The Heartbreaking Truth

Voices echoed all around Carrie. She could vaguely hear Rachel shouting through the helicopter's roaring blades. She was trapped inside her immobile body and wanted so badly to escape it. Her eyes were glued shut, but she can feel multiple presence around her, familiar and unfamiliar. Pain shot through her body when she felt something poke and prod at her open wound. She wanted to run away from the pain, but was helpless to do anything. She had no choice but to endure the excruciating agony before she fell unconscious.

The rhythmic beeping was the first thing she heard when she started t come back into herself. Blue-green eyes cracked open to see the familiar ceiling and curtains of her canopy bed. She felt another presence and heavily turned her head to see Rachel slumped on the covers, kneeling next to the bed. There was a heart monitor on the other side connected to her chest and an IV drip attached to her wrist.

"Ra...Rachel?" Carrie rasped out and tried to move, but pain burned through her shoulder. She whimpered and bit her lip to stifle a scream.

Rachel stirred and instantly woke up when she heard her sister move. She immediately stood up and laid a hand on Carrie's other shoulder. "Carrie."

Carrie gritted her teeth in pain as she turned to her sister's worried face. "The plane...it left."

Rachel nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, all the children made it safely to Canada, all eighty-six of them."

Carrie's eyes widened. "Eighty-six? Wait, I thought it was fifty-two." She groaned as she struggled to sit up with Rachel's assistance as she telekinetically poured her a glass of water before levitating it into her hand.

"I was surprised as well." Rachel said as she handed her sister the glass. "The Handmaids and Marthas worked together to get the future of our country to safety."

Carrie took a sip of water then asked, "What about them, did they make it with the children?"

Rachel answered, "Only nine Marthas made it with them. The others my men were able to find before the Eyes were brought here for protection and recruitment. As for the Handmaids, we have no idea where they went, but we found a dead Guardian in the woods close to the airfield. There was also a puddle of blood not far from him, and tracks that lead away from that area."

Carrie nodded. "They're still alive." She pushed the covers off of her and moved to leave the bed.

Rachel stopped her. "No, Carrie, you cannot go out there in your condition." She firmly said as Carrie weakly tried to push her sister's hands off of her.

"They're out there. They're in danger. If I don't find them they'll be killed." Carrie gritted her teeth as pain burned through her shoulder.

Rachel stood in front of Carrie with her hand firmly against her uninjured shoulder. "If you go out there right now, then you'll be killed."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Alex and surprisingly, Dr. Lisa. The older blonde's eyes widened at the sight of the unmasked, disheveled, and weakened leader trying to leave her bed. Immediately, she flew to the girl's side and helped Rachel keep her from leaving. "Ms. White, you are forbidden from moving around."

Carrie grunted as she tried to push her weakened body to fight. "The Handmaids...They need my help." She stifled a cry when the pain flared up again.

Alex placed the tray of antibiotics and food on the bedside table and went over to console the girl. "Carrie. Carrie listen to me." He crouched down to Carrie's level. "We have no idea where they are right now. But neither does Gilead." He explained. "June Osborne has been declared public enemy number one along with her fellow Handmaids for orchestrating the 'kidnapping' of eighty-six children. No one has seen them for three weeks now."

Carrie froze. "Three weeks." She stopped struggling to get up as she turned to her sister. "I was asleep...for three weeks?"

Lisa was the one to answer her. "You lost a lot of blood from that gun shot. We almost lost you a couple of times. But thankfully, you and your sister share a blood type." Lisa glanced at Rachel who gently laid Carrie back in bed. "She gave you a blood transfusion to keep you alive. Nearly passed out herself."

Carrie turned to her sister and noticed how pale she looked compared to the last time she saw her. "You did that?"

"Did you really think I'd let you die. Uh uh, you and I still have unfinished business with Gilead." Rachel gave her deadpanned look, but her eyes spoke of how worried she was for her sister.

Carrie gave her a tired grateful smile. "Thank you."

Rachel smirked, "Yeah, you better thank me. And you better not leave this bed until you're fully healed."

Seeing how her body ached and her shoulder flared, she could not see herself fighting Gilead in her condition. After a moment, she nodded. "Okay." Rachel looked relieved at her answer.

"What happened while I was out?" Carrie asked as Dr. Lisa set to work to change out the bandages and reapply the disinfectant.

Alex sighed as he went through the list in his head. "Let's see. The Commanders are pissed, they set up a manhunt for June Osborne, which is unsuccessful. Thank fucking God." He grinned as imagined the Commanders' angry looks the moment they found out. "They're also less than pleased at the 'diversion' you two created. Boy was that a mess for them to clean up. Sixteen Guardians were hospitalized due to broken fingers which will take months to heal, and their faces were burned off by some biochemical bomb in a warehouse."

"Five bombs. It also blinds them." Rachel corrected nonchalant as Carrie glanced at her in surprise.

"Yeah, there's also that. Can't really feel sorry for them though." Alex waved that bit off then snapped his fingers. "Serena Waterford is also in custody. Apparently Fred revealed some juicy dirt on her that dragged her down with him. She'll be on trial for her crimes. So now she can't have baby Nicole anymore."

"Guess Commander Twat-Beard wasn't useless after all." Lisa commented with a satisfied grin as she cleaned out the stitches once more.

"Is that all?" Carrie asked, wincing slightly at the stinging sensation in her shoulder.

"No. Everyone here has seen your face and knows your real name." Rachel said bluntly.

Carrie blinked. "Is that right? Huh."

"You're not freaking out about this." Alex stated as he observed Carrie's reaction.

"It'll catch up to me. Does everyone know about what I've done before all this?" Carrie asked.

"The story we heard was about a little girl who was abused by her insane religious mother and bullied by her peers." Lisa explained as she started to bandage the girl up again. "You were pushed to your limit, you killed your bullies. Your mother tried to kill you in a fit of rage, and you killed her in self defense then went into a fourteen year long coma. At least that's what I got out of this." She added with a shrug.

"Aren't you scared of me though?" Carrie asked as she watched Lisa's face.

"I was shocked by how you were treated. But I'm not surprised that you're human. I suspected you were hiding something important. No person could come from God without first understanding our suffering. Now that we know that you can die like us, you need to be more careful. Just because you have a power does not mean you're invincible." Lisa said in a stern yet caring voice.

Carrie looked down and admitted, "I'm sorry I made you think that I was. It was my own arrogance that put me here."

Lisa shook her head at her and sighed. "Your heart was in the right place, but you need to be wiser whenever you leave the base. Which you are prohibited from doing for the next three weeks." She advised as she finished tying off the bandages.

"Yes Dr. Lisa." Carrie nodded, knowing better than to disobey the woman given her current condition.

"Good." Lisa said as she stood up, happy with her work. "Buzz me if anything happens." She said as she left the room to continue her job as the base's medic.

"She reminds me of my mother, only less scary." Alex commented as he glanced at the two sisters.

Carrie locked eyes with Alex. "Alex, can you get the the folder please?"

Alex frowned as he glanced at Rachel sympathetically. He nodded as he made his way to the file cabinet and unlocked the drawer that contained the information Rachel desired. Carrie grasped Rachel's hand in an effort to give her strength as the girl prepared herself for what she has long awaited since Gilead's creation. He walked back over to them with the red folder clutched to his chest, afraid to give this precious information to the Wrath of Purgatory. Carrie nodded at him as he passed the folder to her.

"Could you give us some privacy please?" Carrie requested, knowing that this was sensitive and crucial for the sisters.

Alex looked conflicted but conceded to her request as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. The two sisters were left alone with the red folder resting in Carrie's lap. "Rachel," Carrie began, "I know you searched and waited a long time, but are you sure you're ready to see what's in here?"

Rachel sighed through her nose as she stared at the red folder. "I know she's dead. For a long time, but I chose to deny the truth. I want to know how she died, but at the same time, I'm afraid to know."

Carrie squeezed her hand sympathetically. "But you need closure." Rachel swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat and nodded.

"If you don't wish to do it today, we can read it at a later time." Carrie offered, wanting to spare her sister from further pain if only to reduce the casualties that may come.

Rachel stared at the red folder, the very color that defined her mother's fate in this horrific regime. She knew Sue Snell suffered greatly at Gilead's hands. How many of those cloaks she's seen, wondering where her mother was among them. The red truth was painful for her to see, but what resides within will be excruciating to her. Yet, to her, a moment of blinding pain is better than suffering a long agonizing one.

With resolve steeled across her face, she turned to Carrie. "I'm ready."

Carrie smiled sadly, "Promise me that after you read this, you'll try to move forward for Amelia's sake."

Rachel wasn't sure where that request came from or why, but she nodded, "I'll try."

Rachel's fingers slowly touched the edge of the folder, releasing a shaking breath, she opened the folder and was met with beautiful yet scarred face of Sue Snell. She read the contents of Sue Snell's fate, her body shook, she choked on the sob that wanted to escape her. "She fought them. She tried to get away." Rachel could barely talk as she read the parts that emphasized her rebellious attitude at the Red Center. "She tore an Aunt's ear off with her teeth." She laughed, feeling proud of her mother. She flipped over to the page which detailed her death. Her smile completely vanished when she saw how she died. "She hung herself."

Carrie sighed mournfully, "It was the only way she could save herself."

Rachel held the folder to her chest as tears streamed down her face. "I couldn't save her in time." She whispered, her back hunched over as she cried for the first time since Gilead stole everything from her. Being careful not to aggravate her wounds, she wrapped her arms around her sister and allowed her to cry into her neck. "It's not your fault." Carrie whispered through her own tears as she grieved with her sister. Together they mourned Sue Snell, crying in each other's arms until there was no more tears left to cry.

Rachel woke up late that evening as the sun was about to set. She was still in bed with her sister who remained asleep due to the pain medication and the crying they shared. She didn't remember when she fell asleep, the last thing she remembered was how they grieved over Sue Snell. She slowly got up from the bed so she wouldn't disturb her sister. She quickly wrote a note on the table and set it beside Carrie's head. She quietly took the red folder from the bedside table and walked over to the window where the last remnants of sunlight shone over them. She opened the window and levitated herself out then shut them behind her.

She flew towards the completely deserted part of the city and landed just outside an office building. She opened folder again, while it hurt to read over the contents again, she needed to confirm what she saw before she broke down. Her hands gripped the folder, crumpling the thick paper as her eyes scanned the name of the household her mother killed herself in. The ground shook as anger, grief, and hatred festered within her. Her teeth clenched, her skin burned, her tears flowed, and her body shook with hot rage. When she couldn't hold it in anymore, she screamed...

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her rage filled shriek and blast of her telekinetic powers created a shockwave that demolished five buildings around her, reducing everything around her to rubble.

Dust and debris surrounded her heaving form, her hand clenched the folder tightly within her fingers. Rage burned within her eyes as a new thirst for vengeance manifested within her. She turned her glare to the north, her body continued to shake in hate and anguish. With tightly clenched teeth, she growled out the name of the people responsible for her mother's death.

"Waterford."

There you have it, beginning of Season 4. I wanted to tie in Sue Snell in some way that would make her involvement pivotal for all the characters in the story. As you can tell, Rachel is far beyond pissed now. So naturally, I'm giving the Waterfords someone far scarier than June Osborne. I'm not sending June to Canada just yet, mind you. She cannot leave Hannah behind. Thanks for reading this chapter. Until then, leave a review.