Part 18: Two's a Pair; Three's a Crowd
"Hello, Arthur."
Arthur couldn't help the painful jolt his heart gave at the words. It wasn't Ariadne on the other end-it was a man.
"Who's this?" He was being rather calm despite the fact his heart wasn't functioning properly…
"No beating around the bush, hm?"
Arthur's body, without consent, slid into panic mode. His mind wound up like a string, twirling and twirling into an ever endless web of facts and details…there were four exits to this hotel room, he could be at the airport in 20, he had a gun stashed right in his bedside table…
He got to his feet, trying to distract the speaker as he desperately attempted to identify him.
"I don't get strange calls often."
"Oh, Arthur don't play me for a fool. I know you, you know me…all is well in the world."
Arthur glanced around the hotel room, his gaze raking the room-with a burst of intuition he recalled that the man was calling from Ariadne's phone; that detail wasn't helpful.
"Why are you calling me from Ariadne's phone?" he hissed, pausing in his overlook of the room to grip the phone in his hand. The weak plastic groaned beneath his knuckles and there was clearly a raspy laugh from over the line.
"Let's just say…I know a few people, Arthur. And we know everything. Including about your-" suddenly Arthur was aware of the noises from the other side of the phone-there was a scraping sound, like a chair being dragged, and a loud female whimper, "girlfriend here. Well, technically she's the dream teams' whore-Cobb bangs her, you bang her…and around and around we go…"
The words set Arthur into a rage-his vision temporarily welled up with the color crimson and he had bite his tongue viciously to see well enough again. He had to play this cool, he had to keep his head…
"Give. Her. Back."
"Nah, ah, ah-it isn't that easy-"
"Give her to me, now, or I swear-"Arthur frankly had no idea where he was going with this, but to the man on the other line, it seemed perfectly clear.
"You'll what, Arthur?"
Silence-Arthur couldn't think of anything else to say-his mind was wasted, tumbling endlessly with details that didn't damn well help anything-hopelessly he yanked on the tie at his throat, the knot slipping lose so that the whole thing came undone. The man laughed before whispering:
"We just want to see you, Arthur. That's all we want…"
Suddenly the pieces came together-it wasn't a clear picture and by all means, Arthur couldn't guarantee that it was 100 percent correct which is how he usually liked his answers, but he was desperate.
"Andres Hernandez."
"Very good, Arthur. Head West until you're outside Havanna-directly off the highway is a warehouse. Abandoned, just as you dream team like them…bring a PASIV. Make it before midnight-"
Arthur was gobbling the information down, swallowing it like a drug, when he heard a voice in the background. "Arthur-don't come he's-" There was a sharp, resounding slap-then there was quiet. "You'll bring everything with you. Ms. Bishop can assist you if you get lost along the way." Another raspy laugh; it was a miracle the phone wasn't halfway across the room and in pieces by now; for Arthur was at a loss. Thoughts were running through his mind, one after another, things he'd never even heard cross his mind.
This can't be happening. No. Don't hang up, don't hang up, Ariadne hold on, I'll be there Ms. Ariadne, just wait…
"I trust we're understood then."
No- In a flash of movement Arthur was dashing out the hotel room, counting room numbers in his head. Cobb was in 615, two floors above-Ariadne had 413…they were supposed to be on different floors so that they didn't look as if they were associated. The whole idea seemed stupid now; who cared if they were criminals? They would escape, as they always did-but Ariadne wasn't them. She was better than their whole lot, better than all of them combined-Cobb should have never drug her in. Arthur himself should have refused to teach her anything, paradoxes be damned…
"Goodbye, Arthur." There was a click as Arthur crossed into the elevator-he swore silently as the doors slid shut and he slipped his phone into his pocket.
A few minutes later…
Cobb had happened to pass by a mirror in his hotel room. Not that he was a vain man, but the swelling of his jaw was rather attention grabbing and he couldn't seem to help but stare. Had that really happened? He could barely recall, everything was blurred in his mind now…he'd been drunk, that was for sure. Ariadne, getting that close to him, was a foolish and dangerous move…not that he was anywhere near to blaming her for the incident. God, it'd been stupid-more than that it'd been wrong. He felt sick to his stomach at the memory of her lips against his…how soft they'd been, how yielding…just for one blinding, earth shattering moment.
Disgusted with himself he combed back his hair with a firm hand, bending over the sink of his bathroom as if he would actually be sick. It had felt so right…but that was what was wrong! During the Inception job he'd felt nothing for her like this…not this absolutely true feeling. As if Ariadne and him were puzzle pieces, meant to fit with the other…Mal.
A picture of his deceased wife flew before his eyes- temporarily yielding his sanity to the image he ventured out on a limb, peering at the picture closely. Her hair was down, waving in the wind, her eyes so blue they were almost violet…tears welled up in her eyes. Dom. She whispered-Cobb's stomach actually jumped at the word and he leaned farther over the sink, ready to be sick. How could he do that to her? How could he do this to…anyone? To Arthur, his co-worker…his friend? Were they even friends any longer? He hadn't estimated this, he couldn't have predicted this…
What happened next was a blur as much as the kiss in Ariadne's apartment had been-one moment he was bent over the sink, sweating and near puking with guilt, when there was a pounding on his hotel room door. The guilt pushed him into a run, his paranoia climbing-who was it? What had happened-for once, his paranoia proved true. The door swung open to a pale, straight-faced Arthur.
"Andres has her."
Cobb's mouth tightened-he was quite a sight with his rumpled hair and clothing, but Arthur could have been a mirror image as far as destruction wise-both of them looked like they'd been through hell. Without another word Cobb was turning on his heel, grabbing his unpacked suitcase from the floor, heading out the door, heading down the hallway to retrieve Yusuf, Eames, and Lacey…
"How did this happen?" he demanded, striding into the elevator; Arthur joined him at his side, purposeful as well. They were a force to be reckoned with-an undeniable team no matter which way you looked at it.
"I'll tell you on the way there." Arthur informed him, dark eyes intent-
The elevator doors slid shut-and the hunt began.
~How's that? Omigawwwddd this was so much fun to do. Reviews please, reviews! I love 'em. If I get 3 reviews I'll write up the next chapter in a flash, swearsies. Hope you liked it-MsArtemis~