EPILOGUE
By the monitors

DISCLAIMER: same as before.

Arthur was greeted by a dark haired, pale man by the transfer announcement monitors closest to the arrivals gate he was exiting from. He didn't acknowledge Miles as he walked past, but this guy he cannot ignore. He strode past him a bit further, isolating them from other people that could possibly overhear.

"Hayden Titan," Arthur droned. Hayden Titan wore the same black suit and periwinkle tie today that he did when he gave Dominic Cobb a plane ticket and advice to run. It was a uniform the Agency approved of, and it made his pale skin look even paler.

"Arthur Merc," the man responded. He eyed Arthur's luggage then turned his face back to the arrivals gate. "You're doing well out there, I see you're carrying Hermes man bags now."

"What can I say, I have discriminating taste." Both men stood side to side, watching the foot traffic.

"There was an interesting development today. It seems that Malorie Cobb's death was ruled as a suicide by a reconvened investigation. Seems like all of her previous psychiatric assessments, every single one, has been voided because apparently she went to a bunch of unlicensed quacks with malpractice suits a mile long."

"Cobb's charges?"

"Dropped this morning. I'm not even sure that the DA's office was even open at that hour."

"That's good news," says Arthur feigning nonchalance.

"Yes," the man crossed his arms. "It is good news all around for us."

Arthur cast a stony glare at Titan. "The Agency could have done a lot more all these years."

"We just call ourselves the Agency, but really we're still bound to the same bureaucracy and offices we've been seconded from," drones Titan, raising a brow at Arthur. "Well some of us anyway. It's not easy to operate covert in home country. Things could be so much easier in Afghanistan… or Ethiopia. Plus all the evidence to prove his innocence is classified, which you know. Hey, he gets to call his kids practically daily without anyone succeeding with a trace."

Both men watched Cobb hug his father-in-law as he emerged from the arrivals gate. They walked in a relaxed but quick fashion away, homeward bound. Arthur noticed that Ariadne was actually walking not too far away from Cobb, and as discussed didn't greet Miles though he swore the old man and the girl exchanged a look. She walked opposite of the direction he was standing. Now, just queue the Casablanca music. He watched her retreating form, and shrugged.

"Is he ready?", asked Titan. Arthur turned back to the man, his face livid.

"Oh come on. He just got back! Very likely he may never come back in again," bristled Arthur.

"Well then you're going to have to report in your debrief session why the operative we've waited over two years for to come back won't."

Hayden Titan also noticed the small brunette. He knows there's a story there somewhere, but it wasn't the most important one… yet.

Enjambment - The term is directly borrowed from the French enjambement, meaning "straddling" or "bestriding". Meaning flows as the lines progress, and the reader's eye is forced to go on to the next sentence. It can also make the reader feel uncomfortable or the poem feel like "flow of thought" with a sensation of urgency or disorder. Enjambment may also be used to delay the intention of the line until the following line and thus play on the expectation of the reader and surprise them.

Author's Note:

In case some of you may not have gotten the reference, Ariadne auf Naxos is a German opera. The main plot is that in a wealthy house there were two entertainment troupes that had to perform almost simultaneously because of a scheduling error. One was a comedy troupe, while the other was to perform an opera about Ariadne's time in the island of Naxos where Theseus had left her and she was going insane. The opera opens with the Ariadne's anguish at being left by the man she loved and pining for death. Then the lead from the comedy troupe interrupts her and essentially tells her to get a life and screw other men to forget Theseus. Operatic Ariadne dismisses her (of course), but soon the god Bacchus lands in Naxos and woos and rescues her.

The aria (see?) "Es gibt ein Reich" serves as the basis for the musical score of this story in my head. Not sure how it would sound like slowed down though. The soundtrack to Inception was sort of an homage to Marion Cotillard. As much as I wanted to use something from Juno as it is Ellen Page's breakthrough movie, the songs there just don't fit in the Inception universe. This is where I figured it was time to look to the classics.

Nolan did not give any of the other characters last names, so I decided to take a page from the opera but of course with my own twist. Leo and Ellen always said in interviews that Ariadne is Dom's therapist - the person that points out "he needed to do personal work on himself". Ellen also said that Ariadne ended up getting more than she bargained for (which we can interpret any way we want until further verified). But she pointed out that one of Ariadne's strong motivations had been her compulsion to protect others so I hoped that came across here. I chose to name her Ariadne Bacchus because she should be whole unto herself, but for purposes of this story she also had to do some "personal work". As for Dom being Theseus, I didn't have the heart to fully go in that direction. Theseus was a bastard who had a fickle heart and kidnapped women he fancied and Dom Cobb was anything but that. Also, I always felt that if Dom has tricked himself into believing he has gone home, then it has to be such a well-crafted delusion where he would have had no contact with any significant counter from his subconscious. As for Mal, in Dom's head she was a bitch (the original Theseus), but I always felt that the real Mal (prior to Dom's inception) would have wanted Dom happy and whole.

On another character, Saito is haughty, amoral and ruthless which I believe the character has to be. He is not particularly cruel, but he will do what he thinks is necessary. Yet he does come from an environment where loyalty and honor is important. Nash, the original architect, did not display loyalty and so was dealt with. Ariadne here shows a loyalty that he respects. It's not exactly because she tugged at his heart, but loyalty is something he completely understands.

A subtle point... if anyone got the other naming choices I made, plus points (It will save on further character explanations)! I just realized I created something bigger than I intended with this. (This can have an actual post Inception sequel). But that would depend on whether there is enough interest. I was working on another piece with a slightly different theory behind the ending (hint: Dom is still trapped in Limbo, that's all I can give you), and I was already writing a couple of scenes in there but this just refused to let me go.

For anyone interested, this is the English translation for Es gibt ein Reich found on a DVD recording of Ariadne auf Naxos. Imagine Cobb holding on to this CD while looking at his wedding picture.

Maybe any German readers (who know this specific aria) can tell if the translation is correct.

There is a realm where all is pure
It has a name:
The Realm of Death
Here nothing is pure.
Here all is confused.

But soon a herald will come.
Hermes they call him
With his staff
he rules over our souls
Like little birds, like dry leaves,
he drives them before him
Oh beautiful, silent god!
See! Ariadne waits!
My heart must be purged
of all its wild anguish
Then you will nod to me
Your steps will approach my cave
Darkness will enfold my eyes
Your hand will rest on my heart

In the beautiful ceremonial robes
bequeathed to me by my mother
These limbs will remain enshrouded.
This silent cave will be my tomb
But soundlessly my soul
Will follow its new lord
Like a weightless leaf in the Wind,
it will gladly follow him down
Darkness will shade my eyes
and enfold my heart
These limbs will remain
adorned and all alone
you will set me free,
restore me to myself

Take this burdensome life from me,
I will lose myself in you
Ariadne will be with you