and squeezed tight, choking him in a headlock. Arthur gurgled his scream and dropped the phone, fighting against Eames's grip as he hauled him up by his neck and threw him against the wall. Not a slap this time but a full-force punch came at Arthur's face. The force of the strike dazed him and collapsing against the wall nearly knocked him out. He collapsed to the ground, vision swimming and body wracked in tremors. Through swaying shapes, Arthur could make out Eames reaching for his phone and deleting the message.

He shut his eyes, laying on the ground till his mind and body steadied. He could feel Eames's footsteps coming towards him, angry. Arthur didn't wait. He forced himself to his feet, grabbed the keys from the counter, and ran out of the apartment. Even though dizziness overtook him as he ran down the hallway, Arthur didn't stop. He'd rather faint in the elevator from light-headedness than let Eames catch up with him.

There was only one place he could go. He went back to Wendy's bar. Luckily, it was still early so the bar was relatively empty. The janitor, the other bartender, and Wendy were all staggered at the sight of Arthur dishevelled with a bleeding lip from where Eames had punched him. Immediately, they came to his side and steadied him over a stool by the bar.

"Holy shit Neil," Wendy murmured, reaching forward to wipe his lip, "I told you to stay away from him. He's going to kill you one day," When the lip wound was cleaned, she turned to the horrible bruise on the corner of his mouth blooming over his cheek, "Goddamn it," She said, retrieving ointment from the first aid kit and applying it gently, "Tell me if it hurts,"

"There's something wrong with Eames,"

"No shit, Neil," Wendy replied, still applying the ointment.

"No, not that. He doesn't remember things, crucial things. And he's hiding something big from me," Arthur said, hissing a little when the ointment touched an open cut on his face, "There's no way he shouldn't know what a totem is. And Yusuf, he said Eames had a 'problem he had cured'. I've never heard of that," Once again, Arthur began drawing blanks when he reached into his memory.

Wendy touched Arthur's face gently, feeling over old bruises that had began to heal, "You can't go on like this. You really can't," She said, putting ointment lightly on the healing wounds.

"I can't leave him,"

"Neil, he's hurting you!"

" I know he isn't like this. Something has happened to him, I know it. God, Wendy, I love him. I can't just leave him like this."

Wendy could only stare at him, worried, "Oh Neil," She murmured, hugging him tightly, pushing the first aid kit aside, "God, and I used to think you had a black hole for a heart,"

Black hole

We've played by your rules long enough, now we play by mine

Negative Subconscious

Eames!

Arthur backed away from Wendy's grasp, eyes wide. All he could see was a pitch black vortex while he was suspended over it by an iron grip on his elbow. Eames was there. Eames was over the ledge, and then he fell. Something followed him, two pieces of paper, one with Eames's illegible writing, the other labelled from Yusuf.

"Neil?" Wendy said, shaking him gently, waking him from the daze.

Arthur held his forehead, accidentally smearing the ointment. Those memories were blurry, unfocused. He tried his best to hang onto them. He didn't know what they were but he could feel that they were crucial for figuring out what he was missing.

"Arthur, beloved, so this is 'Wendy',"

Arthur could feel the intense hatred coming from Wendy glaring at Eames. She kept her arms around Arthur, holding him protectively, "Stay the fuck away from him, you monster," Wendy barked.

"That's hardly a nice thing to say. It's been so long since we met. Still living in New York, all these years?" Eames said in a mocking tone. His stance was predatory; if Arthur didn't stop him now, he'd definitely hurt Wendy.

Arthur broke out from Wendy's grasp and placed his hands onto Eames's shoulders, separating the two, "That's enough. Come on, let's go home,"

"Neil!"

"Neil?" Eames said, looking at her as he placed his hands possessively over Arthur's hips, "Rule number one of the dream business, beloved, disconnect all ties to your former life,"

Arthur pushed his hands away from his hips. The touch only made him gag, "Wendy is special. She's my closest friend, I told you. I'd never leave her behind,"

"Your soul mate, as I recall," Eames said, eyes narrowing as he took Arthur's wrist in a bone-snapping grip, "You smell like her perfume already. You cheating shrew," With his venomous words, Eames twisted Arthur's arm behind his back, twisting until Arthur cried out in pain. In that uncomfortable position, Eames walked Arthur towards the door.

Wendy stepped in front of Eames, slapping his clear across the face, "Let him go! Neil is not your plaything!"

When Eames struck Wendy, Arthur felt his heart shatter to pieces. Wendy fell to the floor, spitting out blood and clutching her throbbing cheek. The janitor and bartender ran to her side immediately, checking for any concussions she might've suffered. Her lip piercing was torn clear through.

Arthur thrashed violently, rage preventing him from feeling the pain in his arm, "Let go of me you bastard!" The more he fought his grasp, the harder Eames held on. He tried to cover Arthur's mouth, muffling his speech but Arthur merely bit at his hand and tore his mouth away from him, "Don't touch me. I hate you!" The words were disturbingly familiar in Arthur's mouth. From the look of sudden melancholy on Eames's face, it must have felt familiar to him as well.

Eames dragged Arthur back to their apartment still keeping a vice grip on him. When they entered the apartment, Eames threw him against the kitchen counter, pinning him to the cold surface as his hands began tearing off his clothes. He had gotten his waistcoat and dress shirt halfway done before Arthur kicked him hard in the stomach and struggled away. He locked himself in his office, his safe haven, and collapsed on the floor against the desk.

Arthur was lost. He didn't understand. Nothing made sense. He loved Eames for years and when he finally had him, all he could do was hate him. He could endure pain but he'd never forgive him for striking Wendy. And those flashes of memory, the black hole, what did it all mean? There was definitely something missing. He had only one lead.

Yusuf, he needed to find Yusuf.

Arthur took his phone from the desk. He knew Cobb or Ariadne must've had his number. He was a versatile man and always good to have on hold. He dropped his phone at the sound of scratching, metal scratching. The doorknob jiggled as the scratching continue. No fucking way.

The lock clicked open, Eames kicked the door open and approached Arthur. Arthur scrambled to his feet, trying to get away only to be shoved and pinned over his desk. His laptop and papers clattered to the floor now replaced by Eames's bulk. Arthur fought with all his strength, punching at Eames's chest when he could and scratching when all his strength was gone. Eames continued to undress him, biting into his neck and lapping at the soft flesh. One hand pinned down his right wrist while the other gripped at Arthur's hair, forcing his head back to expose his neck.

"Eames, Eames," Arthur begged kicking his feet at Eames only to have them spread far apart till they were useless in combat, "Don't do this. Eames! No!"

He never stopped begging, even when he was breathless and throbbing from pain that bloomed from his midsection. Eames, still fully dressed, tucked away his softening erection and left the office, slamming the door behind him leaving Arthur laying on the desk, naked, hysterical, and shuddering from the pain of the intense rape. He tried shifting his hips so the edge of the desk no longer dug into the abused flesh but a sudden shock of pain deterred him.

His head fell to the side, too tired to stay up. His trembling hand traced the desk, finding the tiny red die lost amongst the clutter. He tossed it several times, finally losing himself to his tears when the result came up the same over and over again. Not a dream.

The next few moments were hazy. Arthur found himself surrounded by warmth and softness. The edge of a silk comforter brushing against his cheek. He shuffled in bed, rolling around till he found himself pressed against something warm, something solid. His eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the room. A gentle hand stroked down his cheek.

"Beloved," A voice whispered, pressing plush lips to his forehead, "Good morning,"

The gentle touch, the soothing voice, and suddenly everything came back to him.

Arthur tore himself out of bed, tumbling to the floor when a sharp pain shot through his backside, "Shit," He grunted as he got up slowly. He noticed that he was dressed in fresh pajama bottoms and his body wasn't sticky from the debauchery of last night.

"Arthur, come back to bed, you're hurt,"

"Fuck you!" Arthur hissed, using the wall to stand and glaring at Eames as he sat up from the bed, "How can you treat this like nothing happened? I've been putting up with your shit for a long time. But hitting Wendy and..." He didn't want to repeat what happened last night. Eames understood, "It's over,"

He knew a fight was coming. There was no way Eames could restrain his violence at that. A few punches, maybe a choke, Arthur could take the pain and walk away. What Arthur hadn't expected was the level of his brutality. In a split second, Eames had Arthur pressed with his face to the bed, locking his right arm in a vice grip, forcing the shoulder to bend at a disturbingly awkward level. Arthur screamed into the mattress, clawing at the blanket desperately.

"Eames, stop..." Arthur begged, hissing through the pain, "My arm's going to snap!" He screamed desperately. He despised the weakness in his voice.

Eames shook his head, using his weight to bend it back further, "Beloved, you belong to me. You'll always be mine, forever. You will leave only when I say you can leave."

The poison that Eames spat with each word drove Arthur insane. This Eames was contradictory to every shade of Eames Arthur knew. Tommy Conlon, aloof, lonely, and bad-tempered, never once lifted a fist at Neil and let the man he loved go while he stewed in his own sadness. Arthur, whom Eames had every right to hate for erasing Neil, was always Eames's highest priority. Who was this monster before him who'd use force to suppress Arthur's will?

"You're not Eames," Arthur choked out. He let out a blood-curdling scream as Eames finally popped his shoulder. The crunch sounded awful like crushing a handful of walnuts under a boot. Arthur stayed on the bed, crying out in pain and curling up to get the pressure off his popped shoulder.

A weight lifted from the bed. Eames had left the bed and gotten dressed leaving Arthur curled up on the bed, heaving large breaths of air to help quell the intense pain. His face remained pressed to the mattress, too twisted in pain to lift, "Beloved, I am not punishing you. I am merely showing you the error of your ways," Arthur gagged as Eames's hand stroked his trembling back like a soothing touch to a wounded cat. Arthur merely twisted his face upward, glaring at the forger even as he exited the room.

Eames left shortly after, most likely to another dangerous job Yusuf had mentioned.

Yusuf.

After the sharpest pain subsided, Arthur forced himself up and got himself dressed. It was a painful, gruelling procedure but Arthur used the thought of Eames returning to fight through the pain. He had to fight the tears that threatened to build in his eyes. To think that Neil's hero was now his greatest antagonist made his heart burn with sadness. He picked up several important items: His laptop, his phone, his contact books. As soon as he could, Arthur left the penthouse with cell phone in hand.

Yusuf was his first contact. If he remembered nothing else from those memory flashes, Arthur made sure he engraved the name upon the letter tossed into the black hole into his mind. Before his investigation began, he found Wendy in the bar and begged for her forgiveness. In return, she fixed up his arm and sent him on his way. There was a feeling in her eyes that said that she had yet to forgive Arthur, like a mother who would always forgive their child but hold their past mistakes to them.

"No broken bones," Wendy said, setting his arm in place with bandages, "You're lucky,"

"Thanks," Arthur said, excluding the rape from what Eames had done, "You're right. I'm sorry. I should've left," He took her hand gently, "Wendy. For the next few weeks, stay away from the bar. Get someone else to run it for you until I call you and tell you it's safe,"

Wendy nodded, fixing Arthur's jacket after she had finished setting his shoulder in place, "Neil, please be careful. I'm begging you,"

Arthur smiled briefly, Neil's mischievousness flashing over his face, "Some things never change," He shot over his shoulder before he left her house. Wendy smiled, just like the young woman who used to look out for wildcard Neil McCormick. It was the least he could do to put Wendy's mind at ease. His mind, on the other hand, was scrambled and sizzling frantically.

Arthur found himself on the roof of a miscellaneous apartment complex. He needed a place that he could guarantee Eames would never check. From there, he set up his laptop and internet connection, contacting Yusuf over an online chat.

"Eames? I told you to call me only when its past 7 pm. It's 12 am in the morning here right now!" Yusuf shouted over the chat.

"Um, no, this is Arthur,"

There was a pause.

"Ah, so you must've gotten that message about Eames taking dangerous jobs,"

"Yeah, what's with that actually? I haven't heard anything about it,"

"Oh, Eames has just been asking me to arrange some high-risk, high-return clients for him. He's made quite a name for himself as a forger and, uh, huh,"

"What?"

"He told me not to tell you,"

"I think I deserve to know,"

"I guess, but don't think too poorly of him," Really, Arthur couldn't possibly think any less of Eames at this moment, "He's been taking jobs in as an assassin," Arthur was dead silent, absolutely stunned. He knew Eames. The forger could never have the heart to kill anyone.

No, that's not true. His little league coach, littered with bullet holes laying in a lawn chair, came to mind. Only the Eames overcome by pure rage could kill just as only the Eames overcome by pure rage could rape and violently beat Arthur.

"He told me he fixed that problem with Bane with those new sedatives I sent him. I guess it's starting to bleed through again,"

"Bane?"

This time, it was Yusuf's turn to be baffled, "That monster in his subconscious? Eames told me he called it Bane. I said the name sounded ridiculous,"

"What are you talking about?"

"Arthur, you're freaking me out. Remember, after the inception job, I told you about Bane,"

"No you didn't,"

"Holy shit,"

"Yusuf? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Arthur, I need you to run through everything that happened right after Fischer's inception. Do not leave out a single detail,"

Arthur sat back in the chair, playing through his memories, "I remember...waking from the plane, saying goodbye to Ariadne at the luggage checkout. I remember walking Cobb down the airport, meeting Miles. And then," The presence of a blank in his memory was become more and more frightening, "I went to look for Eames's hotel. And then I went to him, and we had sex," He wanted to be thorough, as Yusuf said.

"And that's exactly what you remember?"

"Yes,"

"Alright then, what do you remember about Eames prior to the inception job?"

He leaned back, cycling through his memories. He remembered being upset. Eames did something to him that made him hate himself. That was why he distanced himself from Eames for a while, "I was heartbroken," For the life of him, he could not remember why he was heartbroken, "But, I don't know why," He knew he wasn't imagining this. He could clearly remember telling Ariadne over dinner about how much Eames had hurt him. He could still hear the words she said to him 'He broke your heart'.

"Arthur, the reason you were heartbroken was because you called Eames one day and he spent nearly three hours mocking you and telling you how much he hated you,"

His phone plummeting into the shadowy depths of the black hole

"Why? Eames would never do that."

"That wasn't Eames. It was Bane," There was a shuffle in the back; Yusuf was readying himself for a long talk, "A long time ago, Eames's temper and bursts of violence was interfering with his job so he sealed his anger away deep in his mind. In a sense, he made himself a permanent forgery: A cool, calm Londoner Eames the forger,"

"Repressing a persona?"

"That's what he hoped for, repressing his ill-tempered former self. But we knew repression doesn't work like that," Arthur swallowed, remembering Brian Lackey, "That sealed persona gained a consciousness. On top of that, that sealed persona spent millennia in his subconscious, learning how to do things in dreams that we could never even think of,"

Negative sub consciousness, the only true way to remove memories

"When the persona came to be, it tormented Eames. It tortured him. He never told me the specifics of what he did but when he was in my lab checking up on Bane, I could hear him talking in his sleep. Something about forcing Eames to forge you so Bane could have his way with you,"

Arthur gagged, pulling away from the laptop, "Why didn't he tell me? I could've helped him."

"He was afraid Bane would hurt you. Eames said Bane is a radical amplification of himself so Eames's love for you became obsession for Bane,"

"Oh god, Eames," Arthur choked, resting his head into his palms, "Damn it. I should've known. Eames would never act like this,"

"And I believe this is verbatim what I told you at the airport,"

The letter with Yusuf's name fluttering away

Arthur leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "There's something else I'm missing," There was one more slip of paper with Eames's awful writing scrawled all over it, "Eames told me something. But, god, I can't remember it at all," Another blank drew in his mind.

"Arthur, a few months ago, I provided Eames with enough sedation for three levels. Enough to produce limbo, as Eames requested, because he figured out a way to combat Bane in limbo." Yusuf's voice was shaky.

Immediately Arthur shut his eyes and recounted everything that happened a few months ago. It was the happiest time of his life, finally being in the arms of the man he loved for years. Everything stood out for him, everything was so perfect. Except for one moment, Arthur remembers, Eames had went out to buy coffee at daybreak. Arthur recalled brewing coffee, drinking it, and then waking up.

"I think I know when that happened," Arthur said, "There was this one time I caught Eames buying coffee at daybreak. It was so odd, so out of place. And then I remember drinking the coffee and waking again in bed,"

There was another pause, "That wasn't Eames who ordered the sedatives, was it?"

"Are you saying it was 'Bane'?"

"He ordered the drugs, he sedated you, and then he erased your memories so you wouldn't know who Bane was,"

Arthur stared blankly at the screen. He could hardly believe it yet it made too much sense. His memories of reality may have been erased but the remnants of the memories he had of limbo were more than enough for him to piece together, "No, that's not all he did. That's not all he erased," That's not all he tossed into the black hole.

"EAMES!"

Yusuf came to the realization instantaneously, "Arthur, you can't be serious,"

"Yusuf, get to New York as soon as you can. Get us an extractor, someone we can trust since Cobb's retired. And Ariadne, contact Ariadne. She should be doing some architecture work or extractor training somewhere in New York. I'll find a secure meeting place for all of us,"

"Got it,"

Arthur shut his laptop and quickly packed up all his belongings. Indignant rage and heartbreak was tearing through him in endless waves. Amongst the raging emotions, Arthur couldn't help but feel relieved. The Eames he believed in and cherished really was as he always imagined. Neil's hero was not tarnished. That relief was quickly brushed away with a sudden wave of disgust. The happiest moments of his life weren't shared with Eames but with Bane masquerading him flawlessly. When Eames was free again, Arthur swore he'd relive those experiences with him just so he could share in his happiness.

If Eames was free again...

Arthur secured an abandoned factory far in the outskirts of New York. It was built upon the site of an abandoned farm and was located by a small rural town that couldn't care less about suspicious, suited people wandering around an abandoned area. He sent the coordinates securely to Ariadne, having her send to the rest of the team in case Eames had been tracing his emails. With a little help from Cobb, Arthur had prepared a small dream lab inside the factory complete with chemicals lab and drawing boards.

It was all a waiting game now, hoping that all of his team could arrive safely. Arthur caught sight of a black car which pulled up to the factory. It was night so the shroud of darkness concealed this figure. It was definitely male but far too lean to be Yusuf. It could have been their extractor but Arthur couldn't take the chance. He took his gun from the table, sidling up against the wall and waiting for the man to enter.

A text message alerted him. He left from his hiding spot and checked the number, "Adrian?"

"Arthur, it has been a while," He'd recognize that smooth tone anywhere. Still as sly and disastrously fashionable as ever, Adrian sauntered into the room, playing with the cap of a golden lighter in his hand.

Arthur could have laughed at the irony in this moment, "I thought you didn't associate yourself with criminals,"

"Things change, times change, paychecks change," Adrian said with a coy smirk. Arthur chuckled, the dimples on his cheeks looking so prominent on his bruised face. With a gentle hand, Adrian reached forward and touched the faded bruise on Arthur's temple. The smile on his face immediately died, watching shakily at Adrian's hand, "Did he do this to you?"

Arthur batted his hand away, stepping around Adrian and towards a desk so he could distract himself with papers, "It's a long story. I'll explain when Yusuf and Ariadne get here. Anyway, so, you got a totem?" Arthur said, turning to look at the shining lighter in his hand.

A chortle came from Adrian as he continued to play with the cap, "Decided to do so after a few solo jobs. You like?" He lifted the lighter, showing off the dolphins and grapevines engraved upon it.

"Fits you, eccentric as ever,"

"Oh Arthur, you wound me with your cold, cold words,"

"Didn't know you knew who Adrian was," Yusuf commented as he entered the room, "Ariadne's just outside. She's bringing in architect equipment," He reached forward, shaking Adrian's hand, "Adrian, good to see you again. How's chemist work going?"

Adrian shrugged, turning to Arthur who looked on with puzzlement, "I've been dabbling with chemist work. Not much advancement but I've made some interesting discoveries," His head perked as Ariadne entered the room, "And who's this lovely lady?" He said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

"Oh my," Ariadne commented, pulling her hand away gently, "This is a huge improvement from Cobb,"

"Cobb? You're still working with that stick in the mud?" Adrian said, looking to Arthur.

"He retired, but yes, I used to work with him," Arthur said, "Anyway, let's get started. We have no time to lose," He walked to the whiteboard, wiping it once again to make sure it was perfectly clean before they start.

Yusuf looked to Adrian for a second, watching him as he took a seat on a plush chair and rolled the lighter around in his fingers, "You remind me of someone," He said before taking a seat on the lawn chair in the center.

There was a lot of briefing to be done. On top of that, there was a lot of convincing and disbelief coming from Ariadne and Adrian. Neither had known Eames well enough to understand what was going on. Adrian was the most sceptical, often shooting glances to Ariadne to check if she shared in his scepticism.

"How can you be sure it's a split personality? Perhaps he had always been like this," Adrian queried, reclining in his chair, "He could have been hiding it all this time. He's a master forger after all,"

"I can vouch for this," Yusuf said, raising his hand and sitting up in his swivel chair, "I watched Eames deteriorate for a year. He asked me to keep watch on him in the beginning whenever he'd give three hours of his time to Bane. His mannerisms were those of a man discovering a new world, almost like a child. So trust me when I say, I guarantee that some split personality exists."

"As well, I dug up old records of Eames's work back when he was with the government," Arthur laid the sheets down, "Shortly after the mission he had with Adrian and I, a point man had sent in a report stating that Eames's subconscious had become volatile and dangerous to his own team."

"Like Cobb with Mal, right?" Ariadne said.

Arthur nodded, "Yes. But far worse. Reports indicate that an entire team would be found tortured to death or a room filled with dead projections would be found, all with their neck snapped," The entire team shivered at the thought, "According to later reports, the horrors had stopped but Eames's performance itself was beginning to fall,"

"Crossing that with the somnacin orders and what Eames told me, that's when he switched to another method to sate Bane," Yusuf added, "So yes, Adrian, we guarantee it is a split personality,"

Ariadne was quick to react, "What happened in that mission with Adrian, you, and Eames? You said the reports came in shortly after. Something must've triggered it," Arthur looked away, ashamed. Aware of this, Ariadne turned to Adrian and waited for his answer.

"There was some... heinous projections in the dream. Thomas had lost control, lashed out, and shot the projections. When he awoke, he killed our mark. He looked lost in rage. No one dared to approach him till he cooled down," Adrian explained, "I knew of his ill-tempered background. I had brushed it off as normal. I hadn't expected that he had repressed his past self by then,"

"No, that's not the truth,"

Everyone turned to Arthur. Adrian in particular was far more shocked than the rest, "Arthur, you don't have to tell them,"

"No, they need to know what triggered Bane's release," Arthur replied, "Eames got angry because he was trying to protect me. The mark was a man who..." It was hard for him to get the words out with all of them so intensely watching, "He raped me, when I was a child. I couldn't control my projections and they began playing out in front of him. Eames's release wasn't just any burst of rage. It was because he was trying to protect me,"

"Arthur," Ariadne whispered. The point man was visibly upset, eyes downcast and posture slackened.

"That's why," Arthur's voice cleared, "In that case, I know Bane must be a piece of Tommy Conlon, Eames's original 'persona'. Tommy was my protector, 'Neil's' protector. In that moment, Bane must've slipped out from repression because the emotions were familiar enough to let him,"

Adrian reclined back in his chair, nodding slowly. He still hadn't quite grasped the entire idea but he knew enough to know where to start. Ariadne followed as well, far more open to this radically new dream science than the more traditional minded Adrian.

The manifestation of Bane had already been hard enough to explain. What Bane had done to Eames, using only remnants of memories Arthur had, was near impossible to explain and prove. All they could do was take Arthur's word for it.

"Impossible, no memory can be lost forever. There is no such process," Adrian said, slapping the handle of his chair.

"Not necessarily," Ariadne replied, "There are plenty of cases of complete memory loss,"

"Due to biological problems, this is not biological. This is purely psychological. It is impossible for a human to completely erase memories."

"Bane isn't a human," Ariadne reminded.

"If it were any other case, I'd believe Adrian," Arthur added, "But I know firsthand that Eames and I are both missing memories whether they are replaced or completely gone. Firstly, Eames has no idea what a totem is. I found it stashed away in a suitcase, never removed from its hiding place,"

"Coincides if he isn't a human," Ariadne added, looking back to Adrian, "If he really is a greater being within the subconscious, he wouldn't need a totem to tell him if he's in reality or not."

Yusuf gestured to Arthur, "I can also vouch for Arthur clearly missing pieces of his memory. I had told him about Bane's existence directly after the inception job. Arthur cannot recall it for his life but we know it must've happened or else he would have never went to Eames afterwards."

"Exactly, I had no reason to find Eames after the job," Arthur added.

Adrian sighed, rubbing the carvings of his lighter with his thumbs, "This is so surreal. I mean, a literal black hole in the subconscious where memories can be erased. Am I dreaming right now?"

"I really wish we were," Arthur said, "Those were the only fragments of memory I could recover, memories of the erasure of the memories."

"But Eames, you said he threw Eames in there," Ariadne said, solemn, worried, "Eames wouldn't be erased, would he?"

No one knew what to say. Arthur hoped for the best. Adrian believed the worst. Yusuf couldn't say which one was right, "But if there is a chance," Ariadne chimed, "We still have to try. The consciousness is not merely a memory. It's a lot more than that. Right, Arthur?"

"Yes, of course," Arthur could have burst into tears at Ariadne's kindness.

"So what are you suggesting? You want us to break into Thomas's mind and free him?" Adrian asked, flipping through papers, "Because from what you've explained, it appears that all of this occurred in limbo,"

Arthur nodded, shutting his eyes and concentrating, "I remember being shot, that much is clear,"

"And the sedatives Bane had ordered from me could definitely induce limbo," Yusuf added.

"And how do you expect to get into limbo? I hope you have something more failsafe than heavy sedation and shooting ourselves in the dream," Adrian said, flipping through chemical reports provided by Yusuf.

"There is another way to get into limbo," Ariadne said, sitting up in her chair to face Adrian, "The fourth level down is limbo. Cobb showed me during the inception job," Arthur watched as he hands danced over the totem in her pocket. Mentioning limbo had made her nervous ever since she entered it. One could never be sure if they had truly left limbo or if they were still trapped there living a fake life, "When Cobb and Mal had entered limbo by dying under heavy sedation, they had momentarily lost their memories. Waking up in limbo is like waking up from a dream where 'reality' has become the dream,"

"Frightening thought," Adrian tacked on, "So that's not an option. We need to be fully sentient down there especially against Bane, or whoever. Is there any other way?"

"By using the PASIVs, and descending level by level. It's the only way to retain your memories, for humans like us, anyway."

Adrian kicked back in his chair, playing with the cap of his lighter totem again. It was a new habit that he just couldn't kick, "I hate to play devil's advocate but I still don't feel good about heavy sedation. Thomas's mind is already heavy militarized. And if this Bane is what you say he is, then we don't stand a chance in hell down there. We'll be blown to limbo in seconds,"

"Ah, that's the clever part," Yusuf said with a smirk, plopping a clear bottle of pitch black fluid, "A new compound I've been working on ever since the Inception job. Brushing death a bit too closely during the job had given me a new magnum opus, as it were. A new compound based off a soporific drug strong enough to induce a sedation-like sleep for three levels and as opposed to falling into limbo after death, the dreamer will merely wake up."

Arthur flipped through the papers describing the new drug, sceptical, "What's the catch?"

"Hysteria, when one awakes. The brain will be accustomed to the high-speed of the subconscious. A sudden jerk back into reality will cause a sluggishness in the mind and possibly hysterical confusion. None of which are fatal,"

"Unless we fail, then it is certainly fatal for us," Adrian said.

Yusuf shrugged, placing the bottle away, "It's either a chance of dying in reality or definite death in limbo. It's a chance we'll have to take,"

"You don't have to do this," Arthur said, attracting everyone's attention, "Look, you just need to help me with planning. I can find a way to do this myself. Eames isn't your responsibility," It is inevitable that they will face dangers beyond their wildest dreams inside of Eames's mind. Arthur was putting all of them in danger for mere fragments of memory he managed to recover.

Yusuf shrugged, plopping down in a chair, "Eames has been a good friend to me. And I know he'd want me to do this even if he'd never say,"

Ariadne smiled to Arthur, innocent and honest, "You helped me find my calling in life. Without you, I'd probably be a graduate student majoring in philosophy somewhere."

Arthur turned to Adrian who stayed in his seat, playing with his lighter with his eyes locked onto Arthur. He smiled and that was all Arthur needed from him, "Thank you," He took out a marker and scribbled onto the whiteboard, "Then let's start planning the dream levels,"

There were three levels to be made which meant one person would be left behind on each level. Eames had heavy militarization so they could only expect Bane to also have just as heavy dream security.

"How about this," Adrian said, "We bring Thomas here and we convince him that he is doing an inception on me? That way, we can ward of his subconscious."

"Doesn't Eames know you?" Ariadne asked, "You said you've worked with him on a job."

"Eames knows him," Yusuf remarked, "Bane does not. Eames told me there were people Bane didn't know. Anyone he met between the time he sealed Bane away and Bane got free is completely unknown to him,"

Ariadne nodded, rubbing her chess piece in her fingers, "Sounds good. That might work,"

"Might? We can't risk a 'might'," Arthur said flatly.

"Thank you for your two-cents, Arthur," Adrian replied, smirking.

"Might is as good as we can get it. It's inevitable that Bane will figure out what we're doing. We just have to hope that we can last long enough to get to Eames in limbo," Ariadne said, "Who will be the dreamer of each layer?"

Yusuf raised his hand lazily, "I will take the first level since I'd probably last the shortest. I've also learned that I'm an amazing getaway driver,"

"Since I'm playing the mark, I'll have to last to the third level," Adrian said, "Since Arthur is going to limbo, that leaves the second level to Ariadne. Sounds good to everyone?"

The dream construction was fast. Ariadne had grown in mere months into a powerful architect able to produce mazes in mere moments. She planned with Yusuf first, constructing a city much like the one they had used in the inception job. She mapped out the streets, showing him where the shortcuts would be if he needed to escape projections. She included a design for the escape vehicle: An armored truck padded on the inside to absorb any attacks from projections. She worked with Adrian next, ultimately deciding on a casino structure with copious amounts of secret pathways. Eames would be sharing the level with him and he'd need to be able to dodge him and his projections. She planned her own stage with Arthur, basing the designs on the possibility that she'd need to combat projections.

"Since the projections will be attacking me anyway, I'll be manipulating the architecture to produce traps, seal exits, anything. So, I'm thinking an enclosed, tunneled area like a sewer," She gestured to the malleable model she had made, "It'll allow me to change that paths as I desire,"

Arthur nodded, agreeing to her masterful design, "Wow. Ariadne, I'm impressed,"

"Are you always so condescending?" Ariadne joked, slapping him on the arm.

Their plan was set. The dreams were set in stone and fully tested. All that was left was to find Eames. Arthur slipped his coat on; it had gotten quite cold in the countryside and he would prefer not to catch a cold before the job began. Ariadne and Yusuf were both busy with their final preparations, taking care of the chemicals in PASIV. That left Adrian, free of work, standing by Arthur's car outside wrapped in a gaudy, crimson trench coat.

"Adrian, here to see me off?" Arthur said, reaching for the handle of his car. He froze when Adrian's hand came to meet his, pulling him away from the handle.

"Arthur, if he's hurting you, you shouldn't go back to him,"

"You heard us in the warehouse, this is a split personality. This isn't Eames,"

"But Thomas isn't completely innocent in this, is he?" Adrian said, retracting his hand and folding his arms, "He created Bane from himself. What's to say that Thomas won't also act like Bane?"

Arthur growled, quietly, and opened the car door. Adrian reached forward again, grabbing his shoulder, "Don't touch me," Arthur hissed. He slapped the hand away, reaching to close the door only to be stopped by Adrian's other hand.

"I don't want to see you get hurt more," Adrian said, "Arthur, please, if there's any chance you could avoid confronting Thomas, confronting 'Bane', please take it," There was affection in his voice. Arthur could feel a spark of passion inside his ex-lover but Arthur felt no such flame.

He shook his head, pushing Adrian's hand back gently, "I love him. And if I'm not willing to suffer in order to save his life then I don't deserve him," He shut the door gently, driving off. He'd made up his mind. Adrian, Ariadne, Yusuf, Cobb, no one could stop him from rescuing Eames.

Eames hadn't picked up his phone the entire drive. Arthur had no choice but to return to the penthouse and retrieve him. He braced himself for violence. He knew Eames would never forgive him for leaving. The door clicked open, barely audible under Arthur's rapid heartbeat. He opened it slowly, looking into the darkness of the penthouse. Everything looked in order. A few pots and pans in the sink signalled that Eames had at least been living normally.

"Eames?" Arthur said, flipping on the light. Eames's office door opened, startling Arthur, "Eames, I'm sorry for leaving," The forger looked at him with absolute blankness in his eyes, "I was...upset. And there was a job Yusuf asked me to do. It's another inception and we need your help," Why did Eames stay quiet? It unnerved Arthur to no end, "Eames, are you in?"

The forger approached him, reaching out a hand to massage his right arm, "Is it still sore?" He asked, kneading at it brutally. The sharp pain was renewed by his touch, Arthur bit his tongue to prevent himself from crying out, "Arthur, I'll forgive you this once since you returned," He leaned forward, nipping at Arthur's ear, "Beloved," He sighed, grinding his hips against Arthur's.

Arthur stifled a moan, pressing against Eames. He had to play along. He had to let him do as he wished. He could endure just one more night if it meant he could have his Eames back. But what if Adrian was right? What if he had been in love with a forgery all along? He carried those thoughts with him as he lay in bed with Eames, letting the man take him wildly. Eames was insatiable, unable to get enough of Arthur even as the point man lay on the bed far too exhausted to reciprocate. Those terrifying arms wrapped around him, suffocating him.

This isn't the real Eames. Arthur repeated his words like a mantra as Eames thrust into him almost to the point of making him bleed. He had to believe in Yusuf. He had to believe in his memories. The real Eames is in there, suffering, lost.

When Eames finally exhausted himself, he collapsed beside Arthur, once again wrapping his strong arms around the thinner man. Arthur returned the hug with a loose embrace, "Eames, so, can you help them?"

"Mm, sure," The forger said, falling to sleep with his lips pressed against Arthur's forehead.

A farewell kiss, Arthur thought, to this monster who impersonated the man he loved.

"Ah, Eames, good to see you again," Yusuf greeted him with widespread arms, "It has been so long since you came to Mombasa,"

"I'm a 'married man' now, Yusuf," Eames joked, curling an arm around Arthur's waist, "I'm afraid he's had me tied down in New York," His words were so jovial, so Eames, that it made Arthur more and more anxious, "So, who's our mark?"

Yusuf gestured to Ariadne who sat by an unconscious Adrian, setting up the PASIV. She greeted him with a smile and was promptly ignored, a clear indication that this was indeed not Eames, "Aaron Bacchus," Ariadne said, standing, "An important figure within the mafia. We were paid to incept a change of alliance within him by a rival gang," She looked on with uncertainty as Eames stared at Adrian a little too long.

"Ah, Ariadne, you've become a big-time dream criminal, haven't you?" Eames said with a laugh, sitting down in his lawn chair, "Arthur briefed me on the way here so let's get this over with then, shall we?" He watched intently as Arthur fixed the IV into his arm, giving his wrist a gentle caress before reclining in the chair.

Arthur nearly blew his cover, almost ignoring the affectionate gesture. He immediately lifted his head, shooting a shy, little smile before retreating to his lawn chair. He fixed the IV to his arm and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths.

"Nervous, beloved? I'm right here,"

"It's inception; I'll always be nervous," Arthur replied, keeping his eyes shut.

"Sweet dreams," Yusuf said, reaching for the button on the device and depressing it.

To no one's surprise, the city Yusuf had crafted instantly became a war zone with gunmen and freaking helicopters chasing them. Fortunately, Yusuf had planned for this and had designed a cushion lined truck as his escape vehicle. He took the wheel, the rest of the team stayed in the back preparing the second drop.

"Is the mark sedated?" Yusuf shouted, looking over his shoulder into the truck.

Arthur propped Adrian up against the wall of the jostling truck, "Yeah, he's out like a light," He said, strapping him onto the padded bench.

"Bloody hell, his projections are vicious," Eames said, preparing his own IV after he strapped himself in.

The whole truck nearly tipped over as continuous fire from a submachine gun rained down on the side of the truck. Yusuf took a sharp turn down an alley Ariadne had prepared, dodging the fire. Arthur, who hadn't been secured in, fell forward and right into Adrian's arms. The position was entirely accidental but Arthur could feel the seething rage shooting through Arthur. He reached forward from his seat, tearing Arthur off the decoy mark and into his bench.

"Are you alright, love?" Eames said, playing coy as he strapped Arthur harshly into the seat.

"No time to chat, guys," Ariadne shouted, pushing the PASIV towards Yusuf, "Now!"

Yusuf nodded, reaching back and depressing the button. As soon as they were all unconscious, Yusuf took a huge breath and stepped on the gas. No matter how well they had planned, Yusuf knew this wouldn't work but for Arthur and Eames's sake, he promised to at least try. Bane was a creature beyond anyone's power in the subconscious. How he had been deceived for so long, Yusuf couldn't understand.

A similar occurrence happened with Ariadne's level. Projections carrying grenade launchers chased them down quickly. Only Ariadne's quick manipulation of the architecture had halted their advances. As one heavily armed group approached, the entire team braced themselves behind a pipe for cover.

"Are these the Medici's men?" Adrian hollered, grabbing a gun from his holster and shooting at them from the cover. A bullet skid over the cover, skimming his shoulder, "My father's paying you for this. Get to work!" He played the role of a spoiled mafia son perfectly. The rest were dressed in fine cut black and white suits, mimicking a team of bodyguards.

"Arthur, Eames, you take him out back. There's a hidden path in the back that leads to an escape route," Ariadne shouted, shooting at the projections as they continued to approach, "Hurry!" The two didn't wait. They grabbed Adrian and hauled him out, covering him with their bodies like any normal bodyguards would.

As soon as they were out of sight, Ariadne braced herself against the pipe and concentrated, flipping the entire tunnel onto its side effectively turning it into a pit, throwing all the projections down it while she remained standing upon the now sideways pipe. She concentrated again, searching for the lounge she had instructed Eames and Arthur to take Adrian. When she had her mind upon it, she flipped it upside down and shook it like a bottle of ketchup, emptying out the projections that might've holed up there. As soon as she felt Eames and Arthur getting close, she placed the lounge back down and proceeded with twisting the paths into a maze to trap all the projections.

When the three arrived at the lounge, Adrian, like a spoiled brat, demanded for a quick rest and drink before they continued on. As planned, Adrian took the drugged wine and fell asleep on the couch. Eames retrieved the PASIV from a cupboard and strapped the false mark in.

"What's that sound?" Eames called out, hearing the twist of metal as Ariadne rearranged the path.

"Ariadne," Arthur replied, "She's complicating the maze so the projections will have a harder time finding us."

"Clever girl," Eames said quickly, laying against the reclining chair, "Ready?"

"Got it," Arthur said, pressing the button.

A casino in the daytime was Adrian's idea. It wouldn't be too farfetched to have a rich mafia son rent out an entire casino for the day so he could enjoy it alone. This kept the projections at bay, locked outside till Eames figured out what was actually happening. Adrian sat by the slots, mindlessly pulling at the lever like an impatient child. The PASIV device was hidden at the bar. Eames was tasked with accompanying the disgruntled mafia son disguised as his older brother while Arthur moved to plant the idea. In reality, he was to find the PASIV. If it all worked out, Eames would not even know Arthur had gone down to limbo.

If it had all worked out.

Before Arthur could even propose the idea, the lights went out. Only the slot machines provided an eerie neon light for them to see. Arthur groped around in the dark, unable to find Eames who was just standing beside him.

"Adrian?" Arthur called out. He felt a warm hand touch his own. He recognized it to be Adrian's hand by the small mole on the back of his wrist, "I can't find Eames."

Adrian stood from the chair, searching the darkness frantically, "Shit, I think he found out. No, I don't think we tricked him at all,"

The lights had gone out in the sewer tunnels Ariadne designed. The light was dim to begin with, now the world around her was absolutely pitch black. Luckily, the projections chasing her relented. There was only silence. Silence and pitch black darkness, "Knew it," Ariadne said, feeling her way through the tunnels slowly.

Yusuf stopped the truck immediately the instant darkness shrouded over him. It was like he had entered a tunnel. The only lights provided were the speedometer and radio, giving him just enough light to look at the crew behind him. Eames was missing, as expected, but everyone remained asleep.

"Commendable effort," Bane's voice spoke, echoing, to everyone, "If I were anyone else, this would have worked but I'm not like anyone else, am I? You are mere pioneers scratching at the surface of the subconscious. The subconscious is my domain and only I can invoke its true potential."

Adrian ran fast, leading Arthur by the hand to the bar dimly lit by a few lava lamps littered around it. He opened the mini fridge where they had hidden the PASIV. Adrian punched the counter when he was greeted with an empty fridge.

"Shit, we underestimated him, big time," Adrian hissed.

"Naturally, Mr. Bacchus," Bane's voice echoed through the casino, "Did you think you could hide something within the subconscious without me knowing?"

Ariadne shut her eyes, reconstructing the sewer as quickly as she could. Bane would be upon them soon and bring hell upon them. She had to prepare for the fight of her life. Yusuf immediately scrambled in the truck, gathering bits and pieces in his truck and constructing a failsafe.

"Fear not, I will not kill any of you. No, that would only send you to limbo and that is most undesirable for me as my false half now resides there. Your punishment must be far more severe to teach you a lesson for trying to overthrow a god. Learn from this,"

Adrian scoffed, holding Arthur's hand tightly, "He's definitely as conceited as Thomas,"

The light came on all at once. Adrian was tackled into a slot machine that exploded in sparks and coins, his grip on Arthur wrenched apart painfully. Arthur reached for Adrian, only to be blocked by a mass of absolute darkness. A hand grabbed Arthur, throwing him over the bar and into the rack of alcohol behind him.

Ariadne ran, sealing the tunnels behind her as Bane followed her like a venomous shadow. Bane merely tore the tubes apart like paper and continued stalking her. Ariadne pulled out a tube to brace herself as she once again turned the tunnel over, transforming it into a pit. She looked over the edge only to be roughly grabbed by the neck and hauled up. Bane was standing against the wall, defying the gravity she had induced, "Dreaming big, Ariadne?" Bane said with a deep chuckle.

Yusuf wasted no time, fumbling around with wires and devices while he drove at breakneck speeds through the streets. Helicopters swooped down, pelting the armored truck with heavy fire. Yusuf swore under his breath, swerving into an underground path to dodge more fire. With the armored, padded truck, it was unlikely that a crash would be able to kill everyone and wake them up. He had only one shot with this, Yusuf continued to drive with one hand constructing something under the dashboard.

"Oh hell!" Yusuf shouted as a car rammed him from the side as soon as he exited the underground path. The truck swerved but stayed upright due to its heavy weight. He fought as it skid down the road, slamming into a building and knocking the wind right out of him. He started the car again, not letting the projections catch up to him.

Before he could even make it past a close by intersection, a motorcycle cut directly in front of him, disorienting the chemist and forcing him to turn to his left where he met a heavy barricade. Yusuf made a hard turn but it was too late, the truck crashed straight into the barricade and sharp barbs slashed the tires of the truck.

The motorcyclist came in front of him, removing the mask revealing a scarred, bald head wrapped in a fearful mask. Yusuf didn't need to guess who this was, "Bane," His hands continued wiring even as the devil approached him.

Bane continued to dangle Ariadne in the air, fixing the gravity so it suited his position. He watched in amusement as the architect's eyes began shooting around the area. Pipes shot out from the walls, grabbing onto Bane and pinning him to the wall. Ariadne struggled free and backed away, glaring intently as pipes continued to grab at Bane like metallic arms trying to tear him to pieces.

"Interesting," Bane said, chuckling, "But futile," He tore through the pipes with mere brute force.

Ariadne didn't wait. She ran building new paths through the walls and defying gravity as she fled the beast. Pipes, like voracious snakes, chased Bane and grabbed him as he ran. The entire sewer came to life, trying to subdue Bane. When the sound of metal breathing died down, Ariadne collapsed against a steady pillar. She had never felt mental exhaustion before in the dream world even when she was playing around with architecture. This excessive use drained her, leaving her dangerously vulnerable.

"You think the subconscious is your ally?" Ariadne flinched, searching all around her for Bane, "You merely adopted the subconscious. I was born in it. Molded by it. I didn't see reality till I was a grown man and by then, it was nothing to me but..." The pipes directly in front of Ariadne opened up like a reverse Tetris wall, revealing Bane stepping in casually with his thumbs hooked on the lapels of his coat, "Simple,"

The pipes around her didn't move. Ariadne couldn't even will the ground to shake without her vision blurring intensely. Bane forced her to exhaust herself fleeing from him. She dove to the left, only to be stopped pipes coming from the sides sealing up the path with a metal wall. Her fists did nothing to move the metal unlike Bane's monstrous strength.

"You are an impressive architect. Had you not been a rival for Arthur's affection, I would have liked to let you off easily," Bane approached her slowly, grabbing at her shirt and slamming her to the wall when she tried to shoot herself with her gun, "Now, we don't want that, do we? There is a lesson to be taught here and when it is written down in your blood, you have my permission to die,"

Adrian recovered from the impact quickly, dodging the boot that came down on him. Fists flew at him; despite blocking all of them and redirecting them with his palms, the sheer force coming from the strikes sent him recoiling back, stumbling to keep his balance. When Adrian was driven back onto a roulette table, he used the recoil from Bane's punches to roll himself over it. By the time he recovered, Bane had disappeared, "What the hell?" Adrian grunted as he was lifted into the air, suspending over Bane threateningly.

"Ah, commendable effort by futile nonetheless,"

He slammed Adrian down onto his knee, snapping his spine. Adrian couldn't swallow the scream that ruptured from his lungs. He was dropped to the ground, another jolt of pain shocked through his body. His hand gripped at the carpet, trying to find purchase, only to be crushed beneath Bane's boot. He screamed again, his body convulsing in pain.

Arthur recovered quickly, brushing away the glass shard that covered him. He took a bottle of rum from the bar and rushed at Bane, smashing the bottle over his head and soaking him in the alcohol. Bane didn't react, he kept his boot on Adrian's mangled hand. He merely looked to Arthur with an amused look in his eyes.

"Down here, asshole," Adrian hissed, withdrawing his totem from his pocket with his good hand. He rolled the thumbwheel, igniting the wick with a small flame and setting the rum ablaze.

Bane was ignited into flames. He did not react at all. In absolute horror, Adrian dropped the lighter and began to shake. Arthur backed away slowly, watching as Bane lifted his boot from Adrian's hand and approached Arthur, body still alit with flames. As soon as the hand touched Arthur's face, the flames died revealing a perfectly intact Bane.

"Must I keep repeating myself?" Bane said, grabbing onto Arthur and slamming him onto the poker table, scattering poker chips all over the floor. Arthur fought hard in his grasp, clawing at his face with his hands. With his massive hand, Bane took his one wrist and shattered it against the table. The other wrist he spared, merely holding it still as Arthur cried out in pain, "As much as it pains me to do this, you too must submit to a punishment or else you will never learn," With his other hand, he pressed it against his clothes. Panic rose in Arthur as his clothes burned away from invisible fire, leaving him exposed to the monster before him.

Arthur kicked at Bane only to have his legs once again spread till they were absolutely useless against him. He screamed in anguish and struggled violently. The position was far too familiar to him. His broken wrist was in a mass of exploding pain and his intact wrist was firmly restrained by Bane. The mask pressed hard markings into Arthur's neck as Bane leaned in to give him a mock kiss. With his thumb, he pressed it deep inside of Arthur without any lubrication. Arthur grunted loudly as the humiliating pain continued to bloom deep inside him.

"Stop," Arthur begged, staring into Bane's eyes which so ironically resembled Eames's, "Eames, stop it, please, stop," The man he begged for mercy was imaginary. There was only Bane. The hand on his penis sealed his fate, forcing him to find pleasure in his own rape.

"Thomas, you never change," Adrian hissed, forcing himself onto his good elbow, "Still trying to take Arthur all this time even when he has no interest to," Bane's hand on Arthurs cock removed itself, turning to Adrian. The grip on his wrist remained, still pinning him in place, "Certainly, you haven't forgotten me, have you?"

Bane narrowed his eyes. He did remember Adrian, just vaguely. Eames had once forged him as a plaything during their first arrangement. He was one of the unknowns in his mind. Certainly, Eames must've had a reason for forging this man first as opposed to plenty others.

"And who are you, Mr. Bacchus?"

"Adrian Bacchus, extractor," Adrian hissed out through the pain, "Ex-boyfriend to Arthur," He let out a coarse laugh as Bane's eyes widened, "Yeah, that's right. I had Arthur first, all of Arthur. He belonged to me in every possible way," Bane was approaching him slowly, rage radiating from him like a poisonous aura.

"Shut your mouth," Bane shouted, "He was mine long before she ever met you,"

"Neil was yours first," Adrian said, coughing again, "But Arthur was mine first. He's even told me about Neil, all about Neil. I have everything you knew about Neil and more," Arthur watched as the words poured from Adrian's mouth. They weren't true. Arthur didn't tell him anything other than brief stories about his life as Neil, "Has Arthur ever told you anything about me? Given that you didn't even know who I was, I bet he didn't."

Arthur struggled up on the poker table, cradling his broken wrist. Adrian was making up lies to provoke Bane, distract him from harming Arthur, "Stop!" Arthur shouted as Bane towered over Adrian's crippled form, "Bane, he's lying. Leave him alone!" Bane ignored him, he couldn't hear him over the rage pumping through his veins.

"He's mine," Adrian said, smirking, "You'll always be Arthur's second," He glanced to Arthur, smiling reassuringly at him, before shutting his eyes tightly as Bane's foot collided with his head. The beating was relentless. Bane's growls and attacks were fueled on pure, hot rage provoked by Adrian's false words of claim. Arthur's screams were lost amongst the sounds of bones crunching and flesh breaking.

By the time Bane returned his attention to Arthur, Adrian was a lump of mangled flesh on the ground still twitching, breathing, alive. Arthur tried to pry him away, only to be beaten and tossed aside as Bane continued to wail on the extractor. He grabbed Arthur's neck and choked him, lifting him over Adrian's mangled body as he spoke.

"You belong to me, say it,"

Arthur kept his mouth shut. Adrian was willing to suffer for him. He wouldn't let his sacrifice be in vain, "Fuck you," Arthur hissed to Bane, spitting into his face.

Ariadne fell upon a pile of mangled pipes, clutching her broken arm and coughing out blood. Bane was on her in a second, kicking her in the stomach, sending her flying into another wall, "You're a monster," Ariadne said.

"Most definitely," Bane replied, grabbing the front of her shirt and lifting her.

"Eames," She gasped, gripping into Bane's wrist with her good arm, "And Eames had to live with you in his mind, all this time," She coughed out more blood, splattering it against Bane's armored vest. With the last of her mental strength, Ariadne shut her eyes and tore open a hole beneath them. Bane, caught off guard, plummeted down the hole along with Ariadne who's mind became completely disoriented the instant she pushed past her mental limits.

"Done," Yusuf said quickly as he hooked up two red wires before Bane reached into the truck and yanked the chemist onto the ground.

Bane towered over him, a smile in his eyes, "Your presence was what tipped me off," He said, "Even if I had erased Arthur's mind, you were still fully aware. I had no way of reaching you, however, and you were far too valuable an ally to kill," He pushed Yusuf away from the truck with his boot, "Nothing was stopping you from telling Arthur. Nothing but me to intercept any messages you might've had,"

Yusuf nodded, "I had suspicions that this had occurred but I hoped for the best," He stood slowly, still dizzy from the crash.

"I will give you a two minute head start since you have always been very useful for all my endeavors," Bane said, folding his arms.

"Two minutes, how generous," Yusuf said, removing a detonator from his jacket pocket and depressing the button. The armored truck imploded instantly, smoke and fire billowing from the windows. Bane was obviously caught off guard at the sudden explosion, "You might be aware of everything we plant in the subconscious but Eames was an awful scientist and I doubt he could recognize a makeshift bomb even if I pointed it out to him," During Bane's shock, Yusuf took out his gun and promptly shot himself.

The entire team woke up gasping and screaming. Adrian writhed on his lawn chair, screaming out now that his lungs were intact and clawing at the handles of his seat. Ariadne awoke gasping for air, keeping his eyes shut as the mental exhaustion continued to wreak havoc on her mind. The world spun around her and she nearly threw up just from merely reaching over her head and grabbing her chess piece totem from the table. She rubbed at it intensely, almost like she couldn't quite feel if it was the right weight. Yusuf awoke calmly with only a slight grogginess from the drug, immediately rushing to Adrian's side and helping him lean down to pick up his lighter totem when he had dropped it. Arthur came to Ariadne's side, stroking her back as she began violently coughing, the phantom pain of a pierced stomach still throbbing.

"Hurry, we need to keep Eames sedated," Arthur said to Yusuf, the only other healthy member on the team.

"Too late, beloved,"

Gunshots rang out, Yusuf fell to the ground as bullets shot past him. Ariadne screamed, pulling away from the sound as Eames emptied an entire clip of bullets into Adrian. Arthur watched with wide eyes as Adrian's life was torn from him with every gunshot. Blood splattered from Adrian's body, catching Arthur's face and collar at one point. Yusuf was on him at once, wrestling the gun away from Eames and kicking it down an air vent. Eames grabbed him roughly by the hair and slammed his forehead into the desk, effectively knocking him out.

"Yusuf!" Ariadne shouted, trying to get onto her feet steadily. Eames would've been upon her in a second had Arthur not leapt in the way and intercepted him. He grabbed at Eames, twisting his arm back and cuffing him hard over the neck.

With the devil's strength, Eames reached around Arthur, picked him up into the air, and slammed him back down into one of the lawn chairs. With loose tubing from the PASIV, Eames bound Arthur to the chair with his wrists tied firmly above his head. Arthur struggled hard, trying to kick himself off the chair with no avail, "Ariadne, run!" He shouted.

"But, Adrian," Ariadne gasped, looking at the still twitching Adrian who fought to survive despite his horrible wounds.

"He's going to kill you!" Arthur shouted as Eames pulled away from Arthur and ran towards Ariadne. She didn't hesitate then, running through the emergency exit and into the factory with Eames on her tail. A wet, choking cough caught Arthur's attention. He jerked his head to Adrian who mouthed one final farewell before the life left his eyes. He screamed in anguish; it was his selfishness that brought this chaos upon everyone. Adrian's blood, still warm, oozed down his face, stinging his eyes as it mingled with tears of rage.

Unlike Bane, Eames was loud and not quite as stealthy in this world. Ariadne, using her nimbler body, was able to evade him by weaving through discarded factory equipment and small passages. However, the coating of dust in the factory left a clear trail to where she had gone. Eames used this trail to his advantage, saving his energy by merely following the trail and positioning himself so he'd be able to intercept her from the factory exit.

"Ariadne, certainly you know that I can't let you go free," Eames called out, "You are a threat to me. I will not let you take Arthur away from me,"

Ariadne bit down on her lip, hiding in an alcove behind one of the factory conveyor belts. She had to fight in order to prevent herself from saying 'you drove Arthur away yourself'. With a cat's grace, she crawled away from the alcove, travelling towards the exit slowly. A sudden crash behind her startled her, making her scream aloud. Eames had purposely knocked over a cart of metal tubing, create a loud enough distraction to startle her. In horror from giving away her position, she darted towards the exit.

Eames wasted no time in reaching her and tossing her light frame far from the exit. She collided into a shelf of miscellaneous equipment. With Eames closing in and no way to go, Ariadne began hurling the objects at him, screaming hysterically. The hysteria from pushing past her mental limits mixed with the new drug was creeping up on her again making her vision swim and her heartbeat race. Ariadne reached for a canister of gasoline and hurled it at Eames. He easily batted it away with his hands but not before the cap tumbled off and doused his shirt in gasoline.

This, she could work with. Ariadne never carried a gun. In the dreamscape, the mechanics behind using a gun could be ignored so firing a gun would be as simple as merely pulling a trigger without worry of recoil or deflection. She had yet to carry such training in reality so instead, she carried a stun gun with her. She reached forward, pressed the stun gun to Eames's soaked chest, "Forgive me, Eames," And ignited the gasoline.

Eames's screams of pain echoed through the factory. Arthur was startled by the sound and Yusuf had been slightly roused by it before losing himself again to unconsciousness. Ariadne ran past him and screamed when Eames grabbed her in a fit of hysterical rage and threw her hard against a conveyor belt. The rigid, sharp metal collided with her back. A horrific crunch in her spine echoed through the factory and she fell to the ground unable to move. Eames tore at his shirt, pressing himself to the ground to douse the flames. His flesh was not severely burned but he knew medical attention was necessary. For now, his adrenaline was the only painkiller he received.

Arthur continued to struggle in the lawn chair. By the sound of Eames's scream, he couldn't tell if Ariadne had succeeded or not. His hopes were crushed when Eames entered the room, fresh burns on his chest and neck, "Bane," Arthur growled, "If you've hurt her, I'll kill you!" He was silenced with a brutal slap to his face.

Yusuf groaned as he began to awaken but Eames paid him no mind. He merely stepped over him and retrieved a few bottles of chemicals from Yusuf's makeshift desk. Arthur struggled with all his strength as Eames approached with a needle in hand filled with sedative.

"Go to sleep now, Arthur," He muttered, inserting the needle and putting the point man to sleep.

---

When it seems like hope is gone
No way to tell if I'm dreaming

"Jake's ending" - Resident Evil 6

---

This whole second half of the fic was based solely on the idea of a fight between Bane and Ariadne where Ariadne uses the architecture as her weapon only for it to backfire against Bane. I had to make it happen somehow. As an aside, I believe this is what they call "Bait and Switch" lyrics. The next chapter will be the official "last chapter", resolving the main plot. I have an epilogue written up but it's mostly just disjointed stories and resolutions to minor story points that haven't been covered.