Chapter 36:
Mike walked into the police station groffily, reaching up to wipe his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Eleven had a nightmare, so he stayed up with her until she fell back asleepain. He didn't mindo it, but it made going to work the next morning a little more difficult. If that wasn't bad enough, as soon as he walked through the door, he saw Jesse standing by his desk.
Rage flooded through Mike instantly at the sight of the boy who had attacked Eleven on multiple occasions. Jesse turned when Mike came in, and his eyes widened a little like he didn't know he would be there.
"What the hell?" Jesse grumbled. Mike didn't bother saying anything. No words came to him in the moment, only anger. He rushed at Jesse, throwing a punch with enough force to knock Jesse back on the desk. He jerked the boy up by his collar, then hit him again. This time Jesse fell to the ground, and he dragged Mike down with him.
Papers flew from the desks and chairs toppled over as the two boys struggled with each other. Mike rolled until he could pin Jesse down, throwing another punch and kneeing him in the gut. Jesse let out a pained grunt, then pushed Mike to the side, scrambling to get up.
"Get the hell off me!" Jesse snapped at him. Before Mike could force him back down, Hopper came into the front area. He grabbed Mike by the back of his shirt and dragged him up to his feet.
"Knock it off," He said angrily, shoving Mike backwards. Hopper turned to the other boy. "Both of you. If you don't stop, I'll take you both in. This is the police station for crying out loud." He turned back to Mike. "What is going on, Wheeler?"
"He's the one who went after Eleven!" Mike shouted hatefully, glaring at Jesse. "He kidnapped her, then came back and held her down while his buddy chopped her hair off with a knife. He's the guy, Hop!" It made more sense, once Hopper knew who the other boy was. Mike has been very upset by the events with Eleven, as had everyone. However, Hopper was the sherriff. He couldn't let Mike assault someone in his station.
"What're you here for, son?" Hopper asked Jesse, an unamused and even angry expression furrowing his brow. Jesse smoothed out his shirt, then reached up to wipe the corner of his mouth.
"Before your boy here attacked me," Jesse spat, "I was here to report someone missing. My friend. He went missing in your woods. I haven't been able to find him, and he hasn't gone home. He doesn't have any family to report it."
"Good riddance to him," Mike scoffed. He knew already where Jesse's friend had more than likely ended up. Hopper knew, too. They had discussed and discussed how to deal with the issue. Hopper sighed, then reached up to run a hand down his face in frustration.
"I'll look into your missing friend."
"You know what happened to him," Jesse accused Mike. "Your big friend. He did this, didn't he? He killed him!" Mike shook his head.
"He would have been luckier if Dustin got ahold of him."
"I want you to bring that bastard in," Jesse told Hopper. "Ask him what happened to my friend. I guarantee he's the one who did it. He attacked me before."
"Listen," Hopper said, stepping closer to Jesse. "If I were you I would be awful quiet. Now, I might help you if you sit down and shut up. I ain't going after anyone for assault when you're guilty of some serious crimes, boy. I should take you in, but I don't have any evidence against you. So take careful steps, or I might just go looking."
"You know, then," Jesse grimaced. "You know who I am, and who the girl is. You know everything. All of you do." He shook his head and looked down at his feet, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Jesus Christ. Listen to me." Jesse lifted his gaze to Hopper's, his eyes softer now, more desperate. "I am the only thing that he has. Derek... lost his parents when he was young. He went into the system until he turned eighteen, then moved in with me. There's no one else that's going to care about him or go looking. You have to help me find him. He's my best friend."
Even Mike felt a little guilty for his previous comment after hearing Jesse level with Hopper. The chief looked over at Mike, who just gave a mindless shrug of his shoulder. Jim Hopper was an officer of the law, and if he didn't do his best to find the missing boy, he didn't deserve his badge. With a deep breath, Hop finally nodded down at Jesse, his own expression softening.
"I know where he might be."
"Mirkwood," Mike commented, the name sounding menacing after everything that happened in Hawkins when he first met Eleven, when Will was taken. He looked to Hopper. "It took Cathy's little sister, too, but Sarah is dead. If we're going to do something about it, we have to hurry."
"Dead?" Jesse asked, his eyes widening. "What do you mean? What took her?" Mike and Hopper exchanged glances.
"The people you worked for, the ones who told you to bring it Eleven," Mike began to explain, "they used to her for her... abilities. But while they were forcing her to use them, she accidentally brought something back with her. She opened this... door, and this... thing came through." He didn't know how to explain it without it sounding crazy or completely fabricated. "It takes people. It took my friend Will, but he managed to survive. We got him out. I've been in there, too, and I came back. It's not... impossible for your friend to still be alive."
"What's his name again?" Hopper asked. Jesse stared at Mike for a moment, the information settling into his head, registering in his memory. He thought about everything he'd heard and seen, and he knew that there was more to it than he was told. He experienced first hand what Eleven could do, so he knew that Mike wasn't lying about that, at the very least. The rest of it had to be true, too, he figured.
"Derek Wilson," Jesse told the chief. "Are you going to help me, then? Tell me how to get him back?"
"It isn't easy or safe, kid," Hopper warned. "You have to go to the place where this slimy son of a bitch lives, and it ain't like home, I can promise you that. It's... dark and dangerous. There's a way in, but we have to find a way to justify it. We have to go through the lab."
"Is there anyway we can do that?" Mike asked doubtfully. "I know that Brenner is dead, but the rest of the scientists and other people are still there, so someone has to be running the place, right?" Hopper nodded, then took a deep breath; he knew that Mike wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but it had to be said. "You boys planned on killing that thing, right?"
"We want to try. Nancy and Johnathan said they'd help. Steve, too."
"We'll need Eleven to get down there," Hopper said softly, walking towards the door with hopes that the boys would follow. Jesse and Mike trailed him on instinct, wanting to get closer to hear what he was going to say. Hopper was right though. Mike already didn't like this idea. "If she can get us down there, a few of us can take some weapons and go in there after whoever might still be alive. We'll kill the son of a bitch. Whatever is still alive in there, we'll kill it." He recalled for a moment the egg shaped, goo covered, thing he saw when he and Joyce went in after Will all those years ago.
"You're going to make her kill people?"
"No!" Hopper said quickly and loudly, drawing the attention of a passing officer. He lowered his voice again, focusing on Mike. "Eleven cannot kill anyone anymore, Mike. I don't know how many favors I can call in before they stop helping me out. It took a lot to cover for her last time. Doing it all over again could get me and you both fired, kid. We have to play it safe. She can't kill."
"I'll talk to her. I'll talk to everyone. We'll figure something out."
"We need a plan," Jesse finally piped in. "I'm going with you."
"Alright." Hopper pushed the door open for them. "Go on then. Get it all figured out. I'll see if I can find an easier way into the lab, but if not, let Eleven know she's going to have to help us. Report back when you have it all figure out."
"Okay," Mike nodded, not all too excited to be running back into danger. He desperately hoped he didn't have to drag Eleven along. He would much rather leave her and Will at his house, maybe with Lucas or Dustin there, too. Nancy, maybe, since he always hoped she wouldn't get involved. Mike knew first hand now how dangerous that place was after being there himself. He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid.
Sorry it's shorter than usual :( I've been sick since last night, and I feel awful. I'm glad I could finally finish this though, and thanks for bearing with me. Hope you enjoy anyways! Let me know what you think :)