Chloe watched silently as her mother's body was lowered into the roughly dug grave, beside her father. There was no mason available to update the headstone with her mother's details, so Chloe hoped her mother was happy enough to just be with William again. There were no coffins either, so Joyce was wrapped in fine silk sheets - Chloe never discovered where these came from, only that the doctor in the hospital had somehow arranged for them. It would be a crude burial, but Chloe was determined to make it a proper one, with what little resources were available to her.
There were only a few people present - people she had seen at the diner a few times, that would have known Joyce. She couldn't find any of the others that would have known her mom. They couldn't find any kind of priest or minister either, aside from crazy Kate with her burgeoning cult followership.
She honestly wasn't sure why these people were here. Sure they would have known her from the diner, but did that really put them in a position that they should be at her funeral? Chloe wasn't sure. Perhaps she should have paid more attention when she went down to the Two Whales to see who her mother talked to regularly.
"I uh," Chloe began. "I don't really know what to say. Thank you guys for coming. I know my mom was loved by many people. I loved her too. I wish I could have shown her that better, while she was alive. She deserved a better daughter than me. Goodbye, mom."
With that brief eulogy, they began to fill in the dirt on top of her mother's wrapped body. When it was covered, Chloe laid a bundle of wild flowers she had picked. The florist was long, gone, too, so she had to make do with what she could scavenge.
After the others had left, Chloe remained. She sat in the space between her parents, and silently stared into nothingness until night was falling around her.
Tuesday, October 30th, 2018
Timeline 3
Chloe Surviving
Chloe awoke feeling nauseous again, and found it difficult to breathe. Her throat was painful and scratchy - it felt as though she'd swallowed a roll of sandpaper. The medications had been confiscated from her, so she was back to square one, in terms of her health. At least she had been able to get some food down the previous night.
Despite the blindfold around her head and the thick zip tie that bound her wrists, she had been able to feel about the room the previous night, and determined she was in some sort of a small bedroom. The mattress she slept on was hard and bare of any sheets, and the only blanket they had given her was old, itchy, and dusty. Still, it was the best sleeping arrangement she'd had in years.
She heard the handle on the door open. She knew it was unlocked - she tested it the night before. But there were guards in the hallway. When they shouted at her, she insisted she had only needed to use the bathroom. They escorted her to it and were kind enough to remove the blindfold from her. She knew where she was immediately - the Blackwell dormitory. They left her with a battery operated lantern to see. Chloe was somewhat surprised when the toilet actually worked, but Blue reminded her that it would work fine if the tanks were manually filled. The guards put the blindfold back on her when she was finished, and returned her to her makeshift cell.
"Sit her up. Take it off," Kate's voice said now. Chloe heard steps approach her, then she was roughly grabbed by the shoulders and forced upright. The blindfold was torn off. Chloe squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked around and once more, immediately knew where she was - Max's old room. The photos were still on the wall from years ago.
"You murdered Maxine," Kate stated accusingly. She stepped in front of Chloe, glaring angrily down at her. "What do you have to say about your sins?"
"She was trying to kill me," Chloe retorted. Her voice was raspy and she was launched into a coughing fit.
"Look at me," Chloe wheezed when her fit subsided. "I can barely hold my head up right now. Do you think I would have tried to hurt her if it wasn't absolutely necessary?"
"She was a good person."
"She was a monster."
"SHE WAS MY FRIEND!" Kate roared. Chloe was taken aback. "When that storm came and wiped out the sinners of this town, she was the one who made me realize my destiny. That I would lead the true ones and eliminate the rest of the sinners from this place. And then, this would be our paradise. Without her, I would have nothing. I would be nothing," Kate ranted.
"And you...you murdered her."
Chloe knew then that there was nothing she could say that would appease Kate. Her mind was too far gone.
"Tomorrow night," Kate said, forcing calmness back into her voice, "you will burn with the others."
Kate left the room, the guards she brought with her on her heels. They didn't bother to put the blindfold back on.
Chloe glanced around Max's old room. The lights were still strung up, but cobwebs had been formed between the wire and the wall. Everything seemed to be covered in dust. A memory from the other timeline popped into her mind, where she and Max snuggled happily on the sofa together. That had been a few weeks before they graduated - a late summer graduation, as Blackwell offered students an accelerated education term so the school could close in the fall, after the storm. It never reopened.
Those days were so simple, Blue reminisced. Moments like those with Max...I just knew everything would be alright.
It's so...eerie in here. I don't think Maxine has been here for a very long time. Max certainly hasn't.
Chloe frowned at the wilted remains of a potted plant by the desk. Lisa, Max had called it.
Look around for something - anything - you can cut yourself free with.
Chloe did just that - she went to Max's old desk and began rummaging through the drawers as best - and quietly - as she could. The zip tie around her wrists made this challenging.
She sighed when she found nothing.
Wait, the hair dryer! Blue suggested.
What about it?
It's heated with Nichrome wire. If you could find a power source - like a battery - you could stick both ends of the wire to it and melt through the plastic. Take it apart.
Chloe obliged. She removed the item from the bottom drawer and placed it on top of the desk.
I need screwdrivers to open it, Chloe realized.
Top right drawer. Max says she used to keep a small set there, to fix her camera.
Sure enough, it was there. Chloe extracted a small, clear container that held several small screwdrivers. She removed the proper one and began removing the screws. When they were out, she pulled apart the hair dryer and exposed a coiled wire - that was what heated the air.
Okay, here it is. Chloe had to tear the wire free, as she had nothing to cut it with. The wire was rather thin, however, so that was easy to do.
Now you need a power source.
Chloe rummaged through the drawers again. In the back corner of one, she found a nine volt battery. Will this work?
I think so. Now, wrap the wire around, and -
"What's going on in here?"
Chloe quickly shoved the wire and battery into her pocket before turning around to face the guard, dressed in a long black coat, who just entered.
"I heard you making noise. What the hell are you doing?" he demanded again.
"Nothing," Chloe answered. "I was just looking for something to read."
The guard walked over to her and saw the disassembled pieces of the hair dryer strewn about the desk.
"You were looking for something sharp to cut yourself free," he concluded. He grabbed her by the shoulder and hauled her to the bed. He threw her face down and took another zip tie from his belt, and proceeded to bind her to the bed frame.
"Use this time to contemplate and beg forgiveness, sinner."
He left the room. Chloe tried to pull the zip tie free, but was unable to get it loose.
Timeline 2
Mad Max, Noir and Blue Shift
The motel room was stuffed full of people - agents, Kates, Mad Max, Chloe, Berry and Andrews. All eyes were on Andrews as she spoke.
"Okay, so we're going into the Arcadia Bay area tomorrow. We're going to Blackwell Academy - that's where the access point is. We don't expect Che to be able to get there herself, so we are doing this the hard way. The Maxes will try to force open the access point. It's very difficult without the device on the other side running, correct?"
Max glanced at Mad, then back to Andrews. "We're not sure if she - Mad Max - will be able to open it while her hand is injured. As for me doing it alone...well, we tried once, and weren't very successful. But I'll try my best."
"Why can't we go today?" Crucifix-Kate asked.
"Roark has assured us that his more loyal employees would be working tomorrow, and Berry knows some of the guys on shift for security tomorrow," Andrews answered.
"We also have a lot of planning to do. Trust me, I would love to just go in right now and get her out of there, but if we get sloppy, then...well, it could be a disaster," Berry added.
Max understood how Kate felt. A part of her just wanted to rush in now, but she trusted the FBI's judgement. She was never religious, but she prayed that trust was not misplaced.
"And what if Max can't open the bridge?" One of the agents asked. The room fell silent.
"Then that's it," Andrews said. "Tomorrow is our last chance to save Che. If we fail…"
No one wanted to consider that grim possibility.
"Assuming we can, however, then we will be opening a bridge right in the middle of a cult compound. From what Chloe has told, me, everyone there is a fanatic worshipper of Kate Marsh. This Kate is very different from the two we have with us - she's also fanatic and dangerous. Expect them to be armed, primarily with hunting rifles. We will be infiltrating what used to be the dorms - that's where Che is being held, currently. Chloe is keeping tabs on her, and if that changes, we will change our plans accordingly. As such, Chloe will be coming in with us, so she can lead us to her. Ford, you and your team will be infiltrating. Lowe, your team will stay at the bridge. By the time we have the bridge open, McMillian should be flying down with Dent's medical team to evac Che. Ford, you and your team have the copy of the Blackwell floorplans, correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good. Now we don't know for sure it will be exactly the same - there could have been some modifications made. We'll be heading into the Bay area tomorrow morning. Everyone get some rest tonight. Good luck."
Timeline 2
Mad Max, Noir and Blue Shift
It was still fairly early, so Max and Chloe decided to go a nearby Walmart to pick up a few things. Max mostly spent her time in the pharmacy section, picking out supplies for a medical kit. She knew the FBI people would already have an extensive array of supplies themselves, but she felt better having her own. At the very least, shopping for these items kept her mind off of more stressing matters. She wished the other Andrews had brought her own medkit from the other timeline, but she supposed saving her life was good enough.
She wasn't sure what to think about Agent Berry's return. She didn't fully trust him - naturally, since in another reality he nearly poisoned her to death - but she felt this timeline's Berry was truly a different man.
She supposed that circumstances really can change a person. The two Kates, for example. They both have the same basic qualities - kind, caring, and loyal - but they were both very different. Her Kate was still quite religious. But the other Kate had all but left her faith behind.
And then there was the third Kate from Che's timeline. She was far beyond what the other two Kates were, to the point that Max questioned whether or not it was truly the same Kate.
She supposed she could draw similar parallels and differences between herself and her own counterpart.
Max placed a box of gauze pads in her shopping basket. She looked through all of the items in it, and decided there wasn't more she could get - not from a Walmart, anyhow. She went off in search of Chloe.
Locating the blonde didn't take very long.
"Got everything you need?" Chloe asked.
"I think so. You?"
"Uh huh."
Max glanced in Chloe's shopping cart. She then looked back up to the blonde, failing to hide her disappointment.
"Really, Chloe?"
Chloe impishly grinned.
They rode back in one of the FBI's vans. Chloe fidgeted with her newly purchased items giddily while Max watched with a sigh and a shake of her head.
A short time later, they were back at the motel. Max went into the room Noir and Chloe shared, while Chloe did some work by the FBI vans.
"Ready for tomorrow?" Max asked her other self.
Noir sighed. "God, I hope so. What's that hammering I'm hearing?"
"That's Chloe."
"Chloe? What is she -? " Noir's eyebrows narrowed. "Oh, no."
Max sighed. "Yes."
"Why did you let her..."
Max threw up her hands defensively. "She's a grown woman. If that's what she wants to do, then well, it's not my place to stop her."
Noir groaned. A moment later, the door opened and Chloe stepped in, a familiar impish grin on her face. She held something behind her back.
"Chloe…" Noir said with a shake of her head.
"Ta da!" Chloe cheered, as she held the newly spiked baseball bat in front of her.
