The Mutants (Stranger Things Fanfic)

11

 The kids were left behind with Jonathan so Billy, Steve, Eddie, Robin and Nance could  go out and find Will. Dustin, Max and Lucas were sitting at counter, leaning on their arms as they stared blankly at the clock. Mike was sitting in the chair, his arms wrapped around his knees, as El was laying across the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Jonathan was in the other room trying to communicate with the lights to see where Will was that way. 

Their attention shifted when the door to their hideout opened. They shot their heads over towards the door to find Nancy and Robin walking through the door, looking like they had their souls ripped out of themselves.

"We couldn't find him..." Robin mumbled under her breath while they walked over to the living room and sat down. All the kids groaned before slumping back down in their seats. 

"Hey, Billy, Eddie and Steve might find him..." Nancy assured them, but there was a hint of doubt in her voice, "Where's Jonathan?" 

"He's in the other room. He's trying to get answer through the lights." Mike explained to her. 

"Does anyone know Morse Code?" Jonathan called out from the other room, "the lights only speak Morse Code." 

"I think Eddie does... but then again, I think he only knows SOS." Robin shouted out. Before anyone could say another word, the door opened as Steve, Billy, and Eddie came walking through. 

"Did you--" Nancy started but Steve cut her off with a simple head shake. 

"We searched those woods as best as we could, but he simply isn't there. I have a bad feeling he might still be in town... or had found his way back into town." Steve admitted to them while Jonathan came walking out with a pile of Christmas lights in his hands, which were blinking rapidly.

"Eddie! Do you know Morse Code?" Jonathan asked him. 

"Only SOS, man. Sorry." Eddie confessed. Jonathan cursed under his breath before moving his attention towards Billy and Steve, but they shook their heads that they didn't know either. 

"I might be able." El perked up as she slid from her chair and headed over towards the lights. Jonathan held the lights near her as she watched carefully at the blinking. 

"I-- I don't get most of it-- but one session I do get." El told them. 

"What is that?" Nancy asked. 

"H-- Hop-- p-- per-- Hop Per House?" 

"Wait? Do you mean...Hopper? H-o-p-p-e-r?" Robin asked. 

"Why? Do you know something?" Billy asked her. 

"The lady I was interviewing with today... her last name was Hopper. Maybe he's at her house?" Robin suggested. 

"Great! He's doomed." Billy mumbled. 

"Not necessary! She seemed like a really nice lady." Robin assured them. 

"Yeah-- she might mean well but she could hand Will in thinking she's doing the right thing." Steve explained to them, "For all we know, she's already has done it." 

"Holy shit." 

"That is his eighth plate..."  

"I don't think he's going to be stopping anytime soon." 

"He's going to have to. We're running out of food." Joyce admitted to Hopper as they watched the little boy continue eating his food like there's no tomorrow. It was almost like watching someone toss food into an bottomless pit. It nearly was causing them to become sick just to watch him keep on chewing, but at the same time it broke their heart. How long has it been since he's eaten any real food? A week? two? Hell! A month?  

Once the boy began slowing down, Joyce and Hopper walked up to the table and sat down on the other end of the table to not frighten him. 

"Now that you've eaten," Joyce said, pulling the empty bowl of mash potatoes away, "Do you want to tell us your name?" 

The boy shook his head, looking almost teary eyed. 

"It's alright. You don't have to tell us just yet. There's nothing to worry about." Joyce assured him. 

"Yes there is." He whispered suddenly. 

"Those people... the ones who are claiming to be Social Service people, who are looking for you and your friends... those are the people you're referring to?" Hopper asked. The boy nodded. 

"They're not Social Service people, are they?" Joyce asked. The boy nodded that they weren't. 

"So why are they after you and your friends?" Hopper asked. 

"We're not like the other kids." he said, "We can-- do-- things." 

"What kind of things?" Joyce asked him. 

"All sorts of things." 

"Wait-- wait--" Hopper cut in, "Are you saying... you guys... are like mutants?" 

"HOP!" Joyce shouted at him. 

"Huh?" the boy asked. 

"Mutants? Like the X-men?" Hopper asked. The boy still looked confused. Joyce turned around as she fumbled through her bag before pulling out one of the X-Men comics. She carefully handed it to the boy before opening it up to show the characters using their powers. 

"See? They have genetic mutation that allows them to have powers that they use for good." Joyce explained more calmer. The boy nodded a 'yes'. Joyce shot Hopper a smirk. 

"Okay-- so if this is true... that means all 12 of you guys have powers of some sort... right?" Hopper asked, still unable to believe what he was hearing, "But what are they doing with you guys?" 

"Stuff." the boy answered. 

"What kind of stuff?" 

"They perform different tests on each of us because we don't have the same gifts... sometimes they put a couple of us up against each other.... make us fight." the boy explained, "one time they made us watch as they almost had Max burn Billy to a crisp." 

"Max? Billy? These are some of your friends?" Joyce asked, trying to hold her vomit down in her stomach. 

"Wait? What do you mean they almost had Max burn Billy?" Hopper questioned. 

"They wanted to test how long Billy's monster side could resist fire." the boy answered. 

"Monster side?" Joyce asked. 

"Billy can turn himself into this thin, scary looking monster." he explain to them. 

"And Max has fire powers." Hopper finished as the boy nodded in agreement, "What happened after the test? I'm guessing they're, hopefully alive, but are they in need of medicine or something?"  

"No, Billy healed up afterwards, but Max got sent to her room and wasn't allowed out of it for a whole two weeks." 

"What? Why?" Joyce asked, her voice shaking. 

"Because Max stop in the middle of the test. She didn't want to burn Billy anymore. They got mad at her and demanded she continue, but she wouldn't do it. So then they dragged her out of the room and locked her in her room." he claimed, "Then they proceeded to get Lucas to freeze Billy to test how long he would last in the cold." 

"What kind of monsters are these people?" Joyce asked, shooting a glance over at Hopper, unable grasp the idea of people forcing small kids to hurt each other. 

"Lucas is another friend of yours?" Hopper asked. The boy nodded. 

"Where are your friends?" Joyce asked, "You know so we could get them and you to a safe place." 

The boy shook his head then opened his mouth to speak when a knocking came from the front door. 

"Who could it be at this time of night?" Hopper asked while he stood up from the table. Joyce rushed over to the boy's side as she watched Hop walking towards the front door. 

"Who is it?" Hopper asked. 

"This is the people of Social Security. We've got word that you are harboring one of the missing kids."