Chapter Text
Her bloodshot eyes shot open in the bright room, head splitting with white hot pain, mind lagging and sore. Too much. Too much. Too much. They’d pushed her too hard. Asked her to go too far. She couldn’t say anything though, that would only make things worse.
Swaying in her seat at the cold, metal table, El could feel her energy fading quickly. The adrenaline rush was gone and in it’s place left the small teenage girl wanting nothing more than to hide in a corner to cry. Black spots dotted her vision, making it difficult to see the men in front of her. She couldn’t make out what they were saying to her, ears pounding as if she was stuck underwater. Too much. Too much. Too much.
“Subject Eleven, did you confirm the target’s location?” The tall man in the suit slid the picture closer to her. “Subject Eleven, it is imperative you confirm the location in order to complete the mission.”
Her head was throbbing, body aching all over. Slowly, she nodded.
“Excellent. Bring in Subjects Twelve and Thirteen.”
She wanted to tell him no, she couldn’t do more right now. That she was tired and close to collapse. She wanted to tell him to go away, to leave her friends alone. She wanted to say anything to make it all stop, but words failed her once again. She knew it wouldn’t have mattered anyways.
The door beeped three times before opening, indicating high risk subjects were entering the room. A pale girl with long flaming red hair entered, held tightly at the arms by two armed guards. They shuffled her over to the table and roughly sat her down opposite of El.
El watched her squirm in her seat through half-closed eyes. In the back of her mind, she thought about how she’d always admired Max’s hair. Long and wavy, colorful and bright, El couldn’t help but feel jealous that they hadn’t cut off Max’s hair when they’d taken her over a year ago. It was unnecessary, they’d said.
The guards forcefully strapped Max’s arms down to the middle of the table, handcuffing her to the spot. She groaned and El smiled as she barely caught Max mumbling, “Always a pleasure, dipshits,” through gritted teeth.
The door beeped three times again, a tall boy entering this time accompanied by his own set of guards. El noticed immediately that he was limping. Dark bruises running up and down his left ankle were just barely visible under the hospital gown. He also seemed to be sporting a nasty cut across his cheek.
Will caught El’s eyes and shook his head minutely, enough for her to get the message: not now.
He sat down gingerly in his seat next to El, his small movements indicating that he too was drained. A wave of dread shot through El. It was one thing for only one of them to fail, but for two of them to prove unsuccessful meant only more punishment and pain.
“Subject Eleven has confirmed the location of this target.” The man put down copies of the picture in front of Max and Will. “Go in, get the files, and return. You will have approximately ten minutes to do so.”
All three of them knew the, “ or else…” that was meant to follow his sentence was left out intentionally. They all knew exactly what would happen to them if they failed.
“Subject Twelve,” the man nodded at Will. “Form the connection with Subject Eleven.”
Will slowly extended a hand towards El. Gently she took it, swaying a bit in her seat. Too much. Too much. Too much.
The man nodded towards Max. “Now with Subject Thirteen as well. Remember, ten minutes.”
Reaching across the table to Max’s restrained hands, Will took hold of her, closing his eyes and instantly taking the three of them away from the cold, dangerous room.
*****
“Will, what happened to you?! You look like absolute shit.” Max was the first to speak, her panicked voice echoing in the Void. They didn’t have much time alone, the clock ticking away.
“That one guard with the bald spot thought I was messing with him. Said he was hearing a voice in his head. He got me last night.” Will grimaced at the memory. “I’m okay, just banged up. My leg hurts like hell though.” He tenderly gestured to his ankle, which looked worse in the dark glow.
“Were you? Messing with him?” Max questioned with frown. Will glanced up, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Oh you bet I was. Whatever though, it was worth it. The asshole had been swiping half of my food for two weeks.”
Max nodded approvingly before she glanced at El, who was wobbling where she stood. “Hey, are you okay? Sit down, we’ll be out of here soon.” El nodded, her eyes drooping and fluttering. Will limped over, putting a steadying hand on her back as he helped her lay down on the wet ground of the Void.
“Ready?” Will asked hopefully, extending a hand.
She nodded shakily. “Hurry.”
El clasped her small fingers around Will’s, closing her eyes and picturing the location of the office they were targeting. She could feel him in her head, searching, scanning, reading each detail she allowed him to see.
Both of them opened their eyes when he was done, the information transmitted from one mind to the other.
“That’s all of it?” He said quickly, she nodded. “Alright. You ready, Max?” Will gestured over to Max who sat on her knees next to the pair.
“As if I have a choice.” She responded with a smirk, grabbing his hand and closing her eyes as well.
El watched from her spot between the two, her headache only worsening the more time she spent in the Void. Too much. Too much. Too much.
Max and Will’s eyes fluttered back and forth, as if there was a whole world beneath their eyelids that El couldn’t see. After a few minutes, Will shot back up, breathing deeply and reaching up to rub his temples. He remained in his spot next to El, and leaned against her for support.
It was as if Max was in a trance. Her eyes remained closed, but she stood up and moved around the Void. Tiptoeing around invisible objects, squatting down to unlock a door that only she could see, lifting things that weren’t there, typing on a computer that they could not see. She operated swiftly and meticulously for several long minutes.
El knew that Max was somewhere else in her mind, seeing the exact location that El and Will had given her through the transfer of powers. El knew that somehow Max was able to interact with what they had given her, that while she seemed to be doing mindless tasks in the Void, Max was actually contacting and existing in the outside world, to a degree.
In the back of her mind, El heard a nonexistent clock ticking away- they were given only ten minutes, how long had it been already?
Will seemed to have the same concern. “Hurry up, Max,” he whispered nervously.
Another long minute passed when in the flash of an instant, Max straightened up from her hunched position. Her eyes were astonishingly wide as she spun around frantically looking for El and Will.
Max looked paler than El had ever seen her before, she stood stunned for a moment before rushing over to them.
“Did you get it?” Will asked desperately. Max just stared at him, mouth agape for a second until she responded.
“What? Oh yeah I got it, but you guys, I think I just-I don’t know for sure-but I think I might’ve just found a way out. I have to look back at it all and I don’t know really if this would work-but then again how could it not? You know what no, there’s no way this would-well maybe this is actually the only way, well I don’t know for sure but it might just work!” She spoke hurriedly, her words running a mile a minute.
Will and El shared a confused look. “Woah, woah, woah slow down. What is it that you fou-”
Will couldn’t finish his thought however as he was abruptly cut off by Brenner’s sinister voice barking through the Void.
“Time’s up.”
*****
This was not the first time they’d all been together on a mission. On the contrary, they seemed to be going on more and more each week. Finding people, getting information, hacking into databases all from the prison of the facility in which they were trapped. They had done a lot together, none of them knew for sure what it was for, but they knew it wasn’t good.
Eleven knew very little about the outside world, having grown up inside the facility for the last sixteen years. Deprived of love, laughter, and friendship, she was shocked when two years ago, during a test of her powers, the men in suits brought a boy in the testing room with her.
He was even smaller than she was at the time, his head freshly shaved with deep, dark circles under his eyes. She had sat there in shock, reeling from this new development, from another kid like her.
A man in a lab coat explained, to the best of his ability considering her lack of vocabulary, that Subject Twelve had powers as well. Different from her own, but powerful nonetheless. Subject Twelve could see into the minds of others who were within close proximity. It wasn’t easy, but he could read thoughts and project images, influencing decisions and transmitting information. Subject Twelve could also create links through people who were, “specially skilled.” People like her.
They had forced him to show her the link, to take her into the Void where she was sent to find people. The moment the connection was made, he spoke to her.
“Do you have any idea where we are? W-what this is? Why are they calling me Subject Twelve?” He was frantic, his voice trembling. She just looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what to say. “M-my mom and dad, they’re going to look for me. They know I was taken, do you know how to get out of here?”
Eleven was more focused on the fact that she was not alone in the Void anymore. It was remarkable, she’d never had company before. Could they hear this?
Staring back with wide eyes, Eleven had whispered, “Mom...and dad?” She looked at him curiously, these were new words.
He began pacing, his footsteps echoing through the water, “Yeah, my mom and dad, you know, my parents. Joyce and Jim Hopper.” He said all this as if she had any clue who they were. The boy stopped pacing and faced Eleven. “My name is Will. Will Byers. N-not Subject Twelve.” It sounded more like he was confirming this to himself rather than telling her. She saw that his eyes were wet.
“What’s your name?” He paused expectantly.
She had gaped at him for a prolonged minute. “...T-they call me Eleven.” She didn’t know if this was the right answer. The name they’d given him had ended up being the wrong one, so she could be wrong as well.
Will looked at her a long while, scanning her up and down. El shrunk under his gaze. She hated being watched. His brown eyes, a moment ago filled with anxiety and panic, settled with a horrifying realization.
Under his breath, Will had whispered, “You’ve been here a long time, haven’t you?” Eleven met his eyes, a questioning look dawning on her face. She chose her words as best she could.
Eleven’s small, scratchy voice echoed in the Void. “I... haven’t ever...not been here.”
A white hot pain shot through her mind, and instantly they were back in the cold room together. Convulsing and shaking in their seats, the men in coats pulled away the tasers held to Eleven and Will’s necks, leaving the two kids panting and shaking. Trembling heavily, Eleven glanced at Will, a defeated grimace settling into his features.
For a year, that was how they would see each other.
It didn’t seem like the guards or the men in suits could hear them or listen into their conversations in the Void. So, when the guards brought them together for missions, they would spend a few minutes talking, getting to know each other. Will telling her all about his parents and his life before they took him.
Eleven loved listening to his stories, she felt warmth bubble inside her as she pictured a life outside the walls of the facility. A world without punishments or missions, one filled with “friends” and “loved ones” as Will called them. He never gave up hope that his mom and dad would find him, that they would rescue both of them away from this place.
“Once we’re out of here, El, you can live with us, and have a normal life. There’s not much space in our house, but we could share a room for sure!”
As the months went by, however, El could see this expectation he had turn slowly into more of a dream than anything.
For a long year it was just the two of them, forced to work together. El would find people and Will would plant images and thoughts into their minds. They learned not to go against what the men in suits and lab coats ordered them to do, as it only led to beatings, starvation, and isolation.
But then one day, there was someone else.
Will and El had sat unmoving at the cold metal table, eyes glued to the face of the new girl sitting with them. Her icy eyes stayed on her hands folded in her lap. A thumping bruise seemed to be purpling under her eye.
El and Will shared a knowing look, they both desperately wanted to reach out and speak to her, but the guards monitoring them held back any urges.
Dr. Brenner, seemingly the man in charge, had entered the room, “This is Subject Thirteen. She possesses the ability to read all forms of technology and memorize it’s language. We also believe she may be able to interact with foreign environments while still remaining in the confines of this facility. Subject Eleven, Subject Twelve, I would like you to show her what it is we do around here. You will have five minutes to do so.
They both nodded, Subject Thirteen looked up from her hands, confusion painted on her face. Will and El held hands, the former slowly clasping onto Subject Thirteen’s long fingers.
She was a whirlwind of color and vibrancy the second they entered the Void.
“Where the HELL am I and who the HELL are you people?” She had shrieked dangerously at them through tight lips.
El had taken a few steps back immediately, overwhelmed by the noise and sudden energy. She was so used to Will’s calming presence in the Void that this sudden shift in normalcy left her feeling as small as ever. Will, however, did not seem perturbed by her loud reaction, he stood his ground and kindly asked what the girl’s name was.
“Max. Max Mayfield. Not Subject-fucking-Thirteen.” She had said exasperatedly, eyes narrowing with distrust in their direction.
Will had put his hands up, a show of civility and harmlessness. “My name is Will Byers, and this is Eleven, El for short. Let me explain to you exactly what’s going on here.”
And he had, patiently answering any questions she had along the way. Will did a much better job at explaining than El had, her words at first didn’t seem to make him understand that there was no escaping this place, that there was no way out.
“So you’re telling me we’re trapped in this place, doing ‘missions’ for some secret organization? Fuck that, I’m not doing jack-shit for any of these scumbags. I’ve dealt with plenty of people manipulating me for my powers. I can take a few punches, but I’m getting myself out of here.”
Max had said this with full confidence, her arms gesturing wildly. She seemed to have enough faith in herself that for a split second, El had even believed her.
Reality quickly sunk in when the threatening voice of Dr. Brenner echoed through the Void. “Five minutes is up.”
Will and El frantically clasped each other's hands, El’s arm outstretched for Max to hold on to. Max had narrowed her eyes, taking a cautious step back away from the pair.
“Max, come on, we have to go back now. Please, trust me you don’t want to know what will happen if we disobey.” Will pleaded desperately. His eyes were fearful, begging Max to trust him. Max looked unsurely at the two, her stance wide as if ready for an attack. El and Will knew they were taking too long to come back, but Max wouldn’t take their hands to make the reconnection, the safest and only painless way to get back to the real world.
Fire spread under El’s ribcage as she felt the burning pain of the taser connect with her skin. Instantly, she was back, gripping her chair with white knuckled fists. Through heavy-lidded eyes, she saw both Max and Will slumped in their chairs, reeling from the same pain she felt.
Brenner approached Max. “Subject Thirteen, you will quickly learn that we do not tolerate any misbehaviors or shows of rebellion. In order to get this through your thick skull, I think it would be best if you spent some time...alone. Three days ought to-”
“My fault.” El had said with a small voice. “I kept us.” She kept her eyes to the ground, though she could feel Brenner’s gaze burning holes through her. A quick glance up allowed her to see Max’s mouth hanging slightly open, aghast. Will sat expressionless, though El saw his eye twitching a bit.
Brenner put a heavy hand on the back of El’s neck. “Very well. Some time alone should remind you to be more prompt next time.” He had pulled her up by the scruff of her neck and pushed her unsparingly in the direction of the door, where guards stood ready to take her to the dark, isolated room.
Once alone in her dark prison, El had been able to compose her thoughts about this new girl, Max. She was horrified that another person like her was trapped in this terrible place. To see another person’s light snuffed out by the harsh hand of this facility was a devastating thought.
But secretly, and with immense guilt, El was glad to have another friend. She felt the small flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, Max was telling the truth. Maybe, she would find a way out. Maybe Max would help take her and Will away from this place forever. Maybe she would eventually have a shot at finding “friends” and “loved ones” in the real world.
Hundreds of miles away, sleeping peacefully in his bed, sixteen year old Mike Wheeler remained blissfully unaware of the danger his future friends were facing.