Chapter 020: The Cat's Out of the Bag

Making it back to my office was quite a challenge. Though I had done it dozens of times before, I was never sure how Brenner would react if he knew I had crossed the portal without his consent. I had never cared for his approval, but I would be lying if I said I didn't fear his power. He was ruthless and would do anything he needed to get what he wanted, even if it meant taking a life. I had witnessed it countless times before. Though I had never seen him personally kill anyone, I knew he was the one to say the word. If he wanted someone gone, he would get it—no matter the consequences.

I had nearly made it back to my office before I heard a familiar voice, stopping me in my tracks. "Hopper," she said, and I immediately knew it was my niece. But what was she doing here? And why was the Chief with her?

Just as I had reared around to sweep her away from this place, I heard Jim Hopper, the town's police chief, replying as he let out a low sigh. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

I knew immediately that this had to be some sort of bug that Brenner had planted. The conversation sounded too peaceful to be happening under his watch.

"It doesn't matter," she said, and I could feel my parental mind grumble at it. "I need to tell you something."

"You can talk to me after school."

I heard the shuffling of a door before a light thud, imagining Daisy throwing it back open as he tried to close it on her. "I lied, okay?"

Lied?

Hopper groaned after a moment of hesitation. "What do you mean you lied?"

"Yesterday," she said. "I lied when I said I didn't know what Joyce was talking about. She was right. A creature came out of the wall, and it chased us. I—I fought it off. I don't know how, but I can do things that I shouldn't be able to do."

"Things like what?"

"Like—I don't know—shoot these crazy light things out of my fingers. I'm not sure what the basics are yet, but it's not normal."

"Uh-huh," Hopper said, obviously skeptical. "You sure you've been getting enough sleep lately?"

Daisy groaned, and I caught myself smirking a bit. She was definitely a teenager, whether she was a normal one or not. "Look, whoever you found, it's not Will. I went to the quarry last night. You can't see anything that far out."

"Dai—"

"You have to listen to me, Hopper! You're the last chance that I have right now."

There was a short pause. I could picture Hopper's quizzical face, contemplating whether she was crazy or not. "Wipe your shoes."

"Th—"

Her voice was cut off abruptly and replaced with another. "So, she's figured it out," spoke Brenner's little pet and righthand agent, Connie Frazier.

"Rather quickly too," I heard Brenner say.

"I can get rid of her tonight," Frazier said, and I could feel my nerves start to unravel from my body. Perhaps Dr. Owens was right, and Brenner was preparing something sinister behind my back. "Of course, we'll have to make it look like an accident so Clearwater doesn't get involved."

"Do you hear yourself," Brenner asked suddenly, his voice now mocking that of a doting father. "This girl has potential. Not only is she strong, but she's smart. Think of the possibilities."

"I'm not quite sure I'm following."

"She will lead us to Eleven," he said. If I hadn't been angry before, I most certainly was now. They were planning to use my niece to hunt down an innocent child, one that had rightfully escaped him not long ago. "She will get us answers."

"And how do you expect her to do that?"

"With her connection," he replied. "Something is drawing her there, whether it's the boy—" Will? "—or her power. Her and Eleven will be drawn to each other."

"Are you suggesting we force her into the Other World in hopes that Eleven will come for her?"

"I'm not suggesting," Brenner said. "I'm ordering. It'll happen tonight. I have no doubt that she's going to go after the boy, and when she does, we'll be right there waiting."

"She could die."

What Brenner said next made my blood start to curdle. "That's a chance I'm willing to take."

There were few times in my life where I had felt the dangerous flames of rage, and this one took the cake. Not only were they spying on Daisy, but they were hoping—no, planning—to outsmart her in an attempt that they knew would put her life at risk. I needed to save her, to tell her everything they were trying to do, but how? It was impossible to know just how much Brenner would be able to hear. If he's got Hopper's house bugged, there's no telling what kind of monitoring he's doing, especially in my own home. For all I knew, even this could be part of his plan. He could be conniving and hoping—knowing—that I would walk by his office and overhear. It's possible that I was playing right into his little game. I needed to do something. I needed to protect her.

There was no time to waste as I rushed back to my office. As I picked up the phone, I had to use both hands to dial. My palms were so sweaty that it felt as if it would slip right out of my grasp. I took a seat at my desk hoping that the cold leather would ease the fire within me as I counted each ring. One, two, three. Four, five, six. Seven, eight, nine. Ten, eleven, twelve. She never answered. I started to panic. If Daisy wasn't at home, then where was she?

The police station was my last bet. With my hands still shaking, I sat counting once again. One, two, th—

"Hawkins Police Department, this is Patty speaking."

"Patty," I neatly exclaimed. "It's a pleasure to hear your voice! This is Jack Clearwater. I was just wondering if my niece has shown up to your station today. It seems she's skipped a few classes at school," I lied.

"Oh, Daisy? She was in here with the Chief this morning…said something about job shadowing. They left a few hours ago. Do you need me to call for him?"

"If you could," I asked politely.

"Just one moment"

The ticking of the clock had never been so loud as it was at that moment. I wasn't quite sure if Brenner had a plan in place already, but there was a good chance that, if he did, Hopper would serve as a rather difficult obstacle. If Daisy was still with him, it meant that there was still time. "Jack? Are you still there?"

"Uhm," I said, clearing my throat in an attempt to keep my composure. "Yes, ma'am, I'm still here."

"She's with the Chief. He pulled her out for questioning and says she's on her way back to school now."

A deep breath escaped from my lips. She was with Hopper, which means she was safe for now. "Alrighty then. Thank you kindly."

"No problem. Have a nice evening."

"Uh-huh, you as well."

The moment she had hung up, I was snatching my coat and my suitcase up and heading out the door. There's no telling how much time I had, but I knew it wasn't enough to sit around and think up every little detail. I was going to have to head into this with tunnel vision. All I knew was that Brenner was going to do everything he could to draw Daisy in, and I was going to do everything I could to stop him. If he meant what he said, then his first attempt would involve Will, but I had no clue what his next attack would be if that failed. Daisy was a smart kid, but Brenner was cunning. He seems to think of everything, including a back up plan. It's possible he even had another plan for if I were to intervene, and if he succeeded, if I died, I needed to know someone on the inside would protect her.

I knocked three times before I could hear feet shuffling and the creaking of a rusty hinge at the bottom of the door. "Jack," said Dr. Owens. "Did you need something?"

I looked at him, then behind myself, scanning for any listening ears. "I need you to promise me something."

He followed my eyes, peering over my shoulders only to see the same empty hallway. "Is everything okay?" I shook my head, trying to maintain my composure and keep our conversation under the radar. "Ja—"

"There's no time to explain, alright? I just need you to promise that no matter what happens to me tonight, you'll keep my niece safe. You can't let Brenner get ahold of her. If he does, he's going to hurt her. Just like the rest of them." His eyes widened, and I could tell he was hesitant. "Promise me, Sam!"

He took a deep breath before replying. "I promise, but what—"

"Thank you," I said quickly, cutting him off as I took off down the hallway, putting into action the plan that could very well be the end of me.