0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺𝟸: 𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎

Steve looked back and forth between the sisters before speaking. "What she said." Steve paused when he realized that some of it didn't directly apply to him. "Well, minus the whole sister thing...and the powers thing...and the dad thing. So just mostly the bit about not being scared and not letting you go alone. Okay, just the bit about not letting you go alone."

One bit her lip as she tried to think of a response. She knew that she was possibly being a little unfair and a little selfish, but she couldn't help it. Fear was driving her far more than she'd like to admit. It had been since the beginning. But she also knew that there was no way to actually prevent Eleven from coming with. Even if she was somehow able to convince Steve to stay in the car, he wouldn't be able to stop Eleven from following after. It looked like they had won this argument.

"Okay," One said at long last, resting her hand on the door handle. She made eye contact with Eleven and then Steve, giving them both a curt nod. "Let's do this."

☆ ★ ☆

"You're behind all of this, aren't you?" Hopper asked, taking a few cautious steps towards the bars and the person standing on the other side of them. He had to be careful to avoid Brenner, who was still writhing on the floor. "Why?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James answered with a malicious smile. "You're just a delusional man who went crazy from being trapped in the same cell as his worst enemy. Or at least, that's what I'll tell One."

"If you do anything to her I swear to god," Hopper growled. He moved his hand slowly towards the gun at his hip, careful not to make any sudden moves.

"Don't you worry, my intention is not to harm One," James reassured him before his sly smile returned. "I can't say the same for the rest, however."

In one swift move, Hopper unstrapped his gun from its holster and pointed it straight at James.

The smile on James' face grew even wider as he stared down the barrel of the gun and a low chuckle emerged from his throat. "Did you already forget what I can do?"

Hopper was about to respond when he felt a strange feeling creep up his spine and he watched in horror as his arms swung to point the gun away from James and towards Brenner, who had finally stopped spasming and was lying still on the ground. He tried to fight his twitching finger, which had begun inching towards the trigger.

"No, please, don't!" Dr. Brenner began to beg, his one good eye swelling with tears. Hopper struggled to meet his gaze as the gun shook in his hands.

"Come on, don't you want this?" James asked. "He took your only daughter away from you. Tortured her, abused her. And worst of all? He tried to fill your place. Made her call him papa.  For the longest time she considered him to be her only father."

Part of Hopper yearned to give into James' control and shoot Brenner dead; to watch his blood pool around his body as he watched the life sap out of his only eye. He had wanted to kill Brenner since the second he watched the tape left on his doorstep and discovered that he had faked Sarah's death. It would only be fair, wouldn't it? It would only be right.

"What are you waiting for?" James asked. "This isn't even full power. I'm giving you the option to kill him of your own accord, to get your revenge. Take it!"

Hopper continued to wrestle with what he knew was right and what he wanted. Despite the deep, deep hatred he harbored for Dr. Brenner, he couldn't just kill him cold-blooded and defenseless. What would his daughters think? He had an example to set. He had to do right by them and for them. "No!" Hopper screamed at last, pulling his finger off the trigger.