AN: So, this is the end of act 2. Act three will resume in a few weeks, or sooner if I just say screw it and just keep going.
Chapter 10
El landed a few feet from the cabin. She needed a familiar place and needed home. She was glad to see it still standing. It looked like it had been improved on. The last time she was here, Brenner had her friends and was going to kill them to get to her. She shook the memory and tried for a happy one. It was difficult after fifteen years.
She walked slowly to the cabin door, wondering what she would expect. The car in the parking spot was not familiar to her. It was a newer model black car. She touched it and the aura Joyce gave off was around the car. El, walked up to the porch and saw the familiar porch swing, it had newer chains on it and it looked like some of the wood had been replaced. She sat down and a memory came to her.
16 years ago
Hopper was waiting for her at the swing. It was early November and he had the day off. Hopper needed to talk to El about a development.
She came on the back of Mike's bike. At one point, Hopper would have been annoyed at seeing Mike, but the pair had a talk. Boundaries and limits had been set. He still caught them making out all the damn time, but at least Mike respected him.
El was getting one last goodbye kiss from Mike when she noticed Hopper. "Dad, hey." She waved. Hopper smiled and waved back. "All right, I'll see you at school." Mike said. El nodded and kissed him again. Mike rode off afterwards, waving to Hopper as he rode off.
She walked up to the porch swing and sat next to Hopper, giving him a large hug. "Have a good day?" Hopper asked. El nodded. "I like school." She said.
Hopper had gotten her enrolled in the high school, with help from Owens, and she seemed to flourish. She had decent grades. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though, two weeks ago Hopper got pulled into the office because some boy didn't like her dating nerdy Mike Wheeler and tried to force the issue. On top of El's psychic abilities, Hopper did teach her self defense. Principal Moran tried to use 'boys will be boys' and Hopper chewed him out while threatening to charge the boy with harassment.
"Well, I had a productive day." Hopper said. El looked at him quizzically, usually Hopper would lay down all day. Hopper smiled at her. "How do you get along with Will?" Hopper asked.
El shrugged. "He is nice. We had a few pains at first but we worked it out." El said. Hopper nodded, glad to hear it. "You get along with Joyce?" Hopper asked. El wondered what the questions were for. "Yea, its nice to have someone to go to about things you get uncomfortable with." She said. Hopper shrugged his shoulders. "What's going on dad?" El asked. Hopper gave her a small smile. He pulled out a small box from his pocket.
"I am planning on asking Joyce to marry me." Hopper said simply. El had a confused look. "Marry?" She asked. Hopper chuckled. "Yes, it's a thing adults do. When they love each other very much, they typically get married and try to stay together forever." Hopper explained. El was still confused. "So, you will live together?" El asked. Hopper nodded. "Our families will live together. Will and Jonathan will be your brothers. Well, step brothers but we can get into that later." Hopper said.
El was feeling happy. She always wanted family. "So, Joyce would be my mom?" El asked. Hopper nodded. "She won't replace Terry, but yes she would be your mom." Hopper said. El nodded. She would try out calling Joyce mom next time she came over. "Well, lets get dinner started. Hopefully we can make those enchiladas from scratch." Hopper said.
Present day
They ended up having to order pizza because they were terrible at cooking. El smiled at the memory. It was the beginning of a good life. Then it was taken from them. El stood up and went for the door. With a flick of her head, the door unlocked.
El stepped inside, hey eyes used to the dark saw that the old furniture was gone. Instead of a couch, it was two large comfy recliners. There was also a small couch on the side, but this place was more for Hopper and Joyce. El smiled a little thinking of the pair relaxing here.
On the wall, El found several pictures hanging. She was curious and looked them over. One was a picture of Hopper and El before she went to the Snow Ball. Dr. Owens helped take the picture. He called them a happy family. El missed Dr. Owens, he was nice.
Another picture was Hopper and Joyce at their wedding. She didn't wear white but her red dress was beautiful and Hopper looked rather dashing in his tuxedo. Another photo was Hopper in a suit, his beard was shaved as he stood in front of city hall. Will was holding a book that Hopper had his hand on. El wondered what that was about.
The last picture, was a family picnic. Will was standing with another man, the pair looked happy together. Nancy and Jonathan were also there. Dustin was in a corner with a brunette with glasses. Lucas was standing next to Joyce while Hopper was carving ribs. The pair that shocked El was Mike standing with Max. Max had a small child in her arms while Mike was standing by them. She realized what had happened.
More emotions came over her. Mike had a family. He had a child. She vaguely remembered Brenner talking about a child in connection with Mike. She would have asked, but Saverio liked to use the shock collar if she ever spoke. Emotions came over her and she rushed into her bedroom.
She ran inside and found the room was largely unchanged. The most she saw that was different was the bed looked to be updated. El laid down in the soft bed and realized she hadn't been in a real bed in years. It would either be a cot or the cold floor of her cell. She laid her head on a pillow and let her emotions flood her.
Fifteen years of pain and suffering. Never getting a break. Referred to as an it rather than as a person. El was now barely holding it together when a noise alerted her. She sat up from the bed when an older woman entered. She had grey hair, wearing slacks and a tshirt. Her glasses fitted the frame of her face. The woman was holding a pistol as she entered the room. Her determined face found El and the pair locked eyes.
The older woman dropped the gun upon seeing El. Her face softened as she looked upon her. "Eleven?" She asked. Barely above a whisper. El nodded at the woman, barely recognizing her. The woman entered the room and flipped a light switch, letting her features shine through. "Mom?" El asked. Joyce nodded as a smile formed on her face. "MOM!" El practically shouted as she ran to Joyce's outstretched arms.
Steel Mill
Jericho put the receiver down, his face in a state of shock. When Emily said Nicholai was dead, he felt numb. He had been through a lot with the Russian. He looked over and saw Wheeler looking at him with concern.
"Everything ok?" He asked. Jericho shook his head. "Go get the red head. She needs to hear this as well." Jericho said. Mike nodded and called Max over. When she arrived, Jericho took a deep breath.
"I sent one of my men to your mothers house." Jericho said. "After I met Wheeler at that diner, and also from the way Saverio liked to talk, I figured I would send one of my best men to watch out for your son. I need you to contact your mom and see if everything is ok." He explained.
Max was furious. "Why do you want me to call my house?" She demanded. "Because I was given uneasy news. Troops attacked my house, they were looking for my little brother. He can see things before they happen. He told me my friend died." Jericho said. Max face softened a bit as she grabbed the phone.
She dialed the number and found the call didn't go through. "I can't get a hold of her." Max said. Jericho nodded while looking grim. Mike was starting to rock himself back and forth. He was worried about his son. Max grabbed his hand, sharing his worry.
"Um…Excuse me?" A voice came through one of the radios. Max and Mike both looked at each other. Jericho grabbed the receiver. "This is a private radio line, identify yourself." Jericho said. The voice took a breath. "My name is Susan Hargrove. A young man in my house told me to contact a man named Jericho. He just died. Some men shot him." She said. Max made for the radio but Jericho stopped her with his hand.
"I am very sorry ma'am about what happened. Did anything else happen?" Jericho asked. "Yes, they took my grandson. I tried to call the police but it looks like my phone line was cut." Susan said. Max grabbed the radio from Jericho. "Mom, it's Max. This Jericho guy was helping us out. I don't have time to explain but I am getting my son back." She said. Max then looked at Jericho, fire in her eyes. "Right?" She asked. Jericho nodded and looked to the hogtied Saverio. "Oh, I know just who to ask." Jericho said.
Hopper Cabin
The pair had no idea how long they held each other. Many tears were shed as El let the last fifteen years out of her. When she finally stopped crying, she looked up and saw that Joyce was still holding her for dear life.
"The cabin changed a bit." El said. Joyce smiled and nodded. "Yea, your dad wanted to renovate the furniture. Make it a nice place where we could get away from town." She said. El looked at her curiously. Joyce helped her up and walked her to the living room.
They came back to the wall of pictures, and she showed her the picture of Hopper in front of City Hall, with Will holding a book while Hopper had his hand on it. "This was from when Hop was sworn in as Mayor. It wasn't much of an election. After her retired as Chief, the city just couldn't get enough of him and made him Mayor." Joyce explained. El nodded, then pointed to Will and the other man he was with.
"Oh, that's Chad, Will's boyfriend." Joyce said. El still looked confused. "Will likes other boys. Everyone acceped it, except for a few dipshits." Joyce said. "Why would people not accept him?" El asked. Joyce smiled. "Some people have very backwards thinking." She said. El merely nodded. If Will was happy, then so was she.
They found there way to the picnic photo. And Mike and Max. Joyce noticed El stiffen upon seeing them. She put an arm around her. "That's Harrison. Max had a son with Mike. The two of them were cute together. But things didn't work out." Joyce explained. El relaxed a little. Logically, she thought it ridiculous for Mike to wait around for her. She wondered how many girls he was with.
"If you ask me, he still had his heart set on you." Joyce said, as if she read her mind. "It came as a surprise when Will told me they were dating. Max and Lucas had fights but never like this, but I think things worked out. Hell, everyone is so close together they all became amazing uncles and aunts." Joyce said. El nodded, focusing on the baby in Max's arms. She closed her eyes.
She was in the void. The black infinity she used to go to when she needed to search for someone. El looked around and found herself in the back of a van. Four soldiers were inside, two in the front, and two more in the back
They were strapping a small child to a modified restraint carrier. "Kid shouldn't be a problem." One of the soldiers said. "Yea, lets get the kid to Dr. Brenner. He is going to be prepped for surgery." The other said. El stiffened at hearing that. "Poor kid, brain will be mush when this is over." The driver said.
El left the void and found herself on one of the recliners. Joyce was looking worried at her. "I need to get to Mike. His baby is in danger." El said. Joyce nodded and grabbed her keys.
Steel Mill
Lopez and Ford moved Saverio to an abandoned foreman's office. Jericho was outside with Mike and Max. "So, they can get the information out of him?" Max asked. Jericho nodded. "If not, I have a few ways to screw with him." Jericho said.
Lucas came up to them, his own worry on his face. "Steve called to the station. He has officers looking out for him. Hell, Steve is about to head out himself." Lucas said. Mike nodded. He was still feeling anxious. He was feeling helpless. Lucas looked at his friend and checked him. "You okay man?" He asked. Mike shook his head. "I thought i was the one they wanted. I thought they would leave my son alone." Mike said. "Hey, we will get him back. You think that asshole is going to get away with any of this? Especially after tonight?" Lucas asked. Mike wasn't sure. "He got away with hurting El for fifteen years." Mike said.
"He won't get away with this though. We will stop him man." Lucas said. Mike nodded. He wasn't sure about anything right now. Mike hadn't felt this way in fifteen years. Not since El was taken. He remembered when he finally went home. His parents were gone for the day, Nancy was watching Holly. He became closer to his sisters that day.
Inside, Hopper walked to the foreman's office. He figured he could get information out of Saverio. Hopper knocked on the door and the young Hispanic man, Lopez, answered. "Let me talk to him." Hopper demanded. His tone brooked no argument. Lopez opened the door and Hopper walked in. Saverio looked up, keeping his face pleasant. "More the merrier." He said.
Hopper hated this punk. The moment he saw him he just had a burning fury for him. Without much provocation, Hopper punched him in the stomach. Lopez and Ford looked in shock, but did nothing. It wasn't like that wasn't the plan. "You are going to tell me where you took Mike's kid." Hopper flatly state. Saverio smiled at him. "My head is full of secrets. Its hard to get into those." He said. Hopper punched him across the face. Saverio laughed harder. "Oh, that's that parental rage I heard about. Did you miss playing dad with your precious Eleven?" He taunted. Hopper's eyes narrowed as he delivered a swift punch to his chest. Saverio laughed while spitting blood. "I bet Terry Ives admired how you took care of her daughter. Speaking of which, do you even remember her?" Saverio taunted. Hopper stopped when he heard the name. "What about Terry?" Hopper asked. Savario laughed harder.
"You don't know? You are one dumb mothercuck." Saverio said. "I think I will tell you."
14 years ago: Project Argus facility
The cold observation room had only one occupant. A lone girl who was brought in a year ago. Her formerly long brown hair was shaven off, only clothes on was a hospital gown and basic underwear. The scientists and troops were having a hard time with getting her to do what they wanted. They tried to get her to move things, she would roll her eyes. One of the guards got frustrated and beat her severely. All she did was smile at him.
Saverio watched from the observation room, her face was covered in healing bruises and her wrists had restraint marks. She looked like she had no cares in the world. Saverio realized she didn't care about herself, so he proposed an idea to Dr. Brenner. He approved and acquired a few assets.
Saverio walked in the room, carrying a cat inside a cage. He placed it on the table and spoke simply to Eleven. "Kill the cat." He said. El looked at him and rolled her eyes. She wasn't impressed with him. He was wearing a fancy dress shirt and slacks. Even his shoes were Italian leather. Saverio smiled at her. "Kill the cat." He repeated. "Go to hell." She said. Saverio nodded.
"You think that your life is over that we will simply kill you if you don't cooperate?" Saverio asked. El shrugged her shoulders. Saverio smiled and waved in some guards to bring in a tv monitor. "I read a report that your last guard thought about forcing himself on you. That was kind of funny." Saverio said reading the report. It led to a new meaning of fucking yourself. "I won't do that. I fuck women, not objects." He said. El still rolled her eyes. It was another thing that they tried to do to break her. They referred to her as an it rather than as a person.
"Well, if your not going to kill the cat on your own. I'll motivate you." He said turning on the monitor. El looked at the picture and her eyes went wide. It was another room, with her mother, still catatonic, being covered in a liquid. Her aunt Becky was also there, tied to a chair with a ball in her mouth. "We picked them up two days ago. Now, we just coated your birth giver in gasoline. Now kill the fucking cat or I will have my men cook hotdogs over your mom's burning remains." Saverio snarled. El looked at the cat. It was a small black cat that looked on her for help.
With tears in her eyes, she moved her head and broke the cat's neck. She hoped she made it painless for the creature. Saverio smiled. He pulled out his radio. "Go ahead." He said. El looked up just in time to see a man with a blowtorch light the gasoline on her mother. Becky was screaming as the flames enveloped her sister. Terry did not move as her body charred.
"Damn, I expected her to move around a little." Saverio said. El looked at him with fury. "Your promised!" She said. "I make promises to people, not to property." Saverio said. El raged and tried to break his neck with her powers. The guards around her hit her with cattle prods and she fell to the ground. Saverio kneeled next to her. "Now, if you be a good little bitch, I'll keep your aunt alive. If not, I will make her exit from the world the most painful she experiences." He said. El snarled at him as Saverio used his own cattle prod on her.
Three years later
El was in her combat jumpsuit. It was a tight, form fitting suit that Saverio liked for her to wear as another form of humiliation. They were in an obstacle course that was inside the massive facility. Saverio spent the next three years training her body for combat. She got so good, they fixed a shock collar on her. The man who put it on her was a sad German man named Dr. Strauss. He also seemed to be a prisoner of the facility. She felt bad for him. But she tried not to show attachment. Saverio loved to torment her with the knowledge that if Brenner gave him the okay, he would bring Mike in and make her torture him.
Today was a live fire day. El had to dodge Saverio and his men's bullets. He moved up from using paint or pellets. Now she had to go through the course, avoid machine gun fire and kill a prisoner at the end. This was not her first time doing it. She had to kill them quickly, or she had to watch Saverio disembowel them. She learned that the hard way.
"Okay bitch, time for the exercise." Saverio said, calling from one of the bunkers around. The course looked like a residential neighborhood. She was to escape and avoid the gunmen. She could not engage them. That meant they were using Saverio's men, not mercenaries.
The buzzer sounded and El ran as bullets whizzed past her. El wasn't allowed to use her powers to fight back, but she could use them to deflect. She ran past a few of the houses, dodging one house that was rigged with C4. She flipped over two men who ran out of a house and ran behind a wall. She saw the target building, a small hut between two bunkers. Saverio was in one, manning a light machine gun. He loved to participate in these exercises. El focused and ran as fast as she could, using her powers to boost her speed. She ran so fast, Saverio barely registered her. She entered the hut and saw the prisoner bound to a chair. Without thinking, she broke the prisoner's neck and broke the chair, leaving the hooded person on the floor. A buzzer sounded. The exercise was over.
Saverio walked in, pleased with the results. "Take the hood off, go see your victim." He said. Saverio liked to do this. Most of the prisoners she was forced to kill were people Saverio had issues with. But he loved telling her their life stories. It added to her nightmares. Slowly, El removed the hood, she gasped as she saw.
Her head was shaved, her face covered in scars and bruises, but it was unmistakable that it was her aunt Becky. Horrified, she fell to her knees. Saverio's laugh was ringing in her ears. "Yea, I got bored with her. Plus I think my wife knows a little about what I did." He said. El turned, rage contorting her face. "I DID WHAT YOU WANTED!" El screamed. Saverio smiled and hit the shock collar. El fell to the ground, twitching from the shock. "And I said, I don't make promises to things." Saverio said as he kicked her in the face, knocking her out.
Present.
"She was good, but I always needed to remind her of her masters." Saverio said as he finished his tale. Hopper, Lopez and Ford just looked angry. Before Hopper could deliver another bearing, Lopez stopped him. "No bro, I got an idea. I have a battery and some jumper cables." He said. Hopper looked at him and relented. But not before kicking Saverio and knocking him back.
"You are about to be very fucking sorry asshole." Lopez said. He motioned for Ford to watch him as he led Hopper out. "I dunno if shocking his nipples will work." Hopper said. Lopez smiled, "I ain't attaching to his nipples." He said.
Saverio sat in the chair, Ford lifted him up and watched the door. Saverio smiled as he moved his wrists, the beating doing what he needed. "You must think I am some sicko." Saverio said. He saw Ford nod. "I hope you know, you won't piss right for a while." Ford said. Saverio shuddered, he knew where they were going to shock him. "Well I will tell you what I really am." He said. Ford didn't care. "I'm not tied to the chair." He said. Ford turned around just in time for Saverio to grab his head and smash the back of his head to a wall several times, knocking him out. Saverio took Ford's knife and radio. He quickly left the office, noticing nobody was guarding the place. Saverio smiled as he made his way outside.
He found one of the jeeps, it was still running. Now he needed some breathing room. Sneaking to the large trailer that Jericho and his men were at, he went to several tires and sliced them open with his knife. He made his way to one of the jeeps, just in time to notice Lopez and Hopper walking out carrying a portable battery and jumper cables. He eased on the gas and slowly drove off. Careful not to arouse any suspicion as he drove off.
When he was sure he was away, Saverio used the radio and punched in a secret frequency. "This is Saverio, any of my men still around?" He asked. He got an answer. "We read you boss. We have the Wheeler brat. We will meet you at RV Echo." The voice said. Saverio smiled, he was on his way to salvaging this mess.
Lopez and Hopper came to the office and found the door open. Hopper pulled out his pistol and rushed in. Ford was on the ground, injured with a head wound. "Shit, he escaped." Hopper said. He checked Ford and found a pulse. "We need a medic." Hopper said. Lopez nodded and called for help.
Suzie was treating the young man for his head wound when Jericho entered. "He going to be okay?" Jericho asked. Suzie nodded. "He might need to take it easy for a few days." She said. Jericho nodded. "Any leads on Saverio?" She asked. Jericho shook his head. "He slashed the tires. A few of my men took the jeeps, but it looks like the bastard got away." He said. Suzie nodded, she hated this happened.
While everyone was trying to change the tire on the trailer, A black sedan rolled in. Two men pointed weapons, but Hopper stopped them. "That's my wife." He explained. The soldiers lowered their weapons and went back to their watch. Joyce left the car, and hugged her husband. "I brought someone." She said. Hopper looked as the passenger door opened and El walked out meekly. Hopper's eyes widened at seeing her. "El?" He asked. She nodded, still shy. Hopper walked up to her and pulled her into a massive bear hug. El returned the hug as the pair were reunited. "I missed you so much." Hopper said. El nodded. "I know, cause I missed you so much." She said, her tears returning. The Party wondered what was going on and converged on Hopper.
She let go of Hopper and saw her friends. They were older, but sill looked like the giant dorks she remembered them as. She saw the woman that Joyce said was Suzie, Dustin's wife. She looked meekly at her as the group was in anticipation. "Hey, I'm back." El said, trying to cut the tension. The group chuckled slightly as she awkwardly tried to cut the tension. Only Max was looking down and away from her. El walked up to her friend and pulled her into a hug. Max returned the gesture. "I'm not mad at you Max." She said. She looked at both Mike and Max and smiled at them.
"This si all heartwarming and shit, but we kind of are in a crisis." Jericho said, arriving. El nodded at the man. "I know where they are taking your son." El said to Max and Mike. They looked shocked at her. "Where is he being taken to?" Mike asked. El looked grim. "Its called Project Argus. It's a lab outside Chicago." She said.
RV Echo
Saverio parked his jeep, seeing his troops waiting by an moving truck. Saverio entered the back and saw the crying child, who stopped on seeing Saverio. "Are we good to go?" He asked. His men nodded. "Good, get me Dr. Brenner. Tell him we are on our way." He said.
END ACT 2
AN: Ya'll ever read your old fanfics? I read one from 2006 and let me tell you, that was a doozy of bad writing. I keep it around so I remember where I came from. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed this. All feedback is welcome.
