Chapter Text
Steve could feel the soldiers hands wrestling him into the side of the truck but it was muted and numb as he stared at El in the portal entrance. The young girl was bravely refusing to cross the line into their world but all Steve could see was that kid who used to sneak into movies at the mall and grin toothily at him when she said the new cool phrases she had learned from her friends as she passed by him. All of them had had to grow up fast because of this insanity that had entered tehir lives but El especially had been forced to experience enough trauma for three lifetimes in just a few short years. He watched as she closed her eyes for a moment and a tear rolled down her cheek just as Mike also stilled, his face softened. The moment passed quickly and soon his broken cries for El echoed back along with Dustin, Lucas, and Will’s shouts. Steve had never fully understood her powers but he guessed she was able to reach out to Mike for that brief moment. Robin’s fingers wound their way around his as the soldiers too seemed to focus on El. The wind behind her was picking up, debris flew behind her as she stood still and resolute in her decision.
Steve’s own eyes welled up as he could see her make the choice to sacrifice herself to end this cycle. Her bravery was beyond words and there was a horrible pang of grief in his chest as he knew this was the last time he would ever see El. He was so proud of what she’d done after the shitty hand life dealt her to see what she had done with, it made him start calling out her name too. The soldier’s grip on his shoulders tightened once again.
Suddenly Mike’s voice rose up above the rest. It took Steve a moment to process what he was saying.
“Her hand!” The young boy screamed as he twisted in the soldier’s grip, “Look at her hand!”
Steve frowned as his gaze, along with the rest of the team’s, snapped to El’s hands. At first he couldn’t see anything but then he caught it. An unnatural flicker of movement on the first finger of her right hand. The vibration was not something any human could naturally create.
“Where is she?” Mike shouted to Dr Kay, but the women looked through Mike her eyes unfocused and blank. Dread shot through Steve’s heart. The grey haired doctor was completely unresponsive to anything around her. Mike kept on shouting at her demanding to know what was happening, “What have you done with her?”
“It’s not El!” Dustin’s voice carried over the swell of noise, “Mike it’s not El doing this! She can’t use her powers with those on her.” He was pointing at the sonic emitters what encircled the courtyard.
“If she’s not then who is?” Lucas replied as the soldier holding him twitched his head suddenly.
Suddenly the grip on Steve’s shoulder faded, he could still feel it but it was as though it was more a suggestion of a feeling rather than a true sensation. Then the edges of the truck and buildings began to blur like ink swirling underwater. Blinking hard Steve spun around to see the soldier that was holding him frozen in space. Steve reached out a hand and brushed his hand through the person, the image distorted like smoke in the air. His eyes locked on Robin who met his, her own filled with fear.
“Steve what’s–” her voice cut short as she looked past him and she went pale.
Around him the world started to collapse. Steve tried to move but found himself grounded to the spot. Had Venca not died? Was he now trapped in some freakish mind maze? Frantically Steve looked around for the rest of their team. All the soldiers had frozen and - like the one who restrained Steve - were all starting to dissolve in the air. The team were all desperately trying to get to each other, Hopper was yelling at El to run. Dustin was reaching for Steve but was stuck fast. Steve cried out to his best friend but it made no difference.
“EL!” Mike’s scream echoed strangely in the mist world. All eyes once again landed on El. Her serene face was confused as she watched the world around them all rapidly fade.
“Mike?” Her voice was soft. She reached out an arm towards him.
The floor vanished from their feet and Steve was suddenly plummeting into nothing. Darkness swallowed his vision and silence dominated his ears. He couldn’t even hear his own scream of terror.
~~~~
Steve blinked and he was pitching forwards into Jonathon’s shoulder. When his cheekbone caught the other teenager’s arm the sudden jolt bought his senses back into sharp clarity and he caught himself before he fell over. Harsh pale light drive into his retinas making him squint. Blinking rapidly Steve looked around him to see Dustin and Lucas picking themselves up off the floor, Joyce and Will were clutching each other in confusion. Nancy was staring dumbly ahead trying to process what had just happened and Jonathon was helping Robin back to her feet. Mike was stood utterly still facing forwards arms loose by his sides.
Steve then expanded his view to wherever the fuck they were. It took him a second but then he realised. He knew this desolate place; knew the sharp boulders, the coarse sand, and the air that felt like shards of glass were pulling down his oesophagus. They were back in the Abyss.
“What the fuck.” He whispered to himself, “How are we back here?”
“Are we dead and it’s like an afterlife thing?” Robin asked, “Cos if this is the afterlife” she glanced around laughing nervously, “It sucks.”
“Are we in a time loop?” Dustin ventured. Steve wanted to scoff because that idea was just insane but then he remembered they were stood in another dimension and the laugh died on his lips.
“Is it Vecna?” Joyce was next to ask, but when she raised the axe they all saw it was clean, no Vecna blood of gore was on the axe head, “I thought I killed the bastard.” She looked at Will as the fear for her youngest son reignited, “Will…is he dead?”
Will’s eyebrows pulled together anxiously as he confirmed everyone’s worst fear, “No.” He looked right at Mike, “He’s still alive.”
~~~~
El blinked and Mike’s tortured face vanished. A swooping sensation took over her stomach and her grip on balance shifted. Stumbling back she opened her eyes to find herself in the lab once again. Hopper was next to her also on his knees. Reorientating herself El searched for Kali, looking for her body where her sister was bleeding out on the floor. But the space between El and Hop was empty. No blood on the floor and worse there were no soldiers lying dead on the floor. Instead they all had their weapons trained on the pair on the floor.
“What the hell.” Hopper muttered. When he spotted El she saw the relief consume him momentarily just as the guilt of her choice swallowed her. She hadn’t wanted to leave him she just knew it was the only way to stop this cycle.
Then El saw her. Kali was stood with her arms held out towards El, her eyes closed and thick rivulets of blood running from her nose.
Betrayal swallowed El’s emotions. None of it had happened, it was all fake. Vecna was still alive, her sacrifice had been for nothing. She had made Hopper see her almost die all over again. She had seen Mike’s heart break over the thought of losing her. So much pain had been caused because of Kali’s decision.
“How are you alive?” El asked.
Kali wiped her nose and glanced down to the side. A tiny bullet hole had pierced the concrete next to her, “the sonic weapon was down just before he shot me so I made him believe I was there.” She shrugged slightly, “I needed you to believe it happened.”
“Why?” El whispered ignoring the soldiers who were circling her, her only focus was Kali.
“I can’t let you die.” El frowned at Kali’s words, “She needs you. My blood isn’t working and she said if I brought you in then it might fix everything. That she’d let me go.”
“Who is she?” Hopper growled.
“Dr Kay.” Kali’s reply was simple.
El couldn’t believe this, “I don’t understand. Why are you helping them?”
“She’s been their prisoner for years.” Hopper answered, his furious gaze was fixed on Kali who couldn’t meet his, “That doctor’s got in her head. Is that it?” He asked Kali, “Do you believe that you’re actually helping these women by getting El’s blood? I knew there was something wrong about you. It was too convenient to find you and for you to have all the answers ready to go but then you leave out the main point that El has to die to beat Vecna.” Hopper’s words got more venomous the longer he spoke, “Maybe you know deep down what you’re doing is wrong but Kay’s got in your head.”
Kali’s expression closed off, “You’d never understand. Kay’s told me that we have a responsibility with this power. That we can do good things, not just bad.”
“They’re innocent women.” El couldn’t understand how Kali was believing Kay’s words, “Just like mama, how can you be helping that?”
“I don’t help them.” Kali’s eyes brimmed with tears, “I only make them worse but you” hope replaced the tears, “you can fix them, Jane. Your blood–”
“No fucking chance.” Hopper went to stand but a soldier pressed his pistol into the back of Hopper’s neck.
“Jane you can heal them. All they need is your blood. If you go with the soldiers they can close the portal and everything will be ok.”
“What about my friends?” El asked, “they’re in the Abyss and Kay knows where we all are from your vision what if she kills them.”
Kali shook her head, “they are not important.”
Anger bloomed in El’s heart, “Yes they are. They matter to me”
“Friends leave.”
El could see the hurt in Kali’s eyes, “your friends didn’t leave you. Kay killed them.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m alone but we could be together Jane. Just us and we can fix the world.” Kali held out a hand like she was offering El a gift but to El it sounded like a nightmare. Her expression was earnest like she still hoped El would see her side. That would never happen. El realised now that Kali had lied to her the whole time. Someone she thought she could trust because they were sisters had lied. The anger grew until she could feel her pulse pounding in her fingertips and her power tingled just at the surface of her mind.
Lieutenant Akers then stepped out from the shadows, rifle aimed directly at El, “Alright freaks, enough talking. You’re coming with us it doesn’t matter if you want to. As long as you’re alive your condition wasn’t specified. Him on the other hand.” The rifle moved to Hopper, “He’s extra baggage.”
Akers’ finger tightened on the trigger and El screamed.