The Wolverine and The Mage

by Pi El 96

With Dustin returning from the spring camp Know Where the Party is excited for the start of the summer break. However, in Mexico, just near the border with the USA from another lab another young gifted child escapes. With their paths crossing, with the old foe returning will the Party along with the help of the young girl endure this event?

14. Preparations

Happy Stranger Things day to you all! It has been a long four months so let us dive in. Check the end for notes.

---

Chapter 12: Preparations

2nd July 1985

Hawkins, Indiana, USA

Jonathan Byers feels like crap.

His back. His neck. His head!

The pulsating agony increases steadily as he slowly comes back to his senses, groggily awakening from a godawful slumber and experiencing levels of pain that made every single time he got hurt pale in comparison. And he got hurt a lot in these past few years. At least he felt lying down on something soft.

He emits a low groan as he hesitantly opens his eyes, being greeted by a blurry wooden… ceiling probably, he can't focus much as the ears have also rung too loud, preventing him from focusing and figuring out where he is. It was dark and dry wherever he was, and Jonathan wished he could fall back to sleep with the pain ebbing away.

"…Wha… wh-what? Wh-ere…?" he mumbles, his voice oddly echoing, weakly trying to raise his arms but failing. Instead, he felt his surroundings and sensed he was covered in sheets. He was in bed.

"…Jonathan?" Nancy's voice croaked at his side. Her gentle voice is so good to hear because he so, so badly needs to see her.

"Nan-ncy?" he tries to get up but groans as a stiff neck and powerful headache at the back of his head force him down. "Urrrgh…!"

"Hey, careful, careful," She soothes, grabbing his hand and looming over him with concern. His vision slowly clears, and Jonathan finally sees that beautiful face, with curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail and striking azure blue eyes. Rimmed with dark rings and red veins streaking across. She was crying. "Don't move. You got hurt. Pretty badly." She swallows.

Jonathan panted, "Na-Nance, whe-where are we?" Jonathan slurs.

Nancy shushed him, "Shhhh, it's okay. We're in Hopper's cabin, and it's morning. Will and the rest of the little gremlins are here outside." she assured, gently stroking his cheek with a smile.

Jonathan would like to live the rest of his life like this, waking up beside Nancy every morning. Minus the pain of course, "And Mo-m?" he dares to ask, not having the strength to look around much.

Nancy's smile fell, "…She and Hopper are not," she says after a moment, grimacing. "Last time Eleven checked, they were at the old Radio Shack store but left it. They're somewhere else. Somewhere safe I hope."

Jonathan too hoped they were safe as anxious worry hit him. God knows we they are right now. "Al-All right. And Wi- Urgh!" he gags, suddenly feeling very sick in his stomach with hishead swimming uncontrollably.

He clamps his mouth as Nancy disappears suddenly, rummaging, and then returns and gently guides his head sideways to the side of the bed. "Okay, okay, here, let it all out."

"HUUUUUUAAARRGH!"

Jonathan vomits harshly in the bucket, gripping its edge, despite his body begging him not to move. After several seconds of puking out his guts, he breathes heavily for fresh air, his head pounding. He nearly begs for death.

But as he slowly lowers his head on a soft pillow and his body shuddering, he prays instead internally for strength and reprieve, trying to collect himself. For Nancy, Will, and everyone else. He's gonna be needed, he knows it.

Nancy's face was twisted in disgust, putting the bucket far away from them. "There, there. You feeling better?" she rubbed his shoulder and chest, and Jonathan felt a miniscule better.

"N-Not m-m-much." Jonathan stuttered, steadying his breathing and covering his eyes.

"What to do you remember?" Nancy inquiries, fiddling with something on the floor. Jonathan noticed a mattress on the floor before slumping back down.

"W-we went some-some where," Jonathan remembers a house during a rainstorm and an unhinged old woman. "To vi-visit som-som-someone." He uncovers his eyes and glances at Nancy who had something in her hands.

"That's right, at Mrs. Driscoll," Nancy replies, offering a small glass of water and a handful of multi-colored pills. "Here. Courtesy of Jim Hopper. They're really good."

Jonathan doesn't know what they do but he trusts Nancy so he greedily takes the pills and chugs the water. Wiping his lips, he continues, "And… w-we got atta-attacked by a… by a monster." It returned to him, in all its painful, horrifying reality, an image of a teenage girl with a twisted smile and evil in her eyes. An evil that controlled her like a puppet.

"Yes." Nancy squeezes his hand. She urges him to lift his head and puts something cold on his neck.

The slight relief sadly cannot be appreciated as Jonathan tries to steady his breathing and remember. Memories come back in chunks, and one in particular stank the most that made him fly and cause pain. The Monster is back. "He's back."

"He is." Nancy closed her eyes as Jonathan opted to stare at the ceiling. He notices wallpapers on the side and realizes they're in El‛s room.

"W-We got rid of h-him." He slowly lifts his finger, "Right t-there while Eleven clo-closed the Gate." Jonathan says, pointing at the living room where Will was exorcised. The horrifying scene replayed in his head for weeks and caused restless nights. This wonderful girl tending to him helped his mind to be put at ease. "It was over. We won."

"And Transigen opened them back!" The same girl growled, clenching her teeth and glaring far away, probably with a desire to punch whoever was in charge in the face. Or shoot them. He had a foreboding sense that there would be a lot of shooting soon.

Jonathan hissed, remembering an intense radio conversation, "And Transigen k-knows ab-about us now." Nancy grimly nods, subtle fear lacing her features, "Fuuuck…", he slurs the swear, hearing Dustin's panicked ‛Scatter!‛ echo right before slumping down from his injury. "Wh-What happe-ned?"

"I drove us as fast as I could during that stupid downpour. Mike, Will, and the rest were already there and helped me treat you. Meanwhile, Eleven used her powers to warn Laura. And Steve." Nancy supplies, making Jonathan nod.

Jonathan then refrained from doing a double take, "Wh-wha-Steve?!" he stared at Nancy. "H-How did she warn Steve, h-he can‛t see her!"

"It was through Laura." Nancy explains, making him frown, "You see he… followed his co-worker after work." She purses her lips. "Who by the way stumbled upon Hargrove and Laura while going home two nights ago. Steve found out after she made a slip at work and decided to follow his hunch." she air quotes.

Jonathan blinks, completely thrown off by this chain of events. "T-that was quick."

Nancy huffed, "Yeah, no shit. Then again, this isn't the first time he jumped into a crazy situation."

Jonathan slowly nods, remembering how Steve saved them from the Demogorgon and how he got tangled up with Dustin, "An-and the co-worker?"

"Robin Buckley. I think we have or had several classes with her." As she rubs her eyes, Nancy groans, " I think everyone in Hawkins will get involved at this point."

Jonathan remembers an odd girl from his class. He never spoke to her, "Fo-Followed her huh? Well, he d-did have good reason." He counters when he sees a frown on her face.

Nancy raised her brow at him, "Oh, did he now?" she crossed her arms.

Jonathan let out a weak chuckle. "Hey, I t-took a photo of you during Steve's p-pool party. And look at us. We‛re dat-dating." He points out, glad that his voice is a bit steadier now.

Nancy sighed; her head bent low. "Jonathan, I know you're trying to lighten up the mood, but don't remind me, please. That's not a good night to remember." She whispered, staring at her trembling hands.

Knowing how it ended, Jonathan frowned and felt guilty for making Nancy feel like that, "No, it wasn't."

Nancy's eyes were downcast for a moment, then refocused on him, "Could you please move your head a bit? I need to check the back."

Jonathan winces as Nancy's gentle arms grasp his head and move a bit to the side, "I hit it p-pretty hard?"

"You… did." Nancy shakily states, withdrawing her hands, "But you're here now. Here and safe."

As Jonathan looks back at Nancy, he sees her staring at… the bruises on her forearm. He examines her and sees she‛s wearing a shirt with rolled-up sleeves. No other injuries were present but Jonathan saw how she winced whenever she moved.

What happened there?

After failing to suppress a slight shudder, he slowly and carefully grasps her hand and takes a breath, "Hey, it's gonna be okay." He reassures, squeezing it.

Nancy stares back with affection and squeezes back, "I know Jonathan. I know."

They enjoy each other's company in a currently uncertain time. Jonathan always cared for how and how not to act, with Mom and Lonnie always being the prime examples. And yet, he‛s not incapable of messing things up. Thinking about it made guilt nab him as the argument resurfaces before finding a feral Mrs. Driscoll.

"Hey, about the Post. H-How everyone threats you there…"

Nancy shushes him with a finger, "Not now. We have to focus on much more important stuff. Like making sure bad guys are beaten and innocent people kept safe." The sound of a door opening and a small thunder of footsteps approaching them made her smile. "Besides, I don't think we've had much privacy here."

Will and the rest of the party came to a stop in front of the door.

Jonathan's head is angled a bit, allowing him to see the little gremlins observing the scene. All of them were tired, withdark bags, messy hair, and ruffled clothes. Will and Eleven stood out the most with the way they stared. Did they get any sleep last night?

It hurts to see Will like this; his little brother already went through so much so Jonathan tries to relax a bit to show reassurance. It helps that those pills Nancy gave him are starting to kick in.

"Go-Good morning." He greets, making Will snap out of his quiet gazing.

"Jonathan!" Will nearly rushes towards them, stopping just an inch from the bed, with the party close behind.

Jonathan refrained from making a painful sour face and instead gave them all a smile, "Hey, buddy. Guys."

"Are you okay?" Will's face twists in worry, obviously wanting to hug his big brother but not daring to hurt him. He sees Mike calming Eleven who anxiously fiddled on the spot by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm fine. I'll live." He declares, casually waiving it off.

"You didn't look fine when you ca-Uff!" Dustin grunts as Mike elbows him.

After a moment of exchanging glares, Mike refocuses on Jonathan. "Dude, I'm so happy you're okay," he says, holding his chest. "Scared the crap out of us when you came."

"Me too," Lucas adds, putting a hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Me three." Dustin chimes in, rubbing his stomach and sending dirty looks to Mike.

"Yeah, me four." Max crosses her arms.

"Me five?" Eleven joins in, glancing at Mike and Max.

"It's good," Max reassures as Mike gives a thumbs up.

Jonathan smirked but felt something was a bit of, "Hey, where are my clothes?" trying to raise the sheets.

Nancy stops him, "Drying outside," she replies.

"I gave you Dad's clothes," Eleven explains. "They fit you. Some of them."

"Oh." Jonathan felt they were a bit bigger.

"Some of them?" Mike muttered which earned him a glare from Eleven.

"You're like a skinnier Magnum if he was from Indiana," Dustin impolitely observes.

"I c-could grow a mustache." Jonathan ponders rubbing his chin.

"Don't you dare," Nancy warns with a mocking tone making everyone laugh. It cuts short when Dustin gags.

"Yuck, what is that? Vomit?" he points at the bucket on the floor. Max and Will turned green at the sight and Eleven had a look ‛Really? In my bedroom?‛

Nancy gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you, Dustin," she says as she picks it up and hands it over to him, "I appreciate the help."

"…Happy to." Dustin sourly replies, taking the bucket and flipping the bird to Max, Lucas and Mike who cheekily wave.

Jonathan hated to cut such a good mood soon but he needed to know, "Eleven," Eleven stared at him, "do you kn-know where are Mom and Hopper?"

Eleven frowned, "I saw them driving. In someone else's car, a black jeep. I don't know where they are going."

Nancy nods, "And how are they?" she asks, hoping for more answers.

Eleven winces, "Hurt. Joyce a little. Dad a lot. But they looked… angry."

Lucas whistled, "They're on a warpath."

"We need to find them as soon as possible." Will declares as Jonathan's worry for Mom grows.

"Or wait for them here." Max offered. "You know, where there is some breathing room and it's safe."

"For now. I don't think they're coming back soon," Mike states.

The sound of a toilet flushing marks Dustin's return makes Jonathan ask the big question. "So, what's the plan?"

"We‛re, um, working on it." Max scratched the back of her neck. She rolls her eyes as hair gets in her face so she quickly fixes it into a ponytail.

"Dealing with him should be our top priority." Mike declares clenching his fists.

"And how're supposed to do that with Transigen breathing down our necks?" Dustin objects putting down the bucket. "By dealing with the Mind Flayer we might attract their unwanted attention."

"We can deal with them as well." Eleven shots back.

"How?" Dustin demands as the rest expectantly stare at Eleven.

"…I don't know." She awkwardly admits.

"Great." Dustin threw up his hands.

"Hey! We managed to get by with the monsters and the Lab doing the same thing." Mike pointed out.

"It's not the same." All glanced at Will, "When I was controlled by him, I was there but not. I couldn't do anything while I was his puppet. And now with more people under his control…" he warily met their eyes, "… there's no knowing how many people are taken by him."

"Heather, Freedy, Mrs. Driscoll, Heather's parents." Eleven counted.

"People that we know of." Lucas again points out.

"And those we don't know…" Max ominously states.

"You know… I think we need to call Doctor Owens." Lucas put forward a rather stupid idea.

Jonathan felt waves of displeasure at the sound of that name. Call him? That meant calling the Lab! No way in hell!

"Seriously?" Nancy sneered at Lucas, feeling the same way.

"You want to call him?" Jonathan stood- well figuratively stood with Nancy.

"Yeah, seriously. We‛re going to need some serious help." Dustin agreed with Lucas. "Like calling the cavalry and all that. Hopper knows the number. Does he have is somewhere?" he asks Eleven who didn't look quite onboard with the idea.

"They could come in handy." Max reluctantly agrees. "If they can prevent more innocent from being… killed." She gulped.

"Call the Lab?" Eleven voiced her disagreement.

"Are they still the Lab?" Will tried to be neutral but sounded like he very much didn't want to do that too. "Besides, I mean doctor Owens wasn't that bad."

"It doesn't matter. Besides, what choice do we have? And the only reason we could beat the Mind Flayer was because the Lab was out of the equation." Lucas insists.

"Because most of them got massacred by an army of monsters." Mike angrily rebukes.

"And we know a lot about the Mind Flayer. Not much about Tranisgen." Will swallowed.

"We don't even know where their base of operations is," Max states the obvious.

"One step at a time. That is what Dad says." Eleven recites.

"Sounds like we‛re going to take several huge one-step steps simultaneously," Nancy muttered.

While listening to all this, Jonathan came to an awful realization, "Guys. The Fourth of July. It's in two days."

A terrible storm of dread and alarm descend upon them. Fourth of July. A celebration of their country's independence. Practically everyone from Hawkins will be there, hundreds of people, even more…!

"Oh crap," Dustin swore, grabbing his head.

"And what if… they go there? Any of them?" Will fearfully said. "Transigen? The Mind Flayer?"

"If the Mind Flayer goes there, he could get an army." Lucas grimly replies.

"And for Transigen…" Max trails off, glancing at Eleven.

"If they think even for a moment Laura is there…!" Eleven growls.

"Or Eleven…!" Mike adds anxiously.

"They won't hesitate." Nancy shook her head. "No matter who stands in their way."

"We ne-need to stop them all," Jonathan utters, ashamed ofhow weak his voice sounds.

Eleven begins to rush out of the room, "I need to warn Laura again."

Dustin approached Eleven, "Hey El…"

"I think Steve is fine Dustin." She snaps at him.

Slowly taking off his hat, Dustin stared, "No, not that. Um, could you please see if my mom is okay?" he whispered. God, the pleading in his tone, the meekness…

Lucas joins him, rubbing his hands, "…My sister. And my parents."

"And… mine too," Max mumbled, unsure whether she should ask or not.

Nancy gave a silent nod to Mike, "Same El. Mom, Dad and Holly."

Jonathan couldn't see Eleven but heard a softly reassuring, "I will. I will."

They followed Eleven to the living room, helping her with the Void search. Jonathan and Nancy silently observed the process as Eleven put his old bandana from school across the eyes. Jonathan notes how the light filtered through the lowered blinds showering Eleven. She truly is their best hope against anevil that plagues their small town.

Okay, he must've hit his head hard, for him to think like fricking Shakespeare.

"They'll be fine. They will be fine." Nancy prayed grasping his hand.

"They will. Don't worry Nance." Jonathan comforts her, squeezing it.

Nancy dragged a hand across her face, looking tired and pissed. It is odd then when she chuckles, making him frown.

"Sooo…" she trails off, not looking at him, "my hunch about the rats was right all along."

"Oh dear God." He groans as Nancy giggles.

---

Steve is having a dream and it is a pretty good one.

Right now, it's about Robin Buckley, with her gorgeous white smile, wild strawberry blonde hair that he would love to caress, smug but still enjoyable laughter, and eyes so wonderful and blue and Steve felt losing himself in them. They are having a picnic by the lake and Steve-

"Wakey, wakey, Harrington." A soft sneer jolts him awake, making such a beautiful dream dissolve into nothing and plunge him straight into a nightmare that is his reality.

Steve bitterly groans, and opens his eyes slowly, "Um, uff, what- URGH!" he grunts when a meaty hand slaps harshly on the stomach. "Ouch! What the hell?!"

"Rise and shine, stalker-head." Billy Hargrove cheerfully says as his butt ugly face and stupid hippie outfit slowly come to focus along with the events of last night that reminded him, he's stuck here. With him. "No staying in bed all day, your Highness," he mockingly bows, "we got work to do."

Steve held his stomach and glared, "Screw you Hargrove!"

Hargrove waved his finger, "Now now, manners King Steve. There's a little girl here, and I think swearing is a big no-no." He made a show of looking around.

Steve would swear even harsher at that remark but stops as he fully takes in the features of Billy Hargrove. And his injuries were somehow even more pronounced.

Hargrove's face was covered in bruises, the most glaring one being prominent on his neck, shaped like fingers on the side. Someone tried to choke him. Someone tried to kill him. He even had a nasty stitched-up cut on his lips. Steve knew how he got those bruises and from whom, and Steve himself didn't want to waste energy because there are people out there a million times worse than Hargrove.

He settles for grumbling; the bastard did almost kill him last year.

"Yeah right, go lecture someone else you hippie," he murmurs, getting off his uncomfortable chair unsuitable for sleep and stretches. And goes still when he sees Robin Buckley staring at him with an unreadable expression. Her hair is tied back in a small messy bun, makeup scrubbed, and she still wears her wrinkled sailor outfit. Mixed with the orange light glow from the rising dawn partially enveloping her, she is stunning-

Steve gulps, resisting smacking himself silly and hoping he didn't mumble in his sleep; if he did, he's ready to die, "Oh! Morning Robin."

"Morning Harrington. Slept well?" she asks with crossed arms and a thinly veiled sarcasm. He‛s also concerned about how she uttered the word Harrington.

Right. Right. She's still mad at him. Justified, completely justified. Hargrove, the bastard, observes the scene with amusement. Right. Steve doesn't quite like this.

"I, I-", Steve coughed and nonchalantly shrugged, "Kinda. You?"

Robin derisively chuckled as she went to lean on a wall, "Describe slept well."

"…Not good?" he sheepishly concludes.

Hargrove shook his head, casually fixing his flared jeans. Oh, he also notices he cut his hair- Ignore the hippie, Steve.

Robin nods, shoulders sagged from clearly not having enough sleep, "Not good. I also had another earful from my mom and then from my dad, telling them I won‛t be coming back home. I'll just go straight back to work." She stared expectantly at him. "Right?"

"Right." Steve nodded, not seeing where she was going with this.

Robin rolled her eyes, disappointed. She raises a finger, "Then I got an earful from our boss from Scoops Ahoy, telling him we won't be coming to work today."

Steve spluttered at that. He stood up, "W-What, why?"

"Because I got sick and you got a hangover." She explains matter-of-factly, pushing away from the wall and rolling her shoulders up. "Boy was he angry."

"Why I got to have a hangover?" Steve protested.

"‛Cause you're a party animal, Harrington. Fits your profile. Buckley had a right idea." Hargrove quipped with glee.

"Pot kettle Hargrove," Steve grunted. He groans, "Oh, great, now we're gonna lose our jobs." And then he's gonna get an earful from his dad.

"Oh yay, lose our jobs at an ice cream parlor that pays almost nothing and we have to wear these stupid things!" Robin sarcastically clapped back. "Meanwhile, there are assholes with guns running around killing people and an actual goddamn monster. You really don't have a concept of priorities do you, dingus?" she glares with bags under her eyes.

Yeaaah, she had a point with that. Now that Transigen, the bad guy, knows about them, and the Mind Flayer is back, losing his indeed stupid summer job didn't sound so bad.

Steve scratched his neck, "I can see you have your priorities straight Robin."

Robin pursed her lips and looked away, "Kinda."

Hargrove gave a mocking ponder and gestures, "She's right, you do look kinda like a dingus."

Steve swirls to face him, "You-!" he stops, restraining himself, "You know what? No. I am not gonna dignify that with a response." He turns away with a turned-up nose.

"You just did." Hargrove points with a smirk.

Steve swirls back, gritting his teeth, "YOU-!"

Robin clapped, standing straighter, "Hey hey! Enough you two! We‛re not in school right now." She lectures and comes to stand between them. "Are you really gonna act like this?"

"He started it." Steve defends in a childish tone.

"Yes I did." The bastard admits with a proud grin.

"See?!" Steve gaped.

"Enough." Steve and Hargrove straighten up at the sound of a dour-looking Gabriela, the nurse.

Steve turns and sees the nurse herself who still used a baseball bat as a crutch (where did she get that?) and, despite wearing a simple T-shirt,andsweatpants and being barefoot, commanded respect and obedience with a simple narrowed look, like Mrs. Byers, "It is too early in the morning for pelea de gallos."

Robin snickered as Steve squinted his eyes, "A what?"

"Nothing important." Gabriela waved it off, muttering to herself.

"Right. Um, and how are you?" he asks as they watch her hobble and carefully sit on the chair Hargrove used for sleep. Steve is ready if she falls over.

"Alive." She grunts as she settles on it and huffs, the golden crucifix gleaming. "It is something."

Alive. Steve saw how the middle-aged woman could use a few days of rest in a way she winces in discomfort, trying to lean back but failing. Her tanned skin had somehow gotten paler. Being shot will do that to you. Yep.

"Would you like to lie down?" Robin offers, pointing at the couch.

"No. I cannot be in bed all the time, I need to move. Otherwise, we remain sitting goose here." Gabriela huffed an incorrect slang.

"Sitting ducks." Robin corrected.

"I am not in a mood girl." Gabriela glared.

Robin winced, "Sorry."

Hargrove suddenly stepped forward with an unusual expression that he had seen from last night. Worry…?

"How is the…?" he points at her side and kneels.

"Getting better." She pulls the T-shirt and Steve sees the bandage covering her side. He winces, "At a slow pace. The new dressing will be in a few minutes."

Hargrove nods, examining it, "We have a few more in stock." He assures, pointing at the pile of backpacks and bags in the corner of the kitchen. Steve refrained from rummaging through, despite the curiosity. He didn't want to incur wrath from that little girl.

The way she stared at him with those green eyes. Steve felt frozen on the spot. Even Eleven couldn't do that.

Gabriela gave Hargrove a faint smile, "Thank you. Billy, have you ever thought about becoming a doctor?"

Hargrove got thrown off by that sudden question. Steve did too, as did Robin. ,

Him? Billy Hargrove? A doctor? Wait. Was Billy the one who helped with that?

"Me? Pffft, nah, I don't see myself wearing a scrub." Hargrove scoffed. Yeah, Steve couldn't either. He tried. It was simply ridiculous.

Gabriela squinted, "Scrub?"

"Ah, doctor's uniform. That blue T-shirt." Hargrove explains.

"Hmm. You do have potential boy." Gabriela praised with honest-to-God affection.

It was so odd. Billy Hargrove was embarrassed, actually embarrassed by this praise, scratching his neck and not knowing what to make of it. "Frankly ma'am, I don't know. I couldn't have helped you without your guidance."

Okay, Steve was sure he was still dreaming because this was weiiiird. He and Robin exchanged perplexed stares at this surreal scene. Billy Hargrove. Being humble. Kind. The apocalypse is truly here. Gabriela herself was either oblivious to their stares or ignoring them. Either way, she gave him a warm smile.

"Hey, where's Laura?" Hargrove looks through the hallway where the bedroom was.

Steve shook his head. He wondered that as well.

"Talking to Eleven." Gabriela informs them.

"Righhht, that. Eleven, Bambi ghost girl." Hargrove muttered.

Steve blinks at him, perplexed by that description, "I'm sorry, what?"

Hargrove waved it off, "Doesn't matter. Say Harrington, where did you say this cabin was?" he scrutinized Steve.

"Um, west of Hawkins, near Eno River." Steve answers, not liking how Hargrove watched him.

"That far away?" Robin blinks in disbelief.

"Hey, if someone like the Lab tried to find you and you knew what was in store for ya, you would hide somewhere far away." Steve only heard of the horror stories that happened in that damn building and quite frankly, that was enough.

"Or, you know, get the hell out of town." Hargrove deadpans. "Something people with common sense do."

Steve gave him anannoyed glare, "Well, it is what it is. In the end… most of it was alright." He defends, memories of monsters nagging in the back of his head.

"Until it wasn't." Hargrove countered, crossing his stupid beefy arms.

Steve wasn't having it. He turns and points at Hargrove, "No no, we minded our own business, then Transigen decided to go around and shoot people. And no." he stared at Gabriela, seeing the guilt creeping on her face as she fiddled with her cross, "No, no, no, I know what‛re you thinking. It wasn't your fault."

Gabriela tries to reply, "We-"

"You were just passing through, right? Trying to get away from them? You didn't know what was going on and you didn't know they were here in Hawkins. It's on them. Not you. Okay?" Steve declares leaving no room to argue.

"Okay." Gabriela nods and relaxes. She seemed grateful for his proclamation and Steve was glad.

Okay, now he was getting odd stares from Robin and Hargrove, "The whole place will be crawling with them. Hawkins." Steve doesn't need to ask. He somehow already knows.

"Yes," Gabriela confirms, now grim and worried.

"Well, it's good for now we‛re here." Hargrove commented, "Otherwise if they see you…" he says to Gabriela.

"Or you." Robin adds to Hargrove, "You stood in their way sooo…"

"He is right. The moment they see you, Billy, they will not stop." Gabriela grimly states.

Hargrove muttered, "Yeah, I got the message when they tried to kill me." He nods, "Hey."

"Hey." A small voice states to his right, making Steve jump in fright.

"OH, SWEET JESUS!" he screeched, jumping several feet in the air at the sudden sight of amini-Wolverine, scaring Robin in the process. He nearly falls over on the floor.

"Laura, it is not nice to sneak up on people like that." Gabriela sighed as Hargrove cackled and Robin huffed, clutching her knees.

"Yeah, when they scream like that you get startled," Robing murmured.

"I don't get startled." Laura objected in a monotone voice.

"Hahaha, chill out Harrington," Hargrove grinned, "you might get a heart attack."

"I'm good! I'm good. Oh crap…" Steve took steady breaths. When he sees Robin staring, he throws his head back and plays it cool. "I'm good. Like totally good." He huffed, hoping he looked good. He resists fixing his hair.

Robin doesn't quite buy that, pursing her lips, "Uh huh."

"Mija," Gabriela addressed Laura, "what did Eleven say?"

Steve put all the Hargrove dislike and secret Robin crush feelings aside and turned all ears.

"She said we should stay here," Laura revealed and Steve nodded. It's a good plan.

"That is it?" Gabriela frowns. "I thought there would be more."

"Yes. So did I. I don't like it." Laura replied, sounding disappointed.

"Neither do I kid." Hargrove agreed crossing his arms.

Well, Steve didn't quite like their disagreement. He sternly put his hands on his hips, "Hey, if Eleven said we stay here, we stay here." he stands by Eleven‛s choice.

Gabriela starts, "I think that is-"

"While there is a monster on the loose and it's hurting people?" Robin counters, standing close to Gabriela. Gabriela gave an annoyed glance.

"Or killing them?" Hargrove points out.

"Or worse?" Laura comes to stand beside Hargrove and mimics the blonde jerk.

"Eleven knows what she's doing. And she's right about being careful." Steve copied them and stood his ground.

Laura shifts in her spot, "Eleven said this Heather was taken by the Mind Flayer. Turned her family. And Freedy. She says he works-"

Hargrove slightly gapes, "At the pool. They're my friends. Oh crap." Hargrove rubs his eyes and then stops, "Wait, what if more are turned?"

Steve gulps at the thought, "Oh, crap. You can't tell how many people she has taken."

"Good God. Now this…!" Gabriela tiredly rubs her face.

"My parents…!" Robin breathed out in fear. Gabriela quickly grasps her hand.

"Está bien niña, está bien." Gabriela soothed, squeezing her hand.

Robin's cheeks turn pink, "Um, gracias señora."

"If she's taken Freddy-" Hargrove stops, "Oh shit, she could have gotten me."

"Consider yourself lucky Hargrove. I've seen it firsthand. It ain't pretty." Steve warns, dead serious.

"Not pretty how?" Hargrove demands. The rest lean forward, wanting to know more.

Steve felt odd. It was probably the first time someone stared at him like he's an expert or something. Okay, Hargrove looked at him like jocks look down on nerds, forcing them to do their homework, but Gabriela and Robin gave off that vibe with their gazes. Laura gazed at him… Steve felt even more uncomfortable, he didn't like that look.

"You're, well, it's exactly as you think. Um, he takes over your mind and controls you. And you can't do anything against him. I didn't know Will as much as the boys but, dude was an entirely different person." Steve gasps, "It's like in that movie! Where the aliens kidnap people, put them in plants, and replace them!" he snaps his fingers.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers?" Hargrove squinted at him.

"Yes! Exactly. It's exactly like that. The little guy wasn't himself at all." Steve finished.

"What does he smell like?" Laura suddenly demands.

Okay, that's anunexpected question. Steve did a double-take. "What?"

"When I came here, I sensed something foul. Rotten. Evil." She explains with an emphasis on evil. "That is him?"

Steve nodded, "Well, foul, rotten, evil? I think that fits the description."

"Then I can sense them." Laura declares.

"And you'll know who's who. Awesome kid!" Billy put up his hand in front of Laura who just stared back. She grabbed the hand and shook it. "That's not what I meant- Nevermind."

"And we can avoid them then," she concludes.

"Cool. Um… what?" Laura stares blankly. And Steve somehow knew what she wanted. "Okay, um I don't know it we should-"

"You said west of Hawkins. Eno River. You are a local. You know the way." Laura echoed.

Steve's offhand mention of a shortcut was meant to be just that, "Uhhh…"

"Yeah, Harrington, you're the local. You know the way." Hargrove comes to stand right nextto Laura.

"I'm a local too." Robin comes to Laura's left.

"You ever been there Buckley?" Hargrove teased.

"Maybe I was Hargrove. Maybe I'm friends with Eleven too. Maybe I fought monsters and worked with super-secret agents." Robin wryly bit back.

"Did you?" Laura asks her. Steve was surprised athow innocent she sounded.

"…No," Robin admits with pursed lips.

"Hm." Laura hums. After a moment, she ties up her long black hair into a ponytail like Robins. Robin smiles in return.

"Eleven said we stay here." Steve tries to stand his ground against the opposing trio that starts to remind him of the little gremlins.

"And Eleven said she barely defeated this Mind Flayer. So she needs help." Laura fires back.

"Yeah Harrington, more helping hands and all that." He wiggles the said body parts.

"And you don't want your friends to be in danger, do you Steve, hmmm?" Robin pokes.

Steve shook his head in disgust, "You're just like the little bastards I swear...", he looked for Gabriela's support, andshe seemed reasonable, like she was sane, "Come on ma'am. You can't think this is a good idea."

Gabriela shook her head, "I don't. But Transigen will be searching everywhere for us. It is only a matter of time before they find us." She cautioned. Steve sensed she wasn't on board with the plan. Not fully.

Great, Steve didn't know if it was three or four against one.

He groaned. "Urrfgh, fine. Just fine. I will take you there. However, you will follow my lead." He demands of them.

This seemed good for Robin and Laura but not Hargrove for stepped forward with hostile manner.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" he challenged.

Steve raises his brows at him and starts to point at them, "Uh, target, target, target," he points at Robin and himself, "not a target and not a target. They don't know about me. Therefore, they won't be looking for me or my car." And Steve is quite proud ofhow smart he sounded.

"He has a point Billy." Robin shrugged.

"…Yeah, he has a point." Hargrove reluctantly spits out, much to his glee.

"Like you kindly pointed out Hargrove." Steve smugly reminds.

As Hargrove grumbled to Robin‛s amusement, Gabriela shook her head and addressed Steve. "Very well, Señor Harrington. Lead the way."

Steve honestly didn't want to do this. But Laura right now had such a hopeful shine in her eyes at the idea of meeting Eleven face-to-face thathe couldn't say no.

Steve hopes he hasn't made a wrong choice.

---

They marched down the mayor's office with fire in their hearts. After waking up from an uncomfortable sleep in the Radio Shack storeroom, Jim and Joyce went through a series of steps that had to be taken today.

Step one: Figure out what were they capable of right now.

Not too much, given they can't contact anyone without risking Pierce and his Transigen goons listening in. What they could do was some serious damage. The Transigen Jeep possessed plenty of weapons, guns, shotguns, assault rifles with regular and armor-piercing bullets, and even several grenades. Other stuff, such as handcuffs, regular ones, and a complex one, probably for Laura (the sight of it…!), tranquilizers, and a peculiar first aid kit with some pretty good pills that makes you go right from the start. Jim felt as if he had been beaten and nearly blown up several days ago and not yesterday.

It still hurt like a sonova bitch.

Step two: Gather information from available sources.

Kline came first to mind because he was the only source known and available to them. Jim doubted they could lure Pierce out; the bloodthirsty bastard is cunning and would bring his goons along and Jim wanted to avoid thatfor now.

Jim would rather be with his daughter in their cabin, making sure she's safe, but sadly, out of tactical necessity, his mind was laser-focused on Larry Kline, glaring at anyone who dared to stand in their way. Luckily, there were not many people at the place. Regardless of the disgusting image of the man, he would tell them everything he knew, and they meant everything. God help that little weasel if he even left out one detail…!

Focus Jim. Think about Eleven. What is at stake…

"Is he in there?" Jim demands as they barge into the small waiting room in front of Kline's office, startling Candice from her manicure.

"Um, yes, he's- Excuse me." She called after Jim who didn't stop, "Um, excuse me, you can't go in there. Mayor Kline-"

Joyce goes to block her way. "He is going to have a little talk with us," she declares. "It is an emergency."

"Who do you think-! *gasp*" He knew Candice went still at the sight of their bruises and small injuries.

When Jim went to open the door, he found it locked. In response, he starts to slam the door with his shoulder.

*SLAM

"Scared, huh Lar? ", he grunts as the door barely budges.

Candice goes for the phone, "I‛m calling-"

Joyce beat her to a punch by pulling the cord from the machine, "And who‛re you gonna call? The police?" she sweetly asked as Jim went for a second strike. "He's already here."

*SLAM

"It has been a rough night for us so why don't you sit down and pretend we‛re not here, okay?" Joyce continued to ask in a false sweet tone.

Jim paid no mind to an increasingly frightened secretary. " What the hell is wrong with you? I-"

"Honey," Joyce's voice was cold and threatening, "I suggest you sit your ass down. Now." she orders, not in the mood to deal with Kline's floozies.

Jim didn't know if Candice still stood or sat down defeated because he needed to talk with Kline.

*SLAM

*THUNK

Slamming the door open just in time to see Mr. Ass put his phone down, Jim enters.

"Hopper! Where were you? I've been calling your precinct all day! Someone broke…" Kline trailed off as Jim ignored him in favor of closing the behind him and locking them up with dreadful air. Slowly, with practiced military menace, Jim turns around and glares daggers at the spineless bastard. Kline's eyes widen as he comes to a realization and points. "You! You broke into my house! I‛ll have your-", Jim advances, causing Kline to stumble back in fear, pleading, "Jim! Jim Jim, now wait just a minute- Argh!"

Jim ignores Larry's desperate pleas and grabs the sonova bitch by the throat. "All right Larry. I'm here. Like you called. And you're gonna tell me everything. And I mean everything." He hissed in his ear and tossed the worm back in his chair. Jim went to sit opposite him not breaking eye contact with his fearful eyes.

Larry clutched his throat and went still when he saw the crumpled police uniform and bruises on Jim's face. Yeah, it's not a pretty thing to look at. Ugly colors of purple and yellow adorned part of his body and face. The cuts on the arms from theglass didn't help by the red lines that still glistened. It frightened Larry a bit more. Good.

"I-I-I could have you arrested for this." He muttered standing up straighter in a vain attempt to hold some authority.

Jim leaned back in the chair with a bored expression. Inside he was fuming with anger that was barely restrained. "Really Larry? Do you think you can threaten me? After your friends came here in our town and you threw yourself at their feet for, what, a couple of bucks?" he grabbed the nameplate off his desk, contemplating its usage for something painful.

"Ji-Jim." Kline huffed, staring at him and trying to summon up words, "This- These guys, you don't want to mess with them."

Jim huffed, bored, "Oh. I wouldn't mess with them, Larry. If only they didn't kill innocent people in my town, tried to cover it up, and then tried to murder me when I found their dirty little secret." he intoned, taping the nameplate. "Sooo I guess shit hit the fan and I'm one of the few people willing to clean it up."

Kline frantically shook his head, "No, you don't understand."

"Oh, I do. You see Larry," Jim rose from his chair, "this isn't my first rodeo. And I don't mean New York." He reveals darkly, tossing the nameplate aside.

"No Hopper, you don't. These guys are something else. They have no… restraints. No morals." Larry trembled while morning daylight shone on him. Despite it, there was no feeling of warmth from it.

"Oh, and the people from the Hawkins Lab did?!" Jim bit back with venom.

"Hawkins Laboratory didn't go around killin-" Larry shuts his mouth.

"Actually Larry, they did. And I don't mean Barbara Holland or Bob Newby. No no no, I'm talking about Benny Hammond." Kline's eyes widened. "You remember Benny Hammond, right? Had a small diner west of town. Nice guy. Friendly to a fault. Anyways, his death wasn't a suicide." Jim gritted out.

He didn't know whether he should share some of the dark secrets that haunt this town. And yet the fear intensified in Larry's face and it was worthit.

Larry gulps, trying to process what is happening right now, "Jim, if they find out I am talking with you about them, then I‛m-"

Jim interrupts, "Good as dead. True true. However, unlike them, I don't want you dead Larry. I want to beat the ever-living shit out of you for bending over and allowing them to do as they please around Hawkins, but I don't want you dead." he steadily goes around the desk.

"Oh rr-really?" Larry stammered with apprehensive hope, fixing his white-blonde hair.

"Really. That's why," Jim takes out a pair of handcuffs, dangling them with a cocky smile, "you're going into my protective custody."

Larry jumps out of his chair, trying to escape, "Jim. Jim, try to think clearly. Jim, wait- Ouch!"

Jim grabs him by the wrists andtwists them a bit to make the bastard yelp. Pushing him down on the desk, he leans in, "Oh, and you can tell me everything about your dirty business with Transigen. And what kinda meetings you had with Donald fucking Pierce." He hisses, cuffing him.

Jim drags Larry out of his office, startling Candice again and nodding to Joyce who throws a hateful glare at a perplexed Kline. Jim hoped Joyce didn't go overboard and showed a 9mm Berretta he gave her. She barely knew how to use a gun.

"What? Where are you going?" Candice demands. "What did you-"

"Oh don't worry Candice. He's going into protective custody." Joyce explains, joining them. "Oh and would keep my mouth shut. You know, just in case people ask. Like Winnie." She kindly states with a wink.

"Or how about I talk with go Downtown to the Post and talk with Tom, hmm? Tell him about that time I found you passed out in a hideaway with some powder on your nose." Jim sneered into Larry's ear. "Wouldn't the press love to hear about that?"

"I- I-" Candice stuttered in fear, slowly backing away from them.

Now Jim and Joyce exchanged guilty gazes. Despite being Larry's intimate confidante, she wasn't guilty of the crap he did. She's innocent. Well, relatively.

"You really should stay out of this Candice." Joyce gently replies, squeezing her shoulder. Jim agreed. No need to drag anyone else into this hot mess. "It's really for your own good."

"Like you should have stayed out Larry for our own good. But here we are." Jim does not gently drag Larry away.

Jim ignores the whining of a corrupt mayor, going through the back and hoping Transigen isn't around the corner.

With that annoying step two done, he meets Joyce's gaze and nods.

It was time for step three: Interrogation. And then the last and most important step.

Step four: Get back to their kids.

---

Eleven had just finished checking Mike‛s parents.

Both were in a bedroom; Ted fixing a collar on his black suit while Karen applied makeup with gentle, accurate touches. They are both dressed in black, for a funeral. For the murdered Munson family.

Eleven checked Lucas's parents before them, doing the same thing, getting dressed while Erica played with her friends in a park, happy and blissfully unaware. Claudia Henderson herself sat in the living room, snuggling a cat and watching TV with a worry and occasional glance at Dustin's picture from Halloween. Dustin bristled when she mentioned Dustin's dad. Said it was okay, he knew he wasn't in Hawkins. Max‛s folks were driving on a road somewhere. It was odd how Max asked how Susan, her mom was but not Neil. When Eleven told her she looked fine, Max just nodded and quickly glanced away. Odd.

It is an odd irrelevant thing for now. All of their parents were safe.

But for how long was the question Eleven secretly feared to know the answer. At any moment they could be attacked. Just one second was all it took for lives to be ended and Eleven honestly didn't know who was more of a threat right now: Transigen or the Mind Flayer?

Eleven once again found Dad and Mrs Byers. Driving in a black jeep. With another passenger in the back. A distressed blonde-haired man in a suit, handcuffed to a handle above the door, yelling at them. She was surprised by this but currently paid no mind. If Dad and Mrs. Byers had a reason to take this man, it was a good one. Eleven trusted them.

She huffed, sitting and observing everyone currently in the cabin.

Will was with Jonathan, Nancy, and Mike in her bedroom. Will whispered in a hushed tone to Jonathan whose eyes were sometimes unfocused, while Mike and Nancy stood in the doorway, watching them. Dustin, Lucas, and Max sat on the couch, hunched over and discussing something Eleven couldn't hear and honestly didn't care what it was at the moment.

Eleven waited patiently and waited until no one was watching her so she could continue her search for the one who needed to be stopped first and… atmost? Atmost? No. First and utmost. That was the word.

Eleven needed to search. For him.

It was a risky move. The Mind Flayer could see her, which is a huge problem. That and the fact that the Mind Flayer was driven out from Will inside this verycabin.

An idea comes to her.

Mike told her, before she came back from Chicago, when Will was still possessed, they inte-rro-gated him in a shed, covering everything until it was un-reco-gni-zable so the Mind Flayer couldn't recognize the place and find them.

They had a shed of their own. With no windows.

Eleven slowly got up from her seat, andtook a handset of their phone off the hook. She didn't know these machines worked but Eleven hoped it wouldn't ring. She fights off that stupid feeling, not knowing how everything in the world works and walks over to thefront door. Making sure one more time she is not watched, Eleven goes outside.

It is so unfair how she couldn't enjoy the sight.

Summer morning was beautiful, the orange sunrays filtering through the glistening leaves of tall trees, still dripping from the rainfall that gradually lessened throughout the night. The entire area shone with the air of a new day and Eleven wanted nothing more than to sit and simply watch and listen to this beautiful nature that has been denied to her since birth. She takes a moment toruffle her curly hair, a symbolic reminder of what she gained back, who she is now, and the wonderful people she has in her life.

The Mind Flayers' existence threatens to take that all away.

Eleven grits her teeth, slowly closing the door behind her. Spotting the shed to her left, she marches towards it, uncaring if the new white shoes that Max bought for her were splattered with mud.

"Priorities, priorities, priorities," she mumbled.

As Eleven entered and closed the door behind her, she made space on the floor, sat, covered her eyes, and focused. A moment later she was in the Void and the search co-mmen-ced. A familiar, unpleasant pull made her go left. Step by step through the shallow water, she searched for a single female figure, wary of whatever position Eleven would find them.

She really didn't want to see them doing something… evil. Or even worse, if that was somehow possible.

There.

Sitting far away. Cautiously, she approached the barefooted dark figure, dressed in awhite T-shirt and blue overalls, sitting on someone else's bed.

‛Thief,‛ she thought with hot fury. Eleven decided to go forward, wanting to confront this dark being.

She comes to a stop in front of the person, standing ten feet away from her. Yesterday, she found Freedy. Freedy who had but a moment to plead for her help before being dragged down into the depths of the Void, taken by the Mind Flayer. It happened to Heather before him. She is the first, she has to be.

How did it happen?

Eleven‛s heart clenched at the thought and then at the sight of the poor teenage girl. Heather sat hunched over, gripping the edges of a bed with white and pink sheets and breathing in uneven short breaths, trembling, and… was she crying? Eleven saw small droplets fall from her face, but her shoulder-length hair, freely flowing now, covered it.

Was it her? Will told her he was aware of almost everything when he was taken, like seeing yourself through a TV and you cannot do anything but watch. And yet, he still found a way to resist him, in a limited way.

Eleven can't help to hope… what if the Mind Flayer left Heather and went to do something else because it now possessed several people and he needed to focus somewhere else? Even he wasn't powerful. Was he?

What if Heather was free? Free and aware of what happened and was rightly horrified? Scared. Scared and alone-

"Oh good God…!"

Eleven nearly gasped. It was her. Her voice was so hollow. Devoid of hope. Resigned. Eleven couldn't just stand there and do nothing while she suffered like that, so she dares to whisper…

"…Heather?"

The shivering figure stops shivering and goes still. Eleven looks down at the shallow water and sees vibrations, coming from Heather. Slowly, Heather raised her head and Eleven warily stepped back.

No, not Heather, the Mind Flayer raised Heather's head. The Mind Flayer made eye contact, using Heather's brown eyes against her will. Eleven was right, they shone with tears, ruined mascara flowing down her cheeks, black lines streaking them.

Eleven felt a disturbed shiver crawling up her spine at the sight. The fact that Heather was trapped inside her own body by evil itself. Alone, scared, no hope. Like her when P-Brenner threw her into the dark room.

She was free until she showed up and the Mind Flayer stole her body again. She pushed down the guilt of accidentally denying Heather her freedom.

Eleven will save her. Save them all. From him.

Eleven held an unflinching stare down with an emotionless Mind Flayer as anger built up inside her. She had no fear of him, she knew what it was. Just another monster that wanted to hurt because it could. And another to be dealt with, like Papa-Brenner, the scientists, the guards, their caretakers like-!

A sudden hazy flow of memories made her head hurt and lose her balance. She could feel the Void somehow shimmering. She hears voices…

Why?

She sees a room. Full of children. Wearing white clothing. Shaved heads. Moving things. With their minds. Like her. A room with… a rainbow… what?

Eleven gasped for air as all of it disappeared in a flash.

What was happening? Her memories of the Laboratory. She never went so far. She never… knew the rest of her… did she?

"Heh."

Eleven snaps her head back at the Mind Flayer. Did he just…?!

The abomination used Heather to form a crooked smile as if he was daring her to do something. The smugness of it, the cruelty… that boy Troy had exactly the same one when he tried to hurt Mike and Dustin and force Mike to jump from a cliff.

Anger turns to hatred. And with it, comes a simple decision.

Oh, Eleven is going to do something. She will kill him. Last time it was a mere banishment, trying to keep him away from her world. This time, she won't let anything stand in her way.

She will kill him. It is a simple fact.

"I think she's in here, come on!" she hears Mike yell from the outside.

Eleven glared with gritted teeth and clenched fists as Not-Heather con-des-… conse.. condescendingly waved at her and she was forced to stop her search. She angrily ripped off the bandana as the shed door opened, revealing her friends staring right back at her with worry and something else she couldn't figure outas she heaved deep angry breaths wanting to tear apart the Mind Flayer.

Her friends jump as Eleven slams the floor with a growl.

"El! Where did you go?" Mike breathed out, "We've been- What is it?" he asked as Eleven stood up and beckoned them to follow her.

"Come on. Let's go." She marches back to the cabin.

"Let's go where?" Lucas asks her, trying to keep up.

"To find Heather," Eleven reveals, climbing the porch.

"What?" Max exclaims as they enter.

"Now?" Will incredulously demands, staring at her like she's insane.

Nancy emerges from her bedroom, "What is going on?" she demands.

"El wants to fight the Mind Flayer." Dustin deadpans. Eleven didn't appreciate the doubt in his voice so she gave him a dirty look. He met with defiance. "And I don't think it's a good idea."

"Seriously?" Nancy exclaims, staring at Eleven with an incredulous gaze. "Now?!"

Eleven swirls to face her and spread her arms out. "As long as he is out there, no one is safe!" she hotly points out.

"She is right." Mike agrees, although hesitantly, "But Eleven, we need to-"

"Should you?" Dustin objects as Eleven gives him a mean side-eye, "I mean look, if he sees you, that is if Heather sees you- Not Heather sees you-" he fumes, "The point is! If that happens, then the plan goes down the drain. Plus, there's Freddy and others."

"Heather was the first. And she is probably," she turns to Will, "the main host. Right?"

"Right." Will reluctantly nods. "But it's different now."

"We attack the main host. We get the Mind Flayer out of Heather. We show him we are strong and he is weak!" Eleven smacks her hands. "We make him afraid!"

And quite frankly, she doesn't care how she's putting everyone on edge.

"Okay, you are not going anywhere without me." Nancy attempts to be a figure of calm and authority, putting a foot down. Eleven never understood the phrase as Nancy only crossed her arms and her feet were already on the floor.

Eleven could also sense her friends debating, either through words or eye contact. Some were for it, some were not.

Lucas pointed. "Look, someone has to be there for Jonathan. He can't be left alone." He was on board, yes! He always had his priorities straight.

"Yeah, if we go against that asshole, someone has to make sure he's alright." Max supports, alright! She knew her best friend had her back.

Nancy wrung her arms. She offers, "Jonathan can-"

"Jonathan hit his head and nearly died," Eleven shoots her the idea down.

"You really should be there for him. I mean, if anyone has expertise in medicine, is your sis." Mike, of course, stood by her.

Nancy glances at Will and Dustin, silently asking for their support, "And you really shouldn't be going alone, if he sees you-"

"There are guns underneath the floorboards." Eleven pointed at a spot near the TV and concentrated. The machine and the floorboards parts away. They crowded around the hole and Eleven heard some mumble in surprise.

One assault rifle, one shotgun, one hunting rifle, and several guns with ammunition. That isenough to make anyone think twice before coming after them. Pity she never asked Dad how to use these things.

"Hopper says there is enough to give someone hell." Eleven proclaims.

"Oh shit," Max swore, eyes nearly popping out of her sockets, like the rest. "You never told me you had that many guns."

"Yeah, you can start a war with this stuff." Will scoffed.

"I'm not surprised." Lucas boasts. "Hopper fought in Vietnam. You tell me after dealing with weird crap these past two years he wouldn't prepare."

"I need to get something stronger than a baseball bat," Dustin muttered. He took off his hat and wiped his forehead. "Okay, I'm in. Just to make sure you guys don't get killed." Dustin finally came to his senses.

"You can screech at the Mind Flayer." Mike teased. Dustin blew a raspberry at him.

"And I'm in too." Will gulped. "If something goes wrong, I can sense him, warn you before he does anything." And there is it.

Nancy was clearly troubled and hesitant to let them go hunt the Mind Flayer. Eleven managed to calm herself down and grasped Nancy by her shoulder. She knew she just wanted to protect them from a threat. But they can't just sit here and pray for safety.

They need to fight back.

"Nancy. I can handle him. You take care of Jonathan and wait for Hopper and Mrs Byers to come back." Eleven pushes on.

Nancy pursed her lips, put her hand on herhips, and tapped her foot, "Fine. Jesus, I can't believe I'm saying this but fine. But I want you to think clearly, okay?" She makes Eleven look her in the eyes. There is care, pleading, and affection. "No just barging in there. You are not stupid. Right?"

Eleven nods. "Right."

"Solid plan. Got it?" Nancy demands.

"Got it. Solid plan. Right guys?" she asks her friends.

"Right." Dustin tips his hat.

"Right." Lucas gives a thumbs up.

"Of course El," Mike assures.

"No problem." Max grinned cockily.

"Sure." Will shrugged with a half-smile.

"Eleven." She returns her gaze to Nancy who now had fire in her eyes.

"Go get him."

"I will."

---

Billy was deeply displeased by the two facts.

First fact: being a passenger in someone else's car.

He's always the driver, always the one in charge, always free to make choices only for himself, not letting anyone else tell him what to do (Neil doesn't count). Driving a car meant liberty, it meant theexhilaration of life itself. With Steve fricking Harrington making left and right turns, Billy felt suffocated. He just had to be the leader.

Not the leader. He's just leading them to their hideout in his ugly BMW, don't get your panties in the twist Hargrove. Besides, the Camaro suffered enough.

"You're okay in there?" Robin asks them, riding shotgun.

"We are alright," Gabriela replies in a stuffy voice to his left, not sounding alright.

"Just peachy." Billy drawled as Laura grunted, sweating like a pig and flapping the T-shirt for some cool breezes.

Oh, second fact: being under a blanket, along with Laura and Gabriela.

Concealed from being possibly seen by Transigen's eyes, Billy wouldn't mind it. If it weren't summer, and it felt like it was summer because it was summer and Billy wanted to dive head-first into cool water, somewhere in California or anywhere with sandy beaches, cold drinks, and hot chicks- Hey that rhymed!

"Not hot in there, huh?" the asshole that was his royal majesty with fancy-ass hair asks with a hefty level of smugness he knew was aimed right at him.

"Oh haha, very funny Harrington, you know, you're lucky I have to hide from these psychopaths that have more guns than the NRA, otherwise, I‛d kick your ass." Billy sneered back and restrained himself from throwing hands.

"It's for your own good Billy," Robin placates, playing the diplomat. "Besides, think of it like a sauna."

"Yeah, yeah," Billy mumbled. "Christ it's more like the Sahara in here."

It was agreed very loosely by everyone that going on the main road or going around is a no-no. Gabriela and Laura kindly told them that the Reavers were watching every path leading in or out of Hawkins and will alert every bastard out there on a hunt the moment they're spotted. Billy too kindly informed Robin and Harrington that's what happened two nights ago when they tried to escape from them.

So, what's King Steve's bright idea?

Go through Hawkins itself.

To say Billy had doubts about this plan was an understatement of the year. It's like saying, "Hey, let's avoid the jungle and just go straight into the lion's den; I'm sure he won't eat us." It didn't help that now he had to hide as well, but Robin and Harrington were unknowns, so they could go as they pleased. Billy wasn't bitter about this fact. Not bitter at all, nope.

"And what about you? Nervous?" Harrington asks Robin, hearing that affection. Ugh, dude didn't know how the be subtle. Odd, given his reputation.

"A bit," Robin nonchalantly admits. Also, not subtle.

"Scared?" the former King inquires further, trying to strike up small talk with his crush.

"Hey, you can't be brave without being scared first. That's the whole deal." Robin states wisely. "Just, you know, never expected this summer would be… life-threatening." She swallowed, sounding rightly nervous.

"Understatement of the century Buckley." Billy agreed, wiping his forehead.

"Look, it's gonna be fine. A clear head. That's all you need and all it takes," Harrington assures. "That's what my basketball coach says, " he lectures.

Billy could hear Robin frown like him, "This isn't a basketball game," she deadpans.

"Yeah, there isn't a bench for us to sit this down until it's over." Billy piped in, popping his head out to inhale that fresh air. He saw the outside, a bright day with a blue sky, dotted with white clouds.

"Or call foul when they play dirty," Robin adds, snapping her fingers.

"Or threaten them with a red card." Billy unhelpfully carried on.

"The point is!" Steve snaps, "That keeping our cool is a priority- Get back under before someone sees you!" he snaps.

"Prick." Billy quipped, going back inside the sauna.

Harrington huffed. "Like I said, keeping our cool." He said, contradicting his words.

"Examine possibilities. Strengths and weaknesses." Laura voiced her opinion.

"Right! Right, strengths and weaknesses." Harrington snaps his fingers.

"You do that often kid?" Billy wonders. They did train God knows what in that place.

"Every moment." She replies, short on details.

"Every moment?" he frowns, wanting to know more.

"They taught her… how to plan." Gabriela supplies, sounding quite uncomfortable. "At the time they were at their peak."

At their peak? Billy didn't know what that meant.

"Plan? Like tactics and stuff?" Robin questions.

"Examine every room. Possible escape routes. Possible ambush spots. Examine every person. How strong. How capable. Where to strike. And kill." Laura explained in a robotic voice. "Victory at all cost."

What followed was tense, well not silence, but Billy didn't want to be so near Laura at the moment. He didn't scotch away from her because it wasn't her fault but still…

"…Right." Billy agrees, totally not disturbed.

"…Interesting." Robin politely replies but Billy could sense her eyebrows shooting up and getting tense.

"…Jesus." Harrington whispered in horror.

"See?" Gabriela simply demonstrates. Billy stared at her gun, positioned near her hip.

Laura hummed, "Billy is right. It is too hot."

*SNIKT

Billy held back a yelp as Laura's ivory claws made holes in the blanket. Right, left and middle.

"Uhhh, what did she do…?" Harrington hesitantly asks.

"There. We can breathe now." She states.

"Thank you, mija." Gabriela expressed her gratitude.

Yeah, she definitely needs better accommodations. He changed her bandages before their trip to the police chief's cabins. It still looked somewhat the same as yesterday. Gabriela told him it would ideally take at minimum a few weeks to recover. Sadly, circumstances weren't on their side.

"Yeah, thanks kid," Billy agreed. It does feel a bit better. His desire to throw himself into cool water still stood though.

"I would like some music." the kid requests. Quite polite and sweet and does not sound like she's capable of being on the same level as a Green Berret.

"Yep. Yep, music." Harrington mumbles. "Sounds good. I'll just flip the channel a bit… see what's on… what has my life become…"

Here we stand

Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two

Sleepless nights, losing ground

I'm reachin' for you, you, you

"Really, Journey? Put something else, Harrington. Doesn't feel like the time for it." Billy complains.

"Oh, and tell me Hargrove what is your musical wish for today, hmmm?" Harrington deadpanned. He still fiddled with the radio.

And lo and behold, John Travolta's singing echoes through the car. Ugh.

I got chills, they're multiplying
And I'm losing control
'Cause the power you're supplying
It's electrifying (electrifying)

"I like it," Laura says. Billy sees her bobbing her head along and he smiles at the sight. The kid could use some happy, not life-threatening moments in life. Alright then, Billy likes it too.

"Me too." Robin chuckles with glee, soft taps on a dashboard being heard.

"Really? You like Grease?" Billy scoffs, unsurprised.

"I play in a band Hargrove," Robin informs him. Oh, does she now?

You better shape up
'Cause I need a man
And my heart is set on you
You better shape up

"I like ittoo," Harrington coughs, "I heard it before, no biggie." He tries to play it cool, sounding one hundred percent like a Dingus.

Billy hears Gabriela and Laura whisper to each other as he peaks through the holes and sees the large brown building with a clock tower at its side. The Library. They were near Downtown.

You better understand
To my heart I must be true
Nothin' left, nothin' left for me to do

"Estás bien?" Gabriela asks Laura with concern as the lyrics sing but Billy ignores them.

"Estoy preocupada. Por ti." Laura replies with genuine worry. Billy is still stunned athow there is genuine emotion behind it.

You're the one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey

"No te preocupes mija. Yo sigo aquí. Y tú... tú eres feliz." Gabriela responds with motherly affection. Billy remembers how Mom used to talk to him like that.

"Cómo lo sabes?" Laura is taken aback. Okay, now Billy really wants to know what are they talking about, it sounds serious.

The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey

"Te conozco bien mi amor." Gabriela lightly teases.

"...Soy feliz. Porque... te amo Gabriela pero... después de lo que pasó... en ese lugar..." Laura proclaims with love and guilt creeping around the corner.

The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh

The one I need (the one I need)
Oh, yes, indeed (yes, indeed)

"Eso ya es cosa del pasado. Es importante recordarlo pero no pensar demasiado en ello. Puedes perderte en ese dolor." Gabriela replies, lecturing her about something.

"Conozco bien el dolor." Laura bitterly murmurs.

"Espero que también conozcas mejores sentimientos en el futuro." Gabriela encourages.

Robin made a muffled sound. She understood what they'd said which made Billy want to understand too but didn't speak Spanish. He also didn't want to intrude; it sounded very personal but felt the need to butt in.

If you're filled with affection
You're too shy to convey
Meditate in my direction
Feel your way

Billy coughs, gaining their attention, "Hey, um I just want you to know. It's, ummm, thank you, for trusting me. I know it's hard to do so given everything that is happening and has happened, but, uh, thanks." He honestly declares, hoping he didn't sound like a wuss.

Laura and Gabriela observed him. Billy didn't know why he felt so glad when their lips curved into smiles, Gabriela‛s an open one, and Laura‛s subdued but still there.

"…Wow." Harrington sounded so astonished, lowering the radio's volume.

"…You know what I'm doing right now?" Billy blankly replied to that, making a gesture.

"Does it include an animal that can fly?" Harrington snarked.

"Uh-huh." Billy hummed.

"Boys." Robin scolds them but he could see her smiling.

A brief snicker and Billy feels a bit at ease. Okay, he had to admit. It felt nice to be in a group of people that weren't out trying to kill or in retrospect, hung out with him because of his status in high school, even though one of them was Harrington of all people. He did make friends with the other guys at the pool but those-

Billy goes still, seeing someone through his hole. He notices a group of people, several firefighters by the looks of it… and his fellow lifeguards. Adam, Katie, and Zoe, dressed casually, walked alongside the firefighters, all of them young, towards their cars. Shouldn't they be at the pool today?

That was… huh? Why-

Billy felt his heart drop in alarm. Heather and Freedy. They worked at the pool with him. So did Adam, Katie, and Zoe. Heather and Freedy were taken.

Harrington talks to himself, unaware of a possible horrifying scenario playing in Billy's head, "Okay, not bad, not bad. A left-"

Billy tries to get their attention, "Hey-"

"Turn right." Laura suddenly commanded, lifting her cover, andexposing herself.

"What?" Harrington nearly leaps from his seat.

Billy desperately tried to push her back, "Kid, go back-"

"It's their vehicle, I recognize it!" Laura bellowed. What, did they pass their car or something?

"Oh no no!" Robin panicked, gripping the dashboard and accidentally turning the radio volume up.

You're the one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey

Harrington tries to calm them down, "Come on now! They probably-" Billy hears a vehicle make a sharp turn behind them, tires screeching. "Shit."

A roar of a motor echoes behind them, causing panic. Billy, Laura and Gabriela pop their head out. Eyes widen at the sight of a familiar black jeep closing in on them.

"Punch it Harrington!" Billy urges, tapping the asshat's shoulders.

The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Harrington swore as he sped up, driving wildly through the streets of Hawkins.

"They're getting closer!" Gabriela warns as they pass Melvad‛s.

"Right!" Harrington yelled back, wild eyes searching for an escape.

"Go there, go there! Can't you see-!" Robin hollered in fear, pointing at an empty intersection.

"I can see!" Harrington snaps back, steering the wheel left and making Billy's back meet the door. He grunted when Laura's small body collided with his.

"Oh shiiitt!" he yells as they quickly catch Gabriela who yells in pain. Jesus Christ, he prays her gun doesn't go off!

The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh

*SLAM

"Oh fuck!" Robin screeched as the bad guys tried to ram them off the road.

Billy was then confused when they suddenly stopped. And they saw the why.

*CRAAAAAASH

"What happened?" Harrington cries at the sound of someone hitting something with their car.

Billy sees they crashed into a white Cadillac, sending it flying across the pavement, "Those assholes just hit a car! Never mind them, just go!" he yells back, glad it wasn't them.

"Did they kill someone?!" Robin fearfully inquiries, not daring to take her eyes off the road.

Billy hoped they did fucking not, "Drive!" he yells instead.

The one I need (the one I need)
Oh, yes, indeed (yes, indeed)

"Go there! The street is empty!" Robin points to Harrington.

"This was a bad idea! I told you this was a bad idea!" Harrington parrots, going right into an empty space. They need to think fast!

*SCREEEEEECH

"We‛ll feel like shit later Harrington, focus on the road!" Billy snaps at him and glances at Laura and Gabriela, "You two okay?"

"Yes, yes." Gabriela stammered as Laura held from failing over. Shit, her side!

If you're filled with affection
You're too shy to convey

"Cool. Buckley?" He asks the freckled teen.

"I'm fine! I'm totally fine. I'm not dead." She stuttered, heaving shorts andscared breaths as they left the empty street.

"Cool." He gives her a hopefully encouraging thumbs up.

Billy sees green. Harrington obviously decided that going into Downtown Hawkins was a stupid fucking idea and goes through the secluded neighborhood of Hawkins. He started to recognize the path. It led to a familiar place where they could hide.

Meditate in my direction
Feel your way

"I'm okay too!" Harrington complains, throwing his hands.

Billy doesn't have time to deal with him because he knows where to hide. He beckons an urgent, "Steve!"

"What?" Harrington blinked in surprise at the usage of his first time.

"There's a mansion just up ahead. It has an overgrown backyard that we can hide in. Go around back, quickly!" Billy urged.

He sees Harrington frowning, "How do you know that-?"

"Do it, Harrington!" Billy urges further as the abandoned Victorian house comes into their view. "NOW!"

Good thing King Steve's ears still work. Billy gripped the seat as a sharp right turn was made.

*SCREEEEEECH

I better shape up
'Cause you need a man
I need a man

"You weren't kidding about overgrown!" Robin states the obvious, the unruly grass and weed tall enough to cover a car and creeping vines and wild bushes obscuring their surroundings. "The fuck?!"

"Shut the engine!" Billy commands.

Who can keep me satisfied
I better shape up
If I'm gonna pro-

Harrington does so and everyone goes still and quiet. A rushing jeep is heard slowing down, and a rat screech of tires is heard from the front. All just fifty feet away from them.

The air gets tenser. Billy cracks his knuckles; Laura does the same and Gabriela pulls out her small revolver and cocks it. Harrington gripped the wheel and Robin the dashboard, ready for fight or flight. Or both.

Robin finds courage to whisper, "…Are-"

"Shh!" Harrington shushes her.

Tension rose by the second. It increased tenfold when Robin sneezed-

*AH-CHOOO

-then by ahundredfold when Harrington swore.

"Shit!"

Both front-row sailors clasped their mouths as Billy's heart pumped a steady supply of blood into his system as the ebbing pain of his wounds and bruises slowly faded in favor of adrenaline coursing through him. The only sound is their barely controlled breathing.

After what felt like aneternity, theengine rumbled and roared, moving away from the place. Waiting patiently for it to fade away, they are on high alert for a good minute before leaning back and letting out heavy breaths from their lips. Billy‛s shoulders dropped, and although his heart still raced, there wasa sense of clarity right now. He also restrained an urge to smack those two idiots in front of him silly.

"…Luckily they didn't hear of you." Robin trembled, rubbing her hands in anattempt to calm herself down. Billy taps her shoulders in support.

"Or you. Otherwise, you would be-", the Hair stopped, glancing back at Laura checking on Gabriela, "In a heap of trouble."

"Yeah, no shit." Robin swallows. She covered her face. Yep Buckley, this was not fun at all.

"Oh, you can swear and I can‛t?" Harrington light-heartedly demands, proving he also has a set of functioning eyes.

"Simple. I'm new to all this. And I'm a little bit unsettled." Robin quips back, somewhat regaining balance.

"A little bit?" Harrington repeats.

"Swearing helps ease the fear, Harrington. I see you know that technique well, given your driving." Billy quipped, joining the Try to light up the mood after a murder attempt. "Thought you knew how to keep your cool."

Steve blew a raspberry at them, to which they responded in kind. Gabriela rolled her eyes. She glances at Laura who mimicked their behaviour.

"You are a bad influence, all of you" Gabriela drily states although she was relieved they were safe.

"Oh, I hope so. Laura can learn a lot from us." Billy offers earnestly.

"Like drinking a beer upside down." Harrington offered sarcastically.

"Keg Kig of Hawkins!" Billy boasts proudly, raising his hand upwards, not ashamed of his reputation at all.

"Keg King?" Laura genuinely wonders with a frown.

Billy starts to explain. "Yeah, it-"

"No." Gabriela suddenly growls, silencing Billy swiftly with adeath glare.

Billy purses his lips, "Right, sorry."

"C‛mon, dude." Robin critics. "She's…. how old are you?"

"Ten," Gabriela answers for her.

"Nearly eleven," Laura adds.

"What, she can decapitate men but hearing about that is a no-no?" Billy scowled.

"Yes." Gabriela stands by her choice.

"Decapitate?" Robin rightly whispers in anunsettled fashion.

Harrington coughs, unsettled like Robin, "Well, we're halfway there now," he informs them. "Just need to lay low for a while."

"Yeah. How do you know this place?" Robin asks examining the old mansion, its crumbling limestones, andweathered textures, all while being intertwined with creeping ivy that clings to the walls creating a perfect visage of a ghost house.

"…I came here once to smoke pot," Billy admits nonchalantly.

Robin sarcastically bows, "Ah. An intellectual gathering I take it. You know a lot of the good places, do you Hargrove?"

"I came here only once Buckley. I don't know. This house is weird. And creepy." And Billy never dared to go inside. The darkened windows and peeling wooden shutters told him no one had been here for years, probably decades. "You two know anything about this?"

"I passed it by a few times," Harrington comments.

"Me too. Never went there." Robin adds.

"We could stay in there for an hour at least," Harrington suggests.

"At least until we‛re sure the coast is clear." Robin agrees.

Billy did not agree. That place hasbad vibes all over it. And neither did Laura, with a spurning, "No." that is so absolute everyone is taken aback. Glancing back and forth between the, hopefully, empty place, Billy watches her.

She is tense, eyeing the building with asharp gaze.

"Mija?" Gabriela grasped her by the shoulder.

"No me gusta esta casa." Laura pointed at the mansion with sharp filthy gables.

"Well, I don't have to speak Spanish to understand that," Billy stated.

Billy trusted Laura. If the kid, who could go against people armed to the teeth, says you don't go in there, you don't go in there.

"…Weee don't need to go in there, but I'm gonna take the car further back. We really, really need to stay here for a while." He turns on the engine and puts it in reverse.

"Estamos cerca Laura." Gabriela soothes.

Laura grunted. Billy knew that level of grunt. Displeased, petulant, childish. It almost sounded like him when he was a small kid.

Billy nudges her shoulder, "It's not forever kid." He assured and he's glad her lips curved into a half-smile.

He looked up and saw the sun shining upon them, still rising and moving. It felt odd how bright this day was.

---

Soooooooooo… this chapter was supposed to be as twice as long! I decided, while writing it, that it was too long so the plan was to divide it into two chapters, the first on November 6th and the second a week later on November 13th in order to make up for a long period of no updates.

However, during my attempt to put the other half into the next week's chapter, the computer crashed and the other half was lost.

At that moment, I found out I possessed an incredible level of self-control. No screaming, just going to lay down for a few minutes and staring at the ceiling, asking God why me?

Luckily, I had a copy of the same chapter and it has the second part, roughly 50% of it. I apologize to everyone, I have planned it to be a long update, especially for this day.

Now in this chapter:

Jonathan recovers from his injuries while the rest of the party realizes the Fourth of July is just around the corner. Plans are not yet formed as silent panic grips them.

Steve finds himself in an odd situation again and is pressured by a gang of gremlins to go on with an idea he doesn't completely support. I wanted Steve to see the other side of Billy Hargrove.

Jim and Joyce take Mayor Kline into his custody.

Eleven confronts the Mind Flayer and is goaded into action as anger and hatred start to dictate her mind.

Billy and the Gang run into Transigen and narrowly escape, hiding behind an important Hawkins landmark.

I am going to make sure the next chapter is updated hopefully by the end of November. Until then, stay tuned!