5.
~ Ariadne winced with the pain of having to walk on her newly healed knee.
"It hurts." she hissed to the nurse who helped her to the bathroom.
"I know, but we have to get you walking today. The General wants you discharged." the nurse said and pushed Ariadne hard in the small of the back.
Ariadne almost fell, but caught herself just in time.
The invaders hated her. Hated her kind. The people who were trapped in this city, suffering without proper food, homes or basic goods. Then acted like it was there fault they grew sick and were dirty all the time.
The nurse looked at Ariadne with disdain as she tried to right herself.
"You're lucky to have even gotten pins in." the nurse sighed. "Colonel Castus made sue you would be able to walk again."
Ariadne finally made it to the bathroom and, scowling back at the nurse, slammed the door shut.
What a relief it was to shower with pipping hot water. To use soap and shampoo like it wasn't made of gold. She wanted to live in the bathroom. It was warm and clean and she could actually forget the outside world.
She toweled the steam off the mirror and looked at her own reflection for a long time. At first, she hardly knew herself. The girl before the invasion had softer features. A face that was much more chubby and babyish.
Her mother used to call Ariadne's face cherub like. But there was nothing that anyone would recognize now. Her face was much thinner, and it didn't flatter her. Her eyes looked too large and she saw dark circles and worry lines forming.
Her hair looked thinner and when she relaxed her face, made it go neutral and normal, she wondered who this sad, angry woman was.
"Miss Bell?" came an intrusive knock on the door.
Ariadne jumped and clutched tightly the robe around her thin body. It was a man's voice that invaded her sanctuary. Her heart started to race as she was brought kicking and screaming to the real world again.
"Yes… Yes?" she stammered.
"It's Colonel Castus. I was wondering if you you were ready to talk."
She had to think.
'Colonel Castus? Who's he?' she wondered.
Then memories of arguing with a man in uniform. Of him being an officer, but far too young for such a rank.
"I'll be out in a second!" she said hotly. She raced to put on the clean clothes provided her by the staff. Grateful to have something, anything, new to wear.
~ Arthur checked his watch. Why did women take so long in the bathroom? It was maddening. They took forever, then, most of the time, come out looking almost the same.
He looked at his watch and tapped his foot angrily. His day wasn't going well.
Already the general had lectured to him about Ariadne Bell. How it was not in their long term interest to be treating a hostile combatant to hospital care. That those resources could have been utilized elsewhere.
Arthur had wanted to argue with the man that Ariadne wasn't hostile. That she never hurt any of his men, only ran from them. There was no evidence to connect her to the poisonings, or other attacks.
He was ordered to release Miss Bell to be held for trial.
Arthur knew what that meant. Immediate private execution. She would disappear from all records. Her existence would not be missed by anyone. All personal effects, what was left of them, would be collected and she would be gone, as if she never was.
He was tapping his foot nervously. If she didn't give Cobb up, she would die. If she did give their leader up, she would die. That was the simple truth no matter how you looked at was no happy ending.
"I had the strangest dream." a voice interrupted his thoughts.
Arthur looked up to see Ariadne, combing her damp hair out with her fingers.
He felt almost happy to see her just them. Even with her unsightly limp.
"This nurse came into my room and transformed into a man." she said sitting on her bed.
Arthur smoothed out his uniform a little and tried to look comfortable.
"Miss Bell." he said at last.
"That wasn't even the strangest part." she went on. "I think I knew him."
"Ariadne."
"Isn't that odd?"
"Ariadne." he said more forcefully.
She looked back at him. Her eyes wide.
"You need to tell me where Cobb is." he said at last. His voice shaking slightly. "I won't be able to help you otherwise."
"I don't know." she whispered. "But I'm sure he's here."
"Here? Here in the hospital?"
"I don't know."
"In the city?"
"Yes. He can't get out of the city. No one can, it's just one big maze." she said.
Her eyes looked confused for a moment.
"Ariadne, they are going to kill you." Arthur said as she looked around her room. Her confusion growing as she took in the snow falling outside.
"They?" she asked.
"My superiors." Arthur told her, shaking his head. What was wrong with her? "The ones who took your brother, who shot your mother."
"Arthur, I think we have to find Mr. Eames." Ariadne said. It was as if she hadn't heard a word he said.
"Are you listening to me?" he almost shouted. "You are in very real trouble."
"We both are." she said firmly. "Arthur, we have to leave here. Go someplace safe. NOW!"
Arthur stood and toward over this petite woman.
"What?"
"We have to hide."
"What are you talking about?"
"We need to leave, hide until we can find Eames and Cobb."
"We?"
"Yes, we." she said stubbornly.
"What are you talking about? Are you giving up your friends?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"I just know we need to hide." she said softly.
