El couldn't say that she was shocked to hear that Steve had fought and killed a Demogorgon. It was Steve. Steve, who would put his life on the line for the people that he cared about, his friends, and who now had powers. Of course he would fight one. And, she also knew that he could handle it, he was powerful. She was glad to have him as a brother.
What scared her was the fact that there was a Demogorgon in Hawkins, even after she and Hopper had closed the gates.
She didn't really know how it was possible. Hopper didn't seem to know either.
El raised her hands as she lifted the dead monster with her powers, the monster was covered in puncture wounds and burns, into the back of Hopper's truck, Hopper jumping into action and covering it with a tarp as soon as it was in.
"Good job, kid." He said gruffly, and she smiled softly, looking around at the street that they were standing on, knowing that this was where something bad happened. Where things changed, where their future would change.
Mike always said that change was good. El wasn't too sure that it was, this time.
At least she had her siblings. They would help a lot.
El got into the truck as Hopper started it, strapping herself in with the seatbelt, her hands steady, her breathes even. Hopper radioed in to the station, saying that a deer was killed on sixth street and that he had gotten the deer off the road. She knew that he had to lie to keep their secret, but to her it still felt strange. She didn't say anything about it.
"Has Robin begun talking to you yet? About what happened?" He asked, beginning to drive away, and El shook her head.
"No."
"Really? Not even with her mind reading thing?"
"No. She hasn't talked to me."
Hopper reached to the front of the truck and grabbed his radio, passing it to El.
"Contact either Steve or Joyce. It's already on the right channel."
She nodded, and swiftly turned it on.
"Joyce? Steve? It's El."
She waited a second before Steve's voice filtered through the device.
"El, hey, is everything alright?"
"I'm fine. Hop wanted to talk to you."
Hopper then took the radio back, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Hey, Harrington. Any sign of another one?"
"No." Steve said firmly. "Robin's been listening for their emotions and thoughts, but nothing's come up yet. You're in the clear."
"Good. We managed to find your friend, and we're on the way to the house. Have everyone stay there, we can't risk anything until we know what's going on."
"Sounds good. Oh, and I thought that I should let you know. Everyone knows about Robin and I. About our…situation."
El couldn't really say that she was surprised. How else could Steve have fought the monster? How could he lie about being able to kill one? She had no doubt that he used his powers. How else could he have killed it? With his bat? It was possible, but Demogorgons were strong. Steve would be dead before he even had a chance.
Hopper seemed discouraged by the news, but he didn't let it show in his voice as he responded.
"Alright, kid. Do you want us to update Max when we pick her up?"
A beat of silence echoed around the truck, until Steve spoke up again.
"That would be great, actually. Thank you."
"Don't mention it, kid. Stay safe, and let me know if anything, and I mean anything goes wrong."
"Sure. Over and out."
Hopper sighed and gave the walkie-talkie back to El, his hands turning the steering wheel to get them to Max's home. El could see the conflict raging in Hopper's eyes, the concern, and wanted to help.
"It'll be okay. Papa won't come back."
"You don't know that, kid."
"But, if he does come back, we can stop him."
Hopper cast her a quick glance. "I know we can, El, I just don't want you to have to. He's hurt too many of you kids, I don't want you, Steve, or Robin to have to face him again, let alone fight him."
"I don't want to either. But I will."
"I know."
The trailer park soon came into view, and Hopper parked the truck, leaving El in the car as he went to go get Max. El felt a slight bit of fear course through her, fear of what was to come, what may have been here, and she closed her eyes, knowing that these were Robin's emotions and not her own. She had helped Robin enough to know when her mind was touching hers.
Their training days were fun. El let Robin read her mind, teaching her how to focus, how to turn all of the distractions away from the task at hand. She had talked her through accessing the Void, and Robin seemed to be more confident in her abilities, even though she messed up sometimes.
Steve was a different story. He could go into the Void without an issue, but he couldn't control his other abilities very well. He could heal others and himself, but didn't want to understand how he could control his powers, so they were controlling him.
El wished that she could help him, but her power's weren't physical in nature. She didn't know what else she could teach him.
She gave Max a small smile as Max hopped into the backseat.
"Hi."
"Hey, El. I heard there was a Demogorgon?"
El nodded. "Steve killed it."
"Steve? How did he manage to do that?"
Hopper started the truck and began driving off as the girls talked.
"Now, Max, this is top secret, so you can't tell anyone outside of the Party, alright?" He said sternly.
Max agreed solemnly. "You can trust me."
"Steve and Robin are my siblings. They have powers." El stated, and Max's eyes widened.
"What? You're kidding!"
"She's not." Hopper added. "Brenner took them, tattooed them with numbers, and gave them powers. That's how Steve was able to kill that thing. Now, you can't tell anyone else this, alright?"
"I know, I know, but that's crazy! What can he do?"
"He can adapt to his environment. Like breathing underwater." El explained. "He can heal people, too."
"I thought your leg healed really fast! Was that him? And Robin?"
Hopper could only smile at Max's comment. "Yup. And Robin's powers are very different. She has mind reading abilities. She can read emotions, too. It can be overwhelming sometimes, but she's doing well."
"Very well." El added, pride swelling in her stomach.
"Good. I honestly can't say I'm surprised that they have powers, Steve is a lot more confident now, and it's the only story that makes sense. That cover story was trash." Max said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat. "No offense."
"None taken." Hopper said.
"So, what's the plan now? Are there more of those things?"
"We don't know, Robin and Steve don't think that there are any more, but we're not taking any risks. Where's your mom tonight?"
"Working. Like always."
El frowned at the words, not knowing what to say. Luckily Hopper did.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Max. How about, after whatever is going on, I'll talk to her, and see how she's doing?"
"She won't talk to anyone, not after Billy."
"Not even you?" El asked, not really understanding what was happening, and Max nodded solemnly once more.
"Yeah."
"You know, you can talk to us, too." Hopper added. "None of us would mind."
There was a beat of silence before she responded. "I know. But first I want to take down whatever's out there."
"And we will, I promise."
"It doesn't stand a chance." Max said, finality in her tone, and the three continued on their way, determination in their hearts and minds.
El was sitting cross legged on the ground, almost immediately after she and the others had arrived, the television turned to static and a blindfold on her eyes. Everyone around her sat in silence, no doubt wanting her to be as focused as possible. Steve watched El worriedly, Robin and Dustin pressed into his sides as if they didn't want to leave his side for a second. He couldn't blame them if that was the case. Robin was still struggling, still trying to listen and feel for another monster, while Dustin no doubt still felt horrible after the truth had been revealed.
Steve honestly felt relieved that the secret was out. Now, he didn't have to hide in front of them. Now he could be honest. And now he had his brother back.
Hopper and Max sat beside El, making sure that the young girl had support, especially for when she went out of the Void. El was trying to find any sign of the Upside Down, just in case it was back. So far she hadn't found anything, but she hadn't been looking for long. Max continued to glance at Steve and Robin, clearly wanting to ask questions that would have to wait.
Steve was glad that Hopper had told her. He didn't really know if he had the strength to explain what had happened, what he was, again.
El's nose began to bleed and she took the blindfold off, taking a deep breath. Hopper rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, and El closed her eyes, looking tired, more tired than she should've.
"Did you find anything, El?" Mike asked softly, seeing her exhaustion and going to her, holding her hand. She shook her head, wiping away the blood that had gathered on her upper lip.
"No. Nothing. But I…I could feel something. Something was there."
"Something was there but you couldn't see it?" Max questioned, and El nodded.
"Yes. Sort of like Steve and Robin."
Everyone's eyes turned to them, and Steve ran his hand through his hair, sighing.
"We can't see each other in the Void. We can talk to each other, but we can't actually see where anyone is."
"I remember that I could feel El and affect her mentally." Robin added. "But we couldn't see her."
"That's how El knew that you were alive." Dustin added, realization in his eyes. "She felt you."
"Yes. That's what happened. The same thing happened now. Something's there but I can't see it." El said firmly.
Joyce nodded in understanding, getting El a tissue.
"Did you see anything else? A Demogorgon? Demodog?" Hopper asked, and she shook her head.
"No. I didn't see any monsters."
"I can't feel anything either." Robin said, her hands shaking, Steve holding them in an attempt to ease her nerves. "Is that a good thing?"
Steve's voice was steady and sure. "Definitely. It means that the Demogorgon I killed was probably the only one. Hopefully."
"I agree. There's only enough room in the back of my trunk for one, and I still need to figure out how to explain the blood on the road." Hopper said gruffly.
"Then, how did it get here? There shouldn't be another gate, right?" Nancy said, and everyone murmured in agreement.
"I think the Russians had some in these….chambers, didn't they?" Joyce asked, and Hopper snapped his fingers, pointing at her right away.
"Yes, there were. That's where it's from!"
Steve chuckled weakly. "Care to enlighten the class?"
Robin knew instantly what Hopper and Joyce meant. "The Russian's kept some of the monsters. The Demogorgon must've escaped when the base was destroyed."
Dustin stared at her. "And you know that how?"
She shrugged. "I can read minds and emotions. I thought Steve told you…?"
All of the kids around them let out explanations of shock.
"What? You can read minds?" Dusitn explained, and Robin nodded.
"Yup. I don't do it constantly, though. Not after I got a bit of control over it.."
"That's crazy." Nancy said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's absolutely crazy. Is there anything else that we should know?"
"There's still a lot we have to talk about." Steve said with a sigh.
Jonathan sighed. "It's going to take me a while to get used to this. All of it."
"Tell me about it, Byers. I've had these powers for months and there's still a lot to get used to."
Robin nodded in agreement. "There's so much."
"But I'll help." Dustin said sternly. "Now that I know what's going on, I'll help you both with whatever you need. Training, advice, training advice, anything, I'll be there. You guys aren't going to be alone, and you're not going to push me away, Steve! I won't let you, not this time, not ever! I'll help you, and I'll be the best helper that you could ask for!"
Steve chuckled, messing up the kid's hair, but his heart swelled at the words. All of the others chimed in, agreeing with Dustin's statement, and Robin's grip on his hand loosened, like she was becoming more comfortable with the situation.
"Thanks, Henderson. And all of you. It was…it was so hard to keep this from you all. But we thought that it was best." Steve admitted weakly.
"We get it." Jonathan said. "It's a big secret, and a dangerous one. But you don't have to carry that burden alone anymore."
"We're here for you. Both of you." Nancy added, and Steve smiled.
Robin breathed out a sigh of relief beside him. "I didn't know how long I needed to hear those words until now. Like, I know that we weren't alone, and I had Steve, so that helps a lot, but we were so alone for the longest time so it's really nice to know that you're here, you know? And all of you feel so kind right now, I can barely read your thoughts because I'm trying to control it and I'm trying to find the monster, but you guys are so sweet and一"
Steve laughed, interrupting her with a shake of his head. "A little bit slower, Robin?"
She stuttered to a stop and smiled sheepishly. "Right. Sorry."
"Is that one of your powers, too? Speed talking?" Max asked, and Joyce chuckled.
"Nope, that's just how Robin does things." Steve explained, and Robin shoved his shoulder playfully.
"Listen, I hate to break this up, but we still have to figure out this situation with the Demogorgon." Hopper said, helping El up to a chair. "Are we sure that the one Steve killed was the only one?"
"It definitely came from the lab, if there's no gate." Joyce said, "There were more of them there, I know that."
"But, how could it survive the explosion? Basically none of the Russians did." Lucas added.
"He's right, there's no way that it survived! There would've been so much fire, and this one basically ran from Steve when he set himself alight! The fire would've killed it." Mike said, still sitting by El.
Steve could feel so many questioning eyes on him, and he sighed, putting his head in his hands. "Don't ask."
"It shouldn't have lived." Dustin said firmly. "It's from something else. But not a gate. Something else has to be going on."
"We could try going into the Void again." Robin offered. "I'm not saying El would've missed something, but maybe there are some things that we can see that El can't? Our powers are different, so maybe that would do something?"
Joyce gave them a comforting smile. "It's worth a try, if you both are willing. We just don't want you to overexert yourselves."
"I'll do it." Steve said without hesitation.
"Steve一"
"I feel better now, and Robin should still keep her mind open for anything. I have my strength back. I'll be fine."
Both Hopper and Joyce seemed concerned but didn't argue as he turned off the television, sat down, legs tucked under him as he closed his eyes, pushing away the blindfold that was offered to him. He had to replicate the first time he did this as good as possible, when the sun was beating down on him, dirt and dust digging into his skin. Then he didn't have a blindfold, or the static of a television to distract him. All he had was the little knowledge he had about El's powers and the need to survive. The will to live, to contact El. The eagerness to keep on going, to get home.
He tried to feel the same eagerness now, knowing that if he couldn't find whatever could be out there he could lose everyone he cared about. He didn't want that to happen. He couldn't let that happen.
He breathed deeply, focusing on going into that empty place, on finding the Demogorgon or anything like it, ignoring the soft voices around him. Steve felt something shift inside of him, and he opened his eyes to white. He gasped as it pierced his eyes, before it toned down to a manageable level.
He blinked, looking around, knowing that this wasn't the darkness of the Void that he expected, that something else was going on. Where was he? Why did it seem so familiar?
He saw tables in front of him, covered in medical tools and clipboards, as well as an observation room above him. He tried walking forward, but was stopped by a cold restraint on his ankle. Looking down, his heart dropped. He was stuck. The chain around his ankle was attached to the floor, a small bit of water on the ground. He reached forward, his fingers reaching for the glass in front of him, and he realized that he wasn't even wearing his clothes. He was back in the white suit, his feet bare, his wrist exposed for everyone to see. He could feel air on his head, and he reached up, feeling the tiny strands of hair that had replaced his long locks that he so dearly loved.
This wasn't right. None of this was right.
His heart sank when he realized where he was. He was back in the lab. Back in the cage that always filled with water and always hurt him.
Steve's breathing became ragged, and he heard the hose be turned on, more water filling the cage. He pounded against the glass, his fists hurting ever so slightly as the water rose, believing that he was back, he was back with Papa and going home was all a dream一
"Let me out! Let me out!" He screamed, his voice hoarse with fear and desperation, tears burning in his eyes as he struggled.
There was no room for logical thought, only panic, and he began fighting the chain, slamming his body into the glass, doing anything, anything, to escape. But nothing was working. Nothing was working.
The water continued to rise, stealing the energy from his body and all breath from his lungs.
He was going to drown. He was going to drown again and there was nothing that he could do.