Monroe 1x10
I walk in proudly, almost giddy. I have the upper hand. Both of Rachel's kids are here, the boy and the girl. There's more than enough leverage. And after seeing that crazy bitch kill a man with a screw driver, I'm not taking any chances.
"Rachel," I say with a slight smirk on my face. "It must be nice to have both of your children back." But not for too long… I turn my eyes to her children. The boy, Danny, is injured. The girl's body is facing her brother's while looking at me, wide eyed. As if she's instinctively protecting him.
So this is the girl that's been fighting alongside Miles. She was the girl that made the calm and collected Neville's blood boil and the girl that turned his son into a traitor. Most importantly, she was the girl that Miles chose to leave his hideout for. The two of them had practically become rebels, both gunning for my death. I smile and greet her, "Hello Charlotte." I remembered the days before the blackout when Miles would talk about his giggling niece, Charlie. He even showed me pictures of the girl and at the time, I thought of my own sisters when he did. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm General Monroe." I see a twinge of hostility as her eyes glare. She was a pretty a girl. Very similar to her mother.
"What did you do to my son?" Rachel demands.
I keep my eyes fixed on the girl for a moment. "I'm entirely done playing games with you, Rachel." She'll comply once she knows what I have in store for her. "You know what that is, right?" I point to the corner.
"Amplifier," Rachel breathes.
"A real one, your friend, Dr. Jackie was building me a backup. That is, until you shoved a screw driver into his chest." That's what I don't like about her, she's always been one step ahead and I always underestimated her.
"Mom," Charlie says, her eyes fixed only on her mother. I watch as Rachel looks at her kids, hoping they wouldn't see her as a monster for the horrible thing she's done. Her weakness is clear. I won't be underestimating her this time.
"Oh, I'm sure there's a lot about your mom you don't know," I say to Charlie, smiling. Her eyes reflect clear hatred to me, but with a hint of confusion. I inhale, a little thrown off by her fixed glare. "You've seen one of these pendants before, right? Know what it can do?" I hold one in front of her and she stares at it and me with disdain. "Well that machine amplifies its range. It makes jets fly. Takes roll." Her eyes move from me to the amplifier as I explain. "Your mom is going to finish it for me."
Now she stares at her mother, her voice low, but strong. "Mom, what's he talking about?"
"She's going to be a real patriot, isn't that right Rachel?" I smile towards her. I've got her in a corner and we both know it. But then Charlie speaks again.
"Mom, look at me." Rachel complies helplessly, while Charlie stares back fiercely and determined. "Whatever he's asking you to do, you can't do it."
"Is that so?" I smirk as I wave to Strauss and I hear the clink of his gun. Rachel tries to throw herself between the man and her children, but my men pull her away as she cries out. But I'm watching her kids. The two sit up straighter, but Charlie again positions herself in front of her brother, clutching his leg, her eyes wid, but still determined.
"Mrs. Matheson, I'm sorry," Strausser says in that unnerving voice of his. "But you need to choose which one of your children I'm going to kill." I can see Rachel breaking, tears in her eyes.
"You son of a bitch," she shouts. I know I've won.
"Listen to me," Charlie says as her voice shakes.
"Which one? The boy or the girl?" Strausser waves the gun to point to her two options. Rachel looks from him to her daughter.
"I've seen the militia kill dozens of people and if you help him, they will kill hundreds, if not thousands, Mom." Her voice grew stronger and more assertive. The girl was trying to convince her mother not to help me, knowing full well what that would mean. This just got a lot more interesting than I thought it would and I watch her, transfixed.
"The boy or the girl? Which one is your favorite?" Strausser asks mockingly as he continues to wave his gun around. But Charlie just keeps her eyes fixed on Rachel as she shakes her head.
"Mom, don't," Charlie tells her, unwavering. But Rachel is crying now, there's no way she wouldn't help me. Even the crazy ones have soft spots I suppose. "Some things are more important than family!"
"Choose now!" Starusser demands.
"Pick me," she shouts and jumps forward as everyone stares, surprised. Her brother is frozen, but she is not. I'm almost mesmerized; it would be a pity if she died. She would have made a good soldier.
"Alright. Have it your way." Strausser points the gun to her head, but Charlie just stares down the barrel. She has tears in her eyes, but she won't back down. Her mom strangles out a protest.
"It's okay, Mom." She keeps her eyes fixed on Strausser, with a look of contempt, not even a shred of reservation.
"Stop! Stop!" Rachel shouts shakily. I tear my gaze from Charlie to her. "I will finish your damn amplifier. Just stop."
"See, just like Miles always said," I say as I look at Charlie, who glares at me bitterly. "A good hostage works every time. Take them back to the holding cell and if she steps out of line. If she even breathes funny... kill both the kids." I glance between the two, but I'm more focused on Charlie when I say this. Then I turn and walk from the room. For a moment afterward, I recall Charlie's determination. For the most part, I forget about her…
Until I see her again on that monitor in the tower.
Charlie 1x10
He strides in. The one man I would gladly hurt with guilt or doubt. Every amount of pain that my family has felt has been caused by this man. He took my mom. He killed my dad. Danny was injured and alone because of him. Miles drinks himself stupid to forget him. But most importantly, he caused what I saw. The death, the inhumanity. He is the one cause of everyone in this whole damn world's suffering.
"Rachel, it must be nice to have both of your children back." He looks at me, as if we had just been introduced in a normal way that didn't involve a room filled with his men and some serious guns. "Hello, Charlotte," he says me, with a smile. His eyes are cold, dead. He doesn't seem to remember me from the night he tried to kill an entire town, just to get Miles. "It's nice to finally meet you." I swear, one day, I'll kill him.
"What did you do to my son?" Mom asks indignantly. I flinch as I glance at Danny; he's so bruised and broken. Now he looks frozen.
"I'm entirely done playing games with you, Rachel" he tells her, with his eyes still on me. But then he turns away and asks her about a strange looking machine in the corner. She tells him it's an 'amplifier'.
"A real one, your friend, Dr. Jackie was building me a backup. That is, until you shoved a screw driver into his chest," Monroe says and my gaze snaps away from him and towards my mom.
"Mom," I exhale. That can't be true? What the hell is going on?
"Oh, I'm sure there's a lot about your mom you don't know," he tells me with a smirk. I resist the urge to hit him, but I know he's right. "You've seen one of these pendants before, right? Know what it can do?" he asks as he holds one out. "Well that machine amplifies its range. It makes jets fly. Takes roll. Your mom is going to finish it for me." No. No. We cannot let that happen.
Mom, what's he talking about?" She wouldn't do that. She has to know what the consequences are.
"She's going to be a real patriot, isn't that right Rachel?"
"Mom, look at me," I tell her. I can see her waver slightly. "Whatever he's asking you to do, you can't do it."
"Is that so?" The sick bastard is amused. Then he gestures to Strausser and I know this will be bad. I push myself in front of Danny as he pulls out a gun. Someone restrains my mom and I watch helplessly.
"Mrs. Matheson, I'm sorry. But you need to choose which one of your children I'm going to kill."
"You son of a bitch," she shouts. Oh god, she's breaking.
"Listen to me," I say, my voice shaking, but I force it away as I clutch Danny's leg and hope for his forgiveness.
"Which one? The boy or the girl?"
"I've seen the militia kill dozens of people and if you help him, they will kill hundreds, if not thousands, Mom." I'm shouting now. I'm not afraid anymore. I know what's worse than the death of one…
"The boy or the girl? Which one is your favorite?" His voice is menacing now. He doesn't actually want my mom to give in, he wants to kill us.
"Mom, don't," I warn her, despite my every natural instinct begging me stop talking and let her do the selfish thing. "Some things are more important than family!" I never thought I would say that, but in this moment, I know it's true.
"Choose now!" Starusser demands.
"Pick me," I shout and jump off the couch, placing myself between the maniacs and my little brother. I would make this choice any day. It has to be done.
"Alright. Have it your way," Strausser tells me. I hear my mom cry out.
"It's okay, Mom." I stare down Strausser, hoping he'll join me in hell someday soon. I curse the tears in my eyes and force myself not to look at Monroe.
"Stop! Stop! I will finish your damn amplifier. Just stop." I turn from the gun, to my mom, glaring at her. She made the wrong choice.
"See, just like Miles always said," Monroe recalls, clearly very amused. His words piss me off, he is nothing like my uncle. "A good hostage works every time. Take them back to the holding cell and if she steps out of line. If she even breathes funny... kill both the kids." He looks at me for a moment and a chill goes down my spine. That's the last time I saw him before he killed my brother.
Charlie 1x19
After Danny died, I thought of Monroe every day. I would kill him. I had to.
That night at the tower, I didn't expect to. Not then, when he saved my life. I stared at him as he walked toward me.
"Hello, Charlotte." I pause, waiting to see if he'll hurt Aaron and I, but he doesn't. "A thank you would be nice." Those words send me back to reality. Back to the fact that he was smug. That he was alive. I tried to shove the wreckage off of me, while holding his gaze, but then someone else caught my eye.
"Mom," I breathe. She walks over to me and helps Aaron lift the shelf. "Where did Monroe go?" I yell when I get out. I looked around frantically and tried to push past my mom, who was holding me back.
"What the hell are you doing here, Charlie? I told you not to come," she reminds me. I can't believe that's what she's talking about when we are in the same god damn building as the man who killed half our family.
"What am I doing here? What the hell are you doing with him?" I yell unable to contain my rage. She convinces me that we have more important things to do. I know she's right. So I tell myself that I will get him later. If it's the last thing I do…
Monroe 1x19
"Oh my god," Rachel exhales. Here I am, trying to find an excuse to get Rachel to help me, which I was starting to believe was damn near impossible, when the girl appears on the screen. I am one lucky bastard.
"Charlie," her mother whispers. Then we see Miles and Nora walk through another hallway and I know I need to go now. "What are you doing here?" I make my plea to Rachel when I see the desperation in her eyes.
"Unlock the guns, Rachel. No matter what I've done to you before, you gotta believe me, I don't want to let another one of your kids get hurt. I will help you," I urge her and suddenly I remember Charlie. I remember that there's a shred of truth to my lie.
"You're lying," she tells me blankly.
"You wanna kill me so bad, you're gonna let Charlie die," I say this, knowing it'll work and it does. She turns from me, than back.
"What about Miles?"
"No promises," I answer. "But I will save Charlie, I swear." I stare at her intently, breathing a little heavier and emphasizing each word. We both know I'm telling the truth.
And I prove that I am. As I'm heading down the hall, Rachel just behind me, we hear a shot and her scream. Then someone shouts her name. I run ahead of Rachel and see Charlie pinned to the ground by a metal shelf, and then a man is pointing a gun at her, the one that blows people to bits. I just react without a thought, shooting him with the same weapon. I stride toward her, amused by her bewildered expression that still manages to be as intriguing as the way she looked before. "Hello Charlotte." She just stares blankly at me, still stunned. "A thank you would be nice." Then she reacts, anger takes hold of her, the same kind that led her mother to trying to kill me with a grenade. My moment of amusement is gone when she grunts trying to push the metal off of her to get to me. Rachel walks past me and rushes to her daughter's aide.
"Mom," Charlie says, forgetting me and staring wide eyed at her mother. I turn away, to find Miles. "Where did Monroe go?" I hear her demand as she struggles to get past Rachel.
"What the hell are you doing here, Charlie? I told you not to come," Rachel grunts.
"What am I doing here? What the hell are you doing with him?" she yells. And that's the last I hear, now focused on her uncle.
When I do see her again, we are both completely different people.