The Widows Daughter

Part one-hundred and one

(Chloe's POV)

"It's corrupted? What do you mean it's corrupted?" I asked Sam.

"I mean we can't watch it. It's corrupted." He said patiently.

"How does a tape get corrupted?" I groaned.

"I don't know. But if we can switch it to something else, I'm sure we could restore it." Sam reassured me.

"You think so?" I asked moving from foot to foot nervously.

"Probably, yeah." He smiled.

"Okay. Thank you." I thanked him.

"Any time kid." Sam nodded before leaving me alone.

I was getting tired of being stuck in motels. I was tired of being on the run. I was tired of looking over my shoulder every 20 minutes.

I wanted to go home.

Where was home exactly? New York? Missouri? France? Wherever Mom was? It didn't matter much seeing as how most of those places I couldn't go to. And I was kinda stuck with Mom anyway so really it didn't matter.

I wanted to wake up in my bed at Avengers Compound, go have breakfast with Mom, train with Steve, and as weird as it sounds, have my session with Alexis. I wanted to see Luke, Zari, Annie, Charlotte, and Jamie.

I wonder if there's a universe out there where I can see them. Where I'm happy. Where I have Mom and maybe my dad. Whoever he is.

"Hey, you okay?" Mom asked walking out of the bathroom.

"Yeah." I smiled. "You know that theory where you're actually in a mental institution and you're just crazy and everything that you think is real, is just your imagination?"

"No..?" Mom gave me a funny look. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "I just feel like my life is so crazy that sometimes I have to be making it up. Just a thought."

"I need to get in contact with Alexis again." Mom said and I laughed.

"Possibly, yes." I sad as Mom flicked through the TV channels before landing on Golden girls.

                           —————————

He stood in the corner watching me sadly. He knew what coming. We both did.

There was no escaping it. I messed up. He knew it, I knew it, we all knew it. I made a mistake that could cost me everything.

I could see Luke, Zari, Charlotte, and Annie walk past the door to the lab. They were being escorted by guards. Luke gazed in through the window with a scared look on his face, his eyes full of fear and confusion.

Would I ever see them again? Would I remember them? I don't want to forget everything.

I glanced back at him after I could no longer see Luke. He stood silently. He would receive his punishment as I would, I just didn't know when.

I wished I could tell him I was sorry. Tell him he should have killed me. Tell him...I don't know.

I was pushed roughly into the metal chair contraption-like thing. It was cold. The small bit of leather on the seat did nothing to comfort me. I knew this was it. I was either going to die or lose everything that made me me. The latter was worse in my opinion.

"Do you know what this machine does, Fräulein?" The man with the monocle asked.

I kept my mouth shut, looking just beyond him. "Answer the question." A guard commanded, slapping me across the face. My eyes watered from the pain, and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.

"Now, now, there's no need to that. No need to be violent. Clearly, she doesn't know. She just needs a lesson in what it does." The man said calmly.

A woman pushed my head back and metal clamps came down on my arms. "You see, this machine does a great thing." He told me. "It can take away your memories. Make you forget."

My eyes widened. I struggled against the restraints trying to get out. I looked at him from where he stood in the corner again. "Please! Help me!" I cried.

"No one will save you Fräulein." Metal pads came down over my head and I could hear a buzzing noise.

"You will not forget who you are if that's what you're worried about. That would be too much work to fix. You'll only forget the past few days."

"You're going to want to bite down on this." The woman held out a mouth guard but I ignored her. "Fine, suit yourself."

A shot of electricity went through my head, and down my body. I screamed out in agony and the pain only got worse. I cried as tears ran down my face in pain.

My mind started to blur. The faces melted together, and the memories faded. I screamed as my mind burned. It felt like my brain was becoming liquid and coming out of my ears. His face started to dissolve into a mess of colors.

The pain folded and changed. It moved as my memories left and my mind melted. It was red hot and ice cold. It was like molten lava was coursing through my veins. Like my organs were burning and freezing at the same time. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out.

I wanted to die. I wanted the pain to be over. I apologized and prayed to God that it would stop.

I just want it to stop.

"Chloe!" I woke with a start.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked half asleep as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"You were having a bad dream." Mom said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream, like you said." I faked a smile.

"You sure?"

"Mhm. I'm fine." Mom looked unconvinced but nodded. I rolled over into my side so she couldn't see my face. I covered my mouth as tears formed in my eyes.

I could still feel the pain from the dream. Like it had really happened. Like it was still happening.

Whatever I dreamt seemed so real. Like it wasn't a dream at all. More like a memory.

But why wouldn't I remember it?

I looked out the window at the rising sun. It made red, orange, and yellow light filter in through the cheap curtains on the motel window. I stared at the colors on the floor as I thought.

How can something seem so real and familiar, yet you don't remember why?

Hello, my lovelies. What do you guys think of this chapter? It's kinda a filler chapter so forgive me if I've given anything away for later, I had no idea what to write.