‧₊ ·˚ ༘❁ ┊ep 7. the bathtub. ▬▬▬▬▬▬
꒰ ✎ ꒱ؘ STARGIRL, a stranger things fanfiction

"Dustin! Dustin come in!" Franny tells the walkie and tries to reach Dustin as they ride their bikes. "Code red Dustin do you copy!"

Franny looks up and continues riding her bike as she waits for Dustin to copy. "Yeah! I copy!" Dustin replies from the Walkie. "We're in trouble. Those cable guys Lucas and I saw earlier. They work for the Lab. We think they're going for El." Lucas replies from his Walkie.

"Tell Mike and El. Hurry!" Franny declared as the two rushed. "Son of a bitch...!" Lucas yelled in fear.  "Lucas if you can hear us, slow down. We can't understand you." Mike called from the Walkie.

"Yes, we copy! Do you?" Lucas replied. "They know about Eleven!" Lucas and Franny biked faster. "Get out of there! They know about El!" Franny added from her Walkie.

"The bad men are coming! All of them!" Lucas and Franny pedal hard down the road. "Do you hear us? The bad men are coming!" Lucas looked back to see if they were following them.

"The bad men are coming!" Franny and Lucas were finally in range where Mike and the others can hear them.

A few moments later Lucas tries to contact them again. "Dustin. Dustin, do you copy?" Lucas asked. "Yeah, Lucas, they're on us." Dustin blurted out.

"Where are you, Dustin?" Franny gulped as she chimed in. "Cornwallis." "Meet us at Elm and Cherry." Lucas yelped frightened.

"Copy. Elm and Cherry!"

"There they are!" Franny announced, the two slowly stop their pedaling and meet with Dustin, Mike, and El.

"Guys! Whee are they?" Mike asked. Lucas stammers, "I don't know. Franny thinks you guys lost them." Franny turns back.

"I don't think you guys did. Shit!" Franny pedaled away from the four as they followed her behind. They pedal hard as the vans follow behind them.

Suddenly, another van on the road turns on the street heading for them. They screamed in fear as they all thought they were going to die.

Eleven gave the truck an intense gaze on the van in front of them. The van is ripped from the ground and flung into the air. They rode their bikes while looking up with an awestruck look. The van crashes in front of the other vans.

"Holy shit." They exchange disbelieving looks as they ride away.

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They ride into a junkyard with trashy cars. Franny watches as Mike and El get off their bikes as the others try to catch up. Franny saw how worried Mike looked at El. The three catch up to Mike and El. Franny got off her bike and rushed to help Mike with El.

"Holy... Holy shit!" Dustin breathed getting off his bike. "Did... did you see what she did to that van?" Dustin asked. "No, Dustin, we missed it." Mike teased.

Dustin stammers, "I mean that was..." Lucas chimed into the conversation. "Awesome."

Eleven turns to look at Lucas who was catching his breath. "It was awesome." Lucas kneels beside Eleven. Lucas and Eleven lock eyes and gives her and an honest look.

"Everything I said about you being a traitor and stuff..." Lucas paused for a second. "I was wrong." She stares back at his face. "I, sorry." Lucas apologizes and places his hand on her back.

"Friends... friends don't lie." Eleven gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry, too."

Their eyes meet. "Me too." They look up at Mike. Mike sticks out his hand. Lucas rises and considers shaking his hand.

He shakes it.

Franny looked back at Eleven and noticed how she looked at Mike. Franny hugs her. "Sorry about what happened, I love you El." Eleven wraps her arms around Franny and then smiles. "I love you too." Eleven and Franny shared a long hug with each other.

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"This is Randolph Road, right here." Lucas used a stick to desc the road. "The fence starts here. And goes all the way around." Lucas sets down a can. "This is the lab right here," Lucas explained. "The gates gotta be in there somewhere."

"It has to be," Franny added. "Well, who wins Hawkins Lab?" Dustin wondered. Lucas sighed. "The sign says Department of Energy." Dustin gives a confused look at Lucas.

"Department of Energy? What do you think that means?" Mike looks at Lucas. "It means government. Military."

"Then why does it say Energy?" Dustin inquired. "Just him on this, okay?" Franny added. Dustin nods. "It's military. My dads told me before." Mike added.

"Mike is right. Franny and I, we saw them out front." Lucas informed.

"Do they make, like, lightbulbs or something?" Dustin wondered. "No, weapons.... to fight the Russians, and commies and stuff," Mike replied.

"Weapons." They all share nervous looks. Dustin gasps, "Oh, Jesus, this is bad." "Really bad. It's like a fortress." Franny added on how big the lab was. "What do we do?" Dustin wondered.

Mike stammers as he looks at Dustin with no idea in his head, "I don't know, but we can't go to my house. The bad men are probably there. We're fugitives now."

Dustin pears over his shoulder. "Guys?" Dustin stutters. "Do you hear that?" Franny hears a helicopter approaching to them. Her head looks up into the sky. A helicopter approaching from a distance.

"Shit." Franny rushes to her bike as the others do the same. They stash their bikes under a bus and then scramble inside with Eleven.

"Get down!" Lucas says, panting. They all dive to the floor looking up with a panicked expressions. "Mental," Dustin whispered.

"What happens if they find us." Franny gulped, worriedly. "They won't. At least we hope they won't." Mike replied.

More helicopters fly over them, and Franny exhales as Lucas places his arm on her shoulder. He gives her a soft smile and she brings her head onto his shoulder.

"Mike, are you there? Mike?" Nancy can be heard from his Walkie. Franny and the others look up and give them a concerned look. "You guys hear that?" Dustin questions.

"Mike, it's me, Nancy," Nancy told them from the Walkie. Mike grabs his backpack and takes out his Walkie as the others gather around him.

"Answer," Nancy called out. "Mike, we need you to answer." They hear Nancy. "Is that your sister?" Lucas questioned. "This is an emergency, Mike," Nancy recalled, in the situation, they're all in. "Do you copy?"

"Mike, do you copy?" Franny gives Mike a look that he should copy. "It's too risky what if Nancy's with the bad men?" Mike said. "Okay, this is really weird." Franny turns to look at Dustin.

"If we know they're not playing us, my mom would be there. She knows how the Hawkins Lab people are. She thinks they're dumb." Franny tells them. "It's a trick. They probably kidnapped her and forced her to answer." Mike tells them.

"I need you to answer." Nancy can be heard once again. "It's like Lando Calrissian. Don't answer." Dustin takes the Walkie out of Mike's hand. Mike takes the Walkie back as Nancy can be heard once more. "We need to know that you're there, Mike."

"Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you're there pick up." Jim can be heard. Franny's eyes widened. "We can trust them."

Lucas and the others give Franny a look. Franny looks at them. "What? If Jim is there so is my mom. They didn't kidnap Nancy and force her to say any of that."

"We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl." Lucas gives them a confused look. "Why is she with the chief?"

"How the hell does he know about..." Dustin trails off and looks at El, who gives him a look back.

"We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up."

"Mi Amor. Please pick up Kirby and I are worried." Paola takes the Walkie out of Jim's and speaks to the Walkie. My love.

Jim takes the Walkie back from Paola. "Are you there? Do you copy? Over." Mike looks at his friends.

They all nod. "Yeah, I copy," Mike announced. "It's Mike. I'm here." Mike looks at his friends around him. "We're here." He added.

They all sit up and sit in the chairs. Dustin paces back and forth, as Lucas nervously bounces his knee. Franny bites her nails in nervousness. Eleven sits in a seat as Mike rests his face on his hand.

"Will you stop pacing?" Mike said annoyed by the sound when Dustin would pace.

Dustin turns back. "It's been way too long. Do you know what? Maybe you're right. This is all a trap," Dustin walks toward Mike. "and the bad men are coming to get us right now!" Dustin continues.

"It's not a trap. Why would the chief set us up?" Lucas looked at Dustin concerned. "Nancy, maybe. But the chief? You heard Frans. If her mom is with him we're safe."

"I don't feel good about this. I don't feel good about this!" Lucas looks back at Dustin. "When do you feel good about anything!"

Franny stops biting her nails annoyed she looks at Lucas and Dustin, "Would you stop shouting! You're going to blow our safe spot!"

Vehicles approached as they all rushed to the front of the bus and look at the dark sedan car pulling into the junkyard. They see another car pull in.

"Shit!" Dustin says. Mike tells everyone to go to the back of the bus and hide. They all suck behind seats keeping low.

"Lando," Dustin says panting. "You think they saw us?" Lucas asked frightened for his life.

"Both of you, shut up." Mike and Franny say in sync.

Outside three agents exit their cars roaming the area. Franny spots a guy with a gun looking down at their bikes.

He walks towards the bus door and opens it. He's knocked out by a rock. The door creaks as they stand up to all the commotion.

They rise as Hopper comes aboard. He breaths heavily. "All right, let's go." They remain in place. "Let's go!"

The kids grab their bags and rush out behind Hopper.

"Get in," Hopper noted as he opened his car door. They all clam into his car and shut the door.

"Uh, Hop. where are we going?" Franny asked with uncertainty. "Joyce's house."

Franny nods as she looks out the window.

A few moments later they arrived. Nancy rushes out of the house running to Mike. "Mike. Oh, my God. Mike!" Nancy rushed in for a hug with Mike.

"Franny!" Kirby and Paola rush to Franny and give her a hug.

"Is that my dress?" Nancy says as her gaze shifts to Eleven on Nancy's dress.

Inside Mike shows the group Mr. Clarkes drawing of the Flea and the Acrobat.

"Okay, so, in this example. We're the acrobat." Mike demonstrates. "Will and Barba, and that monster, they're the flea." Kirby and Nancy look at each other at the mention of Barb.

"And this is the Upside Down, where Will is hiding." Mike puts down the paper. "Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space."

"A gate." Dustin chimed in. "That Franny and I tracked to Hawkins Lab." Lucas put forth. "With our compasses," Dustin added. They all nod.

Joyce stares at them. "Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the direction of a compass needle," Dustin explained.

"Is this gate underground?" Hopper asked. Franny looked at him. "That's the thing we're not sure," Franny noted about his question.

"Yes." Eleven corrects her. Eleven and Hopper lock eyes. "Near a large water tank?" Hopper asked. "Yes." Eleven nods.

"How do you know all that?" Dustin stammers. "He's seen it." Mike realized.

"Is there any way that you could... that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this—" Joyce asked. "The Upside Down." Eleven finished her question.

"Down. Yeah." Joyce whispers.

Eleven nods.

"And our friend Barb?" Kirby asked. "Can you find her too?" Nancy requested. Eleven gives them a calm look.

Now the group gathers around Eleven as a picture of Will and Barb sits on the table. Radio static increases as Eleven searched channels.

Nancy, Kirby, Joyce, Hopper, Paola, and the group watch intensely as El sits with her eyes closed.

The lights start to flicker over their heads. They look up. El opens her eyes looking at the faces in front of her.

Eleven wears a discouraging look. "I'm sorry." She tells them sadly. "What?" Joyce asked hesitantly.

"What's... what's wrong? What happened." She continues stammering. Eleven's voice breaks. "I can't find them."

Joyce puts her hand to her mouth as Jonathan turns away.

Eleven stands up and walks away to the bathroom.

"Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak," Mike explained. "The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets," Dustin added. "Like, she flipped the van earlier." Lucas denoted. "It was awesome," Franny said.

"But she's drained." Mike quipped. "Like a bad battery."

Joyce stutters. "Well... How do we make her better?"

Franny and the others shrug their shoulders. "We don't. We just have to wait and try again." Mike added.

"Well, how long?" Kirby asked. Mike shrugs, "I don't know."

"The bath," Eleven says as they all look at her. "What?" Joyce asked.

"I can find them." Eleven looked at everyone. "In the bath." She looks at Joyce.

They stare back questioningly.

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Dustin listens to the phone and takes notes. "Uh-huh. How much?" Dustin questions from the phone. "Uh-huh." The others watch him.

"Yup, all right. Yeah, we'll be careful." Dustin nods. "Definitely. All right, Mr. Clarke. Yeah, I'll see you on Monday. See you on Monday." He hangs up the phone and looks at the others.

"Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed apples in?" Dustin asked Joyce. "I think so. Yeah." She looks at Jonathan. "Yeah."

"Good." He puts his pencil up. "Then we just need salt. Lots of it."

Hopper gives him a confused look. "How much is lots?" Hop questioned.

Dustin looks down at his notes. He looks back up. "15 hundred pounds."

"Well, where are we going to get that much salt?" Nancy asked. She looks around. Hopper looks off pensively.

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Later, the chief SUV pulls into Hawkins Middle School. Jonathan's car pulls up after. Inside, Hopper tosses large bags of de-icing salt.

Jonathan places them on the cart as Hopper gives them to him.

Franny, Lucas, and Dustin walk into the gym as Dustin rolls the kiddie pool into the center of the gym.

"This damn thing is heavy." Dustin grunts as he rolls it. As they reach the center they untie the bundle and set it up.

"How does this shit even work?" Dustin asked. "Get that side," Franny tells Dustin as she grabs the other.

"Son of a bitch." One of the sides of the pool falls and she exhales.

"Pull it back. Pull it back." Lucas tells him. "I am!"

"One. Two. Three." The edges cave in. "Shit!" Dustin seemed frustrated at this point.

"Fill it up with water. Maybe that'll help." Franny responded. "Wouldn't it all fall out if we do?" Dustin asked.

Franny shrugs her shoulders. "Nancy and Mike are getting hoses. We could try then." Lucas added. Franny and Dustin nod.

They try and set up the pool again. They finally set it up correctly.

"Bingo." Lucas places his hands on his hips ad Mike and Nancy walk into the gym with three hoses.

"Here. I brought this." Mike hands Franny a thermometer who hands it to Lucas.

Nancy takes the hoses and walks to where she can connect them. Mike places the hoses into the pool as the pool fills up. Lucas places the thermometer near the pool and waits till it reaches the temperature.

"Colder!" Lucas yells out for Nancy to heart Nancy turns one of the knobs. "Warmer!" Lucas called out again.

She cranks the other knob. "Right there," Lucas told Nancy as she stops the water. Hopper and Jonathan cut into the salt as they pour it into the pool.

Now, Dustin looks at Franny, Lucas, and Mike before placing an egg.

It sinks and Dustin puts up his hand. "More salt." Franny looks at Jonathan who nods and grabs another bag with Hopper.

Dustin gently places an egg into the water and it floats. He grins as Franny and the other look at him approvingly.

Mike places a Walkie on a cart and turns it onto a static.

Now, Eleven takes off her socks and Mike and Joyce watch her. Eleven takes off Mike's watch and hands it back to him.

Joyce places a reassuring hand on her back as she hands her the taped goggles. Eleven places the goggles on her head and her shoulders heave and she takes a deep breath.

Eleven steps into the pool as Joyce guides her. She lets go of her hands and she walks to the center. Her dress sets as she sits in the water. She lies face back onto the pool as she floats.

The lights flicker as they look up in nervousness, and they go out. They sit around the pool looking at Eleven.

Franny's nails move to her mouth as she bites on them with nervousness. Lucas and Paola place a hand on her back as she looks at them in comfort.

"Barbra?" Could be heard from Eleven. Nancy and Kirby rise up to the mention of their friend's name.

Eleven's breath gets heavier as the lights flicker.  "What's going on?" Nancy asked. "I don't know." Mike looks back at Nancy.

Nancy looks back at Eleven. "Is Barb okay? Is she okay?" Nancy asked.

"Gone. Gone." Kirby places her hand on her mouth as she realized Barb was dead. Nancy covers her mouth.

"It's okay. It's okay." Joyce comforts Eleven as she panics. Joyce touches her arms to let Eleven know that she's safe. "It's okay, we're right here. We're right here, honey. It's okay. I got you. Don't be afraid."

Joyce comforts her as her breathing becomes soft. "I'm right here with you."

"Castle Byers," Eleven said. Franny looks up and sighs.

"Will?" Eleven says softly. Joyce looks at Jonathan. "You tell him I'm coming. Tell him his mom is coming." Joyce stammers as she's relieved.

"Hurry." Will can be heard from the Walkie. "Okay. Listen, you tell him to... stay where he is." Joyce stammers again.

Eleven jumps out of the water and clutches Joyce at the end of the pool. "I've got you," Joyce says softly. "I've got you," Joyce said again holding Eleven close.

They help her out of the pool as Lucas gives Eleven a towel. They sit near a bleacher. Eleven with her head on Mike"s shoulder. Lucas places her towel on her as Franny rests' her head in on Lucas' shoulder.

"You did good El," Franny tells Eleven.

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📝 — AUTHORS NOTE ... !
im so happy one more chapter than season two omg