Other Friends

9

"CODE RED!" was shouted through the walkie that sat in Windy's car scaring the shit out of the two teens.

"What the hell was that?" Lizzie questions as Windy pulls over and parks.

"My idiot brother scaring the hell out of me, that's what that was." Windy replies as she reaches over and pulls out the walkie from the glove box. "What is it nerd?

"What do you mean 'what is it', I clearly said CODE RED!" he shouts back making the girl pull her walkie away from her ear.

"Okay, Code Red, copy. What happened?" Windy replies confused by the shouting.

"Bad government men are after us. Avoid them and meet us at the middle school. All hands on deck. Over." Dustin replies, making Lizzie raise her eyebrow.

"All hand meaning?" Windy questions, causing the boy to sigh before replying.

"Bring Lizzie. Hopper wants her with you. Just meet us there. Now!" Dustin shouts before the line goes quiet.

"Hopper?" Lizzie questions.

"Middle school?" Windy says confused before placing down the walking in the cup holder and changing gears, "God, this better be a real Code Red."

—--

Arriving at the middle school, they were greeted with the kids, Joyce and Hopper and Nancy and Jonathan. "Anyone wanna explain what's going on now?" Lizzie questions as they enter the gym. In the middle was a pool, and empty bags of salt next to it, along with other random items.

"Oh thank god." Hopper sighs in relief before pulling the teen into a hug. Confused, Lizzie hugs back.

"Are you two okay?" Joyce questions as she goes over and leads the group to the pool.

"We're fine. A bit...in over our heads, but fine." Windy replies before looking at the others. "What's with the pool?"

"It's a sensory deprivation tank." Lucas corrects.

"We built it." Dustin chimes in.

"It's to help Eleven find Will, Bella, and Barb." Mike explains, making the two teen girls nod in semi-understanding.

"Well, let's get started." Lizzie says getting everyone into action.

Eleven begins to take off her socks and watch before putting on goggles that had duck tape over them. Joyce and Hopper help the girl step into the pool blindly, before she goes to lay down, floating on the water.

Everyone else sits around the pool, waiting for her as she floats. The lights begin to flicker then shut off. They wait, the air tense, then she whispers "Barbra?" This caught Nancy's attention as she sat up. Eleven then begins to breathe heavily in fear.

The lights flicker and then shut off again. "What's going on?" Nancy questions the group.

"I don't know." Mike replies confused.

"Is Barb okay? Is she okay?" Nancy questions in worry.

"Gone. Gone. Gone." Eleven whispers, causing Nancy to cover her mouth in shock.

"It's okay. It's okay." Joyce tries to comfort Eleven as she continues to repeat 'gone', progressively getting louder and louder. "It's okay, we're right here. We're right here, honey. I got you, don't be afraid."

This seems to work as Eleven begins to calm down. "Castle Byers." she whispers, they wait again before she whispers again. "Will?"

"Tell him mom is coming." Joyce says quickly, hope in her eyes.

"Hurry." they hear Will say through a walkie, causing the teens eyes to go wide.

"Where's Bella?" Windy pipes up, "Is she with Will?"

"Will? Where's..." Eleven stops talking, like she got distracted by something.

"Run! You need to run! Go!" Bella's frantic voice comes through the walkie.

Eleven suddenly sits up, breathing heavily and the walkie goes static. "I got you. It's okay. I got you. I got you." Joyce says hugging the girl as she whimpers. "I got you honey, you did so good." she says as Eleven cries.

As they help Eleven out of the pool, the kids all sit on the bleachers while the teens and adults chat out a plan. "So this fort, where is it?" Hopper questions the group quietly.

"Uh, it's in the woods behind our house." Joyce explains, as the chief puts on his coat.

"Yeah, he used to go there to hide." Jonathan adds.

"Bella and I would find Will there all the time." Windy mentions.

"You stay." Hopper says to Lizzie as he begins to walk out of the gym. Lizzie sighs as the other three go to follow him, she just goes and sits with the kids.

Hopper notices the Byers and Windy following him, "Hey, go back inside."

"What, are you insane?" Joyce argues, "No, I'm-"

"Look, if something happens to me, I don't make it back-" Hopper tries to explain.

"Yeah, but then I'll go. You stay." Joyce argues loudly again. "Are you kidding me? He's my son, Hop. My son. And her friend," she points over to Windy, "who I pay to watch him! Someone who is like the daughter I never had! Okay! I'm going!"

Hopper stays silent as she walks over to her son. "If she's going, I'm going." Windy says quickly following behind the momma bear that was Joyce Byers. He just sighs at the two stubborn women before going to his car.

"You are going to stay here and watch over the kids." Joyce says to her son, glancing over at the other teen who just shakes her head in protest.

"No, mom." he tries to argue, "I can help." he says as she hugs him.

"Please, I need you to stay, Jonathan."

"Joyce! Windy! Come on!" Hopper shouts at them as he opens his door.

"We're gonna find them Jonathan. Okay." Windy says to him before giving the teen a kiss on the cheek before rushing over and getting in the truck.

"Windy!" Jonathan shouts as the engine starts. But she doesn't listen, determined to get her friend back.

Windy, Joyce, and Hopper make their way down to the lab. "So this is your plan?" Joyce questions as Hopper gets out bolt cutters and goes over to the fence that separates them from the lab.

"This is just as bad as the kids plan." Windy says with a sigh, earning a look from Hopper.

"Worked for me before, didn't it?" Hopper tells them as he gets ready to cut.

"Well, did it?" Joyce asks, seeming unsure.

"Come on, trust me." He says, not answering the question, cutting the fence. Making their way towards the lab was going great until a spotlight turned on causing them to stop as they were then surrounded by guards with guns. "Don't move!"