Inception - Mind over matter

There and Back

"So that's it then?" said Eames.

  Dom and Ariadne ran in.  

"He's dropped into limbo," Dom rubbed between his eyes.

"Well it's not me who doesn't get to go back to my family," stated Eames, "It's a real shame; I thought we had this. I really wanted to see what would happen in there," he looked longingly at the steel door.

Tiffany stared at the red spots on Robert's jumper, "We can't leave him down there," she said, "He'll be braindead when we go back to reality."

"We can follow him," said Ariadne, "Find him, find a kick down there, and then ride all the other synchronized kicks back up the levels,"

"There isn't enough time," snapped Dom,

"But there will be enough time down there," Ariadne shouted back.

Tiffany got to her feet, "We don't have time to argue. I'm going."

"No," said Dom, before adding; "My demons are down there. Let me face them. I'll find Fischer, I'll send him back, you can revive him with that," he pointed to the defibrillator. "He'll have about five minutes left. Eames, can you fix all the charges ready to blow the hospital?"

"Most definitely."

Tiffany put Dom and Ariadne under while Eames ran off to set all the charges. Her heart raced faster and fasted as gunfire sounded after him. Saito sat by the vent, no longer able to move.
"Hang in there, Saito," she told him, "We're so close now. I need you to do one last thing-" clattering came from inside the vent, "-guard this opening while I set the rest of the charges inside."

She slapped a gun into one of his hands, and a grenade in the other. She skirted around the three bodies in the room and stuck up the charges. She gritted her teeth as Saito opened fire into the vent. She set the timers and ran back to Robert. She started up the defibrillator. It climbed in pitch. Then she hit him with it. His body jumped like a crazed puppet, limbs flying everywhere, then lay still. Tiffany tried again, frustration burning through her like a black fire. Tears welled up her eyes.

"Come back!" she screamed.

He sat up suddenly, puffing. She pulled him to his feet before he even realized she was there.

"Quick, inside," she pushed him towards the steel door.

"No!" he cried, "Please come with me?" he held out his hand, eyes shining.

She nodded and took his hand.

He opened the door to reveal a large hospital room. Robert let go and approached the single bed that was in the middle, holding a frail old man hooked up to all manner of beeping instruments. Tiffany stayed in the doorway. Eames appeared beside her. He nudged her shoulder and pointed to Saito. Her heart dropped. He was dead, his eyes blank and staring.

In the hospital room, Robert took his father's hand. The old man pulled back, pointing to his bedside cabinet. Robert opened it. Inside was a small, silver safe. He instinctively began punching in numbers; a little screen emitted a blue light, then it swung open. 

Tiffany and Eames craned their necks to see. On the bottom of two shelves was an envelope. Robert ignored it, instead reaching for the child-made ornament on the top shelf. His bottom lip wobbled, and tears spilled down his cheeks. He looked back to his father, who looked as if he was asleep.

"I understand now," whispered Robert, "You wanted me to be my own man,"

Beside her, Tiffany heard Eames reach the end of the countdown under his breath. She closed her eyes as deafening, hot explosions engulfed them.

The flames receded, then rushed back, hotter than before, then blackness.

The next time Tiffany opened her eyes, she was underwater, trapped by her seat belt inside a sinking van. Arthur thrust a breather at her and she gratefully sucked in a lungful of air. Arthur cut through her seat belt with a pocket knife. He pointed to the shattered window, his movement slow in the water. 

She nodded in understanding. She passed the breather back to Arthur and propelled herself out into the open water. It felt warm compared to level three snow. Rays of sunlight streamed through the murky water around her, glistening. She followed them up to the surface, kicking furiously as her lungs constricted, empty and in desperate need of air. 

 Her mind whirled with escaping memories. They were gone before she could blink. Emotions churned through her body, layered with panic. She kept swimming after she broke the surface, making for the bit of land ahead. A breeze drifted over the water, chilling her ears and strengthening the foul smell of pollution. She crawled half way onto the land and collapsed. The water lapped at her legs. She tried to hold onto the images in her head but they flashed past and vanished. 

 The second two levels blurred together, a hotel, blinding snow, a hospital. Saito! He died, would Dom have found him in limbo? And Robert Fischer... did he get into the hospital? She couldn't remember him very well, did she even talk to him?

Tiffany. Her own name. Someone called it. Hands clamped around her arms and pulled her fully from the water. Cold air circled her legs. She struggled feebly to sit up. The person helped her.

"Thank you," she stammered, looking up into the face of her rescuer, Robert.

"It's alright," he said, gathering her into his arms.

The action startled Tiffany, but she still felt too weak, and he was too warm, for her to protest.

"I know what I have to do now," he told her, hugging her close.

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.