Fanfiction - ENJAMBMENT, Chapter 3 At the edge of her seat
Title: Enjambment, Chapter 3 At the edge of her seat
Characters: Ariadne/Dom, all the cast
Rating: T/ PG-13
Summary: It is about the gaps, the leaps of faith necessary to go from one line to the next. the lines don't break where you expect them to, and sometimes it doesn't go anywhere it was supposed to go. An Ariadne-centric story set on the plane before Dom wakes.
Disclaimer: Chris Nolan and WB owns everything. I just dream my little dream because they let me. This is my first ever fanfic so I would appreciate it the feedback.
He opened his eyes.
He was disoriented and it felt like he hasn't moved his body in ages. For what it was worth, it was a literal analogy.
He attempted to stretch, noting the wrinkles on his usually immaculately pressed trousers. For long-haul flights he would normally change to sweats or similar sleepwear that could bear the punishment of a confined space. Though he normally traveled private nowadays (which meant that he could often request for aircraft with an actual bed configuration in the compartment), habits ingrained from years of service meant that he was quite frugal for a man with his resources. Although they were in first class, he noted that the seat width was still not as wide as the seats on the private planes that were usually found for him (nor was it as luxurious as the first class of the top Asian airlines).
He examined his hands, exhilarated at the absence of spots and other telltale signs of emaciation. He remembered who he was, he was back.
He turned to his side, searching for the man that saved him.
He was still in his seat, with his eyes closed peacefully sleeping. He noted that only Cobb, himself and Fischer, Jr. were still connected to the metal case.
He looked around to see how the others were faring as he pulled the IV line off his wrist, wincing as he squeezed the cannula. The Indian - the chemist - seemed to be busy monitoring the younger Fischer while conversing with the chief flight attendant (who was under his direct employ in this particular matter). They seemed to be conferring how much longer the remaining dreamers could stay sedated before she had to go through with the landing procedures (which was apparently in three more hours). They hadn't realized that he was already awake.
He turned around, feeling someone boring holes in his head. He saw the girl, who he had presumed was still asleep as well. He remembered this girl and Cobb chasing after Fischer back in the snowy fortress. He held on as long as he could before that world faded and he ended up… elsewhere. He still couldn't remember exactly how he got to where that was and what exactly was there. But he hadn't seen her, only Cobb had been brought before him at that long ago (was it long ago?) dining table which meant she had already woken by the time Cobb found him.
She continued to give him a pointed look. "You owe him that much," she said in an icy tone.
Saito had faced down many an adversary, and he did not consider the girl as one. But the coldness in the girl's stare prompted him to remember that he was a man of honor, despite all the things that he has done in the service of the Corporation that the Family has founded.
"Yes," he said, his voice gravelly from long hours of disuse. Nothing else needed to be said.
The others turned from their deliberations around the younger billionaire once they heard the girl speak, and the flight attendant soon rushed towards him with a glass of water. He took the glass then waved her off, grasping the phone on his armrest and dialed a number as he emptied the glass into his parched mouth.
He made the call.
Afterwards, he pressed the button for the flight attendant to come back. In real time, he had been out for at least six hours and he had not had a chance to sample the in-flight cuisine. He did buy nearly all the young Australian airline's stock and his business-centered mind knew it was necessary to have a sense of the normal services it provided. The purchase needed to appear to be a legitimate investment, otherwise his own majority shareholders (namely the Family) would not be pleased.
He selected his meal from the menu provided by the chief FA, and noted the dearth of international selections. And these airlines wonder why no one wanted to shell out good money for first class? He understood the energy industry - power made the world function, in the small and grand things and everything in between. He found no sensible reason for personal transport to be operated as a monopoly yet he saw no profit in unnecessary diversification. As soon as the fiscal year was over, when the Inception's results had fully manifested, he would jettison the stock.
The silence in the cabin prompted him to look around and notice that the other men were not at their seats. Likely they were stretching their limbs. Something I should be doing myself.
He stood up and turned around, intending to take the staircase at the rear of the first class compartment to investigate the airplane bar that solely occupied the Boeing 747 mezzanine, and was startled by the fitful appearance of the young woman seated behind him. Her eyes were closed, and she was mumbling to herself. He spoke to her not longer than ten minutes prior and she seemed to have stumbled back to sleep - which is impossible. No one that can look at him that sharply could fall back to sleep that quickly.
"Excuse me?," he said gently. He nudged the girl's shoulder tentatively. "Maybe you shouldn't be taking a nap? I presume that it isn't often that you fly first class so may I suggest that you allow yourself to enjoy the facilities and the service?"
"I wouldn't exactly call that restful sleep," she deadpanned. The young woman turned her head and looked surreptitiously across the aisle through half-closed eyes. "I'm trying to clear my head."
She fully opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Why are they still connected to the machine?"
Saito looked behind him and noted that both Fischer and Cobb were still connected to the PASIV and still dozing.
"From what I understand, the sedatives that Yusuf gave us have an effective potency that lasts at least 8 hours. Given that it is already 6 hours in, I believe Yusuf was considering allowing the sedative to run its course just to ensure that the Inception fully takes effect."
Both of them stared at the dark blonde man across the aisle, troubled expressions on both their faces.
"They're keeping it on for him," Saito monotoned.
"They're not sure if he could make it out if he's disconnected to it before he comes back," Ariadne intoned with resignation. "Plus it wouldn't do us any good if our mark sees Cobb connected to that case when he wakes up."
Saito sat by the edge of the armrest of her seat, his quest for a drink forgotten. Ariadne didn't seem to mind, in fact she adjusted her position so that she could still have an unobstructed view of Cobb and still look up at the client.
"He said he would find you," Ariadne volunteered after what seemed like an interminable amount of oppressive silence.
"He obviously did," he responded. His tone was without arrogance nor annoyance.
Saito could not comprehend how this man who pulled him out of limbo, who had done the impossible Inception, could be lost. He was starting to remember things more clearly now - they said that they would be young men again together. Cobb gave him his gun, and he shot himself in the head. It was not a pleasant experience.
"He said he would come back. I thought he was alright. I shouldn't have believed him."
Saito turned and looked down at the young woman. Her shoulders were slumped and her seat seemed to swallow up her too small frame. From what he understood, this was her first job. Yet somehow, she seemed to be burdened with such a heavy weight and her eyes seemed to stare out at the man across them with an intensity that would be easy to label as desire were it not for the darkness in her expression.
He was born during the onset of the sixties and remembered the tales of his elders about the Family's role during the last World War. The Family had supported much of the war effort, opening up not just their coffers to the Emperor but had sent able bodied grand uncles and uncles to the front. When they came back (they were able to secure some of the Family behind more secure posts, but not for all), it seemed like they never really came back. There was one uncle, his mother's cousin who was a favorite of his grandfather, who had been stationed in China and was apparently involved in the occupation of Nanking which lasted well into the fifties after the World War officially ended. This uncle's wife refused to give up and had questioned why the Family did not further use its influence to bring him home. But the War weakened their influence immensely, especially after the Americans came after Hiroshima and established their bases. It would be well into the eighties before the Family earned back their economic and political might, befriending both the Allied and Axis powers and becoming a mega-corporation that spanned the globe.
When this uncle came home after the Chinese finally expelled them, his wife had been waiting. Surprisingly, he seemed to have been the most adjusted of all the returning soldiers. But he remembered this aunt, whose eyes still had a haunted look up to the day she died in the eighties. They said that she never forgave herself for not trying hard enough to bring her husband home.
He looked at Ariadne and saw his bent aunt, even their height was the same. He touched her shoulder, urging her to look at his eyes.
"Ms. Ariadne, you are too young to live a life of regret."
Author's note: I had fun writing Saito, mostly because I've actually known a good number of Saito-type individuals. I also realized there aren't that many that write Saito (at least in the non A/A pieces). For those who are not aware, the Occupation of Nanking (or Nanjing, depending on which romanization of Mandarin you wish to use) is a fact. This is one of the main reasons behind the modern tensions between mainland China and Japan both economically and politically.
Chapter 4