Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 23: All for Love
"Keep the hell away from my daughter, you asshole."
Hopper emerged from the doorway behind them – the same one that they'd entered through. El immediately got up and ran to give him a tight hug.
"Dad, I'm so sorry," she whispered tearfully. "We-"
"Not now, El. I'm just happy you're safe." He looked pointedly at the kids. "I had a feeling you kids weren't going to stay put today. I'm just glad my hunch was right on where to find you." Turning his attention to Brenner, he raised his gun and stalked toward him.
"I've been wanting to get my hands on you for a long time," he snarled.
Brenner was in quite a lot of pain from his bullet wound, but he shuffled to his feet anyway. As he continued to clutch his arm, the red spot on his shirt grew.
"Well unfortunately for you, I don't even know who you are."
Hopper laughed, but not in amusement. "Of course not – Mr. High and Mighty. You just sit in this goddamn fortress and make everyone's lives miserable. You don't care who you hurt in the process."
"Now, that's not fair-"
"Not fair? You want to talk about not fair?" Hopper pointed at El. "What you did to her. Giving her a number for a name. Making her do your bidding or else. Hardly teaching her anything about the world or how it works."
Brenner had the audacity to look insulted. "I gave her a home!"
Hopper scoffed. "Yeah, some home. No real clothes. No fucking windows to look out of. This place is a prison. She's lucky she got out when she did."
"And you were all too happy to keep her away from the only place she'd ever known," Brenner replied bitterly. "That's not a very good look either."
"STOP!"
The two men startled at the sound of El's impassioned shout. She stepped forward to address them while holding Mike's hand tightly.
"I know you're upset, but we're wasting time," she said, a sense of resolve enveloping her. El could feel the fire from earlier coming back. She looked squarely at Brenner. "I don't care what you say. I need to close the gate right now."
Mike looked down at his beautiful girlfriend in awe and squeezed her hand in support. He was never prouder of her than he was in that moment.
Hopper was proud, too, though he also felt a little ashamed that he'd let himself get carried away. But in his defense, he'd been waiting to have it out with Brenner for years. Still, it was time for El to do what she'd come there to do.
Brenner, however, was not quite so understanding.
How dare she, he thought. Despite the bullet wound in his arm, Brenner began to raise the gun again, aiming squarely at El. He didn't care about her abilities. He didn't care about their history. Right now, all she was to him was a roadblock standing in the way of what he wanted.
Of course, it was stupid of him to even attempt that with six others in the room who cared a lot about El. Hopper immediately tackled him to the ground and tried to wrestle the gun from his hands, spurred into action by shouts from the kids.
For someone who'd been shot, Brenner was actually putting up a decent fight. He'd managed to get partially on top of Hopper and had a hand over his face, pinning him down.
Hopper looked wildly over at El. "Go," he shouted. "Close it now!"
El didn't even hesitate – she took off running. Mike followed quickly, shouting to the others to stay put and keep an eye on the door and Hopper. A moment later, they reached a spot along the glass wall that opened to them, letting in a gust of air and particles from the gate and startling El.
"It's okay," Mike reassured her. "Just breathe, I've got you."
They walked carefully through the sliding door, jumping a little as it closed behind them. It was quite dark around the gate, save for the white particles floating through the air and a faint orange glow beyond the gate's entrance.
El tried to take calming breaths – in through her nose, out through her mouth. It was very easy to remember herself as the young girl that got locked away for hours in a dark room, scared and trembling and feeling like the walls were closing in. But she wasn't that little girl anymore. Hopper had taught her what it meant to have a real father and someone she could trust. Max…she was El's first friend. And Mike…
It's like Mike knew El was thinking about him. He tilted her face up and looked tenderly into her eyes. He didn't care that they were in an imperfect situation. He didn't care that they were standing in front of the entrance to another dimension or that a huge crowd of possessed townsfolk were somewhere in the building.
He just knew that he loved her and he had to let her know. Right now.
Mike felt a strange sense of calm envelope him as he drew in a breath to speak.
"Mike. I love you."
His mouth dropped open in shock. Um…what?! He was not expecting this. He was not expecting this at all. It was like a rush of endorphins to the heart.
The logical response was to just say it back. Instead, he sputtered, "You beat me to it."
"What?"
Mike thought that at the moment, it was safer to show El what he meant. He leaned down and kissed her with such intensity, she gasped into his mouth. But El quickly recovered and kissed him back just as ferociously. When they did finally pull apart, Mike had the biggest grin on her face. "I love you," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I love you so much. I said that you'd beaten me to it because I was literally just going to tell you that."
El giggled. She'd been thinking about it for a while now. She wasn't sure if there was a specific moment that she realized she was in love with Mike. It just sort of happened after a bunch of little things began to add up: the night they met, their perfect first date, their conversations…just everything.
El had never been in love. She hadn't had much experience with any kind of love until she was taken in by Hopper. But she knew that Mike was different, and it warmed her heart to know that he felt the very same way about her. There was no one else she wanted by her side, especially now when she had a huge task ahead of her.
Which reminded her…
She leaned in once more for a kiss, which Mike was all too happy to oblige, but leaned back quickly. As they looked into each other's eyes, an unspoken communication passed between the two of them. Mike stepped backwards to give El some space while she took up a position in front of the gate.
El closed her eyes. She stretched out her right hand, palm facing outward.
A barrage of images flashed in her mind.
Curling up on the bed in her barren room, dressed in nothing but a hospital gown and fighting for warmth.
The horrible day when she had to have her head shaved for the first time. "You're old enough now, Eleven," Papa had said. "This way, we can unlock the mysteries of your mind even easier."
The moment where she had to kill a poor, innocent mouse with her mind.
The moment when she refused to kill a beautiful, fluffy cat with her mind and was locked away for hours as punishment.
El's eyes snapped open as she felt a rush of energy move through her body, down her arm, and out her hand. At the same moment, Mike jumped, feeling the vibrations in the ground. His eyes widened as he saw blood beginning to trickle from both of El's nostrils.
"El, are you-"
Still keeping focus with her right hand outstretched, El made a sweeping motion with her left hand. Mike found himself pushed ever so slightly to the left.
"Okay," he finished, a small smile on his face. He should have assumed that she could handle herself.
For her part, El was still faring well. Despite the blood coming from her nose, her concentration was not wavering. In fact, after several minutes of concentrating on the gate, she could see the edges of it beginning to close.
Suddenly, a deep growl resonated through the space. It was so deep that the ground trembled, rendering Mike and El momentarily disoriented. They had no time to recover, though. Once again, the growl was heard and felt.
"What the hell was that," Mike shouted.
El had a feeling she knew what it was. Her fears were confirmed when she saw a shadow just beyond the entrance of the gate. She screamed in terror.
Mike ran hurriedly over to El. "What is it? What's the matter?"
Her only verbal response was a whimper, though she tilted her head in the direction of the gate. Mike followed her gaze, his mouth falling open in shock as he laid his eyes on the shadow there.
"Oh my god."
"I think it knows," El began as she tried to re-gain control of her focus. "It knows that I'm trying to close the gate."
"Yeah, and it's pissed."
As if the appearance of the Mind Flayer wasn't bad enough, Mike and El suddenly began to hear a series of shouts, screams, and gunshots coming from the other side of the glass.
"What's going on," El cried. "Oh my god, do you think it's my dad?"
A look of determination came across Mike's face. "I have no idea, but I'm going to find out."
Without waiting for a response from El, Mike jogged back through the sliding glass door. However, he stopped immediately in his tracks at the sight that was before him.
The crowd had made its way downstairs – only partially for now, but more and more people were filing into the space at every moment. It was complete and utter chaos. Max and Will were hiding under a control panel. Lucas and Dustin were trying to fight against some of those possessed. Hopper had seemingly won in the tussle against Brenner – he had managed to get him in handcuffs and was keeping an arm around him. Hopper was also shooting anyone who got too close to any of the kids. There were already several bodies lying on the ground.
Mike's brain went into overdrive, quickly formulating a plan. But they needed to work fast before they were completely overrun.
"Guys, come on," he shouted. "Behind the glass!"
Max and Will eagerly got up from their hiding spot and ran over to Mike, followed closely by Dustin and Lucas.
"Through the doors now," Mike instructed. "But make sure to give El some space in there. She needs room to close the gate."
Hopper and Brenner were the last ones to reach Mike as the others disappeared through the sliding glass doors. Mike couldn't help but smirk at the disgraced doctor in handcuffs. Brenner, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at Mike's expression.
"You know, son, I don't think your little plan is going to work," he said condescendingly. "Remember, those sliding doors have sensors at the bottom of each door. This crowd is going to be able to get in just like us."
"Shut up, asshole," Mike retorted. "You think I didn't think of that? I've got it all under control, so just follow my lead and get the hell out of here."
For once, Brenner had nothing to say. He appeared almost shocked as Hopper led him away. Hopper, however, looked to be trying to cover up a smile.
Mike followed closely behind the two of them, keeping his eyes trained on the angry mob moving closer and closer. He did have Brenner to thank for one thing – letting slip where the sensors were on the glass doors. Otherwise, it would have taken longer to figure out how to disable them.
He had little reason to worry though. A quick inspection of the doors yielded a small black box at the bottom with a blinking light. As a test, Mike stuck his foot in front of one – that door opened.
With all of his might, Mike stomped on the little sensor. It didn't just break, it came off the door – the door which, by the way suddenly closed with a sharp snap.
Mike startled at the sound and the sudden movement of the door. He wasn't expecting that to happen, but whatever. It just meant that what he'd done was enough to disable the sensor. Unable to help himself, he stuck his middle finger high in the air and waved it at the approaching crowd. "Just TRY and get us, you fucks."
"Mike, don't be an idiot," Will hissed from the other side of the glass. "Just do the other door and get behind here."
Using his foot to trigger the second sensor, Mike stomped down and broke it off the door. He acted quickly, leaping behind the quickly closing door. As a test – once both doors were closed and Mike was safely behind them – he tried to pry them both open. Thankfully, they didn't budge.
Mike didn't waste any time. He ran back over to El quickly but stopped short. It looked as though she was beginning to struggle – blood continued to come out of her nose and ears, but she was also sweating profusely. A whimper would occasionally escape her gritted teeth.
"El, are you okay," he asked quietly.
"I don't know what's happening," El replied, the strain evident in her voice. "It doesn't seem like it's working anymore."
A bang behind them made the group startle. El let out a small shriek when she saw Billy at the head of the group on the other side of the glass. He banged his fists against the glass, making everyone realize that this had been the source of the first noise.
"Holy shit," Dustin exclaimed fearfully.
"Guys, it's okay," Mike reassured them. "They can't get us behind the glass." Turning behind to where the possessed group was, he shouted, "You hear that? You can't get us back here!"
"Yeah, you can fuck right off," Lucas shouted in support, though he still wasn't totally convinced as evidenced by the uncertainty on his face.
Billy began to laugh. The rough, haunting cadence of his laughter made their hair stand on end.
"You guys really think you're hot shit, huh? Well let me remind you…there's LOADS of us and only a few of you." A speculative look suddenly crossed his face. "But I'll tell you what. You do us a favor and we'll back off.
Mike frowned disbelievingly. "What kind of favor?"
"Hand over the girl," Billy replied, gesturing towards El. "Hand over the girl, and we'll forget this silly disagreement ever happened."
The kids looked appropriately horrified. Hopper looked to be in some place between disbelief and anger. Brenner of course had his usual poker face on.
Mike moved to stand protectively in front of El. "Fat fucking chance. Why do you want El anyway?"
"Because she's in the way…simple as that." Billy looked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "This place belongs to us now. El is a threat."
"Oh, and who told you she's a threat? The Mind Flayer?"
"The what now?"
Mike rolled his eyes. "The Mind Flayer. The massive shadow in there." He gestured towards the gate. "The thing that's in your head telling you what to do, what to think."
Just for a moment, Billy actually looked scared. He quickly scoffed to cover it up. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Max, who'd been quiet for a while, spoke up. "Yes, you do." She walked slowly over to where Billy stood, stopping about 5 feet away from him on the other side of the glass. "I know you, Billy – I'm your sister."
"Step sister," he corrected snidely.
"Whatever. The point is that I've been around you long enough. I know your mannerisms." She pointed her finger at him. "That little look you had a minute ago…he doesn't completely have you under his thumb."
"Max, you're losing me. I seriously have no idea what you mean."
"You're strong, Billy," Max replied loudly. "This thing's had a hold on you for what, a year? If you were anyone else, you probably wouldn't even know who I was by now. He'd have taken total control of your brain."
Max stepped another couple feet closer to the glass. "What do you remember," she asked.
Billy was silent for a moment, processing. The truth was, he remembered everything. Max was right. He knew that he was different right from the beginning. Everyone else in the large group he'd helped create had a spotty memory at best. Billy found that he could recall memories, names, faces, and associations at the drop of a hat. He also found that he could control his actions and emotions a little bit easier than the rest of the group.
Max watched Billy's face carefully and her heart broke a little when she saw his eyes soften at a memory traveling through his head. Without thinking about it, she walked forward the last couple of steps and placed her hand on the glass.
"Billy," she began quietly, "I know you. This isn't you. Please stop. Just…call everyone off, let us go about our business."
Billy looked as though he was about to cry. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were red. His hands had been in fists at his side, but he slowly began to unclench his right fist and move his hand upwards toward the glass.
Suddenly without warning, the same deep growl from earlier rang out across the space. Billy abruptly moved his hand back to his side.
"Oh no," Max whispered. "Oh god, no."
But the change was already was already coming over the group. The eyes of those around Billy began to turn black and their bodies began quivering with tension. Billy was the last to be affected, but it looked like he was doing everything he could to fight against it. He threw his head back and let out an agonizing cry.
"Max, I think you should move away from the glass," Lucas suggested gently.
"Why?"
"Please, just do it. It's for your own safety." Lucas was watching the state that Billy was in. If the Mind Flayer was beginning to influence him, there was no telling what he could be capable of.
Reluctantly, Max slowly brought her hand down, a forlorn expression on her face. She was brought back into the present, however, by a loud smack against the glass. She gasped at the sight of Billy staring angrily at her, his eyes black and his fist resting against a now-cracked portion of glass.
"Max, get away from there," Lucas shouted. The time for being gentle was over. He hurriedly pulled a stunned Max away from the glass.
Dustin turned and shouted at Brenner. "Jesus christ! Isn't that supposed to be 6-inch-thick glass?!"
"Uh…well, yes it is," Brenner insisted. "Nothing to worry about." He didn't look terribly confident though.
"Unless it's not," Mike retorted. "Wouldn't be the first time you lied about something."
While all this was happening, El had been trying and failing to reclaim her focus. She hadn't understood why her strength was waning so quickly. But now with a possessed army about to make its way in, maybe there were other forces at work. If that was the case, she needed to get it together fast.
Turning toward the gate once more, El was startled to see something there that hadn't been there earlier. A gray, smoky trail was making its way slowly out of the gate. She had to believe that this was the monster coming for her.
A very small part of El felt a sense of pride. Clearly the monster viewed her as a threat, otherwise he wouldn't send an army after her OR come after her himself. But mostly…mostly El felt tired and angry. She just wanted to go home. In order to do that, she needed to see this through to the end and keep pushing.
Like she did in the beginning, El closed her eyes and let the emotions she'd been feeling through all this come to the surface: fear, frustration, anger… But there was a new emotion there that hadn't been before.
That was love.
El felt the warmth in her heart spread outwards. She loved her friends. They were so protective of her, and she of them. They accepted her for who she was and didn't treat her like a science experiment. She loved Hopper. He gave her a home…the first real home she ever had. They had their disagreements, but in the end, they were very similar: a couple of people who'd had some hard knocks and just wanted love and acceptance. As for Mike? It was very simple. El wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
But they had to get the hell out of here first.
Opening her eyes, El saw that the Mind Flayer's smoky trail was much closer to her. But there was now another small trail that was extending toward Mike. If she wasn't completely convinced that the Mind Flayer could get in her head and knew exactly what she'd been thinking about a moment before, she was now.
I don't think so, she thought to herself.
Instead of using one hand, El extended both of her hands – there was no way the intense energy coursing through her could exit her body from just one side. She let out a scream as that energy lifted her in the air. A loud bang was heard as the Mind Flayer's energy collided with El's and she relished in the fact that the Mind Flayer seemed to be coming up against a roadblock – it appeared as though El was now pushing the smoky trail back through the gate. Not only that, the gate seemed to rapidly be getting smaller.
The others watched open-mouthed as El levitated. No one – not even Brenner – knew she was capable of that.
As the entrance to the other dimension grew even smaller, the possessed army clawed at the glass. Whether it was because they were still trying to get El or because they knew their end was coming, no one knew. But there was no time to find out because in the next few moments, the gate shrank from the size of a hand to the size of a pin prick…
To nothing.
Whew! How's everyone doing? I can't believe we're 1/3 of the way through April already. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter. We're getting close to the end now – I can't believe it. Please leave me a review. I'd appreciate it.
