Chapter 12
"Are you okay?"
El turned to look at Max and shrugged. She was back in her old room, in Hopper's cabin. It was a mess, but it felt more like home to her.
She sighed. "I don't know. I can't help but think I should be doing something."
"But you are, El. You need to focus on getting your strength back so you can go back to being Super El." She smiled, but El pulled a face.
"If the Russians really want me, then maybe I should give myself to them?"
"No!" Max turned El around to face her. "No way, El. Do you think Hopper would want that?"
El's face was stone. "We don't know what Hop wanted, because he's being tortured. He's slowly losing his mind and I'm sitting here and just waiting." She waved her passport at Max. "What if this was his way of telling me to go and find him."
Max shook her head. "No, El. He never knew this was going to happen. That passport was to keep you safe. You know that."
El closed her eyes. It hurt her to admit, but what Max said was right. Hop would only ever want her to be safe.
"I have to do something," she said.
"So, rest, for now. And be ready when we need you. When Hopper needs you, okay?"
El nodded her head. She was far from convinced.
"Is this too easy?" Dustin looked around nervously.
They were at Toronto airport and everything, so far, looked normal.
"Stop looking suspicious, otherwise you'll blow it," Robin hissed.
Dustin nodded. He wished his hands weren't sweating so much.
"Just smile," Robin said again. "And remember, we're not siblings since our passports would automatically refute that, right?"
"Right." Dustin wiped his hands down his legs. "You're my cousin," he said to Steve, and then he grinned. "And she's your lover…" His grin met his eyes.
"Cut it out Dustin." Steve glowered at him. It had been a long car journey, with Dustin calling 'shotgun' after the last service stop. Steve had found himself in the back of his own car. He was feeling resentful towards both of them.
Robin turned and flashed a smile at Steve.
"Are you playing the big, bad boyfriend?" she said mockingly. Steve glowered some more. Robin laughed and linked her arm through his. "Come on," she said. "All smiles everyone. Let's do this."
They walked towards security.
"Does this even work anymore?" Lucas whispered.
"Shh." Max glared at him.
Lucas pulled a face. "She can't hear me whispering," he whispered. His attempt at whispering quietly, failed.
"Shh." Mike nudged him.
Lucas went to speak again, but, decided against it. He looked at Will and was grateful for his sympathetic smile.
The TV set had been dragged into El's room and the door was shut, but they could hear the hissing as the white noise droned on. It was beginning to get inside Lucas's head. He went over to Will and sat next to him.
"I didn't think this worked anymore," he said.
Will shrugged. "Her powers are coming back, she said."
"But this is taking ages."
"Shh!" Mike and Max turned on him and Lucas shrunk down in his seat.
Then the noise stopped, and the door opened.
El was standing there, blood seeping from her nose. She looked at Will and nodded.
"I know where she is." She wiped her nose and looked at Mike. "They're here still, in Hawkins." She smiled, grateful no one thought to question her. The bad feeling was there still, every time she went to that place. She had felt it lurking behind her when she searched for Hopper before and now, with her powers getting stronger, it was still there. She had a terrible feeling it was just waiting for her.
Outside, a car spun to a stop and a door slammed. Jonathan appeared at the window.
Max jumped up and let him in.
"Well?" she said.
Jonathan ignored her and looked at El. He saw how white she looked and the smear of blood on her face.
"They're in Hawkins," she said again.
Jonathan smiled and nodded, gratefully. He looked around at everyone, his gaze resting on Will.
"It's going to be okay," he said. He took a breath. "I have a map," he said. "And some news." He spread the map out on a table and sat down.
"So, the guy who gave Nancy and me the newspaper, is actually a guy called, well, it doesn't matter what his name is, but he's an actor."
"What?" El sat down opposite him. "Why?"
Jonathan took another breath. "They wanted us to find this stuff out. I'm pretty sure those guys are walking into a trap…"
There was an outbreak of commotion, but Jonathan spoke above them all.
"Hang on," he said. "They assumed we would send El and…" he paused and looked at her, "they would have been waiting for you…" El felt her eyes stinging with tears. Waiting had felt so hopeless, but at least Hopper was still alive.
"So, what now?" Max squeezed El's hand. "What happens to Dustin and the others once they get to Alaska?"
Jonathan shrugged. "They weren't expecting us to be smart. They will be looking out for kids leaving Indiana and arriving in Alaska, so… as long as they don't draw attention to themselves, they might at least get through the airport."
"But, then what?" Max looked around at everyone. Things were getting out of control.
Jonathan pursed his lips. "They said they would call first, right? So we go back to your house, Mike and wait there, and then we warn them."
"And if they get taken too, I give myself up."
El stood up and looked around at everyone defiantly.
"No!" Mike tugged at her hand, but she pulled away.
"Tell me, Mike, what would you do?"
It was silent for a while and then Mike sat down, slumping with defeat. El swallowed the injustice she felt raging around her mind and sat too. She took Mike's hand.
"How did you find all this out?" Will looked at his older brother. "I mean, about the actor guy?"
"I just got chatty with one of the workers there. Found out how little they get paid and told him my girlfriend is a reporter and she wanted to do a piece on the conditions these guys work in." He grinned. "Once he heard she had gone missing, he wanted to tell me everything he knew. Said that some heavies had turned up a few days earlier, made them hide every sign the building was under construction, convinced all the men they would get a hefty pay pack if they did it right, and quickly. This guy, Bob, he was still there when this van pulled up and the main guy who had been dishing out all the orders…"
"Russian?" Jonathan shook his head at Lucas.
"American. He overheard him telling this tall thin guy, David Henley we knew him as, that he had to pretend to be this big shot. Play it cool, try and intimidate whoever it was that came asking about Hopper."
This time, the silence lasted for longer.
"One step ahead," Mike said eventually. His voice was barely a whisper.
"What now?" Max said. She looked at Jonathan.
"They don't know I have my powers back," El said. She looked directly at Will. "First of all, let's get Joyce and Nancy back." She turned to Mike and smiled. "They won't be expecting us, or they wouldn't have hidden them here."
Jonathan nodded. "Where are they?" he asked. He smoothed the map out.
El nodded again. She looked at the map and smiled.
"We won't need the map," she said.
"I can't believe it," Dustin hissed. "Just like that."
Steve laughed nervously. "I kept waiting for them to say something."
Robin took Steve's hand. "Stop whispering and keep smiling," she said. "We're not out of the airport yet."
Hopper opened his eyes. The woman was standing there. She smiled at him.
"You are strong," she said. "But how long do you think your body can cope with this?" Hopper blinked, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his bruised and battered body. The woman crouched down and stroked his face tenderly.
"I can see why she likes you," she said. Her smile was dangerous. "It's Joyce, isn't it?"
Hopper flinched. The woman's smile grew and then slowly, she leant in towards Hopper and kissed him, gently, on the lips. Her smiled disappeared.
"Tell us how to bring the girl to you and we won't hurt your precious Joyce," she said.
Hopper coughed and groaned. His mind was whirring, and his body was in agony. He knew El would come if he called her, somehow, she would hear him, but he wouldn't do it. But Joyce…? He groaned again and felt the humiliation of a tear drop from his eye.
"Poor baby," she said, stroking his face. And then she yanked his head back, violently. "I will personally kill them all," she whispered into this ear. "Do you understand?" She released him. "You have 24 hours."
She turned to the man standing behind her.
"Make it louder," she said, and she left the cell. Her high heels ricocheted around the stone walls.
"Please, no…" Hopper wanted to cry out, but his throat was dry. He looked at the man in the suit, who was still standing there. He thought he saw half a smile flicker across his grey features, but then he too, turned and walked out of the room.
A sudden eruption of noise filled the cell. It consumed Hopper completely, pushing out thought. A terrible white noise that made him feel as if his senses were exploding. He closed his eyes and felt his body shaking.
She had been right. He couldn't take much more.