Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

Nine?

October 28th, 1983
Columbus, Ohio

The bustling city of Columbus, Ohio—only three hours away from the rural town of Hawkins, Indiana—is quiet despite the fact that it's only eight at night. With the wind blowing in chilly air and the thrill of Halloween littering across everyone's front door, people are cautious about staying out too late after dark. Cities are always more concerned about leaving doors unlocked than small towns like Hawkins, Indiana.

Near the center of the city, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and many business complexes, the squat little building marked Columbus National Laboratory Department of Energy, sits with the lights inside shining brightly.

Unlike its counterpart, Hawkins Lab, the Columbus National Lab is not guarded by a tall fence, large field, and No Trespassing Sign. The security is all on the inside. You can walk up to the building, but good luck getting in. To be as inconspicuous as possible, there is only one door in and out of the building. Everything else is underground. So, while it may look like a tiny seven-story building with shabby concrete walls that need a new paint job, hundreds of yards underneath the hustle and bustle of Columbus, is a fortress of the highest degree.

High-tech security monitoring and sensors run around the clock to prevent anyone not authorized from getting too far past the only front door. Or from anyone getting out...if that's what may be happening.

All the windows are bulletproof and only open when the fire alarms go off so no one can try and get through unless the building is burning down. Besides, if anyone is underground—where all the real Lab business is happening—there are no windows to try and get out through. All the doors inside the building have access codes, no one can just waltz through a door unless it's open and unlocked.

And there's no forgetting the men with guns. The big guys that weigh over two hundred pounds, and stand straight. They march through the corridors at all times of day and night. They're not to be messed with.

Every bit of this is important, because while it's easy for someone like Dr. Maria Quill to walk the halls without a care in the world, it's no cakewalk for a little kid; who one day dreams of seeing something outside of the walls of Columbus, Ohio's finest establishment.

"What exactly are we hoping to accomplish here, Dr. Quill?"

Dr. Maria Quill, a pretty woman pushing her early fifties, narrows her eyes to herself. She huffs, mentally reminding herself to not hire people under the age of twenty-five. Interns.

"Our colleague, Dr. Owens, over at Hawkins is looking for a patient. We might be able to help him." Dr. Quill gives the intern a tight smile. Her eyes are cold, however, annoyed that she has to deal with a moron this late in the evening. She should be home with her children preparing for Halloween.

Despite Dr. Quill's opinions, the intern is anything but a moron. The bright, blue-eyed girl tucks a strand of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear. The pins in her hair have been poking at her head all day, the tan heels she's wearing make her feet throb, and the faded teal lab-coat scratches her skin, but she knows better than to let her irritation reflect on her features. To try and out-smart Dr. Quill at any time of day is a big mistake, so the twenty year-old intern asks ridiculous questions and pretends to gawk at the doctor's intellect.

In reality, Lisa Drewins is unimpressed by the way Dr. Quill runs the laboratory. In fact, the tiny intern wishes to someday be in a position to offer insight. The only thing that Ms. Drewins is in the position of doing now is making sure vitals and overall health of the patient is adequate enough so Dr. Quill can sleep at night thinking that she's not violating basic human rights.

"Y-yes, I heard about that," Lisa mumbles, "but he...he's had a long day. His vitals are drained. He needs some sleep. At least eight hours."

"At least," barks Dr. Quill. The woman rolls her eyes. "He can sleep after we run the first few trials."

Lisa pauses, closing her mouth. Her cranberry-colored lips struggle with something else to say. "Well, ma'am. I'm afraid I don't understand. A few trials? That'll be hours...don't you think we could start tomorrow? I mean, it's nearly nine o'clock. You should be home. We'd hate to keep you longer than you—"

Dr. Quill stops, causing Lisa to trip on her heels so she doesn't bump into the older woman. "Listen up, Ms. Drewins. You're relatively new. You're young, so you don't quite have anything established career-wise. For me, I don't have time to waste on someone not having enough sleep. This isn't just a direct order from Hawkins. This is an order from the DOE. Do you understand what that means?"

Lisa blinks, realizing that Dr. Quill wants an answer out of her. "That...this is urgent." She swallows.

"That's right. Urgent. So, we will run a few trials tonight, and he can get some precious sleep until we come back tomorrow to start again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Dr. Quill sighs, her tight skin drooping as she relaxes. "Good. Now, prepare the patient and bring him to Room 304."

Lisa nods her head hurriedly and branches off to a hallway to the left. She hears the sound of Dr. Quill's receding footsteps and reaches a room with a plaque. It has the number nine written on it. Lisa types in the access code and slips inside the room quietly. The lights are dimmed.

"Nine?" she whispers. "Nine?"

Someone groans from the bed, lifting themselves up into a sitting position.

Lisa exhales, watching as the African American little boy squints in the darkness. She feels her heart sink. This is no way for someone to live, like a science experiment. "They want you to wake up. You have to find the patient."

The young thirteen year-old boy frowns, the spitting image of a young Robert Jones. He stares up at Lisa sadly. "The light room?"

Lisa nods. "Yes."

He scratches at his arm, a black tattoo is printed on his skin.

009

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