Inception: Level 1

CUT TO: INT. SEDAN - DAY

Cobb DRIVES. Saito and Arthur are in the back. Rain BEATS down. Cobb pulls over-

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS

Yusuf stands on the corner, silver briefcase in hand, collar turned up against the rain. He reaches for the door.

INT. SEDAN - CONTINUOUS

Yusuf clambers into the back, brushing rain from his face.

ARTHUR (indicates rain): Couldn't you have peed before you went under?

YUSUF: Sorry.

The front door OPENS and Eames climbs in, soaked.

EAMES: Bit too much free champagne before takeoff, Yusuf?

YUSUF: Ha bloody ha.

COBB: At least we know he'll be looking for a cab in this.

INT./EXT. SEDAN ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS

Cobb pulls out into the heavy traffic. He weaves around several cars before lining up behind a YELLOW CAB.

COBB: Brace yourselves.

Cobb hits the gas- REAR ENDS the cab with a CRUNCH. The CABDRIVER gets out, fuming. Heads to Cobb's window-

CABDRIVER: Hey, asshole! Why don't you try driving without your thumb up-

He sees the SILENCED PISTOL Cobb is holding at his belly.

COBB: Walk away.

The Cabdriver backs off. Arthur climbs into the cab. Both cars pull away.

INT./EXT. CAB ON RAINY NEW YORK STREETS - CONTINUOUS

Arthur SLOWS in front of the TRAIN STATION, peering at the pedes pedestrians. He SPOTS Fischer, lights the cab's sign. Fischer FLAGS him down. Fischer JUMPS into the back, brushing rain from his shoulders.

FISCHER: Third and Market. Snappy.

Eames JUMPS in from the other side.

FISCHER: What're you doing?

EAMES: Sorry, I thought it was free. Maybe we could share.

FISCHER: Maybe not.

Saito gets into the front passenger seat. Pointing a gun.

FISCHER: Great.

Arthur pulls away. Fischer pulls out his wallet and tosses it at Eames.

FISCHER (contemptuous): There's 500 dollars in there. And the wallet's worth more than that. For that you ought to at least drop me at my stop.

Eames smiles at this.

EAMES: I'm afraid-

A SHOT SHATTERS the window by Eames's head- another SHOT IMPACTS by Saito-

EAMES: Get us out of here!

Arthur hits the gas, but a BLACK S.U.V. SKIDS sideways in front, BLOCKING the path -A BLOCK BEHIND- Cobb is at a light. ARIADNE is getting in the front. Cobb has HEARD the GUNFIRE-

COBB: Come on!-

Cobb looks ahead to the AMBUSH, hits the gas- the sedan ROCKETS forwards... but BAM- A FREIGHT TRAIN CLIPS THE FRONT OF THE SEDAN, SHOVING IT SIDEWAYS AS AN ENDLESS TRAIN BARRELS PAST, A WALL BETWEEN COBB AND THE AMBUSH-

A SECOND S.U.V. is behind the cab- PLAIN CLOTHES SECURITY MEN advance through the traffic, weapons trained on the cab. Bullets RIP into the cab as Eames throws himself on top of Fischer, PULLING a SACK over his head- Inside the sedan, Ariadne watches the train passing-

ARIADNE: This wasn't in the design-

Cobb BACKS UP, SPINS around, heading for the tail of the train-

A Security Man emerges from the front S.U.V. carrying an AUTOMATIC RIFLE- he steps towards the cab through the rain, raises his weapon and BLASTS THE CAB'S WINDSCREEN-Cobb clears the end of the train, and SKIDS across the tracks-Arthur CROUCHES down- PUSHES the accelerator with his HAND- YANKS the wheel- FLYING BLIND. The cab NAILS the Security Man, CRUNCHING into the front S.U.V.-Cobb SMASHES his car into the rear S.U.V., creating a GAP-Arthur YANKS the transmission and REVERSES- SCRAPING through the gap- Security Men DIVE out of the way- Arthur throws a ragged J-turn to head down a SIDE STREET- Cobb follows in the other car. Rain whips across Arthur's face as he BREATHES-

ARTHUR: Everybody okay? Saito?

Arthur looks at Saito. Saito's hand is at his belly. Covered in BLOOD.

EXT. WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

The sedan and cab pull into the side entrance- Eames jumps out− PULLS the shutter down behind them-

INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Yusuf and Eames PULL Fischer from the cab, HUSTLING him through a doorway. Cobb JUMPS out of the sedan, furious.

COBB: Arthur! Arthur what the-

Arthur pulls the bloody Saito from the front seat.

COBB: Oh, Christ. Is he dying?

ARTHUR: I don't know. What happened back there? Where were you?

COBB: We were blocked by a freight train.

ARTHUR (to Ariadne): Why would you put a train crossing in a downtown intersection?

ARIADNE: I didn't.

COBB (snaps): Why were we all ambushed, Arthur?! Those weren't regular projections- they'd been trained!

ARIADNE: How could they be trained?

ARTHUR: Fischer's had an extractor teach his mind to defend itself. His subconscious is militarized. It should've shown on the research-

COBB: So why the hell didn't it?!

ARTHUR: Calm down.

COBB: Don't tell me to calm down-you were meant to check Fischer's background thoroughly. You can't make this kind of mistake-we're not prepared for this kind of violence-

ARTHUR: Cobb, we've dealt with sub-security before. We just have to be more-

COBB: This wasn't part of the plan, Arthur! (points at Saito) He's dying!

EAMES: So we put him out of his misery.

Eames steps into the room, pulls his gun and moves over Saito.

COBB: No.

EAMES: He's in agony. Let's wake him up-

Cobb GRABS Eames's arm.

COBB: No!(they lock eyes) It won't wake him up.

EAMES: What do you mean, it won't wake him? When you die in a dream you wake up.

YUSUF: Not from this. We're too heavily sedated to wake up that way.

Eames looks at Yusuf, then to Cobb.

EAMES: So what happens if one of us dies?

COBB: That person doesn't wake up. Their mind drops into Limbo.

ARIADNE: Limbo?

ARTHUR: Unconstructed dream space.

ARIADNE: What's down there?

ARTHUR: Raw, infinite subconscious. Nothing there but what was left behind by anyone on the team who's been trapped there before. On this team... just Cobb.

ARIADNE: How long would we be stuck there?

YUSUF: You couldn't even think about trying to escape until the sedation eases-

EAMES: How long?

YUSUF: Decades-it could be infinite-I don't know! Ask him-he's the one who's been there before!

Eames moves to Cobb. Looks him in the eye.

EAMES: Great. So now we're stuck in Fischer's mind battling it out with his private army, and if we get hit we're stuck in Limbo 'til our brains dissolve into scrambled egg?

Cobb says nothing. Saito groans more loudly.

ARTHUR: Let's just get him upstairs.

INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Saito is laid out on an old desk. Arthur examines him. He motions to Ariadne. Eames watches Cobb.

ARTHUR: Hold this. Firm pressure.

Arthur turns to Cobb.

ARTHUR: You knew the risks and you didn't tell us.

COBB: There wasn't meant to be any risk. We weren't supposed to be dealing with a load of gunfire.

ARTHUR: You had no right.

COBB: It's the only way you can go three layers deep, Arthur.

Arthur turns to Yusuf, hostile.

ARTHUR: And you. You went along with this?

YUSUF: I trusted him.

ARTHUR: You trusted him? When? When he promised you half his share?

YUSUF (offended): No! His whole share. Plus, he told me he'd done it before.

Arthur turns to Cobb.

ARTHUR: Oh, yeah? With Mal? That worked out great, didn't it, Cobb?

Cobb grabs Arthur.

COBB: You don't know anything about that. This was the only way to do this job, Arthur. I did what I had to do to get back to my children.

EAMES: So you led us into a war zone with no way out.

COBB: We have a way out. The kick. We just have to push on, do the job as fast as possible and get out using the kick.

EAMES: Forget it. We go any deeper, we just raise the stakes. I'm sitting it out on this level.

COBB: You'll never make it, Eames. Fischer's security is surrounding this place as we speak. The ten hours of the flight is a week at this level−you'll never make it without getting killed. Downwards is the only way forwards. We have to carry on.

Saito groans. Cobb looks at him-

COBB: And we have to do it fast.

Eames and Arthur weigh this.

COBB: Eames, go get ready. Arthur, let's get in there and soften him up.

INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - LATER

Cobb and Arthur, wearing BALACLAVAS, PULL the sack from Fischer's head. He is chained to the radiator.

FISCHER: I'm insured against kidnapping up to ten million-this'll be simple-

COBB: No, it won't.

Fischer looks at Cobb, unnerved.

ARTHUR: In. your father's office, below the bookshelves, is his personal safe. We need the combination.

FISCHER: I never noticed a safe-

COBB: Doesn't mean you don't know the combination.

FISCHER: Well, I don't.

ARTHUR: We have it on good authority that you do.

FISCHER: Whose?

INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Yusuf looks through Fischer's wallet. Eames is opening a HINGED, THREE-WING MIRROR.

YUSUF: Five hundred dollars, this cost?

EAMES: What's inside?

YUSUF: Cash, cards, ID... and this-

Yusuf holds up a SNAPSHOT: the photo from Maurice Fischer's office− YOUNG ROBERT holds his HOMEMADE PINWHEEL, his FATHER blows on it. Eames takes it from Yusuf. STUDIES it. Cobb enters. Eames hands him the snapshot.

EAMES: Useful?

Cobb studies the snapshot. Eames examines himself in the hinged mirror from multiple angles: ONE BY ONE the myriad Eames reflections BECOME BROWNINGS. Cobb pockets the photo.

COBB: You're on. You've got an hour.

EAMES: An hour? I was supposed to have all night to crack him.

COBB: And Saito was supposed to keep his guts on the inside. You've got an hour-get something we can use.

Eames turns from the mirror AS BROWNING. He glances at his watch, then SCREAMS, as if begging for mercy-

INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Browning's CRY reverberates- Fischer looks up, concerned-

FISCHER: What's that?

ARTHUR: Good authority.

Another cry rings out. Fischer recognizes the voice.

FISCHER: Uncle Peter?! Make them stop-

ARTHUR: The combination.

FISCHER: I don't know it!

ARTHUR: Why would Browning tell us you did?

FISCHER: Let me talk to him-I'll find out.

INT. BATHROOM, WAREHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Cobb pushes Browning (Eames), bloody and bruised, into the room and forces him down next to Fischer. Cobb handcuffs Browning's wrist to a metal bracket on the side of the sink.

COBB: You've got an hour. Get talking.

Cobb leaves.

BROWNING (EAMES): They've had me for two days. They've got someone with access to your father's office and they're trying to open his safe-they thought I'd know the combination, but I don't-

FISCHER: Neither do I, Uncle Peter.

BROWNING (confused): Maurice told me that after he passed only you would be able to open it.

FISCHER: He never gave me the combination.

Browning thinks for a minute. Realizes something.

BROWNING: He did, he just didn't tell you that it was a combination.

FISCHER: What, then?

BROWNING: Something only you would know. Some meaningful combination of numbers from your experiences with Maurice-

FISCHER: We didn't have a lot of meaningful experiences together.

BROWNING: Perhaps after your mother died...

FISCHER: After my mother died, I went to him in my grief. You know what he told me? "There's really nothing to be said, Robert."

BROWNING: He always had a hard time with emotional-

FISCHER: I was eleven, Uncle Peter.

Browning (Eames) takes this in.

BROWNING: He loved you, Robert. In his way.

FISCHER: "In his way?" At the end he called me to his deathbed. He could barely speak, but he took the trouble to say one last thing to me. He pulled me close... I could make out only one word. "Disappointed."

Browning can say nothing.

INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Cobb pulls off his balaclava. Looks down at Saito, who is breathing fast, shallow.

COBB: How's he doing?

ARIADNE: He's in a lot of pain.

Cobb takes Saito's hand. Looks him in the eye.

COBB: When we get you down to the next level, the pain will be less intense.

Saito nods, breathing hard.

ARIADNE (low): And if he dies?

COBB: His conscious mind will drop out of the dream. He'll be trapped in Limbo for a lifetime...

ARIADNE: What will that do to him?

Cobb looks at her. Grave.

COBB: When he wakes... his mind could be completely gone.

SAITO: When... when we wake I will still honor our arrangement...

Cobb looks down at Saito sadly.

COBB: Saito-san, when you wake you might not even remember that we had an arrangement. You'll have forgotten this world. Limbo will be your reality. Lost there so long, you'll have become an old man...

SAITO: Filled with regret?

COBB: Waiting to die alone. Yes.

SAITO: Then I'll take the chance and come back. And we'll be young men together again.

Saito smiles weakly. Cobb nods at him, turns to Ariadne.

ARIADNE: When were you trapped in Limbo?

Cobb says nothing. Ariadne pulls him away from Saito.

ARIADNE: Cobb, you might have convinced the rest of this team to carry on with the job. But they don't know the truth.

COBB: What truth?

ARIADNE: The truth that at any minute you might bring a freight train through the wall. The truth that Mal is bursting up through your subconscious. The truth that as we go deeper into Fischer, we're also going deeper into you-and I'm not sure we're going to like what we find there.

Cobb stares back at Ariadne. Saying nothing.

ARIADNE: This is not just about Fischer, it's about you. Tell me what happened to you and Mal. Trapped in Limbo.

Cobb looks at her. Thinking it through.

COBB: We were on a job. Exploring dreams within dreams. But we didn't understand how your mind can turn hours into years. How you can get trapped. Trapped so deep that when you wash up on the shore of your subconscious…