Eleven,
I hope this letter finds you well. If it does, it means I am dead and your plan failed. You did well, Eleven. You always have and I am proud of you. I cared about you like my own child. There are so many things I wish I had done differently, as well as things I wish I had said. However, there is no time. 001 has beat you and your friends. As you know, he poses an enormous threat to the world, not just Hawkins. I may know someone who can help you. A Plan B.
Find Dr Julie Maxwell in Patriot, Indiana. She will give you all the answers. Once you get there, tell her you're there for Plan 001.
Whether you believe it or not, I never wanted any of this to happen. My one regret is that you have to clean up everything I did wrong.
Love, Papa
Eleven blinked as Nancy finished reading the letter, her throat all of a sudden feeling dry. She quickly looked to the ground, avoiding the gazes from the rest of the group. She remembered the moment Brenner died too well. She didn't understand why, but she somehow felt sad. For a long time, he was all she'd known. She supposed it was some sort of Stockholm syndrome, something Mike had told her about.
"Are we sure this isn't some sort of trap?" Robin questioned as she turned her head to look around everyone at the cabin, "I mean, yes, we burnt him to the crispiest crisp I have ever seen, but we never saw his body. What if this is one of Vecna's traps?"
"True," Steve agreed, nodding his head.
"No," Eleven said weakly, as she finally looked up at the others, "I have heard about Julie Maxwell before. Two mentioned her being a doctor there when he was young." She grimaced, an image of Two dead in the rainbow room resurfacing in her mind. He had always been mean to her, but he hadn't deserved to die. None of Henry's victims had.
"Are you okay?" Will whispered, sitting beside her. She merely nodded, attempting a small smile.
"Well, we have to go then," Dustin, who had been pacing around the room concluded.
"Yes," Hopper's deep voice sounded from the other side of the room, "any help we can get, we will take. We leave first thing tomorrow."
"Maybe some of us should stay," Lucas interjected, his expression apprehensive, "in case something else happens here. To be honest, I don't want to leave Max either." His eyes filled with sadness as he thought of the redhead, still not making any progress in the hospital.
"That's a good idea," Nancy agreed, "Who wants to go?"
"Well, I am definitely going if this is about El." Hopper replied, a concerned look on his face.
"Robin? Steve?" Nancy questioned, tilting her head in question.
"Yeah, why not?" Steve shrugged nonchalantly as Robin nodded.
"I think I will stay here," Will announced, looking uncomfortable, "I can still feel him. If he makes a move, I will know." Joyce tensed up before taking Will's hand in hers and squeezing it. He had had such a traumatic experience and it still wasn't over. She was anxious what this connection to Vecna meant.
"If you're staying, so will I." Jonathan said, protective of his younger brother.
"Dustin? Mike?" Nancy looked at the last two to answer in the cabin – Argyle had gone out to get food but she had no doubt he'd stay with Jonathan and Will.
"I'll come. No more running away, only towards." Dustin replied, doing what he thought Eddie would have wanted.
Mike turned towards Eleven, his eyes soft, "are you sure you want to do this?" He knew she felt she had no choice. For many times she had been the one to save the world. She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. He wished he could stop that. He wished there was another way.
"Yes. I will go." El replied, returning Mike's glance with a reassuring one.
"Then I'll come." Mike decided, wanting to support his girlfriend.
The drive to Patriot was shorter than expected and it only took about an hour until they reached the medical facility owned by Julie Maxwell. The fact this doctor who could supposedly help lived so close made Eleven angry. Why hadn't she tried to help before? Where was she when the gate opened the first time, the second time? Where was she when Henry started killing people? Eleven became sceptical of what this doctor could supposedly do.
"Door's locked," Steve commented as he let go of the door handle. He was less than impressed.
"There's this art called knocking, Harrington. Do I have to teach you everything?" Dustin teased his friend.
"Ha ha ha" Steve replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Hopper stepped in front and forcefully knocked on the door, not wanting to waste time.
A few moments passed before a woman, probably around Brenner's age opened the door a few inches, the security chain keeping it from opening fully.
"Who are you?" she questioned, inspecting the group in front of her.
"We were sent here by Dr Brenner." Hopper replied, rather abruptly.
"So?" Julie looked at him with a questioning look. She was not to let anyone in there.
"Uh, ma'am, hi," Nancy stepped forward. Hopper had never been one to charm people, "My name is Nancy and these are my friends. We were told to come here for Plan 001."
"Right…" Julie gulped, pondering for a moment before she shut the door in their faces to undo the security chain. Exhaling slowly, she opened the door and gestured for them to enter.
"Sorry to be a pain at first. Protocol," she explained, her tone flat and almost military like, "make sure you close that door. Follow me."
The group did as instructed as they followed her down a long corridor which seemed to go on forever.
"So what happened to Brenner?" she asked coolly to cut the thick tension between them all.
"He got shot." El replied, her voice barely a whisper.
"I'm sorry, where exactly are we going?" Hopper cut in as he kept pace with the doctor.
"You wanted it help, I am only the one to lead you to it," she replied nonchalantly. "I've prepared everything else to wake her."
"Wake her?" Robin asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion as she looked at Steve and Nancy. Mike took Eleven's hand and squeezed it, looking apprehensive. "Are we sure we can trust her?" he whispered.
They came to a halt in front of a door. "I am not really trustworthy. The person behind this door will tell you that," she replied, having heard Mike's question, "nevertheless, you need me. Well her," she motioned towards the door.
"Who is she?" Eleven asked the question on everybody's minds.
"He really hasn't told you anything?" Julie almost looked concerned for them. She opened the door, which revealed a girl, laying on what resembled a morgue table. In fact, everything in the room was metal. The walls, the ceiling, the table she laid on. Hopper walked in slowly, calculating eyes watching the young woman who was seemingly asleep. The others followed suit, their eyes taking in her almost lifeless form. Her hair was damp and combed back neatly, her skin was pale and covered in droplets of water. All she wore was a hospital gown.
"This is Maeve," Julie revealed, as she walked around the table the girl laid on, "she knew Henry in the 60s."
"Woah, woah, woah, no way. She looks way too young for that," Steve instantly commented. This girl looked his age, if anything.
"You can't hit on someone who can't hear you," Robin elbowed him before apologetically smiling at the unfamiliar doctor.
"She is young, yes. We managed to preserve her body as it was. She hasn't aged since the incident." Julie replied, her eyes glancing down at Maeve.
"What happened to her?" Nancy pushed the doctor to carry on, her voice soft and filled with sympathy.
"She fell in love with Henry Creel. In a twisted way, he loved her too," Julie explained, her eyes never leaving Maeve's face. "Or so we thought, until he killed her."
The silence around them was heavy and almost suffocating. Nobody knew what exactly to say.
"Someone who loved or loves Vecna is meant to help us fight him?" Mike finally spoke up, unsure of this plan.
"Vecna?" Julie snorted, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous name, "that's what you call him?"
"How about you just answer the question, lady." Hopper said, arms crossing his chest.
"It's doctor," Julie corrected, rolling her eyes, "and no, she knows he sacrificed her. I don't think she could ever forgive that."
"So, if he didn't love her enough to save her, or not kill her or whatever," Robin rambled, trying to wrap her head around everything, "why would he care now?"
"Well, he might not care, but it would certainly surprise him seeing her alive, besides it's her abilities you want. She's like you Eleven." Julie gave the young girl a pointed look.
"How do you know my name?" Eleven asked, her eyebrows furrowed in a frown.
"Dr Brenner and I worked very closely together for a long time." Julie paused, looking at the group in front of her, still taking in all the information they were given.
Eleven watched as the doctor turned and opened a small drawer, containing medical supplies, and pulled out a syringe as well as some sort of medicine. "It's your decision. Should I wake her, or not?"
Eleven looked at everyone in the room, not one of them looking entirely sure of what to do. This girl could either be the key to destroying Henry, or she could be the key to destroying them. Eleven wasn't sure what side this mysterious girl would be on. Exhaling slowly, she made her decision.
"Do it."