Mike.
His name echoed in El's head as she pushed fruitlessly against the solid steel door. Over and over again she shoved, willing her powers to return if only for an instant.
After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts, she sank to the floor, tears pooling in her eyes. Gone, she thought. Gone. Powers are gone, Jonathan and Nancy are gone, Mike is gone, Hopper is gone. Everything gone.
She collapsed against the door, sliding into a sitting position. More than anything, she wanted to kick something. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the room to kick other than the walls. Empty.
For once, she wished Papa were there. Papa would make her angry enough to burst through the door. Papa would ignite the fire inside her.
Instead, all she felt was icy cold as she looked hopelessly around her prison. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
For a moment, the chaos in her mind stilled. She shut out the thoughts and instead simply focused on the world around her.
The smell of the room was sickly clean and chemical. As if she were in a hospital. She couldn't hear anything but the whir of a nearby generator.
And then the generator stopped.
El's head perked up. Suddenly, she could hear mutters. Whisperings from what seemed like the room across the hall
"Tell us where she is or we'll bring little Mop Head in here and chop his fingers off one by one. While you get to watch."
"Please, no."
"And if that's not enough, we will then bring in the girl. We'll make her watch as we kill her brother. Then we'll restart the process with her. And you get to see the whole thing."
Her brother. Mop Head.
Mike.
And they were threatening to kill him.
Something bubbled up inside her, something dangerous and familiar. It started as a simmer, then a boil, then a full fledged explosion. As if a geyser was going off in her chest.
She stood from the floor, eyes narrowing as she slowly turned to face the door. With lethal deliberation, she raised her hand and knocked the door from its hinges.
A trickle of blood fell from her nose. She reached up and wiped it away, a wicked smile starting to grow on her face.
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There was a loud clang as Aleksandr and Nataliya edged closer to Jonathan. They jumped back as if he had somehow caused it.
He hadn't, but he had a wild, hopeful feeling that he knew who had.
Sure enough, the door to his chamber dropped to the floor, cleanly broken away from the frame. Standing behind it was El, hair tousled and nose bleeding. Her hand was outstretched in a deadly grasp.
Before the two Russian Guards could make a move towards her, El had twitched her head to the side, leaving both Aleksandr and Nataliya on the ground, eyes rolled into the backs of their head.
"Let's go," El said fiercely. She came up to Jonathan and released him from his restraints. "Find Mike and Nancy."
A voice from behind caught them off guard. "That won't be necessary," he said, breathless. They recognized him as the guard who had taken Mike and Nancy down the other hall.
"What have you done with them?" Jonathan hissed, advancing towards him, fire in his eyes. El was right behind him, hand halfway raised.
The man held up his palms in surrender. "Stop," he commanded. "I'm on your side. I helped Nancy and Mike escape. I...I work for Dr. Samuel Owens."
"Likely story," Jonathan muttered. "Where are they really?"
His eyes pleaded with them. "You have to believe me. Your lives and the lives of your family and friends depend on it."
Jonathan and El shared a glance. Time was running out and they knew it. It was maybe a matter of seconds before a hoard of guards burst into the room, armed to the teeth. Perhaps ...perhaps they wouldn't be able to save the other two even if they were still here. The best way to assure their safety was to escape.
"We'll take your word for it," Jonathan said. He eyed the man's name tag. "Yegor. But if this turns out to be some elaborate way to keep Nancy and Mike here, we're calling Dr. Owens and giving him your specific name. Got it?"
"Got it, got it," Yegor said. "Just please, get out of here now!"
So Jonathan grabbed El's hand and started to pull her through the door. However, the girl quickly collapsed to her knees. Looking at her face, Jonathan realized just how sapped of energy she was.
"Shit," he muttered. He turned back to Yegor. "Help me get her onto my back," he ordered.
Soon El was safely positioned, her arms wrapped tightly around Jonathan's neck. The two of them began to charge through the compound, recklessly turning corners and storming hallways. So far, there had been no guards to be seen.
They soon realized why. As they passed a room that appeared to be a surveillance area. On the largest TV screen, seemingly every officer in the place was rushing to a spot in the opposite side of the compound. When Jonathan narrowed his eyes, he saw a terribly familiar sight.
A demogorgon was loose in the building.
Without a second glance, Jonathan bolted. He remembered their path distinctly, as though it was a recording in his mind. They twisted and turned and ran up a long staircase until finally, they reached the large metal doors.
"Can you open them, El?" Jonathan asked. He himself was exhausted from running and carrying his sister on his back, but had no idea what kind of stress El must be under.
She mustered a nod, then let out a mighty scream as she blasted the door open. Her hand was shaky, yet firm in its purpose. Once the dust and debris settled, the two of them limped through the hole in the wall into the night. El seemed barely conscious. He gripped her legs tighter as her hold on his neck loosened. Together, they scrambled up the steps and into an abandoned parking lot where the truck they'd been brought in still sat.
Before, they hadn't had much time to take in the view. They were in the middle of a large, grassy field, the greenish brown expanse stretching as long as they could see. There was a single parking lot, gray and decidedly unimpressive. The only thing in sight was the highway about a quarter mile away, a small dirt path leading from it towards the parking lot. Glancing back at the doors they came through, they realized it looked like nothing more than a small building with the words, "Restricted Area" written in front.
They were about to start making their way down the road, when two loud, long honks came from a couple of cars speeding down the highway. They pulled off the road and drove down the dirt path before coming to a stop in the parking lot.
Steve was driving one, Robin in his passenger seat, with Nancy in the other, accompanied by Mike. Upon closer inspection, they realized three kids were piled into the back of Nancy and Mike's: Dustin, Lucas, and Max.
They ran towards Steve's car, clambered into the back, and slammed the door shut. "Drive, damnit, drive!" Jonathan cried, urging Steve away.
The two cars careened out of the parking lot and across the grassy field, merging messily onto the road. Steve pressed his foot into the gas, sending them hurtling as fast as possible.
Jonathan only dared one glance back at where they'd come from. He caught a glimpse of two armed men emerging from the doors. But they disappeared into the landscape as the cars flew towards Hawkins.
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Good thing Steve was overruled by his children or else Jonathan and El wouldn't have escaped! The guards would have caught up to them. AND YAY EL'S POWERS! I personally think the reason they went away was a mind issue. Like a mental block. I'll dig more into it in the story. Thanks to everyone leaving such sweet reviews! Totally makes my day :)