I don’t know. What happened back there? Where were you?
COBB
We were blocked by a freight train.
ARTHUR
(to Ariadne)
Why would you put a train crossing in a downtown intersection?
ARIADNE
I didn’t.
COBB
(snaps)
Why were we all ambushed, Arthur?! Those weren’t regular projections — they’d been trained!
ARIADNE
How could they be trained?
ARTHUR
Fischer’s had an extractor teach his mind to defend itself. His subconscious is militarized. It should’ve shown on the research—
COBB
So why the hell didn’t it?!
ARTHUR
Calm down.
COBB
Don’t tell me to calm down — you were meant to check Fischer’s background thoroughly. You can’t make this kind of mistake — we’re not prepared for this kind of violence—
ARTHUR
Cobb, we’ve dealt with sub-security before. We just have to be more—
COBB
This wasn’t part of the plan, Arthur!
(points at Saito)
He’s dying!
EAMES
So we put him out of his misery.
Eames steps into the room, pulls his gun and moves over Saito.
COBB
No.
EAMES
He’s in agony. Let’s wake him up—
Cobb GRABS Eames’s arm.
COBB
No!
(they lock eyes)
It won’t wake him up.
EAMES
What do you mean, it won’t wake him? When you die in a dream you wake up.
YUSUF
Not from this. We’re too heavily sedated to wake up that way.
Eames looks at Yusuf, then to Cobb.
EAMES
So what happens if one of us dies?
COBB
That person doesn’t wake up. Their mind drops into Limbo.
ARIADNE
Limbo?
ARTHUR
Unconstructed dream space.
ARIADNE
What’s down there?
ARTHUR
Raw, infinite subconscious. Nothing there but what was left behind by anyone on the team who’s been trapped there before. On this team… just Cobb.
ARIADNE
How long would we be stuck there?
YUSUF
You couldn’t even think about trying to escape until the sedation eases—
EAMES
How long?
YUSUF
Decades — it could be infinite — I don’t know! Ask him — he’s the one who’s been there before!
Eames moves to Cobb. Looks him in the eye.
EAMES
Great. So now we’re stuck in Fischer’s mind battling it out with his private army, and if we get hit we’re stuck in Limbo ’til our brains dissolve into scrambled egg?
Cobb says nothing. Saito groans more loudly.
ARTHUR
Let’s just get him upstairs.
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE — MOMENTS LATER
Saito is laid out on an old desk. Arthur examines him. He motions to Ariadne. Eames watches Cobb.
ARTHUR
Hold this. Firm pressure.
Arthur turns to Cobb.
ARTHUR
You knew the risks and you didn’t tell us.
COBB
There wasn’t meant to be any risk. We weren’t supposed to be dealing with a load of gunnre.
ARTHUR
You had no right.
COBB
It’s the only way you can go three layers deep, Arthur.
Arthur turns to Yusuf, hostile.
ARTHUR
And you. You went along with this?
YUSUF
I trusted him.
ARTHUR
You trusted him? When? When he promised you half his share?
YUSUF
(offended)
No! His whole share. Plus, he told me he’d done it before.
Arthur turns to Cobb.
ARTHUR
Oh, yeah? With Mal? That worked out great, didn’t it, Cobb?
Cobb grabs Arthur.
COBB
You don’t know anything about that. This was the only way to do this job, Arthur. I did what I had to do to get back to my children.
EAMES
So you led us into a war zone with no way out.
COBB
We have a way out. The kick. We just have to push on, do the job as fast as possible and get out using the kick.
EAMES
Forget it. We go any deeper, we just raise the stakes. I’m sitting it out on this level.
COBB
You’ll never make it, Eames. Fischer’s security is surrounding this place as we speak. The ten hours of the flight is a week at this level — you’ll never make it without getting killed. Downwards is the only way forwards. We have to carry on.
Saito groans. Cobb looks at him—
COBB
And we have to do it fast.
Eames and Arthur weigh this.
COBB
Eames, go get ready. Arthur, let’s get in there and soften him up.
INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE — LATER
Cobb and Arthur, wearing BALACLAVAS, PULL the sack from Fischer’s head. He is chained to the radiator.
FISCHER
I’m insured against kidnapping up to ten million — this’ll be simple—
COBB
No, it won’t.
Fischer looks at Cobb, unnerved.
ARTHUR
In. your lather’s office, below the bookshelves, is his personal safe. We need the combination.
FISCHER
I never noticed a safe—
COBB
Doesn’t mean you don’t know the combination.
FISCHER
Well, I don’t.
ARTHUR
We have it on good authority that you do.
FISCHER
Whose?
INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE — CONTINUOUS
Yusuf looks through Fischer’s wallet. Eames is opening a HINGED, THREE-WING MIRROR.
YUSUF
Five hundred dollars, this cost?
EAMES
What’s inside?
YUSUF
Cash, cards, ID… and this—
Yusuf holds up a SNAPSHOT: the photo from Maurice Fischer’s office — YOUNG ROBERT holds his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his FATHER blows on it. Eames takes it from Yusuf. STUDIES it. Cobb enters. Eames hands him the snapshot.
EAMES
Useful?
Cobb studies the snapshot. Eames examines himself in the hinged mirror from multiple angles: ONE BY ONE the myriad Eames reflections BECOME BROWNINGS. Cobb pockets the photo.
COBB
You’re on. You’ve got an hour.
EAMES
An hour? I was supposed to have all night to crack him.
COBB
And Saito was supposed to keep his guts on the inside. You’ve got an hour — get something we can use.