Int. Deserted hotel lobby - day

 

The team sit on the steps of the large marble lobby,

debating. Ariadne is showing Arthur the lobby.

 

EAMES

He's not scheduled for surgery, no

dental, nothing.

 

COBB

I thought he had some knee thing?

 

EAMES

Nothing they'd put him under for.

Besides, we need a good ten hours.

62.

 

SAITO

Sydney to Los Angeles.

 

They turn to Saito.

 

SAITO

Twelve hours and forty-five

minutes-one of the longest flights

in the world. He makes it every two

weeks...

 

EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY

 

Fischer steps out of a black town car and walks across the

tarmac towards a GULF STREAM JET, accompanied by two aides.

 

COBB (V.O.)

Surely he flies private?

 

SAITO (V.O.)

Not if there were unexpected

maintenance with his plane.

 

Fischer is met at the steps by a DISTRAUGHT FLIGHT OFFICER.

 

INT. HOTEL LOBBY - DAY

 

Cobb chews this over. Arthur comes over.

 

ARTHUR

It'd have to be a 747.

 

COBB

Why?

 

ARTHUR

On a 747 the pilots are up above,

first class is in the nose so

nobody walks through the cabin.

We'd have to buyout the whole

cabin, and the first class flight

attendant-

 

SAITO

We bought the airline.

 

Everyone turns to Saito.

 

SAITO

It seemed... neater.

 

COBB

Neater, huh?

(gets to his feet)

Well, now we have ten uninterrupted

hours.

(MORE)

63.

COBB (CONT'D)

(to Ariadne)

Nice lobby, by the way.

 

And we-

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

 

The group is back in the workshop, deep in discussion.

 

ARTHUR

My question is how we go down three

layers with enough stability. Three

layers down a little turbulence is

gonna translate into an earthquake.

The dreams are gonna collapse with

the slightest disturbance.

 

Yusuf clears his throat.

 

YUSUF

Sedation. For sleep stable enough to

create three layers of dreaming...

 

INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY

 

Yusuf depresses a plunger. Arthur is SLEEPING in a chair.

 

YUSUF (V.O.)

We will have to combine it with an

extremely powerful sedative....

 

Eames SLAPS Arthur, HARD. Arthur does not stir.

 

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

 

Arthur unconsciously rubs his cheek.

 

YUSUF

The compound we'll be using to

share the dream is an advanced

Somnacin derivative. It creates a

very clear connection between

dreamers, whilst actually

accelerating brain function.

 

CUT TO:

 

COBB

Buying us more time in each level.

 

YUSUF

Brain function in the dream will be

about twenty times normal.

(MORE)

64.

YUSUF (CONT'D)

And when you go into a dream within

that dream the effect is

compounded.

 

ARIADNE

How much time?

 

YUSUF

Three dreams... that's ten hours,

times twenty, times twenty, times

twenty...

 

EAMES

Math was never my strong suit.

 

COBB

It's basically a week one layer

down, six months two layers down-

 

ARIADNE

And ten years in the third level.

Who wants to spend ten years in a

dream?

 

YUSUF

Depends on the dream.

 

EAMES

It's not going to take us long to

crack Fischer open once we get

going. We'll be out in a couple

days, max.

 

ARTHUR

How do we get out once we've made

the plant?

(to Cobb)

I hope you've got something a

little more elegant in mind than

shooting me in the head like last

time.

 

Arthur tilts back in his chair. Yusuf turns to Cobb.

 

COBB

A kick.

 

ARIADNE

What's a kick?

 

Eames slips his foot under Arthur's chair leg. TIPS it-

Arthur's legs SHOOT UP INSTINCTIVELY for balance-

 

EAMES

That, Ariadne, would be a kick.

65.

 

COBB

That feeling of falling which snaps

you awake. We use that to jolt

ourselves awake once we're done.

 

ARTHUR

But how are we going to feel that

through the sedation?

 

YUSUF

That's the clever part. I customize

the sedative...

 

INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY

 

Cobb, Eames and Yusuf watch Arthur, ASLEEP, in a chair.

 

YUSUF (O.S.)

To leave inner ear function

unimpaired...

 

Yusuf, with a wicked grin, slowly TIPS Arthur's chair

backwards... as he falls, Arthur's body JERKS, EYES OPENING

just before he HITS the floor.

 

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

 

Arthur thinks, nodding slowly.

 

YUSUF

That way, however deep the sleep, the

sleeper will still feel falling...

 

INT. MAKESHIFT LAB - DAY

 

Yusuf gleefully LEANS a SLEEPING ARTHUR to one side...

 

YUSUF (V.O.)

Or tipping...

 

Arthur goes down with a CRASH, JERKING AWAKE-

 

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

 

Arthur thinks this through.

 

ARTHUR

Even that won't cut through three

layers of deep sleep.

 

COBB

The trick is to devise a kick for

each level, then synchronize them

to get a snap that penetrates all

three layers.

66.

 

Arthur looks at Cobb, getting it.

 

ARTHUR

We can use the musical countdown to

synchronize the different kicks.

 

INT. WORKSHOP - NIGHT

 

Ariadne comes into the darkened main space. Cobb is lying on

one of the chairs, asleep. Plugged into the mechanism.

Ariadne stands over him. Watching.

 

She opens the case, PULLS one of the tubes, sits, checking

the dials as she injects the needle cap into her arm, and we-

 

CUT TO: