Under the Fence

Tacoma, WA

June 25, 1986

Eleven woke to the sound of birds chirping and early morning sunshine filtering its way through the trees. She was curled up against Mike's side and his arms were tightly around her, holding her close. Finding that the backseat of the station wagon folded flat had been a welcome relief, as was the old wool blanket they had found in the back. Had the night not consisted of waking every hour and checking to see if Papa had let her see Daddy again, it would have been one of the best ways she could imagine waking up. As it was, she only felt guilt at the brief moment of happiness as the fog of the night cleared out of her mind.

Pulling the blindfold over her eyes, she pushed her mind out and ran through her list of checks once again. Daddy? Nothing to be found. Kali? Just the same. Papa? At his desk with a mug of coffee. Twelve? Fixing breakfast: scrambled eggs and sausage.

Anger grew inside her as she came to the realization that they were casually going about their day, just waiting her out. They were confident she wouldn't make a move until they showed Daddy to her again, so they could enjoy a morning of leisure at home while she and Mike huddled together for warmth, tucked up an old dirt road and away from prying eyes that may be on the lookout for the stolen car. Neither being all that hungry but knowing it would be their last chance at hot food for a while, Mike had taken them through a McDonalds drive-thru yesterday afternoon. They knew that by this morning, the car would certainly have been reported stolen and they would have to stay out of sight until they were ready to make their move.

Slipping quietly out of Mike's arms, careful not to wake him, Eleven climbed out of the car to stretch and relieve herself behind a nearby tree. It had been an uncomfortable experience the first time she ever had to pee outdoors, but after her month in the wild, she had grown quite used to it. Coming back toward the car, she hungrily eyed several large birds settled on a nearby branch. That was something else a month on her own had taught her, but ultimately she decided they couldn't risk the fire it would take to cook them. With a resigned sigh, she climbed back into the car where Mike was sitting with his back to her, preparing a breakfast out of what little was left of their food.

Turning to pass her a paper towel, with a smile he said, "I know it's not the same, but here."

She looked down at the treat he had prepared for her. After spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread, he had trimmed the whole thing into a circle and carefully carved a waffle-pattern into the spread. It wasn't an Eggo, but at that moment, it was even better.

Her face broke into a huge smile as she leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you. Have I told you how sweet you are?"

"You might have," he teased. "But you could always tell me again, just to be safe."

"Don't push it," she grinned, swiping a dollop of peanut butter on her finger and tapping the end of his nose.

They ate in relative silence, listening to the morning sounds of the woods around them. Soon enough, it was time for Eleven to make her rounds again, checking on who she could find. Pulling the well-used blindfold down over her eyes, she pushed her mind out to begin searching. In mere seconds, Hoppers face began to pull into focus.

"Daddy?" she whispered into darkness in startled concern.

There he was, as Mike had predicted, bound to a chair of his own right next to Kali. His face was splotchy with bruises and one eye was nearly swollen shut. Deep cuts wound their way up both arms. His head hung limply forward, his chin resting on his chest. She pulled her focus back to inspect the rest of the scene. Twelve stood before him, pacing menacingly back and forth, glaring at him.

"Where do you have her hidden?" she growled.

When he didn't respond, she reached out a hand and his head flew up from his chest until he was looking her squarely in the eyes. "I asked you a question. Where is she?"

Hopper spat a mouthful of blood before he spoke, revealing several missing teeth. "Fuck you. I already told you, she's not here."

Brenner stepped into view then.

"Come now, Chief. Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Roberts. Let's not play games. I may not have the resources I once did, but I still have people who know how to find things. Monday morning you arrived at the airport in Chicago under the guise of the Roberts family and purchased three tickets for you, your son and your daughter. Now, unless you recently got married and decided to take your wife's last name, I would put my money squarely on your children being Eleven and Mike Wheeler."

He stalked closer, getting right in Hopper's face. "Now I'll make this simple. Tell me where Eleven is, and this can all be over. Give me my girl, and I'll patch you up and put you and the boy on the next flight home, and you'll never hear from us again. Really Mr. Hopper, this went so much easier last time. You were so eager to give her away, you practically delivered her to me wrapped in a bow."

Hopper strained against his restraints and spat a fresh mouth of blood into the old man's face.

"Very well. I've tried to be reasonable. Twelve, please help persuade our guest."

With a gleam of joy in her eyes, the girl stepped forward again. Standing before the chair, never taking her eyes off Hopper's, she reached out with her mind and undid the restraints holding his right arm to the chair. Before he could move a muscle, she pulled the arm straight out to the side. He could guess what was coming, but was powerless to stop it.

"Where is my sister, Mr. Hopper?"

When he didn't answer, she gave a slight flick of her head, and his upper arm suddenly bent over, the bone shattering with a sickening snap. He let out a deep howl of pain.

As calm as ever, "Where is Eleven, Mr. Hopper?"

"Never," he growled.

With another flick, she snapped the bones in his forearm, delighted at the renewed howl of pain it elicited.

"Really now, this can all stop if you just tell me where she is." she said, beginning to lose her cool.

Looking deep into her eyes, reminding himself this was not his own little girl he was facing, he twisted his mouth into a grotesque smile, blood drooling out of the limp corner of his mouth. "You will NEVER find her."

In a scream of rage, she wrenched his arm around, twisting his hand up in front of his face and folded all five fingers the wrong way around to the back of his hand. The pain was excruciating but Hopper was beyond caring. Through gritted teeth he stared hard at the girl and never uttered a sound.

Realizing Twelve was on the verge of snapping and possibly killing his only leverage, Brenner stepped forward, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "I think that's enough for now. Let's give our friend a little while to think about things."

Her face instantly calming, she backed away and smiled sweetly, "Yes Papa."

Knowing Hopper's arm was now useless, Brenner left it unbound as he and Twelve walked toward the door of the warehouse, shutting off the lights as they went.

Eleven ripped the blindfold from her eyes, breathless at what she has seen. Her face was beyond sadness or anger; only raw hatred burned through her. Her eyes practically glowed a fierce red as she turned to look at Mike. It was a face he had seen only once before and it had almost killed her then. She had pushed him away when he tried to help her that time - threw him, really - but he wasn't about to let her face her anger alone again. As she made a move for the back door, Mike threw his arms around her and pulled her tight to him.

"Let me go," she growled. "I have to stop him."

"We will, but not like this," he protested, straining as she fought against his hold. He knew some part of her mind was still holding on to rationality; she could have easily flung him off her and through the back window of the car at any moment if she wanted.

"I have to stop him. Papa's going to kill him." Her resolve began to break as the tears started to fall, her eyes softening to the beautiful brown of the girl he fell in love with that very first night in the rain. "Mike, please."

"We'll go. Right now," he assured her. "I need you to tell me everything you saw. I have to know what we are facing."

As they climbed into the front seat, she started the engine for him and began recounting the interrogation as she had witnessed it.

"He's trying to draw you out with your dad's pain. Can you think of what he might be planning as a trap once you get there?" Mike asked as they started back toward the main road.

"I don't know," she said, wracking her brain, trying think of anything he might be able to use against her. "Papa never taught me about traps, he only showed me how to spy on people."

"If we're lucky," Mike theorized, "he's counting on Twelve being able to stop you. If what you've seen is any indication, I think you're strong enough to overpower her. But there's a problem with that, too. If your sister is anything like you, her power is going to run off the charts if someone she loves is threatened."

Mike glanced over as she undid her seatbelt and slid across to the middle seat, belting herself in again. He put his arm around her as she curled up against his side.

"Please. Promise me you'll be okay," she said, softly.

Mike looked down into her pleading eyes, his heart breaking once more at the worry written across her beautiful face. He started to speak, but choked on the words as they formed.

"I know," she said sadly. He pulled her in tighter as they drove on, making their way back toward the south side of the base. As they had sat parked in the woods yesterday afternoon, Eleven had shown him on the map where Hopper's car had been the last time she saw him. If he had been spotted there, Mike knew they were going to have to park further off to avoid detection as they made their way through the fence and toward the warehouse.

"The dark room," Eleven suddenly blurted out, sitting up so fast Mike had to fight to not jerk the steering wheel to one side.

"What?" he asked in total confusion.

"Back in the lab. When I was bad, Papa would put me in the dark room. When I was in there, I couldn't send my mind out to find him, or anyone else. He has to be doing the same thing with where he is keeping them now."

Mike thought about it for a minute. It would certainly explain how he had been able to keep her from finding them all night, until he was ready for her to witness something that would throw her into a frenzy.

"If the room could block your powers, and that's what he's built here, you can't go in there," Mike cautioned.

Eleven grinned, "Papa didn't know it didn't block all my powers. I couldn't see out, or get the door open for myself, but my powers worked fine inside."

Mike gave her a questioning look. She had explained the dark room to him before and how Brenner would use it to punish her for failing to live up to his expectations in one of his experiments; for being bad, he had always told her. The explanations always left him seething in anger at the true monster of Hawkins.

"One time, one of Papa's helpers dropped a pencil when they were throwing me in the room. I would play with it while I sat there in the dark, spinning it gently in the air. Seeing how far I could bend it without breaking it. When Papa would finally come to take me back to my room, I would hide the pencil behind the rubber moulding at the bottom of the wall."

To hear her tell it, the experience sounded like any other childhood game. There were times Mike worried she still didn't grasp the full extent of how terrible Brenner had been to her growing up, and maybe it was better that way. If her mind wanted to shelter her just a little bit, she had certainly earned it.

"If he never saw you doing it, you might be right that he would underestimate you now. If he thinks you'll be powerless inside the building, he might let his guard down enough to get all of us out safely."

Eleven smiled and settled back into his side to rest while they drove. She had slept little the night before and knew she would need all her strength soon, whatever Papa had planned for them. Soon enough, they arrived at the place Mike had picked out on the map. They were down what looked to be a long-disused service road running along the public side of the fence where, with luck, the car would sit undiscovered until they had made their way to the warehouse and back. That posed the next problem he had yet to solve. The original spot Hopper had picked out, while more exposed, was also less than a half mile from the building where he was now being held captive. From here, it was closer to three, though much of it was thankfully still wooded.

"So, what now?" she asked, concern growing in her voice as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

"Well," Mike began, forming a plan as he went, "Step one, we need to get past the fence. That razor-wire along the top will cut us up pretty bad if we try to go over, but the ground is pretty uneven along here so I'm hoping we can find a way under instead. Then, we start toward the warehouse. The woods will keep us concealed pretty good along the way, but I'm still not sure what to do once we get out in the open."

Eleven looked at Mike and then down at her own clothes and began to see what he meant. Her bright pink shirt and jeans were a dead giveaway that she didn't belong alone on a military base. Mike's black jacket wasn't quite as obvious, but even then, together they still looked like two kids wandering someplace they didn't belong.

"I figure we just take the first step, and then the next, and keep going," he continued. "It's like learning to dance, we'll figure it out together, right?"

She smiled and nodded, memories of the Snow Ball flashing through her mind. "Let's dance."

Locking the doors of the car, they took off on foot along the fence, looking for a place they could squeeze their way under. Not far along, they found a gap where several animals - coyotes Mike guessed - had dug a fairly large gap under the chain link. It would be a tight fit, but Mike was pretty sure they could make it.

"Want to go first or second?" he asked, unsure if either option was any better than the other. Really, he didn't want them stranded on opposite sides of the fence if anything happened.

"You first," she decided.

"Alright, here goes," he said as he crouched down and inspected the gap, trying to determine how best to go about it. Finally, not wanting to get hung up on the fence and not be able to see his way free, he lay down and began to slide on his back, headfirst under the fence. The gap proved to be just big enough to squeeze himself through, though he scraped his cheek pretty hard on a sharp end of the stiff wire as his head passed under. Pulling himself to his feet on the other side, he brushed away the dirt and waited for Eleven to start under.

After seeing Mike slice he cheek - much worse than he had realized so far - Eleven decided to try crossing under the fence on her stomach instead. She had made it just passed the halfway point when she raised her back a little too high and her shirt snagged on the same sharp wires. Shifting a hand around to free herself, she raised up higher and poked one wire hard into her back. Dropping flat with a yelp of surprise, she was relieved to find Mike immediately at her side, freeing her shirt from the tangle. Helping to pull with one hand, while guiding her clothes around the wires with the other, he helped bring her the rest of the way under the fence and up to her feet.

Brushing away the dirt and leaves that now coated her face and the front of her cloths, she looked up shyly at Mike.

"Still pretty," he smiled, reaching up to free a small stick that was tangled in her hair.

"You're bleeding," she said, reaching up to wipe the trickle of blood from his cheek and then pulled his lips to hers. "So, where to now?"

"I have an idea, but it takes us a little out of the way," he began. He hesitated, hating to have to make his next request. "We would need you to use your powers. I hate to ask it, but I think it might be our best chance."

"Mike, it's okay," she assured him. "I know if you're asking me to use them, it's something important and not selfish like Papa."

"Okay," he said with some relief. "I'm thinking we should stick to this road along the fence for a little ways rather than cutting straight across through the woods. I think security patrols must come along here pretty frequently and if you can stop one of their trucks, we could get their uniforms and take the truck. We'd get there quicker in the end, and blend in along the way."

She thought about it for a minute and nodded. "Good plan," she finally said, settling the matter.

They started walking along the road in the general direction of the warehouse, sticking close to the edge and listening for approaching engines so they could hide quickly when the time came. After a few minutes of walking, Eleven began to lose herself in the peaceful calm around them and intertwined her fingers into Mike's. She knew there were terrible things waiting ahead for them and she was determined to remember and enjoy every detail about this moment while it lasted. The soft feel of his fingers in hers. The warm sunshine on their faces. The soft chirping of the birds in the trees around them. The soft crunch of the dirt under their feet as they walked.

All too soon, the sound of an approaching engine broke the stillness around them and they dove for cover in the bushes along the road. Waiting until the truck was about to pass by them, Eleven reached out and pulled a wire off the engine, bringing the vehicle to a halt. After trying unsuccessfully to get the engine running again the two soldiers inside climbed out and raised the hood, trying to assess what had gone wrong. Not wanting to hurt them for simply having the misfortune of being the first to drive past, Eleven decided to try and reach into their minds and gently knock them out. She reached out to the driver first and visualized pushing her own mind into his. It proved remarkably easy and by some new-found instinct, she quickly found what she was looking for.

Mike watched in amazement as first the driver, and seconds later the other soldier, suddenly crumpled to the ground. He looked at Eleven with concern, until she calmly said "Sleeping" and stood to walk out toward where they lay. He joined her and was relieved to see that they were, in fact, breathing calmly and lost in some deep nap. Together they carried the soldiers over to the side of the road and laid them carefully in the grass that lined the ditch. They quickly removed their dark blue shirts and pants and left them sprawled out in undershirts and boxer shorts. Standing beside the truck, Mike passed the smaller of the two uniforms to Eleven and both began to strip out of their civilian clothes. Despite his best efforts at respectability, Mike couldn't help but glance toward Eleven as she finished pulling off her jeans.

She caught his glance and laughed. "It's not like you haven't seen me in my underwear before, dork," she teased as she tossed the pants at him.

Soon enough, they were re-dressed in the borrowed uniforms. Mike inspected the results as Eleven tucked her hair up under her newly acquired hat. The outfits were certainly large on both of them, but with shirts tucked in and belts cinched tight, the look was convincing enough at a distance. Deciding the shoulder holster would be too much, Mike double checked the safety on the revolver and slid it into his pocket. Unsnapping the cover on one of the ammunition pockets, Mike pulled out a folded piece of paper and quickly slipped it into his shirt pocket, before tossing the holster on the seat of the truck. He had found the page yesterday afternoon while double checking the pocket's contents. He had only read the first lines before realizing what it was:

Dear Jane, If you're reading this, then everything has gone wrong. I want you to know….

He had quickly folded the page and put it back where it belonged and said a quick prayer that Hopper would get the opportunity to tell her in person everything he had put in the letter.

After reconnecting the wire Eleven had pulled and slamming the hood shut, Mike climbed into the truck and fired up the engine. Eleven climbed in next to him, and off they went. As they drove, she scouted ahead so there would be no surprises. Hopper and Twelve were still in the warehouse, secured to the chairs as they had been the last time she checked. Brenner and Twelve were seated in the back of a car, driving back toward the north end of the base and away from them. Minutes later, Mike and Eleven were clear of the woods and headed straight for the warehouse. As they had hoped, the two men guarding the building's entrance never suspected a thing as they pulled up; just two more soldiers in a security truck. A momentary look of recognition flashed across one guards face, having seen Twelve often enough to recognize her from a distance. Unfortunately, that only left him further unprepared for what happened next. As with the other soldiers, Eleven reached carefully into their minds and gently knocked out the pair of guards. Mike thought the move was both beautiful and terrifying to witness and he could practically feel her strength growing as she sat beside him.

Parking the truck, they looked around quickly and assured themselves they were alone. Mike knew this could all be over, one way or another, in the next few minutes and he was ready to face it. As long as he could get her back out safely, he could make peace with whatever else happened beyond those doors.

"Ready?" he asked

In answer, she reached over and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling his lips to hers for what she prayed wasn't the last time. "Ready."

Climbing out, Mike decided to grab the rifle and a spare magazine from their mounts in truck. If everything fell apart, sixty shots would serve them far better than the seven concealed in his pocket. After dragging the guards out of sight to avoid suspicion on the off-chance someone were to drive by, they took a deep breath, and walked through the warehouse door. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, they both jumped at the firm click of the door closing behind them.

Hopper looked up in a daze and saw the girl had returned, probably to finish him off. He had made peace with that inevitability long ago and prepared himself for whatever new hell she had in mind.

"I'm never telling you where she is, so just get it over with you bitch," he spat.

"Daddy?" she cried in disbelief. His bloody, battered face was even worse in person.

"Jane?" he said, startled. For a brief moment he thought it must be some new trick devised by Brenner to get him to break and then he saw Mike, walking into view one step behind Eleven, taking in the horror laid before them in the dark and dusty warehouse.

She broke into a run and knelt by his side, quickly working to remove the restraints holding him to the chair.

"Jane, what are you doing here? Brenner could be back any time," Hopper pleaded. Then, turning an accusatory look at Mike, "I thought I told you to get her somewhere safe?"

Not even flinching at the accusation, as he knelt and worked to free Kali from her own restraints, Mike answered "I promised you I'd do everything I could to keep her safe. As soon as you went missing, we abandoned the motel room, just in case Brenner got the location out of you. I gave her the choice to run, but you and I both know there was no way she would ever leave you behind. She was coming, with or without me, so here I am. Keeping her safe."

Hopper opened his mouth to refute what he had said, but closed it without uttering a word. Once again, that wise beyond his years punk Mike Wheeler knew exactly what he was talking about.

As he rose to his feet Eleven threw her arms around him, careful to avoid the shattered arm hanging limp at his side.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she said, tears slowly rolling down her dusty cheeks. "What happened to 'don't be stupid?'"

"Apparently your sister decided to go for a run along the border fence and she spotted me sitting there. She pried the door off the car and yanked me out and over the fence before I even saw her. Then she hit me and I woke up here." In truth, it had taken a few seconds to wrench the door free from the car's frame, but in the confusion of the moment, it all blurred into a single swift event in Hopper's mind.

"Well, we're getting out of here and I will never let her get to you again," Eleven vowed.

Remembering the original reason they had come to the base in the first place, Eleven turned to look at Kali. Mike had finished undoing her restraints and was helping her shakily to her feet.

"Jane? I'm so sorry," she began.

Stepping forward, Eleven threw her arms around Kali and pulled her into a firm embrace. "You're my sister, and I love you. I'll always come for you." Then, leaning in closer, she added in a whisper just loud enough for the two of them, "If you ever go in my mind again, I'll kill you myself."

Pulling back, she could see truth of it in Eleven's eyes. Her sister loved her, but she had crossed an unforgivable line and put everyone in danger.

Shouldering the rifle once more, Mike pulled them out of their brief reunion. "We need to get going. The guards outside, or the ones along the fence, could be waking up any time now."

As they started toward the door, no one noticed the soft beeping coming from one of the crates sitting a few feet behind the chairs.