"Is everything still going according to the plan?"
"Yes, Dr Brenner, but the drugs are starting to wear off now, she's back in Hawkins. If we are going to follow through, we will have to take her now..."
"If she gets any stronger, we won't be able to contain her." The young technician informed.
"I don't think containing her is going to be an issue, we have clearly found something that blocks out that part of her mind. We just need to lower the dose and regain control of the administration." Dr. Brenner informed, whilst flipping through the scattered papers throughout his desk.
"She's got a soft spot for that Sherriff, she'll soon realise if she wants to see him again, she's going to have to reopen the gate. I think you'll find she will come here on her own accord, we won't have to go looking for her, for now we just wait." The doctor explained.
"Doctor, I think you may find it will be harder to control her now... --her powers before the administration were far more powerful than we ever could have imagined. She's also older now and has been influenced by the outside... she's been with someone, since she's been back as well... I don't think she will be easily manipulated." The technician countered.
"Who's with her?" Dr. Brenner asked nervously surprised.
"An older kid, we ran a background check on him, it looks like he has quite a rap sheet... He was also at that incident at the mall- He's a loose cannon and could cause some issues."
"Interesting. It won't matter anyway- She always listens to her papa." Brenner replied smugly.
*
The rain began to pour heavily as Billy and Steve, drove slowly down the dark road. They watched carefully for any sign of Eleven.
"How the hell did she managed to disappear completely in a matter of five minutes?" Billy scrubbed his face with his hands.
"Well it was more like ten minutes; you just didn't realise it-- because you were too busy pounding someone's head in." Steve gestured sarcastically with an eye roll.
"Wait- so this is suddenly all my fault?" Billy angrily peeled his eyes off the road to glare at his passenger.
"Yes! In fact, this is one hundred percent your fault! You're so set on being angry at the world and hitting anyone that pisses you off in the slightest... that you miss the whole other picture... You know why you like hitting people? Because you're angry and the only reason you feel compelled to help El right now... Is because you feel guilty." Steve exclaimed, "now we have no idea where she is, or what she's doing! And judging by her little performance back there, and the nosebleed she was sporting, I'd say it's safe to say- she's got her powers back."
Billy couldn't help but tune him out, he was ranting and raving and throwing nonsense around... he couldn't possibly have a point.
Wait... Did he have a guilty conscience? Was he just angry?... Angry at his father for being such an abusive prick.
No, it was more than that. He felt connected to her, on some strange level. He couldn't describe it-- it had to have something to do with the mind flayer, it had connected them in some sort of supernatural way—
Or perhaps, it was so much simpler than that.
Feelings? —no way.
I mean come on, this girl, she clearly needs a specific type of guy, not some dickwad, who just wants to stick it in her and be done with her. -No, she needs someone who's going to be there in the morning.
Someone good.
No. It couldn't be him. He was bad.
And Candace... or whatever her name was, was much more his type. Blonde and all legs, slutty, ready to just throw herself at him, no chase at all. That was much more his style, pure transparency, simple and easy.
As soon as he had entered the house party she had noticed him. Without even having to glance in her direction, he could feel her looking him up and down. To her, he was a piece of candy- a snack. She had no idea who he was, she only thought she did. There was no curiosity to peel back the layers. It wouldn't have mattered anyways, there was no soft under belly to expose.
-What was her name again?
Candace? Candy? No Cynthia?
Fuck knows.
Who cares, she was only going to be my escape for the night, now that's all shot to hell.
The dead silence that filled the car after the pairs disagreement made Steve restless in his seat. He decided that breaking the silence was in their best interest, if they were going to get anywhere with the situation.
He knew he'd have to tone down his approach slightly. "Look, There was a time believe it or not, when I was an asshole too. I started fights and hit people for really no good reason. But these kids, they've changed me—so if you hurt a hair on any of their heads, including El, I'm going to smash your face in Hargrove."
"Would you just shut it! I get it! - Don't hurt the kids, is this because I beat the shit out of you? I'm not a total piece of shit Harrington! I don't hit girls!"
"I wasn't referring to hitting—" Steve trailed off awkwardly.
"So, are you going to tell me what the hell you are doing with El?" Steve raised a brow.
"It's just a temporary arrangement, we just sort of ran into each other and I guess have a mutual understanding. She's meant to just stay out of my way but is turning out to be a bigger pain in the ass than Max is. -Not that it's any of your business Harrington."
"I just told you WHY it's my business," Steve huffed. "You know, you can't just use her, she's different to other girls. Dustin's told me stuff... She grew up in a lab, they tortured her, took her away from her mom. She's really been through a lot and she doesn't need you making things worse."
Jesus, more information from this girl, than I've had in two days from the source.
Steve was just about to let off another round of unspoken truths, when a loud static sprung to life under his jacket. Quickly pulling the fabric back, he revealed a very large walkie talkie attached to his belt.
"You've got to be shitting me. —Are you serious Harrington, could you be any more of a looser?"
"Hey! I have no choice okay! These little shits are always getting themselves into trouble." He tuned the radio defensively.
It was Max, her voice was full of obvious panic but was too muffled to make out what she was saying. Steve moved the radio around within the confines of the car, looking for a sweet spot.
"Do you copy? I THINK EL'S GOING TO THE LAB. THIS IS A CODE RED. I REPEAT CODE RED. Does anyone copy?"
"Holy shit, 'code red'!" Steve repeated in a panic, "Go Hargrove! Go!" He exclaimed, pointing to provide instructions.
"Max, this is Steve, we copy you. We're going now!"
"Step on it!"
Was it Steve's panic or something else that caused Billy's boot to suddenly push the pedal to the metal? Or was it something else?
"Drop me off at Dustin's my car is there; we'll follow you in- this place is—is where... The gate to where the mind flayer is... The more back up... the better. I'll leave this walkie with you-- I'll talk to you through Dustin's." Steve said cautiously, too worked up to see if Billy agreed with the plan. If he had looked over, he would have seen him secretly rolling his eyes at how ridiculous Billy thought he sounded.
"Jesus Christ, you need more friends, older, less nerdy friends."
Once Steve had exited the car, Billy wasted no time in waiting around, he quickly skidded out and off the driveway and began driving in the direction of the condemned lab.
Why the hell would she go there?
She's thorn in my Goddamn side.
She ran away in the first place, because you're a class 'A' screw up.
You scared her, now you're even more of a monster to her, than you were before.
The mind flayer- him. He made you do all those horrible things-
I nearly strangled her to death, how could she have just forgotten that... and still sleep under the safe roof as me?
She's crazy- I'm crazy, what the hell am I even doing? I don't care... Why don't I just leave, all her little friends are going to come running anyways? I could just turn around and go back, back to whatever her name was, Cynthia? No... Chanel?
Fuck knows.
He only needed to drive a few streets up to see a distinctive red rain jacket bolt into nearby bushes. Billy snorted slightly at the comedy of it, she was running like some kind of lunatic.
"What the hell is she doing?" He chuckled to himself as he pulled the car over onto the side of the road.
The verge was dirt and gravel, there was little light and from what he could see, only forest and woods surrounded them. It was dark and cold and he secretly wondered how she could just wander off into the unknown the way she had.
"If I have to trek it through rough terrain' I'm going to be pissed!" He leant against the car to light up a smoke.
He casually continued to puff on his smoke for a few more seconds; hoping that his presence, the rain, and cold dark weather would be enough to make her come out and let him take her home.
To take her back with him.
She said she doesn't like the dark.
He thought about performing his normal approach, the ole' "put her over his shoulder" and carry her out kicking and screaming. But he knew if she was angry, it wouldn't work. Especially if her powers were still in full swing.
"So, I guess you don't need me around huh? Looks like you can take care of yourself, no problem now?" He shouted condescendingly, coaxing her out with words would be the way to go.
He waited a little longer, but still no emerging from the bushes. "It's cold and if you don't come out now, you're walking home."
Giving in slightly, knowing that if she didn't come with him, he'd be judged even further by Harrington for not finding her, he let out a massive sigh, before dumping his smoke to the ground to extinguish it with his boot.
"El, if you come with me, I'll stop on the way back and get you as many eggos as you want."
After a few seconds had passed, a rummaging came from within the bushes. The sounds of crackling leaves and branches beneath feet bristled through the thick and dark woods.
And then she appeared. A soaking wet Eleven. She looked cold, sad, but mostly bewildered. Billy's heart throbbed at the sight of her, but of course covered that weakness quickly.
He smirked at his victory, his smugness radiated out of him as he sarcastically opened her car door. His gestured was a very clear, "Your highness, your chariot awaits," El remained quiet as she slowly walked over to get into the passenger side.
Once, Billy had radioed off the quest, the car ride was silent, too silent, there was so much to say... You could have cut the tension with a knife.
"Why were you going to the lab?" He finally asked hesitantly.
He waited for what seemed like an eternity, for her to answer him, but she just resigned herself to silence, frustrated by her shortness, his patience began to run thin.
"Look, I'm sorry for losing my shit back there, I just—sometimes I just hit people. I get angry... and I don't know... I just see red."
He was surprised to see that his vulnerableness didn't pay off, she still sat silently, facing the window.
"I know, when I was... You know... taken over by that thing... I hurt your friends, Max... You, I know I'm an asshole, but I'm not normally quite that bad." He added, a tad of humour in his voice this time.
"Dad." She replied simply.
"Your dad is at the lab?" he asked surprised that he had been given an answer.
"I don't know, maybe...-I can't find him."
"Your mom? Where is she?"
"Bad men hurt her."
"Bad men?" He pushed further.
"Yes, bad men." She nodded.
Billy took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance in her direction. "Hey, you've seen in my head."
"Stop the car." She was unreadable, her experience was vacant, almost cold.
"What? ...Why?" He took his eyes off the road again to face her, his brows creased in confusion.
"You want to see"
Billy didn't hesitate, following El's clear instruction. His normal reaction to any order given to him was to respond to it stubbornly, usually with some sort of rebellion, like a fight or a snide remark. But this was different, he was intrigued by what her question had meant, so with that being said, he pulled his car off the side of the road again, and with the most nonchalant expression he could muster, turned his entire body in his seat to face her.
He lit up another cigarette, purposely blowing it into her face, with the intention of making her cough, if he succeeded she hid it well. Her eyes only watered slightly before she opened her mouth the speak, "Radio on." She removed her scarf from around her neck.
"Um... what the hell are we doing?" Billy leant his head back onto the cars window.
"You want to see... So, you'll see."
Billy watched as she undid her seat belt and turned to face him fully. She crossed her legs onto the seat and delicately placed the scarf around her eyes. Then taking a long deep breath, she tried to clear her mind.
Billy stared at her stunned for a moment, his eyes looked over her frantically for some sort of answer as to what was going to happen next.
"Close eyes," She looked into confused blue orbs.
Billy did as she said, deciding not to question her further, he closed his eyes and after a few seconds, relaxed into the faint song that was playing on the radio...
"-We will find you acting on your best behaviour, nothing really lasts forever... everybody wants to rule the world... Say that you'll never, never, never need it. Everybody wants to rule the world-"
As he relaxed further into his seat and his guard came down, he noticed the faint song in the background turning into noticeable static...
And then she touched him. Suddenly, they weren't on the side of the road anymore. But they were still in his car?
"El?" His voice echoed, as he looked up to see her staring back at him, everything around them was plain and black, dark but still light.
"Where the hell are, we?"
She stared at him, her eyes were still vacant, the only thing giving away how she felt were the few tears streaming down her cheeks. And then it hit him properly, like a freight train. She was going to let him see. See her. See into her mind. Just like she had seen into his. There was no going back from this- after this, they would be even.
He couldn't be angry with her anymore and that was terrifying to him.
Staring back at her, he could see how afraid she was. There was no doubting it, her face was transparent, Why? Nothing could have been worse what she had seen from him?
"You want to see." She stated, softly her voice echoing in the darkness of the void around them, Billy only nodded hesitantly, not really knowing what to say, not even knowing if he really did want to see—
With out even a further second of warning, she grasped his hand tightly, jolting him into a distorted creation of sounds, and brief images- memories, they had to be memories.
At first the images didn't make any sense, they were scattered, meaningless, hard to interpret but then the first one began to focus...
He looked around the unknown room he'd appeared in. He was weary of his location as he glanced around in search of El. But then his attention focused on the woman seated before him. She was sad, her eyes expressionless. She was mumbling to herself in a loop "Breath, sunflower, three to the right, four to the left." Her voice was short and fearful.
"Hey are you alright?" He approached her closer. But was then pulled into another setting, this time, a hospital room, the same woman laying in a bed screaming, "I SAW HER, I SAW HER, I HEARD HER CRY."
It was as if he could feel this woman's pain,
Her mother.
El's mother.
The air around him suddenly became very still, the echoing stopped when he saw the rainbow on the door.
Two girls, one no older than four years old, and that same woman. She frantically called the girl to come with her, "Jane!" She shouted. Before she was abruptly hauled away, leaving the girl, alone, abandoned.
Shock treatment, bad men.
The next thing he knew he was in a room with El, she had some sort of weird helmet on her head, they wanted her to hurt a cat- she wouldn't. So they hurt her instead- a punishment, they dragged her down the hall of the lab taking her to God knows where, to do God knows what. She was so young, helpless, they were hurting her, she was screaming, "No papa, no! Please papa, don't, PAPA, PAPA!"
They were dragging her away, to hurt her. This "Papa," only standing there to watch, not caring, just standing there, like some kind of sick fuck.
Help her . Why didn't he help her?
Billy instinctively lunged towards the men to free her, only to find their bodies disintegrated between his hands. His face turned red with anger, as he held back the gorge in his throat. These were memories, he couldn't stop them.
He watched helplessly, powerless to stop all the suffering. The visions soon showed all she had endured; trapping her under water, shaving her head, forcing her to do things she didn't even understand- the manipulation...
Then the recollections became faster, speeding into only flashes- glimpses, some so fast he couldn't even make out what they were.
A bleeding nose, a crushed coke can, Dead bad men— she had killed them, snapping one of their necks, clean.
They hurt her—so, she hurt them.
--Good.
Running, hiding, friends, Hopper, Kali, a first kiss, love, fear, so much pain, loneliness- so lonely.
- Billy.
Me.
The gate, she'd opened the gate, the mind flayer, They made her do it.
Oh, the manipulation.
Then another towing into somewhere else unknown, suddenly the memory became still and focused.
She's afraid.
"All this time, you haven't looked for me, why Eleven? Because you thought I was dead? Or because you were afraid of what you might find?" He asked solemnly.
"Go away." She replied, fear in her voice.
"You have to confront your pain Eleven."
"You have a wound, a terrible painful would- and it's festering- do you remember what that means?" He asks calmly, approaching her closer.
"GET OUT OF MY HEADDDDDD." Her screams echoed out, releasing them back into reality.
And just like that they were back in the car, back in the woods, back into certainty.
