2.
~ Arthur never understood women who stayed in abusive relationships. He felt they were naturally weak and cowardly. He never suspected Ariadne of having escaped one. She was so bold and independent.
To learn that she had been literally a prisoner in her lover's home made him see her in a new light. How terrifying must it have been to jump ship and almost drown. How big of a risk was it to trust the body guard of her abuser? To always feel hunted by the man who she thought loved her. To never see her family again.
~ "I always keep a change of clothes. Mostly for the gym." Arthur explained.
Ariadne was changing her clothes in the small bathroom of the work shop. The Point Man was sure this Christian Tate loser would have likely put a bug on her when he saw her last. Her clothes needed to be changed and her stalker deterred.
"They're a little big." Ariadne called out to him through the closed door.
Arthur chuckled.
"Cobb's clothes are bigger." he told her as she opened the door and handed him her discarded jeans, top, jacket and scarf.
She looked adorable in his gym clothes. Why did girls always look so cute in their boyfriend's clothing? It wasn't fair.
Not that Ariadne was Arthur's girlfriend. He had made his intentions known as far back as the Fischer inception a year ago. She told him discreetly in the hotel elevator after he kissed her, she couldn't have a boyfriend. He had played it off. Told her he was just teasing, but really he was heart broken. But he let it go, and they had been able to work together and never spoke of it again.
"I'll need your shoes to." Arthur said as she stood barefoot on the cold floor.
"You really think he put a bug in my clothes and in my shoes?" She whispered.
Arthur only nodded.
"It's what I would do if I wanted to track someone." he told her.
~ If Eames were here, the Point Man and Extractor would have him call out his friends to beat Christian Tate to a bloody pulp. The Forger thought of the Architect like a kid sister and was overly protective. He had a list of less than reputable contacts all over the world who were more then willing to be aggressive with someone for cash. No questions asked and no more contacts made.
But Eames was out of the country and Arthur didn't call him. It was possible Christian Tate would go so far as to bug the Team's phones. They couldn't let it slip they were onto him.
The Point Man handed Yuseff the plastic garbage bag with Ariadne's clothing. Cobb was working on the diversion.
"No one will believe I'm Ariadne." Yuseff said as Cobb threw a trench coat over the plump Chemist.
"Sure they will. Just stay low and don't stick your head out." Arthur told him as Cobb and Yuseff went down to the garage carrying the bag of Ariadne's regular clothes.
The Point Man and Architect watched from one of the high windows as Cobb emerged on street level. The Extractor looking worriedly around the other cars. Pretending not to see the expensive Audi sitting a few meters away. Two men inside.
"Don't over sell it, Cobb." Arthur grumbled as the Extractor opened the door to his own car and ushered Yuseff inside. Only the Chemist's dark curly hair was visible over the coat. Yuseff was like a vampire ducking the sun.
"No way Christian will think that's me." Ariadne said peeping out the window.
She was wrong. Arthur smiled as Cobb sped off and that the blue Audi was quick to follow.
"You doubt my powers?" The Point Man laughed.
Ariadne looked surprised and then she smiled. Her face brightening for the first time that day.
Arthur looked over the large bruises on her arm where Christian Tate had grabbed her. Where that coward put his hands on her so roughly, he had left a hand print bruise.
The Point Man swallowed hard and left the window.
"That diversion won't fool your ex for long. We need to get you to a safe house." Arthur said as they took the back exit to the garage where Arthur's car was kept.
"What's to keep Christian from bugging your car?" Ariadne asked.
"This." Arthur said holding up what looked like a key chain.
"Magic key chain?" She asked as it lit up like something from Star Trek.
The Point Man smiled.
"It's a jamming device. Fire wall. It turns off all cell phones, GPS, WiFi and almost all electronics stop working temporarily when it's in range. Neat little thing from Wayne industries." He told her. "Most cars have all those nifty new age gadgets but mine..."
The Point Man stopped and looked proudly at his baby.
"Yours never got into the whole digital age." Ariadne smiled.
She had always loved Arthur's baby. It was a 1965 Aston Martian. The same kind James Bond drove. The Point Man had rescued "Bella" from a junk yard two years ago had loving restored her to perfection. Right down to her silver paint job and her red leather seats. He was very protective of Bella. To the point of almost getting into a fist fight with Eames because the Forger had leaned on it. But the Point Man's protectiveness didn't extend to the Architect. He was always offering her a ride home in it.
"That's right." Arthur said looking proudly at Bella. "Hold onto this." Arthur said handing her the Star Trek key chain.
"Arthur?" Ariadne said before getting in. The Point Man looked at her worriedly.
"Thank you. For helping me." She said humbly.
"We don't have a lot of time." Arthur told her.
~ Bella moved beautifully down the streets of Paris. She was a convertible and all the people were looking at them as they drove by. It was if this car was made for drives like this.
"I thought we had to keep a low profile." Ariadne laughed.
"With the jamming device, other cars won't work." Arthur told her. To the Architects amazement, the traffic lights faltered and other, newer, cars near them seemed to go temporary dead.
"See?" The Point Man told her with a nod as he maneuvered around the stalled traffic.
"Alright, Mr. Bond. You have me sold." Ariadne smiled.
Arthur seemed happy by the compliment. They quickly drove out of the city with little trouble and no traffic.
~ Arthur could never understand why men beat women either. Ariadne was tiny. Her proportions were small and delicately female. What kind of person was so insecure they had to hurt her to feel important? She wasn't big enough to fight back, so what was the point?
"So, tell me about how you go those bruises on your arm." Arthur asked once they were on the country road.
Ariadne looked uncomfortable.
"I was walking home and he met me. It's like he knew my route. Who knows how long he's been following me." She told him.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Arthur asked. "We've let you in on all our secrets."
"How could I?" She laughed. "It's so pathetic. Falling for a billionaire and not able to handle his fetishes."
"His fetishes?" Arthur repeated. "What do you mean?"
Ariadne looked uncomfortable again.
"Nothing." She said and shook her head.
"Not nothing." Arthur said sternly.
"Arthur, I don't want to talk about it." Ariadne snapped.
The Point Man ground his teeth, remained silent, and they drove out of town.
~ The safe house was in a charming little village an hour out of the city. The proprietors of the local inn were an elderly couple, and must have mistook Arthur and Ariadne as honeymooners. The old lady looked affectionately at Ariadne. Telling her over and over how pretty she was a the Architect shifted on her bare feet and tried to look casual.
"During the invasion, Hitler's invasion, that's to say." the old man said as he showed them their room. "The road you just came off of was packed with cars and people walking. I was maybe 10 years old and my mother wanted to evacuate." He explained.
Ariadne looked uneasily at the full sized bed in the room as Arthur went to the window.
The old man went on for a long time about the occupation. About the evacuees who had stayed here. How the Germans came one peaceful morning. Just a small group of them. No one knew what to make of the invaders. Then it was four years of hell and starvation till the allies arrived.
"My older sister fell madly in love with some American GI. He got shot and killed a few days after they were married." The old man explained sadly. His watery eyes looking at the road from their window.
"Thank you." Arthur said politely. "My wife is very tired." He added.
"Oh, of course. You two have a nice evening. Dinner will be at 7 sharp." The old man said.
When he was gone, Arthur turned to Ariadne.
"There's only one bed." She whispered.
"It's big enough." He told her.
She looked at him in amazement. Arthur ignored her completely and wet to the window again.
"I didn't see anyone follow us, did you?" He asked.
"Um, no." She admitted. Still reeling from his comment about the bed.
"I'm going to the store and get you some new shoes." He told her.
"You're going to leave me here alone?" She asked in shock.
"Not alone." Arthur said pulling something out of his pocket.
It was a gift box for presenting jewelery to someone. Ariadne opened it to reveal and old fashioned silver locket. Heavy scroll work layered it in rich detail.
"Its a GPS tracking device. I can find you anywhere on the planet with it." Arthur explained as he opened it. Inside was a gold heart that he pressed. His cell phone dinged from his pocket.
"All you have to do is press this, and I can find you." He told her showing the satellite map on his smart phone. The view of the inn coming in with a bulls-eye over it.
"Won't the jamming Star Trek key chain make it not work?" Ariadne asked.
"It's hardened against jamming signals. Its water proof and it's solar powered." He told her as she looked over the locket. Hesitant to put it on.
Christian was fond of his high tech toys to.
~ Arthur was back in less then half an hour. He had brought her new shoes and clothes.
"You look cute in my gym clothes, but they're not the fashion statement we want to make." Arthur teased.
Ariadne nodded. Picking out clothes for her. Another trait Arthur shared with Christian.
"Arthur, what did you mean by the bed was big enough?" She asked.
She suddenly didn't want to wear the clothing he picked out for her. A rebellious courage seized her. The same boldness that made her jump off Christian's ship wrapped in chains.
Arthur looked at her.
"What did you mean when you said you couldn't handle his fetishes?" the Point Man asked.