Mike drove, keeping himself at the speed limit. He remembered when Steve taught him how to drive. His dad hadn't been interested in showing him and Nancy had moved to New York, so Officer Harrington showed him how

Hawkins 1988

"Ok Tallest shithead, ease up on the gas." Steve said as he let Mike drive his BMW. Mike was still slightly nervous to be driving Steve's car. But he was tired of biking. Sure it was great exercise, but on top of his other "studies" he really wanted to make things convenient for himself

"So, what if I wanted to evade someone?" Mike asked. Steve briefly chocked on his coffee. "You what?" He asked. Mike shrugged. He still held hope he would find El and bring her home. Steve grimaced at the thought, he beat himself up for not being there. Hopper assured him that there was nothing that could be done, but those were his shitheads and he wasn't there for them. "Well, for starters, don't drive like a maniac, drive quickly but look like your just in a hurry." Steve explained.

Mike took those lessons well. Mike was determined then.

The present

Mike pulled into the parking lot for the Alexander Hotel. He looked up and saw their was a helicopter in the air. "Damnit. I need to get out of sight." Mike said to himself. He quickly ducked into the hotel lobby.

He decided he needed a way to hide. He saw several bellhops and got an idea.

Jericho

He sat in the back of the RV and began looking over his gear. "What is the situation?" He heard Lopez talking to the helicopter pilot. "He ran into the Alexander Hotel. He might be trying to lose us in their" He said.

Kid was smart, Jericho thought. Jericho put down his rifle and grabbed a .45. "Leave the rifles, we keep pretending we are feds." Jericho said. His men nodded at him. He put the .45 in his shoulder holster and put his .44 magnum in his rear holster. He put his blazer back on and readjusted his hated tie. He preferred his BDU's but for now this will have to do.

Mike

Getting into the employee changing room was child's play. Mike quickly put on a bellhop uniform and began doing work.

"I never seen you here before." The front desk woman asked. She was an older woman in her forties. Black hair and a severe look on her face. "I'm new, just started today." Mike said and gave her a smile. She glared at him, but pointed to a family. "Take their bags to room 214." She said. Mike gave her a small salute and went to the guests. They looked positively bored and Mike tried to keep the smile going as he grabbed their bags, which were heavier than he was used to. He guided them to the elevator, hoping his memory of the place from four years ago holds up.

As he entered the elevator with the small family, he caught a glimpse of several new arrivals. One was the man he saw saluting him as he escaped the parking garage.

Jericho

The group entered the lobby, Jericho heading for the front desk. The severe woman with dark hair gave him a slight smile. "May I help you?" She said. Jericho gave her a half smile, before pulling out a photo of Michael that he had. "I am looking for this man, he may be inside this hotel." He said. The woman looked at the photo. She recognized him as the new bellhop. She looked at the man, he didn't look at all like a cop. He didn't even present a badge. The kid was hiding and these men were obviously criminals.

"Sorry, I haven't seen him." She said flatly. Jericho made a grimace. "Well, can I see your security footage?" He asked. She fixed him with a stare. "Only hotel management can authorize that with a search warrant." She said. She saw through him. Jericho gave her a smile and walked away. He made his way to Lopez

"Spread out and find him. He is not leaving here." Jericho said.

Mike

After taking the family to their rooms, and getting a nice $20 tip, Mike snuck over to the server room that was located in the basement. He carefully moved through the hallways, checking for signs of the room he needed while also hoping to avoid the agents that had him cornered.

He walked into the server room and found his way to the remote feed of the security cameras. He grabbed a blank CD from one of the shelves and found the image of the man. He was at the front desk and was shot down by the front desk lady. Mike smiled to himself as he loaded the footage onto the CD and placed it into a case. He needed to get out of the building and quick. An idea comes to Mike and he smiles. Mike heads over to a nearby office and dials a number. "911 What is your emergency?" the dispatcher says.

"Yes, there are several armed men in the hotel Alexander lobby. They don't seem to be cops." Mike said.

Jericho

He noticed the cops, and he rolled his eyes. They were spread around, hoping Michal would show up and they could subdue him but he guessed the kid had a few tricks. One cop walked up to him, looking very stern.

"Excuse me sir, we have a report of a gentleman with your description walking around here armed." He said. Jericho nodded. "Yea, I have a piece. I thought I was allowed to carry." Jericho said. The cop shook his head. "No sir, you can't have guns on these premises. Not unless you are law enforcement." He said. Jericho grumbled, if he tried a fake badge it would be recognized and he would be arrested. "Just take your weapon to your vehicle and you can return." The cop said. Jericho nodded and motioned for his men to follow.

As they walked to their cars, Jericho heard an alarm go off. The group turned and saw the fire alarm system had gone off. Jericho smirked, the cops were going to have a problem getting the crowd under control.

"The kid thinks he can slip out. Go in their and bring that little shit out." Jericho ordered. His men nodded. "I also don't care what condition he is in," He said. His men smiled and rushed in, silently blending with the crowd.

Mike

To keep things authentic, Mike did start a few fires down in the basement. Small trashcan fires. Mike then headed to the lobby, hoping to blend in with the crowd and escape. He was almost at the stairs when he saw a pair of men come from the same stairs he was going to use. Both men were wearing black suits. One was a Hispanic man and the other a white man. Mike ducked back into the server room.

The white guy entered the server room, he pulled out his pistol from his shoulder holster and began doing his sweeps. Mike needed to take him out. He ducked around and found some thick cables. He grabbed a handful and snuck around. The man searched around, occasionally looking between the server stacks. While he was walking between two server towers when Mike struck. He lashed at his gun arm with the thick cables and knocked the weapon out of his hand.

The man was surprised, then Mike punched him in the face with a fist wrapped in the thick cables. Before he could react again, Mike knocked him off his feet with a leg sweep then delivered another punch to the face, knocking him out.

Mike searched the man and found some zip ties in his pocket. He dragged him into a closet, tied his wrists and stuffed him inside. Mike left the room, holding a serving tray. He had a few ready made excuses for why he didn't leave when the fire alarm came on.

Mike looked outside the server room area and couldn't find the other one. It was fine by Mike since the basement was large. He walked quickly to the stairs when someone came out behind him.

"Hey man, what are you doing here? There's an evacuation." A man with a Spanish accent said behind him. Mike turned around, about to tell him he thought it was a prank. The man looked at him and Mike realized he was made. The man pulled his gun out and Mike threw the serving tray at him. It knocked the gun out of his hand and gave Mike the chance to close the distance.

Mike tackled the man, lifted him up and slammed him to the ground. The move shocked the man, but he regained his composure and got back up.

"Pretty good man. But I'm better." He said pulling a knife out. Mike's eyes went wide, he hated knives. The man came at him and slashed at Mike. He backed away and grabbed his wrist. He then pulled the attacker toward him, shaking his balance and punched the side of his face. While he was dazed, Mike punched his wrist and knocked the knife from his hand.

Mike shoved the man back and kicked him hard. It seemed to daze him and Mike decided to make a break for it. Whatever daze came over the other man was temporary as he ran after Mike. He caught up to him and grabbed Mike by the back of his hair and slammed him to the ground. He delivered a powerful kick to Mike's side. He groaned in pain as the man delivered another kick.

"Yea, thought you were tough, but I guess you were just another punk." The man said. Mike snarled. When the man tried to kick him again, Mike grabbed his leg, and rolled away, taking him down. Mike got up and lunged at him. He delivered a series of blows to the man's face. When he felt he was dazed enough, Mike pulled a pair of zip ties from his pocket and tied his wrists. He then dragged him into the server room, and shut him in. Mike then ran and made his escape to the stairs.

Once he got to the lobby, a firefighter spotted him. "Hey, you. What are you doing here? Didn't you hear the alarm?" The fireman said. Mike shook his head. "No, I was in the can." Mike said. He was sill hurting from the other man's kicks. The fireman grabbed him by the arm and escorted him out.

Mike looked around for his car. He knew it was being watched but he hoped he could get away. He spotted it where it was parked and saw the leader and a few more of his men sitting on the hood. The leader had not noticed Mike yet. Mike needed a further distraction when a hand grabbed his shoulder. It was the front desk lady.

"Those men have are not feds." She said. Mike figured they weren't when nobody showed him a badge. She handed him her car keys. "My car is on the other side. Get out of here." She said. Mike gave her a grateful smile and snuck away, discarding the bellhop jacket.

He found the car, a station wagon, in the rear of the hotel where the employees parked. Looking around, he sees that he is alone. Mike gets in the car and drives off. He needs to find sanctuary.

Will Byers

A sharp knock on his door has Will looking out the window of his apartment. He sees a man in a suit at his door. Will grimaces and hopes its not another damn Jehovah's Witness. Will opens the door and the man in the suit looks up. He is a short man with cropped hair and glasses. He gives Will a small smile. "Hello, are you by chance Will Byers?" He asked. Will nodded. "Great. I need to ask some questions about Mike Wheeler." He said. Will was confused. "Is Mike in trouble?" Will asked.

"He might be. Can I come in." He asked. Will shook his head. "Sorry, don't know you or who your with." Will said. The man smiled and pulled a badge from his pocket. "Adam Smiley, FBI." He said. Will looked at the badge. Having lived with his step dad for a while, he could spot a fake badge a mile away. Will decided not to play his hand just yet. He might learn more from him.

Will gestured him inside. He led the man into the kitchen. The living room was visible from the kitchen and had articles of clothes strewn about.

"Sorry for the mess. My boyfriend becomes a drama queen when he is running late for work." Will said. Adam merely nodded. Will was surprised, most guys would be uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with a gay man. Some old bigotry about them trying to turn them gay. Will made a second cup and offered him coffee. Adam shook his head.

"So, what kind of trouble is Mike in?" Will asked. Adam began. "He may have stolen military secrets. Has he been acting erratic to you?" Adam asked. Will shook his head. "No, Mike would never do something that dumb." Will said. Not adding that he wouldn't do anything that dumb without involving the rest of the group. Despite everyone nearing their thirties, Party rules still applied.

"So Mike tends to do dumb things?" Adam asked. Will smirked. "Yea, but its more like over exerting himself. Guy likes to work out. He was really bad about it in high school." Will said.

High School

Yea, Mike was really bad about working out. So much so, Will often had to get him from the gym. It had been a year since El was taken. They all felt the after effects of missing her. Will felt just as empty as the rest. Will felt he lost family that day, which was mostly true even though Hopper and his mom hadn't gotten married yet, Will still saw El as his sister.

He found Mike doing his reps. Shaking his head, Will walked over with a water bottle. "You know I's unhealthy to work out this much without hydrating right?" Will asked. Mike fixed him a glare. "I just started. Had a run in with that new girl, Suzie." Mike said. "Define run in." Will said.

"Some assholes were playing keep away with her bible and I got mad." Mike said as he put the bar bell back. "Well that was nice of you. Don't tell Max you were nice to a new girl or she might get pissy" Will said. Mike gave a small laugh. "Max was there. She might give me an earful later." Mike said.

Suzie Pizzolo was a recent transfer from Utah. She was a Mormon and was frequently picked on because of it. Will found the good Christians slightly hypocritical for judging someone for not following their brand of faith. What surprised everyone was she knew Dustin from summer camp and the two were always off building some form of gadget.

The Party was hesitant to accept her, mostly because of Mike's cold treatment of Max, but were surprised when Mike warmed up to the girl. Probably because it was hard to hate such a bubbly person. Max made sure to give Mike shit over that a lot.

"Well, Nancy sent me to find you. She thinks you spend to much time in here." Will said. Mike groaned. "A couple of hours a day and you guys think I am obsessed with working out." He said.

"No, your obsessed with finding El. This is just a means to help her when you find her." Will said. He hated that. In all honesty, Will gave up the idea of finding El six months after she was taken. The US government took her, and the mere idea of looking for her was laughable. But they kept the dream alive for Mike, a constant argument between Max and the rest of the Party.

"Yea. I do hope to find her. But Nancy's right, I might be pushing you guys away." Mike said. Will smiled and helped Mike off the bench.

"I think we should let Suzie play D&D with us this weekend. Dustin helped her roll her character. Halfling fighter." Will said. Mike laughed, that was going to be fun. "Yea, I'll get Dustin to invite her later." Mike said and the pair left the weight room.

The Present

Adam cleared his throat and Will snapped out of his flashback. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what to tell you, other than take your fake badge out of my home." Will said, dropping the pretense. Adam began reaching for his service weapon when Will had a sawn off shotgun already in his face, he kept one hidden in the kitchen, much to the chagrin of his boyfriend Chad.

"What, you thought I didn't recognize a fake badge?" Will said. Adam put his hands up. "Now, get out of my home and don't ever come back." Will said. Adam walked out and ran for his car.

Jericho

"The bastard out ran us." Jericho said. His men looked at him confused. "He should be out here. We should have spotted him by now." Jericho said, frustration building up. What tipped him over the edge was when he saw Lopez and Nicolai walked out of the hotel, looking worse for wear.

"What the shit just happened?" Jericho growled. Nicolai shook his head in embarrassment. "Guy had some moves. He took us out." Lopez said. "I sent two of my best after some geek and he kicked your asses?" Jericho was not happy. "Boss, it's Smiley." One of his men, Sanders, handed him a radio.

"Please tell me you have good news." Jericho said. "No sir, I got made and he pulled a shotgun on me. I dunno what the hell is going on anymore." Smiley said. Jericho agreed. "We need to catch his trail before Brenner finds out we shat the bed." Jericho said.

"I can look into a few more leads." Smiley said as he killed the radio line. Jericho rounded up his men and headed for the RV and vans.

Indianapolis suburbs

Dustin Henderson was getting ready for work when the phone rang. "Fortress Henderson, how may I direct your call." Dustin said. He recognized Will on the other end laughing. "Hey man, how's your morning going?" Will asked.

"It's going ok, getting ready for work, what's up?" He asked. "I had a weird visitor by a guy claiming to be FBI. He wasn't, but he was looking for Mike." Will said. Dustin's face got serious.

"What's going on with Mike?" Dustin asked. He could hear Will shrug. "I dunno, but assume anyone asking for Mike is not a friendly. I'm going to call Max and warn her and Lucas." Will said. Dustin agreed.

After hanging up with Will, Dustin's wife walked out of the bathroom, she was just getting done with an overnight shift at the hospital where she was a nurse. "Dusty Bum, who was that?" The perky, yet tired voice of Suzie asked from the bedroom.

"That was Will. Mike is in trouble. Some guys claiming to be feds are looking for him." Dustin said. Suzie rushed out, just changed into her pajamas. "Mike? He wouldn't do anything without telling us would he?" She asked. Dustin shook his head. "He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Harrison. He loves that boy to much." Dustin said.

Three years ago

Dustin and Suze walked into the maternity ward of the hospital. Both had exhausting days but made a trip out to see their newest party member. Dustin had a stuffed bear and Suzie hand made a blanket for the occasion.

They found the room quickly and walked in seeing Lucas and Mike hugging. Dustin breathed a sigh of relief, despite the happy day Lucas and Mike were still testy with each other. "He's a beautiful boy. You should be a proud dad." Lucas said, his own tears falling from his face. Mike had a wide grin on his face. He looked over and saw Dustin and Suzie enter the room.

"Oh good, you two didn't kill each other." Suzie said. Both Lucas and Mike laughed.

"Yea, I think Max will kill us if we fought today." Lucas said. Mike nodded. They turned around to find a sleeping Max, exhausted from childbirth. In a small crib next to Max was a bundle of blue blanket.

"Come here and meet Harrison James Wheeler." Mike said. The names came from Max's dad and Mike's respect for Jim Hopper, who sadly couldn't come due to having the flu. Suzie and Dustin walked over and saw him. Suzie let out a slight squeal and Dustin had a large grin looking at the newborn.

A pang of regret came over Dustin, the past year had been a rollercoaster with the Party fighting over Mike and Max's brief relationship. Honestly Dustin would have preferred it be Max and Lucas having a kid, or even Mike and El, but in Dustin's heart El was dead. He looked at Mike, who was beaming at his small son. Okay, sure it didn't work out the way anyone planned, but that was life.

"Well, he has lots of uncles and aunts who love him already." Dustin said. Mike offered to let his friend hold his son and Dustin gladly took him. The baby cooed in his sleep and Dustin knew he was going to be the uncle who let him get away with everything.

The Present

Dustin grabbed his car keys and kissed Suzie goodbye. "Get some rest, and call me if Mike shows up." He said. "Will do Dusty bum." She said as Dustin left the house.

Suzie was worried about Mike, he usually was a bit more level headed than the rest of the Party. But she couldn't do anything now and headed off to get some sleep.

A few hours later, Suzie woke up to pounding at the back door. She got up quickly, put a robe on and made her way to the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Mike outside. She opened the door and let him in.

"Mike, holy shit are you okay?" She asked. Mike shook his head. "I've had a hell of a morning. I'll tell you about it if you can get me some food." Mike said. Suzie nodded and walked him to the kitchen. Suzie fixed him up some French toast and noticed him favoring one side of himself.

"Take your shirt off." Suzie said. Mike gave her a look. "I can tell your hurt, now take your shirt off so I can see." She said. Mike was still hesitant. He hated having anyone worry about him. Suzie knew this, and had a way to get him to comply.

"If you don't take your damn shirt off I'm going to smack you one." Suzie said threatening him with a spatula. Mike's eyes went wide. All feared Suzie's spatula, even Max.

Mike slowly unbuttoned his shirt and carefully pulled it off. He had Suzie help him with his undershirt. He looked down and saw a massive bruise on his ribcage. "Owchies." Mike said with a grimace. Suzie quickly put the French Toast on a plate and looked at Mike's ribs.

"Well, they aren't broken as far as I can tell, but you need to take it easy." She said.

"Sure, I'll tell the heavily armed men and their robot to take it easy on hunting me." Mike said. Suzie raised an eyebrow. "Robot?" She questioned. Mike took in a deep breath and began explaining.

Mike finished his toast while he told the tale of his morning. Once he finished, Suzie had a few questions. "How did you guess it was a robot?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders. "The way it talked, the way it hit. It was small but it packed a punch. Plus hitting it hurt my hand. Not just it's head, but also its body." Mike said.

"Also, why did it suddenly malfunction?" Suzie asked. Again Mike merely speculated, "Must have been overloaded, I dunno, I was trying to get out of there." He said. Mike pulled out the CD case from his back pocket and handed it to her.

"This is some screenshots I took of the men who were chasing me. I wanna know if you can hack the military database and find out about them?" Mike asked. Suzie smiled. Her other hobby was some light hacking. She grabbed the case and saw how tired Mike was.

"Couch, Now!" She ordered. Mike smiled and nodded. He grabbed a blanket from a closet and crashed on the couch. Suzie smiled as Mike fell asleep. She liked Mike, she thought he was a great story teller. She said as much their first D&D session. Suzie went to the phone and called Dustin and told him Mike was on the couch. Dustin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll be home in a few hours. Love you Suzie Poo." Dustin said. Suzie laughed. "Love you to Dusty Bum." She said as she hung up.

She pulled out the CD and began working while Mike slept. They were a party, and a when a party member required assistance, they were bound to help.

AN: Tell me what you think, i always look forward to feedback.