Game of Kings Chapter 10

The guilt of inquiring after Miles weighed heavy on Cobb almost twenty-four hours after the fact. So much so, that he had skipped out on not only dinner the night beforehand and the graduation that afternoon. He would beg penance at a later time, and if Ariadne chose not to forgive him he'd decided he could live with that. Not that he wished her ill feelings upon him, but innocent lives were at stake this time around, even if Eames chose to believe otherwise. They couldn't have some crazed businessman unleashing hell upon them. Eames appeared to know little about Asagi other than his desire to figure out who Murningham had contacted, and Cobb was hesitant about finding out what Saito knew at this point. He and his former employer had not spoken since their return from Limbo, and Cobb was uncertain exactly how the man would react if he knew the extractor was back in the field, even unwillingly.

In the comfort of the warehouse Cobb once again went through the documents that Asagi had sent them, a half empty bottle of wine and Edith Piaf keeping him company. The cloud covered sun poured through the dirty glass, illuminating spider webs and thick dust upon the sills. The breeze at this height was pleasant however, and the humidity of the early afternoon seemed to not travel quite that high. After a year of abandonment, the warehouse was still as Cobb had left it when they'd headed to the Fischer job, something that brought with it a sense of familiarity nearly enough for him to remember how much it actually was that he'd enjoyed the extraction game. He exhaled and returned to the documents shaking himself from the brief reverie.

According to the information provided, Murningham was a loner, something that would work to their advantage. What was more, he was a man who kept a routine strict enough, to make even Arthur seem sloppy. It would be a simple job, and for reasons he couldn't understand the unease that had sunk in the day before lingered. He glanced at his watch before inserting the disc into his laptop. The graduation ceremony would be wrapping up anytime now, and it would be less than an hour before the others arrived. Ariadne's job would seem simple compared to the one beforehand, no doubt she'd excel at whatever task they presented her with. Eames could perhaps play the role of a remorseful Asagi interested in reconciling and Cobb a prospective client interested in who his competition for the software was. Yes, simple enough.

Much to Cobb's disappointment the disc was nothing more than a copy of all of the files already scattered about. He exhaled and sat back upon the broken couch that had served as his bed the night before. Asagi was hiding something. No one did this much research for something so trivial. Hell, even though it wasn't his style Cobb half pondered why Asagi's hadn't just had Murningham killed…

Cobb sat up quickly and froze, his fingers hovering above the computer's keyboard as the chime of a new email in his inbox echoed around him, but he was deaf to it. He fished through the paperwork once more. No, killing him wouldn't work, that would have implemented Asagi for certain. The former investor had been more than vocal that Asagi wanted him dead. Murningham appeared methodical, chances were if that his death would bring about the destruction of Asagi's company. Asagi wouldn't have that would he?

Yet, if his mind was destroyed, if he was fodder for an insane asylum, but his team couldn't do that, only an assassin could do that, and they were extinct with the exception of one.

The feeling in Cobb's gut tightened and his mind reeled. Asagi didn't care what Murninham knew, he was going after Sofia. The target had been misdirection to keep the team distracted long enough for him to reach her. Cobb felt a chill run down his spine. He inhaled deeply. They would have to move her, sooner rather than later it seemed. Cobb massaged his temples and tried to calm his heart. He glanced upon the toolbar of the computer and clicked on the email icon, hoping the night nurses at the hospital would take the inconvenience with a grain of salt when they saw that the balances in their respective checking accounts had grown exponentially.

He had intended to have her moved the minute Eames had mentioned that Asagi had known where she was, but had hoped they'd be afforded more time, or that at least he'd be able to locate Marcella beforehand so she could oversee the move since they were away from the states. Even though they hadn't spoken in years, he doubted the other woman would forgive him if something befell Sofia in her unconscious state. He cursed under his breath, another risk he hadn't wanted to take, but a necessary one it seemed. Mentally he reminded himself to berate Eames when he arrived that afternoon.

The new email that had arrived during his revelation stared back at him. The name column was blank but the title was all he needed to know who it was from. "The Black King was smiling at him", it said. Cobb clicked the message;

"My little sparrow will sing her song once again it seems. Checkmate, old friend."

Cobb reached for his cellphone ignoring the post script and the subtle hints at interests in a certain architect.


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One day earlier...

Keno Asagi counted himself amongst the cutthroat business men of the twenty first century, willing to trade nearly anything to get ahead. As such he had not hesitated to hire an extraction team to protect the computer program that he had dedicated the last twelve years to. Thomas Murningham, his ex-investor and once most trusted friend had been a weasel, something he had sensed early on in their dealings but had chosen to overlook for the sake of creation. With such a volatile creation, investors had been limited, never mind close friends. What he hadn't expected was Murningham to actually run off with a copy of the program, destroying the motherboard's it had been housed on. Asagi's blood had boiled when he had found out, and he chided himself for trusting an American.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. No, despite the entire destruction of his consoles and the inability of his staff to recover the damage done, Asagi had one copy that Thomas Murningham had not known about. An insurance policy just in case the investor proved to be less than dependable. He smiled and chuckled lightly, lounging at his desk toying with the disk. He had buyers of course now, but Asagi remained hesitant to sell. He wasn't interested in starting a global meltdown quite yet, he had too much nice property scattered about for that. What was more, he doubted anyone would have the capabilities of actually controlling the program besides himself and Murningham, and chances were, the American government would know soon enough about the program if they didn't already. But that was the job of the extraction team, to see precisely who it was besides the investor that had learned about the program.

He placed the disk into the top drawer of his oak desk and locked it away. When he had learned of the betrayal he had researched dream sharing extensively, initially hoping to go into Murningham's mind and extract the knowledge he had collected, leaving him none the wiser to what he had known. Unfortunately it seemed, no such thing existed in dreamsharing. True, the dreamers could figure out exactly what Murningham's secrets were, and figure out exactly who it was he had told about the program but that didn't help Asagi.

Of course he had considered having the man killed but that was blood his company didn't need on its hands. That was when he had come across a variety of dreamer who could solve all of his problems. During his research he had discovered individuals called assassins, known for leaving subjects in vegetative states. They were subtle in their methods but dangerous and when they did their job their victims hardly ever recovered. They were few and far between, usually exterminated before they came to fruition. There was only one recorded in the history of dreaming who didn't have a death certificate, a woman who had been a military project but her trail had run cold four years prior.

He had found the team she had worked with, had studied their paths extensively. Somewhere before her disappearance they had separated, two even turning up dead in the last four years, one other's trail going completely cold. He had hesitated in pursuing them but when an old friend had spoken highly of their leader Dom Cobb he reconsidered. Asagi had inquired about a man named Antoine but Saito knew nothing of him. Asagi stalled not wanting to risk jumping the gun and making a fool of himself. What was more, he held little interested in the whole team only their assassin, and his instincts told him they weren't going to tell him where she was.

And then by chance, he found her. A hospital snug in the Midwest of America housed a small ward for coma patients. The failing global economy had reduced his company to creating programs against hackers who siphoned insurance information a few months back and that particular chain of hospitals had sought out their software. It was petty work, but an excellent front for his side projects. It had been during this same time, while tracing receipts in the many names Cobb's team members used that he found one that fit to that particular hospital and he would have missed her had he not been occupying himself with resetting video cameras.

At first he hadn't been certain; the small blonde woman fit the profile of the assassin. Her body was frail, the result of four years of atrophy. He would have ignored her and moved on usually, but the absence of patient profile and any records of regular payments made him pause in wonder. It was only after he found that she had been committed by a name the thief had used on occasion did Asagi's heart settled in his throat. It was a long shot, a very long shot. And had it not been for the look on the face of a one Mr. Eames when his assistant showed him the picture on the camera phone he probably wouldn't have pressed it.

He had flown to Vegas two weeks earlier in order to meet up with the forger. Saito had arranged the meeting and Eames had agreed. He had opted out of staying in Vegas to meet the rest of the team and flown back to Paris, despite his interest in meeting Cobb. No, there was no way the sleight of hand would have worked if he had been present himself. The picture on the phone and the empty threat had done the job. During his research Asagi hypothesized the reason for the way Cobb's team had dissolved was in regards to the assassin. After the way the forger had reacted he was certain.

Now the decoy was set. With Murninham as a distraction there was no one to stop him from closing in on his prize and turning his opponent into little more than a vegetable. Cobb and his team would be too concerned with completing the job and making certain she was never awoken. They would never know Asagi was more interested in her than anything they found. Men of his caliber didn't play in dreams; they dealt in the real world. Now, the only thing he had left to figure out was precisely how to revive the blonde assassin. She had been in the coma for four years, the likeliness of her mental state being intact seemed unlikely, but if he found the Memorist…Well, if he could find one person, then another shouldn't be an issue.

He rose from his desk and stretched moving towards the mini bar nearby. His flight back to the states left in a few hours and his assistant was late, something that made his nerves stand on edge. He grinded his teeth as he poured a scotch swirling the drink before taking a healthy gulp. The office door behind him creaked as it swung open. "You know how I feel about tardiness and despite my mood I'm not beyond replacing you. Now then, how many times are you going to make me tell you?" He slammed the empty glass down on the bar and turned, his eyes going wide.

The man standing across from him was smiling lightly. He was tall, lean with a piercing gaze that made Asagi's body go rigid. "You're mister Asagi I presume?" He moved into the room his hands folded behind his back. Asagi nodded slowly. The man smiled, "Good. Now tell me, do you know who I am?"

Asagi nodded again, "You're name is Antoine."

"Excellent, that will save us from introductions then." Antoine moved into the office, his gaze moving from Asagi to the bar. "Be a gentleman and make me one of those, but no ice ruins the scotch. Top yours off as well, we have business to discuss."

Asagi jumped into action, pouring two scotches, his hands shaking. Sweat beads formed on his forehead as he moved carefully across the office to where Antoine stood. The man reminded Asagi of a large cat, the smug expression like drool laden fangs waiting to sink into the soft flesh of his next victim's underbelly. Asagi prayed he wouldn't be the prey of choice.

He passed the drink over and Antoine accepted with a nod, tilting his head back and sipping slowly. The amber liquid sloshed against the glass as Antoine turned his gaze to Asagi.

"Now then, if you are familiar with whom I am, I'm certain you know why I'm here?"

Asagi's mouth and throat had gone dry. "H-How?"

Antoine smiled once more, "Easy enough actually. Dom Cobb counts himself amongst the more gifted Extractors, and by no means, is he not brilliant. Unfortunately, he's never been very good at keeping his trail clean. You aren't granted immunity in your wife's death without having powerful friends. I had suspected his handiwork with what happened regarding the Fischer's. Your little revenge scheme and association with a one Mr. Saito only helped reaffirm my suspicions."

Asagi didn't understand. He had been watching for any signs of Antoine since he had first come across the assassin but the man had never shown himself. "I won't tell you where she is. She's mine to use, I need her." Asagi's voice sounded fragile even to his own ears.

Antoine swallowed the remainder of the scotch. "And you seem so confident that you'll be able to wake her up, never mind control her. Tell me, my dear fellow, have you ever been in the dream state? Do you know what it'll take to bring her back?"

Asagi hesitated long enough for Antoine to continue, "A Memorist, yes, for not only have they dropped her deep within the depths of a hell, but they've left her there, a maze without an exit. The only person who can lead her back is the person, who lured her there, and I know you don't know where to find that woman...No one does. Quite unfortunate the both of us isn't it?"

Antoine poured himself a second glass of scotch, and took another sip. "You've proved quite useful though, a well-placed pawn if I've ever had one." The doors to Asagi's office burst open and two men dressed in well groomed suits stepped inside. Antoine turned to take his leave pausing at the threshold. "I'm sorry to say you won't be making your flight today, I'm sorry to leave you in such ill company, but I must see about acquiring a new architect." He lifted his glass, "pleasure doing business with you."

The doors closed in his wake and the two men closed in. Asagi dove for the top drawer of his desk seconds before the bullet pierced his skull.