"Ten, do you know what happens when someone has a stroke?" Dr. Brenner questions, you look up at the man and shake your head.

"The blood supply to the brain is cut off, it scrambles the signals in the brain to the point where the mind can forget how to do things." He turns around to face you, "To eat, to drink, to walk.." He takes a seat on the counter, hands resting on them.

"Last July, when you lost your powers I believe your signals were scrambled in the same way. But, just as a stroke victim can learn to walk again, I believe you can return to your full power, if not stronger."

Brenner had brought a portable T.V and a vhs player. He raises one of the vhs' and places it into the player. "I have these tapes that record everything that happened in the lab. Every success. Every failure. I believe if you re-experience those feelings you'll repair your broken signals." He finishes and the T.V flashes on, a security camera records the exact moment where the man had whispered in El's ear as you watched.

"As we saw tonight, that process has already begun." He adds.

The vhs player purrs quietly, "Why can't I remember though?" You question, looking over at the black and white T.V

"Because you do not want to. Our brains have a defense mechanism in place to protect us from bad memories, from trauma." Dr. Brenner takes a seat next to you.

"Did you tell this same thing to El?" You ask, looking over at Brenner.

He nods, "Then- the things I saw- the blood, the dead kids, she saw those too?" you question, your stomach churning in disgust at the thought.

He nods again, a frown creasing his face. "They may differentiate but they are both very, very, powerful memories." He adds.

"Ten-" Brenner grabs your hand, you look in the man's blue eyes with tears raining down your face. "They have been invading your mind from your subconscious-" His grip tightens a little more. "We have to go slow, one memory at a time." He finally looks down, then up again. "Because you have the highest chance at being lost in the darkness."

"And.. if you are lost, we all are lost."

You look back at the conversation from earlier as you close your eyes, a needle digs deep into your arm injecting drugs into your body.

It feels as if a noose tightens around your neck with every second, a never ending stress everytime you blink, everytime you close your eyes.

You want to give up but you have to continue, to save El, to save Hawkins.

You reopen your eyes and your back in time, sitting beside Eleven. You don't believe you had spoken to El yet, you only watch her as you sit against the wall, trying to sleep.

She releases a sigh and drops a circular disc from the top, she had been doing it for a few minutes you can tell by the sounds.

"What number are you aiming for?" A voice asks, the same man from before questions, you close your eyes and listen in, pretending to sleep.

"Ten." She answers.

"You know, sometimes it's better to step away and take a breather." The man says, he takes a seat beside El. She doesn't answer, instead dropping the disc down the toy.

"Determined aren't we? You know--" the man sounds hesitant, or scared at least. "You remind me of someone who I used to know well. Can you guess who that is?"

A chip is placed onto one of the small boxes, "One?" El questions in response.

"Papa sai-"

"He doesn't exist, I know." He interrupts.

A silence breaks through the pair, "Can I tell you a secret?" The man questions, you open your eyes, only enough to see what he's doing.

The man looks over at El, his eyes looking into hers. He looks almost sad, "Sometimes, Papa doesn't tell the truth."

"I spent years with one, in this very room." He adds, looking away, he takes in all of the small details of the room, you can tell, because you do the same thing.

"Where is one?" El questions, leaning forward. The man glances down, twiddling his hands.

"We'll save that story for another day." He looks back up at El, "It doesn't have another happy ending I'm afraid. He was a lot like you, everything was hard for him, then one day he walked in here and something was different. When I asked him what changed he said he found strength in a memory from the past."

El gulps as the man continues, "If you have a memory like that, use it.." The man is quiet again, thinking, "Do you remember the day when a woman came into this room?" You remember, you remember it clearly, it wasn't for you though. "She called a name to you, do you remember.. that was your mother."

El looks away from the man, her eyes hazy and watery. It looks as if she's angry and sad at the same but can't find which emotion to choose. "Mama is--" She grits her teeth, "dead."

"Who told you that?"

"Papa." She answers, glaring into the man's eyes. Her gaze softens as she begins to realize, "Who doesn't always tell the truth."

"This place-- the people--" The man glances over at you, El follows his gaze to you, you grip your eyes shut, hoping they didn't notice. "Are not what they seem."

El opens her mouth to speak but the door to the rainbow room swings open, "Hello everyone!" Papa greets.

"Hello Papa," You murmur along with everyone else standing up, you fake stretch and step into line beside El. "Seventeen will you hold the door?"

"Yes papa." He answers, holding the door.

"Alright-- I have something very special planned for you all today. So let's hurry up." He says.

You try to remember - what exactly happened. But there isn't really a point in guessing when you're about to figure it out.

Your crowd of kids form into one full line and walk outside of the room, "After you." Papa says, holding the door for the child.

He closes it behind himself, leaving the man alone in the room, arms behind his back as he stares with interest at the kids.

Everyone lines up against the wall, allowing Dr. Brenner to stand in the middle. He grabs a piece of chalk and draws a large circle around his feet.

"Today, we are going to play a game." He says, ending the circle.

He draws another one and steps forward, standing directly in front of the line. "The rules are simple, you stay in the circle, if you step out you lose. The person who is in the circle last wins and gets an extra hour in the rainbow room."

"Two, six, if you'll be the firsts please." The two boys take their places in the circles, the man from before wraps the blindfold over six while another wraps it around two.

He wants you to fight each other, to see who's the strongest.

"If you allow emotion or anger to.." He puts his finger to his temple. "Invade your thoughts-- you will lose."

He steps out into the middle, the two men on either side of him. "Begin." He says.

Six raises his hand outward while two just keeps his hand towards his side, showing just how strong he really is.

Six tries his best but it just isn't enough, two flings him backwards and he lands flat on his back. He pulls his blind fold up, looking up towards two in fear.

"Six, please take a seat by the door." Brenner says disappointingly.

After that it doesn't end, two flies through more kids, flinging them towards the wall, even the children. All the while Brenner just watches smiling.

Finally, he calls Eleven's name, leaving you as the last one to fight whoever wins this one.

The man wraps the blindfold around her head, whispering a single "Good Luck." To her before stepping away.

The two begin on Brenner's go. Eleven holds her hands at her sides as does two. She slides back slightly but reorganizes herself. All of a sudden, she throws her hand out and Two flies back, slamming into the mirror, sending cracks down the object.

"One more, Ten. Will you step forward?"

You shake your head, disagreeing with Brenner. "No." You state, glancing over at Eleven.

He smiles.

"Families don't fight each other--" You add, shivering with fear.

A sudden feeling of electricity rings through your neck, bringing you to the floor. Without another word you stand up, although hesitantly. You walk towards the circle and take your place in it.

The man wraps the blindfold around your head.

"I-- I don't want to." Eleven states, you pull the blindfold down to catch her staring at Brenner. "He wins."

Dr. Brenners smile drops slightly and he nods, "Eleven, do it."

The girl pulls her blind fold up hesitantly, fear in her movement. You do the same.

"Begin." Brenner states.

You don't want to fight her, not at all. She probably doesn't either. The force she uses starts off with a small amount, you do the same.

What's so good about the rainbow room anyways, Eleven pushes harder, sliding you backwards.

You emit a similar push, sliding her to the edge of the circle. She raises her hand up, pushing against you with all she can.

You can feel yourself begin to fall, soon it's just a fight to keep yourself standing.

Finally you give in to Eleven's strength and fall, you expect to fly back but instead you're only pushed outside of the circle slightly, just enough for one foot to be out.

"Good- Eleven, you win." Brenner says, most of the older kids glare at Eleven with anger while the younger ones stare with admiration.

It's quick after that, you find yourself walking through the empty hallway towards the rainbow room, you don't even know how you got into the hall.

You push open the door to the rainbow room-- expecting to find Eleven. You do, but she's surrounded by most of the older kids.

You step in, the door slamming shut behind you, "You shouldn't be walking the halls." Two states, looking over at you.

Eleven glances at you, her eyes pleading for you to leave.

You don't.

The group of kids begin to surround you and El, pushing you closer and closer. "You are pathetic, Weak, I didn't want to hurt you-" Two says to El, looking down at her.

He flings the two of you back, you land squarely on your side, knocking all the air out of your chest. Two leaned down, "How'd that feel?" You glance towards the security camera, he follows your gaze and smirks.

"See a light?" He asks rhetorically, usually there'd be a red light but there isn't. Meaning there isn't going to be anyone to stop him.

You stand up, or at least try before getting flung in a circle by the group of teens, you yell in fear. It seems like it'll never end, finally, your flung into the wall and slide to the ground, your entire body bruised.

"I- I, we're family." You say to two and the others, they only laugh before leaving.

Two laughs ironically, "No we're not, maybe you and her can act like you are but we will never be family."

El lays on the floor, crying and whimpering. You stand up, naturally, you want to protect her but you can't.

"Your wrong.." You try to speak but your mind is moving too fast and your vocabulary isn't large enough to explain how you feel.

You look towards the mirror, a single crack rings down it. You look weird, a bloodied handprint slammed onto your right cheek.

You blink and look back into it and it's gone, leaving only your bloody nose and El crying behind you.

You blink once again and it's worse, you're being sucked into something, Eleven holds her hand out toward you, pushing you in or out you're not sure.

Multiple dead kids lie behind her, matter of fact. It looks like almost all of them.

Another blink brings you back to your consciousness.

Ten wakes up violently, thrashing, "They're all dead. I killed them, didn't I? El was just protecting them.." He says, assuming that's what happened with the context clues.

Brenner sighs and grabs the kids hand, he yanks it back instinctively.

Dr. Owens is currently with Eleven, leaving only Brenner to console the sleep deprived teen.