BAD INFLUENCE !

☀︎

THE GROUP HAD HEADED OUT TO THE WHEELERS TO TRY AND FIND THE BOYS AND ELEVEN. However, the moment that they had arrived, the people of Hawkins Lab had already been investigating the entire house and there was no sign of the boys or Eleven anywhere. Hopper was unsure what else could be done if Hawkins Lab had such a close eye on the Wheelers house and up above them all had been a helicopter keeping an eye out. Turning towards the backseat, he needed to come up with a plan. "Look, we need to find them before they do. Do you have any idea where they might've gone?"

Growing frantic, Nancy felt panicked that she had no idea where her brother could be if he wasn't home. "No, I don't."

"I need you to think," Hopper insisted.

"I don't know. We haven't talked a lot. I mean, lately..." Nancy voice had trailed off as she ended off with a heavy sigh of annoyance.

Slightly raising her hand, Alex felt nervous as she waited for Hopper to notice. When he did, he wasn't all that impressed. "This isn't school, kid. What is it?"

"They'd probably be at the junkyard if they were hiding. That's where they usually go to hide away from everyone but I don't know for sure."

Turning in his seat, Jonathan's eyes grew wide as an idea came to his head. "We can talk to them, right? Let them know we know and that we can keep them safe if we come for them."

Excited from his idea, Alex sat up straighter as her eyes grew wide. "Walkie talkies! It's how they talk to each other. They probably all have theirs so..."

"We need to use Will's," Jonathan finished for Alex, both of them secretly high fiving while Hopper slammed on the gas to get to the Byers house. The quicker they could get to the boys, the better. Hawkins Lab was destined to find them sooner rather than later.

『••☀︎••』

AT THE BYERS HOUSE ALL HAD PASSED THE CHAOS THAT JOYCE HAD LEFT THE BYERS HOUSE AS IF IT WERE NORMAL-- BESIDES NANCY WHO HAD GASPED AT THE SIGHT OF IT ALL. Tearing into Will's room, they all had dug around, trying to find the very thing they needed to communicate with the rest of the boys.

From under the bed, Joyce had felt her hand wrap around it with a smile. "I got it!" She let out a sigh of relief as she sat upon the bed, holding out the walkie talkie out towards the three teenagers to take over. The first to react had been Nancy as she grabbed it out of her hand and took a seat next to Joyce. "Mike, are you there? Mike? It's me, Nancy. We need you to answer."

There was a pause as all of them huddled around the bed held their breaths as they awaited a response. When nothing had came, Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, they're so annoying, pass it here," she held her hand out and instantly Nancy dropped it in her hand.  "Listen, shit heads. We know you're at the junkyard, they know the bad people are looking for you, and they know about Eleven. Answer the damn thing! We want to help! By not answering me, you're putting the party in serious jeopardy!"

"Yeah, I copy," Mike said into the radio instantly, "We're here."

"Tell them we're coming for them," Hopper stated. The moment she had nodded her head in understanding, he had rushed out the door. His only hope had been that he could get there before anyone at Hawkins Lab caught sight of the boys.

"Okay, listen up. Hopper is coming to get you. We're gonna save you guys from those people but you need to trust Hopper when he comes. Got it?"

"You're with Hopper? What shit did you get yourself into this time!" Dustin yelled through the walkie talkie.

"Yeah, I'm with Hopper and he knows everything and believes us. Just stay in the junkyard and do not move. He's leaving right now to get you. "Alex just hoped that they actually listened to her. It was very like them to change their plans whenever they had seen fit.

"How do we know you're not working for the bad men?" Lucas asked now.

"Because I'm not a dumbass, Lucas! You really think I'd set you guys up to get taken by them?"

"Whatever," Lucas grumbled through the radio, "But if you set us up, I swear I'll kill you." When he had released the button from their end, Lucas had looked up to his friends in concern. When Dustin had given him a small nod, he felt better with the reassurance.

"How did you get them to answer you?" Nancy sighed. She had taken it back from Alex in defeat after the boys had agreed so easily to listen to her when she had been the first to speak to them.

『••☀︎••』

THOSE THAT HAD HAD STAYED AT THE BYERS HAD BEEN IN THE IMPATIENTLY PACING THE LIVING ROOM AS THEY WAITED FOR HOPPER TO RETURN WITH THE KIDS. After the sun had disappeared and the night sky had washed over Hawkins.

From outside, the sound of a car pulling up into the driveway had all rushing to the door. None had considered it could be Hawkins Lab since their eagerness to see the kids had overcome their minds. Joyce had been the first one to fling the door open, all of them rushing out into the front yard.

As the kids piled out of the car, relief had washed over the group just from the sight of them. "Dustin!" Alex yelled, running up to him and engulfing him in a hug. "Oh my god, Lucas! Eleven!" she said happily, pulling the other two into a giant group hug while Nancy held on tightly to Mike. "Holy shit, are you guys okay? They had helicopters and everything out to get you!"

"Good," Eleven said quietly. A small smile had appeared on her face to know that Alex had not given up on her and the boys. All day she had been terrified of what Hawkins Lab would do if they had found all of them, and for once, she had truly felt safe.

"Good? That's good," Alex smiled, pulling them in for one last hug.

"So how'd you get in trouble with Hopper again? Did you sneak into the Blackburns backyard again to pet their dog?" Lucas laughed, smacking Dustin's arm.

"That was one time and I didn't know it would bark and give me away. But if you must know, I totally punched someone in the face and made their nose bleed then I guess I assaulted Callahan again," she laughed, so happy to see the boys in a good mood despite their situation. It had felt relieving to hear something normal when it felt that the world around that had completely changed in a matter of days.

"Okay, let's get inside," Hopper said, ushering the boys then stopping Alex before they walked into the Byers house again. "Do you enjoy being a bad influence to those boys?"

"I'm the bad influence? They're hiding a little girl and on the run from people in helicopters. They're a bad influence on me."

"Fine, I guess you're right. Petting a dog is not as bad as this," he cracked a smile, leading her inside with the rest.

The whole group put in full detail of everything they went to so all parties knew what was happening. Slowly everything had started to come together, all their questions finally finding answers that they had desperately wanted.

"Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip in time and space. A gate," Mike explained. It had been similar to the small opening that Nancy and Alex had found, but that had unfortunately closed up before they could show the rest. However, Lucas had spoken up on one that had been much bigger than the one that had opened on the bottom of the tree.

"That we tracked to Hawkins Lab with our compasses," Lucas continued. Getting confused looks from the rest of the group, Dustin tried his best to explain it even further, "Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle."

"Is the gate underground?" Hopper questioned.

"Yes," Eleven was so quiet, it shocked them to hear her speak up. Her eyes had remained on Hopper as he asked follow up question: "Near a large water tank?" Eleven nodded her head in response.

"How'd you know that?" Dustin asked curiously but realization had hit all of them. Mike's eyes remained in his lap as he whispered: "He's seen it."

"Is there anyway you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this... Upside Down?" Joyce asked the little girl, hoping that she could make sure her son was okay and still alive. Eleven nodded her head once more. Scrambling for his radio, Mike had held it out towards Eleven as he stuck out his hand towards the girls. When neither reacted, he shook his hand urgently. "She needs a picture."

"Oh!" Nancy whispered. Finding her bag beside her, she had dug around in it feverishly as she looked for the picture that Jonathan had taken. Remembering that she had it in her own pocket, Alex scrambled around before managing to pull it out and extended it out towards Eleven hesitantly. This could go one of two ways and there was only one way that they needed it to go.

Eleven shut her eyes, trying to put all her focus onto what she was doing, shutting out the watchful eyes of everyone gathered around the table. The lights started flickering for only a few seconds before turning back on an Eleven cracked open her eyes, looking like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I can't find them." Standing up quickly, her chair had fell to the floor as she rushed towards the bathroom. All she had wanted was to help the people that had risked their lives to keep her safe. Running the water, she had splashed some on her face, her breath shaky as she tried to hold herself together. Eventually, her eyes had travelled to the mirror to look at herself. She knew she had to find a way to be there for them and the sight of the bathtub in the view of the mirror had sparked something in her that could help them all.