Hawkins Laboratory was undergoing new management, with it (and some threats made by Chief of Hawkins Police Jim Hopper) 17-year-old experiments 009 and 010 were let out to live as normal lives as they could.
Given the names Oliver and Emma, respect...
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Jim Hopper was following closely behind Joyce Byers as she carried her unconscious son Will in her arms, both hurrying so they could get him to a hospital. There was almost nobody left in the restricted part of Hawkins Laboratory at this point, as the majority had left to find Eleven at the Middle School.
Hopper was about to enter and activate the elevator to take them back up to the main floor until he heard a hoarse yell.
"Where the hell did everyone go?! It's meal time you savages!" It was a male's voice, but Hopper could hear a female trying to shush them. Hopper and Joyce shared a look before he exited the elevator and ushered Joyce to go on without him-- there was no more monster to be fearful of, and there was no security around whatsoever.
"Is someone there?" Jim called out, flashing his torch down a dark and desolate hallway he's pretty sure the yell had come from.
"Well, obviously! It's not like we can go anywhere, huh?!" The male yelled back, obviously frustrated. Hopper's eyebrows had raised, mostly out of curiosity as he found what looked like two cages for animals- but instead of animals, there were two teenage kids, hanging on to bars with rooms directly opposite each other. Inside they had a plain cot that looked barely big enough to hold them, and large spray painted numbers on each wall.
Inside the room with the 009 painted all over the walls was an aggravated looking boy. He had sunken bright blue eyes and a thin face, dusty brown hair skimming along his forehead. He was right up against the bars, his forehead almost pressing into the white painted metal, and he had a vicious snarl on his lips.
Inside the opposite room, 010, there was a girl of about the same age. They looked remarkably similar, the only difference being her darker coloured hair. Her hair was just past her shoulders and knotted slightly, like she hadn't brushed it in a few days at most. In contrast to her counterpart, her expression was more curious.
"Who the hell are you?" Nine growls, hands curling into fists around the bars. Hopper was smart enough to keep his distance and keep a tight hold on the gun in his belt- if these teens were like Eleven, he didn't want to provoke them in any way, especially since one of them was already on the defensive.
"I don't work here. I came here to get a kid out of here, looks like I'll be making it a kid and two teenagers," Hopper tried his shot at sarcasm and the lightest of suck-ups, which seemed to work perfectly on the girl, Ten. She brightened immediately, a small smile growing on chapped pink lips.
"Was it Eleven? The bald girl?" She asked, cautiously nearing her bars. Hopper was in the middle of shaking his head when Nine piped back up.
"Urgh, Little Miss Perfect does everything right so she's everybody's favourite," he grunts spitefully, almost sneering at his own words. The girl sent him a look, and he muttered a quiet 'ouch' a moment later, swatting his ear with his hand as he glared over at her.
"No, a normal boy from the town. He was... Kidnapped," Hopper tried to be as vague as he could about Will Byers and the 'Upside Down', as the kids had dubbed it, seeing as half of the duo didn't seem too friendly.
"The town?! Oh, would you take us there?" Ten pleaded, sticking her thin body as far out of the bars as she could, almost trying to grab at Hopper, who shifted away in fear and discomfort.
"Oh, Ten, you're scaring him. He thinks you look like a... A zombie? What's that?" Nine questions, confusing and surprising Jim.
"How did you know that?" He asked cautiously as Ten sulked away from her bars. Nine smiled deviously and flicked his tongue over his teeth.
"Lucky guess?" He teased in a light tone, but it seemed more condescending than playful banter. Hopper narrowed his eyes before reaching towards the card-key he had stolen from the guard earlier. He decided to try and open Ten's cage first, as she seemed more likely not to try and jump him.
"What is a zombie?" She asked curiously, eyes bright as she watched the barred door slowly creak open. She stepped out as soon as there was enough space and stretched tall, looking around the open hallway giddily. Jim watched her closely.
"A person that's died that's come back to life, but doesn't have a brain. They try to eat humans," he explains, only realising his mistake once Ten shrieks in fear.
"Th-That's horrible! Are there many of them? You must live in fear!" She exclaimed, looking up and down the hallway as if suddenly expecting an undead to jump out and grab her.
"Get back inside! We can't risk it!" The boy hollers, watching his twin worriedly. She nods and goes to scurry back into her room before Jim plants a firm hand on her shoulder and holds her in place.
"No, no! They're- they're not real! They're fake creatures from movies!" He said, exasperated already. They both stopped, beginning to calm down. Ten slowly nods, pretending that she understands.
"C-Can you let my brother out?" She questions after a few moments of a lingering and awkward silence. Jim could tell she was embarrassed, and by the dismissive scowl on Nine's face, it seemed he was as well. Hopper nodded and copied his actions from before, watching impassively as Ten wrapped her brother in a hug as soon as she could.
Nine glared over Ten's shoulder at Hopper, narrowing his eyes as he wrapped an arm around his sister's waist to return her embrace. Jim didn't say anything, coming to the conclusion that after what he guessed was seventeen years as some kind of science experiment they would probably be pretty defensive and distrusting.
"Alright, then. Let's get you two out of here, into the real world."
A/N: I'm really excited to write this! I'm really happy with the cast as well, and hope it makes it easier to visualise the characters and the emotions.
This is going to mostly be a slow-burn kind of fic, building mostly on friendships and the relationship between Nine and Ten as they grow as people after finally being exposed to society.
BUT! That being said, there will be romantic aspects between Ten and Steve Harrington later on, once the plot reaches that of the second season.
If you haven't guessed it already, this is taking place just after season 1 and will continue on in the year between it and season 2- so some things may turn out to not be canon but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've seen a few fics play around with the idea of the other experiments but they never seem to be completed or thoroughly fleshed out (that's just from what I've seen, but I haven't extensively searched for it, please don't take my word on this).
I hope it becomes an exciting ride for everyone! ♡
