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Chapter Text

Max and Erica had been all too happy to get off of that godforsaken hill after being there all afternoon, making their way down Weathertop and past the quiet trailer park down the street, past the cracked pavement roads that weren’t as high priority as the highways in and out of town, and past the swathes of trees that parted to make way for…

Lights.

Music.

Laughter.

The smell of cotton candy and gunpowder hit Max and Erica like a shockwave as they breached the trees in their day old clothes and came face to face with Mayor Kline’s Fourth of July Fun Festival.

“I can’t believe there’s a monster on the loose and they still went through with the goddamn carnival.” Max said, hands limply at her sides as she stared at the scene before her in shock.

“But maybe we’ll find Hopper here,” Erica proposed. “It would be a serious safety hazard to not have a security detail for an event like this.”

“What? Uh- yeah, maybe,” Max was still focused on the crowd. “Let’s go.”

It was scary to be in an area surrounded by a big crowd, knowing that at any moment there could be a mass flaying and everyone in Hawkins could die within seconds. The screaming, playing children and families eating copious amounts of fried food together was a grim visage to the two girls who trudged through like fish out of water, knowing it could all come crashing down at any second.

Max noticed Erica wringing her hands together.

“You alright?” she asked, leaning in so she could actually be heard.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine,” Erica insisted. “This is the loudest goddamn place on Earth, is all.”

“We’ve been alone on a hilltop for eight hours,” Max said. “This is a whiplash-level change of pace.”

“It’s just- we didn’t hear from the boys at all before we left,” Erica blurted out. “Why haven’t they called with any updates?”

“They’re probably just busy taking care of Will,” Max reasoned. “We just need to find Mrs. Byers and get back there and we’ll see them for ourselves.”

“Yeah, sure…if they’re not all dead by the time we get there.”

Max looked down at Erica. “Hey, not the time for doom talk. They’re gonna be fine…right?”

“I’m not talking doom, I’m talking rational.” Erica insisted.

“Erica? Max?” the two heard.

The girls turned to see Mrs. Wheeler approaching, with Holly and her husband in tow. Holly bounced forward and gave Erica a big hug.

“What’s going on, Barbie?” Erica asked. 

Holly pointed at the ferris wheel. “We’re gonna ride the wheel to the top!”

“Really? That’s cool,” Erica said. “You know, I bet if you ask nicely, the carnie will stop you at the top when the fireworks start.”

“That’s a great idea!” Karen said, smiling. “What are you girls doing out here?”

“Same as you,” Max shrugged. “Just enjoying the events.”

“At least some of this town’s kids are bothering to go outside,” Ted grumbled. “The boys locked themselves in the basement for the night. God only knows what’s so important down there.”

Max and Erica shared a look. 

“Have either of you seen Chief Hopper by any chance?” Max asked. “Or maybe Mrs. Byers?”

“Oh, I haven’t seen Joyce at all,” Karen looked around. “A shame, I think she and her boys would’ve enjoyed this tonight. I saw Calvin and Phil somewhere over by the House of Mirrors, so Jim could be somewhere over there.”

“Maybe he’s fighting the monster in the trees,” Holly said. “I saw them shaking when we were on the carousel.”

"Look at this fantastic little party,” the group heard. “How are we all doing tonight?”

A slimy blonde man approached them. His neatly tailored suit betrayed the gross grin plastered across his tight, shiny face.

“Larry!” Karen exclaimed. “You know, this event has just been so fun, you really know how to put on a good show.”

“I’m glad to hear it Karen, you know- you look really wonderful tonight,” Mayor Kline beamed. He noticed Max, Erica, and Holly looking at him with matching faces of disgust. “Can I help you ladies?”

Max shook herself out of her grossed-out stupor. “Um, yeah, we’re looking for Chief Hopper. Have you seen him?”

“You know what? I don’t think he’s here tonight,” the mayor replied. “You could try Officer Powell if it’s urgent.”

Max rolled her eyes. “No thanks. We need the Chief.”

Erica leaned down to speak to Holly. “We’ll go take care of that monster. Don’t worry.”

Max and Erica started to trudge off away from the group, waving their goodbyes to the Wheelers as they went. 

“Where are we supposed to find them?” Erica asked. “If the Chief’s not here. And it’s not like Will’s mom is the easiest person to keep track of.”

“We’ll just have to keep looking, someone’s got to have seen them today.” Max replied.

Karen watched the girls go as Holly returned to her mother’s side. “Well, it seems like they’ve got their mission.”

“Yeah…” The mayor said, watching them go with much more pointed eyes than Karen. “Listen, uh- you guys have a great night, I’m just- I gotta go make a quick phone call. But please, enjoy yourselves.”

“You too!” Karen called.

Ted rolled his eyes. “That man is a real piece of work.”

Karen sighed as Holly started to pull them in the direction of another attraction. “For once, I might agree with you.”

El could barely think straight. They had been moving through the vents for the last fifteen minutes. Steve and Robin were stumbling and blundering in front of her, with Dustin leading the way. She was barely paying attention to where she was going or even what she was doing. Steve and Robin’s voices had melded into one, though nothing they had said had been important for the last ten minutes. All she could think about was Hopper.

How did he get there? What were the soldiers going to do to them? Could she have done more to help? If she had just used her powers, she could have saved them. They would be in the vents with them. But they weren’t.

Everyone’s insistence that El dare not use her powers was getting to her. It somehow made her feel more alienated, somehow. She would have felt better if the others were relying on them instead. At least then she would feel useful. But now she had failed. Hopper and Mrs. Byers were still in custody. She knew how dangerous the lab was. A part of her wondered if she was ever going to see them again.

If she had just done something.

El heard a familiar hum coming from outside the vent. She realized with a start where they were. They were passing by the gate. El looked ahead to the others. They were all talking about this and that. Dustin was desperately trying to coax Steve and Robin to cooperate. 

Whatever happened to them had been horrible. El felt guilty just looking at them. She knew when they left them behind that the lab would do something to them. That they would have been tortured. But they had insisted she not save them and low and behold, here they had been hurt. El felt the guilt eating away at her.

El waited until she thought Dustin was distracted enough and kicked open the vent grate. Red alert be damned. She was going to close the gate herself, whether they wanted her to or not. She made her own rules.

She could stop it all. Billy, the Mind Flayer - everything. She was the only one who could. Kali’s words before had been nice, but she had been wrong, too. El was her powers. That’s all she was. That’s what she needed to be for everyone. It was all she had to offer.

“El!” She heard Dustin shout from the vent, but she was already gone. She wasn’t in the comms room, she was on the platform that stood above the gate’s cavern. Perfect. Exactly where she wanted to be.

She knew she only had a moment before either a soldier or one of her friends would catch up to her, so she moved quickly. She positioned herself in front of the gate, took in a deep breath, and started to close it.

But something wasn’t right.

She had the unsettling feeling that someone was watching her.

Did someone…want her to be there?

Suddenly, a blue light filled her vision. It was blinding. It knocked her off her feet like she had been hit with a tidal wave. El gasped, falling back.

She couldn’t make sense of where she was. She couldn’t remember the time of day or how she got there. All she could register was a voice, speaking to her inside her mind.

“They call it Soteria. It weakens me. Tracks me. Even if there were another way out, they would find me. And if they find me, they will find you.”

El fell against the railing, the light vanishing. She hit her head against the floor, hard. A loud ringing noise started in her head. El screamed out in pain. She could feel blood start to pool on her forehead. She didn’t know which way was up and which way was down.

Suddenly, hands were on her back. El screamed and tried to throw the attacker off of her. But nothing happened. She batted her hand out, lamely hitting the person’s arm. She realized after a moment that they weren’t trying to hurt her. They were just saying her name.

“El! El!” Dustin cried. He pulled her up, so her back was against his chest. He leaned backwards so her head wouldn’t droop down. “El, come on, talk to me!”

“Dustin?” She asked, weakly.

“El, what happened?” Dustin asked. His voice broke, like he was holding back tears.

“The light. The light scared me. It made me fall,” She tried to explain. She couldn’t find the right words. She felt confused and overwhelmed. Tears streamed down her face. Her head hurt so much.

“What light?” Dustin asked.

“The blue light. It came from the gate,” El tried to explain.

“You tried to close the gate, and then you fell. There wasn’t a light,” Dustin said, his voice shaky. “We need to go. Now.”

“No,” El insisted. “I have to close it. I have to close the gate! Please!”

Dustin said nothing. He hugged her tighter, but he wasn’t stopping her. El reached her hand up and tried again. But nothing happened. It wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working?

“El, please. Please. We need to go,” Dustin said, squeezing her just a bit around her waist. “Robin and Steve are still in the vent. The red alert is still in effect. We’re going to get caught. I can’t let them find you.”

El heaved back a sob. She felt like she was going crazy. Her brain signals felt like static. Why did the voice from the light sound so familiar? Why did she feel like she had heard those words before? Why was it just out of reach? Why couldn’t she use her powers?

But she knew they had to go. He was right. They couldn’t stay there. Besides, she still felt like she was being watched.

El pulled away from Dustin’s grasp. She held onto the railing to try and hoist herself up. Once to her feet, Dustin put one of her arms around his neck and helped her back to the vent.

“There’s my little Ellie-Belly!” Robin exclaimed, poking El in the stomach. “Your head! What happened?”

“I…I-“

“She’s going to be fine. But we have to keep moving,” Dustin said. “Move, move, move!”

“Jeez, so touchy,” Robin said with a click of the tongue.

“Yeah, mom, calm down,” Steve chimed in. Dustin groaned. He placed himself behind El. She had expected him to be angrier at him, for him to yell at her and call her stupid. But he didn’t. He just wanted her to be okay. So, El gently reminded Steve and Robin that they had to move, and began to trek towards the elevator.

She would figure out what the light meant later.

They had barricaded the Wheeler basement. The couch now lay vertically, blocking the door. Mike and Lucas had moved the bookshelf to cover the windows. The five of them huddled in the center of the basement, Nancy standing guard on the top of the stairs with her shotgun while the boys stood in a circle holding their various weapons. It was the best they could do with the time they had.

Whatever was coming, Will was scared it was going to be bigger than the monster from the hospital. None of them knew how many people were Flayed, but his nightmares had consistently reminded him that they were building something big. Will was terrified. They didn’t have any fire power. No one thought that Nancy’s gun would really do them any good. It never did anything to Demogorgons. They just had to hope that the barricade would hold.

Jonathan made sure to stand in front of the three boys. Lucas had his slingshot ready, but Will could see him trembling. Mike kept staring up at Nancy in anticipation and fear.

“Do you hear anything yet?” Mike called up to her.

“Nothing,” Nancy called down.

The anticipation was killing him faster than the monster. Billy knew where they were. He had seen Will.

“He should be here by now,” Jonathan said, like he had plucked the thought from Will’s brain.

“Well, I for one am relieved he isn’t,” Lucas said. “We’re useless without El. We’re just sitting ducks.”

El.

“Oh my god,” Will said. Realization hit him like a brick wall.

“Will, what is it?” Mike asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“The monster isn’t coming for us; it’s going to the mall. It’s coming for El,” Will said. The room went quiet.

“Oh, fuck,” Mike said. Nancy rushed down the stairs, running to move the couch out of the way of the door. Jonathan and the boys quickly moved to help her so they could get to the garage as quickly as possible.

“Lucas, radio Max and Erica! Tell them to warn El and the others!” Jonathan instructed. Will could see Jonathan wince as he helped move the couch. Will still had the memory of the steel chair coming down on Jonathan’s back replaying in his head. The thing he had wanted in that moment was to save him. He had never wished for someone else to die before, but after Tom hurt Jonathan, he wished for it then. But it wasn’t Tom. It was the Mind Flayer that had injured his big brother.

“Max? Erica? Do you copy?” Lucas asked into his walkie-talkie.

“We’re on our way to you, stalker, the plan hasn’t changed, over,” Max’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Actually, it has,” Lucas said, gravely.

“Copy that,” Max said into the walkie. “Change of plans, we- Erica?”

Erica was not next to Max anymore. Max looked around for a brief, fleeting moment of panic, before spotting the younger girl in the distance, looking at the giant stack of fireworks being unloaded from trucks near the end of the fairground.

“What’s up?” Max asked. “We gotta go.”

“This thing’s big, right?” Erica asked. “We’re gonna need some offensive artillery.”

Max followed Erica’s gaze. The workers finished unloading the last bit of fireworks and went to pull their trucks away. The girls met eyes.

“They’re unattended.” Erica said.

“Think we can make it down there before anyone catches us?” Max asked.

“We might as well try.”

The girls made a run for it, heading down a small hill and towards the fireworks before anyone could even notice them. They inspected the pile, Max admiring the wide variety while Erica honed in on one set of boxes specifically.

“Oh yeah,” she cooed, grabbing the box. “Satan’s Baby. Have you ever set one of these off before?”

Max shook her head.

“Lucas and Will got one of these a few years ago and launched it in our backyard,” Erica explained. “The fire marshal laughed when we explained what set that tree on fire.”

Envisioning the scene in her head, Max threw her head back in a laugh.

Erica started to gather more fireworks. “A couple of these babies and that monster is as good as a flaming pile of smooze.”

“Sounds good to me.” Max beamed.

The two started to gather boxes of fireworks, shoving as many under their arms as they could.

On the other side of the fairground, Larry Kline finished up a phone call with urgency.

“Okay, good to talk to you, Winifred. I’m glad they’ve got eyes on them. Get to feeling better. Have a good night.” he hung up, stewing as he placed the expensive phone away in his car. 

He approached the two nearby uniformed men as he tried to regain a semblance of cool, calm, and collected composure.

“Deputy Powell, Officer Callahan,” he said, the two officers wincing at the strong tobacco smell on his breath. “I need you two to keep an eye on Neil Hargrove’s little one for me.”

Powell rolled his eyes. “Man, that stupid-ass kid’s here? What’s a guy gotta do to have one night without a complaint about Billy Hargrove?”

“Oh! No, no, no-” the mayor looked around. “Uh, his younger daughter. I’m not completely sure of her name. She’s been running amuck with Charlie Sinclair’s youngest all night? I’m not sure what they’re up to, but I’d hate to see this happy event come crashing down due to some kids, am I right?”

“We’ll keep an eye on ‘em, Mr. Mayor.” Callahan said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Good! Glad to hear it,” Mayor Kline nodded. “Have a good evening, officers.”

“Alright, let’s go find those little anklebiters.” Powell straightened his belt.

“Does Mr. Sinclair let anyone call him Charlie?”

“No, he does not.”

Erica and Max had gathered as many fireworks as possible under their arms when they caught sight of the two uniforms making their way across the fairground.

“Shit!” Max squealed. “Pigs at three o’clock!”

Erica’s eyes went wide. “I’ll create a diversion, you run!”

“What?” Max said. “I’m not letting you run in with them when we’re in the middle of stealing!”

“I’m more likely to get off scot-free with my adorable face and the fact that I’m barely double-digits,” Erica explained. “You’re a teenager who could be held contemptible in juvenile court.”

As it turned out, neither of them would need to talk to the officers as a screeching noise alerted the officers and bid them turn around.

Holly, alone, came bounding over to the officers and yelled in their faces.

“I can’t find my mom!” she cried, “I just wanted to play the balloon game!”

Max and Erica ducked behind the pile of fireworks as they heard the officers talking to Holly in softer voices, as they walked away with her. It was clearly a more preferable task to the one they’d been given.

Slowly, the girls’ heads popped up from behind the display and they saw Holly walking in between the officers. Her blonde ponytail whipped around her head as she turned and nodded to the two girls.

“She’s a little genius.” Max breathed.

Erica nodded. “She just thinks we’re monster fighters.”

“Well, we are, aren’t we?” Max smiled. “Let’s load out, Morning Glory.”

Erica cackled. “After you, Rosedust.”

The girls scooped up the last of the fireworks that their arms could carry and raced back to their bikes, stuffing them in their backpacks and in the basket of Erica’s bike, the few that didn’t fit remaining perched precariously in their arms as they biked as far away from the fairground as they could get, in the direction of the Starcourt Mall.

Dr. Kay had left the room to take a call. Joyce could hardly believe their luck. As the silence finally fell over the room, Joyce knew that if they had any chance of getting out, it was going to be now. She knew what they had to do.

“Hop, remember that knife you gave me?” Joyce asked. “It’s in my shirt. I’m going to need you to get it out.”

“What?” Hopper asked. His eyes were misty. He had been more silent and reserved than Joyce had ever seen him. She couldn’t blame him. Seeing El had been a shock to her system, too. Why she was in the lab of all places mystified Joyce. She was terrified for her, and the other kids. How the four of them got down there would be a story for another day. But Joyce couldn’t dwell on that now.

“Your knife. In the bottom of my shirt. You remember how I can use a knife to pick a lock? Well, I think I can get your handcuffs off if you get it for me.”

“At the bottom…of your shirt?” Hopper repeated, blinking at her. “And what? You want me to use my mouth?”

“Yes!”

Hopper stared at her, with his jaw hanging limply open.

“Slow your roll, Romeo, I’m not asking you to motorboat me,” Joyce said. Hopper nearly choked. “Just lean down, pull my shirt out of the belt and take the knife.”

“How did they not find it on you?” Hopper asked.

“They didn’t pat me down like they did you. I think they just assumed I wouldn’t be carrying a weapon. How many middle aged moms do you know who carry hunting knives on them?” Joyce shrugged. It was the one-time misogyny had worked out in her favour. 

Hopper nodded and gulped. Joyce resisted rolling her eyes. Hopper leaned down to her lap. Joyce had to look away. It wasn't comfortable, nor was it a pretty sight. Hopper’s mouth was hot and wet and made a damp spot on her shirt. It took some wriggling, but he eventually got his mouth on the knife and slowly and awkwardly maneuvered around to get it into her hands. Hopper could barely make eye contact with her, which made Joyce snort. They weren’t in high school anymore.

Hopper turned his back to her, and she did the same. It was awkward and uncomfortable trying to pick the lock cuffed and behind her back. But she knew she could do it. Joyce and Karen had got into a lot of situations in high school that required this specific skillset. If she closed her eyes and pretended she was a little tipsy, it was only a matter of time. She remembered the one time she and Karen themselves had ended up in handcuffs outside the cinema. That was before Karen had married Ted, of course, but Karen had got them out then. She later taught Joyce how to do the same. If Ted only knew what Karen had been like before they married…

Joyce didn’t like how long it was taking her. She was scared that any moment Dr. Kay would walk through that door and stop them, or the knife would fall out of Joyce’s hands and clatter to the floor. But like a tiny miracle, Hopper’s cuffs unlocked. Hopper gasped. He took his handcuffs off and immediately went to remove Joyce’s. He wasn’t as skilled or practised, but he got them off just in time as the door swung open.

Nancy’s car was loaded up with her guns and whatever traps or weapons the group had managed to get their hands on, but also a lot of makeshift weaponry that the boys had come to be familiar with, like a lighter and a can of hairspray and a pack of marbles for Lucas’ wrist rocket should he run out of ammo or pop-its.

It was then loaded up with Nancy and Jonathan in the front seat, Lucas and Mike in the middle, with Will relegated to the backseat by himself.

As they pulled out of the Wheeler’s driveway and zoomed off down the road, Nancy adjusted the rearview mirror and cleared her throat to address the group.

“Alright boys,” Nancy sighed. “This thing is gonna be bigger than it was before. I’m so, so hesitant to even be bringing you guys along, but…you guys can handle yourselves. Hopefully.”

Nancy caught Mike’s eyes in the mirror. He certainly was a lot different than he was two years ago. He used to be a lot happier, for sure. 

For what it was worth, Nancy used to be a lot happier, too.

“Hopefully we beat it there,” Jonathan said. “So we can be prepared.”

“It’s not counting on us having a disregard for the road laws, I’ll bet.” Nancy said with an evil smirk. Jonathan laughed, and the two shared a smile.

In the middle seats, Lucas poked Mike on the shoulder. “You good?”

Mike shrugged. “Yeah, I’m just worried about seeing El again. We haven’t talked since…”

“Oh, yeah…” Lucas remembered. “Well, we have something else at hand right now. You can figure out what to say to her after, yeah?”

“I guess,” Mike said. “I don’t know what I would even say. Definitely that I’m sorry, because I am, but after that.”

“Well, were you gonna try to get her back?” Lucas asked. “Maybe that should wait until after we’ve dealt with Billy, though.”

Mike looked at Nancy and Jonathan in the front seat, remembering his conversation at the hospital. “I don’t think…I don’t know. Maybe that can wait for a while, actually.”

It was Lucas’ turn to shrug. “Makes sense. Just trying to make conversation.”

“What are you gonna say?” Mike asked. “To Max? Will it be the sixth time that’s the charm?”

“I hope so,” Lucas smiled. “If she’ll have me. I’ll always wanna have Max.”

Will watched the conversation go down from the very back with his head hung low. He tried to focus on the rolling of the car, or on the images of Hawkins that passed by the window in the moonlight. Nothing worked. He kept drifting back over to where Mike and Lucas were talking.

“So what?” Mike asked. “Are you in love with her?”

He said it in a teasing tone, but Lucas made a funny face. “Maybe I am, man. What’s wrong with that? You don’t think love is a beautiful thing?”

Will tried to ignore what felt like a gunshot to his chest.

“I think you’re fourteen.”

“You are too!” Lucas shot back.

“Yeah, but I’m not in love.”

“...Woah, dude. You sure?”

Mike frowned. “To be fair, I don’t think El is either.”

Lucas leaned back in his seat, blowing a puff of air from his cheeks. “What about you, Will? Have you ever been in love?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Will leaned forward, ignoring the horrible twisting in his gut. “That centaur we fought in the river reclamation campaign.”

The group laughed at that, but Will just plastered a fake little smile on his face. 

From the rearview mirror, Jonathan sat in silence and watched the facade on his brother’s face crumble as he sat back in his seat and stared out the window.

Dustin was glad he could breathe fresh air again. The ride up the elevator was significantly smoother than the ride down. He had gotten so used to stale, clinical air that the outdoors felt heaven sent. Though the immediate sight of soldiers outside the shipping room was less than preferable. 

Dustin held Steve and Robin back from immediately walking out and getting shot. With El’s possible concussion, and Steve and Robin’s drugging, Dustin had his hands full. He wasn’t sure what to do. He just hoped that Joyce and Hopper could figure something out downstairs, because he was fresh out of ideas. His first priority was keeping his friends alive. He decided the best course of action was to head back into the mall.

It wasn’t great that all four of them stank, and three of them were covered in blood. Two possibly covered in vomit, too. Still, Dustin tried to blend in with the crowd. What was the least conspicuous place to hide?

His eyes met the movie showings. He remembered Max mentioning wanting to go to the movies.

“Sorry, Max,” He said under his breath before dragging his gaggle of teens towards the cinema.

El’s eyes were wide with wonder when she walked inside the theatre. She had never seen a screen so big before. She had no idea they came in that size. She followed closely behind Dustin, but had to marvel at the spectacle. Dustin grabbed her hand and carefully brought her to a seat on the opposite side of the theatre than Steve and Robin. The place was packed. For just a second, El forgot where she was.

“What did I tell you? Eighty-eight miles per hour!” The man with white hair on the screen shouted while hopping up and down. El laughed, not sure how she was supposed to react. She felt herself growing more and more enthralled. After a moment, she felt a pair of eyes on her. El swiveled her head to look at Dustin.

“What?” She whispered. How was he not as invested as she was?

“Is this your first time at the cinema?” Dustin asked. El nodded. “Shit, we missed the beginning. That sucks.”

“You’ve seen it before?”

“Yeah, I saw it last week. The guy with the white hair? That’s Doc. He’s a mad scientist,” Dustin explained.

El snorted. “He’s a scientist?”

“Yeah, definitely not realistic. But fun,” Dustin said. The car in the movie jolted and drove off. The sound made El jump. She found Dustin’s hand again. She heard him chuckle. She gave him a look. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise! I’m just…enjoying watching you experience something new.”

“You’re watching me.”

“I’ve already seen the movie. You’re just more interesting to me right now.”

El was glad it was dark in the theatre, and he couldn’t see her blush. She felt a pounding in her chest. Is this what Max meant when she described her first date with Lucas like butterflies?

“I’ve never been on a real date before,” El admitted. Dustin tensed up.

“Date?”

“I mean. With Mike. We never went on a real date. Do something like this. Movies.”

Dustin paused. “Yeah, with Mike.”

El swallowed. She wasn’t sure what to say. Was now the time to tell him that she didn’t know if she wanted to get back together with Mike? If she wanted this break to be permanent? “But I…I don’t know if-“

“Oh shit,” Dustin said, louder than he meant to.

“What?”

“They’re gone. Steve and Robin are gone.”

“Look, we don’t have much time – oh good! Your cuffs are already off,” Dr. Owens said, slipping the key back in his pocket.

“Excuse me?” Joyce asked. Apparently, they hadn’t been subtle about trying to hide their wrists, but that wasn’t what bothered Joyce. What was with the sudden change in Owens’ attitude? After being cuffed, blindfolded and kidnapped, Joyce didn’t exactly feel chummy with him.

“I’m here to let you two go before Kay gets back,” Owens said, looking over his shoulder nervously. He was as shifty as ever. “I have something rather urgent to attend to, so the quicker we do this, the better.”

“You’re serious?” Hopper asked, incredulously. “You compromised my daughter, reinstated the Hawkins lab without informing me, and now you expect us to trust you?”

“I’ve made many mistakes! Numerous mistakes. But I’m done with that now,” Dr. Owens said. “Look, when I took over after Marty died, I made a vow to myself. The Hawkins lab was never, ever going to use children as weapons again. I am not in the business of hurting kids. Kay, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. When she ordered to have those two kids beat, I was beside myself. But if this is going to work, I have to work from the inside out. So. Here’s what’s going to happen. At the end of this hallway, you will find a room with a safe. The combination to that safe is Planck’s Constant. Got it?”

“Why don’t you just do it yourself if you’re feeling so virtuous?” Joyce asked. “Why do you expect us to do your dirty work?”

“Because I’m working an angle here. If Kay finds out I helped you escape, it will all fall apart,” Owens said. “Listen carefully. Inside the safe, you will find the key to turn off the machine that controls the gate. It is a two-person job. Bring those keys to the control room and turn them simultaneously. I would go with you, but I need to monitor a rather concerning issue.”

“What’s the issue?” Hopper asked.

Owens swallowed. “A new…manifestation from that other world has been spotted inside Hawkins. We’re not entirely sure what it is, but I think it’s a new variation of whatever took hold of your son last year.”

“What?” Joyce said, standing up.

“That is why it is paramount that we close the gate. I don’t know how this is possible, or why he’s doing this, but we need to sever the connection now before it’s too late," Owens said.

“He?” Hopper asked.

“Did I say he? I meant it,” Owens clarified. “I have to go. But Joyce, Jim, good luck. I’m going to leave the door unlatched. Pretend I was never here.”

With that, Owens fled the room. Joyce and Hopper looked at each other and nodded.

Joyce hated that man. She would never forgive him for reopening the gate. She would never forgive him for what happened to Bob. For continuing the legacy of Dr. Brenner. For not standing up for Steve and Robin when they were hurt. For letting the Mind Flayer take her son at all, and for not realizing that it had returned. But she was glad to see him do the right thing. She wasn’t going to let this chance go to waste.

“Let’s end this,” Hopper said.

“For once and for all.”

By the time Robin had finished throwing up, she nearly felt worse than the aftermath of torture, which was something she could now say she’d experienced. Man, what being bored at work did to a person. Robin almost laughed to herself, pulling her knees up to her chest while her body shuddered and trembled. She was sitting on the floor of the boys bathroom of the mall. She hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours and now her stomach was empty. She couldn’t wait to go home and take a bath and make a big, fat sandwich. Well, if they were even able to go home. She had no idea if the soldiers were going to try to hunt them down. The thought made her shudder even harder. New nighttime fear to lose sleep over.

“Stevie? Did you OD over there?” Robin called.

“Nope, still kicking,” Steve said.

Their conversation started slow. Silly, conversational, before Steve started being a little too honest. Robin felt her heart sink as he spoke. He had been so kind about her, so sweet. Oh, it had been so long since Robin had had a friend like Steve. What a shame he was going to hate her after this. Robin had to stare up at the ceiling to avoid tears. But she wouldn’t let him feel this way. She knew how hard it was to have an unrequited crush.

“Hey Robin, did you OD over there?” Steve asked, his voice small.

“No…I am still alive,” Robin said, her voice shaking a little. Steve slid underneath the stall. He peered at her with his non-swollen eye, trying to decipher her.

“So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“The girl.”

“She sounds awesome.”

“She is awesome. But what about the guy?”

“I think…if he really knew this girl, really knew her, he wouldn’t want to even be friends with her anymore.”

“Robin, that’s crazy.”

“No, it’s not. Steve, I need to be honest with you. I like you. I really, really do. This has been one of the best summers of my life, slinging ice cream with you. But I’m not…what you think I’m like. When I told you I was obsessed with you in Mrs. Click’s class, it wasn’t for the reason you think.”

“O-okay, then what was it?”

“I was staring at you…because she was, as well.”

“Mrs. Click?”

“No! No. Nancy Wheeler,” Robin said, taking in a deep breath. “I wanted her to look at me.” 

Robin wiped a tear from her eye. 

“Nancy Wheeler…in her pretty pink sweater and the little jewel clips in her hair. Everyday, when Mrs. Click would ask a question, Nancy was always the first person to put her hand in the air. She never cared if it made her look like a know-it-all, she was always so excited to know the answer. Even if I knew the answer, too, I would never raise my hand, because I knew Nancy was eager to do it.”

Steve considered saying something but sat back and listened, his face softening.

“One time, I had her as my discussion partner for class. I’ll never forget how passionate she was about the assassination of the Romanovs. It was actually what got me into Russian literature, you know. But man, I tried so hard to impress her. To keep up with her in our discussion, to show her I was just as eager as her. It was my favourite memory of that class, the best day of school maybe ever. But even still…she would always sit with you after that.”

Robin looked down. Steve looked at the tile on the wall.

“She’d always…laugh at your stupid jokes. She would take so much extra time for you, dumb herself down for you and you didn’t even care about how brilliant she was. It was like you saw her as like…a trophy, or something. And you were so mean, and lazy, and you made fun of her favourite subjects, and I would just go home every night and scream into my pillow because it didn’t seem fair. I wanted to be everything she liked, but I couldn’t be. Because she wanted you, Steve the Hair Harrington.”

“But…Nancy’s a girl.”

“Steve.”

Realization dawned on his face. “Oh.”

“Yeah…oh.”

Steve looked down at his lap. Robin prepared for the worst. She closed her eyes, accepting it.

“So, you agree that Jonathan Byers is kind of a loser, right? Between you and me, she picked him of all people?”

Robin burst out laughing in shock. “Hey, don’t be mean! He’s…he’s sweet, right?”

“Sweet is not the word I’d use, but, yeah, if we want to be nice.”

Robin laughed. She felt the tightness in her chest slowly start to disappear.

One room over, El and Dustin had taken a break from looking for the teens and hiding from the soldiers. Dustin would usually act with more urgency, but the wound on El’s forehead was making him nervous.

“Ow,” El complained, sitting on the floor of the girls bathroom as Dustin dabbed a paper towel against her wound.

“We have to stop the bleeding,” Dustin said. “Hold still!”

El pouted. “It hurts!”

“That means it’s working,” Dustin said. “Man, we’re gonna have to find you a first aid kit somewhere.”

“We need to find Robin and Steve,” El pointed out. “What if they get caught again?”

“I should hope not,” Dustin replied. “They can’t have gotten too far, they look like walking glowsticks. Really, really stoned glowsticks.”

El heard laughter coming through the other side of the wall. She tried to ignore it, but it started to grow. Nope, definitely couldn’t avoid that.

“Do you think that’s-?”

“It’s them,” Dustin confirmed. They got to their feet and headed next door to the boys bathroom and burst open the door. “Dudes!”

Robin and Steve burst into a fit of giggles.

“You mean to tell me that that is heading towards the gate?” Dr. Kay asked, looking at the picture the soldier had taken of the goliath sized monster.

“We believe so,” The soldier told her. Dr. Kay sighed.

“Evacuate the facility and report a false fire to Starcourt so they evacuate the mall, too. But find those children,” Dr. Kay said, rubbing her fingers against her temple.

“What about the captives?”

“Leave them. They’ve done enough damage,” Dr. Kay sighed. “Get your men to protect the gate, but get the scientists out of here.”

“But ma’am, we don’t know how dangerous this thing is.”

“You heard my orders.”

The mall’s intercom blared with the message: “A fire has been reported. Please move to the closest exit. Do not finish checking out, move towards the nearest exit as quickly and as orderly as possible.”

In the bathroom, El, Dustin, Robin and Steve looked at each other. “This is it. They’re coming for us.”

Starcourt Mall’s outside lights still burned a blazing neon even as the population inside dwindled with the complex’s sudden closure. Nancy had no problem parking at the very front of the lot. The few patrons left tried to pay the teenagers no mind, even as they stormed the main entrance with their cache of DIY weapons.

“Guys!”

The group turned to see Max and Erica’s bikes skidding to a halt in front of the curb. Lucas dropped his backpack and raced to greet the girls first, wrapping up his sister in a big hug, then doing the same to Max, much to her surprise.

“Good to see you made it out alive, Stalker,” Max said, still holding onto Lucas. “We thought for sure you were a goner when your line went dead.”

“We would’ve fared better with you guys round,” Mike commented, approaching the girls. “Glad you’re okay, too.”

“Never do that again,” Erica scolded the boys. “I don’t get paid enough to be this scared for your lives.”

Nancy and Jonathan watched the sweet reunion from afar. Will considered joining, but saw how Mike and Erica stood awkwardly while Max intimately padded her thumb across Lucas’ cheek and decided against it.

“We come bearing gifts,” Erica gestured, producing the fireworks they’d gathered. “Think this’ll be enough?”

Nancy smiled. “More than enough. Let’s go bag us a Flayer.”

Dustin and El yanked Steve and Robin across the food court, ducking behind kiosks and counters every time they heard so much as a squeak. The mall rattled with ambient noise that translated to pure paranoia in their heads.

“Here. If we set up on the mezzanine, we’ll have two vantage points.”

Steve, Dustin, and El gasped. “Nancy.”

Robin quirked an eyebrow. “Nancy Wheeler? Your ex? The girl I literally- she’s involved in all this too?”

She didn’t finish her thoughts as the other three stood and made for the group that had just arrived.

The boys immediately crowded Dustin with hugs and chatter.

“Dude, what happened?” Mike asked.

Dustin shrugged. “Intercepted a secret code. Hawkins National Energy has a secret base of Daedalian horror and was using the mall as a front. Hopper and Mrs. Byers are down there now. They’re gonna shut down the gate.”

“My mom is down there?!” Will said in exasperation. Dustin nodded. “That’s terrifying- I mean, I’m glad you guys are okay, but…”

“She’ll be fine,” Dustin assured him. “I left them a walkie. I’m glad you guys are okay, too.”

“Yeah, but we almost weren’t,” Lucas explained. “One wrong step and we woulda been a part of the people monster.”

The four boys laughed together.

Steve and Robin awkwardly approached Nancy and Jonathan.

“What the hell happened to you guys?” Nancy asked, inspecting their beat up faces.

“We got interrogated by military scientists.” Steve said.

“And drugged, we got drugged too.” Robin added.

“Oh my God.” Jonathan said in disgust. “Why would they even…?”

The two in bright blue shrugged.

Nancy looked between Steve and Robin. She knew Steve was formidably good at taking care of the kids, and she barely knew Robin apart from their sparse interactions at school, but the evidence suggested that they’d taken quite the beating so Dustin and El wouldn’t have to, which made her alright in Nancy’s book.

“But, we yartzed it all up in the bathroom a few minutes ago, so I think we’re good now,” Robin said quickly. “So, what now? We saw the gate thingy, what’s all the offensive detail for? Cause I heard something about a monster but I’ve been totally out of the loop.”

“The Mind Flayer,” Nancy said. “That’s what the boys named it last year. It infiltrates people’s minds and now… it’s started melting people down to create a physical form.”

She braced herself for the response to what was clearly a completely insane statement to make.

“Melting…people?” Steve asked. “Like, it’s made of people working- like the hive mind thing?”

“They’re not themselves anymore. We’ve watched at least three people physically melt into piles of bubbling goo and migrate to each other to create some sort of Lovecraft creature.” Jonathan explained in exasperation.

Steve and Robin both stood in shock for a brief moment.

“And- and it’s on its way here?” Steve continued his questioning. He got two nods in response.

“Wait, that’s kind of stupid.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to Robin.

“Well, if this thing infiltrates people’s minds then it could just have humans do its bidding, right?”

“It has,” Jonathan said. “Twice. With Will last year and now Billy.”

“And you were able to save Will, right?” Robin clarified. “So, a monster of the mind is a lot more powerful when we’re seeing it through someone we love, someone we still think is worth saving. We’d be less hesitant to kill it than if it was a faceless flesh conglomerate.”

“Well. I think Billy is still-” Nancy started, but Robin’s mouth was moving faster than her brain.

“So why go through all the trouble of inhabiting a different physical form in the first place?” Robin asked earnestly. “It’s mortal now. It can be killed.”

“If it stayed in the mind we’d just keep burning it out of the next host.” Jonathan said in realization. 

“Except, we don’t know what its end goal is,” Nancy reiterated. “We’re so busy with this endless cycle of constantly fighting it that we have no time to even try and understand it.”

“Well, it’s coming for us now, so there’s no choice but to kill it again.” Steve grumbled.

“And if it’s dead for good, then it’s dead for good,” Robin pointed out. “But if its consciousness retreats and has to come up with a new plan, that gives us more time to figure it out, understand it.”

“That’s if we even can kill it,” Nancy said. “It’s a lot bigger now. A lot stronger. That’s why it didn’t just possess one person. It wants to do more damage.”

“Then we target its weak spots, it has to have ‘em,” Steve said. “It made the stupid choice to make itself out of humans, rather than, like, concrete or something. Humans are fleshy and weak.”

Steve poked Jonathan. He laughed with Robin. The two stumbled over each other as they padded over to the weapons. Nancy and Jonathan turned heads and watched them go.

“I dunno how she puts up with that idiot.” Jonathan said quietly.

Max and El hugged each other so tight that it started to cut off their circulation.

“Not knowing where you were was super scary,” Max breathed. “What happened down there?”

“A lot,” El leaned in close and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I can’t- I can’t use my powers anymore.”

Max furrowed her brows. “Like, they aren’t working?”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this.” El said as her head shook and her voice cracked.

“We will do this,” Max assured El, squeezing her hands. “All of us.”

The two looked over at where Erica had settled herself into the pile of fireworks, as the rest of the group had settled into their reunions without her. Max and El approached.

“It’s good you got these,” El said, crouching to inspect the pile. “It may be the only thing we have.”

“I’m known to have good ideas on a near constant basis.” Erica commented.

El smiled. She and Erica had been vaguely aware of the other’s existence, but they’d never properly hung around each other before.

“Once we face that ugly beast with a couple of these, he’ll be crying for mama,” Erica insisted. She paused. “Do mind flayers have moms?”

“They’re aberrations,” Mike said as he approached the group. “They don’t fit into the natural order of the Material Plane, so they have no discernable point of origin. The Monster Manual just says they come from far away times and places.”

Erica rolled her eyes. “That’s great, genius, but I meant this guy, not the nerdy nerd shit you named him after.”

“Oh,” Mike looked down. “Then, I dunno.”

He sat, beginning to help the girls sort through the firework piles. Max and Erica met eyes.

“You wanna go to the camping store and see if we can steal any more defensive gear?” Max asked Erica.

The two got up and left, leaving Mike and El sat next to each other in awkward silence.

Mike watched the girls go. He looked over at El. He frowned at her bleeding head.

“Dustin went to go find a first aid kit,” Mike said. “You guys got beat up pretty bad down there, huh?”

El nodded. “Not as bad as Steve and Robin.”

“I saw that.” Mike replied.

El sliced up the cardboard firework boxes with her knife.

“Where’d you get that?” Mike asked.

“Steve gave it to me,” El said. “So I would not have to use my powers in the lab.”

“That’s good,” Mike nodded. “Good that you were safe. I’m glad you guys are all safe.”

“Yes, I am too,” El looked over at Mike. “And I’m glad that you guys are okay.”

“Oh,” Mike huffed. “Yeah. I mean, it would’ve been fair, if you were still mad at me. What I did was pretty mean.”

“But I would not want you to get hurt,” El insisted. “Even if I was mad at you.”

Mike set down his fireworks. “Are you? Still mad?”

“...I don’t think so,” El responded after a while. “It has been hard for me to be mad, when we have so many other things to think about.”

“Right, like the best flavors of ice cream, right?” Mike joked. “There’s nothing else going on right now, is there?”

El laughed. “No, I don’t think so. Strawberry, by the way.”

“Hm, not bad, not bad…” Mike said with an approving nod.

After a moment of quiet, Mike spoke up again.

“Can we be friends again?”

El looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean- we-” Mike stuttered. “We were friends, and then we were dating, and then we broke up and…The part where we were friends was the most fun, for me.”

“Me too.” El cracked a smile.

“But, like, I know you’re like, cool now,” Mike said. “You wear awesome clothes and hang out with Max. So if you don’t want to be friends with a nerd, I get it.”

El laughed. “I am not cool. I think I am also a nerd.”

“Oh, well that’s good.”

“...So yes, I would like to be your friend.” El finished.

Mike smiled back. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but I really like your new clothes.”

“Thanks,” El said. “I looked better, before I got locked in a vent.”

“Yeah, you guys are gonna have to tell us that whole story eventually. At least you and Dustin were able to keep each other alive,” Mike replied. He looked back at Steve and Robin stumbling over each other. “Even with those two jesters around.”

“Yes, we were. Mostly.”

And they unpacked fireworks, and they were glad to be friends. Nancy and Jonathan talked strategy while Steve and Robin tried to keep each other standing up straight. Erica and Max “borrowed” supplies from the hunting store, while Lucas and Will sat on a bench and tried to contact Will’s mom on the walkies.

“Mom? Hopper? Do you copy?” Will asked. He turned to Lucas. “I don’t think they’re getting us.”

“We have to get back to Cerebro.” Lucas said decidedly. “We’ll call them, tell them to close the gate, kill the Flayer, and finally be done with all of this. You’ll be safe. No more visions, yeah?”

Will nodded nervously. No more visions. Hopefully.