Everyone... I have a confession...
I'm in love with this series (I'm guessing you already knew that)
This is the chapter I think a lot of people have been waiting for ;) Many answers await.
Please let me know what you think!
Review! Or PM me if you need any clarification or have advice.
Also! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, followed, or Favorited. You guys help me to keep going.
Enjoy!
If you've ever lived in Indiana, you know exactly what it feels like to walk down a concrete sidewalk during the afternoon while a cold dusty breeze rolls over a small town in the middle of a less than snowy December or January. The Midwest is always surprising on what direction it decides it wants to take when winter comes. This winter in Hawkins was luckily very mild.
Michael's feet were pressing down on his pedals as he and his friends were riding to the lake. With each rotation of the pedal a new fear incubated within the core of his mind. If Eleven was out there, and she was communicating with Michael, what was she saying? Was she just talking? Was she hurt? Was she trapped and helpless?... Was she dying?! Mike's mind tore from equilibrium into fragmented and small pieces that were scattered along the road they traveled to get to the quarry. His constant gaze directed downwards.
"Mike!" Said a voice next to him. An impulse of shock filtered throughout Michael's body as he flinched, almost falling off his bike. It was Sean, who was anxiously smiling at him.
"When I was in that room with your, what did you call it?" Said Sean, trying to grab the correct word from memory.
"My, gameboard?" Michael finished the sentence.
"Yes! The gameboard for the Dungeons and Dragons, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Michael confirmed.
"Well, when I was in there, and the light started to turn on and off, I could see something in you. Something that was connected to her."
Michael was curious. He always thought he and El had a special bond, a connection. Like she could always read his mind, and understand him, even better than his best friends could sometimes. So he was naturally interested in what Sean was referring to.
"What did you see?" Michael asked.
"He saw love!" Lucas interrupted, jokingly teasing Mike. Which Michael then shot an appropriate facial expression as he went to focus on Sean once again.
Sean eyes moved up as he was trying to think of exactly how to word his next sentence.
"It's hard to explain, you see. Each test subject at the lab was different."
"You knew about one another while you were there?" Michael asked.
"Yes, we knew very little about one another, but from time to time we would be shown videos of another subject's performance, and it was either to be shown the condition to surpass expectations, or what NOT to do given a situation presented." Sean explained. His intelligence far surpassed Mike and his friends.
Michael stuttered when asking the next question. "What, what kind of expectation?"
Sean looked at Mike with a cold expression, as if he had first hand experienced something horrible. "Such as killing an animal, maybe something small like a cat."
"Oh." Michael said, looking down while pedaling. "I don't think I could ever like anybody that kills an animal." Michael whispered to himself.
"It's okay," Sean began, "I never killed an animal." Michael smiled when he heard Sean say this, and it was starting to give him hope that maybe they could really find Eleven, and they could enjoy life together. Of course, there would need to be adjustments made now that his mom knew she existed. No more overnight stays at the wheeler house for Eleven. Aww man, shouldn't have told mom, Michael laughed at himself. He figured she'd probably still find out one way or another.
"Anyways, I think we all have the same basic abilities, telekinesis and heightened senses, but some things are different."
"Like what?" Michael asked.
"Well… They told me at the lab that I was perceptive. That I was good at seeing things that weren't always easy to see," Sean explained, "I guess what I saw was a bond, almost like a string of energy, exclusive to you and Eleven. And I've never seen anything like it before."
"Wow," Michael whispered to himself. "I must mean everything to her." A tear started running down his face, but he wiped it away before Sean, or anyone for that matter, could see. How could I have failed you before? All this time I thought you were my hero, but you must see me the same way. Some hero I was.
Then, at that moment, very briefly, the headlight on Michael's bicycle started flashing, but not bright enough to get everyone's attention, just Michaels. He smiled to himself, and realized Eleven could hear him. Mike wiped another tear and laughed. I guess you forgive me, don't you? He thought, continuing to pedal onward.
Their bikes started carrying them further away from town, and the tires began climbing uphill alongside the grassy hills leading to the quarry. Without warning Will's bike flipped over on its side after hitting a rough spot, he was in front of Mike, and landed hard on the ground, they all stopped and rushed over to Will
who was mostly unharmed by the simple fall.
"Will are you okay!?" Sean asked, moving closer to Will to help him up.
Will coughed, and then grabbed Sean's hand to elevate himself up to his feet, he dusted himself off, brushing away the small clumps of dirt and mud that he fell on with the crash, leaving his jeans less than clean. "I think so, I've outsmarted a Demogorgon before, I think I can manage this." He joked. "But I think my bike is out for the count. Sorry guys." Will looked at his bike, the gears were all torn up, and the chain was tangled. There would be no fixing this quickly.
His friends laughed hysterically at Will's humor. It seemed that nothing could break the unbreakable William Byers.
"What's a Dem, Demo, Gorg? Demogorgon?" Sean questioned, extremely confused by the meaning of the word.
"It's a monster. It grabbed Will and brought him to the upside down a month ago, but Eleven helped us find him and bring him home." Dustin explained. "She killed the Demogorgon, but after it disintegrated she was taken with it. That's the last we ever saw her."
"You can get to the upside down too?!" Sean asked.
"Well, kind of, you had to go through a gate," Lucas added, "The gate took a huge amount of energy to create, and when Eleven first met the Demogorgon, it scared her enough for the gate to open up." Lucas finished.
"Powerful," Sean muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, she is powerful," Dustin said, "come on let's keep going! Will you can ride with Mike the rest of the way, we'll have to have your brother come back to get your bike."
Will agreed and they sped off to make up for lost time, leaving Will's trusty bike on the side of the road, Jonathan would be sure to come grab it later, he was always good at fixing things up. Soon they arrived at quarry entrance, the open rocky beach led straight to the water. It was time to see if they could really bring Eleven back.
They all drifted their bikes to a stop, letting them fall gently on the rocks, and made their way to the edge of the water. This was the same spot they had found Will's "fake body" a month ago, and It was one of the sadder moments for the boys. They decided to leave that detail out when they caught Will up. The water was still, placid even, and the air was quiet but cold. This was truly a mysterious and interesting place. The company working the quarry hadn't come back to tend to it yet, so nobody was around but them.
"What do we do?" Michael asked, turning to Sean who was staring at the water and thinking.
"Do you know what makes water so special?" He asked everyone. The four boys glanced at each other slowly, wondering if Sean was really asking them that. Water was special in many ways of course.
"Well, it's liquid for one," Dustin said.
"And it's the universal Solvent!" Lucas added.
"We're made up of mostly water." Will threw in.
Michael thought very hard in that moment, trying to find some clue as to what Sean was looking for. He thought back to Mr. Clarke's class. Bonds, atomic bonds, hydrogen bonds. That's it!
"Water can bond with a lot of different things." Michael finally said.
A very large smile formed across the pale face of Sean. "You're absolutely right Mike, and because water bonds so well with other things, this spot will be perfect for bridging the gap between where Eleven is, and where we currently are. Kind of like a mirror"
"Okay, so how exactly do we DO that though?" Dustin said. "I mean, this is very advanced science you're talking about. Don't we need something more than just your powers to do that?"
"No," Sean explained, "There are only three things we need here. The water, myself, and the key to this whole thing, because without it we wouldn't even know where to begin." Sean finished.
"What is it," Michael asked, "what's the last piece."
Sean grinned and raised his finger at Mike. "You."
Mike took a step backwards, confused, then pointed at himself with an expression of uncertainty. "Me." He laughed.
"Yes," said Sean, "Your bond with Eleven is so powerful that it moves between the plane of reality, and wherever she is now. And I have a theory that we can use you as the focusing point for bringing her back. We need the water to act as a mirror if you will. It also seems that wherever you are, her presence is also there, and she needs to be in the same location, so to speak in whatever realm she is in" Sean said, using a quotation gesture to describe what he was talking about. "If I generate enough energy, then between the water, yourself, and Eleven she will bond with you and come back to this world… Of course, this is only a theory. I haven't actually done this before." Sean finished hesitantly.
"How convenient." Dustin said, annoyed.
"What about Mike?" Asked Will. "Can he get hurt when you do this?"
"Yes, and there is a chance he may not even live through it. My powers might be too much for him to handle." He said with a grim look, turning to Mike. "I'm not saying you have to go through with this, that's all up to you, it is the only way though. I'm just here to help."
Michael breathed in deeply, wondering what he should do. His friends starting speaking up for him.
"No way! NO WAY!" Lucas yelled, "do you know what would happen to us if they found out Michael DIED, and that we were all here when it happened?! We'd be locked up for the rest of our lives!" Lucas interjected, trying to convince everyone.
"Yeah man I don't know, this sounds really sketchy." Dustin added. "You can't do it Mike."
The swirling tornado of thoughts started attacking Mike's mind, but one common reason kept coming to the surface. What would El do? Would she do it for you Mike?...
"Mike maybe you need to take some time before-" Dustin tried to say before abruptly being interrupted by the Wheeler boy.
"I'm doing it… I have to. El would do the same for me." He looked at each and every one of his friends, a fire in his eyes. Nobody noticed, but as Mike started speaking all the head lights attached to the bikes behind them began blinking. "She'd do the same for all of you! And if there's even the slightest chance she can come back and live a happy life, and get what she's always deserved then it's worth it… Even if I don't make it." Mike said, slowing down his tone. He swallowed his fear into the pit of his stomach and took a step forward. "Let's get started."
"Oh man!" Lucas said, putting his hands on his head, pacing around wildly. "This is crazy! Are you sure you know what you're doing Sean?"
"I know what I need to do," Sean replied, "but it's up to Michael, if his will is strong enough, he'll survive." Michael walked up to Sean awaiting instructions. "Michael, I need to have you get into the lake."
"He'll freeze!" Will yelled, he knew all too well what the cold could do to your body.
"I know!" Sean remarked. "He has to become weak for this to work, and if we don't do this now you might never get to see your friend again! This is it!" Sean commanded.
The rest of the group backed up at the intensity rising in both Michael and Sean. This was their game now, their plan, and hopefully with a little luck and will power… their success as well.
Michael took his winter and light jacket off, leaving only his shirt and jeans. If he survived he would need something warm to bring his temperature back up. I promise I'll get you El, I'll make sure to still be here, so I can see your smiling face, Michael promised to himself. He took one more look at his friends behind him. "Here goes nothing!" He yelled as he released the built courage to run into the water. "Woah! Oooooh!" He shivered in the freezing cold water, he could already feel the warmth escaping his body. Within seconds he could feel his body starting to weaken.
"Now! I need you to lie flat in the water before I begin! I know it's hard but try to relax!" Sean yelled.
"O.. O, Okay!" Michael stuttered, trying to calm himself down. He breathed in and allowed himself to float on top of the water. The feeling in his body started to escape, and that's when he started to feel the pressure from the energy in Sean. The water around him started to pick up and move violently.
Michael's friends could only stare in horror as the heat and life started to vaporize from his floating body. They knew this is what he wanted though and just kept their fingers crossed that he'd make it through. Muttering things to themselves to make it easier for them to believe he would make it.
Sean was on the shore, a hand aimed at Michael and eyes closed, concentrating on his cold floating body, trying to push enough energy into him to bridge the gap between him and Eleven. The air started warping around him, and the vesicles in his face started to form, his eyes growing darker with each passing second. If this worked it would vacuum her back into the world, but if it failed. Michael would either die from hypothermia, or would be sucked into whatever wormhole Eleven found herself in.
Michael closed his eyes, and started to lose track of time, he started hearing things. First, he heard his friends yelling for him. Then he heard something else… something that woke him, made him regain his feeling, sending adrenaline through his body.
"Mike! MIKE!" Yelled an angelic voice from beyond. The cry to Mike was desperate and sad. Mike could tell Eleven was crying.
"I'm here!" Michael yelled out into the cloudy sky above. "I'm here Eleven! Where are you?! ELEVEN!?"
Sean interjected. "Michael, you have to stay calm, it's working, that's why you can hear her. I'm getting closer to bridging, HANG ON!" Sean fell to one knee, keeping a hand raised still. Michael's body began to tremble from the energy. Ahh! It hurts! He thought to himself, I can't hold on much longer! El, I'm sorry! Then everything went dark, black, and cold. Soundless and empty, Michael faded from consciousness.
A loud thundering noise roared along the walls of the quarry, like a lightning strike had struck directly in front of them. Dustin noticed Michaels body sinking into the water.
"I'm coming Mike!" Dustin screamed, throwing off his jacket and running into the water. He wasn't the only one thinking this however, all three of his best friends threw their jackets off and rushed into the water as well, courage in their hearts to save their Dungeon Master. Sean stood on the shore, breathless and tried to recuperate his strength, blood ran down his nose and ears. First time in a long while that's happened, he thought to himself as he let the warm blood drip down.
Dustin dived into the water with his friends. The cold enveloped them as they went deep into the dark depths. Then, in shock and awe he saw something he never thought he'd ever see, or rather, someone. A small female body floating underneath the water, a large blue-gray coat that was oversized with a pink dress underneath. There was no doubt in Dustin's mind that this was Eleven, and he couldn't believe it had actually worked. He yelled underneath the water and bubbles floated to the surface. Dustin pointed at Lucas and Will, then pointed at Mike's body that they could finally see now that they were deeper, signaling for them to get him. Dustin headed over to Eleven and grabbed her underneath her arm. Then he began kicking his feet against the water to reach the surface.
Dustin gasped for air when he reached the top. Eleven was safely above water as well, then he started heading to shore. He had to get her out quickly before she became too cold. A few seconds later, the others surfaced as well, Michael's cold body was with them.
"Hang on Mike!" They yelled, kicking towards the shore. "We've got her Mike, she's here. You did it!"
"Huh?" Michael just ever so barely and quietly uttered under his breath, eyes still closed. Somehow, he could feel Eleven's presence, which was enough to stir him back into consciousness.
"Don't you die on me you big jerk!" Lucas cried.
Finally, they reached the shore. Dustin grabbed his jacket and pulled It over Eleven, who was starting to open her eyes, but barely, Will and the others right behind them. They laid Michael down on his back and grabbed his clothes, forcing them onto his wet body. "Come on!" Will yelled. "Michael wake up!"
Michael's lips were cold and blue. His skin was starting to turn as well. At this point the hypothermia was starting to set in, and there wasn't anything they could do to stop it.
"Mike… Mike, Mike!" Started to cry Eleven, shallowly glancing over at her dying partner, a hand raised to reach for him.
Dustin began forming tears, it wasn't fair. Why did he have to die now! There had to be some way.
"You, can't die, don't leave." Eleven said crying slightly, she started to slowly crawl over to Mike with what little strength she had. "You promised." Blood started flowing out of her nose and ears, and her eyes began to roll slightly, she placed both of her hands on Michael's chest, and allowed everything around her to dissolve. The world faded, and she focused on the one thing that was most important to her in the world.
"What's she doing?" Will asked, Lucas.
"I don't know." He replied.
There was a long silence that seemed to feel like an eternity. Then suddenly, color began returning to Michael's frozen body, and a large gasp for air came from within him. He coughed and choked, shivering still from the heat loss. His mind was trying to catch up to what El was physical doing to him.
"She's using her powers to heat up his body!" Dustin pointed out.
They all began to laugh and cry at the same time. That's when Mike turned his head, and his eyes opened. Blurry at first, but then he saw her. He could see her clearly for the first time in what felt like forever. Eleven was finally with him. This wasn't a nightmare, or a dream. This was real, and in that moment, nothing on Earth could be cold enough to combat the warmth he felt in his heart.
Eleven calmed herself down and lowered her eyes to the most important person in the world to her. She managed to crack the smallest of grins. Then Michael returned it with one of his own and spoke. "I missed you," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
She closed her eyes and breathed in, then let a tear run down them, when she opened them back up she replied, "Missed, you, too."
Michael laughed, and his grin grew bigger. Their friends surrounding them with warmth and joy. Mike grabbed Elevens hand, feeling the tender softness of it, and never wanting the moment to fade.
"Mike?" Eleven said, taking another breath.
"Yeah?"
"Still, pretty?"
Michael began to cry.
"Always." He gently replied.
Another moment passed and a concerned look appeared on Eleven's face. "Mike… the monster, I couldn't-" She uttered before flinching at the unexpected laughter behind her, and forgotten detail of the whole event. Eleven jerked her head to look and her eyes drew narrow with horror.
Their tender reunion, interrupted, rudely and abruptly. Sean rose to his feet… laughing hysterically, as if he'd known something they didn't. Most of his strength had returned, and everyone looked toward him as he moved forward. He held his gut and burst into uncontrollable laughter, falling to his knees. The sight was horrific, he looked insane, and ready to do anything. Everyone turned and watched him maniacally writhe in satisfaction.
"What's so funny!" Lucas demanded, annoyed.
"Yeah, what's the big idea?" Will added.
When he finally rose back up to his feet he moved forward, head tilted down slightly, Michael and Eleven became frozen in place. Then Eleven's instincts kicked in, focusing on Sean, trying to break his hold, more blood coming through, but powerless to do an.
"Did you think I was your friend?" He said, throwing his left hand to the side while still moving. This sent Will flying off several meters to the left.
"Did you think that I cared?" The other hand directed at Lucas and Dustin, sending them to the right.
"Did you think I was actually trying to help?!" Sean laughed, never once taking his eyes off Eleven and Mike, still advancing.
Michael and everyone else's face turned angry, twitching from the betrayal. Eleven's face still fearful and scared.
"You're scattered now, I've broken you up." Sean spun around with his arms in the air, as if gesturing at the location around them. "What would you call this Mike!?" He finally began, kneeling, just a few feet from them, "the gameboard?... and what does that make me?" A hiss in his voice.
"I can think of a few names!" Dustin interjected.
Lastly Sean took his focus off Michael and turned his head to Eleven, still trying to break the hold he had on her and Mike.
"Glad to finally meet you, Eleven, are you ready to come back home now? If not, I'll destroy everything you love, starting with this boy," he threatened, pointing at Mike.
In his eyes were an evil that shook their bodies cold like the quarry water, and in that moment, Sean went instantly from a new friend to complete enemy.
We're in trouble guys! Looks like the gang has a true fight ahead of them.
To be perfectly honest, I love the soundtrack to the first season, and when I was writing the scene with Eleven, I was listening to the "Eleven" track.
When Sean began his interruption afterwards, the track "Fresh Blood" started.
If you want a heightened experience, you can read it back while listening to those tracks.
Once again I don't own Stranger Things or anything involved with the series.
Nor do I own or claim to own any rights to the soundtrack for Stranger Things by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein.
Hope you enjoyed! More to follow before too long.
Have a wonderful day!
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