Time After Time (a Stranger Things fanfiction)

Self Control

"Self Control"

Through the wall, something's breaking

- Laura Branigan

Joyce had no idea how long they'd been in the air so far. The rickety little plane didn't seem like it was going to make it another mile, much less all the way across the ocean to Russia. And buried in her fear that the plane would crash was her fear of what had happened to Hopper, now that Yuri had betrayed them. Had she foolishly walked into a trap? Was there no Hopper? Had she completely screwed up the whole plan and gotten him killed?

Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Yuri sat scooping peanut butter out of a jar, seeming very pleased with himself.

"Hey, Yuri," Murray called over the noise of the engines. "Yuri, I need to take a piss here."

Joyce rolled her eyes. Well, wasn't that just great. Just what they needed. "Just give it up," she snapped. "He can't hear you."

"I really do have to go, Joyce. This isn't some ploy to escape."

She wasn't sure what he expected Yuri to be able to do about that. There were hardly bathroom facilities on this piece of junk. And maybe if Murray had drank less coffee, he could have fought the effects of the drug and they wouldn't be in this situation. But she was hardly in a position to get on her high horse about that, so she kept her mouth shut.

Over Murray's shoulder, she glared at Yuri. Then the import of what she had just said struck her, and she repeated it. "He can't hear."

"What?"

Ignoring Murray, she looked at the box of peanut butter in front of her. The open box. Of glass jars. Stretching to the limits of her bonds, she started kicking at it, hoping to dislodge one of the jars.

"Joyce, what are you doing?"

She kept kicking until the box fell over, the jars cascading onto the floor, several of them smashing.

"Joyce!" Murray shouted.

"My leg is too short," she said, straining to reach one of the pieces of broken glass. "Can you grab that shard with your foot?"

"Perhaps, you know, we should talk this through first."

"What is there to talk through?" They were tied up. If they were going to be any use to Hopper, or themselves, or her children, they needed not to be. "We cut our binds, we break free."

"Yes, okay, then what?"

"Then you take him out!"

"Take him out?"

"You know karate. You said you were a black belt."

"We're ten thousand feet in the air, Joyce," Murray pointed out. "I take him, who flies this plane?"

That was a tough call. "All right," she conceded, "so don't knock him out. Just get his gun and make him turn us around."

"Get his gun. Just like that, huh?"

"Is black not the highest color?"

"Yes. It's just ..."

"Just what?"