Eleven Wheeler was excited because tomorrow was the day Mike was due home from Afghanistan, from the six month tour that he had to endure, El hummed to herself as she absent-mindedly washed the dishes with a sponge, her tummy was noticeably round by this point. Her child was healthy and bit of an attention seeker due to the heavy kicks she would feel.
Both Mike and El spent time in the void talking about it and making plans, like the name, they already knew that the child was a boy due to the vision of the future they both shared together a few months previous. Although as the child grew her mental energies were more depleted that usual, resulting in fewer trips into the void and sometimes she couldn't even sense his mental presence.
She looked up when she heard a car pull into the driveway, she frowned, Mike was not due home for another day and she was going to meet him at the air base when he landed like anything was going to keep her away.
She walked to the window and saw two smartly dressed US Army officers step out of the vehicle, Eleven gulped nervously, panic was beginning to set in, had something happened? Was Mike hurt? She hadn't sensed his mental presence since last night after they finished conversing in the void. She hurried to the door as they knocked upon it, she opened it with a trembling hand.
The two officers upon seeing her slowly took their officer caps off their head as a sign of respect.
Oh dear god…
"Mrs El Wheeler?" the one in front asked, his expression laced with pity.
"yes?" she answered shaking to her inner core. No No No No
He sighed "Mrs Wheeler its my sad duty to inform you that your husband Michael James Wheeler was killed in combat late last night"
Eleven felt her blood run cold, her body went rigid she closed her eyes, the mans words echoed off in the distance, she was unable to comprehend them, she frantically searched for Mikes presence in the word, that blip of light that was like the sun to her.
She couldn't find it, her nose began to drip with blood as she came back to reality.
"….Insurgents were laying down mortar fire, the building that he was in was hit with incendiary rounds, he died helping other soldiers who were caught under the debris to escape when the building collapsed upon him. He was the only non-combatant to do so Ma'am" The officer looked remorseful
All she could do was nod as she felt dazed from the news and the fact she just wasted her energy trying to find him.
The other officer spoke up
"He's been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously, the highest award that the United States Army can give except for the Medal of Honour" he held out the medal to her.
He placed it into her waiting albeit shaking palm she looked down at it, the gold eagle stood out on the centre of a cross with the words underneath "For Valor" her lip trembled as silent tears were now finally allowed to escape. Her fingers held the medal tightly.
He Was Gone, he really was gone. Her light in this world was snuffed out, she collapsed onto the sofa as she wept for the man she loved, she was mourning so hard that she at first didn't hear the high-pitched whine that had started to fill her ears.
Her hands flew to her ears as the whine got louder and louder, her hands were tightly pressed to her ears although it was no good as blood began to pour from both her nose and her ears as her psychic defences began to kick in, even then that was no good as her powers were severely drained that was until her sixth sense directed her to object still clutched in her hand
She furiously crushed the offending object with what power she had left, it groaned in protest as the metal twisted itself inward until it was nothing more than a twisted lump of gold, she threw the object down at the officers feet, she glare sent a shiver down the younger officers spine.
"Tell me, who are you really" she demanded fixing them both with her trademark glare
the older officer dropped the façade and reached into the inside of his suit jacket
"Now, now Eleven" he hissed, her blood went ice cold as he used the name the lab had given her. "It's time for you to come home" the officers pulled two identical devices with modified speaker grills on them
El threw up one hand and sent her power at them, her fury would have been a sight to behold except nothing happened, the two officers stumbled but then they activated their devices, pointing them at eleven.
Eleven screamed as a sonic sound wave enveloped her causing her to fall to her knees before finally succumbing to the devices and falling unconscious, the first officer caught her before hitting the ground, not wanting to cause damage to the child that she carried within her
The second officer held up a walkie-talkie
"Power 1 this is Eagle two and four, P11 is secure, I repeat P11 is secure"
Outside a Hawkins Power and Light Van swerved round the corner and into the suburb that housed Eleven before pulling up outside, the two officers came out carrying Eleven before strapping her down inside the van, whereupon they connected several wires to her body, Eagle two checked the straps to make sure she was secure as she could be before the van drove off at high speeds around the corner and out of sight.
"P11 in transit" Eagle to two said to his walkie-talkie
"Roger that Eagle two"
The slowed as it approached a grey stone building with the letters HNL on the side, several more satellite dishes and antenna laced the building, the place was a flurry of activity, a lot more than it had been eighteen years ago.
As the van pulled up a man with silvery white hair stood patiently she was brought out on a stretcher with wheels, he watched as they rolled up the ramp towards the building, before he signalled for them to stop just before entering, he walked over to her unconscious form, he stroked her hair almost fatherly like if it weren't for how icily cold his eyes were, his lips curled slightly into a smile that was devoid of warmth.
"Welcome Home, Eleven" he said, he looked up and nodded at the two before they wheeled her inside
Dr Martin Brenner watched them go.