Chapter 019: Another Day, Another Nickel

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was having an absolutely swell day so far. It was a shame that I was going to spend most of it in the lab today. The plethora of hydrangeas that I had planted at the start of spring this year were the only thing that gave me hope. If maintained well over their lifetime, they would return every year. Unfortunately, they would probably leave just as soon as I did. It seemed that nobody here actually cared about small things. All they cared about was getting what they wanted and doing everything—and I mean everything—they could to achieve it. I was ashamed I was even associated with Hawkins Lab, but I had no other choice.

Just like every Tuesday, I made my way through the front doors, sliding my key card what felt like a thousand times until I had finally punched in and made it into my office. It was the only room that showed an ounce of personality. There were framed pictures of my niece Daisy, a few drawings that an escaped 'test subject' had given to me, and various other knick-knacks I had accumulated over the years. I also had a small terrarium at the edge of my desk, but it wasn't the usual terrarium. This one was a little taste of what we called the Other World. I had collected some substances and mixed them with various medicinal plants and often biological samples that may be associated with humans, such as hormones and the oil from our fingertips, and some that aren't, including fire and fluctuating temperatures.

I took a seat in my usual spot, just a few inches in front of the terrarium, preparing my notes on any changes I had noticed since yesterday. I did this every day, so I was heavily intrigued by it. I almost didn't hear the pair of footsteps entering my office. I turned to see a familiar face, the only one I even remotely trusted here. "Dr. Owens," I greeted with a polite smile.

"Good morning, Dr. Clearwater. I was hoping I'd catch you before you headed off."

"Well, you caught me. I just got in and started collecting my data on this," I motioned towards the terrarium, "lovely ecosystem here. Did you need something?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you wanted to join me today. A colleague brought back a few things from the Other World that I was hoping to get your insight on."

I gave him a toothy smile. I loved a good experiment. "Of course! Just let me finish up here, and I'll be right over!"

As I watched the door close behind him, I turned back towards the terrarium. It hadn't changed much since yesterday afternoon, but it was still worth noting even the slightest changes. The black debris that had been collected from the Other World weeks ago were now starting to slightly wilt, which I'm theorizing has something to do with removing it from its environment for so long. This meant that these debris had some kind of interaction with electromagnetism. Did this mean that the Other World also relied on electromagnetism to thrive? Perhaps, but there was no way I would get to the bottom of this on my own. Besides, teamwork was one of the core steppingstones within the scientific field.

With a newly poured cup of coffee in one hand and a thick portfolio in the other, I headed down the hallway to meet with Dr. Owens. A few colleagues passed by, and I was sure to offer them a smile, even if I didn't mean it. They all seemed to be acting very strange, as most of their expressions remained the same. Sure, these people weren't always the warmest bunch, but most of them would at least fake it for a split second. Today, they hadn't even tried to hide their strange disdain for me. That's another thing. These people did not feel many positive emotions towards me, and it was incredibly evident. Their tones would shift when I entered the room, and that goes without mentioning the whispering behind my back, but that's okay. I was here to do my job and protect my niece. That was all.

Upon opening the door to the observatory, I was able to find Dr. Owens gathering a few substances that had been left near the portal to the Other World. It was once an astonishing sight, but now it was just a part of another day in the office. I made a mental note of the debris floating around the portal, all but confirming my theory of an electromagnetic pull. As Dr. Owens turned to greet me, I swore I could hear something of a faint roar far off in the distance.

"Did you hear that," I asked, looking around to see where it may have come from.

He followed my eyes, scanning the room just as I had. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything."

I shook the thought out of my head. I was just being paranoid. "Of course, I apologize. I must've misheard something. What is it that you're needing my help with?"

He stepped to the side just enough for me to see a small blob on the table next to him. It appeared to be what I can only describe as black goo from the Other World. "I know you've been studying your terrarium pretty intensely. I was wondering if you had any insight on the connection between this," he gestured towards the goo, "and what you've been able to collect so far."

I took a few steps and stopped just inches away from the blob. I was not as educated as I needed to be in this particular subject, but I suppose I was as close as anyone was going to get. I was able to pinpoint some similarities between the two, but it was impossible to make any real assessment without further details. I would need to return to the environment to study its interactions.

"I know what you're thinking. You want to go back there," Dr. Owens said after one look at my face. "Jack," he warned, but I knew what I needed to do. Understanding this place and its connection to our world may be just what I needed to save my niece from Hawkins Lab. If I finished this study, maybe they would consider my work done, and I could finally seek out a job with more fitting morals and take Daisy far away from this town.

"I've done it multiple times, doctor. There's nothing to worry about."

"You can't keep risking your life for this. We both know these missions are hit or miss. You've gotten way too close to death."

I paused for a moment. My strongest ability was masking my emotions in a professional environment, but my voice still shook as I spoke. "If it gets us the answers we need, I will risk my life as many times as I need to."

"Think of Daisy," he said suddenly. "What will she do if you're gone?" I stayed quiet, unsure of what I could say to ease the sudden tension. "Have you even told her what's going on? About why she can do things that are scientifically impossible?"

"She's not ready."

"When will she be ready, Jack? When Brenner goes back on his word?"

My blood started to simmer the longer he went on. "That's not going to happen," I said through clenched teeth.

"It will if you're gone." I was without words once again, but he made up for it with even more accusations. "Does she know about her family?"

"She's sixteen," I said.

"At what age did your abilities start to peak?"

I let out a defeated sigh. He was right, and I loathed him for it. "She's stronger than I was," I admitted. "I'm afraid that if I tell her now and she learns how to use her powers, they'll come after her."

"And what about the Byers boy," he finally asked, making him the first person here to even mention the thought of Will to me. "Who will find him if she doesn't?"

There was a long pause as the two of us simply just looked at each other, neither knowing what to say next. Just as he had taken a breath, he was interrupted by Dr. Brown, a much younger colleague of ours. "Sam," she said, seemingly out of breath, but this was nothing new. She was always an erratic mess. "Marty's been looking for you. He said it's an emergency. Something about a capacitor electro-thingy he's been working on. I don't know, he wouldn't tell me."

He nodded at her, and she took off like a bat out of another dimension. I did always like Dr. Brown, but she sure had a way of interrupting a conversation. "I guess you'd better go," I said to him.

He looked over at me as he had taken the doorknob into his hand. "Remember what I said, Jack," he told me before vanishing behind the open door.

Dr. Owens had always been easy to trust. He hated Hawkins Lab just the same as I did, though he would never admit it. There were few things he wasn't right about, but my niece was one of them. My biggest fear had always been losing her. No, I wasn't her dad, but I was the closest thing. I was the one that changed her diapers. I was the one that saw her first steps, that heard her first word. I was there, no one else. If I said she wasn't ready, then she wasn't ready. Brenner was an evil man, and there's no telling what he would do if he knew just how powerful she really was.

In an attempt to shake the thought out of my head, I started looking for anything else that I could possibly focus on, which ended up being the debris levitating just outside of the portal into the Other World. They looked similar to debris from a building collapse or a house fire, but with a bit of a gleam to them. I had studied them for months now, but I was never able to quite figure it out. The Other World was a strange place. I wasn't necessarily sure if I would ever understand it. It defied many laws of physics, but there were still limits to it. As an example, these debris were floating all over the place on the other side of this portal as well as directly outside of it, but removing it and placing it into a new environment, such as that of a terrarium, causes them to begin 'wilting' within days.

I began to wonder if these debris were some kind of byproduct of something within the Other World, whether it be one of those hideous monsters crawling around inside of it or something bigger. I needed to know what they were made of, and I needed to have something I could base it off of, but it was impossible to accomplish if there was no way to acquire anything more than I already had.

Except there was.

If anything, it was an irresponsible idea, but it was the only way. If anybody here had a chance of making it back in one piece, it was me. Brenner had made sure to abuse that power every opportunity he had. There were many times that I cursed him for it, but there were also times where it needed to be done for the sake of science. This is how I had collected the components for my terrarium in the first place. This whole study would be nowhere without those sacrifices, and neither would I.

The glow from the edge of the portal looked back at me with a gleam in its eye. It was always an intimidating stare between the two of us. To say I was never scared would be a lie. I was terrified, and I always was, but some things are bigger than even the worst of fears. This was one of those things. I needed to cross over, I had to cross over—for the sake of science. If these hypotheses were never tested, we would be nowhere. If there was even the slightest chance that I would be able to make the connection between the environment of the Other World and our own, there's no doubt in my mind that it would save Will and the rest of Hawkins.

I looked around one more time, ensuring that no one was around to disturb me, and as I folded my knees and sat on the dirty floor, I could feel myself start to split in two, then three, and then four. It was something I had done millions of times over, but I had been careful not to make a habit of it. Because of this, my connections weren't always the strongest, and they didn't typically last more than a few minutes, thirty if I focused hard enough.

My first replicate was the wallflower. I clenched my eyes shut as I concentrated on seeing through his, eventually opening them and seeing myself sitting on the ground, eyes shut and facing the edge of the portal. He searched for the notepad I had kept within my project folder, sifting through papers and pictures and everything else in there until he had finally found it. He took one last look at me, eyes still shut in a trance like state, and took off through the portal. There was no time to take in how dim and melancholic the Other World looked compared to ours. He searched around the alternate reality of the lab, but it was no use. There was nothing here that hadn't already been discovered. He needed to venture out into the woods, to somewhere he knew like the back of his hand, but he wouldn't survive alone.

I could feel a twitch in my eye as I slowly pulled some of my energy from myself and the wallflower. I was careful not to take too much, as this would cause them both to disappear and take my stamina with them. The second replicate—the bait—appeared just like the first, stepping outside of my body and peering down at me. Unlike the first, he didn't hesitate to turn from me and into the portal. He ran straight through and trailed behind the wallflower, confident and ready for a fight. Now there was only one more.

I didn't exactly need a third replicate, but I figured it was better to kill two birds with one stone. This one—the hero—stepped out just as the other two had. This time, he got to his knees and looked straight at me. Ever so slowly, he got up and peered at the door behind me before walking over and placing a chair underneath the doorknob. He then swung right back around, glanced at my comatose body one more time, and took his first step into the Other World with one goal in mind: Find Will.

My vision bounced between all three as they made their way through the doors and out into the woods. Neither would be able to interact with each other—at least not with words. I had tried once before, and the energy from it nearly sucked the life out of me. I was not as strong as I could be. I had spent my life running away from these abilities, wondering why I had been chosen when all I wanted was to be normal. That was why I needed to do this. Daisy deserved a normal life, powers or not, and getting out of Hawkins would be the first step.

It wasn't long before all three finally arrived at their destination: Castle Byers. I had spent many hours here with Daisy and the Byers boys. It was the first place I could think of that Will would be hiding. I needed to get inside of it, but that was too risky to do it alone. My focus centered in first on the wallflower, taking its vision and darting around to find a thick branch perpendicular to the makeshift fort.

"This will most certainly do," I said to myself, eyes still glued shut.

The wallflower gazed back over to the other two, making sure they were still there before tucking in the end of his lab coat and hiking up his dress pants. Though I had never personally tried climbing a tree in full laboratory attire, it proved to be a bit of a struggle for an astral being. He moved as quietly as possible, his feet slipping on every other branch yet never falling. As I cycled my vision between the three of them, I was able to decipher which replicate would go where. The wallflower had made it safely into the trees, but that didn't mean the plan was a success yet.

The bait was next. I let my thoughts float back over until I was able to see from his perspective again. His eyes wondered through the scenery before stopping as a rustling tree caught his attention. Of course, it could very well be a breeze, though I couldn't think of a single time that I had felt any wind in the Other World. Nonetheless, it was a safe bet that that would be the direction that hideous creature would come from. He looked back for a split second, assuring me that the wallflower was still intact. As he turned back towards the trees, I felt him shrug off his lab coat just as he took off in a sprint.

The last replicate was arguably the most important. My mind bounced into his as the other two carried on with their tasks, the wallflower keeping a close eye on the bait, who was now running back and forth in an attempt to draw all the attention it could to itself. The hero knew where to go before I did. I suppose it wasn't a difficult puzzle to solve, as I had quite literally led them exactly where they needed to go. Still, it was the first time a duplicate had acted without being given any directions from myself.

As he stepped into the fort, I realized that I had found exactly what I was looking for—or more like who I was looking for. "Oh, Will," I muttered to myself, though I knew it was impossible to speak to him through a duplicate. The hero's hand reached out, cradling the side of the boy's cold, pale, and shivering body. I could tell it took a lot of energy for Will to open his eyes and look up at him. It was faint, but I could hear him faintly whisper my name, his voice sounding as if it were caught in his chest. The hero wrapped both of his arms around him and pulled him as close as he could in an attempt to warm him up, dirt and dried up blood now caking his body. I wasn't sure if my duplicates produced any body heat, but the protection from the elements had to count for something.

As much as I struggled to do so, I needed to check in on the others. It was meant to only be for a split second, just to make sure things were still going smoothly and the wallflower was taking adequate enough notes. Much to my dismay, things were definitely not going smoothly. Yes, the wallflower was still scribbling away, but the bait seemed to be in quite a bit of a pickle. He was still sprinting, his breaths now loud and labored as my own lungs started to hurt. One of the creatures was behind him, an open face and teeth dripping with hunger. He just needed to survive for a couple more minutes, or at least long enough to grab Will and bring him back home. Then, out of nowhere, came the faintest murmur of my name. My attention wavered for a moment, almost causing me to lose my duplicates. The bait instinctively turned his head towards the sound, which proved to be a mistake the moment his foot collided with a stray vine, sending him tumbling towards the ground and into the creature's hands.

Everything happened within a matter of seconds. The wallflower continued to look on and nervously jot down a couple more notes, seemingly waiting for me to tell it what to do. The hero stayed hidden in the fort, Will's shivering body still smooshed into his chest. I couldn't decide what to do. I wasn't ready to let them go yet, but I would surely die if I couldn't rescue the bait. My mind lagged as I thought hard about what my next move should be, but I didn't have the time for it. I felt the creature sink its claw a couple inches into my arm, and I couldn't hold back the blood curdling scream that came out of my mouth from the other side of the portal. Each duplicate paused and looked towards the sky before snapping right back to me like a rubber band.

"Dammit," I shouted the moment I regained full consciousness. My lungs throbbed, and my arm was sore, and I now had a heavy blood stain on the collar of my lab coat. I was so close to finishing the job, but I had fumbled at the last second. Now I had nothing, no notes, no specimens, and no Will. Nothing.