Mike checked into a motel, registering as Ted Hopper, and began looking himself over. He pulled off his shirt and undershirt. His torso was heavily bruised, his face had several cuts and bruises as well. He felt his ribs and was confident they were not broken. Suzie would be able to check him over when they got to Hawkins.

He took a hot shower to soothe his aching wounds and began fiddling with the radio he took from the Department of Energy. He silently wondered what they needed with a holding facility that also had a company of soldiers. He would worry about that in the morning. For now, he was going to get some sleep, and dream of a simpler time.

July 4th 1985

Mike was sitting on the other end of the closing food court. His friends on the other end were laughing and joking while not noticing that Mike went away. They were all waiting on Steve to get off work and they were meeting Hopper and Joyce at the fair. Mike didn't want to go, he just wanted to mope at home.

Just three days earlier Mike got himself a massive dose of humble pie when a series of events led to El dumping him. He had lied to her because Hopper had been tired of Mike being at the cabin all the time. So Hopper told him to lie to El and stay away for a few days. Sadly, his lie did not hold up to Max Mayfield and it led to El angrily dumping him. His friends tried to be helpful about this, but Dustin and Will were resentful of him abandoning them all summer, so they had a blowout fight the other day. Mike had not told Nancy about the fight and she dragged him to the mall so they could all meet up and attend Kline's fair.

He looked over and saw El laughing with Max and Steve's coworker Robin. He smiled at seeing her laugh, wishing he was the one making her laugh. He looked away, ashamed of himself. Max and El confronted him about how he kept her all to himself, and he realized he had been selfish. All he wanted was to spend time with El and he didn't even consider he might have been selfish. Will had gotten mad at him for a fight they had while trying to play Dungeons and Dragons, feeling neglected by his friend. Dustin was angry at him for abandoning the party. Lucas had agreed with both of them.

So, Mike sat alone, not wanting to bother his friends. If he could still be called friends. He treated them all like shit and he deserved their anger. Mike looked at his sister making goo goo eyes at Jonathan and felt a slight jealousy at how those two had a fight and managed to resolve it in a few days. He still hadn't been able to speak with El.

Mike got out of his chair and headed for the exit, he was going to walk home. He didn't want to ruin his friend's fun at the fair and he didn't want to make one of the driver's take him home, so he will walk. He was almost out of the food court when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Mike turned around and found Steve stopping him.

"Where ya going Mike?" He asked. He was out of his Scoops uniform and in his regular clothes. Mike shrugged. "I'm just going to head home. I don't feel like celebrating." He said. Steve nodded but didn't let him go. "Yea, I figured as much when Dustin told me about how things were going." He said. "Let's have a little chat." He said leading him back to the food court. He made sure nobody saw them and he sat Mike down with him at a table.

"So what's going on Mike?" Steve asked. Mike merely shrugged. He did not want to have a lecture by Steve Harrington of all people. "Dustin told me you have been a little asshole all summer. I agree, but I haven't had time to talk to you lately. Not that you and I ever talk." Steve said. Mike rolled his eyes, he just wanted to get away from here.

"Look, I get it. Supergirl over there dumps you and now the whole world sucks but man you can't be a dick to the people who have your back." Steve said. Mike sighed, that was part of the problem. "I was a dick to them before El dumped me. I was a dick to her by keeping her to myself. They don't need me." Mike said. Steve sat back, contemplating his words.

"Look Mike, I get it. Really I do. You were on top of the world with her and nothing was going to bring you down. And then a dose of reality hits you. Why don't you tell them your sorry and go from their?" Steve says. Mike is silent for a moment. "If they will take me back. I should have been a better friend. But you are right, I was a fucking asshole and they all deserved better. El especially." Mike said.

"Then go over their and show them the better person I know you are." Steve says pointing at the group. Mike smiles and nods. "Thanks Steve. I know we never…." Mike says but Steve cuts him off. "Hey, don't mention it. Now go fix your problems." He says. Mike stands up and walks to the table the guys are sitting at.

Lucas looks up and sees him first. Dustin and Will turn around and watch him approach. Mike hesitates slightly but realizes he needs to get this over with. "Hey guys." Mike says. He notices Max is staring at him from her table she is sharing with El and Robin. He hopes she isn't going to start anything now.

"Whats up man?" Lucas asks. Mike breaths in, not knowing what to say but feels he needs to say something. "Guys, you were right. I was a jerk to all of you. Dustin, I shouldn't have left you when you came back into town. Will, you deserve a better friend than I have ever been to you. Lucas, thanks for trying to stick by me." He said. It was a bit fast for them but they knew what he said.

Will was the first to speak. "Look, we all get it. And I should have been a bit more understanding of how you were feeling at the time." Will said. "And while it was a dick move for you to leave to go make out with El, I shouldn't have yelled at you yesterday. We were trying to help and well things got out of hand." Dustin said. Mike nodded, glad things could improve. Lucas pulled a chair out. "Wanna sit with us?" He asked. Mike shook his head. "I got something I have to take care of." He said motioning to El.

The guys nodded. "Good luck man." Lucas said. The rest nodded their heads and Mike walked towards El's table. As he walked, he noticed Max was missing. Before he wondered where she was, said red head stopped him as he headed to the table. Her gaze was still fierce towards him. Mike would normally be offended by this but he knew she was looking out for El the way Mike wasn't.

"I was hoping to talk to you first." Max said. Mike nodded, he had something to tell her as well. "Yea, I figured." Mike said. She merely nodded. "Look, you kinda got put through the ringer these past few days and I'm not really sorry about that. You needed this. El doesn't need to be controlled. But I do get a bit of where you were coming from. Just, if you do that again, I'll just kick your ass." Max said.

"Thanks Max, for being a good friend to her. She deserves it." Mike said. Max did not expect that, she half expected a fight. "Well, she deserves a good guy also. Why don't you show me that you are one." She said.

"I'll work on it. I know we aren't good friends, but I am glad you had her back." Mike said. She nodded and both walked to El's table.

"Hey Robin, you think you can show me that place where you found that jacket?" Max asked. Robin nodded and as she and El got up, Max stopped her. "I think you two need to talk." Max said. She nodded and sat back down.

Mike sat down next to her, she was looking away from him. His heart hurt. Just a few days ago she couldn't help but look at him. She was beautiful though, wearing a yellow and black checkered shirt and her hair was done up nicely.

"Hey." He said, still nervous. "Hey" She responded, barely any emotion behind it. He almost leaves, but he needs to try.

"Having fun with Max?" He asks, trying to sound good natured. "Yes, she doesn't lie." She says. Mike winces. "Yea, she doesn't lie, unlike your dumbass ex." Mike says. She finally looks at him, her eyes are not angry but rather indifferent. He doesn't know which is worse.

"El, your right. I was selfish, keeping you to myself and just being a jerk to you. I was jealous of you and Max being friends and I said all that stupid stuff. I shouldn't have lied to you either. I told you 'friends don't lie' and I break my own damn rule." Mike says. "I'm sorry El, you deserve a lot better." Mike says.

"I guess they say it's true that it makes you go crazy." Mike says. El looks at him questioningly. "What makes you go crazy?" She asks. Mike is now thrown through a loop. "Um….you know…blank makes you crazy?" He asks. She shakes her head. "It's just um…" Mike begins but something interrupts him.

A loud bang rips through the mall, It comes from one of the shops, and soon, fire is spreading. A moment later, more explosions are ripping through the mall. Fire quickly begins to spread. A large piece of debris falls from the ceiling and Mike pushes El away as it almost lands on them.

"She, what the hell?" Dustin yells. Mike looks around, He saw Robin and Max rushing back to the food court, dodging debris as the mall began shaking from the explosions. "We need to get out of here." Mike said as he helped El up. She nodded just as an explosion came from Scoops Ahoy. They were next to it, and El used her powers to hold the blast back. Robin did a double take.

"Yea, she has superpowers, but we need to leave." Steve said as he grabbed her hand headed to the other kids. Nancy and Jonathan were pulling Lucas and Max away while Will, Dustin and Erica went with Steve and Robin. "Mike, El, come on!" Nancy yelled.

"Go, I'll hold this back." She said, straining with her powers. "Are you sure?" He asked. She looked at him and gave him a quick smile. "I need you to trust me. I'll be right behind you." She said. Mike nodded and joined the others. The explosions were everywhere, Mike rushed over and Nancy pulled him into her arms.

They made it to the entrance just as it collapsed. Mike looked around and saw Billy driving up, Heather getting out of the passenger seat and they both headed to Max. For once concern was all over his face. "What the fuck is going on?" He asked. Nobody answered as more of the mall exploded. "Wait, Where's El?" Mike asked.

"I thought she was following you?' Nancy asked. Mike got away from her embrace and headed for an employee exit he and the others used when Steve would sneak them to the movies. Max followed him. "You might need a hand." She said. Mike nodded. They were having trouble with the door. "Fuck, it's stuck." Mike yelled.

"Let me help." Billy said and he kicked the door open. Mike thanks him and rushes in, Max and Billy behind him. They rush to the food court and see El holding back multiple explosions, most of the food court shops were on fire. Billy was flabbergasted by the sight. "I'll explain later." Max said. He merely nodded.

"EL, COME ON, GET OUT OF THERE!" Mike yelled. She looked over, blood pouring out of her face. "Get out of here Mike." She said back to him. "I can hold it back."

"EL, YOU'RE THE LAST ONE LEFT, COME HERE PLEASE!" Mike yelled. She turned her attention back to her task. "GODDAMNIT EL I LOVE YOU AND I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!" He shouted. She turned back to him, shocked, so shocked a piece of the explosion got loose and sent El flying. The rest of the explosions came loose as well and a piece of the ceiling fell on her leg.

Her scream broke Mike's heart and he rushed towards her, ignoring Billy and Max trying to stop him. He ignored them and the heat that should overwhelm him. He got down on the ground and crawled to her, keeping below the smoke.

"El, are you okay?" He asked once he reached her. She shook her head, in obvious pain. She pointed at the debris on her leg. It may have broken her ankle. Mike began lifting it off but he couldn't, not with the smoke and how obviously heavy it was. He fell down and grabbed her hand. "I'll get you out okay?" He told her. She nodded. Billy and Max showed up, both seeing the problem.

"Wheeler, you help me here okay? It's to much for one person." Billy said. Mike nodded and they both lifted the piece up while Max pulled El away. Billy checked her ankle. "Yea, its broken. Lets get her out of here." He said. Mike nodded and he and Max helped her up and the pair rushed towards the door that led to the employee area. The smoke was getting bad, but they believed they could make it out.

The smoke was getting thick and they were all coughing. Soon, they fell to the ground as the smoke got to them. Mike held onto El as he felt himself lose conscience. He looked up and saw a man in a Hawaiian shirt wearing an oxygen mask.

Mike wakes up in the back of an ambulance, wearing a mask that was giving him oxygen. Mike tried to sit up and was stopped by Hopper. A look of concern was on his face. "Easy there Mike. You weren't out that long kid." He said. Mike laid down, feeling short of breath. "What the hell were you thinking?" Hopper asked. He looked down at him disapprovingly. "I couldn't leave El behind." Mike said.

"Yea, she told me. Listen Mike, you and I will talk later, I have a huge mess to clean up, but I think we could have handled things a lot better between us, you agree?" Hopper said. Mike nodded, trying to speak but Hopper put a hand up. "You rest, besides, someone wants to see you." Hopper said as he exited the ambulance.

Mike set up as Hopper helped El walk inside. She sat next to Mike, putting her head on his shoulder. Hopper left, rolling his eyes. They both sat their for a long moment, El taking Mike's hand in hers. "Did you mean it?" She asked simply. Mike took a moment before he answered. "Every word." He said. El smiled and leaned further into him. They just sat their for a long moment. Soon enough, Nancy showed up and pulled both into a massive hug. "God damnit, you both could have fucking died!" She all but shouted. Mike smiled at her as she kept admonishing them both.

Once Nancy left again, Mike looked down and saw El smiling up at him. He leaned forward and kissed her, glad that things were all right with them.

Present day

Mike woke up in the early morning. He was crying, remembering how he truly won her over. He missed her more than he let on to his friends. Despite Max's best efforts, he still had a massive hole in his heart. He felt deep down she was gone, and it hurt him to no end he could never save her.

The aftermath of the fire was massive. Bruce Lowe, a reporter for the Hawkin's Post, was found by what is regarded as the first explosion point. It turned out he was working for Mayor Kline, who had bankrupted the city in building the mall. Bruce accidentally set off one of the bombs and got himself killed. Kline decided to set the rest off and killed several people still in the mall.

Kline went to prison for the arson and the murders of a few people who were unlucky to escape. Mike heard from Hopper that he killed himself in prison. This was after Hopper had visited him.

Mike used the motel room's coffee pot and made himself a cup. Mike looked out the window and saw a familiar van sitting in the parking lot. He also saw a few members of Bravo Company walking around.

"Shit, they found me." Mike said.

Across town

Will woke up before Chad, he then made a call to Hawkins. The phone rang for a moment before the gruff voice of Hopper came on. "Hello?" He asked.

"Chief, we need help." Will asked. He could hear Hopper rolling his eyes.

"I'm not the damn Chief kid. What do you need?" He said. Will quickly explained the situation. "Are you god damn serious?" Hopper growled. "I am not in a habit of joking before your morning coffee." Will said. Hopper grumbled. "All right kid, what do you need?" He asked. "Mike is drawing them away, we need you to save his dumbass." Will said.

"What else is new?" Hopper asked, already aware of Mike's antics getting him in trouble. "Okay, I'm getting Harrington and we will be there in a few hours." Hopper said. "Okay, awesome. We will meet you in a few hours." Will said. Hopper grumbled and hung up the phone.

Motel

Jericho stared at the clerk at the motel check in. He was losing his patience. Somehow the machine located Wheeler and now he was losing time before the kid found out they were there and he vanished.

"I just want to know if this man checked in." Jericho asked through grit teeth. The clerk stood his ground. "Unless you have a warrant I can't tell you anything." He said. Jericho was losing his composure. He pulled out his revolver and pointed it at him. "Here is my fucking warrant. Now, did he check in!" He yelled.

The kid nodded. "Last night, room 145." He said quickly. Jericho smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation." He said as he put the gun back in his back holster. He rallied two of his men, Ford and Lopez, and made his way to room 145.

He kicked the door open and they charged inside. They found nothing, except an open window in the back. It led out to a neighborhood that was densely populated. Jericho checked the coffee pot. It was still warm. "He isn't far. We hunt." Jericho said as he left the room.

He moved out and saw a school that was not open, since it was Saturday and also a cemetery, holding a funeral. Jericho had a good idea of where he went.

Southside Cemetery

Mike blended in with the funeral. He was still dressed like he was going to work, which was a dress shirt and black slacks. So it was slightly dirty from yesterday. He hid away from the mourners and contacted the others on the radio.

"Hey guys, I'm hiding at Southside Cemetery. They found me at the motel I was at. Any word on backup?' Mike asked. A few moments later he got a response.

"Yea, should take him roughly an hour to get here. Hold tight." Lucas said. "Okay, roger that." Mike said.

He hid away from the funeral, but just enough to think he was part of the crowd. He stood under a tree as the pastor was talking about the sudden death of Craig Parchman. He was 73 and had a heart attack was what Mike was able to gather.

He waited twenty minutes before he noticed someone moving on the roof of the funeral home. He was about to make a move to leave but a man grabbed his shoulder and greeted him. "How's it going Wheeler?" The man said. It was the Bravo Company Boss again. His face was still bruised and he was wearing sunglasses to hide his black eye. But for once he also had a wide smile on his face.

Mike made a move to put a hold on him but a .45 silenced pistol was pointed at him. "Not so fast. I may have orders to not kill you. But I'll plug you in the belly if you try anything." He said. "And just to keep you from doing anything stupid. My sniper up their has the widow in his sights." He said pointing at the roof of the funeral home.

"We will wait for the funeral to end, then you get to play with that machine again. As fun as this has been, I need to get paid." He said to Mike. Mike breathed in before leaning into the tree. The Boss stood next to him, putting his gun away.

"So, who the hell are you?" Mike asked. The Boss smiled at him. "My name is Charles Jericho. Most people call me Jericho." He said. Mike nodded at him. They stood together in silence.

"I noticed your d20 tattoo." Mike said. "Never figured you for a nerd." Jericho merely shrugged. "Yea, got into D&D back in the seventies. Kept it up even in military service. Played as a paladin." He explained. Mike almost rolled his eyes.

"Yea, that's my class also." Mike said. Jericho snorted. "I hope you don't think our similarities will save you." He said. It was Mike's turn to snort. "No, just trying to pass the time." Mike said. "Why, you think your going somewhere?" Jericho asked.

"You never know." Mike said. "Hrm… Well, if its any comfort. If it weren't for the fact you are marked for death, I would be trying to recruit you." Jericho said. Mike wasn't surprised, he had been approached several times by recruiters. "Well, I'd probably refuse. I have a son to look out for." Mike said. Jericho nodded. "Well, not all of us are childless. But I do see your point." He said. The funeral was dispersing and Jericho saw one of Saverio's black vans arrive.

"Well, guess this is it." Mike said. Jericho merely nodded and pulled out his revolver in his back holster. He then handed it to Mike. "One paladin to another. I won't interfere in this. My job is done." He said. Mike took the weapon and Jericho handed him a couple of speed loaders. "Good luck." He said as he walked away to join his men.

Mike looked around, lots of small tombstones, a few mausoleums in the side. Then they're was the funeral home. He saw a figure enter the cemetery. All black, even a black trench coat, it's fists were armored, along with it's knees and wearing black combat boots.

It was moving slowly, almost like it was anticipating the fight. Mike put Jericho's gun in his back belt. It walked up to Mike. "Good morning Mr. Wheeler." It said. Mike felt familiar with the synthesized voice. "Well, let's get this over with." Mike said. "Yes, I have another appointment to deal with." It said.

Mike did not expect how fast it was. It grabbed Mike's head and delivered a powerful headbutt. Mike was dazed as it delivered a powerful kick and knocked him back. Mike tried to run away but he was grabbed by the back of his head and slammed him to the ground

The machine walked around him, he could hear a faint laughter coming from it. "Mr. Jericho and his men had trouble with you. I gained upgrades to adapt to you. It seems they were not needed." It said. Mike groaned and got up. It delivered a punch and Mike deflected it to his right, then punched by its other fist. Mike staggered back. It delivered another punch and Mike barely blocked it.

The machine sent a powerful roundhouse kick, and Mike ducked it and tried to trip it. Once his leg connected, it didn't move. Mike rolled out of the way before the outstretched leg came down on him. They found themselves close to the funeral home, The machine grabbed Mike and threw him through the window.

Mike barely got up from the floor when he was suddenly flung out the door as the machine marched towards him, Mike broke out into a run, heading towards the mausoleums. As he hid by one, he began catching his breath. He saw a shovel nearby and grabbed it. He waited for the machine to arrive, but when he looked to see if it was following him, he saw it was gone.

When he turned around it was there, right beside him. Mike jumped back and hit the machine in it's head. The shovel broke and it didn't faze the machine. It delivered a powerful kick to Mike and he fell to the ground.

Mike was crawling away as he heard the machine laugh. "I am so disappointed in you Mr. Wheeler. I thought you would have more fight in you." It said. It's voice wasn't synthesized anymore, and it sounded very human. "Dr. Brenner?" Mike asked. The cold laugh came through. "Yes, how do you like the upgrade?" He asked.

"You're a little shorter than normal." Mike said as he got up. Brenner laughed even more. "This is just the beginning, wait till you see what else I can do." Brenner said. "I am the future." And then, objects began to float.

Jericho

He was watching the fight, well more like a beating, from the edge of the cemetery. When Mike ran towards the mausoleums, he asked his sniper to confirm what was going on. "Weatherford, what do you see?" He asked. A moment later a voice came from the radio. "Boss, shit's floating." He said. Jericho asked for a repeat. "Boss, I say again, shit's floating."

Mike

It had been a long time since Mike saw anything float, it was 1986 to be exact. And here it was, Dr. Brenner was making things float. An 86 year old man somehow in fighting shape and much shorter than he usually was, he was making things float. Mike was internally freaking out. Soon, parts of stone were being fired at him. Mike barely had time to scramble away.

He got back to the main cemetery area and soon, headstones were being lifted up. Violently they were being slammed at him. Mike barely was able to avoid them. He was scrambling to escape as Brenner began chasing him, slamming headstones near him. Mike made it to one of the walls surrounding the cemetery, a short four foot wall. He was almost at the wall, certain Brenner would catch him. As he reached the wall, a large man in a grey beard jumped from the other side, pointing a shotgun. Mike ducked down and the man fired. Brenner took a full blast and went backwards, rolling down the hill.

"Hopper? You got here fast." Mike said as Hopper grabbed his hand and helped him up. Soon, automatic fire is directed at them. "We'll talk later. Let's get out of here." Hopper said. They ran away to the street. As they were running, they both heard a voice calling out to them. "Mike? Dad? Please help." It sounded familiar to Mike, who stopped to see Brenner still on the ground. "Come on Wheeler, we are leaving!" Hopper shouted.

They ran and headed to a waiting van, the side door opened up to reveal Robin Buckley returning fire to the mercenaries. Both Mike and Hopper dived inside and quickly the door closed. Mike looked and saw Steve at the drivers seat. "Cmon Harrington, floor it." Hopper yelled. They all fell over as they Steve hit the gas and drove off.

Jericho

They were rushing to where Wheeler had escaped with the ancient looking lumberjack. Jericho saw them escape in a white van. As they neared the escaping van, Jericho saw the machine breathing. He thought it was a robot or something. But he saw it was in obvious distress. He kneeled down next to it and tried to remove the helmet. It was stuck but Jericho noticed a kind of visor on the helmet. His men stopped to see what he was doing.

Jericho pulled out a pocket knife and found the edge of the visor. "Relax, I'm getting this off of you." He said. The machine placed a hand on his arm. It seemed to be looking for comfort. Jericho placed the blade in the edge of the visor and with a little effort, he was able to put his fingers inside and pull the visor off.

Inside was a face. It was a girl, with bright brown doe eyes. She reached out to him. "Please, help me." She said, tears brimming on her face. Jericho reached his hand out to her when pain wracked her body. He saw that around her neck was a shock collar as it lit up. Jericho looked up and saw Saverio approaching them, with armed guards. They quickly surrounded them, and for once Jericho believed they were well trained. "Put your weapons down NOW!" Saverio shouted. He nodded to his men as he put his hands up. They were surrounded and outnumbered. He took one last look at the girl in the suit before they were dragged away. "What the hell is going on." He said

Mike

Robin was helping patch up his wounds. "It's been a while since we had you like this Wheeler." She said s she cleaned the blood from his face. They met up with the others in a parking garage, Suzie was on her laptop looking at the disc that Mike gave her yesterday. She looked through the files, shock overtaking her face.

"Mike, guys, you need to look at this." She said as she showed them the screen. Mike looked up. "What the hell?"

END OF ACT 1

AN: End of act 1. I know i left you guys with a cliffhanger and it might be a while before i update this. Hardware is going on hiatus for two reasons. the first being i need to figure out the next couple of acts, the second is because i am getting burned out on writing. 'Whats wrong' might also be sparsely updated because i got half of one page done and i am just not feeling it like i usually do. I love both of these stories, don't get me wrong but i need to recharge and find some more inspiration. I am not leaving like i originally planned a few months ago, I will still be reading and commenting, but i want to make sure i deliver good quality writing and not just rushing things out. I do hope you guys read and review and enjoy.