Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
Eames choked. He'd held up his arm to protect his face - but the cannister had split open, peppering his skin with the ground beans. As they his his face, he winced - they were sharp, and penetrating. Coughing, he moved towards the sink, turning on the faucet, determined to splash his face and clear his vision.
A door slammed - Cobb. His heart sank, knowing that the Extractor had fled. He had a sickening sensation that he was fleeing to the hospital, no doubt to see Arthur.
No doubt to torment Arthur.
As he splashed his face, his initial rage fell to a dull throb. He had to think clearly - running after Cobb would not do any good. If his suspicions were correct, turning up at the clinic, ranting and raving - they would not hesitate to lock him up, too. He reached for a towel. He had to talk to Ariadne, see what had transpired at the clinic.
But, he thought with a sickening lurch, they would probably be too late. Pausing at the sink, he hated himself for his lack of courage. Slowly,he towelled himself dry.
Arthur lay on his bed, his head swimming. Talking to a doctor about this...he almost laughed. Ariadne was so determined to try and help him, he reasoned, she had started to believe that everyone else would be willing to help him as well.
He turned over. He was taking his medication, and being obsequiously docile to the staff. In fact, he'd noticed a subtle change in how they treated him. He was no longer being spoken to harshly, and he also noticed that they were grabbing at him less.
In fact, they were treating him more like a human being. He swallowed, and began to sit up. Suddenly, he heard voices.
"Well, this is somewhat irregular, but-"
"No, please, you have to let me see him!" Arthur blinked, a sudden trickle of fear penetrating his consciousness.
He recognised that voice.
"Why?" was the patient response. Arthur strained his ears.
"Well, a friend of mine - his ex-girlfriend - came to visit him - and now she's upset." Cobb's voice sounded frayed, and hurt. "I have to find out what was said."
"Mr Cobb, I think you would feel better if you-"
"No, I need to see him! Please!"
"All right, but only for ten minutes. He needs to be settled, and can't be if he's over-excited."
Arthur heard the key scrape, and the door open. The Extractor appeared, rumpled, and to Arthur's shock, almost wild eyed. He took a step towards him.
"Listen, I don't know what you think you're doing," he said, in a low voice with a hint of menace, "but you're staying in here."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" he took a step towards Cobb. "You make it sound so clear cut...but we both know the truth."
"No, you think you know the truth," the other man countered. "You think you know what happened! But you don't!"
"Cobb, please, calm down." Arthur took another step forward. "Whatever happened to you, we can -"
"Shut up!" Cobb exploded, his anger suddenly frightening. "Nothing happened to me- we just saw your true colours! That's what happened, Arthur!"
"Cobb-" Arthur was struggling to control his voice. "I know you set Ariadne up. She told me everything!"
Cobb stopped, and blinked. "Did she?" A smile was beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth. "What else did she tell you, Arthur?"
Arthur paused, and shook his head. "I-"
"So, she told you everything...and you don't know?" There was a sibilant hush to Cobb's words. "I think she told you things, and you have tried to twist them. This is because you can't be trusted, Arthur. Not with the truth."
"And what about you?" Arthur countered. "What about how you got her to design worlds...and then used them to twist me?" He glared at the Extractor. "I think you know more than you're ever going to tell."
Cobb shook his head. "You're deluded, Arthur. So...deluded." He shook his head. "Still, I can at least talk to Ariadne."
Arthur looked at him. "What?"
"You won't be seeing her again." Cobb's eyes had narrowed. "This is my team. And there's no place on it for you anymore."
Stunned, Arthur turned and watched him leave, sinking to the floor.
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