Chapter Text
The mood at the Squawk was solemn. Everyone was scattered and a million things was going through their heads. How to save everyone, without endangering anybody else?”
“Okay… If I’m being honest, I really do think that we should sleep at least a little. We haven’t really slept since everything and we’re not winning this fight tonight.” Joyce finally said.
Without any objections they all took uncomfortable positions on various chairs and mattresses on the floor. They had prepared for even this, but those scenarios didn’t include this many people — mainly just few who should have to be on alert by the radio. Lucas was used to sleeping on a chair, he’d done it dozens of times at the hospital. So he took one and laid his head on Max’s side. Feeling her pulse on her wrist soothed him a lot.
Vickie had the first dips on a mattress and Robin snoozed next to her — not on the same one, just to make the ‘friend’-aspect of their relationship more believable for the others. Out of whom only Mike and Joyce were oblivious of the fact that it was more than a friendship.
Will and Mike were leaning on the wall, sitting on a mattress. Mike tried to protest on Max getting the sofa since ‘she doesn’t even know what she’s coma-ing on and they could lay her on the table’, but was quickly shut off by Will’s shove and Lucas’s icy stare. Joyce and Murray slept on chairs and Erica got the last mattress by only looking at the others with a ‘no-bullshit-stare’ she’d copyrighted. It took a while for Joyce to fall asleep, but finally she did.
***
Lucas flinched awake. He didn’t snooze long, but looking around everybody was asleep. Mike was snoring and leaning uncomfortably on the mattress, but Will wasn't there next to him.
After giving Max’s arm a quick squeeze he headed upstairs to find him.
Through the window he could see Will leaning on the fence outside, looking at the sunrise. Slowly Lucas walked over to him.
“Can’t sleep?”
“No… I think I dozed off a little, but I’m too wired to sleep,” he answered. “How about you?”
“Same. How is it that every single time this happens, we’re all over the place. I mean there hasn’t been one time where the whole party has been in the same place, communicating clearly about what to do. That’s what giving me anxiety… Not knowing,” Lucas rambled.
“Yeah. We’re in this weird limbo. And the worst thing is that we’re not even really sure that they are alive. I mean I don’t want to put that energy in the world. But—.”
“I know,” Lucas said with a sigh.
After a little pause Will asked quietly. “You know the anniversary is coming up?”
“Yeah, I know…”
“I just can’t help, but think that Jonathan was our age when he had to plan a funeral for me” Will said a with a tremble in his voice. “How I really don’t know how I would be able to—“
“You won’t have to.” Lucas placed his hand on his shoulder. “You won’t. They’ll be fine, we’ll all be. And Jonathan has Nancy there with him, not much can happen when she’s around.”
“Yeah I guess,” Will chuckled a little.
“What I’m mostly scared of is Dustin… I know he didn’t hit a lamp-post, but I just didn’t ask more. I should’ve. I’m doing the same mistakes I did with Max”
“It’s not on you Lucas. You’ve been there, for a year and a half now. Stood up against Andy and the others. We’re all trying our best.”
“I just don’t want him to take too many risks…”
“Steve is there. If someone can get through to him, it’s Steve,” Will noted. “At least they’re not alone.”
That somewhat made them at ease. But then a thought invaded Lucas’s mind. “Except for Max.”
Now Will was silent. He moved silently a bit closer to Lucas. He’d been with him at the hospital many times, it was always heartbreaking to see Lucas so down.
“I don’t know why the demos were at the hospital, but I have a bad feeling about this. This timing isn’t making any sense. But if she’s somehow alive. She’s been alone…”
“I know,” Will finally whispered after a long silence between the two of them.
“I failed her,” Lucas finally admitted out loud.
“What?” That made Will’s head whip around.
“I took her into the party. I was supposed to protect her,” he sighed.
“No, Lucas,” Will shook his head and put his hand on his arm. “You didn’t fail her. You did your best. You’ve always done your best.”
Lucas didn’t say anything.
“I really do think that she’ll wake up. And you’ll have your movie date.”
“I really hope so,” Lucas finally whispered.
It was now or never, he thought. “But Vickie seems nice,” he said, glancing at Will.
“Yeah,” Will agreed, not making eye control.
“They seem like a good pair, she and Robin,” Lucas added. “It’s nice to see Robin being herself. You know?”
“Yeah…”
“It’s weird to think that there was a time when Max wasn’t in my life,” Lucas said. “I just never thought that somebody would like me for me. I mean I tried to play it off and seem confident and all. But being black…”
“I know…”
“I just want you to know that I’m always here if you need to talk.” Lucas was now looking straight at Will. “I know you and Mike are more close, hell you live at the same address. But I’m here too. Same with Dustin and everyone. And it’s been so great seeing you be more happy and light now. I don’t know if it’s because of Robin or the powers…” Lucas said with a wink. “—sorcerer.”
Will chuckled a little. Lucas was good at making others at ease, he’d seen that many times before. Hell Eleven had talked about how all of this started, back when they lived in California. He knew how hard Lucas worked at finding him. Even if he didn’t really talk about it to him.
“Yeah I know,” he finally answered. A comfortable silence fell over the two of them as they looked at the pink sky.
“There you are!” Their silence was interrupted by Mike, who walked outside. “Everyone’s awake, should we make a plan?”
“Let’s do it,” Lucas said a jogged towards Squawk. He patted Mike on his shoulder as he passed him.
“You good?” Mike asked Will as he followed Lucas.
“All good,” Will said confidently.
Mike smiled and the pair walked side by side to Squawk and downstairs. Everyone was awake and sitting on their chairs now. Lucas walked straight over to the chair laid next to Max and whilst he was looking at the group, his hand was firmly holding hers.
“Alright, we need to make a solid plan now,” Joyce said as Will and Mike took their seats by the table.
“Well I think the first thing we have to do is get eyes at MAC-Z. We need to know what’s going on in there,” Lucas said.
“Should we—?” Mike asked Lucas. They were the original ‘crow’s nest’-duo, but Lucas was eying Max warily. He wasn’t sure he’d want to leave her out of his sight.
“Uhh…”
“I can come with you, Mike,” Will said, giving Lucas an out, which he gratefully took. The two of them would manage just fine. Besides he felt more at ease knowing that Mike was with Will.
“Shouldn’t we think about how your powers work or something?” Joyce said warily.
“Mom, I don’t think we can do much now, we get eyes there and then make a plan,” Will said.
“Okay, but you guys be careful,” she said. “And when you get back we need to eat something as well.”
“Got it.” Mike nodded and the pair left upstairs.
“Okay, first thing is to make a connection to the Upside Down,” Robin then said and the group started to plan their next moves.
“Yeah… I’d like to get the radio signals there, but the bemer is there with them and even if we got in the upside down, how would we find them?” Lucas asked.
“The thing is that Will only has the visions if he’s close enough to the hive-mind. And they’re pretty random as well…”
The planning continued and they remained in constant contact with Will and Mike who biked to the tower
***
At the crow’s nest the two boys were looking at the MAC-Z silently. By now the bodies had been cleared from the yard, but it was quiet. No guards were standing at their posts, no trucks were driving. They were unsure wether everyone was in the Upside Down or in the barracks. All of this they relaid to the Squawk. They were trying to get contact and Robin and Vickie decided to drive around town with the radio-van to try and get a signal. It wasn’t looking great, they didn’t have the de-coder with them. But there’s no harm in trying.
All of a sudden Will spotted the gate opening. The same way it did back when Vecna walked outside to the yard.
“Crow’s nest to Squawk. We have action. The gate is opening, we repeat, the gate is opening. Over.” Mike said to the radio.
“What?”
“Something is happening, hold for more info,” Mike said again, watching Will intently as he looked through the binoculars.
“A truck,” Will said, which Mike repeated to the radio.
“One truck?”
“Hold up!” Will suddenly said. He was looking at the driver, who looked strangely familiar. Almost all of his face was covered with a bandana. On the seat next to him was a even more familiar face. “It’s Jonathan”, Will breathed out.
“What?!”
“It’s Steve and Jonathan driving. Someone is sitting in between, but I can’t make out who is it,” Will whispered.
“Uhh… Crow’s nest to Squawk. We believe that Jonathan and Steve are driving the truck,” Mike finally said to the radio.
This made the whole Squawk silent. Will watched in silence as the truck drove to the nearest gate, which opened with as they approached it. “I think Eleven is there.”
“El?” Will couldn’t help but notice the weird tone of Mike’s voice at the mention of Eleven, but he didn’t have time to think about it.
“Someone opened the gate and there’s no guards,” Will explained. As the truck passed the gate the back of the truck opened a little and Will could see an unfamiliar face watching the yard intensely. "They're turning right."
“They’re heading for the tunnels on the alley,” Mike whispered and stood up to run after them.
“Shit,” Will breathed out again, still looking at the MAC-Z.
“What? What?!”
“They started a burn,” Will said. Now the burn was coming from inside the gate, from the Upside Down. “I think they know…”
“Shit!” Mike shouted. “Someone is coming,” he said to the radio.
“What do you mean someone is coming??” A nervous Joyce shouted at the radio.
“Hold on!” Mike continued.
“Military,” Will confirmed. A military-truck was speeding through the gate in effort of catching the others — especially El and Kali.
Mike’s head was spinning. Was Will right, was Eleven there and alive? Where were Nancy and Dustin? Had they found Holly? How about Hopper? And these were the same questions everyone else was thinking as they waited by the radio for more answers.