Season 3 is almost upon us! Here's a chapter to celebrate!
Mike layed flat on a couch in Joyce's living room. It was roughly 9:00 pm when they decided it was time for Mike to try and see Eleven again. He clenched the supercom to his chest and tried to get comfortable so he could fall asleep.
"Remember what you're going to tell her to say?" Hopper asked him gently. Mike nodded. "This is going to work." He said firmly. Hopper nodded hesitantly before walking over to Joyce.
The boys and Max slept in sleeping bags around the living room and kept quiet so Mike could sleep. Nancy and Jonathan met Hopper and Joyce in one of the bedroom so they didn't disturb the others.
"If we don't get this evidence, there's no way Reymond will run the story." Jonathan sighed.
"We will get it...we have to." Hopper sighed as he sat on the bed. Joyce placed a hand on Hopper's shoulder comfortingly. The four of them waited for Mike to awake with hopeful success.
Meanwhile, Mike gasped awake and was met with utter darkness once again. This time instead of feeling fear in the void he felt anxiousness at the fact he would see El again.
"El!" He shouted as he searched the eerie place. His feet slapped against the water drenching the floor as he continued to run.
"El!" He yelled again. This time he was met by Eleven's voice which brought him relief. Mike ran faster until he could embrace her fragile form. He held her close and rested his face in the crook of her neck. "You brought me back." Mike sighed with happiness.
"You found me again." She replied gently. He pulled away and revealed the listening device to her. "I don't know how long I have, we need to hurry." Mike urged.
She grasped it and looked to him with confusion. "I need you to say what's happening to you- what the lab and military are doing to you." He explained quickly.
She nodded quickly and watched him fumble with the device to try and turn it on. "Leave out anything about your powers though. Say they took you by force to run experiments on you as a way to cure you. Now that they have tell them what they are doing now." He continued to explain quickly.
"Okay..." she gave a nod. "Ready...one...two...three..." Mike counted down.
Will's supercom buzzed to life in Hopper's hand causing everyone to gather around him. Hopper quickly pressed record on the tape to ensure they got her message.
"Hello...my name is...Jane Hopper..." Eleven's voice rang.
"He did it." Hopper smiled. The others smiled as well trying to contain their happiness.
"I was taken by...Hawkins Lab...and the governments military. They have been experimenting on me to try and cure me. Now that I am cured...they still are experimenting on me...and won't let me go. Please...I need help." She explained firmly.
"We are going to get you..." Hopper whispered and he listened to her through the walkie. Her voice cut out, now only leaving static. Hopper clicked the "stop" button on the tape and turned to Joyce. "We got them." Joyce smirked.
Mike held Eleven's hands firmly. "We are going to find you...and get you out. I promise." He said sternly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck in reply. "I love you..." Mike said before kissing her gently.
She gripped the collar of his shirt and rested her forehead on his chest. "Please don't go..." she replied brokenly.
"You can bring me back whenever you'd like. I will always come back to you." Mike said softly.
"You need to bring this back to me so now you don't have a choice but to come back." She gave a mischievous smile before placing the necklace in his shirt pocket. Mike gave a soft laugh before kissing her forehead.
"Go take them down." She said firmly before backing away. He gave a firm nod to her before gasping awake.
Hopper and the others were all staring at him with curious eyes. Before checking the recording, he placed his hand in his shirt pocket and pulled out the necklace. He observed it with a smile before turning to everyone.
"She okay lover boy?" Dustin asked with a raised brow. Mike rolled his eyes and turned to Hopper. "She's as well as she can be..." he informed with sadness in his eyes. Hopper nodded slowly. "You gave her the listening device?" Hopper asked. Mike nodded.
"We can give Raymond her words but she will have to get us more." Hopper sighed.
"I just hope they don't find the device." Mike scowled. "Well if we gave her a supercom instead I think they'd figure us out a bit quicker." Lucas replied. They all nodded in agreement.
Hours later, the door to Eleven's small cell thrust open revealing two guards. They quickly grabbed her arms and lead her down the narrow halls. "Where are you taking me?" She asked firmly. They did not answer her and continued down the halls.
They stopped in front of another door. A soldier knocked which led to the door opening. Eleven was quickly rushed inside and then placed in a chair and tied up firmly. The general stepped forward and bent down so he was eye level with Eleven. "I hope you understand now that I do not like insubordinate behavior." He began.
Wills supercom buzzed to life waking everyone up just at dawn. They all rubbed their eyes and looked to the device with confusion. Mike stumbled out of bed tiredly and ran to press record on the tape. He then sat with the others and listened carefully.
"I want those gates closed this week so we are going to go back...and you will close them. Understand?" He raised a brow.
"What happens after I close them?" She asked quietly.
"Sorry did you ask something?" He raised his hand to his ear. "I don't believe you addressed me as sir. Didn't that chief teach you manors?" He scowled.
At the generals statement, Hopper's hand clenched into a fist. Joyce unclenched his hand and held it gently causing him to relax.
"What happens to me after I close it...sir?" She asked again with anger behind every word. He delivered a swift hand to her face as soon as she uttered the question.
The others couldn't hear everything from the static but could connect the dots. Anger rose within Mike as he struggled to stay seated.
"You do not ask questions subject Eleven. We will do whatever we damn well please with you. Understand?" He asked firmly. She kept her eyes to the floor and wanted nothing more than to snap his neck in that moment, but then she remembered her family.
"Repeat after me. I understand that I am nothing more than a experiment, sir." He stated firmly.
Mike shook his head with disbelief. "Don't do it, El." He whispered.
"I am nothing more than a experiment...sir." She scowled. The General stood upright and glared. "Brenner isn't here to protect you anymore. You are the governments property, nothing more." He said firmly and he walked toward the door.
"Bring her with me. We need to see what she's capable of." The general informed his men.
Mike stood from his seat and turned to Hopper. "We need to get that tape to Raymond. We can't keep waiting." He said quickly.
"How do we explain how we got those recordings? Raymond will say we faked everything." Hopper explained.
"So why even make the tapes?" Mike raised a brow.
"Raymond won't take them fake or real until he hears what he wants." Hopper replied. "And what is that?" Mike shot back.
"The facts. A name, a location, things like that. He can't just say some general took a kid somewhere. It sounds made up." Hopper explained more.
Mike lowered his head in defeat. "We have her words...now we need more of that Generals." Hopper added as he held the supercom. They all nodded in agreement.
Eleven was taken into another room and forced to sit at a table. A soldier began connecting wired to the sides of her forehead and hands. A doctor stepped inside and shook the generals hand before looking to Eleven. She nearly felt her heart skip when she recognized him to be Dr. Owens. Despite her face showing hope his held a firm scowl.
"I'll leave you to it then." The general told Owens. Owens gave a nod to him before he exited.
"Dr. Owens..." Eleven greeted softly.
The others had all left to their respective houses only leaving Mike and Hopper at Joyce's house with Will. When the walkie buzzed to life again they crowded around it. "Owens is with her..." Hopper furrowed his brows. "That's a good thing right? He wasn't bad." Mike replied unsure.
"Money and fear can change anyone. We don't know what they've said to him." Hopper sighed. They stopped talking at the sound of Owens voice.
"I know you must be confused, I did help you get a somewhat normal life after all." Owens began. She stayed silent and kept her head down.
"If you close those gates, I think I can get you out of here." He added quietly. Eleven gave a short laugh. "They will never let me go, I'm too much of a risk." She argued.
"I have a plan. I just need you to trust me and do as I say. Brenner had a backup plan and trusted me with it- just in case...you know." He frowned.
Eleven studied his eyes carefully before replying. "My family will get me out of here. You're working with the general..I can't trust you. I made the mistake of trusting Brenner." She scowled.
Owens sighed deeply. "Very well...let's begin our first tests then." He said as he pulled out a clip board.
"Why would she pass on that? Maybe his plan would work." Lucas said with frustration.
"Brenner's best plan for her was for her to run. How much better could that second plan be?" Mike raised a brow. "She's right to wait and trust us." He added.
Hopper nodded in agreement. "As much as I want Owens to be telling the truth, I think El made the right choice. We will get her out." He said firmly. They all nodded in agreement.