Ext. Street, Mombasa - continuous

 

Cobb stands up, PUSHES into the crowd- faces PEER at him- he

moves, trying to blend- TURNS- a SECOND BUSINESS MAN is

there.

44.

 

COBB

(disarming smile)

Yes?

 

SECOND BUSINESSMAN

We need to-

 

Cobb HEAD BUTTS the Second Businessman, PUSHES past him-

 

The First Businessman races out of the bar, sees Cobb's wake,

DIVES after him- Cobb RACES headlong through tight

passageways, WEAVING through or KNOCKING into the locals...

 

He steps into a dark, crowded cafe, scanning the tables...

the First Businessman enters, spots him. An AFRICAN MAN gets

in Cobb's face, jabbering at him in Swahili- Cobb considers

his options... the First Businessman DRAWS A GUN- Cobb bolts,

steps up on a table and out an open window, SCRAMBLING into

the alley outside...

 

Cobb LOOKS left, right... CUTS LEFT into a narrow, CROWDED

alley- the alley NARROWS TO A DEAD END. Faces in the CROWD

start to watch Cobb- PEOPLE start to SURROUND him- Cobb looks

back the way he came- the two Businessmen are there, GUNS

DRAWN-

 

Cobb sees a SMALL GAP between the buildings at the narrow end-

he THROWS himself into it- gets STUCK HALFWAY...

 

The crowd bears down, GRABBING for him as Cobb struggles to

SQUEEZE HIMSELF through the gap... Cobb's moving INCHES as

his pursuers gain YARDS... the Crowd is upon him... he BURSTS

FREE. TUMBLING onto the next street, ROLLING out of sight.

 

Cobb Jumps to his feet- in a market square. TWO MORE

BUSINESSMEN move towards him. Cobb BOLTS but a CAR SKIDS UP,

BLOCKS HIS PATH- the door opens- SAITO IS IN THE BACK.

 

SAITO

Care for a lift, Mr. Cobb?

 

COBB

(jumping in)

What brings you to Mombasa, Mr.

Saito?

 

SAITO

I have to protect my investment.

 

EXT. COFFEE HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

 

Eames stands on the pavement. The car pulls up. Cobb beckons

from the rear window. Eames looks at Saito. Back to Cobb.

 

EAMES

This is your idea of losing a tail?

45.

 

COBB

(shrugs)

Different tail.

 

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

 

Arthur sits at the table, working on a mechanism. A small

COUGH prompts him to look up: Ariadne is there.

 

ARTHUR

He said you'd be back.

 

ARIADNE

I tried not to come.

 

ARTHUR

But there's nothing else quite like

it.

 

ARIADNE

No paper, no pens... nothing

between you and raw, direct

creation.

 

Arthur picks up his mechanism.

 

ARTHUR

Shall we take a look at paradoxical

architecture?

 

Ariadne nods, takes off her coat and we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. PENROSE STEPS - LATER

 

Arthur leads Ariadne down some busy steps in a large glass

and steel ATRIUM in an office complex.

 

ARTHUR

You're going to have to master a

few tricks if you're going to build

three complete dream levels.

 

A SECRETARY DROPS some papers as they pass...

 

ARIADNE

What sort of tricks?

 

They take a tight turn and continue down the next flight.

 

ARTHUR

In a dream, you can cheat

architecture into impossible

shapes.

(MORE)

46.

ARTHUR (CONT'D)

That lets you create closed loops,

like the Penrose Steps. The

infinite staircase.

 

Ariadne FREEZES- THEY ARE IN THE EXACT SPOT THEY STARTED

DESCENDING FROM, next to the Secretary gathering her papers.

 

Ariadne puzzles at the impossible construction of the stairs.

 

ARTHUR

See...

 

Arthur stops her gently- they are on the highest step, with a

LARGE DROP to the next step. Arthur gestures at the drop.

 

ARTHUR

Paradox. A closed loop like this

helps you disguise the boundaries

of the dream you've created.

 

ARIADNE

How big do the levels have to be?

 

ARTHUR

Anything from the floor of a

building, to an entire city. But it

has to be complicated enough for us

to hide from the projections.

 

ARIADNE

A maze.

 

ARTHUR

And the better the maze-

 

ARIADNE

The longer we have before the

projections catch us.

 

Ariadne looks around. Sees people LOOKING at Arthur.

 

ARIADNE

My subconscious seems polite

enough.

 

ARTHUR

You wait, they'll turn ugly. No one

likes to see someone else messing

around in their mind.

 

ARIADNE

Cobb can't build anymore, can he?

47.

 

ARTHUR

I don't know if he can't, but he

won't. He thinks it's safer if he

doesn't know the layouts.

 

ARIADNE

Why?

 

ARTHUR

He won't tell me. I think it's Mal.

I think she's getting stronger.

 

ARIADNE

His ex-wife?

 

ARTHUR

She's not his ex.

 

ARIADNE

They're still together?

 

Arthur turns to Ariadne. Gentle.

 

ARTHUR

No. No, she's dead, Ariadne. What

you see in there is just his

projection of her.

 

ARIADNE

What was she like in real life?

 

ARTHUR

(quiet)

She was lovely.

 

CUT TO: