Bloodlust [Part 3]
Fandom: Inception (2010)
Title: Bloodlust [3/?]
Author: quillor
Pairing: Arthur/Ariadne, slight Dom/Mal
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Profanity
Disclaimer: Mr. Nolan owns everything. This story is also heavily inspired by Daybreakers and based on UglyTruth's Untold Attraction.
Summary:
AU. Humans weren't the kings of the world. Secretly, lurking in the shadows, were the vampires - fine, organized beings who harvested the human's blood. They felt no love, no compassion. Just pure, feral bloodlust.
Part 1
Part 2
The sounds of Cobb's footsteps resonated throughout the highly polished hallways - rhythmic, loud - hammering against the smooth marble floor. As he passed on, the surface of the floor reflected his sharply pressed suit, right down to its every intricate detail - but as the reflection trailed up to the perfectly ironed collars of his dress shirt, the image was lost and revealed nothing but an empty piece of clothing walking down the corridor. Like a ghost in an armor of decency.
He took a quick trip down the elevator and found himself in a long, dark hallway - the walls lined with black oak doors and shiny number plates. The underground floors had long been used for further research facilities as well as lodging for some employees. In this case, one of the rooms had to be used for Ariadne.
Cobb remembered her room's number. It had been engraved in most of the vampire's minds - for the last few weeks, she had caused a whole lot of ruckus; Cobb had expected her to retaliate after her transformation, but he didn't know she would go this far in her denial of accepting who she is now.
The little whispers that echoed just ahead gave Cobb a sign that he was drawing close to her room. His prognostications proved to be true. In front of Ariadne's room were two housekeepers and Professor Miles, the three engaged in a conversation so deep that they didn't even acknowledge Cobb's approach. Of course they had heard him coming - their ears were tuned to a range of frequencies so wide even the sound of a leaf falling would be the sound of a rock grazing against the ground - but the subject of Ariadne had always left many people oblivious to their surroundings.
It was the old professor who first turned towards Cobb and nodded.
"Finally came to see your sister?" he said, raising one eyebrow. Cobb understood his sentiments. He hadn't spared the time to actually meet Ariadne ever since her transformation and instead pushed the burden to the housekeeping team and, well, the professor. Who is also, as a matter of fact, his own father-in-law.
"Yes," he managed to answer, one hand slightly tugging on the knot of the tie that was growing tighter around his neck. He didn't like it one bit. It somehow made him feel like a prey stuck under the wrenching fangs of a vampire. Had Arthur been here the younger vampire would have smirked and commented on how ironic his thoughts were.
"Did she injure any more people?" he asked Miles.
The older man shook his head. "After Avery and Rogers, we've taken extreme measures and cuffed her hands and legs-" He stared at the black oak door of her room, a solemn expression of sympathy rushing to his face. "Just… talk to her, Dom. You can't lock her up like this. Not against her will."
"I know," Cobb mumbled, putting one hand on the door - a black frame of eerie, intimidating silence to him. "I know."
He entered then, closing the door silently behind him as his eyes darted to the young girl sitting on the bed, her back against the wooden headboard, her eyes staring blankly at the wardrobe just ahead. Cobb noticed the golden glint tinting those bright, pensive orbs.
God, she had grown so much.
"Ariadne."
He felt his breath hitch as she turned towards him. The silence was a thick haze in the room, weighing on both of them like an intimidating cloak - impervious, impenetrable. He could see the glint in her eyes as she observed the figure that is her own brother as one would observe a beast in a cage. Even with the paleness of an undead, she still looked like an innocent angel - the features she bore ten years ago as a little wide-eyed child an evident trace on her face. The only thing that was different now was that she was staring at him with intense hatred.
"Ariadne," he said once more, clearing his throat. "You've grown."
Her lips twisted into a sneer. Or at least an attempt at it. Cobb noted that her face was not designed for these kinds of cynical expressions.
"Of course I've grown," she mocked. "I wasn't an undead then."
Cobb stared at her. "This is for your own good."
"Don't you dare say fuck about what's good for me - don't you dare-"
"Ariadne, please."
He stepped forward, torn between pulling her into an awkward hug or patting her on the shoulder. He did none.
She was now lit up with fury, her young face twisted into a scowl as her body began to quiver with wrath.
"You're a fucking coward," she spat, her voice shaking. "You thought this… this condition was the best for me? To be some kind of… beast?" She choked, tripping upon her next words. "And to have one of your little cronies to do it instead? You fucking coward. No wonder Mal went insane-"
He had been listening intently to her outburst with such a calm composure - that is, until she mentioned Mal. He felt the side of his head throb with an upcoming migraine.
"This doesn't have anything to do with Mal," he said firmly, trying to divert the subject - but it was too late. Ariadne knew his weakness, and like him, she was relentless. Quickly she was back on her defense, sneering at him.
"You're just too scared to admit it," she hissed smugly, delight in her eyes as she observed the tiny twitching of his jawline. "See? You're a coward. You can't even accept the fact that you drove your own wife insane-"
"I didn't," he snapped, clenching and unclenching his fists. He wished she would shut up, would take the hint that he was a trained, older vampire who could easily rip that smug delight off her face. She didn't. He never expected her to.
"That's just like you," she laughed humorlessly. "Running away from reality, denying your crimes when obviously everyone knows what a beast you are-"
With a feral snarl, Cobb had her knocked back against the headboard, his powerful fingers clawing deep into her shoulders. Ariadne felt a sudden rush of excitement surge through her - she wanted to fight, wanted to claw at her brother, wanted to channel her fury through physical contact - but the metal surface of her cuffs handicapped her field of motion, and she could merely glare back into Cobb's glinting golden eyes, his sharp fangs glinting under the dim lights of the room as his mouth posed into a growl.
"Don't ever say that again," he breathed, his voice ragged, harsh, brutal. "Ever."
She glared back at him, equalizing his fury with hers. A few weeks ago she would have cowered and trembled at this. Now, it only made her rush with adrenaline.
"Or what?" she challenged, smirking. "You're going to burn me up in the sunlight? Drive a stake through my heart? Kill me like you've killed her?"
His eyes lit up, and for a second, Ariadne braced herself against her brother's wrath, though she refused to avert her eyes from his heavy gaze. To break eye contact would be to admit defeat - that she had learnt from her difficult days of trying to survive in the streets with low supplies of provisions.
To her surprise, though, he backed off from her after a heavy pause that seemed to have lasted forever. She felt the weight of his fingers dissipating away and found herself inwardly relieved at his retreat. She would rather die than admit it, though.
"You're not going anywhere," he added as a final touch, giving her a firm glare before exiting her room with an angry slam at the door.
Ariadne sunk down to her mattress. She wanted nothing but to fade into the darkness and let the emptiness envelope her entire being.
8888888888888888888888888
Cobb let Ariadne's words weigh down on him, her every enunciation a bite on his skin.
You killed her. You drove her insane.
He involuntarily reached for the top lying docilely by the calendar, fingering the slightly coarse surface before letting himself take the little object between his two fingers, examining it delicately as if it were a little baby. Mal had always called it her precious totem. She would spin it round and round and watch it topple down - probably in reminiscence of her childhood, but Cobb did notice that she had spun the top more and more often after her transformation.
He had once caught her in the dining room, watching with transfixed eyes as the little top danced its rhythmic routine across the table. He had assumed that she was merely bored, but her golden bright eyes were empty, almost melancholic.
The top had toppled then, clunking deeply against the hard wood, and she looked up at him. Cobb smiled at her, but she did not return the gesture.
"The top fell," she had said, indifferent in expression.
Cobb had laughed then and joked. "Of course it does, sweetie. Rule of gravity."
He expected her to smile and comment on his cheekiness, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she fingered the blade of the kitchen knife by her side, her eyes two vacant holes of intense longing.
"Then why can't I fall?"
Cobb felt that stinging pain against his temple again, and he groaned. Damn those migraines. With all his problems right now, he would have to prepare a whole box of aspirins by his side. And of course, there was still his espionage assignment from Saito - he could not let his reputation fall down the gutter by getting distracted from this one duty. Cobb pressed his lips together grimly and focused on the biggest issue at hand - Ariadne. Professor Miles was a gentle and venerated figure, even to Ariadne, but he had his own duties in the lab and Saito wouldn't be pleased to see his lead hematologist assigned to a little baby vampire. And, of course, Cobb didn't trust the housekeeping team to be able to subdue her from harming anyone else - herself included.
His fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk impatiently as his mind racked through the list of men he trusted. Cobb was picky, and it only came down to three people in his head - Eames, Arthur and Yusuf. He considered assigning Ariadne to Yusuf but the man was not so physically adept, he had always been more of a science man than a fighter. It'd only take his sister a few days to learn his weaknesses and strike. That was most certainly what he's going to do if he were in her position.
So now he had to choose between Eames and Arthur. He didn't want to tear them away from their main espionage duties, but Cobb decided that the more he mingled in doubt, the more he'd feel uneasy about his sister's condition.
Eames is a jester, Cobb pondered for a moment, scrunching his brow in concentration. He'd certainly cheer Ariadne up - or, well, rile her into insanity. Plus, he had a bad habit of fucking every female vampire he met-
The Brit was quickly off the list. Cobb's mind hung over his last, final choice - Arthur. The team would need the dedicated man for some detailed research, but that duty could surely be multi-tasked with guarding a young girl, can it? Moreover, Arthur wasn't a sleaze like Eames, nor was he an untrained doctor like Yusuf. He had a vast range of knowledge, a tight discipline, and most certainly the lingual ability to subdue violent prisoners without making any physical contact. He had also met Ariadne before - perhaps not personally, but it was still a little plus point for him…
Cobb smiled. He reached for the intercom and pressed the little button before lowering himself to the speaker.
"Send Arthur to me."
Title: Bloodlust [3/?]
Author: quillor
Pairing: Arthur/Ariadne, slight Dom/Mal
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Profanity
Disclaimer: Mr. Nolan owns everything. This story is also heavily inspired by Daybreakers and based on UglyTruth's Untold Attraction.
Summary:
AU. Humans weren't the kings of the world. Secretly, lurking in the shadows, were the vampires - fine, organized beings who harvested the human's blood. They felt no love, no compassion. Just pure, feral bloodlust.
Part 1
Part 2
The sounds of Cobb's footsteps resonated throughout the highly polished hallways - rhythmic, loud - hammering against the smooth marble floor. As he passed on, the surface of the floor reflected his sharply pressed suit, right down to its every intricate detail - but as the reflection trailed up to the perfectly ironed collars of his dress shirt, the image was lost and revealed nothing but an empty piece of clothing walking down the corridor. Like a ghost in an armor of decency.
He took a quick trip down the elevator and found himself in a long, dark hallway - the walls lined with black oak doors and shiny number plates. The underground floors had long been used for further research facilities as well as lodging for some employees. In this case, one of the rooms had to be used for Ariadne.
Cobb remembered her room's number. It had been engraved in most of the vampire's minds - for the last few weeks, she had caused a whole lot of ruckus; Cobb had expected her to retaliate after her transformation, but he didn't know she would go this far in her denial of accepting who she is now.
The little whispers that echoed just ahead gave Cobb a sign that he was drawing close to her room. His prognostications proved to be true. In front of Ariadne's room were two housekeepers and Professor Miles, the three engaged in a conversation so deep that they didn't even acknowledge Cobb's approach. Of course they had heard him coming - their ears were tuned to a range of frequencies so wide even the sound of a leaf falling would be the sound of a rock grazing against the ground - but the subject of Ariadne had always left many people oblivious to their surroundings.
It was the old professor who first turned towards Cobb and nodded.
"Finally came to see your sister?" he said, raising one eyebrow. Cobb understood his sentiments. He hadn't spared the time to actually meet Ariadne ever since her transformation and instead pushed the burden to the housekeeping team and, well, the professor. Who is also, as a matter of fact, his own father-in-law.
"Yes," he managed to answer, one hand slightly tugging on the knot of the tie that was growing tighter around his neck. He didn't like it one bit. It somehow made him feel like a prey stuck under the wrenching fangs of a vampire. Had Arthur been here the younger vampire would have smirked and commented on how ironic his thoughts were.
"Did she injure any more people?" he asked Miles.
The older man shook his head. "After Avery and Rogers, we've taken extreme measures and cuffed her hands and legs-" He stared at the black oak door of her room, a solemn expression of sympathy rushing to his face. "Just… talk to her, Dom. You can't lock her up like this. Not against her will."
"I know," Cobb mumbled, putting one hand on the door - a black frame of eerie, intimidating silence to him. "I know."
He entered then, closing the door silently behind him as his eyes darted to the young girl sitting on the bed, her back against the wooden headboard, her eyes staring blankly at the wardrobe just ahead. Cobb noticed the golden glint tinting those bright, pensive orbs.
God, she had grown so much.
"Ariadne."
He felt his breath hitch as she turned towards him. The silence was a thick haze in the room, weighing on both of them like an intimidating cloak - impervious, impenetrable. He could see the glint in her eyes as she observed the figure that is her own brother as one would observe a beast in a cage. Even with the paleness of an undead, she still looked like an innocent angel - the features she bore ten years ago as a little wide-eyed child an evident trace on her face. The only thing that was different now was that she was staring at him with intense hatred.
"Ariadne," he said once more, clearing his throat. "You've grown."
Her lips twisted into a sneer. Or at least an attempt at it. Cobb noted that her face was not designed for these kinds of cynical expressions.
"Of course I've grown," she mocked. "I wasn't an undead then."
Cobb stared at her. "This is for your own good."
"Don't you dare say fuck about what's good for me - don't you dare-"
"Ariadne, please."
He stepped forward, torn between pulling her into an awkward hug or patting her on the shoulder. He did none.
She was now lit up with fury, her young face twisted into a scowl as her body began to quiver with wrath.
"You're a fucking coward," she spat, her voice shaking. "You thought this… this condition was the best for me? To be some kind of… beast?" She choked, tripping upon her next words. "And to have one of your little cronies to do it instead? You fucking coward. No wonder Mal went insane-"
He had been listening intently to her outburst with such a calm composure - that is, until she mentioned Mal. He felt the side of his head throb with an upcoming migraine.
"This doesn't have anything to do with Mal," he said firmly, trying to divert the subject - but it was too late. Ariadne knew his weakness, and like him, she was relentless. Quickly she was back on her defense, sneering at him.
"You're just too scared to admit it," she hissed smugly, delight in her eyes as she observed the tiny twitching of his jawline. "See? You're a coward. You can't even accept the fact that you drove your own wife insane-"
"I didn't," he snapped, clenching and unclenching his fists. He wished she would shut up, would take the hint that he was a trained, older vampire who could easily rip that smug delight off her face. She didn't. He never expected her to.
"That's just like you," she laughed humorlessly. "Running away from reality, denying your crimes when obviously everyone knows what a beast you are-"
With a feral snarl, Cobb had her knocked back against the headboard, his powerful fingers clawing deep into her shoulders. Ariadne felt a sudden rush of excitement surge through her - she wanted to fight, wanted to claw at her brother, wanted to channel her fury through physical contact - but the metal surface of her cuffs handicapped her field of motion, and she could merely glare back into Cobb's glinting golden eyes, his sharp fangs glinting under the dim lights of the room as his mouth posed into a growl.
"Don't ever say that again," he breathed, his voice ragged, harsh, brutal. "Ever."
She glared back at him, equalizing his fury with hers. A few weeks ago she would have cowered and trembled at this. Now, it only made her rush with adrenaline.
"Or what?" she challenged, smirking. "You're going to burn me up in the sunlight? Drive a stake through my heart? Kill me like you've killed her?"
His eyes lit up, and for a second, Ariadne braced herself against her brother's wrath, though she refused to avert her eyes from his heavy gaze. To break eye contact would be to admit defeat - that she had learnt from her difficult days of trying to survive in the streets with low supplies of provisions.
To her surprise, though, he backed off from her after a heavy pause that seemed to have lasted forever. She felt the weight of his fingers dissipating away and found herself inwardly relieved at his retreat. She would rather die than admit it, though.
"You're not going anywhere," he added as a final touch, giving her a firm glare before exiting her room with an angry slam at the door.
Ariadne sunk down to her mattress. She wanted nothing but to fade into the darkness and let the emptiness envelope her entire being.
8888888888888888888888888
Cobb let Ariadne's words weigh down on him, her every enunciation a bite on his skin.
You killed her. You drove her insane.
He involuntarily reached for the top lying docilely by the calendar, fingering the slightly coarse surface before letting himself take the little object between his two fingers, examining it delicately as if it were a little baby. Mal had always called it her precious totem. She would spin it round and round and watch it topple down - probably in reminiscence of her childhood, but Cobb did notice that she had spun the top more and more often after her transformation.
He had once caught her in the dining room, watching with transfixed eyes as the little top danced its rhythmic routine across the table. He had assumed that she was merely bored, but her golden bright eyes were empty, almost melancholic.
The top had toppled then, clunking deeply against the hard wood, and she looked up at him. Cobb smiled at her, but she did not return the gesture.
"The top fell," she had said, indifferent in expression.
Cobb had laughed then and joked. "Of course it does, sweetie. Rule of gravity."
He expected her to smile and comment on his cheekiness, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she fingered the blade of the kitchen knife by her side, her eyes two vacant holes of intense longing.
"Then why can't I fall?"
Cobb felt that stinging pain against his temple again, and he groaned. Damn those migraines. With all his problems right now, he would have to prepare a whole box of aspirins by his side. And of course, there was still his espionage assignment from Saito - he could not let his reputation fall down the gutter by getting distracted from this one duty. Cobb pressed his lips together grimly and focused on the biggest issue at hand - Ariadne. Professor Miles was a gentle and venerated figure, even to Ariadne, but he had his own duties in the lab and Saito wouldn't be pleased to see his lead hematologist assigned to a little baby vampire. And, of course, Cobb didn't trust the housekeeping team to be able to subdue her from harming anyone else - herself included.
His fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk impatiently as his mind racked through the list of men he trusted. Cobb was picky, and it only came down to three people in his head - Eames, Arthur and Yusuf. He considered assigning Ariadne to Yusuf but the man was not so physically adept, he had always been more of a science man than a fighter. It'd only take his sister a few days to learn his weaknesses and strike. That was most certainly what he's going to do if he were in her position.
So now he had to choose between Eames and Arthur. He didn't want to tear them away from their main espionage duties, but Cobb decided that the more he mingled in doubt, the more he'd feel uneasy about his sister's condition.
Eames is a jester, Cobb pondered for a moment, scrunching his brow in concentration. He'd certainly cheer Ariadne up - or, well, rile her into insanity. Plus, he had a bad habit of fucking every female vampire he met-
The Brit was quickly off the list. Cobb's mind hung over his last, final choice - Arthur. The team would need the dedicated man for some detailed research, but that duty could surely be multi-tasked with guarding a young girl, can it? Moreover, Arthur wasn't a sleaze like Eames, nor was he an untrained doctor like Yusuf. He had a vast range of knowledge, a tight discipline, and most certainly the lingual ability to subdue violent prisoners without making any physical contact. He had also met Ariadne before - perhaps not personally, but it was still a little plus point for him…
Cobb smiled. He reached for the intercom and pressed the little button before lowering himself to the speaker.
"Send Arthur to me."