Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Lucas created a line in the dirt with a stick. He had other sticks arranged to be the lab's fence. He and the rest of the kids gathered around it. "So this is Randolph Road," he stated before placing his stick at the top of another stick. "The fence starts here, then goes all the way around." He then moved his stick like a circle and placed an empty soda can at the middle. "Then right here is the lab." He looked at the rest of his friends. "The gate is in there somewhere, it's gotta be."
"Who owns Hawkins Lab?" asked Dustin.
"The sign said 'Department of Energy'."
"What does that mean?"
"Maybe the government? The military?" Jane questioned.
"You sure?"
She shrugged. "Just trust me, Dustin."
"She's right," Lucas said. "I saw soldiers out in the open there."
The curly-haired boy looked confused. "They make light bulbs or something?"
The tomboy shook her head. "No, I think they make weapons to fight the commies and stuff." Suddenly, all of them looked shocked in realization.
"Weapons..." They then looked at Mike, who looked nervously at them. "Oh God, this isn't good."
"The place is built like a fortress," the African-American boy added, him and his friends not noticing a helicopter noise except for Mike, who looked back.
"Then what do we do?"
"We can't go back home, that's for sure," Jane stated. "We're fugitives now."
When everything fell silent, Mike stood up and pointed at something in the sky. Everyone else stood up and saw what he was pointing at. It was a helicopter, coming right towards them. Instantly, all of them were in a panic.
...
After messing up the sticks and can and stuffing their bikes under the bus, they all went inside the bus and closed the door. "Get down!" Jane shouted as they all got down, out of sight from most of the windows. They tried to stay silent as the helicopter noise became louder. All of them were feeling terrified, hoping that it wouldn't see them. When the noise receded, all of them became relieved, Dustin saying, "Mental." Indeed, this was all pretty "mental" to all of them, even Mike, even though he didn't know what it meant.
In Hopper's office, the police chief looked at a photo Jonathan, who was finally uncuffed, gave to him as well as the mothers. The two teenagers were sitting on chairs, watching them look at it. Terry pointed at the creature in the photo. "Looked exactly like that when I was looking for Will and Barbara," she said to them, Kali nodding in affirmation. Joyce looked absolutely terrified at the thought that her son was in the same place as that...thing while Hopper just sighed and looked at the teens.
"And you two say that blood draws this thing?" he asked them.
"It's just a theory," Jonathan answered.
"But it's possible," Kali added. "I know it."
The adults nodded as Joyce gestured her oldest son to come with her. Sighing, he stood up and followed her out the door. That left the Indian girl looking at her adoptive mother. The woman sighed and walked to her, sitting next to her. She wanted to tell her something just so it was out of her chest.
"Kali." The teen looked like she was paying full attention to her. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
She looked puzzled. "Sorry for what?"
"For not finding Barbara down there."
The teen girl sighed and gave her mother a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Mum." She looked at her in a bit of surprise. "At least two of the people I love aren't trapped there. It'd destroy me, you know?" Her smile disappeared, her mouth drawing into a thin line and looking somber. She sighed and continued, "I don't know how I would feel if you were trapped there too..." She sniffed, making her adoptive mother feel terrible for her and hug her.
"Oh, sweetie..." she whispered to her. She honestly did feel a little better that her oldest daughter forgave her. Now, there was Joyce...
Suddenly, they both heard yelling not too far from them. It wasn't from Joyce or Jonathan. Hopper sighed and exited the room, saying to the mothers and their teens, "Stay here, you four."
He then arrived at the scene where a woman and her son, who was actually Troy (now wearing an arm cast for his broken arm), and asked, "What the hell is going on here, you two?" He looked at Callahan and Powell for an answer.
Troy's mother turned to him and answered, "Your officers are humiliating my son!"
Callahan, being defensive, said, "No, no, no, untrue."
She turned to him and scoffed. "TRUE!"
Powell sighed and told the chief, "There was some fight and-"
"A psychotic child broke his arm!"
The officer with the glasses sighed and clarified, "Some boy with a buzz-cut, I dunno." Hopper's eyes widened from that statement.
The woman looked at him, offended. "There it is! That tone!"
Callahan scoffed. "I'm just stating a fact, Chief!"
Needing answers, the man looked at Troy and asked, "A boy with a buzz-cut, you said?"
He nodded. "Y-yeah and he was dressed like a nerd without the glasses...a-and his nose was bleeding. He looked like a freak!" He paused, gulping and looking down in a bit of embarrassment. "And...he can..."
"He can do what?"
The boy looked at his mother for encouragement. She nodded and said, "Tell the man about it, Troy.
He looked back at him. "He can do things like..." He paused. "Making you fly..." His eyes widened more. That had to be Michael. The bully muttered under his breath, "And pissing yourself."
Powell held back a chuckle and asked, "What?"
Hopper took a deep breath. "Was he alone?"
He shook his head. "He always hangs out with that tranny and her gang of losers." He looked puzzled at what he just said.
"A trans person and her gang of losers?"
Troy sighed. "I-I mean, Jane's not really trans, but she looks like one. That's why I call her a tranny." Now it hit him. Terry's daughter was with Michael...
Well, shit. How would Terry react to this?
...
"You have to be kidding me," a completely shocked Terry said to Hopper, who just broke the news to her as she, Kali, and the Byers were leaving the police station. "My youngest daughter, with Michael?!"
"The description fits," he replied to her.
"B-but...I didn't see him at home at all-"
"D'ya think that's because your daughter's pretty good at hiding him?" She didn't reply to that, thinking about that. There were numerous occasions where Jane would hide some Eggos, or candy, or R-rated movies from her. However, she always caught her in those times. Now...now was probably different...after all, Jane was acting a bit off lately...now it made sense to her.
But then...if he was out and Jane got him...
She gasped and turned to Kali. "Sweetie, we can't go back home. We're going to Joyce's."
The black-haired girl looked shocked while the Byers looked surprised. "What?! Why, Mum?!"
She shook her head. "It's dangerous there now."
"Why is it-"
"I'll tell you when we get there, okay?" Kali sighed, now getting worried.
"B-but what about Aunt Becky and Uncle Carl?!"
Terry let out a worried sigh. "They'll be fine, but we won't be." She got even more worried at that statement.
Hopper gestured everyone together and they did. He then asked in a whisper, "Now, we need to find these kids before the lab people do. Do any of you have any idea where they might have gone?" All of them shook their heads, Hopper looking at Kali. "Maybe you know where Jane is?"
She shook her head. "No," she answered. "I don't know, we don't talk to each other that much."
"Maybe there's some place I don't know that Jane might go to?" Terry asked her.
She shook her head again. "No, I don't know, Mum."
"I might," Jonathan said, getting everyone's attention. "I may not know where she is, but I might know how to find her." All of them looked at him curiously, wondering what the hell he was talking about.
A distant figure in a disguised van saw them from afar, staring at Terry in particular...he had a walkie-talkie to his mouth and said through it, "I see Teresa with a couple of teenagers, a woman, and the police chief. What should I do?" He listened to the answer, then looked shocked, saying, "Wait, what? Why?" After hearing a long answer, he nodded. "Understood, sir."
Terry's car and Hopper's car arrived at the Byers home, parking their cars and getting out of them. They went inside, Kali looking around in a bit of awe since there were many Christmas lights. They arrived to Will's room, the teen guy looking through his drawers for something while Joyce looked everywhere else. "Will has this walkie-talkie to talk to his friends with," Jonathan stated. "Best-case scenario, they have their walkie-talkies with them."
"Found it!" Joyce said as she got out the walkie-talkie from under the bed, now they were in business.
Still in the bus, kids sat there. The helicopter still wasn't going away, so they had to stay in there or else, there will be trouble. Suddenly, Jane's walkie-talkie stirred up from her backpack and Kali's voice asked through it, "Jane?" All of them looked shocked, especially the girl in question. "Jane, are you there?" Slowly, she crept to the backpack and got out the device. She held it up close to her ear, her friends huddling with her as Kali continued, "Jane, answer me. Are you there?"
"Is that your sister?" Lucas asked the tomboy. Honestly, she was baffled to even hear her voice through this thing. Why...?
"Jane, this is an emergency," the Indian girl continued, the rest of the group with her. "Do you copy?" She paused, hoping for an answer and not getting one. She sighed and asked, "Jane, do you copy?"
"This is...weird..." Dustin commented, being just as confused as everybody else. Jane was thinking of why Kali might be talking to her through this...and it wasn't a pleasant thought.
"Just answer your sister," Lucas suggested.
The curly-haired girl shook her head. "No," she replied.
He looked more puzzled. "What? Why no? She said it was an emergency-"
"Maybe it's a trick. Maybe the bad people got her and are forcing her to say this." He remained silent like everyone else, thinking that it could be a possibility. And if it was her father that was holding her hostage...
Oh God, why would he do that to his own adopted daughter? What if he did the same with her mom when she gets back? Her aunt? Her uncle?
Why was he one of the bad people in the first place?!
"Just like Lando Calrissian..." Dustin muttered before nodding. "Yeah, don't answer it." The kids then sat in silence.
"Come on, Jane! We need to know you are there!"
Sighing, Terry gestured her to give her the walkie-talkie, in which she did. She pressed the button and spoke into it, "Jane, it's your mama. Are you there?"
Jane gasped at hearing her mother's voice. She really wanted to answer, but she knew she couldn't. She looked at the boys, all of them shaking their heads.
Terry sighed and tried again. "Listen, Jane. I'm with your sister, the police chief, and the Byers. Nobody else. We know that you got Michael."
The kids' eyes widened, the three looking at the telekinetic boy in question. He looked both baffled and shocked, not knowing how her MOTHER now knows about him. "He may be called Michael Eleven or M11. Now, will you answer?" Terry asked through the walkie-talkie.
The kids looked back at it, Jane muttering, "How does she know about...?" None of them knew...
"Here, you heard your sister, now hear everybody else."
She brought the walkie-talkie to the Byers, first Joyce saying, "I-I'm here."
Jonathan followed up with saying, "Me too."
She then brought it to Hopper, in which he said, "It's the chief, kids-"
"We can protect you and help you, but you need to tell us where you are, okay?" they heard him ask.
She brought the walkie-talkie back to herself and continued, "There's the confirmation. It's just us, sweetheart. The chief is right, we can protect you and we can help you. Just answer, okay? Do you copy?" She unpressed the button and put it to her ear, hoping to hear an answer from them.
All of them looked at each other, completely baffled at the fact that...well, they weren't the only ones that knew about Mike's existence. "What should we do?" Jane asked them. They all shrugged, completely void of ideas. She sighed and thought, should she answer or not...? Her mother did confirm it...
"Come on, say something," Terry muttered to herself with hope. "Say something..."
The police chief sighed and looked at Jonathan. "Ya got any other ideas?" He shook his head. All of them looked extremely worried. Now wha-
Suddenly, Jane's voice stirred through the walkie-talkie and said, "I copy, Mama." The dirty-blonde-haired woman's face lit up in relief, everyone else looking surprised that she answered. "I-it's Jane...your daughter..." Terry could never felt so relieved in her life...just hearing her voice...
"I'm here," she continued, the boys looking at her, hoping she made the right decision. "I-I'm with the boys...Mike too. We're here."
Back at the theater, a bloody-faced Steve Harrington looked at the guy wiping the graffiti from the sign. He let out a sigh. He just got out of an argument with Tommy and Carol about Jonathan and Kali. They were making fun of him for being an idiot and even made fun of Kali and the fact that she had an accent, pretending to yell at him like she did before. He never realized what a bunch of assholes they were.
Hell, he never realized how much of an asshole he was until today, considering what he did earlier.
He wanted to change, become a better guy...and a better boyfriend.
God, Kali must be so pissed at him right now. He hoped he can make up for it, and that was why he decided to ask if he would cleaning that graffiti off of the sign. "Ya need a hand?" he asked the man. Today and for the rest of his days, he will change. Not just for her, but for himself.
Becky and Carl worriedly looked out of the window as the doctors and the rest of the agents began to leave. The woman just deeply sighed. "They expect us to sit here like a buncha ducks ready to get shot," she said bitterly. "We should be lookin' for 'em too."
"Honey, it's alright," Carl replied, gently holding her shoulders. "They're part of the government, so they're on our side." God, she hoped they were, especially Martin...
Even though she told him that she trusts him, she still didn't like the aura he gave off. Same goes for that other guy, his "good friend". Still, she just hoped that she would find Terry and Jane...
Suddenly, she realized something, turning to Carl. "Kali. Wh-what d'ya think's gonna happen to her?"
The man shrugged. "I just hope she gets back here fine." She nodded as she saw every one of them leave. She let out another deep sigh. "Everything will be alright, Rebecca."
Swear to Christ, she hoped it would.
Dustin paced around on the bus and was breathing heavily while the rest of the kids just sat around, waiting for the adults to pick them up. Annoyed by Dustin's actions, Jane asked, "Can you please stop that?"
He did stop pacing, but he kept breathing heavily. "It's been way too long, guys," he said to all of them in worry. "Maybe this IS a trap and the bad men are coming to get us right now!"
Lucas shook his head. "It's not a trap," he replied to him. "We heard no one else through that walkie-talkie. Why would they set us up?"
He pointed at him with a serious face. "Lando Calrissian."
He rolled his eyes at him. "Will you shut up about Lando?!"
"I just don't feel good about this-"
"When the hell have you felt good about anything?!"
"Guys, shut up!" Jane yelled in an annoyed tone, the two boys looking at her. She sighed and laid on her back. She was still trying to process the fact that her mother and her older sister knew about Mike AND that her father was one of the bad men. She almost didn't want to believe all of that...but it was happening. It was happening right now. God...
"You alright, Jane?" Lucas asked cautiously.
Before she could answer, Dustin replied, "Of course she's not. She's seen her dad today."
The African-American boy looked puzzled as hell. "Wait, what? How?!"
"He's one of the bad men."
Now he was completely baffled. "How the hell would you know if he's her dad?"
"He called me by my name and..." Jane answered, making him look at her. "He said I was his child..." She put her hands on her temples, feeling stressed and anxious about that fact. All of the boys looked at her, feeling absolutely terrible for her, especially Mike.
"Just like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader," the curly-haired boy stated. "God, this is all like Star Wars..." She nodded. This was like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and Star Wars...god...
All of them heard vehicles approaching. Mike and Jane let go of each other's hands as they all went to the windshield to see who was coming. They saw two black cars stopping...seeing men in suits. That wasn't a good sign for them. "Shit!" Dustin muttered.
"Go, go, go!" Jane whispered as they quickly got out of the sight of the windshield and hid themselves behind seats.
"Lando..."
"You think they saw us...?" Lucas asked.
"Guys, be quiet," Jane told the two of them. All of their hearts were racing in fear now. They all really, really, REALLY hope they weren't caught.
A couple moments went by and there was nothing so far. All of the kids were breathing heavily. But then, they heard the door open. They were all frozen stiff, not moving a muscle. Suddenly, they heard the man getting punched at the face and knocked out. They then heard the other guys getting beat up and knocked out too. They were all pretty surprised. Who did that?
It was Hopper, who appeared in the bus. They all stood up and looked at him in relief. "Alright, come on," he said to them. They didn't move, making him raise his voice. "Come...on!" They all nodded as they got their stuff and got out of the bus with him.
It was nighttime as the rest of the group waited for Hopper to come back for the kids. It has been a long time, making them worry about him and the kids' safety, especially Terry.
They all then saw the headlights of the car arriving, making them all stand up and go outside. The car stopped and the kids exited out of it. Filled with joy that Jane was back, both Terry and Kali called out, "Jane!" They then ran to her and hugged her. She never felt so embarrassed in her life, especially since Kali, who she doesn't talk to often, was hugging her too.
After releasing the hug, Kali said, "We were so worried about you."
"We're glad you're alright, sweetie," Terry added.
"Uh...yeah...me too..." Jane awkwardly responded.
The dirty-blonde-haired woman then saw Michael, right before her eyes. She looked shocked, seeing him all grown-up now. She slowly walked to him and bent down to his height. He looked at her as if she was acting weird. "Michael," she said to him as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Do you remember me?" His eyes widened while Jane looked utterly confused. She...she knew Mike before?
Now he remembered...the memory was a bit vague, but...
He was very young, seeing her observe him doing...something with his mind. She smiled at him and carried him up.
"Oh, you are such a cute little boy~," she cooed to him happily. "If only you and my daughter Jane could play together sometime..."
He gasped. Jane's mother...Jane's mother was the only adult back in that place that was nice to him...then she disappeared and he never knew why. Now that she was right in front of him...
He went and gave her a hug, startling her. She then smiled and hugged him back. Jane was awfully baffled.
What the hell was going on today?!
Lucas and Dustin were showing the rest of the adults and the teens the acrobat and the flea example. Jane was still trying to process everything...
So, her father, her actual father, was one of the bad men and then her mother, she knew about Mike and he knew about her...
She wanted answers for all of this...she really did.
"...that the only way to get there is through a rip in time and space," Lucas said.
"A gate," Dustin added.
"Which is in Hawkins Lab."
"We tracked that with our compasses." Everyone but the kids looked puzzled, so the curly-haired boy elaborated, "The gate has a strong electromagnetic field that can change the direction of a compass needle."
"Does this gate happen to be underground?" Hopper asked them.
"Yes," both Terry and Mike answered, the two looking at each other with surprised faces.
The woman decided to ask him, "It was near a big water tank, right?" He nodded, making her sigh. "I've been through there, what you kids call the 'Upside Down'." Jane looked absolutely shocked at her mother. "I was trying to find Will and Barbara, but I had no luck. All I heard were footsteps. Could be either of them. I escaped since Kali was in danger." Now that was something else Jane needed to process as well...her mother was in the Upside Down...as well as her adoptive sister?!
Terry sighed once more and shook her head. "I can't go back there. They see me, they'll shoot me on sight, I know it." The kids' eyes widened as well as Kali's.
"Sh-shoot you on sight...?" Jane asked, her voice in fear. "Wh-wh-why, Mama?"
She sighed once again and rubbed her face. "Long story, I'll tell you later." She couldn't believe this. Now her youngest daughter had to learn about her work in the labs. Meanwhile, the tomboy just looked so appalled by all of this news coming at her, all at once.
"Y-you can channel Will, right?" Joyce asked Mike, the boy nodding as an answer. "C-can you find him?" He nodded again.
"And my friend, Barbara," Kali said, the boy now looking at her. "Can you find her too?"
He nodded once again. "Yes."
...
Mike was sitting at the dinner table, having a walkie-talkie and picture of Barbara near him. The device let out static. He took a deep breath. Everyone one else was around him, hoping they can hear something from either or maybe both of the missing people. The static increased and the lights began flickering. Suddenly, they went back to normal and the static became faint, Mike opening his eyes. He looked sad at everyone, worrying them instantly. "I'm sorry..."
"Wh-what are you sorry for, Mike?" a frantic Joyce asked.
He shook his head. "I can't find them." Now everyone felt distressed, making him for more terrible for being unable to find them.
...
He was in the bathroom, turning on the sink. He saw his reflection on the mirror, seeing the tears running down his face. He cupped a handful of water and splashed it on his face to get them away. He never felt so ashamed of himself in his life. All of those people were counting on him and he failed them...why?
Upset, he slammed his fist down on the sink and looked down at the water. He had to think of some other way to channel them. Radio static was not going to do him any good. He continued looking at the water...suddenly being hit by a bit of deja-vu. Water...
Water...
He then looked back at the bathtub, finally thinking of an idea, the way to have him channel Will and Barbara...
...
"Whenever he uses his powers, he gets tired," Jane informed everyone in the dining room.
"Yeah, the more of his power he uses, the more tired he gets," Dustin added.
"He flipped a van earlier," Lucas also added.
"And it was awesome."
The girl sighed. "Still, he's drained like a battery."
Terry nodded. "That's true," she stated. "The use of his powers consumes the energy in his brain and even his body."
"S-so, is there any way we make him feel better?" Joyce asked.
Jane shook her head. "We just wait and try again."
"How long?" asked Kali.
She shrugged. "I dunno." Everyone sighed at once. Now what can they do...?
Mike approached them and said, "The bath." Everyone looked at him as he looked at all of them. "I can find them...in the bath." The adults had an idea spark into their heads, knowing what he was talking about. The others, they had no idea what he was talking about. The bath?
...
After Dustin called Mr. Clarke about what was needed in a sensory deprivation tank, he hung up and looked at Joyce, asking, "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed apples in before?"
She nodded and looked at her oldest son. "I-I think so," she said.
Jonathan nodded. "Yeah."
Dustin nodded back. "Okay. And we need A LOT of salt, like, A LOT."
"How much is 'A LOT'?" Hopper asked him.
He looked at the notes he took and answered, "1500."
Kali scoffed in disbelief. "Seriously? How are we going to get that much salt?" The chief began thinking of a certain place...
Stopping here. What do you guys think? Any mistakes or typos?
Poor Jane...needs to process everything that was going on around her...
I always had in mind that Terry, when she was working for the labs, was the only decent person to Mike there, so of course, I wrote it in here. How did I do with that?
Keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Happy New Year!
*EDIT of 03/12/20:
-Added "and Barbara" in "Looked exactly like that when I was looking for Will and Barbara,"
-Replaced "said" with "asked"
-Removed "and asked" for Hopper
-Replaced "I so hope they aren't there..." with "They'll be fine, but we won't be." and also added Kali's worry
-Removed ", whispering."
-Replaced "and...Mike" with "Mike too."
-Removed ", he called him."
-Had Terry in the flashback wish Mike and Jane could play together
-Replaced "nodded" with "went"