Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
*Also, Happy 2018!*
*Also also, how do you guys like the new cover? I just recently discovered a Stranger Things text generator and used it to make a better cover. Sorry if it looks weird. The generator couldn't take M11 on its own, so I had to put 'M' on the top and '11' on the bottom.*
As all of the cars drove to Hawkins Middle, Terry decided to tell her daughters all that she could about her former work at Hawkins Lab and Jane about what she and Hopper were doing in the Lab two days ago. Both looked absolutely shocked that they weren't told about this before, especially Jane. "That's why we're not going back home until all of this is resolved," the woman finished.
"B-but what about-" Jane was asking before her mother cut her off.
"Your aunt and uncle will be fine. They won't do anything to harm them." Both girls still looked worried.
"I kinda knew you worked with our dad, but still..." Kali stated, sighing.
"He's a dangerous man, working with another dangerous man. I will keep you both away from him the best that I can."
"But I saw him today..." Jane muttered, both Terry and Kali looking shocked.
"What?!" Terry exclaimed. "Wh-when today?!"
The tomboy sighed. "Earlier this afternoon, when Dustin and Mike and I were going to bike away, we saw him and the other guy look at us. He called me by my name and called me his child...just..." She put her hands on her temples again, shaking her head. "I'm still trying to process that I saw my papa today and that...he's a bad man..."
The dirty-blonde-haired woman felt her chest getting heavy. Her daughter, her biological daughter, saw him today...
Feeling bad, Kali patted her little sister's shoulder and said, "Hey, Mum told us that she'll keep us away from him. I'm glad you're alright. I'm glad they haven't caught you." The girl wished she felt better from hearing that.
"So am I," the woman added. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I never wanted you to see him." She couldn't even imagine what would have happened to her if Brenner ever got his hands on her again. She didn't want to. "Just please know that I will never let you go into his hands. You too, Kali. I don't want to lose you girls. You both are the reason why I am such a happy person, your loving and protective mother." They both nodded, smiling at her a little. They know their mother, loving and protecting her little girls until the very end.
Jane decided to say something else to her. "Also...about Mike..."
Terry knew where she was getting at, so she replied, "I was one of his observers, seeing how he can use his powers and how powerful it can be at his young age. I was probably the only person that was decent to him in that entire place." She smiled, thinking of Mike as a two-year-old compared to how he was now. "I can't believe it's been years. He's grown up."
The curly-haired girl still couldn't believe that her mother and Mike knew each other. But they were both happy when they saw each other, so she guessed it was fine. After all, she did say that she was the only person there that treated him decently.
...
All the cars arrived at the middle school to get the supplies they needed. Jonathan and Hopper were getting the deicing salt, Dustin and Lucas are setting up the kiddie pool in the gymnasium, Jane and Kali were getting the hoses, and Terry and Joyce were going to get something to darken Mike's sight with Mike himself.
When the teenager and the girl approached the supplies closet, Kali tried to open it. However, it was locked. She groaned and tried finding another way to bust it open. Jane tried break it open with her shoulder, but she ended up hurting it instead. She flinched and muttered something under her breath.
Kali got a rock and warned Jane, "Stand back." The girl did so as she saw her older sister break the lock open with the rock. Jane was absolutely surprised she could actually do that. She knew she was a little tough-skinned, but still...
"Come on," she said to her. She nodded as they both went inside and got some hoses.
...
Kali was pushing a one-wheeled cart of hoses while Jane carried one roll of a hose. Out of nowhere, Kali asked, "What did he even eat?"
The curly-haired girl gave her a puzzled look. "Who?"
"Mike."
"Oh, he ate candy, leftovers, Eggos..."
She chuckled. "Eggos? Your favorite breakfast?" Jane only grinned, then Kali sighed. "I knew you were acting a bit weird lately, but I thought it was because of Will."
Her grin disappeared. "And I thought the same about you because of Steve." The Indian girl then stopped pushing, making her little adoptive sister look at her.
"You know what? From now on, no more secrets. We tell each other everything, alright?" She then smiled at her. "We're sisters. Maybe not blood-related sisters, but still sisters."
Jane nodded, kind of liking the idea of talking to Kali more, since she was actually becoming a bit tolerable now. "Okay..." She then asked, "Do you like Jonathan?"
Kali laughed a little and shook her head. "No way. I'm not interested, he's not interested. We're never going to be a thing." The girl nodded as the black-haired girl smirked and asked, "Do you like Mike?"
The girl tensed up from the comment, instantly sputtering, "Wh-what?! No, no way! Not happening!" She then quickened her walking pace back to the gymnasium. Kali continued laughing as she pushed the cart again. She knew her little sister was lying. Anyone could tell.
Joyce, Terry, and Mike were walking to a room where they had a pair of goggles. During the walk, Joyce remembered something, when Terry apologized to her about not finding Will. She never responded to that. So, without a second thought, she said to her, "It's alright." The woman looked at her with a puzzled look, making her finally look at her. "You escaping with your daughter and not...finding my son..." She nodded. "It's okay." She had a look of surprise when she heard that. She would've thought that she was be pissed at her, but...
"But Joyce-" she said before getting cut off.
"I-I get it. Kali's your child, you never want her to get hurt or even killed. You love her so much, Jane too. They're very important to you." Her surprised expression amplified. "I know how much you love your children, just as much as I do." The brown-haired woman then placed a hand on her own chest. "I will never stop to make sure my sons are alright. Otherwise, I...I wouldn't be here right now." Terry covered her own mouth in shock. "You may have not found my son, but you gave me some hope that he's still alive. You're also still alive, so that's good too." She chuckled a bit nervously and had an equally nervous smile to her. "I don't want my friend AND my son in constant danger in a place I don't even know about, so..." She shrugged, her smile disappearing. "Yeah, it's alright, Terry. Believe me."
Terry had no words at the moment. She thought she knew Joyce well since high school, but that...that was unexpected. Since her son was missing for nearly a week now and she was getting frantic every day of the week, she'd figured that she would be mad at her for breaking a promise for her own daughter. She was actually relieved that she forgave her. They were both mothers whose children was their source of happiness and would do anything to protect them. She smiled, forgetting about the situation she was in for a second, and hugged her friend to the side, making her smile as well.
"You're the best friend any woman my age could have," she said to her, making her chuckle a little.
Mike was eavesdropping, looking at the women enjoying themselves. He liked Terry's smile, so he smiled as well.
...
They were finally in a science room. The brown-haired woman began taping around a pair of goggles with some duct tape. "This should keep it dark for you," she said to the freckled boy. He nodded. She looked at him, smiling. "You are such a brave boy, do you know that?" He didn't answer, but felt a bit humbled by what she was saying. "I mean, everything you're doing for my boy...for my Will...for my family..." She sniffed, almost about to cry tears of happiness. "Thank you." He nodded at her, smiling a little. Terry, hearing that, did feel bad since she was doing that in the first place. However, Mike would do a better job than her.
The dirty-blonde-haired woman turned to Mike and grabbed his hands. "Listen, Michael," she said to him, the boy giving her his full attention. "I'm going to be there with you the whole time. If it ever gets too scary, just let me know, okay?" He nodded once again, feeling calm and comforted by her presence. "Are you ready?"
He honestly felt anxious for what might happen. Still, everyone was depending on him, especially Jane's mother and Jane herself, and Will's mother too. After taking a deep breath, he answered, "Ready."
In the gymnasium, Jane and Kali hooked up the hoses, then Jane went back to carry the ends over the pool. Kali turned the water on, the water getting into the pool. Lucas was measuring the temperature. He shouted to the teen, "Colder!" She turned one of the knob wheels to lower the temperature. Measuring it again, he shouted, "Warmer!" She turned another one of the wheels to raise the temperature. He measured one more time and gave her the thumbs-up to have her stop. "Right there!"
Soon, Jonathan and Hopper came back with a bunch of deicing salt. They ripped open the packages and began dumping the salt into the filled pool. After a few packs, Dustin tested to see if the water was floating enough, getting an egg from the cafeteria and placing it in the water. It sunk, meaning that more salt was needed. He got the egg out of the pool and gestured the two to pour more salt into the pool. They did so and Dustin tested again. He dropped the egg and it didn't even sink, just floated on the water. He and his friends smiled at that. Now the pool was ready.
Jane placed her walkie-talkie on a cart they founded in the gym's supply closet, between the egg carton Dustin got and a towel to dry off Mike when he was done. She turned the knob to make it spew out static. When it did, she left it alone.
Mike and the women arrived in the gym shortly after. In the background, Terry and Hopper whispered to each other about a plan, if they find Will and/or Barbara. Meanwhile, the boy took off his shoes, then his socks, then his jacket, and finally, Jane's watch. When he took that off, he gave it to her, the girl putting it back on her wrist. Joyce gave him the taped-up goggles and he put it on, completely blocking his vision. He took a deep breath, feeling nervous about this. However, people he trusted and trusted him were around him, so it wasn't that bad compared to the facility.
He dipped his toe into the water, feeling the lukewarm water. With the help of Terry and Hopper, he finally stepped into the pool and walked as far as he could in it. When he felt them remove their hands from his arms, it cued him to lay down in the water. He lowered himself in the water and finally laid on it, floating on it and not saying a word. Finally, he began his search for Will.
Everyone saw the lights in the gymnasium flicker before completely shutting off. The teens and the two boys looked at each other in awe, Terry also sharing the same expression as them since this was something new to her. The freckled boy took slow and steady breaths as he continued to search for Will and Barbara. It took him a minute, but finally...
...
He opened his eyes and saw the darkness and liquid floor. He looked around, making sure nothing else was with him. When the coast was clear, he sighed and began walking around. After half a minute, he began to worry, seeing neither Will nor Barbara.
He looked back and saw something not too far from him. He didn't like the look of it and it looked like a female was there, so he asked...
...
"Barbara?" Kali's eyes widened and she held in a gasp, hoping she was still alive.
...
He began walking towards her, feeling anxious about her. She looked weird, being on the ground and being covered it...whatever it was. When he finally got close to her, his eyes widened. Her skin was a pale green and she was slimy and stiff. He saw a strange-looking slug come out of her mouth, making him feel sick and cover his mouth. He stepped back and breathed heavy, aghast at what he was seeing.
...
The lights in the gym flickered again, then shut off again. The telekinetic boy began breathing heavily, now worrying everyone. "What's happening?" Kali asked.
Her adoptive sister shrugged, looking very worried. "I-I don't know," she answered. Now the teen girl didn't know what to expect.
She looked at Mike and asked, "I-is Barbara okay?"
...
"Sh-she's..." he began to answer, shaking in fear. "Dead..." He looked away from her and shouted, "She's dead. She's dead!"
...
"She's dead...she's dead!" He kept repeating that, his voice being quaky. Kali could almost burst into tears hearing him say that, covering her mouth and trying her best not to cry...but why? Her best friend...was dead...
Terry felt terrible for her adoptive daughter, but had to calm the boy down. She instantly grabbed his hand and said to him, "It's okay, Michael. It's alright, I'm here, we're here..." Hopper and Joyce also grabbed his hand to calm him down as well.
...
"She's dead!"
...
The adults kept trying to calm him down the best they could, the boy's breaths being whimpers. "It's okay, we're right here, sweetie. Right here," Terry continued.
...
"I got you, Michael," he heard her say in a soothing voice, echoing in the darkness. "Don't be afraid, it's okay. I'm right here with you, I'm not going to disappear." It almost reminded him of another time with her.
As a very young boy, he was crying after one scientist gave him what was a scary face to him. Seeing her sorrowed face, she cooed, "Awww~, come here." He walked to her and she lifted him up, making him bounce a little. "It's okay, Michael," she said to him in that soothing voice. "I got you. Don't be scared. He won't harm you." He stopped crying, looking at her friendly face. He felt at peace.
Just like now. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes, listening to her voice.
...
"It's okay, Michael," she kept telling him, now in a whisper. "It's okay."
...
"You're safe, you're alright, just hang on, sweetie."
Finally feeling at peace, he opened his eyes up again and saw a wooden and webbed-up fort labelled as...
...
"Castle Byers..." Joyce's eyes widened as well as Jonathan's, looking at Terry. She gave them a reassuring look. Everyone, even Kali, hoped Will didn't end up like Barbara...
...
He slowly approached the fort and went inside. He looked around before seeing the boy, Will Byers, laying there, in rest. He looked pale and he was shivering. Mike knelt over him, getting a good look at him. It had to be him, right? That body from the quarry...
Except it was really him.
"Will?" he asked to wake him up.
...
"Will?" Joyce gasped, covering her mouth and hoping for the best. Jonathan's mouth hung open, hoping the same too.
...
He saw the boy's eyes open up a little, looking up at him. His breath was shaky...
...
And it was heard through the walkie-talkie. Everyone's eyes were enlarged, looking at each other in utter shock. It had to be him, it had to be...
"M-Michael..." Joyce said, her voice shaky. "T-tell him that...I-I'm coming...that..."
...
"Mom is coming..." he heard her say. He nodded and looked down at him.
"Your mom...she's coming," he stated to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
In a few seconds, Will wearily replied...
...
"Hurry..." Joyce, Jonathan, and Jane were the most emotional. Both the Byers looked like they were going to cry while Jane looked shocked and covered her mouth. She heard his voice...he's alive...her best friend...her first friend she ever made...was alive...
"N-now...tell him to...to stay where he is. We're coming, honey! We're coming!"
...
"Just stay here," he told the boy. "Stay here...a little longer." The boy didn't reply to him and suddenly, he saw the fort slowly dissolve. He looked around in shock before seeing Will dissolve as well. His breathing became heavy again and he stood up, looking around for him. "Will?" He saw nothing, heard nothing. "Will?!" Now he was extremely worried, grasping the sides of his head. He lost him. He couldn't believe he lost him...
"Will?! Will?!" he kept yelling out. It was no use...
...
Hearing his yelling, everyone became extremely worried for him again. Instantly and without warning, he sat up from the pool and instantly took off his goggles. His nose bled and he breathed heavily as Terry instantly hugged him, calming him down. "It's okay, Michael. I got you," she whispered to him, calming him down. "I got you. It's okay. You've done great." She then gave him a kiss on the side of his forehead as he looked distraught. He couldn't find him. He lost him...Terry said it was alright, but still...he lost him.
...
Later, Mike sat with the kids on the bleachers, Jane drying him up with a towel. Meanwhile, the adults talked to each other about the plan to get Will back. "So where's this fort?" Hopper asked the Byers.
"U-um, in the woods, behind our house," Joyce answered.
"He used to go there to hide," Jonathan added.
He nodded as he put on his jacket and sheriff hat. He looked back at Terry and told her, "You hold fort and look out for these kids." She nodded and he began to leave, causing the Byers to follow him with baffled looks. She sighed. She just knew that Joyce was going to convince him to have her come with him, maybe Jonathan too. Whatever happens, she hoped Hopper would tell them how dangerous it was for them to get back over there. She knew that they would amp up the security, so they had to be extra careful.
She hoped they could make it back alive.
She looked back at the kids, seeing Jane talk to Mike with a serious look on her face. She smiled, glad that they were getting along-well, she was sure they did to begin with. Seeing them together like that...it almost made them look like a couple.
She scoffed at that thought. They were just kids. Still...if they were to become a couple, she would be supportive of it.
As Jonathan frustratingly got inside the school after being told to stay by his mom, the same man from earlier was parked far from sight in the disguised van. He could see Jonathan going in and Hopper and Joyce driving away. He stated into his walkie-talkie, "The police chief and the woman are leaving, probably to the facility."
"And Teresa?" asked Brenner's voice through the device.
"Didn't see her. I'll assume she's still inside. Any orders?"
"Don't do anything unless I or Dr. Brenner say something, alright?" Dr. Wheeler's voice asked.
He nodded. "Understood, sir."
Back in the labs, both looked at each other, smiling. "Just until the police chief and the other woman get here and we deal with them..." Dr. Brenner said.
"We'll get ready to hit the middle school," Dr. Wheeler replied.
Both of them stood up from their chairs and walked out of the room they were in together. "Do you, perhaps, have any idea of how we are going to deal with them, Ted?"
The man with the glasses gave him a concerned look. "You're asking me, Martin?"
He stared at him. "Yes I am. Is there something wrong with that?"
Martin always either brushed off the fact that he made mistakes or never mention them and talk about it in the most obvious way. Ted knew him well enough to see that sort of pattern in his behavior. He didn't blame him though. Things got more complicated and he'll do the best he can to solve it all with him. He shook his head. "No, not at all, Martin."
Outside of the gymnasium, a distressed Kali was sitting against a wall with a painted tiger and American flag. Jonathan joined her, sitting right next to her. Silence roamed between them. The teen was deep in thought about Barbara, thinking about their argument and how that was the last she's seen of her. She always regretted that, arguing with her. Barb had a good point and she deflected it because she wanted to sleep with Steve.
God, what an idiot she was.
Her anger was not only directed to herself for being a bitch to her, but also at the monster. She didn't deserve to be killed by it...she never did...that's why Kali began thinking...
"We need to go back to the station," she thought out loud, making the auburn-haired guy look at her concernedly.
"What?" he asked.
"Your mum and Hopper are like bait. That monster...that damn monster, is still there, almost killed my mum several times when she was there." She shook her head and clenched her fists. "We can't sit here and let it get them. My mum was lucky, but...I don't know about them." He looked away from her and nodded. She was right. His mother and the chief, they were walking right into danger, especially since Terry told them how dangerous it would be to get back to the labs again.
He instantly thought of what to do. "The blood theory," he stated. "We never tested it out." He then looked at her again. "You wanna?"
She nodded, her face serious. "Let's finish what we started, Jonathan. Let's kill it."
"And your mom?"
She sighed. There was the fact that her mother was out to be killed, but... "Those men won't find her. I know it." He nodded, which made her nod back. They both stood up and walked to his car to drive to the station, since they forgot about them there.
Once the two teens arrived at the station, they went inside and carefully sneaked past the only officer there, who was smoking and listening to the dispatch on the radio. They went into Hopper's office and saw the box of traps. Jonathan got it and the two began exiting the station, but not before Kali got a fire extinguisher, just in case...
On the property of the labs, Hopper and Joyce were doing their very best to make sure they were out of sight as they possibly could. After all, Terry did warn them that they might amp up the security since she and Hopper came for a visit. They hid behind the side of the building, then slowly crept up to the entrance. The man made sure the coast was clear before entering in.
Just when they were walking to the entrance, the lights burst out, blinding them a little. They were suddenly surrounding by a plethora of soldiers yelling at them to put their hands up. Both felt petrified and shocked that they were caught, but Hopper was the best at hiding it. He slowly raised his hands up and whispered to the brown-haired woman, "It's okay...just let me do the talking..." She slowly nodded and had her hands up as well. That didn't change the fact they both thought they'll die...tonight...
Done! What do you guys think? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?
I hope I handled Joyce accepting Terry's apology well. I always planned for her to forgive her. Like one of my reviewers said, she knows how much a child means to a mother.
I love writing Terry and Mike's interactions. I just think they're so cute~!
Just one more episode and we're done with Season 1! When I do publish the last chapter to end off Season 1, I'll take a break from this to work on my other fanfics. I will come back to this for Season 2 though!
Oh yeah, I do plan on continuing this into Season 2, for those who were asking. How can I not?! I couldn't just end with Season 1! There's more to come!
Now, with all of that said, keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!