Lost ❄️ Reddie

27

Richie watched with wide eyes and parted lips as the portal closed, bring Eddie with it. Upon arrival to the lab, they heard gun shots and yelling, and quickly assumed it was already under attack. Their assumptions rang true, as the guards inside were attacking something that no one could seem to see.

It was pretty easy for the group to sneak in, since the guards were focused on the original attacker. Hopper had left the other losers in the truck, but Richie went with him, refusing to miss the chance to save Eddie. He needed to get him back.

When he saw Eddie, he ran for him. That beautiful, innocent boy who deserved the world was there and Richie was never going to let him go again. Not only that, but he remembered Richie. He remembered him. And then, an arm pulled Eddie away and through a portal, and he slipped through Richie's grasp again.

"I had him! He was right there!" Richie yelled, tears streaming down his face as he laid on his stomach. He had dove at the portal to save Eddie, but he missed. He was too late.

Hopper had a pistol in his hand that he'd taken from a killed guard. It was hard to tell how he'd been killed, but it looked as though every single bone and muscle in his body had been crushed.

"We can't save him from here, Richie. We need to get out before someone with a bigger gun comes for us," Hopper said, pulling a sobbing Richie off the ground.

"I lost him again. I fucking lost him again. He didn't want to go but he still was taken," Richie cried, pulling away from Hopper and continuing his sobs and wails. "I need him."

"Kid, we need to go."

"I don't want to. Not without Eddie."

"Richie!" Hopper hissed, making Richie look him in the eyes. "That was an enhanced person. One that can open portals. Eddie could be in a whole other country! We can't help him if we're dead, so we have to go!"

Richie was shocked by the aggression but he obeyed, standing on shaky legs and following Hopper to the exit. Before they could leave, they heard someone call out from behind them.

"Leaving so soon?" asked a dangerously familiar voice.

Hopper and Richie turned to see Brenner. Though Richie had never met him, it wasn't hard to guess who he was.

"You fucking bitch! You fucking took him from me!" Richie screamed, only held back by Hopper's grip on his arm.

"He belongs to me. He's my experiment. They all are," Brenner said, seemingly bored with the whole situation. "But I'm prepared to make a deal with you."

"What? You think after everything you made El go through, after everything you're making innocent kids go through, that we want to make a deal with you?" Hopper asked, holding up his weapon threateningly.

"Hear me out."

"No! Tell me where the fuck Eddie is!" Richie yelled, new tears streaming down his face as he struggled against Hopper's grip.

"Thirteen could be anywhere. My deal is: you help me to find the experiments, and I'll run my tests, which will only take a few weeks, and then you can have them all back," Brenner said, not at all threatened by the gun Hopper was clutching.

"That's a shitty ass deal! There's no fucking way I'm going to let you touch Eddie!"

"Shut it, kid." Hopper gave Brenner a nasty glare. "We don't want anything to do with you, and I hope you never find those kids."

With that, he and Richie turned and walked away (though Hopper had to basically drag Richie who was still screaming at Brenner) and they left the facility.

All Richie wanted was to get Eddie back. He was so blinded by his desire to find the love of his life that he didn't notice the insect sized drone that followed them, following his every move.

•••

"I fucking told you I didn't want to go!" Eddie screamed at One, who had reintroduced himself as Greyson.

"It's too dangerous to stay," Greyson said, feeling bad for Eddie but feeling as though he had acted in the best way possible.

They were in a house that Greyson had purchased for himself. It was a giant house in the middle of nowhere, as Eddie had seen from the window next to him.

"I don't fucking care! I told you to let me stay behind!" Eddie yelled, pushing Greyson in the chest. Thankfully he didn't have physical abilities, or he may have thrown Greyson out a window.

None of the others were with him, as they were all much calmer about being taken away. Even El wasn't fighting back, which pissed him off even more. She was completely fine with being taken away from her friends and adopted father, sitting in the kitchen with Avi and Kali, who were tending to their small wounds. Georgie still had his restraint device on, which El was working to figure out how to take it off.

"I acted in the best way possible, Thirteen. I'm sorry if you don't think it was smart, but you and the others needed saving, so I did what needed to be done."

"My name is Eddie."

"Fine, I'm sorry Eddie. I really was just trying to help." Greyson sounded like he was pleading with Eddie, trying to get him to realize what he had done and why he did it.

"I was screaming at you to let me stay behind," Eddie hissed, still angry. His fists were balled up and he was nearly cutting into his palms because he was digging his nails so deep into his skin.

"I wasn't going to let a fellow enhanced get killed because you thought you were being saved. Brenner uses holograms and mind tricks. How do you know that wasn't a trick?"

"Trust me, it wasn't a trick. I'd know if it was."

Greyson sighed deeply. "I'm sorry."

Eddie shook his head, wiping at the angry tears gathered in his eyes. "Can you take me to see him?"

"It took me years to track down the lab. I won't be able to find him."

"Lucky for you, I can find people with my powers. Will you let me go if I can find him?"

Greyson stared at Eddie for a second, before nodding stiffly. "Yes, but tomorrow. I can't use anymore power tonight."

Eddie smiled gratefully, allowing Greyson to show him into the room that he'd be spending the night in. It was early in the evening, but Eddie decided to get to sleep. He wanted all the energy he could to pinpoint Richie so he could go see him safely.