Int. Japanese castle corridor - night

 

Cobb LURCHES towards the stairs, as all around him the

building BUCKS and HEAVES-

10.

 

INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS

 

Saito and the Guards PANIC. Mal walks calmly through the

destruction, picks up the envelope and turns to Saito.

 

MAL

He was close. Very close.

 

EXT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS

 

Cobb runs up the stairs, pulling out the SECOND ENVELOPE-

 

INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS

 

Saito RIPS open the envelope, pulls out sheets of paper. He

looks at Mal, PANICKED. He turns to the Guards-

 

SAITO

Stop him!

 

Mal, confused, looks at the sheets of paper: THEY ARE BLANK.

Mal smiles, amused.

 

INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - CONTINUOUS

 

As Cobb runs up the stairs he reads the TYPEWRITTEN SHEETS

from his envelope, and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY

 

Arthur OPENS the silver case: a COMPLEX MECHANISM of TUBES,

SYRINGES, DOSAGE CONTROLLERS. Arthur's hands fly across the

machine's controls as he glances at Saito's STIRRING face-

 

ARTHUR

I'm not going to make it! Wake

Cobb!

 

INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

 

Nash turns to Cobb. Raises his hand and SMACKS him across the

face, and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT

 

Cobb is SMASHED sideways off his feet...

11.

 

INT. DINING ROOM, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT

 

The CEILING CRACKS above Saito- he looks up as a TON of STONE

floods down, CRUSHING HIM and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY

 

Saito's eyes FLICKER OPEN. AWAKE.

 

INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

 

Nash SMACKS Cobb again-

 

NASH

He won't wake!

 

INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM-CONTINUOUS

 

Arthur crouched by Saito, connects the second tube.

 

ARTHUR

Dunk him!

 

A CLICK: Arthur looks up to find Saito with a gun to his head

and a finger to his lips, gesturing silence...

 

INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

 

Nash puts his hand on Cobb's forehead and PUSHES HIM

BACKWARDS- as Cobb starts to FALL BACKWARDS in the chair we

are in SLOW MOTION, and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT

 

Cobb, full speed, picks himself up, scrambling to read the

last sheet of paper. He stares at it PUZZLED- bullets hit

around him as the Guards race up the stairs and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY

 

Cobb in SLOW MOTION, hits the WATER- head THRASHING as he

goes under- and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. GRAND STAIRCASE, JAPANESE CASTLE - NIGHT

 

Cobb glances up from the paper as WATER EXPLODES IN THROUGH

ALL THE WINDOWS, FLOODING THE ENTIRE HALL-

12.

 

COBB IS SWAMPED BY WATER, SPUN IN ALL DIRECTIONS AT ONCE- HE

PULLS DEEPER OR FOR THE SURFACE, WE CAN'T TELL...

 

HE BREAKS THE SURFACE, GASPING FOR AIR IN THE BATHTUB IN THE-

 

INT. FILTHY BATHROOM - DAY

 

Cobb's AWAKE, GULPING AIR, getting his bearings.

 

Saito SMASHES into the room, KNOCKING Nash down- Cobb

LAUNCHES himself out of the tub, FLYING dripping wet across

the room to SLAM Saito against the door- the gun DROPS,

Cobb's fist CONNECTS with Saito's jaw and the struggle is

over.

 

INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

 

Cobb, wet but composed, sits, turning Saito's gun in his

hand. Nash holds Saito's arms behind him. Outside, the sounds

of RIOTING grow louder.

 

COBB

You came prepared.

 

SAITO

I bring the gun because not even my

head of security knows this

apartment. How did you find it?

 

Arthur, at the window, looks out at the WORSENING VIOLENCE.

 

COBB

Hard for a man in your position to

keep a love nest totally secret...

particularly when there's a married

woman involved.

 

SAITO

She would never...

 

COBB

And yet, here we are.

 

Saito is silent.

 

COBB

With a dilemma.

 

SAITO

You got what you came for.

 

COBB

Not quite. The key piece of

information wasn't there, was it,

Mr. Saito?

13.

 

Arthur looks over at Cobb, worried.

 

ARTHUR

They're getting closer, Cobb.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. BULLET TRAIN COMPARTMENT - DAY

 

Todashi slips a pair of HEADPHONES over Nash's ears, then

pulls out an MP3 player and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. DILAPIDATED HOTEL ROOM - DAY

 

Saito's eyes are on the floor.

 

COBB

You held something back because you

knew what we were up to...

 

Cobb uses the barrel of the gun to raise Saito's chin.

 

COBB

So why let us in at all?

 

Saito smiles, defiant. VIOLENT NOISES echo up the stairway...

 

SAITO

An audition.

 

COBB

Audition for what?

 

SAITO

It doesn't matter. You failed.

 

COBB

I extracted all the information you

had in there.

 

SAITO

But your deception was readily

apparent.

 

And we-

 

CUT TO: