I do not own Stranger Things or any of the characters.
Pursued
"So, what did you mean that's not what you really look like?" Mike asked as they all finally arrived in his basement, Mike passing him a plaid shirt to wear, since Thirteen was still shirtless.
"I can create a sort of...psychic field around myself that alters the way people perceive me," Thirteen explained. "It changes what people think my appearance is. For example." He focused, and in Mike and Dustin's eyes, turned African American but with wavy orange hair, one ice blue eye, and one emerald green. "As you can tell, the appearance doesn't always have to be realistic." He changed their perceptions back to what it had been before, then wiped his bloody nose. "The best thing is that the field is basically self-sustaining. It's even active when I'm asleep, so the only effort required is to change it. And since it works on cameras and even works when people are at a distance, the only two people alive who actually see me, are me and Ellie."
"That's so cool!" Dustin grinned. "But...wait...what do you look like?"
"That's not important," Thirteen said. "Anyway, as I said, I have other abilities as well. Telekinesis, mind reading through the electrical signals in your brain, I can track people by their energy, and I can manipulate barriers."
"That's so cool!" Dustin grinned. "Wait, what do you mean energies?"
"Literal energy," Thirteen said. "The electrical signals that make your body function. Everyone's electrical signals flow uniquely, based on their physical appearance and size, things like fears or things you've experienced in the past that hurt, or scar tissue. For example, either of you been scratched by a cat in the past?"
"No," Mike said.
"I have," Dustin nodded.
"Then because you have, your brain is rewired just slightly, to accept the knowledge that being scratched by a cat hurts, as well as how much it hurts," Thirteen said. "Scar tissue is another thing that changes a person's energy, because electrical signals don't travel through scar tissue the same way as through healthy skin. And your bone condition is a huge factor of yours." He looked over at Dustin, whose eyes widened. "As I said, I can sense all of the tiny changes in the way your electrical signals flow, and then can track that by creating a sort of trail that only I can see. It's actually in my mind, but my mind projects it into my vision. I can also track a specific location by its energy, though that's a little easier to understand. The energy of a place is made up of how the heat of the sun, the wind, and sound all hit it. For example, all three will be different at the quarry, which is a huge pit in the ground filled with water, than they would in the middle of the woods."
"Makes sense," Mike nodded.
"Could you find a certain spot in the woods?" Dustin asked.
"Only if there were a landmark there, like a tree that's stupidly bigger than the ones around it, or a huge rock formation, or a building," Thirteen said. "I can't just do a random set of coordinates. And houses is also problematic. In order to find a specific house, I need a physical description of it including all of the colors on it, its layout, and the same for all of the houses around it. It's easier to just do a person who's at the house."
"So, I'm still a little fuzzy about what you mean by tracking the flow of electrical signals," Dustin said.
"Do you know what a very basic electrical diagram looks like?" Thirteen asked. "A circuit? Battery to appliance to battery?"
"Yeah," Dustin nodded.
"Okay, well, picture the electrical flow as cords," Thirteen said. "Now, for this example, we'll say that Mike's cords are arranged in a nice, tidy oval. Yours are bent into an S in each direction. What I read is basically that. The electricity flowing through the cords in your body. I read the pattern of a person's electrical current."
"Oh," Dustin said, nodding. "I don't get it."
Thirteen sighed. "It's hard to grasp. I don't even really understand it fully." He glanced at Eleven as she wiped at her cheek trying to get the dirt off. "Mike, help Ellie wash her face off. I'll keep Dustin amused in the mean time."
Mike nodded and walked into the bathroom with Eleven, closing the door. As they did, Thirteen motioned for Dustin to begin.
"So, how much of a person's mind can you read?" Dustin asked.
"Only the conscious and subconscious thoughts they're having at the moment," Thirteen said. "I can't read memories."
"Subconscious thoughts?" Dustin asked.
"Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation and at the back of your head you thought about what you want for dinner, or a game you want to play, or something like that?" Thirteen asked. "Even thought your focus is on the conversation some of your thoughts are unrelated?"
"Yeah," Dustin nodded.
"That's a subconscious thought," Thirteen said. "They're random, unrelated thoughts that pop into your head then disappear just as fast, however, they reveal a lot about someone's character. For example, if I tell you, you're a stupid, gap-toothed loser, John."
Dustin frowned in confusion.
"Exactly that," Thirteen nodded. "Your first concern was wondering who John was. You didn't even bother to get offended that I made fun of you because you're used to it, and subconsciously, you made that statement, as well as a handful of echoes of other voices calling you Toothless from your memories, which is the closest I can get to reading your memories. This all tells me that you have a strong sense of self, and you don't care what others say about you, though you get confused a bit easily."
Dustin shrugged just as a radio off to the side began to go off, both able to hear a voice through it that Dustin identified as Lucas, though they couldn't understand his words. Dustin ran to the bathroom instantly.
"Guys!" Dustin said, throwing the door open. "It's Lucas! I think he's in trouble!"
The three of them ran back over, Thirteen passing Dustin the radio.
"Do you remember how he said he was looking for the Gate?" Dustin asked.
"Yeah," Mike said.
"What if he found it?" Dustin asked.
"What's he saying?" Mike asked, taking the radio.
"I don't know," Dustin said. "He's way out of range."
"...son of a bitch!" Lucas's voice managed to get through.
"Lucas, if you can hear us, slow down, we can't understand you," Mike said.
"Yes, I copy!" Lucas shouted. "Do you? They...about Eleven! Get...there...about Eleven! The...ad men...coming! All of them! Do you...me!? The...d...en are coming!"
"Mad hen," Dustin said. "Does that mean anything to you?"
"It's not 'mad hen,' it's 'bad men,'" Thirteen said. "They found us."
"Stay here!" Mike said, dropping the radio on the table and sprinting up the stairs.
"Ellie," Thirteen said. "Time to run."
"You can't run, you don't have any shoes!" Dustin said.
"Do you happen to have any on hand that I can borrow?" Thirteen asked irritably.
Dustin turned, running after Mike. After another minute, the two of them sprinted back down the stairs, both grabbing a jacket and pulling them on, Dustin hurling a pair of sneakers at Thirteen. He slipped them on quickly, ignoring the fact that they were a little too big, then followed the other two out of the house through the basement's back door. Both yanked their bikes up and began to run, Eleven running with Mike, since he had the only bike that could accept two people on the seat. Once they'd reached the road, they stopped, the three that could ride a bike jumping on, only to stop, looking off to the side where four vans marked as Hawkins Power and Light, were parked, men in blue coveralls spilling out of them, as well as an older man in a black coat over a suit with white hair combed back.
"Papa," Thirteen growled.
"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Dustin shouted, the three of them taking off on their bikes.
The older man glared at Thirteen for a moment as the rest of the men, save for three, ran for the vans.
"Is that you, Thirteen?" the older man asked.
Thirteen's right hand moved to over the number branded to his left wrist, the only thing he couldn't hide with his power, despite trying to learn how for years. Then, he held his left hand up, a skateboard streaking to him and landing on the road in front of him. He set his foot on it and pushed, using his powers to keep it firmly attached to his foot as he took off, propelling himself with his powers as well. He crouched slightly, finding it a little easier to keep himself upright naturally that way, and sped after the others, catching up with them and ignoring the strain of using his powers constantly, wiping the blood streaming from his nose. They cut across a lawn and down a driveway, Thirteen struggling to keep himself going, then onto another road, continuing to race along as a pair of vans swerved onto the road behind them, engines roaring as they sped after the children. They cut up another driveway and Thirteen dropped off the skateboard, grabbing it and sprinting after the others as they raced down through someone's back yard. As they reached another driveway, he dropped the board running and jumped on, once again using his powers to stay on it and make it move. Just as they reached the road, they all stopped as they met Lucas.
"Lucas!" Mike panted.
"Where are they?" Lucas gasped, thoroughly exhausted.
"I don't know," Mike said.
"I think we lost them," Dustin said.
As if on cue, several vans skidded around a corner behind Lucas, and they were off again, Lucas glancing at Thirteen.
"Who the hell is this kid?" Lucas asked. "And how are you keeping up on a skateboard?"
Thirteen tugged his left sleeve up and Lucas sighed.
"Another one?" Lucas asked. "Thirteen?"
"Yup," Thirteen nodded. "You must be Lucas. I don't appreciate you being an asshole to my sister, but we'll get into that later."
Lucas's mouth pulled tight, looking like a child with his hand caught in a cookie jar, but before he could respond, another van pulled onto the road ahead of them. Dustin screamed, but Eleven focused, glaring. Then, the van jumped, flipping forward as it soared over them, the nose of it denting slightly from the impact with Eleven's powers. It crashed down behind them, and the other three vans skidded to a stop. Thirteen glanced back, seeing the older man, Dr. Brenner, step up beside the van Eleven had shown, watching them, and flipped him off. Brenner's eyes narrowed, and Thirteen turned back to the front. They continued for a while, before leaving the road, Thirteen leaving the skateboard behind in favor of running through the woods after the others' bikes. However, Thirteen's overuse of his powers began to hit him within seconds, and he went down hard. After a moment, Dustin and Lucas returned, helping him onto Lucas' bike behind him, then were off again, Thirteen slumping forward against Lucas.
"Oh, man!" Lucas grimaced. "He's bleeding on me!"
"Tired," Eleven said.
Lucas sighed, shaking his head, and focused on pedaling, Thirteen passing out entirely. When he woke again, they were in the same junkyard where Eleven had thrown Lucas when she lost her temper.
"Really bad," Mike was saying.
"What do we-" Dustin began.
"Guys," Thirteen groaned, pushing himself into a seated position. "There's a helicopter coming."
They all listened, hearing the chopping of its propeller growing louder rapidly.
"Hide the bikes!" Thirteen groaned, shoving himself to his feet and looking around, seeing a bus beside them. "Under the bus. Eleven, do it."
Eleven jerked her head and the bikes shot under the bus together before they all scrambled onto the bus, Dustin helping Thirteen.
"Get down!" Lucas shouted, all of them dropping to the floor.
"Mental," Dustin said.
They waited in silence as the helicopter flew around and around overhead, searching for them.
"Mike?" a female voice asked, accompanied by static and muffled. "Are you there? Mike?"
"You guys hear that?" Mike asked.
"Radio," Thirteen said.
"Mike, it's me, Nancy," the voice said as Mike hurriedly pulled it out of his backpack. "Mike, are you there? Answer. Mike, we need you to answer."
"Who's we?" Thirteen asked.
"This is an emergency, Mike," Nancy said. "Do you copy?"
"Answer it," Thirteen said. "Just don't say where we are."
"What if it's a trick?" Mike asked. "What if the bad people kidnapped her?"
"It's like Lando Calrissian," Dustin said.
"No, it's not," Thirteen said. "Answer it. As long as we don't say where we are, and we talk quietly, we'll be fine."
Mike hesitated before nodding.
"Listen, kid, this is the chief," an irritated, impatient male voice said. "If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl."
"Why is she with the chief?" Mike asked.
"Oh my God, Mike, answer the goddamn radio!" Thirteen snapped. "I have too much of a headache for this shit."
"I copy," Mike said finally. "It's Mike. I'm here. We're here."
"Where is 'here?'" the chief said.
"Let me see," Thirteen said, holding out his hand.
Mike passed him the radio.
"Who's there with you?" Thirteen asked.
"Who is this?" the chief asked.
"I'm only asking one more time," Thirteen said, speaking quickly but clearly. "If you want to help, tell us who's in the room with you."
"Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, and Joyce Byers," the chief listed instantly and irritably. "Now who the hell are you?"
"You'll find out when you get here," Thirteen said, passing the radio back to Mike. "Tell him where we are."
Mike nodded and told the chief where to find them. He told them to stay there and stay hidden before the radio went silent. Mike set it aside and looked to Thirteen. "Why'd you ask who was there?"
"If he'd hesitated before listing them, or sounded less irritated by having to, it would mean they had people listening in," Thirteen said. "It's a trick I learned from a couple of the people whose minds I read."
The other three boys all nodded in understanding. Then, they all settled in to wait.
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