Chapter Text
In FLAG headquarters, Michael Knight leans against Kitt’s hood as Devon Miles gives them the case file. “This one is a bit unusual, I’m afraid.” he says in his distinctive accent. “We have reports from a small town – Hawkins, Indiana.”
“Never heard of it.” Michael quips.
“It’s a small town in Roane County, with a population of approximately 30,000.” Kitt supplies. “The only destination of note there is the Hawkins Laboratory, which is run by the Department of Energy.”
Bonnie frowns from her place at the computer. “The Department of Energy? That’s a strange place for them to set up.”
“We don’t think it’s actually the DOE.” Devon says. “Rumor has it the CIA has set up shop in the laboratory, and they’re running MKUltra experiments there.”
Michael arches an eyebrow. “Seriously? That crap again?”
Devon shrugs. “Whoever is actually in control of the place is irrelevant. What is relevant are these pictures my source sent me.” He hands the file over to Michael, who flips it open idly. Then he freezes. Amused interest melts into absolute fury.
“Kids? They’re experimenting on kids?”
“Yes.” Devon’s normally cool inflection cracks on the word, revealing his own anger. “There were originally 11 children, but as far as we can tell, only one remains in their grasp. The others are either dead or have escaped somehow. I have computer techs trying to track them down.”
“So what is our goal?” Kitt asks.
“Save the child. Get her out of their grasp any way you possibly can. That is your main priority.” Devon sighs. “If you can, gather information about their experiments. Find out who is involved and what happened to the other children. And Michael – be careful. I doubt these people have any problems with disposing of those who get in their way.”
“They’ll find it pretty hard to dispose of me.” Michael says darkly. He slides off the hood, and Kitt automatically opens the door for him. “Come on, pal – let’s get rolling. There’s some bad guys to go beat up.”
“Gladly.” Kitt replies, and the two of them roll out of the garage and disappear down the road.
Bonnie looks over at Devon. “Do you think they’ll be alright?”
Devon sighs. “I honestly don’t know, Bonnie.”
/---------/
Dana Scully is only mildly surprised to find a map of Indiana spread across her partner’s desk when she walks in. “What is it today?” she asks with a small smile. “UFO hotspots again?”
“Not this time.” Fox Mulder says with an incorrigible grin. “We’ve got something a little more down to earth – and close to home.”
That earns him an arched eyebrow. “How so?”
“I present to you – Hawkins Laboratory.” He hands her a picture of the place. It’s grainy, taken from a distance, but she can clearly see the identifying sign – and the barbed wire fence. “Frohike’s source was able to get that to him before he was chased off by the guards.”
Scully scoffs. “I don’t trust anyone Frohike considers a source.” she says pointedly.
Mulder just chuckles. “Yeah, I know you don’t. But if you knew some of the stuff I’ve pulled up about this place, you’d be suspicious, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like they claim to be run by the Department of Energy, but the DOE doesn’t know a thing about them.” He flashes her another wicked grin. “That the rumor mill says the place is where MKUltra experiments have gone to play.”
Scully rolls her eyes. “Mulder – “
“But ignoring all of that, in the past year there have been verified reports of a missing boy, an unidentified dead body, and an incident that cost the lives of dozens of people at the local middle school – an incident Hawkins Laboratory was involved in, but won’t comment on.” Mulder finishes his spiel with a small smile. “Interested yet?”
“You have the proof of those claims?”
He hands her over the newspaper reports. “Read them for yourself.”
It doesn’t take long for Scully to skim through them. “Mulder – this is a hell of a cover up if it’s true.”
“I know. It’s right up both our alleys.”
“How so?”
“I get to investigate MKUltra. You get to see justice is done for an innocent John Doe and those dozens at the school.” He leans forward, all mirth gone in his intensity. “What do you say?”
Scully considers, but in reality, her decision was made the moment Mulder brought the story to her attention. Even without the news reports, she knows she’ll follow her partner anywhere. Even if she doesn’t always believe his explanations, his intuition always brings her to people who need to be protected.
Besides, someone has to make sure the well-meaning idiot doesn’t get himself into too much trouble.
She puts the newspapers in her briefcase to read through later. “When do we leave?”
Mulder’s responding smile could light up a room. “In three hours. Better pack warm.”
/---------/
It’s quiet.
Jim Hopper sits on the porch of the rickety old cabin. It’s been so long since he’s been out here that he barely remembers the before. Those memories cling like fading ghosts, ready to be swept away like the dust and cobwebs that he and Eleven cleaned up earlier.
Eleven.
Mike called her El. Her birth name was most likely Jane. Her tattoo marked her clearly – 011. Eleven. Just a number. Just another subject.
His hands clench around his cup of coffee. Like hell.
“Hop?”
He glances over his shoulder. “What are you doing up?”
“Can’t sleep.” She walks over to him but stops just short of sitting down. He raises one arm in invitation, and she wastes no time in settling in beside him, curling up into his warmth. He wonders if she’s ever experienced this before. He knows she hasn’t. “Bad place.”
“In your head?”
“Yeah.”
He nods. “Those are nightmares.” He’s trying to get her to speak more than two words at a time, but it’s hard. She doesn’t have the language to express herself fully, and the guessing games that transpire can frustrate her beyond anything else. And the last thing anyone wants is a frustrated kid that can throw cars with her mind. He wasn’t the best dad to begin with, and his patience has worn thin with age.
Still, he’s trying. They both are.
“Nightmares.”
“Yeah.”
“Hurts.”
He holds her a little tighter. “Only your heart. Nightmares can’t hurt your body.” he assures her.
There’s a brief pause before she asks the question he knew she would. “Mike?”
He tries to keep her focused on the small cabin, to keep her calm and give her a chance to heal and discover herself, but this time he decides to tell her the truth. “If the bad guys are still out there, then they’re watching Mike. If you go to him, they’ll find you, too. And I don’t want that to happen.”
“Not safe.”
“Not for either of you. Not yet.” He pauses for a moment. “Is he still using the walkie-talkie?”
“Every day.”
“Then next time I see him, I’ll tell him to keep using it. I can’t flat out say you’re alive, but I can try to drop a hint. How does that sound?”
She looks up at him, piercing eyes trying to determine his level of truthfulness. “Promise.”
“On my honor.”
She snuggles back into him, considerably more relaxed than she was. “Okay.”
The morning falls silent again, this time with her small weight against his side.
Hop could get used to this.