Happier With You
Author's Note: Thank you again so much for the awesome reviews! :-) It means so much!
So it's battle time and Brenner is about to get what he deserves! I think you will all be happy to know that the big reunion we are all ready for is going to happen in the next chapter!
Chapter 4 – This Is War
Early Summer 1990.
The block was like a mass of brick walls and every day El tried to chip away at it, brick by brick.
It was exhausting and took up all of her energy. But she knew there was no way to find Brenner and the lab without it.
El zoned back in again on her anger. She thought about the memories her mama had shown her, focusing on the electro shock therapy, the look on her mama's beautiful face as her life was destroyed.
The wall shook slightly, debris falling slightly into the darkness, a few bricks here and there being pushed through.
El gasped coming to the present, Hunter kneeling in front of her, his eyes concerned. Both her nostrils and ears bleeding.
This has become their daily routine. El would search and try to break down the wall, Hunter would heal her afterwards.
He placed his hand on her head and she immediately felt the banging migraine disappear. "Thank you," she breathed out in relief.
"You don't need to keep thanking me." He said slightly amused as he wiped at her nose with a wet cloth.
She watched him whilst he cleaned her up. Hunter had been the nicest one of the group to her since the first day when she could barely breathe or talk from her grief for Mike.
Kali was always there for her, but her sister was guarded and clearly doing some grieving of her own.
Sam and Fifi were nice enough, but El definitely had the feeling that Emma didn't like her much. She felt a wave of resentment from her on a daily basis.
"How did you get on?" Kali asked her head coming up from a table full of maps, building plans and newspaper clippings. Emma, Sam and Fifi were stood around her.
"Better. I could feel a bit of the defence coming down." El answered as she walked fully into the room with Hunter behind her.
Emma glared at El, "how much longer?" she asked in a monotone voice.
There was silence in the room whilst El frowned, stunned that she had even dared to ask that question.
None of them really knew how hard she had worked with that wall. It was an immense force and she tried daily to break it down.
"I don't know how much longer." El said coldly.
"This is ridiculous. We need a new plan. We can't rely on her to do this. It's been two years."
"Don't talk to her like that!" Hunter growled from behind El, staring at Emma.
She laughed, "of course you'd say that!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Hunter barked.
"Alright, enough!" Kali shouted joining in.
"No I'm sorry but she's useless! We tracked her for this? Just so we could be on the run again!"
El felt herself shaking from anger. "I am trying my best! I don't see you doing anything!"
Emma glared at her, giving her an intense look before her entire appearance completely changed.
El gaped in horror and wonder as Mike stared back at her.
"Do you reckon you'd get more work done if I looked like this?" His voice asked coldly.
Everyone else froze, physically feeling the anger pound through El's body.
"Stop…" El's voice coming out shaking with fury.
Mike smirked back at her and crossed his arms.
"Stop looking like him right now." El warned once more, her voice dripping with danger.
"Oh what's wrong Jane? Can't cope with a blast from the past?" The words came out with malice from Mike's lips.
El couldn't cope a second longer. She flung her hands out and screamed with fury as Emma went flying through the air, her appearance turning back to normal as she was slammed into the wall.
"Enough! That's enough!" Kali shouted between the girls as Emma scrambled up and made for El.
Hunter stepped in front of her and scowled. "That was pretty low Emma even for you!"
"We need to stop fighting between each other and remember who the real evil is!" Kali shouted in frustration.
El wasn't listening, she needed to get out of here. She paced out of the log cabin and slammed the door closed behind her with her mind.
She ran towards the river that she knew lay at the bottom of the narrow wooded area outside of the cabin.
El collapsed to the ground in front of the water and cried into her hands, the images of Emma's version of Mike racing through her mind. His voice, the anger in his eyes. It killed her.
She didn't think she had ever truly felt anger like this and with a gasp realised that maybe she could use it.
El sat on her knees and placed her hands in her lap, shutting her wet eyes and trying to focus on Brenner and the lab.
Within seconds she was in front of the disturbed brick wall. With fury rushing through her veins and determination in her hands, she moved them forwards and screamed with all her might.
Emma came into her mind, all the tests El had been forced to do for Brenner, the demogorgon, her mama's memories and Mike in the arms of some one else, his shortened breath and gasp in her ears.
She screeched louder and with a shake that could be caused by an earth quake the wall fell, layer by layer, brick by brick.
"Jane? Jane!"
El slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurred, her limbs weak as she lay in the grass.
Hunter and Kali had rushed over to her, kneeling on the dry grass either side of her.
"I…I k-know where the lab is. I know where he is." Her teeth chattered as she spoke slowly. Her eyes closing as she passed out.
The group arrived in Texas the next day, watching the lab from a distance whilst they got an idea for the levels of security.
"Tomorrow night we take action. Tomorrow night…we get our lives back." Kali said seriously, looking from one to the other.
El barely slept that night, trying to conserve her strength but all she could think about was home.
If she did manage to survive the battle, would her dad take her back? She had watched him many times in the void and he was angry, very angry at her for leaving.
El's thoughts wandered to Mike and she felt relieved that he was safely in Massachusetts. He wouldn't have to get wrapped up in all of this drama.
The next day consisted of the group going through their plan A, B, C and D. They all knew there was a high chance they could die that night, but they accepted the risk.
"Need a hand with that?" Hunter was stood by the doorway to the bedroom watching whilst El struggled to put on her armoured vest over her black sweater.
Kali had arrived early that morning with all black clothes and armoured vests that a contact of hers had provided.
"Yes if you wouldn't mind." El sighed in defeat as Hunter gave her a side smile and started to strap the vest onto her.
"Are you scared?" El couldn't help but ask the blonde man.
His blue eyes slowly met her hazel eyes. "Yes…are you?"
"Yes."
They smiled sadly at each other and Hunter carried on with the vest.
The group huddled near the entrance to the lab as Kali looked around cautiously. She nodded to Fifi.
Fifi stepped forward and took a breath, reaching her hands up to the sky.
The sky which had been a navy blue now turned bright from lightening, rolls of thunder erupted the quiet as rain soaked the ground.
Fifi wiped her nose and turned to the others with a satisfied smile. "That should keep the authorities busy." She flung another hand into the sky and the lightning struck the lab plunging it into darkness.
"Excellent," Kali breathed out with a slight smile. "Let's go."
El focused her attention on the front gates and they sprang open. "What the-" one of the guards asked confused before Sam knocked him and the other guard out.
Sam chucked their guns to Kali and Hunter who thanked him.
El sealed the front gate closed and they rushed forward in the pounding rain to the front doors.
She once again focused on the key card entrance and the doors opened of their own accord.
They rushed into the empty and dark reception, Kali cloaking them with invisibility whilst Emma transformed into Brenner, a sight that all of them found harrowing.
Emma led the way down the corridor, only the emergency lights leading their way.
"Dr Brenner we are trying to get the power back on as soon as possible sir." One of the guards at the next set of sealed doors explained nervously.
"Good." Emma said coldly. The guards immediately opened the sealed doors and everyone moved through except Sam who knocked out both of the guards and took their weapons.
Kali wiped her nose and released their invisibility. "Let's go." She said in fierce voice as they all started to run down the corridor.
They reached the rooms where subjects had been kept, making sure that every room was empty before ploughing forward to the main hub of the building.
El shut her eyes for a moment and she sensed that he was definitely there. She took a deep breath and carried on running with the group.
To conserve El's powers, when they came across a sealed iron door, Sam stepped forward and kicked it open with relative ease.
They rushed in the room and froze as they saw Brenner stood with about fifty guards in front of him.
"Well, well. My children have come home. Seize them."
The guards immediately started to shoot stun like guns at them and the group dispersed quickly to try and avoid them.
Emma was immediately knocked out by the stun, returning to her normal appearance.
El screamed and began throwing guards out of the way, Sam kicked the men and they flew into the air at the lightest of touches, their stun guns having barely no effect on him.
Kali and Hunter began shooting and Fifi started to throw electricity at guards. "How do you like a bit of electricity thrown at you! You sons of bitches!" She shrieked.
Brenner laughed at Kali who was clearly trying to use mind control on him despite her rage. "Do you really think you can use mind control on me child? I'm your father."
"No you are not! My father and my mother are from India. You are nothing." Kali roared through gritted teeth.
The others continued to fight as Kali got closer to Brenner. "You killed Seb didn't you." She said her voice shaking from grief.
Brenner smirked, "oh Seven? Why yes I believe I did."
Kali screamed and ran at him, but a guard caught her first, stabbing her in the back. She gasped and fell.
El screamed in rage and immediately broke the guard's neck whilst Hunter rushed forward to heal Kali whilst El made sure to kill any guard that got close to him.
A gun shot narrowly missed El causing shrapnel to cut through her cheeks. She shouted out in pain and took her aggression out on more soldiers.
Another shot riffled through the air and a scream cried out. El twisted around to see Fifi collapse onto the floor.
"Hunter! Hunter Fifi needs you!" El cried out as she desperately tried to keep the guards away from her family.
Hunter raced over to Fifi whilst three soldiers jumped onto El bringing her down to the floor under their wait.
She yelled in fury but was suddenly released when the soldiers stared dumbly at Kali as she walked over, anger seething from her body. "Do not touch my sister."
El jumped up onto her feet and carried on the fight side by side with Kali.
The room was madness, there was screaming, shouting and blood strewn all over the walls.
Hunter had just healed Fifi and was getting back up when another bullet fired, hitting him in the shoulder where the vest didn't cover.
"Fuck!" he shouted out in pain wincing to the floor. El looked at him startled before forcing her attention back onto the soldiers and breaking their necks in revenge.
Hunter stumbled to stand up but carried on the fight regardless. Sam stood next to him as a human shield, flinging bodies against the walls. Bodies that then broke at the force.
Out of the corner of her eye El saw Emma waking up, grabbing a gun from a fallen soldier and shooting as many guards as she could in a blind rage.
The rampage carried on until only a stunned Brenner was left.
In unison the group walked up to him, whilst he backed up against the wall. His eyes for a moment filled with fear. Something El had never seen before in the cold eyes.
Brenner turned to El with wild eyes. "E-Eleven you were always my favourite. My little girl. I'm your papa."
El felt a fury take over her body as she thought about what this man had stolen from her. He had stolen her life, her mother, her love, her home.
"No." She said in a dangerous voice as they all walked closer to him.
"My father is Jim Hopper."
El flung out her hand in rage and threw Brenner to the floor.
He scrambled up the wall and looked at them all panicked.
Kali closed her eyes for the moment, making them all invisible again to Brenner's mind before Sam grabbed him by the leg and flung him across the room, the cracking sound of both his legs breaking.
The group turned and walked up to Brenner once more, Kali leading the way.
"Before we kill you. I want to know how you killed Seb." Her voice was shaking.
Brenner through his pain, showed a slow smile. "Well it was easy really. He was flying to try and distract us from you all. We followed him in the helicopter until he had exhausted all of his energy…and then we electrocuted him."
Kali gasped in pain, her hand held tighter on the trigger of the gun she held.
"He was still conscious when he was free falling. That's when we set him on fire. Needless to say it finished him off."
The scream of pain that ripped from Kali's chest went through El like a dagger.
Everything happened in the same moment, El started to strangle Brenner with her powers, Fifi started to electrocute him and Kali shrieked with fury as she shot him again and again.
The moment Brenner's body slumped to the floor, the group began to run out of the building, killing any guard still left.
They raced out of the building and then halted as Fifi turned to the lab. She raised both hands up and stared up at the black mass with pure hatred.
"I hope you rot in hell." With her words Fifi made the building explode with merciless flames.
They all watched for a moment, weak, numb and raw.
Kali turned slowly to El, tears in her eyes. "We've done it. We're free."
"Ow!" Hunter winced as El forced the bullet out of his shoulder with her powers.
"I'm sorry" she cringed before pushing the cloth back onto the wound.
"As soon as it clots I'll try and force the skin back." El muttered as she looked at the injury.
"It's pretty unfair I can't use my power on myself huh?" Hunter said smiling slightly.
El grinned, "definitely unfair."
They stayed quiet for a while. Fifi was exhausted and knocked out on the bed. Emma, Kali and Sam were drinking whiskey they had found in the cupboard in the kitchen.
El sighed, "right okay…I'm going to try something." Hunter nodded and allowed her to remove the cloth.
She focused all her energy onto the wound and watched as the skin was forced to meet its partner, sealing down the centre.
There was a red and sore scar but the flesh was no longer exposed.
Hunter reached round and felt it. "Well shit…" he said impressed.
El grinned sheepishly and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.
He turned to her and looked her over, "you look exhausted."
She sighed, "I feel exhausted."
"Well why don't you just let me clean you up and you can think about getting some sleep?" Hunter offered.
El nodded and watched as he got a new wet cloth and knelt down in front of her so that they were almost on the same level.
He wiped silently at her face, getting rid of the blood residue and the dust that had plagued her soft skin.
Hunter frowned when he looked at the shrapnel wounds on her check. He slowly pressed his hand to her cheek and she instantly felt the warmth of his healing.
"All done…" Hunter whispered, staring into her eyes, his hand not leaving her cheek.
El stared back at him, adrenaline pounding in her veins from their fight, from their freedom.
Hunter pressed forward and kissed her lips, causing them both to gasp from the sensation.
They continued to look at each other, heavy breathing from the sudden tension in the room.
Hunter hesitantly dropped his hand and stood up, reaching out for El. "Shall we go see the others?" he asked her, colour rushing to his cheeks.
El nodded awkwardly and walked to the kitchen with him where Kali, Emma and Sam were discussing their plans now they were all free.
She barely listened to them as they talked about leaving for Europe or going to a friend's in New York. All she could think about was the kiss.
El wasn't sure if she had liked it or not. It was different.
"Well we know Jane is going back to Hawkins. What about you Hunter?" Kali asked him as she sipped at her whiskey.
Hunter who was leaning against the door way shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Unlike you I don't have any ID."
El turned to him as an idea came into her head. "You can come back to Hawkins with me if you want. My dad…well he knows someone who got me all my ID. I'm sure he'd help you out too."
Hunter looked at her in surprise and a grin appeared on his face. "Yeah…that'd be amazing thank you."
El smiled at him but averted her eyes, not knowing what had happened between them and if she was making it ten times worse by bringing him to her home town.