A Closed Circle

Chapter 11

Through Door Number Two

Yusuf and his daughter met up with them without mishap. The moment he laid eyes on the daughter, however, he was coming up with all kinds of "mishaps".

She couldn't be older than fourteen. Sure, Yusuf had told them it was his youngest daughter. And sure with Yusuf only in his late thirties … well. Arthur should have seen it coming. Instead he'd let Yusuf go since the girl was family, and as a chemist the man was trustworthy enough. Good at his job.

And yet Arthur'd problems with the girl coming in the first place. Now he was more than certain she shouldn't be involved. Not with this. Not in the field. Not facing what they were likely to face.

Not when there had been attempts at murder, torture, and dead bodies. All in 24 hours.

A girl only recently out of childhood shouldn't be exposed to something like that.

"I'm staying," the girl said from the front passenger seat before he could even open his mouth to object. "I know my father's business, and violence does not frighten me. I will stay."

The confident glare she threw over her shoulder had him adjusting her age. Sixteen maybe.

"What's your name?" she asked the girl casually, attempting to diffuse the tension. Her thigh pressed against his as she leaned forward, effectively distracting him from his minor irritation.

"Kiran."

"Okay, Kiran, the point no one actually tried to make is that what we're doing is dangerous. Not to mention illegal, and you are a minor. Daughter or not, that makes all of us somewhat responsible for you. Therefore if you're caught, we can all get in trouble, not just from doing something against the law, but for getting you involved in that something."

"I still don't see the problem. I wouldn't blame any of you. My father taught me -"

"Saying so now is all well and good, love, but it's another matter when there's a copper bearing down on you with the full force of the law behind him."

"Exactly," Arthur was really not very fond of agreeing with Eames, but when he was right … "Most likely you'll cave. That's expected. That's understandable. It just would have been nice to know your actual age before you got here." He shot Yusuf a dirty look.

"Yes well," Yusuf grinned, "you'll just have to trust me when I say she can do that job. And she won't leave base anyway. She's there for the chemicals and to watch. Eventually she will be full partner in my shop and then take it over. She needs to study as much as she can now."

"This is not an internship program!"

"Either Kiran comes or I don't. And we both know I'm the best you can get, Arthur."

Something about the girl put a smile on her face. It annoyed him, but she didn't seem to care. She spent the whole ride back crammed between him and Yusuf. Head down. But still a slight smile her her lips.

He also kept his head turned in and down avoiding – as best he could – being caught any surveillance camera. Especially at the airport.

Eames updated Yusuf on the most recent problems they were hit with. Then the lot of them fell silent. That silence that in no way was natural. Awkward; slightly. Nervous; certainly.

Thinking. Resting. (ha!) Trying to forget for a bare moment that this endeavor was going to be more complex than any of them initially believed. And the pay dammed well better reflect that. Though he – of course – would do whatever necessary for her. Regardless of cost or risk. He had money. He didn't need Saito's.

But this was looking more and more like a murder job. No doubt Collin wouldn't be the last body they left behind them. And extractors weren't assassins.

Murder should never be done for pennies. Theft and implantation of ideas and memories was an expensive business. Murder even more so.

It was a given that the price on a human life would ring up higher.

Before he realized it they had arrived back at the house. They each entered the place in quiet contemplation.

Eames directed Yusuf and Kiran to rooms upstairs, and then they all met in the kitchen. She got drinks and lunch ready for all of them.

"...I have to go to the police station next," she said, head still down. She waved of a chorus of 'whats' with her sandwich. "It was arson. No question. I was there. No question. The place is in my name … No question. I have to go or I have to leave the country. At which case the arson will be on my head and no one elses. They won't even search for anyone else." She looked up finally, and for the first time in hours, there was fear in her eyes. "Arson and my real name. I can't let that happen."

"Which means a right load of shit on our doorsteps," Eames was shredding bread, seemingly to no end. "You won't be able to step out the country until they finish the investigation. You're trapped Ariadne."

"We have to be here anyway," she insisted. "Obara's here. Yusuf and I can do basic surveillance on him while you to go to New York for Finnik and Hong Kong for Brown. I'll take care of my business here. I've met a few people over the past three years. I'll be fine. I can get any charges taken care of. But it will take some time. So we can stay here."

He shared a quick grimaces with Eames, but both folded quickly. She was right. It was the best plan of action when considering where they were at now and the next move they had to make.

"But don't tell Saito. Please. I'm the weak link as it is. It will get even worse if he finds out about the building."

This time Eames didn't agree. "Presuming he's a fool. No, Ariadne. Not telling him is a unhealthy mistake. He will find out. Better if he finds out first from you."

"But –"

"Do like Eames says. Don't get yourself in more trouble than you have to."

Her chin dropped further. But she nodded. Ten minutes later she ended her call to Saito with a pinched look on her face. She brushed off any effort to console her.

Three hours later she was locked somewhere with a building full of police officers, and he and Eames were on a plane pointed at North America.

He hadn't kissed her again.

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I'm so sorry for this embarrassment of a chapter. School's been crazy and NaNoWriMo just got going. I'm focusing on original work for the next couple of days. Again, please accept my apologies and I hope to get back to this asap.