Chapter Text
“I’m going to try to break through” Jane said, as she tightened her hair in a ponytail and got ready to use her power.
“Absolutely not” Hopper said, putting himself in between her and the wall. He was doing that face he always did when he wanted to stop her from doing something he thought was stupid. “We go back to the squawk and report the situation. We make a plan”
“That’s going to take too long” she said, “We can’t waste time, Holly is in danger”
“And we could be walking into a trap if we don’t assess the situation!” he wasn’t backing down, but neither was she. If they had more time, she would go with his plan, but time was of the essence, they needed to take risks.
“I’m going to try to break in, whether you like it or not” she challenged him. Neither of them was backing down, so she thought on changing her strategy. She sighed frustrated and looked away “We need to collect information, that’s what you said. If we leave now all we have is that there is a wall and Holly might be on the other side, where does that take us?”
He looked at her severely, but the glint behind his eyes told her she had gotten through him. She knew he was afraid of her getting hurt, that he wanted to protect her. And that it was hard for him to let her be in the front line. But they had no choice, and he knew it, he just needed a little more time to adjust himself to it.
“God damn it!” he exclaimed, she rolled her eyes at his antics. But smiled when he looked back at the wall, a different look in his eyes, the look of a soldier on a mission. He inspected the wall. He walked up to it and touched it; it made an awful sound. “There doesn’t seemed to be a weak point. I don’t think it matters where you aim”
She nodded, a smirk on her face. She stood in front of the wall; she raised her arm and focused her energy on the point of the wall where the trail had ended. She felt her mind send a pulse of energy directly at it. She could feel as her mind got in touch with the surface of the wall. She frowned; there was something off about the wall. It was also pulsing with energy, just like her mind, nothing had ever felt like that before.
She didn’t say anything, she also didn’t stop. She used her mind to reap a hole in the wall, just a tiny scratch on it. The energy coming out of it was making her attempt weaker for some reason. She tried to put more energy into it, and the wall answered with the same amount of energy. The hole got a little bigger, but she could feel it trying to get back itself together.
She felt blood coming out of her nose. It was a lot harder than she thought. She inhaled deeply and raised her other hand. She heard a ring and a sharp pulse came out of her mind. The hole got a lot bigger, almost the size of a car, but there was more of the wall behind it. And the wall kept trying to close the gap.
One more time. She thought, as she put everything on that spot and let a scream ripped out of her. The hole got deeper and bigger, but there was no end to the wall. And when she finally let got of the energy. The wall closed itself after a few seconds, leaving no trace of her attempt to open it. She felt weak and dizzy, just like she did when she used too much. She panted and felt Hopper’s hand on her back.
“That’s strange” he said, surprised. He walked up to the wall and touched the part she had tried to open. It looked as if nothing had happened. He grabbed a knife from his thigh, and made a deep cut, but just as he got the knife out of the viscous flesh, it stitched itself back together. She walked up to him, until they were shoulder to shoulder, looking at the wall.
“This is going to be harder than I thought” she said, confused and surprised. He grunted in frustration and stabbed the wall, leaving his knife in the wall.
She touched the wall with her bare hand, it was a disgusting feeling, but she tried to ignore the wet and dirty sensation. Instead, she focused on the energy that kept coming out of it. From afar, it was only noticeable when she was using her power, but up close it was palpable, as if the wall wasn’t only flesh, as if there was an invisible power behind it.
How did you do it? She thought. How had Henry managed to do something like this? And how did he maintain it? How was it able to fight her? How are we gonna break through?
“We should go” Hopper said, waling away from the wall, leaving his knife behind. “We need to report to the others, and you need to rest”
She didn’t answer, but she nodded. She removed her hand from the wall and turned around. She still felt a little weak, but nothing a nap and some food couldn’t fix. She was about to follow Hopper, when something caught her attention. There was a light at the end of the street, it was dim and far away. But it was getting closer.
“Hop…” she called. But she wasn’t able to say anything else, as she felt pressure inside her crane. Normally, when she used her power, it was like pulses of energy coming out of her mind. But something was messing with it. The pressure was directing the pulses at her, like trapping the energy and directing it at the inside. She felt frozen. It was paralyzing. And her breath felt suspended.
“Jane?” She heard Hopper far away, but she could see him walking to her. “What’s happening?”
She gasped, drawing her first breath as she felt a stab of pain inside her head. She tried saying something, call for help. But she couldn’t move and the pressure in her head was making her dizzier than before. Her sight turned blurry and she was gasping for air.
She felt Hopper’s arms around her, his breath in her ear. “Hold on, hold on” She felt him run, but the movement was making her nauseous. She wanted to scream, but when she opened her mouth, she heard nothing.
(…)
They hadn’t said anything since they had gone to retrieve their bikes. The ride through road felt contemplative and terrifying, or at least it felt that way to Will. He could see Robin was bursting with energy, she could not wait to tell the others. She had tried to spark a conversation since they started biking, but he couldn’t bring himself to talk. They had just discovered that Vecna was after more kids, and that he had seen through his eyes.
He had been inside Vecna’s mind about an hour ago, he had been him. He felt disgusted, and angry, and just nauseous. It was one thing being a Demogorgon, but it was completely different being Vecna. He wasn’t just a simple monster; he was something beyond evil. He was… Just worse. Demogorgons were mindless creatures, hunting for sport and hunger. But he hurt and killed, and… And he was just vicious.
He felt sick. When he was possessed he had lost himself to the darkness. When he had been in the demo’s mind, he had lost himself in the anger and hunger. But what would happen if he got lost inside his mind? Would he become like him? Would he be evil? He didn’t want to find out; he didn’t want to tap back into the Hive Mind. He didn’t want to become him.
They rode their bikes along with each other; the radio station wasn’t that far. But they both stopped as a familiar car passed them by. “Shit” Robin said. They looked back at the car. “Is that, uh...”
“Yeah”
“You think she saw us?” And as she asked, the car came to an abrupt stop.
“Yeah” There was no doubt about it. And as the car backed up, he felt himself get tense. At the moment, he hadn’t really thought about anything other than searching for a way to tap back into the Hive Mind to find a clue to where Holly was. But the walk back to the bikes had made him realize how long they had been out. Hours, too many hours. And they hadn’t even brought a walkie with them.
His mom was going to be furious… But not at him, never at him. And that’s what frustrated him the most.
The car stopped beside them and her mother looked at them severely, and he wondered just how long she had been looking for them. “Get in” she said, angrily. “And get the bikes in the trunk”
“Right, uh, right away” Robin said, with an apologetic attempt of a smile on her face. They took the bikes to the back of the car and Robin opened the trunk. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Robin whispered yelled at him while putting her bike inside the car, “She’s gonna kill me” she pushed the bike so they could fit the Will’s too. Will didn’t say anything, like always.
Ever since he was a child it was like the words always got stuck in his throat, shocking him. He remembered when he was a child and his mom would beg him to speak, to say just one word. But it was like the air got sucked out of his lungs, like the world wouldn’t allow him to speak. He remembered Lonny and his mom yelling, about him; he remembered the other kids laughing at him and calling him names; he remembered him, taunting him and haunting him.
He remembered not being able to defend himself, not a single word out of him mouth. A coward. That’s what he was, what he has always been. Just staring and taking whatever the world threw at him, without doing anything. And the burning sensation to scream back was painful, lungs burning, and the words at the tip of his tongue, just about to spill. He longed to open his mouth and say something. To finally stand up for himself.
But he was in a daze, he watched Robin get the bike inside the car and try to close the trunk. Then he followed her into the car. She got in the back, and he got in the copilot seat. His mother was fuming, shaking from anger.
She turned around and looked at Robin directly at her eyes. “I told you, I explicitly told you, I didn't want him going anywhere that's not safe. And not only did you take him, you cut off all communications” He bit his tongue, looking straight forward. Just do it.
“Yes, I mean, in retrospect, that was a bit inconsiderate” Robin’s voice had turned soft and apologetic, but his mom wasn’t having any of it.
“Inconsiderate?”
“We really should've left a note… O-or take a walkie with us” Will glanced at his mom, scolding Robin as if he wasn’t just right there, as if he was still five years old… As if he was a defenseless child who needed supervision. And his throat was burning, his fists shaking. Say something!
“Is… Is this funny to you?” Joyce asked offended.
“Oh. Sorry. It must be my tone. My mother says I sound perpetually insincere” she said, his tone neutral, but Will could hear she felt bad. His mom was scolding her, and not him, as if he hadn’t decided to go with Robin. As if it was only her fault. Just do it!
“Okay, this is my son's life you're playing with. My son. So next time I say I do not want him leaving my side, that means I don't want him leaving my goddamn si---”
“I'm right here, Mom!” he suddenly yelled, his voice surprising everyone in the car, even himself. “You know, you can talk to me, right?” He lowered his tone. Because he didn’t want to fight, but he wanted to be heard. To be taken seriously. For his mom to see him, the real him. “And I'm not a kid anymore”
“Will, I am still your mother” she said, as if that was the end of it. But the words kept coming out, and for the first time, he couldn’t stop them.
“Doesn't mean you know what you're doing” he said, finally letting his voice be heard. “Your plan? It... It sucked. I'm sorry, but it did. You only liked it because it was safe, but we don't have time for safe, not anymore. We have to act, and we have to take risks, and thank God we did. Because my plan, it... it actually worked” he was shaking, but he didn’t dare to stop. “I spied on Vecna and tapped back into the hive mind, and we found out that Holly was just the beginning. Vecna is gonna take more kids. I don't know why or what he wants to do with them, but now we know something we can use against him, his next target” he looked directly at his mother’s eyes, challenging “So next time you order me to stay by your side, I wouldn't count on it”
His mother was speechless, and she was looking at him as if she didn’t recognize him. It was the first time he had ever talked back to her, and she looked hurt. He wanted to apologize immediately, but he didn’t, his mother needed to hear this. She needed to look at him and actually see him.
“But, as I said, in the future, we will totally take a walkie” Robin said, filling up the silence, and giving him a second to take a deep breath.
“We should go. We have to stop Vecna. We don't have much time” he said, while putting on the belt. He glanced at his mother, she was still alarmed by his outburst, but she turned on the car and started driving. He looked out of the window, avoiding looking at her, avoiding looking at Robin.
His chest felt lighter, but his heart was trying to get out of his chest. He felt a rush of adrenaline and the shaking wouldn’t stop. He felt a little proud for standing up to his mother. But he also felt bad, because he knew she wasn’t the villain. She was just worried; she only wanted to protect him.
But he just wanted to stop being treated like a child. He wanted to help. He wanted to finally be able to save someone, instead of just being the one who needs saving.
(…)
Picking up their minds had been easy, not like last time. Now, he knew what he was looking for, and he knew just how to get it. He didn’t like to admit it, especially not to him, but he had been so terribly wrong. He couldn’t just choose the weakest mind; he had to make sure it stayed weak.
He had made several attempts to make it work, but the first time both him and his… partner had been amateurs, and even naïve. They had made the mistake to underestimate, but not anymore. He had the first kid just where he needed, in a slumber, docile and innocent. He had learned from the past that fear could only go so far, and that sometimes it was a blade that could turn back on him. Sometimes fear didn’t paralyze, sometimes it awakened.
He looked across the classroom, where his next victim was waiting for him. Derek Turnbow turned around and saw him. Henry smiled at him, sweet and innocent, just like he had done years ago to trick another kid, younger than this one, and much more powerful than he had realized.
Derek smiled at him. A lonely child with the longing to belong. He knew his type, weak and furious. He was a little different from the others, aggressive and often lashing at others. But still weak and hurting. He had tried to get kids similar to him, with the same kind of potential, Derek wasn’t exactly like him, but none of them were.
Out of all the kids he had chosen, there was really only one that was just like him. There was only one like Henry, and he couldn’t wait to get him once again.
(…)
Holly felt sleepy, as if she hadn’t slept in days. Henry had taken her to the dining room; it was so big and there was so much food. All her favorite dishes, even the ones her mom didn’t let her eat because they were too unhealthy. She smiled, but she wasn’t feeling as excited as she should be, she was tired and could barely keep her eyes open.
“I made this for you” Henry said, he was still smiling and was leading her to the table, he was holding her hand softly. She smiled and sat down. “I made everything you like”
“Thank you” she said. Henry sat beside her and started eating.
She grabbed a fork and started eating the pancakes. She was tired, but Henry had done this for her, and she wanted to show how grateful she was to him. He saved her and he promised he would save his family and friends.
But there was a part of her brain that thought that there was something off, there was something that didn’t fit. She looked around. The house was enormous and so beautiful, and she couldn’t wait for her mom to see it, for Nancy to play with her. She didn’t think Mike would appreciate the house too much, he was… Maybe you just need Holly the Heroic. She gasped and took her hand to her collar. She felt the little figure he had given her.
She held it tight and she suddenly felt more awake. She took another bite of the food and looked at Henry. He looked exactly like always, kind and elegant. He said he had fought the monster, but Holly remembered how her mom had tried to fight it too, she had been hurt. Is he hurt?
“Did the monster hurt you?” Henry stopped eating and smiled at her.
“Don’t worry about me, the monster can’t touch me” he whispered, as if it was a secret.
“What? How?”
“Because they can’t see me” he replied. He suddenly got up and walked up to her. He crouched beside her. “And soon, they won’t be able to hurt anyone else”
He held her hand, taking it away from the figure, and she felt tired again. “You must be tired; you had a long day” he said. She nodded, feeling her eyes close. She was having a hard time opening them again, but she felt Henry lifting her up and taking her upstairs. She opened her eyes one more time, seeing the room she was in. It was blue and had many toys, and it was a lot bigger than her room.
“Henry…” she whispered. She didn’t want to sleep, she wanted to stay with him, to help him like he said she would. She wanted to help him get her family here, she wanted to ask questions about the monsters. Like where were they? How did they get to Hawkins? She wanted to do something.
She went to hold onto the little figure, but Henry stopped her, the same kind smile on his face. “Take a nap, Holly” She closed her eyes and fell in a slumber.
Henry stood up and dropped the smile. He had brought Holly here, but getting rid of that stupid collar had been impossible, and it was working against his power. He couldn’t understand how, but it was going to be a problem. He took the figure in his hand and tried to break the collar, but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t break.
He screamed in frustration. He then inhaled deeply. She was asleep, and now she wouldn’t be able to touch the collar. He moved his head slightly and vines appeared from beneath the bed; they climbed until they found Holly. The vines moved around the bed until they had Holly completely immobilized. He looked at her with disgust. He hated children, they were unpredictable. But he needed their minds, he needed their potential, he needed the energy in them.
But he couldn’t risk them wandering. The fox was somewhere close, and there were too many paths to the way out. He had managed to trap the fox, even if he still couldn’t catch her. But he still needed eleven kids more. Too many things could go wrong if they started wandering. Last time, he thought there was no way anyone could escape his mind, not after he closed the one his father used. But then the fox did it, and now he had learned.
He looked down on Holly and put his hand over her face. He felt the power in his mind travel through his hand and reach Holly’s mind. A mark appeared on her face; it was red and big enough to cover her eye. But it became invisible after a moment. She wouldn’t be able to leave, but if she did, he would be able to find her.
(...)
She was trying to stay quiet, she really was. But the pressure in her mind was painful, she felt like her head was about to explode. She couldn’t move and she was hyperventilating. Hopper had brought her to a hiding spot; he was instructing her to stay quiet. He was gently caressing her hair. “I’ll make it stop, just stay quiet a little bit longer”
“H-hop…” she whimpered. He stood up and left her side. She wanted to tell him to stay. The military was here, and if they were looking for them, he wasn’t going to be able to take them all by himself.
But then, the pressure in her head increased. It was like her brain was being ripped in half, she felt blood come out of her ears and nose. Ste was crying, and when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t stop the scream. And it wasn’t stopping; it was getting worse. The pain was making everything blurry, and she felt her muscles spam.
She heard gunshots. One moment she was looking at the sky, and the next she was being held tightly by Hopper. More gunshots, and then more pressure. She screamed. She wanted to rip her head open and take it out. She heard more gunshots, and then an explosion. She wanted to move, to help Hopper, but she couldn’t. The pain, it was excruciating.
She had only felt this kind of pain before. She didn’t remember it for years, but Brenner’s experiment brought the memory back to her. When she was younger, and so much smaller. When she was tricked. Her siblings never used their power like this, but Henry loved to do it. He was an expert on turning your own power back on you. Using the pulses of energy to collapse her mind and making her head implode.
She had managed to escape back then, and she tried to do it again. But she couldn’t move, and her power wasn’t working. She couldn’t find a way around it; it was entrapped in her. She tried to breathe, but there was hardly any more air in her lungs. She heard more gunshots, another explosion. And then quiet.
The pressure stopped and the pain disappeared completely. She whimpered and tried to breathe again, but her lungs weren’t working with her, and the void the pressure left behind in her mind was disorienting. She moved to stand up, arms shaking and panting. The gunshots hadn’t seized; she glanced at Hopper taking cover while changing the magazine of his gun.
“Hop!” she tried to say, but her voice was weak. Hopper was charged his gun and started shooting. She grunted, putting one foot on the floor and pushing herself up on shaking legs. She was dizzy and she could feel the pulses in her mind trying to stabilize themselves, she needed to take a minute that she didn’t have. She wobbled out of cover, almost falling again.
No one saw her, too distracted by Hopper’s fire. But when she raised her hand, she saw a soldier look her way, he was the first one to die. She snapped his neck, and then the two behind him. The last three soldiers were near the tanks. One aimed his gun at her, but she was faster, even in her weak state. She moved on tank and crashed it into the other one, hitting one of the soldiers. Then she moved her head and snapped the heads of the last two soldiers.
Once she released the pulses of her power, she exhaled deeply and fell onto her knees. Blood was coming out of her nose and she was still shaking. “Jane!” Hopper was at her side in a second, holding her by the shoulders and checking for injuries. “Are you okay?” she nodded, inhaling and exhaling deeply, trying to calm herself. Hopper looked behind him and then towards the sky. “We need to leave, can you walk?”
“Yes” he helped her stand up. She leaned on him while they walked towards the vehicles. One of the tanks was in good condition, it also had the weird antenna that had created the pressure inside her mind. Hopper helped her walk up to the door and she saw a soldier on the ground, the one she had hit with the tank, breathing hard, unconscious. “Hop… The soldier”
They stopped at his side, Hopper made sure she was okay before he crouched. He checked his pulse and his pupils. “He’s stable” he informed.
“We should take him” she proposed. “We could ask him about the wall”
Hopper sighed and looked at the sky, she glanced at it too and saw a light far away from them, it was getting closer. “They’re already looking for us” he said. “We can’t go back to the squawk now”
“He might know something about the wall” she ignored what he said, just like he did. This was an opportunity they should not waste. The military had been in the Upside Down for more than a year, they had built a base in this place, they probably knew something about the wall. Maybe even about Henry. “We should interrogate him”
Hopper grunted in affirmation, clearly not happy with the plan. He lifted the man from the floor and put him inside the tank. She saw Hopper tie the soldier’s arms and legs, also putting a fabric inside his mouth and over his eyes. They entered the vehicle and Hopper turned it on.