The Trap is Sprung
Tacoma, WA
June 24, 1986
The next morning, while Eleven showered, Hopper pulled Mike aside for a serious discussion.
"In your bag, there should be a black zippered jacket. Grab that and come over here," he instructed.
As Mike dug out the jacket and walked over to where Hopper was sitting with his own bag, he watched him pull out what looked like several belts wound together.
"Okay, so here's the deal," he began. "I'll explain more once Jane is dressed and out here too, but the short version is: I'm going out for a bit this morning. Here, put your arms out."
Mike did as Hopper instructed and lifted his arms as he slipped slipped two loops of the belts over Mike's arms. Only as Hopper started adjusting the straps to fit, did Mike realize what he was putting on him.
"A shoulder holster?" he asked, curious why Hopper thought it necessary.
"Yeah, that's right," he confirmed. "Look, I'm going to be gone for a couple hours. You two are going to sit here in the room, bored out of your minds. Jane's going to be worrying about me, and you're going to reassure her I'm fine. I'm certain nothing at all is going to happen during that time. And when it turns out I am completely wrong, you two are going to have to take off on foot and get yourselves out of here. Having the gun tucked out of sight under your jacket is going to make things a lot simpler than if it were right there on your waist for all the world to see."
"Makes sense," Mike agreed.
"Okay, how's that feel?" Hopper asked, finishing with the adjustments.
Mike flexed his arms back and forth and rolled his shoulders. "Feels good, I think."
"Alright, this goes with you then," he said, pulling the revolver from the holster on his waist and slipping it into the one under Mike's left arm. "Under your other arm, there's enough rounds for two reloads. Now, jacket on. However hot it gets today, you keep that jacket on, got it? If something happens, you're going to have to move fast and you can't be leaving that behind."
Mike zipped the jacket shut and checked his reflection in the mirrored door of the closet. Knowing what he was looking for, he could only just make out the bulge on his left side. However, he was satisfied that someone who didn't know he had a holstered weapon there wouldn't suspect anything. Turning back to face Hopper, he found the man making his own visual inspection of the concealment before nodding his own approval.
"Look, while we have a minute," Hopper began, "I want to thank you. For a lot of things. For starters, I've never really thanked you for rescuing her from the woods and keeping her safe and hidden three years ago. I hate to think about what would have happened if you hadn't ignored my orders and gone out there that night looking for Will. You've always been there for her, without question or a second thought and I can't ever thank you enough for that. I know this past month has been more than a little crazy and this last week even more so. I don't know if we would have made it through all this without you."
Mike was a little surprised at Hopper's outpouring and wasn't quite sure how to respond. "You're welcome. It's no secret how much I love her, and I'll always be there for her, whatever she needs. And that includes whatever you need for her."
"I don't have any idea what is going to happen in the next few days but I feel a lot better knowing she has you. If the worst happens, I need you to promise me you'll do whatever you can to get her out of here."
Mike nodded. "I know I have no way to force her to leave, but I promise I'll do everything I can to get her out and keep her safe."
A few minutes later Eleven emerged from the bathroom to join the others for breakfast. As a change of pace from the night before, they dined on cold, un-toasted, peanut butter toast. Hopper vowed to himself he would figure out how to improve their food situation while he was out. As breakfast wrapped up, Hopper laid out his plan for the morning.
"Jane, you got us amazing information last night," he complemented, coaxing a smile to her face. "So we know Kali is being held here," indicating the location on the map, "in the warehouse near the south fence line and that Twelve likes to go for runs along there. Now we need to know how often security drives along that road checking for intrusions and how hard the fence is going to be to cross or go through."
Eleven started to reach for the blindfold when Hopper stopped her with a raised hand.
"Not this time. I need to see the fence line for myself and figure out what we're up against," he explained.
"Oh, okay," she said, fighting to keep the apprehension out of her voice.
"I'll be out for a few hours and be back by lunchtime, and then we can sit down and plan how we are going to do this. In the meantime, you guys can kick back and relax and try to pretend that life is anything close to normal. When I come back, I can pick us up something other than sandwiches. How about pizza? Or I could get some Chinese takeout?"
At the thought of a quiet morning with Mike and a return to normal food, Eleven brightened a little. "Sweet and sour chicken?" she asked.
"Sure, whatever you want." Hopper said with a laugh. "I saw there was a little place next door. I'll pick that up on my way back."
After taking a few minutes to get ready, Hopper pulled out his wallet and removed most of the cash, keeping only $40 for himself. "Here, divide this between your two wallets. Just in case," he added.
As he stood by the door, pulling on his shoes, he shot Mike a look that summed up their earlier talk: keep her safe, at all costs. Eleven wrapped Hopper in a tight hug, afraid to let him leave the room, but understanding he had to go.
"I'll be okay. I love you, Jane" he comforted.
"I love you too, Daddy. Please be safe."
"I will," he said, giving her hair a quick ruffle, eliciting a small smile as he turned and headed out the door.
Eleven quickly locked the door behind him and walked back over to the bed, sitting down in a daze.
"Mike. Tell me he is going to be okay," she ordered, more harshly than she intended as she fought back a rising panic. He started to object, but she cut him off and continued, more gently. "I know you can't promise it. I just need to hear you say it. I can tell in your voice if you believe what you are saying or not."
Placing a hand on each of her shoulders and gently turning her so she was facing him straight on, Mike looked deep into her eyes. "He's going to be okay," he said. "Hopper is careful; probably more so than either of us. He knows what he's doing and he's not going to take any unnecessary risks."
She studied his face closely for any signs that he didn't believe what he was saying and found none. "Thank you," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face into his neck. "I just needed to hear you say it."
As he held her, she ran her fingers slowly down his back, then stopped and pulled back in confusion. "What is that?" she asked, still feeling at the unfamiliar straps crossing his back.
Realizing she had discovered the holster, Mike unzipped his jacket partway down and held it to the side. "He insisted I keep it on me at all times until he gets back. Just in case."
In all their frantic travels over the last couple days, she had only been vaguely aware of the gun being passed off to Mike when Hopper had left them to check into the motels. At the time, she had assumed it was simply so he wouldn't be carrying it into the motel offices and raising concerned questions. The real reason behind the handoff now dawned on her, "So you can keep me safe." The guilt began to seep back into her mind; she was putting the ones she loved in danger.
Zipping up his jacket, Mike put his arms around her shoulders and leaned his forehead against hers. "That's what we do, you and I. We keep each other safe. I still haven't finished paying you back for pulling me back up that cliff at the quarry, you know."
"Mike," she began, her voice deep with concern. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."
"I know. And I don't want anything to happen to you either. That's why I'm here, ready to do anything to keep you safe."
Putting her hands around his waist, she slowly ran them up Mike's sides, brushing her fingers lightly across the weapon carefully concealed there. Looking up into his eyes, she asked "Do you think you could do it, if you had to?"
"Yes," he answered, soft but without hesitation. "It wouldn't be easy, I know that. It would probably haunt me forever, but if the moment came and I knew it was the only way to keep you safe, then yes, I would pull the trigger and take a life."
"I still see them sometimes, at night," she said, dropping her gaze and studying the zipper on his jacket. "The bad men I killed. I know it was what had to be done, and I would do it again if I had to. But the faces never go away."
Mike pulled her in tightly and held her until her breathing calmed. He knew her nights were often filled with horrors of her past and she didn't like to discuss the specifics, but instead sought comfort and support until she could safely tuck the memories away again. "I'm so sorry it came down that."
After several minutes, Eleven suddenly let out a short, choking laugh. Concerned, Mike held her back and looked at her face for some explanation as to the sudden change of mood. "Look at us," she began, fighting back another giggle. "Two hormone fueled teenagers, alone in a motel room with several hours to kill. And what are we doing? Sitting around talking about arming up for a showdown and whether we could live with taking a life if necessary."
Mike had to admit, it sounded rather ridiculous and joined her in laughing at their situation. Sharing a bed the last few nights, he had to admit there were more than a few times he had wished for Hopper to take off somewhere for a few hours. Without warning, she flung herself sideways on the bed, pulling him down with her, theirs heads falling side by side on the pillows. She pressed her lips firmly to his, and the followed up with a gentler, much longer kiss. He gently stroked his fingers up her side, as she traced small circles on his chest.
"When was the last time we were really alone together?" he asked when they finally separated to catch their breath. It seemed even at times where they were alone, Hopper was always somewhere nearby, ready to check on them without warning.
She furled her brow for a moment, trying to recall when it might have been, when it suddenly hit her. "Last day of spring break?" she giggled.
"That was it," Mike smiled, blushing slightly at the memory. It had all been innocent enough; they had only been laying on her bed kissing. Clothes were on and their hands remained in respectable locations. Still, they had both suffered minor heart attacks when Hopper's Blazer suddenly turned down the driveway. The chief had decided to take a long lunch and surprise her with burgers as a treat before school resumed. Mike had been forced to flee out her bedroom window and sneak into the woods to keep from being discovered.
"You almost broke your leg falling out my window," she giggled. "And then you almost got us caught when you insisted on leaning back in for one more kiss. He never said anything, but I don't think Daddy ever believed that I had my window wide open for fresh air when it was barely 45 degrees out."
She leaned forward for another kiss, then lay back and studied every feature of his face. Slowly, the smile on her face began to fall, a question forming in her mind. "He is going to be okay, right?"
"I hope so. Do you want to check on him?" Mike offered.
She nodded, grateful that he didn't think she was panicking, wanting to check on him so quickly. She got up from the bed to retrieve her blindfold from the dresser while Mike turned the radio on to static. Settling gently onto the bed, she pulled the blindfold down over her eyes and pushed her mind out in search of Hopper. A wave of relief washed over her when she found him, parked along the road south of the base. Everything looked quiet around the car, as he sat observing the fence and the rutted dirt road running just inside. Hoping to further calm her rising nerves, she decided to push further and seek out Papa and Twelve as well. As was almost always the case, she found Papa seated at his desk, reading through still more reports. Twelve was once again down near the warehouse, taking another run on the countless dirt roads crisscrossing through the forests on base.
She pulled the cover from her eyes and brought her mind back into the reality of the motel room once more. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"So, how is he?" Mike asked, already surmising the answer from her expression.
"He's okay," she confirmed. "Parked along the fence just watching."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, as Mike watched her face while she tried to put into words the thoughts that had been running through her mind for the last month. Finally, she dove in, knowing Mike was good at following her disjointed thoughts. "I think we have to stop Papa for good. He can't keep taking more kids, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to stop him. If the moment came, I don't know if I have the strength to kill him."
Mike studied her face and knew it had nothing to do with being physically strong enough to stop him.
"When I've watched him with Twelve, at bedtime, he hugs her and tells her he loves her and for some reason, it makes my heart hurt. It feels like the day I saw you in the gym at school with Max, just so angry and sad that someone has this connection that I want so badly for myself. I spent twelve years wishing Papa would hug me, that I was good enough for him to tell me he loved me. Instead he has been giving all his love to my sister. I know Papa is a bad man, and a liar, but deep in my heart I still want to make him proud of me. I hate him, I really do. Mike, I hate him, but I think I still love Papa, too."
She looked down at her hands folded in her lap, ashamed at her confused feelings for the monster who had twisted her mind from her earliest memories. Ashamed that she felt love for someone who had never shown an ounce of love to her in return. Ashamed at what Mike must think of her, for loving someone so terrible.
His heart breaking for her confused turmoil, Mike quickly pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms firmly around her. He planted a soft kiss to her forehead then leaned his head against hers.
"I understand," he began, reassuringly. "From your earliest memories, he was all you had. A part of you will probably always love him, and there's nothing wrong with you for feeling that way. For good or bad, he was the closest thing to a father you had growing up. I know my dad was nowhere close to Brenner, but I understand loving someone who only gives indifference in return; you want to forget they exist but they are forever a part of you."
Eleven looked up into Mike's eyes, seeing the hurt brought on by thinking about his own father. She had experienced the indifference of Ted Wheeler on her countless visits to the house; each time he looked as though he were meeting her for the first time. Mike had told her about the fight he had with his father over dinner while she was in the hospital and she had felt so proud that he would stand up for her honor like that.
"I'm sure if the moment came and it was the only choice, you would be able to stop him," Mike continued. "I agree he can't be allowed to go on with his work, but we might be able to find another way. After we get Kali out, and get somewhere safe, maybe we can expose what he's been doing and shut him down that way. Like how Nancy and Jonathan got the lab shut down once and for all."
She smiled at the suggestion, hoping there would be option that didn't leave more people dead. There had been too much death that fell in her wake as she moved through life. As much as Mike reassured her those deaths weren't her fault and as much as she believed him, the bodies were still there, forever tied to her. Even the lives she took herself, knowing it was the only way to keep herself and those she cared about safe, stacked painfully in her mind. Laying her head down against his chest, she closed her eyes and soaked in the feeling of his strong arms wrapped protectively around her.
She lost track of how long they sat like that, wrapped comfortingly around one another, but neither wanted to be anywhere else in that moment. Only as the clock approached lunch did they begin to wonder where Hopper was and how much longer he might be.
"Want to check on him again?" Mike offered.
She nodded her agreement quickly and picked up the blindfold from where it lay next to the radio. Switching on the static, she settled into Mike's arms and pulled the cover over her eyes. She had found him so many times out in the In-Between, she could practically do it just shutting her eyes. Mike watched the look of concentration form on her face as she pushed out in her search. After several minutes, the corners of her mouth began to pull down into a concerned frown.
"Daddy?" she whispered, confused.
"Daddy?" she said again, voice rising in concern. She began to tremble in his arms, and Mike tightened his reassuring hold around her.
Suddenly she pulled the blindfold down from her eyes, her face awash in panic. "Mike, I can't find him!"
"Shhh," he soothed. "Hold on. Let's try again."
She looked deep in his eyes and nodded, trying to bring her breathing under control again.
"Let's do this right; maybe I was distracting you," Mike offered.
Sliding off his lap, she settled cross-legged in the middle of the bed. Mike turned the volume up on the radio, blocking out the muffled noises of the city outside.
Just before she pulled the blindfold back on, Mike added "If you still can't find him, see if you can still find Kali."
She nodded and pushed her mind outward again in search of Hopper. Mike had a good idea what was happening, but wanted to know for sure before they made a move.
Minutes later, she pulled the blindfold back off, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "Mike, I can't find either one of them. They aren't anywhere. Mike, what if they're…." she let the thought trail off, unable to bring herself to finish. If she couldn't find them, did that mean they were dead?
"They're not dead," Mike said, guessing at her fear and pulling her close, already planning what they had to do. Locking eyes and ensuring she was following what he was saying, Mike went on. "Remember with Barb? She was already dead, and had been for several days, but you were still able to find her. In the Upside-Down, no less. No, if you can't find them, it means that Brenner doesn't want you to see them right now."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We all agreed when we left Chicago that he was probably setting some kind of trap, trying to lure you out into the open. I think it is safe to assume that somehow Hopper sprung the trap and Brenner has him now. If I had to guess, he is probably tied to a chair right alongside Kali as we speak. He may have had your dad for a couple hours at this point, so we have to move quickly and get everything packed up."
At that, Mike released Eleven from his arms, crossed the room and began to take down the map and notes from where they were taped on the wall. After tossing Hopper's duffle bag on the table, Mike began to fold the documents into a neat stack and slide them into the bag along with the notepads. Turning to assess the room, Mike noticed Eleven was still sitting on the bed, watching him with puzzlement.
"El, we have to get packed and out of here. Brenner could already know where we are. I promised Hopper if anything happened to him, I would get you out of here and get you somewhere safe."
"Mike…" she started, her voice dripping with hurt. How could Mike be planning to run and just leave him behind?
Realizing he hadn't explained the plans that had been forming in his head all morning, he went over to the bed and sat beside her. She pulled back, not liking this new side of Mike's. She was grateful he would do anything to keep her safe, but if that meant leaving Daddy behind, she didn't want any part of it.
"El," Mike began, more reassuringly. "We're not running, and we're not leaving him behind. I mean, if you want to run, we will; it's exactly what he wants us to do. But I was careful about my wording when he made me promise. I promised I would get you out of here and get you someplace safe. I never promised we would leave him behind. We have to regroup and figure out a plan to get both of them back, but we can't stay here. I know he would never just give up your location to Brenner, but he has ways of dragging it out of him."
Eleven thought for a moment about the last time Hopper and Dr. Brenner spoke, and that had been exactly what he had done. She knew deep in her heart that Mike was right, he wouldn't do that. It had torn him apart with guilt and she believed him when he said never again. She trusted Daddy to keep her safe.
"So, we're not leaving him behind?" she asked, making sure she was understanding Mike right.
"No, El." he smiled. "We're not leaving him behind. We're going to do everything we can to get both of them out."
"Thank you," she said, throwing her arms around him.
"We do have to get moving though, just in case," he added urgently.
Reassured, she hopped up from the bed and began gathering clothes and tooth brushes and adding them back to the bags. They threw the last of the food back into a grocery bag and set that on the bed next to the two duffles and made one final sweep of the room, ensuring they had gathered everything.
"Okay, now the part I haven't figured out yet," Mike began. "I'm not sure where to have us go. I know there were a couple other motels further back up the road, but I'm not sure that is far enough. And we'll be pretty exposed walking down the sidewalk with two big black bags."
Peaking around the curtain and surveying the parking lot, Eleven asked "A car?"
Mike gave a laugh. "Hopper has ours, and I don't know the first thing about hot-wiring someone else's car."
Eleven grinned. "Back in the cabin, I used to start Daddy's Blazer on cold mornings, so it would be warm by the time he walked out to it."
"Have I told you how amazing you are?" Mike asked.
Her cheeks flushed light pink at the compliment. "Okay, so which one do we take?" she asked.
Mike looked around the lot and was disappointed to find it mostly empty, given that it was the middle of the day. Reluctantly, he settled on a gray station wagon two rooms down.
"How about that one?" he asked.
She nodded, "Want me to start it now?"
"Yeah, why don't you start it and get it unlocked, and then we'll wait a minute to make sure the owner doesn't come out."
Moments later, he heard the engine turn over and purr to life. Thankfully, it was a nondescript engine that likely wouldn't catch the attention of its owner. Gathering the bags by the door while they waited, Mike pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her once more.
"Whatever happens, I love you," he said.
"I love you too." she smiled. "Ready?"
"Ready," he agreed.
Poking his head out and checking that the coast was clear, Mike nodded and they walked quickly over to the idling station wagon. Opening the passenger door, Mike climbed in, tossing his bag into the back seat as he slid across and sat behind the wheel. Eleven followed, tossing her own bag over the seat with both hands as she reached out with her mind and pulled the door shut behind her. Mike threw the car into reverse and backed carefully out of the parking space, drove through the lot and pulled out onto the road. Having studied the map thoroughly while Eleven was scouting for information the night before, Mike decided to head south-east of the base to where the suburbs gave way to more rural woodlands in hopes of finding a place to hide once the car was inevitably reported stolen.
"So what now?" Eleven asked.
"Now, we wait," Mike replied. "Right now, Brenner is going to be waiting for us to come charging in to the rescue and fall right into whatever trap he ultimately has laid for you. Until he lets you see them again, and we can figure out what he has planned, we have to sit and wait."
She nodded and pulled the blindfold out of her pocket, twisting the cloth in her fingers. It would be a very long night of checking and waiting until Papa decided to let her see them.
Dr. Martin Brenner sat at his desk, immensely pleased with himself. His plan was going far better than he ever could have dreamed. It had been a lucky break when Eight showed up on his front porch. Dangling her as bait had paid off and he managed to catch a bigger fish, that police chief who had been the key to his undoing in Hawkins. Now, he was prepped as bait to pull in the true prize. By this time tomorrow, Eleven would be his once more. Oh, she wouldn't come willingly, he was quite sure of that, but if it came down to saving the ones she loved, she would come to him all the same.
"Twelve, you did splendidly today." he said to the girl sitting across from him, intently cleaning fresh blood from one of her knives. She looked up with a proud smile on her face.
"How about dinner out tonight?" he offered.
"Chinese?" she asked, hopefully.
"Sure, why not," he agreed.
There was a little place just north of the base they went to once and a while for a special dinner out. It wasn't in the greatest neighborhood, tucked right next to a questionable motel, but they had the best sweet and sour chicken in the city. It was Twelve's favorite, and she had certainly earned it.